Research Progress on Chemical Constituents， Pharmacological Effect and Clinical Applications of Daturae Flos / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Daturae Flos is a traditional antitussive and antiasthmatic medicine， its flowers and leaves are rich in a variety of compounds， including withanolides， alkaloids， terpenes， flavonoids and amides. Because of its antiasthmatic， antitussive， antispasmodic and analgesia effect， it is traditionally used for the treatment of asthma， cough， cold pain in abdominal cavity， rheumatic arthralgia， infantile chronic eclampsia， and can also be used as raw material for surgical anesthesia. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that in addition to the traditional efficacy， Daturae Flos also has anti-inflammatory， immunosuppression， anti-convulsion and other effects， and is often used in the treatment of psoriasis， Parkinson's disease， epilepsy， rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. At present， the chemical constituents of Daturae Flos are mainly focused on withanolides and alkaloids. At the same time， there is a lack of clear classification of chemical components and the distribution of chemical components in medicinal parts of this medicine， and little information is available for the pharmacological effects of polysaccharides. Based on this， this paper systematically searched relevant literature of Daturae Flos， and summarized and analyzed its chemical composition， pharmacological effect and clinical application， in order to provide reference for further development and utilization of Daturae Flos.

Withaminimas A-F, six withanolides with potential anti-inflammatory activity from Physalis minima / 中国天然药物

Withaminimas A-F (1-6), six new withaphysalin-type withanolides were isolated from the aerial parts of Physalis minima L.. The structures of these compounds were elucidated through a variety of spectroscopic techniques including HR-MS, NMR, and ECD. Compound 1 belongs to rare 18-norwithanolides, and 2-3 were 13/14-secowithanolides. According to the traditional usage of P. minima, inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccaride-activated RAW264.7 macrophages were evaluated, and compounds 1-4 exhibited significant inhibitory effects with IC values among 3.91-18.46 μmol·L.

The inhibitory effect of Withaferin A on the growth of orthotopic xenograft tumor of hepatocellular carcinoma in nude mice and the mechanism / 中国医师杂志

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of Withaferin A ( WFA) on the growth of orthotopic xenograft tumor of hepatocellular carcinoma in nude mice and the mechanism of its antitumoral effect. Methods For in vivo model, anti-tumor efficacy of Withaferin A was evaluated in nude mice mod-els of human liver cancer orthotopic xenograft. The nude mice were randomly divided into model group, Sunitinib group,and Withaferin A groups [6, 3 mg/(kg·d)]. All mice were given intraperitoneal injec-tion for 14 days. Tumor volume and tumor weight were observed. Antiangiogenic effects were assessed in vi-vo by the tumor inhibition rate and microvessel density. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction ( QPCR) as-say was used to detect the mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF) , basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) from tumor tissues. For in vitro experiments, the cell count kit 8 ( CCK8 ) assay was used to detect the effect of Withaferin A on HepG2 cells proliferation. QPCR assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA) were used to detect the mRNA expression of VEGF. Results Compared to the model group, the high-dose Withaferin A group and the Sunitinib group had a significantly lower tumor weight (P<0. 05). The tumor inhibition rate was 42. 69％ in the high-dose Withaferin A group, 20. 22％ in the low-dose With-aferin A group, and 49. 43％ in the Sunitinib group. The growth of HepG2 cells was significantly inhibited by different concentrations of Withaferin A,and the 50％ concentration of inhibition ( IC50 ) of Withaferin A were (2. 64 ± 0. 18)μmol/L at 24 h. Withaferin A (6,3 μmol/L) could inhibit the protein and mRNA ex-pression of VEGF ( P<0. 05 ) . Conclusions Withaferin A significantly reduces the growth of orthotopic xenograft tumor of hepatocellular carcinoma in nude mice via antiangiogenic effect. Downregulation of the protein and mRNA expression of VEGF by WFA may be one mechanism of its anti-liver cancer effect.

Research progress on physalis pubescens / 中草药

Physalis pubescens is used as both food and medicine over 1 200 years. From the phytochemical view, the second metabolites such as flavonoids, sterols, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, fatty acid and so on have been reported from this species. And this plant shows the activities of antitumor, antimicrobial, anti-oxidant, diuresis, immunosuppressive and so on in the recent studies. This paper reviews the researches on the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of this plant in recent 30 years, by which the prospect of development and utilization of P. pubescens could be prospected. It provides the reference for the further rational development and comprehensive utilization of the resources of P. pubescens.

Research progress in chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and clinical applications of Daturae Flos / 中草药

Daturae Flos (flowers of Datura metel) is recorded by Chinese Pharmacopoeia for its important medicinal property. The most characteristic chemical constituents in Daturae Flos are withanolides, flavonoids, and alkaloids. There are also sesquiterpenoids, phenolic acid, and lignans in it. Daturae Flos has various pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammation, anti-itching, cytoprotection, antibacterial effects, antioxidation, and so on. Daturae Flos also has the effect on epithelial cells mitosis and skin keratinization, immune system, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and respiratory system. It is usually used to treat psoriasis, chronic tracheitis, asthma, infantile pneumonia, Parkinson disease, and rheumatism. In this paper, we summarize the chemical composition, pharmacyological effects, and clinical curative effect of Daturae Flos to prompt the development and utilization of them.

Protective effects of active fraction and constituents from Flos Daturae on Chinese hamster ovary cells injuried by dimethyl sulfoxide / 中草药

Objective To observe the protective effects of various extracts from Flos Daturae (FD), including active fraction (AF-FD), withanolides constituents (WC-FD), and flavonoids constituents (FC-FD) on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells against cytotoxicity induced by DMSO. Methods The survival rate of CHO cells was examined by MTT assay and LDH leakage assays. Results Using MTT assay, coincubation of CHO cells with 3% DMSO for 24 h resulted in a significant reduction of survival rate of CHO cells. AF-FD was tested in a range of 10—80 ?g/mL to improve the survival rate of CHO cells in a dose-dependent manner. FC-FD (2.5—20 ?g/mL), but not WC-FD (30—120 ?g/mL), could significantly relieve the injury induced by 3% DMSO in CHO cells. In the measurement of LDH leakage, coincubation of CHO cells with 4.5% DMSO for 24 h obviously increased LDH release. However, all the compounds tested, including AF-FD (10—80 ?g/mL), WC-FD (30—120 ?g/mL), and FC-FD (2.5—20 ?g/mL) had no effect on LDH leakage induced by 4.5% DMSO. Conclusion The findings suggest that the FC-FD may protect CHO cells from DMSO cytotoxicity assessed by MTT assay, which may be associated with improving mitochondrial function, but not protecting the membrane injury of CHO cells.