Linderane Attenuates Complete Freund's Adjuvant-Induced Pain and Anxiety in Mice by Restoring Anterior Cingulate Cortex Microglia M2 Polarization through Activating Cannabinoid 2 Receptor.

Chronic pain is a common condition that causes negative emotions as the disease progresses. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a key region in the integration of nociceptive perception and emotional response in chronic pain. Linderane (LDR) is an active ingredient from Linderae radix, a traditional Chinese medicine with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antibacterial properties. In this study, the analgesic and antianxiety effects of LDR were evaluated using a complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain model in C57BL/6 male mice. Mechanical and thermal pain sensitivity were measured through plantar mechanical analgesia and hot plate apparatus, and anxiety-like behavior was evaluated by open field and elevated plus maze tests. The results showed that LDR-alleviated CFA-induced pain and anxiety, reduced the release of inflammatory cytokines, and inhibited ACC microglial activation. Target prediction, molecular docking, and cellular thermal shift assay demonstrated that LDR could bind to the cannabinoid 2 receptor (CB2R), a key component of the endocannabinoid system with an important role in regulating pain and related emotions. Moreover, both the analgesic effect of LDR and its regulation of microglia polarization were reversed by a CB2R antagonist (SR144528) treatment. Therefore, our results suggested that LDR exerted analgesic effects by regulating microglial polarization in ACC via CB2R activation.

Simultaneous quantification of ligustilide, dl-3-n-butylphthalide and senkyunolide A in rat plasma by GC-MS and its application to comparative pharmacokinetic studies of Rhizoma Chuanxiong extract alone and Baizhi Chuanxiong Decoction.

The herb couple has special clinical significance in reducing the toxicity and increasing the efficacy of drugs. The combination of Radix Angelicae Dahuricae (Baizhi, BZ) and Rhizoma Chuanxiong (ChuanXiong, CX) is a traditional herb couple. The combination performs better than the CX extract alone in the treatment of migraine and has been used for thousands of years. However, the specific compatibility mechanisms are still unclear. Ligustilide, dl-3-n-butylphthalide and senkyunolide A are the major active ingredients in CX and BZ-CX decoction. However, a comprehensive study of the pharmacokinetics of CX has not been carried out. A gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) method with high selectivity, sensitivity and accuracy was developed. An SH-Rxi-5Sil (30 m × 0.25 mm i.d., and 0.25 µm film thickness) column was employed in the GC separation. Selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, matrix effect and stability were used to validate the current GC-MS method. Using the validated method, this is the first time to study on the comparative pharmacokinetics of ligustilide, dl-3-n-butylphthalide and senkyunolide A from CX alone and BZ-CX decoction in rat plasma. The pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax , Tmax , T1/2 , AUC0-t , AUC0-∞ and CLz/F) of all of the detected ingredients showed significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.05). The results are helpful for further investigation of the compatibility mechanism of BZ-CX decoction.

Metabolic profile of danshen in rats by HPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

Danshen, the dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Lamiaceae), is one of the traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) most commonly used for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, little is known about the chemical and metabolic profiles of danshen in vitro or in vivo. In particular, more information is needed in relation to the 50% ethanol extracts usually used in danshen formulations such as Fufang Xueshuantong Capsules and Fufang Danshen tablets. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (HPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap) provides a sensitive and accurate method for analyzing the composition of samples. This method was used to determine the in vitro and in vivo chemical and metabolic profiles of danshen. Sixty-nine components of danshen extract and 118 components of danshen in rat plasma, urine, feces, and bile were unambiguously or tentatively identified. These results not only revealed the material composition of danshen, but also provided a comprehensive research approach for the identification of multi-constituents in TCMs.

[Distribution of chemical compounds of Fufang Xueshuantong capsule in eyes and kidney of beagle dogs].

Diabetic retinopathy(DR) and diabetic nephropathy(DN) are the most common complications of diabetes, and the main causes of death and disability of diabetes. Clinical reports showed that Fufang Xueshuantong capsule(FXT) had effective curative effect on DR and DN, but there was no report on the distribution of chemical compounds of FXT in beagle dog eyes and kidneys. In this study, FXT was given by gavage administration in Beagle dogs for 3 days, and then their eyeballs and kidneys were taken. The chemical compounds in beagle dog eyes and kidneys were detected by HPLC LTQ-Orbitrap technology. Furthermore, by comparing with the data from retrieving literature and references, the chemical compounds were identified by the accurate mass, retention time (tR), and MS/MS. Fourteen and 19 types of notoginsenosides were respectively identified in eyeballs and kidneys in this study, and these results could lay foundation for clarifying the effective ingredients of FXT in treatment of DR and DN.

[LC-LTQ-Orbitrap analysis on chemical constituents in Scrophulariae Radix extract and their metabolites in rat plasma].

Chemical constituents in extract of Scrophulariae Radix and their metabolites in rat plasma after oral administration were identified by HPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap. Samples were separated by a Venusil MP C18 column using a binary gradient elution. The information on the total ion chromatogram, the extraction chromatogram and the mass spectrogram in a negative mode were synthetically analyzed by comparing the retention time, MS and MS/MS spectra with literature data and some of reference standards to conduct a qualitative study on constituents of Radix Scrophulariae extract in vivo and in vitro. Totally 37 compounds from Scrophularia ningpoensis extract were detected including 12 iridoid glycosides, 20 phenylpropanoids and 5 unknown compounds. In vivo, harpagide, harpagoside and angoroside C were confirmed to enter into the blood in prototype forms. Besides, another 2 prototype compounds and 2 metabolites were detected in rat plasma after oral administration of S. ningpoensis extract. The results are beneficial for the determination of bioactive substances of S. ningpoensis and significant for further studies on S. ningpoensis.

[Phenanthrenes from aerial part of Juncus setchuensis with anxiolyticactivity].

Ten phenanthrenes, two organic acids, one organic acid ester and one flavonoid were isolated from the aerial part of Juncus setchuensis by various chromatographic techniques usingsilica gel, polyamide, Sephadex LH-20 as solid phases, and preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by MS and NMR spectroscopic data as effusol(1), juncusol(2), juncuenin D(3), dehydroeffusol(4), dehydrojuncusol(5), juncuenin B(6),dehydrojuncuenin B(7), 2-methoxyl-7-hydroxyl-1-methyl-5-vinyl phenanthrene(8), 2-hydroxyl-7-carboxy-1-methyl-5-vinyl-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene(9), 2-hydroxyl-7-carboxyl-1-methyl-5-vinylphenanthrene(10), luteolin(11), vanillic acid(12), daphnetin(13), p-coumaric acid(14), respectively. Compound 13 was isolated from the genus Juncus for the first time and compounds 5, 8-12 were isolated from J. setchuensis for the first time. The elevated plus-maze(EPM) was used to evaluate the anxiolytic activity of compounds 6 and 7. Compound 6 at 5 mg•kg⁻¹ and 10 mg•kg⁻¹ showed anxiolytic activity as well as compound 7 at 10 mg•kg⁻¹ and 20 mg•kg⁻¹.

Investigating herb-herb interactions: the potential attenuated toxicity mechanism of the combined use of Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma (Gancao) and Sophorae flavescentis radix (Kushen).

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma (Gancao) is often prescribed together with Sophorae flavescentis radix (Kushen) in traditional Chinese medicinal practice to increase the efficacy on the treatment of hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis. Meanwhile, long-term single used Gancao can cause adverse reactions, lead to pseudohypercorticosteroidism especially. But the side effects of Gancao are significantly reduced when combined with Kushen; the reasons are still unknown. The aim of this study was to elucidate potential pharmacokinetic interaction between Kushen and Gancao, and to provide guidance for clinical medicine safety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A specific and rapid HPLC-MS method was established to quantify the four main activity ingredients matrine (MT), oxymatrine (OMT), glycyrrhizin (GL) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) in rat plasma. In this study, the pharmacokinetic parameters and the pharmacokinetic differences of the four main activity ingredients MT, OMT, GL and GA in single herb and Kushen-Gancao couple were obtained. RESULTS: Compared with oral administration of Gancao extract, K10 and Tmax of GA significantly increased to 0.43 h(-1)and 30 h after giving Kushen-Gancao (p < 0.05), but T1/2 and Vd were reduced to 0.73 L kg(-1)and 4.98 h (p < 0.05). In addition, the AUC of GA was increased, and the other three activity ingredients all decreased. CONCLUSION: GA as the main factor leading to the sodium-water retention side effects of Gancao. The result found that the absorption of GA was significantly slowed down and the metabolism rate was accelerated in Kushen-Gancao than single herb. So the attenuated toxicity mechanism may be because the accumulation of GA reduced in vivo. The conclusion has important meaning to the compatibility of Chinese med.

Pharmacokinetic study of multiple active constituents from Kushen-Gancao Decoction after oral administration in rat by HPLC-MS/MS.

Kushen-Gancao Decoction (KGD) is a classic traditional Chinese herb combination in treating viral hepatitis and chronic liver diseases. This study aims to investigate the pharmacokinetic (PK) study of matrine (MT), oxymatrine (OMT), glycyrrhizic acid (GL) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) following oral administration of KGD in rats. A rapid, sensitive and reliable HPLC-MS/MS method was successfully developed for the simultaneous determination of MT, OMT, GL and GA in rat plasma. A Inertsil C18 analytical column was used with a gradient mobile phase system of methanol-ammonium acetate (5mM) with a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The analysis was performed on a positive and negative ionization electrospray mass spectrometer via multi reaction monitoring (MRM). Linear calibration curves were obtained for the following concentration range: 10-5000 ng/mL for MT, OMT and GL, 50-15,000 ng/mL for GA in rat plasma (R(2)>0.99). The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5 ng/mL (MT, OMT and GL) and 20 ng/mL (GA). The intra- and inter-day accuracies ranged from -7.91 to 9.10% and precisions (RSD) were within 15%. The analytes were found to be stable under short-term temperature conditions, post-preparative temperature conditions, and after three freeze-thaw cycles conditions. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats after oral administration of KGD.