The occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a worldwide chronic disease, is mainly caused by insufficient insulin production and places a huge burden on the health system. Gastrodia elata Blume (GE), a food of medicine–food homology, has been reported to have the ability to inhibit glycosidase activity, indicating its potential in the treatment of diabetes. However, the main pharmacological components of GE for the treatment of T2DM have not been fully clarified. Therefore, this study aims to clarify the pharmacological components changes of GE with different drying methods and the treatment of T2DM using HPLC, network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental evaluations. The results showed that the GE samples processed by the steam-lyophilized method possessed the highest total content of the six marker components and the strongest antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory abilities. Meanwhile, the six marker compounds had a total of 238 T2DM-related gene targets. Notably, these active compounds have good affinity for key gene targets associated with T2DM signaling pathways. In conclusion, this study revealed that different drying methods of GE affect the content of its major active compounds, antioxidant capacity, α-glucosidase inhibitory capacity and potential pharmacological effects on T2DM, indicating that it is a potential treatment of T2DM.

In the ongoing search for new vicinal diol natural products, four new (Migaones A–D, 1–4) and four known (5–8) vicinal diol sesquiterpenoids were isolated from the branches and leaves of Cinnamomum migao. Their structures were unequivocally determined by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses (HRESIMS, 1D, and 2D NMR), single-crystal X-ray diffraction, electronic circular dichroism calculations, and comparison with existing literature data. All compounds isolated from C. migao possess vicinal diol structural units except compound 2. The newly isolated compounds (1–4) were evaluated for their neuroprotective activity using the PC12 cell injury model induced by N-methyl-daspartate acid (NMDA) and compounds 1–2 showing moderate neuroprotective activity against NMDA-induced neurotoxicity. Furthermore, molecular docking studies indicated that the most active compound 2 binds to the active site of the NMDA receptor via hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions.

Rosa roxburghii is a distinctive medicinal and edible plant resource. In an effort to uncover structurally novel secondary metabolites from this plant and explore their pharmacological potential, a phytochemical investigation of the fresh fruits of R. roxburghii led to the isolation of two new dihydroavicine alkaloids, roxburghcids D (1) and E (2), and a new triterpenoid glycoside, roxburghcid C (6), together with five known compounds (3–5, 7–8). The structures of the new compounds were unambiguously elucidated through extensive spectroscopic analyses (including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS), quantum chemical calculations, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In bioassay evaluations, compounds 2 and 3 exhibited significant ABTS radical scavenging activities, with IC₅₀ values of 39.59 and 17.38 μM, respectively. Additionally, compounds 2, 6, and 8 exhibited modest α-glucosidase inhibitory activities, with inhibition rates of 33.13%, 38.61%, and 36.85%, respectively, at a concentration of 100 μM. Furthermore, compounds 2 and 4 showed significant cytotoxicity against the A549 human cancer cell lines, with IC₅₀ values of 7.23 and 8.36 μM, respectively. This study represents the first report of alkaloids isolated from R. roxburghii, enriching its phytochemical profile and providing valuable chemotaxonomic insights for this species.