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A new intervention was investigated for the induction of oral tolerance (OT) of OVA using narirutin by

The extraction of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi was investigated using the response surface methodology-genetic algorithm mathematical regression model, and the extraction variables were optimized to maximize the flavonoid yield. Furthermore, a simple and efficient ultrafiltration-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and molecular docking methods were developed for the rapid screening and identification of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors present in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Subsequently, four major chemical constituents, namely baicalein, norwogonin, wogonin, and oroxylin A, were identified as potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. This novel approach, involving the use of ultrafiltration-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and molecular docking methods combined with stepwise flow rate counter-current chromatography and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, could potentially provide a powerful tool for the screening and extraction of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from complex matrices and be a useful platform for the production of bioactive and nutraceutical ingredients.

Context: It is an efficient strategy to apply inhibition of mast cell degranulation for evaluating anti-allergic effects of compounds. Previous works confirmed that narirutin had anti–allergic acti...

Over the past three decades, enzymatic polymerization has dramatically developed and gradually broadened as a creative methodology in the construction of polymeric materials with tailor-made structures and properties. Compared with transition metal catalyst polymerizations, enzymatic polymerization is more attractive in the biomedicine field due to the metal-free residue, good biocompatibility, and few by-products. Meanwhile, enzymatic polymerization has far more activity towards macrolides. In this review, the synthesis of lipase-catalyzed polymer materials is systematically summarized, focusing on the synthesis of the complex and well-defined polymers. The enzymatic polyester synthesis was then discussed concerning the different reaction types, including ring-opening polymerization, polycondensation, a combination of ring-opening polymerization with polycondensation, and chemoenzymatic polymerization. Besides, exploration of novel biocatalysts and reaction media was also described, with particular emphasis on the enzymes obtained via immobilization or protein engineering strategies, green solvents, and reactors. Finally, recent developments in catalytic kinetics and mechanistic studies through the use of spectroscopy, mathematics, and computer techniques have been introduced. Besides, we addressed the remaining central issues in enzymatic polymerization and discussed current studies aimed at providing answers.

Dementia is a chronic and multifactor-induced neurodegenerative disorder that occurs frequently in the elderly with weak constitution and insufficient vital energy. However, the relationship between vital energy deficiency and the occurrence and development of dementia is still unclear. In this study, a rat model of dementia with vital energy deficiency was established through intraperitoneal injection with d-galactose and AlCl3 and combined with exhaustive swimming. Changes in the dementia with vital energy deficiency rat model were assessed by examining behaviors, hippocampal histopathological and biochemical parameters, and serum biochemical parameters. Urine metabolomics based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with an orbitrap mass spectrometer was also used to discover endogenous metabolic profile and disease-related biomarkers and investigate the potential mechanism of dementia with vital energy deficiency. Among the 31 potential biomarkers that were identified, nine involved metabolic pathways. The four main types were phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, and citrate cycle and pyrimidine metabolism. The pathogenesis of dementia with vital energy deficiency is mainly neurotoxin accumulation and body aging that leads to oxidative stress injury and loss of neuronal protective substances. Vital energy deficiency inhibits the body's energy metabolism and eventually leads to aggravate the dementia.

Panax Ginseng (PG) has been used to strengthen memory and physique for thousands of years, because its main components ginsenosides (GS) and ginseng polysaccharides (GP) play a major role, but its mechanism is not clear. In this study, a rat model of dementia with vital energy deficiency (DED) was established through intraperitoneal injection with D-galactose and AlCl

Glutathione (GSH) is an important antioxidant and free radical scavenger that converts harmful toxins into harmless substances and excretes them out of the body. In this paper, 3D hierarchical flower-like nanozyme named MnO

Topical isotretinoin is commonly used to treat acne. However, topical isotretinoin has side effects and can hardly permeate through the stratum corneum, the most important skin barrier. Therefore, this study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of nanoparticles as stable carriers with great curative effects, low side effects, and strong transdermal ability.In a rabbit model of hyperkeratinization, STCM-ATRA-NPs showed significant therapeutic efficacy. By contrast, negative therapeutic efficacy was observed in a golden hamster model of hyper sebum production. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectral analyses showed that nanoparticles could penetrate the stratum corneum. Western blotting demonstrated that the nanoparticles could enhance the transdermal efficacy of isotretinoin by reducing the effect of keratin and tight junction proteins. Further, nanoparticles enhanced endocytosis, thereby promoting drug penetration and absorption into the skin.STCM-ATRA-NPs were demonstrated to control isotretinoin release, reducing its side effects, and efficiently permeating through the skin by reducing the effect of keratin and tight junction proteins and enhancing endocytosis.

In this work, the content of flavonoid glycosides and astragalosides in a Chinese medicine injection was determined by using the magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction method coupled with high performance liquid chromatography with an evaporative light-scattering detector (HPLC/ELSD). Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) modified by Fe3O4 nanoparticles obtained in a one-step synthetic procedure, were used as a sorbent to conveniently remove the analytes from water. Single factor experiments were performed to investigate the factors that affected the extraction efficiency, such as the hydroxyl content of the modified MWCNTs, the amount of sorbent, the type of elution solvent, the volume of elution solvent, sample pH and salting-out effect. Under the appropriate optimal conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) for the three glycosides ranged from 0.16 μg/mL to 0.60 μg/mL and 0.58 μg/mL to 1.24 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the intra- and interday precision ranged from 1.9% to 2.9% and 2.4% to 4.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, the recoveries of spiked samples were measured, which ranged from 91.1% to 96.2% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 2.8% to 3.8%. Accordingly, the application of the proposed method for the analysis of Chinese medicine injection samples offered several advantages: an acceptable precision, low LODs and good recoveries. This work might provide a research basis for the quality control of Chinese medicine injections and the further study of the Kang'ai injection.

Ginsenoside Rh2 is one of the rare ginsenosides extracted from Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. The anti-allergic activity of ginsenoside Rh2 has been documented in some literature. In this work, an anti-allergic mechanism of ginsenoside Rh2 was investigated by focusing on the differentiation of T cells through Langerhans cells (LCs). Langerhans cell-like dendritic cells (LDCs) were generated in vitro and were used as substitute for LCs.In vivo the mRNA expression for IFN-γ and CXCR3 of T cells was increased after being injected with ginsenoside Rh2-treated LDCs thereby increasing the concentration of IFN-γ in the culture supernatants of CD3+/CD28+ T lymphocytes. However,in vitro, the expression of mRNA for CD40 and CD80 on ginsenoside Rh2-treated LDCs was up-regulated significantly and the endocytic activity of LDCs was down-regulated slightly. These findings indicate that T cells differentiation could be regulated by ginsenoside Rh2 through LDCs in vivo by altering the antigen presenting capacity, maturation and phagocytosis of LDCs.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Panacis majoris Rhizoma, which is a member of herbal medicine, is known for many years to remove blood stasis, promote blood circulation, and enrich the blood. The active ingredients of this plant are mainly attributed to saponins. Aim of the study The total saponins from Panacis majoris Rhizoma (TSPJ), and the degradation products of TSPJ (DTSPJ), were designed in this study to compare the protective effects on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, and the aim of this approach is to discover more effective agents for the treatment of ischemic heart diseases. We analyzed the main constituents of TSPJ and DTSPJ, aiming to make clear which saponins played important roles in this protective effect, and also investigated the possible mechanisms. Materials and methods DTSPJ was prepared by the method of alkaline hydrolysis. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to analyze the main chemical constituents of TSPJ and DTSPJ, which were isolated by chromatographic techniques and identified by comparison with the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) data in reported literature. Male Wistar rats were randomized to sham-operated group, ischemia-reperfusion group, three TSPJ (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) groups, three DTSPJ (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) groups, and isosorbide dinitrate tablet (5.0 mg/kg) group. The rats in all groups were intragastrically administrated once per day for three successive days. The establishment of the model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury was used the following method: firstly, the left coronary artery of experimental rat was ligated for 30 min and then reperfused for 120 min. Then the myocardial infarct size, hemorheological and biochemical parameters, whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, platelet adhesion rate, platelet aggregation and histopathology changes were assessed. Results Five C3,C28-bidesmosidic oleanane-type saponins and ginsenoside Rd were the main constituents of TSPJ, and their total content in TSPJ was 79.2 %. The main constituents of DTSPJ were five C3-monodesmosidic oleanane-type saponins and ginsenoside Rd, and their total content in DTSPJ was 72.6 %. The HPLC analysis revealed that the five C3,C28-bidesmosidic oleanane-type saponins in TSPJ were completely turned into five C3-monodesmosidic oleanane-type saponins in DTSPJ through the method of alkaline hydrolysis, but ginsenoside Rd remained unchanged. Both TSPJ and DTSPJ could significantly reduced myocardial infarct size, and improved heart function, and lowered the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase isoenzymes (CK-MB), and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) content, as well as the levels of whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, platelet adhesion rate, and platelet aggregation; on the contrary, both the level of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were notablely increased. The results of histopathological examination further supported the cardioprotective effects of TSPJ and DTSPJ. Conclusion Both TSPJ and DTSPJ can guard cardiomyocytes against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. The underlying mechanisms may be closely related to its enhancing anti-oxidative properties, modifying blood viscosity, and inhibiting platelet aggregation and platelet adhesion. As a whole, the protection of DTSPJ against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury was a little stronger than those of TSPJ. The results display the prospect of DTSPJ as a drug candidate for treating ischemic heart disease.

Background Topical isotretinoin is commonly used to treat acne. However, topical isotretinoin has side effects and can hardly permeate through the stratum corneum, the most important skin barrier. Therefore, this study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of nanoparticles as stable carriers with great curative effects, low side effects, and strong transdermal ability. Results In a rabbit model of hyperkeratinization, STCM-ATRA-NPs showed significant therapeutic efficacy. By contrast, negative therapeutic efficacy was observed in a golden hamster model of hyper sebum production. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectral analyses showed that nanoparticles could penetrate the stratum corneum. Western blotting demonstrated that the nanoparticles could enhance the transdermal efficacy of isotretinoin by reducing the effect of keratin and tight junction proteins. Further, nanoparticles enhanced endocytosis, thereby promoting drug penetration and absorption into the skin. Conclusion STCM-ATRA-NPs were demonstrated to control isotretinoin release, reducing its side effects, and efficiently permeating through the skin by reducing the effect of keratin and tight junction proteins and enhancing endocytosis.

A simple, effective and convenient enrichment method coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was established for the analysis of rare ginsenosides in Kang'ai (KA) injection. Air assisted liquid-liquid microextraction was used in this work for the first time to determine the rare ginsenosides in KA injection. Deep eutectic solvent (DES) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) were specially selected as a novel green extraction solvent and an emulsified solvent, respectively. To remove the DES droplets, Fe3O4 nanoparticles were used. Therefore, centrifugation was free in this work, which can increase the efficiency of analysis procedure. Moreover, Fe3O4 nanoparticles were reusable. To achieve better extraction efficiency and enrichment factor, the experimental conditions have been optimized, including type and volume of DES and emulsified solvent, amount of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and inorganic salt, and pH value. Under the optimum extraction condition, the validation parameters show the limits of detection (LODs) are in the range from 10.2 ng/mL to 137.8 ng/mL and the limits of quantity (LOQs) are in the range from 55.5 ng/mL to 428.5 ng/mL. The recoveries of analytes range from 91.3% to 106.7% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 1.2% to 4.5%. The recommended approach was utilized to acquire the information of constituents in KA injection. Moreover, the results in this research could provide a study basis for further study of KA injection.

Hua Yao,1,* Jing Li,1,* Yubin Song,2 Hong Zhao,1 Zhenhong Wei,1 Xiuying Li,1 Yongri Jin,3 Bai Yang,2 Jinlan Jiang1 1Scientific Research Center, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, P. R. China; 2State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, P. R. China; 3College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, P. R. China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Fluorescent carbon-based nanomaterials have promising properties such as biosensing, cell imaging, tracing and drug delivery. However, carbon dots (CDs) with specific inherent biological functions have not been investigated. Ginsenosides are the components with multiple bioactivities found in plants of the genus Panax, which have attracted a lot of attention for their anticancer effect.Materials and methods: In this study, we prepared a kind of novel photoluminescent CDs from ginsenoside Re by one-step hydrothermal synthesis method. The conventional methods including transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, HPLC and fluorescence spectrum were used for characterization of CDs. In vitro anticancer effect was investigated by cytotoxicity assay, flow cytometry and Western blot analysis.Results: The as-prepared Re-CDs had an average diameter of 4.6±0.6 nm and excellent luminescent properties. Cellular uptake of Re-CDs was facilitated by their tiny nanosize, with evidence of their bright excitation-dependent fluorescent images. Compared with ginsenoside Re, the Re-CDs showed greater inhibition efficiency of cancer cell proliferation, with lower toxicity to the normal cells. The anticancer activity of Re-CDs was suggested to be associated with the generation of large amount of ROS and the caspase-3 related cell apoptosis.Conclusion: Hopefully, the dual functional Re-CDs, which could both exhibit bioimaging and anticancer effect, are expected to have great potential in future clinical applications. Keywords: carbon dots, ginsenoside Re, excitation-dependent fluorescence, cell imaging, anticancer activity

The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of kamebakaurin (KA) and 1O, 20O-diacetyl kamebakaurin (Ac2KA) on acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity and compare the hepatoprotective mechanisms of the two chemicals. Seven-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were orally administered KA, Ac2KA, or an ethanol/olive oil emulsion once per day for 7-days. Twenty-four hours after the final administration, the mice were fasted and then intraperitoneally injected with 450 mg/kg APAP or saline. At 16 h after injection, the mice were euthanized and blood samples were collected for plasma analysis. Pretreatment with KA and Ac2KA significantly attenuated APAP-induced hepatic injury. The protective effect of Ac2KA was stronger than that of KA. These two chemicals attenuated oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokine production, c-jun N-terminal kinase activation, and receptor-interacting protein (RIP)-3 activation. Ac2KA also decreased APAP-induced RIP-1 activation and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 translocation. Moreover, Ac2KA repressed mRNA expression of Cyp1a2/2e1 in the liver. Our results showed that KA and Ac2KA exerted protective effects against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. The responsible mechanisms may be related to the chemicals' antioxidant activity and the inhibition of c-jun N-terminal kinase activation and RIP-3 activation. The effects of Ac2KA included those of KA, as well as RIP-1 inactivation, NF-κB inhibition, and Cyp inhibition.

Fufang-Xialian-Capsule (FXL) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula which was utilized to treat chronic atrophic gastritis. Despite the chemical constituents have been clarifying by our previous studies, but the metabolism of FXL after oral was still unclear. In order to clarify the mechanism of these absorbed components, a target-group-change (TGC) strategy was utilized to analysis the collected data. This strategy include five steps: (1) acquired the mass spectra data and tandem mass spectra data simultaneously; (2) confirmed the prototype absorbed into blood and the tandem mass behavior of prototype; (3) clarified the potential group change of prototypes after metabolism by Metabolynx XS software; (4) confirmed the target group change acquired by compare the tandem mass behavior of metabolites with their prototypes; (5) inferred the position of group change occurred and metabolic pathways of each prototypes. Based on the TGC strategy, the structure of metabolites and the metabolic pathways of FXL were confirmed. The main group change behaviors on the prototypes after metabolism include demethylation, methylation, hydroxylation and glucuronide conjugation. As the results, there were 33 metabolites transformed from 11 prototypes confirmed, these 11 prototypes include 4 flavones, 5 alkaloids and 2 ginsenosides. All the metabolites could be identified or tentatively characterized according to the structure of metabolites and previous reports.

In this work, four kinds of deep eutectic solvents (DESs), composed of choline chloride (ChCl) and several alcohols, were synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR and FT-IR spectra. Based on DES (ChCl and 1,4-butanediol) and inorganic salt solution (dipotassium phosphate, K2HPO4), aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography has been developed and applied. This method was used for the efficient extraction and determination of eight common ginsenosides (including ginsenoside Rg1, Re, Rf, Rg2, Rb1, Rc, Rb2 and Rd) in the traditional Chinese medicine injection named Kang'ai injection. To achieve optimum extraction performance, the experimental conditions were optimized, including type and amount of DES and salt, ultrasound time, temperature and pH value. In the dynamic linearity range, experimental results showed satisfactory recoveries of analytes ranging from 92.7–110.8% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 1.2–3.9%. It has been proved that DES-ATPS has great potential for determination of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine injection as well as samples in other analytical science field.

Two new steroidal saponins(2, 3) and two known compounds(1, 4) were isolated from 75% ethanol extract of Allii macrostemonis bulbus by various spectral methods. The two new steroidal saponins were respectively elucidated as (25S)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5α-furostanol-2α,3β,22,26-tetrol-3-O0-β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→3)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→4)-β-D-galactopyranoside(2) and 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5α-furostanol-25(27)-ene-3β,22,26-tetrol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→3)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-galactopyranoside(3). Compound 4 was obtained from this medical plant for the first time. The activity experiments of proliferation inhibition on tumor cells were performed by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) method for compound 2(25S-configuration) and its isomer(compound 1, 25R-configuration). The results show that compounds 1 and 2 have weak inhibition on lung cancer A549 cells, melanoma A375 cells and breast cancer MCF-7 cells as well as certain inhibitory effect on liver cancer HepG2 cells, and the inhibitory effect of compound 1 is stronger than that of compound 2.

Fufang Xialian (FXL) capsule, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, has been used for a long time to treat Chronic Atrophic Gastritis, but the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism of action are unclear. In this research, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method and DPPH scavenging method were utilized to evaluate the antioxidant activity of FXL in vitro. An ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (UHPLC-IT-MS) method and an ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) method were utilized to acquire the constituents information of FXL. Mass spectra were acquired in both positive and negative ion modes. As the results, FXL showed a moderate DPPH scavenging activity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power. A total of 73 components were identified or tentatively characterized in FXL, which included alkaloids, flavones, flavone glycosides, ginsenoside, lignins, triterpene saponins, flavanones, chalcones and coumarin. The results in this research could provide a basis for further study in bioactivity and metabolites.

A novel storage and extraction method was developed for biofluids. Plasma spiked with four types of minor ginsenosides (Rg2, Rg3, Rh1 and Rh2) was used as a model biofluid to evaluate this method. The method was based on solid-phase adsorption and ultrasonic-assisted nebulization coupled with solid phase extraction (SPA-UANE-SPE). Diatomaceous earth was used as an adsorbent to store the plasma for long periods of time at room temperature. Ultrasonic-assisted nebulization system-solid phase extraction was used to extract the four minor ginsenosides from the plasma. Some experimental parameters, such as the type and amount of the adsorbent, the ultrasonic-assisted nebulization extraction time, the pH of the extraction solution, the concentration of ZnSO4, the amount of C18, and the type and volume of the eluent were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries of four minor ginsenosides were in the range of 78.5–91.4%, and the RSDs are in the range of 3.5–4.4%. For the storage stability test, the stability of the method was better than that of 4 °C storage and was similar to that of −20 °C storage. Compared with other methods, the proposed method had a better extraction performance and was advantageous in terms of ease of operation, stable long term storage, and minimal requirements for storage conditions. Thus, this method may be effective for sample preparation in biofluid analysis.

A phytochemical investigation of the leaves of Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack resulted in a novel compound, 3′,5′-dihydroxy-5,7,4′-trimethoxyflavone, together with 13 known compounds. The structure of the novel compound was identified by 1D, 2D NMR (COSY, HMQC, HMBC), mass spectrometry, and IR spectra.

A new triterpenoid glycoside(1) and seven known triterpenoid glycosides, pseudoginsenoside RT2(2), yesanchinoside R2(3), vinaginsenoside R13(4), vinaginsenoside R8(5), notoginsenoside E(6), 6′′′-O-acetylginsenoside Re(7), 6″-O-acetylginsenoside Rb1(8), were isolated from the rhizomes of Panacis majoris. The new triterpenoid glycoside was elucidated as 3-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-(6′-O-ethyl)-glucuronopyranosyl]-oleanolic acid-28-O-β-D-glucopyranoside by extensive spectroscopic and phytochemical methods. Compounds 2―8 were obtained from the plant for the first time. Compounds 3 and 4 displayed good activities against adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation, and compounds 1, 5, 6 and 8 showed moderate activities. Compound 6 exhibited moderate antiplatelet aggregation activity induced by arachidonic acid(AA).

Background: Rare ginsenosides in Panax quinquefolius L. have strong bioactivities. The fact that it is hard to obtain large amounts of rare ginsenosides seriously restricts further research on these compounds. An easy, fast, and efficient method to obtain different kinds of rare ginsenosides simultaneously and to quantify each one precisely is urgently needed. Methods: Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was used to extract nine kinds of rare ginsenosides from P. quinquefolius L. In this article, rare ginsenosides [20(S)-Rh1, 20(R)-Rh1, Rg6, F4, Rk3, 20(S)-Rg3, 20(R)-Rg3, Rk1, and Rg5] were identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry. The quantity information of rare ginsenosides was analyzed by HPLC-UV at 203 nm. Results: The optimal conditions for MAE were using water as solvent with the material ratio of 1:40 (w/v) at a temperature of 145°C, and extracting for 15 min under microwave power of 1,600 W. Seven kinds of rare ginsenosides [20(S)-Rh1, 20(R)-Rh1, Rg6, F4, Rk3, Rk1, and Rg5] had high extraction yields, but those of 20(S)-Rg3 and 20(R)-Rg3 were lower. Compared with the conventional method, the extraction yields of the nine rare ginsenosides were significantly increased. Conclusion: The results indicate that rare ginsenosides can be extracted effectively by MAE from P. quinquefolius L. in a short time. Microwave radiation plays an important role in MAE. The probable generation process of rare ginsenosides is also discussed in the article. It will be meaningful for further investigation or application of rare ginsenosides.

Five new triterpenoid saponins (1–5) and four known triterpenoid saponins, ginsenoside Re5 (6), majonoside R1 (7), 24(R)-majonoside R1 (8), and ginsenoside Rf (9), were isolated from the rhizomes of Panacis majoris. The structures of new compounds were elucidated as (20S,24S,25R*)-6-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-dammar-20,24-epoxy-3β,6α,12β,25,26-pentaol (1), (20S,24R,25R)-6-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-dammar-20,24-epoxy-3β,6α,12β,25,26-pentaol (2), (20S)-6-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-dammar-20,25-epoxy-3β,6α,12β,24α-tetraol (3), 6-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-dammar-3β,6α,12β,20S,24R,25-hexaol (4), and 6-O-[β-D-glucop-yranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-dammar-25(26)-ene-3β,6α,12β,20S,24R-pentaol (5) on the basis of extensive spectral analysis and chemical methods. Ginsenoside Re5 was isolated from the plant for the first time. The similarities of the nine compounds lie in the fact that their aglycones are conjoined with the same glucopyranose moieties, the same linkage of the glycosyl chains, and the same glycosylation sites, while they have a varied C-17 side chain. Compounds 3 and 5 exhibited moderate antiplatelet aggregation activities induced by adenosine diphosphate with IC50 values of 23.24 and 18.43 µM, respectively. Compound 5 displayed moderate inhibition of arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation with an IC50 value of 30.11 µM.

Food allergy has become a worldwide problem. To find an effective way to reduce the allergic effect of allergen is an interesting topic. In this work, the interaction between ovalbumin(OVA) and tangeretin was studied by means of spectroscopy, molecular docking calculation and animal experiment. As the results show, static quenching of fluorescence intensity happened due to the interaction between OVA and tangeretin. Binding constants, binding sites, and thermometric parameters were obtained. The conformation changing of OVA occurred due to the interaction between it and tangeretin. The molecular docking calculation results show that the epitopes Arginine 84(ARG84), Leucine 87(LEU87), Asparagine 88(ASN88), Serine 103(SER103), Arginine 104(ARG104), Leucine 124(LEU124), Arginine 126(ARG126), Glycine 127(GLY127), Glycine 128(GLY128) and Tryptohan 148(TRP148) of OVA were occupied by tangeretin after the docking, which means tangeretin may have some inhibition effects. As the results of animal experiments, the amount of IgE and lung tissue sections of female BALB/c mice in different groups show that tangeretin with different concentrations has better effects than dexamethasone. In conclusion, the tangeretin may have the effects to reduce the allergic effects of OVA via occupying the IgE-binding epitopes of OVA.

In this paper, a graphene-based magnetic nanocomposite (Fe3O4@G) was synthesized by covalent bonding. The presence of Fe3O4 was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy. Subsequently, the Fe3O4@G was used as adsorbent for the extraction of eight organochlorine pesticides in orange juice samples prior to their gas chromatography mass spectrometry detection. Various experimental parameters affecting the extraction efficiencies, such as the amount of Fe3O4@G, extraction time, the pH of the sample solution and desorption conditions were investigated. Under optimized experimental conditions, good linearity existed in the range of 1.0–200.0 ng mL−1 for all the analytes with the correlation coefficients (R 2 ) ranging from 0.9904 to 0.9992. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) of the method for the compounds were between 0.01 and 0.05 ng mL−1. Good reproducibilities were obtained with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 9.6 %. The recoveries of the method were in the range between 73.8 and 105.4 % with RSDs less than 7.7 %.

A series of oxidized products have been systematically semisynthesized from 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3, Rh2, 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) and their 20(R)-epimers and the majority of these products were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells and HepG2 cells by MTT assay for the first time. Twenty-two products were obtained and elucidated based on comprehensive (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, two-dimensional (2D) NMR, and mass spectral data and the results reported in previous literature. All the four ocotillol type saponins (20S,24R(δ86, δ85); 20S,24S(δ87, δ88); 20R,24R(δ86, δ86); 20R,24S(δ86, δ87) were obtained. In addition, eight compounds (3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 19 and 22) with the cyclized side chain were firstly identified. Most of the tested compounds possessed cytotoxicity to a certain degree against the two types of cells which implied these oxidized products could play a certain role on anti-cancer functions of the raw materials in vivo. Meanwhile, the results proved that the configurations at C-20 or C-24 and the number of glycosyl at C-3 have important influence on the cytotoxicity. The products 1, 2, 11-17, 20 and 22 should possess great activities and deserved further investigation as potential cytotoxic agents.

With the oxidation treatment, eighteen compounds were separated from 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg2, Rh1, protopanaxatriol(PPT) and their 20(R)-epimers in total and cytotoxicity of most of them was evaluated against three human cancer cell lines HeLa, A549 and MCF-7 by 3-(4,5-dimetylthiazol-z-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay. Their structures were confirmed by means of nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) and mass spectrometry and the results were compared with those of previous literature. In this study, we systematically semisynthesized all four ocotillol type saponins, i.e., (20S, 24S), (20S, 24R), (20R, 24S) and (20R, 24R). All the configurations at C20 kept the same with their starting materials. Meanwhile a pair of C24 epimers was generated in terms of ocotillol type saponins. In addition, seven compounds(4―8, 13 and 14) were reported firstly. The cytotoxic results distinguished the ocotillol type products(6, 7, 13 and 14) from 20(R)-PPT and 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh1, which possessed better cytotoxicities than their correspondents from 20(S)-epimers against HeLa cells, and the carbonyl group at C3 can improve the cytotoxicity, which helped us to gain deeper insight into Ocotillol type saponins.

A green and effective extraction system based on the use of an ultrasound-assisted ionic liquid aqueous two-phase system (IL-ATPS) was developed for the determination of aconitum alkaloids in lateral roots of Aconitum carmichaeli Debx (Fuzi in Chinese). IL-ATPS parameters, including the type and amount of ionic liquid, amount of salts, and pH value, as well as extraction time, were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries of the analytes varied from 80.37 to 107.18%. The detection limits and quantification limits for the analytes were achieved within the ranges of 0.048–0.082 μg g−1 and 0.16–0.30 μg g−1, respectively. After extraction, the recovery of ionic liquids without the use of organic solvents was also confirmed. The hydrophilic ionic liquids (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide) were converted into hydrophobic ionic liquids (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) by a metathesis reaction, and in situ liquid–liquid microextraction was triggered simultaneously. Finally, 0.1 mol L−1 HCl aqueous solution (containing 5% Tween-20) was used as the back-extraction agent to recover the ionic liquids.

Fufang-Xialian-Capsule (FXL) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula which was utilized to treat chronic atrophic gastritis. Despite the chemical constituents have been clarifying by our previous studies, but the metabolism of FXL after oral was still unclear. In order to clarify the mechanism of these absorbed components, a target-group-change (TGC) strategy was utilized to analysis the collected data. This strategy include five steps: (1) acquired the mass spectra data and tandem mass spectra data simultaneously; (2) confirmed the prototype absorbed into blood and the tandem mass behavior of prototype; (3) clarified the potential group change of prototypes after metabolism by Metabolynx XS software; (4) confirmed the target group change acquired by compare the tandem mass behavior of metabolites with their prototypes; (5) inferred the position of group change occurred and metabolic pathways of each prototypes. Based on the TGC strategy, the structure of metabolites and the metabolic pathways of FXL were confirmed. The main group change behaviors on the prototypes after metabolism include demethylation, methylation, hydroxylation and glucuronide conjugation. As the results, there were 33 metabolites transformed from 11 prototypes confirmed, these 11 prototypes include 4 flavones, 5 alkaloids and 2 ginsenosides. All the metabolites could be identified or tentatively characterized according to the structure of metabolites and previous reports.

CAG target associated with compound target

In this study, a new network pharmacology approach based on the components absorbed into the blood was used to investigate the pharmacodynamic material basis and the pharmacologic mechanism of the Fufang-Xialian-Capsule ( FXL ) in treating chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). Initially, we confirmed the components absorbed into the blood by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Then, the network approach, which was based on the results of components absorbed into the blood, was used to analyse the pharmacodynamic material basis and the pharmacologic mechanism of FXL on treating CAG. As a result, 22 absorbed components were found in rat plasma. Given the results of the absorption analysis of the components, eight pathways associated with CAG development were found. The targets linked to these pathways are the drug targets of FXL in CAG treatment. The components associated with these targets are the potential pharmacodynamic material basis and exert synergy in regulating pathways during CAG treatment.

In this work, reduced graphene oxide coated with ZnO (RGO–ZnO) nanocomposites was synthesized by a hydrothermal reduction strategy. The presence of ZnO was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Subsequently, RGO–ZnO was used as a dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) sorbent for the enrichment of eight organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) in apple, cucumber and water samples prior to their determination by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Several experimental parameters affecting the extraction efficiencies, including the amount of RGO–ZnO, extraction time, and the pH of the sample solution, as well as the type and volume of eluent solvent, were investigated and optimized in this work. Under the optimal experimental conditions, good linearity existed in the range of 0.5–200.0 ng g−1 for all the analytes with the correlation coefficients (R2) ranging from 0.9894 to 0.9983. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) of the method for the compounds were between 0.01 and 0.05 ng g−1. Good reproducibilities were acquired with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 8.6% for both intra-day and inter-day precision. The recoveries of the method were in the range of 75.0% to 104.2%.

Transformation of plant-origin 7,14-dihydroxy-ent-kaurenes to ent-abietanes having a cis-fused α-methylene γ-lactones was accomplished efficiently under the Mitsunobu reaction conditions. The yields of the desired products were apparently influenced by the steric hindrance at C-1. The cytotoxic activity on P388 murine leukemia cells of the ent-abietanes having cis-fused α-methylene γ-lactones produced were assayed.

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of total flavonoids extracted from the leaves of Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack (TFMP) on diabetic nephropathy. High fat diet and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were treated with the TFMP (35 or 70 mg/kg) for 13 weeks. Changes of renal function parameters were examined at the end of administration. Some kidneys were collected for histological and immunohistochemistry studies, the other ones for biochemical parameters analysis. TFMP significantly decreased the levels of serum blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, interleukin-6, urinary albumin, 24h-urinary albumin excretion rate, kidney weight to body weight ratio and fasting blood glucose in diabetic rats. Meanwhile, the levels of triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterols in the TFMP treated diabetic rats were lower and the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was higher than that in the diabetic rats. TFMP treatment significantly blocked the decrease of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and increase of malondialdehyde levels in diabetic rats. Furthermore, the TFMP not only decreased the expression of TGF-β1 and CTGF protein, but also reduced diabetes-induced morphological alterations of the kidney. These results suggest that TFMP is a protective agent against renal damage in diabetic nephropathy.