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The balm of the Norway spruce (Picea abies) is a well-known traditional herbal medicine used to cure wounds. Even though clinical trials have confirmed its empirical use, the active constituents, their mode of action, and the exact composition of this natural product are still unknown. In this study, the balm was subjected to fractionated extraction and further purified employing flash chromatography, HPLC-PDA-ELSD, preparative and analytical TLC. Hydroxycinnamic acids (1–3), the lignan pinoresinol (4), four hydroxylated derivatives of dehydroabietic acid (DHAA) (5 – 8), and dehydroabietic acid (9) were isolated. Their structures were elucidated by LC-MS, 1D- and 2D-NMR. Four extracts, two commercially available resin acids–pimaric acid (10) and isopimaric acid (11)–and the isolated compounds were tested for increased re-epithelialization of cell-free areas in a human adult low calcium high temperature keratinocytes monolayer. Lysophosphatidic acid (10 µM) served as positive control and ranged between 100% and 150% rise in cell-covered area related to the vehicle control. Two extracts containing carboxylic acids and non-acidic apolar constituents, respectively, boosted wound closure by 47% and 36% at 10 and 3 µg/mL, respectively. Pinoresinol, DHAA, three of its hydroxylated derivatives, and pimaric and isopimaric acid as well as defined combinations of the hydroxylated DHAA derivatives led to a significantly enhanced wound closure by up to 90% at concentrations between 1 and 10 µM. Overall, lignans and diterpene resin acids, main constituents of Norway spruce balm, are able to increase migration or proliferation of keratinocytes in vitro. The presented data link the phytochemistry of this natural wound healing agent with boosted re-epithelialization.

In a cytopathic effect inhibition assay, a standardized Rhodiola rosea root and rhizome extract, also known as roseroot extract (SHR-5), exerted distinct anti-influenza A virus activity against HK/68 (H3N2) (IC50 of 2.8 µg/mL) without being cytotoxic. For fast and efficient isolation and identification of the extractʼs bioactive constituents, a high-performance countercurrent chromatographic separation method was developed. It resulted in a three-stage gradient elution program using a mobile phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate/n-butanol/water (1 : 4 : 5 → 2 : 3 : 5 → 3 : 2 : 5) in the reversed-phase mode. The elaborated high-performance countercurrent chromatographic method allowed for fractionation of the complex roseroot extract in a single chromatographic step in a way that only one additional orthogonal isolation/purification step per fraction yielded 12 isolated constituents. They cover a broad polarity range and belong to different structural classes, namely, the phenylethanoid tyrosol and its glucoside salidroside, the cinnamyl alcohol glycosides rosavin, rosarin, and rosin as well as gallic acid, the cyanogenic glucoside lotaustralin, the monoterpene glucosides rosiridin and kenposide A, and the flavonoids tricin, tricin-5-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and rhodiosin. The most promising anti-influenza activities were determined for rhodiosin, tricin, and tricin-5-O-β-D-glucopyranoside with IC50 values of 7.9, 13, and 15 µM, respectively. The herein established high-performance countercurrent chromatographic protocol enables fast and scalable access to major as well as minor roseroot constituents. This is of particular relevance for extract standardization, quality control, and further in-depth pharmacological investigations of the metabolites of this popular traditional herbal remedy.

Mulberry Diels−Alder-type adducts (MDAAs) derived from the white mulberry tree were discovered recently as dual inhibitors of influenza viruses and pneumococci. For the development of a natural product based remedy for respiratory infections, the aim was to (i) identify the most prolific natural source of MDAAs, (ii) develop a protocol to maximize the content of MDAAs in Morus alba extracts, (iii) unravel constituents with the highest anti-infective potential within multicomponent mixtures, and (iv) select and characterize a hit extract as a candidate for further studies. Validated quantitative UPLC-PDA analysis of seven MDAAs (1−7) revealed the root bark as the best starting material and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) as the optimum technique for extraction. Extracts enriched in MDAAs of a total content above 20% exerted a potent dual anti-influenza virus and antipneumococcal activity. For a detailed analysis of the most bioactive chemical features and molecules within the extracts, 1 H NMR-based heterocovariance analysis (HetCA) was used. According to the multivariate statistical analysis procedure conducted, MDAAs exclusively accounted for the in vitro anti-influenza viral effect. The anti-infective profile of one hit extract (MA60) investigated showed a good tolerance by lung cells (A549, Calu-3) and pronounced in vitro activities against influenza viruses, S. pneumoniae, S. aureus, and inflammation.

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