Prediction of quality markers and medicinal value of sea buckthorn leaves based on network pharmacology, content determination, and activity evaluation / 中国中药杂志

The leaves of sea buckthorn(Hippophae rhamnoides), considered as common food raw materials, have records of medicinal use and diverse pharmacological activities, showing a potential medicinal value. However, the active substances in the sea buckthorn leaves and their mechanisms of action remain unclear. In addition, due to the extensive source and large variety variations, the quality evaluation criteria of sea buckthorn leaves remain to be developed. To solve the problems, this study predicted the main active components, core targets, key pathways, and potential pharmacological effects of sea buckthorn leaves by network pharmacology and molecular docking. Furthermore, ultra-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection(UPLC-DAD) was employed to determine the content of active components and establish the chemical fingerprint, on the basis of which the quality markers of sea buckthorn leaves were predicted and then verified by the enzyme activity inhibition method. The results indicated that sea buckthorn leaves had potential therapeutic effects on a variety of digestive tract diseases, metabolic diseases, tumors, and autoimmune diseases, which were consistent with the ancient records and the results of modern pharmacological studies. The core targets of sea buckthorn leaves included PTPN11, AKT1, PIK3R1, ESR1, and SRC, which were mainly involved in the PI3K-AKT, MAPK, and HIF-1 signaling pathways. In conclusion, the active components of sea buckthorn leaves are associated with the rich flavonoids and tannins, among which quercitrin, narcissoside, and ellagic acid can be used as the quality markers of sea buckthorn leaves. The findings provide a reference for the quality control and further development and utilization of sea buckthorn leaves as medicinal materials.

Effects of tetrandrine derivative HL-49 on biological property of Bloom DNA helicase / 中国药理学通报

Aim To study the effect of tetrandrine derivative HL-49 on the conformation and biological ac-tivity of Bloom helicase ( BLM ) , and to explore its antitumor mechanism.Methods The effect of HL-49 on the conformation of BLM helicase was studied by ultra- violet spectroscopy.The effects of HL-49 on DNA binding activity, DNA chain dissociation activity and ATPase activity of HL-49 on BLM DNA helicase were analyzed by fluorescence polarization and malachite green-ammonium phosphomolybdate colorimetric method.Results HL-49, a tetrandrine derivative, indirectly inhibited the ATPase activity of BLM DNA heli- case and DNA unwinding activity by reversible binding with DNA.The results of fluorescence polarization experiments showed that HL-49 could not affect the bind ing activity of BLM DNA helicase to DNA (dsDNA/ss- DNA) , but could bind to DNA in a concentration-de- pendent manner (P < 0.01).With the increase of HL- 49 concentration, the DNA unwinding ability of BLM DNA helicase decreased, and the Kobs value decreased gradually.The results of malachite green-ammonium phosphomolybdate colorimetry showed that HL-49 could significantly inhibit the ATPase activity of BLM DNA helicase.Conclusions HL49 can inhibit the ATPase activity and DNA unwinding activity of BLM DNA helicase by the reversible binding with DNA.

Material basis and mechanism of Huangqin Tea in prevention of colorectal cancer based on network pharmacology and molecular docking / 中国中药杂志

Colorectal cancer is a malignancy with high mortality. Huangqin Tea(HQT) can exert potential preventive and therapeutic effects on colorectal cancer. Flavonoids are the main compounds in HQT, but the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism are unclear. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to predict and analyze the targets and signaling pathways of HQT in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. The active components of flavonoids in HQT were searched and screened out by literature review and FAFDrugs4. The related targets of active components were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction, STITCH, and TCMSP. Colorectal cancer-related genes were collected from OMIM, TTD, and GeneCards. The common targets were obtained as the potential targets of HQT in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. Metascape was used for GO function enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. Cytoscape was used to construct the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network and "component-target-disease-pathway" network to obtained and analyze core targets and key components. AutoDock Vina was used for molecular docking verification of key components and core targets. The results showed that apigenin, luteolin, wogonin, and baicalein were presumedly the key active components in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer, and core targets included TP53, AKT1, VEGFA, PIK3 CA, and SRC. The key KEGG signaling pathways mainly involved PI3 K-AKT, AGE-RAGE, p53, NF-κB, Wnt, Hippo, and calcium signaling pathways. Further molecular docking results showed that four key components showed strong hydrogen bonding ability with the five core targets. This study preliminarily reveals the pharmacodynamic material basis and potential mechanism of HQT in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer and provides a theoretical and scientific basis for the application of HQT.

Withania somnifera: a kind of food-medicine plant popular in world in recent years / 中国中药杂志

Withania somnifera, also known as Indian ginseng, is an important traditional medicine in the Ayurvedic medical system of India, which has a significant effect of adaptation. Modern studies have shown that the main chemical components of W. somnifera are withanolides, which have antioxidant, anti-tumor, enhancing immunity, cardiovascular protection, neuroprotection, anti-stress, anti-stress reaction and hypoglycemic activities. Studies on human, animal, mutagenesis, genotoxicity, reproductive toxicity and drug interaction showed that W. somnifera had good safety. Clinical trials have proved that W. somnifera is effective in treating a variety of human diseases. As a famous traditional medicine and modern dietary supplement, it has a high reputation and market in the international health product market, but in China, there is little scientific research, market development, product introduction and application. In this paper, the traditional application, chemical composition, pharmacological activity, safety evaluation and clinical study of the plant were introduced, so as to increase the understanding of the dual use of the plant, and to provide reference for the future introduction of the product, the service to the health of the Chinese people and the promotion of the "double cycle" of the trade of health products between China and the international community.