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Isodon rubescens has been used as a traditional green tea for more than 1000 years and many medicinal functions of I. rubescens are also very useful, such as its well-known antitumor and antibacterial activities. Oridonin, a bioactive ent-kaurane diterpenoid, is the major ingredient of this medicinal tea. Herein, 22 novel oridonin derivatives were designed and synthesized. The antibacterial activity was evaluated for the first time. Compound 12 was the most promising one with MIC of 2.0 μg/mL against B. subtilis, which was nearly 3-fold stronger than positive control chloromycetin. The antiproliferative property was also assayed and compound 19 showed stronger activity than taxol. The apoptosis-inducing ability, cell cycle arrest effect at S phase and influence of mitochondrial membrane potential by 19 in CaEs-17 cancer cells were first disclosed. Based on the above results, the cell apoptosis induced by compound 19 in CaEs-17 cells was most probably involved in the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.

Oridonin, as a natural terpenoids found in traditional Chinese herbal medicine Isodon rubescens (Hemsl.) H.Hara, is widely present in numerous Chinese medicine preparations. The purpose of this review focuses on providing the latest and comprehensive information on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of oridonin, to excavate the therapeutic potential and explore promising ways to balance toxicity and efficacy of this natural compound. Information concerning oridonin was systematically collected from the authoritative internet database of PubMed, Elsevier, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library and Europe PMC applying a combination of keywords involving “pharmacology,” “pharmacokinetics,” and “toxicology”. New evidence shows that oridonin possesses a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatorenal activities as well as cardioprotective protective activities and so on. Although significant advancement has been witnessed in this field, some basic and intricate issues still exist such as the specific mechanism of oridonin against related diseases not being clear. Moreover, several lines of evidence indicated that oridonin may exhibit adverse effects, even toxicity under specific circumstances, which sparked intense debate and concern about security of oridonin. Based on the current progress, future research directions should emphasize on 1) investigating the interrelationship between concentration and pharmacological effects as well as toxicity, 2) reducing pharmacological toxicity, and 3) modifying the structure of oridonin—one of the pivotal approaches to strengthen pharmacological activity and bioavailability. We hope that this review can provide some inspiration for the research of oridonin in the future.

Background Isodon lophanthodies is a perennial herb and the whole plant has medicinal value distributed in southern China and southeast Asia. The absence of a reference genome has hindered evolution and genomic breeding research of this species. Results: In this study, we present a high-quality, chromosome-level genome assembly of I. lophanthodies with integrating PacBio and Hi-C sequencing data. We assembled a genome of 412.78 Mb with a scaffold N50 of ~ 33.43 Mb, organized into 12 pseudochromosomes. This assembly includes 36,324 genes and 209.51 Mb of repetitive sequences. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that I. lophanthodies and its sister species Isodon rubescens diverged approximately 9.99 million years ago (MYA), and shared a recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) event. Combined with the gene expression profile and metabolite fluctuation in response to methyl jasmonate, two key enzymes involved in salicin synthesis pathway were further identified. Conclusions: This genome assembly provides an essential reference for future research on I. lophanthodies , and enhances our understanding of salicin synthesis and medicinal metabolite profiles in response to exogenous methyl jasmonate.

Isodon rubescens (Hemsley) H. Hara is the source of Donglingcao under the monograph Rabdosiae Rubescentis Herba in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In the local marketplace, this medicine can be accidentally contaminated, deliberately substituted, or mixed with other related species. The contaminants of herbal products are a threat to consumer safety. Due to the scarcity of genetic information on Isodon plants, more molecular markers are needed to avoid misidentification. In the present study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of seven species of Isodon was sequenced, de novo assembled and characterized. The cp genomes of these species universally exhibited a conserved quadripartite structure, i.e., two inverted repeats (IRs) containing most of the ribosomal RNA genes and two unique regions (large single copy and small single copy). Moreover, the genome structure, codon usage, and repeat sequences were highly conserved and showed similarities among the seven species. Five highly variable regions ( trnS-GCU-trnT-CGU , atpH-atpI , trnE-UUC-trnT-GGU, ndhC-trnM-CAU , and rps15-ycf1 ) might be potential molecular markers for identifying I. rubescens and its contaminants. These findings provide valuable information for further species identification, evolution, and phylogenetic research of Isodon .

There are 5–15 pairs of leaves on the stem of Isodon rubescens . The I. rubescens leaves at different nodes are far apart because the internodes are long. The photosynthetic rates, light response curves and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of I. rubescens leaves at different leaf positions were determined in this study to clarify the differences in photosynthetic capacity distinctions of among these leaves. The results showed that the photosynthetic capacity of I. rubescens leaves on the upper part of the stem was slightly lower than that of the leaves on the middle part of the stem. However, the incompletely unfolded tender leaf on the upper part of the I. rubescens stem possessed considerable photosynthetic capacity. The leaves on the middle part of the I. rubescens stem were the main site of photosynthesis for the plant. The I. rubescens leaves at the lower leaf position exhibited a lower photosynthetic capacity. Pruning during the cultivation and management of I. rubescens could prompt the formation of tender leaves and therefore increase the photosynthetic efficiency of plants.

To study the source and content change of oridonin in the ice ribbons, the contents of oridonin in the ice ribbons and bleeding sap of Isodon rubescens at different times were determined with RP-HPLC. The paraffin sectioning and electron microscopy imaging were performed to study the transport channel of oridonin in the stem. The results showed that there were abundant xylem rays and perfect pit pairs in the secondary xylem of I. rubescens stems. The oridonin content in the ice ribbons of I. rubescens stems was lower than that in the stem of I. rubescens and even decreased over time. The contents of oridonin in the bleeding sap of I. rubescens stems was equal to that in second-day ice ribbons and was lower than that in first-day ice ribbons. The water in the ice ribbons of I. rubescens stems originated from water absorbed by the roots from soil. This water was transported from the roots of I. rubescens to the stem and then transferred through efficient lateral conducting tissues to the surface of the stem. The oridonin in the phloem and cortex of I. rubescens stems dissolves in water originating from the soil and freezes in the form of ice ribbons below 0 °C.

Two undescribed ent-kaurene diterpenes, named guidongnins I (1) and J (2), were isolated from the medicinal plant Isodon rubescens. Compound 1 was determined to contain an unprecedented 23 carbons in the skeleton by bearing an extra isopropyl group at C-17 out of the diterpenoid parent structure, and compound 2 was the first example of 6,7-seco-7,20-olide-ent-kaurenes with two fused-tetrahydrofuran rings formed between C-6 and C-19/C-20 through oxygen bridges. Their structures, including their absolute configurations, were determined using the analyses of the spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction data. Guidongnins I (1) and J (2) were assessed for their anti-cancer activities against the growth of various cancer cell lines, and 2 displayed cytotoxic potency against HepG2 at IC50 27.14 ± 3.43 μM.

A phytochemical investigation of the leaves of the medicinal plant Isodon rubescens led to the isolation of the two new degraded abietane lactone diterpenoids rubesanolides F (1) and G (2). Their structures were elucidated based on the analyses of the HRESIMS and 1D/2D NMR spectral data, and their absolute configurations were determined by ECD spectrum calculations and X-ray single crystal diffraction methods. Compounds 1 and 2, with a unique γ-lactone subgroup between C-8 and C-20, were found to form a carbonyl carbon at C-13 by removal of the isopropyl group in an abietane diterpene skeleton. Rubesanolide G (2) is a rare case of abietane that possesses a cis-fused configuration between rings B and C. The two isolates were evaluated for their biological activities against two cancer cell lines (A549 and HL60), three fungal strains (Candida alba, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus nigricans) and three bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis).

Isodon rubescens is a medicinal and food plant, often eaten as a wild vegetable in ancient China, and has been widely used for decades to treat sore throats, tonsillitis, colds and headaches, bronchitis, chronic hepatitis, joint rheumatism, snake and insect bites, and various cancers. This comprehensive and systematic review of the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical composition, pharmacological activity, quality control and toxicology of I. rubescens provides updated information for the further development and application in the fields of functional foods and new drugs research. To date, a total of 324 substances have been isolated and identified from the plant, including terpenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids, amino acids, and volatile oils. Among these substances, diterpenoids are the most important and abundant bioactive components. In the past decades pharmacological studies have shown that I. rubescens has significant biological activities, especially in the modulation of antitumor and multidrug resistance. However, most of these studies have been conducted in vitro . In-depth in vivo studies on the quality control of its crude extracts and active ingredients, as well as on metabolite identification are still very limited. Therefore, more well-designed preclinical and clinical studies are needed to confirm the reported therapeutic potential of I. rubescens .

contains many bioactive diterpenoids, especially oridonin, which are used both as medicines and drinks. However, the structure and content of the diterpenoids in vary greatly in response to different ecological environments. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a pivotal role in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites; but their roles in are obscure. This research involved conducting miRNAome, transcriptome, and degradome sequencing analysis of three ecotypes of . Furthermore, the regulation of two candidate miRNA-mRNA modules was validated through a dual-luciferase reporter system. In this study, a total of 1634 miRNAs were identified from 9 miRNAome libraries of three ecotypes, which contained various contents of oridonin, lasiodonin, and rosthorin A. Furthermore, 99 DEMs and 8180 DEGs were obtained across three ecotypes, and the expressions of selected DEMs and DEGs were verified via reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). A total of 8928 miRNA-mRNAs networks were identified by degradome analysis, and 23 miRNA-mRNA modules were enriched in the terpenoid biosynthesis pathway. Additionally, 92 negatively correlated DEM‒DEG modules were identified through integrated miRNAome, transcriptome, and degradome analyses, ath-miR858b_1ss21GA‒MYB and ath-miR408-3p_L-1R+1‒ modules were likely involved in oridonin biosynthesis in . Furthermore, the negative regulation of ath-miR858b_1ss21GA targeted MYB was validated through a dual-luciferase reporter system. This study revealed that Ath-miR858b_1ss21GA could repress MYB transcription, potentially downregulating the specific genes involved in the biosynthesis of oridonin and reducing oridonin accumulation in .