[Advances of Akkermansia muciniphila in regulating host functions].

Akkermansia muciniphila, abbreviated as AKK and found in 2004, is an oval-shaped gram-negative bacterium isolated from a human feal. A. muciniphila is widely present in the intestinal tract of human. Its specialization in mucin degradation makes it a key organism at the mucosal interface between the lumen and host cells. More and more studies have shown that it can play the role of probiotics. Notably, declined levels of A. muciniphila have been observed in patients with diabetes, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, neurodegenerative diseases, etc. In addition, A. muciniphila combined with traditional Chinese medicine, exhibited higher effect on regulating host functions, but the underlying mechanism was still unclear, requiring further in-depth research. Therefore, the aims of this review are to summarize the main effects of A. muciniphila on host health and its relationship with traditional Chinese medicine, summarize the main problems, and provide a reference for the further research of A. muciniphila and traditional Chinese medicine.

A review of the use of pteridophytes for treating human ailments.

The aim of this review was to explore the pharmacological activity of early tracheophytes (pteridophytes) as an alternative medicine for treating human ailments. As the first vascular plants, pteridophytes (aka, ferns and fern allies) are an ancient lineage, and human beings have been exploring and using taxa from this lineage for over 2000 years because of their beneficial properties. We have documented the medicinal uses of pteridophytes belonging to thirty different families. The lycophyte Selaginella sp. was shown in earlier studies to have multiple pharmacological activity, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antidiabetic, antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-Alzheimer properties. Among all the pteridophytes examined, taxa from the Pteridaceae, Polypodiaceae, and Adiantaceae exhibited significant medicinal activity. Based on our review, many pteridophytes have properties that could be used in alternative medicine for treatment of various human illnesses. Biotechnological tools can be used to preserve and even improve their bioactive molecules for the preparation of medicines against illness. Even though several studies have reported medicinal uses of ferns, the possible bioactive compounds of several pteridophytes have not been identified. Furthermore, their optimal dosage level and treatment strategies still need to be determined. Finally, the future direction of pteridophyte research is discussed.

Protective effects of seed melon extract on CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Citrullus lanatus ssp. vulgaris var. megalaspermus Lin et Chao, was also known as watermelon belongs to family Cucurbitaceae, variously used as healthy food and in the treatment of liver and lungs problems. Currently, Citrullus lanatus has become a major economic crop of medicinal and edible effects with regional characteristics. AIM: This study was designed to evaluate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of the seed melon (Citrullus lanatus ssp. vulgaris var. megalaspermus Lin et Chao) extract (SME) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatic fibrosis in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, mice were randomly divided into 7 groups, including normal control, model, silymarin tablets as the positive control, SME 100, 200, 400, and 800mg/kg. After 8 weeks, activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglycerides (TG), hyaluronic acid (HA) and laminin (LN) were checked. The levels of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutataion (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were determined after SME administration. The hydroxyproline (HYP) levels, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and histopathologic examinations of hepatocyte fibrosis were also determined. Additionally, effects of SME on alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and transforming growth factor beta-1(TGF-ß1) protein expressions were determined. RESULTS: We found that SME could significantly lower the serum levels of hepatic enzyme markers AST, ALT, HA and LN (P<0.01). Compared with the CCl4-only treatment group, levels of hepatic SOD and GSH-Px were significantly increased, and the MDA levels were remarkably decreased in mice treated by SME at medium dose (400mg/kg) and high dose (800mg/kg) (P<0.01). A histological examination of the liver showed that lesions, including necrosis, lymphocyte infiltration and fatty degeneration, were partially healed by treatment with SME. The results of protein expressions studies displayed that SME could inhibit α-SMA and TGF-ß1 protein expression (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The present results suggested that protective effect of SME against CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis may rely on its effect on reducing oxidative stress and improving drug metabolizing enzyme activity in liver.

Two New Anthraquinones from the Roots of Prismatomeris connata.

Two new anthraquinones, 4-hydroxy-1,2,3-trimethoxy-7-hydroxymethylanthracene-9,10-dione (1) and 1,2,3-trimethoxy-7-hydroxymethylanthracene-9,10- dione (2), were isolated from the roots of Prismatomeris connata, a Chinese medicinal herb. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Compound 1 exhibited cytotoxicity against a panel of H1229, HTB 179, A549 and H520 lung tumor cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 12.3 to 20 µM.

[Chemical constituents of ethyl acetate fraction from seed melon (Citrulluslanatus ssp. vulgaris var. megalaspermus)].

In this paper, the chemical composition of ethyl acetate parts of seed melon were studied by using ethanol re-flux method, extraction method, and isolated by column chromatography oversilica gel and Sephadex LH-20 and HPLC. The structures of the separated compounds were identified by physical-chemical methods and spectral data such as MS, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, etc. 12 compounds were got from the plant including one new compound, 4-hydroxymet-hyl-2-methoxyphenyl 1-O-ß-D-[6'-O-(4″-hydroxybenzoyl)-glucopyranoside] (1) and 11 known compounds, uracil (2), thymine (3), 2'-deoxyuridine (4), 7,8-dimethylalloxazine (5), indole-3-carboxylic acid (6), ß-adenosine (7), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (8), p-coumaric acid (9), cucumegastigmanesⅠ (10), 3'-methoxyl-quercetin-7-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (11) and 3,3'-dimethyloxy-4,4'-dihydroxy-9,9'-monoepoxy lignan (12).

Seven New Tetrahydroanthraquinones from the Root of Prismatomeris connata and Their Cytotoxicity against Lung Tumor Cell Growth.

The root of Prismatomeris connata has been used in China for centuries as the medicinal herb "Huang Gen" (HG), but its phytochemicals or active ingredients are not well understood. In this study, we performed chemical analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction of a HG ethanol extract. We thus isolated seven new tetrahydroanthraquinones, prisconnatanones C-I (compounds 1-7) from the root of P. connata and identified their structures using spectroscopic analyses. Their absolute configurations were established by both modified Mosher's and Mo2OAc4 methods, and ORD techniques. Their cytotoxicity was tested in a panel of human lung tumor cells (H1229, HTB179, A549 and H520 cell lines). Prisconnatanone I (7) showed the highest activity, with an IC50 value ranging from 2.7 µM to 3.9 µM in the suppression of tumor cell growth, and the others with chelated phenolic hydroxyls exhibited relatively lower activity (IC50: 8-20 µM). In conclusion, these data suggest that some of the natural tetrahydroanthraquinones in HG are bioactive, and hydroxylation at C-1 significantly increases the cytotoxicity of these compounds against lung tumor cell growth.

[Chemical constituents from Callicarpa nudiflora and their cytotoxic activities].

The chemical consitituents from cytotoxic fraction of the Callicarpa nudiflora extract were isolated and purified by a combination of HP-20 macroporous resin, silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies. The structures were elucidated on the basis of the spectroscopic data and comparison of their spectroscopic data with reported data. The cytotoxicity was evaluated by the MTT assay. The 50% and 70% EtOH elutions of EtOH-extract showed significant cytotoxic activities, leading to the isolation of twelve compounds, which were identified as luteoloside(1), lutedin-4'-O-ß-D-glucoside(2), 6-hydroxyluteolin-7-O-ß-glucoside(3), lutedin-7-O-neohesperidoside(4), rhoifolin (5), luteolin-7, 4'-di-O-glucoside (6), forsythoside B (7), acteoside (8), alyssonoside (9), catalpol(10), nudifloside(11), and leonuride(12). Compounds 3-6, 10 and 12 were isolated from this genus for the first time, and compound 9 was isolated from this plant for the first time. The cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that flavonoids 1-6, in various concentrations, showed monolithic proliferation inhibitory activities against Hela, A549 and MCF-7 cell lines. Compounds 3, 5 and iridoid glycoside 11 possessed higher cytotoxicacivities. In short, flavonoids are the main components of cytotoxic extract from C. nudiflora, while phenylethanoid glycosides are the predominant ingredient but inactive to cancer cell lines. In addition, the minor iridoid glycoside expressed weak cytotoxic activity.

[Phenylpropanoids and diphenylethene compounds from roots and rhizomes of Smilax scobinicaulis].

The chemical constituents were separated and purified from the roots and rhizomes of Smilax scobinicaulis by various chromatographic methods including silica gel, Sephadex LH-20. Their structures were obtained and identified as resveratrol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), resveratrol (2), 8-viniferin (3), ethyl caffeate (4), 1-0-caffeoylglycerol (5), 1-O-p-coumaroylglycerol (6), 1-0-feruloylglycerol (7), grossamide (8), moracin M (9) on the analysis of spectroscopic data. Compound 1 was a new compound and compounds 3-5, 8,9 were separated from this plant for the first time.

In vitro activities of 3-hydroxy-1,5,6-trimethoxy-2-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone against non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Medicinal herbs are the preferred candidates for drug discovery against human diseases including cancer. The roots of Prismatomeris connata have been used in traditional herbal medicine to treat many health problems, particularly pneumoconiosis. This study was to test the anti-tumor activity of 3-hydroxy-1,5,6-trimethoxy-2-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone (PCON6), a major anthraquinone derivative from C. connata, against lung cancer. Cell viability in cultures was assessed by MTT assay. Cell death or apoptosis was determined with annexin-V and 7-aminoactinomycin D staining. Cell cycle was analyzed by both propidium iodide DNA staining and BrdU incorporation assay. Here we showed that in a panel of fifteen different tumor cells lines, a group of four non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell lines exhibited a relatively higher sensitivity to PCON6 growth inhibition than the rest of most non-lung cancer cell lines (p = 0.0461). Further studies demonstrated that the suppression of NSCLC H520 cell growth by PCON6 was associated with its induction of apoptosis at 20 µM (p = 0.0008), and of cell accumulation at S phase cell cycle (p < 0.05) that was further supported by a decrease in cdc2 protein expression. This preliminary study suggests that natural compound PCON6 has relatively selective cytotoxicity against NSCLC growth and represent a concept of developing a novel drug therapy specific for NSCLC based on the roots of C. connata or PCON6.