Search for Leads of Drugs from Stress Compounds Induced in Plants

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Stress compounds induced in plant tissues could be regarded as a potential source for new types of drugs. Bioassay-directed fractionation of plant extracts from stressed tissues of crops and medicinal plants resulted in the isolation of different types of antifungal stress compounds. Crops : Nelumbo nicifera gave two sesquiterpenoids. Amorphophalus konjac gave two lignans. Colocasia esculenta gave a 2-methyl-3-piperidinol derivative. Polymnia sonchifolia gave three 4, -acetophenone-related compounds. Medicinal plants : Picrasma quassioides gave canthin-6-one and methylnigakinone. Ailanthus altissima gave canthin-6-one and its N-oxide. Glehnia littoralis gave psoralen, xanthotoxin, and bergapten as stress compounds. Angelica acutiloba also gave these furanocoumarins. These furanocoumarins have been reported as medicinal constituents of the crude drug Glehnia root. Time-course study revealed that these are induced after stress treatment of the root tissue. The reported furanocoumarins in the crude drug, therefore, seemed to be stress metabolites induced by injury or by slow drying during the processing of raw material. The present finding suggests that some reported constituents of other crude drugs could be stress metabolites produced during their processing. Examination of other crude drugs on this viewpoint is in progress in our laboratory.