Comparative study on anti-depressant effect of Zhizichi Decoction and its solid fermentation product on CUMS rats / 中国中药杂志

Chronic unpredicted mild stress(CUMS) combined with isolated feeding was used to induce depressed rat model. The anti-depressant effects of Zhizichi Decoction(ZZCD) and its solid fermented product(ZZC) were analyzed by behavioral test and comparison of pathological tissues of hippocampus and liver, metabolic characteristics of intestinal flora, and relative abundance of species. The results showed that ZZC could increase sucrose preference, shorten the immobility time in the forced swim test and tail suspension test(P<0.05), and repair damaged hippocampus and liver tissues, and the effect was superior to that of ZZCD. The results of Biolog ECO plates showed that the average well color development(AWCD) of intestinal flora in the model group significantly decreased and the metabolic levels of sugar and amino acids were reduced, while the AWCD of the treatment groups increased. The metabolic levels of the two carbon sources were improved in the ZZC group, while only sugar metabolic level was elevated in the ZZCD group. Metagenomic analysis of intestinal flora showed that the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes was 3.87 in the control group, 21.77 in the model group, 5.91 in the ZZC group, and 18.48 in the ZZCD group. Lactobacillus increased by 3.28 times, and Prevotella and Bacteroidetes decreased by 75.59% and 76.39%, respectively in the model group as compared with that in the control group. Lactobacillus decreased by 31.13%, and Prevotella and Bacteroidetes increased by more than three times in the ZZC group as compared with that in the model group, while the corresponding changes in the ZZCD group were not significant. ZZC could improve depression-like beha-viors by regulating the structure of intestinal flora and metabolic functions and repairing damaged hippocampus and liver tissues in depressed rats, showing an anti-depressant effect superior to that of ZZCD. This study is expected to provide a basis for the development of new anti-depressant food products.

Chemical constituents and activities of total flavonoids from Yushen Tang / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the chemical constituents and activity of total flavonoids contained in Yushen Tang,in order to lay a foundation for defining active consituents of the prescription and their mechanism.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The activity of total flavonoids contained in Yushen Tang were evaluated by in vitro H2O2-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell injury experiment. The chemical constituents were separated and purified by such methods as silica column chromatography, macroporous resin chromatography, sephadex and HPLC preparation,and their structures were identified on the basis of their spectral data and physicochemical properties.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Total flavonoids contained in Yushen Tang showed the effects in inhibiting hydrogen peroxide-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) injury and down-regulating PAI-1 expression (P<0.05). Nine flavonoids were separated from total flavonoids contained in Yushen Tang and identified as calycosin (1), linarin (2), 3',4',7 -trihydroxyflavone-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), 7,3'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavone-7-glucoside (4), quercetin (5), kaempferol (6), rutin (7), pratensein-7-O-beta-D-glucoside (8) and 7-O-glucosyl liquiritigenin (9).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Total flavonoids contained in Yushen Tang showed the effect in inhibiting HUVEC injury. All of the nine flavonoids were separated from Yushen Tang for the first time, and compounds 1,3,4,8,9 may be derived from astragalus mongholicus, while compounds 4,5-7 may be derived from herba cepbalanoplosis segeti and hairyvein agrimony. Among them, compounds 3,4 and 9 were seperated from single ingredient of the prescription for the first time.</p>