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Objective: To investigate the protective effect of safflower yellow pigment (SYP) on diabetic (DM) retinal ganglion cells (RGC) by regulating p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Methods: Selected 50 rats and 40 of them were used to establish DM rat model by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. They were randomly divided into model group and safflower yellow pigment low, medium and high dose groups, and the remaining 10 rats was control group. Safflower yellow pigment low, medium and high dose groups were intraperitoneally injected with 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg of SYP. Model group and control group were intraperitoneally injected with the same amount of physiological saline solution for six weeks. The general state of the rats was observed, and the morphological changes of RGC were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and the number of RGC cells was counted. RGC apoptosis rate was detected by in situ apoptosis (TUNEL) method. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphorylated p38MAPK (p-p38MAPK) and cysteine-containing aspartate proteolytic enzyme-3 (Caspasae-3), vascular endothelial growth factor polyclonal antibody (VEGF), and protein expression ratio of p-p38/p38MAPK was compared. Results: All the rats survived during the experiment. There were no abnormalities in the rats in the control group. The blood glucose in the model group was higher, the diet and urine volume were larger, and the body weight was reduced. The safflower yellow pigment low, medium and high dose groups were better than the model group. Pathological observation showed that there were no abnormalities in the cells of the retina of the control group, while the RGC cells in the model group were disordered arranged and the nucleus were sparse, and the number of cells in the bipolar cell layer and the photoreceptor layer was reduced, and the arrangement was sparse. The abnormalities of RGC cells and outer bipolar cells in the safflower yellow pigment low, medium and high dose groups were significantly lower than those in the model group, and the high dose groups was the most obvious. There was significant difference in the number of RGC between groups (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the number of RGC in the model group was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), the apoptotic rate was significantly increased (P < 0.05), the levels of Caspase-3 and VEGF in the retina were significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the values of p-p38MAPK/p38MAPK were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, the number of RGC was increased significantly (P < 0.05), the apoptotic rate of RGC was decreased significantly (P < 0.05), the expression levels of Caspase-3, VEGF and protein in retina were decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and the value of p-p38MAPK/p38MAPK was decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and the differences among the dose groups were significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Safflower yellow pigment can protect RGC of DM rats by inhibiting p38MAPK signaling pathway, and reduce RGC apoptosis. The 80 mg/kg of SYP has the best protective effect.
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Objective: To study the physiological and biochemical characteristics of four dominant microorganisms and the yellow pigment content of Pinelliae Rhizoma Fermentata (PRF), and provide basis for exploring the mechanism of PRF processing. Methods: The optimum growth temperature and pH value of the four dominant microorganisms Bacillus subtilis, Paecilomyces variotii, Byssochlamys spectabilis, and Aspergillus niger were studied. The ability of producing acidase, amylase, protease, and yellow pigment were determined. The yellow pigment content of each sample at different fermentation time points in process of PRF was determined. Results: The most suitable growth temperatures for B. subtilis, P. variotii, B. spectabilis, and A. niger were 35 ℃, 29 ℃, 29-31 ℃, and 39 ℃; And the optimum pH were 7.0, 7.0, 7.5, and 7.0, respectively. Four kinds of microorganisms had the ability to produce amylase and protease. P. variotii and B. spectabilis had the ability to produce yellow pigment. The content of yellow pigment were 69.875, 69.875, 71.750, 119.500, and 137.875 μg/g in the samples at different time points. Conclusion: Four kinds of dominant microorganisms may play an important role in fermentation process of PRF.
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Objective To investigate the effect of safflower yellow pigment on plasma D-dimer (D-D) and β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) in ectopic pregnancy patients.Methods 96 patients with conservative treatment of ectopic pregnancy from April 2014 to April 2016 in our hospital were divided into control group and experimental group according to the method of drawing lots.The control group was treated with routine therapy, the experimental group was treated with safflower yellow pigment based on the control group.Pelvic mass disappearance time, D-D, β-HCG, vascular endothelial growth factor, carbohydrate antigen 125 and safety of the two groups were compared.Results The total effective rate of the experimental group(97.91%) was higher than that of the control group(83.33%),the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) .The time of disappearance of pelvic mass in the experimental group was shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05); the levels of VEGF and CA125 in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group ( P<0.05 ) .There was no difference in safety between the two groups. Conclusion Conventional therapy plus safflower yellow pigment can promote the absorption of pelvic mass and reduce the levels of plasma D-D and β-HCG in the conservative treatment of ectopic pregnancy.
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OBJECTIVE:To observe clinical efficacy and safety of safflower yellow pigment in the treatment of elderly pa-tients with diabetic nephropathy complicated with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS:A total of 102 elderly patients with dia-betic nephropathy complicated with acute myocardial infarction were selected from our hospital during Jan. 2013-Jun. 2015,and then divided into observation group(52 cases)and control group(50 cases)according to random number table. Control group was given routine treatment as anticoagulation,regulating blood lipid,controlling blood glucose and blood pressure. Observation group was additionally given Safflower yellow pigment for injection 150 mg added into 0.9% Sodium chloride injection 250 mL,ivgtt, qd,on the basis of control group. Both groups received treatment for 2 weeks. Clinical efficacies of 2 groups were observed. Renal function indexes(UMA,Scr,BUN,TC,TG),cardiac function indexes(EF,SV,CO,CI),inflammatory factors(CRP,IL-6, TNF-α)and hemorheological indexes(whole blood high-shear viscosity,whole blood low-shear viscosity,hematocrit,fibrinogen and platelet aggregation rate)were compared between 2 groups before and after treatment. The occurrence of ADR was recorded in 2 groups. RESULTS:Total response rate of observation group was 96.15%,which was significantly higher than 88.00% of control group,with statistical significance(P<0.05).Before treatment,there was no statistical significance in renal function indexes,cardiac function indexes,inflammatory factors or hemorheological indexes between 2 groups(P>0.05).After treatment,renal function index-es,inflammatory factors and hemorheological indexes of 2 groups were decreased significantly,while cardiac function indexes were in-creased significantly;above indicators of the observation group was significantly better than control group,with statistical significance (P<0.05).No obvious ADR was found in 2 groups.CONCLUSIONS:Safflower yellow pigment shows significant therapeutic effica-cy for elderly patients with diabetic nephropathy complicated with acute myocardial infarction,can significantly improve renal function and cardiac function,decrease inflammatory factor levels and improve hemorheological indexes with good safety.
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OBJECTIVE:To observe clinical efficacy and safety of safflower yellow pigment in the treatment of elderly pa-tients with diabetic nephropathy complicated with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS:A total of 102 elderly patients with dia-betic nephropathy complicated with acute myocardial infarction were selected from our hospital during Jan. 2013-Jun. 2015,and then divided into observation group(52 cases)and control group(50 cases)according to random number table. Control group was given routine treatment as anticoagulation,regulating blood lipid,controlling blood glucose and blood pressure. Observation group was additionally given Safflower yellow pigment for injection 150 mg added into 0.9% Sodium chloride injection 250 mL,ivgtt, qd,on the basis of control group. Both groups received treatment for 2 weeks. Clinical efficacies of 2 groups were observed. Renal function indexes(UMA,Scr,BUN,TC,TG),cardiac function indexes(EF,SV,CO,CI),inflammatory factors(CRP,IL-6, TNF-α)and hemorheological indexes(whole blood high-shear viscosity,whole blood low-shear viscosity,hematocrit,fibrinogen and platelet aggregation rate)were compared between 2 groups before and after treatment. The occurrence of ADR was recorded in 2 groups. RESULTS:Total response rate of observation group was 96.15%,which was significantly higher than 88.00% of control group,with statistical significance(P<0.05).Before treatment,there was no statistical significance in renal function indexes,cardiac function indexes,inflammatory factors or hemorheological indexes between 2 groups(P>0.05).After treatment,renal function index-es,inflammatory factors and hemorheological indexes of 2 groups were decreased significantly,while cardiac function indexes were in-creased significantly;above indicators of the observation group was significantly better than control group,with statistical significance (P<0.05).No obvious ADR was found in 2 groups.CONCLUSIONS:Safflower yellow pigment shows significant therapeutic effica-cy for elderly patients with diabetic nephropathy complicated with acute myocardial infarction,can significantly improve renal function and cardiac function,decrease inflammatory factor levels and improve hemorheological indexes with good safety.
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Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of safflower yellow injection in the treatment of sta-ble angina pectoris.Methods 70 patients with stable angina pectoris were selected and divided into observation group and control group by random number table method,35 cases in each group.The observation group used injection of safflower,and the control group used Xuesaitong.The effect was compared between the two groups.Results The total effective rate of the observation group was 94.3%,which was higher than 74.3% of the control group,the differ-ence was statistically significant(χ2 =5.285,P 0.05).Conclusion The injection of safflower yellow pigment in the treatment of stable angina pectoris has high safety.
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ABSTRACT Despite the complications in isolation of pigments, microbial pigments are increasingly gaining the attention of researchers because of their broad range therapeutic potentials, especially against cancer. In this study the cytotoxic and anti proliferative potentials of yellow pigment from Streptomyces griseoaurantiacus JUACT 01 isolated from soil are investigated. The effect of pigment treatment on the growth and proliferation of in vitro cervical cancer cells (HeLa) and liver cancer cells (Hep G2) was tested by various methods. Significant cytotoxicity was observed with IC 50 values as low as 1.5 and 1.8 µg /mL with HeLa and Hep G2 cells respectively. The pigment exhibited non toxic effects on human lymphocytes. Decrease in the number of viable cells, presence of apoptotic bodies, nuclear condensation and sheared DNA were distinctly observed in pigment treated cancer cells. The biochemical test and the infrared (IR) spectra indicated the probable carotenoid presence in the TLC purified pigment fraction. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the TLC purified yellow pigment showed a single large peak with a retention time of 9.90 min and m/z value corresponding to the peak was found to be 413.22 showing 100% relative abundance.
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Two new thiodiketopiperazines (TDKPs), designated graphiumins I (1) and J (2), were isolated from the culture broth of the marine-derived fungus Graphium sp. OPMF00224 by solvent extraction, silica gel column chromatography, and HPLC. Their absolute structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses (1D and 2D NMR data, ROESY correlations, and CD data) and chemical methods. They were found to be structurally rare TDKPs with a phenylalanine-derived indolin substructure. Compounds 1 and 2 inhibited yellow pigment production by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with IC50 values of 63.5 and 76.5 microg/ml, respectively, without inhibiting its growth, even at 250 microg/ml.
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Chromatography , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Fungi , Inhibitory Concentration 50 , Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus , Silica GelABSTRACT
The Monascus mutant with high yield of yellow pigment was obtained by using conventional relevant mutation techniques, e.g., treating with physical mutagens(such as UV light) and chemical sub- stances (such as N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine). The yellow pigment was scanned from 300 nm to 600 nm with UV spectrometer, the maximal absorption was determined at 410 nm. The growth characteristic of Monascus mutant is stable, the yellow pigment value and colour hue in liquid fermentation can reach 100 U/mL and 3.5 respectively. The yellow pigment is stable from pH 3 to pH 8, but the precipitation appeared as the pH of the pigment solution lower than 3.