Anti-inflammatory effect of the compounds from the flowers of Trollius chinensis

In order to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoids, phenolic acids, and alkaloids from the flowers of Trollius chinensis, some representative compounds, namely, orientin, 2"-O-Beta-L-galactopyranosylorientin, vitexin, quercetin, isoquercetin, luteolin, veratric acid, proglobeflowery acid, trollioside, and trolline were selected to study their inhibitory effects against LPS-induced NO, IL-6, and TNF-Alpha release in RAW264.7 cells. At the higher concentration, both phenolic acids and flavonoids inhibited the production of NO, whereas only phenolic acids showed this effect at the lower concentration. Although trolline had stronger cytotoxicity, it exhibited a potential effect of decreasing NO production induced by LPS in the non-toxic concentration range. In addition, all tested compounds ecreased the production of IL-6 and TNF-Alpha by almost 50% at both the higher and lower concentrations. It is concluded that the anti-inflammatory activity of the phenolic acids is stronger than that of the flavonoids

Nurses' perception on nursing work environment:gender difference analysis / 中华护理杂志

Objective To compare the difference of perception on nursing work environment between male and female nurses in secondary and tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province.Methods Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index was used to measure nurses' perception on nursing work environment.Propensity score matching was used to control confounders when comparing the gender difference of nurses' perception on nursing work environment.Results Totally 3 456 nurses in secondary and tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province were surveyed,and 190 of them were male nurses who were distributed with a significant higher proportion in tertiary hospitals,ICUs and emergency departments.Compared with female nurses,male nurses were significantly younger in age,had shorter working years and higher proportion of being single,contract employed,having associate degree or above for initial educational degree.Controlling confounders with propensity score matching,male nurses' perception on nursing work environment was significantly worse than females for three subscales:collegial nurse-physician relations,nursing foundations for quality of care,nurse manager ability,leadership,and support of nurses.Conclusion The proportion of male nurses in Guangdong Province should be raised.Distributed more in tertiary hospitals,ICUs and emergency departments,male nurses were characterized as being less experienced,more contract employed and having higher initial educational degree compared to female nurses.Worse perception on nursing work environment from male nurses indicated that nursing managers should attach more importance to male nurses to improve their orientation and in-service training,professional development support and collegial nurse-physician relations for their better perception on nursing work environment and retention.

Nurses' perception on nursing work environment:gender difference analysis / 中华护理杂志

Objective To compare the difference of perception on nursing work environment between male and female nurses in secondary and tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province.Methods Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index was used to measure nurses' perception on nursing work environment.Propensity score matching was used to control confounders when comparing the gender difference of nurses' perception on nursing work environment.Results Totally 3 456 nurses in secondary and tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province were surveyed,and 190 of them were male nurses who were distributed with a significant higher proportion in tertiary hospitals,ICUs and emergency departments.Compared with female nurses,male nurses were significantly younger in age,had shorter working years and higher proportion of being single,contract employed,having associate degree or above for initial educational degree.Controlling confounders with propensity score matching,male nurses' perception on nursing work environment was significantly worse than females for three subscales:collegial nurse-physician relations,nursing foundations for quality of care,nurse manager ability,leadership,and support of nurses.Conclusion The proportion of male nurses in Guangdong Province should be raised.Distributed more in tertiary hospitals,ICUs and emergency departments,male nurses were characterized as being less experienced,more contract employed and having higher initial educational degree compared to female nurses.Worse perception on nursing work environment from male nurses indicated that nursing managers should attach more importance to male nurses to improve their orientation and in-service training,professional development support and collegial nurse-physician relations for their better perception on nursing work environment and retention.

Lignans and diterpenes isolated from Tirpitzia ovoidea and their biological activities / 中国天然药物

A new lignan, tirpitzin A (17) together with 20 known compounds (1-16, and 18-21) were isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Tirpitzia ovoidea. The structure of new compound was elucidated by means of spectroscopic analysis. Of the known compounds, 7-21 were isolated from Linaceae family for the first time. The pharmacological activity of the crude extracts was tested using a mouse inflammation model induced by dimethyl benzene. The results demonstrated that the ethyl acetate soluble fraction had anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, the cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities of some compounds were studied. The new compound 17 showed moderate cytotoxic effect against BxPC-3 cell line (IC = 19.51μmol·L) and Compound 10 showed significant cytotoxicity against HepG2, HL-60, U87 and BxPC-3 cell lines with IC values in the range 4.2-8.3μmol·L. Additionally, Compounds 2, 10, 11, and 13 exhibited potent inhibitory effects on LPS-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophages at the concentration of 50μmol·L.

Transformation of trollioside and isoquercetin by human intestinal flora in vitro / 中国天然药物

The present study was designed to determine the intestinal bacterial metabolites of trollioside and isoquercetin and their antibacterial activities. A systematic in vitro biotransformation investigation on trollioside and isoquercetin, including metabolite identification, metabolic pathway deduction, and time course, was accomplished using a human intestinal bacterial model. The metabolites were analyzed and identified by HPLC and HPLC-MS. The antibacterial activities of trollioside, isoquercetin, and their metabolites were evaluated using the broth microdilution method with berberine as a positive control, and their potency was measured as minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Our results indicated that trollioside and isoquercetin were metabolized by human intestinal flora through O-deglycosylation, yielding aglycones proglobeflowery acid and quercetin, respectively The antibacterial activities of both metabolites were more potent than that of their parent compounds. In conclusion, trollioside and isoquercetin are totally and rapidly transformed by human intestinal bacteria in vitro and the transformation favors the improvement of the antibacterial activities of the parent compounds.

Research progress on key enzymes involved in biosynthesis of tanshinone / 中草药

Tanshinone, a group of diterpene quinones from Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix with strong physiological activities and broad pharmacological effects, is well known as an effective compound to cure cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Natural tanshinone is generated by complex biosynthetic pathway and Salvia miltiorrhiza is its main source. The increasing medical demand for tanshinone, however, can not be satisfied. The limited resource of S. miltiorrhiza and the low content of tanshinone may cause the poor yield of these compounds. This problem may be solved by regulating the key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of tanshinone so as to elevate its content. This review summarized the research progress in the biosynthetic pathway of tanshinone and the key enzymes related to this process.

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distributions of veratric acid after intravenous administration in rats / 中国天然药物

The present study was designed to investigate the pharmacokinetics and tissue distributions of veratric acid following intravenous administration in rats. The concentrations of veratric acid in rat plasma at various times after administrated at doses of 2.5, 5, and 10 mg·kg(-1) were quantified by HPLC. The tissue distributions of veratric acid at various times after a single intravenous dose of 2.5 mg·kg(-1) were also analyzed. The plasma pharmacokinetic parameters at the three doses were as follows: t(1/2), (86.23 ± 6.83), (72.66 ± 4.10) and (71.20 ± 2.90) min; C0, (11.10 ± 1.47), (23.67 ± 1.24) and (39.17 ± 3.90) μg·mL(-1); and AUC(0→∞), (1 240.90 ± 129.14), (2 273.84 ± 132.47) and (3 516.4 ± 403.37) min·μg·mL(-1), respectively. The compound was distributed into tissues rapidly and extensively after intravenous administration and was mainly distributed into the liver, heart and kidneys.

Absorption properties and mechanism of trolline and veratric acid and their implication to an evaluation of the effective components of the flowers of Trollius chinensis / 中国天然药物

AIM@#To study the absorption properties and mechanism of two important components, trolline and veratric acid, from the flowers of Trollius chinensis, in order to better understand the contribution of these two compounds to the effectiveness of these flowers.@*METHOD@#The human Caco-2 cell monolayer model was employed to study the transport of trolline and veratric acid from apical side (AP) to basal side (BL), and from BL to AP by determining the transport rates as the function of time and concentration and calculating apparent permeability coefficients (Papp).@*RESULTS@#Trolline and veratric acid were transported across Caco-2 cell monolayer through different mechanisms in a concentration dependent manner. Trolline was transported at a Papp level of 10(-6) cm·s(-1) with a Papp AP→BL/Papp BL→AP ratio of more than 1.8 or less than 0.8, while veratric acid was transported at a Papp level of 10(-5)cm·s(-1) with a Papp AP→BL/Papp BL→AP ratio of close to 1.0.@*CONCLUSION@#Trolline is moderately absorbed through an associative mechanism involving active and passive transport, and veratric acid is well-absorbed mainly through passive diffusion. These factors should be taken into account when chemically assessing the pharmacodynamic material basis of the flowers of T. chinensis.

Contribution evaluation of the floral parts to orientin and vitexin concentrations in the flowers of Trollius chinensis / 中国天然药物

AIM@#To provide a comprehensive procedure to evaluate the contribution of the floral parts to the yield of the major components from the flowers of Trollius chinensis, to underlay the selective breeding, cultivation, development, and utilization of the flowers.@*METHODS@#Five floral parts from eleven batches of the flowers of T. chinensis were examined by HPLC analysis for the content of orientin and vitexin, and by gravimetric analysis for their respective mass fraction. The contribution of each floral part was calculated using mathematical methods based on the results of the content and mass fraction. Variance analysis was carried out by Kruskal-Wallis H test and PCA method.@*RESULTS@#The calculated mean contributions of calyx, corolla, stamens and pistils, stalk, and ovary to the yield of both orientin and vitexin were 76.99% and 71.93%, 9.60% and 8.33%, 9.21% and 8.10%, 2.17% and 6.62%, and 2.03% and 5.02%, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The floral parts contribute unequally to the yield of orientin and vitexin, and the calyx contributes the highest and makes a significant difference compared with any other part.

The study on sentinel lymphatic channels by using methylene blue in breast cancer patients / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore why sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNB) produce false negative results in breast cancer patients by studying the anatomical origin of sentinel lymphatic channels (SLCs), as well as the relationship between SLCs and sentinel lymph node (SLN).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-two breast cancer patients consenting to modified radical mastectomies were marked by exit angle (theta(e)) preoperatively and were injected with 3 ml of methylene blue (MB) into the inner edge of the areolae under general anesthesia. SLCs were carefully dissected to retain connections between the areolae and SLN to define the direction, route and number of SLCs and their relationship with the SLN.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>SLCs and SLN were identified in 52 cases (83.87%) successfully. In 49 of these 52 cases (94.23%) the SLCs exited from the areolae and terminated in axilla with an theta(e) = 31 degrees - 90 degrees , and in 36 of 52 cases (69.23%) with an theta(e) = 61 degrees - 90 degrees . The majority of the time, one SLN was identified (92.31%, n = 48) with two identified SLNs occurring only 7.69% (n = 4) of the time. There were three patterns of connectivity: 1) Two SLCs could connect to one SLN separately; 2) One SLC could divide into several branches before or after entering axilla, which ultimately connected to one SLN; or 3) One SLC could divide into two branches before entering axilla, which connected to one SLN separately and these two SLNs could be located in different parts of axilla. No false negative or false positive was demonstrated by pathological analysis of SLN which was identified according to SLCs.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>No evidence showed that the mechanism of axillary lymph node metastasis is skip metastasis. We conclude that false negative results from SLNB seems to be associated with the technique used, which may be caused by the incomplete knowledge of the anatomical relationship between SLCs and SLN.</p>