LC-MS Analysis of Ginsenosides in Different Parts of Panax quinquefolius and Their Potential for Coronary Disease Improvement.

Seven main ginsenosides, including ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb1, pseudoginsenoside F11, ginsenoside Rb2, ginsenoside Rb3, ginsenoside Rd, and ginsenoside F2, were identified by LC-QTOF MS/MS from root, leaf and flower extracts of Panax quinquefolius. These extracts promoted intersegmental vessel growth in a zebrafish model, indicating their potential cardiovascular health benefits. Network pharmacology analysis was then conducted to reveal the potential mechanisms of ginsenoside activity in the treatment of coronary artery disease. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses elucidated that G protein-coupled receptors played a critical role in VEGF-mediated signal transduction and that the molecular pathways associated with ginsenoside activity are involved in neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, cholesterol metabolism, the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, etc. Moreover, VEGF, FGF2, and STAT3 were confirmed as the major targets inducing proliferation of endothelial cells and driving the pro-angiogenic process. Overall, ginsenosides could be potent nutraceutical agents that act to reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease. Our findings will provide a basis to utilize the whole P. quinquefolius plant in drugs and functional foods.

Preparation and characterization of young Prunus persica fruit fraction and its anti-inflammatory effect on a transgenic zebrafish model.

Young Prunus persica fruits (YPF) contain substances that are distinct from those found in the mature fruits. Response surface methodology was used to explore the influences of extraction conditions including ultrasonic time (X1), ethanol proportion (X2), liquid-to-solid ratio (X3) and temperature (X4) on UV-absorbing components from YPF. To purify the extract, the adsorption/desorption properties of 280 nm-absorbing components on AB-8 resin were investigated. A total of 11 metabolites (amino acids, glycosylated amino acids and phenolics) were identified in the UV-absorbing fraction of YPF (YPF-F) based on LC-MS/MS assays. In a study of in vivo anti-inflammatory activity, YPF-F significantly decreased the number of inflammatory cells that migrated to the lateral line location in CuSO4-induced transgenic fluorescent zebrafish. YPF should be utilized as a high value resource of functional foods.[Formula: see text].

New Prenylated Indole Homodimeric and Pteridine Alkaloids from the Marine-Derived Fungus Aspergillus austroafricanus Y32-2.

Chemical investigation of secondary metabolites from the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus austroafricanus Y32-2 resulted in the isolation of two new prenylated indole alkaloid homodimers, di-6-hydroxydeoxybrevianamide E (1) and dinotoamide J (2), one new pteridine alkaloid asperpteridinate A (3), with eleven known compounds (4-14). Their structures were elucidated by various spectroscopic methods including HRESIMS and NMR, while their absolute configurations were determined by ECD calculations. Each compound was evaluated for pro-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory effects in zebrafish models and cytotoxicity for HepG2 human liver carcinoma cells. As a result, compounds 2, 4, 5, 7, 10 exhibited pro-angiogenic activity in a PTK787-induced vascular injury zebrafish model in a dose-dependent manner, compounds 7, 8, 10, 11 displayed anti-inflammatory activity in a CuSO4-induced zebrafish inflammation model, and compound 6 showed significant cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells with an IC50 value of 30 µg/mL.

Lipid Fingerprinting of Different Material Sources by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS Approach and Their Zebrafish-Based Activities Comparison.

Lipids are considered to be critical contributors to nutrition, structural function, metabolic function, and other biological roles. They vary from one biological source to another. Here, the lipids from three common sources (soybean, egg yolk, and shrimp head) were comprehensively compared and characterized using the lipidomics approach, together with the UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS method. A total of 3027 lipid structures containing 778 fatty acids, 750 glycerolipids, 1283 glycerophospholipids, 200 sphingolipids, and 16 sterol lipids were first identified and quantified in these resources. The characteristic lipid species with significant differences among groups were determined by lipidomics analysis. Besides, the antithrombotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated based on the zebrafish model. The correlation between differential lipids and activities was also analyzed. Our comprehensive lipidomics profiling and bioactivities of lipids from different sources in vivo can provide evidence for their future applications.

Two Novel Multi-Functional Peptides from Meat and Visceral Mass of Marine Snail Neptunea arthritica cumingii and Their Activities In Vitro and In Vivo.

Neptunea arthritica cumingii (Nac) is a marine snail with high nutritional and commercial value; however, little is known about its active peptides. In this study, two multi-functional peptides, YSQLENEFDR (Tyr-Ser-Gln-Leu-Glu-Asn-Glu-Phe-Asp-Arg) and YIAEDAER (Tyr-Ile-Ala-Glu-Asp-Ala-Glu-Arg), were isolated and purified from meat and visceral mass extracts of Nac using a multi-bioassay-guided method and were characterized by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Both peptides showed high antioxidant, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory, and anti-diabetic activities, with half-maximal effective concentrations values less than 1 mM. Antioxidant and ACE-inhibitory activities were significantly higher for YSQLENEFDR than for YIAEDAER. In a zebrafish model, the two peptides exhibited strong scavenging ability for reactive oxygen species and effectively protected skin cells against oxidative damage without toxicity. Molecular docking simulation further predicted the interactions of the two peptides and ACE. Stability analysis study indicated that the two synthetic peptides maintained their activities under thermal stress and simulated gastrointestinal digestion conditions. The low molecular weight, high proportion of hydrophobic and negatively-charged amino acids, and specific C-terminal and N-terminal amino acids may contribute to the observed bio-activities of these two peptides with potential application for the prevention of chronic noncommunicable diseases.

Targeted lipidomics profiling of marine phospholipids from different resources by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS approach.

Marine phospholipids (MPLs) are valuable components that can be applied within diverse areas like nutrition, pharmacy, and medicine as well as basic scientific research, particularly due to their high concentration of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. In this work, lipidomics approach by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS was used for the identification, quantification, comparison, and characterization of phospholipids (PLs) from three different marine resources (shrimp head, codfish roe, and squid gonad). In total, 310 PL molecular species containing 34 different structures of fatty acid chains were identified simultaneously by Lipidsearch software. Significant differences between three groups in the PL classes, compositions and contents were revealed. A list of characteristic PL species that represent significant differences among groups was determined by lipidomics analysis. Until now, the information about the deep comprehensive description of PL from marine sources is limited. Thus, this study will give a very potential starting point to develop MPL products and establish the quality standards for different marine raw materials.

Oxidative stress-mediated developmental toxicity induced by isoniazide in zebrafish embryos and larvae.

Isoniazide (INH) is an important first-line drug that is used to treat tuberculosis. However, the effect of INH on fetal growth has not yet been elucidated, and the mechanism of INH-induced developmental toxicity is still unknown. In the present study, we employed zebrafish embryos and larvae to investigate the developmental toxicity of INH. The survival rates of the embryos and larvae as well as the hatching rates of embryos were significantly reduced. Morphological abnormalities, including spinal curvature, yolk retention, swimming bladder absence, tail bending and shorter body lengths were induced by INH. Histopathological analysis showed loose cell-to-cell contacts and large vacuoles in the larval hepatocytes. Thin intestinal walls, frayed gut villi and widespread cell lysis were observed in the intestines of the larvae in the higher concentration (8, 16 mm) exposure groups. In addition, exposure to high doses (≥ 6 mm) of INH significantly reduced the locomotor capacity of the zebrafish larvae. INH significantly increased the levels of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde and decreased the superoxide dismutase activity in zebrafish larvae, which suggested that oxidative stress was induced and that the antioxidant capacity was inhibited. Superoxide dismutase 1 and liver fatty acid-binding protein mRNA levels were significantly downregulated, while the GSTP2 and cytochrome P450 3A mRNA levels were significantly upregulated in the INH-exposed zebrafish larvae. The overall results indicated that INH caused a dose- and time-dependent increase in developmental toxicity and that oxidative stress played an important role in the developmental toxicity induced by INH in zebrafish larvae. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Toxicity induced by emodin on zebrafish embryos.

Emodin, a widely available herbal remedy, has a variety of pharmacological actions and valuable clinical applications. The potential effect of emodin on zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos was evaluated. Zebrafish embryos were incubated with 0.1-2 µg/mL of emodin from 7 hours to 6 days postfertilization (dpf). Emodin, at concentrations of 0.25 µg/mL and above, negatively affected embryo survival and hatching success. Emodin induced a large suite of abnormalities on zebrafish embryos, such as edema, crooked trunk, and abnormal morphogenesis. To elucidate the mechanism of action, the transcript levels of drug-metabolism genes (CYP3A) and a multiple drug-resistance gene (MDR1) were detected by reverse-transcript polymerase chain reaction. Embryos showed increases in mRNA accumulation of CYP3A and MDR1. The above-described results indicated that emodin impaired zebrafish embryo development and some organ morphogenesis, and CYP3A and MDR1 were involved in the process. These findings suggest that emodin was toxic to zebrafish lavae at relatively low concentrations.

NaI-catalyzed highly regioselective ring-opening [1 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of cyclopropenes with imines: highly stereoselective synthesis of cis-vinylic aziridines.

cis-Vinylic aziridines were prepared highly stereoselectively via a NaI-catalyzed regioselective ring-opening [1 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of cyclopropenes with imines.

Control of regioselectivity in Pd(0)-catalyzed coupling-cyclization reaction of 2-(2',3'-allenyl)malonates with organic halides.

The regioselectivity in the Pd(0)-catalyzed coupling-cyclization of 2-(2',3'-allenyl)malonates with organic halides is determined by the steric and electronic effects of both substrates. By deliberate control of the reaction conditions, the regioselectivity of this reaction can be tuned. With conditions A and B, the reaction afforded vinylic cyclopropane derivatives, while with conditions C and D, the reaction afforded cyclopentene derivatives in a highly selective manner. Under similar conditions, 1-alkenyl halides tend to form more three-membered cyclic products. The increased steric hindrance at the 2'-position of the allene moiety and aryl halides favors the formation of five-membered cyclic products. The regioselectivity of the reaction may be explained by the comparison of the relative stabilities of syn- and anti-type pi-allyl palladium intermediates.