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Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a potential inhibitor of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). ACE2 and its co-expressed proteins are SARS-CoV-2 receptors, which have been linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection and considered as the key target of SARS-CoV-2 in entering target cells. Here, network pharmacology was used to investigate the mechanism by which CGA affected COVID-19. A total of 70 potential targets related to the treatment of COVID-19 were obtained, among which NFE2L2, PPARG, ESR1, ACE, IL6, and HMOX1 might be the main potential targets. Finally, CGA and potential target proteins were scored by molecular docking, and the prediction results of network pharmacology were preliminarily verified. Moreover, CGA had potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity via integrating three common receptors in clinical practice compared with clinical trial drugs registered for the treatment of COVID-19, as shown by molecular docking. The mechanism of CGA against COVID-19 was initially investigated using network pharmacology, followed by molecular docking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work obtained and identified pterocephanoside A (1), one new iridoid glucoside derivative with rare structure of three iridoid glycosides linked to cyclopenta[c]pyran-3(1H)-one, and 10 known iridoids (2–11) from Pterocephalus hookeri through silica gel column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC. The structure of the new compound was confirmed by 1D and 2D NMR and HRMS data analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 were isolated from this plant for the first time. The iridoids mostly possessed seco-iridoid subtype and iridoid subtype skeletons from P. hookeri. Compounds 1, 3, 4, and 6–11 showed weak anti-inflammatory activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context:Pterocephalus hookeri(C. B. Clarke) Hock., a traditional Tibetan herbal medicine rich in glycosides, has been used to treat several diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. Objective:To evaluate the anti-arthritic activity of total glycosides fromP. hookeri, and its possible mechanisms of action. Materials and methods:Anti-arthritic activity of total glycosides fromP. hookeri(oral administration for 30 days at 14–56 mg/kg) was evaluated using paw swelling, arthritis scores and histopathological measurement in adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) Sprague-Dawley rats. The NF-κB p65 expression in synovial tissues, and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels was measured in AA rats, respectively. Further assessment of anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of these glycosides were carried out using inflammation and hyperalgesia models induced by xylene, carrageenan, agar and acetic acid, respectively. Results:Total glycosides (56 mg/kg) decreased the paw swelling (38.0%,p < 0.01), arthritis scores (25.3%,p < 0.01) and synovial inflammation in AA rats. The glycosides significantly (p < 0.05–0.01) attenuated the inflammation induced by xylene, carrageenan, acetic acid and agar, increased the pain threshold in acetic acid-induced writhing in mice and mechanical stimuli-induced hyperalgia in AA rats. The glycosides (14, 28, 56 mg/kg) also suppressed the NF-κB p65 expression (33.1–78.2%,p < 0.05–0.01), reduced MDA (21.3–35.9%,p < 0.01) and NO (20.3–32.4%,p < 0.05–0.01) levels, respectively, enhanced the SOD activity (7.8%,p < 0.05) at 56 mg/kg in AA rats. Discussion and conclusion:Our findings confirmed the anti-arthritic property of the total glycosides fromP. hookeri, which may be attributed to its inhibition on NF-κB signalling and oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context:Rhizoma coptidisis a broadly used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The investigation of the influence of species and geographical origins on the phytochemicals ofR. coptidisis crucial for its reasonable application and quality control. Objective:Development of an effective method to systematically study the phytochemical variations of the rhizomes of threeCoptisspecies (Ranunculaceae) (Coptis chinensisFranch,Coptis deltoideaC.Y. Cheng et Hsiao andCoptis teetaWall.) and a species (i.e.,C. chinensis) obtained from bothDaodiand non-Daodiproduction regions. Results:The three species had significant differences in their phytochemicals. The rhizome ofC. chinensiscontained more epiberberine (13.52 ± 2.65 mg/g), palmatine (18.20 ± 2.89 mg/g), coptisine (23.32 ± 4.27 mg/g) and columbamine (4.89 ± 1.16 mg/g), whereas the rhizomes ofC. deltoideaandC. teetashowed the highest level of jatrorrhizine (8.52 ± 1.36 mg/g) and berberine (81.06 ± 4.83 mg/g), respectively. Moreover, the rhizome ofC. chinensisfrom threeDaodiproduction regions (Shizhu, Lichuan and Emeishan) contained more alkaloids than those from three non-Daodiproduction regions (Mianyang, Shifang and Zhenping). Discussion and conclusion:It is necessary to use the threeR. coptidisspecies differentially in TCM clinical practice.Daodi C. chinensismedicinal materials have better quality than most non-Daodiones, and so they should be preferred for TCM prescription. The combination of HPLC-based fingerprint analysis and quantification of multi-ingredients with statistical analysis provided an effective approach for species discrimination and quality evaluation ofR. coptidis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angelica anomala Avé-Lall (Chuanbaizhi in Chinese) is an important medicinal plant which can be used in traditional Chinese medicines; however, there are no authentic and universal methods to differentiate this Sichuan famous-region drug of A. anomala from a large number of non-famous-region and false drugs. It has been demonstrated that DNA barcoding is a molecular diagnostic method for species identification, which uses a single standardized DNA fragment. In this study, we tested five DNA barcoding candidates ( matK, ITS, ITS2, rbcL, and psbA-trnH), and we found that ITS was the best candidate to authenticate the famous-region drug of A. anomala. Moreover, through comparative analysis of these five DNA barcodes between A. anomala and Angelica dahurica, we found that ITS had the most and ITS2 had more variable regions, but the psbA-trnH, rbcL, and matK regions were identical. Hence, we suggest ITS as the DNA barcoding to identify A. anomala and A. dahurica. Moreover, we are determined to adopt the A. anomala as the accurate Latin name of Chuanbaizhi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]