[Study on Glycosides Constituents from Guangdong Liangcha Granules(II)].

OBJECTIVE: To study the glycosides from Guangdong Liangcha Granules. METHODS: The chemical constituents were isolated by various chromatographic techniques and the structures of chemical constituents were identified by spectroscopic analysis and literature. RESULTS: Six compounds were isolated and identified as ilexoside B (1), asprellanosides B (2), asprellanoside A (3), 4', 5 ,7 -tri- hydroxyflavone-6-O-ß3-D-glucopyranosyl ester(4), isoviolanthin (5),3-O-methy-lellagic acid 4'-O-rhamnopyranoside (6). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1 - 5 are firstly obtained from Guangdong Liangcha Granules.

Antiproliferative triterpenoid saponins from the stem of Psychotria sp.

Six new triterpenoid saponins, psychotrianosides A-F (1-6), and two known triterpenoid saponins, psychotrianoside G (7) and ardisianoside D (8), were isolated from Psychotria sp. Their structures were determined mainly by spectroscopic methods. The cytotoxic activities of 1-8 against five human cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, MCF-7/ADM, HepG2, and HepG2/ADM) are reported for the first time. Psychotrianoside C (3) showed the most potent antiproliferative activity among these saponins, and the IC50 value of 3 against MDA-MB-231 was 2.391 ± 0.161 µM. Compound 3 was also found to induce apoptosis.

[Serum hyaluronic acid, tumor necrosis factor -alpha, vascular endothelial growth factor, NO, and Se levels in adult patients with Kashin-Beck disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of serum levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), NO, and Se with the clinical manifestations in adult patients with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD). METHODS: Total 216 adults were selected for KBD screening from the KBD-prevalent areas in Yongshou county and the non-KBD areas of Chang'an county, Xi'an city, ShaanXi Province. According to the National Diagnostic Criteria of Kashin-Beck Disease in China, the diagnoses of KBD was established in 25 adult patients (11 men and 14 women, average age of 47.88+/-11.16 years), and 20 healthy control subjects from the KBD areas (8 men and 12 women, average age of 47.85+/-12.05 years) and 20 from the non-KBD areas (8 men and 12 women, average age of 47.45+/-11.24 years) were also selected to serve as controls. There was no significant difference in the average age and gender distribution between the 3 groups. The serum levels of HA, TNF-alpha, VEGF, NO and Se were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, nitrate reductase method and griphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. RESULTS: Serum NO level was significantly higher in KBD group (41.7+/-21.89 micromol/L) than in the health controls from KBD areas (17.1+/-13.01 micromol/L) and non-KBD areas (17.58+/-11.48 micromol/l, F=13.11, df=2, P<0.001). Serum TNF-alpha level in KBD group (32.7+/-3.55 pg/ml) was significantly higher than that in the control subjects from the non-KBD areas (30.95+/-2.22 pg/ml, F=3.672, df=2, P=0.031), but similar with the control subjects from the KBD areas (32.7+/-3.55 pg/ml). Serum TNF-alpha and NO levels were identified as the indices that differed between adult KBD patients and the controls from both KBD and non-KBD areas by differential analysis (the function of differentiation was 0.062xNO+0.173xTNF -7.218). CONCLUSION: Serum TNF-alpha and NO levels are significantly increased in adult KBD patients and are associated with the clinical manifestations of KBD.