Investigating the effect and mechanism of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae combination in ameliorating psoriatic lesions / 中国药理学通报

Aim In this study, a mouse model of psoriasis-like lesions induced by 62. 5 mg imiquimod was used to explore the effect and mechanism of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae combination for the topical treatment of psoriasis. Methods Firstly, the topical administration of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae combination for treating psoriasis in progressive and recurrent stages was evaluated by psoriatic mouse model and HE staining. Secondly, immunohistochemistry was used to study the regulatory effects of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae combination on the pivotal pathological mechanism of psoriasis-the positive feedback loop between the abnormal proliferation of keratinocytes and skin immune microenvironment. Finally, metabolomics technology was used to explore whether Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae combination topically treat psoriasis by regulating inflammation-related metabolism and lipid metabolism pathways. Results The combination of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae alleviated psoriasis-like lesions in mice. It effectively relieved the recurrence after the cure of psoriatic lesions in mice, and the efficacy is comparable to that of benweimod. The combination of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae inhibited the proliferation of mouse epidermal keratinocytes and reduced the number of T cells in the skin. The potential molecular mechanism was that the combination of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae regulated arachidonic acid metabolism, sphin- golipid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism. Conclusions The combination of Sophora Flavescens Radix and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae can relieve psoriasis-like lesions in mice by inhibiting the proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes and reducing the number of T cells in the skin and regulating metabolism to intervene psoriasis recurrence. This study provides a potential topical drug of psoriasis for relieving psoriasis recurrence.

Species identification of Ligustrum lucidum / 中国中药杂志

Ligustrum lucidum is a woody perennial plant of genus Ligustrum in family Oleaceae. Its dried fruit has high medicinal value. In this study, the authors evaluated the variability and species identification efficiency of three specific DAN barcodes(rbcL-accD, ycf1a, ycf1b) and four general DAN barcodes(matK, rbcL, trnH-psbA, ITS2) for a rapid and accurate molecular identification of Ligustrum species. The results revealed that matK, rbcL, trnH-psbA, ITS2 and ycf1a were inefficient for identifying the Ligustrum species, and a large number of insertions and deletions were observed in rbcL-accD sequence, which was thus unsuitable for development as specific barcode. The ycf1b-2 barcode had DNA barcoding gap and high success rate of PCR amplification and DNA sequencing, which was the most suitable DNA barcode for L. lucidum identification and achieved an accurate result. In addition, to optimize the DNA extraction experiment, the authors extracted and analyzed the DNA of the exocarp, mesocarp, endocarp and seed of L. lucidum fruit. It was found that seed was the most effective part for DNA extraction, where DNAs of high concentration and quality were obtained, meeting the needs of species identification. In this study, the experimental method for DNA extraction of L. lucidum was optimized, and the seed was determined as the optimal part for DNA extraction and ycf1b-2 was the specific DNA barcode for L. lucidum identification. This study laid a foundation for the market regulation of L. lucidum.

Recent Progress on Pharmaceutical Properties of Extracellular Vesicles from Mesenchymal Stem Cells--Review / 中国实验血液学杂志

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been officially approved in many countries to treat graft-versus-host disease, autoimmune disorders and those associated with tissue regeneration after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Studies in recent years have confirmed that MSC acts mainly through paracrine mechanism, in which extracellular vesicles secreted by MSC (MSC-EV) play a central role. MSC-EV has overwhelming advantages over MSC itself in the setting of adverse effects in clinical application, indicating that MSC-EV might take the place of its parent cells to be a potentially therapeutic tool for "cell-free therapy". The pharmaceutical properties of MSC-EV largely depend upon the practical and optimal techniques including large-scale expansion of MSC, the modification of MSC based on the indications and the in vivo dynamic features of MSC-EV, and the methods for preparing and harvesting large amounts of MSC-EV. The recent progresses on the issues above will be briefly reviewed.

Three new cucurbitane-type triterpenoid glycosides from Citrullus colocynthis and their anti-inflammatory activity / 中国中药杂志

Three new cucurbitane-type triterpenoid glycosides were separated from the ethyl acetate extract of Citrullus colocynthis by a variety of chromatographic techniques. According to the data of NMR, HR-ESI-MS, and/or comparison with the reported data, the three novel cucurbitane-type triterpenoid glycosides were identified as colocynthenin E(1), colocynthenin G(2), and colocynthenin H(3). The cell inflammation model was established with RAW264.7 macrophages exposed to lipopolysaccharide and then used to determine the anti-inflammatory activities of the three compounds. Compounds 2 and 3 showed mild anti-inflammatory activities with the IC_(50) of 48.21 and 40.11 μmol·L~(-1), respectively, compared with that(IC_(50)=7.57 μmol·L~(-1)) of the positive control dexamethasone.

Mechanism of ciRS-7 silencing to reverse cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer cells by targeting miR-944 / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effect of silencing circRNA ciRS-7 on cisplatin resistance of gastric cancer cells and its related mechanism. Methods Cisplatin-resistant gastric cancer cells HGC-27/DDP were constructed, ciRS-7 was silenced and HGC-27/DDP cells were treated with cisplatin. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of ciRS-7 and microrNA-944 (miR-944). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect cell survival rate. Clone formation assay was used to detect the number of clones. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of CyclinD1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), B-lymphocytoma-2-associated X protein (Bax), B-lymphocytoma-2 (Bcl-2) and cleaved aspartate-specific cysteine proteinase 3 (cleaved-caspase-3). Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis rate. In situ end labeling (TUNEL) was used to detect apoptosis index. Dual luciferase assay was used to verify the targeting relationship between ciRS-7 and miR-944. Results CiRS-7 was highly expressed in cisplatin-resistant gastric cancer tissues and cells, while miR-944 was low expressed in cisplatin-resistant gastric cancer tissues and cells. The survival rate, clonal formation number, protein expression levels of CyclinD1, PCNA and Bcl-2 in cisplatin-treated HGC-27/DDP cells were significantly reduced by silencing ciRS-7, while ciRS-7 expression level, apoptosis rate, apoptosis index, Bax, cleaved-caspase-3 protein expression levels of cisplatin-treated HGC-27/DDP cells were significantly raised. CiRS-7 targetedly inhibited the expression of miR-944. Conclusions Silencing ciRS-7 can reverse cisplatin resistance of gastric cancer cells, and the mechanism may be related to the promotion of miR-944 expression by silencing ciRS-7.

Effect of Xinnao Shutong capsule and its active ingredients on damage of cerebral microvascular endothelial cell barrier integrity caused by oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation and its mechanism / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effect of XNST and its monomeric components on the barrier structure and tight junction protein expression of brain microvascular endothelial cells damaged by oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) and the possible mechanism. Methods The mouse brain microvascular endothelial cell line bEnd. 3 was inoculated in the upper layer of the Transwell chamber to establish an OGD/R damage model, and the effect of the drug on the integrity of the endothelial cell barrier was investigated by the transmembrane resistance value and fluorescein-so-dium transmittance. Claudin-5 immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the changes of tight junction structure between endothelial cells. RT-PCR and Western blot were employed to detect mRNA and protein expression levels of tightly linked proteins Claudin-5 , Occludin, ZO-1. Western blot was applied to detect the expression levels of MAPKs (JNK, p38, ERK) , I kappa B a, I kappa B kinase phosphorylated protein expression, and Western blot and immunofluorescence were utilized to detect NF-K.B/p65 nucleation expression. Results XNST and its three monomers could significantly increase endothelial cell resistance and de- crease fluorescein-sodium transmittance. Claudin-5 fluorescence staining showed that the tight junction between cells in the model group was significantly damaged , while XNST and its monomer components could significantly improve its tight structure. RT-PCR and Western blot results showed that it could significantly upregulate the expression of mRNA and protein of Claudin-5, Occludin and ZO-1, and further study on the mechanism showed that XNST and its monomer components could significantly inhibit the phosphoryla-tion of JNK, p38 and ERK, inhibit the phosphorylation of I kappa B a and I kappa B kinases, and significantly inhibit the nuclear translocation of NF-KB/p65. Conclusion Both XNST and its monomeric components can exert cerebroprotective effects by increasing the tight junction structure between cells to promote barrier integrity, and the mechanism may be related to inhibition of NF-kB and MAPKs signaling pathway activation.

Complete chloroplast genome of Ligustrum lucidum and highly variable marker identification for Ligustrum / 中国中药杂志

Ligustri Lucidi Fructus, the sun-dried mature fruit of Ligustrum lucidum, is cool, plain, sweet, and bitter, which can be used as both food and medicine, with the effects of improving vision, blacking hair, and tonifying liver and kidney. It takes effect slowly. However, little is known about the genetic information of the medicinal plant and it is still a challenge to distinguish Ligustrum species. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of L. lucidum was obtained by genome skimming and then compared with that of five other Ligustrum species, which had been reported. This study aims to evaluate the interspecific variation of chloroplast genome within the genus and develop molecular markers for species identification of the genus. The result showed that the chloroplast genome of L. lucidum was 162 162 bp with a circular quadripartite structure of two single-copy regions separated by a pair of inverted repeats. The Ligustrum chloroplast genomes were conserved with small interspecific difference. Comparative analysis of six Ligustrum chloroplast genomes revealed three variable regions(rbcL-accD, ycf1a, and ycf1b), and ycf1a and ycf1b can be used as the species-specific DNA barcode for Ligustrum. Phylogeny analysis provided the best resolution of Ligustrum and supported that L. lucidum was sister to L. gracile. This study clarified the genetic diversity of L. lucidum from provenance, which can serve as a reference for further analysis of pharmacological differences and breeding of excellent varieties with stable drug effects.

The protective effects of salvianolic acid B, ginsenoside Rgl and notoginsenoside R1 on oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation and reoxygenation of astrocytes / 中国药理学通报

eration-toxicity test kit was used to detect the cell viability of astrocytes, and flow cytometry to detect mitochondrial membrane potential, KOS release and intracellular calcium concentration.KT-PCK was employed to detect the niHNA expression of BDNF, NGF, KtFIcx in astrocytes.Western blot was used to detect the phosphorylation of PI3K, ART and STA'13 protein in astrocytes.Results OGD/K significantly decreased cell viability.HOS release and intracellular calcium ion concentration of astrocytes, mitochondrial membrane potential and p-STAT3 , p-PI3K, p-AKT ex¬pression decreased in OGD/R group.Sal 15, Rgl and HI significantly increased the viability of damaged cells, and regulated KOS release, calcium ion concen¬tration and mitochondrial membrane potential to varying degrees.Sal B and Rgl increased the expression of p- STA'13 and p-AKT.Hie expression of BDNF and NGF niRNA in OGD/R group significantly decreased, and Sal B, Hgl and HI could significantly increase the ex¬pression of BDNF niHNA in damaged cells.Hgl could increase NGF niRNA expression.Sal B increased the expression of IGFla niRNA.Conclusions Sal B, Kgl, and HI reduce the oxidative stress response of astrocytes after OGD/R injury by regulating the PI3K/ ART and STA'13 signaling pathway, reduce intracellu¬lar calcium overload, and play a protective role in as-trocytes, increase the release of astrocyte neurotrophic factor, which may further play a protective role in neu¬rons.

Main Functions of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Prescription Wandaitang / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Wandaitang, which is one of classical traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions, is derived from Collected Exegesis of Recipes of Fu Qingzhu' s Obstetrics and Gynecology. It is commonly used in modern clinical practice, and included in the Catalogue of Ancient Classical Prescriptions (The First Batch). Collected Exegesis of Recipes of Fu Qingzhu' s Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chen Shi-duo' s Bianzhenglu have a complicated relationship. Both of them have another biography, named Nvke Xianfang and Bianzheng Qiwen. The composition of Wandaitang in the four books is slightly different, while the prescription's explanations and other records are almost the same. The research and development of Wandaitang should be based on the records of Collected Exegesis of Recipes of Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology. Compared with other classical literatures, Collected Exegesis of Recipes of Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology was published in a late period and less reproduced in other ancient books. To study the function of Wandaitang, we need to analyze the records in the original book. In addition, we need to make a multi-angle analysis by reference to the theory of TCM, the composition of drugs, the significance of compatibility, as well as the understanding of modern famous doctors, clinical reports and experimental studies in all aspects. The study found that the functions of Wandaitang were relatively concentrated, but with wide major functions involving internal medicine, surgery, gynecological, pediatric, andrological and other departments. According to the study, the authors believe that the functions of the classical TCM prescription of Wandaitang are invigorating spleen to eliminate dampness, dispersing the liver and rectifying Qi, and invigorating Yang. It can be used to treat leucorrhea, diarrhea, edema and stranguria with the syndromes of pale, languid, little food, loose stool and depression. Wandaitang can also be used to treat vaginitis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic colitis, chronic nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and chronic prostatitis.

UPLC characteristic fingerprint and chemical pattern recognition of Angong Niuhuang Pills / 中国中药杂志

To establish the UPLC fingerprint of Zhongyi Angong Niuhuang Pills, in order to evaluate its quality by chemical pattern recognition. The method was developed on a column of Poroshell 120 EC-C_(18), with methanol-0.1% formic acid solution as the mobile phase for gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.4 mL·min~(-1). The column temperature was 30 ℃,and the detective wavelength was 254 nm. The similarity of 24 batches of Angong Niuhuang Pills was compared by using Traditional Chinese Medicine Chromatographic Fingerprint Similarity Evaluation System(2004 A). Hydrophobic cluster analysis,principal components analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis were conducted by using SIMCA 13.0 software to investigate different components among these products. The UPLC characteristic fingerprint was established in this study. And 17 common peaks were identified by standard reference and UPLC-MS. The similarity of 24 batches samples were above 0.980,which can be classified into three categories for pattern recognition. Baicalin,berberine,jatrorrhizine,wogonin and wogonoside were identified as the main markers that cause differences of various batches. The method is simple,rapid,accurate and reproducible,and can provide scientific basis for improving the quality standard of Zhongyi Angong Niuhuang Pills.

Research progress on chemical constituents of Citrullus colocynthis and their pharmacological effects / 中国中药杂志

Citrullus colocynthis is widely distributed in the desert regions of the world. C. colocynthis has shown to improve constipation, liver diseases, jaundice, typhoid fever, diabetes and asthma in traditional use. As a kind of exterritorialy medicinal material, C. colocynthis has been used in China and introduced successfully. The main active ingredients of C. colocynthis are cucurbitacin, flavonoids, alkaloids and phenolic acids, which have been proven to have antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-pathogenic microorganisms and anti-cancer activities in modern pharmacological research. This paper reviews the traditional application, chemical composition and pharmacological effects of C. colocynthis, and provides reference for the in-depth study for the efficacy and mechanism of different components of C. colocynthis.

Application of Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound in Evaluation of Renal Function for Patients with Spinal Cord Injury Complicated with Hydronephrosis / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To apply contrast-enhanced ultrasound in renal function evaluation for patients with spinal cord injury complicated with hydronephrosis. Methods:From October, 2015 to November, 2018, 23 patients with spinal cord injury complicated with hydronephrosis and renal disfunction (spinal cord injury group) and 19 cases of normal kidneys (control group) accepted contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and the image was analyzed with software. The region of interest (ROI) in the renal cortex, and the time intensity curve was drawn. Logistic regression was performed with time to initial peak (TTP), peak intensity (DPI), slope of ascending time (A), area under the curve (AUC) as the independent variable and renography as the dependent variable. The data was analyzed with ROC. Results:There was no significant difference in serum creatinine and ureophil between two groups (P > 0.05). TTP was longer (t = 5.068, P < 0.001), and A and AUC were lower (t > 3.784, P < 0.01) in the spinal cord injury group than in the control group. AUC was the factor related to renography (P < 0.01). The smaller the AUC was, the greater the likelihood of kidney damage was. The sum of sensitivity and specificity was 1.759 and the corresponding AUC was 982.518 dBS. Conclusion:Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can evaluate renal function of patients with spinal cord injury complicated with hydronephrosis. The decrease in AUC of the time-intensity curve indicates that the renal function is impaired.

Clinical effect of maternal voice stimulation in alleviating procedural pain in hospitalized neonates / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical effect of maternal voice stimulation in alleviating procedural pain in neonates during heel blood collection.@*METHODS@#A total of 72 neonates who were admitted to the neonate intensive care unit were randomly divided into an intervention group (n=35) and a control group (n=37). Heel blood collection was performed by the routine method in the control group. The intervention group listened to their mothers' voice from 1 minute before heel blood collection to the end of the procedure. Pain score, incidence of crying, and vital signs were recorded before and after heel blood collection.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control group, the heart rate was significantly reduced, the blood oxygen saturation significantly increased, the incidence of crying and the pain score were significantly reduced in the intervention group during the procedure of heel blood collection (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Maternal voice stimulation helps to reduce procedural pain and maintain stable vital signs in neonates.

Research progress of chemical constituents and biological activities of essential oil of Pistacia lentiscus / 中国中药杂志

Pistacia lentiscus,which belongs to foreign medicine resources,is widely distributed in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern area. The essential oils are a mixture of several volatile compounds mainly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes obtained from different parts of P. lentiscus by hydrodistillation. The variability of chemical composition,biological activities and content of essential oil is strongly affected by extraction technology,environmental and sex factors. It is indicated that essential oils of P. lentiscus have kinds of biological activities such as antibacterial,anticancer,anti-atherogenesis,antioxidant,anti-inflammatory and insecticidal activities.Many scholars hold the opinion that combination of different components with synergistic and/or additive actions should account for their biological activities. Due to its diverse efficacy and special taste,the essential oil of P. lentiscus has been extensively used in medicine,food and cosmetics industries. A mini review of chemical constituents and biological activities of essential oil of P. lentiscus in the past20 years is made here to provide valuable reference for the construction of " the Belt and Road".

Effect of placement of peripherally inserted central catheter via the upper versus lower extremity veins: a Meta analysis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of placement of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) via the upper versus lower extremity veins in neonates through a Meta analysis.@*METHODS@#CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP Data, CBMdisc, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar were searched for control studies on the effect of PICC placement via the upper versus lower extremity veins in neonates. RevMan 5.3 was used to perform a Meta analysis of the studies which met the inclusion criteria.@*RESULTS@#A total of 18 studies were included, among which there were 8 randomized controlled trials and 10 cohort studies, with 4 890 subjects in total. Compared with those undergoing PICC placement via the upper extremity veins, the neonates undergoing PICC placement via the lower extremity veins had significantly lower incidence rates of complications (RR=0.83, 95%CI: 0.75-0.92, P<0.05), catheter-related infections (RR=0.77, 95%CI: 0.60-0.99, P<0.05), catheter malposition (RR=0.28, 95%CI: 0.18-0.42, P<0.05), extravasation of the infusate (RR=0.52, 95%CI: 0.40-0.70, P<0.05), and unplanned extubation (RR=0.82, 95%CI: 0.69-0.98, P<0.05). They also had a significantly higher first-attempt success rate of puncture (RR=1.17, 95%CI: 1.05-1.30, P<0.05) and a significantly shorter PICC indwelling time (MD=-0.93, 95%CI: -1.26-0.60, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The above evidence shows that PICC placement via the lower extremity veins has a better effect than PICC placement via the upper extremity veins in neonates.

Reliability of Graders and Comparison with an Automated Algorithm for Vertical Cup-Disc Ratio Grading in Fundus Photographs

INTRODUCTION@#We aimed to investigate the intergrader and intragrader reliability of human graders and an automated algorithm for vertical cup-disc ratio (CDR) grading in colour fundus photographs.@*MATERIALS AND METHODS@#Two-hundred fundus photographs were selected from a database of 3000 photographs of patients screened at a tertiary ophthalmology referral centre. The graders included glaucoma specialists (n = 3), general ophthalmologists (n = 2), optometrists (n = 2), family physicians (n = 2) and a novel automated algorithm (AA). In total, 2 rounds of CDR grading were held for each grader on 2 different dates, with the photographs presented in random order. The CDR values were graded as 0.1-1.0 or ungradable. The grading results of the 2 senior glaucoma specialists were used as the reference benchmarks for comparison.@*RESULTS@#The intraclass correlation coefficient values ranged from 0.37-0.74 and 0.47-0.97 for intergrader and intragrader reliability, respectively. There was no significant correlation between the human graders' level of reliability and their years of experience in grading CDR ( = 0.91). The area under the curve (AUC) value of the AA was 0.847 (comparable to AUC value of 0.876 for the glaucoma specialist). Bland Altman plots demonstrated that the AA's performance was at least comparable to a glaucoma specialist.@*CONCLUSION@#The results suggest that AA is comparable to and may have more consistent performance than human graders in CDR grading of fundus photographs. This may have potential application as a screening tool to help detect asymptomatic glaucoma-suspect patients in the community.

Effects of nuclear factor 5 of activated T cells on proliferation and apoptosis of human gastric cancer MGC803 cells / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#Objective: To investigate the effects of nuclear factor 5 of activated T cells (NFAT5) on proliferation and apoptosis of human gastric cancer MGC803 cells and to explore the possible mechanisms. Methods: Three siRNAs targeting NFAT5 gene (siRNA2567, siRNA2714 and siRNA4562) and one negative control siRNA were designed and chemically synthesized before transfected into human gastric cancer cell line MGC803 by liposome. Real-time PCR was used to detect the changes of N F AT 5 mRNA expression in MGC803 cells to further pick out the siRNA that most effectively inhibit the expression of N F AT 5 . Further, Real-time PCR and Western blotting assay were carried out to test mRNAand protein levels of NFAT5 and S100A4 in cells 48 h after N F AT 5 -siRNAtransfection. Then, CCK-8 assay and FCM assay were used to detect the influence of silencing N F AT 5 on cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Results: siRNA2567 was the most effective siRNA that significantly inhibited the expression of N F AT 5 mRNA ( P <0.01), and thus was validated as NFAT5-siRNA. Real-time PCR and Western blotting assay confirmed that both mRNA and protein levels of NFAT5 and S100A4 were down-regulated in cells 48 h after N F AT 5 -siRNAtransfection. Compared with NC-siRNAgroup, the proliferation ability of MGC803 cells in the N F AT 5 siRNAgroup was significantly down-regulated at 72 h and 96 h ( P <0.01).And FCM assay showed that compared with NC-siRNA group, cell apoptosis rate of N F AT 5 -siRNA group was significantly increased from (2.7±0.2)% to (7.9±0.2)%, ( P <0.01) 48 h after N F AT 5 -siRNA transfection. Conclusion: N F AT 5 -siRNA transfection can silence N F AT 5 gene expression in gastric cancer MGC803 cells effectively. N F AT 5 may inhibit proliferation and promote cell apoptosis of gastric cancer cells possibly through regulating S100A4 expression.

Chemical constituents from traditional Uighur herbal medicine Elaeagnus angustifolia flowers / 中国中药杂志

Seven aromatic glycosides (1-7), including four phenylethanol glycosides, one phenylmethanol glycoside, one phenylpropane glycoside and one benzoside, were isolated from the methanolic extract of Uighur Medicine Elaeagnus angustifolia flowers. Their structures were elucidated based on the analysis of spectroscopic data (1D, 2D NMR and HR-MS). Compound 1 is a new compound, named as angustifol A. Six known compounds were identified as 2-phenylethyl-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(2), salidroside (3), vanillic acid 4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(4), vanilloloside (5), (Z)-isoconiferin (6), 2-phenylethyl-6-O-α-L-arabinofuranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (7). Compounds 2-7 were isolated from the genus Elaeagnus for the first time. In vitro anti-inflammatory assays revealed that none of these compounds showed good COX inhibitory activities.

Reproductive toxicity of brazilein in ICR mice / 中国天然药物

Brazilein is an active small molecular compound extracted from Caesalpinia sappan L. with favorable pharmacological properties on immune system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. C. sappan has been used as a traditional medicine in China for hundreds of years for various diseases. However, the general reproductive toxicity of brazilein is still unknown. The purpose of the present study was to thoroughly evaluate the general reproductive toxicity of brazilein in ICR mice to support the future drug development and modernization of this potent traditional Chinese medicine. The results showed that, although no apparent toxicity on the reproducibility of the male was observed, brazilein might cause considerable risks to the fetuses and females as indicated by the ratios of dead fetuses and reabsorptions. In conclusion, our results from the present study provided some useful insights about the safety profile of brazilein, suggesting that brazilein should be used with caution in pregnant women.

Brazilein inhibits neuronal inflammation induced by cerebral ischemia and oxygen-glucose deprivation through targeting NOD2 expression / 中国天然药物

Brazilein is reported to have immunosuppressive effect on cardiovascular and cerebral-vascular diseases. The essential roles of innate immunity in cerebral ischemia are increasingly identified, but no studies concerning the influence of brazilein on the innate immunity receptors have been reported. The present study was designed to investigate the regulation of NOD2 (Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2) by brazilein for its protection of neuron in cerebral ischemia in vivo and oxygen-glucose deprivation in vitro. The results showed that brazilein could reverse the elevated expression of NOD2 and TNFα (tumor necrosis factor alpha) elicited by cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. This reduction could also be detected in normal mice and C17.2 cells, indicating that this suppressive effect of brazilein was correlated with NOD2. The results from GFP reporter plasmid assay suggested brazilein inhibited NOD2 gene transcription. In conclusion, brazilein could attenuate NOD2 and TNFα expression in cerebral ischemia and NOD2 may be one possible target of brazilein for its immune suppressive effect in neuro-inflammation.