Bioactive Flavonoid Glycosides and HPLC and UPLC Quantification of Commercial Astragali Complanati Semen

New flavonoid and their anti-A549 cell activity from the bi-directional solid fermentation products of Astragalus membranaceus and Cordyceps kyushuensis

Astragalus membranaceus and Cordyceps kyushuensis were used to obtain Astragalus membranaceus-Cordyceps kyushuensis bi-directional solid fermentation products using the bi-directional solid fermentation technique. The fermentation products were isolated and purified to obtain 20 individual compounds, of which compound 1 was a novel isoflavane, and compounds 2, 3, and 4 were novel isoflavones, along with 16 known compounds. In vitro experiments demonstrated that compounds 4, 5, 8, 10, and 20 exhibited significant inhibitory activity against A549 lung cancer cells. Specifically, the IC50 value of the novel compound 4 was 53.4 μM, while the IC50 value of cordycepin was 9.0 μM.

Screening of the Active Substances for the Assessment of Walnut Kernel in the Treatment of Scopolamine-Induced AD Animals

SCOPE

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been a challenge and hotspot in the field of neuroscience research due to the high morbidity. As we all know, walnut kernel (WK) ingestion has been linked to benefits to brain health and has the function of improving memory. This study follows the AD model induced by scopolamine to reveal the active fractions and substances of walnut in the treatment of AD.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The histopathological analysis and brain tissue biochemistry assay are revealed the active fractions of WK, and this result determines that walnut kernel organic acids have significant therapeutic effect on AD. The strategy of studying ingredients pointed at lesions is integrated to ascertain the selected brain-targeted effective substances of WK for blood-brain barrier by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry, and a total of eight organic acids are figured out definite absorptivity in rat brains. Finally, the binding interaction between the effective substances and target proteins is analyzed by molecular docking, and the main function related active markers are ascertained as glansreginin A, glansreginic acid, ellagic acid, and ellagic acid 4-O-xyloside.

CONCLUSIONS

The comprehensive process is helpful to the clinical application of WK as a promising cholinesterase inhibitors for nutritional intervention.

Astragalus Complanatus Ethanol Attenuates Septic Shock by Exerting Anti-Inflammatory Effects on Macrophages

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory syndrome that results in multiple-organ failure caused by a dysregulated host immune response to microbial infection. Astragali complanati semen extract (ACSE) exhibits pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anticancer, antiaging, and anti-diabetes effects. It is widely used in traditional medicine to treat liver and kidney diseases; however, the protective effect of ACSE on sepsis and its mechanisms are unknown. In the present study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects and potential mechanisms of the action of ACSE on sepsis. We show that ACSE improved survival rates in mouse models of acute sepsis induced by CLP (cecal ligation and puncture) and LPS stimulation. ACSE administration decreased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in sepsis-induced mice. Furthermore, ACSE reduced the levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the serum of septic mice. ACSE treatment inhibited the expression of these proinflammatory genes in LPS-stimulated J774 macrophages. Moreover, ACSE inhibited the phosphorylation of the IκB kinase (IKK) and the nuclear translocation of p65 NF-κB by LPS stimulation in macrophages. These results reveal the mechanism underlying the protective effect of ACSE against sepsis by inhibiting NF-κB activation and suggest that ACSE could be a potential therapeutic candidate to treat acute inflammatory diseases.

The water extract of Potentilla discolor Bunge (PDW) ameliorates high-sugar diet-induced type II diabetes model in Drosophila melanogaster via JAK/STAT signaling

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Potentilla discolor Bunge (PD) is a member of the Rosaceae family. It has been traditionally used in folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes. Additionally, people in folk also eat fresh and tender PD stems as vegetables or brew them as tea.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study was to explore the antidiabetic effects and underlying mechanisms of the water extract of Potentilla discolor (PDW) in a fruit fly model of high-sugar diet-induced type 2 diabetes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The antidiabetic efficacy of PDW was evaluated in a fruit fly model of diabetes induced by a high-sugar diet (HSD). Various physiological parameters were tested to evaluate the anti-diabetic effect of PDW. Gene expression levels related to insulin signaling pathways, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and JAK/STAT signaling pathways were primarily analyzed using RT-qPCR to investigate the therapeutic mechanisms.

RESULTS

In this study, we found that the water extract of Potentilla discolor (PDW) can ameliorate type II diabetes phenotypes induced by the HSD in fruit flies. These phenotypes include growth rate, body size, hyperglycemia, glycogen metabolism, fat storage, and intestinal microflora homeostasis. PDW also improved the body size of s6k and rheb knockdown flies, suggesting its potential to activate the downstream insulin pathway and alleviate insulin resistance. Furthermore, we demonstrated that PDW reduced the expression of two target genes of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, namely the insulin antagonist Impl2 and insulin receptor inhibitor Socs36E, which act as regulators inhibiting the activation of the insulin signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides evidence for the anti-diabetic activity of PDW and suggests that its underlying mechanism may involve the improvement of insulin resistance by inhibiting the JAK/STAT signaling pathway.

An Integrated Strategy for Investigating Antioxidants from Ribes himalense Royle ex Decne and Their Potential Target Proteins

Natural products have been used extensively around the world for many years as therapeutic, prophylactic, and health-promotive agents. Ribes himalense Royle ex Decne, a plant used in traditional Tibetan medicine, has been demonstrated to have significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the material basis of its medicinal effects has not been sufficiently explored. In this study, we established an integrated strategy by online HPLC-1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, medium-pressure liquid chromatography, and HPLC to achieve online detection and separation of antioxidants in Ribes himalense extracts. Finally, four antioxidants with quercetin as the parent nucleus were obtained, namely, Quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, Quercetin-3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl(1-2)-β-D-glucopyranoside, Quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and Quercetin-3-O-β-D-galactoside. Until now, the four antioxidants in Ribes himalense have not been reported in other literatures. Meanwhile, the free-radical-scavenging ability of them was evaluated by DPPH assay, and potential antioxidant target proteins were explored using molecular docking. In conclusion, this research provides insights into the active compounds in Ribes himalense which will facilitate the advancement of deeper studies on it. Moreover, such an integrated chromatographic strategy could be a strong driver for more efficient and scientific use of other natural products in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Separation of flavonoids with significant biological activity from Acacia mearnsii leaves

Acacia mearnsii leaves, which are a rich source of flavonoids, were used to separate and purify myricitrin (W3) and myricetin-3-O-glucoside (W1). Further, the antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of the two purified flavonoids were evaluated. The flavonoids were separated using solvent partition, macroporous adsorbent resin column, and Sephadex column chromatography, and purified using preparative reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The purified flavonoids were characterized using HPLC, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance methods. A high yield (7.3 mg g-1 of crude extract) of W3 was obtained, with a high purity of 98.4%. Furthermore, the purity of W1 was over 95%. W1 and W3 showed strong antioxidant activity and significantly inhibited α-glucosidase. W3 also demonstrated substantial α-amylase inhibitory capacity. This study indicated that A. mearnsii leaves, which are discarded in significant amounts, can be used as a source of myricitrin, thus providing more adequate material for the production of antioxidants and type II diabetes inhibitors. Hence, A. mearnsii leaves have the potential to create great market economic value and environmental benefits.

One novel naphthalene derivative and other constituents with anti-complementary activities from the aerial parts of Dracocephalum moldavica

One novel naphthalene derivative, 2-octa-2',4',6'-atriynenaphthalene (1), together with eighteen known compounds (2-19) were isolated from the aerial parts of Dracocephalum moldavica L. Compounds 2, 8, 10, 13, 15-17 and 19 were obtained from the family Lamiaceae for the first time, and compounds 11 and 18 were firstly identified from the genus of Dracocephalum. All the isolates were evaluated for anti-complementary activities through the classical and alternative pathways, and the targets of the most active compounds on the complement activation cascade were also investigated.

Determination of Five Coumarins in Angelicae Pubescentis Radix from Different Origins by HPTLC-Scanning

The HPTLC method is widely used in the field of quality evaluation and component analysis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This work developed an HPTLC method to determine the five effective components of osthole, columbianadin, isoimperatorin, oxypeucedanin, and imperatorin in Angelicae Pubescentis Radix (APR) from twelve different origins, and the quality difference was analyzed by comprehensive factor analysis and cluster analysis. The results showed that the calibration curves of five components exhibited good linearity within the linear ranges (0.8-4.0 μg). The RSD of precision was 1.06%-1.21%, and the repeatability and stability tests were good. The results of cluster analysis showed that the APR from 12 different areas was divided into two categories, and at the same time, it was found that the quality of Dazhou in Sichuan and Huating in Gansu was better than in other areas. In this study, a simple, rapid, and efficient method for quality evaluation of TCM was established by the HPTLC method.