Herb-drug interactions: Quantitative analysis of levofloxacin absorption and transporter expression in the rat intestine following combined treatment with Persicaria capitata (Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don) H. Gross.

Persicaria capitata (Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don) H. Gross, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, is often used to treat various urologic disorders in China. P. capitata extracts (PCE) have been used in combination with levofloxacin (LVFX) to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) for a long time. However, little is known about the absorption of LVFX and transporter expression in the intestine after combined treatment with PCE, restricting the development and utilization of PCE. In view of this, a UPLC-MS/MS method was established for the determination of LVFX in intestinal sac fluid samples and in situ intestinal circulation perfusate samples to explore the effect of PCE on the intestinal absorption characteristics of LVFX ex vivo and in vivo. To further evaluate the interaction between LVFX and PCE, western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and RT-qPCR were utilized to determine the expression levels of drug transporters (OATP1A2, P-gp, BCRP, and MRP2) involved in the intestinal absorption of LVFX after combined treatment with PCE. Using the everted intestinal sac model, the absorption rate constant (Ka) and cumulative drug absorption (Q) of LVFX in each intestinal segment were significantly lower in groups treated with PCE than in the control group. Ka at 2 h decreased most in the colon segment (from 0.088 to 0.016 µg/h·cm2), and Q at 2 h decreased most in the duodenum (from 213.29 to 33.92 µg). Using the intestinal circulation perfusion model, the Ka value and percentage absorption rate (A) of LVFX in the small intestine decreased significantly when PCE and LVFX were used in combination. These results showed that PCE had a strong inhibitory effect on the absorption of LVFX in the rat small intestine (ex vivo and in vivo intestinal segments). In addition, PCE increased the protein and mRNA expression levels of efflux transporters (P-gp, BCRP, and MRP2) and decreased the expression of the uptake transporter OATP1A2 significantly. The effects increased as the PCE concentration increased. These findings indicated that PCE changed the absorption characteristics of levofloxacin, possibly by affecting the expression of transporters in the small intestine. In addition to revealing a herb-drug interaction (HDI) between PCE and LVFX, these results provide a basis for further studies of their clinical efficacy and mechanism of action.

[Determination of plasma protein binding rate of Shuganning Injection using equilibrium dialysis and UPLC-MS/MS].

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) compound preparations have complex compositions. As a widely used TCM injection, Shuganning Injection, its in vivo processes are not yet fully understood. Determining the plasma protein binding rate is of great significance for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. In this experiment, the equilibrium dialysis method combined with UPLC-MS/MS technology was used to determine the plasma protein binding rates of 10 components, including p-hydroxyacetophenone, caffeic acid, baicalein, oroxylin A, geniposide, baicalin, cynaroside, oroxylin A-7-O-ß-D-glucuronide, scutellarin, and hyperoside, in Shuganning Injection in rat and human plasma to provide a theoretical basis for further elucidating the in vivo processes of Shuganning Injection and guiding clinical medication. The results showed that, except for baicalein and geniposide, the plasma protein binding rates of the other eight components were higher in human plasma than in rat plasma, and there were interspecies differences. In human plasma, except for geniposide, caffeic acid, and baicalin, the plasma protein binding rates of the remaining seven components were above 80%, with baicalein and oroxylin A exceeding 90%. All components exhibit a high level of binding to plasma proteins, with the exception of geniposide.

Biancaea decapetala (Roth) O.Deg. extract exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by regulating the TNF/Akt/NF-κB pathway.

BACKGROUND: Biancaea decapetala (Roth) O.Deg. (Fabaceae) is used to treat colds, fever, and rheumatic pain caused by inflammation. However, the mechanism underlying its anti-inflammatory properties remains unclear. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of Biancaea decapetala extract (BDE) in vitro and in vivo and explore the possible underlying mechanism and potential targets. METHODS: The release of nitric oxide (NO) and inflammatory cytokines in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and rats were measured using Griess reagent and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was employed to examine the pathology of animal tissues. Transcriptome analysis was performed to screen the pathways related to BDE-mediated inhibition of inflammation, and the expression of related proteins was measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blotting, ELISA, and immunofluorescence methods. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and the Drug Affinity Reaction Target Stability (DARTS) method were used to verify whether BDE binds to TNF-α target protein, while a L929 cell model and NF-κB gene reporter systematic method were used to investigate the inhibitory effect of BDE on the activity of TNF-α protein. RESULTS: BDE inhibited the expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and NO in RAW264.7 cells and rats, and improved the pathological changes in lung tissue. RNA-seq showed that BDE may regulate the TNF/Akt/NF-κB pathway to inhibit inflammation onset. BDE significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, and that of relevant proteins, including TNF-α, p-p65, p-Akt, p-IκBα. Furthermore, BDE inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-κB (p65) and the activation of the Akt pathway by SC79. The L929 cell model, luciferase reporter gene analysis, DARTS, and SPR experiments showed that BDE may bind to TNF-α and inhibit the TNF-α-NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSION: BDE may target TNF-α to inhibit the TNF/Akt/NF-κB pathway, thereby attenuating inflammation. These findings reveal the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of BDE and provide a theoretical basis for the further development and utilization of BDE.

Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli: Mechanisms of Infection and Treatment Options.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common bacterial infections that represent a severe public health problem. They are often caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumonia), Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), and Staphylococcus saprophyticus (S. saprophyticus). Among these, uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) are the most common causative agent in both uncomplicated and complicated UTIs. The adaptive evolution of UPEC has been observed in several ways, including changes in colonization, attachment, invasion, and intracellular replication to invade the urothelium and survive intracellularly. While antibiotic therapy has historically been very successful in controlling UTIs, high recurrence rates and increasing antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens threaten to greatly reduce the efficacy of these treatments. Furthermore, the gradual global emergence of multidrug-resistant UPEC has highlighted the need to further explore its pathogenesis and seek alternative therapeutic and preventative strategies. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the clinical status and pathogenesis of UTIs and the advantages and disadvantages of antibiotics as a conventional treatment option could spark a surge in the search for alternative treatment options, especially vaccines and medicinal plants. Such options targeting multiple pathogenic mechanisms of UPEC are expected to be a focus of UTI management in the future to help combat antibiotic resistance.

[Simultaneous determination of eleven volatile components in Cinnamomi Oleum by GC-MS].

A gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(GC-MS) method was established for the simultaneous determination of eleven volatile components in Cinnamomi Oleum and the chemical pattern recognition was utilized to evaluate the quality of essential oil obtained from Cinnamomi Fructus medicinal materials in various habitats. The Cinnamomi Fructus medicinal materials were treated by water distillation, analyzed using GC-MS, and detected by selective ion monitoring(SIM), and the internal standards were used for quantification. The content results of Cinnamomi Oleum from various batches were analyzed by hierarchical clustering analysis(HCA), principal component analysis(PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) for the statistic analysis. Eleven components showed good linear relationships within their respective concentration ranges(R~2>0.999 7), with average recoveries of 92.41%-102.1% and RSD of 1.2%-3.2%(n=6). The samples were classified into three categories by HCA and PCA, and 2-nonanone was screened as a marker of variability between batches in combination with OPLS-DA. This method is specific, sensitive, simple, and accurate, and the screened components can be utilized as a basis for the quality control of Cinnamomi Oleum.

Quantification of six volatile oil constituents of Oleum Cinnamomi in rat plasma and multiple tissues using GC-MS and its application to pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies.

Oleum Cinnamomi is the essential oil obtained from the herb Fructus Cinnamomi which is used by the Hmong people in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. At present, there are a variety of marketed preparations with it as the main medicine on the market. Information regarding the in vivo process of it is lacking, which has become a bottleneck restricting its development and utilization. In view of this, a GC-MS SIM analysis method was established for the simultaneous determination of six main volatile components [eucalyptol, p-cymene, 4-carvomenthenol, 4-isopropyl-2-cyclohexenone, α-terpineol, and 2-(4-Methylphenyl)-propan-2-ol] in plasma and ten tissues of rats to study their pharmacokinetic and distribution characteristics in vivo. The pharmacokinetic results showed that the t1/2 of each index was 0.41-1.66 h, Tmax was 0.16-0.68 h, Cmax was 13.66-2015.02 ng/mL, AUC0-t was 12.84-4299.00 h·ng/mL, CLZ/F was 1750.93-107013.11 mL/h/kg. This meant that the six components could be absorbed quickly, had a short residence time, and be eliminated quickly in the body. Among them, eucalyptol has the highest degree of absorption and a larger amount of entering the body. Moreover, the Cmax and AUC0-t of the six components increased correspondingly with the increase of the dose, indicating that the concentration of Oleum Cinnamomi in the rat plasma was dose-dependent. At different time points, the six components were widely distributed with uneven characteristics in the body. The six components mainly tend to be distributed in stomach, small intestine, and liver, followed by kidney, spleen, heart, and brain, and to a lesser extent in lung, skin, and muscle. And the six components were eliminated quickly in each tissue. The pharmacokinetic process and tissue distribution characteristics of Oleum Cinnamomi were expounded in this study, which can provide scientific theory for the in-depth development and guidance of clinical drug use of Oleum Cinnamomi, and at the same time provide a medicinal material basis for the in-depth development and utilization of Oleum Cinnamomi.

Quality Control of Oleum Cinnamomi Assisted by Network Pharmacology Strategy.

Oleum Cinnamomi is a traditional medicine used by the Hmong, the essential oil obtained from Fructus Cinnamomi, for the treatment of coronary heart disease. Information regarding the efficient quality control markers of it is lacking, which has become a bottleneck restricting its development and utilization. Here, an integrated qualitative analysis approach based on a GC-MS and network pharmacology strategy was applied to explore quality control markers for the assessment of Oleum Cinnamomi. Firstly, the compounds of Oleum Cinnamomi were detected by GC-MS. In total, 57 chemical components were identified, mainly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, accounting for 83.05% of total essential oil components. Secondly, network pharmacology was adopted to explore the compounds linked to target genes of coronary heart disease. Fifty-two compounds were found, indicating the effectiveness of Oleum Cinnamomi in the treatment of coronary heart disease. Among them, 10 compounds, including eucalyptol, were chosen as potential effective compounds in Oleum Cinnamomi. Thirdly, an established GC-MS SIM method was validated and applied for the simultaneous determination of the contents of these 10 compounds using 20 sample batches of Oleum Cinnamomi. It was preliminarily found that the contents of these 10 compounds differed in Oleum Cinnamomi from different origins. Finally, quantitative analyte data were analyzed using multivariate statistical analysis to determine Oleum Cinnamomi quality. Four compounds (eucalyptol, p-cymene, sabinene, ß-pinene) were identified as chemical markers for quality control. Accordingly, this study provides new strategies to explore the quality control markers and develops a novel method for the quality assessment of Oleum Cinnamomi.

Identification of Protosappanoside D from Caesalpinia decapetala and Evaluation of Its Pharmacokinetic, Metabolism and Pharmacological Activity.

Protosappanoside D (PTD) is a new component isolated from the extract of Caesalpinia decapetala for the first time. Its structure was identified as protosappanin B-3-O-ß-D-glucoside by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 2D-NMR and MS techniques. To date, the pharmacological activities, metabolism or pharmacokinetics of PTD has not been reported. Therefore, this research to study the anti-inflammatory activity of PTD was investigated via the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells model. At the same time, we also used the UHPLC/Q Exactive Plus MS and UPLC-MS/MS methods to study the metabolites and pharmacokinetics of PTD, to calculate its bioavailability for the first time. The results showed that PTD could downregulate secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines. In the metabolic study, four metabolites were identified, and the primary degradative pathways in vivo involved the desaturation, oxidation, methylation, alkylation, dehydration, degradation and desugarization. In the pharmacokinetic study, PTD and its main metabolite protosappanin B (PTB) were measured after oral and intravenous administration. After oral administration of PTD, its Tmax was 0.49 h, t1/2z and MRT(0-t) were 3.47 ± 0.78 h and 3.06 ± 0.63 h, respectively. It shows that PTD was quickly absorbed into plasma and it may be eliminated quickly in the body, and its bioavailability is about 0.65%.

Pharmacokinetics Study of Jin-Gu-Lian Prescription and Its Core Drug Pair (Sargentodoxa cuneata (Oliv.) Rehd. et W and Alangium chinense (Lour.) Harms) by UPLC-MS/MS.

Jin-Gu-Lian (JGL) is traditionally used by Miao for the treatment of rheumatism arthralgia. At the same time, the combination of Sargentodoxa cuneata (Oliv.) Rehd. et W (SC) and Alangium chinense (Lour.) Harms (AC), the core drug pair (CDP) in the formula of JGL, is used at high frequencies in many Miao medicine prescriptions for rheumatic diseases. However, previous research lacks the pharmacokinetic study of JGL, and study on the compatibility of its CDP with other medicinal herbs in the formula is needed. This study aims to establish a simple, rapid, and sensitive Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of four main bioactive components of JGL in rat plasma, including Salidroside (Sal), Anabasine (Ana), Chlorogenic Acid (CA), and Protocatechuic Acid (PCA), and compare the pharmacokinetic properties of two groups of rats after being orally administrated with JGL and its CDP extracts, respectively. The results showed that area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), mean retention time (MRT), and clearance rate (CL), of Sal, Ana, CA and PCA in the two groups of rats were changed in different degrees. The CDP combined with other drugs could significantly increase the absorption of Sal and Ana, prolong its retention time in vivo, and may accelerate the absorption rate of CA and PCA. This indicated that the combination of CDP and other herbs may affect the pharmacokinetics process of active components in vivo, increase the exposure and bioavailability of compounds in the JGL group, and prolong the retention time, which may be the reason why JGL has a better inhibitory effect on inflammatory cytokines, providing a viable orientation for the compatibility investigation of herb medicines.

[Pharmacokinetics of three index components of Periploca forrestii in rats by microdialysis combined with UPLC-MS/MS].

The present study established a UPLC-MS/MS method for the content determination of Periploca forrestii microdialysis samples and investigated the pharmacokinetics of three index components of P. forrestii in rats. The effects of flow rate and concentration of perfusate on the recovery rate were investigated by the concentration difference method(increment method and decrement method). The microdialysis samples at different time points were collected, and the concentrations of three index components were determined by UPLC-MS/MS. The actual drug concentrations were corrected with the in vivo recovery rate, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by WinNonlin 8.2. In the in vitro recovery test, the recovery rate measured by the increment method and the decrement method was inversely proportional to the flow rate and independent of the concentration. The pharmacokinetic parameter AUC_(0-t) values of 3-O-caffeoyl quinic acid, 4-O-caffeoyl quinic acid, and 5-O-caffeoyl quinic acid were(23 911.23±5 679.67),(16 688.43±3 448.45), and(9 677.02±1 606.74) min·µg·L~(-1), respectively. C_(max) values were(170.66±58.02),(121.61±48.14), and(69.69±18.23) µg·L~(-1), respectively. The UPLC-MS/MS method has the advantages of specificity, rapidity, high sensitivity, and accurate quantification. It can simultaneously determine the concentration of 3-O-caffeoyl quinic acid and other two index components in microdialysis samples and is suitable for the pharmacokinetics study of the three index components of P. forrestii in normal rats.

[Simultaneous determination of eight components in Polygonum orientale by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method].

In this study, a UPLC-PDA method for simultaneous determination of catechin(1), isoorientin(2), orientin(3), quercetin-3-O-(2"-O-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl)-beta-glucarono-pyranoside(4), taxifoliol(5), luteolin(6), quercitrin(7) and kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-glucoside(8) in Polygonum orientale in Guizhou province was developed. Analysis was performed at 45 degrees C, on ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 mm x 150 mm, 1.7 microm), eluted with a gradient program of acetonitrile-0.1% H3PO4 aqueous solution as the mobile phases. The flow rate was of 0.30 mL x min(-1), and the detection wavelength was 260 nm. The method validation proved that the linearity, instrument precision, repeatability, intermediate precision and accuracy accorded with the requirement for anassay. The established method had been used for determination above eight components in twenty lots of P. orientale in different places and harvest time in Guizhou province, and the results showed that the chemical composition was basically the same in herbs, but there were some difference in content of the tested components. the contents of the tested ingredients were relatively high and stable in the sample collected in August.

[Study on fingerprints correlated with pharmacodynamic of constituents in Herba Erigerontis against neurotoxicity induced by beta-amyloid peptide].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the neuroprotective effects of the constituents in Herba Erigerontis on neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, and find out its possible material foundation in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHOD: Different combinations of the three constituents in Herba Erigerontis were prepared according to the orthogonality experiment, and the indexes (MTT reduction assay, lipid peroxidation and expressions of nAChR alpha7 protein)were observed upon the SH-SY5Y cells followed by treatment of these combinations and beta-amyloid peptide (AP). The pharmacology data thus obtained and peak data in UPLC fingerprint were analyzed through ANOVA and correlationship by SPSS to give the information of active possible material foundation. RESULT: Constituents B and C showed clear activity and peaks of 4, 7-12 did positive correlationship according to the correlation of fingerprints and pharmacology. CONCLUSION: This study makes a valid approach for deducing the active constituents even the exact compounds against neurotoxicity induced by Abeta by correlation of fingerprints and pharmacology.