Development of a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for determination of agrimol B in rat plasma: application to preclinical pharmacokinetics

Agrimol B alleviates cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury by activating the Sirt1/Nrf2 signaling pathway in mice

Cisplatin (CDDP) is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent that has remarkable antineoplastic effects. However, CDDP can cause severe acute kidney injury (AKI), which limits its clinical application. Agrimol B is the main active ingredient found in Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb and has a variety of pharmacological activities. The effect of agrimol B on CDDP-induced renal toxicity has not been determined. To investigate whether agrimol B has a protective effect against CDDP-induced AKI, we first identify Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) as a critical target protein of agrimol B in regulating AKI through network pharmacology analysis. Subsequently, the AKI mouse model is induced by administering a single dose of CDDP via intraperitoneal injection. By detecting the serum urea nitrogen and creatinine levels, as well as the histopathological changes, we confirm that agrimol B effectively reduces CDDP-induced AKI. In addition, treatment with agrimol B counteracts the increase in renal malondialdehyde level and the decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione levels induced by CDDP. Moreover, western blot results reveal that agrimol B upregulates the expressions of Sirt1, SOD2, nuclear factor erythroid2-related factor 2, and downstream molecules, including heme oxygenase 1 and NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1. However, administration of the Sirt1 inhibitor EX527 abolishes the effects of agrimol B. Finally, we establish a tumor-bearing mouse model and find that agrimol B has a synergistic antitumor effect with CDDP. Overall, agrimol B attenuates CDDP-induced AKI by activating the Sirt1/Nrf2 signaling pathway to counteract oxidative stress, suggesting that this compound is a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of CDDP-induced AKI.

Systematic Identification of the Main Constituents from Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. and Their Metabolites in Rats using HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS

Agrimonia pilosa is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant, commonly known as agrimony or hairy agrimony. The dried aerial parts of this species have been widely used for the treatment of acute diarrhea, hemostasis, and other inflammation-related diseases. However, information on the in vivo metabolism of A. pilosa constituents is limited. In this study, the phytochemical profile of A. pilosa was investigated using HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS combined with a nontargeted diagnostic ion network analysis strategy. An information-dependent acquisition method with multiple filters was utilized to screen possible prototypes and metabolites in complex biological matrices. Furthermore, various data-processing techniques were applied to analyze possible prototypes and their metabolites in rat plasma, feces, and urine following oral administration of A. pilosa extract. A total of 62 compounds, which belonged to five main structural classes (21 phenols, 22 flavonoids, 6 coumarins, 3 triterpenes, and 10 organic acids), were tentatively identified in A. pilosa. In addition, using our proposed stepwise method, 32 prototypes and 69 metabolites were detected in rat plasma, feces, and urine. The main metabolic pathways after the oral administration of A. pilosa extract were revealed to include methylation, dihydroxylation, demethylation, hydrolysis, sulfation, and glucuronidation. This comprehensive in vivo and in vitro identification of the possible active components in A. pilosa could provide a basis for understanding its various pharmacological activities.

Correlation Effects in Trimeric Acylphloroglucinols

Trimeric acylphloroglucinols (T-ACPLs) are a subclass of the large class of acylphloroglucinols—derivatives of 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene containing an R–C=O group. T-ACPL molecules contain three acylphloroglucinol moieties linked by methylene bridges. Many of them are present in natural sources and exhibit biological activities, often better than the corresponding activities of monomeric acylphloroglucinols. All the stable conformers of T-ACPLs contain seven intramolecular hydrogen bonds, which constitute the dominant stabilising factors. A total of 38 different T-ACPLs, including both naturally occurring and model molecules, have been calculated at the HF and DFT/B3LYP levels. The DFT/B3LYP calculations were carried out both without and with Grimme’s dispersion correction, to highlight the dispersion (and, therefore, also electron correlation) effects for these molecules. The roles of dispersion are evaluated considering the effects of Grimme’s correction on the estimation of the conformers’ energies, the description of the characteristics of the individual hydrogen bonds, the conformers’ geometries and other molecular properties. Overall, the results offer a comprehensive overview of the conformational preferences of T-ACPL molecules, their intramolecular hydrogen bond patterns, and the correlation effects on their properties.

Agrimol B present in Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb impedes cell cycle progression of cancer cells through G0 state arrest

Cancer recurrence poses a significant challenge. At the cellular level, recurrence takes place as a result of reactivation of dormant cancer cells residing at G₀ phase. The aim of the study was to identify compounds that can trap prostate and lung cancer cells in G₀ phase from a new Chinese herb recipe, Astringent recipe, consisting of Radix Paeoniae Alba, Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb, Fructus Mume, Fritillaria thunbergii Miq., Ganoderma Lucidum Karst, and Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge. Astringent recipe impeded cell cycle progression in prostate and lung cancer cells by rounding them up at G₀ phase by flow cytometric analysis of cancer cells stained with Hoechst 33342 and Pyronin Y, respectively, for DNA and RNA. The anti-cancer efficacy of the recipe was found to be attributable to Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. Further study established that agrimol B, a polyphenol derived from Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb, contributed to the activity of the herb. The action of agrimol B on the cancer cells was likely derived from its effect on c-MYC, SKP2 and p27 by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Oral administration of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb or agrimol B reduced growth of prostate cancer cell xenograft in animal. In conclusion, Agrimol B can enrich for prostate and lung cancer cells in G₀ state and influence key regulators that govern G₀ status.