Cellulose cryogels from herbal residues for oily wastewater purification.

Recycling herbal residues for oily wastewater purification is a potential way to use the wastes to treat wastes. Cellulose extracted from herbal residues is a fine material for cryogel fabrication. However, the cellulose cryogels were not suitable for oily wastewater treatment due to their amphiphilicity. To address this issue, the cryogels were modified with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS), which made them hydrophobic and reduced their surface energy. In this study, the herbal residues (Ficus microcarpa L. f) were used in cryogel preparation for the first time. The cryogels exhibit super lightweight and low density. The modified cryogels show excellent sorption capacity for free oils, especially silicone oil (51.22 g/g), and outperformed some recent sorbents. They also effectively separated water-in-toluene emulsion stabilized by Span 80, with a separation efficiency of 98.57 % and a flux of 1474.67 L/m2h. This study demonstrated a novel application of waste herbal residues in the field of environmental remediation.

Icariin, the main prenylflavonoid of Epimedii Folium, ameliorated chronic kidney disease by modulating energy metabolism via AMPK activation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Epimedii Folium is a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) widely used in classic formulas, Chinese patent drugs and health care products for treating kidney diseases. Therefore, we speculated that icariin, its main component, might also have a good therapeutic effect on chronic kidney disease (CKD). AIM OF STUDY: To investigate the efficacy and potential mechanism of icariin on CKD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A CKD model was established by intragastric administration of adenine (200 mg/kg/d) to adult male SD rats for 28 consecutive days. TGF-ß1-induced fibrotic HK-2 cells were applied to establish the renal fibrosis model in vitro. Biochemical determination, pathological staining, flow cytometry and ELISA were performed to preliminarily evaluate the renoprotection of icariin. The intervention effect of icariin on renal fibrosis progression was assessed by cell stiffness determination and multiple immunological methods. The potential mechanism of icariin on CKD was revealed by means of 1H NMR metabolomics, qRT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. RESULTS: Icariin at the dosage of 100 mg/kg/d and 200 mg/kg/d markedly ameliorated rat renal function in a dose-dependent manner. Based on renal pathological features, the mechanism of icariin intervention in CKD was initially revealed by metabolomics, which was closely related to energy metabolism pathways. Furthermore, the detection results of AMPK and related factors in its mediated signaling pathways indicated that icariin exerted a therapeutic effect on CKD by attenuating inflammation and oxidative stress responses and retarding renal fibrosis progression through regulating AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB and AMPK/ACC signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: It was the first time to demonstrate that icariin could treat adenine-induced CKD by modulating energy metabolism via AMPK activation in a dose-dependent manner.

Effect of comprehensive nursing intervention for congenital heart disease in children: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of nursing interventions (e.g., educational and empathic interviewing, motor exercise, therapeutic play interventions) on the perioperative outcome of children with congenital heart disease (CHD). METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, EBSCO, The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang Data and the VIP Chinese Journal Service platform from the date of database creation to August 2021. Our study adhered to the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. RevMan 5.4 and Stata 16.0 were used to complete the meta-analysis. RESULTS: This meta-analysis showed that comprehensive nursing intervention reduced both the length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference [WMD] = -1.982, 95%CI [-2.329, -1.634], P < .001) and the related risk of post-operative complications [OR = 0.345, 95%CI (0.225, 0.528), P < .001]. In addition, nursing intervention increased parental satisfaction with the care provided [OR = 0.308, 95%CI (1.923, 6.863), P < .001]. Nursing interventions have also had a positive impact in reducing preoperative anxiety [WMD = -6.721, 95% CI (-7.194, -6.249), P < .001] and postoperative pain [WMD = -7.103, 95% CI (-7.103, -7.663), P < .001] in children. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis confirms the beneficial effects of comprehensive nursing interventions in terms of reduced complication rates and shorter hospital stays. The effectiveness of comprehensive nursing in reducing anxiety and pain levels was also demonstrated. The findings support the implementation of comprehensive care interventions in the perioperative period for children with CHD to improve clinical outcomes.

New anti-pulmonary fibrosis prenylflavonoid glycosides from Epimedium koreanum.

Four new prenylflavonoid glycosides, namely koreanoside H-K (1-4), together with eleven known ones (5-15) were isolated from the leaves of Epimedium koreanum Nakai. Their structures were elucidated by 1D NMR, 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR and UV. The identification of the sugar moieties was carried out by means of acid hydrolysis and HPLC analysis of their derivatives. It is worth noting that compound 3 and compound 4 were elucidated to contain fucose and quinovose moieties, which were two extremely rare sugar units from the genus Epimedium. The anti-pulmonary fibrosis activity of the new compounds was evaluated using A549 cell line. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 showed significant anti-pulmonary fibrosis activities.

Total flavonoids in Epimedium koreanum Nakai alleviated chronic renal failure via promoting AMPK activation.

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a result of the progression of chronic kidney diseases (CKD), a global health problem with a high cost of treatment and no ideal therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the pharmacological efficacy of the total flavonoids in Epimedium koreanum Nakai (TFE), a dietary supplement, against CRF and to determine the mechanism of actions. An adenine-induced CRF rat model and a TGF-ß1 induced human kidney proximal tubule epithelial (HK-2) cell based in vitro renal fibrosis model were established and used to evaluate TFE's efficacy. Renal hemodynamics, biochemical indexes, inflammatory cytokines, histopathology and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were determined to evaluate the efficacy of TFE on CRF. NMR-based metabolomics, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, immunofluorescence (IF) staining, quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting were conducted to determine the mechanism. The results showed that TFE had a significant effect on CRF at 150 mg kg-1 d-1 and could significantly alleviate renal fibrosis in the animal model. Twelve potential biomarkers, which mainly involve energy metabolism pathways, for CRF were identified using the metabolomics approach. The mechanism study suggested that TFE regulated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and AMPK/silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1)/nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Furthermore, the effect of TFE was inhibited by compound C in the in vitro experiment, which also confirmed the above conclusion.

Simultaneous determination of 19 constituents in Cimicifugae Rhizoma by HPLC-DAD and screening for antioxidants through DPPH free radical scavenging assay.

Cimicifugae Rhizoma (sheng ma) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, which has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic activities. In the present study, a simple and efficient HPLC-DAD (high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection) method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of 19 chemical components (including 16 phenolic acids, one coumarin and two alkaloids) in Cimicifugae Rhizoma. The result indicated that this method could effectively evaluate the quality of Cimicifugae Rhizoma and provide a valuable reference for further study. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of Cimicifugae Rhizoma was evaluated by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay. The results showed that the content of phenolic acids and antioxidant activity exhibited significant correlation coefficients.

Menadione sodium bisulfite inhibits the toxic aggregation of amyloid-ß(1-42).

Protein misfolding and aggregation are associated with amyloidosis. The toxic aggregation of amyloid-ß 1-42 (Aß42) may disrupt cell membranes and lead to cell death and is thus regarded as a contributing factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ) has been shown to exhibit strong anti-aggregation effects on amyloidogenic proteins such as insulin and α-synuclein; however, its high toxicity and poor solubility limit its clinical application. Menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB, also known as vitamin K3), is used clinically in China to treat hemorrhagic diseases caused by vitamin K deficiency and globally as a vitamin K supplement. We hypothesized that MSB could inhibit amyloid formation since its backbone structure is similar to NQ. To test our hypothesis, we first investigated the effects of MSB on Aß42 amyloid formation in vitro. We found that MSB inhibited Aß42 amyloid formation in a dose dependent manner, delayed the secondary structural conversion of Aß42 from random coil to ordered ß-sheet, and attenuated the ability of Aß42 aggregates to disrupt membranes; moreover, the quinone backbone rather than lipophilicity is esstial for the inhibitory effects of MSB. Next, in cells expressing a pathogenic APP mutation (Osaka mutation) that results in the formation of intraneuronal Aß oligomers, MSB inhibited the intracellular aggregation of Aß. Moreover, MSB treatment significantly extended the life span of Caenorhabditis elegans CL2120, a strain that expresses human Aß42. Together, these results suggest that MSB and its derivatives may be further explored as potential therapeutic agents for the prevention or treatment of AD.

Effect of drying processes on prenylflavonoid content and antioxidant activity of Epimedium koreanum Nakai.

Epimedium koreanum Nakai is a famous Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of impotence, osteoporosis, immune suppression and cardiovascular diseases. Drying is the most common and fundamental procedure in post-harvest processing of E. koreanum, which contributes to the variations of flavonoid content, especially prenylflavonoids, the bioactive components. In present study, effect of drying processes on flavonoid content and antioxidant activity were investigated. High performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry methods were employed. Twenty seven compounds were identified and 11 of them, including eight prenylflavonoids and three other types of flavonoids, were further quantified. The antioxidant activity of E. koreanum was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging method. The results showed that content of the eight prenylflavonoids exhibited significant variations after different drying processes, especially icariin and baohuoside I. The variation tendency of antioxidant activity was positively correlated with the content of total flavonoid, afzelin and icariin.

Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system for target identification and drug screening against neurodegenerative diseases.

Over the past decades, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) has been widely used as a model system because of its small size, transparent body, short generation time and lifespan (~3 days and 3 weeks, respectively), completely sequenced genome and tractability to genetic manipulation. Protein misfolding and aggregation are key pathological features in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Animal models, including C. elegans, have been extensively used to discover and validate new drugs against neurodegenerative diseases. The well-defined and genetically tractable nervous system of C. elegans offers an effective model to explore basic mechanistic pathways of neurodegenerative diseases. Recent progress in high-throughput drug screening also provides a powerful approach for identifying chemical modulators of biological processes. Here, we summarize the latest progress of using C. elegans as a model system for target identification and drug screening in neurodegenerative diseases.

Polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant potential and neuro-protective effect from Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim.

Three new phenolic compounds (1-3), along with five known compounds (4-8) were isolated from the rhizome of Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR and HR-MS techniques. DPPH method and protective effect on PC12 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative damage model were carried to evaluate the antioxidant capability of these compounds. Compound 5 showed significant antioxidant activity with IC50 values 9.33µM in DPPH assay and compound 2 displayed marked neuro-protective effect with 87.65% cell viability at the concentration of 10µM. Additionally, the possible structure-activity relationships of these phenolic compounds were tentatively discussed.

Inhibition effects of tanshinone on the aggregation of α-synuclein.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Lewy bodies that are formed by the aggregated α-synuclein are a major pathological feature of PD. Salvia miltiorrhiza has been used as food and as a traditional medicine for centuries in China, with tanshinone I (TAN I) and tanshinone IIA (TAN IIA) as its major bioactive ingredients. Here, we investigated the effects of TAN I and TAN IIA on α-synuclein aggregation both in vitro and in a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans PD model (NL5901). We demonstrated that TAN I and TAN IIA inhibited the aggregation of α-synuclein as demonstrated by the prolonged lag time and the reduced thioflavin-T fluorescence intensity; TAN I and TAN IIA also disaggregated preformed mature fibrils in vitro. Moreover, the presence of TAN I or TAN IIA affected the secondary structural transformation of α-synuclein from unstructured coils to ß-sheets, and alleviated the membrane disruption caused by aggregated α-synuclein in vitro. Besides, the immuno-dot-blot assay indicated that TAN I and TAN IIA reduce the formation of oligomers and fibrils. We further found that TAN I and TAN IIA extended the life span of NL5901, a strain of transgenic C. elegans that expresses human α-synuclein, possibly by attenuating the aggregation of α-synuclein. Taken together, our results suggested that TAN I and TAN IIA may be explored further as potential candidates for the prevention and treatment of PD.

Inhibitory effects of magnolol and honokiol on human calcitonin aggregation.

Amyloid formation is associated with multiple amyloidosis diseases. Human calcitonin (hCT) is a typical amyloidogenic peptide, its aggregation is associated with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC), and also limits its clinical application. Magnolia officinalis is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine; its two major polyphenol components, magnolol (Mag) and honokiol (Hon), have displayed multiple functions. Polyphenols like flavonoids and their derivatives have been extensively studied as amyloid inhibitors. However, the anti-amyloidogenic property of a biphenyl backbone containing polyphenols such as Mag and Hon has not been reported. In this study, these two compounds were tested for their effects on hCT aggregation. We found that Mag and Hon both inhibited the amyloid formation of hCT, whereas Mag showed a stronger inhibitory effect; moreover, they both dose-dependently disassembled preformed hCT aggregates. Further immuno-dot blot and dynamic light scattering studies suggested Mag and Hon suppressed the aggregation of hCT both at the oligomerization and the fibrillation stages, while MTT-based and dye-leakage assays demonstrated that Mag and Hon effectively reduced cytotoxicity caused by hCT aggregates. Furthermore, isothermal titration calorimetry indicated Mag and Hon both interact with hCT. Together, our study suggested a potential anti-amyloidogenic property of these two compounds and their structure related derivatives.

[HPLC characteristic fingerprints of sedi linearis herba and sedi herba].

OBJECTIVE: To study HPLC characteristic fingerprint of Sedum lineare from different harvest periods, and to compare with its related species Sedum sarmentosum. METHODS: The HPLC fingerprints of Sedum lineare from different collecting periods were established and compared with Sedum sarmentosum by the same detection method. RESULTS: Hyperin, isoquercitrin and astragaloside were identified from the HPLC fingerprint of Sedum lineare. The fingerprint of Sedum lineare growing in the same area but different environment were basically identical; while there were remarkable differences of Sedum lineare growing in the same place but from different harvest periods, with the area of most common peaks changing from little to great, and slightly different peak number. The HPLC fingerprint of the two Sedum species had four common peaks, but could be distinguished from each other. The optimal harvest period of these two species should be full-bloom stage. CONCLUSION: The established method can provide reference for identification and quality analysis of Sedum lineare.