[Effective components and signaling pathways of Epimedium brevicornumbased on network pharmacology].

The aim of this paper was to find out the active components of Epimedium brevicornum using network pharmacology, and find the potential targets and mechanisms. The TCMSP database was used to screen the active ingredients, and TTD and DrugBank databases were used to predict the potential targets with the literature mining. The pathway annotation was used to enrich and analyze the active ingredients and potential targets of E. brevicornum. The results showed that E. brevicornum had34 potential target active ingredients, including 21 flavones components, such as icariin, epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, Yinyanghuo A, Yinyanghuo C and so on, 2 lignans involved in (+)-cycloolivil and olivil, 3 sterols consisting of sitosterol, 24-epicampesterol and poriferast-5-en-3beta-ol. The main predicted targets included Ptgs2, NCOA6, RANK, OPG, WNT9B, PTH1R, BMPs, SMAD4A and so on. There were 88 signaling pathways involved in 10 signaling pathways which was related to inflammation, such as NF-kappa B signaling pathway, T cell receptor signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway and 10 pathways which was related to cancer included breast cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer and so on, and estrogen related signaling pathways included estrogen signaling pathway. This laid the foundation for the discovery of the active components of Epimedium and the study on its mechanism of action.

Optimisation of hypocrellin production in Shiraia-like fungi via genetic modification involving a transcription factor gene and a putative monooxygenase gene.

Shiraia-like fungi, which are rare parasitic fungi found around bamboo, play an important role in traditional medicine. Their main active component, hypocrellin, is widely used in medicine, food, and cosmetics. By comparing strains with different hypocrellin yields, we identified a transcription factor (SbTF) in the hypocrellin biosynthesis pathway. SbTF from high-yielding zzz816 and low-yielding CNUCC C72 differed in its protein structure. Subsequently, SbTF from high-yielding zzz816 was overexpressed in several strains. This stabilised the yield in zzz816 and significantly increased the yield in low-yielding CNUCC C72. Comparing downstream non-essential genes between wild type and SbTF-overexpressing CNUCC C72 showed that SbMNF was significantly up-regulated. Therefore, it was selected for further study. SbMNF overexpression increased the hypocrellin yield in low-yielding CNUCC C72 and altered the composition of compounds in high-yielding CNUCC 1353PR and zzz816. This involved an increased elsinochrome C yield in CNUCC 1353PR and an increased hypocrellin B yield in zzz816 (by 2 and 70.3 times that in the corresponding wild type, respectively). This study is the first to alter hypocrellin synthesis to alter the levels of one bioactive agent compared to another. The results provide new insights regarding genetic modification and will help to optimise fungal fermentation.

[Study on dynamic changes and stability of effective components of Arnerbia euchroma].

OBJECTIVE: By studying on the factors influencing the dynamic changes of shikonin and its derivant,to interpret the great loss of these components in concentrating process of percolate of Arnerbia euchroma. METHODS: By sampling dynamically,and using HPLC for detection, dynamic changes of 5 components of shikonin and its derivant and relative factors were investigated during concentrating process at 50 degrees C, and influence of three key factors including temperature,pH and ethanol content on these components' stability were further investigated through single factor and multiple factors tests. RESULTS: The content of 5 major components lost greatly during concentrating process, with volume and ethanol content decrease continually and pH from 5.56 to 4.5. Single factor and multiple factors tests about three key factors including temperature, pH and ethanol content indicated that these 5 components remained stable for 6 hours under condition of 40-60 degrees C, pH 3-7 and ethanol content 35%-70%. However,these components will precipitatie when the ethanol content of percolate became very low, which led to much lower content results and "loss phenomenon" of shikonin and its derivant. CONCLUSION: The true causes for "great loss" of shikonin and its derivant during concentrating process do not lie in their chemical transformation due to poor stability, but lie in continual precipitation of these liposoluble components during concentrating process, which leads to content decrease significantly.