[Advantage analysis of flow-through cell method in quality evaluation of Chinese patent medicine: a case study of Danshen Tablets].

To explore the quality consistency evaluation method for multi-component traditional Chinese medicine and establish a dissolution evaluation method suitable for the characteristics of multi-component Chinese patent medicine, this study discussed the characteristics and advantages of the flow-through cell method in the dissolution evaluation of Chinese patent medicine by comparing the impact of the small cup method and the flow-through cell method on the dissolution behavior of water-soluble and lipid-soluble major active components of Danshen Tablets. Dissolution tests were performed using the small cup method as described in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the newly introduced flow-through cell method(closed-loop method) with water solution containing 0.5% SDS as dissolution medium. Cumulative dissolution curves of the water-soluble component salvianolic acid B and the lipid-soluble component tanshinone Ⅱ_A in Danshen Tablets were plotted, and fitting and similarity analysis of the dissolution models was conducted to identify the characteristics and advantages of the flow-through cell method. For the small cup method, 150 mL of water containing 0.5% SDS was used as the dissolution medium, with a rotation speed of 75 r·min~(-1) and a temperature of(37±0.5) ℃, and 3 mL of samples were taken at 15, 30 min, 1, 2, and 4 h, with fresh dissolution medium added at the same temperature and volume. For the flow-through cell method, a closed-loop system was used. Danshen Tablets were placed in the flow-through cell with approximately 6.7 g of glass beads, and 150 mL of water containing 0.5% SDS was used as the dissolution medium. The flow rate was set at 20 mL·min~(-1), and the temperature and sampling were the same as the small cup method. The results showed that compared with the small cup method, the flow-through cell method had stronger discriminative power and higher sensitivity in distinguishing the dissolution behavior of the two components, and could better reflect the differences in formulation quality, especially for water-insoluble lipid-soluble components. Given that there were no essential differences in the in vitro release kinetics between the two methods, the flow-through cell method could not only replace the traditional small cup method but also better guide the formulation development and identify quality issues of formulations.

Interactive Effects on Motor Performance of Mindfulness, Performance Under Pressure, Self-Talk, and Motor Task Characteristics.

High mindfulness individuals have been found to perform better on motor tasks under various conditions, but it is unknown whether mindfulness and performance relate when performing under pressure or using different types of self-talk with different motor tasks. In this study, 46 male participants (Mage = 21.4, SD = 1.72 years) with high mindfulness (n = 23) and low mindfulness (n = 23) performed dart-throwing and two-hand coordination tasks under pressure and non-pressure conditions and when using instructional and unrelated self-talk. First, on the two-hand coordination task, a three-way mixed ANOVA found: (a) a significant 3-way interaction in which a significantly poorer performance occurred under pressure (vs. without pressure), with low (vs. high) mindfulness and when using unrelated (vs. instructional) self-talk and (b) a significant interaction in which, both under pressure and not, both high and low mindfulness participants performed comparably when using instructional (vs. unrelated) self-talk. Second, on the dart-throwing task, mindfulness interacted with self-talk such that both high and low mindfulness participants performed better when using instructional self-talk, and pressure interacted with self-talk such that participants using instructional (vs. unrelated) self-talk performed better in both pressure and non-pressure conditions. We concluded that instructional self-talk was a useful cognitive strategy, perhaps particularly in pressure conditions and regardless of the degree of mindfulness, and its effectiveness extended to two different motor tasks. We discussed the theoretical implications of these findings, in terms of attention theory, self-talk, and motor control; and we highlighted our study's limitations and practical applications and gave recommendations for future research.

Gender-related difference in altered fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations after electroacupuncture on primary insomnia patients: A resting-state fMRI study.

BACKGROUND: Primary insomnia (PI) is defined as a sleep disorder with no definite cause or inducement. Electroacupuncture, a treatment of inserting needles into specific points on the body surface and applying electrical stimulation, has been proved effective in treating PI with minimal adverse effects. However, the influence of gender difference on the clinical treatment efficacy of electroacupuncture for PI patients remains unclear. Therefore, we designed a clinical trial to compare the clinical treatment efficacy of electroacupuncture for PI patients with different genders. The research on the mechanism of electroacupuncture suggested it could modulate the sleep and wakefulness by activating or deactivating brain regions via a needling/tactile somatosensory specific stimulus. Therefore, we also designed a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) study to detect the spontaneous brain activity of PI patients before and after the electroacupuncture treatment. METHOD: Thirty PI patients were recruited to accept 5-week electroacupuncture treatment on HT-7. Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) questionnaires were used to evaluate the clinical treatment efficacy. Rs-fMRI was employed to observe the spontaneous brain activity in the resting state at the baseline and after 5 weeks of electroacupuncture treatment, which was measured by the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF). RESULT: The AIS and PSQI scores were significantly decreased both in the female PI group and the male PI group after treatment. The decreased PSQI of female patients was significantly more than that of male patients (p < .05). The gender-related difference in the cerebral response to electroacupuncture was mainly in posterior cingulate and supramarginal gyrus. CONCLUSION: There is a gender-related difference in the clinical treatment efficacy of electroacupuncture for PI patients, and female patients may benefit more from electroacupuncture. Gender-related differences in the cerebral response to electroacupuncture may be one of the factors affecting clinical treatment efficacy.

Effects of reducing dietary fishmeal with yeast supplementations on Litopenaeus vannamei growth, immune response and disease resistance against Vibrio harveyi.

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of reducing dietary fishmeal (FM) with yeast culture (SYC) supplementation on growth, immune response, intestinal microbiota, intestinal morphology, and disease resistance of Litopenaeus vannamei. A total of 480 shrimps with an average initial body weight of 0.35 ± 0.002 g were randomly distributed into twelve tanks. Three isonitrogenous (40.00 crude protein) and isolipidic (8.00 crude lipids) diets with yeast culture supplementing fishmeal were formulated. The groups were divided into two (2) namely control group and experimental groups. The formulations of the groups were control (0 %, without yeast culture) and the experiment groups (SYC) [(1 % of yeast culture), and (2 % of yeast culture)]. Each diet was delivered in four replicate per treatment group. The results indicate significant improvement on the growth indices (specific growth rate, weight gain rate, survival rate and lower feed conversion ratio) with yeast culture treatment group after 56 days feeding trials (P < 0.05). Total hemolymph protein, superoxide dismutase, catalase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, lysozyme and phenoxidase were enhanced but low aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and glucose were observed in shrimp fed yeast culture diets (P < 0.05). The SYC groups showed insignificant differences in hemolymph cholesterol and triglyceride. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were the dominant bacteria found in all the SYC groups. At the genus level, Vibrio was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in 2 % yeast culture diets supplemented group whereas the beneficial bacteria Pseudoalteromonas was significantly enhanced. Moreover, intestinal villus length and width in shrimps fed yeast culture diets were improved (P < 0.05). Dietary yeast culture supplementation can improve growth, intestinal health, immune response, and resistance against Vibrio harveyi infections in L. vannamei.

Effects of dietary yeast culture on shrimp growth, immune response, intestinal health and disease resistance against Vibrio harveyi.

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of yeast culture (YC) supplementation at 0% (YC 0%), 1% (YC 1%), and 2% (YC 2%) on growth, feed conversion ratio, body composition, intestinal morphology, microflora, immune response, and resistance to Vibrio harveyi infection in Litopenaeus vannamei. After 8-weeks feeding trial, the results showed significant improvement (p < .05) in the final weight, weight gain rate, specific growth rate, survival rate and low feed conversion ratio in YC groups than the control. Serum total protein, superoxide dismutase, catalase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, lysozyme, and phenol oxidase in shrimps fed diet YC (2%) were significantly higher (p < .05), whereas significantly decreased trend in serum cholesterol, triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase (p < .05) were observed in YC (2%) diet. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were the core phylum bacteria found in the shrimp intestines. At the genus level, opportunistic pathogenic bacteria, Vibrio was significantly decreased (p < .05) while beneficial bacteria Pseudoalteromonas was increased in YC (2%) group. Intestinal villus height and width in shrimps fed YC diets were significantly improved than the control diet (p < .05). YC groups challenged test significantly showed (p < .05) improved shrimps immune response against V. harveyi infections with YC (2%) recording the highest percentage survival rate (70%). The present study demonstrated that supplementing YC (2%) can improve growth, intestinal microbiota, intestinal morphology, and immune response against V. harveyi infections in L. vannamei.

[Screening of Shuanghuanglian Injection allergenic ingredients based on immune fingerprint].

In this paper,immune fingerprint was used to screen the allergenic components of Shuanghuanglian Injection(SHLI) by enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay(ELISA) combined with HPLC/MS method. ELISA-embedded anti-IgE antibody could successfully adsorb allergens in SHLI and its plasma samples containing drugs through different routes of administration,suggesting that SHLI can induce type I hypersensitivity in rats. HPLC fingerprints and MS map of SHLI and drug-containing plasma samples from different routes of administration before and after anti-IgE antibody adsorption were established. According to the similarity evaluation of HPLC fingerprints and analysis results MS map,the sensitization of traditional Chinese medicine injections can be changed by different administration methods. There were 22 kinds of components that can be adsorbed by specific anti-Ig E antibodies in Shuanghuanglian Injection and its drug-containing plasma,most of them were acids and nitrogen compounds. Based on supramolecular theory,it was inferred that these compounds came from SHLI or body,and may form supramolecular hapten,which results in immunotoxicity and allergic reaction when being used as injection instead of oral liquid. Immune fingerprint is not only used to screen out single component allergen,but also more comprehensive,sensitive and easy to operate. It can provide reference for the future research methods of allergic reaction of traditional Chinese medicine injections.

Glycomyces paridis sp. nov., isolated from the medicinal plant Paris polyphylla.

Three actinomycete strains originating from the surface-sterilized roots of Paris polyphylla were characterized by using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that they formed a deep, monophyletic branch in the genus Glycomyces, and were most closely related to the type strains of the species Glycomyces harbinensis and Glycomycesscopariae. Morphological and chemotaxonomic data supported the affiliation of strains CPCC 204357T, CPCC 204354 and CPCC 204355 to the genus Glycomyces. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed phenotypic differentiation of strains CPCC 204357T, CPCC 204354 and CPCC 204355 from their closest phylogenetic related species in the genus Glycomyces. Low levels of DNA-DNA relatedness with its closest type strains of G. harbinensis and G. scopariaeindicated that strain CPCC 204357T represent a novel species, for which the name Glycomyces paridis sp. nov. is proposed, with CPCC 204357T (=DSM 102295T=KCTC 39745T) as the type strain.

Allobranchiibius huperziae gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of Dermacoccaceae isolated from the root of a medicinal plant Huperzia serrata (Thunb.).

A Gram-stain-positive, non-spore-forming actinobacterial strain, designated CPCC 204077T, was isolated from the surface-sterilized root of a medicinal plant Huperzia serrata (Thunb.) collected from Sichuan Province, south-west China. The peptidoglycan type of strain CPCC 204077T was detected as A4α with an l-Lys-l-Ser-d-Asp interpeptide bridge. Galactose, glucose, rhamnose and ribose were the sugar compositions in the whole-cell hydrolysates. MK-8(H4) was the only menaquinone. The polar lipid profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, one unidentified phospholipid and one unidentified glycolipid. The major fatty acid was iso-C16 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content was 71.0 mol%. The phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain CPCC 204077T stood for a distinct lineage within the family Dermacoccaceaealongside the genera Branchiibius, Demetria and Barrientosiimonas, with the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to Branchiibius hedensis Mer 29717T (95.0 %), Calidifontibacter indicus PC IW02T (95.0 %), Barrientosiimonas humi 39T (94.9 %) and Demetria terragena HKI 0089T (94.7 %), and less than 94.7 % sequence similarities to all other species. Signature nucleotides in the 16S rRNA sequence showed that the strain contained the Dermacoccaceaefamily-specific 16S rRNA signature nucleotides and a genus-specific diagnostic nucleotide signature pattern. Combining the genotypic and phenotypic analyses, we propose that strain CPCC 204077T represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Dermacoccaceae with the name Allobranchiibius huperziae gen. nov., sp. nov. Strain CPCC 204077T (=NBRC 110719T=DSM 29531T) is the type strain of the type species.

Paenibacillus eucommiae sp. nov., isolated from a traditional Chinese medicinal herbal plant, Eucommia ulmoides Oliver.

The taxonomic status of a novel bacterium, designated strain CPCC 100226T, isolated from a traditional Chinese medicinal herbal plant, Eucommia ulmoides Oliver, was characterized by using a polyphasic approach. The aerobic isolate formed pale white colonies on tryptic soy agar. Cells were Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, motile and endospore-forming. Chemotaxonomic investigations revealed the presence of meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid, MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and C16 : 0 as the major fatty acids, and the strain had a phospholipid pattern of phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and unidentified aminophospholipids. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the isolate was closely related to Paenibacillus aestuarii DSM 23861T with 95.1 % similarity. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 47.9 mol%. On the basis of the genotypic and phenotypic data, the isolate is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus. The name proposed for this taxon is Paenibacillus eucommiae sp. nov. with CPCC 100226T (=DSM 26048T=KCTC 33054T) as the type strain.

Jatrophihabitans huperziae sp. nov., an endophytic actinobacterium isolated from surface-sterilized tissue of the medicinal plant Huperzia serrata (Thunb.).

A novel endophytic actinobacterium, designated strain CPCC 204076T, was isolated from surface-sterilized tissue of the medicinal plant Huperzia serrata (Thunb.) collected from Sichuan Province, south-west China. The taxonomic position of the isolate was investigated by a polyphasic approach. The strainwas aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming and rod-shaped. Growth was observed at 10-37 °C, at pH 5.0-10.0 and with 0-3.0 % (w/v) NaCl. The polar lipid fraction consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, a phospholipid, an aminolipid, a glycolipid, an aminophospholipid and phosphatidylinositol. The cell wall contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid and the peptidoglycan was of type A4γ. The menaquinone system consisted of MK-9(H4) and MK-8(H4). The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) were iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain CPCC 204076T was found to be 71.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that CPCC 204076T belongs to the genus Jatrophihabitans with highest sequence similarity to Jatrophihabitans endophyticus DSM 45627T (96.5 %), Jatrophihabitans soli DSM 45908T (96.5 %) and Jatrophihabitans fulvus JCM 30448T (96.1 %), and much lower similarities (<95.0 %) to other available 16S rRNA gene sequences from validly described pure cultures. However, DNA-DNA hybridyzation values between strain CPCC 204076T and the three recognized Jatrophihabitans species were 31±3.1 % (J. endophyticus DSM 45627T), 33±2.9 % (J. soli DSM 45908T) and 37±1.7 % (J. fulvus JCM 30448T), which were all far below the recommended cut-off value of 70 %. The phenotypic and genomic characteristics distinctly indicated that strain CPCC 204076T represents a novel species of the genus Jatrophihabitans, for which the name Jatrophihabitans huperziae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CPCC 204076T (I13A-01604) (=DSM 46866T=NBRC 110718T).

[Compatibility research of Yiqi Fumai injection with clinical combination based on isothermal titration calorimetry].

To reveal the characterization of interaction between Chinese and western medicinal injections, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was applied to evaluating the interaction of Yiqi Fumai injection (YQFM, as mode drug) with epinephrine hydrochloride injection (YS) and 5% glucose injection (5% GS). The diversification of Gibbs free energy (ΔG), enthalpy (ΔH), and entropy (ΔS) were determined to judge the reaction types of colliquefaction procedures of different injections. Meanwhile, the fingerprints of YQFM before and after combined with the various injections were compared to validate the results. This work demonstrated that during the titration procedure of YQFM and YS, [ΔH] > T [ΔS] , that was to say the reaction was enthalpy-driving. And the reactive profile indicated that a great deal of heat gave out during the procedure. Obviously, chemical reactions happened and the internal component changed. On the other side, the reaction of YQFM combined with 5% GS was entropy-driving, because [ΔH] < T [ΔS]. The reactive profile showed there was only a little heat released. So non-chemical reactions happened and the major ingredients did not change. ITC could be applied to the evaluation on compatibility of other kinds of Chinese and western medicinal injection combination.

[Study on the polarized reflectance-hyperspectral information fusion technology of tomato leaves nutrient diagnoses].

With 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% and 150%, five levels of, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) nutrition stress samples cultivated in Venlo type greenhouse soilless cultivation mode as the research object, polarized reflectance spectra and hyperspectral images of different nutrient deficiency greenhouse tomato leaves were acquired by using polarized reflectance spectroscopy system developed by our own research group and hyperspectral imaging system respectively. The relationship between a certain number of changes in the bump and texture of non-smooth surface of the nutrient stress leaf and the level of polarization reflected radiation was clarified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). On the one hand, the polarization spectrum was converted into the degree of polarization through Stokes equation, and the four polarization characteristics between the polarization spectroscopy and reference measurement values of N, P and K respectively were extracted. On the other hand, the four characteristic wavelengths of N, P, K hyperspectral image data were determined respectively through the principal component analysis, followed by eight hyperspectral texture features extracted corresponding to the four characteristic wavelengths through correlation analysis. Polarization characteristics and hyperspectral texture features combined with each characteristics of N, P, K were extracted. These 12 characteristic variables were normalized by maximum-minimum value method. N, P, K nutrient levels quantitative diagnostic models were established by SVR. Results of models are as follows: the correlation coefficient of nitrogen r = 0.961 8, root mean square error RMSE= 0.451; correlation coefficient of phosphorus r = 0.916 3, root mean square error RMSE = 0.620; correlation coefficient of potassium r = 0.940 6, root mean square error RMSE = 0.494. The results show that high precision tomato leaves nutrition prediction model could be built by using polarized reflectance spectroscopy combined with high spectral information fusion technology and achieve good diagnoses effect. It has a great significance for the improvement of model accuracy and the development of special instruments. The research provides a new idea for the rapid detection of tomato nutrient content.

[Research on the influence of urban land use structure and pattern on nitrogen, phosphorus of wetland water environment in Xianlin New Town of Nanjing].

The 10 typical wetlands in Xianlin New Townof Nanjing were classified into three categories, including rural wetland, suburban wetland, and urban wetland according to the influence of urbanization as well as the characteristics of wetland and LUCC of catchment regions. RDA was used to analyse the relationships between nitrogen and phosphorus in urban wetland and various types and patterns of land use. It was found that the water quality of the urban wetlands presented to be worse than that from rural wetlands, followed by sub urban wetlands. Secondly, according to all investigated wetlands, TP and TN turned out to be higher during the wet seasons than dry seasons. In addition, significant differences of TP were observed between wet and dry seasons for rural and suburban wetlands, and it was not so obvious for urban wetlands. However, the differences of TN was opposite to that of TP. Thirdly, factors affecting the water quality of wetlands were comprised of types and patterns of land use, and thus significant positive relationships were found between the concentrations of TN and TP and the impervious land, while negative correlations for meadows, woodlands and wetlands. What's more, higher remarkable differences were found in wetlands than those from meadows and woodlands. Regarding to patterns of land use, TP, TN concentrations were negatively correlated with the average patch shape in the dry and wet seasons, whereas positively relationships were observed for patch density and diversity index; furthermore, with refer to the impact of adjacent landscape, significant relationships were found between the content of TN and the patterns of land use and thus, a negative correlation in the wet season and a positive correlation in the dry season were observed, respectively.

Tanshinone IIA induces cytochrome c-mediated caspase cascade apoptosis in A549 human lung cancer cells via the JNK pathway.

Tanshinone IIA (TSIIA), a natural diterpene quinone in the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Dan-Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), has extensively exerted antitumor activity in cellular and animal models. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor effects of TSIIA remain largely unknown. The in vitro effects of TSIIA on apoptosis were investigated in A549 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. The data showed that TSIIA significantly suppressed the proliferation of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values of 16.0±3.7 and 14.5±3.3 µM at 48 h as determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and clone formation assay, respectively. The change of mitochondrial morphology and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were observed during the induction. Furthermore, TSIIA induced A549 cell apoptosis as confirmed by typical morphological changes, with cytochrome c release from the mitochondria and Bax translocation to the mitochondria. Caspase activity data indicated that TSIIA activated caspase-9 and caspase-3 of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, but not caspase-8 of receptor-mediated apoptosis, which could be largely rescued by SP600125 (JNK inhibitor). Taken together, these findings provide the first evidence that TSIIA inhibits growth of NSCLC A549 cells, induces activation of JNK signaling and triggers caspase cascade apoptosis mediated by the release of cytochrome c, which provides a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of TSIIA on lung cancer.

[Study on the polarized reflectance characteristics of single greenhouse tomato nutrient deficiency leaves].

In order to improve accuracy of quantitative analysis model for the greenhouse tomato nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrient stress, and explore the advantages of polarization non-destructive detection in single-leaf plants scale, polarized reflectance characteristics of greenhouse nutrient deficiency tomato leaves in different growing seasons and different deficiency extents were both examined via means of polarized reflectance spectroscopy system, which was self-developed by the research group. The main factors with effects on the polarized reflectance characteristics of tomato leaves were discussed, such as incident zenith angle, azimuth angle, detection zenith angle, light source polarizer degree, and detector polarizer degree. Experiments were carried out to verify the optimum level of above five parameters by means of range analysis of orthogonal experiments, through that way we can know the best angle combination of five parameters. Based on the above analysis, the angle combination and sorting of detecting tomato nutrients deficiency leaves via means of polarization spectroscopy system were obtained as follows: incident zenith angle 60 degrees, light source polarizer degree 0 degrees, detection zenith angle 45 degrees, detector polarizer degree 45 degrees and azimuth angle 180 degrees. At the same time, both the spectra of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium deficiency leaves in different growth stages and different deficiency extent leaves were compared with each other. Results show that there is a positive correlation between the greenhouse nutrient deficiency tomato leaves growth cycle and tomato leaves polarized reflectance spectra. Nutrient excess or nutrient deficiency can both lead to polarized reflectance decline and polarized reflectance decline extent of greenhouse tomato leaves is more obvious during the fruiting and harvest period. This paper has a certain theoretical and practical significance in the research on nutrition rapid detection on the plant single leaf scale by means of polarized reflectance spectrum.

Neuroprotective effects of extract of Acanthopanax senticosus harms on SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing wild-type or A53T mutant α-synuclein.

Extract of Acanthopanax senticosus harms (EAS) has been shown to have neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) mice model. α-Synuclein is a key player in the pathogenesis of PD, the elevated level of which is deleterious to dopaminergic neurons, and enhancing its clearance might be a promising strategy for treating PD. To assess the potential of EAS in this regard, we investigated its effect on the SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing wild-type α-synuclein (WT-α-Syn) or A53T mutant α-synuclein (A53T-α-Syn), and the implicated pathway it might mediate. After treatment with EAS, the changes of α-synuclein, caspase-3, parkin, phospho-protein kinase B (Akt), phospho-glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3ß), and phospho-microtubule-associated protein tau (Tau) in WT-α-Syn or A53T-α-Syn transgenic cells were reverted back to near normal levels, demonstrated by the western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR outcomes. The neuroprotective effects of EAS may be able to protect WT-α-Syn or A53T-α-Syn transgenic SH-SY5Y cells from α-synuclein overexpression and toxicity. Therefore, we speculate that EAS might be a promising candidate for prevention or treatment of α-synuclein-related neurodegenerative disorders such as PD.

[Research on HPLC fingerprint of Rheum palmatum from Gansu Province called "quan-shui-da-huang"].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an analysis method for HPLC fingerprint of Rheum palmatum collected from Gansu province (called "Quan-shui-da-huang"), and provide basis for quality control of Quan-shui-da-huang. METHODS: The Cosmosil 5C18-PAQ column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) was used with the mixture of 0.1% acetic acid and acetonitrile as mobile phase in a gradient elution mode. The flow rate was 1 mL/min, column temperature was 30 degrees C and detection wavelength was set at 280 nm. The similarity evaluation, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis of crude drugs collected from different habitats were carried out. RESULTS: The analysis method of HPLC fingerprint was set up. The characteristic fingerprint was obtained by chemometrics methods. CONCLUSION: Under the selected chromatographic conditions, constituents in Rheum palmatum can be separated well. This method can be used for the quality control of Quan-shui-da-huang.

[Effects of intracerebroventricular microinjection of L-arginine on exercise capacity and expression of nitric oxide in rat hypothalamus].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between nitric oxide (NO) in central nervous system and exercise-induced fatigue stress and to study the effect of L-arginine (L-Arg), as a substrate of nitric oxide, on the exercise capacity and NO content in the exhausted rat brain and blood. METHODS: Through an implanted cannula, the normal saline or L-Arg was microinjected into rat's intracerebroventrical for consecutive four days. Then an acute exhaustive model (on the speed of 18 m/min, an inclination of 5 degrees) was established with animal treadmill. The time of exercise till exhaustion was recorded, and the total workload was calculated that represented the exercise capacity. Nitrate and nitrite (NO3/NO2-, NOx-) levels in blood, hypothalamus and hippocampus were assayed. RESULTS: Both the time of exercise till exhaustion and total workload in the LArg group increased respectively by 51.8% and 50.08% (P < 0.05), compared with those in the control. The NOx- content in hypothalamus in the L-Arg group (8.93 +/- 1.83) micromol/g pro was larger than that in the control (4.25 +/- 0.79) micromol/g pro, (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in NOx- content in brain and hippocampus between the two groups. The total workload was positively correlated with NOx- concentration in hypothalamus (P < 0.01). However, there was no correlation between workload and changes in hippocampus NOx- content at fatigue. CONCLUSION: Intracerebroventricular microinjection of L-Arg may enhance the exercise capacity and lead to up-regulation of NO by means of L-Arg-NO signal path in the hypothalamus. Hypothalamus may be a key site in brain in the modulation of physiological exercise.

Urinary metabonomics study on toxicity biomarker discovery in rats treated with Xanthii Fructus.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Xanthii Fructus (XF) is commonly called "Cang-Erzi" in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and widely used for the treatment of sinusitis, headache, rheumatism, and skin itching. However, the clinical utilization of XF is relatively restricted owing to its toxicity. AIM OF THE STUDY: To discover the characteristic potential biomarkers in rats treated with XF by urinary metabonomics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) was applied in the study. The total ion chromatograms obtained from control and different dosage groups were distinguishable by a multivariate statistical analysis method. RESULTS: The greatest difference in metabolic profile was observed between high dosage group and control group, and the metabolic characters in rats treated with XF were perturbed in a dose-dependent manner. The metabolic changes in response for XF treatment were observed in urinary samples, which were revealed by orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA), and 10 metabolites could be served as the potential toxicity biomarkers. In addition, the mechanism associated with the damages of lipid per-oxidation and the metabolic disturbances of fatty acid oxidation were investigated. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that metabonomics analysis in urinary samples may be useful for predicting the toxicity induced by XF.

Williamsia sterculiae sp. nov., isolated from a Chinese medicinal plant.

Two actinobacterial strains, CPCC 203464(T) and CPCC 203448, isolated from surface-sterilized stems of medicinal plants were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. These two aerobic organisms formed pale yellow colonies on tryptic soy agar (TSA). Cells were Gram-stain-positive, non-acid-fast, non-motile, rod- or coccoid-like elements. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strains CPCC 203464(T) and CPCC 203448 were most closely related to the type strains of the species of the genus Williamsia. Chemotaxonomic properties such as containing meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall, arabinose, galactose and ribose being the whole-cell hydrolysate sugars, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) as the phospholipids, and C16 : 0, 10-methyl C18 : 0, C18 : 1ω9c, C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH as major fatty acids supported the affiliation of strains CPCC 203464(T) and CPCC 203448 to the genus Williamsia. The DNA-DNA hybridization values in combination with differentiating chemotaxonomic and physiological characteristics strongly suggested that these two isolates should be classified as representatives of a novel species of the genus Williamsia. The name Williamsia sterculiae sp. nov. is proposed, with strain CPCC 203464(T) ( = DSM 45741(T) = KCTC 29118(T)) as the type strain.