Qianliexin capsule exerts anti-inflammatory activity in chronic non-bacterial prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia via NF-κB and inflammasome.

Qianliexin capsule (QLX) is a standardized traditional Chinese herbal preparation that has long been used to treat chronic non-bacterial prostatitis (CNP) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This study investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of QLX in improving lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with CNP and BPH. Rat models of CNP and BPH were induced by oestradiol or testosterone (hormonal imbalance) or chemical inflammation (carrageenan). QLX significantly relieved LUTS in CNP and BPH rat model by reducing prostate enlargement, epithelial thickness, pain response time, urine volume and bleeding time, and by improving prostatic blood flow. The expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1ß and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, the pro-inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), and inflammasome components (NLRP3, caspase-1 and ASC) in CNP and BPH tissues was reduced by QLX addition. QLX treatment was followed by reduced cellular malondialdehyde and increased superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity, consistent with antioxidant activity. Increases in Beclin-1 expression and the LC3II/I ratio following QLX treatment indicated that autophagy had been induced. QLX relieved LUTS in CNP and BPH rat models by inhibiting inflammation. The underlying mechanisms included inhibition of inflammasome activation, NF-κB activation, oxidant stress and autophagy.

[NMR-based analysis of water soluble extracts of different Astragali Radix].

Water soluble extract (WSE) is an important index for the quality evaluation of Astragali Radix (AR). In this study, the WSE of the wild AR from Shanxi province (SX) and the cultivated AR from Gansu Province (GS) were compared. The WSEs of two types of AR were determined according to the appendix of Chinese pharmacopoeia. Then the WSEs were subjected to NMR analysis, and the obtained data were analyzed using HCA, PCA, OPLS-DA, microarray analysis, and Spearman rank analysis. In addition, the Pearson correlation of differential metabolites were also calculated. The results showed that the WSE content of GS-AR (37.80%) was higher than that of SX-AR (32.13%). The main constituent of WSE was sucrose, and other 18 compounds, including amino acids, organic acids, were also detected. Multivariate analysis revealed that SX-AR contained more choline, succinic acid, citric acid, glutamate, taurine and aspartate, while GS samples contained more sucrose, arginine and fumaric acid. In addition, the Pearson correlations between different metabolites of the two types of AR also showed apparent differences. The results suggested that the WSE of two types of AR differs not only in the content, but also in the chemical compositions. Thus, the cultivation way is important to the quality of AR. This study supplied a new method for the comparison of extract of herbal drugs.

[Study on process conditions of Forsytiae Fructus].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of different processing methods on the content and biological activity of main chemical constituents of Forsytiae Fructus, in order to provide the basis for rational processing of Forsytiae Fructus. METHOD: The content of extracts was determined by the extract determination method of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The effects of chemical constituents of Forsytiae Fructus under different processing conditions were compared by HPLC method. Furthermore, free radical scavenging DPPH method was used to assess the antioxidation effect, and the antibacterial effect of Forsytiae Fructus was evaluated according to the inhibition effect on staphylococcus aureus. RESULT: Considering various factors, the optimum boiling process is that adding six-fold water and boiling for 8 min. CONCLUSION: The content and activity of chemical constituents of Forsytiae Fructus are significantly different under different processing conditions.

[Application of solid-phase extraction column for determination of matrine and oxymatrine in Sophora flavescens].

A Cleanert Alumina-N-SPE column (0.5 g/6 mL) chromatograpy with 5 mL of chloroform-methanol (7: 3) as eluent, instead of aluminum oxide column (100-200 mesh, 5 g, 1 cm) chromatograpy eluted successively with chloroform and the chloroform-methanol (7:3) (20 mL each), was applied to enrich matrine and oxymatrine in Sophora flavescens. Also, the optimization of the HPLC determination conditions with acetonitrile-ethanol absolute-3% phosphoric acid solution (84: 6: 10) as mobile phase, instead of acetonitrile-ethanol absolute -3% Phosphoric acid solution (80: 10: 10) recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010 Edition, was more suitable for determination of matrine and oxymatrine in S. flavescens. This method has advantage of reducing sample handling time and solvent volume and increasing the accuracy and feasibility, which can simplify the procedure for determination of matrine and oxymatrine in S. flavescens.

[Between Hengshanhuangqi and Chuanhuangqi based on metabolomics and ITS2 sequences].

To compare the differences between Hengshanhuangqi (HH) and Chuanhuangqi (CH) at molecular level, 1H NMR based plant metabolomics approach was used to reveal the chemical difference between HH and CH. Then, the contents of astragaloside IV and calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside, the marker compounds specified in China Pharmacopoeia, were determined. In addition, the ITS2 fragments of HH and CH were sequenced. Twenty-three metabolites were identified in the 1H NMR spectrum, and the principal component analysis showed CH and HH could be separated clearly. HH contained more aspartic acid, GABA, citric acid, astragaloside IV and calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside, while CH contained more threonine, alanine, acetic acid, choline, arginine, fructose and sucrose. And the astragaloside IV is almost undetectable in CH. In addition, the ITS2 fragment sequences of HH and CH were different at eight bases. Thus, the HH and CH showed significant differences chemically and genetically.

[Construction of genetic linkage map of Bupleurum chinense DC. using ISSR and SSR markers].

Molecular genetic map is a fundamental organizational tool for genomic research. However, a genetic linkage map for Bupleurum chinense DC. has not been developed. In this study, with the theory of pseudo-testcross, 96 F1 plants from an intraspecific cross of B. chinense were used as mapping populations. Twenty eight ISSR (inter-simple sequence repeat) primers and 44 SSR (simple sequence repeat) primers were used to detect the polymorphisms between the parental plants, and of them, 28 ISSRs and 14 SSRs were selected to analyze the F1 populations. The map consisted of 13 linkage groups which included 80 (72 ISSRs and 8 SSRs) loci, and covered 2 633.9 cM with an average density of 33.4 cM. All 13 linkage groups consisted of 2-31 loci ranging in length from 15.4-1295.7 cM. This map will provide a basis for studies on gene mapping, map-based cloning and maker-assisted selection of important traits in B. chinense.

Mapping of genome-wide resistance gene analogs (RGAs) in maize (Zea mays L.).

Isolation and mapping of genome-wide resistance (R) gene analogs (RGAs) is of importance in identifying candidate(s) for a particular resistance gene/QTL. Here we reported our result in mapping totally 228 genome-wide RGAs in maize. By developing RGA-tagged markers and subsequent genotyping a population consisting of 294 recombinant inbred lines (RILs), 67 RGAs were genetically mapped on maize genome. Meanwhile, in silico mapping was conducted to anchor 113 RGAs by comparing all 228 RGAs to those anchored EST and BAC/BAC-end sequences via tblastx search (E-value < 10(-20)). All RGAs from different mapping efforts were integrated into the existing SSR linkage map. After accounting for redundancy, the resultant RGA linkage map was composed of 153 RGAs that were mapped onto 172 loci on maize genome, and the mapped RGAs accounted for approximate three quarters of the genome-wide RGAs in maize. The extensive co-localizations were observed between mapped RGAs and resistance gene/QTL loci, implying the usefulness of this RGA linkage map in R gene cloning via candidate gene approach.