Disease relevance of Lithospermum

• Shikonin is a major component of zicao (purple gromwell, the dried root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon), a Chinese herbal medicine with various biological activities, including inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) [1].

High impact information on Lithospermum

• beta-Hydroxyisovalerylshikonin (beta-HIVS), a compound isolated from the traditional oriental medicinal herb Lithospermum radix, is an ATP non-competitive inhibitor of protein-tyrosine kinases, such as v-Src and EGFR, and it induces apoptosis in various lines of human tumor cells [2].
• Shikonins, the naphthoquinone pigments present in the root tissues of Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb. et Zucc [3].
• Shikonins, phytocompounds from Lithospermum erythrorhizon, inhibit the transcriptional activation of human tumor necrosis factor alpha promoter in vivo [3].
• Geranyl diphosphate:4-hydroxybenzoate geranyltransferase from Lithospermum erythrorhizon. Cloning and characterization of a ket enzyme in shikonin biosynthesis [4].
• Nucleotide sequence of a cDNA from Lithospermum erythrorhizon homologous to PR-1 of parsley [5].

Biological context of Lithospermum

• A cytochrome P450 cDNA was isolated by differential display from cultured cells of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, and the gene product was designated CYP98A6 based on the deduced amino acid sequence [6].
• The biosynthetic pathway to 4-hydroxybenzoate (4HB), a precursor of the naphthoquinone pigment shikonin, was modified in Lithospermum erythrorhizon hairy root cultures by introduction of the bacterial gene ubiC [7].
• Immunomodulatory effect of shikonin derivatives isolated from Lithospermum canescens on cellular and humoral immunity in Balb/c mice [8].

Anatomical context of Lithospermum

• Shikonin isolated from Lithospermum erythrorhizon, a traditional oriental medicinal herb, was observed to induce apoptosis in HL60 human premyelocytic leukemia cell line [9].
• Antihormonal effects of plant extracts. Pharmacodynamic effects of lithospermum officinale on the thyroid gland of rats; comparison with the effects of iodide [10].
• Treatment with Lithospermi radix, Astragali radix, and Cnidii rhizoma significantly inhibited BBN-induced suppression chemotactic activity and production of IL-1 and TNF-alpha by macrophages [11].
• Inhibition of lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma-induced expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and tumor necrosis factor-alpha by Lithospermi radix in mouse peritoneal macrophages [12].

Associations of Lithospermum with chemical compounds

• 4-Hydroxybenzoate 3-geranyltransferase from Lithospermum erythrorhizon: purification of a plant membrane-bound prenyltransferase [13].
• Geranylhydroquinone 3"-hydroxylase, which is likely to be involved in shikonin and dihydroechinofuran biosynthesis, was identified in cell suspension cultures of Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb. et Zucc [14].
• CYP98A6 from Lithospermum erythrorhizon encodes 4-coumaroyl-4'-hydroxyphenyllactic acid 3-hydroxylase involved in rosmarinic acid biosynthesis [6].
• Rabdosiin in the Lithospermum erythrorhizon callus cultures was produced exclusively as the (+)-enantiomer while in both Eritrichium cultures it occurred as the (-)-enantiomer [15].
• Partial purification and properties of geranyl pyrophosphate synthase from Lithospermum erythrorhizon cell cultures [16].

Gene context of Lithospermum

• Genetic engineering of shikonin biosynthesis hairy root cultures of Lithospermum erythrorhizon transformed with the bacterial ubiC gene [7].
• Genetic engineering on shikonin biosynthesis: expression of the bacterial ubiA gene in Lithospermum erythrorhizon [17].
• Compounds bearing an acyl group of a various size at 1'-OH of shikonin were synthesized as acyl analogues of shikonin, which was isolated from the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, and evaluated for inhibitory effect on topoisomerase-I activity [18].
• Geranylhydroquinone 3"-hydroxylase, a cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase from Lithospermum erythrorhizon cell suspension cultures [14].
• Regulatory role of microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase for shikonin biosynthesis in Lithospermum erythrorhizon cell suspension cultures [19].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Lithospermum

• A 4-coumaroyl-CoA 3-hydroxylase activity was purified 4600-fold from cell cultures of Lithospermum erythrorhizon [20].
• Molecular cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a novel apoplastic protein preferentially expressed in a shikonin-producing callus strain of Lithospermum erythrorhizon [21].
• Simultaneous analysis of shikimate-derived secondary metabolites in Lithospermum erythrorhizon cell suspension cultures by high-performance liquid chromatography [22].
• An HPLC method was developed to resolve the enantiomers of shikonin derivatives of the Lithospermi Radix [23].

References