Three new constituents from the Tujia ethnomedicine Swertia punicea Hemsl.

Three new constituents: 1,5R-dihydroxy-3,8S-dimethoxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroxanthone (1), (3S,4R,16S,17R)-3,16,23-trihydroxyoleana-11,13(18)-dien-28-aldehyde-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), and new natural product (S)-gentiandiol (3), along with 41 known compounds were isolated from Tujia ethnomedicine Shuihuanglian, namely, the whole plant of Swertia punicea. Structures of all these compounds were established through extensive spectroscopic techniques, namely 1D, 2D-NMR spectroscopy, HRESIMS analysis, and the absolute configuration of the new compounds was discerned by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Antioxidative effects of these compounds were evaluated by using the DPPH radical scavenging method, compounds 7, 9 and 14 showed antioxidant activities with IC50 values of 68.9, 50.8 and 48.2 µM, respectively.

Heilaohuacid G, a new triterpenoid from Kadsura coccinea inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis, and ameliorates inflammation in RA-FLS and RAW 264.7 cells via suppressing NF-𝜠B pathway.

Heilaohu, the roots of Kadsura coccinea, has been used in Tujia ethnomedicine to treat rheumatic arthritis (RA). Heilaohuacid G (1), a new 3,4-seco-lanostane type triterpenoid isolated from the ethanol extract of Heilaohu, whose structure was determined using HR-ESI-MS data, NMR spectroscopic analyses, and ECD calculations. In this study, our purpose is to elucidate the mechanisms of Heilaohuacid G in the treatment of RA by inhibited proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis-fibroblastoid synovial (RA-FLS) cells and inhibited the inflammatory reactions in LPS-induced RA-FLS and RAW 264.7 cell lines via inhibiting NF-κB pathway. The biological activity screening experiments indicated that Heilaohuacid G significantly inhibited proliferation of RA-FLS cells with IC50 value of 8.16 ± 0.47 µM. CCK-8 assay, ELISA, flow cytometry assay, and Western blot were used to measure the changes of cell viability, apoptosis, and the release of inflammatory cytokines. Heilaohuacid G was found not only induced RA-FLS cell apoptosis, but also inhibited the inflammatory reactions in LPS-induced RA-FLS and RAW 264.7 cell lines via inhibiting NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, Heilaohuacid G (p.o.) at doses of 3.0, 6.0, and 12.0 mg/kg and the ethanol extracts of Heilaohu (p.o.) at doses of 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg both were confirmed antiinflammatory effects on xylene-induced ear mice edema model.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of chemical constituents from the flower buds of Buddleja officinalis.

Five new glycosides including mimenghuasu A and B (1-2), isolinarin (3), cyclocitralosides A and B (4-5), along with forty-seven known compounds were isolated from the flower buds of Buddleja officinalis. These structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis (UV, IR, 1 D, 2 D NMR, and MS spectra). The anti-inflammatory activities of the isolated compounds were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on the expression of TNF-α (LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells) and MTT experiment on LPS-induced HUVECs proliferation effects. Good suppressive effects on the expression of TNF-α were shown by 4 and 5 with IC50 values of 19.35 and 22.10 µM, respectively, compared to positive control indomethacin (IC50 16.40 µM). In addition to this, some isolated compounds exhibited excellent antioxidant activities including compounds 16, 18, 29, 39, and 47 (IC50 µM: 82.59, 72.94, 33.65, 46.67, and 20.81, respectively) with almost the same or stronger potency with reference to vitamin C as positive control (IC50 81.83 µM).

Triterpenoids From Kadsura coccinea With Their Anti-inflammatory and Inhibited Proliferation of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Fibroblastoid Synovial Cells Activities.

One new 3,4-seco-17,13-friedo-lanostane triterpenoid heilaohuacid A (1), one new 3,4-seco-17,14-friedo-lanostane triterpenoid heilaohuacid B (2), five new 3,4-seco-lanostane triterpenoids heilaohuacids C-D (3-4) and heilaohumethylesters A-C (7-9), one new 3,4-seco-cycloartane triterpenoid heilaohuacid E (5), and one new intact-lanostane triterpenoid heilaohuacid F (6), together with twenty-two known analogues (10-31), were isolated from heilaohu. Their structures were determined using HR-ESI-MS data, 1D and 2D NMR spectra, 13C NMR calculations, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Heilaohuacids A and B (1 and 2) contain a 3,4-seco ring A and unprecedented migration of Me-18 from C-13 to C-17 or C-14 to C-18. This type of lanostane triterpenoid derivatives was rarely reported so far. More importantly, all compounds against inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α levels on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages were evaluated, and compounds 4 and 31 significantly inhibited the release level of IL-6 with IC50 values of 8.15 and 9.86 µM, respectively. Meanwhile, compounds 17, 18, and 31 significantly inhibited proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis-fibroblastoid synovial (RA-FLS) cells in vitro with IC50 values of 7.52, 8.85, and 7.97 µM, respectively.

Heilaohuguosus A-S from the fruits of Kadsura coccinea and their hepatoprotective activity.

Phytochemical investigations on the fresh fruits of Kadsura coccinea (Lem.) A. C. Sm. have led to the isolation of fourteen undescribed 2,2'-cyclolignans named heilaohuguosus A-N, four undescribed aryltetrahydronaphthalene lignans, heilaohuguosus O-R and one tetrahydrofuran lignan, heilaohuguosu S, with twenty-seven previously described lignan analogues. Their structures and absolute configurations of heilaohuguosus A-S were established by spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D-NMR techniques and CD experiments. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their hepatoprotective activity against APAP-induced toxicity in HepG-2 cells, four 2,2'-cyclolignans, heilaohuguosus A and L, tiegusanin I and kadsuphilol I showed good hepatoprotective activities against APAP toxicity in HepG-2 cells with cell survival rates of 53.5 ± 1.7%, 55.2 ± 1.2%, 52.5 ± 2.4%, and 54.0 ± 2.2% (positive control bicyclol, 52.1 ± 1.3%) at 10 µM, respectively.

A review of lignans from genus Kadsura and their spectrum characteristics.

Kadsura belongs to the Schisandroideae subfamily of Magnoliaceae. Plants from genus Kadsura are widely distributed in the South and Southwest of China. The plants of the genus are widely used as folk medicine for a long time in history, with the functions of relieving pain, promoting 'qi' circulation, activating blood resolve stasis, and applications in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and gastroenteric disorders. Lignans are the primary characteristic constituents with various biological activities of plants from genus Kadsura. This paper summarized 81 lignans isolated from the plants of genus Kadsura over the past eight years (from 2014 to 2021), which belong to five types: dibenzocyclooctadienes, spirobenzofuranoid dibenzocyclooctadienes, aryltetralins, diarylbutanes and tetrahydrofurans. Each type of these lignans possess typical characteristics in proton magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) spectra, the NMR regularities of these types of lingans were summarized, which provided a useful reference for the structural analysis of lignans. The relationships between lignans and pharmacodynamics were also systematically analyzed, lignans were predicted to be the quality markers (Q-marker) of Kadsura genus.

Kadsura heteroclita stem ethanol extract protects against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in mice via suppression of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Kadsura heteroclita stem (KHS) is a well-known hepatoprotective Tujia ethnomedicine (folk named Xuetong), has long been used for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis and liver diseases. AIM OF THE STUDY: To explore the protective effects of KHS against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury and the underlying mechanism, particularly antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic potentials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The acute toxicity of KHS was measured by the method of maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Liver injury in mice was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 25% carbon tetrachloride (olive oil solubilization) 2 times every week. After modeling, mice in KHS groups were treated with KHS at 100, 200, 400 mg/kg/d, mice in positive control group were treated with bifendate (30 mg/kg/d), and mice in normal and model groups were given ultrapure water. After 4 weeks of treatment, blood of mice was taken from the orbital venous plexus before mice euthanized, the liver, spleen, and thymus of mice were weighed by dissecting the abdominal cavity after mice euthanized. Moreover, the liver of mice was selected for histological examination. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities in mice serum were measured using the automatic biochemical analyzer. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPX-2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), Bcl-2-associated X (Bax), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Caspase-3, and Caspase-8 in mice liver were measured by Elisa kits. Furthermore, the protein expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in mice liver tissue was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The MTD of KHS was determined to be 26 g/kg in both sexes of mice. Treatment with KHS dose-dependently protected the liver and other main organs against CCl4-induced liver injury in mice. The ALT and AST levels in mice liver were significantly reduced after treatment with KHS at the dose of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg. In addition, the liver histopathological analyses revealed that KHS markedly alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration, hepatic fibrosis, hepatocyte ballooning, necrosis and severe apoptosis of hepatocytes induced by CCl4. Further assay indicated that KHS significantly suppressed the production of MDA and MPO, while markedly increased the level of SOD and GPx-2. The TNF-α and IL-6 level in mice liver tissue were decreased by KHS, whereas the IL-10 level was increased. KHS also inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis by significantly reducing the expression of Bax, Caspase-3, Caspase-8, as well as increasing the expression of Bcl-2. Besides, the Western blot results strongly demonstrated that KHS inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis, as evidenced by reducing the expression of Bax protein and increasing the expression of Bcl-2 protein in liver injury tissues. CONCLUSIONS: This research firstly clarified that KHS has a significant protective effect against CCl4-induced liver injury, which might be closely related to alleviating oxidative stress, reducing inflammatory response, and inhibiting hepatocyte apoptosis.

Chemical characterization of constituents from Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua and their cytotoxic and antioxidant evaluation.

Twenty-four compounds were isolated from the roots of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua, including a new octopamine dimer, named trans-bis(N-feruloyl)octopamine (1). The structure was established on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical methods. All the extracts and compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic and antioxidant activities by using MTT and chemiluminescence assay. The extracts showed activity against MCF-7 and HepG-2 cell lines from IC50 0.30 to 1.01 mg mL-1. Compound 3 exhibited activity against HepG-2 cell lines with IC50 8.99 µM. Compound 7 exhibited activity against Hela cell lines with IC50 2.53 µM and BGC-823 cell lines with IC50 7.77 µM. Moreover, compound 7 showed antioxidant with IC50 12 µM compared to the positive control with IC50 77 µM. Compound 16 exhibited activity against HepG-2 cell lines with IC50 1.05 µM and MCF-7 cell lines with IC50 1.89 µM. These results indicated that this plant might be potential in natural medicine and healthy food.

Triterpenoids from stems of Kadsura heteroclita.

In the present work, we reported the triterpenoids isolated from n-butanol fraction of Kadsura heteroclita which is a Tujia ethnomedicine with trivial name "Xuetong". This effort resulted in the isolation of six unpresented triterpenoids xuetongsu A-F (1-6), along with five known triterpenoids (7-11). The structures of the reported compounds were established on the 1D, and 2D NMR and HRESIMS spectra, along with CD spectroscopic analysis. Moreover, the absolute stereochemistry of compound 7 was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Antioxidant and cytotoxic activities were evaluated for all isolated compounds, compound 7 shown weak cytotoxic activity against HL-60 with IC50 value of 50.0 µM.

Identification of potential diagnostic biomarkers of cerebral infarction using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and chemometrics.

Cerebral infarction (CI) is one of the most common cerebrovascular diseases and remains a major health problem worldwide. In this study, we evaluated the potential diagnostic biomarkers and important relevant metabolic pathways associated with CI. Metabolomics based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with the multivariate pattern recognition technique were used to characterize the potential serum metabolic profiles of CI. Forty healthy controls and thirty-three cerebral infarction patients were recruited for the nontargeted global metabolites' study and subsequent targeted fatty acid analysis. Overall, thirty-four endogenous metabolites were found in serum from the untargeted global study, four of which were detected to be significantly different between the CI group and healthy controls, including l-lysine, octadecanoic acid (fatty acid), l-tyrosine and lactic acid. Additionally, fourteen free fatty acids were identified by the subsequent targeted fatty acid analysis, and seven of them were detected to be significantly different between the CI group and healthy controls, which were mainly associated with arachidonic acid metabolism and fatty acid metabolism. Our results suggest several potential diagnostic biomarkers, and serum metabolism research is demonstrated as a powerful tool to explore the pathogenesis of CI.

A new sucrosephenylpropanoid ester from Polygonum pubescens Blume.

The present study investigated the chemical constituents of aerial part of Polygonum pubescens Blume. Twenty-two compounds 1-22 were obtained from petroleum ether and ethyl acetate extracts of aerial part of P. pubescens, including a new phenylpropanoide esters 1 and 21 known compounds. The structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical methods. Sixteen compounds were assessed for their cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities. Several compounds showed effects on different targets.

[Genetic diversity and phylogenetic analysis of Fusarium oxysporium strains isolated from the Cucurbitaceae hosts revealed by SRAPs]. / ç“œç±»æž¯èŽç— èŒé—ä¼ å¤šæ ·æ€§å’Œäº²ç¼˜å ³ç³»çš„SRAP分析.

Cucurbitaceae wilt of different hosts could be caused by Fusarium oxysporum. To clear the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of F. oxysporum isolates from different Cucurbitaceae hosts and regions, genomic DNA of ninety-five strains of F. oxysporum isolated from different hosts and different regions were amplified by sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) molecular markers. All strains could be uniquely distinguished with 238 polymorphism bands which generated 100% of polymorphic ratio with 19 selective primer pairs. On average, each primer pairs amplified 12.5 loci and 12.5 polymorphic loci. A total of 166 bands of F. oxysporum f. sp. momordicae (FOM) were amplified, among which 145 polymorphic bands generated 87.4% of polymorphic ratio. On average, each primer combination amplified 8.7 loci and 7.7 polymorphic loci. This indicated that genetic variation of F. oxysporum was extensive. The genetic similarity coefficient of F. oxysporum was 0.68-0.99, and the average indexes of Nei's genetic diversity and Shannon were 0.2390 and 0.3718, respectively. Ninety-five strains of F. oxysporum were divided into four formae speciales from bitter gourd, cucumber, watermelon and melon, when the genetic similarity coefficient was 0.74. In SRAP dendrogram all the FOM isolates were gathered into one phylogenetic branch with the genetic similarity coefficient ranging from 0.78 to 0.99. The average indexes of Nei's genetic diversity and Shannon indices were 0.1811 and 0.2750, respectively. This indicated that genetic diversity of FOM was abundant, and the classification of phylogenetic group was related to geographic origin to some extent.

Biological evaluation of phytoconstituents from Polygonum hydropiper.

Fourteen compounds including vanicoside B (1), vanicoside F (2), vanicoside E (3) and 5,6-dehydrokawain (4), aniba-dimer-A (5), 6,6'-((1α,2α,3ß,4ß)-2,4-diphenylcyclobutane-1,3-diyl)bis(4-methoxy-2H-pyran-2-one) (6), (+)-ketopinoresinol (7), isorhamnetin (8), 3,7-dihydroxy-5,6-dimethoxy-flavone (9), isalpinin (10), cardamomin (11), pinosylvin (12), 2-desoxy-4-epi-pulchellin (13) and ß-sitosterol (14) were isolated from dichloromethane-soluble portion of Polygonum hydropiper. By using Alamar blue assay, compounds 2, 7, 8, 11 and 12 were found to be active against Trypanosoma brucei with IC50 values in the range of 0.49-7.77 µg/mL. Cardamomin (11) had most significant activity against T. brucei with IC50/IC90 values of 0.49/0.81 µg/mL compared to the positive control DFMO (IC50/IC90: 3.02/8.05 µg/mL). Furthermore, in antimalarial, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, PPAR and cytotoxic assays, some compounds have demonstrated moderate inhibitory potentials.

Metformin and gefitinib cooperate to inhibit bladder cancer growth via both AMPK and EGFR pathways joining at Akt and Erk.

EGFR is a potential therapeutic target for treating bladder cancer, but has not been approved for clinical use yet. Metformin is a widely used antidiabetic drug and has demonstrated interesting anticancer effects on various cancer models, alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. The efficacy of gefitinib, a well-known EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, combined with metformin was assessed on bladder cancer and underlying mechanisms were explored. This drug combination induced a strong anti-proliferative and anti-colony forming effect and apoptosis in bladder cancer cell lines. Gefitinib suppressed EGFR signaling and inhibited phosphorylation of ERK and Akt. Metformin amplified this inhibitory effect and enhanced gefitinib-induced activation of AMPK signaling pathway. In vivo intravesical treatment of metformin and gefitinib on syngeneic orthotopic mice confirmed the significant inhibitory effect on bladder tumor growth. These two drugs may be an excellent combination for the treatment of bladder cancer through intravesical instillation.

Lignans from the bark of Zanthoxylum simulans.

Investigation on the EtOAc extract of the bark of Zanthoxylum simulans led to the isolation of four new lignans including zanthoxylumin A (1), zanthoxylumin B (2), ( - )-magnolin (3), and ( - )-pinoresinol-di-3,3-dimethylallyl ether (4). Their structures were established by comprehensive analysis of the spectral data, especially 1D and 2D NMR spectra.

[Study on chemical constituents of Zanthoxyli cortex's ethyl acetate extract].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of Zanthoxyli Cortex. METHODS: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by silica gel and HP-20, MCI gel, Sephadex LH -20 column chromatography, RP-18 and PTLC. Their structures were elucidated by the analysis of spectral data and chemical properties. RESULTS: Ten compounds were isolated from EtOAc extract and their structures were identified as: asarinin (I), fargesin (II), eudesmin (III), (1R, 2R, 5R, 6S)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-6-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]-octane(IV), dimethoxysamin(V), rel-(1R,5R,6S)-6-(3,4-dimethoxyphen-yl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo-[3.3.0]-octan-2-one(VI), Magnone A(VII), beta-sitoste-rol( VIII), beta-armyrin(IX), beta-amyrone(X). CONCLUSION: These compounds isolated from Zanthoxyli Cortex's Ethyl acetate extract are all known compounds. Fargesin(II) and beta-amyrone(X) are isolated from Zanthoxyli Cortex for the first time.

A new ferulic acid ester and other constituents from Dracocephalum peregrinum.

A new ferulic acid ester, 1'-methyl-2'-hydroxyethyl ferulate (1), together with methylcaffeate (2), 4-hydroxy cinnamic acid (3), ferulic acid (4), caffeic acid (5), diosmetin (6), luteolin (7), 5,3',4'-trihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyflavone (8), eriodictyol (9), kaempferol (10), quercetin (11), acacetin-7-O-glcopyranoside (12), 4-(beta-glucopyranosyloxy) benzoic acid (13), luteolin-7-O-(6''-feruloyl) glucopyranoside (14), luteolin-7-O-glucopyranoside (15), kaempferide-3-O-rhamnopyranoside (16), quercitrin (17), kaempferol-3-O-glucopyranoside (18), prunasin (19), quercetin-7-O-glucopyranoside (20), quercetin-3-O-glucopyranoside (21), plantaginin (22), linarin (23), luteolin-7-O-rutinoside (24), and chlorogenic acid (25) were isolated from the aerial parts of Dacocephalum peregrinum. The structure of 1 was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and HR-ESI-MS analyses. In addition, compound 1 exhibited mild inhibitory effect on NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.