1. Biological Properties and Therapeutic Applications of Propolis
José M Sforcin Phytother Res. 2016 Jun;30(6):894-905. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5605. Epub 2016 Mar 14.
Propolis is a resinous material collected by bees from bud and exudates of the plants, mixed with bee enzymes, pollen and wax. In this review, the biological properties of propolis and some therapeutic applications are discussed. The same biological activities have been investigated until today, using samples from different geographic regions. Thus, the study of the biological properties of a given sample should always be associated with its chemical composition and botanical source, representing a particular sample of a given geographic area, exploring its biological potential and the role of its constituents. Efforts have been carried out to explain propolis' mechanisms of action in vivo and in vitro, but the majority of propolis' targets and actions are still unclear. The number of formulations containing propolis and patents have increased, although propolis extracts have been used deliberately with different recommendations, not always mentioning the chemical composition, vegetal source and the methods of extraction. Clinical studies will help to obtain criterious recommendations in view of the expected outcomes. Further investigation should explore the effects of common compounds found in the samples from all over the world in an attempt to standardize the research on propolis and to obtain new drugs.
2. Resin Glycosides from Convolvulaceae Family: An Update
Rani Maharani, Mohamad Fajar, Unang Supratman Molecules. 2022 Nov 23;27(23):8161. doi: 10.3390/molecules27238161.
Resin glycoside is a type of secondary metabolite isolated commonly from the Convolvulaceae family. It consists of oligosaccharides conjugated to organic acids with a larger percentage having a macrocyclic structure. The resin glycosides reported in this review is classified mostly based on the number of sugar units constructing the structure, which is correlated to the biological properties of the compounds. According to preliminary reviews, the protocols to isolate the compounds are not straightforward and require a special technique. Additionally, the structural determination of the isolated compounds needs to minimize the structure for the elucidation to become easier. Even though resin glycosides have a complicated structural skeleton, several total syntheses of the compounds have been reported in articles published from 2010 to date. This review is an update on the prior studies of the resin glycosides reported in 2010 and 2017. The review includes the classification, isolation techniques, structural determination, biological properties, and total synthesis of the resin glycosides.
3. Chemistry and biological activity of resin glycosides from Convolvulaceae species
Bo-Yi Fan, Xing Jiang, Yu-Xin Li, Wen-Li Wang, Min Yang, Jian-Lin Li, An-Dong Wang, Guang-Tong Chen Med Res Rev. 2022 Nov;42(6):2025-2066. doi: 10.1002/med.21916. Epub 2022 Jun 16.
Carbohydrate-based drug discovery has gained more and more attention during the last few decades. Resin glycoside is a kind of novel and complex glycolipids mainly distributed in plants of the family Convolvulaceae. Over the last decade, a number of natural resin glycosides and derivatives have been isolated and identified, and exhibited a broad spectrum of biological activities, such as cytotoxic, multidrug-resistant reversal on both microbial pathogens and mammalian cancer cells, antivirus, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, sedative, vasorelaxant, laxative, and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects, indicating their potential as lead compounds for drug discovery. A systematic review of the literature studies was carried out to summarize the chemistry and biological activity of resin glycosides from Convolvulaceae species, based on various data sources such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google scholar. The keyword "Convolvulaceae" was paired with "resin glycoside," "glycosidic acid," "glycolipid," or "oligosaccharide," and the references published between 2009 and June 2021 were covered. In this article, we comprehensively reviewed the structures of 288 natural resin glycoside and derivatives newly reported in the last decade. Moreover, we summarized the biological activities and mechanisms of action of the resin glycosides with pharmaceutical potential. Taken together, great progress has been made on the chemistry and biological activity of resin glycosides from Convolvulaceae species, however, more exploratory research is still needed, especially on the mechanism of action of the biological activities.
