An alkaloid from Menispermum dauricum, dauricine mediates Ca2+ influx and inhibits NF-κB pathway to protect chondrocytes from IL-1ß-induced inflammation and catabolism.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Dauricine (DA) is a natural plant-derived alkaloid extracted from Menispermum dauricum. Menispermum dauricum has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a classic remedy for rheumatoid arthropathy and is believed to be effective in alleviating swelling and pain in the limbs. AIM OF THE STUDY: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a classic degenerative disease involving chondrocyte death, and there is still a lack of effective therapeutic agents that can reverse the progression of the disease. Here we explored the therapeutic effects of DA against OA and further explored the mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effect of DA on cell viability was assessed by CCK-8. IL-1ß-treated mouse chondrocytes were used as an in vitro model of OA, and apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. QRT-PCR, western blotting, cell staining, and immunofluorescence were used to detect relevant inflammatory factors and cartilage-specific expression. RNA sequencing was used to identify pertinent signaling pathways. The therapeutic effect of DA was verified by micro-CT, histological analysis and immunohistochemical analysis in a mouse OA model. RESULTS: DA demonstrated a high safety profile on chondrocytes, significantly reversing the inflammatory response induced by IL-1ß, and promoting factors associated with cartilage regeneration. Moreover, DA exhibited a significant protective effect on the knee joints of mice undergoing ACLT-DMM, effectively preventing cartilage degeneration and subchondral bone tissue destruction. These positive therapeutic effects were achieved through the modulation of the NF-κB pathway and the Ca2+ signaling pathway by DA. CONCLUSION: Being derived from a traditional herb, DA exhibits remarkable therapeutic potential and safety in OA treatment, presenting a promising option for patients dealing with osteoarthritis.

Analysis of furan and its major furan derivatives in coffee products on the Chinese market using HS-GC-MS and the estimated exposure of the Chinese population.

The current study analysed concentrations of furan and its derivatives in coffee products commercially available in China based on an improved headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) method and estimated health risks. A total of 101 samples of coffee products on the Chinese market was analysed. Furan (98%, ND-6569 µg/kg) and 2-methylfuran (100%, 2-29639 µg/kg) were the compounds with the highest concentrations and detection rates in coffee products. The mean dietary exposure of Chinese consumers to furan and the sum of furan, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran in coffee products was 0.09 and 0.46 µg/kg bw/day, respectively. For the neoplastic effects of furan, the margin of exposure (MOE) was 14,556 for the mean dietary exposure of consumers. For the non-neoplastic effects of furan, MOEs were 711 and 139 for furan and the sum of furan, 2-methylfuran and 3-methylfuran, respectively. Overall, a health concern is indicated for coffee consumers with MOEs below 10000.

The secret of health in daily cuisine: typical healthy vegetables in local markets in central Myanmar.

BACKGROUND: Central Myanmar is located in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, and the Bamar people are the main ethnic group, which settled there over 1000 years ago. Despite being the core region of the country, central Myanmar has been ignored in previous ethnobotanical studies. Local healthy foods and knowledge are regarded as treasures for resource development and pharmaceutical drug discovery, and market surveys are a good strategy in ethnobotanical research. Thus, we collected and documented typical vegetables and local knowledge in local markets and then analysed the diversity and local knowledge of these vegetables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Observations and interviews were used in the field study, and 10 markets and fairs were selected in central Myanmar. A total of 277 vegetable stalls or shops were visited. We compared the local knowledge we collected with selected important and typical herbal books on traditional Myanmar medicine. Quantitative analysis, including frequency of citation (FC), relative frequency of citation (RFC) and use value (UV), was used to assess the diversity and local knowledge of these vegetables. RESULTS: A total of 132 plant taxa from 47 botanical families and 116 genera were collected. Most (106 taxa, 80.3%) of these vegetables were cited by the informants as functional foods that had health benefits, while others were regarded as merely "good for health". The main health function of the vegetables was treating digestive problems. Sixty-four species were recorded in selected herbal books on traditional Myanmar medicine, and forty-seven taxa were not recorded in these books but were nonetheless used as healthy vegetables by local people. Twenty-eight species of vegetables were collected from wild places. CONCLUSION: The diversity and local knowledge of healthy vegetables in central Myanmar were rich. Nevertheless, the diversity of wild vegetables was seemingly relatively low. The possible reason was that we counted only the vegetables that were from entirely wild sources as "wild vegetables". The most frequently cited vegetables were commonly cultivated species, which reflects the fact that plants cultivated on a large scale comprise the major source of vegetables. Some lesser known vegetables could reflect the unique food culture of local people, but most of these were cited only a few times by the interviewees, which caused low UV and RFC rankings for them in the league table. In addition, future research should pay more attention to the food safety of these vegetables.

A billion cups: The diversity, traditional uses, safety issues and potential of Chinese herbal teas.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Herbal teas have long been consumed by Chinese people for preventive and/or therapeutic healthcare. Although herbal teas are widely consumed by many cultural groups in different regions of China, no thorough review has been undertaken to assess the diversity of the country's herbal tea usage. This literature review, complemented by a quantitative survey in an important tea market in Kunming, begins to fill this knowledge gap. AIMS OF THE STUDY: The study aims to summarize the current knowledge of plant species used as herbal teas by different cultural groups in different regions of China, with a focus on the teas' perceived traditional healthcare functions, related phytochemical/pharmaceutical research, and safety issues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved a comprehensive literature review and a market survey. The literature review was based on published ethnobotanical studies of herbal teas in China. We searched the Web of Science™, ELSEVIER, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and the China Science and Technology Journal Database to locate relevant studies (including journal articles, Masters/PhD dissertations and books) that were published before March 2017. A species list was compiled based on the review and supplemented with information retrieved from the Scifinder database (https://scifinder.cas.org) and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010). A Use Value Index was employed for ranking the most cited species. Based on the 29 most cited species, we discussed the current research status in relation to healthcare benefits and safety concerns of herbal teas in China. To better understand the current status of the herbal tea market in China, we also surveyed 136 tea vendors at the Xiongda Tea Market in Kunming. Information gathered from the survey included the species sold, the sale prices and the form of the herbal tea product. RESULTS: The literature identified 759 plant species used as herbal tea in China and the market survey identified an additional 23 species. Most of the species used were from the Leguminosae, Compositae and Lamiaceae families. Twenty two provinces and fourteen ethnic minority groups have records on the consumption of herbal teas. Southern China uses up to 82% of the total species, and 211 out of 759 species are used by minority groups. Thirty categories of traditional healthcare functions are linked with herbal teas, with clearing away heat, relieving toxicity and suppressing cough being the most important functions. There is phytochemical/pharmaceutical evidence to support the claimed healthcare benefits of some Chinese herbal teas. Although Chinese herbal teas are generally safe to consume, overdoses of some herbal teas and some unapproved mixtures of species may cause health risks. Based on our market survey, the prices of most herbal teas range between 100 and 200 RMB (US$15-30) per kg. CONCLUSIONS: A rich array of herbal tea species with various traditional healthcare functions have long been used in China, and as such there is a huge market potential for Chinese herbal teas. More pharmaceutical/phytochemical research is needed to assess a wide range of perceived healthcare benefits of Chinese herbal teas. Our research highlights the need to study herbal teas through an ethnopharmacological perspective and by employing a holistic approach, which requires greater consideration of traditional knowledge in the pharmacological research design. Product safety and sustainability issues should also be considered, so the traditional applications of herbal teas can be transformed to efficient health boosting functional products.

[Safety and effect of transurethral holmium laser enucleation of the prostate versus bipolar transurethral plasmakinetic prostatectomy for benign prostatic hyperplasia: A meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and effect of transurethral holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in comparison with bipolar transurethral plasmakinetic prostatectomy (TUPKP) in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: We searched the databases of PubMed, SCI, Ovid, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, CBM, VIP, and Wangfang Data for controlled clinical trials about HoLEP versus TUPKP in the treatment of BPH published up to April 2016. The studies were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the data extracted, and their quality evaluated by 2 reviewers independently, followed by a meta-analysis using the RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies were included, involving 2031 cases. In comparison with TUPKP, HoLEP showed significantly longer operation time (WMD = 24.61, 95% CI 11.88, 37.34, P lt; 0.001), shorter hospital stay (WMD =－1.91, 95% CI －3.74, －0.07, P = 0.04), shorter bladder irrigation time (WMD = －21.50, 95% CI －34.95, －8.06, P = 0.002), shorter catheter-indwelling time (WMD = －27.60, 95% CI －48.17, －7.03, P = 0.009), less hemoglobin loss (WMD = － 0.42, 95% CI －0.78, －0.07, P = 0.02); lower postvoid residual urine (PVR) at 3 months (WMD = －3.35, 95% CI －4.46, －2.23, P<0.001) and 6 months after surgery (WMD =－1.11, 95% CI －2.18, －0.05, P = 0.04); higher maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) (WMD = 0.42, 95% CI 0.04, 0.80, P = 0.03) and fewer urinary tract irritation symptoms (OR =0.58, 95% CI 0.41, 0.81, P = 0.002) at 12 months after surgery. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in the volume of resected tissue, serum sodium reduction, urethral stricture, erectile dysfunction, retrograde ejaculation, or transient urinary incontinence (P>0.05), or in the improvement of the quality of life (QoL) at 1, 3 and 12 months, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, Qmax at 1, 3 and 6 months, or International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) at 6 months after surgery (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HoLEP is preferred to TUPKP in clinical application for its advantages of higher Qmax at 12 months after surgery, lower PVR at 3 and 6 months, higher peri-operative safety, faster recovery, and fewer urinary tract irritation symptoms. However, for the quantity and quality limitations of the included publications, our findings are to be further supported by large-sample, multi-center, and high-quality prospective controlled clinical studies.

[Chemical constitunents of seeds of Oroxylum indicum].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents in the seeds of Oroxylum indicum. METHOD: Twenty compounds were isolated and purified by silica gel, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis including NMR and MS. RESULT: Twenty compounds were isolated and identified as oroxin A (1), oroxin B (2), chrysin (3), baicalein (4), quercetin (5), apigenin (6), kaempferol (7), quercetin-3-O-ara-binopyranoside (8), lupeol C9), lup-20 (29)-ene-2alpha,3beta-diol (10), pinosylvin (11), dihydropinosylvin (12), cholest-5-ene-3, 7-diol (13), rengyol (14), isorengyol (15), zarzissine (16), (E) -pinosylvin-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (17), adenosine (18), sitosterol (19) and daucosterol (20). CONCLUSION: Compounds 11-13 and 15-18 were obtained from the genus Oroxylum for the first time, and except compound 18, the remaining 6 compounds were obtained from the family Bignoniaceae for the first time.

Effects and possible anti-tumor immunity of electrochemotherapy with bleomycin on human colon cancer xenografts in nude mice.

AIM: To evaluate the anti-tumor effects and possible involvement of anti-tumor immunity of electrochemotherapy (ECT) employing electroporation and bleomycin in human colon cancer xenografts in nude mice, and to establish the experimental basis for clinical application of ECT. METHODS: Forty nude mice, inoculated subcutaneously human colon cancer cell line LoVo for 3 wk, were allocated randomly into four groups: B+E+ (ECT), B+E- (administration of bleomycin alone), B-E+ (administration of electric pulses alone), and B-E- (no treatment). Tumor volumes were measured daily. The animals were killed on the 7th d, the weights of xenografts were measured, and histologies of tumors were evaluated. Cytotoxicity of spleen natural killer (NK) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells was then assessed by lactic dehydrogenase release assay. RESULTS: The mean tumor volume of group B+E+ was statistically different from the other three groups after the treatment (F = 36.80, P<0.01). There was one case of complete response, seven cases of partial response (PR) in group B+E+, one case of PR in group B+E- and group B-E+ respectively, and no response was observed in group B-E-. The difference of response between group B+E+ and the other three groups was statistically significant (chi2 = 25.67, P<0.01). Histologically, extensive necrosis of tumor cells with considerable vascular damage and inflammatory cells infiltration were observed in group B+E+. There was no statistical difference between the cytotoxicity of NK and LAK cells in the four treatment groups. CONCLUSION: ECT significantly enhances the chemosensitivity and effects of chemotherapy in human colon cancer xenografts in nude mice, and could be a kind of novel treatment modality for human colon cancer. The generation of T-cell-dependent, tumor-specific immunity might be involved in the process of ECT.