Suchada Sukrong

Chulalongkorn University · Department of Pharmocognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany

Introduction Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the enlargement of the prostate gland, primarily occurring in aging men, in which transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) plays a critical role in prostate cell hyperproliferation and leads to uncomfortable urinary symptoms in BPH patients. Pterocarpus indicus Willd. is well known for its ethnophar...

Conductive nanobiomaterials (CNBs) have gained significant attention in the discipline of biomedicine due to their distinctive electrical and mechanical characteristics. These materials are superior to conventional materials in many ways, and they offer tremendous possibilities in a series of biomedical applications. The several types of CNBs, comp...

Alkaloid analgesics have been associated with adverse effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, it is crucial to characterize the effects of alkaloid analgesics. Plants rich in lycorine, an alkaloid, have shown promise as analgesics. However, the exploration of their CNS side effects, and analgesic effectiveness remains incomplete. Th...

Members of the Curcuma genus, a crop in the Zingiberaceae, are widely utilized rhizomatous herbs globally. There are two distinct species, C. comosa Roxb. and C. latifolia Roscoe, referred to the same vernacular name “Wan Chak Motluk” in Thai. C. comosa holds economic importance and is extensively used as a Thai traditional medicine due to its phyt...

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are marked by progressive degeneration of neurons within the central nervous system. A notable rise in the prevalence of NDDs has been noticed in the recent past. There is an undeniable requirement for the discovery of innovative therapies aimed at treating NDDs, as current medications predominantly address symptom...

One new alkyl benzoquinone, paphionone (1), one new trans-stilbenoid, (E)-6,5'-dihydroxy-2,3'-dimethoxystilbene (2), and eight known stilbenoids and flavonoids (3-10) were isolated from the leaves and roots of Paphiopedilum exul (Orchidaceae). Their chemical structures were determined based on IR, ECD, MS and NMR analyses. Cytotoxicity of all isola...

Functionalization of thymol (Thy) on nanocarriers is a key step in achieving prolonged antimicrobial activity. This requires nanomaterials with uniform particle diameters and suitable thymol sorption. Herein, hollow carbon (HC) and SiO 2-carbon core−shell (SiO 2 @C) were investigated due to their diverse morphologies and ease of surface modificatio...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Curcuma latifolia Roscoe, a plant in the Curcuma genus, has been used as a food additive and folk medicine in Thailand to treat pelvic pain and improve premenstrual syndrome. Although it has been used for centuries, no scientific studies have proved its potential effects on inflammatory pain and central nervous syst...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Saraca asoca (Fabaceae) is a plant of significant medicinal value in traditional Indian medicine, with a long history of use in the treatment of gynaecological disorders and other ailments, and is held in high esteem. This plant has long existed in Indian tradition and is revered as sacred. Aim of the study: This...

In accordance with Thai wisdom, indigenous plant leaves have been used as food packaging to preserve freshness. Many studies have demonstrated that both antioxidant and antimicrobial activities contribute to protecting food from spoilage. Hence, the ethanolic extracts of leaves from selected plants traditionally used as food packaging, including Ne...

Essential oils (EOs) comprised of various bioactive compounds have been widely detected in the Curcuma species. Due to the widespread distribution and misidentification of Curcuma species and differences in processing methods, inconsistent reports on major compounds in rhizomes of the same species from different geographical regions are not uncommo...

Background/aim: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in air pollution causes skin damage through the induction of oxidative stress in the epidermis. Antioxidants help counteract cellular oxidant species and maintain cell homeostasis. This study aimed to examine the protective effect of standardized ethanolic extract of Thunbergia laurifolia leaves on P...

Background Clerodendrum petasites, an herbal plant in Thailand, has been used for many years in folk medicine. However, scientific evidence regarding CNS safety pharmacology and antinociceptive activity of C. petasites (CP) has not yet been well characterized. Purpose The present study aimed to assess the CNS safety pharmacology and antinociceptiv...

Aristolochic acids (AAs), which are strong carcinogens, have caused dietary supplements with Aristolochia plants to be discontinued worldwide. Therefore, the development of a method to identify these herbs is critical for customer safety. To support the regulation of Aristolochia-free products, a PCR coupled with lateral flow immunochromatographic...

Traditional herbal medicine has long been practiced as a method of health care in many countries worldwide. The usage of herbal products has been increasing and is expected to continue to do so in the future. However, admixture and adulteration are concerns regarding the quality of herbal medicine, including its safety and efficacy. We aimed to dev...

Background Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) responds poorly to the available drugs; thus, the mortality rate associated with TNBC remains high. 7-α-Hydroxyfrullanolide (7HF) possesses anticancer properties and arrests cells in the G2/M-phase via modulation of several proteins involved in the G2/M-phase transition, as well as the mitotic checkpo...

Background Crinum latifolium L. (Amaryllidaceae) has been used in Southeast Asian traditional medicine to alleviate the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The pathological mechanism of BPH is associated with the induction of prostate stromal cell proliferation through transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). Standardization as well as...

Ethnopharmacological relevance Ben-Cha-Moon-Yai (BMY) remedy used in Thai traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic agent compromises five herbal root extracts of equal weights: Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa (AM), Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz (OI), Dimocarpus longan Lour. (DL), Dolichandrone serrulata (Wall. ex DC.) Seem....

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a breast cancer subtype characterized by the absence of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression. TNBC cells respond poorly to targeted chemotherapies currently in use and the mortality rate of TNBC remains high. Therefore, it is necessary to identify ne...

Members of the Curcuma genus are among the most commonly used rhizomatous herbs worldwide. There are two species of Curcuma referred to as “Wan Chak Motluk” in Thai, C. comosa Roxb. and C. latifolia Roscoe, and their herbal materials are often confused. C. comosa is widely used as a traditional herbal remedy for its phytoestrogenic activity, but it...

Plants in the genus Mitragyna (Rubiaceae) are used in traditional medicine because of their broad therapeutic activity. Four Mitragyna species, M. speciosa (Roxb.) Korth. (MS), M. rotundifolia (Roxb.) Kuntze (MR), M. diversifolia (Wall. ex G. Don) Havil. (MD), and M. hirsuta Havil. (MH), occur in Thailand. M. speciosa, commonly known as ‘Kratom’ in...

Recently, Curcuma rhizome-related foods with claimed health benefits have been used worldwide; however, correct identification and quality assessment have not been conducted. Due to the wide distribution and morphological similarities of Curcuma species, the classification of some species is debated and nomenclature is inconsistent among countries....

To enhance plant camptothecin (CPT) production in vitro, 5-month-old Ophiorrhiza ridleyana Craib plant cultures were treated with solutions of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) dissolved in ethanol, which were applied to the surface of the solid culture medium. It was demonstrated that the maximum CPT content in the tissue-cultured plants was achieved after...

Autophagic cell death (ACD) is an alternative death mechanism in resistant malignant cancer cells. In this study, we demonstrated how polyphenol stilbene compound PE5 exhibits potent ACD-promoting activity in lung cancer cells that may offer an opportunity for novel cancer treatment. Cell death caused by PE5 was found to be concomitant with dramati...

Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) Havil. [MS], or “kratom” in Thai, is the only narcotic species among the four species of Mitragyna in Thailand, which also include Mitragyna diversifolia (Wall. ex G. Don) Havil. [MD], Mitragyna hirsuta Havil. [MH], and Mitragyna rotundifolia (Roxb.) O. Kuntze [MR]. M. speciosa is a tropical tree belonging to the Rubiace...

Colorectal cancer is a common cancer worldwide and reduced expression of the DNA repair endonuclease XPF (xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group F) is associated with colorectal cancer. Bacopa monnieri extracts were previously found to exhibit chemical-genetic synthetic lethal effects in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae model of colorectal cancer la...

Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) Havil. [MS], or “kratom” in Thai, is the only narcotic species among the four species of Mitragyna in Thailand, which also include Mitragyna diversifolia (Wall. ex G. Don) Havil. [MD], Mitragyna hirsuta Havil. [MH], and Mitragyna rotundifolia (Roxb.) O. Kuntze [MR]. M. speciosa is a tropical tree belonging to the Rubiace...

Traditional medicines are widely traded across the globe and have received considerable attention in the recent past, with expectations of heightened demand in the future. However, there are increasing global concerns over admixture, which can affect the quality, safety, and efficacy of herbal medicinal products. In this study, we aimed to use DNA...

Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H.Rob. is one of the most popular herbal smoking cessation aids currently used in Thailand, and its adulteration with Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. is often found in the herbal market. Therefore, the quality of the raw material must be considered. This work aimed to integrate macro- and microscopic, chemical and genetic aut...

In this study, rutin was detected as a main component after the phytochemical screening of flavonoids from an ethanolic extract of banana leaves (Musa balbisiana) using thin layer chromatography plates (TLC). The rutin from the crude extract was separated using a series of solvent partition separations and was purified by using Sephadex™ column chr...

Paphiopedilum callosum (Rchb.f.) Stein belongs to the Orchidaceae family. The phytochemistry and bioactivities of this plant have not been reported. In this study, a bioassay-guided isolation with a yeast cell-based assay was performed to isolate topoisomerase I poison compounds from the roots of P. callosum. One new and five known compounds were i...

Background Breast cancer (BCa) affects women’s health worldwide. BCa subtype could be classified by presenting of oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Knowing of BCa subtype would be benefit for chemotherapeutic treatments guidance. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of BCa that lack...

Cancer is a noncommunicable disease with a high worldwide incidence and mortality rate. The National Cancer Institute of Thailand reports increasing cumulative incidence of breast, colorectal, liver, lung, and cervical cancers, accounting for more than 60% of all cancers in the kingdom. In this current work, we attempt to elucidate the phytochemica...

Medicinal plants and their products are extensively used within indigenous healthcare systems in Thailand and several other nations. The international trade of herbal products has a noteworthy impact on the worldwide economy, and the interest in herbal products is expanding in both developing and developed countries. There has been rapid growth in...

Poisonous Urobotrya siamensis Hiepko has caused deaths of consumers due to misidentification in several cases in past years. The poisonous plant shares the vernacular name in Thai “Phak Wan” with two vegetables, Melientha suavis Pierre and Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr. The morphology of young leaves among these species is also similar. Therefore,...

The eastern Russell’s viper, Daboia siamensis, is one of the important venomous snakes causing serious public health problems in Southeast Asia. Its venom contains a variety of enzymes and peptides that cause hemotoxic effects. Since antivenin commonly used for treating snakebite patients may lead to lethal allergic reaction, medicinal herbs have b...

Breast cancer is the leading cause of female mortality worldwide. Although there are several modern treatments for breast cancer, there is a high rate of recurrence for the majority of treatments; therefore, the search for effective anticancer agents continues. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-breast cancer potential of frullanolide,...

In Thailand, there are three species of Bacopa, namely, B. monnieri, B. caroliniana, and B. floribunda. Among these species of Bacopa, B. monnieri is the only medicinal species, used for the treatment of cognitive impairment and improvement of cognitive abilities because of its bioactive constituents, bacoside A and B. However, because of the simil...

The anecdotal evidence is outstanding on the uses of Aristolochia plants as traditional medicines and dietary supplements in many regions of the world. However, herbal materials derived from Aristolochia species have been identified as potent human carcinogens since the first case of severe renal disease after ingesting these herbal preparations. A...

Sequence alignment of full length rbcL genes of eleven Aristolochia plants. The numbers on the top line represent the base numbers in sequence alignment. The altered bases indicate the sequence differences. ‘.’ represents the base being identical to the first sequence. The first and the last three nucleotides are start and stop codon, respectively....

Sequence alignment of trnH-psbA regions of eleven Aristolochia plants. The numbers on the top line represent the base numbers in sequence alignment. The altered bases indicate the sequence differences. ‘.’ represents the base being identical to the first sequence. ‘–’ represents gap. (PDF)

Sequence alignment of ITS regions of eleven Aristolochia plants. The numbers on the top line represent the base numbers in sequence alignment. The altered bases indicate the sequence differences. ‘.’ represents the base being identical to the first sequence. ‘–’ represents gap. (PDF)

Sequence alignment of full length matK genes of eleven Aristolochia plants. The numbers on the top line represent the base numbers in sequence alignment. The altered bases indicate the sequence differences. ‘.’ represents the base being identical to the first sequence. The first three nucleotides are start codon and the last three nucleotides are s...

Sequence alignment of ITS2 among eleven Aristolochia species and substituted species. Arrows indicate orientation and position of the primer set of multiplex PCR. (PDF)

The anecdotal evidence is outstanding on the uses of Aristolochia plants as traditional medicines and dietary supplements in many regions of the world. However, herbal materials derived from Aristolochia species have been identified as potent human carcinogens since the first case of severe renal disease after ingesting these herbal preparations. A...

The anecdotal evidence is outstanding on the uses of Aristolochia plants as traditional medicines and dietary supplements in many regions of the world. However, herbal materials derived from Aristolochia species have been identified as potent human carcinogens since the first case of severe renal disease after ingesting these herbal preparations. A...

Microencapsulation with biodegradable polymers has potential application in drug and cell delivery systems and is currently used in probiotic delivery. In the present study, microcapsules of human fibroblast cells (CRL2522) were prepared by emulsion cross-linking technique. Tween 80 surfactant at a 2% concentration through phase inversion resulted...

The ethanol-inducible system derived from Aspergillus nidulans has been used for gene expression analysis in plants. However, the response of non-transformed plants to ethanol suggests that this system may be present in plants. Therefore, it is possible to use an ethanol-inducible promoter derived from plants for gene regulation. In this study, eff...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Plant materials used in this study were selected based on the ethnobotanical literature. Plants have either been utilized by Thai practitioners as alternative treatments for cancer or identified to exhibit anti-cancer properties. Aim of the study: To screen ethnomedicinal plants using a yeast cell-based assay for...

Four species of Mitragyna plants exist in Thailand, including Mitragyna speciosa, M. rotundifolia, M. hirsuta, and M. diversifolia. M. speciosa, or “Kratom” in Thai, is the only narcotic species that has been prohibited by law in Thailand. It causes addiction and sometimes fatalities when overdosed. The accurate detection of this species is needed...

Five known flavonoid glycosides namely, juglanin (1), astragalin (2), nicotiflorin (3), isoquercetin (4) and apigenin-7-O-β-glucuronide (5), and a phenolic glucoside, arbutin (6), were isolated for the first time from the leaves of Afgekia mahidolae (Fabaceae). Their structures were elucidated using one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic method...

Two new 2-arylbenzofurans, namely 13-O-methyllakoochin B (1) and artogomezianin (2), were isolated from the root bark of Artocarpus gomezianus, along with six known compounds (3–8). The structures of new compounds were determined by spectroscopic and chemical methods. All of the isolates were evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. A...

Curcuma aff. amada is used for treatment of poisoning, detoxification and anti-inflammation in Thai folk medicine. However, there is no scientific evidence supporting the potential antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of this plant. To investigate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of the ethanolic extract of Curcuma aff....

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes acute diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, weight loss, and high mortality rate in neonatal piglets. Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) has been reported in Europe, America, and Asia including Thailand. The disease causes substantial losses to the swine industry in many countries. Presently, there is no effect...

Background: Natural products are a potential source for cancer chemotherapeutic development. This current study was performed to investigate the anti-tumor potential of 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-6,8-diprenylisoflavone (TD) and lupalbigenin (LB), plant flavonoids found in Derris scandens Benth (family: Leguminosae), in cancer and normal cell lines. Method...

Two new stilbenes, 2-(3′,5′-dimethoxyphenyl)-6-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzofuran (1) and 3′-hydroxy-2,5′-dimethoxystilbene (2), together with seven known stilbenes (3, 5–10) and one flavanone (4), were isolated from the roots of Paphiopedilum godefroyae. Their chemical structures were determined on the basis of their spectroscopic data. These isolated co...

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has continued to cause sporadic outbreaks in Thailand since 2007 and a pandemic variant containing an insertion and deletion in the spike gene was responsible for outbreaks. In 2014, there were further outbreaks of the disease occurring within four months of each other. In this study, the full-length genome se...

Derris scandens (Roxb.) Benth. (Fabaceae) is used as an alternative treatment for cancer in Thai traditional medicine. Investigation of the topoisomerase II (Top2) poison of compounds isolated from this plant may reveal new drug leads for the treatment of cancer. Bioassay-guided isolation was performed on an extract of D. scandens stems using a yea...

Background/aim: The ability of cancer cells to resist to anoikis has been shown to augment cancer cell metastasis in many cancers. In search for potential substances for anti-metastatic approaches, this study aimed to investigate anoikis-sensitizing activity of lupalbigenin, extracted from Derris scandens. Materials and methods: Human lung cance...

Phyllanthus amarus Schum. and Thonn. has long been used for the treatment of liver diseases. The hepatoprotective compound presented in P. amarus was phyllanthin. In this study, the fast determination and quantitation of bioactive phyllanthin in P. amarus and its commercial herbal drugs were developed using a simple thin-layer chromatographic (TLC)...

Juice squeezed from cereal grasses harvested at the jointing stage, i.e., wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum), exhibits high antioxidant activity. Rice (Oryza sativa) may also exhibit antioxidant activity. We therefore examined the antioxidant activity of juices squeezed from grasses harvested at the jointing stage for seven coloured and seven white Tha...

The restoration of the epidermal epithelium through re-epithelialization is a critical process in wound healing. Directed keratinocyte migration to the wound is required, and the retardation of this process may result in a chronic, non-healing wound. The present study contributes to research aiming to identify promising compounds that promote wound...

The objective of this study is to investigate the anticancer potential of the extract of Colocasia gigantea C. gigantea), a plant member of the Araceae family. In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxic activity of C. gigantea extract on cervical cancer (Hela) and human white blood cells (WBC) in vitro. The authors then identified the bioa...

Rosmarinic acid (RA) was isolated from an ethanolic extract of Thunbergia laurifolia leaves. The antinociceptive activity of RA was assessed in mice using hot-plate, acetic acid-induced writhing, and formalin tests. The anti-inflammatory effects of RA were determined in two mouse models of carrageenan-induced paw edema and cotton pellet-induced gra...