Determination of 10 mycotoxins in Hippophae Fructus medicinal and edible products by ultra-performance liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry / 中国中药杂志

An analytical method for 10 mycotoxins in Hippophae Fructus medicinal and edible products was established in this study, and the contamination of their mycotoxins was analyzed. First of all, the mixed reference solution of ten mycotoxins such as aflatoxin, ochratoxin, zearalenone, and dexoynivalenol was selected as the control, and the Hippophae Fructus medicinal and edible products were prepared. Secondly, based on the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS) technology, 10 mycotoxins in Hippophae Fructus medicinal and edible products were quantitatively investigated and their content was determined. Finally, the contamination of mycotoxins was analyzed and evaluated. The optimal analysis conditions were determined, and the methodological inspection results showed that the 10 mycotoxins established a good linear relationship(r>0.99). The method had good repeatability, test sample specificity, stability, and instrument precision. The average recovery rates of 10 mycotoxins in Hippophae Fructus medicinal products, edible solids, and edible liquids were 90.31%-109.4%, 87.86%-107.8%, and 85.61%-109.1%, respectively. Relative standard deviation(RSD) values were 0.22%-10%, 0.75%-13%, and 0.84%-8.5%, repsectively. Based on UPLC-MS/MS technology, the simultaneous determination method for the limits of 10 mycotoxins established in this study has fast detection speed, less matrix interference, high sensitivity, and accurate results, which is suitable for the limit examination of 10 mycoto-xins in Hippophae Fructus medicinal and edible products.

Mechanism of Wuling Capsules against hepatic fibrosis based on network pharmacology and animal experiments / 中国中药杂志

The present study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of Wuling Capsules in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis(HF) through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experiments. Firstly, the chemical components and targets of Wuling Capsules against HF were searched from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), Traditional Chinese Medicines Integrated Database(TCMID), GeneCards, and literature retrieval. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network analysis was carried out on the common targets by STRING database and Cytoscape 3.9.1 software, and the core targets were screened, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Enrichment analysis was conducted on the core targets and the "drug-core component-target-pathway-disease" network was further constructed. Subsequently, molecular docking between core components and core targets was conducted using AutoDock Vina software to predict the underlying mechanism of action against HF. Finally, an HF model induced by CCl_4 was constructed in rats, and the general signs and liver tissue morphology were observed. HE and Masson staining were used to analyze the liver tissue sections. The effects of Wuling Capsules on the levels of inflammatory factors, hydroxyproline(HYP) levels, and core targets were analyzed by ELISA, RT-PCR, etc. A total of 445 chemical components of Wuling Capsules were screened, corresponding to 3 882 potential targets, intersecting with 1 240 targets of HF, and 47 core targets such as TNF, IL6, INS, and PIK3CA were screened. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the core targets mainly affected the process of cell stimulation response and metabolic regulation, involving cancer, PI3K-Akt, MAPK, and other signaling pathways. Molecular docking showed that the core components of Wuling Capsules, such as lucidenic acid K, ganoderic acid B, lucidenic acid N, saikosaponin Q2, and neocryptotanshinone, had high affinities with the core targets, such as TNF, IL6 and PIK3CA. Animal experiments showed that Wuling Capsules could reduce fat vacuole, inflammatory infiltration, and collagen deposition in rat liver, decrease the levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and HYP, and downregulated the expressions of PI3K and Akt mRNA. This study suggests that the anti-HF effect of Wuling Capsules may be achieved by regulating the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, reducing the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 inflammatory factors, and inhibiting the excessive deposition of collagen.

Mechanism of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos Component Compatibility on Inflammatory Factor in Brain Tissue of Rats with Ischemic Stroke / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:This study intends to study the regulatory effect and mechanism of the effective components of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos on inflammatory factors related to cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats through multiple levels of neuropathology， molecular neurobiology and functional behavior. Method:The 32 male rats were randomly divided into four groups： sham group， model group， Danhong components compatibility group（720 mg·kg-1）， nimodipine （0.5 mg·kg-1）groups，each group of eight male rats.Cerebral ischemia was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） approach. The treatment was performed immediately and at 6 hour after MCAO.Hematoxylin-eosin （HE）staining was used to check the changes of brain histopathology， immunohistochemistry and Real time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to check the expression of IL-1β and Nrf2 in brain tissue，Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of Nrf2 in brain tissue. The aim is to investigate the treatment mechanism of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos components in a rat model of cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury. Result:HE staining results showed， compared with sham group， the surviving neurons amount in the model group was significantly reduced（P<0.01），compared with the MCAO group，the number of surviving neurons in the brain tissue of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos component compatibility group and nimodipine group was significantly increased（P<0.05，P<0.01）.The results of immunohistochemistry and Real-time PCR showed that，compared with normal group，IL-1β and Nrf2 expression in model group were significantly increased （P<0.01），compared with MCAO group， the expression of IL-1β and Nrf2 in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos component compatibility group and the nimodipine group was significantly decreased （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Western blot results showed that， compared with sham group， Nrf2 positive expression in model group was much more increased （P<0.01）， compared with MCAO group， the expression of Nrf2 in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos component compatibility group and the nimodipine group was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Conclusion:The combination of effective components of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos can significantly down-regulate the expression of IL-1β and Nrf2 proteins.The mechanism is to activate the protein expression of inflammatory pathways， reduce the apoptosis of nerve cells， and finally inhibit the inflammatory response in the process of ischemic stroke injury.

Potential SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibitors selection from TCMSP platform by molecular docking approach / 中草药

Objective: To identify potential SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibitors from the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) by molecular docking approach. Methods: To alternate extensive compounds experimental screening processes, a Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) based molecular docking technology was performed to explore existing drug repurposing possibilities. Molecular docking model with Schrodinger suit 2018 was used to evaluate the binding abilities between TCMSP 13 143 compounds and SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease receptor-binding domain (PBD ID 6LU7), which involving in mediating viral replication and transcription functions. According to the constructed docking system, potential compounds were screened according to docking score, oral bioavailability (OB), and drug-likeness (DL). At last, a compounds-herb-target organ-function network was constructed. Results: Compared with 6LU7 original ligand docking score (-7.734), a total of 498 compounds were identified with lower docking score against 6LU7 targets. These compounds were further reduced to 60 high-priority compounds, based on OB (more than 30) and DL (more than 0.18). Meanwhile, these 60 compounds were found to interact with the amino acid residues (GLU166, GLY143, ASP187, CYS145, GLN189, LEU141, etc.) which were critically involved in the 6LU7 domain mainly by hydrogen-bonded interaction. The network exploring results revealed that these potential compounds were mainly attributed to Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Mori Cortex, Rhododendron dauricum, Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix, and Plantaginis Herba, etc., which associates with acute lung syndromes induced by SARS-CoV-2, with the effect of clearing heat and removing toxin, relieving cough and dispelling phlegm and lung-draining and relieving asthma. Conclusion: Molecular docking method provides a useful tool for the screening of SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibitors from TCMSP platform.

Quantitative determination of nine furanocoumarins for quality evaluation of Angelica dahurica from different habitats / 中国中药杂志

A UPLC method has been developed for simultaneous determination of nine furanocoumarins of Angelica dahurics,and was used for quality evaluation of A. dahurica from different habitats. ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 chromatographic column was employed,the separation was performed with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water,and the detection wavelength was set at254 nm. This method was used to simultaneously determine the content of xanthotoxol,oxypeucedaninhydrate,byak-angelicin,psoralen,xanthotoxin,bergapten,oxypeucedanin,imperatorin and isoimperatorin in A. dahurica from different habitats. Then,the further quality assessment of the drug was carried out by similarity evaluation,cluster analysis( CA),principal component analysis( PCA),and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis( OPLS-DA). The content order of measured furanocoumarins from high to low was: oxypeucedanin>imperatorin>isoimperatorin>oxypeucedaninhydrate>bergapten>byak-angelicin>xanthotoxin>xanthotoxol>psoralen,with the mean content 2. 844,1. 277,0. 649 2,0. 216 2,0. 129 8,0. 062 68,0. 052 68,0. 019 30,0. 018 19 mg·g-1,respectively. There were difference between the batches of the drug,and the quality was influenced by smouldering sulphur based on the results of chemical pattern recognition and content determination. Finally,six active ingredients were recognized as the quality makers using OPLS-DA method. The validated UPLC fingerprint combined with chemical pattern recognition method can be used in the quality control and evaluation of A. dahurica.

Q-markers in Naoxintong Capsules by using multivariable statistical and "components-targets-diseases" network analysis / 中草药

Objective This study aimed to establish an integral quality control method for Naoxintong capsules based on the theory of quality markers (Q-marker) in traditional Chinese medicine via multivariable statistical calculation and "active compounds-targets" network construction. Methods Multi-statistical methods were firstly carried out to explore the specific components from different batches of Naoxintong Capsules. The "Q-markers-targets-pathways-diseases" network was constructed using the Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM) online analysis tool, and biological information annotations were made. Moreover, a simultaneously determination method for Q-markers was established by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Results Nine compounds were chose as the Naoxintong Q-markers capsules including mulberroside A, hydroxysafflor yellow A, paeoniflorin, ferulic acid, calycosin-7-glucoside, rosemary acid, salvianolic acid B, formononetin, and tanshinone IIA. To verify the prediction, target network construction analysis was performed and indicated that the nine Q-markers mainly targeted five proteins which were PTGIS, PTGS2, CHRNA10, ENPP1, and ADORA2A. Methodological validation showed that the established UPLC method had good linear relationship (r<0.999), and all RSD values were lower than 3% in the repeatability, stability, and precision test. Conclusion Based on the multivariate statistics, network pharmacology analysis, and UPLC multi-component quantitative analysis, a multi-angle analysis method for effective components can be established for the integral quality control of Naoxintong Capsules.

Flavor and meridian tropism classification analysis of Callianthemum taipaicum / 中国中药杂志

To explore the flavor and meridian tropism classification of Callianthemum taipaicum by principal components analysis(PCA) and partial least square analysis(PLS). Meanwhile,to establish a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-ESI-MS) method for the simultaneous determination of 55 active components from 13 kinds of Ranunculaceae of Chinese traditional herbs. Samples were separated on HPLC system by Agilent 5 TC-C₁₈（2）（4.6 mm×250 mm，5 μm）column and eluted with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid at the flow rate of 0.6 mL·min⁻¹. The data were performed by HPLC-ESI-MS with multiple reaction monitoring（MRM）scanning mode under positive and negative ion modes and quantified by external standards. The data from 13 Ranunculaceae herbs were analyzed by the PLS-tree and cooman's prediction of PCA and PLS to evaluate the similarities and differences of C. taipaicum in flavor and meridian tropism. The results showed that calibration curves of 55 components all showed good linearity, >0.99,with good precision, repeatability and stability. After compared to other 12 herbs,PCA and PLS results revealed that the C. taipaicum belonged to lung and bladder meridians while its flavor attributive to pungent,warm in nature. In conclusion,the analysis approach of chemometric calculation combined with multi-components quantification is suitable for the classification of meridian tropism and flavor of Chinese traditional medicine,which can be used for alternative research of rare herbs.

Teaching of course of medical imaging equipment in medical imaging specialty / 医疗卫生装备

Object To enhance the initiative of the student from medical imaging specialty when studying medical imaging equipment to solve the problems in logic, abstractness, teaching contents, class hour and etc.Methods Distribution of theoretical and experimental lessons was considered comprehensively, and proper method was introduced into teaching difficult and key points.Results The initiative of the student was enhanced, and the teaching effectiveness was increased greatly.Conclusion References are provided to other courses in medical imaging specialty.

Variation analysis of flavonoids cotents and nitric oxide production inhibition in different parts from Hypericum perforatum / 中草药

Objective To provide a chemometric analytical approach for different parts classification from Hypericum perforatum using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) combined with chemometrics methods. Methods The ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18 (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column was used, and 0.2% formic acid aqueous solution-acetonitrile as gradient elution system. The chromatograms information of different parts that including flower, fruit, leaf, stem and root from Hypericum perforatum L. was collected. The original data were pretreated by centralization and normalization, analyzed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and PLS-tree cluster analysis, and monitored by the half inhibition concentratiom of nitric oxide (NO) production activity as an anti-inflammatory factor, in order to evaluate the similarities and differences in flavonoids cotents and nitric oxide production inhibition in different parts from H. perforatum. Results All the calibration curves of 6 flavonoids showed good linearity in each range with correlation coefficients greater than 0.999 that had good precision, repeatability and stability, and the average recovery ranged from 97.28% to 102.84%. By PLS-DA and PLS-tree, according to the data of flavonoids contents and NO product inhibition activities, it showed the quality of leaf > flower > stem > fruit > root for H. perforatum. Conclusion The established method suggested that an appropriate harvest part of H. perforatum is the stem part on the ground.

Simultaneous determination of 15 ginsenosides from Panacis Majoris Rhizoma by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method / 中草药

Objective: A high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous determination of 15 ginsenoside compounds from Panacis Majoris Rhizoma (PMR) was developed. Methods: A Waters Sunfire ™ C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) was used for the separation. The mobile phase consisted of A (H2O + 0.05% HCOOH) and B (CH3CN + 0.05% HCOOH) using a gradient elution. For the quantification of ginsenosides, the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode of the mass spectrometer was applied and the declustering potential (DP), collision energy (CE), and collision cell exit potential (CXP) were optimized to perform automatic on-line MS/MS experiments during the chromatographic separation. Results: By using the optimized method, the linearity range of 15 analytes was 0.000 9 to 2 952.592 3 μg/mL with more than 0.999 determination coefficient (r) of linear regressions, the detection limits of the 15 ginsenosides ranged from 0.003 to 626.554 ng/mL, the limits of quantitation ranged from 0.075 to 1 762.150 ng/mL, the recoveries of 15 ginsenosides in the samples were 98.15%-101.12% with relative standard deviation (RSD) that ranged from 0.82% to 2.15%. Conclusion: The proposed LC-MS/MS method is accurate and reproducible in accordance with TCM guidelines, showing high sensitivity, rapidness, and recovery. This method allows the assessment of various ginsenosides in a single analytical run providing an innovative tool to control Panacis Majoris Rhizoma materials quantification.

Roles of long noncoding RNA in lung cancer / 浙江大学学报·医学版

Long noncoding RNAs are a group of noncoding RNAs with a length more than 200 nucleotides. Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNAs play an important role in the development and progression of cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death all over the world. In this article, we review the roles of long noncoding RNAs in lung cancer to provide new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.