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Objective. To observe the protective effect of gynostemma glycosides on retinal ganglion cells in rats with chronically high intraocular pressure. Materials and Methods. A total of 60 rats were randomly divided into group A (the blank group, 10 rats) and chronic high IOP model group (50 rats). The IOP model group (IOP above 22 mmHg) was then randomly divided into an additional 5 groups (10 rats per group): group B (negative control group) treated with normal saline; group C treated with gynostemma glycosides 25 mg/(kg-d); group D treated with gynostemma glycosides 50 mg/(kg-d); group E treated with gynostemma glycosides 100 mg/(kg-d); and group F (positive control group) treated with VitB1 and VitB12. The eyes of each rat were monitored from day 1 to 14 (D1–D14). On day 14, rats were euthanized, after which retinal tissue and optic nerve were examined using real-time PCR, western blot, HE staining, LFB staining, and TUNEL assay. Results. Groups A, C, D, E, and F had significantly lower expression of CD11b, GFAP, Brn3α, and more TUNEL cells than in group B (all P < 0.05). Moreover, the relative expression of STAT3 mRNA and JAK2 (mRNA and protein) in groups A, C, D, E, and F was significantly lower than in group B (P < 0.05), while in group E, the expression was lower than in group D (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Gynostemma glycosides protect retinal ganglion cells in rats with chronically high intraocular pressure possibly associated with the STAT3/JAK2 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new glycosides including mimenghuasu A and B (1-2), isolinarin (3), cyclocitralosides A and B (4–5), along with forty-seven known compounds were isolated from the flower buds of Buddleja officinalis. These structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis (UV, IR, 1 D, 2 D NMR, and MS spectra). The anti-inflammatory activities of the isolated compounds were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on the expression of TNF-α (LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells) and MTT experiment on LPS-induced HUVECs proliferation effects. Good suppressive effects on the expression of TNF-α were shown by 4 and 5 with IC50 values of 19.35 and 22.10 μM, respectively, compared to positive control indomethacin (IC50 16.40 μM). In addition to this, some isolated compounds exhibited excellent antioxidant activities including compounds 16, 18, 29, 39, and 47 (IC50 μM: 82.59, 72.94, 33.65, 46.67, and 20.81, respectively) with almost the same or stronger potency with reference to vitamin C as positive control (IC50 81.83 μM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To undertake an overview on the overall effects of Tripterygium glycosides (TG) combined with Leflunomide (LEF) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. We searched electronic databases from database establishment time to December 1, 2019. The clinical trial data of TG combined with LEF (trial group) and control group in the treatment of RA were collected. The Cochrane system was used to evaluate the quality of the literature. RevMan 5.3 software was used to conduct a meta-analysis of the eligible studies. Results. A total of 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 834 patients with RA were included in this study. The meta-analysis results showed that morning stiffness (mean difference (MD) = −0.29, 95% confidential interval (CI) (−0.45, −0.12), P = 0.0005), tender joint count (MD = −1.51, 95% CI (−2.20, −0.83), P = 0.0001), swollen joint count (MD = -1.24, 95% CI (−1.59, −0.88), P = 0.0001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (MD = −7.26, 95% CI (−9.92, −4.61), P = 0.0001), C-reactive protein (MD = −4.04, 95% CI (−4.93, −3.14), P = 0.0001), and rheumatoid factor (MD = −50.88, 95% CI (−72.30, −29.45), P = 0.0001) in the trial groups were lower than those in the control groups. The total effective rate in the trial group was better than that in the control group (risk ratio (RR) = 1.20, 95% CI (1.13, 1.28), P = 0.00001). However, there was no significant difference of adverse events (RR = 0.83, 95% CI (0.61, 1.13), P = 0.23) while comparing the trial groups with the control groups. Conclusion. Our results were found to be superior but limited evidence on the effectiveness of TG combined with LEF in the treatment of RA is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]