Kazinol B protects H9c2 cardiomyocytes from hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced cardiac injury by modulating the AKT/AMPK/Nrf2 signalling pathway.

CONTEXT: Kazinol B (KB), an isoprenylated flavan derived from Broussonetia kazinoki Sieb. (Moraceae) root, has long been used in folk medicine. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the protective effects of KB and its underlying mechanisms in hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cardiac injury in H9c2 rat cardiac myoblasts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: H9c2 cells were incubated with various concentrations of KB (0, 0.3, 1, 3, 10 and 30 µM) for 2 h and then subjected to H/R insults. The protective effects of KB and its underlying mechanisms were explored. RESULTS: KB significantly elevated cell viability (1 µM, 1.21-fold; 3 µM, 1.36-fold, and 10 µM, 1.47-fold) and suppressed LDH release (1 µM, 0.77-fold; 3 µM, 0.68-fold, and 10 µM, 0.59-fold) in H/R-induced H9c2 cells. Further, 10 µM KB blocked apoptotic cascades, as shown by the Annexin-V/PI (0.41-fold), DNA fragmentation (0.51-fold), caspase-3 (0.52-fold), PARP activation (0.27-fold) and Bax/Bcl-2 expression (0.28-fold) assays. KB (10 µM) downregulated reactive oxygen species production (0.51-fold) and lipid peroxidation (0.48-fold); it upregulated the activities of GSH-Px (2.08-fold) and SOD (1.72-fold). KB (10 µM) induced Nrf2 nuclear accumulation (1.94-fold) and increased ARE promoter activity (2.15-fold), HO-1 expression (3.07-fold), AKT (3.07-fold) and AMPK (3.07-fold) phosphorylation. Nrf2 knockdown via using Nrf2 siRNA abrogated KB-mediated protective effects against H/R insults. Moreover, pharmacological inhibitors of AKT and AMPK also abrogated KB-induced Nrf2 activation and its protective function. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: KB prevented H/R-induced cardiomyocyte injury via modulating the AKT and AMPK-mediated Nrf2 induction. KB might be a promising drug candidate for managing ischemic cardiac disorders.

Dihydromyricetin Improves Cognitive Impairments in d-Galactose-Induced Aging Mice through Regulating Oxidative Stress and Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase.

SCOPE: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with phenomena of cognitive impairments. Oxidative stress and cholinergic system dysfunction are two widely studied pathogenesis of AD. Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is a natural dihydroflavonol with many bioactivities. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the effects of DMY on cognitive impairment in d-galactose (d-gal) induced aging mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice are intraperitoneally injected with d-gal for 16 weeks, and DMY is supplemented in drinking water. The results show that DMY significantly improves d-gal-induced cognitive impairments in novel object recognition and Y-maze studies. H&E and TUNEL staining show that DMY could improve histopathological changes and cell apoptosis in mice brain. DMY effectively induces the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and reduces malondialdehyde level in mice brain and liver. Furthermore, DMY reduces cholinergic injury by inhibiting the activity of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in mice brain. In vitro studies show that DMY is a non-competitive inhibitor of AChE with IC50 value of 161.2 µg mL-1 . CONCLUSION: DMY alleviates the cognitive impairments in d-gal-induced aging mice partly through regulating oxidative stress and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase.

In vivo and in vitro comparison of three astilbin encapsulated zein nanoparticles with different outer shells.

Three shell materials, lecithin (ZNP-L), chitosan (ZNP-CH) and sodium caseinate (ZNP-SC), were used to prepare core-shell zein nanoparticles. Astilbin was encapsulated as a model flavonoid to compare the influence of the shell materials on zein nanoparticles both in vitro and in vivo. The particle size was moderately increased by lecithin and sodium caseinate, but notably increased by chitosan. All the shell materials provided good redispersibility for the nanoparticles and significantly improved the colloidal stability. Chitosan and sodium caseinate significantly delayed and decreased the feces excretion of astilbin in rats, while lecithin exhibited a very weak effect. The results may be attributed to the difference in mucoadhesive properties between the shell materials. As a consequence, the bioavailability values of astilbin in rats were 18.2, 9.3 and 1.89 times increased through ZNP-CH, ZNP-SC and ZNP-L compared with that of free astilbin, respectively.

Enrichment of polymethoxyflavones from Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' peels and their hypolipidemic effect.

In the present study, a simple and efficient method based on orthogonal experimental design and macroporous resin chromatography was established for the first time for enrichment of polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) from the peels of Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' (CRC). The optimum conditions of extraction and enrichment process were as follows: use of a liquid to solid ratio of 1 to 14, two-hour extraction time repeated twice with 70% ethanol; use of HPD-450 macroporous resin, wash solvent of purified water and 25% aqueous ethanol, and 70% aqueous ethanol as desorption solvent. The purity of PMFs in the resulting extract reached 62.26%. Our data indicate that the PMFs purified could potently alleviate high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidaemia. The PMFs were nontoxic as determined by acute toxicity test. The method established was suitable for large-scale separation of PMFs from CRC peels and the PMFs might be developed as an anti-hyperlipidaemia agent or dietary supplement.

Cultivar differentiation of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium by a combination of hierarchical three-step filtering metabolomics analysis, DNA barcoding and electronic nose.

The traditional Chinese medicine Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) was mainly originated from the dried pericarp of Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' (Crc), Citrus reticulata 'Dahongpao' (Crd), Citrus reticulata 'Unshiu' (Cru) and Citrus reticulata 'Tangerina' (Crt) in China. Since these four cultivars have great similarities in morphology, reliable methods to differentiate CRP cultivars have rarely been reported. To discriminate the differences of these CRP cultivars, herein an efficient and reliable method by combining metabolomics, DNA barcoding and electronic nose was first established. The hierarchical three-step filtering metabolomics analysis based on liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) indicated that 9 species-specific chemical markers including 6 flavanone glycosides and 3 polymethoxyflavones could be considered as marker metabolites for discrimination of the geoherb Crc from other cultivars. A total of 19 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites were found in nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of CRP, and three stable SNP sites (33, 128 and 174) in the ITS2 region can distinguish the four CRP cultivars. The electronic nose coupled with chemometrics could also be used to effectively distinguish Crc from other CRP cultivars. Therefore, our results indicated that the integrated method will be an effective strategy for discrimination of similar herbal medicines.

Evaluation of anti-lipase activity and bioactive flavonoids in the Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium from different harvest time.

BACKGROUND: Inhibition of pancreatic lipase is an attractive approach to the treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders. Naturally occurring phytochemicals are promising sources of lipase inhibitors. PURPOSE: In the present study, the anti-lipase activity of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) extracts was firstly evaluated in vitro. Moreover, the dynamic alteration of bioactive flavonoids in CRP collected at different time and its correlation with anti-lipase activities was investigated. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: Quantitative analysis of multi-components by a single-marker (QAMS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of six flavonoids including narirutin, hesperidin, didymin, nobiletin, 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone and tangeretin. Anti-lipase activity evaluation and docking studies of the flavonoids was also carried out to screen out the candidate lipase inhibitors. RESULTS: The QAMS method validation results exhibited that the developed method had desirable specificity, linearity, precision and accuracy. CRP collected in early months contained higher concentrations of bioactive flavonoids, and exhibited more potent anti-lipase activity. CONCLUSION: Harvest timing had a significant impact on the amounts of bioactive flavonoids and the anti-lipase activities of CRP extracts. The contents of total flavonoids were positively correlated with the anti-lipase activities of CRP, and polymethoxyflavones played a significant role in the hypolipidemic effect of CRP. Nobiletin might be the most potential lipase inhibitor in CRP.

Simultaneous determination of six bioactive flavonoids in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium by rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

A rapid resolution liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (RRLC-ESI-MS(n)) method has been firstly developed and validated for simultaneous determination of six bioactive flavonoids in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP). The antiproliferative activities of the six flavonoids in CRP, namely naringin, hesperidin, nobiletin, 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone, tangeretin and 5-hydroxy-6,7,8,3',4'-pentamethoxyflavone, were evaluated and compared by Cell Counting Kit-8 Assay. Quantification was carried out on an Agilent triple quadrupole LC-MS system using multiple reaction monitoring mode. The established method was successfully applied for determination of the six flavonoids in samples collected from different regions in China. Compared with the reported analytical methods, the RRLC-ESI-MS(n) method is powerful in quantitative analysis of multi-component in terms of time savings and sensitivity. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was also performed to differentiate and classify the samples based on the contents of the six characteristic flavonoids. The HCA results indicated that Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' samples could be easily distinguished from other CRP samples. The developed RRLC-ESI-MS(n) method combined with HCA might be utilised as a quality control method for CRP.

Rapid resolution liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry method for identification of chemical constituents in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium.

Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) is one of the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicines with great medicinal and dietary values. In this work, we developed an approach utilising rapid resolution liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (RRLC-ESI-MS/MS) for the identification and profiling of chemical composition in CRP. On the basis of RRLC retention times, cochromatography with available authentic standards, mass spectral fragmentation patterns and literature information, a total of 41 chemical compounds, including 4 flavone-C-glycosides, 7 flavonoid-O-glycosides and 19 polymethoxyflavones were unambiguously identified or tentatively characterised in CRP. The occurrence of 1 flavone-C-glycoside and 3 cyclic peptides in particular has not yet been described. The results indicated that the developed method could serve as a rapid, effective tool for structural characterisation of chemical constituents in CRP.

Fast profiling of chemical constituents in Yiqing Capsule by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS(n)) has been developed for structural characterization and identification of multi-constituents in Yiqing Capsule, a well-known combined herbal remedy prepared from the extract mixtures of Rhizoma Coptidis, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei and Radix Scutellariae. The UPLC analysis was performed on an Agilent ZorBax SB-C(18) column (4.6 mm×50 mm, 1.8 µm) and gradient elution of 0.1% formic acid solution and acetonitrile in 16 min. Based on their retention times and mass spectra in comparison with the data from standards or references, a total of 29 compounds including 3 phenolic acids and 4 anthraquinones from Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, 8 alkaloids from Rhizoma Coptidis and 14 flavonoids from Radix Scutellariae were unambiguously identified or tentatively characterized in the complex system. The MS data and fragmentation information of two isomers of feruloylquinic acid were first reported in Radix et Rhizoma Rhei and in Yiqing Capsules. This study is expected to be accepted as an effective and reliable pattern for comprehensive and systematic characterization of this commonly used Chinese herbal preparation.

[HPLC fingerprint of Pericarpium Citri Reticultae from Guangdong province].

OBJECTIVE: To establish chromatographic fingerprint of Pericarpium Citri Reticultae from Guangdong province by HPLC and comparison of citrus herbs similarity with different strains and different origin, it was expected to fix standard of quality control. METHODS: 26 samples' analysis was performed on Diamonsil C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with gradient mobile phase of acetonitrile-1% acetic acid,fingerprint was finished in 65 min, the monitoring wavelength was at 330 nm with the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. RESULTS: Establishing the fingerprint of Pericarpium Citri Reticultae from Guangdong province, 17 common peaks were found in the HPLC fingerprints from different sources, the similarity of Pericarpium Citri Reticultae from Guangdong province above 0.975 and quite different for different origin drugs. CONCLUSION: This method is simple, accurate with good reproducibility, and can be used specifically for the quality control of Pericarpium Citri Reticultae from Guangdong province.