Depression is a prevalent, chronic, and debilitating disorder characterized by high treatment resistance. Symplocos racemosa, containing phenols and triterpenoids, acts as an antidepressant by elevating brain monoamine levels. This study aimed to enhance the targeted delivery of S. racemosa via nano-emulsion and improve its therapeutic efficacy against depression. In addition, it sought to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying its effects through molecular docking studies. S. racemosa bark was extracted using methanol and ethyl acetate, yielding six phytoconstituents (ellagic acid, betulinic acid, acetyl oleanolic acid, salireposide, oleanolic acid, and symlocoside) through column chromatography. Molecular docking against MAO-A was performed to confirm significant binding affinity. A chitosan-loaded herbal nano-emulsion containing these phytoconstituents was formulated for enhanced brain delivery tested using animal studies using forced swim test (FST) and actophotometer models. Docking studies confirmed that all the components exhibit a good binding toward MAO-A, comparable to standard moclobemide, and among all salireposide has the most significant and better binding affinity, higher than moclobemide. Nano-emulsion, at both dosages, reduced the immobility time in the FST and increased the locomotor activity in the actophotometer of depressed mice. Nano-emulsion of isolated phytoconstituents from S. racemosa exhibited synergistic effects, effectively managing depression by inhibiting MAO-A.

From the leaves of Coula edulis, fourteen compounds were isolated and identified: D-mannitol (1), a mixture of β-sitosterol (2) and stigmasterol (3), α-amyrin (4), betulin (5), lupeol (6), lupenone (7), betulinic acid (8), taraxerol (9), 3β-(E)-coumaroyltaraxerol (10), 3β-(Z)-coumaroyltaraxerol (11), ursolic acid (12), stigmasterol 3-O-β-D-glucoside (13), and β-sitosterol 3-O-β-D-glucoside (14). These compounds were analysed through NMR spectroscopy (both 1D and 2D) and by comparing them to previously published data. Compounds 1, 4, 5, and 7-9 have been identified from this species for the first time. Antibacterial activity was assessed, with compound 12 displaying the best efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC: 15.6 μg/mL). Molecular docking of compound 12 led to twenty lead compounds, among which 12 F displayed the highest score (-10.1 kcal/mol). Most lead compounds showed better scores compared to Vancomycin (-8.8 kcal/mol). Biovia Discovery Studio analysis reveals lead compounds interacting with CASTp-predicted active pocket amino acids.

There is growing interest in reducing the number of synthetic products or additives and replacing them with natural ones. The pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries are especially focused on natural and bioactive chemicals isolated from plants or microorganisms. The main challenge here is to develop efficient and ecological methods for their isolation. According to the strategies and rules of sustainable development and green chemistry, green solvents and environmentally friendly technologies must be used. The application of deep eutectic solvents as efficient and biodegradable solvents seems to be a promising alternative to traditional methods. They are classified as being green and ecological but, most importantly, very efficient extraction media compared to organic solvents. The aim of this review is to present the recent findings on green extraction, as well as the biological activities and the possible applications of natural plant ingredients, namely, phenolics, flavonoids, terpenes, saponins, and some others. This paper thoroughly reviews modern, ecological, and efficient extraction methods with the use of deep eutectic solvents (DESs). The newest findings, as well as the factors influencing the efficiency of extraction, such as water content, and hydrogen bond donor and acceptor types, as well as the extraction systems, are also discussed. New solutions to the major problem of separating DESs from the extract and for solvent recycling are also presented.

Microbial infections are leading causes of death and morbidity all over the world due to the development of the resistance to antibiotics by certain microorganisms. In this study, the chemical exploration of the ethanol (EtOH) extract of the aerial part of Dracaena stedneuri (Dracaenaceae) led to the isolation of one previously unreported chalcone derivative, i.e., 2',4'-dihydroxy-2,3'-dimethoxychalcone (1), together with 12 known compounds: 8-(C)-methylquercetagetin-3,6,3'-trimethyl ether (2), methylgalangine (3), quercetin (4), kaempferol (5), 6,8-dimethylchrysin (6), ombuine-3-O-rutinoside (4',7-dimethylquercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6) -β-D-glucopyranoside) (7), alliospiroside A (8), β-sitosterol 3-O-glucopyranoside (9), ishigoside (10), betulinic acid (11), oleanolic acid (12), and lupeol (13). The structures were determined by spectroscopic and spectrometric analysis including 1- and 2-Dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1D- and 2D-NMR), High-Resolution Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (HRESIMS), and comparison with literature data. The isolated secondary metabolites and crude extract displayed antibacterial activity against some multidrug-resistant strains with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 32 to 256 μg/mL. The antibacterial activity of compound 13 against Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC13048 (MIC value: 32 μg/mL) was higher than that of chloramphenicol used as the reference drug (MIC = 64 μg/mL).

Complete malarial therapy depends largely on the immunological and inflammatory response of the host to the invading potentials of malarial parasite. In this study, we evaluated the roles of betulinic acid on immunological response, anti-inflammatory potentials, cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue damage in mice infected with chloroquine susceptible (NK 65) and resistant (ANKA) strains of Plasmodium berghei. Serum Interleukins 1β and 6 (IL-1β, IL-6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), immunoglobulins G and M (IgG and IgM), C-reactive protein (CRP) and creatine kinase (CK) were determined using ELISA technique. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma glutammyl transferase (GGT) were determined using ELISA technique. The results showed that betulinic acid decreased the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and CRP relative to the infected control. The IgG and IgM levels significantly increased in both models while CK did not decrease significantly in both models although serum AST, ALT and GGT significantly decreased compared to the infected control. These results showed that betulinic acid possessed anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and remediating effects on tissue damage. Furthermore, the decrease in activity of CK brought about by betulinic acid is indicative of decrease in cardiac and skeletal muscle injury which is a major pathological concern in Plasmodium infection and treatment.