Chloroplast Genomes and Phylogenetic Analysis of Three Carthamus (Asteraceae) Species.

The genus Carthamus Linnaeus, which belongs to the tribe Cardueae in the Asteraceae family, originated in the Mediterranean region and consists of approximately 20 species worldwide. Understanding the phylogeny of the Carthamus is crucial for the cultivation of C. tinctorius. Although chloroplast genomes are widely used for species identification and evolutionary studies, there have been limited investigations on the chloroplast genomes of Carthamus species. In this study, we assembled the chloroplast genomes of C. persicus, C. tinctorius × C. persicus, and C. lanatus and combined them with the five chloroplast genomes of C. tinctorius for comparative genomic analysis. The sizes of the chloroplast genomes of C. lanatus, C. persicus, and C. tinctorius × C. persicus were 152,602 bp, 153,177 bp, and 153,177 bp, respectively. Comparative analysis showed that the chloroplast genome structures of the four Carthamus species were highly conserved. Additionally, the phylogenomic analysis demonstrated that the plastid genome and angiosperms353 dataset significantly improved the phylogenetic support of Carthamus species. This analysis supported Carthamus as a monophyletic taxon and its internal division into the sect. Carthamus and sect. Atractylis. The Carthamus was closely related to Carduncellus, Femeniasia, Phonus, and Centaurea. In conclusion, this study not only expands our understanding of the cp genomes of Carthamus species but also provides support for more comprehensive phylogenetic studies of Carthamus.

[Nature-effect relationship research of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos based on nature combination].

Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos are commonly traditional Chinese medicines with invigorating blood circulation and eliminating blood stasis,but they are different in effects due to differences in five tastes and four properties. In this study,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos are selected as research vectors to obtain the active ingredients and targets through TCMD,TCMSP database and Ch EMBL database. The protein interaction information of the target is used to obtain from STRING online database,then imported into Cytoscape software to plot the protein interaction network and perform GO enrichment analysis.The results show that the heart-liver protein interaction network,involving blood circulation and hepatic lipid metabolism,thereby exerting the effect of activating blood circulation. The cold-bitter protein interaction network involves the biological process of vasoconstriction,thereby exerting cooling blood and the efficacy of eliminating phlegm. The warm-pungent protein interaction network involves blood coagulation,lipid metabolism and other biological processes to play the role of phlegm pain. Through analysis,it is found that the relationship between pharmacological efficacy and medicinal properties has a certain degree of specificity,which facilitates the subsequent scientific and systematic study of medicinal properties on the basis of this study.

Cardioprotective Effect of Hydroxysafflor Yellow A via the Cardiac Permeability Transition Pore.

Myocardial ischemia damages cardiac myocytes in part via opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. Preventing this pore's opening is therefore a useful therapeutic goal in treating cardiovascular disease. Hydroxysafflor yellow A has been proposed as a nontoxic alternative to other agents that modulate mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening. In this study, we proposed that hydroxysafflor yellow A prevents mitochondrial permeability transition pore formation in anoxic cardiac myocytes, and thus protects the cell from damage seen during reoxygenation of the cardiac myocytes. Experiments with hydroxysafflor yellow A transport in aerobic myocytes show that roughly 50% of the extracellular dye concentration crosses the cell membrane in a 2-h incubation. In our anoxia/reoxygenation protocol, hydroxysafflor yellow A modulated both the reduction of viability and the loss of rod-shaped cells that attend anoxia and reoxygenation. Hydroxysafflor yellow A's protective effect was similar to that of cyclosporin A, an agent known to inhibit mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening. In additional experiments, plated myocytes were loaded with calcein/MitoTracker Red, then examined for intracellular dye distribution/morphology after anoxia/reoxygenation. Hydroxysafflor yellow A-containing cells showed a cardioprotective pattern similar to that of cyclosporin A (an agent known to close the mitochondrial permeability transition pore). We conclude that hydroxysafflor yellow A can enter the cardiac myocyte and is able to modulate anoxia/reoxygenation-induced damage by interacting with the mitochondrial permeability transition pore.

Seed Polyphenolic Profile, Antioxidative Activity, and Fatty Acids Composition of Wild and Cultivated Carthamus Species.

Total flavonoid content (TFC) and cyanidin-3-glucoside (Cyd-3-glu) of seed and seed coat extract of 16 genotypes from five species of Carthamus were studied, and their major polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of the seed coat extracts were determined using HPLC analysis and DPPH assay, respectively. Additionally, fatty acids composition of the seed oil was analyzed by GC. In general, TFC and Cyd-3-glu content of seed coat extracts were higher than those of seed extracts. A novel breeding line with black seed coat (named A82) depicted lower TFC (3.79 mg QUE/g DW) but higher Cyd-3-glu (24.64 mg/g DW) compared to the white and other seed-pigmented genotypes. DPPH radical scavenging activity showed a strong association with Cyd-3-glu content (r = 0.84), but no correlation with TFC (r = -0.32). HPLC analysis of seed coat extracts revealed that four compounds were dominant constituents including rutin (7.23 - 117.95 mg/100 g DW), apigenin (4.37 - 64.88 mg/100 g DW), quercetin (3.09 - 14.10 mg/100 g DW), and ferulic acid (4.49 - 30.41 mg/100 g DW). Interestingly, the genotype A82 with an appropriate polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids index (5.46%) and a moderate linoleic fatty acid content (64.70%) had higher nutritional and pharmaceutical value than all the other genotypes.

[Data mining analysis of regularity of formulas containing Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Carthami Flos medicin pair in Dictionary of Chinese Medicine Prescription].

In this study, formulas containing Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Carthami Flos in the database of Dictionary of Chinese Medicine Prescription (DCMP) were extracted by using traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system (TCMISS). The drugs pairs and formula composition rules were analyzed with data mining methods, such as association rules, improved mutual information method and complex system entropy clustering. Totally 39 formulas were included in this study and involved 280 Chinese medicines. The top 5 Chinese medicines most frequently used were Danggui (Angelica sinensis), Chuanxiong (Ligusticum chuanxiong), Xiangfu (Cyperi Rhizoma), Baishao(Radix Paeoniae Alba), Taoren(Prunus persica) and Shengdihuang (Radix Rehmanniae Recens). Six core medicinal pairs were obtained through clustering analysis, namely Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma)-Xiangfu (Cyperi Rhizoma)-Honghua (Carthami Flos), Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma)-Baishao (Radix Paeoniae Alba)-Honghua (Carthami Flos), Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma)-Danggui (A. sinensis)-Xiagnfu (Cyperi Rhizoma)-Honghua (Carthami Flos), Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma)-Danggui (A. sinensis)-Baishao (Radix Paeoniae Alba)-Honghua (Carthami Flos), Honghua (Carthami Flos)-Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma)-Baishao (Radix Paeoniae Alba)-Danggui (A. sinensis), Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma)-Baishao (Radix Paeoniae Alba)-Honghua (Carthami Flos)-Danggui (A. sinensis). The support degree was set at 11 (38.46%), with a confidence coefficient of 80%, and then 38 associated pairs were screened. These results suggested that Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Carthami Flos is often combined with herbs for activating blood and promoting circulation of qi to treat gynecopathy, stasis blood pain syndrome, stroke and other syndromes.

Gulypyrones A and B and Phomentrioloxins B and C Produced by Diaporthe gulyae, a Potential Mycoherbicide for Saffron Thistle (Carthamus lanatus).

A virulent strain of Diaporthe gulyae, isolated from stem cankers of sunflower and known to be pathogenic to saffron thistle, has been shown to produce both known and previously undescribed metabolites when grown in either static liquid culture or a bioreactor. Together with phomentrioloxin, a phytotoxic geranylcyclohexenetriol recently isolated from a strain of Phomopsis sp., two new phytotoxic trisubstituted α-pyrones, named gulypyrones A and B (1 and 2), and two new 1,O- and 2,O-dehydro derivatives of phomentrioloxin, named phomentrioloxins B and C (3 and 4), were isolated from the liquid culture filtrates of D. gulyae. These four metabolites were characterized as 6-[(2S)2-hydroxy-1-methylpropyl]-4-methoxy-5-methylpyran-2-one (1), 6-[(1E)-3-hydroxy-1-methylpropenyl]-4-methoxy-3-methylpyran-2-one (2), 4,6-dihydroxy-5-methoxy-2-(7-methyl-3-methyleneoct-6-en-1-ynyl)cyclohex-2-enone (3), and 2,5-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-3-(7-methyl-3-methyleneoct-6-en-1-ynyl)cyclohex-3-enone (4) using spectroscopic and chemical methods. The absolute configuration of the hydroxylated secondary carbon of the 2-hydroxy-1-methylpropyl side chain at C-6 of gulypyrone A was determined as S by applying a modified Mosher's method. Other well-known metabolites were also isolated including 3-nitropropionic, succinic, and p-hydroxy- and p-methylbenzoic acids, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and nectriapyrone. When assayed using a 5 mM concentration on punctured leaf disks of weedy and crop plants, apart from 3-nitropropionic acid (the main metabolite responsible for the strong phytotoxicity of the culture filtrate), phomentrioloxin B caused small, but clear, necrotic spots on a number of plant species, whereas gulypyrone A caused leaf necrosis on Helianthus annuus plantlets. All other compounds were weakly active or inactive.

Carthamus, Salvia and Stachys species protect neuronal cells against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.

CONTEXT: Finding effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases is of utmost importance for the aging population. Plants growing in Iran are rich sources of antioxidants and active phytochemicals. OBJECTIVE: The protective capacity of plants, with a special focus on those with reported antioxidant or neuroprotective potential or nervous system-related applications in folk medicine, was tested against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aerial parts of 20 plants including Carthamus, Salvia, and Stachys species were extracted with 80% methanol and dichloromethane and preincubated with neuronal PC12 cells for 3 h. Oxidative stress and apoptosis were induced by hydrogen peroxide (75 µM, 1 h exposure). Cell viability and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by MTT and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate (DCFH-DA) assays, respectively, while apoptosis was determined by annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide staining by a flow cytometer. RESULTS: Eighty percent methanol extracts of Carthamus oxyacantha Bieb. (Asteraceae), Salvia santolinifolia Boiss. (Lamiaceae), and Salvia sclarea L. (Lamiaceae) at the concentration of 100 µg/ml showed significant neuroprotection in the MTT assay by 38.7, 34.7, and 39.5%, respectively, and inhibited intracellular ROS by 48.6, 61.9, and 61.4%, respectively. The first two extracts also significantly inhibited apoptosis. Dichloromethane extracts of C. oxyacantha and Stachys pilifera Benth. (Lamiaceae) at the concentration of 25 µg/ml showed neuroprotection by 27.5 and 26.5%, respectively, and inhibited ROS by 44.5 and 39.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The above-mentioned plants seem to have important biological activities and their further study may lead to the discovery of new natural therapeutics useful against disorders such as Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases.

Effect of honghua (Flos Carthami) on nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 cells and alpha-glucosidase activity.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of extracts from Honghua (Flos Carthami) on lipopolysaccharide induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells and the influence of the extracts on yeast a-glucosidase activity. The total flavonoid content of the extracts was also determined. METHODS: Cytotoxicity of the extracts to RAW 264.7 cells was evaluated by the ATPlite method. Inhibitory effects of the extracts on NO production were evaluated by Griess assay. Curcumin was used as a positive control. Screening of extracts for potential a-glucosidase inhibitors was done by a fluorometric assay. The assay was based on the hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl-a-D-glucopyranoside to form the fluorescent product, 4-methylumbelliferone. Acarbose was used as a positive control. The total flavonoid content was tested using kaempferol as the standard. RESULTS: There were significant inhibitory effects on NO production when the extracts were 25-100 microg/ mL (P < 0.05) and curcumin was 2-4 microg/mL (P < 0.001). The extracts showed an inhibitory effect on alpha-glucosidase activity at the concentrations of 15.6-125 microg/mL with a half maximal (50%) inhibitory concentration (IC50) of (32.8 +/- 5.7) microg/mL, compared with the IC50 of acarbose at (1.8 +/- 0.4) microg/mL. There was a significant difference between the two IC50 values (P < 0.001). The total content of flavonoids per gram of dried herb was 1.14 mg. CONCLUSION: Honghua (Flos Carthami) showed inhibitory effects on NO production in activated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and an inhibitory effect on yeast alpha-glucosidase. There might be a relationship between these pharmacological effects and its flavonoid content.

[Analysis on composition regularity of carthami flos-containing traditional Chinese medicines].

To analyze the composition regularity of Carthami Flos-containing prescriptions of the Drug Standards of Ministry of Health of People's Republic of China-Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparations (the ministerial standards for Traditional Chinese Medicine) based on the traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system (TCMISS, RZDZ No. 0389952). Efforts were made to identify 331 prescriptions containing Carthami Flos and summarize 16 attending functions and 10 commonly used drug combinations. Three commonly used drug combinations were selected for an in-depth analysis on Carthami Flos's combined administration regularity. Based on Carthami Flos's attending functions, its effects in paralysis, traumatic injuries and dysmenorrheal were compared to analyze Carthami Flos's core drug combinations for treating different diseases. The regularity of clinical administration and the characteristics of commonly used drug combinations were summarized to provide reference for Carthami Flos's clinical application and new ideas for new drug R&D. Carthami Flos prescriptions was mainly used to treat blood stasis and pain and mostly combined with drugs that could activate blood, promote the circulation of qi and dispel pathogenic wind to treat Qi-stagnation and blood stasis caused by various pathogenic factors such as wind, cold and dampness.

[Study of screening nephroprotective bioactive substances based on triple-color fluorescence probes in Carthami flos].

In this study, an approach based on triple-color fluorescence probes was developed for screening potential nephro-protective bioactive substances. Three fluorescent probes (i. e. FDA, MTR and Hoechst 33342) were used to label HK-2 cells injured by doxorubicin hydrochloride, and cellular fluorescence images were subsequently acquired and analyzed by a cellular-fluorescence image microscopy platform. The established method was applied to screening 53 components of Carthami Flos, and three components C17, C18 and C19 were found to exhibit nephroprotective effects against doxorubicin hydrochloride induced injury on HK-2 cells. Eight compounds (i. e. hydroxysafflor yellow A, 6-hydroxykaempferol-3-O-rutinoside-6-O-glucoside, 6-hydroxykaempferol-3,6-di-O-gluco-side or 6-hydroxykaempferol-6, 7-di-O-glucoside, 6-hydroxykaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, 6-hydroxykaempferol-3-O-glucoside or 6-hydroxykaempferol-7-O-glucoside, rutin, isoquercetin, and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside) in components C17, C18 and C19 were preliminarily identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Isoquercetin, rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, and hydroxysafflor yellow A were confirmed by comparing with reference substances, Further study indicated that these four compounds had moderate nephroprotective effects, while isoquercetin showed a significant nephroprotective effect in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that isoquercetin, rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside and hydroxysafflor yellow A might be the nephroprotective bioactive substances in Carthami Flos.

Differential spreading of HinfI satellite DNA variants during radiation in Centaureinae.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Subtribe Centaureinae appears to be an excellent model group in which to analyse satellite DNA and assess the influence that the biology and/or the evolution of different lineages have had on the evolution of this class of repetitive DNA. Phylogenetic analyses of Centaureinae support two main phases of radiation, leading to two major groups of genera of different ages. Furthermore, different modes of evolution are observed in different lineages, reflected by morphology and DNA sequences. METHODS: The sequences of 502 repeat units of the HinfI satellite DNA family from 38 species belonging to ten genera of Centaureinae were isolated and compared. A phylogenetic reconstruction was carried out by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. KEY RESULTS: Up to eight different HinfI subfamilies were found, based on the presence of a set of diagnostic positions given by a specific mutation shared by all the sequences of one group. Subfamilies V-VIII were mostly found in older genera (first phase of radiation in the subtribe, late Oligocene-Miocene), although some copies of these types of repeats were also found in some species of the derived genera. Subfamilies I-IV spread mostly in species of the derived clade (second phase of radiation, Pliocene to Pleistocene), although repeats of these subfamilies exist in older species. Phylogenetic trees did not group the repeats by taxonomic affinity, but sequences were grouped by subfamily provenance. Concerted evolution was observed in HinfI subfamilies spread in older genera, whereas no genetic differentiation was found between species, and several subfamilies even coexist within the same species, in recently radiated groups or in groups with a history of recurrent hybridization of lineages. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the eight HinfI subfamilies were present in the common ancestor of Centaureinae and that each spread differentially in different genera during the two main phases of radiation following the library model of satellite DNA evolution. Additionally, differential speciation pathways gave rise to differential patterns of sequence evolution in different lineages. Thus, the evolutionary history of each group of Centaureinae is reflected in HinfI satellite DNA evolution. The data reinforce the value of satellite DNA sequences as markers of evolutionary processes.

The activity of antioxidant enzymes in response to salt stress in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seedlings raised from seed treated with chitosan.

BACKGROUND: Salt tolerance is a complex trait which involves the coordinated action of many genes that perform a variety of functions, such as ion sequestration, metabolic adjustment, osmotic adjustment and antioxidative defence. In this article, the growth and the generation and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under normal (ECiw [Electrical conductivity of irrigation water] = 0.5 dS m(-1)) and salt stress conditions (ECiw = 3.4, 6.1, 8.6 and 10.8 dS m(-1) ) in relation to the priming of seeds of the two important oil yielding crops, i.e. safflower and sunflower, with different concentrations of chitosan [0% (control), 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%] is discussed. RESULTS: Induced salinity stress significantly decreased germination percentage, germination rate, length and weight of root and shoot, and protein content. Proline content, malondialdehyde content (MDA), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) activity increased at 10.8 dS m(-1). Under control conditions there were no significant differences in germination percentage among different concentrations of chitosan, whereas CAT and POX activity were increased by low concentrations of chitosan. With increasing salt stress, low concentrations of chitosan increased germination percentage but decreased MDA and proline contents and CAT and POX activity. CONCLUSION: Generation of ROS seems to be unavoidable under normal conditions and the activity of antioxidant enzymes in plants varies in terms of ROS generation under salt stress. However, the data indicate that plants subjected to salt stress-induced oxidative stress and the low concentrations of chitosan exhibited positive effects on salt stress alleviation through the reduction of enzyme activity in both crops.

[Protective effect of hydroxy-safflor yellow A on human umbilical vein endothelial cell apoptosis induced by angiotensin II].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of hydroxy-safflor yellow A (HSYA) on the apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVECs) induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) in vitro and explore its mechanism. METHODS: The HUVECs was subcultured in vitro and used for experiment that divided into five groups as follows: control group, Ang II-injured group (1 micromoL/L), low-dosage of HSYA group (10 micromoL/L), mid-dosage of HSYA group (30 micromoL/L) and high-dosage of HYSA group (100 micromoL/L). MTT was used to determine the HUVECs viability. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured with laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), Cytochrome C oxidase activity was detected by BCA method. Apoptosis rate of the HUVECs was analyzed by flow cytometry. The expression of apoptosis-related protein caspase-3 was measured by western blot. RESULTS: Compared with control group, Ang II could increase the level of ROS, inhibit cytochrome activity and enhance caspase 3 expression in HUVECs, as a result, enhance apoptosis of HUVECs. HSYA could significantly reduce the result induced by AngII in dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: HSYA can eliminate the effect of Ang II and its mechanism may be related to inhibiting ROS producing, keeping mitochondrial structure and function and inhibiting apoptosis.

Counter irritant activity of Carthamus oxycantha.

Many locally occurring species of Asteraceae are used as medicinal plants by various tribal and ethnic communities in Pakistan. Carthamus oxycantha is often occurs as weed in cultivated fields. Folk medicines indicated its use as an anti inflammatory and wound healing plant. It is used for wound healing by the local population in the form of powder paste. No scientific Report, about the behavior of this plant has so far been published. The counter irritant studies of locally occurring Carthamus oxycantha was carried out. The main objectives of the project were to evaluate its wound healing effects on animal skin and the identity and characterization of chromatographically isolated fractions. For this purpose, different solvents with a broad range of polarity were successively used to extract non-polar compounds (petroleum ether extract), constituents intermediate polarities (chloroform extract) and polar constituents (methanol extract) from the whole herb of Carthamus oxycantha. The counter irritant activity of the crude extracts and isolated fractions was evaluated on rabbit's skin. Five fractions Co-1 to Co-5 were isolated from the active chloroform extract by column and thin layer chromatography. Co-1, Co-3 and Co-5 appeared to be the most potent counter irritant than others. A possible structure-activity relationship of these active compounds was investigated by using spectroscopy (UV and FTIR analysis).

Phomentrioloxin: A phytotoxic pentasubstituted geranylcyclohexentriol produced by Phomopsis sp., a potential mycoherbicide for Carthamus lanatus Biocontrol.

A new phytotoxic geranylcyclohexenetriol, named phomentrioloxin, was isolated from the liquid culture of Phomopsis sp., a fungal pathogen proposed for the biological control of Carthamus lanatus, a widespread and troublesome thistle weed belonging to the Asteraceae family causing severe crop and pastures losses in Australia. The structure of phomentrioloxin was established by spectroscopic, X-ray, and chemical methods as (1S,2S,3S,4S)-3-methoxy-6-(7-methyl-3-methylene-oct-6-en-1-ynyl)cyclohex-5-ene-1,2,4-triol. At a concentration of 6.85 mM, the toxin causes the appearance of necrotic spots when applied to leaves of both host and nonhost plants. It also causes growth and chlorophyll content reduction of fronds of Lemna minor and inhibition of tomato rootlet elongation. Finally, in preliminary bioassays, phomentrioloxin did not show any antibacterial, fungicidal, or zootoxic activities.

STAT-3 inhibitory bisabolanes from Carthamus glaucus.

Apart from a large amount (ca. 2.0%) of α-bisabolol ß-D-fucopyranoside (2a), the aerial parts of the Mediterranean weed Carthamus glaucus afforded an unusual triglyceride (E-2-crotonyl-1,3-distearolylglycerol, 7), two lipophilic flavonoids (6a,b), and a series of bisabolane fucopyranosides variously acylated on the sugar moiety (2b-e) or oxidized on the terpenoid core (3, 4a,b, 5a,b). The fucopyranoside 2a is more soluble in polar media and more versatile in terms of formulation than its aglycone [(-)-α-bisabolol, 1], an anti-inflammatory cosmetic ingredient in current short supply in its natural form. A comparative investigation of the activity of α-bisabolol (1a), the fucopyranoside 2a, and its senecioate 2b on transcription factors involved in inflammation and cancer pathways (NF-κB and STAT-3) showed only marginal activity on NF-κB inhibition for all compounds, while STAT-3 was inhibited potently by the fucoside 2a and, to a lesser extent, also by α-bisabolol. These observations qualify 2a as an easily available compound, both as an apoptotic lead structure and as a potential alternative to natural α-bisabolol (1) for pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic development.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A alleviates early inflammatory response of bleomycin-induced mice lung injury.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is an effective ingredient of Chinese herb Carthamus tinctorius L. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of HSYA on inflammatory phase of bleomycin-induced pulmonary injury in mice. Three doses of HSYA (26.7, 40, 60 mg/kg/d) were intraperitoneally injected to mice consecutively for 1 week after bleomycin administration. It was found that HSYA attenuated the loss in body weight, the increase of myeloperoxidase activity and pathologic changes of pulmonary inflammation caused by bleomycin. Treatment with HSYA also alleviated bleomycin-induced increase of mRNA level of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 in lung homogenates. Moreover HSYA inhibited the increased activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in lung tissue. These findings demonstrated that HSYA had protective effect on bleomycin-induced lung inflammatory response.

Analysis of volatile components in herbal pair Semen Persicae-Flos Carthami by GC-MS and chemometric resolution.

Analysis of volatile components in herbal pair (HP) Semen Persicae-Flos Carthami (SP-FC) was performed by GC-MS coupled with chemometric resolution method (CRM). Furthermore, temperature-programmed retention indices were used together with mass spectra for identification of the volatile components. With the help of CRM, the two-dimensional data obtained from GC-MS instruments were resolved into a pure chromatogram and a mass spectrum of each chemical compound. By use of these methods upon two-dimensional data, 26, 49, and 59 volatile chemical components in essential oils of single herb Semen Persicae, Flos Carthami, and HP SP-FC were determined qualitatively and quantitatively, accounting for 78.42, 81.08, and 82.48% total contents of essential oil of single herb Semen Persicae, Flos Carthami, and HP SP-FC, respectively. It is shown that the accuracy of qualitative and quantitative analysis can be enhanced greatly by means of CRM. It is further demonstrated that the numbers of volatile chemical components of HP SP-FC are almost the addition of those of two single herbs, but the main volatile chemical components of the former are completely different from those of single herb Semen Persicae or Flos Carthami because of chemical reactions and physical changes occurring in the process of decocting two single herbs. This means that chemical components especially pharmacologically active compounds in the recipe might be different from those of single herbs.

Physiological, photochemical, and antioxidant responses of wild and cultivated Carthamus species exposed to nickel toxicity and evaluation of their usage potential in phytoremediation.

The impacts of Ni toxicity on growth behaviors, photochemical, and antioxidant enzymes activities of wild (Carthamus oxyacantha M. Bieb.) and cultivated (Carthamus tinctorius L.) safflower species were investigated in this study. Fourteen-day-old seedlings were treated with excessive Ni levels [control, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 mM NiCl2·6H2O] for 7 days. The results of chlorophyll a fluorescence indicated that toxic nickel exposure led to changes in specific, phenomenological energy fluxes and quantum yields in thylakoid membranes, and activities of donor and acceptor sides of photosystems. These changes resulted in a significant decrease in the photosynthetic activities by about 50% in both species, but these negative effects of Ni were not in a level to destroy the functionality of the photosystems. At the same time, toxic Ni affected membrane integrity and the amount of photosynthetic pigments in the antenna and active reaction centers. Additionally, the accumulation of Ni was higher in roots than in stem and leaves for both species. Depending on Ni accumulation, a significant reduction in dry biomass of root by approx. 64.8 and 45.7% and shoot by 41 and 24.7% were observed in wild and cultivated species, respectively. Two species could probably withstand deleterious Ni toxicity with better upregulating own protective defense systems such as antioxidant enzymes and phenolic compounds. Among of them, SOD and POD activities were increased with increasing Ni concentrations. The POD activities of both species were most prominent and consistently increased (approx. 2 folds in roots and 6 folds in leaves) in highly toxic Ni levels and may be protected them from damaging effect of H2O2. When all results are evaluated as a whole, Carthamus species produced similar responses to toxicity and also both species have bioconcentration (BCF) and bioaccumulation factor (BF) > 1 and translocation factor < 1 under Ni toxicity may be regarded a good indication of Ni tolerance. Furthermore, it is possible to use the Carthamus species as phytostabilizers of soils contaminated with nickel, because of their roots accumulating more nickel.

From retrospective assessment to prospective decisions in natural product isolation: HPLC-SPE-NMR analysis of Carthamus oxyacantha.

An extract of Carthamus oxyacantha (wild safflower) was investigated using two approaches: a traditional, nontarget fractionation by VLC and HPLC, and the hyphenated technique HPLC-PDA-HRMS-SPE-NMR followed by targeted isolation of selected constituents for inclusion in a screening library of pure natural products. While the nontarget fractionation involved considerable time spent on pursuing fractions containing well-known or undesired compounds, the hyphenated analysis was considerably faster and required less solvent and other consumables. The results were used to design and execute an optimized, HPLC-HRMS-guided, targeted isolation scheme aiming exclusively at a series of identified spiro compounds. Thus, HPLC-PDA-HRMS-SPE-NMR is a dereplication technique of choice, allowing economical acquisition of comprehensive data about compounds in crude extracts, which can be used for rational, prospective decisions about further isolation efforts. A total of 15 compounds were identified in the extract. Six spiro compounds, of which four have not previously been characterized, and tracheloside (a lignin glucoside) are presented with assigned 1H and 13C chemical shifts.