[Research on Molecular Spectra of Interactions Between Salvianolic Acid A and Salvianolic Acid B with Insulin, and Effect of Glucose on the Binding].

The interactions of Salvianolic acis A (SAA) and Salvianolic acid B (SAB) with insulin were studied by using fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in simulating physiological condition (pH 7.40). The fluorescence quenching of insulin by SAA and SAB were static quenching process. The results of synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra suggested no obvious conformation changes of insulin after SAA or SAB binding. But ATR-FTIR spectra showed that SAA and SAB could change the secondary structures of insulin, of which ß-turns decreased and random coil increased accompanied with α-belices and ß-sheets no clear change. The glucose might influenced the bioactivity of insulin in the SAA-insulin and SAB-insulin systems by changing the binding constants of SAA (or SAB) with insulin and exacerbating the changes of insulin conformation and relative contents of α-belices.

Comparative studies on interactions of baicalein, baicalin and scutellarin with lysozyme.

The interactions of baicalein, baicalin and scutellarin with lysozyme (LYSO) were studied by fluorescence and UV spectroscopy. The results showed that all the three flavones can quench the fluorescence of LYSO via static quenching with the distance between the donor and acceptor less than 7 nm. The hydroxyl at B-ring gave flavones an advantage to binding with LYSO. Electrostatic forces played a major role in stabilizing baicalein-LYSO complex and baicalin-LYSO complex, whereas hydrophobic interactions in scutellarin-LYSO. Furthermore, the presence of pantothenic acid can increase the binding constant and the number of binding sites between flavones and LYSO.

Chemical and pharmacological studies of the plants from genus Celastrus.

The plants of genus Celastrus, distributed in Asia, have been used as natural insecticides and folk medicines to treat fever, chill, joint pain, edema, rheumatoid arthritis, and bacterial infection in China for a long time. This contribution reviews the chemical constituents, isolated from the plants in genus Celastrus in the past few decades, and their biological activities. The compounds listed are sesquiterpenes (beta-agarofurans), diterpenes, triterpenes, alkaloids, and flavonoids.

[Contents comparison of resveratrol and polydatin in the wild Polygonum cuspidatum plant and its tissue cultures].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the contents of resveratrol and polydatin in some materials of Polygonum cuspidatum from various sources, so to screen and obtain the suitable cultures for the following metabolism regulation study. METHOD: RP-HPLC method was applied to simultaneously assay resveratrol and polydatin in different samples. RESULT: By the modified methods of extraction and determination, large amount of materials were screened. The results indicated that the contents of resveratrol and polydatin in root and rhizome were evidently higher than those in the leave and stems. The content of polydatin in the seedlings cultured indoor for three months was 1.27% and showed a 1.25-time increse than that in the wild plants, while the content of resveratrol (0.401%) approached that in the wild plants. Both of resveratrol and polydatin could be examined from different tissue cultures of P. cuspidatum, such as the sterile seedlings, callus, suspended cells and hairy roots, and the levels of them were closely related to the growth speed, physiological status and developmental phase. Hairy roots had the highest potentiality in several tested cultures and the increase rate of dry weight was 8.29 when cultured in vitro for 30 days, and showed a 8.4-fold and a 192.8-fold increase compared with those of natural roots and suspended cells, respectively. The content of polydatin in the hairy roots was up to 0.037% and that of resveratrol was 0.007%. CONCLUSION: The established analysis method is rapid, simple and accurate, especially adapted to the simultaneous determination of resveratrol and polydatin in massive biological samples. Hairy-root cultures have the superiority among the tested materials of P. cuspidatum and are suitable for the large-scale biomass and consistent production of efficient constituents.

[Effects of different concentration extract from shenghua decoction on contractile activity of the uterine smooth muscle isolated from normal, estrogen-treated and postpartum mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different concentration extract from Shenghua decoction on contractile activity of the uterine smooth muscle isolated from normal, estrogen-treated and postpartum mice. METHOD: Medlab/4 s vital signal recorder was used to measure the effects of extract from Shenghua decoction (3-12 mg x mL(-1)) on contractile amplitude and frequency of the isolated uterus from normal, estrogen-treated and postpartum mice. RESULT: Shenghua decoction extract (3-12 mg x mL(-1)) significantly decreased the contractile activity of the mouse isolated uterus in normal non-pregnancy and postpartum, but significantly increased that of the mouse isolated uterus treated with estrogen, and didn't show significant concentration-response relationship. CONCLUSION: The effects of Shenghua decoction extract on contractile activity of mouse-isolated uterus treated with estrogen cannot represent the pharmacological effects on that of in normal non-pregnancy and postpartum uterus.