Cichorium intybus L. (Asteraceae family) is a world-wide grown plant known as chicory. In traditional medicine, this plant is used as diuretic, anti-inflammatory, digestive, cardiotonic and liver tonic. Chromatographic purification of the supercritical fluid extract of aerial parts of C. intybus on silica gel column led to isolation of three compounds: new compound, 28β-hydroxytaraxasterol (I), and two known compounds usnic acid (II) and β-sitosterol (III). Purification of the ethanolic extract of aerial parts of this plant on silica gel column chromatography yielded four compounds: 1,3-dioleylglycerate (IV), sitoindoside II (V), 11β-13-dihydrolactucin (VI) and β-sitosterol-3-O-glucoside (VII). The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by their 1D, 2D NMR and MS spectral data. All the fractions and isolated compounds were tested for cannabinoid and opioid receptor binding, as well as antibacterial, antifungal and antimalarial activities. Compound I showed moderate activity (60.5% displacement) towards CB1 receptor.

Medicinal plants remain as an important resource in the fight against many diseases, especially in developing countries. Antioxidants are substances capable of delaying, retarding, and preventing the oxidation of lipids or substances that delay or prevent free radical reactions during lipid oxidation. Natural antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, tocopherol, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids are a safe alternative to chemical antioxidants. In present work, results of antioxidant activity of raw materials from the cultivated plant Portulaca oleracea are presented. The extraction time was optimized to 780 minutes; the yield of extractive substances was 1.25 in the production of CO₂ extract under subcritical conditions. For the first time, the antioxidant activity of Portulaca oleracea CO₂ extract was determined by the amperometric method. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) chemical analysis of Portulaca oleracea CO₂ extract dissolved in hexane revealed 37 components, including a complex mixture of aldehydes, alkanes, alkenes, esters, diterpenes, steroids, vitamin E, and carbohydrates. The investigation results showed that the Portulaca oleracea CO₂ extract was promising for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries and had great potential for the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by oxidative stress.

Atraphaxis pyrifolia, a native medicinal plant of Central Asia, has a long history of traditional medicinal use; however, scientific research on its phytochemical and biological properties remains scarce. This paper aims to elucidate its chemical profile and assess its pharmacological potential through a comprehensive investigation of the phytochemical composition of stems and leaves using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), in conjunction with the assessment of its antioxidant (DPPH and ABTS) and cytotoxicity test on Artemia salina. Predominantly, glycosylated flavonoids were detected in stems and leaves extracts, notably including 8-Acetoxy-3′,4′,5,5′-tetrahydroxy-7-methoxy-3-α-L-rhamno-pyranosyloxyflavone, pyrifolin, and dehydroxypyrifolin. While the latter compound is exclusive to A. pyrifolia, the former compounds serve as shared chemical markers with other Atraphaxis species. The methanolic extracts of A. pyrifolia leaves exhibited significant antioxidant capacity without toxicity against Artemia salina. This study contributes to current research through providing valuable insights into the chemical diversity and potential medicinal properties of this plant species.

The lichen Cetraria islandica (L.) Ach. has been used in traditional and modern medicines for its many biological properties such as immunological, immunomodulating, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities. This species is gaining popularity in the market, with interest from many industries for selling as medicines, dietary supplements, and daily herbal drinks. This study profiled the morpho-anatomical features by light, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy; conducted an elemental analysis using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; and phytochemical analysis was performed using high-resolution mass spectrometry combined with a liquid chromatography system (LC-DAD-QToF) of C. islandica. In total, 37 compounds were identified and characterized based on comparisons with the literature data, retention times, and their mass fragmentation mechanism/s. The identified compounds were classified under five different classes, i.e., depsidones, depsides, dibenzofurans, aliphatic acids, and others that contain simple organic acids in majority. Two major compounds (fumaroprotocetraric acid and cetraric acid) were identified in the aqueous ethanolic and ethanolic extracts of C. islandica lichen. This detailed morpho-anatomical, EDS spectroscopy, and the developed LC-DAD-QToF approach for C. islandica will be important for correct species identification and can serve as a useful tool for taxonomical validation and chemical characterization. Additionally, chemical study of the extract of C. islandica led to isolation and structural elucidation of nine compounds, namely cetraric acid (1), 9′-(O-methyl)protocetraric acid (2), usnic acid (3), ergosterol peroxide (4), oleic acid (5), palmitic acid (6), stearic acid (7), sucrose (8), and arabinitol (9).

This article analyses the current state of the pharmaceutical market of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the period 2015-2021 and diagnoses the current problems of pharmaceutical production. The aim: to identify the current trends of the pharmaceutical market in the Republic of Kazakhstan, its specific features and prospects for the development of domestic pharmaceutical production. Materials and methods: statistical data, survey results, mathematical-statistical and analytical comparative methods, SWOT analysis. Research results: according to the results of statistical analysis, pharmaceutical production increased by 101.1 billion tenges in monetary terms compared to 2015, and the export of domestic products increased by 13.3 billion tenges. In 2020, the export of medical preparations due to supplies to Russia amounted to 76.5 %, to Kyrgyzstan 6.5 % and Uzbekistan 4.8 %, to other countries - 12.3 %. It is estimated that the volume of the pharmaceutical market of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2020, compared with 2019, increased by 21.3 % as a result of the development of domestic production and the implementation of the state support program. The total number of medicines registered in the republic is 7449, and the share of domestic production is 13.1 % (978 medical preparations), and 6471 medicines, 86.9 %, are imported. In addition, 9154 medical devices have been registered, and the share of domestic products is 90 %. Online direct expert survey (questionnaire) indicates that the respondents are female pharmacists (74.5 %) aged 36 to 55 years old (52.3 %) with 26-30 years of work experience (32.3 %), who noted the strengths of the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Kazakhstan (U=1.35), as readiness for modernisation and state support (47 %), political stability (44 %), weaknesses (U=1.35) - insignificant capacity of the pharmaceutical market (55.5 %), limited range of domestic pharmaceutical products and substances (50.9 %), opportunities (U=1.4) - active investment policy (62.7 %), expansion of digital and remote channels (25.4 %), threats (U=1.4) – import dependence (69.9 %), high volatility of the tenge exchange rate (24.1 %). Based on the pharmaceutical market analysis and expert survey of specialists, a strategic matrix of SWOT analysis was built. Conclusion. As a result of the analysis, the dependence of the pharmaceutical industry and the pharmaceutical market on imported foreign medicines and substances were revealed. However, the volume of pharmaceutical products produced in the Republic of Kazakhstan increases annually. Therefore, for the further development of the pharmaceutical industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, considering its import dependence, additional funding is needed for research and educational activities for the development of innovative medical preparations and substances

Atraphaxis pyrifolia is a native species of Central Asia, known for curing several disorders. The species has little knowledges about its chemical composition and any information about its morphological characteristics despite its importance in traditional Asian medicine. This is one of the first approaches to the phytochemical and morphological characterization of this species. Micro-morphology was performed on the stem, and leaf parts of this plant to profile the morpho-anatomical characters using brightfield, fluorescence, polarized and scanning electron microscopy. Leaves were extracted with hexane and methanol. The hexane extract was analyzed using GC-MS analysis revealing the major presence of γ-sitosterol and nonacosane. The methanolic extract was submitted to Vacuum Liquid Chromatography and Sephadex LH-20. HPTLC, HR-ESI-MS and NMR techniques were used to identify the main compounds. Four glycosylated flavonoids were isolated: 8-O-acetyl-7-O-methyl-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosylgossypetin (Compound 1), and 7-O-methyl-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosylgossypetin (Compound 3), and two other compounds reported for the first time in the literature (Compounds 2 and 4). The findings presented herein furnish pertinent information essential for the identification and authentication of this medicinal plant. Such insights are invaluable for facilitating robust quality control measures and serve as a foundational framework for subsequent endeavours in metabolic, pharmacological, and taxonomical analyses.