Le Duc Giang

Two new sesquiterpenes and twelve known isolates from Beilschmiedia percoriacea displayed potent anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antioxidant activities.

This study investigated chemical composition and bioactivities of essential oils (EOs) obtained from the rhizomes (REO), leaves (LEO), and pseudo‐stems (SEO) of Alpinia siamensis collected in Vietnam. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry identified 49 constituents in the EOs, representing 97.9%–98.5% of total compositions. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons predominated in all the samples (41.3–87.1%), with β‐bisabolene as the most abundant compound (23.8–53.7%). Bioactivity evaluation revealed that all the EOs showed dose‐dependent inhibition of α‐amylase and tyrosinase. REO exhibited the strongest α‐amylase inhibitory effect (IC ₅₀ = 215.54 ± 3.05 µg/mL), while LEO demonstrated the most potent tyrosinase inhibitory activity (IC ₅₀ = 178.85 ± 1.78 µg/mL). Antioxidant assays indicated moderate radical scavenging effects, with LEO and REO showing the highest activity in the DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively, though all were considerably weaker than ascorbic acid. Antibacterial evaluation against five pathogenic bacteria demonstrated that REO possessed the highest activity and inhibited all strains. LEO showed moderate inhibition, whereas SEO displayed the weakest activity and lacked activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The findings provide the first report on A. siamensis EOs and highlight their potential as natural bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical applications.

Alpinia pinnanensis T.L.Wu & S.J.Chen, a species in the Zingiberaceae family, was identified and described from Phu Tho Province, Vietnam. In this study, the essential oil (EO) was extracted from A. pinnanensis rhizomes using hydrodistillation, and its phytochemical constituent was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main ingredients identified were β-myrcene (18.72%), farnesol (12.17%), β-linalool (11.91%), and 1,8-cineole (8.82%). The EO exhibited weak antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 128 to 256 µg/mL, comparable to positive controls, streptomycin and cycloheximide. Additionally, the EO exhibited cytotoxic effects against HeLa (human cervical carcinoma) and HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) cell lines, with IC50 values of 8.50 ± 0.29 µg/mL and 7.84 ± 0.15 µg/mL, respectively. This is the first study to report on the phytochemical composition, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic effects of the EO from A. pinnanensis rhizomes.

In this work, the volatile components of Erigeron sublyratus essential oils and their anti‐inflammatory and cytotoxic activities were investigated for the first time. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) analysis identified 28 components in the root and aerial part essential oils. The main components included cis‐lachnophyllum ester (53.4–64.2 %), germacrene D (5.6–8.6 %), trans‐β‐ocimene (2.6–7.5 %), β‐caryophyllene (4.7–6.8 %), β‐myrcene (2.0–6.3 %), and (E)‐β‐farnesene (4.8–5.0 %). The aerial part essential oil inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production on LPS‐induced RAW 264.7 cells, with an IC₅₀ value of 1.41±0.10 μg/mL. In addition, both root and aerial part essential oils exhibited cytotoxic activity against MCF‐7, SK‐LU‐1, and HepG2. Molecular docking simulation results revealed that (E)‐β‐farnesene strongly binds to the VEGFR‐2 enzyme, while δ‐cadinene has a high affinity to the COX‐2 enzyme via hydrophobic interactions. These findings proposed that E. sublyratus essential oils can be exploited for their anti‐inflammatory and anti‐cytotoxicity potential.

Objective/Background: Acronychia pedunculata is commonly found in mountainous regions across Vietnam. The species has been widely used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments. Methods: The essential oils (EOs) of A. pedunculata roots, leaves, and flowers were extracted by hydrodistillation process and their chemical compositions were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Besides, the EOs were assayed for in vitro α-amylase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. In silico molecular docking simulations on the major components of the EOs were conducted. Results: The EOs from A. pedunculata roots and leaves consisted of 41 compounds (97.6 and 95.1%, respectively) while the flower EO comprised 37 compounds (98.7%). α-Pinene was found to be the most abundant component in the root and flower EOs, with the percentages of 63.9% and 52.6%, respectively. (E)-β-Caryophyllene was detected at the highest level (22.8%) in the leaf EO. The root EO had the most potent anti-α-amylase and antityrosinase activities, with IC ₅₀ values of 53.73 ± 1.94 and 815.53 ± 3.24 μg/mL, respectively. Its inhibitory activity against α-amylase was stronger than that of acarbose (88.80 ± 1.87 μg/mL). In molecular docking results, limonene was the potential compound in the EOs with the best binding affinity against tyrosinase. Moreover, the evaluation of potential interactions between the main components of the EOs and the selected proteins was elucidated. Conclusions: The findings unveiled that the EOs of A. pedunculata possessed α-amylase and tyrosinase inhibitory effects and potential applications in nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries.

Objective/Background: In Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai traditional medicine of Southeast Asian countries, Stemonaceae plants have long been employed. Various studies have proved that these herbal plants contain Stemona alkaloids with valuable medicinal value. Although some review articles on Stemona alkaloids have appeared in the literature, they are quite outdated. The current study offers a comprehensive review of the isolation and bioactivities of Stemona alkaloids. The article might be useful for chemists who work in alkaloid chemistry as well as pharmaceutical areas. Methods: “ Stemona alkaloids” was the most useful keyword to search for literature data. References have been collected from various resources such as Google Scholar, SciFinder, and PubMed. More than 120 electronic publications were obtained from these resources. Results: More than 250 Stemona alkaloids from 8 groups have been isolated and structurally elucidated from Stemonaceae plants. Extracts from these plants as well as isolated compounds possess a wide range of bioactivities, such as antituberculosis, antibacterial, antifungal, and antihelmintic properties activities. Conclusion: In this review article, we have summarized 116 studies on the isolation and bioactivities of Stemona alkaloids in the literature. More than 250 Stemona alkaloid compounds have been isolated and identified. In addition, the article also gives an overview of the bioactivities of Stemona alkaloids.