Effects of aqueous extracts and volatile oils prepared from Huaxiang Anshen decoction on p-chlorophenylalanine-induced insomnia mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Insomnia occurs frequently in modern society, and its common symptoms include difficulty in falling asleep and decreased sleep quality and time, memory, and attention. With the advantages of having few side-effects and reduced drug-dependence, a compound traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription called Huaxiang Anshen Decoction (HAD) has been widely used in clinical practice in China mainly for primary insomnia treatment. Although the effects of volatile oils from TCM herbs have been increasingly reported, volatile oils in HAD are conventionally neglected because of its preparation process and clinical usage. Therefore, exploring the anti-insomnia effects of volatile oils from HAD is of great importance. AIM OF THE STUDY: The sedative and hypnotic effects of the conventional aqueous extracts, the volatile oils from HAD, and their combinations were investigated. METHODS: The main components in HAD volatile oils (HAD-Oils), were analyzed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The HAD volatile oil inclusion complex (HAD-OIC) was prepared with ß-cyclodextrin, and characterized. P-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) was used to induce insomnia mice model and the test groups of HAD aqueous extract (HAD-AE), HAD-OIC and their combination (AE-OIC). An open field test was used in evaluating the mice's activities, and the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in mice sera, glutamate (Glu) in the hypothalamus, and γ-aminobutyric acid (γ-GABA) and dopamine (DA) in the brain tissues were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: A total 74 components in HAD-Oil were determined by GC/MS, and cyperenone (20.46%) and α-cyperone (10.39%) had the highest relative content. The characterization results of the physical phase showed that volatile oils were successfully encapsulated by ß-cyclodextrin and HAD-OIC was produced. The average encapsulation rates of cyperenone and α-cyperone were 79.93% and 71.96%, respectively. The results of pharmacology study showed that all the test groups increased the body weight and decreased voluntary activity when compared with the model group (P < 0.05). The HAD-AE, HAD-OIC, and AE-OIC groups increased the levels of 5-HT in the sera and DA and Glu/γ-GABA in the brains, and AE-OIC groups showed better performance than the other test groups. CONCLUSIONS: HAD-Oil exerts sedative and hypnotic effects, which are increased when it is used with HAD-AEs. This result provides a favorable experimental evidence that volatile oils should be retained for the further development of HAD.

Bioactive components of Banxia Xiexin Decoction for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases based on flavor-oriented analysis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXD) was first recorded in a Chinese medical classic, Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Miscellaneous Diseases, which was written in the Eastern Han dynasty of China. This ancient prescription consists of seven kinds of Chinese herbal medicine, namely, Pinellia ternata, Rhizoma Coptidis, Radix scutellariae, Rhizoma Zingiberis, Ginseng, Jujube, and Radix Glycyrrhizaepreparata. In clinic practice, its original application in China mainly has focused on the treatment of chronic gastritis for several hundred years. BXD is also effective in treating other gastrointestinal diseases (GIDs) in modern medical application. Despite available literature support and clinical experience, the treatment mechanisms or their relationships with the bioactive compounds in BXD responsible for its pharmacological actions, still need further explorations in more diversified channels. According to the analysis based on the five-flavor theory of TCM, BXD is traditionally viewed as the most representative prescription for pungent-dispersion, bitter-purgation and sweet-tonification. Consequently, based on the flavor-oriented analysis, the compositive herbs in BXD can be divided into three flavor groups, namely, the pungent, bitter, and sweet groups, each of which has specific active ingredients that are possibly relevant to GID treatment. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This paper summarized recent literatures on BXD and its bioactive components used in GID treatment, and provided the pharmacological or chemical basis for the further exploration of the ancient prescription and the relative components. METHOD: ology: Relevant literature was collected from various electronic databases such as Pubmed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Citations were based on peer-reviewed articles published in English or Chinese during the last decade. RESULTS: Multiple components were found in the pungent, bitter, and sweet groups in BXD. The corresponding bioactive components include gingerol, shogaol, stigmasterol, and ß-sitosterol in the pungent group; berberine, palmatine, coptisine, baicalein, and baicalin in the bitter group; and ginsenosides, polysaccharides, liquiritin, and glycyrrhetinic acid in the sweet group. These components have been found directly or indirectly responsible for the remarkable effects of BXD on GID. CONCLUSION: This review provided some valuable reference to further clarify BXD treatment for GID and their possible material basis, based on the perspective of the flavor-oriented analysis.

Comparison of Pinoresinol and its Diglucoside on their ADME Properties and Vasorelaxant Effects on Phenylephrine-Induced Model.

Pinoresinol (PINL) and pinoresinol diglucoside (PDG), two natural lignans found in Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. (Duzhong), have several pharmacological activities. However, there is no report available on their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination (ADME) properties. Given the possible wide spectrum of their application in therapeutic areas, this area should be investigated. This work studied the in vitro ADME properties of PDG and PINL, including their kinetic solubility, permeability across monolayer cells (PAMPA), protein binding, and metabolic stabilities in liver microsomes. The in vivo pharmacokinetic study and in vitro vasorelaxant effects on isolated phenylephrine-induced aortic rings of PINL and PDG were also investigated. It was found that both of their kinetic solubility in PBS (pH 7.4) was greater than 100 µM, indicating that they are both soluble compounds. The permeability investigations (P eff ) by PAMPA indicated that PINL had higher permeability than PDG (p < 0.05). Both components represented moderate plasma protein binding activities (average binding rate in human plasma: PINL 89.03%, PDG 45.21%) and low metabolic rate (t 1/2 in human liver microsome: PINL 1509.5 min, PDG 1004.8 min). Furthermore, the results of pharmacokinetic studies indicated that PINL might be eliminated less quickly than PDG from the rat plasma, and its cumulative urinary excretion was much lower than that of PDG. The phenylephrine-induced aortic rings demonstrated concentration-dependent vasorelaxation in PDG, PINL, or their combination group. The vasorelaxant effects of PINL were more obvious than those of PDG, whereas the vasorelaxant effect of the combinations was significantly better than that of the single component (p < 0.05). The similarity or difference between PINL and its diglucoside in these pharmaceutical aspects may offer valuable insights into the further exploration of lignans and might contribute to relevant studies involving natural products with similar molecular structure and their glucosides.

Exploration of the potential mechanism of Banxia Xiexin Decoction for the effects on TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis rats with the assistance of network pharmacology analysis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXD), an ancient TCM prescription originating from Treatise on Febrile Diseases (Shang Han Lun) of the Han Dynasty, has been widely used in modern clinical practice, especially for gastrointestinal diseases, including ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the modern decoction method of BXD differs from that of the original method. Thus, an exploration of the influence of the different decoction methods on the pharmacological effects is interesting and significant. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to systematically compare the pharmacological effects of extracts of BXD on TNBS induce UC rats that were prepared by different methods, the ancient method and the modern method. The findings may provide important information for the further mechanical exploration of the classical prescription, contributing to the rational application and enhancing the understanding of BXD in modern applications or scientific research. METHODS: Fifty-four SD rats were randomly divided into the following nine groups at n = 6/group: control group; model group; salicylazosulfapyridine group; BXD ancient extraction method's low-dose group (BXD-AED-L, 3.6 g BXD-AED/kg), medium-dose group (BXD-AED-M, 7.2 g BXD-AED/kg), and high-dose group (BXD-AED-H, 14.4 g BXD-AED/kg); and BXD modern extraction method's low-dose group (BXD-MED-L, 1 g BXD-MED/kg), medium-dose group (BXD-MED-M, 2 g BXD-MED/kg), and high-dose group (BXD-MED-H, 4 g BXD-MED/kg). All the groups, except the control group, were rectally injected with 70 mg/kg ethanol solution containing TNBS (2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid) to establish the UC models. The pharmacological evaluations including disease activity index, colon weight index, macroscopic and histological evaluation of colon damage, and inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-4, IL-10, IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IL-6)were measured. In the network pharmacology analysis, the "herbs-components-targets-disease" network was constructed and visually analyzed with which the targets with a strong correlation with UC were screened out. RESULTS: The results showed that both BXD-AED and BXD-MED might alleviate the severity of UC with different degrees according to the majority of indices that were evaluated. At similar doses, the BXD-AED groups performed better compared with the BXD-MED groups. With the assistance of the network pharmacology analysis, some key active components (quercetin, baicalein, wogonin, and baicalin) related to the anti-UC/inflammation were screened out. The contents of the components in BXD-AED were higher than those in BXD-MED. The joint results of the study indicated that BXD, an ancient TCM compound prescription, is an effective drug candidate for the modern treatment of UC.

Effects of Paeonol and Gastroretention Tablets of Paeonol on Experimental Gastric Ulcers and Intestinal Flora in Rats.

Paeonol, a major ingredient isolated from Moutan Cort, has various pharmacological effects. Our previous studies have shown that paeonol can exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory therapeutic effects on ethanol-induced experimental gastric ulcer (GU). Therefore, in this study, we designed two GU models in rats induced by pyloric ligation (PL) and acetic acid and evaluated the protective effects of paeonol and gastroretention tablets of paeonol (GRT-Ps; 24, 48, and 96 mg/kg) on GU in rats and the effect of paeonol (48 mg/kg) on the intestinal flora. In vivo experiments showed that paeonol or GRT-Ps remarkably reduced gastric mucosal damage in a dose-dependent manner in the different types of models and improved the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content. And in fact, the sustained-release effect of GRT-Ps is more conducive to the improvement of GU compared with the rapid clearance of free drugs. In the PL-induced model, gastric secretion parameters, that is, pH and total acid, showed significant differences compared with the model group. In addition, paeonol treatment can improve the richness and diversity of the intestinal flora and increase the amount of beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus. Paeonol and its stable sustained-release tablet GRT-Ps can promote ulcer healing by inhibiting oxidative stress and regulating the intestinal flora. This study can provide basis for the clinical treatment of GU with paeonol. Graphical Abstract.

Patchouli Alcohol: a Natural Sesquiterpene Against Both Inflammation and Intestinal Barrier Damage of Ulcerative Colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by diarrhea, hematochezia, abdominal distension, and abdominal pain. The perpetuation of inflammation and the impairment of the intestinal barrier are part of the main courses of UC, responsible for the deteriorating inflammatory condition. Patchouli alcohol (PA), extracted from Pogostemon cablin Benth., is employed to treat both inflammation and intestinal barrier damage. Its curative effect on UC was testified firstly by TNBS-induced UC, a chemically induced colitis, and further tested by DSS-induced UC, an acute attack stage of UC in which the clinical course of human UC occurs frequently. PA reduced the levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-17 in serum and decreased the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6). Concurrently, PA upregulated the expression of tight junction protein (e.g., ZO-1, ZO-2, claudin-1, and occludin) and the mRNA of mucin-1 and mucin-2 in both animal models. Further, PA ameliorated both histological damage and clinical parameters. Thus, PA could credibly reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, protect the integrity of intestinal epithelial barrier, and repair the macroscopic colon lesions in both colitis models.

Resveratrol solid lipid nanoparticles to trigger credible inhibition of doxorubicin cardiotoxicity.

Background: Doxorubicin (DOX), a broad-spectrum chemotherapy drug, is clinically employed to treat cancers especially for breast cancer and lung cancer. But its clinical applications are limited by the dose-dependent cardiac toxicity. Resveratrol (Res), a polyphenolic antitoxin, has been proved to be capable of improving the cardiomyocyte calcium cycling by up-regulating SIRT-1-mediated deacetylation to inhibit DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Purpose: The objective of this study was to develop a solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) loaded with Res to trigger inhibition of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Methods: Res-SLN was prepared by emulsification-diffusion method followed by sonication and optimized using central composite design/response surface method. The Res-SLN was further evaluated by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy for morphology and high performance liquid chromatography for drug loading and release profile. And the Res distribution in vivo was determined on rats while the effect of inhibit DOX-induced cardiotoxicity was investigated on mice. Results: Res-SLN with homogeneous particle size of 271.13 nm was successfully formulated and optimized. The prepared Res-SLN showed stable under storage and sustained release profile, improving the poor solubility of Res. Heart rate, ejection fractions and fractional shortening of Res-SLN treating mice were found higher than those on mice with cardiac toxicity induced by single high-dose intraperitoneal injection of DOX. And the degree of myocardial ultrastructural lesions on mice was also observed. Conclusion: Res-SLN has a certain therapeutic effect for protecting the myocardium and reducing DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in mice.

Formulation and Characterization of Novel Dry Suspension and Dry Emulsion of 20(S)-Protopanaxadiol.

To improve the absorption of poorly water-soluble 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (20(S)-PPD), novel 20(S)-PPD-loaded redispersible dry suspension and dry emulsion were developed in this study. 20(S)-PPD dry suspension (PPD-DS) was prepared by enabling drug fully dispersed with suspending agent Avicel CL611 and solubilizer Poloxamer 188. 20(S)-PPD dry emulsion (PPD-DE) was prepared by employing oleic acid as oil phase, Cremophor RH-40 as surfactant, and n-butyl alcohol as co-surfactant. Both PPD-DS and PPD-DE were evaluated for their physicochemical characterization after being dispersed in distilled water. The in vivo pharmacokinetics was evaluated by UPLC-MS/MS. The droplet size of PPD-DS and PPD-DE was in the scope of 1446-1653 nm and 652.8-784.5 nm. The sedimentation volume ratios of PPD-DS and PPD-DE were both at value of 1. The zeta potential of PPD-DS and PPD-DE were from - 53.7 to - 70.4 mV and - 27.5 to - 34.5 mV, respectively, which indicated stable systems. PPD-DS and PPD-DE both achieved dramatically enhanced aqueous solubility and higher perfusion of 20(S)-PPD in rats' intestine. Although statistically, no oral bioavailability enhancements of 20(S)-PPD were achieved in PPD-DE and PPD-DS, there were some improvements in the pharmacokinetic behaviors. Especially, PPD-DS could be a promising drug delivery carrier for 20(S)-PPD with the advantages of long-term stability, dosing flexibility, and the convenience of administering to infants and to those who have difficulty swallowing tablets or capsules.

Neuroprotective Effects of Ginseng Phytochemicals: Recent Perspectives.

As our global population ages, the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is critical to our society. In recent years, researchers have begun to study the role of biologically active chemicals from plants and herbs to gain new inspiration and develop new therapeutic drugs. Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey.) is a famous Chinese herbal medicine with a variety of pharmacological activities. It has been used to treat various diseases since ancient times. Extensive research over the years has shown that ginseng has potential as a neuroprotective drug, and its neuroprotective effects can be used to treat and prevent neurological damage or pathologically related diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, depression symptoms, and strokes). Moreover, evidence for the medicinal and health benefits of ginsenoside, its main active ingredient, in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases is increasing, and current clinical results have not reported any serious adverse reactions to ginseng. Therefore, we briefly review the recent research and development on the beneficial effects and mechanisms of ginseng and its main active ingredient, ginsenoside, in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hoping to provide some ideas for the discovery and identification of ginseng neuroprotection.

Progress in active compounds effective on ulcerative colitis from Chinese medicines.

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the colon, has a rising incidence worldwide. The known pathogenesis is multifactorial and involves genetic predisposition, epithelial barrier defects, dysregulated immune responses, and environmental factors. Nowadays, the drugs for UC include 5-aminosalicylic acid, steroids, and immunosuppressants. Long-term use of these drugs, however, may cause several side effects, such as hepatic and renal toxicity, drug resistance and allergic reactions. Moreover, the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of UC shows significantly positive effects, low recurrence rate, few side effects and other obvious advantages. This paper summarizes several kinds of active compounds used in the experimental research of anti-UC effects extracted from TCM, mainly including flavonoids, acids, terpenoids, phenols, alkaloids, quinones, and bile acids from some animal medicines. It is found that the anti-UC activities are mainly focused on targeting inflammation or oxidative stress, which is associated with increasing the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4, IL-10, SOD), suppressing the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-23, NF-κB, NO), reducing the activity of MPO, MDA, IFN-γ, and iNOS. This review may offer valuable reference for UC-related studies on the compounds from natural medicines.

Analytical methods and biological activities of Panax notoginseng saponins: Recent trends.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen, also called Sanqi, is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, which has long history used as herbal medicines. It is currently an important medicinal material in China, holding the first place in the sale volume of the whole patent medicines market in China, and the market size of the single species has exceeded 10 billion yuan. In addition, P. notoginseng is an important constituent part of many famous Chinese patent medicines, such as Compound Danshen Dripping Pills and Yunnan Baiyao. P. notoginseng saponins (PNSs), which are the major active components of P. notoginseng, are a kind of chemical mixture containing different dammarane-type saponins. Many studies show that PNSs have been extensively used in medical research or applications, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, acute lung injury, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, various PNS preparations, such as injections and capsules, have been made commercially available and are widely applied in clinical practice. AIM OF THE REVIEW: Since the safety and efficacy of compounds are related to their qualitative and quantitative analyses, this review briefly summarizes the analytic approaches for PNSs and their biological effects developed in the last decade. METHODOLOGY: This review conducted a systematic search in electronic databases, such as Pubmed, Google Scholar, SciFinder, ISI Web of Science, and CNKI, since 2009. The information provided in this review is based on peer-reviewed papers and patents in either English or Chinese. RESULTS: At present, the chromatographic technique remains the most extensively used approach for the identification or quantitation of PNSs, coupled with different detectors, among which the difference mainly lies in their sensitivity and specificity for analyzing various compounds. It is well-known that PNSs have traditionally strong activity on cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, intracerebral hemorrhage, or brain injury. The recent studies showed that PNSs also responded to osteoporosis, cancers, diabetes, and drug toxicity. However, some other studies also showed that some PNSs injections and special PNS components might lead to some biological toxicity under certain dosages. CONCLUSION: This review may be used as a basis for further research in the field of quantitative and qualitative analyses, and is expected to provide updated and valuable insights into the potential medicinal applications of PNSs.

Fast and non-derivative method based on high-performance liquid chromatography-charged aerosol detection for the determination of fatty acids from Agastache rugosa (Fisch. et Mey.) O. Ktze. seeds.

This study utilised response surface methodology to optimise the conditions for the extraction of A. rugosa seeds oil (ARO). Single-factor experiment and response surface methodology (RSM) were performed to identify the extraction time, liquid-solid ratio and extraction temperature that provided the highest yield of ARO. The optimal extraction time, liquid-solid ratio and extraction temperature were 8 h, 4:1 mL/g and 55 °C. The fatty acids (FAs) content and oil yield obtained through the optimised impregnation-extraction process were 19.67 mg/g and 32.1%. These values matched well with the predicted values. Linolenic acid was identified to be the main active ingredient of ARO. The high-performance liquid chromatography-charged aerosol detection method presented here is fast and does not require derivatisation. Therefore, it could be used to quantitatively analyse the FAs present in ARO and applied to detect compounds with low or no ultraviolet response.

pH-sensitive and biocompatible quercetin-loaded GO-PEA-HA carrier improved antitumour efficiency and specificity.

A novel drug carrier was designed based on a new biomaterial, that is, graphene oxide (GO), to improve the efficiency and specificity of anticancer drug. In this study, GO was successively modified with polyetheramine (PEA) and hyaluronic acid (HA). The carrier was utilized to load an antitumor component, that is, quercetin (Que), which was derived from traditional Chinese medicine, namely the pagoda tree flower bud. This drug delivery system (DDS) exhibited pH sensibility under subacid condition and good biocompatibility even when GO concentration reached 350 µg/mL. Moreover, the antitumor efficacy was doubly improved and more long-acting compared with Que alone. Results show that the GO-based material has potential clinical applications for antitumor drug delivery.

Advances in Pharmaceutical Strategies Enhancing the Efficiencies of Oral Colon-Targeted Delivery Systems in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common disease characterized by chronic inflammation in gastrointestinal tracts, which is primarily treated by administering anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs that inhibit the burden of intestinal inflammation and improve disease-related symptoms. However, the established therapeutic strategy has limited therapeutic efficacy and adverse drug reactions. Therefore, new disease-targeting drug-delivery strategies to develop more effective treatments are urgent. This review provides an overview of the drug-targeting strategies that can be used to treat IBD, and our recent attempts on the colon-specific delivery system (Pae-SME-CSC) with a paeonol-loaded self-microemulsion (Pae-SMEDDS) are introduced.

Beneficial anti-inflammatory effect of paeonol self-microemulsion-loaded colon-specific capsules on experimental ulcerative colitis rats.

Paeonol, as the main phenolic compound isolated from the Chinese herbs, has been confirmed to present anti-inflammatory effects on ulcerative colitis (UC) in our previous study. However, its poor solubility has hindered its development of being a favourable pharmaceutical product in treating colon diseases. In this study, we prepared the colon-specific delivery system (Pae-SME-CSC) with paeonol-loaded self-microemulsion (Pae-SMEDDS), and evaluated its in vitro and in vivo properties, especially the anti-inflammatory effects on UC rats. The anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated by the disease activity index, colon weight/length ratio, and macroscopic damage and microscopic damage scores. IL-17, IL-6, and TGF-ß1 levels were also determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that Pae-SME-CSC had good colon-targeting property in vivo and in vitro, with favourable stability. Efficacy evaluation showed that the dose of the paeonol group (100 mg/kg) exhibited no significant effect on UC (p > .05, compared with the model group), while the Pae-SME-CSC group (100 mg/kg) showed better anti-UC effects (p < .01 or p < .05), and its anti-inflammatory effect was close to that of the paeonol group (200 mg/kg) (p > .05). These results indicated that the developed Pae-SME-CSC was suitable for colon-specific drug delivery.

Techniques for the analysis of pentacyclic triterpenoids in medicinal plants.

Triterpenes are a major class of chemical compounds found in natural plants and can be categorized into acyclic triterpenoids, monocyclic triterpenoids, tricyclic triterpenoids, tetracyclic triterpenoids, and pentacyclic triterpenoids. Among them, pentacyclic triterpenoids have gained more extensive attention due to their biological activities, including anti-inflammation, antibacterial, antioxidation, antitumor, anti-HIV, hepatoprotection, and immunological adjuvant properties. In this review, we summarize the extraction and analytical methods for pentacyclic triterpenoids, where more than 56 triterpenes from 49 kinds of plants were involved. The analysis methods include gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, thin-layer chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography, NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray spectroscopy. This review provides valuable reference for the determination of pentacyclic triterpenoids in medicinal plants.

Advances in extraction and analysis of phenolic compounds from plant materials.

Phenolic compounds, the most abundant secondary metabolites in plants, have received more and more attention in recent years because of their distinct bioactivities. This review summarizes different types of phenolic compounds and their extraction and analytical methods used in the recent reports, involving 59 phenolic compounds from 52 kinds of plants. The extraction methods include solid-liquid extraction, ultrasound-assisted extractions, microwave-assisted extractions, supercritical fluid extraction, and other methods. The analysis methods include spectrophotometry, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and near-infrared spectroscopy. After illustrating the specific conditions of the analytical methods, the advantages and disadvantages of each method are also summarized, pointing out their respective suitability. This review provides valuable reference for identification and/or quantification of phenolic compounds from natural products.

Optimization of Ultrasonic-assisted Extraction of Fatty Acids in Seeds of Brucea Javanica (L.) Merr. from Different Sources and Simultaneous Analysis Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Charged Aerosol Detection.

Our research aimed to optimize the oil extraction process and determine the fatty acids in Brucea javanica (L.) Merr. seeds. The extraction technology was optimized using response surface methodology. A Box-Behnken design was employed to investigate the effects of three independent variables on an ultrasonic-assisted extraction technique, namely, sonication time (X1: 20-40 min), liquid-solid ratio (X2: 16:1 mL/g-24:1 mL/g), and ethanol concentration (X3: 90%-100%). The optimum conditions of sonication time, liquid-solid ratio, and ethanol concentration were 40 min, 24:1 mL/g, and 100%, respectively. The content of fatty acids and the oil yield were 14.64 mg/g and 16.87%, respectively, which match well with the predicted models. The optimum number of extraction times was eventually identified as two. A new rapid method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the fatty acids of B. javanica (L.) Merr. seed oil using HPLC with a charged aerosol detector was described. The fatty acid contents of 14 batches of B. javanica (L.) Merr. seed oil were determined, and the relevance and difference were analyzed by fingerprint analysis. The fingerprint has five common peaks, and the similarity was greater than 0.991. HPLC analysis represents a specialized and rational approach for the quality identification and comprehensive evaluation of B. javanica (L.) Merr. seed oils.

Advanced review of graphene-based nanomaterials in drug delivery systems: Synthesis, modification, toxicity and application.

The discovery of graphene, a notable achievement in the field of novel carbon nanomaterials, has triggered the worldwide exploration of the biomedical applications of this material since 2004 because of its unique properties. The two-dimensional planar structure, large surface area, chemical stability, mechanical stability, and good biocompatibility of graphene are promising for applications in drug delivery systems (DDSs). In this review, we briefly discuss the characteristics, synthesis, and modification of graphene. We also investigate its toxicity and its applications in DDSs, with several representative examples. This review presents a comprehensive summary of graphene-based nanomaterials from their characteristics to their synthesis and applications, as well as their in vitro and in vivo evaluation in medicine. This paper provides a guiding strategy for the selection of optimal approaches to the fabrication of nanocarriers that are suitable for medical treatments and to controlling the toxicity within therapeutic safety limits. The promising achievements made with graphene-based nanomaterials indicate several possibilities for further biomedical research, as well as theoretical and applied development.