Quebrachitol (QCT), a bioactive plant constituent, is a naturally occurring optically active cyclitols. QCT could serve as the starting material of inositol or its derivatives to participate in several important pathways and may act as a potential anticancer or antidiabetic drug lead to arrest or reverse these diseases. According to the literature reported before, QCT exerted its biological functions, by involving IP3 receptor, b-glucosidase, PAFR, COX2, nitric oxide synthase, and K(+)ATP channels. Quebrachitol reduces the gastric damage induced by ethanol and indomethacin. The potential of quebrachitol as a sugar substitute for diabetics has been investigated. Even though the early study reported that this methylcyclitol seems neither to prevent hypoglycemia nor to raise blood sugar content, another work showed that quebrachitol has hypoglycemic effects in hyperglycemic rats. Unfortunately, all three persons who took quebrachitol by mouth had fairly severe diarrhea.

Cortex fraxini, a famous Chinese herbal folk medicine, is used for the clinical treatment of hyperuricemia, arthritis, diarrhea, liver-protective. and bacillary dysentery. Fraxin, a main active component isolated from Cortex fraxini, possesses a variety of bioactivities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, antimicrobial, antiviral, immunomodulatory, anti-hyperuricemia and diuresis. And a recent study indicated that fraxin showed potent hepatoprotective effects in vitro and in vivo, presumably through reducing Oxidative Stress. Fraxin protects cells from oxidative stress.

Trolox (6-Hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid) is a synthetic Vitamin E analog exerting antioxidant properties. Trolox is widely used for estimation of antioxidant capacity in the assay based on electron transfer reaction. Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay is based on the suppression of the absorbance of radical cations of 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline 6-sulfonate) (ABTS) by antioxidants in the test sample when ABTS incubates with a peroxidase (metmyoglobin) and hydrogen peroxide.

S-ETHYLCYSTEINE is hydrophilic cysteine-containing compound naturally synthesized in many Allium plant foods such as garlic and onion. Dietary intake of S-Ethyl-L-cysteine displayed anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory protection against ethanol-induced liver injury in mice. S-Ethyl-L-cysteine ameliorated H2O2-induced apoptotic, oxidative and inflammatory injury in human BEAS-2B cells (bronchial cells) through preserving Bcl-2 expression, decreasing ROS formation and limiting protein expression of NAPDH oxidase, NF-kB, and MAPK. S-Ethyl-L-cysteine is used as the chiral reagent.

Nocardamine is a cyclic trihydroxamate. It belongs to a group of microbial siderophores which form complexes with iron and aluminum ions. Nocardamine was described first as an antibiotic active against mycobacteria and proteus. It is produced by Nocardia species, several Streptomyces species, Chromobacterium and Pseudomonas. Nocardamine exhibited significant antioxidant effects. It is suggested that it should be applied in food and biological model systems. In vitro nocardamine showed antitumor activity – it has inhibitory effects to colony formation of tumor cells.

Datiscetin is a yellow plant dye from the flavonol group. It exhibited inhibitory activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Datiscetin demonstrated antioxidant activity – it inhibits CCl4-induced microsomal lipid peroxidation and behaved as potent scavenger of the superoxide anion radicals. Datiscetin activated the human constitutive androstane receptor. It inhibited amyloid beta-42 protein aggregation. Datiscetin interacts with amyloid beta-42 protein directly, with monomers and small aggregates.

(1R,3S)-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (MTCA) is a β-carboline indole alkaloid naturally occurring in plants, foods, insects, and endogenously in mammals and humans. It exerts antioxidant and antithrombotic properties. MTCA is thought to be a possible causative substance of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome associated with ingestion of L-tryptophan.