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Present studies have shown that Flos Chrysanthemi has anti-inflammatory and other effects and regulates intestinal function, while the chrysanthemum stem and leaf as non-medicinal parts of chrysanthemum have similar chemical components with chrysanthemum, but the activity and mechanisms are rarely elucidated. Therefore, this study used a DSS-induced zebrafish inflammatory bowel disease model to study the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of chrysanthemum stem and leaf extracts. The results indicate that DSS induction leads to increased secretion of acidic mucin in the intestines of juvenile fish, enlargement of the intestinal lumen and the emergence of intestinal inflammation. Compared with the model group, each administration group differentially inhibited the expression of IL-1β, IL-8 and MMP9 in DSS-induced zebrafish, while upregulating the activity of superoxide dismutase. The quantitative analysis results showed that the flavonoids (including Linarin, Diosmetin-7-glucoside, Tilianin, etc.) and phenolic acids (including Isochlorogenic acid C, Isochlorogenic acid A, 1,3-Dicaffeoylquinic acid, etc.) in the alcohol extract were closely related with both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, while the polysaccharides were also shown a certain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. In conclusion, this study suggests that the flavonoids, phenolic acids and polysaccharides from chrysanthemum stem and leaf extracts can improve inflammatory bowel disease of zebrafish by regulating the expressions of IL-1β, IL-8 and MMP9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frankincense and myrrha (FM), commonly used as a classical herbal pair, have a wide range of clinical applications and definite anti-inflammatory activity. However, anti-neuroinflammation effects and mechanisms are not clear. In this study, we adopted a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microglial (BV2) cell model and a network pharmacology method to reveal the anti-neuroinflammatory effects and mechanisms of boswellic acid (BA) and myrrha sesquiterpenes (MS) with different proportions of compatibility. The data showed that the different ratios of BA and MS had different degrees of inhibition of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression, down-regulated the phosphor-nuclear factor kappa B/nuclear factor kappa B (p-NF-ҡB)/(NF-ҡB), phosphorylated protein kinase b/protein kinase b (p-AKT/AKT), and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) protein expression levels, and increased phospho-PI3 kinase (p-PI3K) protein expression levels. When the ratios of BA and MS were 10:1, 5:1, and 20:1, better effective efficacy was exhibited. According to the correlation analysis between the effect index and bioactive substances, it was suggested that 2-methoxy-5-acetoxy -fruranogermacr-1(10)-en-6-one (Compound 1), 3α-acetyloxylanosta-8,24-dien-21-oic acid (Compound 2), 11-keto-boswellic acid (Compound 3), and 3-acetyl-11-keto-β -boswellic acid (Compound 4) made important contributions to the treatment of neuroinflammation. Furthermore, based on the network pharmacological analysis, it was found that these four active compounds acted on 31 targets related to neuroinflammation and were involved in 32 signaling pathways which mainly related to the immune system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system, suggesting that BA and MS could be used to treat neuroinflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fruit of Lycium barbarum L. (FLB) has been used as medicines and functional foods for more than 2000 years in East Asia. In this study, carotenoid, phenolic, flavonoid, and polysaccharide contents as well as the antioxidant activities of FLB from 13 different regions in China from a total of 78 samples were analyzed. The results showed that total carotenoid contents ranged from 12.93 to 25.35 mg β-carotene equivalents/g DW. Zeaxanthin dipalmitate was the predominant carotenoid (4.260–10.07 mg/g DW) in FLB. The total phenolic, total flavonoid, and total polysaccharide contents ranged from 6.899 to 8.253 mg gallic acid equivalents/g DW, 3.177 to 6.144 mg rutin equivalents/g DW, and 23.62 to 42.45 mg/g DW, respectively. Rutin content ranged from 0.1812 to 0.4391 mg/g DW, and ferulic acid content ranged from 0.0994 to 0.1726 mg/g DW. All of these FLB could be divided into two clusters with PCA analysis, and both individual carotenoids and total carotenoid contents could be used as markers for regional characterization. The phenolic components were the main substance for the antioxidant activity of FLB. Considering the functional component and antioxidant activities, FLB produced in Guyuan of Ningxia was the closest to Daodi herbs (Zhongwei of Ningxia), which is commercially available high quality FLB. The results of this study could provide guidance for comprehensive applications of FLB production in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. is one of the original plants for traditional Chinese medicines Trichosanthis Fructus, Trichosanthis Semen, Trichosanthis Pericarpium and Trichosanthis Radix. Amino acids, nucleosides and carbohydrates are usually considered to have nutritional value and health-care efficacy. In this study, methods involving high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD), UV-visible spectrophotometry and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) were established for quantifying carbohydrates (fructose, glucose, stachyose, raffinose and polysaccharide), fourteen nucleosides and twenty one amino acids. Moreover, sixty-three samples from nine different parts, including pericarp, seed, fruit pulp, stem, leaf, main root, main root bark, lateral root and lateral root bark of T. kirilowii from different cultivated varieties were examined. The established methods were validated with good linearity, precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery. The results showed that the average content of total amino acids in roots (15.39 mg/g) and root barks (16.38 mg/g) were relatively higher than for others. Contents of nucleosides in all parts of T. kirilowii were below 1.5 mg/g. For carbohydrates, fruit pulp has a higher content than others for glucose (22.91%), fructose (20.63%) and polysaccharides (27.29%). By using partial least-squared discriminate analysis (PLS-DA), Variable importance in the projection (VIP) plots and analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis, the characteristic components of the different organs (fruit, stems and leaves, roots) were found. This analysis suggested there were potential medicinal and nutritive health care values in various parts of the T. kirilowii, which provided valuable information for the development and utilization of T. kirilowii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The root of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus is one of the most popular herbal medicines worldwide. In order to increase the yield of underground roots of A.membranaceus var. mongholicus, its flowers (AMF) have often been removed in their flowering stage, which produces the flowers as waste being discarded. To explore its phytochemicals and potential value for utilization, the antioxidant activities of extracts from AMF were evaluated by a free radical scavenging assay and reducing power assay. The total phenols and flavonoids, as well as the individual compounds, in different extracts of AMF were also investigated. The results showed that the extract ME obtained from AMF through macroporous resins separation exhibited strong antioxidant activities, which were close to those of positive control BHT. ME was rich in phenolic acids and flavonoids, and the contents reached 108.42 mg gallic acid equivalents/g and 265.70 mg rutin equivalents/g, respectively. A total of 31 compounds, including four phenolic acids, nineteen flavonoids, three isoflavones, two pterocarpans, and three saponins, were identified using UPLC-QTOF-MS in ME. Quantitative analysis of sixteen components in the extracts of AMF showed that flavonoids were the predominant constituents, especially for the compounds of hyperoside, rutin, and isorhamnetin-3-O-β-d-glucoside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]