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ObjectiveMetabolomics was used to reveal the mechanism of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata（ALRP） in attenuating toxicity by processing from the aspects of amino acid metabolism， oxidative stress and energy metabolism by analyzing multiple metabolic pathways. MethodTwenty-four rats were randomly divided into control group， raw group and processed group， 8 rats in each group. The raw and processed group were given with 0.64 g·kg-1 of raw ALRP and processed ALRP respectively every day， the control group was given with an equal amount of normal saline once a day. After continuous administration for 7 days， the urine， serum and heart tissue of rats were collected. Pathological examination of the heart was carried out using hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， and the activities of lactate dehydrogenase（LDH） and creatine kinase-MB（CK-MB） in serum and cardiac tissues were detected by microplate assay and immunoinhibition assay. The effects of ALRP on rat heart before and after processing were compared and analyzed. Ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） was used to perform urine metabolomics analysis， and multivariate statistical analysis was used to screen for differential metabolites related to ALRP in attenuating toxicity by processing， and pathway enrichment analysis was carried out to explore the processing mechanism. ResultHE staining showed that no obvious pathological changes were observed in the heart tissue of the control group， while obvious infiltration of inflammatory cells such as plasma cells and granulocytes was observed in the heart tissue of the raw group， indicating that the raw ALRP had strong cardiotoxicity. There was no significant difference in HE staining of heart tissue between the processed group and the control group， indicating that the toxicity of ALRP was significantly reduced after processing. Compared with the control group， the activities of LDH and CK-MB were significantly increased in serum and heart tissue of the raw group， and those were significantly decreased in serum and heart tissue of the processed group， suggesting that the myocardial toxicity of processed ALRP was reduced. A total of 108 endogenous differential metabolites associated with the raw ALRP were screened using multivariate statistical analysis in positive and negative modes， of which 51 differential metabolites were back-regulated by the processed ALRP. Biological analysis of the key regulatory pathways and associated network changes showed that the pathways related to toxicity of ALRP mainly included tryptophan metabolism， arginine and proline metabolism， phenylalanine metabolism， aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis， alanine， aspartate and glutamate metabolism， etc. The metabolic pathways related to the attenuation of processed ALRP mainly included aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis， tryptophan metabolism， phenylalanine， tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis， phenylalanine metabolism and caffeine metabolism. ConclusionThe processing technology of ALRP in Guilingji can significantly attenuate the cardiotoxicity of raw products， the mechanism mainly involves amino acid metabolism， oxidative stress and energy metabolism， which can provide experimental bases for the research related to the mechanism of toxicity reduction of ALRP by processing and its clinical safety applications.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex in regulating the intestinal function in the rat model of slow transit constipation （STC） due to yang deficiency via the vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP）/cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide （cAMP）/protein kinase A （PKA）/aquaporin （AQP） pathway. MethodSD rats were randomized into 6 groups （n=6）， including a control group， a model group， high-， medium-， and low-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex groups， and a prucalopride group. Other groups except the control group were treated with loperamide hydrochloride combined with ice water by gavage for the modeling of STC due to yang deficiency. The number of fecal pellets， time to the first black stool defecation， fecal water content， intestinal propulsion rate， and score of fecal properties were recorded in each group. At the end of the treatment， the colon was stained with hematoxylin-eosin （HE） to reveal the histopathological changes and Alcian blue/periodic acid-Schiff （AB-PAS） to reveal the secretion of colonic mucus. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the level of VIP in the serum. The mRNA level of AQP in the colon was measured by polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to observe the expression of AQPs in the colon and kidney tissues. Western blot was performed to determine the protein levels of cAMP， PKA， and VIP in the colon tissue. ResultCompared with the control group, the model group had longer time to the first black stool defecation, reduced fecal pellets and water content, reduced Bristol Stool Form Scale score and intestinal propulsion rate, and constipation aggravated（P<0.01）. Moreover, increased the intestinal lesions, reduced the mucus secretion, reduce the serum VIP level, up-regulated the expression levels of AQP1 in the colon and kidney tissues, inhibited the expression of AQP3 and AQP9（P<0.01）., and down-regulated the protein levels of cAMP, PKA, and VIP in the colon tissue. Compared with the model group， the high-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex group had shortened time to the first black stool defecation， increased fecal pellets and water content， increased Bristol Stool Form Scale score and intestinal propulsion rate， and alleviated constipation symptoms. Moreover， high-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex reduced the intestinal lesions， increased the mucus secretion， elevated the serum VIP level（P<0.01）.， down-regulated the expression levels of AQP1 in the colon and kidney tissues， promoted the expression of AQP3 and AQP9（P<0.05，P<0.01）， and up-regulated the protein levels of cAMP， PKA， and VIP in the colon tissue. The medium- and low-dose groups had weaker effect than the high-dose group（P<0.01）. ConclusionHigh-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex can improve the intestinal motility and balance the intestinal water and fluid metabolism by up-regulating the VIP/cAMP/PKA/AQP pathway， thereby mitigating the constipation symptoms in the rat model of slow transit constipation due to yang deficiency.
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ObjectiveTo explore the effect and toxicity change rule of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata（ALRP） and Zingiberis Rhizoma（ZR） before and after compatibility， and to reveal the compatibility connotation of them. MethodSixty SD rats were randomly divided into blank group， blank-ALRP group， blank-ALRP-ZR group， model group， model-ALRP group and model-ALRP-ZR group， the latter three groups were injected with adriamycin via tail vein to establish the model of heart failure， and the former three groups were injected with the same amount of physiological saline via tail vein. The effects of ALRP single decoction and ALRP-ZR mixed decoction on biochemical indexes and myocardial histopathological morphology of normal rats and model rats were compared. Metabolomics analysis was performed on rat serum samples， principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to screen the differential metabolites between groups， and the differential metabolic pathways were analyzed. Combined with network pharmacology technology， the metabolites and their associated targets and pathways related to enhancing anti-heart failure efficacy and reducing cardiotoxicity were screened before and after the compatibility of ALRP and ZR， the screened representative pathways were verified by Western blot. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showed significant increases in the contents of brain natriuretic peptide（BNP）， creatine kinase（CK）， lactate dehydrogenase（LDH） and cardiac troponin（cTn）-T（P<0.01）， the blank-ALRP group showed obvious increases in CK， LDH， and cTn-T contents（P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the normal-ALRP-ZR group showed a significant increase in CK content（P<0.01）. Compared with the blank-ALRP group， the blank-ALRP-ZR group showed a obvious decrease in LDH content（P<0.05）， and pathological sections showed that both decoctions could lead to myocardial histopathological damage in normal rats. Compared with the model group， the model-ALRP-ZR group showed obvious decreases in BNP， CK， LDH and cTn-T contents（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the model-ALRP group showed obvious decreases in BNP， LDH and cTn-T contents（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model-ALRP group， the model-ALRP-ZR group showed a significant decrease in CK content（P<0.01）， and both decoctions could improve the pathological morphology of myocardial tissue in the model rats. Metabolomics results showed that ALRP single decoction and ALRP-ZR mixed decoction could recover 422 and 459 metabolites in model rats， respectively. And the metabolic disruption of ALRP-ZR mixed decoction on normal rats was weaker than that of ALRP single decoction. The results of network pharmacological association analysis showed that in the aspect of ZR enhancing the anti-heart failure efficacy of ALRP， 3 metabolites such as deoxyuridylic acid were correlated to 56 metabolites， 82 targets and 13 pathways， including calcium signaling pathway， renin secretion， renin-angiotensin system， etc. In the aspect of ZR reducing the cardiotoxicity of ALRP， 3 metabolites such as tyrosol were associated with 24 metabolites， 55 targets and 14 pathways， including adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes and carbon metabolism and so on. Western blot results showed that the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme（ACE）， angiotensin-converting enzyme 2（ACE2） and angiotensin Ⅱ（Ang Ⅱ） in myocardial tissues of rats from the model group was significantly elevated by comparing with the blank group（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the model-ALRP group and the model-ALRP-ZR group showed significantly decreased expression of ACE， ACE2 and Ang Ⅱ（P<0.01）. Compared with the model-ALRP group， the expression of ACE2 and AngⅡ was significantly decreased in the model-ALRP-ZR group. Compared with the blank group， the expression of extracellular signal regulated kinase（ERK）， protein kinase B（Akt） and cTn-I3 was significantly elevated in the blank-ALRP group and blank-ALRP-ZR group（P<0.01）. Compared with the blank-ALRP group， the blank-ALRP-ZR group showed decreased expression of ERK， Akt and cTn-I3， but there was no statistical significance. ConclusionTo a certain extent， the combination of ALRP and ZR shows synergistic relationship under pathological state， and attenuated effect of compatibility under normal physiological state， and the pharmacodynamic characteristics and compatibility relationship of ALRP and ZR are closely related to the physiological state.
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UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS was used to systematically analyze and compare the alkaloids in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix, Aconiti Radix, and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata. After the samples were pretreated in the solid-phase extraction cartridges, 0.1% ammonium hydroxide(A)-acetonitrile(B) was used for gradient elution. The LC-MS method for characterization of alkaloids in the three herbal medicines was established in ESI positive ion mode to collect high resolution MS data of reference substances and samples. On the basis of the information of reference substance cracking behavior, retention time, accurate molecular mass, and related literature, a total of 155 alkaloids were identified in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix, Aconiti Radix, and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Prae-parata. Specifically, 130, 127, and 92 alkaloids were identified in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix, Aconiti Radix, and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, respectively. Monoester alkaloids and amino-alcohol alkaloids were dominant in the three herbal medicines, and the alkaloids in Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix and Aconiti Radix were similar. This paper can provide a reference for elucidating the pharmacological effects and clinical application differences of the three herbal medicines produced from plants of Aconitum.
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Tandem Mass Spectrometry , Aconitum , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Alkaloids , Plants, MedicinalABSTRACT
This study aims to explore the core connotation of the compatibility of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata(Fuzi)-Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma(Gancao) herb pair under physiological and pathological conditions. The biochemical indicators of serum/myocardial tissue, pathological changes of the myocardial tissue, and serum metabolic profiles of normal rats and heart failure model rats treated with Fuzi Decoction and Fuzi Gancao Decoction were determined. Network pharmacology and metabolomics were employed to establish the metabolite-target-pathway network for Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in enhancing the efficacy and reducing the toxicity of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, Western blotting was employed to verify the representative pathways in the network. The results showed that both decoctions lowered the levels of creatine kinase and other indicators and mitigate myocardial pathological injury in model rats. However, they caused the abnormal rises in creatine kinase and other indicators and myocardial pathological injury in normal rats. The results indicated that the compatibility reduced the toxicity in normal rats and enhanced the efficacy in model rats. The results of metabolomics showed that Fuzi Gancao Decoction recovered more metabolites in model rats and had weaker effect on interfe-ring with the metabolites in normal rats than Fuzi Decoction. The association analysis showed that the network of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma enhancing the efficacy of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata involved 112 metabolites, 89 targets, and 15 pathways, including calcium and cAMP signaling pathways. The network of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma reducing the cardiotoxicity of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata involved 36 metabolites, 59 targets, and 11 pathways, including adrenergic signaling and tricarboxylic acid cycle in cardiomyocytes. The experimental results of protein expression verified the reliability of the association analysis. This study demonstrated that the core connotation of the herb pair of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma changed under physio-logical and pathological states, and the compatibility results of enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity were achieved with different metabolic pathways and biological processes.
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A high-throughput screening machine learning model for mitochondrial function was constructed, and compounds of Aco-niti Lateralis Radix Praeparata were predicted. Deoxyaconitine with the highest score and benzoylmesaconine with the lowest score among the compounds screened by the model were selected for mitochondrial mechanism analysis. Mitochondrial function data were collected from PubChem and Tox21 databases. Random forest and gradient boosted decision tree algorithms were separately used for mo-deling, and ECFP4(extended connectivity fingerprint, up to four bonds) and Mordred descriptors were employed for training, respectively. Cross-validation test was carried out, and balanced accuracy(BA) and overall accuracy were determined to evaluate the performance of different combinations of models and obtain the optimal algorithm and hyperparameters for modeling. The data of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata compounds in TCMSP database were collected, and after prediction and screening by the constructed high-throughput screening machine learning model, deoxyaconitine and benzoylmesaconine were selected to measure mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species(ROS) level and protein expression of B-cell lymphoma 2(Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ-coactivator 1α(PGC-1α). The results showed that the model constructed using gradient boosted decision tree+Mordred algorithm performed better, with a cross-validation BA of 0.825 and a test set accuracy of 0.811. Deoxyaconitine and benzoylmesaconine changed the ROS level(P<0.001), mitochondrial membrane potential(P<0.001), and protein expression of Bcl-2(P<0.001, P<0.01) and Bax(P<0.001), and deoxyaconitine increased the expression of PGC-1α protein(P<0.01). The high-throughput screening model for mitochondrial function constructed by gradient boosted decision tree+Mordred algorithm was more accurate than that by random forest+ECFP4 algorithm, which could be used to build an algorithm model for subsequent research. Deoxyaconitine and benzoylmesaconine affected mitochondrial function. However, deoxyaconitine with higher score also affected mitochondrial biosynthesis by regulating PGC-1α protein.
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Aconitum/chemistry , Algorithms , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry , High-Throughput Screening Assays , Machine Learning , Mitochondria , Reactive Oxygen Species , bcl-2-Associated X ProteinABSTRACT
Based on the similar structure of adrenaline shared by higenamine (HI), salsolinol (SA) and coryneine (CO), a photochemical colorimetric sensor based on the displacement reaction of o-diphenol hydroxyl group and alizarin red S-phenylboric acid system was constructed to quickly distinguish and identify the cardiac strength of Shengfupian. The results show that the optimal condition of the sensor is: the molar ratio of alizarin red S (ARS) to phenylboric acid (PA) is 1∶3, reaction temperature is 0 ℃; The preparation method of the sample solution is optimized as follows: 2.5 g of Shengfupian powder was taken, 10 times the amount of methanol was added, and 300 W, 40 kHz ultrasound was carried out for 15 min; methodological studies showed that the method had good precision, repeatability and stability. The |△G| value (G is green, |△G| = |G after - G before|) of each sample was obtained by response values determination of 14 batches of Shengfupian. LC-MS/MS was used to determine the contents of three cardiac components in Shengfupian. It was found that the order of the total contents of cardiotonic components was basically consistent with |△G|. Then the correlation was analyzed, and the correlation coefficient R2 was as high as 0.87, which proved the scientificity and accuracy of this method. This study fills the methodological gap of rapid evaluation of the quality of Shengfupian, and provides the key technical support for the high quality and good price of Shengfupian in the market circulation and clinical application.
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Objective:To explore the mechanism of the prescription consisting Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata and Epimedii Folium in the treatment of chronic heart failure （CHF） based on network pharmacology，followed by verification in H9c2 myocardial cells with hypoxia-reoxygenation injury <italic>in vitro</italic> and in zebrafish with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor （VEGFR） tyrosine kinase inhibitor Ⅱ （VRI） -induced vascular insufficiency. Method:The active ingredients in Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata and Epimedii Folium were searched from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP），the corresponding target genes from the Universal Protein Resource （UniProt）， and the CHF-related targets from Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM） and GeneCards. Both the active ingredient-potential target network and the active ingredient-CHF-related target network were generated using Cytoscape 3.6.1， followed by the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network construction and Gene Ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome （KEGG） enrichment analysis based on MetaScape. H9c2 myocardial cells exposed to hypoxia-reoxygenation were selected for determining the proliferation-promoting effect by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） assay. The protein expression of B-cell lymphoma-2（Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated X protein（Bax），cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-3（Caspase-3）， protein kinase B（PKB/Akt），phosphorylated protein kinase B（p-Akt），phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 （p-ERK1/2），extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 （ERK1/2）， and poly adenosine diphosphate ribose polymerase（PARP）was detected by Western blotting. The efficacy of the prescription in promoting angiogenesis was verified in a zebrafish model of VRI-induced vascular injury. Result:There were 28 active ingredients for the prescription， 209 corresponding targets， 1 296 CHF-related targets， and 94 common gene targets shared by the prescription and CHF. PPI network clustering suggested that Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata and Epimedii Folium alleviated CHF by interfering with cell differentiation and metabolism and angiogenesis. GO analysis revealed that CHF relief was achieved via the intervention in such biological processes as cell migration，vascular development， and angiogenesis. Pharmacodynamic experiments verified that Epimedii Folium （10 mg·L<sup>-1</sup>） alone and the prescription （10 mg·L<sup>-1</sup>）both enhanced the proliferation of H9c2 myocardial cells under the hypoxia-reoxygenation condition （<italic>P</italic><0.05），while the latter also increased the expression of Bcl-2，Bcl-2/Bax， and PARP （<italic>P</italic><0.05） and reduced the expression of Caspase-3， Akt， and ERK （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. The prescription at the concentrations of 0.3 and 0.1 g·L<sup>-1</sup> promoted angiogenesis （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Conclusion:Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata and Epimedii Folium exert the therapeutic effect against CHF via multiple ingredients，multiple targets， and multiple channels. Such combination promotes the proliferation of H9c2 myocardial cells under hypoxic condition and protects zebrafish from vascular injury by up-regulating the expression of Bcl-2 and PARP，increasing Bcl-2/Bax ratio，and down-regulating the expression of Caspase-3，Akt， and ERK.
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As a most important Chinese materia medica, Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata(Fuzi) had been widely used in China for thousands of years. This herbalogical study was systematically performed based on variation characteristics of the naming, habitat, harvesting, processing and properties. The sharp toxicity of Fuzi had been well known since the spring and autumn period in the history, which was much earlier than that its medical properties was understood and applied. Sichuan province was regarded as the geo-authentic region of Fuzi all along, where the best quality goods could be provided for clinic use. The study showed the harvesting time of Fuzi was changing in different periods, and the possible effects were of climate change and artificial planting. The perishable characteris-tics of Fuzi severely limited its storage period; therefore, different kinds of storage methods were effectively used since Tang Dynasty. For thousands of years, Fuzi had been processed with various accessories to reduce toxicity, while simultaneously the study on processing mechanism was on going all the time. Fuzi was widely used in clinical practice to cure Yang depletion syndrome, which was based on its function of enhancing Yang and removing cold. Along with the further study on quality evaluation standard, Fuzi will probably get a much wider range of applications.
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Aconitum , China , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/toxicity , Plant ExtractsABSTRACT
The enzymes CYP1 A2 and CYP3 A4 were measured by building a "Cocktail" probe drug and the incubation system of liver microsomes. The compatibility of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata combined with dried Rehmanniae Radix on CYP450 enzyme protein and gene expression was explored from the level of protein and molecular biology. It explored the molecular mechanism of compatibility detoxication of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata to provide scientific support for clinical safe and effective application of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata. The CYP450 enzyme activity was determined by using "Cocktail" probe drugs. The content of CYP450 enzyme was measured by CO reduction of differential spectrum method. The mRNA expression of CYP1 A2 and CYP3 A4 enzyme was detected by RT-PCR technology. Compared with the blank group, the CYP1 A2 and CYP3 A4 enzyme activity and mRNA expression were increased in the dried Rehmanniae Radix combined with Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata group with significant differences(P<0.05), while the CYP3 A4 enzyme activity and mRNA expression were no influence in the Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata group. The CYP3 A4 enzyme activity and mRNA expression were increased in the dried Rehmanniae Radix and the dried Rehmanniae Radix combined with Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata group, and there were significant differences(P<0.05). The content of CYP450 enzyme was decreased in the Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata group, contributed to extremely significant difference(P<0.01). The content of CYP450 enzyme was increased in the dried Rehmanniae Radix and the dried Rehmanniae Radix combined with Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata group, and there were significant differences(P<0.05). The CYP1 A2 and CYP3 A4 enzyme activity and gene expression were enhanced after dried Rehmanniae Radix combined with Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata. The metabolism of toxic ingredients of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata was accelerated to reach an effect of detoxication. The detoxication mechanism of compatibility of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata was verified from the viewpoint of liver metabolic enzymes.
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Aconitum , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , LiverABSTRACT
Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi in Chinese) is a commonly used Chinese materia medica in clinic, with the effects in rescuing from collapse by restoring yang, eliminating cold to stop pain, warming yang and transforming qi. C19 diterpenoid alkaloids from Fuzi can be divided into three types: diester type, monoester type and amine alcohol type, which can lead to neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity while exerting anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-tumor and other pharmacodynamic effects. In this paper, the chemical structure, pharmacology and toxicological effects of C19 diterpene alkaloids of Fuzi were systematically combed, in order to provide a theoretical basis for safer and more effective use of Fuzi in clinic.
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Objective: To explore the influence factors of processing Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata by microwave-drying, so as to lay a foundation for its industrial development. Methods: The drying process of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata was investigated by water ratio, drying rate and energy consumption analysis. The aconite morphology, contents of diester alkaloids, monoester alkaloids and alkanolamine alkaloids were used as indexes to study the effects of slice thickness, water content, microwave power and processing time on aconite processing. Results : The thickness, rehydration rate, microwave power and processing time had influence on the processing process and alkaloid content of aconite. When the thickness was 5 mm, the drying process had shorter drying time, faster drying rate and lower the energy consumption, but it had a higher content of diester alkaloids and lower content of the total alkaloids. When the rehydration rate of raw aconite slices was 60%, the drying time was the shortest. The order of average drying rate was 100% rehydration rate > 60% rehydration rate > 80% rehydration rate > 40% rehydration rate. The order of content of diester alkaloids was 60% rehydration rate > 100% rehydration rate > 80% rehydration rate > 40% rehydration rate. The order of total alkaloids content was 60% rehydration rate > 80% rehydration rate = 100% rehydration rate > 40% rehydration rate. The influence of rehydration rate on energy consumption was not obvious. When the processing time was the same, the drying process under the microwave power of 550 W had the shortest drying time, the fastest drying rate, the lowest content of diester aconitine and the highest content of total alkaloid. However, with the increase of processing time, the aconite was easier to be burnt under a high microwave power. Conclusion: The appropriate thickness, moisture content, microwave power and processing time in aconite processing process are helpful to reduce the toxicity of aconite and improve the quality of aconite. Therefore, the thickness of the slices should choose 3 mm, the moisture content should be 60%-80%, and the processing time should be reduced according to the increase of microwave power.
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Objective: To predict the active constituents and targets of Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimu Decoction (GSZD) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis by using molecular docking and network pharmacology, and to analyze the effect of multi component-multi target-multi pathway combined with the theory of compatibility of TCM prescriptions. Methods: The main chemical constituents of nine kinds of Chinese herbal medicines (Cinnamomi Ramulus, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Anemarrhenae Rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Ephedrae Herba, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Saposhnikoviae Radix and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata) were collected from TCMSP, TCM-Datebas@Taiwan and PubChen Compound database. The protein targets to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are found through DrugBank and TTD databases and uploaded to the String online database to build the network relationship of protein interaction. Appropriate crystal structures of protein targets were downloaded from PDB database, and molecular docking between compounds and targets was performed by using Discovery studio 4.5.0 software. A drug-compound-target visualization network was constructed by using Cytoscape 3.6.1 software to elucidate the main mechanism of GSZD against rheumatoid arthritis. Results: The results of molecular docking showed that there were 316 potential anti-arthritis active components in GSZD, acting on 26 targets, among which MAPK1, ZADH2, P38, AKR1C2, DHODH, CA2, MMP3, MMP9, RANKL, and other proteins were the main targets. Biological function and pathway analysis indicated that the mechanism of GSZD mainly involved in bone absorption (28%), histone kinase activity (20%), peptide tyrosine phosphorylation (20%), prostaglandin metabolism (12%), and other biological processes. The main pathway was osteoclast differentiation (94.12%). Conclusion: In this study, molecular docking combined with network pharmacology was used to study the pharmacodynamic material basis and molecular mechanism of GSZD in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis from the perspective of multi-target and multi-approach, providing reference and basis for better clinical use.
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Objective:To observe the expression of brown adipose tissue (BAT), cells, proteins and corresponding genes in Yang deficiency model mice induced by Rhei Radix et Rhizoma suspension, and to explore the thermogenesis of processed products of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata with Jianchang faction characteristics. Method:Twenty mice, half male and half female, were randomly selected as the normal female and male groups. And the other 80 mice were administrated with Rhei Radix et Rhizoma suspension (the content of 0.25 g·mL-1) to establish Yang deficiency model, after the model was established, they were randomly divided into the model female and male groups, female and male groups of Shengfupian, female and male groups of Yinfupian, female and male groups of Yangfupian, 10 mice in each group. Mice were intragastric administrated with corresponding medical solution for two weeks (1.54 g·kg-1·d-1) according to groups. Normal group and model group were given equal volume distilled water. After administration, BAT of scapular region of mice was collected and the changes of BAT cells were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and its mRNA were detected by Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR). Result:Compared with the normal group of the same sex, the proportion of BAT in the model group decreased significantly (P<0.01). Compared with the model group of the same sex, the proportion of BAT in female mice from Shengfupian and Yinfupian groups increased significantly (P<0.01), while there was no significant difference between each administration group and model group in the male mice. Compared with normal mice of the same sex, there were many scattered vacuoles in BAT cells of the model group, and fewer cells could be observed due to larger vacuoles. Compared with the model group of the same sex, BAT cells in mice from the Shengfupian group showed fewer vacuoles, smaller cells and tight arrangement, the density of BAT cells in mice from the Yangfupian group also increased significantly, while the vacuoles in BAT cells of mice from the Yinfupian group decreased relatively and the cells did not increase significantly. Compared with the same sex mice, the expression level of UCP1 in the model group and the normal group was statistically significant (P<0.05, P<0.01). In the female mice, the expression level of UCP1 in Yangfupian group was significantly higher than that in the model group (P<0.05), each administration group of male mice was significantly different from that of the model group of the same sex (P<0.05), of which Yangfupian was the most significant. The relative expression of UCP1 mRNA in the model group was significantly lower than that in the normal group of the same sex (P<0.05, P<0.01). In the female mice, compared with the model group, the relative expression levels of UCP1 mRNA in Yangfupian group, Shengfupian group and Yinfupian group increased significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01), compared with Yangfupian group, the relative expression levels of UCP1 mRNA in Shengfupian and Yinfupian were also significantly different (P<0.05). In the male mice, compared with the model group, the relative expression of UCP1 mRNA in Yangfupian group was significantly increased (P<0.01), but there was no significant difference in Shengfupian group and Yinfupian group, in addition, compared with Yangfupian group, the relative expression of UCP1 mRNA in Shengfupian group and Yinfupian group had significant difference (P<0.05). Conclusion:Shengfupian, Yinfupian and Yangfupian all have obvious improvement on Yang deficiency syndrome induced by Rhei Radix et Rhizoma suspension. The mechanism may be to promote the expression of UCP1 protein and its mRNA and enhance the activity of BAT. And the effect of Yangfupian is the best.
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Objective::Through data mining analysis of Chinese patent medicine prescription containing Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (CPMCA) in a hospital, the characteristic rules of clinical medication of this kind of Chinese patent medicine were analyzed from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation and treatment, and the application prospect of data mining in TCM prescription analysis was explored. Method::CPMCA in the hospital outpatient clinics from November 2017 to October 2018 was conducted. The clinical application of this kind of Chinese patent medicine was retrospectively analyzed from the aspects of basic situation of patients, TCM diseases, TCM syndromes and so on. The clinical application of CPMCA was reviewed and analyzed. Three kinds of data mining algorithms in Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 2012 were used to analyze the characteristics of prescription medication. Result::A total of 8 kinds of Chinese patent medicines containing Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata were used in a hospital, and most of them were used by patients under 14 years old, among them, the dosage of Xiaoer Feike granules was the largest. The TCM diseases were mostly cough, cold and asthma, while the TCM syndromes were mostly cold-heat complicated syndrome, wind-phlegm syndrome and external contraction of wind evil. The CPMCA for nourishing and warming kidney-Yang included Jingui Shenqiwan, Longlu capsules, Wangbi capsules and Guifu Dihuang pills. The TCM diseases were mostly arthralgia syndrome, vertigo, and consumptive disease, meanwhile, the syndromes were mainly deficiency of liver and kidney, kidney deficiency and blood stasis, and deficiency of spleen and kidney. Decision tree analysis showed that the CPMCA had the characteristics of age distribution, among which TCM diseases and syndromes were the main decision points. According to the age, sex, diagnosis of Chinese and western medicine, and TCM syndromes of this type of prescription, the CPMCA were divided into 10 categories by cluster analysis. Correlation analysis showed that the combination of Xiaoer Feike granules was the most common, but the correlation was not high. And Jingui Shenqiwan, Qili Qiangxin capsules, Longlu capsules and Wangbi capsules had their own strong associated medication. Conclusion::The application of data mining algorithm in multi-factor analysis of clinical prescription is close to the clinical dialectical treatment thinking of TCM. Combined with the basic statistics, it can be seen that the CPMCA in a hospital is consistent with the characteristics of TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment.
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In this study,transcriptomics technique was used to investigate the mechanism of action of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata on acute heart failure rats induced by propafenone hydrochloride.First,rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group and administration group(1.25,2.5,5 g·kg-1).A rat with acute heart failure was constructed by intravenous femoral administration of proparone hydrochloride.The changes of heart rate,+dp/dtmaxand-dp/dtmaxat 5,10,20,30 and 60 min were recorded.Then another group of rats were given the same drug delivery method.In another group of animals,serum TNF-α could be determined by ELISA with the same dosage method.High-throughput sequencing technology was used to detect all gene expression differences in cardiac tissue samples of rats with acute heart failure.Through functional annotation and enrichment analysis,gene expression signaling pathways of rats with acute heart failure and rats with post-administration heart failure were screened out.The results showed that heart rate and LV+dp/dtmaxand LV-dp/dtmaxwere significantly decreased in the model group(P<0.05),while heart rate and LV+dp/dtmax and LV-dp/dtmaxwere significantly increased in the drug group(P<0.05,P<0.01).Moreover,ANP,BNP and TNF-α in acute heart failure rats was significantly decreased in high-dose aconite decoction group(P<0.05).Transcriptomics analysis showed that the mechanism of action was mainly related to activation of PI3 K-AKT signaling pathway and Jak-STAT pathway.Compared with the model group,aconite decoction up-regulated the expression of phosphatidylinostol 3-kinase(PI3 K),lysophosphatidic acid(LAP3),Bcl-3 and STAT genes,and down-regulated the expression of integrin(ITGA),nuclear orphan receptor(Nur77) genes.It could be concluded that the mechanism of aconite in treating acute heart failure rats may be related to the regulation of the PI3 k-Akt/Jak-STAT pathway.
Subject(s)
Animals , Rats , Aconitum , Chemistry , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Pharmacology , Heart , Heart Failure , Drug Therapy , Metabolism , Myocardium , Metabolism , Random Allocation , Signal Transduction , TranscriptomeABSTRACT
Objective:Screen out the antitumor constituents of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma base on system pharmacology with chemical constituents of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma as study objects, in order to provide the theoretical basis for the development of antitumor and nontoxic activities of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma. Method:The small molecule ligand library of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma was built based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology(TCMSP), energy of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma was matched with the key protein targets of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signal pathway by molecular docking (SYBYL2.1, Tripos), the Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma-targets network model was established based on Cytoscape 3.5.1, and the physicochemical properties of the antitumor activity in Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma were predicted by using SwissADME and admetSAR. Result:There were 25 small molecule constituents of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma. Through the energy match, key antitumor constituents of Pinelliae Rhizoma were gondoic acid, 10,13-eicosadienoic, baicalin, 12,13-epoxy-9-hydroxynonadeca-7,10-dienoic acid. Key antitumor constituents of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata were deltoin, sitosterol, neokadsuranic acid B, 11,14-eicosadienoic acid. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3Kα), phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN), phosphoinositide dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) were key antitumor targets of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma. There were 8 key antitumor constituents of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma, which had a low CYP450 inhibition and basically followed the Lipinski rule. Conclusion:Antitumor nontoxic constituents of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Pinelliae Rhizoma and key targets are screened out from the molecular level, which provides the new ideas for the effective use of nontoxic traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and breaks the restrictions in using nontoxic TCM.
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Objective: To observe the growth inhibition effect of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata polysaccharide on the gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice and the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-14 (MMP-14) in tumor tissues. Method: The nude mice xenograft model was established and randomly divided into model group, 5-fluorouracil group (5-FU, 0.01 g · kg-1), high and low-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata polysaccharide groups (0.2, 0.1 g · kg-1). Each group was given drug by gavage for 15 days. The effect of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata polysaccharide on the weight of gastric cancer in nude mice was observed. Morphological changes of tumor cells were observed under light microscope. The content of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in serum was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The protein and mRNA expressions of MMP-2, MMP-14 in tumor tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry, Western blot and Real-time PCR. Result: The tumor inhibition rates of high and low-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata polysaccharides were 52.83%,40.57%, respectively. Compared with model group, the tumor weight of high and low-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata polysaccharide was significantly lower (Pβ1 content in nude mice (PPPPPPPConclusion: Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata polysaccharide can inhibit the growth of gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice and the expression of TGF-β1.The anti-tumor mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of MMP-2, MMP-14 protein and mRNA expressions.
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Objective: To establish a UPLC method for the simultaneous determination of benzoylmesaconitine, benzoylaconitine, benzoylhypaconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine and aconitinein Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (ALRP) and Aconiti Radix (AR), and to compare the content difference of six alkaloids in the samples with multivariate statistical analysis. Methods Alkaloids in ALRP and AR were extracted with 0.05 mol/mL hydrochloric acid solution by ultrasonic extraction. The UPLC method was performed on a BEH C18 (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) through a gradient elution of acetonitrile and water at a flow rate of 0.1 mL/min with column temperature at 35 ℃. The injection volume was set at 4.0 μL, and the detection wavelength was set at 235 nm. Difference significance analysis, activity ratio analysis, toxic constituents index analysis, correlation analysis, hierarchical cluster heatmap analysis, principal component analysis, and TOPSIS analysis were used for data processing to comprehensively evaluate the quality of ALRP and AR. Results The method was in accordance with the regulations. Compared with the content of six alkaloids in ALRP and AR, significant difference existed in mesaconitine, benzoylhypaconitine, aconitine, and monoester diterpenoid alkaloids (MDAs); Significant difference existed in benzoylmesaconitine and benzoylaconitine; There were no significant difference in hypaconitine and diester-diterpenoid alkaloids (DDAs). Taking the six alkaloids as indexes, the sample No. 15 of ALRP was the best in quality and the samples No. 7 of AR was the best in quality. Conclusion The established method is simple, accurate and reliable with good precision, repeatability and stability, which can be used for the simultaneous determination of six alkaloids in ALRP and AR. It is much more accurate and convenient to conduct the quality evaluation by using activity ratio, toxic constituents index and multivariate statistical analysis. The study could provide a reference for improving analysis and determination of ester-type alkaloids in ALRP and AR in ChP, and providing a reference for quality control and evaluation of ALRP and AR.
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To clarify the present situation and the limiting factors of the development of the genuine Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata industry, which is important to fully explore the development potential of the genuine Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata industry and promote the adjustment and optimization of its industrial structure. Through SWOT model, the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and challenges in the development process of genuine Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata industry were analyzed, and some suggestions on how to speed up the development of genuine Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata industry were put forward.