Simultaneous determination of eight components in Amomum villosum and its overall qualityconsistency evaluation by four-dimensional fingerprints assisted with antioxidant activity.

Amomum villosum (AMV), as a 1300-year-old medicine and food homology, has been lack of comprehensive quality evaluation for a long time. This study established the fingerprints of AMV by chromatographic, spectroscopic and thermal technologies and investigated the antioxidant activity to assess holistically the quality of 22 batches of AMV samples. GC-HPLC tandem fingerprints, FTIR and DSC quantum fingerprints were first developed respectively and fused for evaluating qualitatively and quantitatively, in which the contents of eight compounds were determined simultaneously. Especially, the equal-weight method was used to fuse the different analytical techniques mentioned above and to evaluate the quality of AMV samples with the help of systematically quantified fingerprint method. As a result, all samples were well differentiated and classified into five grades. Moreover, the correlation between the chromatographic fingerprint peaks and antioxidant activity was confirmed by the gray relational analysis. In summary, the proper fusion of multidimensional fingerprint techniques and multidimensional analytical techniques provides a reliable and comprehensive method for the evaluation of AMV and their related products.

The metabolic regulation of Fuzhuan brick tea in high-fat diet-induced obese mice and the potential contribution of gut microbiota.

This study investigated the metabolic effects of Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice and the potential contribution of gut microbiota. The results showed that FBT ameliorated the HFD-induced glycerophospholipid metabolic aberrance, specifically increased the serum levels of phosphatidylcholines (PCs), lysophosphatidylcholines (LysoPCs), and the ratio of PC to phosphatidylethanolamines (PE). Besides, FBT increased the serum level of gut microbiota-derived aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand, 3-indole propionic acid, as well as the relative abundance of intestinal AhR-ligand producing bacteria such as Clostridiaceae, Bacteroidales_S24-7_group, and Lactobacillaceae. However, the metabolic benefits of FBT were weakened when the gut microbiota were depleted by antibiotic treatment, thereby suggesting that gut microbiota was required for FBT to regulate glycerophospholipid metabolism. Indeed, the metabolites regulated by FBT were significantly correlated with the AhR-ligand producing bacteria. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis and expressions of AhR target genes indicated that FBT would improve the glycerophospholipid metabolism via the AhR-Pemt signal axis, in which the gut microbiota and their metabolites played pivotal mediators. Overall, FBT could be a functional beverage to improve HFD-induced metabolic disorders in a gut microbiota dependent manner.

Chinese Medicine Involving Triple Rehabilitation Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis in 696 Outpatients: A Multi-Center, Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of Chinese medicine (CM) involving triple rehabilitation therapy on the progression of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHODS: A total of 722 patients recruited from 38 community health service centers located in China from March 2013 to March 2017 were randomly divided into treatment and control groups equally, using a cluster randomization design. Health education combined with CM involving triple rehabilitation therapy for KOA (electro-acupuncture, Chinese medicinal herb fumigating-washing, and traditional exercises) was administered in the treatment group while conventional rehabilitation therapy (physical factor therapy, joint movement training, and muscle strength training) was administered in the control group. Patients with a visual analog scale (VAS) scores ≽4 were treated with dispersible meloxicam tablets (7.5 mg, once daily). The Lequesne index scores, VAS scores, range of motion (ROM), lower limb muscle strength, knee joint circumference, quantitative scores of KOA symptoms, and the short-form 36 item health survey questionnaire (SF-36) scores were measured for each patient at 5 checkpoints (before treatment, at the 2nd week and the 4th week during the 4-week treatment period, at 1 month and 3 months after end of treatment), and adverse reactions were observed also. RESULTS: A total of 696 patients completed the entire process, with 351 in the treatment group and 345 in the control group. At all treatment checkpoints, the treatment group demonstrated better outcomes than the control group with regard to the total Lequesne index scores, effective rate and improvement rate of the total Lequesne index scores, VAS scores, lower limb muscle strength, knee circumference, quantitative scores of KOA symptoms, and SF-36 scores as well (P<0.05 or P<0.01). No adverse reactions were encountered in this study. CONCLUSIONS: CM involving triple rehabilitation therapy can alleviate KOA-related pain and swelling, improve lower limb muscle strength, promote flexion and activity of the knee and improve the quality of life in patients undergoing KOA. It is suitable for patients with early or mid-stage KOA. (Registration No. ChiCTR-TRC-12002538).

Study on multiple fingerprint profiles control and quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker method combined with chemometrics based on Yankening tablets.

In this study, we explored the quality consistent evaluation method of Yankening Tablets (YKNT) from different manufacturers by using multiple fingerprint profiles, including dual-wavelength ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) serial fingerprint and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) fingerprint, combined with quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS) method. In the Average method of systematic quantified fingerprint method (AMSQFM), three fingerprint parameters of macro qualitative similarity (Sm-UPLC-FTIR), macro quantitative similarity (Pm-UPLC-FTIR), and the variation coefficient of fingerprint homogeneity (αUPLC-FTIR) were calculated based on the ratio method. The Sm-UPLC-FTIR values of all the samples were greater than 0.80, the αUPLC-FTIR values were less than 0.20, and the Pm-UPLC-FTIR values range from 72.8% to 119.8%. Method validation results showed the established fingerprint method had good precision, solution stability, and method repeatability, all samples could be roughly divided into different levels. The contents of berberine (BBR) and baicalin (BCL) measured by the calibration curve method (CCM) and QAMS method were compared, and t-test results (Pvalue > 0.05) indicated there was no significant difference between the two methods, which showed that QAMS could accurately quantify the markers of the YKNT. The explanatory ability (R2Y) values of BBR and BCL in the PLS model were both greater than 0.94, and the root mean square error of estimation (RMSEE) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) values were both less than 2.5, indicating that the established model was reliable. Hierarchical cluster analysis divided all samples into four categories. This research made a major contribution to the quality consistent evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and food.

A novel method for quality consistency evaluation of Yankening Tablet by multi-wavelength fusion profiling combined with overall components dissolution method and antioxidant activity analysis.

Yankening Tablet (YKNT) is an anti-inflammatory Chinese medicine, which has the effect of heat-clearing and purging pathogenic fire. In this paper, a novel method for quality consistency evaluation of YKNT by multi-wavelength fusion profiling combined with multi-component quantification, overall components dissolution method and antioxidant activity analysis was established. The five-wavelength fusion fingerprint (FWFFP) of 19 batches of YKNT was established, which was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by systematic quantified fingerprint method (SQFM), and the quality of YKNTs was divided into different grades successfully. Three active components, Berberine (BBR), baicalin (BCL) and chrysophanol (CRP) in YKNT, were quantitatively determined by quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS). Principal component analysis divided the 19 batches of samples into two categories according to the content difference, which was consistent with the SQFM evaluation results. The combination of SQFM and QAMS successfully achieved the quantitative determination of YKNT from the whole to accurate. Partial least squares (PLS) model was developed to explore the relationship between the antioxidant ability and fingerprint of YKNT. Further overall dissolution UV fingerprints (ODUV-FP) were successfully established, in which the ultraviolet fingerprint (UV-FP) quantitative method was applied to determine the dissolution of the whole chemical substance of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation. HPLC fingerprints (HPLC-FP) and ODUV-FP were combined to realize the dual control of the quality and efficacy of YKNT, providing a new method for consistency evaluation of TCM.

A Multi-Scale Fusion Convolutional Neural Network Based on Attention Mechanism for the Visualization Analysis of EEG Signals Decoding.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) based on motor imagery (MI) electroencephalogram (EEG) decoding helps motor-disabled patients to communicate with external devices directly, which can achieve the purpose of human-computer interaction and assisted living. MI EEG decoding has a core problem which is extracting as many multiple types of features as possible from the multi-channel time series of EEG to understand brain activity accurately. Recently, deep learning technology has been widely used in EEG decoding. However, the variability of the simple network framework is insufficient to satisfy the complex task of EEG decoding. A multi-scale fusion convolutional neural network based on the attention mechanism (MS-AMF) is proposed in this paper. The network extracts spatio temporal multi-scale features from multi-brain regions representation signals and is supplemented by a dense fusion strategy to retain the maximum information flow. The attention mechanism we added to the network has improved the sensitivity of the network. The experimental results show that the network has a better classification effect compared with the baseline method in the BCI Competition IV-2a dataset. We conducted visualization analysis in multiple parts of the network, and the results show that the attention mechanism is also convenient for analyzing the underlying information flow of EEG decoding, which verifies the effectiveness of the MS-AMF method.

Comparison of Donepezil, Memantine, Melatonin, and Liuwei Dihuang Decoction on Behavioral and Immune Endocrine Responses of Aged Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Resistant 1 Mice.

Aging is a natural biological process associated with cognitive decline and neuroendocrine-immune system changes; the neuroendocrine-immune system plays crucial role in brain aging and neurodegeneration, and it is essential to discern beneficial attempts to delay the aging progress based on immunological aging. In this study, we have investigated the effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)-Liuwei Dihuang decoction (LW)-and donepezil, memantine, and melatonin on cognitive decline in aging mice. The aged SAMR1 mice received oral administration of donepezil (1mg/kg), memantine (10 mg/kg), melatonin (10 mg/kg), and LW (10 g/kg) for 3 months. A shuttle box, Morris water maze, and elevated-zero maze were performed to assess cognitive function, and flowcytometry, Luminex, and radioimmunoassay were performed to measure the lymphocyte subsets, inflammatory factors, and hormones. We observed that survival days of mice was increased with melatonin and LW, the anxiety behavior was significantly improved by memantine, melatonin, and LW treatment, active avoidance responses significantly improved by LW, donepezil, and memantine, the spatial learning ability was significantly improved by donepezil, and LW and melatonin were beneficial to the spatial memory of old mice. For immune function, LW increased CD4+ and CD4+CD28+ cells and reduced TNF-α, IL-1ß, and G-CSF in plasma, and it also promoted the secretion of anti-inflammatory factors IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 by regulating the active of Th2 cells in spleen. Donepezil and memantine exerted protective effects against CD4+CD28+ cell decrease caused by aging and reduced the pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1ß, and G-CSF in plasma. Melatonin could reverse CD8+CD28+ cell imbalances and increased B cells. For endocrine factors, LW increased TSH levels in the pituitary, and melatonin increased the GH level in blood. Our findings indicated that LW improved the cognitive decline in aging mice, and this might be associated with modulation of the active T cells and HPG axis hormones as well as increasing anti-inflammatory factors. Meanwhile, donepezil and memantine have advantages in regulating adaptive immunity, melatonin has advantages in the regulation of B cells and pituitary hormones, and LW exhibits a better effect on neuroendocrine immune function compared with the others from a holistic point of view. LW might be a potential therapeutic strategy for anti-aging-related syndromes, and it can also provide a value on medication guidance about drug combinations or treatment in clinic.

CA-30, an oligosaccharide fraction derived from Liuwei Dihuang decoction, ameliorates cognitive deterioration via the intestinal microbiome in the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 strain.

Mounting evidence points to alterations in the gut microbiota-neuroendocrine immunomodulation (NIM) network that might drive Alzheimer's Disease (AD) pathology. In previous studies, we found that Liuwei Dihuang decoction (LW) had beneficial effects on the cognitive impairments and gastrointestinal microbiota dysbiosis in an AD mouse model. In particular, CA-30 is an oligosaccharide fraction derived from LW. We sought to determine the effects of CA-30 on the composition and function of the intestinal microbiome in the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mouse strain, an AD mouse model. Treatment with CA-30 delayed aging processes, ameliorated cognition in SAMP8 mice. Moreover, CA-30 ameliorated abnormal NIM network in SAMP8 mice. In addition, we found that CA-30 mainly altered the abundance of four genera and 10 newborn genera. Advantageous changes in carbohydrate-active enzymes of SAMP8 mice following CA-30 treatment, especially GH85, were also noted. We further found that seven genera were significantly correlated with the NIM network and cognitive performance. CA-30 influenced the relative abundance of these intestinal microbiomes in SAMP8 mice and restored them to SAMR1 mouse levels. CA-30 ameliorated the intestinal microbiome, rebalanced the NIM network, improved the AD-like cognitive impairments in SAMP8 mice, and can thus be a potential therapeutic agent for AD.

A viable hypomorphic Arnt2 mutation causes hyperphagic obesity, diabetes and hepatic steatosis.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator 2 (ARNT2) is a member of the basic helix-loop-helix/PER-ARNT-SIM (bHLH/PAS) transcription factor family. ARNT2 heterodimerizes with several members of the family, including single-minded homolog-1 (SIM1) and neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (NPAS4), primarily in neurons of the central nervous system. We screened 64,424 third-generation germline mutant mice derived from N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-mutagenized great-grandsires for weight abnormalities. Among 17 elevated body weight phenotypes identified and mapped, one strongly correlated with an induced missense mutation in Arnt2 using a semidominant model of inheritance. Causation was confirmed by CRISPR/Cas9 gene targeting to recapitulate the original ENU allele, specifying Arg74Cys (R74C). The CRISPR/Cas9-targeted (Arnt2R74C/R74C) mice demonstrated hyperphagia and increased adiposity as well as hepatic steatosis and abnormalities in glucose homeostasis. The mutant ARNT2 protein showed decreased transcriptional activity when coexpressed with SIM1. These findings establish a requirement for ARNT2-dependent genes in the maintenance of the homeostatic feeding response, necessary for prevention of obesity and obesity-related diseases.

The Effects of LW-AFC on the Hippocampal Transcriptome in Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 8 Strain, a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

The senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) strain is considered a robust experimental model for developing preventative and therapeutic treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease which cannot be effectively prevented, halted, or cured. Our previous studies showed that LW-AFC, a new formula derived from the classical traditional Chinese medicinal prescription Liuwei Dihuang decoction, ameliorates cognitive deterioration in PrP-hAßPPswe/PS1ΔE9 transgenic mice and SAMP8 mice. This study aims to investigate the mechanism that mediates how LW-AFC improves cognitive deficit on the basis of the transcriptome. We conducted a genome-wide survey of gene expression in the hippocampus in mice from the senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) strain, from SAMP8 and from LW-AFC treated SAMP8. The results showed that LW-AFC reversed the transcriptome in the hippocampus of SAMP8 mice. The specific investigation of altered gene expression in subtypes defined by cognitive profiles indicated that the systemic lupus erythematosus pathway, spliceosomes, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the insulin signaling were involved in the improvement of cognitive ability by LW-AFC. The expression of genes Enpp2, Etnk1, Epdr1, and Gm5900 in the hippocampus were correlated with that of LW-AFC's ameliorating cognitive impairment in SAMP8 mice. Because LW-AFC is composed of polysaccharides, glycosides, and oligosaccharides, we infer that LW-AFC has direct or indirect effects on altering gene expressions and regulating pathways in the hippocampus of SAMP8 mice. These data are helpful for the enhanced identification of LW-AFC as new therapeutic modalities to AD.

LW-AFC Effects on N-glycan Profile in Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 8 Strain, a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Glycosylation is one of the most common eukaryotic post-translational modifications, and aberrant glycosylation has been linked to many diseases. However, glycosylation and glycome analysis is a significantly challenging task. Although several lines of evidence have indicated that protein glycosylation is defective in Alzheimer's disease (AD), only a few studies have focused on AD glycomics. The etiology of AD is unclear and there are no effective disease-modifying treatments for AD. In this study, we found that the object recognition memory, passive avoidance, and spatial learning and memory of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) strain, an AD animal model, were deficient, and LW-AFC, which was prepared from the traditional Chinese medicine prescription Liuwei Dihuang decoction, showed beneficial effects on the deterioration of cognitive capability in SAMP8 mice. Forty-three and 56 N-glycan were identified in the cerebral cortex and serum of SAMP8 mice, respectively. The N-glycan profile in SAMP8 mice was significantly different from that of senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) strains, the control of SAMP8 mice. Treatment with LW-AFC modulated the abundance of 21 and 6 N-glycan in the cerebral cortex and serum of SAMP8 mice, respectively. The abundance of (Hex)3(HexNAc)5(Fuc)1(Neu5Ac)1 and (Hex)2(HexNAc)4 decreased in the cerebral cortex and serum of SAMP8 mice compared with SAMR1 mice, decreases that were significantly correlated with learning and memory measures. The administration of LW-AFC could reverse or increase these levels in SAMP8 mice. These results indicated that the effects of LW-AFC on cognitive impairments in SAMP8 mice might be through modulation of N-glycan patterns, and LW-AFC may be a potential anti-AD agent.

LW-AFC, A New Formula Derived from Liuwei Dihuang Decoction, Ameliorates Cognitive Deterioration and Modulates Neuroendocrine-Immune System in SAMP8 Mouse.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia among older people, could not be prevented, halted, or reversed up till now. A large body of pharmacological study has revealed that Liuwei Dihuang decoction (LW), a classical traditional Chinese medicinal prescription, possesses potential therapeutic effects on AD. LW-AFC is key fractions from LW. METHOD: Cognition ability was evaluated by behavioral experiments. Using multiplex bead analysis, radioimmunoassay, immunochemiluminometry and ELISA to determine levels of cytokines and hormones. The splenocyte proliferation and peripheral lymphocyte subsets was investigated by 3H-thymidine incorporation and flow cytometric analysis, respectively. RESULTS: This study showed the treatment of LW-AFC slowed the aging process of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 strain (SAMP8), a robust model sporadic AD or late-onset/age-related AD. LW-AFC had ameliorative effects on spontaneous locomotor activity, object recognition memory, spatial learning and memory, passive and active avoidance impairment in SAMP8 mice. Administration of LW-AFC restored the imbalance of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, enhanced the proliferation of splenocytes, corrected the disorder of lymphocyte subsets, and regulated the abnormal production of cytokine in SAMP8 mice. Effects of LW-AFC on pharmacodynamics and neuroendocrine immunomodulation network in SAMP8 mice were better than memantine and donepezil. CONCLUSION: This data indicated LW-AFC may be a promising therapeutic medicine for AD.

LW-AFC, a new formula derived from Liuwei Dihuang decoction, ameliorates behavioral and pathological deterioration via modulating the neuroendocrine-immune system in PrP-hAßPPswe/PS1ΔE9 transgenic mice.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence implicates the neuroendocrine immunomodulation (NIM) network in the physiopathological mechanism of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Notably, we previously revealed that the NIM network is dysregulated in the PrP-hAßPPswe/PS1ΔE9 (APP/PS1) transgenic mouse model of AD. METHODS: After treatment with a novel Liuwei Dihuang formula (LW-AFC), mice were cognitively evaluated in behavioral experiments. Neuron loss, amyloid-ß (Aß) deposition, and Aß level were analyzed using Nissl staining, immunofluorescence, and an AlphaLISA assay, respectively. Multiplex bead analysis, a radioimmunoassay, immunochemiluminometry, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to measure cytokine and hormone levels. Lymphocyte subsets were detected using flow cytometry. Data between two groups were compared using a Student's t test. Comparison of the data from multiple groups against one group was performed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by a Dunnett's post hoc test or a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance with a Tukey multiple comparisons test. RESULTS: LW-AFC ameliorated the cognitive impairment observed in APP/PS1 mice, including the impairment of object recognition memory, spatial learning and memory, and active and passive avoidance. In addition, LW-AFC alleviated the neuron loss in the hippocampus, suppressed Aß deposition in the brain, and reduced the concentration of Aß1-42 in the hippocampus and plasma of APP/PS1 mice. LW-AFC treatment also significantly decreased the secretion of corticotropin-releasing hormone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus, and adrenocorticotropic hormone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone in the pituitary. Moreover, LW-AFC increased CD8+CD28+ T cells, and reduced CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells in the spleen lymphocytes, downregulated interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, IL-23, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, and tumor necrosis factor-α and -ß, and upregulated IL-4 and granulocyte colony stimulating factor in the plasma of APP/PS1 mice. CONCLUSIONS: LW-AFC ameliorated the behavioral and pathological deterioration of APP/PS1 transgenic mice via the restoration of the NIM network to a greater extent than either memantine or donepezil, which supports the use of LW-AFC as a potential agent for AD therapy.

The Effects of LW-AFC on Intestinal Microbiome in Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 8 Strain, a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Microbes have deserved broader attention as causal factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder. The senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) strain, a spontaneous mice of accelerated aging, are considered a robust model for sporadic AD. LW-AFC, an herbal medicine, was prepared from LiuweiDihuang decoction, which is a classical traditional Chinese medicine prescription. Here, we showed that the treatment of LW-AFC improved cognitive impairments of SAMP8 mice, including spatial learning and memory ability, active avoidance response, and object recognition memory capability. Our data indicated that there were significantly 8 increased and 12 decreased operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the gut microbiota of SAMP8 mice compared with senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) strains, the control of SAMP8 mice. The treatment of LW-AFC altered 22 (16 increased and 6 decreased) OTUs in SAMP8 mice and among them, 15 OTUs could be reversed by LW-AFC treatment resulting in a microbial composition similar to that of SAMR1 mice. We further showed that there were 7 (3 negative and 4 positive correlation) OTUs significantly correlated with all the three types of cognitive abilities, at the order level, including Bacteroidales, Clostridiales, Desulfovibrionales, CW040, and two unclassified orders. LW-AFC had influences on bacterial taxa correlated with the abilities of learning and memory in SAMP8 mice and restored them to SAMR1 mice. Our results indicate that the effects of LW-AFC on improving cognitive impairments of SAMP8 mice might be via modulating intestinal microbiome and LW-AFC could be used as a potential anti-AD agent.

The anti-aging effects of LW-AFC via correcting immune dysfunctions in senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) strain.

Although there were considerable advances in the anti-aging medical field, it is short of therapeutic drug for anti-aging. Mounting evidence indicates that the immunosenescence is the key physiopathological mechanism of aging. This study showed the treatment of LW-AFC, an herbal medicine, decreased the grading score of senescence, increased weight, prolonged average life span and ameliorated spatial memory impairment in 12- and 24-month-old senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) strain. And these anti-aging effects of LW-AFC were more excellent than melatonin. The administration of LW-AFC enhanced ConA- and LPS-induced splenocyte proliferation in aged SAMR1 mice. The treatment of LW-AFC not only reversed the decreased the proportions of helper T cells, suppressor T cells and B cells, the increased regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of old SAMR1 mice, but also could modulate the abnormal secretion of IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17, IL-23, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TNF-ß, RANTES, eotaxin, MCP-1, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and G-CSF. These data indicated that LW-AFC reversed the immunosenescence status by restoring immunodeficiency and decreasing chronic inflammation and suggested LW-AFC may be an effective anti-aging agent.

[Studies on the chemical constituents from the roots of Kalopanax septemlobus].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the chemical constituents of Kalopanax septemlobus. METHODS: Chromatographic techniques including silica gel, gel, semi-preparative HPLC and PTLC as well as recrystallization were employed in the isolation and purification, and the structures were elucidated by spectral analysis and physical and chemical properties. RESULTS: 6 compounds were identified as liriodendrin (1), (-) -syringarenol (2), trans-coniferyl aldehyde (3), trans-caffeic acid (4), beta-daucosterol (5), beta-sitosterol (6). CONCLUSION: Compounds 2 -5 are obtained from this genus for the first time.

The roles of ascorbic acid and glutathione in symptom alleviation to SA-deficient plants infected with RNA viruses.

Salicylic acid (SA) is required for plant systemic acquired resistance (SAR) to viruses. However, SA-deficient plants adapt to RNA virus infections better, which show a lighter symptom and have less reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. The virus replication levels are higher in the SA-deficient plants during the first 10 days, but lower than the wild-type seedlings after 20 dpi. The higher level of glutathione and ascorbic acid (AsA) in SA-deficient plants may contribute to their alleviated symptoms. Solo virus-control method for mortal viruses results in necrosis and chlorosis, no matter what level of virus RNAs would accumulate. Contrastingly, early and high-dose AsA treatment alleviates the symptom, and eventually inhibits virus replication after 20 days. ROS eliminators could not imitate the effect of AsA, and could neither alleviate symptom nor inhibit virus replication. It suggests that both symptom alleviation and virus replication control should be considered for plant virus cures.