Chemical Constituents of the Rhizomes of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum

Aromatic compounds from the seeds of Dolichos lablab L. with anti-inflammatory activity

Twenty-four aromatic compounds including five novel ones, dolilabphenosides A (1), B1 (2), B2 (3), C1 (4), and C2 (5) were obtained from the seeds of Dolichos lablab L. Their structures were established based on spectroscopic analyses and chemical reactions. Among the known compounds, 9, 10, 14, 17, 19, and 22-24 were gained from the family Leguminosae for the first time, and 6, 8, 11-13, 15, 16, 18, 20, as well as 21 were firstly identified from Dolichos genus. Moreover, the inhibitory effect evaluation of all the isolates against LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 macrophages suggested that compounds 1-3, 6, 7, 11-15, 17, 20, 21, 23, 24 exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the novel compounds, dolilabphenosides A (1), B1 (2), B2 (3) were found to inhibit the secretion of inflammatory cytokine IL-1β.

HPLC fingerprinting-based multivariate analysis of chemical components in Tetrastigma Hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg: Correlation to their antioxidant and neuraminidase inhibition activities

Tetrastigma Hemsleyanum Diels & Gilg (TDG) has attracted growing attention in China; however, there were few studies on its bioactive components. Herein, the characteristic chemical components and dual antioxidant and neuraminidase inhibitory activities of fifteen batches of TDG from different places of origin and their relevance were investigated. The HPLC fingerprint was first established and the marker components were identified by using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Catechin-5-O-β-d-glucopyranoside, tartaric acid, (1R, 2R, 4S)-2-hydroxy-1, 8-cineole-β-d-glucopyranoside, and phlorizin were identified for the first time. The result of multivariate statistical analysis indicated that multiple components have a significant contribution to the classification of TDG, such as chlorogenic acid, saccharumoside C/D, robinin, procyanidin B₂, rutin, isoquercitrin, etc. Then, the antioxidant and neuraminidase inhibitory activities of fifteen batches of TDG were measured. The result of grey relationship analysis showed that the contents of rutin, isoquercitrin, kaempferol-3-rutinoside, and astragalin were positively correlated with these two activities with correlation coefficients more than 0.8. The quantitative analysis of these four bioactive compounds was performed by using HPLC-DAD. The recovery rate of the method varied from 98.02% to 100.21%, the RSD values of precision, stability and repeatability were between 1.32-3.15 %, and the R value of the linear equation was above 0.9990. To sum up, this study is valuable in the quality control of TDG.

Tetrastigma hemsleyanum flavones exert anti-hepatic carcinoma property both in vitro and in vivo

Tetrastigma hemsleyanum has been regarded as an anticancer food in China. However, its corresponding mechanisms remains unclear. Thus, in this study, the antitumor activity of flavones-rich fraction of root of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum (FRTH) was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The results indicated that FRTH could inhibit the proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells in vitro by PI3K/AKT pathway. FRTH could increase the ROS level and change the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in HepG2 cells. In addition, FRTH treatment (300, 600 mg/kg BW) significantly suppressed tumor growth on HepG2 tumor-bearing nude mice. Besides, immunohistochemistry assays and western blotting revealed that FRTH enhanced the expression level of Bax/Bcl-2, cytochrome C, Caspase-3, caspase-9, Cleaved-caspase-3, and downregulated the expression level of CD31, ki67 and VEGF in HepG2 tumor-bearing mice. Our study suggests Tetrastigma hemsleyanum as a promising candidate medicine for liver cancer treatment.

The Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Quality Control of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels & Gilg in China: A Review

Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels & Gilg (TDG), the family member of Vitaceae, is a traditional herbal medicine in China. The root of TDG can be immediately used after cleaning the muddy soil, and can be dehydrated for dry use. TDG is able to be collected all year round, which is commonly used in the treatment of hepatitis, infantile high fever, snake bite, etc. Based on phytochemistry, the chemical components of TDG are divided into flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, steroids, polysaccharide, and other compounds, showing many pharmacological effects which include anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, and immunomodulatory activity, as well as other activities. Currently, TDG involves some problems of the reduction of wild resources, the backward processing methods, and storage difficulties as well as the imperfection of detection methods. Therefore, this review summarizes the literature of the past 20 years, and the purpose of this review is to summarize the recent researches on the phytochemistry, pharmacology, quality control, and clinical application of TDG. The above discussions provide new insights for the future research on TDG.

Characterization of UV-Sensitive Marker Constituents of Polygala Root for TLC: Applications in Quality Control of Single Crude Drug Extract Preparations

Polygala Root (the root of Polygala tenuifolia WILLDENOW; Japanese name "Onji"), a well-known crude drug, traditionally used as an expectorant and sedative, has been attracting increased interest in recent years owing to its newly found pharmacological effect related to neuroprotection. However, there is no specific method for identifying and estimating the quality of this crude drug in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, 17th edition. Therefore, in order to develop a TLC-based simple and convenient identification method using characteristic chemical marker(s) for the drug and its extract products, UV-sensitive constituents of Polygala Root were first investigated. A total of 23 aromatic compounds were isolated and characterized. Two new compounds, namely, polygalaonjisides A (1) and B (2), were characterized as syringic acid 4-O-(2'-O-β-D-apiosyl)-β-D-glucoside and 2-O-(β-D-glucosyl)-3'-O-benzoylsucrose, respectively. Based on these phytochemical results, a TLC method focusing on three marker spots with Rf value of approximately 0.4-0.5 due to tenuifolisides A and B and 3,6'-di-O-sinapoylsucrose was proposed as a simple and convenient test to identify Polygala Root or its single-extract products on the market. The data presented in this paper could be useful in stipulating a confirmation test to identify Polygala Root.

Allium tuberosum: Antidiabetic and hepatoprotective activities

Allium tuberosum (AT) is traditionally used for treating nocturnal emissions, abdominal pain, diarrhea, sexual dysfunction and asthma. This study aimed at investigating the antidiabetic and hepatoprotective activities of the butyl alcohol fraction from the methanolic extract of A. tuberosum. For the antidiabetic activity, rats were induced with diabetes by intraperitoneal injection of 150mg/kg alloxan and treated for 30days with AT extract (100, 200 and 400mg/kg). Animals were sacrificed after the study and the fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), HDL, malondialdehyde (MDA) catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels were determined. The hepatoprotective assay, mice were pretreated for seven days with AT (100, 200 and 400mg/kg) and silymarin (100mg/kg or). Thereafter 10ml/kg of 2% v/v CCl₄ was administered intraperitoneally on the 7th day to induce acute liver injury. Blood and liver samples were obtained and serum enzymes ALT, AST, ALP, SOD, GSH, CAT, MDA and pro-inflammatory mediators were assessed. AT significantly decrease FBG, serum TG, TC, MDA levels and significant increased HDL, SOD, GSH and CAT activities in the diabetic rats. In addition, AT significantly inhibited MDA, IL-1b, IL-6 and TNF-α levels and prevented the depletion of the antioxidant enzymes GSH, SOD and CAT activities in CCl₄ induced liver damage. Furthermore, AT markedly reduced AST, ALT and ALP levels in the CCl₄ treated mice groups. In conclusion, the antidiabetic and hepatoprotective effect of AT may be associated with its antioxidant and its ability to inhibit the pro-inflammatory mediators.

Isolation and identification of new chemical constituents from Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) and toxicological evaluation of raw and cooked Chinese chive

Chinese chive (jiu cai) is a popular vegetable in China and has a unique flavour and aroma. The molecular basis of the characteristic fragrance and nutritional properties of Chinese chive has not been previously identified. Sequential extractions in a series of solvents and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to isolate 40 compounds from Chinese chive. The compounds were identified based on high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectra, 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, and circular dichroism spectra. Eight novel compounds were identified-four new pyrazines, which have distinctive flavour; one new lignan; and three new flavonoids-together with 32 known compounds. Several of these compounds have potential applications as health-promoting dietary supplements, food additives, or seasonings. Additionally, the volatile organic compounds in fresh and steamed Chinese chive were compared, and the toxicological activity of extracts from fresh and steamed Chinese chive was tested in normal rat liver (IAR20) and kidney (NRK) cells. The results showed that Chinese chive is toxic to liver and kidney cells when fresh, but is safe after heating. This could explain why it is traditional to eat cooked Chinese chive. A possible metabolic rule regarding pyrazines is postulated based on this data, and a human metabolic pathway is suggested for two of the novel compounds which have the highest amount of Chinese chive extracts.