Field restharrow (Ononis arvensis) and Cardiovascular / heart health: evidence and sources

Introduction. Today, one of the reliably known causes of mortality in the Russian Federation is diseases of the cardiovascular system, a significant part of which is associated with atherosclerotic disease. Combination therapy for diseases of the cardiovascular system includes, among other things, the use of modern lipid-lowering drugs, the use of which is often limited due to their pronounced side effects. In this regard, it seemed appropriate to search for new compounds of natural origin that potentially have lipid-lowering activity with minimal side effects. According to the scientific literature, natural phenolic compounds, namely substances from the group of flavonoids and isoflavonoids, have a set of such characteristics. In this regard, steelgrass (Ononis arvensis L.), the chemical composition of which is extremely rich and diverse in terms of flavonoids and isoflavonoids, can be a ra-ther promising source for searching and screening compounds with a given activity. The aim of the study. The purpose of the work was to study and predict the hypolipidemic activity of flavonoids and isoflavonoids of Ononis arvensis L. using in silico methods. Material and methods. The objects of the study were the structural formulas of flavonoids and isoflavonoids of field steelhead. Calculation of mo-lecular properties was carried out using the Molinspiration chemoinformatic software. Computer prediction of lipid-lowering activity was carried out us-ing the PASS-online service. Molecular docking was performed using the CB-Dock2 services for blind docking and Webina 1.0.5 for active site docking. Hepatotoxicity, mutagenicity and cytotoxicity of the analyzed biologically active substances were studied using the ProTox-II resource. Results. As a result of in silico studies, it was found that most of the studied flavonoids and isoflavonoids correspond to the Lipinski rule and the drug-likeness concept. In addition, for all studied biologically active substances, activities associated with a decrease in lipid fractions in the body were predicted. The results of molecular docking indicate that all analyzed compounds are capable of potentially inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which makes it possible to predict the required lipid-lowering effect. Studying the toxicity of the research objects, most of them in silico demonstrated a high level of safety. Conclusions. The prospects for further research on the development of targeted technology for obtaining herbal preparations from steelhead, enriched with flavonoids and isoflavonoids, as well as subsequent tests to confirm hypolipidemic activity in in vitro and in vivo experiments are shown.

Obesity is a global health burden for which we do not yet have effective treatments for prevention or therapy. Plants are an invaluable source of bioactive leads possessing anti-adipogenic potential. Ethnopharmacological use of Ononis spinosa L. roots (OSR) for treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders requires а scientific rationale. The current study examined the anti-adipogenic capacity of OSR and its secondary metabolites ononin (ONON) and maackiain (MACK) in human adipocytes as an in vitro model of obesity. Both ONON and MACK diminished lipid accumulation during adipocyte differentiation. Molecular docking analysis exposed the potential interactions between MACK or ONON and target regulatory adipogenic proteins. Furthermore, results from an RT-qPCR analysis disclosed significant upregulation of AMPK by MACK and ONON treatment. In addition, ONON increased SIRT1, PI3K and ACC mRNA expression, while MACK notably downregulated CEBPA, AKT, SREBP1, ACC and ADIPOQ. The protein level of PI3K, C/EBPα, PPARγ and adiponectin was reduced upon MACK treatment in a concentration-dependent manner. Similarly, ONON suppressed PI3K, PPARγ and adiponectin protein abundance. Finally, our study provides evidence that ONON exerts anti-adipogenic effect by upregulation of SIRT1 and inhibition of PI3K, PPARγ and adiponectin, while MACK induced strong inhibitory effect on adipogenesis via hampering PI3K, PPARγ/C/EBPα signaling and anti-lipogenic effect through downregulation of SREBP1 and ACC. Even though OSR does not hamper adipogenic differentiation, it could be exploited as a source of natural leads with anti-adipogenic potential. The multidirectional mechanism of action of MACK warrant further validation in the context of in vivo obesity models.

Introduction. Analysis of the clinical and laboratory picture of the SARS-CoV-2 infection suggests the presence of microcirculation and oxygen transport disorders, hemolysis of erythrocytes, intra-alveolar fibrin formation and microthrombus formation in the patient’s pathogenesis. Accordingly, the search for potential anticoagulants, erythrocyte antiplatelet agents, membrane stabilizing drugs and mild thrombolytic drugs can prevent the development of life-threatening complications and reduce the mortality of COVID-19 patients. Aim. Isolation of formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside from the grass of Ononis arvensis L. and identification of the molecular mechanisms of its effect on platelet activation in vitro, induced by TRAP-6 (Thrombin receptor activated peptide) and ADP (adenosine diphosphate). Materials and methods. Terrestrial parts of Ononis arvensis L. were collected in the SPCPU nursery of medicinal plants (Leningrad region, Vsevolozhsky district, Priozerskoe highway, 38 km). Isolation of formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside was carried out by preparative high performance liquid chromatography on a Smartline device (Knauer, Germany) equipped with a spectrophotometric detector. The structure of formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside was confirmed by one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy (Bruker Avance III, 400 MHz, Germany), as well as high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) (Bruker Micromass Q-TOF, Germany). The study of the effect of formononetin- 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside on induced platelet activation was carried out on human platelets isolated from the blood of healthy volunteers. To research the effect of formononetin-7-О-β-D-glucopyranoside on platelet aggregation flow cytofluorometry with Cyto-FLEX (Beckman-Coulter, USA) was used. Results and discussion. According to the method of fractionation and purification of the total extract of O. arvensis developed in previous studies, formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside was isolated in an individual form for subsequent biological studies with a total yield of 30 % in comparison with its content in the original extract. In samples with formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and ADP, there is a pronounced inhibition of platelet activation – the percentage of active platelets ranges from 6.3–6.6 % at doses of formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside 1 μM, 3 μM and 30 μM. The inhibitory effect of formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside is not dose-dependent (p ≤ 0.05). In samples with formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and TRAP, there is also a pronounced inhibition of platelet activation. The percentage of active platelets is 8 % at 1 μM formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside doses, 15 % at 3 μM doses, and 16 % at 30 μM doses. Conclusion. Administration of formononetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside at doses of 1 μM, 3 μM, 30 μM strongly inhibits platelet activation induced by ADP and TRAP-6. For ADP, there is no dose-dependent effect, while for TRAP there is a weak dose-dependent effect, the greatest inhibition efficiency is achieved with the minimum investigated dose of 1 μM. In all cases, the results obtained are statistically significant.