Total extract of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive interstitial lung disease with poor prognosis. Anemarrhenae Rhizoma is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine and has been applied in clinical practice for a long history. Recently, components of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma were reported to possess anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory features; however, the effect of them on pulmonary fibrosis remains unknown. In this study, we explored the therapeutic effect of total extract of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma (TEAR) on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis rat model was established by a single intratracheal instillation of bleomycin, three doses of TEAR were intragastrically administered for consecutive 28 days. Subsequent to sacrificing of rats, pulmonary fibrosis was observed in rats treated with bleomycin, but administration of TEAR attenuated lung fibrosis, as evidenced by the improved lung histopathological damage and decreased weight loss and lung index. Moreover, TEAR treatment inhibited the inflammatory response in lung fibrosis, which was shown by the reduced nitrogen oxide level and myeloperoxidase activity. Furthermore, TEAR modulated the redox balance in lung tissue by alleviated lipid peroxidation and enhanced enzymatic antioxidants activity. Meanwhile, TEAR protected the rats from fibrosis in a dose-dependent manner, and the anti-fibrotic activity of TEAR may be related to the modulation of TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway. Collectively, TEAR alleviates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, indicating perspectives for development of a potential agent for lung fibrosis therapy.

[The extraction technology of epigoitri from isatidis radix by supercritical CO2 fluid].

OBJECTIVE: To study the extraction technology of epigoitri from Isatidis Radix by supercritical CO2 fluid. METHODS: The effects of pressure, temperature, time, concentration and dosage of alcohol were studied by single factor analysis and orthogonal test. RESULTS: The optimized conditions were as follows: The pressure was 20 MPs, the temperature was 50 degrees C, the time was 2 h, concentration of alcohol was 100%, dosage was 80 mL. The content of epigoitri in the extract could reach 38.63% under the above conditions. CONCLUSION: This method is simple, rapid and it is suitable for the extraction of epigoitri from Isatidis Radix.

Molecular networking uncovers steroidal saponins of Paris tengchongensis.

Based on a method combining the LC-MS/MS molecular networking strategy with the conventional means of phytochemical research, the chemical constituents and the availability of Paris tengchongensis, a new species found in 2017 from Yunnan Province, were investigated for the first time. The molecular networking showed that this species contained the characteristic steroidal glycosides of the genus Paris by comparison of those of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis. Furthermore, the detailed investigation on the 80% EtOH extract of its rhizomes resulted to the isolation of twenty steroidal glycosides including three new spirostane-type saponins, named paristengosides A-C (1-3). Their structures were confirmed by spectroscopic analyses (HRMS and NMR) and chemical methods. The new isolates were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against two human cancer cell lines (HEL and MDA-MB-231), anti-inflammatory effects on a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated NO production model in RAW264.7 macrophages, anti-AChE, and antimicrobial activities. The results from the molecular networking and the investigation on the chemical constituents suggested that P. tengchongensis can be used as a potential resource of Rhizoma Paridis.

Comparison of α-glucosidase inhibitory effect and bioactive constituents of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma and Fibrous Roots.

Comprehensive utilization of medicinal plant resources is of great significance for sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicines. In the present study, the α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the rhizome and fibrous root of Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Bunge, were compared detailedly, and a high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-QQQ/MS) method was developed for simultaneous quantification of seven bioactive constituents including neomangiferin, mangiferin, isomangiferin, timosaponin BII, timosaponin B, timosaponin AIII, and timosaponin N in 40 batches of samples. The results demonstrated that fibrous root extracts had more potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity than rhizome extracts. Mangiferin and isomangiferin were abundant in fibrous root, while the analyzed saponins were rich in rhizome. Based on the chemometrics methods including principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and partial least square (PLS), mangiferin and isomangiferin might be mainly responsible for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of the genus. These findings indicate that the established HPLC-QQQ/MS method was proven to be useful and efficient for quality control of Anemarrhena materials, and fibrous root had the potential to be utilized as anti-diabetic medicinal resource.