Metabolism and tissue distribution study of Vaccaria seeds (Wang-Bu-Liu-Xing) in benign prostatic hyperplasia model rat: toward an in-depth study for its bioactive components

Chemical profiling and biological activities of the roots of Allochrusa gypsophiloides

Allochrusa gypsophiloides is one of the best-known endemic saponin bearing food plants of Central Asia. However, the plant's secondary metabolites remain unmapped. The current study aimed to chemical profile of the metabolite in the plant roots by an untargeted UHPLC-ESI-MS, together with the isolation of the major compounds followed by a 2D NMR and HR-MS for identification and evaluation of the antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activity of the extracts. The results revealed the presence of 48 putatively annotated metabolites comprising triterpene glycosides, phenolic compounds and their derivatives, organic acid glycosides, and lignan glycosides. The chromatographic separation and purification of the extract resulted in the isolation of four compounds where two new compounds and along with two known triterpenes were reported. The ethanol/water extracts showed a maximum effect in antioxidant assays, while the ethyl acetate extract achieved the best effect in the enzyme inhibitory assays.

Strong Synergic Growth Inhibition and Death Induction of Cancer Cells by Astragalus membranaceus and Vaccaria hispanica Extract

We present here a new, classification-based screening method for anti-cancer botanical combinations. Using this method, we discovered that the combination of Astragalus membranaceus and Vaccaria hispanica (AV) has strong synergic anti-proliferative and killing effects on cancer cells. We showed that AV induces the hyper activation of proliferation and survival pathways (Akt and ERK1/2) and strongly downregulates the cell cycle control proteins p21 and p27. Moreover, FACS analyses revealed that AV induces accumulation of cells in G2/M phase, supported by accumulation of cyclin A. Taken together, our results suggest that AV interferes with the cell cycle in cancer cells, leading to accumulation in G2/M and apoptosis. Further studies are needed to validate the generalizability of the anti-cancer effect of the AV combination, to fully understand its mechanism of action and to evaluate its potential as a new anti-cancer treatment.

Characterization and identification of the major flavonoids in Phyllostachys edulis leaf extract by UPLC–QTOF–MS/MS

Phyllostachys edulis (PES), the most important bamboo species in China, is widely distributed in East Asia. Flavonoids, which are important bioactive natural compounds, often have similar structures, making their structural elucidation difficult. The aim of this study was to represent valuable, reliable mass spectral data for the identification of flavonoids in plant leaves. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC–Q-TOF-MS/MS) method was established for characterization and identification of the major flavonoids in PES leaf extract. A total of 13 flavonoids were simultaneously characterized, and their proposed characteristic product ions and fragmentation pathways were investigated. Thirteen compounds were separated on an Agilent Zorbax RRHD SB-C18 column (150 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm). On the basis of comparing with the 4 reference standards and the literature data, the other 9 flavonoids were identified by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Eight compounds (compounds 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12) were found in PES leaves for the first time. An efficient UPLC–QTOF-MS/MS method was successfully applied for the structural identification of flavonoids in PES leaves. These results have practical applications for the rapid identification and structural characterization of these compounds in crude bioactive extracts or mixtures.

Crude polysaccharides from the seeds of Vaccaria segetalis prevent the urinary tract infection through the stimulation of kidney innate immunity

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The seeds of Vaccaria segetalis (Neck.) Garcke is used for the treatment of urinary diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Crude polysaccharides and the aqueous extract from the seeds of V. segetalis (SVCP) were proved to be effective on treating benign prostatic hyperplasia.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study was to test the effects of SVCP on urinary tract infection (UTI) induced by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strain CFT073 in the rat model and to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A rat UTI model was established with the infection of UPEC strain CFT073. After oral administration of SVCP, the urinalysis and histological examination were evaluated. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, procalcitonin (PCT) and polymeric Ig receptor (PIGR) were used to test the effects of SVCP on host immunity. The mRNA level of PapG in CFT073 was used to test the influence of SVCP on virulence factor. The effects of SVCP on the inhibition of bacterial adhesion were evaluated with mice UTI model.

RESULTS

In the rat UTI model, the levels of bacterial load, white blood cells (WBC) and red blood cells (RBC) in urine and the pathological injury in the bladder were significantly up-regulated, the expression of PIGR in kidney was down-regulated, no significant change was observed on the pro-inflammatory cytokines in urine. After oral administration of SVCP for 3 days, the levels of bacterial load, WBC and RBC in urine were significantly decreased, the pathological injury in the bladder were remarkably inhibited. The expression of IL-6, IL-8 in urine and PIGR in kidney were significantly up-regulated by SVCP (200 mg/kg). SVCP showed no effect on the concentration of PCT in serum. SVCP failed to down-regulate the mRNA level of PapG in CFT073. In the mice UTI model, pre-treatment of SVCP failed to inhibit the intracellular bacterial load in the bladder.

CONCLUSIONS

The therapeutic effects of SVCP on treating UTIs might result from the up-regulation of innate immunity in the kidney. SVCP can be used as an alternative therapeutic agent for UTIs.

The profiling of the metabolites of hirsutine in rat by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap Orbitrap mass spectrometry: An improved strategy for the systematic screening and identification of metabolites in multi-samples in vivo

Drug metabolites identification and construction of metabolic profile are meaningful work for the drug discovery and development. The great challenge during this process is the work of the structural clarification of possible metabolites in the complicated biological matrix, which often resulting in a huge amount data sets, especially in multi-samples in vivo. Analyzing these complex data manually is time-consuming and laborious. The object of this study was to develop a practical strategy for screening and identifying of metabolites from multiple biological samples efficiently. Using hirsutine (HTI), an active components of Uncaria rhynchophylla (Gouteng in Chinese) as a model and its plasma, urine, bile, feces and various tissues were analyzed with data processing software (Metwork), data mining tool (Progenesis QI), and HR-MSⁿ data by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (U-HPLC/LTQ-Orbitrap-MS). A total of 67 metabolites of HTI in rat biological samples were tentatively identified with established library, and to our knowledge most of which were reported for the first time. The possible metabolic pathways were subsequently proposed, hydroxylation, dehydrogenation, oxidation, N-oxidation, hydrolysis, reduction and glucuronide conjugation were mainly involved according to metabolic profile. The result proved application of this improved strategy was efficient, rapid, and reliable for metabolic profiling of components in multiple biological samples and could significantly expand our understanding of metabolic situation of TCM in vivo.

A sensitive and selective LC-MS/MS method for the quantitative determination of segetalin A from the plasma of rats

A sensitive and selective LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination and pharmacokinetic investigation of segetalin A in rat plasma. Sample preparation was accomplished through a simple SPE procedure for the removal and preconcentration of the analyte and IS. Plasma samples were separated by HPLC on a Symmetry C18 column using a mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.1% formic acid in water (70:30, v/v) with isocratic elution. The quantification was performed using multiple reaction monitoring with the transitions m/z 610.3 → 511.2 for segetalin A and m/z 779.4 → 751.4 for IS, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 8.0-4000 ng/mL with a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 8.0 ng/mL. This method was applied in a pharmacokinetic study of segetalin A in rats. For intravenous (i.v.) administration, the plasma concentrations of segetalin A decreased quickly (t1/2z, 1.31 ± 0.341 h). For oral administration, the plasma concentrations of segetalin A increased to a peak value at 1.50 ± 0.577 h, followed by a gradual decrease to the LOQ in 12 h. The mean AUC values after i.v. and oral administration were 553 ± 105 and 1482 ± 110 ng h/mL, respectively.

Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman: the overexploitation of a medicinal plant species and its legal context

The linkage between herbal medicines and the sustainability of medical plants from which they are manufactured is increasingly being understood and receiving attention through international accords and trade labeling systems. However, little attention is paid to the fair trade aspects of this sector, including the issue of benefit-sharing agreements with traditional societies whose knowledge and resources are being exploited for commercial herbal medicine development and production. This article examines the case of Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman, from equatorial Africa. While the conservation and cultivation dimension of the trade in P. africana has been much discussed in literature, no research appears to have focused on the traditional resource rights and related ethical dimensions of this trade in traditional medicine of Africa. Serving as a cautionary tale for the unbridled exploitation of medicinal plants, the history of P. africana extraction is considered here in the context of relevant treaties and agreements existing today. These include the Nagoya Protocol, a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement from the World Trade Organization, and two African regional frameworks: the Swakopmund Protocol and the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle Initiative. In the context of strengthening medicinal plant research in Africa, a novel international capacity-building project on traditional medicines for better public health in Africa will be discussed, illustrating how access and benefit sharing principles might be incorporated in future projects on traditional medicines.

Identification of multiple constituents from seed of Vaccaria segetalis with an adsorbent-separation strategy based on liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

Seeds of Vaccaria segetalis (Wang-Bu-Liu-Xing in Chinese) are mainly used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of amenorrhea, breast infections, and edema. The study was designed to identify the components and metabolites of Wang-Bu-Liu-Xing.

METHODS

A novel methodology combining an adsorbent-separation strategy with analysis by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC/QTOF-MS/MS) was established to identify the components of Wang-Bu-Liu-Xing. The adsorbent-separation technique was applied on macroporous resin (adsorbents). Different concentrations of ethanol (30%, 60%, and 95%), which covered high-to-low polarity ranges, were chosen as the elution solvent, respectively. The QTOF mass spectrometer was operated in negative ion mode with an electrospray ionization source.

RESULTS

A total of 52 components were successfully identified in the Wang-Bu-Liu-Xing decoction based on the fragmentation pathways and QTOF high-accuracy mass spectral analysis. To the best of our knowledge, several new saponins were reported for the first time. A total of 20 compounds, which included 10 prototypes and 10 metabolites, were also identified in rat plasma and urine after oral administration of Wang-Bu-Liu-Xing decoction.

CONCLUSIONS

An integrated adsorbent-separation strategy is powerful and reliable for global detection and identification of complex components in herbal prescriptions. The components identified in rat biofluids may also provide helpful chemical information for further pharmacology and active mechanism study on this herb.