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Trial lecture - time and place
20.02.2023, 10.15, Auditorium 2, Helga Eng
Plant-derived drugs for treatment of cancer
Conferral summary
Planter i hjelmslekta, Aconitum, er giftplanter på grunn av deres innhold av alkaloider, og benyttes som medisinplanter over hele verden. I dette prosjektet har fokus vært på de ikke toksiske naturstoffene i to ulike Aconitum-arter, og polysakkarider og polyfenoler har blitt isolert og karakterisert. En type plantepolysakkarider kalt pektiner isolert fra bladene A. carmichaelii viste i en musemodell lovende effekter mot inflammasjon i tarm.
Main research findings
The traditional use and poisonous properties of Aconitum species are mainly due to the presence of alkaloids, which have been extensively studied. However, limited attention has been paid to their low-toxic natural products. In this thesis, diverse bioactive non-starch polysaccharides, including mannans, pectin, and/or xyloglucans, were shown to be distributed in different plant parts of A. carmichaelii, as well as in the roots of A. septentrionale. In addition, 15 phenolic compounds were isolated from A. septentrionale, and some of them showed moderate anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. A. carmichaelii, is industrially cultivated in China. However, tons of its aerial parts are discarded after the collection of the roots for production of medicinal products, leading to a huge waste of this herbal resource. We found that the leaves of A. carmichaelii contain high amounts of pectic-type polysaccharides. An isolated pectin exhibited promising anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects in vitro, and showed robust protective effects against experimental colitis mice by restoring their gut microbiota composition and metabolomic profile. These results broaden the possible applications of A. carmichaelii and A. septentrionale, as valuable sources of bioactive substances, and uncovered the potential of A. carmichaelii leaves in the treatment of intestinal inflammatory diseases.