Bibenzyls from Dendrobium officinale / 中国中药杂志

Fifteen bibenzyls were isolated and purified from the ethyl acetate extract of the stems of Dendrobium officinale by macroporous resin, MCI, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and ODS column chromatographies, as well as preparative thin-layer chromatography and preparative HPLC. The structures of compounds were identified according to the spectra data of ~1H-NMR, ~(13)C-NMR, and MS, and the physical and physiochemical properties: dendrocandin X(1), 3,4'-dihydroxy-4,5-dimethoxybibenzyl(2), 6″-de-O-methyldendrofindlaphenol A(3), 3,4-dihydroxy-4',5-dimethoxybibenzyl(4), dendrosinen B(5), 3,4,4'-trihydroxy-5-methoxybibenzyl(6), 3,3'-dihydroxy-4,5-dimethoxybibenzyl(7), 3,4'-dihydroxy-5-methoxybibenzyl(8), moscatilin(9), gigantol(10), 4,4'-dihydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybibenzyl(11), 3,4',5-trihydroxy-3'-methoxybibenzyl(12), 3-O-methylgigantol(13), dendrocandin U(14), and dendrocandin N(15). Compound 1 was a novel compound. Compound 2 was isolated from Dendrobium species for the first time. Compounds 3-7 were isolated from D. officinale for the first time.

Hydrogen rich water protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has indicated that low-concentration hydrogen or hydrogen rich water or hydrogen saturated saline exerts a protective effect on various diseases, such as myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effect of hydrogen rich water on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. METHODS: Forty-eight Wistar rats were equally randomized into control and hydrogen-rich groups, and then subdivided into ischemic preconditioning, ischemia, and ischemia/reperfusion groups (n=8 rats in each subgroup). The myocardial ischemia/reperfusion model was established in the heart of each rat by the following procedures: reverse perfusion for 10 minutes, room temperature for 20 minutes, and reperfusion for 20 minutes. The control rats was perfused with pre-oxygenated (95% O2plus 5% CO2) 37 ℃ K-R solution and the hydrogen-rich group was perfused with pre-oxygen-equilibrated (95% O2plus 5% CO2) 37 ℃ K-R solution plus hydrogen-rich water (0.6 mmol/L, pH=7.3). Subsequently, the heart was removed, the pathological changes of the myocardial tissues were observe by hematoxylin-eosin staining, the activities of lactic dehydrogenase and creatine kinase in the myocardial tissues were determined, and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β were detected by ELISA. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the control group, the activity of lactic dehydrogenase at the ischemic and ischemia/reperfusion stages was significantly higher than that at the ischemic preconditioning stage (P < 0.05), and the activity of creatine kinase at the ischemia/reperfusion stage was significantly higher than that at the ischemic preconditioning and ischemic stages (P < 0.05). In the hydrogen-rich group, there was no significant difference in the activities of lactic dehydrodenase and creatine kinase at each stage, but the activities of at the ischemia/reperfusion stage was significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In the two groups, the order of the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β was as follows: the ischemia/reperfusion stage > ischemic stage > ischemic preconditioning stage (P < 0.05). The levels of above factors in the hydrogen-rich group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Our findings imply that hydrogen rich water has protective effect on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury of the rat hearts in vitro,which may be by reducing the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β, and further alleviating the inflammatory response.

Update review of Passiflora / 中国中药杂志

Passiflora was a nourishing and healthy fruit grown in tropical and subtropical regions. Passiflora has been widely used to alleviate various diseases in the folk in tropical nations, especially as a treatment for insomnia and anxiety in Europe. The title plant had been used as antalgesic and downer from the beginning of the 20th century up to now. The demands of Passiflora and its extract have been increasing. Therefore, comprehensive utilization of this plant is necessary. This paper reviewed the progress in the study on the chemical composition, nutrient value, and pharmacological effect of the genus of Passiflora.