Stytontriterpenes A-C, three unusual oleanane-derived triterpenoids from the resin of Styrax tonkinensis as potential immunosuppressive agents in atherosclerosis

Three unusual oleanane-derived triterpenoids, stytontriterpenes A-C (1-3), were isolated from the resin of Styrax tonkinensis together with an oleanane-lactone (stytontriterpene D, 4). Their structures and absolute configurations were characterised using a combination of spectroscopic analysis, electronic circular dichroism, and theoretical calculations. 1 and 2 belong to nor-oleanane with rare spiro D/E rings and 3 contains one infrequent C32 scaffold. 1 considerably suppressed the number of adhered leukemic monocytes (THP-1) to human umbilical vein endothelial cells and attenuated the upregulations of mRNA and protein levels of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 at 5 μM, suggesting that 1 might be a promising anti-vascular inflammatory chemical for atherosclerosis therapy. Plausible biosynthetic pathways for 1-4 are also proposed.

[Authenticity discrimination of Pulsatillae Radix based on dry-process REIMS fingerprinting combined with machine learning]

In this study, rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry(REIMS) fingerprints of 388 samples of roots of Pulsatilla chinensis(PC) and its common counterfeits, roots of P. cernua and roots of Anemone tomentosa were analyzed based on REIMS combined with machine learning. The samples were determined by REIMS through dry burning, and the REIMS data underwent cluster analysis, similarity analysis(SA), and principal component analysis(PCA). After dimensionality reduction by PCA, the data were analyzed by similarity analysis and self-organizating map(SOM), followed by modeling. The results indicated that the REIMS fingerprints of the samples showed the characteristics of variety differences and the SOM model could accurately distinguish PC, P. cernua, and A. tomentosa. REIMS combined with machine learning algorithm has a broad application prospect in the field of traditional Chinese medicine.

Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging Illustrates the Quality Characters of Isatidis Radix

For a long history, herbal medicines have made significant contributions to human health all around the world. However, the exploration of an effective approach to illustrate their inner quality remains a challenge. So, it is imperative to develop new methods and technologies to characterize and identify quality markers of herbal medicines. Taking Isatidis Radix, the dried root of Isatis indigotica as an example, desorption electrospray ionization (DESI), in combination with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF/MS), was applied in this work for the first time to reveal the comprehensive spatial distribution of metabolites and, further, to illustrate quality characters of this herbal medicine. After simple pretreatment, 102 metabolites including alkaloids, sulfur-containing compounds, phenylpropanoids, nucleosides, amino acids, organic acids, flavonoids, phenols, terpenes, saccharides, peptides, and sphingolipids were characterized, some of which were successfully localized and visualized in the transverse section of the root. Based on the ion images, samples with different quality characters were distinguished unambiguously by the pattern recognition method of orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA). Simultaneously, 11 major influencing components exerting higher ion intensities in superior samples were identified as the potential quality markers of Isatidis Radix. Desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), together with chemometric analysis could not only improve the understanding of the plant biology of herbal medicines but also be beneficial in the identification of quality markers, so as to carry out better quality control of herbal medicines.

[The analysis of multivariate image and chemometrics in TLC fingerprinting of artificial cow-bezoar]

A method of thin-layer fingerprinting chromatogram of artificial cow-bezoar was established with the developing solvent consisting of cyclohexane, ethyl acetate, acetic acid and methanol (2∶7∶1∶2), and 10% sulfuric acid ethanol solution sprayed as colour-developing agent. After heated at 105 ℃, TLC was recorded as an image in ultraviolet light at 366 nm which was converted into grayscale. By the gray value extracted from the grayscale, the multivariate data obtained from TLC of samples could be analyzed by chemometric method. The results indicated that samples from different manufacturers could be distinguished by this method and some specific bands were found out. All in one, this simple and practical method was suitable for the evaluation of quality difference.

The association of metabolic syndrome with reflux esophagitis: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

Obesity has been associated with reflux esophagitis. However, the association of metabolic syndrome with reflux esophagitis remains unknown.

METHODS

A case-control study of 372 subjects undergoing upper endoscopy during health checkups was conducted (182 patients with reflux esophagitis vs 190 age and gender-matched controls). We further measured their height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, blood pressure, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, and fasting blood glucose. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk factors associated with the presence of reflux esophagitis.

KEY RESULTS

Reflux esophagitis cases showed higher mean waist circumference (81.37 ± 0.68 vs 79.36 ± 0.70, P < 0.05), waist hip ratio (0.86 ± 0.01 vs 0.84 ± 0.01, P < 0.05) and fasting blood glucose (5.59 ± 0.10 vs 5.32 ± 0.08, P < 0.05) than those in controls. When adjusted for gender and age, multivariate analysis demonstrated that there was a positive dose-response relationship between reflux esophagitis and waist hip ratio (men: OR 3.41, 95% CI 1.52-7.62, women: OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.61-7.06), triglyceride (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.12-3.82), fasting blood glucose (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.12-2.94), and metabolic syndrome (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.15-3.50), there was an inverse dose-response relationship between reflux esophagitis and high-density lipoprotein for men (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.15-0.85).

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

High waist hip ratio, triglyceride, fasting blood glucose, and metabolic syndrome were associated with increased risk factors for reflux esophagitis while high high-density lipoprotein for men correlated with a reduced risk of reflux esophagitis.