Antidepressant-like effects of Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim. via modulation of monoamine regulatory pathways.

Sheng-ma is recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica and mainly originates from the rhizomes of Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim. (CD), Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom. and Cimicifuga foetida L. The alcoholic extract of Cimicifuga foetida L. (Brand name: Ximingting®) has been approved for the treatment of perimenopausal symptoms accompanying hot flash, depression and anxiety in China. However, there's no further study about the antidepressant-like effects of C. dahurica (CD). The aim of this study is to investigate the antidepressant-like effect of CD extracted by 75% ethanol and its possible mechanisms.The neuro-protective effects of CD on injured PC12 cells induced by corticosterone was measured firstly. Then, forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), reserpine-induced hypothermia, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) induced head twitch response in mice and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) on sucrose preference tests were executed. Moreover, the potential mechanisms were explored by measuring levels of monoamine neurotransmitter in mice frontal cortex and hippocampus, testing monoamine oxidase enzyme A (MAO-A) activities in the brains of CUMS-exposed mice. Results showed that CD (60, 120 mg/kg) can significantly decreased the immobility period in FST and TST in mice without affecting locomotor activity. CD (30 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg, 120 mg/kg) could significantly counteracted reserpine-induced hypothermia and increased the number of head-twitches in 5-HTP induced head twitch response. It was also found that the monoamine neurotransmitter levels in the hippocampus and frontal cortex were significantly increased in 60 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg CD treated mice. In addition, CD (60 and 120 mg/kg) significantly inhibited MAO-A after 6-week CUMS exposure. CD can effectively produce an antidepressant-like effect, which involved with modulation of monoamine regulatory pathways.

Unique phenolic constituent in Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim. through Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology.

Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim. exerts significant antioxidative due to its high phenolic constituent content. In this study, the extraction condition of the phenolic constituents and antioxidant effect was optimized by the Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology. Eleven main bioactive analytes of Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim. were simultaneously quantified by high-performance capillary electrophoresis with diode-array detector to assess the effect of extraction technology. The optimal extraction parameters were determined as: the concentration of ethanol 56.21%, liquid/solid ratio 14.65:1, and extraction time 1.64 h for 2.67 times. According to the results, a maximal value of total phenolic acids (3.67 mg/g) was obtained. Meanwhile, the influence of different extraction technology on antioxidant activities were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate), ferric reducing antioxidant power and hydroxyl radical scavenging method. The results presented here showed that the content of phenolic acid and antioxidant effect was much higher than the European Pharmacopoeia. Altogether, this method successfully applied response surface methodology to optimize the Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim. extract with high antioxidant activities.

Simultaneous determination of 19 constituents in Cimicifugae Rhizoma by HPLC-DAD and screening for antioxidants through DPPH free radical scavenging assay.

Cimicifugae Rhizoma (sheng ma) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, which has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic activities. In the present study, a simple and efficient HPLC-DAD (high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection) method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of 19 chemical components (including 16 phenolic acids, one coumarin and two alkaloids) in Cimicifugae Rhizoma. The result indicated that this method could effectively evaluate the quality of Cimicifugae Rhizoma and provide a valuable reference for further study. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of Cimicifugae Rhizoma was evaluated by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay. The results showed that the content of phenolic acids and antioxidant activity exhibited significant correlation coefficients.

Bioactivity-guided isolation of chemical constituents against H2O2-induced neurotoxicity on PC12 from Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim.

Three new compounds (1, 6, 9), with six known compounds (2-5, 7-8) were obtained from water-soluble extract of Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim. by bioactivity-guided isolation. Their structures were elucidated by chemical and spectral analysis, including 1D, 2D NMR data and HRESIMS. H2O2-induced neurotoxicity on PC12 cells model were conducted to evaluate the neuro-protective capability of these compounds. The piscidic acid derivatives compounds 4-7 showed marked neuro-protective effect at certain concentration.

Chemical composition differentiation of Shen-Shuai-Ning granule between combined decoction and separated decoction using HPLC-DAD-ESI-QTOF-MS.

Shen-Shuai-Ning (SSN) granule, a traditional Chinese medicine formula, is widely used in clinical practice for treating chronic renal failure. However, its detailed chemical profile is unknown. Here, HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS was employed for the systematic chemical analysis of SSN. A total of 52 compounds were identified and the characteristic ions of the compounds were described. Furthermore, chemical consistency between the combined decoction and the separated decoction of SSN was evaluated using HPLC-DAD. A chemical comparison between two preparations of SSN granule (combined decoction and separated decoction of Coptides Rhizoma) indicated a significant difference in the content of many compounds, including salvianolic acid A, salvianolic acid B, berberine, palmatine and epiberberine. As a result, separated decoction of Coptides Rhizoma would lead to a significantly decrease in depsides in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and an increase in alkaloids in Coptidis Rhizoma.

Polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant potential and neuro-protective effect from Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim.

Three new phenolic compounds (1-3), along with five known compounds (4-8) were isolated from the rhizome of Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR and HR-MS techniques. DPPH method and protective effect on PC12 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative damage model were carried to evaluate the antioxidant capability of these compounds. Compound 5 showed significant antioxidant activity with IC50 values 9.33µM in DPPH assay and compound 2 displayed marked neuro-protective effect with 87.65% cell viability at the concentration of 10µM. Additionally, the possible structure-activity relationships of these phenolic compounds were tentatively discussed.

Chemical constituents from rhizome of Anemone amurensis.

Phytochemical investigation of the 70% EtOH extract of the rhizome of Anemone amurensis led to the isolation of two new oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins 1 and 2. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectral analysis, including 1D, 2D NMR data, and HR-ESI-MS. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested for cytotoxicities against two human cancer cell lines (A549 and Hep-G2). Compound 2 showed potent cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 38.53 and 66.17 µM, respectively, while compound 1 with IC50 > 100 µM.

Two new triterpenoid saponins from rhizome of Anemone amurensis.

Two new triterpenoid saponins were isolated from the 70% ethanol extract of the rhizome of Anemone amurensis, they are oleanolic acid 28-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-ß-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-ß-d-glucopyranosyl ester (1) and 23,27-dihydroxy oleanolic acid 3-O-α-l-arabinopyranoside (2). The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectral analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR data and HR-ESI-MS. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested for cytotoxicities against three human cancer cell lines (A549, Hep-G2, and MCF-7). Compound 1 showed potent cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 34.76, 41.17, and 28.92 µM, respectively, while compound 2 with IC50>100 µM.