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Farzan M, Farzan M, Shahrani M, Navabi SP, Vardanjani HR, Amini-Khoei H, Shabani S. Neuroprotective properties of Betulin, Betulinic acid, and Ursolic acid as triterpenoids derivatives: a comprehensive review of mechanistic studies. Nutr Neurosci 2024; 27:223-240. [PMID: 36821092 DOI: 10.1080/1028415x.2023.2180865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive deficits are the main outcome of neurological disorders whose occurrence has risen over the past three decades. Although there are some pharmacologic approaches approved for managing neurological disorders, it remains largely ineffective. Hence, exploring novel nature-based nutraceuticals is a pressing need to alleviate the results of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Some triterpenoids and their derivates can be considered potential therapeutics against neurological disorders due to their neuroprotective and cognitive-improving effects. Betulin (B), betulinic acid (BA), and ursolic acid (UA) are pentacyclic triterpenoid compounds with a variety of biological activities, including antioxidative, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. This review focuses on the therapeutic efficacy and probable molecular mechanisms of triterpenoids in damage prevention to neurons and restoring cognition in neurodegenerative diseases. Considering few studies on this concept, the precise mechanisms that mediate the effect of these compounds in neurodegenerative disorders have remained unknown. The findings can provide sufficient information about the advantages of these compounds against neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahan Farzan
- Student Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
- PhytoPharmacology Interest Group (PPIG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahour Farzan
- Student Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
- Neuroscience Research Group (NRG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehrdad Shahrani
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Seyedeh Parisa Navabi
- Persian Gulf Physiology Research Center, Medical Basic Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Hossien Rajabi Vardanjani
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Hossein Amini-Khoei
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Sahreh Shabani
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
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Su S, Xue G, Shang J, Yan P, Wang J, Yan C, Li J, Xiong X, Xu H. Computational method for rapid screening of the metabolites of Pulsatilla chinensis in rats using UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS combined with mass spectrum-based orthogonal projection. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2023; 229:115345. [PMID: 36958113 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Screening metabolites in vivo can be challenging due to the complexity of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the ambiguous intracorporal process. To resolve this problem, we established the mass spectrum-based orthogonal projection (MSOP) method to differentiate prototype compounds from metabolites in vivo and applied it to the study of metabolites of Pulsatilla chinensis (PC). Initially, the validity and feasibility of the MSOP method were verified by using the ultra- high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) data of reference solution. Then, the MSOP method was applied to screen the metabolites of PC. A total of 63 metabolites were identified in vivo (urine, feces, bile, and plasma samples) and in vitro (intestinal bacteria biological sample). The results indicated that the main metabolic pathways of pentacyclic triterpenoids were demethylation, oxidation, dehydration, sulfation, and glucuronidation reactions. This study contributes to developing an integrated strategy based on chemometrics to characterize and classify the metabolism feature of pentacyclic triterpenoids of PC. This will support the scientific and rational application of PC in the clinic. The MSOP method based on the orthogonality of MS signals was used to differentiate the prototype compounds from metabolites in vivo. The method provides scientific and reliable support for fully understanding the metabolic fate of TCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Su
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China
| | - Guiren Xue
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China
| | - Jiawei Shang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China
| | - Pengfei Yan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China
| | - Jianxin Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China
| | - Chengye Yan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China
| | - Jiaxi Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China
| | - Xue Xiong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China
| | - Huijun Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, PR China.
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Structural Investigation of Betulinic Acid Plasma Metabolites by Tandem Mass Spectrometry. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27217359. [PMID: 36364186 PMCID: PMC9656950 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Betulinic acid (BA) has been extensively studied in recent years mainly for its antiproliferative and antitumor effect in various types of cancers. Limited data are available regarding the pharmacokinetic profile of BA, particularly its metabolic transformation in vivo. In this study, we present the screening and structural investigations by ESI Orbitrap MS in the negative ion mode and CID MS/MS of phase I and phase II metabolites detected in mouse plasma after the intraperitoneal administration of a nanoemulsion containing BA in SKH 1 female mice. Obtained results indicate that the main phase I metabolic reactions that BA undergoes are monohydroxylation, dihydroxylation, oxidation and hydrogenation, while phase II reactions involved sulfation, glucuronidation and methylation. The fragmentation pathway for BA and its plasma metabolites were elucidated by sequencing of the precursor ions by CID MS MS experiments.
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Zhang M, Liu J, Zhang Y, Xie J. Zizyphi Spinosae Semen: a natural herb resource for treating neurological disorders. Curr Top Med Chem 2022; 22:1379-1391. [PMID: 35578851 DOI: 10.2174/1568026622666220516113210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Neurological disorders generally have the characteristics of occult onset and progressive development, which can do some serious damage to human body in the aging process. It is worth noting that traditional medicine can potentially prevent and treat such diseases. Zizyphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS), the seeds of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa it has a long clinical history for sleep regulation. In recent years, ZSS has been proved to exhibit various types of neuroprotective activity, such as sleep improvement, antidepressant, anti-anxiety, memory improvement and etc. It has become a popular natural product due to its many inherently available compounds that demonstrate medicinal and pharmacological importance. This paper reviews the main components and their metabolic transformation processes, highlights the various neurofunctional regulation activities and their mechanisms of ZSS, providing a theoretical basis for further research and clinical application of this natural medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Zhang
- College of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin, 300134, China
| | - Jinrui Liu
- College of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin, 300134, China
| | - Yanqing Zhang
- College of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin, 300134, China
| | - Junbo Xie
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
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Li M, Zhang FX, Wei ZC, Li ZT, Zhang GX, Li HJ. Systematically characterization of in vivo substances of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen in rats by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry analysis. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2020; 193:113756. [PMID: 33217708 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2020.113756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS), the seeds of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa, is widely used in China or other Asian countries for the treatment of insomnia and palpitation. In our previous work, chemical constituents in ZSS were profiled by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF MS). Notably, characterization of substances in vivo was of great importance to reveal the therapy basis or mechanism in further work. Till now, there were few reports about in vivo substances' investigation of ZSS. In the present study, an integrated strategy contained represented compounds and diagnostic ions extraction was applied to characterize metabolism feature of ZSS in rats based on UHPLC/Q-TOF MS method. First, the metabolic information of four compounds (spinosin, isovitexin, jujuboside B, betulinic acid) featuring three representative chemical structures (flavonoids, saponins, terpenes) in ZSS was conducted, and their metabolism features were summarized, especially for flavonoid C-glycosides. Second, the absorbed compounds and representative compounds-related metabolites were quickly screened out; during this time, the diagnostic ions were sorted out. Last, with the help of diagnostic ions and summarized metabolic reactions, other metabolites were characterized. As a result, a total of 151 xenobiotics (58 prototypes and 93 metabolites) were identified or tentatively characterized in rats after ingestion of ZSS. Among them, 16 substances were presented in plasma, 114 in urine, 51 in bile, and 120 in feces, respectively. Hydrogenation, hydrolysis, and glucuronidation were the major metabolic reactions of ZSS in rats. The present study provided meaningful data for further pharmacological mechanism research or pharmacokinetics evaluation of ZSS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Li
- Key Laboratory of Hainan Trauma and Disaster Rescue, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou 570102, China; Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Emergency Research, Emergency and Trauma College, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China
| | - Feng-Xiang Zhang
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Zhuo-Chun Wei
- Department of Pharmacy, The Dongguan Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Jinan University, Marina Bay Central Hospital of Dongguan City (Also Called The Fifth People's Hospital of Dongguan), Guandong 523900, China
| | - Zi-Ting Li
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Guo-Xun Zhang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou 570102, China
| | - Hai-Jun Li
- Key Laboratory of Hainan Trauma and Disaster Rescue, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou 570102, China; Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Emergency Research, Emergency and Trauma College, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China.
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Rapid Characterizaiton of Chemical Constituents of the Tubers of Gymnadenia conopsea by UPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS Analysis. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25040898. [PMID: 32085417 PMCID: PMC7070944 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25040898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gymnadenia conopsea R. Br. is a traditional Tibetan medicinal plant that grows at altitudes above 3000 m, which is used to treat neurasthenia, asthma, coughs, and chronic hepatitis. However, a comprehensive configuration of the chemical profile of this plant has not been reported because of the complexity of its chemical constituents. In this study, a rapid and precise method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) combined with an Orbitrap mass spectrometer (UPLC–Orbitrap–MS/MS) was established in both positive- and negative-ion modes to rapidly identify various chemical components in the tubers of G. conopsea for the first time. Finally, a total of 91 compounds, including 17 succinic acid ester glycosides, 9 stilbenes, 6 phenanthrenes, 19 alkaloids, 11 terpenoids and steroids, 20 phenolic acid derivatives, and 9 others, were identified in the tubers of G. conopsea based on the accurate mass within 3 ppm error. Furthermore, many alkaloids, phenolic acid derivates, and terpenes were reported from G. conopsea for the first time. This rapid method provides an important scientific basis for further study on the cultivation, clinical application, and functional food of G. conopsea.
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Zhang W, Chen Y, Jiang H, Yang J, Wang Q, Du Y, Xu H. Integrated strategy for accurately screening biomarkers based on metabolomics coupled with network pharmacology. Talanta 2020; 211:120710. [PMID: 32070601 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2020.120710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Screening diagnostic biomarkers can be challenging due to the complexity of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and ambiguous pharmacological mechanisms. In this study, we reported an integrated strategy for accurately screening diagnostic biomarkers based on metabolomics coupled with network pharmacology. First, a feasible pharmacological model was established through systems pharmacology and based on metabolomics-based techniques to explore diagnostic biomarkers. While the components satisfying the q-value < 0.05, fold change (FC) ≥ 1.2 or FC ≤ 0.8, coefficient of variance (CV) ≤ 30%(QC) and the variable importance in the project (VIP) value > 1 are considered to be diagnostic biomarkers. Second, the ingredients were retained only when oral bioavailability (OB), Caco-2 permeability, drug half-life, TPSA and drug likeness (DL) satisfied the criteria (OB ≥ 40%; Caco-2 ≥ -0.4; HL ≥ 4 h; TPSA˂140; DL ≥ 0.18) suggested by the TCMSP database. Moreover, ingredients that exhibit extensive biological activity in TCM are also retained. Third, the effect targets of TCM were screened using the TCMSP database, Swiss Target Prediction and STICH online software. Disease targets were gathered from the therapeutic target database (TTD), PharmGkb and TCMSP database. Hub genes were screened by potential protein-protein interaction (PPI) network pharmacology analysis. Finally, a metabolic network pathway is established between the diagnostic biomarker and the hub gene. In the network analysis of metabolic pathways, most of the genes involved in this pathway are the second-step-obtained hub genes, which can explain the accuracy of the identified biomarkers. The proposed integrated strategy was successfully applied to explore the mechanism of action of Pulsatilla decoction (PD) in the treatment of acute ulcerative colitis (UC). Based on this integrated strategy, 23 potential biomarkers of acute UC treated with PD were identified. In conclusion, the integrated strategy provides novel insights into network pharmacology and metabolomics as effective tools to illuminate the mechanism of action of TCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendan Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Ultrasound, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050011, PR China
| | - Honghong Jiang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Jianxi Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Qiao Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Yingfeng Du
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China
| | - Huijun Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, PR China.
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Yin J, Ma Y, Liang C, Gao J, Wang H, Zhang L. A Systematic Study of the Metabolites of Dietary Acacetin in Vivo and in Vitro Based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS Analysis. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2019; 67:5530-5543. [PMID: 31025561 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b00330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Acacetin, a dietary component, is abundant in acacia honey and has superior anticancer activities. To date, no research on the metabolism of acacetin has been reported. In the current research, an online detection strategy of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography connected to a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was utilized for metabolite identification in vivo (rat plasma, bile, urine, and feces) and in vitro (rat liver microsomes). A total of 31 metabolites were structurally characterized in rats, and 25 metabolites were detected in rat liver microsomes, among which, 4 metabolites were compared with standards. Oxidation, the loss of CH2, reduction, hydrolysis, glucuronide conjugation, sulfate conjugation, methylation, and N-acetylation were the main metabolic pathways of acacetin. This study is the first to characterize acacetin metabolites in vivo and in vitro, and the results of this study offer novel and valuable evidence for a comprehensive understanding of the safety and efficacy of acacetin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jintuo Yin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy , Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang 050017 , P.R. China
| | - Yinling Ma
- Hebei General Hospital , Shijiazhuang , Hebei 050051 , P.R. China
| | - Caijuan Liang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy , Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang 050017 , P.R. China
| | - Jin Gao
- Hebei General Hospital , Shijiazhuang , Hebei 050051 , P.R. China
| | - Hairong Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy , Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang 050017 , P.R. China
| | - Lantong Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy , Hebei Medical University , Shijiazhuang 050017 , P.R. China
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