Ferula is a genus of flowering plants known for its edible and medicinal properties. Since ancient times, many species of Ferula have been used in traditional medicine to treat various health issues across countries, such as digestive disorders, respiratory problems, and even as a remedy for headaches and toothaches. In addition, they are also used as a flavoring agent in various cuisines. As the main active ingredients in Ferula, sesquiterpenes and their derivatives, especially sesquiterpene coumarins, sesquiterpene phenylpropanoids, and sesquiterpene chromones, have attracted the attention of scientists due to the diversity of their chemical structures, as well as their extensive and promising biological properties, such as antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties. However, there has not been a comprehensive review of sesquiterpenes and their derivatives from this plant. This review aims to provide an overview of the chemical structures, biosynthetic pathways, and biological properties of sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene derivatives from Ferula, which may help guide future research directions and possible application methods for this valuable edible and medicinal plant.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are a class of natural toxins with hepatotoxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity. They are endogenous and adulterated toxic components widely found in food and herbal products. In this study, a sensitive and efficient ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was used to detect the PAs in 386 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of 0.007 μg/kg body weight (bw)/day was adopted as the safety baseline. The margin of exposure (MOE) approach was applied to evaluate the chronic exposure risk for the genotoxic and carcinogenic potential of PAs. Results showed that PAs was detected in 271 out of 386 samples with a content of 0.1–25,567.4 μg/kg, and there were 20 samples with EDI values above the baseline, 0.007 μg/kg bw/day. Beyond that, the MOE values for 10 out of 271 positive samples were below 10,000. Considering the actual situation, Haber’s rule was used to assume two weeks exposure every year during lifetime, and still the MOE values for four out of 271 positive samples were under 10,000, indicating these products may have potential health risk. The developed method was successfully applied to detect the PAs-containing Chinese herbal medicines. This study provides convincing data that can support risk management actions in China and a meaningful reference for the rational and safe use of Chinese herbal medicines.

Four new phenylpropanoid derivatives, Sinkiangenone A–D (1–2, 4–5), together with eleven known compounds (3, 6–15), were isolated from the resin of Ferula sinkiangensis. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS, 1D NMR, 2D NMR and CD spectra. Of all the compounds, Sinkiangenone B showed the best antitumor activity against AGS gastric cancer cells with lower toxicity against normal human gastric epithelial cells. In addition, we characterized its mechanism of the antiproliferation effects on AGS cells. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratios indicated that Sinkiangenone B induced apoptosis in AGS cells. Cell cycle analysis showed Sinkiangenone B arrested cell cycle at G0/G1 phase. Western blot results showed the expression of P16, P27 and RB proteins increased, while the expression of P53, Cdk2, Cdk4, cyclin D1 and cyclin E decreased in AGS cells. In summary, these results suggested that Sinkiangenone B had the potential to be treated as a valuable candidate in gastric cancer therapy.

The gut epithelium is a mechanical barrier that protects the host from the luminal microenvironment and interacts with the gut microflora, which influences the development and progression of ulcerative colitis (UC). Licochalcone A (LA) exerts anti-inflammatory effects against UC; however, whether it also regulates both the gut barrier and microbiota during colitis is unknown. The current study was conducted to reveal the regulatory effects of LA on the intestinal epithelium and gut microflora in C57BL/6 mice subjected to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Sulfasalazine (SASP) was used as the positive control. Results of clinical symptoms evaluation, hematoxylin, and eosin (H&E) staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assays showed that LA significantly inhibited DSS-induced weight loss, disease activity index (DAI) increase, histological damage, and gut inflammation. Additionally, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis showed that LA maintained the integrity of the intestinal barrier by suppressing cell apoptosis and preserving the expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins. Notably, the optimal dose of LA for gut barrier preservation was low, while that for anti-inflammatory effects was high, indicating that LA might preserve gut barrier integrity via direct effects on the epithelial cells (ECs) and TJ proteins. Furthermore, 16S rRNA analysis suggested that the regulatory effect of LA on the gut microbiota differed distinctly according to dose. Correlation analysis indicated that a low dose of LA significantly modulated the intestinal barrier-associated bacteria as compared with a moderate or high dose of LA. Western blot (WB) analysis indicated that LA exhibited anti-UC activity partly by blocking the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Our results further elucidate the pharmacological activity of LA against UC and will provide valuable information for future studies regarding on the regulatory effects of LA on enteric diseases.

Allium is a common functional vegetable with edible and medicinal value. Allium plants have a special spicy taste, so they are often used as food and seasoning in people’s diets. As a functional food, Allium also has abundant biological activities, some of which are used as drugs to treat diseases. By consuming Allium on a daily basis, people can receive active compounds of natural origin, thereby improving their health status and reducing the likelihood of disease. Steroidal saponins are important secondary metabolites of Allium, which are formed by the steroidal aglycone group and sugar. Steroidal saponins have various physiological activities, such as hypoglycemic, antiplatelet aggregation, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antimicrobial, and enzyme activity inhibition, which is one of the key reasons why Allium has such significant health benefits. The structural diversity and rich biological activities of steroidal saponins make Allium important plants for both food and medicine. In this paper, the chemical structures, biological activities, and structure–activity relationships of steroidal saponins isolated from Allium are reviewed, and the biosynthetic pathways of some key compounds are proposed as well, to provide a molecular reference basis based on secondary metabolites for the health value of Allium.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are natural toxins found in some genera of the family Asteraceae. However, it has not been reported whether PAs are present in the widely used Asteraceae plant Artemisia capillaris Thunb. (A. capillaris). The purpose of this study was to establish a sensitive and rapid UPLC-MS/MS method together with chemometrics analysis for simultaneous determination and risk assessment of PAs in A. capillaris. The developed UPLC-MS/MS method was validated and was confirmed to display desirable high selectivity, precision and accuracy. Risk assessment was conducted according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) guideline. Chemometrics analysis was performed with hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis to characterize the differences between PAs of A. capillaris. Finally, PAs were found in 29 out of 30 samples and at least two were detected in each sample, besides, more than half of the samples exceeded the EMA baseline. Nevertheless, the chemometrics results suggested that the PAs contents of A. capillaris from different sources varied significantly. The method was successfully applied to the detection and risk evaluation of PAs-containing A. capillaris for the first time. This study should provide a meaningful reference for the rational and safe use of A. capillaris.