[Determination of thiram, propineb and metiram in mushroom by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a method for determination of thiram, propineb and metiram in mushroom samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). METHODS: Insoluble heavy metal salts were converted into water-soluble sodium salts by alkaline buffer with strong chelating agents. Dithiocarbamates can be converted into different methyl ester compounds with ion pair methylation. The GC separation was performed on a DB-5 MS capillary column(30 m×0. 25 mm, 0. 25 µm). The pesticides were detected by GC-MS with selective ion monitoring(SIM) and quantified by external standard of working curve method. Methodsological verification was carried out based on optimized sample pretreatment and GC-MS condition. RESULTS: The concentrations of dithiocarbamates exhibited a good linear relationship with GC-MS within a certain range. The limits of detection of thiram, propineb and metiram were 0. 01, 0. 05 and 0. 05 mg/kg, respectively. Furthermore, the average recoveries were from 76. 98% to 93. 52%, and the maximum relative standard deviation was 11. 54%(n=6). CONCLUSION: This method is simple, sensitive, accurate and reliable. All the indices meet the requirements of pesticide residue detection.

Total glucosides of peony improve ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma by inhibiting mast cell degranulation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (peony) is a medicinal plant used in the Xiaoqinglong decoction, a commonly prescribed traditional Chinese medicine for asthma. The main active ingredients of peony roots-described as the total glucosides of peony (TGP)-have anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and protective effects on endothelial cells, and they are known to improve rheumatoid arthritis. This study explored the underlying mechanism of TGP activity in the treatment of allergic asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Allergic asthma was induced in BALB/c mice by administering injections of ovalbumin (OVA) mixed with aluminum hydroxide gel and inhaling nebulized OVA. The OVA-sensitized mice were treated with TGP by oral gavage, and the potentially anti-asthmatic treatment effect was studied by testing airway hyperresponsiveness, classifying and counting of leukocytes, performing cytokine assays, and analyzing the lung histopathology. The ß-hexosaminidase activity was assayed as a biomarker to evaluate the effect of TGP on mast cell degranulation. The mechanism of TGP was explored by monitoring the Ca2+ influx level in mast cells (RBL-2H3) using a Ca2+ fluorescent probe technique. RESULTS: In mice with OVA-induced allergic asthma, TGP reduced airway hyperresponsiveness and improved lung tissue pathology, which included a decrease in inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen deposition. TGP also significantly lowered BALF leukocyte, eosinophil, and neutrophil counts, along with chemokines and cytokines, such as eotaxin, TNF-α, IL-4, and MIP-1α, in serum and lungs of OVA-challenged mice. These effects were further confirmed with the decrease of ß-hexosaminidase release and the inhibition of Ca2+ influx in mast cell degranulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that TGP improved OVA-induced allergic asthma in mice mainly by suppressing Ca2+ influx-dependent mast cell degranulation.

Integration of Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Reveals the Therapeutic Mechanism Underlying Paeoniflorin for the Treatment of Allergic Asthma.

Objectives: Asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease, which is characterized by airway remodeling, hyperreactivity and shortness of breath. Paeoniflorin is one of the major active ingredients in Chinese peony, which exerts anti-inflammatory and immune-regulatory effects in multiple diseases. However, it remains unclear whether paeoniflorin treatment can suppress allergic asthma. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the effect of paeoniflorin on lung function and airway inflammation in asthmatic mice. These asthmatic Balb/c mice were first sensitized and constructed through ovalbumin (OVA) motivation. Subsequently, we determined the mechanism of action of paeoniflorin in treating allergic asthma through integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic data sets. Results: Our results demonstrated that many genes and metabolites were regulated in the paeoniflorin-treated mice. Moreover, the potential target proteins of paeoniflorin played important roles in fatty acid metabolism, inflammatory response, oxidative stress and local adhesion. Conclusion: Paeoniflorin has a beneficial effect on asthma, which may be achieved through regulating fatty acid metabolism, inflammatory response and the adhesion pathway at system level.

Anti-hypertensive effects of laiju extract in two different rat models.

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether laiju extract (LJE) from Semen Raphani and Flos Chrysanthemi has an anti-hypertensive effect in renal hypertensive rat (RHR) and spontaneous hypertensive rat (SHR). LJE was prepared by extracting dried Semen Raphani and Flos Chrysanthemi with 70% ethanol. RHR and SHR models were prepared by standard methods. Forty RHRs and 40 SHRs were randomly divided into high LJE (300 mg/kg), moderate LJE (200 mg/kg), low LJE (100 mg/kg) and saline control four groups (n=10), respectively. Compared with saline control, blood pressure was significantly lowered at 6 and 5 hours in high and moderate LJE respectively in both RHR and SHR groups. However, blood pressure was significantly lowered at 2 and 3 hours in low LJE in both RHR and SHR groups, respectively. Compared with saline control, blood pressure remained significantly lower in SHR in all dosage groups with a single daily dose for 28 days of study. LJE has potential in the prevention management of hypertension. Further studies are needed to identify the active chemical constituents and mechanisms of action of LJE.