Search

Abstract (+)-usnic acid (UA) is an active natural phenolic acid ingredient originating from Chinese traditional Tibetan herb. Usnea acid is expected to become a new agent for anticancer and remarkable antitumor. To reveal its metabolic profile, metabolites identification of UA in vivo was studied using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) in this present study. The chromatographic separation was performed on a C 18 column with a mobile phase consisted of methanol and water with a flow rate of 0.4 ml/min. The mass spectral analysis conducted in a negative electrospray ionization mode combined with information-dependent acquirement technology (IDA) was used to trace all the potential UA metabolites. Several sensitive and specific multiple data-mining techniques especially key product ions (KPIs) filter were applied to hunt and identify metabolites rapidly. As a result, a total of 36 metabolites were detected after oral administration of UA, including 33, 8 and 16 in rat urine, plasma and bile, respectively. These results showed that the probable metabolite pathways of UA were oxidation, reduction, dihydroxylation, glycine conjugation, glucuronide conjugation, N -acetylcysteine conjugation and methylation. It is the first time to elucidate the profile of UA in vivo. These results not only provided the basis of UA pharmacological properties, but also gave the guidance in clinical medication. Moreover, the analysis strategy and methodology proposed in this paper could be widely used in characterization of other phenolic acids metabolites. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exocarpium Citri grandis (ECG, Huajuhong in Chinese), the epicarp of C. grandis 'Tomentosa', has been used for hundreds of years as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, hypoglycemic, and lipid-lowering medication in China. Nevertheless, there have been few papers that have explored the mechanism behind ECG's hypolipidemic characteristics from the perspective of treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The purpose of our study was to confirm the therapeutic and preventative effects of ECG in NAFLD by regulating lipid accumulation and iron metabolism, and to explore the specific mechanism of ECG in enhancing hepatic iron transport and excretion capabilities. We constructed a NAFLD model by feeding male C57BL/6 J mice with a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Mice were gavaged with ECG beginning in the seventh week of modeling, and three dosage gradients were established: low dose group (2.5 g/kg/d), medium dose group (5 g/kg/d) y, and high dose group (10 g/kg/d) until the end of model construction in week 12. We used network pharmacology to analyze the relationship between ECG and NAFLD. In addition, we constructed a nonalcoholic fatty liver disease model by feeding male C57BL/6 J mice a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Finally, lipid accumulation, iron accumulation, inflammation and oxidative stress were evaluated by serological index detection, histological detection, immunofluorescent and immunohistochemical staining, and western blotting. Network pharmacology confirmed the treatment effect of ECG in NAFLD. Three active components of ECG, including Naringenin, Naringin and Neohesperidin, were detected by UHPLC-HRMS analysis. The results of serum TC, TG, LDL concentration, HE staining, Oil red staining and Nile red staining demonstrated that ECG could improve lipid metabolism disorders. The results of serum iron concentration, liver tissue iron concentration, iron metabolism-related proteins Ferritin light chain, Ferroportin1, Transferrin receptor, and Transferrin demonstrated that ECG improved the iron transport and storage capacities of hepatic cells. Our results demonstrated that ECG relieved liver injury by inhibiting lipid accumulation and iron accumulation in NAFLD. [Display omitted] • Exocarpium Citri Grandis reduces liver lipids accumulation and relieves liver damage in NAFLD. • Exocarpium Citri Grandis down-regulates hepatic iron intake by inhibiting TF/TfR pathway. • Exocarpium Citri Grandis is beneficial to the liver iron excretion and storage in NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naru-3 is a prescribed formulation based on the theory of Mongolian medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Naru-3 consists of three medicinal agents: Aconitum kusnezoffii Reichb (caowu), Terminalia chebula Retz (hezi), and Piper longum L (biba). These medicinal agents are widely distributed in the Mongolian area of China and have been used to treat rheumatism for centuries. Mongolian medicine Naru-3 is commonly prescribed to treat RA, but its mechanism of action is unknown. A rat collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model was established to investigate the mechanism of Naru-3. Rats were treated with Naru-3, Etanercept (ETN), and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) for four weeks. After treatment was terminated, paw thickness, ankle diameter, and arthritis index (AI) were scored. Synovial hyperplasia was evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and two-dimensional ultrasonography. Synovitis and neovascularization were assayed using power Doppler imaging (PDI) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS). Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-1, and CD31 in the serum or synovium were detected using ELISA and immunohistochemistry analyses. Naru-3 and ETN alleviated the symptoms of CIA as evidenced by diminished paw thickness, ankle diameter, and AI scores. Mechanistically, Naru-3 inhibited synovial hyperplasia, synovitis, and neovascularization by diminishing systemic and local inflammation, as indicated by the relative expression of CD31, VEGF and IL-1 in the serumor synovium. After four weeks of treatment, no significant neovascularization was observed in the Naru-3 group, but neovascularization and synovitis occurred in the ETN group, as demonstrated by H&E staining, PDI, and CEUS examination. Naru-3 inhibited inflammation, synovial hyperplasia, and neovascularization and alleviates RA in our CIA rat model. No symptom recurrence was observed four weeks after drug treatment. [Display omitted] • This paper illustrats the mechanisms of action of Naru-3 in the treatment of RA through inhibition of synovial neovascularization. • No symptom recurrence is observed four weeks after Naru-3 treatment. • CEUS for evaluating synovial neovascularization provides reference for clinical visualization evaluation of drug efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]