Simulation Analysis of Occupancy Rates of Baicalein， Quercetin and Galangin on Target Sites of Xanthine Oxidase / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To simulate the occupancy rates of baicalein， quercetin and galangin on the target sites of xanthine oxidase <italic>in vivo</italic>. Method:In this experiment， the half inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀） of febuxostat， baicalein， quercetin and galangin against xanthine oxidase were determined by <italic>in vitro</italic> enzymatic reaction. Binding free energy was predicted by molecular docking technology and their association rate constant （k_on） and dissociation rate constant （k_off） were determined by surface plasmon resonance technology. Based on measured binding kinetic parameters （k_on and k_off） and extracted pharmacokinetic data， the target occupancy model <italic>in vivo</italic> was established. Result:The IC₅₀values of febuxostat， baicalein， quercetin and galangin were 0.002 7， 1.63， 0.38， 1.59 µmol·L^-1， respectively. The IC₅₀ of febuxostat was very close to that reported in the literature. The predicted curve of target occupancy rate <italic>in vivo</italic> of febuxostat was consistent with its duration of clinical efficacy. When single intragastric administration of long-circulating liposomes of quercetin with dose of 100 mg·kg^-1 in rats， the time of target occupancy rate >70% <italic>in vivo</italic> lasted for about 3.9 h. When rats were orally administered baicalein and galangin with dose of 200 mg·kg^-1， the time of target occupancy rate >50% <italic>in vivo </italic>lasted for about 10 h and 1.7 h， respectively. Conclusion:The prediction model of xanthine oxidase target occupancy constructed by drug target binding kinetics and <italic>in vivo</italic> pharmacokinetic curves can effectively evaluate the <italic>in vivo</italic> inhibitory activity of compounds against the target.

Effects of Valeriana amurensis Roots and Rhizomes Extract and Its Active Constituents on Activities of Drug Metabolism Enzymes in Liver / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To evaluate the effects of Valeriana amurensis roots and rhizomes extract and its active constituents on the activities of six major cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes in human liver microsomes. Method::Coumarin, bupropion, tolbutamide, omeprazole, dextromethorphan and testosterone were used as probe substrates for CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4, respectively. Taking their specific metabolites of hydroxylation or demethylation (7-hydroxycoumarin, hydroxybupropion, 4-hydroxytolbutamide, 5-hydroxyomeprazole, dextromethorphan, 6β-hydroxytestosterone) as indicators of enzyme activities. The analytical indexes were used to establish an in vitro model of human liver microsomes of Cocktail probe substrates. This method was applied to evaluate the effects of V. amurensis roots and rhizomes extract and its active constituents on human liver microsomal enzymes. Result::The V. amurensis roots and rhizomes extract had different inhibitory effects on CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4, their half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were 87.49, 1.73, 68.29, 2.80 mg·L-1, respectively. Among the 9 lignans, (-)-massoniresinol-3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside had a moderate inhibitory effect on CYP2A6 with an IC50 value of 8.51 μmol·L-1, 8, 8′-dihydroxypinoresinol-4, 4′-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside had a moderate inhibitory effect on CYP2D6 with an IC50 value of 8.73 μmol·L-1, (+)-medioresinol-4, 4′-O-di-β-D-glucopyranoside had a moderate inhibitory effect on CYP2B6 and CYP2C9 with IC50 values of 5.41 μmol·L-1 and 8.20 μmol·L-1. Conclusion::The V. amurensis roots and rhizomes extract and its active constituents have inhibitory effects on liver CYP450 enzymes. Therefore, in the clinical study of new drugs, it is necessary to fully evaluate the risk of drug interactions caused by combination therapy.

Effect of Paiteling on HeLa Cell Proliferation and Metastasis Ability and PI3K/Akt Signal Transduction Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of Paiteling on the proliferation，metastasis and invasion of HeLa cells and relevant proteins of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway. Method:① HeLa cells were divided into blank group and Paiteling concentration gradient groups (3.906，2.604，1.953，1.563，1.302，1.116，0.977 g·L-1). After drug intervention for 24 h，the cell morphological changes were observed under microscope. The cell viability was measured by thiazole blue (MTT) colorimetry，and the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) of Paiteling on HeLa cells was calculated. ② HeLa cells were divided into blank group，cisplatin group (0.01 g·L-1)，Paiteling high-dose group (2.974 g·L-1)，Paiteling medium-dose group (1.487 g·L-1) and Paiteling low-dose group (0.991 g·L-1). Cell proliferation and toxicity test (CCK-8) method was used to detect the effect of Paiteling on the proliferation ability of HeLa cells，scratch test was used to detect cell migration，and invasion test (Transwell) was used to detect changes in cell invasion ability. ③ Inhibitor LY294002 group (0.006 g·L-1) was added. Western blot (WB) was used to detect the expressions of Paiteling on PI3K，Akt，recombinant human B-cell lymphoma factor-xl (Bcl-xl)，and B-cell lymphoma/leukemia associated D protein (Bad). Result:① Compared with the blank group，microscopic observation showed that the number of cells in the treatment group was significantly reduced, and the cell morphology was incomplete. MTT experiments showed that Paiteling has a significantly inhibitory effect on HeLa cell proliferation (P<0.01). The IC50 of Paiteling on HeLa cells was calculated as 2.974 g·L-1. ② The CCK-8 experiment showed that compared with the blank group，all the drug-treated groups had an inhibitory effect on HeLa cell proliferation at 24，36，48 h (P<0.01), compared with the cisplatin group，middle and low-dose Paiteling groups showed a reduced inhibitory effect on HeLa cell proliferation at each time point (P<0.01). The scratch test showed that，compared with the blank group，each drug-added group could inhibit the migration ability of HeLa cells (P<0.01)，and the cell migration rate of the high-dose Paiteling group was lower than that of the cisplatin group (P<0.05). Transwell experiments showed that compared with the blank group，the number of membranes permeated by HeLa cells in each drug-treated group was decreased (P<0.01)，and the number of membranes permeated in the middle and low-dose Paiteling groups was increased compared with the cisplatin group (P<0.01). ③ Western blot showed that compared with the blank group，the expression levels of PI3K，Bcl-xl，and Akt in the high，medium，and low-dose Paiteling groups and the LY294002 group decreased (P<0.05，P<0.01)，while the expression of Bad increased (P<0.01). Compared with the high-dose Paiteling group，the PI3K，Akt，and Bcl-xl protein expressions were increased in the low-dose Paiteling group (P<0.01)，whereas Bad expression was decreased (P<0.01). Conclusion:Paiteling can inhibit HeLa cell proliferation，metastasis and invasion ability in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner，which may be related to its effect on the expressions of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related proteins.

Study on Synthesis and Anti-tumor Activity of 6 Kinds of Tectorigenin Mannich Base Derivatives / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To conduct structural modification of tectorigenin to search for new compounds with anti-tumor activity. METHODS： Tectorigenin was used as a lead compound， and then added into amine reagents as ethanolamine， methylamine， ethylamine， dimethylamine， diethylamine， n-propylamine and formaldehyde solution. Tectorigenin Mannich base derivatives were synthesized by mannich reaction with as the lead compound. The structures of the derivatives were identified according to IR， UV， MS and NMR data. Solubility of tectorigenin and its derivatives were investigated by solubility test method. MTT assay was used to investigate the inhibitory effects of tectorigenin and its derivatives on the proliferation of human colon cancer cell line HCT116， human lung cancer cell line A549 and human hepatoma cell line HepG2， and half inhibitory concentration （IC50） was calculated. The inhibition rate of tectorigenin and its derivatives （100 mg/kg） on H22 hepatoma-bearing mice in vivo was studied. RESULTS： Totally of 6 kinds of tectorigenin mannich base derivatives were synthesized， such as 8-（N-hydroxyethyl）-methyleneamino-5，7，4′-trihydroxy-6-methoxyisoflavone， 8-（N-methyl）-methyleneamino-5，7，4′-trihydroxy-6- methoxyisoflavone， 8-（N， N-diethyl）-methyleneamino-5，7，4′-trihydroxy-6-methoxyisoflavone， 8-（N， N-dimethyl）-methyleneamino- 5，7，4′-trihydroxy-6-methoxyisoflavone， 8-（N-ethyl）-methyleneamino-5，7，4′-trihydroxy-6-methoxyisoflavone， 8-（N-propyl）- methyleneamino-5，7，4′-trihydroxy-6-methoxyisoflavone （compounds 1-6 in turn）. Compared with tectorigenin， the water solubility of six derivatives was significantly improved， and the solubility was 5-20 times higher than that of tectorigenin. IC50 of compounds 1， 3 and 5 to HCT116 cells were （34.82±3.27）， （16.21±4.13）， （33.12±3.25） μmol/L， which were stronger than that of tectorigenin [（45.23±5.74） μmol/L]； IC50 of compounds 1， 3 and 5 to A549 cells were （37.05±5.74）， （26.88±4.52）， （30.13±6.23） μmol/L， which were stronger than that of tectorigenin [（53.24±6.34） μmol/L]； IC50 of compounds 1， 3 and 5 to HepG2 cells were （23.74±1.45）， （18.96±2.34）， （30.95±2.87） μmol/L， which were stronger than that of tectorigenin [（48.98±2.58） μmol/L]. Compounds 1， 3 and 5 showed higher inhibition rates （55.51％， 57.20％ and 49.15％） than tectorigenin （33.05％） on H22 hepatoma-bearing mice， respectively. The other three compounds had no obvious advantage over tectorigenin in anti-tumor activity. CONCLUSIONS： In this study， compounds 1， 3 and 5 of six tectorigenin mannich base derivatives synthesized in this study have stronger antitumor activity than tectorigenin.

Effects of Bezafibrate and Fenofibrate on the Proliferation of Lung Adenocarcinoma PC- 9 Cells and the Expression of c-myc / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To study the effects of bezafibrate （BEZ） and fenofibrate （FEN） on the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma PC-9 cells and the expression of c-myc. METHODS： The effects of BEZ and FEN （12.5， 25， 50， 100， 200       μmol/L） on the survival rate of PC-9 cells were detected by CCK8 method. PC-9 cells were divided into administration group and control group. Administration group was given low， medium and high concentration （25， 50， 100 μmol/L） of BEZ and FEN； control group was treated with dimethyl sulfoxide for 48 h. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. qRT-PCR was used to detect mRNA relative expression of c-myc in cells. The protein relative expression of c-myc in cells were detected by Western blot assay. RESULTS： The survival rates of PC-9 cells were （80.76±3.2）％， （74.35±5.06）％， （62.8±1.23）％， （59.03±1.55）％， （39.8±1.01）％ under the action of above concentration of BEZ； and the survival rates of PC-9 cells were （74.46±1.30）％， （61.91±4.77）％， （48.95±2.8）％， （37.05±1.55）％， （32.49±1.36）％ under the action of FEN. Compared with control group， G1 phase cell ratio increased significantly in medium and high concentration groups of BEZ and FEN； the apoptotic rate of PC-9 cells was increased significantly in low， medium and high concentration groups of BEZ and FEN； mRNA and protein relative expression of c-myc were decreased significantly， with statistical significance （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS： BEZ and FEN can inhibit the proliferation of PC-9 cells， and down-regulate c-myc expression.

Investigation of Skin Irritation of Essential Oils from Interior-warming Medicines / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the skin irritation of essential oils(EOs) extracted from interior-warming medicines. Method:Three EOs from interior-warming medicines(Cinnamomi Cortex, Caryophylli Flos and Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma) were selected as research objects.The in vitro skin cytotoxicity and in vivo skin irritation of these EOs were determined and compared.Moreover, the skin irritation was also predicted by the novel skin test panels. Result:Toxicity of these three EOs to human skin fibroblasts(HSF) was significantly different, half-inhibitory concentration(IC50) values of EOs from Cinnamomi Cortex, Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma and Caryophylli Flos were (11.16±0.28), (53.33±1.71), (226.70±17.61) mg·L-1, respectively.However, in vivo skin irritation evaluation showed that the local toxicity of these three EOs was in the order of EO of Cinnamomi Cortex > EO of Caryophylli Flos > EO of Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma. The evaluation results of skin test panels for these three EOs were in accordance with the results of in vivo skin irritation evaluation. Conclusion:Toxicity of these three EOs against skin cells in vitro is inconsistent with their in vivo skin irritation. Skin test panels are expected to be able to accurately predict in vivo skin irritation of EOs instead of cytotoxicity evaluation.