Search

Tongmai Sini decoction (TSD), the classical prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine, consisting of three commonly used herbal medicines, has been widely applied for the treatment of myocardial infarction and heart failure. However, the absorbed components and their metabolism in vivo of TSD still remain unknown. In this study, a reliable and effective method using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS) was employed to identify prototype components and metabolites in vivo (rat plasma and urine). Combined with mass defect filtering (MDF), dynamic background subtraction (DBS), and neutral loss filtering (NLF) data-mining tools, a total of thirty-two major compounds were selected and investigated for their metabolism in vivo. As a result, a total of 82 prototype compounds were identified or tentatively characterized in vivo, including 41 alkaloids, 35 phenolic compounds, 6 saponins. Meanwhile, A total of 65 metabolites (40 alkaloids and 25 phenolic compounds) were tentatively identified. The metabolic reactions were mainly hydrogenation, demethylation, hydroxylation, hydration, methylation, deoxylation, and sulfation. These findings will be beneficial for an in-depth understanding of the pharmacological mechanism and pharmacodynamic substance basis of TSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microscopic study of reservoirs in the Moliqing area is still not complete, and the understanding on microscopic pore structure characteristics, reasons for pore structure difference, and reservoir property controlling factors are unclear. By utilizing the thin casting slice, conventional and constant-speed mercury injection techniques combining multivariate analysis methods, the microscopic pore structure of the 2nd Member of Shuangyang formation reservoir in Moliqing fault depression is finely characterized. Based on the sedimentation and diagenesis, the reason for the pore structure complexity of extra/ultra-low permeability reservoirs is analyzed; and the multi-regression analysis is used to establish the prediction equation of reservoir permeability and the main controlling factors of reservoir physical properties are selected. The results show that reservoirs in the Moliqing area have the characteristics of extra/ultra-low permeability, complex pore structure and strong heterogeneity. The pore structure is mainly with the features of low discharge pressure, unobvious curve platform, poor sorting, and fineness, which can be divided into three types. Class I medium pore-low permeability-fine throat; Class II low port-extremely low permeability-micro fine throat; Class IIIa low pore-extremely low permeability-micro throat, and Class IIIb low pore-ultra low permeability-micro throat. The difference of original sedimentary conditions results in initial difference of microscopic pore characteristics, and the compaction during diagenesis and late carbonate cementation are another important factor leading to complex pore structure. The three parameters such as mean radius of the pore throat, pore structure coefficient, and expulsion pressure have significant effects on physical properties of reservoirs, where the effect of mean radius of the pore throat is the most significant. The research method and results can provide guidance to similar extra/ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoirs and subsequent reservoir classification evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was conducted to determine the impact of (−)‐hydroxycitric acid ((−)‐HCA) on biochemical indices and lipid metabolism parameters in chicken embryos. Two hundred and forty fertilized eggs were divided into six groups and injected with (−)‐HCA at concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 10.0 and 50 mg/kg (n = 40). After 19 days of incubation, serum and liver were collected for analysis of biochemical indices and lipid metabolism parameters. Results showed no significant differences on serum biochemical indices: 1–50 mg/kg (−)‐HCA significantly increased serum glucose and hepatic glycogen contents (P < 0.05). Oil Red O staining analysis showed total area, counts of lipid droplets and hepatic triglyceride content were significantly decreased (P < 0.01), meanwhile hepatic lipase and lipoprotein lipase activity were significantly increased (P < 0.05). ACLY, ME1, SREBP‐1c messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in 0.5–10 mg/kg groups and FAS mRNA level in 1–10 mg/kg groups were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while PPARα mRNA level, serum adiponectin content and AdipoR1 mRNA level were significantly increased in 0.5–50 mg/kg groups (P < 0.05). These results indicated (−)‐HCA treatment inhibited triglyceride synthesis via decreasing lipogenesis‐related factors, mRNA expression level and accelerated lipolysis by enhancing lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase activity, which finally reduced lipid droplet accumulation, and this action may be associated with activating the adiponectin signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research aimed to explore the impact of (-)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA) on fat metabolism and investigate whether this action of (-)-HCA was associated with modulation of glucose-6-phosphote isomerase (GPI) expression in chicken embryos. We constructed a recombinant plasmid (sh2-GPI) to inhibit GPI expression, and then embryos were treated with (-)-HCA. Results showed that (-)-HCA reduced lipid droplet accumulation, triglyceride content, and lipogenesis factors mRNA level and increased lipolysis factors mRNA expression, while this effect caused by (-)-HCA was markedly reversed when the chicken embryos were pretreated with sh2-GPI. (-)-HCA increased phospho (p)-acetyl-CoA carboxylase, enoyl-CoA hydratase short chain-1, carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1A, p-AMP-activated protein kinase, and peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor α protein expression, and this action of (-)-HCA also dispelled when the chicken embryos were pretreated with sh2-GPI. These data demonstrated that (-)-HCA decreased fat deposition via activation of the AMPK pathway, and the fat-reduction action of (-)-HCA was due to the increasing of GPI expression in chicken embryos.

(-)-Hydroxycitric acid [(-)-HCA] is widely used as a nutritional supplement to control body weight and fat accumulation in animals and humans, whereas the underlying biochemical mechanism is unclear. Broiler chicken was used as a model for studies of obesity due to its natural hyperglycemia and being insulin resistant. The current study aimed to obtain a systematic view of serum metabolites and hepatic proteins and well understand the mechanism of hepatic metabolic response to (-)-HCA treatment in chick embryos. The results showed that 22, 90, and 82 of differentially expressed proteins were identified at E14d, E19d, and H1d in chick embryos treated with (-)-HCA, respectively. Meanwhile, 5, 83, and 88 of serum metabolites significantly changed at E14d, E19d, and H1d in chick embryos after (-)-HCA treatment. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the key proteins and metabolites, which were significantly altered in chick embryos treated with (-)-HCA, were mainly involved in the citrate cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, fatty acid metabolism, and pyruvate metabolism. Our data indicated that (-)-HCA treatment might promote fat metabolism via regulating the key protein expression levels and metabolite contents in the citrate cycle, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and oxidative phosphorylation during chicken embryonic development. These results will deepen our understanding of the mechanism of fat reduction by (-)-HCA and provide substantial information for (-)-HCA as a nutritional supplement to control body weight gain and curb obesity-related diseases., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)