The genus Oxytropis DC: application, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicity.

OBJECTIVES: Oxytropis DC is a perennial plant of Fabaceae family, which is widely distributed in the northern temperate zone. It is known as "locoweed" because of its toxic component swainsonine. However, it is widely used in Tibetan medicine and Mongolian medicine, mainly for the treatment of heat-clearing and detoxifying, pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, hemostasis, and other diseases. To provide a basis for the further development and utilization of Oxytropis DC, the pieces of literature about the application, phytochemistry, pharmacological action, and toxicity of Oxytropis DC were reviewed and analyzed. KEY FINDINGS: A total of 373 chemical constituents were found from Oxytropis DC, including flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, and others. Pharmacological actions mainly include antitumor, antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, antifibrosis, and other pharmacological actions, among them, the antitumor effect is particularly prominent. SUMMARY: At present, studies on its pharmacological effects are mainly concentrated on the extracts, some flavonoids, and alkaloids. In the follow-up studies, research on the pharmacological activities of the other chemical constituents in Oxytropis should be strengthened. It has the potential to pave the way for research and development of novel Oxytropis medicines.

Antioxidant Effects of Roasted Licorice in a Zebrafish Model and Its Mechanisms.

Licorice (Gan-Cao, licorice) is a natural antioxidant and roasted licorice is the most common processing specification used in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. Traditional Chinese medicine theory deems that the honey-roasting process can promote the efficacy of licorice, including tonifying the spleen and augmenting "Qi" (energy). The antioxidant activity and mechanisms underlying roasted licorice have not yet been reported. In this study, we found that roasted licorice could relieve the oxidative stress injury induced by metronidazole (MTZ) and could restrain the production of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by 2,2'-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH) in a zebrafish model. It was further found that roasted licorice could exert its oxidative activity by upregulating the expression of key genes such as heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1), glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM), and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) in the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) signaling pathway both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, consistent results were obtained showing that rat serum containing roasted licorice was estimated to reduce cell apoptosis induced by H2O2. Then, the UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS analysis results elucidated the chemical composition of rat plasma containing roasted licorice extracts, including ten prototype chemical components and five metabolic components. Among them, six compounds were found to have binding activity with Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), which plays a crucial role in the transcriptional activity of NRF2, using a molecular docking simulation. The results also showed that liquiritigenin had the strongest binding ability with KEAP1. Immunofluorescence further confirmed that liquiritigenin could induce the nuclear translocation of NRF2. In summary, this study provides a better understanding of the antioxidant effect and mechanisms of roasted licorice, and lays a theoretical foundation for the development of a potential antioxidant for use in clinical practice.

Preparation of icariside I and icariside II, an exploration of their protective mechanism against cyclophosphamide-induced bone marrow suppression in mice, and their regulatory effects on immune function.

This study aimed to prepare icariside I (ICS I) and icariside II (ICS II) from Epimedium koreanum Nakai, explore their protective mechanism against cyclophosphamide-induced bone marrow suppression in mice and determine their regulatory effects on immune function. The results showed that after treatment with ICS I and ICS II, the number of peripheral blood cells in the mice returned to normal. The number of bone marrow nucleated cells (BMNCs) and haematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) colonies in the ICS I-H and ICS II-H treatment groups increased significantly. The thymus and spleen indices and related cytokine levels in the mice returned to normal. ICS I-H and ICS II-H treatment significantly increased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and downregulated the expression of caspase-3 to regulate cell apoptosis. In conclusion, ICS I and ICS II promoted the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow haematopoietic cells and protected the damaged immune system, and the therapeutic effects of high doses were more significant. Regulating the levels of haematopoietic cytokines, the balance of Bcl-2/Bax, and the inhibition of caspase-3 expression may be the mechanisms of action of ICS I and ICS II against cyclophosphamide-induced bone marrow suppression in mice.