Stable Isotope Tracer Technique and Network Pharmacology to Reveal Antidepressant Targets and Active Components of Xiaoyao San.

In recent years, the research of mitochondrial dysfunction in depression has drawn the focus of researchers. Our research group previously found that Xiaoyao San (XYS) has improved the mitochondrial structure and the blocked tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) in the hippocampal tissue of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rats. However, the specific targets and active components of XYS remain unclear, and the potential to improve hippocampal mitochondrial TCA cycle disorder was also unexplored. In this research, a strategy to combine stable isotope-resolved metabolomics (SIRM), network pharmacology and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to explore the potential, targets of action, and active components of XYS to improve hippocampal mitochondrial TCA cycle disorder of CUMS rats. The results of TEM showed that the ultrastructure of hippocampal mitochondria could be improved by XYS. A combination of SIRM and molecular docking showed that pyruvate carboxylase (PC), ATP citrate lyase (ACLK), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) were targets of XYS to improve TCA cycle disorder. In addition, troxerutin was found to be the most potential active component of XYS to improve TCA cycle disorder. The above research results can provide new insights for the development of antidepressant drugs.

Extraction of honokiol from Artemisia argyi and in vitro and in vivo investigation of its antifungal activity.

Extracts from plants used in Chinese medicine can be good sources of fungicides for agricultural applications. In this study, we separated and identified antifungal compounds from four traditional Chinese medicine extracts and evaluated their antifungal activities in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, honokiol extracted from Artemisia argyi showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial and mycelial inhibitory activity with EC50 in the range 3.56 - 33.85 µg/mL against eight plant pathogens. q-PCR indicated that honokiol might induce cell cancerisation and inhibit cellular respiration, which provided significant insights into honokiol function in tobacco resistance to molecular mechanisms of the phytopathogenic fungus Phytophthora nicotianae. In vivo, honokiol significantly decreased the rate of fungal infection in eggplants, potatoes, grapes, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers, and enhanced disease resistance in tobacco. Overall, our results indicate that honokiol has the potential to control a variety of fungal and oomycete diseases, and A. argyi could be a source of honokiol.

[Effects of Gubentongluo Formula on Oxidative Stress Reflected by Expressions of PPARα and L-FABP in Mice with IgA Nephropathy].

OBJECTIVES: To determine the underlying mechanism of Gubentongluo Formula in the treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups: normal group (n =10), IgAN group (n =10), control group (n =10) and treatment group (n =10). Mice in the normal and IgAN groups were intragastricly administered with normal saline for 12 weeks; while those in the control and treatment groups were given fenofibrate [30 mg/(kg!$d) and Gubentongluo Formula [1.67 mL/(g!$d)], respectively. Urinary albumin was detected at week 0 and 12. At week 12, protein expressions of peroxisome proliferstor activated receptor α (PPARα), liver fatty acid-binding proteins (L-FABP), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), and hemeoxygenase-1(HO-1) in renal tissues were determined by Western blot; mRNA expressions of PPARα and L-FABP in renal tissues were determined by florescent quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: At week 12, higher levels of urinary albumin, pathological injuries in glomerular mesangial area, and lower expressions of protein and mRNA of PPARα and L-FABP were found in mice in the IgAN group compared with those in the normal group (P <0.01). The levels of those indicators decreased in those treated with fenofibrate and Gubentongluo Formule, but still higher than the normal controls (P <0.01). The mice treated with Gubentongluo Formula had more significant improvement than those treated with fenofibrate (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: [CM(155.3mm]Gubentongluo formula can improve proteinuria and pathological injuries in glomerular mesangial area of IgAN mice, due to reduction of oxidative stress in renal tissues through regulating the expressions of PPARα and L-FABP.