Transport of Corilagin, Gallic Acid, and Ellagic Acid from Fructus Phyllanthi Tannin Fraction in Caco-2 Cell Monolayers.

Objective. To investigate the absorption property of the representative hydrolyzable tannin, namely corilagin, and its hydrolysates gallic acid (GA) and ellagic acid (EA) from the Fructus Phyllanthi tannin fraction (PTF) in vitro. Methods. Caco-2 cells monolayer model was established. Influences of PTF on Caco-2 cells viability were detected with MTT assay. The transport across monolayers was examined for different time points, concentrations, and secretory directions. The inhibitors of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance proteins (MRPs), organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) and sodium/glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1), and tight junction modulators were used to study the transport mechanism. LC-MS method was employed to quantify the absorption concentration. Results. The apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) values of the three compounds were below 1.0 × 10-6 cm/s. The absorption of corilagin and GA were much lower than their efflux, and the uptake of both compounds was increased in the presence of inhibitors of P-gp and MRPs. The absorption of EA was decreased in the company of OATP and SGLT1 inhibitors. Moreover, the transport of corilagin, GA, and EA was enhanced by tight junction modulators. Conclusion. These observations indicated that the three compounds in PTF were transported via passive diffusion combined with protein mediated transport. P-gp and MRPs might get involved in the transport of corilagin and GA. The absorption of EA could be attributed to OATP and SGLT1 protein.

The Genus Phyllanthus: An Ethnopharmacological, Phytochemical, and Pharmacological Review.

The plants of the genus Phyllanthus (Euphorbiaceae) have been used as traditional medicinal materials for a long time in China, India, Brazil, and the Southeast Asian countries. They can be used for the treatment of digestive disease, jaundice, and renal calculus. This review discusses the ethnopharmacological, phytochemical, and pharmacological studies of Phyllanthus over the past few decades. More than 510 compounds have been isolated, the majority of which are lignins, triterpenoids, flavonoids, and tannins. The researches of their remarkable antiviral, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities have become hot topics. More pharmacological screenings and phytochemical investigations are required to support the traditional uses and develop leading compounds.

[Research progress on salvianolic acids of Salvia miltiorrhiza].

Salvia miltiorrhiza is one of the most common traditional Chinese medicines. It has rich resources in China. According to modern studies, phenolic acids are the main effective components in S. miltiorrhiza. These components have cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protective effect, and anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic activities, etc. It has been widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and others. In this paper, the chemicals and pharmacological effects of phenolic acids from S. miltiorrhiza were summarized in the last decade. Its researches and development prospects were also analyzed for further studying and comprehensive utilization of these phenolic acids.

Transcriptome sequencing and analysis of the entomopathogenic fungus Hirsutella sinensis isolated from Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

BACKGROUND: Ophiocordyceps sinensis, a worm and fungus combined mixture which Hirsutella sinensis is parasitic on the caterpillar body, has been used as a traditional medicine or healthy food in China for thousands of years. H. sinensis is reported as the only correct anamorph of O. sinensis and its main active ingredients are similar to the natural O. sinensis. RESULTS: H. sinensis L0106, asexual strain of O. sinensis, was isolated and identified in this study. Three transcriptomes of H. sinensis at different cultivation periods (growth period 3d, pre-stable period 6d and stable period 9d) were sequenced for the first time by RNA-Seq method, and 25,511 unigenes (3d), 25,214 unigenes (6d) and 16,245 unigenes (9d) were assembled and obtained, respectively. These unigenes of the three samples were further assembled into 20,822 unigenes (All), and 62.3 percent of unigenes (All) could be annotated based on protein databases. Subsequently, the genes and enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the active ingredients according to the sequencing and annotation results were predicted. Based on the predictions, we further investigated the interaction of different pathway networks and the corresponding enzymes. Furthermore, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of H. sinensis grown during different developmental stages (3d-VS-6d, 3d-VS-9d and 6d-VS-9d) were globally detected and analyzed based on the data from RNA-Seq, and 764 DEGs between 3d and 6d, 1,869 DEGs between 3d and 9d, and 770 DEGs between 6d and 9d were found, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This work presented here would aid in understanding and carrying out future studies on the genetic basis of H. sinensis and contribute to the further artificial production and application of this organism. This study provided a substantial contribution and basis to further characterize the gene expression profiles of H. sinensis in the metabolic pathways of active ingredients.

[HPLC-fingerprint-based quality evaluation on a Tibetan medicine Phyllanthus emblica and its tannin parts].

This study is to establish the fingerprint for Phyllanthus emblica and their tannin parts from different habitats by HPLC for its quality control. The determination was carried out on a Diamonsil C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column, with methanol-0.2% glacial acetic acid as mobile phase with gradient elution at a flow rate of 1 mL x min(-1). The temperature was maintained at 30 degrees C and the detected wavelength is 260 nm, Thirteen chromatographic peaks were extracted as the common peaks of the fingerprint of P. emblica, and eleven as the common peaks of P. emblica tannin parts, and five peaks were identified by comparing with referent samples. The fingerprints of 8 samples were compared and classified by similarity evaluation, cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). The similarity degrees of eight P. emblica were between 0.763 and 0.993, while tannin parts were between 0.903 and 0.991. All the samples of P. emblica and their tannin parts were classified into 3 categories. The method was so highly reproducible, simple and reliable that it could provide basis for quality control and evaluation of P. emblica from different habitats.