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Fenugreek
Published in Dilip Ghosh, Prasad Thakurdesai, Fenugreek, 2022
Till now, more than 100 phytochemicals have been isolated and identified from fenugreek seeds, mainly including polysaccharides, saponins, alkaloids, polyphenols and flavonoids (Acharya et al., 2006; Basu et al., 2014; Mandegary et al., 2012; Zandi et al., 2015). The main ingredients of the seed contain steroidal saponins, alkaloids, mucilage and fibres (Table 7.2). The most important steroidal saponins are diosgenin and yamogenin. The seeds also contain a sapogenin peptide ester named fenugreekine. Trigonelline is the alkaloid of this plant that has been extracted at up to 36% concentration. The amount of protein in this plant is high (22–25%), and its protein is rich in lysine, arginine, tryptophan, and to some extent, histidine. It contains low levels of sulfur-containing amino acids, threonine, valine, methionine and high levels of lysine, arginine and gelicin. 4-hydroxyisoleucine (4-HI) constitutes for about 80% of the total content of free amino acids in fenugreek seeds and are exclusively found in this plant. The amount of carbohydrates of this plant is about 8%. The seeds of fenugreek also contain proteinase-inhibiting compounds. They are also reported to contain minerals such as iron, phosphate, calcium and vitamins such as nicotinic acid, B1, C, A and D. Fenugreek also contains galactomannan, a highly bioactive molecule. Fenugreek seeds contain fixed oil comprising golden yellow and odourless unsaturated fatty acids (6% to 10%). Oil is easily dissolved in ether, benzene, sulfur and petroleum ether. Fenugreek contains wide varieties of flavonoids and other phenolics compounds. The main flavonoids identified in this plant include glycoside, orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, epigenin and quercetin.
Catalog of Herbs
Published in James A. Duke, Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, 2018
Bittersweet contains the alkaloid solanine, which acts narcotically, and the glucoside dulcamarine. Glycoalkaloids present in the plant include: alpha-, beta-, and gamma-solad-ulcine (aglycone, soladulcidine [solasodan-3-ol], and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-solamarine (aglycone, delta-5-tomatiden-3 beta-ol). An isomer of gamma-solamarine, viz. gamma-solamarine, and a derhamnosyl derivative of alpha-solamarine, named delta-solamarine, have been identified. Soladulcine is tetraoside of soladulcidine, the sugars identified in the hydrolysate of the glycoalkaloid being d-xylose, l-rhamnose, d-galactose, and d-glucose. Alpha-solamarine is a trisaccharide of tomatiden-3 beta-ol, the sugar components being d-glucose, d-galactose, and l-rhamnose; the sugar components of beta- and gamma-solamarines are, respectively, d-glucose and l-rhamnose (2 mol); and d-glucose and l-rhamnose. The presence of solanine, solasonine, and solamargine in the plant has also been reported. Yamogenin, tigogenin, and diosgenin are present; the first two compounds occur in high concentrations in the inflorescence of the plant. From the roots, 15 alpha-hydroxy-sola-dulcidine, 15 alpha-hydroxysolasodine, 15 alpha-hydroxytomatidine, and 15 alpha-hydrox-ytomatidenol have been isolated. Green and yellowing fruits contain a higher percentage of glycoalkaloids than the ripe (red) fruits. As the fruit ripens, the glycoalkaloids and their aglycones tend to disappear, while the nitrogen-free sapogenins remain. Wild plants contain soladulcidine, while cultivated forms contain either soladulcidine or 5-tomatiden-3-beta-ol, or both.1 Fruits contain lycopene. A monohydroxy lycopene, lycoxanthin (C40H56O), and a dihydroxy lycopene, lycophyll (C40H56O2), have been identified. Resins, saponins, and tannins are also reported.27 Leaves contain the galactosides from cholesterol, brassicasterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, and beta-sitosterol and their palmitic-acid esters.33 Willuhn and May300 identified from tissue cultures the 4,4-dimethylsterols cycloartenol, cycloartanol 24-dihydrolanosterol, and 24-methylenecycloartanol, and the sterols cholesterol, 24-methyle-necholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, isofucosterol, and sitosterol. The main fatty acids of the petrolether soluble lipids of the callus are palmitic-, linoleic-, and linolenic-acid. On p. 99 of the same journal, Willuhn et al. report still other compounds from the seeds, e.g., tigogenin, diosgenin, soladulcidine, solasodine, 31-norlanosterol, lophenol, obtusifoliol, gramisterol, and citrostadienol.
Balanitoside as a Natural Adjuvant to Gemcitabine in Lung Cancer Experimental Model
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2022
Elsayed I. Salim, Sara S. Aboueisha, Abeer A. Khamis
In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of balanitoside from an ethanolic extract of the medicinal plant, Balanites aegyptiaca (Balanitaceae), on murine lung cancer. This extract (B. aegyptiaca extract) is commonly used, and its health benefits are derived from folk medicine and anecdotal information. The edible fruit is known as desert dates (D.D.). The fruits are believed to exhibit antidiabetic and hypoglycemic activity in folk medicine in Egypt and Africa [12]. The plant is used as a cleanser of intestinal parasites with its roots, branches, bark, fruit, and kernel extracts. The roots and bark contain numerous steroidal saponins and yamogenin or diosgenin glycosides. The mesocarp of the fruit contains numerous chemicals including saponins, flavonoids, coumarins, pregnane glycosides, and 6-methyldiosgenin [13].
Cytotoxic activity of standardized extracts, a fraction, and individual secondary metabolites from fenugreek seeds against SKOV-3, HeLa and MOLT-4 cell lines
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2021
Justyna Stefanowicz-Hajduk, Barbara Król-Kogus, Barbara Sparzak-Stefanowska, Katarzyna Kimel, J. Renata Ochocka, Mirosława Krauze-Baranowska
The differences in the content of steroidal saponins between the 70% methanol (A) and aqueous (B) extracts are small and seem not directly related to differences in their cytotoxic activities but it should be emphasized that in our study the cytotoxic activity of free sapogenins was only assessed, whereas in the analyzed fenugreek seed extracts their glycosidic forms are present, for which antitumor and proapoptotic activity has been proved (Hibasami et al. 2003; Wang et al. 2004; Liu et al. 2005; Wang et al. 2006; Podolak et al. 2010; Tong et al. 2012; Waheed et al. 2012; Bai et al. 2014). Therefore, the observed cytotoxic activity of the tested extracts and fraction does not have to be correlated only with the activity of free sapogenins. In fraction C, 70% of the saponin complex was constituted by glycoside forms of diosgenin, and 21% by glycoside forms of yamogenin (calculated on the basis of peak areas on obtained HPLC chromatograms) (Król-Kogus et al. 2020). Their cytotoxic activity was not the subject of this study.