Sesquiterpenoids, phenolic and lignan glycosides from the roots and rhizomes of Clematis hexapetala Pall. and their bioactivities

Three new phenols and one new lignan from Clematis terniflora var. manshurica (Rupr.) Ohwi with their anti-inflammatory activity

Three undescribed phenols, mandshusica C-E (1-3) and a new lignan, mandshusica F (5), along with six known compounds (4, 6-10) were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Clematis terniflora var. manshurica (Rupr.) Ohwi. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis as well as NMR and ECD calculations. Moreover, the possible biosynthetic pathways of compounds 1-3 were also discussed. All compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Compounds 1, 3, 4 significantly reduced the levels of NO and TNF-α, while compounds 2 and 8 significantly inhibited NO production in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells.

Phenolic glycosides and indole alkaloids isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Clematis chinensis and their anti-inflammatory activity

Six undescribed compounds, including three phenolic glycosides (1-3) and three indole alkaloids (4-6), together with ten known alkaloids (7-16) and three known phenolic glycosides (17-19), were isolated from 70% EtOH aqueous extracts of the roots and rhizomes of Clematis chinensis Osbeck. The structures were elucidated by NMR, HRESIMS and X-ray diffraction spectroscopies. The anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds was evaluated, and twelve compounds showed significant inhibitory activity against TNF-α with an inhibition ratio from 47.87% to 94.70% at a dose of 10 μM. Compound 7 exhibited significant inhibitory activity against TNF-α and IL-6 with IC50 values of 3.99 μM and 2.24 μM, respectively. Compound 8 displayed potent anti-inflammatory activity against mouse ear edema induced by croton oil. A mechanistic study suggested that compounds 7 and 8 decreased the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway to reduce the secretion of inflammatory factors in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells.

Status of research on natural protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitors as potential antidiabetic agents: Update

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a crucial therapeutic target for multiple human diseases comprising type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and obesity because it is a seminal part of a negative regulator in both insulin and leptin signaling pathways. PTP1B inhibitors increase insulin receptor sensitivity and have the ability to cure insulin resistance-related diseases. However, the few PTP1B inhibitors that entered the clinic (Ertiprotafib, ISIS-113715, Trodusquemine, and JTT-551) were discontinued due to side effects or low selectivity. Molecules with broad chemical diversity extracted from natural products have been reported to be potent PTP1B inhibitors with few side effects. This article summarizes the recent PTP1B inhibitors extracted from natural products, clarifying the current research progress, and providing new options for designing new and effective PTP1B inhibitors.

Review of lignans from 2019 to 2021: Newly reported compounds, diverse activities, structure-activity relationships and clinical applications

Lignans, with various biological activities, such as antitumor, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral activities, are widely distributed in nature and mainly exist in the xylem of plants. In this paper, we summarized the structures and bioactivities of lignans reported in recent years (2019-2021) from five parts, including (1) a summary and classification of newly reported compounds; (2) the pharmacological activities of lignans; (3) molecular resources and activity distribution; (4) the structure-activity relationships; and (5) the clinical application of lignans. This review covers all undescribed compounds that were reported within the covered period of time and all bioactivity data about previously isolated lignans. The distribution of lignans in different plants and families is visualized, which improves the efficiency of searching for specific molecules. The diverse activities of different types of lignans provide an important reference for the rapid screening of these compounds. Discussion about the structure-activity relationships of lignans provides a direction for the structural modification of skeleton molecules. Combined with the clinical application of such molecules, this work will provide a valuable reference for pharmaceutical chemists.

Efficacy and Safety of Qinpi Tongfeng Formula in the Treatment of Acute Gouty Arthritis: A Double-Blind, Double-Dummy, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has certain curative effect against acute gouty arthritis (AGA), but it lacks high-quality evidence-based studies. In this randomized controlled trial, we try to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qinpi Tongfeng Formula (QPTFF) in the treatment of AGA.

Methods

One hundred and fourteen patients with AGA (damp heat accumulation syndrome) who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly divided into treatment group and control group in a ratio of 1 : 1. Patients in the treatment group were treated with QPTFF, and patients in the control group were treated with diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets for 7 days. The primary outcome measure was the change in visual analog scale (VAS) score for pain from the baseline to day 8. The secondary outcome measures were joint symptom score, TCM syndrome score, total effective rate, pain cure rate, complete pain relief time, patient satisfaction score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum uric acid level. The safety outcome measures were routine blood test, urinalysis, liver function including alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, renal function including blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine, and the rate of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs).

Results

105 patients with 53 in the treatment group and 52 in the control group completed the 7-day treatment. There was no significant difference between two groups in demographic characteristics, VAS score for pain, joint symptom score, TCM syndrome score, ESR, CRP, and serum uric acid level before enrollment at baseline (based on both the full analysis set (FAS) and per protocol set (PPS), P > 0.05). The 95% confidence interval of the difference between the eighth and first VAS score for pain of the two groups was (−0.57, 0.42) in FAS and (−0.48, 0.47) in PPS. The lower bound of both FAS and PPS is greater than the bound value of −0.7. On day 8, there was no significant difference between the two groups in joint symptom score, TCM syndrome score, total effective rate, pain cure rate, complete pain relief time, patient satisfaction score, ESR, and CRP (FAS and PPS, P > 0.05). The serum uric acid level and TRAEs in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group (FAS and PPS, P < 0.05).

Conclusions

QPTFF could alleviate the symptoms of patients with AGA, which is not inferior to diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets in analgesic. Moreover, QPTFF overmatches diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets in decreasing serum uric acid level and TRAEs. Therefore, the results provide reliable foundation for QPTTF in the treatment of AGA. Trial Registration. This study protocol was registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registration number: ChiCTR2100050638).