Medical Applications and Advancement of Near Infrared Photosensitive Indocyanine Green Molecules.

Indocyanine green (ICG) is an important kind of near infrared (NIR) photosensitive molecules for PTT/PDT therapy as well as imaging. When exposed to NIR light, ICG can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can kill cancer cells and pathogenic bacteria. Moreover, the absorbed light can also be converted into heat by ICG molecules to eliminate cancer cells. In addition, it performs exceptionally well in optical imaging-guided tumor therapy and antimicrobial therapy due to its deeper tissue penetration and low photobleaching properties in the near-infrared region compared to other dyes. In order to solve the problems of water and optical stability and multi-function problem of ICG molecules, composite nanomaterials based on ICG have been designed and widely used, especially in the fields of tumors and sterilization. So far, ICG molecules and their composite materials have become one of the most famous infrared sensitive materials. However, there have been no corresponding review articles focused on ICG molecules. In this review, the molecular structure and properties of ICG, composite material design, and near-infrared light- triggered anti-tumor, and antibacterial, and clinical applications are reviewed in detail, which of great significance for related research.

Bioactive Compounds from the Zingiberaceae Family with Known Antioxidant Activities for Possible Therapeutic Uses.

The Zingiberaceae family is a rich source of diverse bioactive phytochemicals. It comprises about 52 genera and 1300 species of aromatic flowering perennial herbs with characteristic creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes. Notable members of this family include ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), Javanese ginger (Curcuma zanthorrhiza Roxb.), and Thai ginger (Alpinia galanga L.). This review focuses on two main classes of bioactive compounds: the gingerols (and their derivatives) and the curcuminoids. These compounds are known for their antioxidant activity against several maladies. We highlight the centrality of their antioxidant activities with notable biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antimicrobial, and anticancer effects. We also outline various strategies that have been applied to enhance these activities and make suggestions for research areas that require attention.

DPPH Radical Scavenging and Postprandial Hyperglycemia Inhibition Activities and Flavonoid Composition Analysis of Hawk Tea by UPLC-DAD and UPLC-Q/TOF MSE.

Hawk tea (Litsea coreana Lévl. var. Lanuginosa (Migo) Yen C. Yang & P.H. Huang), a very popular herbal tea material, has attracted more and more attention due to its high antioxidant properties and possible therapeutic effect on type II diabetes mellitus. The raw materials of Hawk tea are usually divided into three kinds: bud tea (BT), primary leaf tea (PLT) and mature leaf tea (MLT). In this study, the DPPH radical scavenging activity and the antimicrobial properties of these three kinds of Hawk tea from different regions were comparatively investigated, and a ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic coupled with a photodiode array detector (UPLC-DAD) method was employed for comparison of the three major flavonoid constituents, including hyperoside, isoquercitrin and astragalin, in different samples of Hawk tea. At the same time, the effect of methanol extract (ME) of PLT on the mouse postprandial blood glucose and the effect of ME and its different fractions (petroleum ether fraction (PE), ethyl acetate fraction (EA), n-butanol fraction (n-BuOH), and water fraction (WF)) on the activity of α-glucosidase were studied. The results showed that Hawk BT and Hawk PLT possessed the higher radicals scavenging activity than Hawk MLT, while the antibacterial activity against P. vulgaris of PLT and MLT was higher than Hawk BT. The contents of the three major flavonoid constituents in samples of Hawk PLT are higher than Hawk BT and Hawk MLT. The mouse postprandial blood glucose levels of the middle dose (0.5 g/kg) group and the high dose (1 g/kg) group with oral administration of the ME of PLT were significantly lower than the control group. What's more, the inhibitory effect of ME of PLT and its EA and n-BuOH fractions on α-glucosidase was significantly higher than that of acarbose. Rapid ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) was used to identify the flavonoids in Hawk PLT, and a total of 20 flavonoids were identified or tentatively identified by comparing their retention times and accurate mass measurements with reference compounds or literature data. The bioactive flavonoid composition and DPPH radical scavenging activities present in different Hawk tea raw materials are quite different due to the different ontogenesis of these raw materials. Further studies on PLT showed that the substances in PLT ME could reduce the level of mouse postprandial blood glucose through inhibiting the activity of α-glucosidase.

[Spectrum-effect relationship between anti-HIV 1 activities and ultra-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints of Rheum species].

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) fingerprints of Rheum species and their anti-HIV 1 activities. METHOD: Twenty two samples of 16 species belonging to genus Rheum from various sources were collected and analyzed in this study. Firstly they were assayed for the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) associated ribonuclease H (RNase H) activity. Secondly the fingerprints were established by an optimized UPLC method. Sample was analyzed by UPLC-TOF-MS/MS to identify major peaks. The possible relationship between UPLC fingerprints and anti-HIV 1 activities of Rheum species were deduced by mathematical statistics method. RESULT: Samples of R. austral, R. austral, R. hotaoense exhibited good anti-HIV 1 activities with IC50 < or = 0.2 mg x L(-1). The correlation of anti-HIV 1 activities and fingerprints showed that three compounds were the main bioactive components, and their retention times were 4.74, 7.99, 21.18 min, respectively. CONCLUSION: Compounds in Rheum species with possible anti-HIV 1 activities were deduced by spectrum-effect relationship study. This study supported for study of medicinal plants in Rheum.

[Study on RSLC fingerprint of Lycii cortex].

OBJECTIVE: To develope a method of RSLC fingerprint analysis for the quality evaluation of Lycii Cortex, and assess the differences of Lycii Cortex from Lycium chinense and L. barbarum. METHODS: All separations were performed using a Rapid Separation Liquid Chromatography (RSLC) system with an Acquity UPLC C18 (2.1 mm x 100 mm, 1.7 microm) column. The mobile phase was consisted of acetonitrile and 0.1% aqueous acetic acid. The flow rate was 0.3 mL/min using gradient elution. The column temperature was 40 degrees C and detection wavelength was set at 315 nm. Lycii Cortex samples collected from different habitats were assessed by similarity analysis (SA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principle component analysis (PCA). RESULTS: The characteristic RSLC fingerprint was established with 14 common peaks. 14 hatches of samples were classified as 2 clusters by HCA and PCA, and the result demonstrated that there were differences in the contents of chemical composition between 2 species of Lycii Cortex. CONCLUSION: The established RSLC fingerprint is specific and the method is rapid, simple and reliable, which can be used to control the quality of Lycii Cortex in the markets.