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Achyranthes bidentata Blume (Amaranthaceae) is an annual or perennial herb widely used as ethnomedicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating fever, cold, ulcers, mensural pain, dementia, and osteoporosis. In the current study, UPLC-IM-Q-TOF-MS/MS-based chemometric approach was adopted for the tentative identification of fifty-six compounds in the extract and fractions of A.bidentata seeds. Further, the chemometric-guided isolation led to the isolation of two previously undescribed oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins, named achyranosides A-B (27 and 30), along with three known compounds (31, 44, and 23) from water fraction of A. bidentata seeds. The structures of new compounds were elucidated based on the detailed analysis of NMR, HR-ESI-MS, FT-IR spectral data, and GC-FID techniques. The isolated compounds in vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity revealed the promising activity of chikusetsusaponin IVa (23) (IC 50  = 63.7 μM) with mixed type of AChE inhibition in enzyme kinetic studies. Additionally, in silico binding free energy of isolated compounds disclosed the greater stability of enzyme-ligand complex owing to underlying multiple H-bond interactions. Overall, the study demonstrates the effectiveness of a chemometric-guided approach for the phytochemical exploration and isolation of new oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins from A. bidentata seeds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gut microbiota variances reflecting the severity type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharide (ABP) can regulate gut microbiota. However, the hypoglycemic effect and underlying mechanism of ABP remain unclear. Herein, we characterized the structure of ABP and revealed the hypoglycemic effect of ABP in mice with T2DM. ABP repaired the intestinal barrier in T2DM mice and regulated the composition and abundance of gut microbiota, especially increasing bacteria which producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), then increasing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) level. The abundance of these bacteria was positively correlated with blood lipid and INS levels, negatively correlated with FBG levels. Colon transcriptome data and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the alleviating T2DM effect of ABP was related to activation of the GLP-1/GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R)/cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA)/cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB)/INS pathway. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) confirmed the transmissible efficacy of ABP through gut microbiota. Overall, our research shows that ABP plays a hypoglycemic role by increasing gut microbiota-derived SCFAs levels, and activating the GLP-1/GLP-1R/cAMP/PKA/CREB/INS pathway, emphasizing ABP as promising T2DM therapeutic candidates., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Achyranthes bidentata (A. bidentata) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TGM) for treatment osteoporosis. Polysaccharides, a major factor for shaping the gut microbiota, are the primary ingredients of A. bidentata. However, bioactivity of A. bidentata polysaccharide on human gut microbiota (HGM) remains unknown. Here, a homogeneous pectic polysaccharide A23-1 with average molecular weight of 93.085 kDa was extracted and purified from A. bidentata. And A23-1 was compsed of rhamnose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose and arabinose in a molar ratio of 7.26: 0.76: 5.12: 2.54: 23.51: 60.81. GC-MS, partial acid hydrolysis and NMR results indicated the backbone of A23-1 was composed of 1, 2, 4-Rhap and 1, 4-GlapA, while the branches were composed of galactose, arabinose, glucose and glucuronic acid. Further, A23-1 was found to be degraded into monosaccharides and fragments. Taking Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (BT) as a model, we suggested three polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) might be involved in the A23-1 degradation. Degraded products generated by BO might not support the growth of probiotics. Besides, acetate and propionate as the main end products were generated by Bacteroides spp. and probiotics utilizing A23-1. These findings suggested A23-1 was possible one of food sources of human gut Bacteroides spp., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of Achyranthes japonica Nakai (AJN) extract as a natural feed additive on growth performance, nutrient utilization, cecal microbiota, excreta noxious gas emission, and meat quality in broilers fed corn-wheat-soybean meal diet. In total, seven hundred twenty 1-day-old male Ross 308 broilers with an average body weight (BW) of 43.36 ± 1.42 g were used in a 35-d feeding trial. Broilers were randomly assigned to 1 of the 4 treatments. Each treatment had 10 replication pens with 18 birds per replication. Dietary treatments composed of corn-wheat-soybean meal-based diets along with the addition of 0, 0.025, 0.05, and 0.1% of AJN extract. The BW gain and feed conversion rate were linearly influenced (P < 0.05) by the supplementation of AJN extract during days 8 to 21, 22 to 35, and the overall experiment. At the end of the experiment, the digestibility of dry matter and nitrogen and the population of cecal lactic acid bacteria were linearly improved (P < 0.05) in response to increasing AJN extract supplementation. Excreta emission of ammonia showed a linear decrease (P < 0.05) with the increasing levels of AJN extract. The breast muscle percentage linearly increased (P < 0.05) in birds fed AJN extract contained diets. In summary, the inclusion of AJN extract in corn-wheat-soybean meal diet improved growth performance, nutrient utilization, intestinal microbiota balance, and breast meat production and decreased excreta ammonia emission, which confirmed the applicability of AJN extract as a natural feed additive in broilers., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharide (ABP) on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune function, relative organ weight, ileal microflora, and meat quality in Pekin ducks. A total of 1,200 female 1-day-old Pekin ducklings (51.2 ± 0.2 g) were blocked based on body weight (BW) and randomly allocated into 3 treatments with 10 replicates of 40 birds each. The experiment lasted for 6 wk, and dietary treatments included corn-soybean meal-based diet supplemented with 0, 0.02, and 0.04% ABP. The supplementation of ABP increased (P < 0.05) body weight gain (BWG) and final BW linearly during day 22 to 42 and day 1 to 42, respectively, but decreased (P < 0.05) feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) linearly during day 22 to 42 and day 1 to 42. The inclusion of ABP increased (P < 0.05) serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, total antioxidative capacity, catalase, complement3, complement4, immunoglobin A, immunoglobin G, interleukin-2, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α linearly. The relative weight of breast meat was increased (P < 0.05) linearly, but the relative weight of abdominal fat was decreased (P < 0.05) linearly with the increasing dietary ABP supplementation. The supplementation of ABP increased (P < 0.05) ileal Lactobacilli counts linearly, whereas decreased (P < 0.05) Escherichia coli counts linearly. Taken together, the inclusion of ABP promoted BWG and final BW during day 22 to 42 and the entire experiment, decreased F/G during day 22 to 42 and day 1 to 42, and partially improved antioxidant activities, immunity, and gut microflora in Pekin ducks., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The present study was investigated the effects of dietary Achyranthes japonica extract (AJE) supplementation on the growth performance, total tract digestibility, cecal microflora, excreta noxious gas emission, breast meat quality, and organ weight in broiler chickens. In total, 640 Ross × Ross male broiler chickens (1-day-old) were randomly distributed into 4 dietary treatments with 10 replicate cages (16 birds/replicate) per treatment group for 5 wk. The dietary treatments included a control basal diet without AJE, and diets with 0.025, 0.05, or 0.1% AJE. Body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion improved linearly with the supplementation of AJE over the experimental period (days 1 to 35) (P < 0.05). Dietary AJE supplementation caused a significant increase in the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter and nitrogen (linear, P < 0.05). The cecal Lactobacillus, E. coli, and Salmonella counts were linearly affected with increasing dietary AJE supplementation (P < 0.05). With increasing levels of AJE, excreta ammonia gas concentration showed a linear decrease (P < 0.05). The breast muscle weight linearly increased, along with a decrease in the abdominal fat weight, in treatment groups fed with AJE (P < 0.05). These results indicate that dietary addition with increasing AJE linearly improved growth performance, total tract digestibility, cecal microflora, excreta ammonia gas emission, and abdominal fat weight in broiler chickens., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg (THDG) is used as a Chinese traditional anti-inflammatory medicine for about thousands of years. In this work, Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg's polysaccharide (TP) can inhibit E. coli's growth in initial dosing period. Compared with the antibacterial effect of Achyranthe's polysaccharide (AP) from their metabolic profile, it's obviously that their metabolic sites for E. coli were inconsistent. Moreover, TP could not only increase the level of fructose-6-phosphate (F6P), decrease the level of fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FBP), but also charge the amount of the two differential metabolic with the change of the concentration and the dosing time. Actually, F6P could transform into FBP by catalyze of 6-phosphofructokinase-1(6-PFK-1), which is an important process in glycolysis. Furthermore, FBP was considered have positively correlated with E. coli's growth rate. Therefore, TP can inhibit the E. coli's proliferation by interfering with the process for glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Based on the experimental result, we proposed a new mouthwash method to evaluate the anti-bacterial activity. Compared with AP, TP can inhibit the E. coli's growth within 2 h with a low concentration (0.5%) and a short dosing time (5 min). This study extends the applications of THDG and establishes a new assessment method for the pharmacology activity of Chinese herbal medicine., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Achyranthes bidentata has been traditionally used in China as a nature remedy for osteoporosis; however, little is known about the osteoprotective effects of its polysaccharides. The crude A. bidentata polysaccharide (AB70) was prepared by hot water extraction- ethanol precipitation method and a homogeneous fructan (ABW70-1) was purified from AB70 by ion-exchange and gel filtration column chromatography. Structural analysis indicated that ABW70-1 was composed of (2 → 1)-linked-β-d-fructofuranosyl (Fruf), (2 → 6)-linked-β-d-Fruf and (2 → 1,6)-linked-β-d-Fruf residues, and terminated with fructose and glucose residue. AB70 treatment for 13 weeks has shown a therapeutic effect on ovariectomized rats by restoring bone mineral content and biomechanical properties of the femur. Moreover, such osteoprotective effects of AB70 on bone mass were accompanied by improving trabecular bone microarchitecture and decreasing serum levels of bone turnover biomarkers. Furthermore, ABW70-1 stimulated the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells by promoting cell proliferation, ALP activity, mineral nodules formation and the gene expression of Osx, Ocn and Bsp. These results suggest that A. bidentata polysaccharides have a great potential in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Osteoporosis is a frequent disease among the elderly especially in postmenopausal women. Achyranthes bidentata is a traditional Chinese medicine used to strengthen bones. Here, A. bidentata polysaccharides (ABPs) were confirmed to have anti-osteoporosis effects. This study discovered biomarkers by comparing normal and osteoporosis rats and evaluated the effects of ABPs on osteoporosis based on the UPLC/Q-TOF-MS-based metabolomics analysis. We could then predict the underlying mechanisms from the perspective of metabolomics. Osteoporotic rats were treated with ABPs, and serum was then sampled for metabolic analysis. Glutarylcarnitine, lysoPC (18:1) and 9-cis-retinoic acid were identified as biomarkers. The ABPs could significantly increase these biomarkers, and this indicated that ABPs curing osteoporosis regulated lipid metabolism. The UPLC/Q-TOF-MS-based metabolomics analysis offered a potential strategy to evaluate the anti-osteoporosis effects of ABPs and to explain the relative mechanisms. Furthermore, the ABPs have good potential for treating osteoporosis., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study was designed to investigate the effects of oral administration of the polysaccharide from the Radix Cyathulae officinalis Kuan (RCPS) for its adjuvant potential on the specific cellular and humoral immune responses in mice. In this study, our data demonstrated that oral administration of RCPS significantly enhanced the phagocytic capacity of peritoneal macrophage, splenocyte proliferation, the activity of natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and OVA-specific IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b antibody titers. Furthermore, RCPS promoted the level of interleukin-2(IL-2), IFN-γ and IL-4 in CD4(+)T cells and level of IFN-γ in CD8(+)T cells. In addition, RCPS enhanced the expression of CD40(+), CD80(+) and CD86(+) on the dendritic cells (DCs). Importantly, RCPS down-regulated the frequency of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)Treg cells. Taken together, these results suggested that RCPS could increase both cellular and humoral immune responses via up-regulating DCs maturation, and suppressing Treg frequency., (Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharide (ABPS) was sulfated using the chlorosulfonic acid-pyridine method. The UV-spectrum of sulfated ABPS (sABPS) was characterized with two different absorbance peaks at 196.3 and 262.8 nm. FT-IR spectrum of sABPS exhibited absorption bands at 1236.5 cm(-1) (asymmetrical S=O stretching vibration) and 822.8 cm(-1) (symmetrical C-O-S vibration related to a C-O-SO(3) group). Anti-PRRSV activities of sABPS were tested on MARC-145 cells by MTT method. The results showed that sABPS exhibited significant antiviral activities at lower concentrations in comparison with the non-modified ABPS treated cells, indicating that sulfated modification could enhance antiviral activities of ABPS. These findings may provide the potential value to develop a new-type drug against PRRSV infection., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: A previous study showed that 50% ethanolic extracts of the roots of Achyranthes aspera possess spermatotoxic effects., Study Design: A 58-kDa protein (Ap) was isolated, and its spermatotoxic effects were studied in comparison with gossypol. Ap (25 mg/kg body weight a day) and gossypol (40 mg/kg body weight a day) were administered orally to Swiss male albino mice for 35 days. Sperm motility, sperm count, sperm abnormality, toxicity markers such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the liver and serum, testicular activities of hydroxyl methyl glutaryl CoA reductase (HMG CoA reductase), 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD), 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase(17β-HSD), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, cholesterol level and serum testosterone were assayed. Spermicidal action of the proteolytic digests of Ap was also studied in vitro., Results: Treated mice showed significant spermatotoxicity. Significant differences were also observed in the testicular activities of HMG CoA reductase, 3β-HSD, 17β-HSD and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and in the levels of cholesterol and serum testosterone. The nontoxic nature of Ap was indicated by the insignificant alterations in the activities of AST and ALT. Ap possessed spermicidal activity even after proteolysis., Conclusion: The 58-kDa protein isolated from A. aspera possesses spermatotoxic effects comparable to gossypol., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study was conducted to determine the most effective fraction of the hydroethanolic (water:ethanol, 1:1) extracts of Stephania hernandifolia leaves and Achyranthes aspera roots (in a composite manner at a ratio of 1:3, respectively) that will provide maximum spermicidal activity in human and rat spermatozoa out of five different ratios (1:1, 1:3, 1:7, 3:1 and 7:1) that have been studied in pilot experiments., Study Design: n-Hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of the hydroethanolic (1:1) extracts of S. hernandifolia and A. aspera were mixed at 1:3. Different concentrations were tested for sperm immobilization, sperm viability, acrosome status, 5'-nucleotidase activity and nuclear chromatin decondensation using human and rat spermatozoa for the selection of the most effective concentration., Results: Out of three fractions of the hydroethanolic (1:1) extracts of the said plants, the n-hexane fraction was most effective, and the chloroform fraction exhibited minimum activity for this purpose. At a concentration of 0.1 g/mL hexane fraction, all sperm of the human sample were immobilized immediately (within 20 s). In case of the rat sample, all epididymal spermatozoa were immobilized immediately (within 20 s) by treatment with hexane fraction at a concentration of 0.004 g/mL. All human sperm were found to be nonviable within 20 min. The activity of acrosome enzymes was reduced, and significant release of 5'-nucleotidase (a plasma membrane marker) into the surrounding medium was noted after treatment with 0.1 g/mL hexane fraction, indicating that the hexane fraction affected the cytoarchitecture of the sperm plasma membrane. The maximum number of human sperm failed to decondense when treated with 0.1 g/mL hexane fraction, and sperm motility was also irreversible. The hexane fraction was tested in rats as vaginal contraceptive and showed 100% efficacy, indicating its potential for development as vaginal contraceptive., Conclusion: The findings indicate that, among the different fractions, the hexane fraction of the hydroethanolic extracts of the two plants produced the most effective spermicidal activity and can be considered as vaginal contraceptive., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A new phytosterone, (20R, 22R)-2beta, 3beta, 20, 22, 26-pentahydroxy-cholestan-7,12-dien-6-one (1), was isolated from the roots of Achyranthes bidentata. The structure was elucidated on the basis of spectral data.

A liquid chromatographic method was developed for simultaneous determination of two main types of bioactive compounds: four phytoecdysones and eight triterpenoids in radix achyranthis bidentatae (RAB), i.e., polypodine B (1), ecdysterone (2), 25-R inokosterone (3), 25-S inokosterone (4), ginsenoside Ro (5), chikusetsusaponin IVa (6), zingibroside R1 (7), chikusetsusaponin IVa ethyl ester (8), 28-deglucosyl-chikusetsusaponin IVa (9), PJS-1 (10), 28-deglucosyl-chikusetsusaponin IVa butyl ester (11), and oleanolic acid (12). Optimum separations were obtained with a Zorbax C18 column, using a gradient elution with 0.08% aqueous formic acid (containing 5% isopropyl alcohol) and acetonitrile as mobile phase. Phytoecdysones were detected by diode array detector (DAD) at 242 nm, whereas triterpenoids were monitored by evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) connected in series with DAD, temperature for the drift tube was 110 degrees C and the nitrogen flow rate was 3.2 L min(-1). The identity of the analytes was confirmed using retention times, ultraviolet absorbance and mass spectral data in comparison with reference compounds. The method was validated for acceptable precision (intra- and inter-day variation < or = 4.87%), accuracy (recovery > or = 88.9%) and sensitivity (LOD < or = 0.43 microg mL(-1) (DAD) and 26.0 microg mL(-1) (ELSD), LOQ < or = 0.97 microg mL(-1) (DAD) and 46.5 microg mL(-1) (ELSD), respectively). This rapid and reliable method was applied for the analysis of four cultivated and ten commercial samples. The results demonstrated that the method is suitable for routine analysis and quality control of RAB.