Lignans with (N, N-diethyl)methyl amino group from Buxus rugulosa.

Buxrugulosides A-E, four lignan glycosides (1-4) and a protocatechuate derivative (5) featuring a rare (N, N-diethyl)methyl amino group at aromatic rings, were obtained from the aerial parts of Buxus rugulosa, which is famous for treating coronary heart disease. Their structures including absolute configurations were elucidated by HRMS, 1D and 2D NMR, and by comparing their CD data with previous reports. Compound 1 was a rare sesquilignan, and all of these compounds were the first example of lignans with (N, N-diethyl)methyl amino group.

Stigmastane-type steroid saponins from the leaves of Vernonia amygdalina Del.

Vernoramyosides A-F (1-6), six new Δ7,9(11) stigmastane-type steroid saponins, along with four known analogues (7-10) were isolated from the leaves of Vernonia amygdalina Delile (Compositae). Their structures were determined by the combination of NMR, ECD and HR-ESI-MS data. These compounds all possessed highly oxidized side chain and a γ-lactam or α,ß-unsaturated five-membered lactone ring. All isolates were screened for their activities in reversing resistance in MCF/DOX cells.

Principles of Allergen Immunotherapy and Its Clinical Application in China: Contrasts and Comparisons with the USA.

Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) for allergic rhinitis (AR), asthma, and other allergic diseases has developed quickly. House dust mite (HDM), Artemisia (wormwood), Humulus japonicus (Japanese hop), Alternaria alternata, and Cladosporium herbarum are the five most common inhalant allergens in China. AIT has been performed in China for over 60 years. With the support of the Chinese Medical Association (CMA) and the Chinese Medical Doctors Association (CMDA), the Chinese College of Allergy and Asthma (CCAA) was established in 2016 as a specialized branch of CDMA and is the main certification authority for AIT. Chinese allergists and scientists have made tremendous progress in the development of AIT. There have been many publications by Chinese allergists and scientists worldwide encompassing original research studies, systematic reviews, case studies, and clinical trials. Currently, conventional subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is the preferred AIT in China, but sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is beginning to gain recognition. An increasing number of clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the clinical efficacy and side effects of SLIT and SCIT. In China, HDM is the only commercial standardized allergen extracts in clinical use, whereas the others are crude allergen extracts. Besides standardized allergen extracts, other forms of hypoallergenic extracts are still being investigated and developed in China. Immunotherapy in China is similar to that in the USA in which allergen extracts can be mixed for SCIT. However, allergen extracts cannot be mixed for SCIT in Europe.

Association of serum specific IgE levels with asthma in autumn pollen-induced allergic rhinitis: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Artemisia and Humulus pollen are the two most important aeroallergens of autumn allergies in North China. Cross-sectional data in 2001 have shown that allergic rhinitis often preceded or occurred at the same time as asthma in patients with autumn pollinosis in North China. OBJECTIVE: We used this cross-sectional data to investigate the association of serum specific IgE (sIgE) levels to Humulus and/or Artemisia pollen with the onset of asthma in patients with autumn pollen-induced allergic rhinitis. METHODS: 1096 patients with autumn pollinosis were face-to-face interviewed and underwent sIgE tests to Artemisia and Humulus. The temporal sequence of allergic rhinitis and asthma was documented. 1013 patients were positive to Artemisia and/or Humulus by sIgE. Multinomial logistic regression and survival analysis were used to examine the potential implication of sIgE levels for the progression of asthma in autumn pollen-induced allergic rhinitis. RESULTS: Of the 1013 participants with a positive sIgE test to Artemisia and/or Humulus, 563 (55.6%) had a history of allergic rhinitis which preceded or occurred at the same time as asthma. 450 (44.4%) had allergic rhinitis alone. After controlling of sex, age at onset of allergic rhinitis, and parental asthma, the risk of developing asthma increased with the levels of sIgE to both Artemisia and Humulus (p < 0.05). In Kaplan-Meier analysis, IgE classes 5-6 to Humulus or Artemisia increased the risk of asthma development (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Autumn pollen-induced allergic rhinitis often coexists with seasonal asthma. The incidence of asthma is more pronounced when the sIgE level was higher.

Effect of Dandelion Extracts on the Proliferation of Ovarian Granulosa Cells and Expression of Hormone Receptors.

BACKGROUND: In the current society, infertility related to age has become a social problem. The in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rate in women with poor ovarian response (POR) is very low. Dandelion extract T-1 (DE-T1) is an effective component of the extract from the leaves and stems of Taraxacum officinale, which is one of the medicines used in some patients with POR, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear. METHODS: Following IVF, ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) of sixty patients were extracted and divided into normal ovarian response (NOR) and POR groups. GCs were cultured in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner with DE-T1, proliferation of GCs was determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and mRNA levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), luteotropic hormone receptor (LHR), follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), LHR, and CYP19A1 (aromatase) were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Progesterone and estradiol (E2) concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The cell viability gradually increased with the progressive increase in the DE-T1 concentration. Compared with the control group (without DE-T1), the mRNA expressions of FSHR, LHR, IGF-1R, and CYP19A1 were upregulated after the addition of DE-T1, especially in the 2.5% DE-T1 group (P < 0.01). The expression of IGF-1R was upregulated approximately 25 times (24.97 ± 4.02 times) in the POR group with 2.5% DE-T1. E2 and progesterone levels increased with the increasing DE-T1 concentration. There were highly significant differences in the E2 and progesterone secretion between the NOR and POR groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: DE-T1 may promote steroid hormone synthesis by promoting GC proliferation and upregulating GC receptor expression, thereby improving ovarian endocrine function.

Efficacy of montelukast as prophylactic treatment for seasonal allergic rhinitis.

The evidence supporting the prophylactic treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis before the start of pollen dispersal is still lacking. We conducted a study to investigate the efficacy of prophylaxis with montelukast for seasonal allergic rhinitis and to evaluate its influence on the inflammatory condition of the lower airway. Our final study population was made up of 57 adults who were randomized to a prophylactic treatment group and a control group. The prophylaxis group was made up of 31 patients-10 men and 21 women, aged 18 to 54 years (mean: 36.9)-who were administered montelukast for 2 weeks before the cypress pollen season and subsequently throughout the remainder of the season. The control group was made up of 26 patients-11 men and 15 women, aged 24 to 63 years (mean: 39.2)-who took montelukast during the pollen season only. During the pollen season, the mean daily rescue medication score was significantly lower in the prophylaxis group (3.22 vs. 3.89; p = 0.001). However, there was no statistical difference in the two groups' mean daily rhinoconjunctivitis symptom scores. Also, the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide in the prophylaxis group tended to be lower than that of control group, but again the difference was not significant (29.8 vs. 42.1 ppb; p = 0.189). We conclude that antileukotriene prophylaxis started 2 weeks before the cypress pollen dispersal was effective in reducing the need for rescue medication during the pollen season and showed a trend toward alleviating the eosinophilic inflammation in the lower airway induced by the pollen.