Quality status of Bombyx Batryticatus and suggestions for Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2025) / 中国中药杂志

To understand the current quality status and rearing situation of Bombyx Batryticatus, the authors collected 102 batches of Bombyx Batryticatus from different main producing areas and five major Chinese medicine markets from 2016 to 2018, and measured the properties and quality of the silk gland, to clarify the quality status of Bombyx Batryticatus from different producing areas and markets. In addition, 35 batches of Bombyx Batryticatus from 2019 to 2022 were used to verify the silk gland after revision. Moreover, Beauveria Bassiana was inoculated in the silkworm of 4-5 instars, and standardized rearing was carried out until they die. The death rate and the quality of Bombyx Batryticatus were measured to determine the differences in Bombyx Batryticatus of different instars, and explore the rationality of the infection age of Bombyx Batryticatus in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020). The results revealed that in the 102 batches of Bombyx Batryticatus, the qualification rate of silk gland was low; the content of total ash far exceeded the standard; the content of beauvericin varied greatly. The qualification rate of the silk gland of the 35 batches of Bombyx Batryticatus was only 47.49%, which could be increased to 73.00% if the number of silk gland was 2 to 4. The death rate of Bombyx Batryticatus at different infection ages was quite different, with uneven quality. Generally, the yield of Bombyx Batryticatus inoculated on the first day of the fifth instar was high with good quality. Therefore, in combination with the quality and actual production of Bombyx Batryticatus, the following suggestions were proposed for revision of Bombyx Batryticatus in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2025): The number of silk gland should be revised as 2-4 bright brown or bright black silk glands, after which, the quality of Bombyx Batryticatus could be guaranteed, and the "quality identification based on character" could also be reflected scientifically; the content determination index that the content of beauvericin shall not be less than 0.017% should be added to better control the quality of Bombyx Batryticatus; the infection age should be revised as the first day of the fifth instar to narrow the age span, which could better fit the actual production and ensure the quality of Bombyx Batryticatus.

Identification and Production of Beauvericin by Fusarium subglutinansand F. sacchari from Sugarcane

Abstract Fusarium is producing several important mycotoxins including beauvericin (BEA). Two species of Fusarium viz. F. subglutinans and F. sacchari cause the Pokkahboeng disease of sugarcane. The studies on the occurrence and toxicity of BEA are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the isolates of Fusarium and detect their ability to produce BEA. The toxicity of BEA was also tested on brine shrimp Artemia salina. Many isolates of Fusarium were isolated from the infected plants of sugarcane in Malaysia. We identified the species of Fusarium according to their morphological characteristics. The capability of Fusarium isolates for producing the BEA was estimated by using a thin layer chromatography. The toxicity bioassay of BEA was conducted on the brine shrimp larvae. The results were identified on F. subglutinans and F. sacchari in 55 isolates of Fusarium. All isolates demonstrated the ability to produce BEA. Interestingly, BEA exhibited variation in toxicity between low toxic to very higher toxicity 100%. F. subglutinans and F. sacchari were able to produce BEA and possibly BEA may be causing toxicity in the host tissue and may be acting as a potential pathogenicity factor. Therefore, we consider BEA as an interesting factor in determining the virulence of fusarium isolate.

Research progress on the contamination of beauvericin and enniatins and the development of analytical method in food / 中国食品卫生杂志

Classification,toxicity and determination method progress especially the pretreatment and limit of quantitation of beauvericin (BEA) and 4 main kinds of enniatins (ENNs) including enniatins A (ENA),enniatins A1 (ENA1),enniatins B (ENB) and enniatins B1 (ENB1) in food were introduced.The contamination levels of BEA,4 kinds of ENNs and their co-occurrence mycotoxins in food from Spain,Morocco,Italy,Japan and some other countries were analyzed.Establishment of high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) determination method for the complex food matrix was suggested.

Chemical Constituents from Mycelia and Spores of Fungus Cordyceps cicadae / 中草药·英文版

Objective To isolate and identify the chemical constituents from mycelia and spores of the fungus Cordyceps cicadae, respectively. Methods The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by repeated silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and reversed phase HPLC. The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR. Results Nine known sterols such as ergosterol (1), ergosterol peroxide (2), 9,11-dehydroergosterol peroxide (3), 3β,5α,9α-trihydroxy-(22E,24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (4), 3β,5α,9α,14α-tetrahydroxy-(22E, 24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (5), 5α,6α-epoxy-(22E,24R)-ergosta-8(14),22-diene-3β,7α-diol (6), 3β,5α,6β-(22E,24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-3,5,6-triol (7), 3β,5α,6α-6-methoxyergosta-(22E,24R)-7,22-diene-3,5-diol (8), 4-hydroxy-17R-methylincisterol (9), together with a resorcinol derivative, 5-n-nonadecylresorcinol (10), a cyclodesipeptide, beauvericin (11), and a nucleoside, N6-(2-hydroxyethyl)adenosine (12) were successively isolated from the cultivated C. cicadae mycelia and spores. Conclusion Compounds 3–10 are reported for the first time from the title sample, beauvericin exhibits significant cytotoxicity against human leukemia cell line and human lung cancer cell line.

Beauvericin, a cyclic peptide, inhibits inflammatory responses in macrophages by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway

Beauvericin (BEA), a cyclic hexadepsipeptide produced by the fungus Beauveria bassiana, is known to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial actions. However, how BEA suppresses macrophage-induced inflammatory responses has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we explored the anti-inflammatory properties of BEA and the underlying molecular mechanisms using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells. Levels of nitric oxide (NO), mRNA levels of transcription factors and the inflammatory genes inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and interleukin (IL)-1, and protein levels of activated intracellular signaling molecules were determined by Griess assay, semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), luciferase reporter gene assay, and immunoblotting analysis. BEA dose-dependently blocked the production of NO in LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells without inducing cell cytotoxicity. BEA also prevented LPS-triggered morphological changes. This compound significantly inhibited nuclear translocation of the NF-κB subunits p65 and p50. Luciferase reporter gene assays demonstrated that BEA suppresses MyD88-dependent NF-κB activation. By analyzing upstream signaling events for NF-κB activation and overexpressing Src and Syk, these two enzymes were revealed to be targets of BEA. Together, these results suggest that BEA suppresses NF-κB-dependent inflammatory responses by suppressing both Src and Syk.

Bioactive extracts and chemical constituents of two endophytic strains of Fusarium oxysporum

Ethyl acetate extracts of cultures grown in liquid Czapek and on solid rice media of the fungal endophyte Fusarium oxysporum SS46 isolated from the medicinal plant Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp.) H. Rob., Asteraceae, exhibited considerable cytotoxic activity when tested in vitro against human cancer cells. Chromatographic separation yielded anhydrofusarubin (1) and beauvericin (2) that were identified based on their ¹H and 13C NMR data. Compounds 1 and 2 showed the strongest cytotoxic activity against different cancer cell lines. Compound 2 also showed promising activity against Leishmania braziliensis. Hexanic extract of F. oxysporum SS50 grown on solid rice media also afforded a mixture of compounds that displayed cytotoxic activity against different cancer cell lines. Chemical analysis of the mixture of compounds, investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), showed that there was a predominance of methyl esters of fatty acids and alkanes.