Inhibitory Effect of Lygodium Root on the Cytochrome P450 3A Enzyme in vitro and in vivo.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the interactions of the main components of Lygodium root (ie, p-coumaric acid, acacetin, apigenin, buddleoside and Diosmetin-7-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside) with cytochrome P450 3A enzyme activity both in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: In vitro inhibition of drugs was assessed by incubating rat liver microsomes (RLMs) with a typical P450 3A enzyme substrate, midazolam, to determine their 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values. For the in vivo study, healthy male Sprague Dawley rats were consecutively administered acacetin or apigenin for 7 days at the dosage of 5 mg/kg after being randomly divided into 3 groups: Group A (control group), Group B (acacetin group) and Group C (apigenin group). RESULTS: Among the five main components of Lygodium root, only acacetin and apigenin showed inhibitory effects on the cytochrome P450 3A enzyme in vitro. The IC50 values of acacetin and apigenin were 58.46 µM and 8.20 µM, respectively. Additionally, the in vivo analysis results revealed that acacetin and apigenin could systemically inhibit midazolam metabolism in rats. The Tmax, AUC(0-t) and Cmax of midazolam in group B and group C were significantly increased (P<0.05), accompanied by a significant decrease in Vz/F and CLz/F (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acacetin and apigenin could inhibit the activity of the cytochrome P450 3A enzyme in vitro and in vivo, indicating that herbal drug interactions might occur when taking Lygodium root and midazolam synchronously.

Resveratrol inhibits Interleukin-6 induced invasion of human gastric cancer cells.

Previous studies show that migration and invasion are the primary causes of death in patients with gastric carcinoma. Increasing evidences have been shown Interleukin-6 could stimulate cancer cells invasion and be associated with cancer development. However, its role in gastric cancer has never been investigated. As an anticancer drug isolated from Chinese medicine, resveratrol was reported to inhibit cancer cells growth and induce apoptosis, but its roles in gastric cancer have not been well understood. In this study, we found that Interleukin-6 was upregulated in blood of gastric cancer patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In gastric cancer cell line model, we found that non-cytotoxic concentration of resveratrol inhibited the Interleukin-6 induced SGC7901 cell invasion and matrix metalloproteinases activation. Our studies showed that IL-6 induced SGC7901 cell invasion depends on the Raf/MAPK pathway activation, resveratrol could inhibit this pathway activation. We further showed that resveratrol inhibits the IL-6 induced metastasis by vein injection of luciferase-labeled cancer cells. In conclusion, these results indicate that Interleukin-6 promotes tumor growth and metastasis in gastric cancer, resveratrol has the potential to prevent the Interleukin-6 induced gastric cancer metastasis by blocking the Raf/MAPK signaling activation.

Properties and molecular mechanisms of resveratrol: a review.

Resveratrol, for example widely present in the Chinese herbal medicine Polygonum cuspidatum, it is a natural phytoalexin, and has many biochemical activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-cardiovascular diseases, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and other effects. This article will concentrate on the physical and chemical properties of resveratrol, the biological and pharmacological effects for its anticancer activities. An outlook is given to the development and application prospects in this drug.

[Diagnosis and treatment characteristics of head-wind sha in She medicine].

The diagnosis and treatment characteristics of head-wind sha in She medicine were analyzed and summarized. By visiting She-nationality villages and towns in Zhejiang province and Fujian province and interviewing hundreds of doctors of She medicine, the sha diagnosis, sha differentiation, experience and theory of treatment were arranged, and a comprehensive summary on theory and application of head-wind sha in She medicine such as pathogeny, name of disease, mechanism, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment was made. It is believed that the methods of diagnosis and treatment in She medicine for head-wind sha could effectively enhance curative effect, safety and patients' quality of life, and the further research should be carried out.

[Resource investigation on rare and endangered She medicine Tetrastigma hemsleyanum in Zhejiang Province].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the resource of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum which was rare and endangered plant in She nationality in Zhejiang Province. METHODS: Using literature method, survey method, plots method and line method, the resource situation of artificial planting and wild resource in Zhejiang Province were investigated. RESULTS: It was a scarce and precious medicinal herb that wild resource was rare and endangered. There were artificial planting area about 104.55 hm2 which expected to produce 173.91 tons in Zhejiang Province. CONCLUSION: In the wild,it is relatively harsh to environmental requirements for growth. Generally speaking, it takes 3 - 5 years growth period to achieve the medicinal value. The wild resource is scarce and the market demand is increasing, which brings about artificial planting to develop rapidly.

Biodegradation of phenolic compounds from coking wastewater by immobilized white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

A white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium, immobilized with the wood chips of Italian poplar, was employed for biodegradation of phenolic compounds in coking wastewater. The immobilized fungus, dried by vacuum freeze desiccator, was kept high activity after a 9-month preservation and easy to be activated and domesticated. The removal rates of phenolic compounds and COD by immobilized fungus were 87.05% and 72.09% in 6 days, which were obviously higher than that by free fungus. For phenolic compounds biodegradation, a pH ranging from 4.0 to 6.0 and a temperature ranging from 28 degrees C to 37 degrees C create suitable conditions, and optimum 5.0 and 35 degrees C, respectively. The optimum removal rate of phenolic compounds was over 84% and COD was 80% in 3 days. And the biodegradation of phenolic compounds followed the first-order kinetics. It is an efficient and convenient method for coking wastewater treatment.

[Study on the spectroscopy of 5-(4-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol].

The title compound (5-(4-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol) was synthesized by the ring-closing reaction of isoniazide with carbon bisulfide, and the reaction course was discussed preliminarily. The mechanism of this reaction is nucleophilic addition. The compound was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The thermal analytical data indicate that the compound was decomposed completely at the temperature of 506 degrees C.