Dopamine D2 receptor agonist Bromocriptine ameliorates Aß1-42-induced memory deficits and neuroinflammation in mice.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, which lacks disease-modifying therapeutics so far. Studies have shown that the dysfunction of the dopaminergic system is related to a variety of pathophysiology of AD, and the expression of Dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) in the brains of AD patients and animal models is significantly downregulated, suggesting that DRD2 may represent a therapeutic target for AD. However, the strategy of targeting DRD2 for AD treatment still lacks some key experimental evidences. Here we show that DRD2 agonist Bromocriptine improved Aß1-42 induced neuroinflammation, neuronal apoptosis, and memory deficits in mice. For animal study, the mice have injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) with Aß1-42(410 pmol/5 µl) to induced AD cognitive deficit model (Mazzola et al., 2003; van der Stelt et al., 2006). After 7 days, Bromocriptine (2.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg) or normal saline was administered intragastrically once a day for 30 days. Behavioral tests about the Y maze and Morris water maze in mice were initiated on the twenty-fourth day of drug administration for 7 days. In vivo and in vitro mechanism research revealed that Bromocriptine, via activating DRD2, promoted the recruitment of PP2A and JNK by scaffold protein ß-arrestin 2, that repressed JNK-mediated transcription of proinflammatory cytokines and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in microglia. Collectively, our findings suggest that Bromocriptine can ameliorate Aß1-42 induced neuroinflammation and memory deficits in mice through DRD2/ß-arrestin 2/PP2A/JNK signaling axis, which provides an experimental basis for the development of Bromocriptine as a drug for AD.

[Research progress on intestinal microecology regulating mechanism and biological activities of polysaccharides].

Intestinal microecology is an important defense system in the human body. The intestinal flora is the core micro-ecosystem in the human intestine. It has a symbiotic relationship with the overall functions of the body. It has strong metabolic activity to maintain the normal functioning of the body and resist the invasion of various viral antigens in the body. Playing a protective function,the imbalanced intestinal microecology can cause various diseases. Polysaccharides can be extracted from a wide range of sources and have low toxicity and side effects. They have attracted wide attention because of their anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and other biological activities. Studies have demonstrated that polysaccharides can regulate intestinal microecological disorders. According to the studies in recent years, this review summarizes that polysaccharides mainly modulate intestinal microecological disorders through regulating the composition of intestinal flora, improving the metabolism of the flora, and repairing the intestinal tract barrier. On the basis of these mechanisms of action, this paper elaborates the anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities of polysaccharides. This paper can provide reference for the future research on the intestinal microecology-regulating mechanism and biological activities of polysaccharides.

Mori Fructus Polysaccharides Attenuate Alcohol-Induced Liver Damage by Regulating Fatty Acid Synthesis, Degradation and Glycerophospholipid Metabolism in Mice.

Mori Fructus polysaccharides (MFP) are macromolecules extracted from Mori Fructus (MF), which has the biological activity of anti-liver damage. Our group found that MFP maybe down regulate the serum triglyceride level in mice with alcohol-induced liver damage, suggesting that MFP can regulate lipid metabolism, but its specific mechanism is still not clear. Fifty SPF-ICR male mice weighing 18-22 g were randomly divided into five groups, blank group, model group, bifendate group, MFPA1 group and MFPB1 group. The blood and liver tissues were taken from mice for nontargeted lipidomic analysis and histopathological examination after 7 day's treatment. The histopathological changes indicated that the normal liver cells were intact and regular, with orderly arrangement and distinct cell boundaries; the liver of model mice showed inflammatory infiltration, ballooning degeneration in the cells and small lipid drops; the liver of mice in the bifendate, MFPA1 and MFPB1 groups showed similar symptoms to those of model mice, but the lesions were less severe and the ballooning degeneration were reduced. Multivariate analysis of all lipids in the serum of five groups of mice showed there were obvious differences in lipid metabolism between the model group and the blank group. At the same time, seven kinds of differential lipids were precisely identified after screening, including prostaglandins, long-chain fatty acids, glycerophospholipids, acyl carnitines. In summary, alcohol intake and MFP intervention have significant effects on fatty acid synthesis, degradation and glycerophospholipid metabolism.

[Research progress on mechanism of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine for gastric cancer].

Gastric cancer is a disease with high mortality, which threatens the health of people for a long time. At present, the main treatment methods are surgery and chemotherapy, but these methods have great harm to the human body. However, it is found that the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine have an obvious therapeutic effect in the adjuvant treatment of the tumor. Therefore, the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine have become a research hotspot in the anti-tumor field. In recent years, many related researchers have been particularly active in studying the in vitro activity and mechanism of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine on human gastric cancer cells. In this paper, the Chinese herbal medicine extracts, polysaccharides, alkaloids, saponins, flavones, terpenes, quinones, volatile oils, esters, phenols, protein components and other active ingredients of Chinese medicine were used as the starting points to investigate the anti-gastric cancer mechanism, such as inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis of cancer cells, inhibiting cell invasion and migration; inhibiting over-expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF); interfering with cell mitosis; and regulating cell signaling pathways. Their in vitro inhibitory activity and mechanism for gastric cancer cells were described in this study, providing a theoretical reference for the development and application of anti-gastric cancer drugs.

[Research progress on anti-hepatocellular carcinoma mechanism of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine].

According to the latest data, the annual mortality rate of liver cancer in China ranks the second among malignant tumors, and it has become one of the most fatal cancers in urban and rural areas. This article starts with the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines for liver cancer to summarize the relevant literature at home and abroad, with the hope to provide theoretical references for the development of traditional Chinese medicines against liver cancer. The results show that the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines such as Chinese herbal extracts, flavonoids, polysaccharides, alkaloids, saponins, volatile oils, terpenes, quinones, phenols, bioenzymes, and protein components are the entry points, mainly by inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells, blocking the cancer cell cycle, inhibiting the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells, regulating signal pathways, regulating vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and reactive oxygen species(ROS), etc. to play the effects against liver cancer. It can be seen that the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine with coordinated intervention effects at multiple levels and multiple targets are expected to become ideal medicines for the treatment of liver cancer.

[Research progress in mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine active ingredients against cervical cancer].

Cervical cancer is the second cancer that threatens women' s health,and has attracted the attention of researchers at home and abroad because of its extremely high mortality rate. At present,most of the radiotherapy methods and chemical drugs for cancer treatment have serious side effects,and the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine have become the key research and development targets of anti-cancer drugs due to many advantages,such as multi-channel,multi-link,multi-target,and less toxicity. In recent years,researchers have been particularly active in researching the inhibitory activity and mechanism of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine for human cervical cancer cells. In this paper,the inhibitory activity and mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine against human cervical cancer cells were investigated from crude extract of traditional Chinese medicine,polysaccharides,alkaloids,saponins,flavonoids,terpenoids,quinones,volatile oils,esters,phenols,arsenical,protein components as the starting point; anti-cervical cancer mechanism was investigated,such as inhibiting cell proliferation inducing apoptosis of cancer cells,inhibiting cell invasion,migration and focal adhesion kinase( FAK) phosphorylation,inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor( VEGF)over-expression interfering with cell mitosis,inhibiting Granzyme activity,regulating cellular signaling pathway,down-regulating HPV E6 gene expression,and regulating immune function. Its in vitro inhibitory activity and mechanism of action on cervical cancer cells were reviewed,in order to provide a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of anti-cervical cancer drugs.

The Tissue Distribution and Urinary Excretion Study of Gallic Acid and Protocatechuic Acid after Oral Administration of Polygonum Capitatum Extract in Rats.

In the present study, we investigated the tissue distribution and urinary excretion of gallic acid (GA) and protocatechuic acid (PCA) after rat oral administration of aqueous extract of Polygonum capitatum (P. capitatum, named Herba Polygoni Capitati in China). An UHPLC-MS/MS analytical method was developed and adopted for quantification of GA and PCA in different tissue homogenate and urine samples. Interestingly, we found that GA and PCA showed a relatively targeted distribution in kidney tissue after dosing 60 mg/kg P. capitatum extract (equivalent to 12 mg/kg of GA and 0.9 mg/kg of PCA). The concentrations of GA and PCA in the kidney tissue reached 1218.62 ng/g and 43.98 ng/g, respectively, at one hour after oral administration. The results helped explain the empirical use of P. capitatum for kidney diseases in folk medicine. Further studies on urinary excretion of P. capitatum extract indicated that GA and PCA followed a concentrated elimination over a 4-h period. The predominant metabolites were putatively identified to be 4-methylgallic acid (4-OMeGA) and 4-methylprotocatechuic acid (4-OMePCA) by analyzing their precursor ions and characteristic fragment ions using tandem mass spectrometry. However, the amount of unchanged GA and PCA that survived the metabolism were about 14.60% and 15.72% of the total intake, respectively, which is reported for the first time in this study.

Studies on Chromatographic Fingerprint and Fingerprinting Profile-Efficacy Relationship of Saxifraga stolonifera Meerb.

This work investigated the spectrum-effect relationships between high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints and the anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia activities of aqueous extracts from Saxifraga stolonifera. The fingerprints of S. stolonifera from various sources were established by HPLC and evaluated by similarity analysis (SA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Nine samples were obtained from these 24 batches of different origins, according to the results of SA, HCA and the common chromatographic peaks area. A testosterone-induced mouse model of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was used to establish the anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia activities of these nine S. stolonifera samples. The model was evaluated by analyzing prostatic index (PI), serum acid phosphatase (ACP) activity, concentrations of serum dihydrotestosterone (DHT), prostatic acid phosphatase (PACP) and type II 5α-reductase (SRD5A2). The spectrum-effect relationships between HPLC fingerprints and anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia activities were investigated using Grey Correlation Analysis (GRA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR). The results showed that a close correlation existed between the fingerprints and anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia activities, and peak 14 (chlorogenic acid), peak 17 (quercetin 5-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside) and peak 18 (quercetin 3-O-ß-l-rhamno-pyranoside) in the HPLC fingerprints might be the main active components against anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia. This work provides a general model for the study of spectrum-effect relationships of S. stolonifera by combing HPLC fingerprints with a testosterone-induced mouse model of BPH, which can be employed to discover the principle components of anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia bioactivity.

[Study on quality standard of Eucommia ulmoides based on absorbed active components in rat plasma].

The method was established for determination of geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid, pinoresinoldiglucoside, which are three kinds of constituents of Eucommia ulmoides absorbed into the blood components. LC-MS/MS technique was applied to determine the blood components of the bloodstream after administration of E. ulmoides extract. At the same time, HPLC was used for detection of the ingredients content of the blood sample from 23 batches of E. ulmoides. The results showed that geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid and pinoresinoldiglucoside are prototype into the blood in rats after oral administration of E. ulmoides extract, The linear range of geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid and pinoresinoldiglucoside was good, and the average recoveries geniposidic acid, chlorogenic acid and pinoresinoldiglucoside were 98.69%, 100.8% and 98.39%, respectively. The method is simple and feasible with good reproducibility.

HPLC-DAD-ELSD Combined Pharmacodynamics and Serum Medicinal Chemistry for Quality Assessment of Huangqi Granule.

OBJECTIVE: To more scientifically and reasonably control the quality of Huangqi Granules, preliminary studies on the pharmacodynamics and serum pharmacochemistry of this medicine were performed. DPPH and MTT experiments showed that water extracts of Huangqi Granules had good antioxidant activity and increased immunity. Timed blood samples collected 5 min, 15 min, and 30 min after oral administration of a set amount of Huangqi Granules were collected and tested using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. As a result, calycosin-7-O-ß-D-glucoside, ononin, calycosin, astragaloside IV, and formononetin were found to exist in rat blood after dosing, indicating that the five chemical compounds might have pharmacological activity, and based on this result, they were designated biomarkers for quality control of Huangqi Granules. Consequently, a simple, rapid and efficient method was developed in the present study for the simultaneous determination of the five characteristic compounds in Huangqi Granules using HPLC-DAD-ELSD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The separation was performed using an Agilent Hypersil ODS column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 µm) at 30 ℃. The mobile phase was composed of water (solvent A) and acetonitrile (solvent B) with a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The drift tube temperature of the ELSD system was set to 85 ℃, and the nitrogen pressure was 3.5 bar. RESULTS: All five characteristic compounds had good linear behavior with r2 values greater than 0.9972. The recoveries varied from 96.31% to 101.22%. Subsequently, the developed method was applied to evaluate the quality of Huangqi Granules from different batches, and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) was used to analyze the classification of the samples based on the values of the five compounds. CONCLUSION: The established HPLC method combined with HCA proved to be effective to evaluate the quality of Huangqi Granules.

A study of the geo-herbalism of evodiae fructus based on a flow-injection mass spectrometric fingerprinting method combined with chemometrics.

A flow-injection mass spectrometric (FIMS) fingerprinting method in combination with principal component analysis (PCA) was used to study the geo-herbalism of Evodiae Fructus (EF) samples. Twenty four EF samples from different regions in China were collected and analyzed. The PCA scores plot showed that the samples from Guizhou Province were scattered in different groups, however, most of the samples from other provinces were basically scattered in the same group. Nine characteristic compounds responsible for the classification of the samples were tentatively characterized. These nine compounds might help differentiating EF samples from different regions.

Relative bioavailability of gastrodin and parishin from extract and powder of Gastrodiae rhizoma in rat.

A rapid, sensitive and reliable UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous determination of gastrodin and parishin in rat plasma. The LLOQ of the two analytes were 1.00×10(-1) and 8.30×10(-5)µg/mL, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision were all less than 10% of the relative standard deviation (RSD), whilst the accuracy were all within ±15% of the relative error (RE). The proposed method was successfully applied for pharmacokinetics study on the two analytes in rats after oral administration of Gastrodiae rhizoma (GR) extract and powder at low, medium and high dosages. Blood samples were collected from the suborbital vein at predetermined time points and were precipitated using methanol. Chromatographic separations were carried out on a Kinetex XB-C18 column (2.1mm×150mm, 1.7µm) with a gradient mobile phase of acetonitrile-water with 0.1% formic acid as a modifier. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the two analytes in rats were obtained and the relative bioavailability of gastrodin and parishin in two formulations were calculated. The results indicated that higher bioavailability was obtained when low dosage of GR powder was used, whereas, higher bioavailability values were obtained when medium and high dosages of GR extract were used.

Molecular evolution of the vertebrate FK506 binding protein 25.

FK506 binding proteins (FKBPs) belong to immunophilins with peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIases) activity. FKBP25 (also known as FKBP3) is one of the nuclear DNA-binding proteins in the FKBPs family, which plays an important role in regulating transcription and chromatin structure. The calculation of nonsynonymous and synonymous substitution rates suggested that FKBP25 undergoes purifying selection throughout the whole vertebrate evolution. Moreover, the result of site-specific tests showed that no sites were detected under positive selection. Only one PPIase domain was detected by searching FKBP25 sequences at Pfam and SMART domain databases. Mammalian FKBP25 possess exon-intron conservation, although conservation in the whole vertebrate lineage is incomplete. The result of this study suggests that the purifying selection triggers FKBP25 evolutionary history, which allows us to discover the complete role of the PPIase domain in the interaction between FKBP25 and nuclear proteins. Moreover, intron alterations during FKBP25 evolution that regulate gene splicing may be involved in the purifying selection.

[Study on quality standard of Psammosilene tunicoides based on absorbed active components in rat plasma].

A method for determintion of allantion in Psammosilene tunicoides was established by HPLC. Using alcohol as the extraction solvent, the subsequent filtrate of P. tunicoides was analysed by HPLC. Allantoin was successfully detected and separated by ZORBAX NH2 column (4.6 mm x 150 mm,5 microm) at wavelength of 220 nm and column temperature of 40 degrees C, with acetonitrile-water (93: 7) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL x min(-1). The results showed that it had a good linear relationship between the concent ration of allantion and chromatographic peak area. The linear correlation coefficient of allantion was 0.999 5 in 0.010 4-0.166 g x L(-1). The relative standard deviation of six parallel injections was less than 2.1%. The average recoveries were ranged from 95.47% to 100.9%. This method was sensitive and accurate for the determination of allantion in P. tunicoides.

Studies on chromatographic fingerprint and fingerprinting profile-efficacy relationship of polygoni perfoliati herba.

Polygoni Perfoliati Herba is widely used in China with antibacterium, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antitumor, and antivirus activities. To reveal the mechanisms of the activities of Polygoni Perfoliati Herba, the relationship between the fingerprinting profile and its bioactivities was investigated. In the present study, high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) fingerprinting method was developed. The established method was applied to analyze 51 batches of Polygoni Perfoliati Herba samples collected from different locations or in different harvesting times in China. Chemometrics, including similarity analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis, and principal component analysis, were used to express their similarities. It was found that similarity values of the samples were in the range of 0.432-0.998. The results of analgesic tests indicated that Polygoni Perfoliati Herba could significantly inhibit pain induced by hot plate and acetic acid in mice. The results of anti-inflammatory tests showed that Polygoni Perfoliati Herba had good anti-inflammatory effects (P < 0.01) in two models including dimethyl benzene-induced ear edema and acetic acid-induced peritoneal permeability in mice. Combining the results from chromatographic fingerprints with those from bioactivities, we found that seven peaks from Polygoni Perfoliati Herba were mainly responsible for analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities.

[Antitussive constituents of Disporum cantoniense].

The antitussive activity assay for the root extraction of Disporum cantoniense was carried out with coughing mice induced by ammonia liquor. The results showed that the ethanol and water extractions of D. cantoniense possess strong antitussive activity, and the high dose of the former was better than positive control, and then the constituents of the ethanol extraction were separated and purified by various modern chromatographic techniques. Their structures were identified by physico-chemical properties and spectroscopic data. As a result, eight compounds were isolated and identified as stigmast-4-en-3-one(1), (22E, 24R)-ergosta-5, 7, 22-trien-3beta-ol(2), obtucarbamate A(3), obtucarbamate B(4), neotigogenin(5), azo-2, 2'-bis[Z-(2,3-dihydroxy-4-methyl-5-methoxy) phenyl ethylene] (6),dimethyl {[carbonylbis (azanediyl)] bis( 2-methyl-5, 1-phenylene) j dicarbamate (7) , and quercetin-3-O-pB-D-glucopyranoside(8). All compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time, and the result of bioactivity-directed isolation showed that compounds 3, 4, and 6 had obvious effect on antitussive activity, and compound 6 had the same level as positive control.

[Chemical constituents from roots of Psammosilene tunicoides].

Three compounds, including a new one (1), were isolated from the roots of Psammosilene tunicoides. Based on analysis of NMR data as well as their physical and chemical properties, their structures were elucidated as 3,3'-(4,5-dimethoxynaphthalene-2,7-diyl) bis (1-nitropropan-1-one) (1), alpha-spinasterol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2) and alpha-spinasteryl-3-O-beta-D-glucoside-6'-O-palmitate(3). Compounds 2 and 3 were isolated from this genus for the first time.

[Chemical constituents of Psammosilene tunicoides and bacteriostatic activity].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents and bacteriostatic activity of Psammosilene tunicoides. METHOD: Such methods as silica gel column chromatography and gel column chromatography were adotped separate and purify the compounds, and their structures were indentified on the basis of their spectral data and physicochemical properties. RESULT: Ten compounds were separated from ethanol extracts and identified as methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate (1), N-methylsaccharin (2), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid (3), germanicol (4), tricosanoic acid (5), octacosane (6), amber acid (7), succinic acid (8), stellarine A (9), and oleanane-12-ene-3alpha, 16alpha-two hydroxy-23,28-acid (10). CONCLUSION: All compounds except compound 10 were separated from P. tunicoides for the first time. Compounds 8 and 9 showed the bacteriostatic activity to a certain extent.

Protective effects of oleanolic acid on cerebral ischemic damage in vivo and H(2)O(2)-induced injury in vitro.

CONTEXT: Oleanolic acid (OA), a triterpenoid compound, exists in many plants. It has numerous bioactivities and has been used to treat hepatitis in China. However, few studies have reported its effect on the central nervous system, especially in ischemic stroke. OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effects of OA on cerebral ischemic injury for the first time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Survival time was tested in mice injured by bilateral common carotid artery ligation (BCCAL). Neurological function, infarct area, cerebral edema, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were estimated in rats operated by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Cell survival, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), SOD, reduced glutathione (GSH), MDA, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) were detected in H(2)O(2)-injured PC12 cells. RESULTS: Pre-administration with OA significantly prolonged survival time in mice at 50 and 25 mg/kg, alleviated neurological function, infarct area and cerebral edema, increased SOD and GSH-Px activities and decreased MDA level in rats at 25 and 12.5 mg/kg. Pre-treatment with OA at 10 and 1 µM remarkably improved cell survival, enhanced SOD activity and GSH content, reduced LDH and MDA levels and reversed the lowering of MMP and SDH activity. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that oleanolic acid effectively alleviates cerebral ischemic damage in vivo and oxidative injury in vitro, which may be in part due to the modulation of endogenous antioxidants and the improvement of mitochondrial function. Oleanolic acid may be a potential medicine for attenuating ischemic stroke.

Determination of dehydroevodiamine in Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth by high performance liquid chromatography and classification of the samples by using hierarchical clustering analysis.

A simple, sensitive and accurate liquid chromatographic method with photodiode-array detection was developed for determination of dehydroevodiamine with detection wavelength at 368 nm and column temperature at 30 degrees C. The separation was carried out on an Agilent Zorbax SB-C(18) column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) together with a C(18) guard column. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-water (containing 30 mM sodium acetate trihydrate and 0.15% acetic acid) in the ratio of 30:70 (v/v) delivered at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Excellent linear behavior was observed over the concentration range investigated, with correlation coefficient (R(2))=0.9998. This validated method was applied to determine the contents of dehydroevodiamine in 36 samples from different regions of China, and hierarchical clustering analysis was firstly used to classify and differentiate Evodia rutaecarpa samples. The analysis is specific and can be successfully applied to analyze E. rutaecarpa which is helpful for quality control of the herb.