•FS8, one of Forsythia suspense extracts, markedly protected PC12 cells against rotenone toxicity.•Four chemical compounds were identified in FS18.•FS8 protected dopamine neurons against rotenone ...toxicity via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in rats.
The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of Forsythia suspense extract in a rotenone-induced neurotoxic model. FS8, one of the herbal extracts, markedly protected PC12 cells against rotenone toxicity and was selected for the in vivo study. Gavage administration of FS8 (50 and 200mg/kg, but not 10mg/kg) for 25 days significantly improved the behavior function, decreased the loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra (SN), and maintained the level of dopamine in striatum after unilateral infusion of rotenone in SN. Wherein, the protective effects of FS8 at the dose of 200mg/kg were better than selegiline. Further study indicated the excellent antioxidant activity of FS8 on the 5th and 21st days after intranigral injection of rotenone. Moreover, FS8 could inhibit microglia activity and accumulation in SN, and obviously decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory molecules (IL-6, TNF-α, iNOS and COX-2), which indicated the anti-inflammatory effects of FS8. In the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB and MAPK pathways, FS8 significantly down-regulated the protein expression of p-PI3K, p-Akt, p-IκB, p-P65, cleaved Caspase 8, p-p38 and p-JNK but not p-mTOR, cleaved Caspase 3 and p-ERK. Therefore, FS8 protected dopamine neurons against rotenone toxicity via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which suggested the promising application of FS8 in the prevention and treatment of Parkinson disease.
Euphorbia ebracteolata Hayata, as a traditional medicine, is widely distributed in China, Korea and Japan. In China, the dried root of this plant is named 'langdu'. It is traditionally used to treat ...oedema, skin ulcers, abdominal distension, cough, asthma, tuberculosis swelling and other diseases. Previous studies have found that the chemical constituents of E. ebracteolata are mainly concentrated in terpenoids, acetophenones, and flavonoids. Both extracts and pure compounds from E. ebracteolata were found to possess many pharmacological activities, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antimicrobial effects. In addition, it was reported that E. ebracteolata shows toxicity. To provide inspiration for further in-depth studies on this plant, this review will provide a timely and systematic summary of E. ebracteolata in traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology toxicology, and quality control.
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•The research progress of E. ebracteolata in traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and quality control is comprehensively summarized.•The future development direction of E. ebracteolata is introduced.
Loganin, an iridoid glycoside, is one of the quality control indexes of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. Increasing evidence emphasize the important role of inflammation in the pathology of ...depression, which links depression with other chronic diseases. Loganin prevents inflammatory response in multiple diseases and reverses depressive-like behaviors. However, the mechanisms underlying antidepressant-like effects of loganin for the treatment of inflammation-associated depression are not utterly understood.
The present study was designed to predict the potential targets of loganin against inflammation-associated depression using a network pharmacology approach.
Pharmmapper and Uniport were used to predict loganin-related targets. Targets of inflammation were identified through GeneCards databases and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were used to identify the potential mechanism. Finally, qRT-PCR and ELISA were used to confirm the role of loganin on these targets.
There were 15 nodes in the loganin-inflammation-depression intersection targets network. In the network, the degree value of CTNNB1 was above 3. Among top ten pathways identified by KEGG analysis, Th1/Th2 cell differentiation and IL-17 signaling pathways were related with both inflammation and depression. As indicated by qRT-PCR results, loganin increased CTNNB1 mRNA level. Moreover, loganin elevated M2 markers of microglia but decreased M1 markers of microglia against lipopolysaccharide (LPS), indicated by qRT-PCR results and ELISA results.
CTNNB1 was the main target of loganin. Loganin alleviated LPS-induced inflammation through inhibiting M1 polarization of microglia. Our results provide a better understanding of loganin-induced antidepressant-like effects for the treatment of inflammation-associated depression.
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A novel mechanism of depression: role for connexins Xia, Cong-Yuan; Wang, Zhen-Zhen; Yamakuni, Tohru ...
European neuropsychopharmacology,
April 2018, 2018-04-00, 20180401, Letnik:
28, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic and debilitating illness that affects over 350 million people worldwide; however, current treatments have failed to cure or prevent the progress of ...depression. Increasing evidence suggests a crucial role for connexins in MDD. In this review, we have summarised recent accomplishments regarding the role of connexins, gap junctions, and hemichannels in the aetiology of MDD, and discussed the limitations of current research. A blockage of gap junctions or hemichannels induces depressive behaviour. Possible underlying mechanisms include the regulation of neurosecretory functions and synaptic activity by gap junctions and hemichannels. Gap junctions are functionally inhibited under stress conditions. Conversely, hemichannel permeability is increased. Antidepressants inhibit hemichannel permeability; however, they have contrasting effects on the function of gap junctions under normal conditions and can protect them against stress. In conclusion, the blockage of hemichannels concurrent with improvements in gap junction functionality might be potential targets for depression treatment.
Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc., is a valuable herb commonly used in Chinese medicine clinics. Loganin is a major iridoid glycoside obtained from the traditional Chinese herb Corni Fructus. ...Loganin, which has been shown to improve depression-like behavior in mice exposed to acute stress, is probably a potential antidepressant candidate.
Loganin was evaluated for its effect on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induced depressive-like mice, and its action mechanisms were explored.
ICR mice were subjected to the CUMS stimulation method to induce depression. The therapeutic effect of loganin on depressive-like behavior was evaluated by a series of behavioral tests such as sucrose preference test (SPT), forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and open-field test (OFT). In addition, the serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) were measured using ELISA. The levels of monoamine neurotransmitters were detected by high performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD). The levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus were measured using western blot analysis.
The results showed that CUMS induced depressive-like behaviors in mice, as indicated by behavioral tests. Administration of loganin increased the sucrose preference in SPT, as well as decreased the immobility time in FST and TST. Loganin could also improve food intake, and increased crossing times in the OFT. In mechanism, loganin restored the secretion of monoamine neurotransmitters, ACTH and CORT to normal levels. In addition, loganin elevated the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus. In conclusion, loganin exerts antidepressant-like effects in CUMS model mice through modulating monoamine neurotransmitters, ACTH, CORT and BDNF.
Loganin effectively ameliorated depressive-like symptoms in CUMS-exposed mice by increasing 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) levels, alleviating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction, and increasing BDNF expression. In conclusion, the findings of the current study extensive evidence for the application of loganin in stress-associated disorders, specifically targeting depression.
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•The antidepressant effect of loganin was studied for the first time using CUMS mouse model.•The effects of loganin on the regulation of monoamine neurotransmitters, HPA axis, and neurotrophic factor signaling pathways were clarified.•It provides an experimental basis for the development of traditional Chinese medicine Corni fructus.
Cement-based materials prepared with activated water induced by a magnetic field or electric field represent a possible solution to environmental issues caused by the worldwide utilization of ...chemical admixtures. In this contribution, electric- and magnetic-activated water have been produced. The workability and mechanical properties of cement mortar prepared with this activated water have been investigated. The results indicate that the pH and absorbance (Abs) values of the water varied as the electric and magnetic field changed, and their values increased significantly, exhibiting improved activity compared with that of the untreated water. In addition, activated water still retains activity within 30 min of the resting time. The fluidity of the cement paste prepared with electric-activated water was significantly larger than that of the untreated paste. However, the level of improvement differed with the worst performance resulting from cement paste prepared with alternating voltage activated water. In terms of mechanical properties, both compressive strength and flexural strength obtained its maximum values at 280 mT with two processing cycles. The compressive strength increased 26% as the curing time increased from 7 days to 28 days and flexural strength increased by 31%. In addition, through the introduction of magnetic-activated water into cement mortar, the mechanical strength can be maintained without losing its workability when the amount of cement is reduced.
The harnessing and utilization of tidal current energy have emerged as prominent topics in scientific inquiry, due to their vast untapped resource potential, leading to numerous investigations into ...the efficacy of hydrokinetic turbines under various operational conditions. This paper delineates the wake field characteristics and performance of horizontal axis tidal stream turbines under the influence of support structures, using a comprehensively blade-resolved computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) model that employs Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations in combination with the RNG k-ε turbulence model. To achieve this, the study utilized experimental tank tests and numerical simulations to investigate the distribution characteristics and recuperative principles of the turbine’s wake field. The velocity distribution and energy augmentation coefficient of the wake field showed strong agreement with the experimental results. To further assess the effect of support structures on the flow field downstream of the unit and its performance, the hydrodynamic attributes of the turbine wake field were analyzed with and without support structures. The interference elicited by the support structure modified the velocity distribution of the near-wake flow field, resulting in a 4.41% decrease in the turbine’s power coefficient (Cp), significantly impacting the turbine’s instantaneous performance.
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•The origin of Rhodiola sect. Trifida were in accordance with the last phase of the QTP uplift.•Multiple microrefugia during the LGM existed on the QTP platform for sect. Trifida.•The ...ecological niche modeling results also support the multiple microrefugia hypothesis.
Quaternary climatic oscillations have had tremendous effects on current distribution of species. Previous studies unraveled multiple microrefugia on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) in two woody plants. Still we know little whether herbs growing in forests responded to climatic oscillations similarly. We herein conducted a phylogeographic study on Rhodiola sect. Trifida, an herbaceous group endemic to the QTP, which mainly growing on the forest floors, using plastid and ITS sequences as well as ecological niche modeling. The origin and divergence of major clades of sect. Trifida were in accordance with the last phase of the QTP uplifts. Mismatch distribution analysis indicated a range expansion dated to ca. 135 thousand years ago. A high frequency and an even distribution of private haplotypes in both plastid and ITS data sets throughout the distribution of sect. Trifida were detected. The ecological niche modeling results showed that there were suitable habitats on the QTP platform during the LGM. Our results found that multiple microrefugia existed on the QTP platform, supporting the hypothesis that species with similar geographic distribution and inhabiting the same community had similar responses to the Quaternary climatic oscillations. Furthermore, species delimitations in sect. Trifida need to be tested based on integrative evidence from morphological, ecological and genetic data.
Corni fructus, the fruit of
Sieb. et Zucc., has been used as a tonic for the kidney in China for thousands of years. Loganin is one of the major constituents derived from Corni fructus. In this ...study, we revealed the sedative and hypnotic activity of loganin and investigated its mechanisms for the first time. Pentobarbital-induced sleep test and insomnia mice models induced by caffeine and p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) were used for the assessment of sedative and hypnotic effects of loganin. It was found that loganin (20-50 mg/kg) exerted sedative effect in normal mice. Loganin exhibited hypnotic effect by increasing sleep onset and sleep duration in pentobarbital-treated mice, recovering PCPA-induced insomnia and exerting synergistic hypnosis effect with 5-HTP. In addition, electroencephalograph (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) recordings of rats showed that loganin (35 mg/kg) prolonged the ratio of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and shortened wakefulness significantly, further immunohistochemistry showed that loganin (35 mg/kg) increased c-Fos expression in GABAergic neurons of rats in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO). The levels of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite were measured in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and striatum of mice, 1 h after loganin (35 mg/kg) treatment. 5-HT, 5-HIAA/5-HT, DA, and DOPAC were decreased significantly in the prefrontal cortex. In conclusion, these results indicated that loganin produced beneficial sedative and hypnotic activity, which might be mainly mediated by modification of the serotonergic system and GABAergic neurons.
The roots and rhizomes of Rhodiola crenulata and R. rosea have been used worldwide as adaptogens for hundreds of years. However, rapid growth in demand has resulted in merchants using other species ...of Rhodiola as adulterants. Here, we surveyed 518 individuals representing 47 of the 55 species in the genus, including 253 R. crenulata individuals from 16 populations and 98 R. rosea individuals from 11 populations, to evaluate the utility of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) barcode for identification of Rhodiola species. We detected six haplotypes in R. crenulata and only one haplotype in R. rosea. An obvious overlap between intra- and inter-specific distance was detected, and the authentication efficacy of ITS2, which was assessed by BLAST1, a nearest distance method, and a tree test, was much lower than in other groups. However, R. crenulata and R. rosea could be exactly identified. Analysis showed that the secondary structure of ITS2 differs in R. crenulata and its closest relatives. Our results demonstrated that both a mini barcode from ITS2 and the structure of ITS2 are effective markers for the identification of R. crenulata and R. rosea. This study represents the most comprehensive database of ITS2 barcodes in Rhodiola to date and will be useful in Rhodiola species identification.
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