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A glycoconjugate designated as LbGp5B was isolated from the fruit of Lycium barbarian L. and purified to homogeneity by gel filtration. LbGpSB is composed of rhamnose (Una), arabinose (Ara), galactose (Gal), glucose (Glc), galacturonic add (GalA) and seventeen amino adds. The molecular weight of LbGpSB was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time of fight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). The preliminary experiments showed that LbGpSB promoted splenocyte proliferation in mice and inhibited the peroxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL).

The detailed structure of an O-glycan derived from the fruit of Lycium barbarum L. was elucidated based on glycosidic linkage analysis, complete and partial acid hydrolysis, 1H-NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. According to the experiments, the carbohydrate was in the form of polysacchride (arabinogalactan) chains with highly branched 3, 4-galactans and terminal arabinofuranosyl substituents. The immuno-modulating mechanism of glycoconjugate and its glycan were investigated using tritium thymidine incorporation assay, flow cytometry assay and electrophoretical mobility shift assay (EMSA). The results suggested that the immunoactive components of the fruit of Lycium barbarum L. could enhance the splenocyte proliferation in normal mice and the effects of glycan chain were stronger than those of glycoconjugate. The target cell was most likely to be B-lymphocyte, on which existed receptor binding site acting with the glycan. In addition, the immuno-stimulatory effect of glycoconjugate (LbGp4) and its glycan (LbGp4-OL) was associated with activating the expression of nuclear factor KB (NF-KB) and activator protein 1 (AP-1).

1 Whole-cell currents in cultured hippocampal neurons were recorded to investigate the effects of SO-3, a new O-superfamily conopeptide derived from Conus striatus, on voltage-sensitive channels. 2 SO-3 had no effect on voltage-sensitive sodium currents, delayed rectifier potassium currents, and transient outward potassium currents. 3 Similar to the selective N-type calcium channel blocker ω-conotoxin MVIIA (MVIIA), SO-3 could concentration-dependently inhibit the high voltage-activated (HVA) calcium currents (ICa). 4 MVIIA(3 μM), 10 μM nimodipine, and 0.5 μMω-agatoxin IVA (Aga) could selectively block the N-, L-, and P/Q-type ICa, which contributed ∼32, ∼38, and ∼21% of the HVA currents in hippocampal neurons, respectively. About 31% of the total HVA currents were inhibited by 3 μM SO-3. SO-3 (3 μM) and 3 μM MVIIA inhibited the overlapping components of HVA currents, whereas no overlapping component was inhibited by 3 μM SO-3 and 10 μM nimodipine, or by 3 μM SO-3 and 0.5 μM Aga. Also, 3 μM SO-3 had no effect on R-type currents. 5 SO-3 had less inhibitory effects on non-N-type HVA currents than MVIIA at higher concentrations (30 and 100 μM). 6 The inhibitory effects of SO-3 and MVIIA on HVA currents were almost fully reversible. However, the recovery from block by MVIIA was more rapid than recovery from block by SO-3. 7 It is concluded that SO-3 is a new ω-conotoxin selectively targeting N-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels. Considering the significance of N-type calcium channels for pain transduction, SO-3 may have therapeutic potential as a novel analgesic agent. British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 145, 728–739. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706223

The present one-drug, one-target paradigm for anti-Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment appears to be clinically unsuccessful, the combinational targets which composed of several biomolecules based o...