Molecular basis and mechanism of action of Albizia julibrissin in depression treatment and clinical application of its formulae / 中草药·英文版

Albizzia julibrissin is empirically used as an antidepressant in clinical practice. Preclinical studies have indicated that its total extracts or bioactive constituents exerted antidepressant-like responses in animal models, providing the molecular basis to reveal its underlying mechanism of action. While attempts have been made to understand the antidepressant effect of A. julibrissin, many fundamental questions regarding its mechanism of action remain to be addressed at the molecular and systems levels. In this review, we conclusively discussed the mechanism of action of A. julibrissin and A. julibrissin formulae by reviewing recent preclinical and clinical studies conducted by using depressive animal models and depressive patients. Several representative bioactive constituents and formulae were highlighted as examples, and their mechanisms of action were discussed. In addition, some representative A. julibrissin formulae that have been shown to be compatible with conventional antidepressants in clinical practice were also reviewed. Furthermore, we discussed the future research directions to reveal the underlying mechanism of A. julibrissin at the molecular and systems levels in depression treatment. The integrated study using both the molecular and systematic approaches is required not only for improving our understanding of its molecular basis and mechanisms of action, but also for providing a way to discover novel agents or approaches for the effective and systematic treatment of depression.

Efficacy of Albizia julibrissin total saponins against Trichinella spiralis in mice / 中国人兽共患病学报

We investigated the therapeutic effect of Albizia julibrissin total saponins on mice infected with Trichinella spiralis.Thirty-six ICR mice infected with Trichinella spiralis were randomly divided into 6 groups (each mouse infected with 300 T.spiralis),6 mice in each.Group Ⅰ:infected non-treated group (intestinal phase);group Ⅱ..received Albizia julibrissin total saponins group (intestinal phase);group Ⅲ:received albendazole group (intestinal phase);group Ⅳ:infected nontreated group (muscular phase);group Ⅴ:received Albizia julibrissin total saponins group (muscular phase);group Ⅵ:received albendazole group (muscular phase).Mice of Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ group were administered on the second days post-infection(dpi) and continued for 3 days.Mice in these groups were sacrificed 7th dpi and adult worms recovered from the small intestine were counted.Mice of Ⅳ,Ⅴ,Ⅵ group were administered on the 7th dpi and continued for 14 d.The mice were sacrificed on 40th dpi,and the muscle larvae were counted.HE staining counts muscle larvae and the expression of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α and COX-2 in the diaphragm were detected by immunohistochemistry.Results showed that the number of adult worms and larva in groups received Albizia julibrissin total saponins and albendazole were significantly lower than that of infected non-treated group (P＜0.01).The worms reduction rate was 70.34％ and 80.02％ respectively,and the larva were 65.60％ and 90.66％ respectively.Results of HE staining showed the number of encysted larval and the expression of inflammatory cell were significantly reduced.The expression of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α and COX-2 was decreased in drug-treated groups.In conclusion,the total saponins of Albizia julibrissin showed adequate efficacy on Trichinella spiralis adults and encapsulated larva.Although the effect is slightly inferior to albendazole,as traditional Chinese medicine extract,it is less toxic.

Anti-tumor target identification and molecular mechanism study of total saponins from Albizia julibrissin / 中国中药杂志

Dried stem bark from Albizia julibrissin(AJ) is a common traditional Chinese herb with several therapy effects including insomnia, anxiety and anti-tumor. Recently, the anti-tumor effect and mechanism studies of AJ have drawn much attention; however, there are still some troubles in chemical composition separation, which leads to the difficulties in pharmacological research of AJ. In this study, we firstly confirmed the proliferation inhibitory effect of total saponins from AJ(TSAJ)on human hepatocarcinoma(HepG2) cells, and also tested the apoptosis induction effect of TSAJ. Then, we successfully captured the potential target proteins from HepG2 lysates by using TSAJ-modified solid beads, and identified the target proteins by LC-MS/MS. Finally, we confirmed 5 target proteins including Exportin-2, Beta-actin-like protein 2, Myosin-9, Protein transport protein Sec61 subunit beta,and Cytochrome c oxidase copper chaperone, which are responsible forcell apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation andmigration. In summary, our findings elucidate the potential anti-tumor mechanism of TSAJ from the direct target proteins, and provide a new insight for exploring the pharmacological mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.

Optimization of Extraction Process for Albizia julibrissin in Baijin Capsule by Orthogonal Test / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To optimize the extraction process of Albizia julibrissin in Baijin Capsule. Methods Using the extraction rate of quercitrin and total flavonoids as indexes, the orthogonal design was used to investigate effects of solvent volume, extraction time and extraction frequency on extraction results. Results The optimal extracting condition was as follows:extracted 2 times with 12 fold 70%alcohol, 2 h for each time. Conclusion The optimized process condition was simple, stable and feasible. It provides the basis for the production of Baijin Capsule.

A new triterpenoid saponin julibroside J_(24) from the stem bark of Albiza julibrissin / 北京大学学报(医学版)

Objective:To separate chemical and active constituents from the stem bark of Albiza julibrissin . Methods:Chromatography and spectral methods were used. Results:3 O ? D xylopyranosyl (1→2) ? L arabinopyranosyl (1→6) ? D glucopyranosyl 21 O {(6 S) 2 trans 2 hydroxymethyl 6 methyl 6 O [3 O (6 S ) 2 trans 2 hydroxymethyl 6 methyl 6 hydroxy 2,7 octadienoyl) ? D xylopyranosyl] 2,7 octadienoyl} acacic acid 28 O ? D glucopyranosyl (1→3) [? L arabinofuranosyl (1→4)] ? L rhamnopyranosyl (1→2) ? D glucopyranosyl ester (1) was separated and identified. Conclusion: Compound 1 is a new saponin named as Julibroside J 24 .