This overview article contains information about pyranocoumarins over the last 55 years. The article is based on the authors’ phytochemical and physiological studies in vivo and in vitro as well as search and analysis of data in literature available on Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, and ScienceDirect before January 2022. Pyranocoumarins are synthesized in plants of the Apiaceae, Rutaceae families, and one species in each of the Cornaceae, Calophyllaceae, and Fabaceae families can synthesize this class of compounds. The physiological role of these compounds in plants is not clear. It has been proven that these substances have a wide range of biological activities: anti-cancer, anti-spasmatic, and anticoagulant, and they also inhibit erythrocyte lysis and accumulation of triacylglycerides. The overview generalizes the modern understanding of the classification, structure, and biological activity of natural pyranocoumarins, and summarizes dispersed data into a unified scheme of biosynthesis. The review analyzes data on the localization and productivity of these substances in individual organs and the whole plant. It discusses a link between the unique structure of these substances and their biological activity, as well as new opportunities for pyranocoumarins in pharmacology. The article evaluates the potential of different plant species as producers of pyranocoumarins and considers the possibilities of cell cultures to obtain the end product.

Fragaria orientalis is the most distributed wild strawberry in the North Asia, and it is consumed in large quantities by the local population. However, poor knowledge of the chemical composition, metabolic profiles, and bioactivity leads to the insufficient use of F. orientalis beyond the region. The aim of our study was to investigate the nutritional value, chemical composition, and sensory parameters of wild and cultivated F. orientalis fruits, before and during postharvest storage. Sixty-five compounds were identified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Wild and cultivated fruits have the same LC–MS profiles, but quantitative levels varied, in favor of the wild samples. The extracts of F. orientalis fruit demonstrated high radical-scavenging potential, and ascorbic acid and various phenolics were identified as principal antioxidants. Significant variation in ascorbic acid, phenolic content, and total antioxidant potential was found during storage of the fresh F. orientalis fruit at cold and room temperatures and in defrosted fruits; storage of the dried fruits at cold temperature showed the lowest loss of bioactive compounds. The new information on postharvest changes in the phytochemicals and bioactivities provide a better understanding of the processes occurring in fresh, frozen, and dried strawberry fruits during storage.

Callus and suspension plant cell cultures of Tribulus terrestris L., a valuable medicinal plant producing steroidal glycosides, were obtained. The seeds from an American population of T. terrestris...

Changes in the content of the furostanol glycosides protodioscin and deltoside, particularly that of the (25S)-isomers of the glycosides, during suspension cultivation of different lines of Nepal yam (Dioscorea deltoidea Wall.) cells of the strain IFR-DM-0.5 has been investigated. The composition of furostanol glycosides has been characterized, and the dynamics of the accumulation of individual glycosides during lengthy subcultivation of cells maintained in flasks or in a barbotage bioreactor has been analyzed. A positive correlation between the growth and accumulation of substances that belonged to the class of furostanol glycosides has been demonstrated for cultured dioscorea cells, whereas the content of some of the individual glycosides varied considerably between the lines of the strain, cultures maintained under different conditions, and even between cells in different phases of the growth cycle. The increased content of (25R)-forms of the glycosides (protodioscin and deltoside) was correlated with a decrease in the cellular growth rate, whereas an increase in culture growth intensity occurred concomitantly to an increase of the amount of (25S)-isomers. This may be indicative of the specific stimulatory effect of (25S)-glycosides, but not the (25R)-forms, on cell proliferation in vitro. Thus, the concentration of (25S)-forms may increase due to the autoselection of cells capable of intensive division during prolonged cultivation.

Features of the growth and qualitative composition of secondary metabolites in two lines of suspension cell cultures of Phlojodicarpus sibiricus (Steph. ex Spreng.) K.-Pol., an endangered endemic species of Eastern Siberia, have been studied. A suspension cell culture of leaf origin demonstrated the best growth characteristics, which included growth indices for different criteria (dry and crude biomass and cell concentration): I = 10–14; specific growth rate μ = 0.3–0.4 day^–1; the maximum dry biomass accumulation М = 9.6 g/L and economic coefficient Y = 0.29. A plant cell culture derived from a hypocotyl was characterized by lower growth parameters: I = 3.6–4.9, μ = 0.12–0.18 day^–1, M = 6.6 g/L, Y = 0.16. Differences in the growth of the studied cultures correlated with the cell aggregation level: the “leaf” culture consisted mainly of small-size aggregates (10–30 cells), whereas the “hypocotyl” culture was presented by large aggregations (50 cells or more). The instrumental cultivation of the small-aggregated suspension cell culture of leaf origin was carried out using two types of laboratory bioreactors (bubble column and stirred tank). Cultivation in a bubble column reactor improved the basic growth characteristics of the cell culture: the growth index for the dry biomass I = 12.7; dry biomass productivity P = 0.78 g/L day, μ = 0.18 day^–1, М = 15.8 g/L, Y = 0.49. In the case of a stirring tank reactor, all growth parameters were decreased, which was probably connected with the cell damage with stirring devices. Additionally, a phytochemical analysis of the secondary metabolite composition in the studied cell cultures was carried out in comparison with the root cells of intact Ph. sibiricus plants. Significant differences in the composition of phenolic compounds were revealed between in vitro cell cultures and plant roots. In the case of cell cultures, polar (hydrophilic) compounds belonging to phenolic derivatives (coumarin glycosides and benzofurans) prevailed. In roots, the main components were more hydrophobic (khellactone ethers). The obtained results confirmed the earlier developed concept of differences in the secondary metabolism of in vitro and in vivo plant cells.

This literature review presents data from 57 publications on vaping and e-cigarette-associated lung injury or EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury) that was first reported in 2019. The article describes the epidemiology of EVALI, the mechanism of injuring effects of vaping on the lungs, clinical signs, diagnosis and diagnostic criteria, therapy and subsequent management of patients with EVALI.