Mechanism of Active Ingredients of Astragalus Membranacus in Treating Heart Failure： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Heart failure is one of the main cardiovascular system diseases at present， and it is a clinical syndrome caused by changes in cardiac structure and function， resulting in impaired ejection function or ventricular filling. Therefore， heart failure has become the most important cardiovascular disease in the 21st century. In recent years， the incidence of heart failure is increasing， and the survival rate of patients with heart failure is very low. Traditional Chinese medicine has rich experience in preventing and treating heart failure. With the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine， more and more attention has been paid to the research， development， and application of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in improving the heart function of patients with heart failure by treating multiple targets and multiple pathways through syndrome differentiation. Astragalus membranacus， a traditional Chinese medicine， is a kind of medicine that benefits Qi and blood circulation and removes evil spirits. It has the functions of improving myocardial energy metabolism and hemodynamics， protecting myocardial muscle， and promoting angiogenesis. Astragalus membranaceus is often used to treat patients with heart failure， yielding remarkable results. In recent years， it has been found that astragaloside， Astragalus polysaccharide， quercetin， calyx isoflavones， and other main active ingredients of Astragalus membranacus can improve cardiac function and treat heart failure by inhibiting inflammatory response， myocardial apoptosis， and myocardial fibrosis. This paper reviewed the research progress of the action and mechanism of the active ingredients of Astragalus membranacus in the treatment of heart failure by studying relevant literature， with a view to providing a reference for its further research， development， and application in the prevention and treatment of heart failure.

Hedysari Radix Polysaccharide Regulates Apoptosis of Smooth Muscle Cells in Gastric Antrum of Rat Model of Diabetic Gastroparesis via IGF-1/PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Hedysari Radix polysaccharide on the apoptosis of gastric sinus smooth muscle cells and explore the underlying mechanism via the insulin-like growth factor-1 （IGF-1）/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/serine-threonine kinase （Akt） pathway in the rat model of diabetic gastroparesis （DGP）. MethodSixty-two Wistar male rats were randomized into a blank group （n=12） and a modelling group （n=50）. The rat model of DGP was established by small-dose multiple intraperitoneal injections of streptozotocin combined with an irregular high-fat and high-sugar diet for 4 weeks. The modeled rats were randomized into model group， mosapride citrate （1.35 mg·kg-1）， and high-， medium-， and low-dose （200， 100， and 50 mg·kg-1， respectively） Hedysari Radix polysaccharide groups. The rats were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage， and those in the blank and model groups with equal volumes of pure water by gavage once a day for 8 consecutive weeks. The random blood glucose and body mass were measured every 2 weeks， and gastric emptying rate was calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes of smooth muscle in gastric antrum， and terminal deoxynucleoitidyl transferase-mediated nick-end labeling （TUNEL） was employed to detect the apoptosis of smooth muscle cells in the gastric antrum. The expression of IGF-1， phosphorylated （p）-PI3K， and p-Akt in the smooth muscle of gastric sinus tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of IGF-1， p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax） in the smooth muscle of the gastric antrum. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showed elevated random blood glucose at all time points （P<0.01）， decreased body mass and gastric emptying rate （P<0.01）， increased apoptotic index of smooth muscle cells in the gastric antrum （P<0.01）， down-regulated protein levels of IGF-1， p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and Bcl-2， and up-regulated protein level of Bax （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the 8 weeks of drug administration lowered the random blood glucose， increased the body mass and gastric emptying rate （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased the apoptotic index of smooth muscle cells in the gastric antrum （P<0.05， P<0.01）， up-regulated the protein levels of IGF-1， p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and Bcl-2， and down-regulated the protein level of Bax （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the mosapride citrate group，the administration of low-dose Hedysari Radix polysaccharide for 6 and 8 weeks lowered the random blood glucose and decreased the body mass （P<0.05， P<0.01），low and medium-dose Hedysari Radix polysaccharide decreased the gastric emptying rate and the apoptotic index of smooth muscle cells in the astragaloside low-dose group decreased （P<0.05）. The protein levels of IGF-1，p-PI3K/PI3K，p-Akt/Akt and Bcl-2（low dose）were down-regulated and the protein level of Bax was up-regulated by low doses of Hedysari Radix polysaccharide （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with high-dose Hedysari Radix polysaccharide， low-dose Hedysari Radix polysaccharide elevated random blood glucose and reduced body mass after 6 and 8 weeks of administration （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the low and medium doses decreased the gastric emptying rate， increased the apoptotic index of smooth muscle cells in the gastric antrum （P<0.05， P<0.01）， down-regulated the protein levels of IGF-1， p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and Bcl-2， and up-regulated the protein level of Bax （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the medium-dose group，the low-dose group of Hedysari Radix polysaccharide had lower body mass，lower gastric emptying rate in rats，higher apoptotic index of smooth muscle cells in gastric sinus tissue after 6 and 8 weeks of administration （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and lower protein expression of IGF-1，p-PI3K/PI3K，p-Akt/Akt. ConclusionHedysari Radix polysaccharide protects the smooth muscle cells in gastric antrum against apoptotic injury and promotes gastric motility by activating the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， as manifested by the up-regulated expression of IGF-1， p-PI3K， p-Akt， and Bcl-2 and down-regulated expression of Bax.

La batalla decisiva contra la fiebre tifoidea en Santiago de Chile en el siglo XX

Hasta 1983, cuando alcanzaba la increíble tasa de 118 casos por 100.000 habitantes, la fiebre tifoidea era la peor amenaza infecciosa en Santiago, Chile, ciudad que figuraba junto a Ciudad de México, El Cairo y Bombay, como una de las con mayor endemia en el mundo. El Ministerio de Salud respondió formando el Comité de Tifoidea de Chile, con participación de expertos nacionales y del grupo de Myron Levine, de la Universidad de Maryland, que llevó a cabo ingeniosas investigaciones, culpando al río Mapocho, cuyas aguas contaminadas con Salmonella typhi regaban los predios agrícolas vecinos, conformando así un ciclo largo de infección. Las vacunas antitíficas ensayadas (oral Ty21a atenuada y polisacárido capsular Vi inyectable) no mostraron eficacia, los portadores crónicos no se trataron, pero una campaña sanitaria a través de la televisión contribuyó decisivamente a mejorar los hábitos higiénicos de la población, fortalecida por el pánico que causó la llegada del cólera en 1991, y la fiebre tifoidea prácticamente desapareció del escenario.

Until 1983, when reached the incredible frequency of 118 cases for 100.000 habitants, typhoid fever was the worst infectious threat in Santiago, Chile, city that appeared next to Mexico City, Cairo and Bombay, as one of the most endemic in the world. The Ministry of Health responded with the creation of The Chilean Typhoid Committee, with the participation of national experts and Myron Levine's group, which carried out ingenious investigations blaming the Mapocho River, whose waters contaminated with Salmonella typhi irrigated the neighboring farms, thus conforming a long cycle of infection. Typhoid vaccines tested (strain Ty 21a oral and Vi capsular polysaccharide) did not show efficacy, chronic carriers were not treated, but a health campaign on television made a decisive contribution to improving hygiene habits of the population, strengthened by the panic caused by the arrival of cholera in 1991, and typhoid fever practically disappeared from the stage.

Research progress on the effect mechanism of polysaccharides against pancreatic cancer / 中国药房

Polysaccharide is a recognized immunomodulator that has been shown to have inhibitory effects on a variety of cancer cells and has the potential to be developed as an anti-cancer drug. Pancreatic cancer， one of the cancers with the highest mortality rate， is treated with long-term chemotherapeutic drugs and is prone to a variety of side effects such as immune deficiency， fatigue， and neurological lesions. The polysaccharide anti-pancreatic cancer research landscape both domestically and internationally is summarized in this publication. By regulating nuclear factor-κB， Hippo-Yes-associated protein， integrin and other signaling pathways， polysaccharide components play an anti-pancreatic cancer role by multi-target ways， such as inducing apoptosis and autophagy， inhibiting proliferation， migration and invasion of cancer cells， and regulating the cancer cell cycle.

Quantitative estimation of enzymatic released specific oligosaccharides from Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides using CE-LIF / 药物分析学报

Polysaccharides exhibit multiple pharmacological activities which are closely related to their structural features.Therefore,quantitatively quality control of polysaccharides based on their chemical charac-teristics is important for their application in biomedical and functional food sciences.However,poly-saccharides are mixed macromolecular compounds that are difficult to isolate and lack standards,making them challenging to quantify directly.In this study,we proposed an improved saccharide mapping method based on the release of specific oligosaccharides for the assessment of Hericium eri-naceus polysaccharides from laboratory cultured and different regions of China.Briefly,a polysaccharide from H.erinaceus was digested by β-(1-3)-glucanase,and the released specific oligosaccharides were labeled with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic-acid(APTS)and separated by using micellar electrokinetic chromatography(MEKC)coupled with laser induced fluorescence(LIF),and quantitatively estimated.MEKC presented higher resolution compared to polysaccharide analysis using carbohydrate gel elec-trophoresis(PACE),and provided great peak capacity between oligosaccharides with polymerization degree of 2(DP2)and polymerization degree of 6(DP6)in a dextran ladder separation.The results of high performance size exclusion chromatography coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering and refractive index detector(HPSEC-MALLS-RI)showed that 12 h was sufficient for complete digestion of polysaccharides from H.erinaceus.Laminaritriose(DP3)was used as an internal standard for quantifi-cation of all the oligosaccharides.The calibration curve for DP3 showed a good linear regression(R2＞0.9988).The limit of detection(LOD)and limit of quantification(LOQ)values were 0.05 μg/mL and 0.2 μg/mL,respectively.The recovery for DP3 was 87.32(±0.03)％in the three independent injections.To sum up,this proposed method is helpful for improving the quality control of polysaccharides from H.erinaceus as well as other materials.

Preparation and polarization activity research of astragalus polysaccharide-superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocomposite / 药学学报

Size and surface modification are the two key factors affecting the effect of macrophages polarization induced by superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). The smaller the particle size, the better the polarization effect of SPIONs. Besides, the reasonable SPIONs surface modification method can also be used to enhance the polarization effect. In this study, SPIONs was prepared by solvothermal method and optimized by Box-Benhnken center combination design and response surface method. Furthermore, astragalus polysaccharide-superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocomplex (APS-SPIONs) was successfully constructed by EDC/NHS esterification method. The structure of APS-SPIONs was confirmed by dynamic light scatter and infrared spectrometer, and the contents of iron and polysaccharide were characterized by spectrophotometry. The effect of APS-SPIONs on inducing mouse macrophages RAW264.7 polarization was investigated by flow cytometry. The RAW264.7 macrophages-HepG2 human hepatoma cancer cells Transwell co-culture system was established to investigate APS-SPIONs improve anti-tumor function of macrophages in vitro, and the proliferation activity of APS-SPIONs on RAW264.7 detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method. The results showed that the average particle size and zeta potential of APS-SPIONs were (82.93 ± 1.47) nm and (-24.00 ± 0.47) mV. Polysaccharide and Fe content were 8.69% and 7.04%, respectively. APS-SPIONs effectively induced the polarization of RAW264.7 into M1 type in vitro, improving the anti-tumor ability of macrophages in a co-culture system, without effecting the proliferation of macrophages. Our study provides a drug development strategy and preliminary research results to educate macrophages and reshape the tumor immune microenvironment to achieve tumor-killing effects.

Screening of active components and preliminary mechanism exploration of Lycii Fructus for improving osteoporosis based on the zebrafish model / 药学学报

Juvenile zebrafish were used to screen the active components of Lycii Fructus for improving osteoporosis. The screening results were further verified by zebrafish adult osteoporosis model and the action mechanism was explored. Prednisolone was used as the inducer to build osteoporosis models of juvenile and adult zebrafish, and 9 groups of samples of different extracts and chemical parts of Lycii Fructus were given. Alizarin red staining was applied for observing the scale matrix mineralization and bone resorption. The activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts were detected using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP/TRACP) staining. The expressions of bone metabolism-related genes alp, osteoprotectin (opn), osteoblast specific transcription factor (sp7), cathepsin K (ctsk), tracp, and Runt family transcription factor 2b (runx2b) in each group were determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that all components of Lycii Fructus improved the formation area of the first vertebrae, the staining light density value, and the number of vertebrae joints in juvenile zebrafish and the Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) treatment group exerted the best effect. In addition, LBP prevented the formation of bone resorption lacunae in zebrafish scales, increased ALP activity, decreased TRAP activity, up-regulated the alp, sp7, and opn genes, and lowered the expressions of ctsk and tracp genes. In conclusion, LBP regulated the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, reduced bone resorption, promoted bone formation and enhanced bone density, which might be the main anti-osteoporosis active fraction of Lycii Fructus. This study provided modern scientific evidence for the scientific connotation of the traditional effect of "strengthening bones and muscles" of Lycii Fructus, provided the reference for the evaluation of the anti-osteoporosis activity of traditional Chinese medicine based on zebrafish adult model, and provided beneficial enlightenment for the bone health needs of the aging society population.

Regulation of Immune Function of Cyclophosphamide-induced Immunosuppressed Mice by Five Plant Polysaccharides： A Network Meta-analysis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo compare the regulatory effects of five plant polysaccharides on immune function of cyclophosphamide （CTX）-induced immunosuppressed mice by network Meta-analysis， to provide evidence for the clinical application of polysaccharides and the development of effective polysaccharides and oligosaccharides. MethodSeven databases including PubMed， Embase and Web of Science were searched， and studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the risk of bias tool of Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation （SYRCLE）， and the data were analyzed using RStudio and StataSE 17. ResultA total of 62 randomized controlled trials （RCTs） were included， involving 1 512 mice and five plant polysaccharides： Astragalus polysaccharide （APS）， lentinan （LNT）， Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide （GLP）， Poria cocos polysaccharide （PCC）， and Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide （CPP）. The network Meta-analysis showed that APS ranked first in increasing spleen index （mean deviation （MD）=3.54， 95% confidence interval （CI） ［2.10， 5.96］）， thymus index （MD=1.98， 95%CI ［1.55， 2.54］） and T helper cells （CD4+）/T suppressor cells （CD8+） （MD=1.63， 95%CI ［1.13， 2.37］）， while CPP ranked first in up-regulating the number of peripheral blood leukocytes （MD=24.16， 95%CI ［8.21， 71.12］）， macrophage phagocytosis index （MD=2.52， 95%CI ［1.32， 4.82］） and immunoglobulin M （IgM） content （MD=1.79， 95%CI ［1.12， 2.85］）. ConclusionAll the five plant polysaccharides can regulate the immune function of immunosuppressed mice. Among them， APS has advantages in elevating spleen index， thymus index and CD4+/CD8+， while CPP focuses on increasing the number of peripheral blood leukocytes， macrophage phagocytosis index and IgM content. Due to limited number and quality of included studies， the conclusions needs to be further verified with large samples and high-quality studies.

Relationship between immune regulation and structure of polysaccharides / 中国中药杂志

Polysaccharides have significant immunomodulatory activity and have good development value in food and medicine fields. At present, there are many studies on the chemical structure and immune activity of polysaccharides, but the relationship between them of polysaccharides has not been fully explained, which limits the further development and utilization of polysaccharide resources. The immune activity of polysaccharides is closely related to their own structure. This paper systematically summarized the relationship between the relative molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, glycosidic bond types, chemical modification, and advanced conformation of polysaccharides and the immune regulation, aiming to provide references for the profound study of polysaccharide structure-activity relationship and utilization of polysaccharides.

Potentilla anserina polysaccharide alleviates cadmium-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis of H9c2 cells by regulating the MG53-mediated RISK pathway / 中国天然药物

Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in cadmium (Cd)-induced myocardial injury. Mitsugumin 53 (MG53) and its mediated reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) pathway have been demonstrated to be closely related to myocardial oxidative damage. Potentilla anserina L. polysaccharide (PAP) is a polysaccharide with antioxidant capacity, which exerts protective effect on Cd-induced damage. However, it remains unknown whether PAP can prevent and treat Cd-induced cardiomyocyte damages. The present study was desgined to explore the effect of PAP on Cd-induced damage in H9c2 cells based on MG53 and the mediated RISK pathway. For in vitro evaluation, cell viability and apoptosis rate were analyzed by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Furthermore, oxidative stress was assessed by 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining and using superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) kits. The mitochondrial function was measured by JC-10 staining and ATP detection assay. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of proteins related to MG53, the RISK pathway, and apoptosis. The results indicated that Cd increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in H9c2 cells. Cd decreased the activities of SOD and CAT and the ratio of GSH/GSSG, resulting in decreases in cell viability and increases in apoptosis. Interestingly, PAP reversed Cd-induced oxidative stress and cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, Cd reduced the expression of MG53 in H9c2 cells and inhibited the RISK pathway, which was mediated by decreasing the ratio of p-AktSer473/Akt, p-GSK3βSer9/GSK3β and p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2. In addition, Cd impaired mitochondrial function, which involved a reduction in ATP content and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and an increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, cytoplasmic cytochrome c/mitochondrial cytochrome c, and Cleaved-Caspase 3/Pro-Caspase 3. Importantly, PAP alleviated Cd-induced MG53 reduction, activated the RISK pathway, and reduced mitochondrial damage. Interestingly, knockdown of MG53 or inhibition of the RISK pathway attenuated the protective effect of PAP in Cd-induced H9c2 cells. In sum, PAP reduces Cd-induced damage in H9c2 cells, which is mediated by increasing MG53 expression and activating the RISK pathway.

Platycodon grandiflorus polysaccharide regulates colonic immunity through mesenteric lymphatic circulation to attenuate ulcerative colitis / 中国天然药物

Platycodon grandiflorus polysaccharide (PGP) is one of the main components of P. grandiflorus, but the mechanism of its anti-inflammatory effect has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of PGP on mice with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) and explore the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that PGP treatment inhibited the weight loss of DSS-induced UC mice, increased colon length, and reduced DAI, spleen index, and pathological damage within the colon. PGP also reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibited the enhancement of oxidative stress and MPO activity. Meanwhile, PGP restored the levels of Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cell-related cytokines and transcription factors in the colon to regulate colonic immunity. Further studies revealed that PGP regulated the balance of colonic immune cells through mesenteric lymphatic circulation. Taken together, PGP exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effect and regulates colonic immunity to attenuate DSS-induced UC through mesenteric lymphatic circulation.

Comparative chemical characters of Pseudostellaria heterophylla from geographical origins of China / 中草药·英文版

OBJECTIVE@#Pseudostellaria heterophylla has been paid more attention in recent years, mainly as a medicine food homology plant. The content determination of P. heterophylla is not specified in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (version 2020). The environmental conditions in different production areas could exert an influence on the quality of P. heterophylla. The purpose of this study is to discriminate P. heterophylla collected from different geographical origins of China.@*METHODS@#In this study, the content of polysaccharide in 28 batches of P. heterophylla was determined using phenol-sulfuric acid. HPLC fingerprints were established under optimised HPLC-PDA methods. Subsequently, the similarity analysis (SA) and the quantification of heterophyllin B were analyzed. The metabolites of P. heterophylla were identified and evaluated using UHPLC-Q Exactive HF orbitrap MS system. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and orthogonal PLS-DA (OPLS-DA) were performed based on all peak areas.@*RESULTS@#The polysaccharide content in Guizhou and Jiangsu was higher than that of other production areas, which varied significant from different origins. While the content of heterophyllin B in Anhui and Jiangsu was high. The correlation coefficients of HPLC fingerprints for 28 batches samples ranged from 0.877 to 0.990, and the characteristic map can be used to identify and evaluate the quality of P. heterophylla. The samples from Fujian, Guizhou, Jiangsu provinces can be relatively separated using multivariate statistical analysis including PCA, PLS-DA, HCA, OPLS-DA, indicating that their metabolic compositions were significantly different. Ultimately, a total of 15 metabolites which were filtrated by a VIP-value > 1 and a P-value < 0.05 associated with the separation of different origins were identified.@*CONCLUSION@#HPLC fingerprint was established to evaluate the quality and authenticity of P. heterophylla. The present work showed that the difference of geographic distributions had an influence on the internal chemical compositions. A sensitive and rapid untargeted metabolomics approach by UHPLC-Q Exactive HF orbitrap MS was utilized to evaluate P. heterophylla from different origins in China for the first time. Overall, this study provides insights to metabolomics of P. heterophylla and supplies important reference values for the development of functional foods.

Modulating effects of Astragalus polysaccharide on immune disorders via gut microbiota and the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in rats with syndrome of dampness stagnancy due to spleen deficiency / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

The syndrome of dampness stagnancy due to spleen deficiency (DSSD) is relatively common globally. Although the pathogenesis of DSSD remains unclear, evidence has suggested that the gut microbiota might play a significant role. Radix Astragali, used as both medicine and food, exerts the effects of tonifying spleen and qi. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) comprises a macromolecule substance extracted from the dried root of Radix Astragali, which has many pharmacological functions. However, whether APS mitigates the immune disorders underlying the DSSD syndrome via regulating gut microbiota and the relevant mechanism remains unknown. Here, we used DSSD rats induced by high-fat and low-protein (HFLP) diet plus exhaustive swimming, and found that APS of moderate molecular weight increased the body weight gain and immune organ indexes, decreased the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and endotoxin, and suppressed the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-‍κB (TLR4/NF-‍κB) pathway. Moreover, a total of 27 critical genera were significantly enriched according to the linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe). APS increased the diversity of the gut microbiota and changed its composition, such as reducing the relative abundance of Pseudoflavonifractor and Paraprevotella, and increasing that of Parasutterella, Parabacteroides, Clostridium XIVb, Oscillibacter, Butyricicoccus, and Dorea. APS also elevated the contents of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Furthermore, the correlation analysis indicated that 12 critical bacteria were related to the body weight gain and immune organ indexes. In general, our study demonstrated that APS ameliorated the immune disorders in DSSD rats via modulating their gut microbiota, especially for some bacteria involving immune and inflammatory response and SCFA production, as well as the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. This study provides an insight into the function of APS as a unique potential prebiotic through exerting systemic activities in treating DSSD.

Polysaccharide isolated from wax apple suppresses ethyl carbamate-induced oxidative damage in human hepatocytes / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Wax apple (Syzygium samarangense) has received growing research interest for its high nutritional and medicinal value due to its constituents such as polysaccharide, organic acids, flavonoids, minerals, and other substances. In this study, wax apple polysaccharide (WAP) was isolated from this plant and its protective effect against ethyl carbamate (EC)‍-induced oxidative damage was evaluated in human hepatocytes (L02 cells). Firstly, a series of analyses such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were conducted to identify the structure of WAP. Thereafter, in vitro cell experiments were performed to verify the protective effects of WAP against EC-induced cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and oxidative damage in L02 cells. Our results revealed that WAP is composed of mannose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, arabinose, and fucose in a molar ratio of 2.20:‍3.94:‍4.45:‍8.56:‍8.86:‍30.82:‍39.78:‍1.48. Using a combination of methylation and NMR spectroscopic analysis, the primary structure of WAP was identified as Araf-(1→, Glcp-(1→, →2)‍-Araf-(1→, →3)‍-Galp-(1→, →3)‍-Araf-‍(1→, and →6)‍-Galp-‍(1→. Cell experiments indicated that WAP exhibited significant protective effects on EC-treated L02 cells via suppressing cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and O2•- formation, as well as improving mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and glutathione (GSH). In a nutshell, WAP has the potential as an important therapeutic agent or supplement for hepatic oxidative damage. Meanwhile, further studies are needed to prove the above effects in vivo at the biological and clinical levels.

Bletilla striata polysaccharide improves toxic and side effects induced by 5-FU: an untargeted metabolomics study / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to analyze the effect of Bletilla striata polysaccharide(BSP) on endogenous metabolites in serum of tumor-bearing mice treated with 5-fluorouracil(5-FU) by untargeted metabolomics techniques and explore the mechanism of BSP in alleviating the toxic and side effects induced by 5-FU. Male BALB/C mice were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a 5-FU group, and a 5-FU + BSP group, with eight mice in each group. Mouse colon cancer cells(CT26) were transplanted into the mice except for those in the normal group to construct the tumor-bearing mouse model by subcutaneous injection, and 5-FU chemotherapy and BSP treatment were carried out from the second day of modeling. The changes in body weight, diarrhea, and white blood cell count in the peripheral blood were recorded. The mice were sacrificed and sampled when the tumor weight of mice in the model group reached approximately 1 g. TUNEL staining was used to detect the cell apoptosis in the small intestine of each group. The proportions of hematopoietic stem cells and myeloid progenitor cells in bone marrow were measured by flow cytometry. Five serum samples were selected randomly from each group for untargeted metabolomics analysis. The results showed that BSP was not effective in inhibiting colon cancer in mice, but diarrhea, leukopenia, and weight loss caused by 5-FU chemotherapy were significantly improved after BSP intervention. In addition, apoptotic cells decreased in the small intestinal tissues and the percentages of hematopoietic stem cells and myeloid progenitor cells in bone marrow were significantly higher after BSP treatment. Metabolomics results showed that the toxic and side effects of 5-FU resulted in significant decrease in 29 metabolites and significant increase in 22 metabolites in mouse serum. Among them, 19 disordered metabolites showed a return to normal levels in the 5-FU+BSP group. The results of pathway enrichment indicated that metabolic pathways mainly involved pyrimidine metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Therefore, BSP may ameliorate the toxic and side effects of 5-FU in the intestinal tract and bone marrow presumably by regulating nucleotide synthesis, inflammatory damage, and hormone production.

Immune regulation mechanism of Saposhnikoviae Radix polysaccharide based on zebrafish model / 中国中药杂志

The immunomodulatory effect of Saposhnikoviae Radix polysaccharide(SRP) was evaluated based on the zebrafish mo-del, and its mechanism was explored by transcriptome sequencing and real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR). The immune-compromised model was induced by navelbine in the immunofluorescence-labeled transgenic zebrafish Tg(lyz: DsRed), and the effect of SRP on the density and distribution of macrophages in zebrafish was evaluated. The effect of SRP on the numbers of macrophages and neutrophils in wild-type AB zebrafish was detected by neutral red and Sudan black B staining. The content of NO in zebrafish was detected by DAF-FM DA fluorescence probe. The content of IL-1β and IL-6 in zebrafish was detected by ELISA. The differentially expressed genes(DEGs) of zebrafish in the blank control group, the model group, and the SRP treatment group were analyzed by transcriptome sequencing. The immune regulation mechanism was analyzed by Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment, and the expression levels of key genes were verified by RT-qPCR. The results showed that SRP could significantly increase the density of immune cells in zebrafish, increase the number of macrophages and neutrophils, and reduce the content of NO, IL-1β, and IL-6 in immune-compromised zebrafish. The results of transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that SRP could affect the expression level of immune-related genes on Toll-like receptor pathway and herpes simplex infection pathway to affect the release of downstream cytokines and interferon, thereby completing the activation process of T cells and playing a role in regulating the immune activity of the body.

Effects of different drying methods on quality of male flowers of Eucommia ulmoides based on color and chemical composition / 中国中药杂志

To study the effects of different drying methods on the quality of male flowers of Eucommia ulmoides(MFOEU), we treated fresh MFOEU samples with drying in the shade(DS), vacuum freeze drying(VFD), high-or low-temperature hot air drying(HTHAD, LTHAD), microwave drying(MD), and vacuum drying(VD), respectively. The color, total flavonoid content, total polysaccharide content, and main active components such as geniposide, geniposidic acid, rutin, chlorogenic acid, galuteolin, pinoresinol diglucoside, and aucubin in MFOEU were taken as the evaluation indicators. The quality of MFOEU was comprehensively evaluated by entropy weight method combined with color index method, partial least squares discriminant analysis and content clustering heat map. The experimental results showed that VFD and DS basically kept the original color of MFOEU. The MFOEU treated with MD had higher content of total polysaccharides, phenylpropanoids, lignans, and iridoids. The MFOEU treated with LTHAD had higher content of total flavonoids and that treated with VD had lower content of active components. According to the results of comprehensive evaluation, the quality of MFOEU dried with different methods followed the order of MD>HTHAD>VFD>LTHAD>DS>VD. Considering the color of MFOEU, the suitable drying methods were DS and VFD. Considering the color, active components, and economic benefits of MFOEU, MD was the suitable drying method. The results of this study are of a reference value for the determination of suitable methods for MFOEU processing in the producing areas.

Effect of Wine Processing on Odour Formation of Polygonatum cyrtonema Rhizoma by GC-MS / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveBy exploring the volatile components， polysaccharide composition and changes in the contents of five carbohydrate components of Polygonatum cyrtonema rhizoma before and after processing， and then the effect of yellow rice wine on the odour formation of P. cyrtonema rhizoma was investigated. MethodThe volatile components of P. cyrtonema rhizoma before and after processing were detected by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS）， and sample data were subjected to principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） using SIMCA 14.1， then the differences between these components of P. cyrtonema rhizoma before and after processing were screened according to the principle of variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1. Crude carbohydrate components in raw and wine-processed P. cyrtonema rhizoma were subjected to oxime and silylation， the carbohydrate components were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS/MS）， and the relative contents of various components were calculated by peak area normalization， then quantitative analysis of four carbohydrate components was also carried out. ResultA total of 23 volatile components were identified from the raw products and the wine-processed products， including 15 components in raw products and 20 components in wine-processed products. Among them， 2-methylbutyraldehyde and isovaleraldehyde had a sweet odor and their contents increased after processing， but the contents of hexanal and caproic acid decreased， new components such as 2-acetylfuran and 5-methylfuranal were produced after processing. PCA and OPLS-DA results showed that there were significant differences between raw products and the wine-processed products， a total of 13 differential compounds were screened out， of which 7 showed an upward trend in relative content and 6 showed a downward trend. A total of 7 carbohydrate components， including 5 monosaccharides and 2 disaccharides， were identified in raw products and the wine-processed products. The results of determination showed that the contents of fructose， glucose， mannose and sucrose in P. cyrtonema rhizoma increased after wine-processing， and their increases were 4.54， 1.51， 2.93， 3.66 times， respectively. ConclusionAfter processing， the increase of aromatic flavor of P. cyrtonema rhizoma may be related to the increase of the contents of aldehydes such as 2-methylbutyraldehyde and isovaleraldehyde， while the decrease of raw flavor may be related to the decrease of the contents of volatile components such as hexanal and hexanoic acid， the increase of sweet flavor may be related to the increase of the contents of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides such as fructose and sucrose.

Evaluation of the physicochemical properties of alkali-soluble polysaccharide from Poria and its application in diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets / 药学学报

In this study, alkali-soluble polysaccharide was extracted from Poria residue, and the structure of alkali-soluble polysaccharide was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The physical morphology of alkali-soluble polysaccharide and ethyl cellulose (EC) was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the focus on angle of repose, bulk density, tapped density, Carr index, interparticle porosity, cohesion index, Hausner ratio, etc. The physical fingerprints were drawn, and the powder properties were evaluated by multivariate analysis. Diclofenac sodium extended-release tablets were prepared by direct compression method using alkali-soluble polysaccharide and EC as insoluble backbone materials to evaluate the basic properties of the extended-release tablets, investigate the in vitro drug release behavior and study the release mechanism. The results showed that alkali-soluble polysaccharide is a semi-crystalline polymer with smooth lamellar structure, and its stacking and compressibility are stronger than EC. The in vitro release experiments showed that the slow release performance of alkali-soluble polysaccharide is stronger than EC, and the release behavior of the prepared slow release tablets is in accordance with the Higuchi model. The pore structure is formed inside the tablets during the release process, and the release mode is pore diffusion release. The results of this study are of great significance for the development of new slow-release materials and the rational use of resources.

Based on the macromolecules in traditional Chinese medicine exploring the material basis and mechanism of the analgesic effect of Shaoyao Gancao Decoction / 药学学报

In order to study the analgesic effect of Shaoyao Gancao Decoction, this paper discussed material basis and mechanism from the perspective of macromolecules in traditional Chinese medicine. Inspired by the phenomenon of turbidity after boiling Chinese medicine, this experiment took Shaoyao Gancao Decoction as the research object to study the formation process of precipitation during boiling. The results showed that aggregates with a certain shape were formed in the solvent during the boiling process, and the precipitate was obtained by standing and centrifuging. Analysis found that the precipitation was mainly composed of small molecules such as paeoniflorin, albiflorin, liquiritin, glycyrrhizic acid, isoliquiritin and gallic acid, and macromolecules such as protein and polysaccharide. The composition of precipitate was consistent with that of Shaoyao Gancao Decoction, but the analgesic effect of Shaoyao Gancao Decoction after removing the precipitate was significantly reduced. Based on these results, we isolated small molecular compounds, polysaccharides and protein from Shaoyao Gancao Decoction and their contents are 60.4, 700.7 and 207.2 mg·g-1 respectively. We get the ratio, polysaccharide: small molecule = 11.6∶1, protein: small molecule = 3.4∶1, the precipitate is prepared in the state of boiling. The characterization results showed that the particle size of the precipitate will change significantly after co-heating, and the content determination results showed that the content of the six small molecular compounds which was free in solvent was significantly reduced after the formation of the precipitate. The acetic acid writhing experiment proved that the precipitate has a good analgesic effect, and effectively reduced the levels of inflammatory factors prostaglandin E2 and nitric oxide, and increased the level of anti-inflammatory factor interleukin-10. These results proved that the precipitate in Shaoyao Gancao Decoction is an important material basis for analgesic effect, and macromolecules such as protein and polysaccharide are the main components of the precipitate. The study of macromolecules in the precipitate of Shaoyao Gancao Decoction not only provides new ideas and methods for elucidating the pharmacodynamic material basis of Shaoyao Gancao Decoction, but also provides a reference for analyzing the scientificity of traditional decoction.