Update on new trend and progress of the mechanism of polysaccharides in the intervention of Alzheimer's disease, based on the new understanding of relevant theories: A review.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease with insidious onset and progressive progression, is the main type of dementia. Currently, there is no specific cure for the disease. At the same time, a series of drug developments based on the classic theory, the Aß cascade hypothesis, have not completed phase III clinical trials, challenging the hypothesis. Polysaccharides obtained from natural products can be used in the treatment of AD, which has attracted academic attention due to its advantages of multi-target, multi-channel, no or modest side effects. The TCM syndrome type of AD is mainly "qi and blood deficiency, kidney essence deficiency", and the medicine is mainly used to replenish qi and blood, kidney and bone marrow. Thus, there has been extensive and in-depth research on polysaccharides obtained from tonic Chinese herbal medicine in China. Based on this background, this paper evaluated the effects and mechanisms of natural polysaccharides on AD by combing and screening English and related literature in recent 5 years and summarized the extraction process and structure-activity relationship of polysaccharides.

Saikosaponin B4 Suppression Cancer Progression by Inhibiting SW480 and SW620 Cells Proliferation via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway in Colon Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colon cancer is a gastrointestinal malignancy with high incidence and poor prognosis. OBJECTIVE: Saikosaponin B4 (SSB4) is a monomeric component of the Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Bupleurum. The current study investigates the therapeutic effect and mechanisms of SSB4 in colon cancer. METHODS: The proliferation of two colon cancer cell lines, SW480 and SW620, were assessed using CCK8 and expression of regulatory molecules, including Bax, Caspase3, Caspase9, Cleaved Caspase3, Cleaved Caspase9 and Bcl2 by flow cytometry and Western blotting. RESULTS: Survival rates, assessed by CCK8, of SW480 and SW620 cells decreased significantly when the SSB4 concentration was in the range 12.5-50 µg/ml. Flow cytometry measurements indicated apoptosis rates of 55.07% ± 1.63% for SW480 cells and 33.07% ± 1.28% for SW620 cells treated with 25 µg/ml SSB4. Western blotting revealed upregulation of the proapoptotic proteins, Bax, Caspase3, Caspase9, Cleaved Caspase3 and Cleaved Caspase9, and downregulation of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl2, in the presence of SSB4. Network pharmacology and molecular docking predicted that the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway might be the main regulatory target for the antitumor effect of SSB4. Further Western blotting experiments showed that SSB4 downregulated (p < 0.01) expression of PI3K, Akt, mTOR and the phosphorylated proteins, P-PI3K, P-Akt and P-MTOR. Expression of PI3K, Akt and mTOR mRNA was found to be downregulated by SSB4 (P < 0.01) as the result of RT-PCR measurements. CONCLUSION: SSB4 is a potent anti-colon cancer agent. Its effects are likely to be mediated by suppression of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Temporal and spatial variations of alkaline phosphatase activity related to phosphorus status of phytoplankton in the East China Sea.

Phosphorus (P) is a potential limiting nutrient for primary production in the East China Sea (ECS). Four cruises over four seasons were conducted during 2009-2011 to evaluate the dynamics of alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity (APA) and the P status of phytoplankton in the ECS. Sampling for bulk and single-cell APA assays was performed across the ECS, which included the Changjiang River diluted water (CDW), the mid-shelf surface water (MSW), and the Kuroshio surface water (KSW) masses. The results showed that the distribution patterns of APA varied between water masses and with season. Higher APA was normally observed in the CDW, which was influenced by the Changjiang River plume. In the CDW, phytoplankton were P-stressed during the late spring with an average bulk APA of 20.4 ± 19.5 nmol h-1 L-1, which strengthened during the late summer (average APA maximizing at 106.2 ± 133.3 nmol h-1 L-1) and remained severe during the late autumn (average APA of 48.7 ± 34.1 nmol h-1 L-1) until reducing during the winter (average APA of 9.1 ± 13.6 nmol h-1 L-1). The variation patterns of APA and the P status of phytoplankton in the MSW were similar but with slight variations. In the KSW, a certain amount of APA occurred during the late spring and late autumn (averages of 18.7 ± 19.8 and 23.1 ± 18.7 nmol h-1 L-1, respectively). Single-cell APA coincided with the bulk APA to exhibit the temporal and spatial P-stress status of the dominant micro-phytoplankton. Phytoplankton were the main AP producers in the CDW, especially during the late summer, while pico-plankton contributed most to AP in the MSW and KSW. Our results suggest that phytoplankton suffer P-stress in most seasons, and emphasize the importance of AP in the recycling of organic P to support primary production in the P-deficient ECS.

Gigantol attenuates the proliferation of human liver cancer HepG2 cells through the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Gigantol is a phenolic substance extracted from plants in the genus Dendrobium and used in traditional Chinese medicine. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the growth inhibition and apoptotic effects of gigantol on human liver cancer cells through the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway. HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of gigantol (0-150 µM) for 12, 24 and 48 h. It was found that gigantol significantly inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis of the HepG2 cells. The results of fluorescence micrographs showed that a 48-h treatment with gigantol induced typical apoptotic morphological features, which were consistent with the flow cytometric analysis where 20% of apoptotic cells were detected in response to gigantol treatment. In addition, western blot analysis indicated that gigantol enhanced the activities of caspase-3, PARP and p53 and downregulated the expression of p-Akt/Akt. Collectively, the present data suggest that gigantol induces growth inhibition and apoptosis of HepG2 cells via the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.

[Identification of Moghania philippinensis and Moghania macrophylla].

OBJECTIVE: To study the identification methods of Moghania philippinensis and Moghania macrophylla, and to establish a comprehensive precise discrimination method. METHODS: TLC and HPLC were applied to analyze genistein in the root of Moghania philippinensis and Moghania macrophylla. DNA barcoding establishment was based on ITS2 sequcence. RESULTS: A comprehensive differentiation method for Moghania philippinensis and Moghania macrophylla based on TLC was proposed, which was combined with HPLC for determination of genistein. The plants of Moghania philippinensis and Moghania macrophylla and their related species could be distinguished by DNA barcoding effectively. CONCLUSION: TLC and HPLC profiles of Flemingia Radix provide alternative methods of identification using chemical approach. This integrated chemical and molecular approach allows accurate comprehensive fast identification of Moghania philippinensis and Moghania macrophylla, which avoids the methods limitations on the accuracy of identification. The differentiation methods based on TLC, HPLC and DNA barcoding are simple,which provide a new scientific evidence for the identification of authenticity of Flemingia Radix.