Tenuifolin improves learning and memory by regulating long-term potentiation and dendritic structure of hippocampal CA1 area in healthy female mice but not male mice.

Polygala tenuifolia Wild is an ancient traditional Chinese medicine. Its main component, tenuifolin (TEN), has been proven to improve cognitive impairment caused by neurodegenerative diseases and ovariectomy. However, there was hardly any pharmacological research about TEN and its potential gender differences. Considering the reduction of TEN on learning and memory dysfunction in ovariectomized animals, therefore, we focused on the impact of TEN in different mice genders in the current study. Spontaneous alternation behavior (SAB), light-dark discrimination, and Morris water maze (MWM) tests were used to evaluate the mice's learning and memory abilities. The field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) of the hippocampal CA1 region was recorded using an electrophysiological method, and the morphology of the dendritic structure was examined using Golgi staining. In the behavioral experiments, TEN improved the correct rate in female mice in the SAB test, the correct rate in the light-dark discrimination test, and the number of crossing platforms in the MWM test. Additionally, TEN reduced the latency of female mice rather than male mice in light-dark discrimination and MWM tests. Moreover, TEN could significantly increase the slope of fEPSP in hippocampal Schaffer-CA1 and enhance the total length and the number of intersections of dendrites in the hippocampal CA1 area in female mice but not in male mice. Collectively, the results of the current study showed that TEN improved learning and memory by regulating long-term potentiation (LTP) and dendritic structure of hippocampal CA1 area in female mice but not in males. These findings would help to explore the improvement mechanism of TEN on cognition and expand the knowledge of the potential therapeutic value of TEN in the treatment of cognitive impairment.

Tenuifolin in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease-like phenotypes: Investigation of the mechanisms from the perspectives of calpain system, ferroptosis, and apoptosis.

Polygala tenuifolia was documented to calm the mind and promote wisdom. However, its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of tenuifolin (Ten) on Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like phenotypes. We first applied bioinformatics methods to screen the mechanisms of P. tenuifolia in the treatment of AD. Thereafter, the d-galactose combined with Aß1-42 (GCA) was applied to model AD-like behaviors and investigate the action mechanisms of Ten, one active component of P. tenuifolia. The data showed that P. tenuifolia actioned through multi-targets and multi-pathways, including regulation of synaptic plasticity, apoptosis, and calcium signaling, and so forth. Furthermore, in vitro experiments demonstrated that Ten prevented intracellular calcium overload, abnormal calpain system, and down-regulation of BDNF/TrkB signaling induced by GCA. Moreover, Ten suppressed oxidative stress and ferroptosis in HT-22 cells induced by GCA. Calpeptin and ferroptosis inhibitor prevented the decrease of cell viability induced by GCA. Interestingly, calpeptin did not interrupt GCA-induced ferroptosis in HT-22 cells but blocked the apoptosis. Animal experiments further demonstrated that Ten prevented GCA-induced memory impairment in mice and increased synaptic protein expression while reducing m-calpain expression. Ten prevents AD-like phenotypes through multiple signaling by inhibiting oxidative stress and ferroptosis, maintaining the stability of calpain system, and suppressing neuronal apoptosis.

Tenuifolin ameliorates the sleep deprivation-induced cognitive deficits.

Tenuifolin (TEN), a natural neuroprotective compound obtained from the Polygala tenuifolia Willd plant, has improved cognitive symptoms. However, the impact of TEN on memory impairments caused by sleep deprivation (SD) is unclear. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms behind the preventative benefits of TEN on cognitive impairment caused by SD. TEN (10 and 20 mg/kg) and Huperzine A (0.1 mg/kg) were given to mice through oral gavage for 28 days during the SD process. The results indicate that TEN administrations improve short- and long-term memory impairments caused by SD in the Y-maze, object identification, and step-through tests. Moreover, TEN stimulated the generation of anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-10), lowered the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1ß, interleukin-6, and interleukin-18), and activated microglia, improving antioxidant status in the hippocampus. TEN treatments significantly boosted the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1 while considerably decreasing the expression of NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 and caspase-1 p20. Additionally, TEN restored the downregulation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling cascade and the impaired hippocampal neurogenesis induced by SD. When considered collectively, our data suggest that TEN is a potentially effective neuroprotective agent for cognition dysfunction.

The Interaction Between Two Metabolites of Polygala tenuifolia and Cholinesterases.

OBJECTIVE: The work aimed to compare the binding between the two main components of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. and two cholinesterases (ChEs) by using a variety of spectral techniques. METHODS: Two main components of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. included Tenuifolin (Ten) and Onjisaponin B (Onj B), and two ChEs included acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). RESULTS: The UV-visible absorption spectra results showed that Ten had no effect on the structure of ChEs, and the combination of Onj B with ChEs changed its structure. Onj B statically quenched the endogenous fluorescence of both of ChEs, Ten dynamically quenched the endogenous fluorescence of AChE with no effect on BChE. The fluorescence quenching rate of ChEs by Onj B was much higher than that of AChE by Ten, and only one binding site of each protein spontaneously interacted with the compound to bind to or collide. Synchronous fluorescence results showed that Ten and Onj B quenched the fluorescence intensity by affecting tryptophan and tyrosine residues in cholinesterases, respectively. Hydrophobic force played an important role in the interaction between Ten and AChE, and van der Waals force and hydrogen bond were the main driving forces for the binding of Onj B to ChEs. The Enzyme activity test showed that Onj B inhibited ChE activity, and Ten never inhibited ChE activity. CONCLUSION: Onj B has the potential to inhibit ChE activity and increase the neurotransmitter acetylcholine content in the nerve system, improving the Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Tenuifolin ameliorates chronic restraint stress-induced cognitive impairment in C57BL/6J mice.

The general consensus is that stress affects the central nervous system and can lead to cognitive problems. The root of Polygala tenuifolia (P. tenuifolia) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine used for improving brain function. Tenuifolin (TEN) is the major constituent of P. tenuifolia and has a promising neuroprotective property. The purpose of this study was to investigate the alleviating effect of TEN on cognitive impairment induced by chronic restraint stress (CRS) and its mechanism. Our results showed that CRS exposure resulted in impaired cognitive performance in C57BL/6J mice, as indicated by decreased responses in Y-maze, novel objects recognition, and step-through passive avoidance tests. TEN treated daily orally (10 and 20 mg/kg) for 30 days reversed these behavior changes. Meanwhile, TEN could significantly regulate interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 levels in the hippocampus. TEN inhibited the toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B-mediated inflammation, as well as adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone levels in serum. Most importantly, we found that TEN also upregulated the expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tropomyosin kinase B, glucocorticoid receptor, glutamate receptor 1, and synapse-associated proteins. Collectively, these data suggest that TEN has a potential improvement effect on memory loss caused by CRS.

Tenuifolin in Treatment of Dementia： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Tenuifolin， a main component in Polygalae Radix， is frequently used as an important indicator for quality control of Polygalae Radix and its processed products. Dementia is a serious and persistent cognitive disorder， and the number of dementia patients is increasing worldwide， which brings great economic burden and mental pressure to families and society. At present， cholinesterase inhibitor and other drugs can only alleviate the symptoms of dementia， and there are some toxic and side effects. It has been found that tenuifolin can significantly improve cognitive disorder， learning and memory and is expected to be a potential drug for treating dementia. Tenuifolin exerts protective effects on amyloid-β （Aβ） deposition， acetylcholine reduction， neuroinflammation， cellular oxidative damage and nerve cell apoptosis caused by neurodegenerative diseases via multiple mechanisms， and can be applied to various types of dementia. In addition， it can be quickly absorbed into the blood， mainly distributed in liver and kidney， and can enter into the brain through the blood-brain barrier. However， because of its large molecular mass and poor fat solubility， tenuifolin can be rapidly eliminated， generating some problems such as low oral absoBrbability and permeability of blood-brain barrier. Therefore， the information of chemistry， pharmacology， pharmacokinetics and toxicology of tenuifolin was summarized in this paper to provide reference and ideas for further research and application.

Study on the Effects of Tenuifolin on Brain Mitochondrial Autophagy in AD Model Mice Based on PINK 1/Parkin Signaling Pathway / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To investig ate the effects of tenuifolin （TEN）on brain mitochondrial autophagy in Aizheimer ’s disease（AD）model mice. METHODS ：Totally 50 male APP/PS1 double transgenic mice were randomly divided into model group，TEN medium-dose+ 3-MA group [TEN 40 mg/（kg·d）+autophagy inhibitor 3-MA 30 mg/（kg·d）] and TEN low-dose ， medium-dose and high-dose groups [ 20，40，80 mg/（kg·d）]，with 10 mice in each group. In addition ，10 wild-type homologous mice were included in normal control group. Administration groups were intragastrically given corresponding drug solution ；normal control group and model group were intragastrically given 0.3％ sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution ，once a day ，0.01 mL/g， for consecutive 3 months. After last administration ，positive expression [measured by integrated optical density （IOD）] of microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3（LC3）in neuron was detected ；mRNA expressions of LC3，ubiquitin-binding protein p62，Cathepsin D ，Rab7，phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten gene-induced putative kinase 1（PINK1） and E 3 ligase（Parkin）as well as protein expressions of LC 3，p62，PINK1 and Parkin were detected in brain mitochondria. RESULTS：Compared with normal control group ，IOD value of LC 3 in neuron as well as mRNA and protein expressions of LC 3， p62，PINK1 and Parkin in brain mitochondria were all increased significantly in model group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01），while mRNA expressions of Cathepsin D and Rab 7 were decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared wit h model group ，IOD values of LC 3（except for TEN low-dose and medium-dose groups ） in neuron ，mRNA expressions of LC 3，Cathepsin D ，Rab7， PINK1（except for TEN low-dose group ）and Parkin （except for TEN low-dose group ） in brain mitochondria as well as protein expressions of LC 3 （except for TEN medium-dose group），PINK1（except fo r TEN high-dose group decreased significantly）and Parkin （except for TEN low-dose group decreased significantly ）were increased significantly in TEN low-dose ， medium-dose and high-dose groups （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）；mRNA（except for TEN low-dose group ）and protein expressions of p62 were decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with TEN medium-dose group ，the changes of above indexes were inhibited significantly in TEN medium-dose + 3-MA group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS ：TEN can induce mitophagy in brain tissue of AD model mice by activating PINK 1/Parkin signaling pathway and improve lysosome function.

Polygala tenuifolia: a source for anti-Alzheimer's disease drugs.

Context: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that originates from central nervous system lesions or recessions. Current estimates suggest that this disease affects over 35 million people worldwide. However, lacking effective drugs is the biggest handicap in treating AD. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Polygala tenuifolia Willd. (Polygalaceae) is generally used to treat insomnia, memory dysfunction and neurasthenia.Objective: This review article explores the role of P. tenuifolia and its active components in anti-Alzheimer's disease.Methods: Literature for the last ten years was obtained through a search on PubMed, SciFinder, CNKI, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct and China Knowledge Resource Integrated with the following keywords: Polygala tenuifolia, polygalasaponin XXXII (PGS 32), tenuifolin, polygalacic acid, senegenin, tenuigenin, Alzheimer's disease.Results: Polygala tenuifolia and its active components have multiplex neuroprotective potential associated with AD, such as anti-Aß aggregation, anti-Tau protein, anti-inflammation, antioxidant, anti-neuronal apoptosis, enhancing central cholinergic system and promote neuronal proliferation.Conclusions: Polygala tenuifolia and its active components exhibit multiple neuroprotective effects. Hence, P. tenuifolia is a potential drug against Alzheimer's disease, especially in terms of prevention.

Effects of tenuifolin on rest/wake behaviour in zebrafish.

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder with a high prevalence and substantial adverse consequences. There is growing interest in identifying novel therapeutics from herbal medicine. Tenuifolin is a major constituent of the well-known anti-insomnia herb Radix Polygala. The present study investigated the neural activity in response to tenuifolin during rest/wake behaviour in zebrafish and identified the potential biological signalling pathways involved. An automatic video tracking system was used to monitor the behavioural response of zebrafish larvae for 24 h after treatment with tenuifolin. In total, six rest/wake parameters were measured and visualized with a behavioural fingerprint. Time series analysis was conducted by averaging the total rest and waking activity in 10 min intervals. A correlation analysis was performed between tenuifolin and well-known compounds to analyse the underlying biological signalling pathways. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was also performed to detect the effects of tenuifolin on the transcription of interesting genes associated with the signalling pathways that were potentially involved. The present results suggested tenuifolin significantly increased the total rest time during the dark phase, with a slight effect on the waking activity in zebrafish larvae. This behavioural phenotype induced by tenuifolin is similar to that of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonists. Furthermore, the expression levels of GABA transporter 1 were significantly increased after tenuifolin treatment. No significant difference was determined in other associated genes in untreated control and tenuifolin-treated larvae. The present results suggested that tenuifolin caused sleep-promoting activity in zebrafish and that these effects may be mediated by the serotoninergic systems and the GABAergic systems.

[Preparation and in vitro quality evaluation of self-microemulsion co-loaded with tenuifolin and ß-asarone].

To prepare and optimize the self-microemulsion co-loaded with tenuifolin and ß-asarone(TF/ASA-SMEDDS) and evaluate its quality. The prescription compositions of TF/ASA-SMEDDS were screened by solubility test, single factor test and pseudo-tern-ary phase diagram, and the prescriptions were further optimized by Box-Behnken response surface method, with the drug loading and particle size as the evaluation indexes. Then the optimized TF/ASA-SMEDDS was evaluated for emulsified appearance, particle size, morphology and drug release in vitro. The optimized prescription for TF/ASA-SMEDDS was as follows: caprylic citrate triglyceride polyoxyethylene castor oil-glycerol(10.8∶39.2∶50), drug loading of(5.563±0.065) mg·g~(-1) for tenuifolin and(5.526±0.022) mg·g~(-1) for ß-asarone; uniform and transparent pan-blue nanoemulsion can be formed after emulsification, with particle size of(28.84±0.44) nm. TEM showed that TF/ASA-SMEDDS can form spherical droplets with a uniform particle size after emulsification; In vitro release test results showed that the drug release rate and cumulative release of tenuifolin and ß-asarone were significantly improved. The preparation process of TF/ASA-SMEDDS was simple and can effectively improve in vitro release of tenuifolin and ß-asarone.

Content determination and quality analysis of five main components in Polygala tenuifolia from different habitats / 中草药

Objective: The contents of five main components in Polygala tenuifolia from different habitats were determined, which provided certain data support and theoretical basis for the quality evaluation system of P. tenuifolia. Methods: The contents of polygalaxanthone III, 3,6’-disinapoyl sucrose, polygalacic acid, senegenin and tenuifolin of roots from different wild samples were determined by HPLC. Then SPSS 20.0 and SIMCA 11.5 were used for difference analysis, correlation analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and principal component analysis (PCA). Results: The content of the five main components in wild P. tenuifolia samples from different habitats was significantly different. The 20 samples were placed into two clusters (I, II) by HCA and PCA. Cluster I comprised three samples with higher content of 3,6’-disinapoyl sucrose, polygalaxanthone III, senegenin and tenuifolin from Weinan, Xianyang in Shannxi Province, and Xinjiang in Shanxi Province, whereas cluster II contained the other 17 samples. Conclusion: The results showed that the main components of P. enuifolia from Weinan, Xianyang in Shannxi Province and Xinjiang in Shanxi Province were significantly higher than other origins, and which provided a reference for the quality control, selection of excellent germplasm and cultivation bases of P. tenuifolia.

Preparation and in vitro quality evaluation of self-microemulsion co-loaded with tenuifolin and β-asarone / 中国中药杂志

To prepare and optimize the self-microemulsion co-loaded with tenuifolin and β-asarone(TF/ASA-SMEDDS) and evaluate its quality. The prescription compositions of TF/ASA-SMEDDS were screened by solubility test, single factor test and pseudo-tern-ary phase diagram, and the prescriptions were further optimized by Box-Behnken response surface method, with the drug loading and particle size as the evaluation indexes. Then the optimized TF/ASA-SMEDDS was evaluated for emulsified appearance, particle size, morphology and drug release in vitro. The optimized prescription for TF/ASA-SMEDDS was as follows: caprylic citrate triglyceride polyoxyethylene castor oil-glycerol(10.8∶39.2∶50), drug loading of(5.563±0.065) mg·g~(-1) for tenuifolin and(5.526±0.022) mg·g~(-1) for β-asarone; uniform and transparent pan-blue nanoemulsion can be formed after emulsification, with particle size of(28.84±0.44) nm. TEM showed that TF/ASA-SMEDDS can form spherical droplets with a uniform particle size after emulsification; In vitro release test results showed that the drug release rate and cumulative release of tenuifolin and β-asarone were significantly improved. The preparation process of TF/ASA-SMEDDS was simple and can effectively improve in vitro release of tenuifolin and β-asarone.

Protective effect of Tenuifolin against Alzheimer's disease.

Amyloid-ß (Aß) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), an age-related neurodegenerative ailment. Emerging evidence suggests that Tenuifolin (TEN) significantly decreases Aß secretion and relieves cellular inflammatory responses. However, the mechanism of this activity has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we investigate the effect of TEN on autophagy, a process that plays an important role in the generation and metabolism of Aß, in the presence or absence of the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA. The obtained results show that TEN prevents Aß25-35-induced inflammation and decreases Aß1-40 and Aß1-42 levels by decreasing BACE1 in SH-SY5Y cells. Moreover, TEN decreases the mRNA levels of BACE1 but has no impact on the gene expressions of amyloid precursor proteins (APP). 3-MA, the most widely used autophagy inhibitor, reverses the effects of TEN in Aß25-35-induced SH-SY5Y cells. The association between TEN and autophagy was further investigated by examining the levels of autophagy markers LC3 II and Beclin 1, as well as the protein levels of mTOR, AMPK, and ULK1. The results showed that TEN increases LC3 II, Beclin 1, and mTOR, inhibits the degradation of AMPK, and increases the expression of ULK1. This suggests that TEN protects against Aß25-35-induced cellular inflammation in an AD cell model through the regulation of autophagy, which, in part, is mediated by the activation of the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 pathway.

Effects of different drying methods on active constituents of root bark and root of Polygala tenuifolia / 中草药

Objective To investigate the effects of different drying methods on composition and content of five active constituents in root bark and root of Polgala tenuifoliaroot. Methods The contents of polygalaxanthone III, 3,6’-disinapoyl sucrose, polygalacic acid, senegenin, and tenuifolin in root bark and root from different drying samples were determined by HPLC. Then the data analysis was performed by ANOVA and TOPSIS methods. Results There is a difference in the order of drying methods for bark and root of P. tenuifoliaroot. For P. tenuifoliaroot root bark, the order of different drying methods was microwave drying > 60 ℃ hot-air drying > 50 ℃ hot-air drying > 70 ℃ hot-air drying > freeze-drying > 40 ℃ hot-air drying > shade drying > sun drying; For P. tenuifolia root, the different drying methods were sorted by microwave drying > 60 ℃ hot-air drying > shade drying > sun drying > 50 ℃ hot-air drying > 40 ℃ hot-air drying > 70 ℃ hot-air drying > freeze-drying. Conclusion Combined with the production practice, this study suggests that microwave drying and hot-air drying at 60 ℃ are suitable drying methods for P. tenuifoliaroot bark and root, providing a basis for the determination of drying methods for the origin processing of P. tenuifolia.

Network pharmacology-based study on the mechanism of action for herbal medicines in Alzheimer treatment.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Alzheimer's disease (AD), as the most common type of dementia, has brought a heavy economic burden to healthcare system around the world. However, currently there is still lack of effective treatment for AD patients. Herbal medicines, featured as multiple herbs, ingredients and targets, have accumulated a great deal of valuable experience in treating AD although the exact molecular mechanisms are still unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this investigation, we proposed a network pharmacology-based method, which combined large-scale text-mining, drug-likeness filtering, target prediction and network analysis to decipher the mechanisms of action for the most widely studied medicinal herbs in AD treatment. RESULTS: The text mining of PubMed resulted in 10 herbs exhibiting significant correlations with AD. Subsequently, after drug-likeness filtering, 1016 compounds were remaining for 10 herbs, followed by structure clustering to sum up chemical scaffolds of herb ingredients. Based on target prediction results performed by our in-house protocol named AlzhCPI, compound-target (C-T) and target-pathway (T-P) networks were constructed to decipher the mechanism of action for anti-AD herbs. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this approach provided a novel strategy to explore the mechanisms of herbal medicine from a holistic perspective.

Quality research and analysis of Polygala tenuifolia with different commodity grade / 中草药

Objective To establish the main component analysis method of commodity grade Polygala tenuifolia, and to explore the correlation between the grade character of P. tenuifolia and the main chemistry. Methods P. tenuifolia of four markets were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to analyze the different level of medicine and explore the correlation between commodity grade and composition for P. tenuifolia. Results The main components determination of P. tenuifolia in different market grades were not completely consistent with the grade of commodity. Conclusion There are certain limitations of the commodity grading standards for P. tenuifolia in the medicinal materials market. It is necessary to establish a new grade quality standard for accurately evaluating the quality of P. tenuifolia. This study also provides some reference for the comprehensive quantitative evaluation of P. tenuifolia.

Tenuifolin, a saponin derived from Radix Polygalae, exhibits sleep-enhancing effects in mice.

BACKGROUND: Radix Polygalae, the dried root of Polygala tenuifolia, has been extensively used as a traditional Chinese medicine for promoting intelligence and tranquilization. Polygalasaponins extracted from the root of P. tenuifolia possess evident anxiolytic and sedative-hypnotic activities. Previous studies have reported that tenuifolin was a major constituent of polygalasaponins. PURPOSE: The currently study aims to investigate the hypnotic effect and possible mechanism of tenuifolin in freely moving mice. DESIGN/METHODS: The hypnotic effects of tenuifolin (20, 40 and 80mg/kg, p.o.) were assessed by electroencephalographic (EEG) and electromyographic (EMG) analysis. Double-staining immunohistochemistry test was performed to evaluate the neuronal activity of sleep-wake regulating brain areas. High performance liquid chromatograph- electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) and ultrafast liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS) were used for the detection of neurotransmitters. Locomotor activity was measured by Open-field Test. RESULTS: Tenuifolin at doses of 40 and 80mg/kg (p.o.) significantly prolonged the total sleep time by increasing the amount of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, associated with the significant increase in the bouts of episodes respectively. After administration of tenuifolin, the cortical EEG power spectral densities during NREM and REM sleep were similar to that of natural sleep (vehicle) and thus compatible with physiological sleep. Double-immunohistochemistry staining test showed that tenuifolin increased the c-Fos positive ratios of GABAergic NREM sleep-promoting neurons in ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO), cholinergic REM sleep-promoting neurons in laterodorsal tegmental area (LDT) and pontomesencephalic tegmental area (PPT) and decreased the c-Fos positive ratios in wake-promoting neurons (locus coeruleus (LC) and perifornical area (Pef)). Neurotransmitter detections revealed that tenuifolin significantly reduced the noradrenaline (NA) levels in LC, VLPO, PPT and LDT, elevated the GABA levels in VLPO, LC and Pef and increased the acetylcholine (Ach) levels in LDT and PPT. In addition, tenuifolin did not cause any change to locomotor activity. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results provide the first experimental evidence of the significant sleep-enhancing effect of tenuifolin in mice. This effect appears to be mediated, at least in part, by the activation of GABAergic systems and/or by the inhibition of noradrenergic systems. Moreover, this study adds new scientific evidence and highlights the therapeutic potential of the medicinal plant P. tenuifolia in the development of phytomedicines with hypnotic properties.

An LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of three Polygala saponin hydrolysates in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Radix Polygala has a long history of use as a sedative in traditional Chinese medicine and its major ingredients are saponins, which are recognized effective in memory improvement but highly toxic to gastricintestinal mucosa. Polygala saponin hydrolysates (PSH), an alkaline hydrolysis product and also the intestinal metabolites of the saponins, exhibited stronger effects in improving memory of mice and had less toxicity than its original saponins. The present study aims to develop a sensitive LC-MS/MS method for simultaneously determining PSH three major active components, 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamylic acid (TMCA), p-methoxycinnamylic acid (PMCA) and tenuifolin (TF), in rat plasma and apply the method to a pharmacokinetic study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The acidic plasma (100µl) was treated by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and reconstituted sample was analyzed on a C18 column eluted with acetonitrile-water (50:50) containing 0.2% formic acid at 0.4ml/min. The mass detection in negative electrospray ionization was used. The ion pairs for multiple reaction monitoring were set at m/z 237.0/103.0, 177.0/116.6 and 679.5/425.3 for TMCA, PMCA and TF, respectively. Their pharmacokinetic profiles were studied in rats after intravenous and oral dose of PSH at 20 and 100mg/kg, respectively. RESULTS: The calibration curves had good linearity (r(2)>0.99) for TMCA, PMCA and TF within the tested concentration ranges. The limits of detection and quantification were 1, 10, 0.5ng/ml and 10.0, 20.0, 1.0ng/ml, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precisions were less than 18.9% and accuracies between 93.2% and 113.3%, and the extraction recovery ranged from 91.2% to 112.1% for all analytes. The pharmacokinetic study showed that TMCA, PMCA and TF could be rapidly absorbed into the circulation and reached their peak concentrations at about 9.1, 9.0 and 24.0min, respectively. TF had a lower oral bioavailability (2.0%) than TMCA (90.1%) and PMCA (96.5%), but it remained in the body much longer (t1/2, λz, 4.8h, oral dose) than TMCA (0.6h) and PMCA (0.9h). CONCLUSIONS: A sensitive LC-MS/MS method was developed and applied to a pharmacokinetic study of TMCA, PMCA and TF of PSH in rats. The three components are proved to be bio-available active components of PSH and might display their in vivo pharmacological activities at different levels and different time periods after oral administration.

Tenuifolin, a secondary saponin from hydrolysates of polygalasaponins, counteracts the neurotoxicity induced by Aß25-35 peptides in vitro and in vivo.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with damage to hippocampal neurons and declines in cognitive functions. The accumulation of amyloid peptides is regarded as a crucial event in the initiation of AD. The neurotoxicity induced by Aß25-35 peptides was used to screen for cytoprotective factors in vitro, and the cognitive deficits induced by the injection of Aß25-35 into the hippocampus were used to evaluate effect on learning and memory. Our previous study revealed that hydrolysate of polygalasaponins (HPS) clearly improve the cognitive deficits induced by the injection of Aß25-35 in mice, but the potential active constituent of HPS remains unclear. The purposes of this study were to separate and purify the secondary saponins of HPS, screen for neuroprotective effects of the constituents in vitro, and to evaluate the effect of cognition in vivo. Various chromatographic methods were used to separate and purify the HPS. The neuroprotective effects were examined in Aß25-35-damage-induced PC12 cells. The protective effect of tenuifolin on the cognitive impairments induced by Aß25-35 injection was assessed using the Morris water maze and step-through passive avoidance tests. Tenuifolin and fallaxsaponin A were isolated from the HPS. Tenuifolin possessed neuroprotective effects against Aß25-35-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells and significantly improved the cognitive deficits induced by the intrahippocampal injection of Aß25-35 in mice. Thus, tenuifolin is one of the active constituents of HPS against the neurotoxicity induced by Aß25-35 peptides in vitro and in vivo.

Quantitative analysis of tenuifolin concentrations in rat plasma and tissue using LC⬜MS/MS: application to pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study.

A sensitive, reliable and accurate reversed-phased liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC⬜MS/MS) in negative ion mode was developed and validated for the quantification of tenuifolin in rat plasma and tissue. A single step protein precipitation by methanol was used to prepare plasma and tissue homogenate samples. Tenuifolin and polydatin (internal standard, IS) were separated by HPLC using a C18 column and an isocratic mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water containing 0.05% formic acid (42:58, v/v) running at a flow rate of 0.2 ml/min for 6 min. Detection and quantification were performed using a mass spectrometer by the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in negative electrospray ionization mode. The transition monitored were m/z [M↙H](↙) 679.4 â ™ 455.4 for tenuifolin and m/z [M↙H](↙) 389.0 â ™ 227.2 for IS, respectively. Calibration curves were recovered over a concentration range of 0.5⬜1000 ng/ml for plasma, heart, liver, lung and kidney, 0.5⬜200 ng/ml for spleen, and 0.5⬜50 ng/ml for brain, respectively. The lower limit of quantification was 0.5 ng/ml for plasma and tissue homogenates. The inter-day precision (R.S.D.) was less than 12.9% and intra-day precision R.S.D. was less than 13.4%, while the inter-day accuracy (R.E.) was ranged from ↙7.20 to 6.87% and intra-day accuracy (R.E.) was ranged from ↙6.20 to 8.04% in plasma and tissue homogenates. This method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution study of pure tenuifolin in rat. The pharmacokinetic study indicated that poor absorption into systemic circulation was observed after rat was administered orally tenuifolin, and the absolute bioavailability was low (0.83 ± 0.28%). The results of tissue distribution showed the higher tenuifolin concentrations were found in liver, kidney and heart, and the small amount of drug was distributed quickly into the brain tissue at 5 min after the intravenous injection of tenuifolin. The fact that tenuifolin could cross the blood⬜brain barrier provided the material basis for pharmacological action of the tenuifolin in the treatment of memory loss.