Polygonum cuspidatum polysaccharide: A review of its extraction and purification, structure analysis, and biological activity.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. is mainly distributed in Shanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan province of China. It is also found in Korea and Japan. Its dried roots and rhizomes are used as medicinal herbs and have been used to treat hyperglycemia and various inflammatory disorders. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This paper aims to provide an up-to-date review of the developments in the studies involving the extraction and purification, structure analysis, pharmacological effects, and potential applications of polysaccharides obtained from Polygonum cuspidatum. Additionally, the possible future research directions of this plant are discussed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This article used "Polygonum cuspidatum polysaccharide (PCP)" and "Polygonum cuspidatum" as the keywords and gathered relevant data on Polygonum cuspidatum using electronic databases (Elsevier, PubMed, ACS, CNKI, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Web of Science), relevant books, and classic literature about Chinese herb. RESULTS: Excluding irrelevant and repetitive documents, 278 documents were finally included, of which 88 were in Chinese and 190 were in English. The CiteSpace software was used to visualize the trends and keywords in this research field. We concluded that the main extraction methods for Polygonum cuspidatum polysaccharide are water extraction and alcohol precipitation, microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, and microjet extraction. High-performance liquid chromatography and column chromatography are also commonly used in the separation and purification of PCP. PCP has antitumor, immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic, and antioxidant effects. This paper provides an updated and deeper understanding of PCP, serving as a theoretical foundation for the further optimization of polysaccharide structures and the development of PCP as a novel functional material for clinical application.

Therapeutic Effects of Dry Needling on Lateral Epicondylitis: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effects of dry needling on lateral epicondylitis and identify a relatively more effective needling technique. DATA SOURCES: English databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, ProQuest, Cochrane, Ovid, and Embase) and Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and VIP) were searched. STUDY SELECTION: This study included randomized controlled trials for comparing the effectiveness of dry needling with other treatment methods for lateral epicondylitis. The primary outcome measures were pain intensity and elbow disability, while the secondary outcome measures included grip strength and upper limb function. DATA EXTRACTION: Data extraction was performed by 2 researchers who used the Cochrane risk of bias analysis tool and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database checklist to assess the risk of bias and methodological quality of the included studies. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to assess the quality of evidence. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 17 studies that involved 979 subjects were included in this research. Dry needling exhibited a significant advantage in improving pain intensity among patients with lateral epicondylitis within 1 week after treatment (mean difference [MD]=-0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.88 to -0.02). Within 1 week and in the follow-ups that exceeded 1 week, dry needling also demonstrated better improvement in elbow disability (<1 week: standardized mean difference [SMD]=-1.37, 95% CI, -1.88 to -0.86; ≥1 week: SMD=-1.32, 95% CI, -2.23 to -0.4) and grip strength (<1 week: SMD=0.27, 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.53; ≥1 week: SMD=0.45, 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.88). Trigger point dry needling with local twitch response exhibited more significant improvement in pain intensity within 1 week (MD=-1.09, 95% CI, -1.75 to -0.44). CONCLUSIONS: Dry needling demonstrates good therapeutic effects on pain intensity (within 1 week), function, and grip strength among patients with lateral epicondylitis. Local twitch response is necessary in treatment that targets trigger points.

High interspecific competitiveness of the invasive plant Xanthium italicum Moretti severely reduces the yield and quality of Carthamus tinctorius L.

Safflower is an annual herb of Compositae, which has great economic value. To explore the impact of invasive weed Xanthium italicum Moretti on the economic crop safflower, field experiments were conducted, the growth-related characters and the relative intensity of competition between the two species was explored. The results showed that under monoculture conditions, the stem height, crown width, stem diameter and the biomass of X. italicum root, stem and leaves were 1.14, 1.96, 1.82, 4.42, 4.21 and 3.99 times as high as those of safflower, respectively. When the two species coexisted, the growth related characters of X. italicum were further significantly improved, while the growth related characters of safflower were significantly decreased. When coexisted with X. italicum, the corolla biomass, hydroxysafflor yellow A content of corolla, seed yields, 100-seed weight, and seed oil content of safflower in the interplanted treatment 90.04%, 33.11%, 63.89%, 40.58%, and 25.61% lower than those in the monocultured treatment, respectively. Relative yield (RY) and Competitive balance index (CB) of X. italicum and safflower showed that the interspecific competitiveness of X. italicum was significantly higher than that of safflower. Under the competitive inhibition of X. italicum, not only the vegetative growth, but also the reproductive growth, yield, and quality of the economic organs of safflower were significantly negatively impacted. Together, our findings provide important scientific basis for evaluating the invasion risks and consequences of safflower's cropland ecosystem by X. italicum.

W/O/W emulsions stabilized with whey protein concentrate and pectin: Effects on storage, pasteurization, and gastrointestinal viability of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus.

Probiotics have demonstrated various bioactive functions but poor storage and application stability, and encapsulation a promising method of increasing its viability. In this study, whey protein concentrate (WPC) and pectin (PEC) formed non-covalent complexes through electrostatic interaction at pH 3.0. The formed WPC-PEC complexes showed superior particle size, absolute potential, emulsification properties, and structural changes when PEC concentration was >0.8 % (w/v). This made them appropriate as a hydrophilic emulsifier to stabilize W/O/W emulsions. Then, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, one representative of probiotics, was encapsulated in the internal aqueous phase of W/O/W emulsions. We obtained higher encapsulation efficiency (78.49 %) and smaller D4,3 (9.72 µm) with 0.8 % (w/v) PEC concentration. Encapsulation of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus in W/O/W emulsions improved its viability under harsh conditions, including 28 days storage at 4 °C, simulated pasteurization, and simulated gastrointestinal digestion. W/O/W emulsions stabilized by WPC-PEC non-covalent complexes further improved the survival of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus against various adverse conditions as compared to WPC. These findings suggest that the studied W/O/W emulsions systems have the potential to deliver probiotics in food substrates to enhance their viability during production processing, storage transportation, and digestion.

Ferulic Acid Protects against Porcine Parvovirus Infection-Induced Apoptosis by Suppressing the Nuclear Factor-κB Inflammasome Axis and Toll-Like Receptor 4 via Nonstructural Protein 1.

BACKGROUND: Porcine parvovirus (PPV) infection-induced apoptosis was recently identified as an important pathological factor in PPV-induced placental tissue damage, resulting in reproduction failure. In the present study, we demonstrate the possible involvement of toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and nuclear factor (NF)-κB inflammasome activation in PPV infection-induced apoptosis and the protective potential of ferulic acid (FA). PPV infection significantly activated the expression levels of TLR4, NF-κB, MyD88, and interleukin (IL)-6. However, FA ameliorated the pathological process, prevented histological alterations, and inhibited the apoptosis rate in porcine kidney (PK-15) cells infected with PPV. RESULTS: FA inhibited PPV infection-induced inflammasome activation as shown by decreases in the expression of NF-κB, MyD88, and IL-6. FA also downregulated nonstructural (NS) 1 protein expression in infected PK-15 cells. CONCLUSIONS: FA downregulated NS1 and TLR4 signaling, prevented the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, and suppressed the NF-κB inflammasome axis to inhibit PPV-induced apoptosis in PK-15 cells.

Ferulic acid isolated from propolis inhibits porcine parvovirus replication potentially through Bid-mediate apoptosis.

Propolis from honeybee hives, which is a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used in veterinary clinics. Many compounds have been identified and isolated from propolis. Ferulic acid (FA), one of the propolis components, previous studies have proven that it has antiviral effects. To study the mechanism of FA antiviral effects, experiments such as immunofluorescence, quantitative real-time PCR and immunoblotting were introduced. In porcine kidney (PK-15) cells, PPV infection induced the expression of the proapoptotic genes Bid, Bad, Bim and Bak, disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential, promoted mitochondria-mediated, caspase-dependent apoptotic signaling and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the infected PK-15 cells had increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. FA treatment, however, reversed these effects and increased cell viability. FA treatment also significantly decreased the PPV-induced expression of Bid, Cyt-c and Apaf-1, suggesting that ROS were involved in the activation of the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway. This in vitro study showed that the antiviral activity of FA was probably associated with inhibiting the replication of PPV by blocking proapoptotic factors such as Bid, Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, and attenuating the mitochondria-mediated response by inhibiting the activation of the Bid-related signaling pathway. Pharmacological inhibitors inhibited PPV-induced apoptosis by blocking Bid, and also suppressed the expression of Caspase family proteins in ppv-induced apoptosis. Taken together, our results suggested that PPV induced PK-15 cell apoptosis via activation of Bid and Bid-related signaling pathways and that the mitochondria act as the mediators of these pathways. FA effectively and extensively attenuated this PPV action, and thus is a potential antiviral agent against PPV.

Effect of buckwheat extracts on acrylamide formation and the quality of bread.

BACKGROUND: The presence of acrylamide in food has attracted wide attention and has raised concerns due to its potential toxic and carcinogenic effects. The phenolic compounds in buckwheat display strong antioxidant activity, which may affect the acrylamide levels. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of buckwheat extracts on acrylamide formation and the quality of the bread, and to investigate possible inhibitory mechanisms. RESULTS: The extracts from Tartary buckwheat seeds, Tartary buckwheat sprouts, common buckwheat seeds, and common buckwheat sprouts reduced acrylamide level in bread by 23.5, 27.3, 17.0, and 16.7%, respectively. In addition, all four buckwheat extracts significantly (P < 0.05) reduced acrylamide levels in the asparagine / glucose system. There were significant positive correlations between total phenolic compound content, the antioxidant activity of the extracts, and the reduction in the acrylamide level. Evaluation of the organoleptic and textural properties indicated that the addition of the extracts did not significantly affect the crust color, aroma, taste, crumb appearance, and hardness of the bread. CONCLUSION: This study showed that proper use of buckwheat extracts can reduce acrylamide levels in bread without having a significant impact on their properties. The study also revealed that a possible acrylamide formation inhibitory mechanism involved the Maillard reaction through the asparagine / glucose pathway. The study also provided useful information for the further application of buckwheat in improving food safety. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Spectrum-effect relationships on enriching blood activities of fresh and dry roots of Angelica sinensis].

Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(LC-MS) was used to establish the chromatography fingerprint for fresh(FRAS) and dry(RAS) roots of Angelica sinensis from 10 different places. The rat model of blood deficiency was established by acetyl-phenyl-hydrazine(APH) and cyclophosphamide(CTX). Then grey relational analysis(GRA) and partial least squares regression(PLS) were used to investigate the spectrum-effect relationship between the relative contents and the data of enriching blood pharmacodynamics efficacy. The results showed that the FRAS and RAS had certain enriching blood activities(P<0.05). The contribution degree of the FRAS and RAS to enriching blood activities of each common peaks were determined by regression coefficient. Among them, 4 common peaks contributed significantly to the effect of enriching blood activities, P1(unknown), P2(unknown), P7(ferulic acid), and P11(senkyunolide A) respectively. This paper investigated the spectrum-effect relationship between enriching blood activities and LC-MS chromatography fingerprint of RAS and FRAS, and determined the effective compositions of RAS and FRAS with enriching blood activities. It lays a theoretical foundation for the comprehensive development and utilization of A. sinensis.

[Spectrum-effect relationships on enriching blood activities of aerial parts of Angelica sinenis].

Ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used to establish the chromatography fingerprint for aerial parts of Angelica sinenis(AAS) from 10 different places. Acetyl-phenyl-hydrazine(APH) was used to duplicate the mouse model of blood deficiency. Then partial least squares regression was used to investigate the spectrum-effect relationship between the relative contents and the data of enriching blood pharmacodynamics efficacy. The results showed that the three groups of high, medium and low doses of AAS had certain enriching blood activities(P<0.05), and the high dose group had the best effect(P<0.01). The contribution degree of the AAS to enriching blood activities of each common peaks were determined by PLS regression coefficient. Among them, 7 common peaks, including P17(unknown), P18(unknown), P19(unknown), P28(alisol B 23-acetate or its isomer), N5(luteolin), N11(1-caffeoylquinicacid,1-O-caffeoylquinic acid) and N14(unknown), contributed significantly to the effect of enriching blood activities. This paper dealed with the investigation on the spectrum-effect relationship between enriching blood activities and LC-MS chromatography fingerprint of AAS, and determination of the effective compositions of AAS with enriching blood activities. It provided theoretical foundation for the comprehensive development and utilization of AAS.

The adjuvanticity of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome against an inactivated porcine parvovirus vaccine in mice.

In this study, the adjuvant activity of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome (OPL) was investigated. The effects of OPL on the splenic lymphocyte proliferation of mice were measured in vitro. The results showed that OPL could significantly promote lymphocyte proliferation singly or synergistically with PHA and LPS and that the effect was better than ophiopogon polysaccharide (OP) at most of concentrations. The adjuvant activities of OPL, OP and mineral oil were compared in BALB/c mice inoculated with inactivated PPV in vivo. The results showed that OPL could significantly enhance lymphocyte proliferation, increase the proportion of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, improve the HI antibody titre and specific IgG response, and promote the production of cytokines, and the efficacy of OPL was significantly better than that of OP. In addition, OPL significantly improved the cellular immune response compared with oil adjuvant. These results suggested that OPL possess superior adjuvanticity and that a medium dose had the best efficacy. Therefore, OPL can be used as an effective immune adjuvant for an inactivated PPV vaccine.

The Adjuvant Activity of Epimedium Polysaccharide-Propolis Flavone Liposome on Enhancing Immune Responses to Inactivated Porcine Circovirus Vaccine in Mice.

Objectives. The adjuvant activity of Epimedium polysaccharide-propolis flavone liposome (EPL) was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Methods. In vitro, the effects of EPL at different concentrations on splenic lymphocytes proliferation and mRNA expression of IFN-γ and IL-6 were determined. In vivo, the adjuvant activities of EPL, EP, and mineral oil were compared in BALB/c mice through vaccination with inactivated porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccine. Results. In vitro, EPL promoted lymphocytes proliferation and increased the mRNA expression of IFN-γ and IL-6, and the effect was significantly better than EP at all concentrations. In vivo, EPL significantly promoted the lymphocytes proliferation and the secretion of cytokines and improved the killing activity of NK cells, PCV2-specific antibody titers, and the proportion of T-cell subgroups. The effects of EPL were significantly better than EP and oil adjuvant at most time points. Conclusion. EPL could significantly improve both PCV2-specific cellular and humoral immune responses, and its medium dose had the best efficacy. Therefore, EPL would be exploited in an effective immune adjuvant for inactivated PCV2 vaccine.

The anti-porcine parvovirus activity of nanometer propolis flavone and propolis flavone in vitro and in vivo.

Objectives. The present study was conducted to evaluate the activity of nanometer propolis flavone (NPF) on inhibiting porcine parvovirus (PPV) in vitro and in vivo. Methods. In vitro, the effect of NPF on cellular infectivity of PPV was carried out before and after adding drug and simultaneous adding and PPV after being mixed. In vivo, the anti-PPV effect of NPF in guinea pigs was performed. Results. The results showed that NPF could significantly inhibit PPV infecting porcine kidney- (PK-) 15 cells compared with propolis flavone (PF), and the activity of NPF was the best in preadding drug pattern. NPF at high and medium doses was able to observably restrain PPV copying in lung, gonad, blood, and spleen, decrease the impact of PPV on weight of guinea pigs, and improve hemagglutination inhibition (HI) of PPV in serum. In addition, it could also increase the contents of IL-2 and IL-6 in serum after PPV challenge. Conclusion. These results indicated that NPF could significantly improve the anti-PPV activity of PF, and its high concentration possessed the best efficacy. Therefore, NPF would be expected to be exploited into a new-style antiviral drug.

Optimization on conditions of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides liposome by RSM and its effects on the peritoneal macrophages function.

The purpose of this study was to optimize the preparation conditions of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides liposome (LBPL) by response surface methodology (RSM) and to investigate the effect of LBPL activating function of peritoneal macrophages. LBPL was prepared using the reverse-phase evaporation method. The optimal preparation conditions of LBPL by RSM were as follows: the ratio of lipid to drug (w/w) of 25:1, the ultrasound time of 14 min and the ratio of soybean phospholipids to cholesterol (w/w) of 2.4:1. Under these conditions, the experimental encapsulation efficiency of LBPL was 86.37±0.63%, which was close to the predicted value. These indicated that LBPL with high entrapping efficiency and small particle size could be prepared by the reverse-phase evaporation method, which is applied easily. Furthermore, macrophages are the key players in the innate immune system. LBPL could effectively enhance peritoneal macrophages phagocytosis and resulted in inducing NO (nitric oxide) production in mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Discrimination of chicken seasonings and beef seasonings using electronic nose and sensory evaluation.

This study examines the feasibility of electronic nose as a method to discriminate chicken and beef seasonings and to predict sensory attributes. Sensory evaluation showed that 8 chicken seasonings and 4 beef seasonings could be well discriminated and classified based on 8 sensory attributes. The sensory attributes including chicken/beef, gamey, garlic, spicy, onion, soy sauce, retention, and overall aroma intensity were generated by a trained evaluation panel. Principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant factor analysis (DFA), and cluster analysis (CA) combined with electronic nose were used to discriminate seasoning samples based on the difference of the sensor response signals of chicken and beef seasonings. The correlation between sensory attributes and electronic nose sensors signal was established using partial least squares regression (PLSR) method. The results showed that the seasoning samples were all correctly classified by the electronic nose combined with PCA, DFA, and CA. The electronic nose gave good prediction results for all the sensory attributes with correlation coefficient (r) higher than 0.8. The work indicated that electronic nose is an effective method for discriminating different seasonings and predicting sensory attributes.

[Treatment with interleukin-2 ameliorates endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation of aorta in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats].

AIM: To investigate the changes in aortic functions in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats and the effect of interleukin-2 (IL-2) on them, we observed the vasorelaxation of aorta to acetylcholine(ACh) and sodium nitroprusside(SNP). METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal control group, an IL-2 control group, a diabetic group, and diabetic groups administered with a low dose (5 x 10(3) U x kg(-1) x d(-1), s.c.) or a high dose of IL-2 (5 x 10(4) U x kg(-1) x d(-1), s.c.) for five weeks. Aortic rings were isolated for use in vitro isometric force recording studies, and endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by ACh and endothelium-independent relaxation induced by SNP were measured. The serum nitric oxide (NO) levels and the activities of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) were measured. RESULTS: ACh caused a dose-dependent relaxation that was weakened in the diabetic group. The IL-2 treated groups were less weakened. However, the endothelium-independent relaxation induced by SNP was not significantly different in aortae of all groups. The serum NO levels were significantly increased in diabetic rats treated with IL-2 when compared with diabetic group, but the serum SOD and GSH-PX activities were not improved in diabetic group with IL-2. CONCLUSION: IL-2 can improve the aortic endothelium-dependent relaxation in diabetic rats, which involved the improvement of endothelial function in aorta, other than the alteration of anti-oxidative capacity.

Immune effects of resuscitation with HBOC-201, a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier, in swine with moderately severe hemorrhagic shock from controlled hemorrhage.

HBOC-201, a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier, improved physiologic parameters and survival in hemorrhagic shock (HS) animal models. However, resuscitation from HS and the properties of different fluids influence immune responses. The aim of this study was to determine if HBOC-201 significantly alters immune function in traumatic HS. Anesthetized pigs underwent soft tissue injury, controlled hemorrhage of 40% of blood volume, and resuscitation with HBOC-201 or Hextend, or no resuscitation. Sequential whole-blood samples were collected for analyses of leukocyte differential (hematology analyzer), T-lymphocyte subsets (CD3, CD4, and CD8) (FACS), lymphocyte adhesion marker CD49d (alpha4-integrin) expression (FACS), plasma cytokines-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10-(ELISA), and lymphocyte apoptosis (annexin-V/propidium iodide staining) (FACS). Statistical analyses were performed by the mixed procedure. Total WBC counts decreased posthemorrhage in both resuscitation groups. Lymphocyte percentages decreased and PMN percentages increased around 4 h posthemorrhage in all groups. CD3 cells decreased in all groups, but CD4 and CD8 cells decreased only in the resuscitation groups. TNF-alpha levels were not detectable in any groups. IL-6 levels were similar across treatment groups (P > 0.05); however, IL-10 levels were higher in the HBOC group, as early as 1 h posthemorrhage (P = 0.04). Increases in lymphocytic CD49d expression levels and apoptosis occurred only in nonresuscitation and Hextend groups, respectively (P < or = 0.01). In comparison with Hextend, HBOC-201 had no significant adverse or beneficial effects on immune function in this model of moderately severe HS in swine, suggesting that it may be safe as a resuscitation fluid in HS patients.

Chemical analysis of Radix Astragali (Huangqi) in China: a comparison with its adulterants and seasonal variations.

Radix Astragali (root of Astragalus; Huangqi) is a popular traditional Chinese medicine, and Astragalus membranaceus and A. membranaceus var. mongolicus are two commonly used species; however, there are many Astragalus species that could act as adulterants of Radix Astragali. To find the chemical composition of Radix Astragali, the main constituents including flavonoids, saponins, polysaccharides, amino acids, and trace elements were determined in two Radices Astragali, A. membranaceus and A. membranaceus var. mongolicus, and its eight adulterants, Astragalus propinquus, Astragalus lepsensis, Astragalus aksuensis, Astragalus hoantchy, Astragalus hoantchy subsp. dshimensis, Astragalus lehmannianus, Astragalus sieversianus, and Astragalus austrosibiricus. The results showed that the amounts of main constituents such as isoflavonoids and astragalosides varied in different species. In distinction, A. membranaceus and A. membranaceus var. mongolicus contained a higher amount of astragaloside I and IV. In addition, the main constituents of A. membranaceus var.mongholicus changed according to seasonal variation and age of the plant. The chemical composition of different species of Astragalus would provide useful information for the quality control of Radix Astragali.