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OBJECTIVE To explore the effect mechanism of ethanol extract from Atractylodes macrocephala （EEAM） on microglial phagocytosis and degradation of amyloid β （Aβ） based on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ （PPAR- γ） signaling pathway. METHODS Taking neuromicroglial cell BV2 as subjects， confocal microscopy was used to observe the effects of EEAM （0.3， 0.4， 0.5 mg/mL， similarly hereinafter） on phagocytosis and degradation of Aβ in microglia. Human embryonic kidney cell HEK293 was used to investigate the effects of EEAM on luciferase transcriptional activity of PPAR-γ. The effect of EEAM on nuclear translocation of PPAR-γ was investigated by immunofluorescence. Alzheimer’s disease BV2 cell model was induced by Aβ1-42， and quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the effects of EEAM on mRNA expressions of PPAR-γ downstream target genes （Lxra， Lxrb， Abca1， Abcg1， Cd36， Sra and Apoe）. RESULTS The results of Aβ uptake experiment showed that after the intervention of medium and high doses of EEAM， fluorescence intensity of Aβ in BV2 cells increased significantly （P＜0.05）. The degradation experiment of Aβ showed that after the intervention of medium and high doses of EEAM， fluorescence intensity of Aβ in BV2 cells decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. After the intervention of different doses of EEAM， luciferase transcriptional activity of PPAR-γ in HEK293 cells increased significantly （P＜0.05）； fluorescence intensity of PPAR-γ in BV2 cells and nuclei （except for low-dose group） increased significantly （P＜0.05）. mRNA expressions of Lxra， Lxrb， Abca1， Abcg1， Cd36， Sra and Apoe in BV2 cells were increased significantly （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS EEAM can promote the uptake and degradation of Aβ in microglia by activating PPAR-γ signaling pathway， thus improving Alzheimer’s disease.
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OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of Forsythia suspensa ethanol extract on the proliferation， migration and invasion of lung cancer cells NCI-H226. METHODS As research objects， lung cancer cells NCI-H226 were divided into control group， F. suspensa ethanol extract low-， medium- and high-concentration groups （5， 10， 20 mg/mL）， activator group [10 mg/mL F. suspensa ethanol extract+0.5 μmol/L nuclear factor kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathway activator PMA]， inhibitor group （10 mg/mL F. suspensa ethanol extract+10 μmol/L NF-κB signaling pathway inhibitor BAY 11-7082） and positive control group （20 μg/mL cisplatin）. Except for the control group of cells without intervention， all other groups of cells were cultured with corresponding drugs for 24 hours； the proliferation， migration and invasion of cells were all detected， and the proliferation rate， migration rate， and the number of invading cells were also calculated； protein expressions of NF-κB p65， NF-κB inhibitory protein α （IκBα）， phosphorylated NF-κB p65 （p-NF-κB p65） and phosphorylated IκBα （p-IκBα） were determined. RESULTS Compared with control group， the proliferation rate， migration rate， and the number of invading cells as well as the protein expressions of p- IκBα and p-NF-κB p65 were decreased significantly in F. suspensa ethanol extract groups and positive control group （P＜0.05）. Compared with F. suspensa ethanol extract medium-concentration group， the proliferation rate， migration rate， and the number of invading cells as well as above protein expressions were all decreased significantly in inhibitor group （P＜0.05）， while those of activator group were increased significantly （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS F. suspensa ethanol extract can inhibit the proliferation， migration and invasion of lung cancer cells NCI-H226， and the mechanism of which may be related to the inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ethanol extract of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SGE) on endogenous metabolites in toes of rats with inflammatory pain induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) based on 1H NMR metabolomics, which would provide foundation for revealing the effects and mechanisms of SGE in improving inflammatory pain. This animal experiment was approved by the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of Shanxi University (SXULL2022062). The rats model of inflammatory pain was induced by subcutaneous injection of CFA (0.1 mL), and the effect of low, medium and high doses of SGE (1.5, 3, 6 g·kg-1) on inflammatory pain were explored. The effects of SGE on relieving inflammatory pain was evaluated by mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNTs) test. Western blot was used to detect the effects of SGE on protein expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and phospho-NF-κB (p-NF-κB). 1H NMR metabolomics was used to analyze the regulatory effects of SGE on endogenous metabolites in the toes of rats with inflammatory pain. The results showed that SGE (6 g·kg-1) could significantly relieve CFA-induced inflammatory pain, and also notably inhibit the protein expression of COX-2, NF-κB and p-NF-κB. SGE could markedly reverse the changes of 8 differential metabolites, such as glycine, glutamine, succinate, phosphorylcholine, etc. The metabolites were involved in eight metabolic pathways, such as glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, glutathione metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism. These results suggest that SGE may relieve inflammatory pain by regulating NF-κB signaling pathway and metabolic abnormality.
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OBJECTIVE To screen the active site of Jiegu ointment in promoting fracture healing in New Zealand rabbits. METHODS The ethanol extract of Jiegu ointment， as well as the ethyl acetate and n-butanol parts， were prepared and mixed with honey to form a plaster with appropriate viscosity. The radial fracture model of left forelimb in New Zealand rabbit was established and divided into model control group， ethanol extract group， ethyl acetate fraction group and n-butanol fraction group， with 6 rabbits in each group. Except for model control group， rabbits of all other groups were treated with corresponding polar part of Jiegu ointment for external application， for 4 weeks. The radial fracture healing of rabbits was studied by X-ray examination. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor α （TNF-α）， osteocalcin （OC）， vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA）， basic fibroblast growth factor 2 （bFGF2） and alkaline phosphatase （ALP）. HE staining was adopted to observe the changes of pathological morphology of rabbit fracture site， and immunohistochemical method was used to detect the protein expression of bFGF2 in fracture site of rabbits. RESULTS The healing speed of the fracture site in the n-butanol fraction group was the fastest， followed by ethanol extract group， and the ethyl acetate fraction group was the slowest； the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in n-butanol fraction group decreased the fastest， while the levels of ALP， bFGF2， OC and VEGFA increased the fastest [significant increase compared with ethanol extract group （P＜0.01）]； the chondrocytes at the fracture fraction completely disappeared， forming a large number of bone marrow cavities， and the bone trabeculae in the bone marrow cavity were officially formed. The expression level of bFGF2 was also higher than ethanol extract group. CONCLUSIONS The effect of n-butanol fraction on promoting fracture healing is more significant than ethyl acetate fraction and ethanol extract， and n-butanol fraction is the active fraction of Jiegu ointment to promote fracture healing.
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OBJECTIVE To establish the fingerprint of the ethanol extract from Callicarpa nudiflora， analyze its anti- respiratory syncytial virus （RSV） activity in vitro， and study the relationship between spectrum and effect. METHODS Using 10%， 30%， 50%， 70% and 90% ethanol as solvent， 20 batches of ethanol extracts from 4 batches of C. nudiflora were prepared. The fingerprints for 20 batches of ethanol extracts from C. nudiflora were mapped by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography （UPLC）， and the similarity evaluation was conducted by using the Similarity Evaluation System for Traditional Chinese Medicine Chromatographic Fingerprints （2012 edition）. The cytopathic effect method and MTT method were used to investigate the in vitro inhibitory activity of the ethanol extracts from C. nudiflora on RSV. Pearson correlation analysis， grey correlation degree and orthogonal partial least squares （OPLS） analysis were used to study the spectrum-effect relationship. RESULTS There were 25 common peaks in 20 batches of ethanol extracts from C. nudiflora， and the similarities ranged from 0.912 to 0.998， and the RSDs of common peak areas were 33.54%-162.28%. The average values of IC50 for RSV of 20 batches of ethanol extracts from C. nudiflora were 9.55-272.23 μg/mL. The results of Pearson correlation analysis， grey correlation analysis and OPLS analysis showed that the Pearson correlation coefficients （P＜0.05） of the common peaks 8， 10， 12， 16， 18-19， 22-24 with pharmacodynamic indicators and regression coefficients were all negative， the correlation coefficients were all greater than 0.6， and the values of variable importance in projection were all greater than 1. CONCLUSIONS Twenty batches of ethanol extracts from C. nudiflora have similar components but significant differences in content， and exhibit different degrees of anti-RSV activity in vitro. The corresponding components of common peaks 8， 10， 12， 16， 18-19， 22-24 may be the characteristic components of anti-RSV of C. nudiflora.
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An investigation was designed for the phytochemical screening by spectroscopic techniques and to determine the anti-in?ammatory activity of Plumeria rubra L. leaves extract. The qualitative UV-VIS spectrum showed the peaks at 333.15 with absorption 0.0731 respectively. The FT-IR spectrum of the Plumeria rubra L. showed the -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 absorption at 1019.79 /cm-1, 1633.07 cm . 2920.54/ cm , 3416.88/ cm ,481.33/ cm , 700.89/ cm , and 2851.70/ cm , 2926 cm-1, 2855 cm-1, 1609 cm-1. Anti-in?ammatory activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Plumeria rubra L. showed that the percentage of inhibition 54.57% at 500?g/ml concentration was evidently higher than the lower concentration of 50 ?g/ml (8.23%). The presence of various bioactive compounds justi?es the use of the leaves for various ailments by traditional practitioners.
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Objective:To investigate the immunoregulatory effects of Glycyrrhiza uralensis ethanol extract(GUEE) on the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and the adjuvant effect of GUEE on OVA in na?ve BALB/c mice and an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma mouse model. Methods:GUEE was prepared, and the effects of different concentrations of GUEE on the maturation of DCs and the secreted cytokines as well as the effects of GUEE on bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced DC maturation were examined in vitro. The effect of GUEE on the morphology of mouse bone marrow derived DCs was observed using microscopy. Molecular expression levels on the surface of DCs were detected using flow cytometry. The levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the supernatant of DCs cultures were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The maturation status of DCs was detected by flow cytometry by injecting different concentrations of GUEE into the paws of mice and isolating the draining lymph nodes 24 h later. The naive BALB/c mice were co-immunized with OVA, and the changes in regulatory T cells (Treg) were detected by flow cytometry. An OVA-protein-induced mouse asthma model was established to investigate whether GUEE as a tolerogenic adjuvant has an antigen-specific therapeutic effect on asthmatic mice. Pulmonary pathological changes were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) and PAS staining. OVA-specific antibodies in serum and the frequencies of Tregs, CD4 + IFN-γ + and CD4 + IL-4 + T cells in the spleen were detected by ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. Results:GUEE suppressed DCs maturation induced by LPS both in vitro and in vivo (all P<0.05), and reduced proinflammatory cytokine production, including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α in the absence or presence of LPS (all P<0.05). Moreover, co-immunization with OVA and GUEE increased the amount of Tregs in na?ve BALB/c mice ( P<0.05). In OVA-induced asthmatic mice, OVA and GUEE co-immunization and GUEE alone treatment substantially ameliorated the inflammation of lung tissues, decreased the levels of IgG 1 and the amount of CD4 + IL-4 + T cells, and increased the amount of Tregs (all P<0.05). Conclusions:GUEE alone or as the tolerogenic adjuvant can ameliorate allergic diseases through inhibition of DC maturation and type 2 helper T cell responses and induction of Tregs.
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OBJECTIVE To study the regulatory mechanism of ethanol extract of Turkish Galls on proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells HCT- 116 and Caco- 2 based on janus kinase 2（JAK2）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）signaling pathway. METHODS CCK-8 method was used to detect the effects of 0.05，0.1，0.2，0.3，0.4 and 0.5 mg/mL ethanol extract of Turkish Galls on the proliferation of HCT- 116 and Caco- 2 cells after treated for 12，24，48 and 72 h. After treated with 0.1，0.3，0.5 mg/mL ethanol extract of Turkish Galls for 24 h，the migrations of HCT- 116 and Caco- 2 cells were detected by scratch test ；the level of reactive oxygen species （ROS）was detected by fluorescent probe method. The levels of interleukin-6（IL-6）and tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）in cell supernatant were detected by ELISA . The phosphorylations of JAK2 and STAT 3 as well as the expressions of B-cell lymphoma- 2（Bcl-2）and Bcl- 2 associated protein X （Bax）were detected by Western blot assay. RESULTS Compared with blank control ，0.05，0.1，0.2，0.3，0.4 and 0.5 mg/mL ethanol extract of Turkish Galls could significantly inhibit cell proliferation after treated for 12，24，48，72 h（P＜0.05）. After treated with 0.1，0.3 and 0.5 mg/mL ethanol extract of Turkish Galls for 24 h，the scratch healing rate of 2 kinds of cells ，the levels of IL- 6 and TNF-α in the cell supernatant ，the phosphorylation of JAK 2 and STAT 3 as well as the expression of Bcl- 2 protein were all significantly decreased （P＜0.05）；the level of ROS and protein expression of Bax were increased significantly （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The ethanol extract of Turkish Galls can inhibit the proliferation and migration of HCT- 116 and Caco- 2 cells. The mechanism may be related with down-regulation of protein expression of Bcl- 2 and up-regulation of protein expression of Bax by increasing the accumulation of intracellular ROS ，down-regulating the expressions of inflammatory factors IL- 6 and TNF-α and the phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT 3 in JAK 2/STAT3 signaling pathway.
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@#Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by fibroblast activation, myofibroblast formation, and up-regulation of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) that may activate Snail in fibroblast to myofibroblast transition. Ethanol extract of Yacon leaves is known to have a renoprotective effect on diabetic nephropathy but its effect in the CKD model is unknown. This experimental study aimed to elucidate the effect of ethanol extract from Yacon leaves in attenuating renal failure in a CKD mice model. Methods: Male Swiss-Webster mice (3 months, 30–40 grams, n=25) underwent 5/6 subtotal nephrectomy (SN) to induce CKD. The mice were divided into five groups: SN, SN mice with oral treatment of Yacon leaves ethanol extract with doses 0.735 μg/kg (SN+YK1), 1.47 μg/kg (SN+YK2), and 2.94 μg/kg (SN+YK3), and a Sham operation (SO) group with aquadest 0.1% supplementation. Mice were euthanized on day 14 after the operation and kidneys were harvested. Paraffin sections were used for histological analysis. Immunostaining was done for quantifying fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. We performed RT-PCR to measure TGF-β1 and Snail mRNA expressions. Results: The SN group had significantly higher fibroblast number, myofibroblast fraction area, TGF-β1 and Snail mRNA expressions compared to the SO. The fibroblasts number (p<0.001) and myofibroblast fraction areas (p<0.001) were significantly lower in Yacon treated-groups compared to the SN group. RT-PCR analysis showed lower mRNA expressions of TGF-β1 and Snail, but no significant differences were found among the various Yacon treated-groups. Conclusion: Ethanol extracts of Yacon leaves improved kidney damage in male mice with 5/6 subtotal nephrectomy model.
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Objective:To study the role of ethanol extract of Euonymus alatus stems (EAT) and ethanol extract of Euonymus alatus wings (EAW) in anti-hepatic fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride in mice, and to explore its preliminary mechanism. Methods:Sixty C57BL/6 mice were selected and randomly divided into healthy control group, carbon tetrachloride model (CTM) group, EAW low dose (EAW-L) group, EAW high dose (EAW-H) group, EAT low dose (EAT-L) group and EAT high dose (EAT-H) group, with 10 mice in each group. Three days before modeling, the mice of EAT-L, EAT-H, EAW-L and EAW-H group were gavaged with EAT or EAW at 2.0 or 8.0 g/kg, respectively, and the mice of healthy control group and CTM group were gavaged with equal volume of pure water, once a day till the 30th day after modeling (total 33 times). Five percent carbon tetrachloride olive oil solution was intraperitoneally injected at 8 mL/kg to establish liver fibrosis model in CTM, EAT-L, EAT-H, EAW-L and EAW-H groups. The mice in the healthy control group were intraperitoneally injected with equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution, twice per week for 30 days, and a total of 9 times of injection. The liver index, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBil) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected. Hematoxylin-eosin and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes of mouse liver tissue and calculate the collagen volume fraction. The liver inflammatory response and fibrosis degree were evaluated by histological activity index (HAI) and Ishak system score. The level of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)in liver tissue was both detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 at protein and mRNA level was detected by Western blotting and fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Analysis of variance, Tukey test and Dunn test were used for statistical analysis.Results:The hepatic indexes of EAW-L, EAW-H and EAT-H groups were lower than that of CTM group(0.06±0.01, 0.05±0.01 and 0.05±0.01 vs. 0.07±0.01), and the differences were statistically significant ( q=5.12, 7.70, 7.11; all P<0.01). The serum ALT and AST levels of EAW-L, EAW-H, EAT-L and EAT-H groups were lower than those of CTM group((601.76±141.38), (283.35±42.32), (734.74±116.06) and (391.60±34.33) U/L vs.(982.45±96.04) U/L, (509.49±152.29), (345.41±67.39), (282.30±65.72) and(243.23±45.20) U/L vs.(766.01±114.49) U/L), and the differences were statistically significant ( qALT =9.88, 20.81, 7.65, 17.58, qAST =5.11, 12.52, 14.92, 15.56; all P<0.001). The serum TBil levels of EAW-H and EAT-H groups were lower than that of CTM group((6.81±0.49) and (7.08±1.78) μmol/L vs.(12.68±3.28) μmol/L), and the differences were statistically significant( q=6.31, 6.01; both P<0.01). The serum IL-6 levels of EAW-L, EAW-H, EAT-L and EAT-H groups were lower than that of CTM group((29.26±5.42), (24.28±4.75), (9.05±1.74) and (8.01±1.24) ng/L vs.(53.21±10.05) ng/L); the serum IL-6 level of EAT-L group was lower than that of EAW-L group; the serum IL-6 level of EAT-H group was lower than that of EAW-H group, and the differences were statistically significant( q=12.20, 14.73, 22.48, 22.11, 10.28, 7.96; all P <0.001). The collagen volume fractions of EAW-L, EAW-H, EAT-L and EAT-H groups were lower than that of CTM group (6.15±1.09, 2.91±0.76, 7.07±1.37 and 5.31±0.80 vs. 12.36±1.96); the collagen volume fraction of EAW-H group was lower than that of EAW-L, EAT-L and EAT-H groups, and the differences were statistically significant( q=11.68, 17.78, 9.94, 13.25; 6.10, 7.84, 4.53; all P <0.05). The HAI and Ishak system scores of EAW-H and EAT-H groups were lower than those of CTM group (6.0 (5.5, 7.5) and 7.0 (6.0, 7.5) vs. 13.0 (12.0, 13.0), 1.0 (1.0, 2.0) and 2.0 (1.0, 2.0) vs. 4.0 (3.0, 4.0)), and the differences were statistically significant( ZHAI=3.38, 3.23, Zlshak=3.22, 3.03; all P<0.05). The result of immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expression levels of α-SMA in the mice liver tissues of EAW-L, EAW-H, EAT-L, EAT-H and CTM groups were 4.76±0.36, 2.75±0.29, 3.72±0.34, 5.20±0.79 and 5.98±0.52, respectively. The result of Western blotting showed that the expression levels of α-SMA in the mice liver tissues of CTM, EAW-L, EAW-H, EAT-L and EAT-H groups were 0.96±0.11, 0.67±0.07, 0.22±0.01, 0.78±0.08 and 0.68±0.07, respectively. Two detection methods both showed that the expression levels of α-SMA of EAW-L, EAW-H and EAT-H groups were lower than that of CTM group; the expression level of α-SMA of EAW-H group was lower than that of EAW-L, EAT-L and EAT-H group, and the differences were statistically significant( qimmunohistochemical =6.06, 15.95, 11.18, 9.92, 12.10 and 4.79, qWestern blotting=7.29, 18.34, 6.84, 11.05, 13.97 and 11.49, all P<0.05). The expression levels of MMP2 and ERK1/2 at protein and mRNA levels in the mice liver tissues of EAW-L, EAW-H, EAT-L, EAT-H and CTM groups were 0.18±0.04, 0.16±0.04, 0.28±0.02, 0.21±0.02 and 0.84±0.02, 0.80±0.02, 0.57±0.08, 0.83±0.03, 0.69±0.02 and 0.91±0.04, 18.74±1.90, 10.73±1.24, 24.99±1.84, 7.19±0.48 and 24.68±1.18, 29.44±4.47, 11.96±0.53, 24.75±4.04, 5.30±0.36 and 35.76±0.85, respectively. The expression levels of MMP2 at protein level in EAW-L, EAW-H, EAT-L and EAT-H groups were lower than that in CTM group; the expression levels of ERK1/2 at protein level in EAW-H and EAT-H groups were lower than that in CTM group; the expression level of ERK1/2 at protein level in EAW-H group was lower than that in EAT-H group; the expression levels of MMP2 and ERK1/2 at mRNA level in EAW-H and EAT-H group were lower than those in CTM group; the expression levels of MMP2 and ERK1/2 at mRNA level in EAW-H group were lower than those in EAW-L group; the expression levels of MMP2 and ERK1/2 at mRNA level in EAT-H group were lower than those in EAT-L and EAW-H groups, and the differences were statistically significant( q=22.15, 22.96, 18.87, 21.31; 13.42, 8.53; 4.90; 18.57, 23.29, 16.49, 21.11; 10.66, 12.12; 23.70, 15.38, 13.48, 16.73; all P<0.05). Conclusions:Both EAT and EAW can alleviate carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury and liver fibrosis in mice, which may be related with inhibiting the expression of ERK1/2 and IL-6 and then affecting the Ras/ERK-MMP2 signaling pathway.
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OBJECTIVE To isolate and ide ntify the chemical constituents of the root of Ardisia virens and preliminarily evaluate the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the compounds. METHODS The ethyl acetate extraction part from 70％ ethanol extract of the root of A. virens were separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography ，ODS column chromatography ， etc. The structures of the compounds were identified according to physical and chemical properties and spectral data. The inflammation model of RAW 264.7 cells was induced by lipopolysaccharide ，and anti-inflammatory activity of the compound was investigated by MTT assay. RESULTS A total of 11 compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate extraction part ，and were identified as cyclamiretin A （1），α-spinasterol （2），（3S，5R，6S，7E）-3，5，6-trihydroxy-7-megastigmen-9-one （3）， （+）-angelicoidenol（4），octadeca-dienoic acid- 2，3-dihydroxypropyl ester （5），α-linolenic acid （6），glycerol monooleate （7），5， 5′-（4，7-hexadecadlene-1，16-diyl）bisresorcinol（8），1-（3，5-dihydroxyphenyl）heptan-1-one（9），5-heptylresorcinol and （10） 5-n-nonylresorcinol（11）. The in vitro anti-inflammatory results showed that 80，40，20，10，5 μg/mL of compounds 2，8，9 and 10 could reduce the cell survival rate in different degrees. CONCLUSIONS Compounds 1-11 are isolated from this plant for the first time，and compound 8 is a new natural product. Compound 2，8，9 and 10 show certain anti-inflammatory activity in vitro .
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ObjectiveChemical components in ethanol extract of Cyclocarya paliurus dried leaves were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS）. MethodAn Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column （3.0 mm×100 mm， 2.7 μm） was used with 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution （A）-acetonitrile （B） as the mobile phase for gradient elution （0-26 min，2%-18%B； 26-60 min， 18%-72%B； 60-70 min， 72%-100%B； 70-71 min， 100%-2%B； 71-72 min， 2%B）， and the flow rate of 0.4 mL·min-1 and injection volume of 3 μL. The electrospray ionization （ESI） was used in positive and negative modes， and detection range was m/z 50-1 100. The collected data were processed by Agilent MassHunter workstation. According to the retention time and MS information of each compound， combined with existing literature and MS database information， the compounds were identified and analyzed for the fragmentation rule. ResultA total of 52， 55 components were identified in the positive and negative ion modes， respectively. Among them， 14 flavonoids， 3 triterpenoids， 15 organic acids and 20 other compounds were identified under positive ion mode， while 18 flavonoids， 9 triterpenoids， 18 organic acids and 10 other compounds were identified under the negative ion mode. By summarizing the positive and negative ion modes and removing the common compounds， 87 compounds were identified， including 22 flavonoids， 27 organic acids， 11 triterpenoids and 27 other compounds. ConclusionUHPLC-Q-TOF/MS can be used to quickly analyze the chemical constituents in C. paliurus dried leaves. 1-Kestose and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid and other components related to hypoglycemic activity of this herb are identified for the first time， which can provide reference for clarifying the pharmacodynamic substance basis of C. paliurus dried leaves.
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OBJECTIV E To investigate the effect s and mechanism of the ethanol extract of Tiarella polyphylla （“TPE”）on learning and memory impairment in mice. METHODS Male Kunming mice were randomly divided into normal group ，model group，positive group （donepezil hydrochloride 4 mg/kg）and TPE low-dose ，medium-dose and high-dose groups （150，300，600 mg/kg），with 10 mice in each group. Drug administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically once a day ，and normal group and model group were given water intragastrically once a day ，for consecutive 22 d. On the 17th day ，administration groups and model group were intraperitoneally injected with scopolamine hydrobromide （3 mg/kg）to establish a model of learning and memory impairment. The learning and memory ability of the mice were evaluated by the Morris water maze. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used for morphological observation of hippocampus cells of the mice. The levels of acetylcholinesterase （AChE），choline acetyltransferase （ChAT），superoxide dismutase （SOD），malondialdehyde（MDA），interleukin-6（IL-6）and tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）in cerebral tissue as well as the relative expression of phosphorylated Tau protein （p-Tau），β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1（BACE1）and amyloid precursor protein （APP）in hippocampus tissue were all detected. RESULTS The escape latency of mice in positive group ，TPE medium-dose and high-dose groups were all significantly shortened than the model group on the 4th to 5th day of training ，while the times of crossing platform and the percentage of movement distance in target quadrant were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared with model group ，the neurons in the hippocampal CA 1 region of mice were increased to var ying degrees in administration groups ，the ne urons in solidified and atrophic state decreased ，and the arrangement of neurons tended to be close；the levels of ChAT and SOD in cerebral tissue were significantly increased in positive group and TPE medium-dose and high-dose groups ；the levels of AChE ，MDA，IL-6，the levels of TNF-α and relative expression of p-Tau ，BACE1 and APP in hippocampus tissue were decreased significantly （P＜ 0.05）. CONCLUSIONS TPE can improve the learning and memory impairment induced by scopolamine in mice ，and the mechanism may be related to balancing the brain cholinergic system ，alleviating oxidative stress injury ，improving inflammatory response，and inhibiting the overexpression of p-Tau ，BACE1 and APP .
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In this study, the toxicological/pharmacological research method of "quantity-weight-evidence" network was first proposed and practiced to supplement the existing methodology of network toxicology. We transformed the traditional qualitative network into a quantitative network in this study by attributing weights to toxic component content and target frequency, which improved the reliability of data and provided a research idea for the systematic safety evaluation and toxicological research of Chinese medicinal herbs. Firstly, 50% ethanol extract of Dysosma versipellis(DV) was administrated to rats via gavage and the potential hepatotoxic components were identified by serum pharmacochemistry. Then, the component targets were obtained from SwissTargetPrediction, PharmMapper and other online databases, and the target weights were given according to the relative content of components and target fishing frequency. Meanwhile, the targets of hepatotoxicity were predicted from online databases such as Comparative Toxicology Database(CTD) and GeneCards. Subsequently, protein-protein interaction analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment were performed with the STRING database. Finally, the quantitative network of "toxic components-weighted targets-pathways" was constructed. Eleven potential toxic compounds were predicted, including podophyllotoxin, podophyllotoxone, deoxypodophyllotoxin, and 6-methoxypodophyllotoxin. A total of 106 hepatotoxic targets and 65 weighted targets(e.g., Cdk2, Egfr, and Cyp2 c9) were identified. The results of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment showed that these targets could act on PI3 K-AKT, MAPK, and Ras signaling pathways to play a role in inflammatory response and oxidative stress. However, traditional network toxicology showed that 51 targets such as AKT1, Alb, and Stat3 may lead to hepatotoxicity by mediating inflammation and cell proliferation. In conclusion, we proposed "quantity-weight-evidence" network toxicology in this study and used it to study the mechanism of DV-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. This study confirms the feasibility of this new methodology in toxicological evaluation and further improves the systematic evaluation of the safety of Chinese medicinal herbs.
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Animals , Rats , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/etiology , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/toxicity , Ethanol , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Molecular Docking Simulation , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE To separate and identif y the chemical constituen ts in 70％ ethanol extract of Sabia parviflora ，and to preliminarily evaluate their in vitro antioxidant activity. METHODS The chemical constituents were separated and purified by silica gel，ODS reversed-phase silica gel ，Sephadex-LH20 column and preparative high performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the isolated compounds were identified by 1H-NMR，13C-NMR and ESI-MS. The in vitro antioxidant activities of the compounds were investigated by 2，2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical （DPPH·），2，2′-azino-bis（3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6- sulfonate）diammonium radical （ABST+）and hydroxyl radical （OH·）. RESULTS A total of 9 compounds were isolated from the 70％ ethanol extracts of S. parviflora . They were identified as rutin （1），diiononyl phthalate （2），dibutyl phthalate （3），vomifoliol （4），rhododendrol（5），quercetin-3-O-gentiobioside（6），narcissoside（7），kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside（8）and bonaroside （9）. The in vitro antioxidant results showed that compound 1-9 showed certain in vitro antioxidant activity ，and the half scavenging concentrations of compound 1，6，7 and 8 to DPPH ·，ABST+，OH·were lower than 70 μg/mL. CONCLUSIONS Vomifoliol， rhododendrol and bonaroside are isolated from S. parviflora for the first time ，and rutin ，quercetin-3-O-gentiobioside，narcissoside and kaempferol- 3-O-rutinoside show good in vitro antioxidant activity.
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OBJECTIVE To study the nephrotoxicity of the extracts from different parts o f Miao medicine Wikstroemia indica in healthy rats ，and to provide reference for the study of its toxicity mechanism and clinical drug use. METHODS Using 70％ ethanol as solvent ，total ethanol extract of W. indica was extracted with diacolation method. After dispersing the above extract with water，the fractions of corresponding fractions were obtained with petroleum ether ，ethyl acetate and n-butanol，and the rest was the extract of water fraction. SD rats were randomly divided into total ethanol extract group ，petroleum ether fraction group ，ethyl acetate fraction group ，n-butanol fraction group ，water fraction group and blank group ，with 12 rats in each group （half male and half female ）. The rats in the administration groups were given the corresponding dose of drug solution intragastrically （total ethanol extract 317.520 mg/kg，petroleum ether fraction 7.875 mg/kg，ethyl acetate fraction 78.435 mg/kg，n-butanol fraction 53.865 mg/kg and water fraction 76.545 mg/kg），once a day ，for conse- cutive 2 weeks，and then stopped taking drug for 2 weeks； rats in the blank group were given equal volume of 1.0％ . sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution intragastrically. Duringthe experiment ，the general conditions of rats were observed. The samples of urine （on the 14th and 28th day ），serum and bilateral renal tissues （on the 15th and 29th day ）were taken respectively，the renal index was calculated ，the levels of @qq.com renal function indexes in serum and urine were detected ，and the pathomorphological changes of renal tissues were observed. RESULTS During administration ，compared with blank group ，the rats in the total ethanol extract group and ethyl acetate fraction group showed poisoning behavior and activity characteristics such as mental depression ，decreased activity and diet ，thin stool and decreased body mass. The mental state of the rats in the petroleum ether fraction group ，n-butanol fraction group and water fraction group were slightly worse than that in blank group，and slightly decreased activity and diet as well as thin stool ，and slowly increased body mass were found ；however，there was no significant difference in anal temperature in each group. After 2 weeks of administration ，the renal index in total ethanol extract group ，the serum levels of N-acetylglucosaminidase（NAG），urea nitrogen （BUN）and creatinine （Cr）in total ethanol extract group and ethyl acetate fraction group ，serum level of NAG in n-butanol fraction group and serum level of Cr in water fraction group ，as while as NAG levels in urine of rats in total ethanol extract group and petroleum ether fraction group ，NAG and urinary protein levels in urine of rats in ethyl acetate fraction group were increased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. In the pathomorphological observation ，renal tubules showed different degrees of unclear structure ，cell swelling and a few cell necrosis in the total ethanol extract group ，petroleum ether fraction group and ethyl acetate fraction group ，accompanying by glomerular pyknosis，renal tubular sclerosis and inflammatory cell infiltration ，compared with blank group. After drug withdrawal ，the mental state of rats in the administration groups were significantly improved ，the amount of activity and diet increased ，and the stool tended to be normal. Two weeks after drug withdrawal and recovery ，the levels of above indexes in serum and urine of rats in administration groups returned to be close to that in blank group （P＞0.05）；the glomerular structure of rats in each administration group gradually recovered clearly ，and cell swelling and inflammatory cell infiltration were rare in total ethanol extract group ， petroleum ether fraction group and ethyl acetate fraction group. CONCLUSIONS The total ethanol extract ，petroleum ether fraction and ethyl acetate fraction of Miao medicine W. indica have certain nephrotoxicity and reversibility. The toxic component may
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@#This study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effects of 60% ethanol elution fraction (ESMW) from Si Miao Wan on the hepatic lipid accumulation and its mechanism.TG kit, BODIPY fluorescence staining, QPCR, WB, oil red O staining, and AMPKα knockdown were used to detect the ability of ESMW to improve lipid accumulation in hepatocytes stimulated with free fatty acid.Furthermore, the effects of ESMW on the oral glucose tolerance, serum biochemical indexes, TG content in liver tissue, the expressions of mRNA and protein related to lipid metabolism in liver tissue were studied in mice fed with high fat diet to verify the mechanism of ESMW fraction on hepatic lipid accumulation.The results showed that ESMW inhibited lipid accumulation induced by free fatty acids by regulating AMPK signaling pathway, and that ESMW significantly improved the lipid metabolism of mice fed with high fat diet, with relation to AMPK signaling pathway.
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OBJECTIVE：To study the antioxidan t activity and lipid-lowering effect of ethanol extract and its different solvent extracts from the stems and leaves of Scutellaria amoena . METHODS ：The stem and leaves of S. amoena was extracted with 95％ ethanol to obtain ethanol extract ，and then extracted with petroleum ，ethyl acetate and n-butanol to obtain corresponding different solvent extracts. Using vitamin C （Vc）as positive control ，the antioxidant activities of ethanol extract ，petroleum ether extract ， ethyl acetate extract and n-butanol extract from the stems and leaves of S. amoena were determined by hydroxyl radical ，superoxide anion radical and DPPH radical scavenging method ，and the IC 50 was calculated. Steatosis L 02 hepatocyte model was established with fat emulsion. Using fenofibrate （20 μg/mL）as positive control ，the effects of high and low concentration （100 and 50 μg/mL） ethanol extract ，ethyl acetate extract and n-butanol extract from the stems and leaves of S. amoena on the contents of TC and TG in cells were investigated. RESULTS ：The order of scavenging ability to hydroxyl radicals was n-butanol extract ＞ethyl acetate extract＞Vc＞ethanol extract ＞petroleum ether extract ；IC50 of them were 0.15，0.17，0.35，0.75，1.17 mg/mL，respectively. The order of scavenging ability to superoxide anion radical was Vc ＞n-butanol extract ＞ethyl acetate extract ＞ethanol extract ＞ petroleum ether extract ；IC50 of them were 0.034，0.55，0.75，3.32，3.73 mg/mL，respectively. The order of DPPH scavenging ability to DPPH radical was Vc ＞n-butanol extract ＞ethyl acetate extract ＞ethanol extract ＞petroleum ether extract ；IC50 of them were 0.003 2，0.028，0.033，0.048，0.057 mg/mL， respectively. The ethanol extract ，ethyl acetate extract and n-butanol extract from the stems and leaves of S. amoena could significantly decrease the contents of TC and TG in steatosis L 02 hepatocytes （P＜0.01）. The order of lipid-lowering ability was n-butanol extract （low dose ）≈fenofibrate＞ethyl acetate extract （high dose ）＞ethanol extract （high dose ）＞ n-butanol extract （high dose ）＞ethyl acetate extract （low dose ）＞ethanol extract （low dose ）. CONCLUSIONS ：The ethanol extract ， petroleum ether extract ，ethyl acetate extract and n-butanol extract from the stems and leaves of S. amoena show good antioxidant activity and lipid-lowering effect （except for petroleum ether extract ）. Ethyl acetate extract and n-butanol extract possess the strongest antioxidant activity and lipid-lowering effect.
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OBJECTIVE： To establish the fingerprint of the ethanol e xtract from Melastoma dodecandrum ， to study spectrum-effect relationship of its antioxidant activity. METHODS ：HPLC method and Similarity Evaluation System of TCM Chromatographic Fingerprint （2012 edition）were used to establish the fingerprints of 15 batches of ethanol extracts from M. dodecandrum，and heir similarity was evaluated. The common peaks were identified by comparing with substance control. DPPH free radical scavenging method ，ABTS free radical scavenging method and total antioxidant capacity determination method （FRAP） were used to determine antioxidant activity in vitro of 15 batches of ethanol extracts from M. dodecandrum . Principal component analysis，bivariate correlation analysis and partial least squares regression analysis were used to study the spectrum-effect relationship of the antioxidant activity of the ethanol extracts from M. dodecandrum . RESULTS ：Totally 20 common peaks were identified in HPLC fingerprints of 15 batches of ethanol extracts from M. dodecandrum ；its similarity with the control fingerprint was not less than 0.831；it was identified that peak 3 was gallic acid ，peak 13 was vitexin ，peak 17 was rutin and peak 19 was ellagic acid. The IC 50 values of DPPH radical scavenging method of 15 batches of ethanol extracts from M. dodecandrum were 21.98-57.87 μ g/mL，that of ABTS radical scavenging method were 40.94-101.88 μ g/mL，the results of FRAP method were 0.19-0.48 mg/mL. Principal component analysis showed that the contribution rate of IC 50 variance of DPPH was 80.77％. Bivariate correlation analysis showed that the peak areas of peak 2 （positive correlation ） and peak 11 （negative correlation ） were significantly correlated with antioxidant activity （P＜0.05）；partial least squares regression analysis showed that ，the variable projection importance （VIP）in descending order was peak 11＞peak 2＞peak 16＞peak 15＞peak 12＞peak 13＞peak 18，and their VIP values were greater than 1. Peaks 2，13，15，16 and 18 were positively correlated with antioxidant activity ，and peaks 11 and 12 were negatively correlate d with antioxidant activity ，and the absolute value of standardized regression coefficient were greater than 0.1. CONCLUSIONS ：Fifteen batches of ethanol extracts of M. dodecandrum have antioxidant activity in vitro . The compounds corresponding to common peaks 2，11，12， 13，15，16 and 18 may be the material basis of antioxidant activity of M. dodecandrum .
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OBJECTIVE：To compare the chemical constituents of petroleum ether fraction from ethanol extract of Aconitum sinomontanum before and after processing. METHODS ：After A. sinomontanum was purified with water ，the raw product decoction pieces were prepared ；the raw decoction pieces were steamed with licorice juice under high pressure to prepare processed decoction pieces of A. sinomontanum . The petroleum ether fractions of raw product and processed product were obtained after ultrasonic extraction with 95％ ethanol. The chemical constituents in the samples were analyzed by GC-MS. NIST 2014 mass spectrometry database was used to compare and match the components . The peak area normalization method was used to determine the relative percentage content of each component. RESULTS ：Before and after processing ，fatty acids and esters were the main components in the petroleum ether fraction from ethanol extract. Totally 18 chromatographic peaks were detected in the detection pieces of raw product，and 13 compounds were identified ，accounting for 94.60％ of the total content of volatile components. The components with relatively high content were （Z，Z，Z）-9，12，15-octadecatrienoic acid （26.13％），hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester （25.27％）， palmitoleic acid （10.84％），ethyl linoleic acid （10.67％），（Z，Z）-9，12-octadecenoic acid methyl ester （6.66％），pentadecanoic acid（5.11％）and so on. Totally 25 chromatographic peaks were detected in the decoction pieces of processed products，and 18 components were identified ，accounting for 82.40％ of the total content of volatile components. The components with relatively high content were palmitoleic acid （18.95％），（Z，Z）-9，12-octadecenoic acid methyl ester （17.93％），hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester（11.94％），（Z，Z，Z）-9，12，15-octadecatrienoic acid （10.54％），（Z，Z）-9，12-octadecenoic acid （5.51％），（Z）-11-hexadecanoic acid（5.30％）and so on. After processing ，7 new components were added ，5 of which were identified as （－）-eucalyptus globulus alcohol，ethyl 2-methyltetrade-canoate，6-methyl-4-phenylcoumarin，β-sitosterol，heptadecane. After processing ，no components disappeared，and the content of some components increased or decreased. CONCLUSIONS ：After processing ，the volatile components in the petroleum ether fraction from ethanol extract of A. sinomontanum are different ，and（－）-eucalyptus globulus alcohol and other components are added after processing.