Pharmacokinetic study of the interaction between luteolin and magnoflorine in rats

Both luteolin and magnoflorine have been reported to regulate the development of breast cancer, which makes them easier to co-administrate. Luteolin was co-administrated with magnoflorine to evaluate their potential interaction. The pharmacokinetic study was performed on male Sprague-Dawley rats randomly grouped as the single administration of luteolin and the co-administration of luteolin and magnoflorine with six rats of each. CaCO-2 cell transwell assay was employed for transport evaluation, and the metabolic stability of luteolin and CYP3A activity were assessed in rat liver microsomes. The effect of luteolin on MDA-MB-231 cells was assessed with CCK8 assay. Magnoflorine significantly changed the pharmacokinetic profile of luteolin with increased area under the curve (AUC), prolonged t1/2 , and reduced clearance rate. Magnoflorine also suppressed the efflux ratio and improved the in vitro metabolic stability of luteolin. Magnoflorine also enhanced the inhibitory effect of luteolin on MDA-MB-231 cells. Magnoflorine significantly inhibited CYP3A activity with the IC50 of 18.99 μM. Magnoflorine prolonged the system exposure, enhanced the metabolic stability, and enhanced the anti-tumor effect of luteolin through inactivating CYP3A.

Magnoflorine improves cognitive deficits and pathology of Alzheimer's disease via inhibiting of JNK signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Cognitive deficit is the main clinical feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the massive death of neuronal cells is the leading cause of cognitive deficits. So, there is an urgent clinical need to discover effective drugs to protect brain neurons from damage in order to treat AD. Naturally-derived compounds have always been an important source of new drug discovery because of their diverse pharmacological activities, reliable efficacy and low toxicity. Magnoflorine is a quaternary aporphine alkaloid, which naturally exist in some commonly used herbal medicines, and has good anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, magnoflorine has not been reported in AD.

HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE

To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of magnoflorine on AD.

METHODS

Neuronal damage was detected by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and western blotting. Oxidative stress was measured by detection of SOD and MDA, as well as JC-1 and reactive oxygen species (ROS) staining. The APP/PS1 mice were given drugs by intraperitoneal injection (I.P.) every day for one month, and then the new object recognition and Morris water maze were used to detect the cognitive ability of the mice.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that magnoflorine reduced Aβ-induced PC12 cell apoptosis and intracellular ROS generation. Further studies found that magnoflorine significantly improved cognitive deficits and AD-type pathology. Most interestingly, the efficacy of magnoflorine was better than that of the clinical control drug donepezil. Mechanistically, based on RNA-sequencing analysis, we found that magnoflorine significantly inhibited phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in AD models. This result was further validated using a JNK inhibitor.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that magnoflorine improves cognitive deficits and pathology of AD through inhibiting of JNK signaling pathway. Thus, magnoflorine may be a potential therapeutic candidate for AD.

Magnoflorine attenuates inflammatory responses in RA by regulating the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB and Keap1-Nrf2/HO-1 signalling pathways in vivo and in vitro

BACKGROUND

As a prolonged autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterised by synovial hyperplasia and the erosion of bone and cartilage. Magnoflorine (MAG) is the main component purified from Clematis manshurica Rupr. Recent studies have shown that MAG has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunosuppressive effects, which are relevant to anti-RA activities.

OBJECTIVE

The current investigation was conducted to explore the anti-RA effects of MAG and to discover the possible molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

In vitro experiments, CCK-8, wound healing, and transwell assays were utilized to evaluate the anti-proliferative, anti-migratory, and anti-invasive activities of MAG, respectively. The rate of cell distribution and cell apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. ROS generation was detected by DCFH-DA staining. Western blotting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay, and immunofluorescent staining were employed to test the anti-RA effect of MAG as well as to explore the potential mechanisms by evaluating related gene and protein expression. For in vivo experiments, an adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rat model was established. The related parameters were measured in rats. Then, rats were sacrificed, and ankle joints were collected for histopathological analysis and observation.

RESULTS

MAG significantly decreased the proliferation, migration, invasion, and reactive oxygen species levels in IL-1β-treated MH7A cells. Furthermore, MAG promoted cell apoptosis by increasing Bax levels and decreasing Bcl-2 levels. MAG also induced cell cycle arrest. Inflammatory cytokines (iNOS, COX-2, IL-6, and IL-8) and MMPs (MMP-1, 2, 3, 9, and 13) were reduced by MAG treatment. Molecular analysis revealed that MAG exerted anti-RA effects by partly inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signalling axis and activating the Keap1-Nrf2/HO-1 signalling pathway. In vivo studies have revealed that MAG treatment substantially improved severe symptoms in AIA rats, and these curative effects were linked to the attenuation of inflammatory responses.

CONCLUSION

These results first suggested that MAG exhibits anti-arthritic effects in IL-1β-treated MH7A cells and AIA rat models. Thus, MAG may be used as a new drug to treat RA clinically.

Magnoflorine from Tinospora crispa upregulates innate and adaptive immune responses in Balb/c mice

Magnoflorine shows a diverse range of pharmacological actions, including immunomodulatory, antioxidant and neuropharmacological activities. However, its effects on the immune responses in animal studies have not been reported. In this study, magnoflorine isolated from Tinospora crispa, at doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg was administered to male Balb/c mice daily for 14 days to evaluate its effect on innate immune responses, while for evaluation of adaptive immune responses, on day 0 the mice were injected intraperitoneally with sheep red blood cells (sRBC) and treated orally with the various doses of magnoflorine for the same duration. The effects of magnoflorine on phagocytosis, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, lysozyme serum level, nitric oxide (NO) production, CD4+ and CD8+ cells population, T and B lymphocytes proliferation, activated T cells cytokines production, antibodies levels and delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) were determined. Magnoflorine dose-dependently stimulated NO production, E. coli engulfment by neutrophils and peritoneal macrophages, MPO activity and lysozyme serum level in treated mice. Magnoflorine at 100 mg/kg exhibited comparable stimulation of B cell production compared to levamisole at 2.5 mg/kg. It also significantly increased CD4+ and CD8+ cells population, upregulated the Th1 (IFN-γ, IL-2 and TNF-α) and Th2 (IL-4 and IL-6) cytokines in a dose-dependent manner. At similar concentrations, magnoflorine also exhibited a strong dose-dependent stimulation on DTH reaction and upregulation of immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) production in mice immunized with sRBC. The strong upregulation of innate and adaptive immune responses indicates that magnoflorine has potential to be developed into an effective immunostimulant.

Multiple biological effects of secondary metabolites of Ziziphus jujuba: isolation and mechanistic insights through in vitro and in silico studies

In this study, we tested tyrosinase and α-glucosidase effects of different extracts of Ziziphus jujuba fruits. The n-BuOH subextract inhibited both tyrosinase and α-glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 18.82 ± 1.13 and 25.03 ± 0.77 µg/mL, respectively) better than the positive controls kojic acid and acarbose (IC₅₀ = 58.26 ± 0.25 and 46.10 ± 2.3 µg/mL, respectively). Thus, the n-BuOH extract was selected for further phytochemical studies. Indole-3-lactic acid methylester, catechin, magnoflorine, kaempferol 3-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-galactopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-galactopyranoside, and procyanidin B4 were isolated from the extract. We tested α-glucosidase and tyrosinase inhibitory effects, as well as DNA nuclease effects of the isolated compounds. Procyanidin B4 exhibited the best activity against both tyrosinase and α-glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 60.25 ± 0.88 and 170.18 ± 5.60 µg/mL, respectively). The isolates did not show any nuclease effect at increasing concentrations. Molecular docking studies provided insights into inhibition mechanisms of the isolates against tyrosinase and α-glucosidase at the molecular level.

Amelioration of diabetic retinopathy in db/db mice by treatment with different proportional three active ingredients from Tibetan medicine Berberis dictyophylla F

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Berberis dictyophylla F., a famous Tibetan medicine, has been used to prevent and treat diabetic retinopathy (DR) for thousands of years in clinic. However, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study was designed to probe the synergistic protection and involved mechanisms of berberine, magnoflorine and berbamine from Berberis dictyophylla F. on the spontaneous retinal damage of db/db mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The 14-week spontaneous model of DR in db/db mice were randomly divided into eight groups: model group, calcium dobesilate (CaDob, 0.23 g/kg) group and groups 1-6 (different proportional three active ingredients from Berberis dictyophylla F.). All mice were intragastrically administrated for a continuous 12 weeks. Body weight and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were recorded and measured. Hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stainings were employed to evaluate the pathological changes and abnormal angiogenesis of the retina. ELISA was performed to assess the levels of IL-6, HIF-1α and VEGF in the serum. Immunofluorescent staining was applied to detect the protein levels of CD31, VEGF, p-p38, p-JNK, p-ERK and NF-κB in retina. In addition, mRNA expression levels of VEGF, Bax and Bcl-2 in the retina were monitored by qRT-PCR analysis.

RESULTS

Treatment with different proportional three active ingredients exerted no significant effect on the weight, but decreased the FBG, increased the number of retinal ganglionic cells and restored internal limiting membrane. The results of PAS staining demonstrated that the drug treatment decreased the ratio of endothelial cells to pericytes while thinned the basal membrane of retinal vessels. Moreover, these different proportional active ingredients can markedly downregulate the protein levels of retinal CD31 and VEGF, and serum HIF-1α and VEGF. The gene expression of retinal VEGF was also suppressed. The levels of retinal p-p38, p-JNK and p-ERK proteins were decreased by drug treatment. Finally, drug treatment reversed the proinflammatory factors of retinal NF-κB and serum IL-6, and proapoptotic Bax gene expression, while increased antiapoptotic Bcl-2 gene expression.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicated that DR in db/db mice can be ameliorated by treatment with different proportional three active ingredients from Berberis dictyophylla F. The potential vascular protection mechanisms may be involved in inhibiting the phosphorylation of the MAPK signaling pathway, thus decreasing inflammatory and apoptotic events.

Magnoflorine prevent the skeletal muscle atrophy via Akt/mTOR/FoxO signal pathway and increase slow-MyHC production in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Tinospora cordifolia (TC) is being used as a blood purifier in Ayurveda since ancient time. It is a very popular immunomodulator and holds anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative potential, hence anti-aging properties. Therefore, it is also known as 'Amrita' in Ayurveda and is widely used to treat diabetes mellitus type II (T2DM) and its secondary complications; however, its underlying mechanism was not expedited to date. AIM-: To explore the in vivo therapeutic efficiency and mechanism of action of TC and its secondary constitute magnoflorine on the skeletal muscle atrophy in the rat model of T2DM.

METHOD

Animal model of T2DM was developed using streptozotocin (STZ) injection followed by intervention with TC, metformin, and magnoflorine for three weeks. Confirmation of T2DM and abrogation of atrophic markers and possible mechanisms on supplementation of TC and magnoflorine were explored using histology, bio-assays, Western blotting, and q-PCR.

RESULT

TC and Magnoflorine supplementations significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased the fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels in T2DM rats. Both treatments prevented the lean body, individual skeletal muscle mass, and myotubes diameter loss (p ≤ 0.05). Magnoflorine significantly reduced the degradation of the protein indicated by biochemical markers of atrophy i.e. decreased serum creatine kinase (CK) levels and increased myosin heavy chain-β (MyHC-β) levels in muscles. Q-PCR and western blotting supported the findings that magnoflorine significantly increased the mRNA and protein abundances (~3 fold) of MyHC-β.TC and magnoflorine efficiently decreased the expression of ubiquitin-proteasomal E3-ligases (Fn-14/TWEAK, MuRF1, and Atrogin 1), autophagy (Bcl-2/LC3B), and caspase related genes along with calpains activities in T2DM rats. Both TC and magnoflorine also increased the activity of superoxide dismutase, GSH-Px, decreased the activities of β-glucuronidase, LPO, and prevented any alteration in the catalase activity. In contrast, magnoflorine increased expression of TNF-α and IL-6 whereas TC and metformin efficiently decreased the levels of these pro-inflammatory cytokines (p ≤ 0.05). However, magnoflorine was found to increase phosphorylation of Akt more efficiently than TC and metformin.

CONCLUSION

TC, and magnoflorine are found to be effective to control fasting blood glucose levels significantly in T2DM rats. It also promoted the Akt phosphorylation, suppressed autophagy and proteolysis that might be related to blood glucose-lowering efficacy of magnoflorine and TC. However, increased muscle weight, specifically of the soleus muscle, expression of IL-6, and slow MyHC indicated the increased myogenesis in response to magnoflorine and independent from its hypoglycemic activity.

Magnoflorine inhibits the malignant phenotypes and increases cisplatin sensitivity of osteosarcoma cells via regulating miR-410-3p/HMGB1/NF-κB pathway

AIMS

Magnoflorine is an essential type of alkaloid and possesses anti-tumor activity in multiple cancers. Recent studies have demonstrated that magnoflorine plays tumor-suppressive roles in gastric and breast cancers. However, its role in osteosarcoma (OS) tumorigenesis is enigmatic. This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of magnoflorine in OS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two human OS cells (MG-63 and U-2 OS) were treated with different concentrations of magnoflorine. Cell viability and invasion were then detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell assay, respectively. And the effects of magnoflorine on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cisplatin sensitivity were also measured. To explore the potential mechanism, we assayed the influence of magnoflorine on the miR-410-3p/HMGB1/NF-κB signaling pathway. Additionally, rescue experiments were performed to further confirm the regulation mechanism of magnoflorine.

KEY FINDINGS

Magnoflorine inhibited the viability, invasion, and EMT of OS cells in a dose-dependent manner. And it increased the sensitivity of OS cells to cisplatin. Magnoflorine significantly suppressed HMGB1 expression and NF-κB activation, but upregulated miR-410-3p level. Overexpression of HMGB1 promoted NF-κB activation and reversed the effects of magnoflorine on the viability, invasion, EMT and cisplatin sensitivity of OS cells. miR-410-3p mimic inhibited the EMT of OS cells, which was restored by HMGB1 upregulation. And miR-410-3p inhibitor abrogated the influence of magnoflorine on HMGB1 expression in OS cells.

SIGNIFICANCE

Magnoflorine inhibited the malignant phenotypes and increased cisplatin sensitivity of OS cells via modulating miR-410-3p/HMGB1/NF-κB pathway. These results indicated that magnoflorine might be a novel drug for the treatment of OS.

Prevent action of magnoflorine with hyaluronic acid gel from cartilage degeneration in anterior cruciate ligament transection induced osteoarthritis

According to the Chinese medicine, magnoflorine exerted significant anti-inflammatory effects and potentially promoted synthesis of proteoglycans in chondrocytes to reverse the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. However, the latent beneficial effect of magnoflorine for the treatment of traumatic osteoarthritis (OA) is still unknown. Therefore, we aim to demonstrate the efficacy of magnoflorine combined with HA-gel in attenuating cartilage degeneration in anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) induced OA rat model. We found that the histological results showed the elevated cartilage matrix, chondrogenic signals and chondroprogenitor cells in HA-gel + magnoflorine treatment. HA-gel + magnoflorine treatment resulted in a decreased modified Mankin's score, and a higher volume ratio of hyaline cartilage (HC)/calcified cartilage (CC) and HC/Sum (whole cartilage), compared to ACLT and HA-gel groups. Furthermore, both the volume ratios of HC/Sum and HC/CC were negatively correlated with modified Mankin's scores. Finally, HA-gel + magnoflorine could significantly increase the BV/TV, Tb.Th, and decrease the Tb.Pf, Po(tot), Conn.Dn and Tb.Sp. In vitro, 50 μg/ml magnoflorine treatment could significantly increase the viability, S-phase, migration rate and chondrogenesis of chondroprogenitor cells. There were significant downregulations of MAPK/NF-κB signaling, and upregulations of chondrogenic signals in 50 μg/ml magnoflorine treatment. There were significant downregulations of proinflammatory cytokines and upregulation of IL-10 in HA-gel + magnoflorine treated group. Therefore, our study elucidated a protective effect of HA-gel + magnoflorine on attenuating cartilage degradation and maintaining SCB stabilization in ACLT induced OA.

Novel findings to the biosynthetic pathway of magnoflorine and taspine through transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of Croton draco (Euphorbiaceae)

BACKGROUND

Croton draco is an arboreal species and its latex as well as some other parts of the plant, are traditionally used in the treatment of a wide range of ailments and diseases. Alkaloids, such as magnoflorine, prevent early atherosclerosis progression while taspine, an abundant constituent of latex, has been described as a wound-healer and antitumor-agent. Despite the great interest for these and other secondary metabolites, no omics resources existed for the species and the biosynthetic pathways of these alkaloids remain largely unknown.

RESULTS

To gain insights into the pathways involved in magnoflorine and taspine biosynthesis by C. draco and identify the key enzymes in these processes, we performed an integrated analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome in the major organs (roots, stem, leaves, inflorescences, and flowers) of this species. Transcript profiles were generated through high-throughput RNA-sequencing analysis while targeted and high resolution untargeted metabolomic profiling was also performed. The biosynthesis of these compounds appears to occur in the plant organs examined, but intermediaries may be translocated from the cells in which they are produced to other cells in which they accumulate.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide a framework to better understand magnoflorine and taspine biosynthesis in C. draco. In addition, we demonstrate the potential of multi-omics approaches to identify candidate genes involved in the biosynthetic pathways of interest.

Magnoflorine improves sensitivity to doxorubicin (DOX) of breast cancer cells via inducing apoptosis and autophagy through AKT/mTOR and p38 signaling pathways

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Doxorubicin (DOX) is a broad-spectrum anti-breast cancer agent, but its clinical use is restricted due to irreversible tissue toxicity. Thereby, new therapeutic approaches are urgently required to promote the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to DOX. Magnoflorine (Mag), a quaternary alkaloid isolated from Chinese herb Magnolia or Aristolochia, has various biological activities, such as anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, and anti-anxiety. In the study, we explored the effects Mag on the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to DOX. We demonstrated that Mag strongly promoted DOX-induced anti-proliferative effects in breast cancer cells while not in normal cells. Mag addition markedly promoted the effects of DOX on the inhibition of migration and invasion in breast cancer cells. DOX-triggered DNA damage in breast cancer cells was further accelerated by combination with Mag. DOX-induced cell distribution in G2/M phase was markedly elevated when co-treated with Mag. Additionally, DOX/Mag combinational treatment significantly induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells when compared to DOX alone group through inducing Caspase-3 cleavage. Moreover, Mag markedly promoted the role of DOX in autophagy induction by elevating light chain 3 (LC3)-II expression. Combination treatment with DOX and Mag significantly inhibited the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling, and promoted p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. In addition, treatment with wortmannin (Wor, a blocker of autophagosome formation) markedly reduced DOX/Mag-induced p38 MAPK activation and LC3 conversion in breast cancer cells. Further, in MCF-7 xenograft model, DOX combined with Mag displayed a significant anti-tumor effect with little toxicity to organs such as liver, heart, kidney and spleen. These findings suggested that Mag promoted the anti-cancer effects of DOX to induce cellular apoptosis and autophagy in breast cancer cells.

Development of a chemical fingerprint as a tool to distinguish closely related Tinospora species and quantitation of marker compounds

Tinospora species are morphologically similar. Several cases of human toxicity have been reported in association with T. crispa. A chemical fingerprint was developed to differentiate T. crispa from its closely related species and to quantitate its major furanoditerpenes namely as borapetosides B, C and F. The rapid, sensitive and repeatable method was established using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array and single quadrupole electrospray mass spectrometry detectors using a flavonoid, two alkaloids, an amide and six diterpenoids. Qualitative and quantitative determination was performed by UHPLC-UV and confirmed by MS. The intra-day RSD for replicates was between 0.9 and 6.8% and inter-day RSD was between 1.2 and 9.1%. Recovery was 97-103 %. The method is useful to achieve decisiveness in not only identifying but also differentiating T. crispa from T. sinensis and other closely related Tinospora species. Seventeen Tinospora plant samples and seventeen dietary supplements claiming T. crispa, T. sinensis and T. cordifolia were analyzed. The newly developed and validated method successfully resulted in the conclusive identification of two dietary supplements to be mislabeled.

Magnoflorine with hyaluronic acid gel promotes subchondral bone regeneration and attenuates cartilage degeneration in early osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate efficacy of Chinese medicine magnoflorine combined with hyaluronic acid (HA)-gel in promoting subchondral bone (SCB) regeneration and attenuating cartilage degeneration in early osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS

MC3T3-E1 under magnoflorine treatment was assayed by XTT to determine cell viability. Cell proliferation was reflected through cell cycle. Osteoblast mineralization was stained by Alizarin Red. Standardized bone canal of 1 mm in diameter and 4 mm in depth was made on tibial medial plateau of 4-month-old Dunkin-Hartley spontaneous knee OA guinea pigs. Guinea pigs (n = 5/group) were treated once intra-bone canal injection of 2 μl HA-gel, 2 μl HA-gel+50 ng magnoflorine and null (Defect) respectively, except sham group. The left hind limbs were harvested for μCT scan and histopathological staining 2-month post-surgery.

RESULTS

25 μg/ml magnoflorine treatment significantly increased cell viability, S-phase and mineralization of MC3T3-E1 cells. In vivo, HA-gel + magnoflorine treatment significantly altered SCB microstructure; changes included increase in bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb.N), connectivity density (Conn.Dn), and decrease in degree of anisotropy (DA), which implied trabecular bone regeneration. Treatment also resulted in a decrease in modified Mankin's scores, and an increase in volume ratio of hyaline cartilage (HC)/calcified cartilage (CC) and fractal dimension (FD, roughness indicator of osteochondral conjunction), compared to Defect and HA groups. Furthermore, FD was positively associated with volume ratio of HC/CC and negatively associated with modified Mankin's scores. Finally, histological results showed that due to a faster regeneration of SCB with the HA-gel + magnoflorine treatment, the reduction of cartilage matrix and the decreased expression of chondrogenic signals were attenuated.

CONCLUSION

Our study elucidated the potential benefits of HA-gel + magnoflorine in promoting SCB regeneration and revealed a protective effect of stimulating recovery of the SCB integrity on attenuating cartilage degradation to prevent OA progression.

Isolation, characterization and HPLC quantification of compounds from Aquilegia fragrans Benth: Their in vitro antibacterial activities against bovine mastitis pathogens

ETHNO-PHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The underground parts of Aquilegia fragrans are traditionally used for the treatment of wounds and various inflammatory diseases like bovine mastitis. However, there are no reports on the phytochemical characterization and antibacterial studies of A. fragrans.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To isolate compounds from the methanol extract of the underground parts of A. fragrans and determine their antibacterial activity against the pathogens of bovine mastitis. The study was undertaken in order to scientifically validate the traditional use of A. fragrans.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Five compounds were isolated from the methanol extract of the underground parts of A. fragrans using silica gel column chromatography. Structural elucidation of the isolated compounds was done using spectral data analysis and comparison with literature. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of isolated compounds in the crude methanol extract. The methanol extract and isolated compounds were evaluated for antibacterial activities against mastitis pathogens using broth micro-dilution technique.

RESULTS

The five isolated compounds were identified as (1) 2, 4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid methyl ester (2) β-sitosterol (3) Aquilegiolide (4) Glochidionolactone-A and (5) Magnoflorine. A quick and sensitive HPLC method was developed for the first time for qualitative and quantitative determination of four isolated marker compounds from A. fragrans. The crude methanol extract and compound 5 exhibited weak antibacterial activities that varied between the bacterial species (MIC=500-3000 µg/ml).

CONCLUSIONS

The above results show that the crude methanol extract and isolated compounds from A. fragrans exhibit weak antibacterial activities. Further phytochemical and pharmacological studies are required for proper scientific validation of the folk use of this plant species in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases like bovine mastitis.

Pharmacokinetics in rats and tissue distribution in mouse of magnoflorine by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Magnoflorine is one of the most widespread aporphine alkaloids. In this work, a sensitive and selective ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of magnoflorine in rat plasma and mouse tissue have been developed and validated. After addition of nuciferine as an internal standard (IS), protein precipitation by acetonitrile-methanol (9:1, v/v) was used for samples treatment. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) with 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile as the mobile phase with gradient elution. An electrospray ionization source was applied and operated in positive ion mode; multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) mode was used for quantification using target fragment ions m/z 342.8→298.2 for magnoflorine and m/z 296.0→265.1 for IS. Calibration plots were linear throughout the range 2-2000 ng/mL for magnoflorine in rat plasma and tissue. Mean recoveries of magnoflorine in rat plasma were better than 83.0%. RSD of intra-day and inter-day precision were both less than 9%. The accuracy of the method was between 95.5% and 107.5%. The method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of magnoflorine. The absolute bioavailability of magnoflorine was reported as 22.6%. The magnoflorine underwent a rapid and wide distribution to tissues; the level of magnoflorine in liver is highest, then followed by heart, spleen and lung. Based on tissue distribution data, a back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) method was developed and it could be used to predict the concentrations of magnoflorine in tissues.

Nitrogen-Containing Constituents of Black Cohosh: Chemistry, Structure Elucidation, and Biological Activities

The roots/rhizomes of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L. syn. Cimicifuga racemosa [L]. Nutt., Ranunculaceae) have been used traditionally by Native Americans to treat colds, rheumatism, and a variety of conditions related to women's health. In recent years black cohosh preparations have become popular dietary supplements among women seeking alternative treatments for menopausal complaints. The popularity of the plant has led to extensive phytochemical and biological investigations, including several clinical trials. Most of the phytochemical and biological research has focused on two abundant classes of compounds: the triterpene glycosides and phenolic acids. A third group of phytoconstituents that has received far less attention consists of the alkaloids and related compounds that contain nitrogen. This chapter summarizes the current state of knowledge of the chemistry and biological activities associated with this group of constituents and provides some perspective on their significance for future research on this interesting plant.