Cantharidin analogue alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB signaling.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease with a remitting-relapsing clinical course, it has evolved into a global burden given its high incidence worldwide. Cantharidin (CTD) derivatives are a class of compounds whose structures characterized with a 7-oxabicyclo [2.2.1]heptane core. Though potent cytotoxicity CTD and its derivatives showed, their clinical usage as anti-cancer drugs was limited by the toxicity in organs. In order to find new CTD analogues with good activity and lower toxicity, 21 CTD analogues with or without alkynyl substitution at C5 position of 7-oxabicyclo [2.2.1]heptane core were synthesized, some compounds showed better in vitro anti-inflammatory activity compared to CTD and norcantharidin (NCTD). Based on the structure-activity relationship results of in vitro experiment, analogue 3i was chosen for further study. Results from the acute toxicity in mice showed that 3i was hypotoxic with the single-dose MTD (maximum tolerated dose) for oral administration is over 1852 mg/kg, at least 35-fold lower than that of NCTD. Mechanism study indicated that 3i could potently inhibit TNF-α induced activation of NF-κB signaling by down-regulation the expression levels of phosphor- IKK, IκBα, and NF-κB p65, and alleviated dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice. This study indicated that CTD analogues with alkynyl substitution at C5 position of 7-oxabicyclo [2.2.1]heptane core is a kind of new compounds with good anti-inflammatory activity and lower toxicity in vivo, and might be used as therapeutic agents for inflammatory diseases.

Cell death mechanisms induced by synergistic effects of halofuginone and artemisinin in colorectal cancer cells.

Our previous study found that the combination of halofuginone (HF) and artemisinin (ATS) synergistically arrest colorectal cancer (CRC) cells at the G1/G0 phase of the cell cycle; however, it remains unclear whether HF-ATS induces cell death. Here we report that HF-ATS synergistically induced caspase-dependent apoptosis in CRC cells. Specifically, both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that HF or HF-ATS induces apoptosis via activation of caspase-9 and caspase-8 while only caspase-9 is involved in ATS-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, we found HF or HF-ATS induces autophagy; ATS can't induce autophagy until caspase-9 is blocked. Further analyzing the crosstalk between autophagic and caspase activation in CRC cells, we found autophagy is essential for activation of caspase-8, and ATS switches to activate capase-8 via induction of autophagy when caspase-9 is inhibited. When apoptosis is totally blocked, HF-ATS switches to induce autophagic cell death. This scenario was then confirmed in studies of chemoresistance CRC cells with defective apoptosis. Our results indicate that HF-ATS induces cell death via interaction between apoptosis and autophagy in CRC cells. These results highlight the value of continued investigation into the potential use of this combination in cancer therapy.

Role of Glutamine-Glutamate/GABA cycle and potential target GLUD2 in alleviation of rheumatoid arthritis by Tripterygium hypoglaucum (levl.) Hutch based on metabolomics and molecular pharmacology.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Tripterygium hypoglaucum (levl.) Hutch (Celastraceae) (THH), as a traditional Chinese medicine, was clinically exploited to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), yet the underlying mechanism for this effect remains largely unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to examine the beneficial effects of THH extract (THHE) against rheumatoid arthritis and its regulating role in differential metabolic pathways and potential targets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, the Lewis rat model with rheumatoid arthritis induced by adjuvant was established and administrated THHE for 14 days. Untargeted/targeted metabolomics analysis were used for determining the changes of differential metabolites, and molecular docking method was further developed to verify predicted targets and investigate the therapeutic mechanism of THH extract on RA. RESULTS: The results showed that THH extract could obviously improve body weight, significantly decrease the joint index and swelling degree of the RA model rats to reduce damage in the joint. Meanwhile, THHE could significantly suppress the releases of IL-1α, IL-1ß and MMP3, but also the expression levels of IL-4 and IL-10 and percentage of Treg cells were significantly improved, a result consistent with inhibitory effects on multiplication of macrophages, inflammatory cell infiltration and fibro genesis in the synovial tissues. Furthermore, 516 differential metabolites were identified by serum metabolic profiles analysis, including vitamin, organic acids and derivatives, lipids and lipid-like molecule, hormone, amino acids and derivatives, and other compounds, which targeted 47 metabolic pathways highly correlated with immunosuppression, such as citrate cycle (TCA cycle), sphingolipid metabolism, urea cycle, arachidonic acid metabolism and amino acid metabolism (such as Glutamine-Glutamate metabolism). Targeted metabolomics was used to verify that L-Glutamate and Glutamine changed significantly after THHE administration for 14 days, and many active ingredients of THHE could be successfully docked with glutamate dehydrogenase 2 (GLUD2). CONCLUSION: This study indicated that the Glutamine-Glutamate/GABA cycle played essential regulation roles in protective effect of THHE on rat RA following adjuvant-induced damage, and GLUD2 as an attractive target also provides great potential for development of therapy agents for rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases with less unfavorable tolerability profile.

The Exploration of Novel Pharmacophore Characteristics and Multidirectional Elucidation of Structure-Activity Relationship and Mechanism of Sesquiterpene Pyridine Alkaloids from Tripterygium Based on Computational Approaches.

Sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids are a large group of highly oxygenated sesquiterpenoids, which are characterized by a macrocyclic dilactone skeleton containing 2-(carboxyalkyl) nicotinic acid and dihydro-ß-agarofuran sesquiterpenoid, and are believed to be the active and less toxic components of Tripterygium. In this study, 55 sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids from Tripterygium were subjected to identification of pharmacophore characteristics and potential targets analysis. Our results revealed that the greatest structural difference of these compounds was in the pyridine ring and the pharmacophore model-5 (Pm-05) was the best model that consisted of three features including hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA), hydrogen bond donor (HBD), and hydrophobic (HY), especially hydrophobic group located in the pyridine ring. It was proposed that 2-(carboxyalkyl) nicotinic acid part possessing a pyridine ring system was not only a pharmacologically active center but also a core of structural diversity of alkaloids from Tripterygium wilfordii. Furthermore, sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids from Tripterygium were predicted to target multiple proteins and pathways and possibly played essential roles in the cure of Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, Chagas disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). They also had other pharmacological effects, depending on the binding interactions between pyridine rings of these compounds and active cavities of the target genes platelet-activating factor receptor (PTAFR), cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1), cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR2), squalene synthase (FDFT1), and heat shock protein HSP 90-alpha (HSP90AA1). Taken together, the results of this present study indicated that sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids from Tripterygium are promising candidates that exhibit potential for development as medicine sources and need to be promoted.

Rapid profiling of cantharidin analogs in Mylabris phalerata Pallas by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-tandem mass spectrometry.

We evaluated the protective effect and toxicity of extracts from Mylabris phalerata Pallas by measuring the activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, venous thrombosis and acute toxicity in rats. Results showed the petroleum ether and water fractions of M. phalerata inhibited thrombosis but hardly prolonged the activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time in rats. The trichloromethane fraction had obvious toxicity with an LD50 of 0.2 g/kg in vivo, and contained many cantharidin analogs (CAs) by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole ion trap-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS). CAs are the major potential bioactivity constituent in M. phalerata. An effective and reliable UPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS method was successfully developed to separate and identify CAs. The fragmentation patterns of five purified compounds were applied to elucidate the structure of their analogs. Thirty-four CAs were characterized or tentatively identified, eight of which are proposed to be novel compounds (13-17, 20, 21, 23), and their fragmentation patterns were investigated for the first time. Most importantly, a rapid and reliable UPLC-MS method was developed to identify the CAs of M. phalerata. This method has contributed to the discovery of most of these unknown analogs or their metabolites in M. phalerata effectively and quickly, and does not rely on limited chemical structural diversity libraries.

Optimization extraction, structural features and antitumor activity of polysaccharides from Z. jujuba cv. Ruoqiangzao seeds.

As a discarded byproduct of jujube (Z. jujuba), its seeds contain various biological components. Response surface methodology was used to optimize ultrasound-assisted heating extraction conditions of polysaccharides from Z. jujuba cv. Ruoqiangzao seeds (ZJSPs). The optimal parameters were as follows: temperature 83.1 °C, time 100 min, ultrasonic power 140 W, and water-material ratio 33.5 mL/g, allowed a maximum yield of 1.97%. One main fraction (ZJSPs-1) was successfully purified by ion-exchange and gel-permeation chromatography. With a molecular weight of 342 kDa, ZJSPs-1 was composed of arabinose, glucose, xylose, galactose and rhamnose. The presence of pyranose-form sugars as well as both α- and ß-configurations was validated by FT-IR and 1H NMR. TG/DSC indicated that ZJSPs-1 has a favorable thermal stability. XRD suggested that ZJSPs-1 exhibited both crystalline and amorphous portions. ZJSPs-1 was in aggregates of homogenous-dense honeycomb like structures observed by SEM and AFM. ZJSPs-1 possessed antitumor activities against HeLa cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner at 24 and 48 h with IC50 of 164.6 and 87.1 µg/mL, respectively. Fluorescent microscopic and flow cytometry revealed that ZJSPs-1 inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells through apoptosis. Z. jujuba seeds are good sources for antitumor polysaccharides in pharmaceutical and food industries.

A metabolomics study on the immunosuppressive effect of Tripterygium hypoglaucum (Levl.) Hutch in mice: The discovery of pathway differences in serum metabolites.

Tripterygium hypoglaucum (Levl.) Hutch (THH), a typical traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used in clinical practice for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematous, and other connective tissue and autoimmune diseases. However, most related researches focused on the pharmacological effects of THH, while less attention has been paid to the immunosuppressive mechanism. The present study aims to determine the metabolic profiles, based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, identify differential metabolites, and find related metabolic pathways among the sensitization red blood cell (SRBC) model mice, THH treated mice, and cyclophosphamide treated group. Totally, 24 and 19 changed metabolites were found in the THH and cyclophosphamide treated groups respectively. Among them, we found that urocanate metabolic pathway change could be considered as the most relevant pathway associated with immunosuppression. This is the first study that comprehensively assessed the differences in metabolome between the model and THH treated groups. The results provide insights into the difference between the immunosuppressive mechanisms of THH and cyclophosphamide and also demonstrated that metabolomics is a valuable tool for investigating the efficacy of drugs in the treatment of diseases and the associated mechanism involved.

Paeoniflorin exerts neuroprotective effects by modulating the M1/M2 subset polarization of microglia/macrophages in the hippocampal CA1 region of vascular dementia rats via cannabinoid receptor 2.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral hypoperfusion is a pivotal risk factor for vascular dementia (VD), for which effective therapy remains inadequate. Persistent inflammatory responses and excessive chemotaxis of microglia/macrophages in the brain may accelerate the progression of VD. Endocannabinoids are involved in neuronal protection against inflammation-induced neuronal injury. Cannabinoids acting at cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) can decrease inflammation. Based on the identification of paeoniflorin (PF) as a CB2R agonist, we investigated the neuroprotective and microglia/macrophages M1 to M2 polarization promoting effects of PF in a permanent four-vessel occlusion rat model. METHODS: One week after surgery, PF was intraperitoneally administered at a dose of 40 mg/kg once a day for 28 successive days. The effects of PF on memory deficit were investigated by a Morris water maze test, and the effects of PF on hippocampal neuronal damage were evaluated by light microscope and electron microscope. The mRNA and protein expression levels of key molecules related to the M1/M2 polarization of microglia/macrophages were assessed by RT-qPCR and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: Administration of PF could significantly attenuate cerebral hypoperfusion-induced impairment of learning and memory and reduce the morphological and ultrastructural changes in the hippocampal CA1 region of rats. Moreover, PF promoted an M1 to M2 phenotype transition in microglia/macrophages in the hippocampus of rats. In addition to its inhibitory property against proinflammatory M1 mediator expression, such as IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α and NO, PF dramatically up-regulated expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-ß1. Importantly, CB2R antagonist AM630 abolished these beneficial effects produced by PF on learning, memory and hippocampus structure in rats, as well as the polarization of microglia/macrophages to the M2 phenotype. Additionally, PF treatment significantly inhibited cerebral hypoperfusion-induced mTOR/NF-κB proinflammatory pathway and enhanced PI3K/Akt anti-inflammatory pathway. Effects of PF on these signaling pathways were effectively attenuated when rats were co-treated with PF and AM630, indicating that the mTOR/NF-κB and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways were involved in the PF effects through CB2R activation. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated PF exerts its neuroprotective effect and shifts the inflammatory milieu toward resolution by modulation of microglia/macrophage polarization via CB2R activation.

[Studies on difference of chemical compositions in plant species of Tripterygium genus].

We studied the content of chemical compositions and correlation among species of Tripterygium genus by principal component analysis(PCA) and variance analysis(ANOVA), and we also studied the difference among the 3 species.Using [BMIm]PF6 ionic liquid-based ultrasonic-assisted extraction, we determined the contents of 11 compounds including wilforgine, wilforzine, triptophenolide, wilforine, triptoquinone A, triptolide, tripterin, egallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin, and epicatechin in 28 batches of the Tripterygium species by HPLC and PCA. Partial least squares analysis (PLS) and ANOVA were also performed to verify the results.The analysis results of PCA and PLS showed that three species of Tripterygium genus were clustered into three regions respectively, and triptoquinone A was the important factor which affected the aggregation of these three species.There was a significant difference among the contents of 11 chemical components in the three species(P<0.000 1).These results indicated that there was a certain correlation between the chemical compositions and the classification of the species, and the difference of the chemical compositions among the three species was obvious. In this work, the content determination method is rapid and accurate, and the analysis method is simple and convenient, which provides a reference for the classification, the efficacy and the toxicity of the species.

Ginsenoside 20(S)-Rh2 Induces Apoptosis and Differentiation of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells: Role of Orphan Nuclear Receptor Nur77.

Ginsenoside 20(S)-Rh2 has been shown to induce apoptosis and differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In our study, 20(S)-Rh2 induced the expression of orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 and death receptor proteins Fas, FasL, DR5, and TRAIL, as well as the cleavage of caspase 8 and caspase 3 in HL-60 cells. Importantly, shNur77 attenuated 20(S)-Rh2-induced apoptosis and Fas and DR5 expression. Meanwhile, 20(S)-Rh2 promoted Nur77 translocation from the nucleus to mitochondria and enhanced the interaction between Nur77 and Bcl-2, resulting in the exposure of the BH3 domain of Bcl-2 and activation of Bax. Furthermore, 20(S)-Rh2 promoted the differentiation of HL-60 cells as evidenced by Wright-Giemsa staining, NBT reduction assay, and detection of the myeloid differentiation marker CD11b by flow cytometry. Notably, shNur77 reversed 20(S)-Rh2-mediated HL-60 differentiation. Additionally, 20(S)-Rh2 also exhibited an antileukemic effect and induced Nur77 expression in NOD/SCID mice with the injection of HL-60 cells into the tail vein. Together, our studies suggest that the Nur77-mediated signaling pathway is highly involved in 20(S)-Rh2-induced apoptosis and differentiation of AML cells.

Halofuginone dually regulates autophagic flux through nutrient-sensing pathways in colorectal cancer.

Autophagy has a key role in metabolism and impacts on tumorigenesis. Our previous study found that halofuginone (HF) exerts anticancer activity in colorectal cancer (CRC) by downregulating Akt/mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) signaling pathway. But whether and how HF regulates autophagy and metabolism to inhibit cancer growth remains an open question. Here, we unveil that HF activates ULK1 by downregulation of its phosphorylation site at Ser757 through Akt/mTORC1 signaling pathway, resulting in induction of autophagic flux under nutrient-rich condition. On the other hand, HF inactivates ULK1 by downregulation of its phosphorylation sites at Ser317 and Ser777 through LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway, resulting in autophagic inhibition under nutrient-poor condition. Furthermore, Atg7-dependent autophagosome formation is also induced under nutrient-rich condition or blocked in nutrient-poor environment, respectively, upon HF treatment. More interestingly, we also found that HF inhibits glycolysis under nutrient-rich condition, whereas inhibits gluconeogenesis under nutrient-poor condition in an Atg7-dependent manner, suggesting that autophagy has a pivotal role of glucose metabolism upon HF treatment. Subsequent studies showed that HF treatment retarded tumor growth in xenograft mice fed with either standard chow diet or caloric restriction through dual regulation of autophagy in vivo. Together, HF has a dual role in autophagic modulation depending on nutritional conditions for anti-CRC.

[Evaluation of genetic diversity and population structure of genus Tripterygium based on SSR markers].

The genus Tripterygium is an immune suppressor in the Chinese traditional medicines. Due to the habitat destruction and anthropogenic over-exploitation, the wild genus Tripterygium plants have decreased dramatically in recent years or even been endangered. It is critical to evaluate and protect genus Tripterygium wild resource. In this research, simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers were applied to the investigation of the genetic diversity and genetic structure of 28 populations for genus Tripterygium (396 samples from 9 provinces in China). We found a high level of genetic diversity (percentage of polymorphic loci PPL = 77.29%, Shannon's information index I = 0.639 4; Nei's expected heterozygosity H = 0.359 9) and high genetic differentiation among the populations (gene flow N_m = 0.228 7). Based on Nei's genetic distance, the phylogenic tree of populations was constructed and 28 populations were divided into 6 clusters according to STRUCTURE clustering analysis. T. hypoglaucumwas was mainly divided into 3 clusters, including Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou- Chongqing. T. regelii was separated to cluster 4, while T. wilfordii was divided into two clusters: the transition type LQ and NY were divided into cluster 5, and the others were in cluster 6. These results provide a theory basis for the conservation of wild resource, research of genetic polymorphism and molecular marker for assisted breeding of genus Tripterygium.

Identification of Species in Tripterygium (Celastraceae) Based on DNA Barcoding.

Species of genus Tripterygium (Celastraceae) have attracted much attention owing to their excellent effect on treating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. However, due to high market demand causing overexploitation, natural populations of genus Tripterygium have rapidly declined. Tripterygium medicinal materials are mainly collected from the wild, making the quality of medicinal materials unstable. Additionally, identification of herbal materials from Tripterygium species and their adulterants is difficult based on morphological characters. Therefore, an accurate, convenient, and stability method is urgently needed. In this wok, we developed a DNA barcoding technique to distinguish T. wilfordii HOOK. f., T. hypoglaucum (LÉVL.) HUTCH, and T. regelii SPRAGUE et TAKEDA and their adulterants based on four uniform and standard DNA regions (internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2), matK, rbcL, and psbA-trnH). DNA was extracted from 26 locations of fresh leaves. Phylogenetic tree was constructed with Neighbor-Joining (NJ) method, while barcoding gap was analyzed to assess identification efficiency. Compared with the other DNA barcodes applied individually or in combination, ITS2+psbA-trnH was demonstrated as the optimal barcode. T. hypoglaucum and T. wilfordii can be considered as conspecific, while T. regelii was recognized as a separate species. Furthermore, identification of commercial Tripterygium samples was conducted using BLAST against GenBank and Species Identification System for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our results indicated that DNA barcoding is a convenient, effective, and stability method to identify and distinguish Tripterygium and its adulterants, and could be applied as the quality control for Tripterygium medicinal preparations and monitoring of the medicinal herb trade in markets.

Halofuginone and artemisinin synergistically arrest cancer cells at the G1/G0 phase by upregulating p21Cip1 and p27Kip1.

Combinational drug therapy is one of the most promising strategies in modern anticancer research. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas represent a wealth of complex combinations proven successful over centuries of clinical application. One such formula used to treat a variety of diseases, including cancer, contains two herbs, whose main active components are Halofuginone (HF) and Artemisinin (ATS). Here we studied the anticancer synergism of HF and ATS in various cancer cell lines and in a xenograft nude mice model. We found that the HF-ATS combination arrested more cells at the G1/G0 phase than either one alone, with the concomitant increased levels of CDK2 inhibitors, p21Cip1 and p27Kip1. By knocking down p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 separately or simultaneously in HCT116 cells and MCF-7 cells, we found that p21Cip1 was required for HF induced G1/G0 arrest, whereas p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 were both required for ATS or HF-ATS combination-mediated cell cycle arrest. Moreover, HF-ATS combination synergistically inhibited tumor growth in xenograft nude mice, and this was associated with the increased levels of p21Cip1 and p27Kip1. Collectively, these data indicate that the upregulation of p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 contributes to the synergistic anticancer effect of the HF-ATS combination.

Cantharimide and Its Derivatives from the Blister Beetle Mylabris phalerata Palla.

Eleven new monoterpenoids including three 1-methyl cantharimide-type derivatives (1-3), five 1,2-dimethyl cantharimide-type derivatives (4, 5, 7-9), and three 1-hydroxymethyl-2-methyl cantharimide-type derivatives (10-12), together with seven known cantharimides (6, 13-18), were isolated from Mylabis phalerata Palla. The planar structures and absolute configurations of compounds 1-14 were fully elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, ECD spectra, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and chemical methods. Compounds 6, 15, 16, and 18 were found to be potent inhibitors of HBV virus, with IC50 values of 62, 42, 58, and 19 µM.

A novel coumarin, (+)-3'-angeloxyloxy-4'-keto-3',4'-dihydroseselin, isolated from Bupleurum malconense (Chaihu) inhibited NF-κB activity.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to identify the major anti-inflammatory components in the petroleum ether extract of Bupleurum malconense (Chaihu), by bioassay-guided fractionation, and to investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of active components in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophage RAW-Blue cells. METHODS: A QUANTI-Blue assay was used to guide fractionation of B. malconense root extract. The petroleum ether extract which exerted significant secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) inhibition effect was purified by silica gel column chromatography and assisted with reverse phase HPLC. The major bioactive compound which significantly inhibited SEAP activity was obtained and its anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-induced RAW-Blue cells were measured by the overproduction of NO (Griess method), gene expression of Il-1ß, Tnf-α and iNos (real-time PCR). In parallel, protein expressions of COX-2, iNOS and IκB-α were determined by western blot. RESULTS: In bioassay-guided fractionation using LPS-stimulated mouse macrophage RAW-Blue cells, (+)-3'-angeloxyloxy-4'-keto-3',4'-dihydroseselin (Pd-Ib) was identified by MS and NMR spectral analyses. Pd-Ib (5, 10, 20 µg/mL) suppressed the gene expression of Il-1ß (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001 for three respective concentrations), Tnf-α (P = 0.006, P = 0.001, P < 0.0001 for three respective concentrations) and iNos (P = 0.009, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001 for three respective concentrations) in LPS-stimulated macrophages. The production of cyclooxygenase-2 (P = 0.019, P = 0.002, P < 0.0001), iNOS (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001 for three respective concentrations) and NO (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001 for three respective concentrations) significantly decreased when macrophages were treated with Pd-Ib (5, 10, 20 µg/mL) in the presence of LPS. Pd-Ib (5, 10, 20 µg/mL) suppressed the nuclear activation of NF-κB while it up-regulated the IκB-α level (P = 0.028, P = 0.013, P = 0.005 for three respective concentrations) in LPS-stimulated macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: Pd-Ib isolated from B. malconense suppressed LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages by inhibiting NF-κB activity and reducing the expression of iNOS, COX-2 as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines.

[Species differences in caffeine metabolism in liver microsomes of rats and mice].

Caffeine and its metabolic products play an important role in clinical applications. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF MS/MS) method was applied to systemically study the caffeine metabolism in liver microsomes of rats and mice, and comprehensively evaluate caffeine metabolites in vitro and metabolism differences between species. The caffeine metabolites and metabolism differences between species in liver microsomes of rats and mice were analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS high resolution mass spectrometry system and metabolitepolite software. The results showed that in addition to the demethylated and oxidized products in previous analysis, methylated, double oxidized, dehydrated and decarbonylated metabolites were also found in caffeine metabolism in liver microsomes of rats and mice, with significant difference in metabolism in vitro between rats and mice. The demethylated metabolite M2(C7H8N4O2) and decarbonylated metabolite M6(C7H10N4) in metabolism in vitro of mice were not found in rats, and the in vitro metabolite M7(C8H12N4O5) in rats were not found in mice. There was significant species difference in caffeine metabolism in vitro between rats and mice, providing important reference value for the further metabolism study and safety evaluation of caffeine.

[Progress on molecular biology of Isaria farinosa, pathogen of host of Ophiocordyceps sinensis during the artificial culture].

Isaria farinosa is the pathogen of the host of Ophiocordyceps sinensis. The present research has analyzed the progress on the molecular biology according to the bibliometrics, the sequences (including the gene sequences) of I. farinosa in the NCBI. The results indicated that different country had published different number of the papers, and had landed different kinds and different number of the sequences (including the gene sequences). China had published the most number of the papers, and had landed the most number of the sequences (including the gene sequences). America had landed the most numbers of the function genes. The main content about the pathogen study was focus on the biological controlling. The main content about the molecular study concentrated on the phylogenies classification. In recent years some protease genes and chitinase genes had been researched. With the increase of the effect on the healthy of O. sinensis, and the whole sequence and more and more pharmacological activities of I. farinosa being made known to the public, the study on the molecular biology of the I. farinosa would be deeper and wider.

[Chemical constituents from Mylabris phalerata and their cytotoxic activity in vitro].

Ten compounds were isolated from Mylabris phalerata by using preparative HPLC and column chromatography over MCI gel. On the basis of physical-chemical properties, NMR and MS data analysis, the compounds were identified as 5'-[(1 R,2 R,3 S,6R)-1-hydroxymethyl-2-methyl-3,6-epoxycyclohexane-1,2-dicarboximide]- ethyl-2'-methyl-2'-butenoate (1),cantharidin (2), cyclo-(L-Pro-L-Ala) (3), cyclo-(R-Pro-R-Leu) (4), cyclo-(S-Pro-R-Leu) (5), cyclo-(D-Pro-L-Tyr) (6), indole-3-aldehyde (7), 3-indoleacetic acid (8), valerolactam (9), and 4-hydroxyphthalid (10).Compound 1 was a new compound, and compounds 2-10 were obtained from this genus for the first time. Compounds 1-9 were subjected to cytotoxic activity on HCT-116, HepG2, BGC-823, NCI-H1650, A2780 cell lines, and only compound 2 showed inhibitory effect on all cancer cell lines.