-  Collaborate with scientists in Poland to study chemical constituents and biogical activities of Maesa membranacea plant.

Phytochemical investigation of the stems of M. membranacea led to the isolation of 3 new polyhydroxylated triterpenes (DEG10-11 and DDH3) and 11 known compounds including β-sitosterol (DDH1), stigmast-7,22-dien-3-one (DDH2), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (DEG1), vanilic acid (DEG2), (-)-epicatechin (DEG3), protocatechuic acid (DEG4), procyanidin (DEG5), kaempferol (DEG6), 2α,6β,22α-triacetoxy-11α-(2’-methylbutyryloxy)-urs-12-ene-3α,20β-diol (DEG12), betulinic acid (DNG1) and ursolic acid (DNG2). Several isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines. Only betulinic acid (DNG1) showed good cytotoxic activity on HepG-2 cancer cell line with IC50 of 17,58 ± 1,09 µM. Other compounds were inactive against HepG-2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines.
From leaves of M. membranacea, 9 compounds were isolated including 2 new triterpene (BL1-2), 2 megastigmanes BL3-4, 1 phenolic compound BL5 and 4 flavonoid BL6-9, among that BL1, BL5 and BL6 were also isolated from the stems. Compound BL1/DEG12 showed cytotoxicity against colon cancer cell line Caco-2 and prostate cancer cell lines Du-145 and PC3 with IC50 49.8-58.1 μM, but no activity against normal prostate epithelial cell (PNT-2). Flavonoids α-rhamnoisorobin (at the concentration of 1-10 μM) and kaempferitrin (at the concentration of 50 μM) demonstrated neuroprotective activity against H2O2/6-OHDA-induced damages.
Training: 01 BS student.
Cooperation: Establish the research collaboration of IMBC-VAST and Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences

Plant M. membranacea in Vietnam was studied for the first time. From the stems of M. membranacea 14 compound including 3 new polyhydroxylated triterpenes (DEG10-12 and DDH3) and 10 known compounds were isolated. From the leaves of M. membranacea, 9 compounds were isolated including 2 new triterpenes (BL1-2).

- Publications:
1. Jantas, D., Malarz, J., Le, T. N., Stojakowska, A. (2021). Neuroprotective properties of kempferol derivatives from Maesa membranacea against oxidative stress-induced cell damage: An association with cathepsin D inhibition and PI3K/Akt activation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(19), 10363.
2. Michalska, K., Galanty, A., Le, T. N., Malarz, J., Vuong, N. Q., Pham, V. C., Stojakowska, A. (2021). New Polyesterified Ursane Derivatives from Leaves of Maesa membranacea and Their Cytotoxic Activity, Molecules, 26(22), 7013.
3. Le Nguyen, T., Tran, H. G., Vu, T. K. O., Pham, T. D., Dinh, N. T., Stojakowska, A., Truong, B. N. (2020). Chemical constituents isolated from stems of Maesa membranacea. Vietnam Journal of Science, Technology and Engineering, 62(3), 15-18..
- Products: Isolated compounds, the final report- IMBC
- Other products: Training: 01 BS student

We expect that the Institute of Marine Biochemistry, and International Relations Department -VAST will continuously support our research collaboration with Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences in the natural product chemistry projects of Vietnamese plants.