The genus Alisma contains 11 species distributed worldwide, of which at least two species (A. orientale Sam. Juzep. and A. plantago‐aquatica Linn.) have been used as common herbal medicines. ...Secondary metabolites obtained from the genus Alisma are considered to be the material basis for the various biological functions and medicinal applications. In this review, we mainly focused on the recent investigations of secondary metabolites from plants of the genus Alisma and their biological activities, with the highlighting on the diversity of the chemical structures, the biosynthesis of interesting secondary metabolites, the biological activities, and the relationships between structures and bioactivities.
Background/Aims: Uncaria rhynchophylla, known as “Gou-teng”, is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used to extinguish wind, clear heat, arrest convulsions, and pacify the liver. Although U. ...rhynchophylla has a long history of being often used to treat central nervous system (CNS) diseases, its efficacy and potential mechanism are still uncertain. This study investigated neuroprotective effect and the underlying mechanism of U. rhynchophylla extract (URE) in MPP + -induced SH-SY5Y cells and MPTP-induced mice. Methods: MPP + -induced SH-SY5Y cells and MPTP-induced mice were used to established Parkinson’s disease (PD) models. Quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics were used to uncover proteomics changes of URE. Western blotting was used to validate main differentially expressed proteins and test HSP90 client proteins (apoptosis-related, autophagy-related, MAPKs, PI3K, and AKT proteins). Flow cytometry and JC-1 staining assay were further used to confirm the effect of URE on MPP + -induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells. Gait analysis was used to detect the behavioral changes in MPTP-induced mice. The levels of dopamine (DA) and their metabolites were examined in striatum (STR) by HPLC-EC. The positive expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was detected by immunohischemical staining and Western blotting. Results: URE dose-dependently increased the cell viability in MPP + -induced SH-SY5Y cells. Quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics results confirmed that HSP90 was an important differentially expressed protein of URE. URE inhibited the expression of HSP90, which further reversed MPP + -induced cell apoptosis and autophagy by increasing the expressions of Bcl-2, Cyclin D1, p-ERK, p-PI3K p85, PI3K p110α, p-AKT, and LC3-I and decreasing cleaved caspase 3, Bax, p-JNK, p-p38, and LC3-II. URE also markedly decreased the apoptotic ratio and elevated mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DΨ m ). Furthermore, URE treatment ameliorated behavioral impairments, increased the contents of DA and its metabolites and elevated the positive expressions of TH in SN and STR as well as the TH protein. Conclusions: URE possessed the neuroprotective effect in vivo and in vitro, regulated MAPK and PI3K-AKT signal pathways, and inhibited the expression of HSP90. U. rhynchophylla has potentials as therapeutic agent in PD treatment.
In order to make full use of copper slag and solve the problem of its storage, the direct reduction of copper slag to antibacterial stainless steel was proposed. However, mixture of copper matte in ...the product reduces the value of the alloy. In this article, we studied the changes of Cu2S and FeS in chemical reactions. The Fact-Sage software was used to calculate the ΔG of the reaction, the phase diagram of FeS–CaO–C system, Cu2S–CaO–C system and FeS–Cu2S–CaO–C system. Three reduction experiments have been done to verify the calculation results. Cu2S and FeS in alloy can be alternatively reduced to elemental metal. In reduction of matte, the recovery of metal is 73.96%, and the removal rate of sulfur is 99.11%. In reduction of copper slag, the recovery of metal is 88.50%. In reduction of matte in metal, the removal rate of sulfur is 99.64%. The sulfur is with the presence of CaS in slag eventually.
The rhizomes of
Alisma orientalis
have been used for centuries in China and other Asian countries as an effective herbal remedy. The phytochemical investigation of
A. orientalis
and biotransformation ...of two major triterpenoids alisols A (
11
) and B 23-acetate (
13
) by
Cunninghamella elagans
AS 3.2028 and
Penicillium janthinellum
AS 3.510 have led to the isolation of ten new protostane-type triterpenoids (
1–5
and
18–22
), including one novel 26-
nor
-protostane (
1
) and one unusual 17-
nor
-protostane (
2
), together with twelve known analogues. Their structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS spectroscopic analyses. All the isolated compounds were assayed for their inhibitory activities against human carboxylesterase 2 (HCE-2). Compounds
1
,
3–9
,
12
,
14–16
,
19
, and
20
showed significant inhibitory activities on HCE-2 with IC
50
values from 0.51 ± 0.09 μM to 9.45 ± 0.73 μM. The inhibition kinetics of compound
5
toward HCE-2 were established, and its
K
i
value was determined as 0.57 μM. The interaction of compound
5
with HCE-2 was investigated using molecular docking.
Main observation and conclusion
The investigation of Morinda officinalis led to the isolation of twelve compounds (1—12), including three new iridoid glycosides morindalins A—C (1—3) and nine known ...compounds (4—12). Their structural identifications were conducted using HRMS, 1D and 2D NMR, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra as well as quantum chemical computations. Compound 6 displayed the most significantly agonistic activity against farnesoid X receptor (FXR) with an EC50 value of 7.18 μM, and its agonistic effect was verified through the investigation of FXR downstream target genes including small heterodimer partner 1 (SHP1), bile salt export pump (BSEP), and organic solute transporter subunit alpha and beta (OSTα and OSTβ). The potential interaction of compound 6 with FXR was analyzed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics stimulation, revealing that amino acid residues Leu287, Thr288, and Ser332 played a crucial role in the activation of compound 6 towards FXR. These findings suggested that compound 6 could be regarded as a potential candidate for the development of FXR agonists.
Main observation and conclusion
Uncaria rhynchophylla has been widely used to treat central nervous system diseases for a long history. After investigation of U. rhynchophylla, eleven monoterpene ...indole alkaloids, including four new compounds uncarialins J—M (1—4) and seven known analogues (5—11), were isolated and identified. Their structural characterization was conducted using HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, and quantum chemical computations. Compounds 1, 2, 7, and 9—11 displayed significant agonistic effects towards 5‐HT1A receptor, and their EC50 values were 7.86, 7.32, 2.24, 1.18, 1.52, and 3.75 μmol/L, respectively. Furthermore, in vivo experimental results fully revealed that hirsuteine (7) displayed a significant antidepression effect in unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS)‐induced depression mice mainly via regulating 5‐HT1A signaling pathway. Molecular docking and site‐directed amino acid mutation verified that amino acid residues Asp116 and Asn386 were the binding sites of hirsuteine (7) with 5‐HT1A receptor. In addition, pre‐treatment of mice with WAY 100635 also blocked the anti‐depression effect of hirsuteine (7), which further demonstrated that 5‐HT1A receptor was a potential target of hirsuteine (7) to effectively treat depression. These findings indicated the therapeutic material basis of U. rhynchophylla and the anti‐depression underlying mechanism of hirsuteine (7), and further provided the useful guidance for the development of hirsuteine (7) as a potential antidepressant candidate.
The investigation of U. rhynchophylla led to the isolation of four new compounds uncarialins J—M (1—4) and seven known analogues (5—11). Compounds 1, 2, 7, and 9—11 displayed significant agonistic effects towards 5‐HT1A receptor with EC50 values of 1.18—7.86 μmol/L. Hirsuteine (7) displayed a significant antidepression effect in UCMS‐induced depression mice via regulating 5‐HT1A receptor interacted with Asp116 and Asn386.
The interaction between herbs and clinical drugs is one of the risk factors for adverse drug reactions. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of 47 tetracyclic triterpenoids toward the main ...drug-metabolizing CYPs in humans were investigated. Most of the evaluated tetracyclic triterpenoids (TT) exhibited strong inhibitory effects toward CYP3A4 compared with other CYP subtypes. The inhibition kinetics of compounds 9 (23-acetyl alisol C), 44 (hemslecin A), and 47 (cucurbitacin E) against CYP3A4 were studied, and inhibition constant (Ki) was determined as 2.12, 0.196, and 0.162 µM, respectively. Some representative TT exhibited significant inhibitory effects toward the metabolism of gefitinib, atorvastatin, and quetiapine, indicating a potential interaction between TT derivatives and clinical drugs. Additionally, a quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) study of a series of TT as inhibitors of CYP3A4 was performed. The present study provided key information to guide the rational use of herbs rich in TT.
Gut bacterial β-glucuronidase is regarded as an important molecular target for several therapeutic applications. Inhibitors of β-glucuronidase can effectively alleviate the drug-induced ...gastrointestinal tract toxicity. In this study, the ethanol extracts of black tea was found to display significant inhibitory activities against Escherichia coli β-glucuronidase (EcGUS), and seven polyphenols including catechins and theaflavins were identified as the key components responsible for the strong inhibitory potency of black tea towards EcGUS. Among these seven identified naturally occurring inhibitors, (−)-catechin gallate (CG), theaflavin-3-monogallate (TF-3-G), theaflavin-3′-monogallate (TF-3′-G) and theaflavin-3,3′-digallate (TFDG) were more potent inhibitors of EcGUS compared with (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (−)-gallocatechin gallate (GCG), and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Furthermore, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation results further indicated that TFDG could bind in the cavity of EcGUS and interacted with key residues Ser360, Glu413 and Ile560 of EcGUS through hydrogen bonds. Taken together, these data offer important information for efficient development of black tea and its catechins and theaflavins constituents for treating drug-induced enteropathy.
Phyllodium pulchellum (P. pulchellum) is a folk medicine with a significant number of bioactivities. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects displayed by alkaloids fractions, isolated ...from the roots of P. pulchellum, on neurotransmitters monoamine levels and on monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity. Six alkaloids, which had indolealkylamine or β-carboline skeleton, were obtained by chromatographic technologies and identified by spectroscopic methods such as NMR and MS. After treatment with alkaloids of P. pulchellum, the reduction of DA levels (54.55%) and 5-HT levels (35.01%) in rat brain was observed by HPLC-FLD. The effect of alkaloids on the monoamines metabolism was mainly related to MAO inhibition, characterized by IC50 values of 37.35 ± 6.41 and 126.53 ± 5.39 μg/mL for MAO-A and MAO-B, respectively. The acute toxicity indicated that P. pulchellum extract was nontoxic.
Nine new monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, uncarialins A–I (1–9), were isolated from Uncaria rhynchophylla as well as 14 known analogues (10–23). Their structures were determined by HRESIMS, 1D and 2D ...NMR, and experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism data. Compounds 5, 7, 15, and 22 displayed significant agonistic effects against the 5-HT1A receptor with EC50 values of 2.2 ± 0.1, 0.1 ± 0.1, 1.6 ± 0.3, and 2.0 ± 0.5 μM, respectively. The mechanisms of action of these four compounds with the 5-HT1A receptor were investigated by molecular docking, and the results suggested that amino acid residues Asp116, Thr196, Asn386, and Tyr390 played critical roles in the observed activity of the above-mentioned compounds.
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