An integrated liver, hippocampus and serum metabolomics based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS revealed the therapeutical mechanism of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen in p-chlorophenylalanine-induced insomnia rats.

Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS), a well-known herbal medicine for treating insomnia, is popular in not only China but also in Europe, India and Iran. However, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this work, taking the targeted organs of insomnia, the liver and hippocampus, as the objects, a combination metabolomics based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was established to illustrate the abnormality of metabolic characteristics of the liver, hippocampus and serum of p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-induced insomnia rats and to demonstrate the mechanism of ZSS in treating insomnia. The results showed that ZSS could restore the brain cell morphology, decrease the degree of hepatocyte necrosis and regulate the disturbance of neurotransmitters and hormones in insomnia rats. In terms of metabolomics, a total of 33 liver metabolites, 25 hippocampal metabolites and 18 serum metabolites were finally selected as the potential biomarkers and an important pathway of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis was common in three tissues in PCPA rats. Meanwhile, ZSS significantly reversed the levels of 23 liver metabolites, 15 hippocampal metabolites and 5 serum metabolites. The present study demonstrates the actions of ZSS in treating insomnia by enhancing both cerebral and hepatic functions.

Study on the antidepressive effects and mechanism of raw and fried Ziziphi Spinosae Semen via metabolomics and gut microbiota analysis.

Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS) and fried ZSS (FZSS) have been used for treating insomnia and depression in China. However, the potential influence of chemical variations on their efficacy remains unclear. This study demonstrated that compared with ZSS, FZSS exhibited an increase in the content of seven compounds, while the fatty oil content decreased. Both ZSS and FZSS exhibited antidepressive effects in a chronic unpredictable mild stress rat model, indicating a synergistic regulation of deficiencies in 5-hydroxytryptamine in the brain and the hyperactivation of severe peripheral inflammation. ZSS demonstrated a superior modulatory effect compared with FZSS, as indicated by integrated pharmacodynamic index, metabolic profile, and relative distance value. The potential mechanism underlying their antidepressive effects involved the modulation of gut microbiota structure to alleviate excessive inflammatory responses and imbalanced tryptophan metabolism. Correlation analysis indicated that the higher fatty oil contents should be comprehensively considered as the main reason for ZSS's superior antidepressive effects, achieved through the regulation of pyroglutamic acid levels.

A strategy to explore the quality markers of Ziziphi Spinosae semen by combining metabolic in vivo study with network pharmacology.

Ziziphi Spinosae semen (ZSS), the dried and ripe seed of Ziziphus jujube Mill. var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H. F. Chou, has been used as a sedative in China and other Asian countries for over a millennium. However, its quality markers (Q-markers) are not completely clear. In this study, Q-markers selected by a metabolic in vivo study combined with network pharmacology are proposed for ZSS quality control. An UHPLC (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography)-Q-Orbitrap-MS method was developed to identify or tentatively assign 48 components including 21 flavonoid C-glycosides, 2 flavonoid O-glycosides, 11 dammarane triterpenoid saponins, 13 alkaloids, and 1 other, using a diagnostic product ion filtering strategy in ZSS. Subsequently, 147 metabolites detected from serum, urine, bile, and feces samples of para-chlorophenylalanine-induced insomnia rats treated with ZSS aqueous extracts could be linked to their respective parent compounds, including 27 prototypes. Meanwhile, three metabolic networks of flavonoids, saponins, and alkaloids are preliminarily established and potential metabolic pathways are investigated under the insomnia condition. Finally, 12 key bioactive components against insomnia including magnoflorine, caaverine, coclaurine, norisocorydine, genkwanin, juzinrine, apigenin, jujubogenin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, jujuboside A, jujuboside B, and spinosin with the highest degree values in component-target-pathways network were selected as Q-markers for the quality control of ZSS.

[Mechanism of Suanzaoren Decoction in improving insomnia rats by integrating metabolomics and intestinal flora analysis].

To explore the mechanism of Suanzaoren Decoction(SZRD) in improving the insomnia rat model induced by DL-4-chlorophenylalanine(PCPA). The insomnia model was established by single intraperitoneal injection with PCPA(400 mg·kg~(-1)), UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was used to analyze the profile of metabolites in rat hippocampus samples, combined with multivariate statistical analysis and screening of differential metabolites, and related metabolic pathways were constructed with MetaboAnalyst 5.0. The high-throughput sequencing of V3-V4 regions of 16 S rRNA gene was used to predict the structure and relative abundance of intestinal flora by LEfSe, OPLS-DA and PICRUSt2. A total of 22 differential hippocampus metabolites were identified by metabolomics analysis, including amino acids, fatty acids, nucleosides, organic acids, vitamins, and others. Pathway analysis showed that alanine, aspartate and glutamic metabolism, D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, arginine biosynthesis were the main pathways. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing showed that Ruminococcus and Eubacterium were the differences between SZRD group and model group. Ruminococcus might be the sign of SZRD improving PCPA insomnia on analysis of PICRUSt2 and LEfSe. Furthermore Spearman correlation analysis showed that the differential metabolites 2-oxo-4-methylthiobutyric acid and palmitic acid intervened by SZRD were significantly positively correlated with the differential flora. In conclusion, SZRD indirectly improves insomnia by affecting metabolic pathways such as amino acids metabolic pathways and regulating the structure of flora. The results of this study provide a new mechanism and new idea for elucidating the mechanism of classic famous prescription SZRD in improving insomnia from the perspective of intestinal flora.

[Processing of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen: evolution and research progress].

Ziziphi Spinosae Semen(ZSS), a precious bulk Chinese medicinal, has long been used for nourishing heart and tonifying liver, calming the heart and tranquilizing the mind. Based on materia medica records, medical classics, and relevant literature, this study summarized the evolution and development of the processing methods of ZSS, verified the purposes of ancient processing and efficacy of ZSS, checked whether the decoction pieces of ZSS had been included in national and provincial standards, and concluded the research progress on processing mechanism of ZSS. A total of 9 processing methods have been recorded, such as plain stir-frying and stir-frying with adjuvants. It was a common view that ZSS was endowed with a different purpose after being processed in ancient times. However, in modern times, different views, such as ZSS and processed ZSS for the same purpose, and processing enhancing the efficacy of ZSS, emerge. At the moment, processed ZSS are included in 10 editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the processing methods of ZSS can be retrieved in 22 provincial specifications on processing. Plain stir-frying is currently the mainstream processing method. The chemical components, such as flavonoids, saponins, and fatty acids, in the medicinal, change after processing, but ZSS and the stir-fried ZSS show no significant difference in tranquilizing mind, improving learning and memory, and alleviating anxiety. The problems in the research on ZSS processing were analyzed in this study. In addition, the author also discussed the inheritance of ancient methods, the scientific connotation of processing, and the improvement of decoction pieces standards, hoping to provide new ideas for the clinical rational use and the decoction pieces standard improvement of ZSS.

[Metabonomic study of biochemical changes in serum of PCPA-induced insomnia rats after treatment with Suanzaoren Decoction].

Suanzaoren Decoction(SZRD) is a classical formula for the clinical treatment of insomnia. This study analyzed the effect of SZRD on endogenous metabolites in insomnia rats based on metabonomics and thereby explored the anti-insomnia mechanism of SZRD. To be specific, DL-4-chlorophenylalanine(PCPA) was used to induce insomnia in rats. Then pathological changes of the liver and brain were observed and biochemical indexes such as 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), dopamine(DA), glutamate(Glu), γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA), and norepinephrine(NE) in the hippocampus and prostaglandin D2(PGD2), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1ß(IL-1ß), and IL-6 in the serum of rats were detected. On this basis, the effect of SZRD on PCPA-induced insomnia rats was preliminarily assessed. The metabolic profile of rat serum samples was further analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). Principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were combined with t-test and variable importance in projection(VIP) to identify differential metabolites, and MetaboAnalyst 5.0 was employed for pathway analysis. The results showed that SZRD could improve the pathological changes of brain and liver tissues, increase the levels of neurotransmitters 5-HT, DA, and GABA in hippocampus and the level of PGD2 in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis(HPA axis), and reduce the levels of IL-1ß and TNF-α in serum of insomnia rats. Metabonomics analysis yielded 12 significantly changed potential metabolites: 5-aminovaleric acid, N-acetylvaline, L-proline, L-glutamate, L-valine, DL-norvaline, D(-)-arginine, pyroglutamic acid, 1-methylguanine, L-isoleucine, 7-ethoxy-4-methylcoumarin, and phthalic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester(MEHP), which were related with multiple biochemical processes including metabolism of D-glutamine and D-glutamate, metabolism of alanine, aspartate, and glutamate, metabolism of arginine and proline, arginine biosynthesis, glutathione metabolism. These metabolic changes indicated that SZRD can improve the metabolism in insomnia rats by regulating amino acid metabolism.

[Study on mechanism of enhancing antioxidant activity in fermented Ziziphi Spinosae Semen with Poria cocos].

In this study, the antioxidant property changes in fermented Ziziphi Spinosae Semen(FZSS) with Poria cocos were analyzed by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods. Then the content determination of active ingredients and ~1H nuclear magnetic resonance(~1H-NMR) spectroscopy were also used to investigate the mechanism of FZSS with P. cocos in enhancing the antioxidant activity. The results showed that the content of active ingredients such as total phenols, total saponins and total polysaccharides were significantly increased during the fermentation time. The results of ~1H-NMR metabonomics showed that the contents of amino acids such as leucine, lysine, valine and alanine, nitrogen compounds such as creatine, creatinine, and betaine, and secondary metabolites, for instance, jujuboside A and spinosin were higher after fermentation, and above components showed positive correlation with antioxidant capacity in Pearson correlation analysis. Therefore, it was inferred that the enhancement of antioxidant activity of FZSS may be the result of the joint action of various chemical components. This study preliminarily clarified the mechanism of FZSS in enhancing the antioxidant activity, and provided new research ideas for the product development and utilization of FZSS.

Cloning, Yeast Expression, and Characterization of a ß-Amyrin C-28 Oxidase (CYP716A249) Involved in Triterpenoid Biosynthesis in Polygala tenuifolia.

Polygala tenuifolia Willd. is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that is widely used in treating nervous system disorders. Triterpene saponins in P. tenuifolia (polygala saponins) have excellent biological activity. As a precursor for the synthesis of presenegin, oleanolic acid (OA) plays an important role in the biosynthesis of polygala saponins. However, the mechanism behind the biosynthesis of polygala saponins remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that CYP716A249 (GenBank: ASB17946) oxidized the C-28 position of ß-amyrin to produce OA. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we observed that CYP716A249 had the highest expression in the roots of 2-year-old P. tenuifolia, which provided a basis for the selection of samples for gene cloning. To identify the function of CYP716A249, the strain R-BE-20 was constructed by expressing ß-amyrin synthase in yeast. Then, CYP716A249 was co-expressed with ß-amyrin synthase to construct the strain R-BPE-20 by using the lithium acetate method. Finally, we detected ß-amyrin and OA by ultra-HPLC-Q Exactive hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry and GC-MS. The results of this study provide insights into the biosynthesis pathway of polygala saponins.

[Investigation of the potentially effective components of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae based on "in vitro to in vivo" translation approach].

The study aims to investigate the effective components of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae (SZR) in nourishing the heart and tranquilizing the mind. A method of ultra high liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with Q Exactive high resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) was developed. Based on the UV spectra, retention time and MS spectra, 25 compounds of SZR extract were identified or tentatively characterized, including 12 flavonoids, 8 triterpenoids saponins, 2 fatty acid and 3 alakoids. The study illuminated the major chemical components. Twenty bioactive components were determined in rat urine after oral administration of SZR extract by "in vitro to in vivo" translation approach, including 16 prototype compounds and 4 metabolites. Spinosin, swertisin, jujuboside A and B were considered as the effective and active constituents in SZR of the sedative and hypnotic effects, which emodies characteristics of multiple components. It was beneficial exploration for searching the effective and active constituents of SZR in nourishing the heart and tranquilizing the mind.

[Analysis of influencing factors of secondary metabolites contents in cultivated Polygala tenuifolia].

This work was launched to explore the effect of habitat and growth year on the secondary metabolites contents of cultivated Polygala tenuifolia. The samples of cultivated P. tenuifolia were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography(UPLC)-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(Q-TOF MS), and the obtained data were analyzed using multiple statistical analysis and cluster analysis. The results showed that compared with growth year, habitat is a main influencing factor which affected the secondary metabolites contents of P. tenuifolia. The contents of sucrose esters and oligosacchride multi-esters are greatly dependent on the habitat (the sample-AG with high levels of components of tenuifoliside B and tenuifoliside C, and the sample-FY with high levels of 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose, tenuifoliose S, tenuifoliose L, and tenuifoliose V). There is no obvious effect of habitat and growth year on xanthone. The contents of triterpene saponins are greatly dependent on the growth year, and the content of parts of triterpene saponins increased as time goes on.The result indicated that the effect of habitat and growth year on different types of secondary metabolites is not completely equivalent. This study will contribute to the breeding of P. tenuifolia and amendment of current commodity criteria.

Promotion of mandibular distraction osteogenesis by parathyroid hormone via macrophage polarization induced through iNOS downregulation.

Objective: To investigate whether Parathyroid hormone (PTH) can promote mandibular distraction osteogenesis by regulating macrophage polarization and the underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon. Methods: Forty-eight Rabbits were used to establish the mandibular distraction osteogenesis experimental model, randomly divided into 2 groups. Intermittent post-operative injections of 20 µg/kg PTH and normal saline were administered to the experimental and control groups, respectively. Regenerated new bone was examined using HE staining, osteoclast numbers were determined through tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, and macrophage polarization markers arginase 1 (Arg1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expressions were elucidated using immunohistochemistry (IHC), the mRNA expression of CD206, CD11C, Arg1 and iNOS were detected using qPCR. Results: The bone trabeculae in the experimental group were thicker, with a more homogeneous structure and more new osteoid than in the control group. In the area of distraction osteogenesis, the osteoclast count in the experimental group was higher than in the control group (P < 0.05). IHC results indicated differential expressions of Arg1 and iNOS in the experimental group compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Relative mRNA expressions of CD11c and iNOS were lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas the expressions of CD206 and Arg1 mRNA were higher in the experimental group compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Intermittent PTH injections increased macrophage quantity in the mandible generated by distraction osteogenesis, downregulated iNOS, upregulated Arg1, and promoted macrophage polarization from M1 to M2 phenotype, thereby promoting mandibular distraction osteogenesis.

Screening the effective components of Suanzaoren decoction on the treatment of chronic restraint stress induced anxiety-like mice by integrated chinmedomics and network pharmacology.

BACKGROUND: Suanzaoren decoction (SZRD) is a classical traditional Chinese prescription. It is widely used to treat mental disorders, including insomnia, anxiety, and depression, in China and other Asian countries. However, the effective components and mechanisms underlying SZRD remained unclear. PURPOSE: We aimed to develop a new strategy to discover the effects and potential mechanisms of SZRD against anxiety and to further reveal the effective components of SZRD in treating anxiety. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: First, the chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced mouse model of anxiety was orally administered SZRD, and behavioral indicators and biochemical parameters were applied to assess efficacy. A chinmedomics strategy based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS technology and network pharmacology were then used to screen and explore potentially effective components and therapeutic mechanisms. Finally, molecular docking was applied to further confirm the effective components of SZRD, and a multivariate network for anxiolytic effects was constructed. RESULTS: SZRD exerted anxiolytic effects by increasing the percentage of entries into open arms and the time spent in open arms; improving hippocampal 5-HT, GABA, and NE levels; and increasing serum corticosterone (CORT) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) levels caused by CRS challenge. Beside, SZRD exerted a sedative effect by decreasing sleep time and prolonging sleep latency with no muscle relaxation effect in CRS mice. A total of 110 components were identified in SZRD, 20 of which were absorbed in the blood. Twenty-one serum biomarkers involved in arachidonic acid, tryptophan, sphingolipid, and linoleic acid metabolism were identified after SZRD intervention. Finally, a multivariate network including prescription-effective components-targets-pathway of SZRD treating anxiety, including 11 effective components, 4 targets and 2 pathway was constructed. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated that integrating chinmedomics and network pharmacology was a powerful approach to investigating the effective components and therapeutic mechanisms of SZRD and provided a solid basis for the quality marker (Q-marker) of SZRD.

Autophagy in the pharmacological activities of celastrol (Review).

Celastrol, a natural compound extracted from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, possesses broad-spectrum pharmacological properties. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process through which cytoplasmic cargo is delivered to the lysosomes for degradation. Autophagy dysregulation contributes to multiple pathological processes. Therefore, targeting autophagic activity is a promising therapy for various diseases, as well as a drug-development strategy. According to previous studies, autophagy is specifically targeted and may be altered in response to celastrol treatment, highlighting that autophagy modulation is an important mechanism underlying the therapeutic efficacy of celastrol for the treatment of various diseases. The present study summarizes the currently available information regarding the role of autophagy in the effect of celastrol to exert anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-pulmonary fibrosis and anti-macular degeneration activities. The diverse signaling pathways involved are also analyzed to provide insight into the mechanisms of action of celastrol and thereby pave the way for establishing celastrol as an efficacious autophagy modulator in clinical practice.

Study on Improving Loess Properties with Permeable Polymer Materials.

Loess has strong water sensitivity, strong collapsibility, and low strength resulting in failures such as landslides, due to its loose structure. In order to improve the loess characteristics and to better meet the needs of engineering, a colorless, transparent, and permeable composite material is proposed in this paper. Water stability, erosion, unconfined compression, and triaxial tests were conducted to investigate the change of the strength properties and soil erosion resistance. The water sensitivity and strength properties of the loess are significantly improved as the stabilizer concentration increases. When scoured for 20 min, the erosion rates of the reinforced and the unreinforced soil were 95% and 6.25%, respectively, and demonstrated a 15.12 times reduction in erosion rates. The optimal concentration of the mixed solution is 0.6%. The triaxial test, CT, and SEM scanning tests were used to reveal the intrinsic mechanisms. The results demonstrated that the internal friction angle of the reinforced soil increases from 28.09° to 30.57°, and the cohesion changes from 25 kPa to 37.4 kPa. A large number of pores with a diameter of 900-1000 µm are reduced to 0-200 µm, and some pores with a length greater than 600 µm reduce to a length of less than 200 µm; The agglomeration and cementation, the filling of pores, and the formation of membrane structures have contributed greatly to the improvement of loess properties. Furthermore, the newly composite material has significant application potential needed to stabilize soil.

RNA-seq bulked segregant analysis combined with KASP genotyping rapidly identified PmCH7087 as responsible for powdery mildew resistance in wheat.

Powdery mildew causes considerable yield losses in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. Mapping and cloning powdery mildew-resistant quantitative trait loci can benefit stable yield production by facilitating the breeding of resistant varieties. In this study, we used the powdery mildew resistance introgression line 'CH7087' (harboring the resistance gene PmCH7087) and developed a large F2 population and a corresponding F2:3 segregation population containing 2,000 family lines for molecular mapping of PmCH7087. Genetic analysis demonstrated that the resistance phenotype was controlled by a single dominant gene. According to the performance exhibited by the F2:3 lines, 50 resistant lines and 50 susceptible lines without phenotype segregation were chosen for pooling and bulked segregant RNA sequencing (BSR-Seq) analysis. A region spanning 42.77 Mb was identified, and genotyping of an additional 183 F2:3 lines with extreme phenotypes using 20 kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) markers in the BSR-Seq mapping regions confirmed this region and narrowed it to 9.68 Mb, in which 45 genes were identified and annotated. Five of these transcripts harbored nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms between the two parents, with the transcripts of TraesCS2B01G302800 being involved in signal transduction. Furthermore, TraesCS2B01G302800.2 was annotated as the closest homologue of serine/threonine-protein kinase PBS1, a typical participant in the plant disease immune response, indicating that TraesCS2B01G302800 was the candidate gene of PmCH7087. Our results may facilitate future research attempting to improve powdery mildew resistance in wheat and to identify candidate genes for further verification and gene cloning.

Comparative pharmacokinetics of six major compounds in normal and insomnia rats after oral administration of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen aqueous extract.

Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS), a traditional Chinese medicine, is used in clinics for the treatment of insomnia in China and other Asian countries. Herein, we described for the first time a comparative pharmacokinetics study of the six major compounds of ZSS in normal control (NC) and para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-induced insomnia model (IM) rats that were orally administered the aqueous extract of ZSS. An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole orbitrap mass (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of coclaurine, magnoflorine, spinosin, 6‴-feruloylspinosin, jujuboside A (JuA), and jujuboside B (JuB) in ZSS in rat plasma. The established approach was successfully applied to a comparative pharmacokinetic study. The systemic exposures of spinosin and 6‴-feruloylspinosin were decreased in the IM group compared to the NC group, while plasma clearance (CL) was significantly increased. The Tmax values of JuA and JuB in IM rats were significantly lower than those in NC rats. The T1/2 of JuA in the IM group was significantly accelerated. The pharmacokinetic parameters of coclaurine and magnoflorine were not evidently affected between the two groups. These results indicate that the pathological state of insomnia altered the plasma pharmacokinetics of spinosin, 6‴-feruloylspinosin, JuA, and JuB in the ZSS aqueous extract, providing an experimental basis for the role of ZSS in insomnia treatment. The comparative pharmacokinetics-based UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS using full-scan mode can therefore provide a reliable and suitable means for the screening of potentially effective substances applied as quality markers of ZSS.

Metabolic profile and underlying antioxidant improvement of Ziziphi Spinosae Folium by human intestinal bacteria.

Ziziphi Spinosae Folium, the leaf of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. Var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H. F. Chou (LZJS), is currently used as a healthy tea in China. This study evaluated the chemical components and antioxidant activities of LZJS flavonoid (LZJSF) and fermented LZJSF (FLZJSF) using human intestinal bacteria (HIB) through dynamic fermentation. Eighteen flavonoids were simultaneously identified in LZJSF using UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS method, nine of which were targeted for a HIB metabolism study. Seven small phenolic acids were identified in FLZJSF. Not only at chemical level but also at PC12 cell level, FLZJSF samples fermented for 4 and 6 h showed significant positive correlation between their activities and flavonoid aglycones, which were transformed from LZJSF. However, FLZJSF samples (8 h and longer time) mainly contained phenolic acids and indicated weak activities. Thus, LZJSF was found to result in increased antioxidant activity and could be commercially utilized as a novel functional food.

Forsythiaside prevents ß-amyloid-induced hippocampal slice injury by upregulating 2-arachidonoylglycerol via cannabinoid receptor 1-dependent NF-κB pathway.

In the study, the neuroprotectivities of forsythiaside, a main constituent of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl (F. suspensa, Lianqiao in Chinese), were investigated in the hippocampal slices. Forsythiaside suppressed the overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) proteins induced by ß-amyloid (Aß25-35) to upregulate the levels of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), an endogenous endocannabinoids. Then the inhibition of forsythiaside on COX-2 was deeply studied by the molecular docking. Forsythiaside prevented neuroinflammation and apoptosis from Aß25-35 insults, and this action appeared to be mediated via cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R)-dependent nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways. More importantly, forsythiaside functionally improved Aß25-35-induced learning and memory deficits, which was indicated by long term potentiation (LTP). Taken together, forsythiaside may have therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's diseases (AD) by increasing the levels of 2-AG.

Different effects of Forsythia suspensa metabolites on bovine serum albumin (BSA).

Forsythia suspensa metabolites have many bioactivities, such as selective immuno suppression, antioxidation, anti-hepatic injury, etc. In the present study, the interactions of the three metabolites with BSA have been investigated in a buffer (pH 7.40) using multi-spectroscopic techniques in combination with molecular docking methods. Two isoformers, forsythoside A and forsythoside I can statically quench BSA intrinsic fluorescence by forming the complexes with BSA at stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 that is again proved by UV-visible absorption. During the binding, the proportion of α-helix in BSA increases, the microenvironment around Tryptophan 213 changes and FRET is one of the major factors to quench fluorescence. Forsythoside E forms BSA-forsythoside E complex (1:1) and thus enhances the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA. During the process, forsythoside E affects not only Tryptophan residues but also Tyrosine residues so that the conformation of BSA is consequently changed. All above binding processes are spontaneous mainly through hydrogen bonding and the hydrophobic force interaction, which is supported by docking analysis and thermodynamic parameters. In addition, three compounds do not induce BSA aggregation. These findings are beneficial to understand the detailed information of the interactions of Forsythia suspensa metabolites with BSA.

Determination of five neurotransmitters in the rat brain for the study of the hypnotic effects of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen aqueous extract on insomnia rat model by UPLC-MS/MS.

Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS) has been used for treatment of insomnia in China for centuries. To reveal the influence of insomnia on the levels of the neurotransmitters including serotonin (5-HT), glutamic acid (Glu), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), noradrenaline (NE) and dopamine (DA), and to study the role of ZSS aqueous extract in the treatment of insomnia, an UPLC-ESI- MS/MS method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of five neurotransmitters in the rat brain. The brain samples were pretreated by one-step direct protein precipitation with acetonitrile. The analytes were detected in positive mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and the procedure was completed in less than 10 min. The method showed a good linearity (R2 > 0.9967) with the other validation parameters were within acceptance range. The results indicated that the concentration of 5-HT, GABA and DA is significantly lower (P < 0.01) in para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-induced insomnia rat model group, while Glu and NE significantly higher than those in control group (P < 0.01). Treatment with ZSS aqueous extract (4 or 8 g·kg-1·d-1 for seven days) could ameliorate the symptoms of insomnia by significantly changing the levels of the neurotransmitter parameters mentioned above. The data obtained in this study demonstrate that ZSS aqueous extract could ameliorate the symptoms of insomnia by modulating the levels of monoamines and amino acid neurotransmitters in the brain.