Homogalacturonan enriched pectin based hydrogel enhances 6-gingerol's colitis alleviation effect via NF-κB/NLRP3 axis.

A nanolipidcarrier (NLC) loaded homogalacturonan enriched pectin (citrus modified pectin, MCP4) hydrogel was designed as a novel colon inflammation site-specific oral delivery system for 6-gingerol (6G) (6G-NLC/MCP4 hydrogel) administration, and its colitis alleviation effect were investigated. 6G-NLC/MCP4 exhibited typical "cage-like" ultrastructure with 6G-NLC embedded in the hydrogel matrix as observed by cryoscanning electron microscope. And due to the homogalacturonan (HG) domain in MCP4 specifically combined with Galectin-3, which is overexpressed in the inflammatory region, the 6G-NLC/MCP4 hydrogel targeted to severe inflammatory region. Meanwhile, the prolonged-release characteristics of 6G-NLC provided sustained release of 6G in severe inflammatory regions. The matrix of hydrogel MCP4 and 6G achieved synergistic alleviation effects for colitis through NF-κB/NLRP3 axis. Specifically, 6G mainly regulated the NF-κB inflammatory pathway and inhibited the activity of NLRP3 protein, while MCP4 regulated the expression of Galectin-3 and peripheral clock gene Rev-Erbα/ß to prevent the activation of inflammasome NLRP3.

Aggregation-induced emission biomaterials for anti-pathogen medical applications: detecting, imaging and killing.

Microbial pathogens, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, greatly threaten the global public health. For pathogen infections, early diagnosis and precise treatment are essential to cut the mortality rate. The emergence of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) biomaterials provides an effective and promising tool for the theranostics of pathogen infections. In this review, the recent advances about AIE biomaterials for anti-pathogen theranostics are summarized. With the excellent sensitivity and photostability, AIE biomaterials have been widely applied for precise diagnosis of pathogens. Besides, different types of anti-pathogen methods based on AIE biomaterials will be presented in detail, including chemotherapy and phototherapy. Finally, the existing deficiencies and future development of AIE biomaterials for anti-pathogen applications will be discussed.

Rapid Isolation and Hypoglycemic Activity of Secondary Metabolites of Eurotium cristatum by High-Speed Countercurrent Chromatography.

In this study, secondary metabolites of Eurotium cristatum were isolated and purified by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC), and their hypoglycemic activities were studied. The general-useful estimate of solvent systems (GUESS) for counter-current chromatography was employed to select the appropriate solvent systems of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (HEMW, 4:6:5:5, v/v/v/v) for HSCCC practice, and three compounds were separated from the crude ethyl acetate extract of E. cristatum in one single step; 6.1 mg of Compounds 1, 5.6 mg of Compound 2 and 3.8 mg of Compound 3 were obtained from 100 mg of crude extract with a stationary phase retention of 75%. The compounds were then identified as emodin methyl ether, chrysophanol and emodin, respectively. The activity of the target compounds in the secondary metabolites of E. cristatum was verified by testing their inhibition on α-glucosidase activity and molecular docking simulation. The results showed that emodin, chrysophanol and emodin methyl ether had significant inhibitory effects on the α-glucosidase activity. This work confirmed the effectiveness of HSCCC in the separation of compounds in complex extracts and provided reference for further research and application of E. cristatum.

A simple and practical solvent system selection strategy for high-speed countercurrent chromatography based on the HPLC polarity parameter model.

The selection of an appropriate solvent system is the most crucial step in high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) separation. The compound polarity plays an important role in HPLC analysis and HSCCC separation, and it can be calculated by the HPLC polarity parameter model and the average polarity of the HSCCC solvent system, respectively. However, flow rates, columns and methanol concentrations of the HPLC experiment can influence the calculation of the compound polarity. Therefore, the applicability and accuracy of the HPLC polarity parameter model still needed to be extensively validated. We chose 14 compounds to conduct the shake-flask experiments and HPLC analysis on, such as apigenin, honokiol, phloridzin and dihydromyricetin. The HPLC analysis results showed that different flow rates and columns have negligible effects on the calculated compound polarities. However, there was a certain variation trend in the calculated polarities with different methanol concentrations. Although the polarity values of some compounds showed a difference between the HPLC analysis and shake-flask experiments, their partition coefficients (K) in the HSCCC solvent systems were still located in the range of 0.5 < K < 2.0. Guided by the HPLC polarity parameter model, the appropriate HSCCC solvent systems for mangosteen peel and Hypericum sampsonii Hance were selected, and the two main components (mangostin and quercetin) were isolated from their extracts, respectively. The separation results showed that the predicted compound polarities were sufficient to meet the HSCCC separation requirements. Meanwhile, this method required only 1 to 2 HPLC analyses with reference compounds, greatly improved the efficiency of the HSCCC solvent system selection, and shortened the experimental time. The polarity parameter model was a fast and efficient analysis method for the selection of an appropriate HSCCC solvent system.

Mechanism of Action of Ermiao San on Rheumatoid Arthritis Based on Bioinformatics and Molecular Dynamics.

BACKGROUND: Ermiao San, one of the Chinese medicine formulas, has been widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our previous study has demonstrated that Ermiao San is effective in treating RA. However, its pharmacological mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to decipher the potential mechanism of action of Ermiao San in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by bioinformatics, network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics. METHODS: Gene expression data (GSE77298) were obtained from the GEO database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed by R. The active ingredients of Huangbai (Phellodendron) and Cangshu (Atractylodes), two main constituents of Ermiao San, and their predicted target genes were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) platform. Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the overlapping genes between DEGs of the RA dataset and the predicted target genes of Ermiao San. The gene-gene interaction network was analyzed and visualized by Cytoscape. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations were performed to study the interaction between selected target genes (Chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1)) and active ingredients (quercetin and wogonin) of Ermiao San. RESULTS: A total of 16 potential targets for Ermiao San were identified, with significantly enriched GO terms, such as cytokine-mediated signaling pathways, oxidoreductase activity, cell space, etc., and IL-17 signaling pathway, rheumatoid arthritis pathway, and NF-κB signaling pathway were identified as enriched pathways through KEGG analysis. CCL2 and MMP1 were identified and verified to be the targets of both quercetin and wogonin, the two active ingredients of Ermiao San, by molecular docking and molecular dynamics. CONCLUSION: Ermiao San may target CCL2 and MMP1 via its active ingredients by exerting therapeutic effects on RA.

Ultrasonic-Assisted Aqueous Two-Phase Extraction and Properties of Water-Soluble Polysaccharides from Malus hupehensis.

Malus hupehensis (M. hupehensis), an edible and medicinal plant with significant antioxidant and hypoglycemic activity, has been applied to new resource foods. However, the structural characterization and biological effects of its polysaccharides (MHP) are less known. The optimum extraction parameters to achieve the highest extraction efficiency (47.63%), the yield (1.68%) and purity of MHP (89.6%) by ultrasonic-assisted aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) were obtained under the liquid-to-solid ratio of 23 g/mL, ultrasonic power of 65 W, and ultrasonic time of 33 min. According to the analysis results, MHP was composed of Man, GlcA, Rha, GalA, Glc, Gal, Xyl, Ara, and Fuc, in which Ara and Gal were the main components, and the content of GlcA was the lowest. In in vitro activity analysis, MHP showed a significant antioxidant capacity, and an inhibition activity of α-glucosidase and the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation in the BSA/Glc reaction model. MHP interacted with α-glucosidase and changed the internal microenvironment of the enzyme, and inhibited the AGEs formation, which provides more evidence for the antihyperglycemic mechanism of MHP. The results suggest that ATPS is an efficient and environmentally friendly solvent system, and M. hupehensis has broad application prospects in functional foods, healthcare products, and pharmaceuticals.

Extraction and separation of flavonoids from Malus hupehensis using high-speed countercurrent chromatography based on deep eutectic solvent.

In the present experiment, a green and highly efficient extraction method for flavonoids established on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) was investigated by using the response surface methodology. The DES-based high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) solvent systems were developed for the separation of high purity compounds from the DES extract of Malus hupehensis for the first time. Under the optimal conditions (liquid-to-solid ratio of 26.3 mL/g, water content of 25.5%, and extraction temperature of 77.5°C), the yield of flavonoids was 15.3 ± 0.1%, which was superior to that of the methanol extraction method. In accordance with the physical property of DES-based HSCCC solvent systems and K values of target compounds, DES-based HSCCC solvent systems composed of choline chloride/glucose-water-ethyl acetate (ChCl/Glu-H2O-EAC, 1:1:2, v/v) was selected for the HSCCC separation. Thus, five flavonoids (two novel compounds 1-2, 6´´-O-coumaroyl-2´-O-glucopyranosylphloretin and 3´´´-methoxy-6´´-O-feruloy-2´-O-glucopyranosylphloretin; three know compounds 3-5, namely, avicularin, phloridzin, and sieboldin) were efficiently separated from Malus hupehensis. DESs are the environment friendly and highly efficient solvents as the components of extraction solvent and HSCCC solvent system, and can be re-utilized many times. However, ethyl acetate can be soluble with a few hydrogen bond donors, such as urea, carboxylic acid and polyol, through the shake flask test. It is the great difficulty for the efficient and rapid separation of target compounds from the DESs extract because of the DESs residual in the HSCCC fractions. ChCl and Glu are the great choices of DESs without this problem. In addition, K values increased with the increase of the molar ratio of ChCl/Glu and the content of water, which could effectively guide us to choose the suitable DES-based HSCCC solvent system. The twice HSCCC separation results indicated that DES was the valuable and green solvent for the HSCCC separation of pure compounds from the extract for the first time, and showed the recycle superiority of DES-based HSCCC solvent system.

Separation of six antioxidants from Hypsizygus marmoreus by high-speed countercurrent chromatography utilizing an approach based upon the polarity parameter model.

For a successful high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) separation of multiple components, the suitable solvent system selection is a critical operation. Despite the difference in separation mechanism between HSCCC and HPLC, K values of compounds in the solvent system and the retention factor of compounds in HPLC were connected with polarity, and the polarity mainly depended on the structure and chemical properties of compounds. On the basis of the concept of "like dissolves like", the average polarity of the solvent system is equal to the average polarity of multiple components at the "sweet point" log K = 0. The result of theoretical deduction showed a negative linear correlation between the polarity of each component and the logarithm of the gradient range of the organic phase. Therefore, the average polarity of unknown multiple components could be obtained through the polarity parameter model established in the HPLC analysis. The suitable solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (8:3:8:1, v/v) was selected through the average polarity of multi-components combining K values of the enriched samples. In the context of bioassay, an efficient HSCCC separation procedure was established, and two groups of analogue benzaldehyde derivatives (four main antioxidants, namely, isodihydroauroglaucin, isoaspergin, isotetrahydro-auroglaucin, and flavoglaucin; two minor antioxidants, namely, 6'-oxo-chaetopyranin and chaetopyranin) were obtained from Hypsizygus marmoreus. The predicted polarity values of multi-components were sufficient to meet the HSCCC experimental requirements. The HPLC analysis of reference compounds and multi-components showed a significant consistency with different chromatographic columns. Therefore, the polarity parameter model established in the HPLC analysis was a simple, rapid, and helpful tool for looking an appropriate solvent system, which was a forwarding step for the HSCCC separation of multiple components.

Ultrasound-Assisted Deep Eutectic Solvent Extraction of Anthocyanins from Blueberry Wine Residues: Optimization, Identification, and HepG2 Antitumor Activity.

Blueberry wine residues produced during the wine-brewing process contain abundant anthocyanins and other bioactive compounds. To extract anthocyanins from blueberry wine residues more efficiently, a novel procedure of ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction (UADESE) was proposed in this work. The extraction process was optimized by response surface methodology coupled with genetic algorithm. The optimum extraction parameters to achieve the highest yield of anthocyanins (9.32 ± 0.08 mg/g) from blueberry wine residues by UADESE were obtained at water content of 29%, ultrasonic power of 380 W, extraction temperature of 55 °C, and extraction time of 40 min. The AB-8 macroporous resin combined with Sephadex LH-20 techniques was used to purify the crude extract (CE) obtained under optimum extraction conditions and analyze the anthocyanins composition by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The cyanidin-3-rutinoside with purity of 92.81% was obtained. The HepG2 antitumor activity of CE was better than that of the purified anthocyanins component. Moreover, CE could increase the intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and the apoptosis, and arrest HepG2 cells in the S phases. These findings provided an effective and feasible method for anthocyanins extraction, and reduced the environmental burden of this waste.

Dichloromethane Extract of Fermentation Broth by Co-Culture of Morchella esculenta and Coprinus comatus Induces Apoptosis in U251 Cells via Mitochondrial Intrinsic Pathway.

The current study was designed to investigate the inhibitory effects of dichloromethane extract of fermentation broth by co-culture of Morchella esculenta and Coprinus comatus (DCMM) on human glioma U251 cells in vitro and its possible underlying mechanisms. The proliferation of U251 cells was inhibited by DCMM with different concentrations by the CCK-8 assay. Besides, flow cytometry assay was used to evaluate the DCMM promoted U251 cell apoptosis rate in a dose-dependent manner. DCMM with different concentrations (10 µg·mL-1, 20 µg·mL-1, and 40 µg·mL-1) significantly enhanced the expression of caspases-3 activity after 24 h. In addition, DCMM with different concentrations significantly increased caspase-3 and Bax, and decreased Bcl-2 expressions at both mRNA and protein levels. DCMM can remarkably inhibit the proliferation and promote cell apoptosis of human glioma U251 cells. The possible underlying mechanisms could be related to induction of apoptosis of human glioma U251 cells by mitochondrial intrinsic pathway.

Counter-current fractionation-assisted bioassay-guided separation of active composition from the edible medicinal insect Blaps rynchopetera Fairmaire.

An efficient strategy for the selection of active components based on counter-current fractionation and bioassay-guided separation was established in the present work. Blaps rynchopetera Fairmaire was an edible medicinal insect. Its extract showed the potential RAW264.7 macrophage cell inhibitory activity. After extraction with different solvents, the active components were enriched in ethyl acetate. In order to further track the active compounds, the ethyl acetate extraction was divided into 14 fractions by means of HSCCC. The results showed that the activities of F6 and F7 were significant higher than the others. Two compounds, hydroxytyrosol and 4-ethylbenzene-1,3-diol, were separated from the mixture of F6 and F7 by column chromatography and their chemical structures were confirmed by MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. The IC50 of hydroxytyrosol and 4-ethylbenzene-1,3-diol against RAW264.7 macrophage cell were 38.24 ±â€¯0.26 µg/mL and 103.26 ±â€¯0.29 µg/mL, respectively, indicating that hydroxytyrosol was the major active ingredient responsible for the RAW264.7 inhibitory activity of Blaps rynchopetera Fairmaire.

Asperpyrone F, a new dimeric naphtho-γ-pyrone from the edible fungus Pleurotus ostreatus.

A new dimeric naphtho-γ-pyrone, asperpyrone F (1), along with six known ones, asperpyrones B (2) and C (3), fonsecinones A (4) and B (5), aurasperones A (6) and E (7), have been isolated from the solid culture of the edible fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. The structures of 1-7 were determined mainly by NMR and MS experiments. The absolute configuration of compound 1 was assigned via the circular dichroism (CD) data analysis. Compounds 1-7 showed modest antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities. All compounds were isolated from the fungus P. ostreatus for the first time.

[Midterm clinical outcome for ankylosing spondylitis patients with early hip-involved diseases treated with arthroscopic technique].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical outcome of manipulation release combined with arthroscopic debridement and synovia resection under general anesthesia for early hip involvment in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. METHODS: Manipulation release combined with arthroscpic debridement and synovium resection were performed for hip lesion in 22 patients with ankylosing spondylitis from June 2011 to June 2013, incuding 6 males and 16 females with anverage age of 24.7 years ranging from 17 to 23 years. The course of the diseases was from 10 to 41 months(22.1 months on average). After 6 months of conservative treatment, hip pain and other symptoms were no relief. The preoperative and postoperative follow-up evaluation was performed and compared by the hip movement, VAS pain score, mHHS score and NAHS score. RESULTS: All the patients were followed up for 26 to 44 months with an average of 30.2 months. The range of motion in active flexion-extension, abduction-adduction, internal-external rotation in 0° flexion and 90° flexion increased from (78.2±10.2)°, (36.3±6.4)°, (31.1±9.2)° and (37.3±10.5)° before operation to (113.5±8.4)°, (55.7±8.4)°, (58.7±2.1)° and (60.1±9.8)° after operation, respectively. The VAS scores decreased from 8.5±9.4 before operation to 5.5±7.1 after operation. The modified Harris and NAHS scores increased from 60.8±6.9 and 56.9±6.25 before operation to 88.1±10.4 and 84.6±5.4 after operation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Manipulation release combined with arthroscopic debridement and synovium resection under general anesthesia could effectively control the progression of hip lesion in patients with ankylosing spondylitis restoring the ROM, relieve pain symptoms, delay joint deformity and ankylosis with less bleeding, faster recovery, and significantly improve patients' quality of life.

Effect of HCl/SO23/NH3/O23and mineral sorbents on the partitioning behaviour of heavy metals during the thermal treatment of solid wastes.

The high concentration of heavy metals in solid wastes may cause serious pollution during thermal treatment. We have investigated, theoretically and experimentally, the effects of several important flue gas species and mineral sorbents on the partitioning behaviour of four major heavy metals (cadmium, lead, zinc and copper) which are often present in municipal solid waste (MSW). Their concentrations in bottom ash, fly ash and flue gas were quantified when model MSW samples were treated thermally under different conditions. The evaporation ratio of the four metals, excluding Cu, increased with decreasing oxygen concentration. The presence of HCl promotes heavy metal evaporation by preventing the formation of stable metallic species, especially for Zn (evaporation of more than 20%). An increase in oxygen concentration has a negative influence on the effect of HCl. In the presence of SO2, Cd and Pb exhibited a higher evaporation ratio, while Zn and Cu were insensitive to the change. SO2also inhibits Cd vaporization in an oxidative atmosphere. The effect of NH3 on reducing the metal volatilization rate was established indirectly. Calcium oxide addition enhances metal evaporation except for that of Zn (which shows a decrease of 38%). Although desulphurization by calcium injection decreases the volume of acid gas, calcium affects heavy metal pollution control adversely. The presence or addition of SiO2- or Al2O3-containing minerals can lead to the formation of stable metallic salts. This may favour the control of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu volatilization up to 13%, 50%, 17.5% and 19%, respectively.

[Study on relieving effects of exogenous SNP, Spd on Belamcanda chinensis under salt-alkalline stress].

The study is aimed to provide the theoretical basis for exploiting and utilization of salt-alkaline soil and cultivating Belamcanda chinensis. In this study, we exerted exogenous substances SNP, Spd to relieve the damage of the mixing salt-alkaline stress on B. chinensis seedling which is NaCl, Na2SO4, NaHCO3 and Na2CO3 four kinds of salt molar ratio of 9: 1: 9: 1, salt concentration of 100 mmol x L(-1). The result illustrated that high pH stress is a major factor caused the salt-alkaline stress, the interaction between time and the concentration of each, treatment was observed, what is more, there are synergies between the salt and alkali stress. The content of B. chinensis seedling leaves' membrane peroxidation index (MDA, O2-*) and metabolites (soluble protein, soluble sugars, organic acids) are showing an upward trend in varying degrees under 100 mmol x L(-1) salt-alkaline stress. It is effective to reduce the content of MDA and O2-*. and improve the levels of metabolites, in which the SNP (0.05 mmol x L(-1)) and Spd (0.5 mmol x L(-1)) to alleviate damage effects is the best. Therefore we can hold the conclusion that SNP and Spd can effectively mitigate the damage of B. chinensis seedling on salt-alkaline stress, improve the resistance ability of B. chinensis seedling which can provide the scientific basis for the utilization of salt-alkaline soil, and the cultivation of B. chinensis.

Chinese medicine improves postoperative quality of life in endometriosis patients: a randomized controlled trial / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of Chinese medicine (CM) and Western medicine (WM) on quality of life (QOL) after conservative surgery for endometriosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 320 patients with endometriosis were randomized into two groups by using random block design, CM group (160 cases, activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis treatment based on syndrome differentiation) and WM group (160 cases, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or gestrinone treatment) after conservative surgery. Treatment was given for 3-6 months (according to the revised American Fertility Society scoring system stage), and the World Health Organization QOL-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) was applied to patients before and after treatment to assess QOL.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were 136 cases in the CM group and 141 cases in the WM group completing therapy. In the CM group, the use of the WHOQOL-BREF showed that the physical, psychological and environmental scores posttreatment were significantly higher than those at pre-treatment (P < 0.05), and for 12 items (pain and discomfort, energy and fatigue, sleep and rest, mobility, activities of daily living, work capacity, negative feelings, health and social care: accessibility and quality, participation in and opportunities for recreation/leisure activities, appetite, QOL score, overall health status and QOL), the difference in scores was significant (P < 0.05). In the WM group, 4 items (pain and discomfort, opportunities for acquiring new information and skills, QOL score, overall health status and QOL) had significantly different scores post-treatment compared with those at pre-treatment (P < 0.05). Before treatment, the QOL in the two groups of patients showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). After treatment, the scores for physical health in the CM group were significantly higher than those of the WM group (P < 0.05) and the scores of 4 items (mobility, activities of daily living, sexual activity, QOL score) in the CM group were significantly higher than those in the WM group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CM and WM treatment could improve the QOL of patients with endometriosis after conservative surgery. CM treatment is more effective than WM.</p>

[Effect of Danshensu on fibronectin and collagen-1 secretion induced by high glucose in human peritoneal mesothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible role of Danshensu on fibronectin (FN) and collagen-I (Col-I) secretion induced by high glucose in human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs). METHODS: HPMCs were treated with high glucose and Danshensu at different concentrations. The mRNA expression of FN, Col-I, endothelin-1 (ET-1), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The protein expression of FN, Col-I HO-1 and ET-1 were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or immunofluorescence method. RESULTS: The expression of protein and mRNA of FN and Col-I were attenuated by Danshensu in both dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. The mRNA and protein levels of ET-1 were decreased, and the mRNA and protein levels of HO-1 increased in the Danshensu groups in a dose-dependent manner compared with the high glucose group. The expression of ET-1 and HO-1 showed little difference in a time gradient of danshensu(P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Danshensu can protect HPMCs through inhibiting the expression of FN and Col-I induced by high glucose, which is related to the suppression of oxidative stress.

Monoterpenes from Paeonia albiflora and their inhibitory activity on nitric oxide production by lipopolysaccharide-activated microglia.

Eleven new monoterpenes, paeonidangenin (1), paeonidanin A (2), paeonidanin B (3), paeonidanin C (4), paeonidanin D (5), paeonidanin E (6), paeoniflorone (7), 4-O-methylbenzoylpaeoniflorin (8), 4-O-methylgalloylpaeoniflorin (9), 4-O-methyldebenzoylpaeoniflorin (10), and 4-O-methylalbiflorin (11), were isolated from the 60% ethanol extract of the roots of Paeonia albiflora. Their structures were determined primarily on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR techniques and MS studies. Paeonidanins D (5) and E (6) are unprecedented examples of "cage-like" monoterpene dimers. The inhibitory effects of the isolated compounds on nitric oxide production by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated N9 microglia were evaluated.

[Effects of gene therapy with replication-defective adenovirus ericlosing Egr-1 promoter and Smad7 cDNA on irradiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis: experiment with mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of gene therapy with replication-defective adenovirus enclosing Egr-1 promoter and Smad7 cDNA on irradiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: The recombinant replication-defective adenovirus AD. Egr-Smad7 enclosing Egr-1 promoter and Smad7 cDNA was constructed. 288 C57BL mice were randomly divided into 6 groups: AD. Egr-Smad7 group (Group RA, receiving intratracheal instillation of AD. Egr-Smad7 of the dose of 10(9) pfu/0.1 ml), AD. Egr-Smad7 + radiation group (Group RAR, receiving intratracheal instillation of AD. Egr-Smad7 of the dose of 10(9) pfu/0.1 ml and then radiation to the chest 14 h later), replication-defective adenovirus group (Group AV, receiving intratracheal instillation of replication-defective adenovirus of the dose of 10(9) pfu/0.1 ml), replication-defective adenovirus + irradiation group (Group AVR, receiving intratracheal instillation of replication-defective adenovirus of the dose of 10(9) pfu/0.1 ml and then radiation to the chest 14 h later), blank control group (Group C), and pure irradiation group (Group R), each group was re-divided into 6 subgroups of 8 mice to be observed 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the treatment. The mice were killed at different time points and their lungs were taken out. The levels of type I collagen, type III collagen, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) were detected by ELISA. The level of hydroxyproline was examined by alkaline hydrolysis method. The lung tissues were stained with HE to undergo pathological examination. RESULTS: The TGF-beta1 levels of the irradiation groups all increased, peaking in the second week (all P < 0.05), all significantly higher than those of Group C. However, the TGF-beta1 levels at different time points of Group RAR were all significantly lower then those of the other irradiation groups. The CTGF levels of different groups at different time points were all significantly higher than those of Group C (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and the CTGF levels of Groups RA and AV were decreased to almost normal 12 weeks after the irradiation. The levels of type I collagen and type III collagen of the 1 and 2-week subgroups of Group RAR were significantly lower than those of Group C (all P < 0.01), then gradually increased, and were slightly higher than those Group C 12 weeks later. The levels of type I collagen and type III collagen at different time points of the other groups were all significantly higher than those of Group C (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). However, The levels of type I collagen at different time points of Group RAR were all lower than those of the other groups except Group C, and the levels of type III collagen in the first to eighth weeks after irradiation of Group RAR were all lower than those of the other groups except Group C. The hydroxyproline level of the 1 and 2 week subgroups of Group RAR were significantly lower than those of Group C (all P < 0.01), and then gradually increased. The hydroxyproline levels of the other irradiation groups all gradually increased significantly, peaking at the 12 th week (all P < 0.01). 1 approximately 2 weeks after irradiation Groups RAR, RA, and AV showed remarkable pulmonary congestion changes, even more remarkable then those in Group R, 8 approximately 12 week later, fibrosis changes were found in Group R and AVR, and 12 weeks later the histological structure of lung of Group AV, RAR, and RA returned almost normal. CONCLUSION: Radioactive rays induce Egr-1 promoter to regulated the expression of exogenous Smad7 gene that blocks the signal transduction of TGF-beta. Thus use of AD. Egr-Smad7 may become a novel strategy of gene therapy in prevention and treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Investigation on the formula of Fuyankang dispersed tablets / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the preparation technique and optimal formulation of Fuyankang dispersed tablets.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The formula of Fuyankang dispersed tablets were optimized in terms of disintegrating time by studying single factor and orthogonal design test.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The products formulated with the optimum techniques met the quality specification of dispersed tablets. The dissolubility of the optimized dispersed tables was obviously faster than that of common tablets.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This prescription and technology of Fuyankang dispersed tablets are reasonable and effective.</p>