Seven new anthraquinones with rare 2-isopropyldihydrofuran (1–3) and 2,2-dimethylpyrano (4–7) moieties together with thirty-four known compounds were isolated from the extracts of whole Hedyotis diffusa plants. Their structures were elucidated and established by various spectroscopic and spectrometric analytical methods. Among these isolates, selected compounds were examined for their anti-inflammatory activity. The results showed that rare substituted anthraquinones displayed potent inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.15 ± 0.01 to 5.52 ± 1.59 µM on the N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine/cytochalasin B (fMLP/CB)-induced superoxide anion generation and elastase release cellular models. Meanwhile, the proposed drug target of the active anthraquinone was studied by computer modeling. The binding affinity between the anti-inflammatory anthraquinone and elastase was evaluated by molecular docking. These results provided the scientific insight into the medicinal values of Hedyotis diffusa and vision of development as lead compounds.

Fifty-seven compounds were purified from the stems of Tinospora sinensis, including three new compounds characterized as a lignan (1), a pyrrole alkaloid (11), and a benzenoid (17), respectively. Their structures were elucidated and established by various spectroscopic and spectrometric analytical methods. Among the isolates, fifteen compounds were examined for their anti-inflammatory potential in vitro. The results showed that several compounds displayed moderate inhibition of N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine/cytochalasin B (fMLP/CB)-induced superoxide anion generation and elastase release.

Seventy-three compounds were identified from the methanol extract of V. luteola, and among these, three new (1–3) were characterized by spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses. The isolated constituents were assessed for anti-inflammatory potential evaluation, and several purified principles exhibited significant superoxide anion and elastase inhibitory effects.

A highly specific and sensitive proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) method has been developed for the quantification of ephedrine alkaloid derivatives in Ephedra herbal commercial prescriptions. At the region of δ 4.0 to 5.0 ppm in the ¹H NMR spectrum, the characteristic signals are separated well from each other, and six analogues in total, methylephedrine (ME), ephedrine (EP), norephedrine (NE), norpseudoephedrine (NP), pseudoephedrine (PE), and methylpseudoephedrine (MP) could be identified. The quantities of these compounds are calculated by the relative ratio of the integral values of the target peak for each compound to the known concentrations of the internal standard anthracene. The present method allows for a rapid and simple quantification of ephedrine alkaloid derivatives in Ephedra-related commercial prescriptions without any preliminary purification steps and standard compounds, and accordingly it can be a powerful tool to verify different Ephedra species. In comparison to conventional chromatographic methods, the advantages of this method include the fact that no standard compounds are required, the quantification can be directly performed on the crude extracts, a better selectivity for various ephedrine alkaloid derivatives, and the fact that a very significant time-gain may be achieved.

Radiotherapy combined with a radiosensitizer represents an important treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Only a few chemotherapy agents are currently approved as radiosensitizers for targeted therapy. Oral squamous cell carcinoma is one of the deadliest cancers, with approximately ~500,000 new diagnosed cases and 145,000 deaths worldwide per year. The incidence of new cases continues to increase in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Croton tonkinensis and Curcuma longa on cell viability in OSCC cells. The HNSCC cell line OML1 and its radiation-resistant clone OML1-R were used. The anticancer effect and the mechanism of action of Croton tonkinensis and Curcuma longa in OSCC cells were analyzed by using cell viability assays, Western blot analysis, and Tranwell migration assays. The results showed that Croton tonkinensis concentration-dependently reduced the viability of OML1 and OML1-R (radioresistant) cells by downregulating the levels of AKT/mTOR mediators, such as p110α, p85, pAKT (ser473), p-mTOR (ser2448), and p-S6 Ribosomal (ser235/236). We found that cotreatment of OML1 and OML1R cells with either zVAD-FMK (apoptosis inhibitor), Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1, a ferroptosis inhibitor), or chloroquine (CQ, an autophagy inhibitor) markedly reduced cell death. These results demonstrate that Croton tonkinensis exhibits anti-proliferation activity and highlight the therapeutic potential of small-molecule inhibitors against PI3K/mTOR signaling for radiosensitization in HNC treatment.

A previous ¹H-NMR method allowed the quantification of ephedrine alkaloids; however, there were some disadvantages. The cyclized derivatives resulted from the impurities of diethyl ether were identified and benzene was selected as the better extraction solvent. The locations of ephedrine alkaloids were confirmed with 2D NMR. Therefore, a specific ¹H-NMR method has been modified for the quantification of ephedrine alkaloids. Accordingly, twenty Ephedrae Herba samples could be classified into three classes: (I) E. sinica-like species; (II) E. intermedia-like species; (III) others (lower alkaloid contents). The results indicated that ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are the major alkaloids in Ephedra plants, but the concentrations vary greatly determined by the plant species and the collection locations.