[Preparation of vitexin albumin nanoparticles and its pharmacokinetic study].

This study aims to prepare vitexin albumin nanoparticles(VT-BSA-NPs) to alleviate the low bioavailability of vitexin(VT) in vivo due to its poor water solubility. VT micro powders were prepared by the antisolvent crystallization method, and the morphology, size, and physicochemical properties of VT micro powders were studied. The results showed that the VT micro powder had a particle size of(187.13±7.15) nm, an approximate spherical morphology, and a uniform size distribution. Compared with VT, the chemical structure of VT micro powders has not changed. VT-BSA-NPs were prepared from VT micro powders by desolvation-crosslinking curing method. The preparation process was screened by single factor test and orthogonal test, and the quality evaluation of the optimal prescription particle size, PDI, Zeta potential, EE, and morphology was performed. The results showed that the average particle size of VT-BSA-NPs was(124.33±0.47) nm; the PDI was 0.184±0.012; the Zeta potential was(-48.83±2.20) mV, and the encapsulation rate was 83.43%±0.39%, all of which met the formulation-related requirements. The morphological results showed that the VT-BSA-NPs were approximately spherical in appearance, regular in shape, and without adhesion on the surface. In vitro release results showed a significantly reduced release rate of VT-BSA-NPs compared with VT, indicating a good sustained release effect. LC-MS/MS was used to establish an analytical method for in vivo analysis of VT and study the plasma pharmacokinetics of VT-BSA-NPs in rats. The results showed that the specificity of the analytical method was good, and the extraction recovery was more than 90%. Compared with VT and VT micro powders, VT-BSA-NPs could significantly increase AUC, MRT, and t_(1/2), which was beneficial to improve the bioavailability of VT.

Research progress of quality control for the seed of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H.F. Chow (Suan-Zao-Ren) and its proprietary Chinese medicines.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Semen Ziziphi Spinosae (SZS), the seed of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H.F. Chow (Chinese name Suan-Zao-Ren), is widely distributed in China, Laos, Myanmar, and Iran. It is a classic traditional Chinese medicine with sedative and sleeping effects. In clinical practice, there are more than 155 proprietary Chinese medicines containing SZS. However, many commercial SZS products are difficult to qualify using current methods. Moreover, there is a scarcity of quality standards for SZS in proprietary Chinese medicines. AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this study was to clearly reveal the quality indicators during the entire production process of SZS and its products. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study reviewed more than 230 articles and related books on the quality control of SZS and its proprietary Chinese medicines published over the last 40 years (from January 1979 to October 2022). Moreover, where available, information on the quality of SZS and its proprietary Chinese medicines was also collected from websites for comparison, including online publications (e.g. PubMed, CNKI, Google Scholar, and Web of Science), the information at Yaozhi website and China Medical Information Platform, along with some classic books on Chinese herbal medicine. The literature and information search were conducted using keywords such as "Suan-Zao-Ren", " Ziziphus jujuba" and "quality control", and the latest results from various databases were combined to obtain valid information. The active components, which in vivo exposure, and Q-markers were also summarized. RESULTS: The jujuboside A, jujuboside B, and spinosin were revealed as the key Q-markers for SZS. Moreover, the advancements and prospects of the quality control for SZS and its extract, proprietary Chinese medicines, health foods, and adulterants were comprehensively summarized. The high-performance liquid chromatography-UV/evaporative light scattering detection and fingerprint analysis were found to be the mainstream methods for the SZS quality control. In particular, the novel quality evaluation method based on the unit content was applied for SZS and its proprietary Chinese medicines. Significant fluctuations were found in the contents of Q-markers. Moreover, the mass transfer rule of Q-markers was comprehensively clarified based on the entire production process, including production origins, ripening time, primary process, processing, compatibility decoction/extract, and storage. Ultimately, the crushing and compatibility of SZS were found to be the key steps affecting the active components. CONCLUSIONS: In short, this study provides solid evidences to reveal quality indicators for the entire production process of developing rational quality standards for SZS and its products. Moreover, this study also provides a template quality control overview, which could be extended to other traditional Chinese medicines.

Effects of Mindfulness-based Interventions on Dementia Patients: A Meta-analysis.

This study aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) in improving mental health and quality of life for people with dementia. Comprehensive literature search was performed using the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL databases from their inception till June 26, 2019. In total, nine articles met the eligibility criteria and were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed a statistically significant decrease in depressive symptoms (SMD = -0.39, 95% CI: - 0.62 to - 0.15), in people with dementia who were treated with MBI. However, there were no significant improvements in anxiety, stress, or quality of life. These findings suggest that MBI is a promising alternative to conventional interventions in the treatment of depression among dementia patients and warrant further study.

[The role of submerged group ecological media box in repairing black and odorous water body]. / 潜水式生态介质箱对黑臭水体的修复效果.

As a conventional technology, the ecological floating bed has been widely used to repair waste water body. However, it can only repair the surface oxygen-enriched water, and has limited ability to repair the lower anoxic water. To meet the needs of the restoration of black and odorous water body, we designed a submersible ecological media box (submerged group) and compared it with traditional ecological floating bed (floating bed group). Water quality of black and odorous water before and after the restoration was examined, with the growth status of aquatic plants and the accumulation ability of N and P being investigated. The results showed that with the prolongation of repairing time, the removal rate of each pollutant increased gradually in both treatments. The removal ability of the submerged group for TN, NH4+-N, TP was better than that of the floating bed group, but its ability to remove CODMn was slightly inferior than that of the floating bed group. Plants (Vallisneria natans) in the submerged group grew better than that in the floating bed group (Acorus cala-mus), with similar patterns of the absorption and accumulation capacity and removal rate of TN and TP. In addition, the plasma membrane permeability and malondialdehyde content of V. natans were lower than that of A. calamus and the chlorophyll content of A. calamus was higher than that of V. natans, indicating that V. natans is more suitable for planting in black and odorous water bodies. Thus, the submersible ecological media box is a new in-situ integrated remediation device, which is more suitable to repair the black and odorous water.

Two new triterpenoids from Gypsophila oldhamiana.

Two new triterpenoids (1-2) were isolated and elucidated from the roots of Gypsophila oldhamiana, together with four known triterpenoids (3-6). Their structures were identified to be 3ß-hydroxyolean-13(18)-ene-23, 28-dioic acid (1), 3ß, 12α-dihydroxy-23-carboxyolean-28, 13ß-olide (2), 3ß, 16α-dihydroxy-23-oxoolean-13(18)-en-28-oic acid (3), gypsogenin (4), quillaic acid (5) and gypsogenic acid (6) by spectral methods. All compounds were tested for their cytotoxicities against human tumour cell lines (lung cancer H460 and gastric cancer SGC-7901) and for their antiangiogenic effects using a zebra fish model. All compounds showed interesting antiangiogenic activities and the significant cytotoxicities against H460.

[Effects of extraction of Angelicae sinensis and Astragalus mongholicus on the peritoneal structure, functions and TGF-ß1 expression in the chronic peritoneal failure rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of extraction of Angelicae sinensis and Astragalus mongholicus (EAA) on the peritoneal structure, functions and transforming growth factor-ß1(TGF-ß1) expression in the chronic peritoneal failure rats. METHODS: Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, model control group, positive control group, high-dose and low-dose EAA group(n=10). The modeling rats were established by intraperitoneal injection(ip) 4.25% high-glucose peritoneal dialysate 100 ml/kg, lasted 40 d, and ip lipopolysaccharides (LPS) 5 mg/kg at 8thd, 10thd and 12thd. At the same time, the rats were treated with the corresponding drugs. The body weight and general states, the levels of ultrafiltration volume, the parameters of peritoneal transport function, the changes of peritoneal morphology and the TGF-ß1 expression in parietal peritoneum of rats were observed. RESULTS: EAA could increase the levels of ultrafiltration volume and improve the parameters of peritoneal transport function. The peritoneal thickness were decreased, and the TGF-ß1 expression in parietal peritoneum were also lowered significantly. CONCLUSIONS: EAA has some protective effects on the peritoneal structure and functions, and can inhibit TGF-ß1 expression.

Modulation of apoptosis-related cell signalling pathways by curcumin as a strategy to inhibit tumor progression.

A hallmark of cancer is resistance to apoptosis, with both the loss of proapoptotic signals and the gain of anti-apoptotic mechanisms contributing to tumorigenesis. As inducing apoptosis in malignant cells is one of the most challenging tasks regarding cancer, researchers increasingly focus on natural products to regulate apoptotic signaling pathways. Curcumin, a polyphenolic derivative of turmeric, is a natural compound derived from Curcuma longa, has attracted great interest in the research of cancer during the last half century. Extensive studies revealed that curcumin has chemopreventive properties, which are mainly due to its ability to arrest cell cycle and to induce apoptosis in cancer cells either alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents or radiation. The underlying action mechanisms of curcumin are diverse and has not been elucidated so far. By regulating multiple important cellular signalling pathways including NF-κB, TRAIL, PI3 K/Akt, JAK/STAT, Notch-1, JNK, etc., curcumin are known to activate cell death signals and induce apoptosis in pre-cancerous or cancer cells without affecting normal cells, thereby inhibiting tumor progression. Several phase I and phase II clinical trials indicate that curcumin is quite safe and may exhibit therapeutic efficacy. This article reviews the main effects of curcumin on the different apoptotic signaling pathways involved in curcumin induced apoptosis in cancer cells via cellular transduction pathways and provides an in depth assessment of its pharmacological activity in the management of tumor progression.

Berberine ameliorates renal injury by regulating G proteins-AC- cAMP signaling in diabetic rats with nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a progressive kidney disease that is caused by injury to glomerulus and glomerular mesangial cells (MCs) proliferation play a critical role in the pathogenesis of DN. The current studies were undertaken to investigate the protective effects and the possible molecular mechanism of berberine on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DN rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to normal control and DN groups of comparable age. Three DN groups received 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of berberine for 8 weeks via daily intragastrically, respectively. The G proteins-adenylyl cyclase (AC)-cAMP signaling pathway and glomerular MCs proliferation were examined in STZ-induced diabetic rat kidney. Enhanced MCs proliferation and remarkable renal injury were concomitant with activation of Gαi and inhibition of Gαs and cAMP in DN model group. Berberine treatment for 8 weeks abolished the above changes by upregulating the expression of Gαs protein and downregulating the expression of Gαi protein, increasing cAMP level, and inhibiting MCs proliferation compared with model group. Taken together, for the first time, these results demonstrated that berberine can relieve renal injury in DN rats through mediating G proteins-AC-cAMP signaling pathway and inhibiting the abnormal proliferation of MCs by increasing cAMP level, suggesting that berberine could be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of DN.

Renoprotective effects of berberine and its possible molecular mechanisms in combination of high-fat diet and low-dose streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Berberine (BBR), an effective compound of Chinese traditional herbal medicine, has preventive effects on diabetes and its complications. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of BBR in rats with high-fat diet and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic nephropathy model. BBR (50, 100, 200 mg/kg/d) were orally administered to male Sprague-Dawley rats after STZ injection and conducted for 8 weeks. Renal damage was evaluated by kidney weight to body weight ratio (KW/BW), urine microalbumin (UMAlb), urine protein for 24 h (UP24 h), urine creatinine (UCr), and histological examination. Type IV collagen and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-ß1) were detected by immunohistochemistry and ultrastructure of glomeruli was observed. Fasting blood glucose (FBG),serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) in serum and G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs), cAMP in kidney were measured. Remarkable renal damage, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia were observed in DN rats. BBR could restore renal functional parameters, suppress alterations in histological and ultrastructural changes in the kidney tissues, improve glucose and lipid metabolism disorders, and increase cAMP levels compared with those of DN model group. Furthermore, BBR down-regulated total protein expression of GRK2, GRK3 and up-regulated expression of GRK6 of renal cortex in DN rats, but had a slight effects on GRK4 and GRK5. These studies demonstrate, for the first time, that BBR exerts renoprotection in high-fat diet and STZ-induced DN rats by modulating the proteins expression of GRKs in G protein- AC-cAMP signaling pathway.

A new triterpenoid saponin from Sanguisorba officinalis.

A new 19-oxo-18,19-seco-ursane-type triterpenoid saponin, named sanguisoside A (1), along with nine known triterpenoid saponins (2-10), was isolated from the roots of Sanguisorba officinalis. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and chemical method. Compounds 2 and 3 showed cytotoxic activity against SGC-7901, SMMC-7721, A549, and DU145 cell lines.

A new chromone from Angelica polymorpha with cytotoxic activity.

A new chromone polymorchromone B was isolated and characterized from the roots of Angelica polymorpha Maxim, a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. On the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including IR, HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectral data, and hydrolysis followed by chromatographic analysis, the structure of the new chromone was elucidated as 5-hydroxy-2-[(angeloyloxy)methyl]-2'-(dimethyl)-3'-(2S,3S-epoxy-2-methylbutanoate)-dihydropyran [3',2':6,7]chromone. Moreover, it was found that polymorchromone B showed remarkable cytotoxic activity against A-549 cell lines.