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Background. Traditional Chinese medicine Smilax is the rhizome of liliaceous plant Smilax china L., which is used to treat pelvic inflammatory disease and anxieties. Purpose. To investigate the mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of the extract from Smilax china L. (ES). Methods. The components of ES were identified by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. The anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated in xylene-induced ear oedema and egg white-induced plantar swelling test. Cell viability was examined by CCK-8 assay. The inflammatory mediators, proinflammatory cytokines, and MAPK and NF-κB signals in LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells were determined using ELISA, real-time PCR, and Western blot, respectively. Results. 20 compounds of ES were confirmed by comparing with the reference substance. ES displayed more prominent anti-inflammatory activity than the positive control "Jin Gang Teng" capsule in the in vivo acute inflammatory model. ES suppressed the expression of PGE2 and 6-Keot-PGF1α, and the ratio of IC50 (COX-1)/IC50 (COX-2) of ES was 3.15, which indicated that ES could selectively inhibit COX-2. ES dose-dependently (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/L) decreased the production and mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Furthermore, ES significantly decreased LPS-induced phosphorylation of p38, JNK, ERK1/2, and p65, inhibiting the expression of IKKα and the degradation of IκBα. Conclusion. The results suggested that ES could selectively inhibit the activity of COX-2, and the anti-inflammatory effect of ES was associated with the inhibition of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α via negative regulation of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in LPS-induced THP-1 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early modern rise of syphilis provoked similar anxieties to those that more recently accompanied the global spread of HIV/AIDS. It also stimulated global demand for remedies. I discuss one of the most popular, known as ‘China root’ and usually identified with various species of Smilax. The drug and instructions for its use were spread westward from China by traders of all nationalities from 1535 onwards. Demand became global before being largely replaced in Europe by supplies of various American Smilax species, known collectively as ‘Sarsaparilla’. I examine the economic, political and cultural dynamics of this process and draw from them some conclusions about the early modern drugs trade and its effects on medical thought. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Smilax glabra Roxb., the dry rhizome of Sarsaparilla, which is also known as Tu fuling (TFL) in China, is a well-known traditional CHINESE medicine that is widely used for detoxication, relieving dampness and as a diuretic. We have previously shown that the extracted TFL flavonoids (designated TFLF) possess anti-cardiac hypertrophy effects in vitro. However, the anti-cardiac hypertrophy effects of TFLF in vivo and the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. To reveal the underlying therapeutic mechanism of TFLF on cardiac hypertrophy by using transverse aortic constriction (TAC) model and cellular assays in vitro. Cardiac hypertrophy was replicated by TAC surgery in rats or by isoprenaline treatment of rat H9C2 myocardial cells in vitro. Cardiac structure and function were evaluated by echocardiographic and hemodynamic examinations in vivo and histological analysis of tissues ex vivo. Biochemical kits and quantitative PCR were used to analyze markers of cardiac hypertrophy. Expression and phosphorylation of key proteins in the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway were quantified by Western blotting. We further confirmed our findings in H9C2 rat cardiomyocytes treated with isoprenaline and the ERK inhibitor in vitro. TFLF attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis and improved cardiac dysfunction in TAC rats. TFLF treatment induced a strong reduction in serum NT-proBNP levels. Cardiac hypertrophy marker gene (ANP , BNP and β-MHC) expression and the phosphorylation levels of c-Raf and ERK1/2 were decreased by TFLF treatment. TFLF also protected H9C2 cells from isoprenaline-induced hypertrophy in vitro via a similar molecular mechanism as that observed in the rat heart. Moreover, pretreatment with TRLF and the ERK inhibitor further inhibited the mRNA overexpression of hypertrophic genes in vitro. TFLFs may protect against pathological cardiac hypertrophy via negative regulation of the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway. Thus, TFLFs are implicated as a potential pharmacological agent for treating cardiac hypertrophy in clinical practice. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Smilax china L., referred to ‘Ba Qia’ (or ‘Jin Gang Teng’) in China, is a small vine that grows in the southern parts of China. The roots and tubers of S. china L. have been applied not only as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treatment of diuretic, rheumatic arthritic, detoxication, lumbago, gout, tumor, and inflammatory diseases, but also as food in some area of China. Aim of study: To investigate the breast tumor cell toxic components in S. china L. continuously and systematically. Materials and methods: Three fractions and six polyphenols were isolated from roots and tubers of S. china L. under bioassay-guided screenings. The structures of six compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and comparison with published data. Their breast tumor cytotoxicity and apoptosis of purified components were performed. Results: Six polyphenols were obtained on the basis of a bioassay-guided separation of the ethyl acetate extract, and their breast tumor cytotoxic activities were tested. They showed anti-tumor activities against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 with IC50 value of 2.1–38.9μg/mL, and can induce apoptosis for MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Conclusions: Among these six polyphenols, five (1, 3–6) were reported for the 1st time with in vitro activities on anti-breast tumor cell. It is likely that these polyphenols are the active components of S. china L. responsible for the anti-breast tumor cell activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]