A comprehensive review on traditional uses, chemical compositions, pharmacology properties and toxicology of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg (T.hemsleyanum), a rare herbal plant distributed in subtropical areas of mainland China, has become a focus of scientific attention in recent years because of its high traditional value, including uses for treatment of children with fever, pneumonia, asthma, rheumatism, hepatitis, menstrual disorders, scrofula, and pharynx pain. AIM: This systematic review aims to provide an insightful understanding of traditional uses, chemical composition, pharmacological effect and clinical application of T. hemsleyanum, and lay a foundation for the further study and for the utilization of T. hemsleyanum resource. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A domestic and overseas literature search in known databases was conducted for published articles using the relevant keywords. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-two chemical constituents identified from T. hemsleyanum have been reported, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, polysaccharide, organic acids, fatty acids, terpenoids, steroids, amino acid and others. Among these components, flavonoids and polysaccharides were the representative active ingredients of T. hemsleyanum, which have been widely investigated. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that these components exhibited various pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antivirus, antitumor, antipyretic, anti-hepatic injury, immunomodulatory, antibacterial etc. Moreover, different toxicological studies indicated that the clinical dosage of T. hemsleyanum was safe and reliable. CONCLUSIONS: Modern pharmacological studies have well supported and clarified some traditional uses, and T. hemsleyanum has a good prospect for the development of new drugs due to these outstanding properties. However, the present findings did not provide an in-depth evaluation of bioactivity of the extracts, the composition of its active extracts was not clear. Moreover, they were insufficient to satisfactorily explain some mechanisms of action. Data regarding many aspects of T. hemsleyanum, such as links between the traditional uses and bioactivities, pharmacokinetics, quality control standard and the clinical value of active compositions is still limited which need more attention.

Metabolic profiling investigation of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Thunberg fritillary bulb (the dry bulbs of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq.), a traditional Chinese Medicine, is widely applied as an expectorant and antitussive. In this investigation, the primary metabolites of bulbs, flowers, leaves, and stems of F. thunbergii were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis, partial least squares-discriminate analysis, orthogonal projection to latent structures-discriminate analysis, and heat map analysis showed that there were dissimilar metabolites, and a negative correlation between amino acids and saccharides in different analytes. Furthermore, carbodiimide, tryptophan, glucose-6-phosphate, xylose, 2-piperidinecarboxylic acid, monoamidomalonic acid, phenylalanine, and histidine were found to play an important role in the plant metabolism net of F. thunbergii.

In Situ Multitechnical Investigation into Capacity Fading of High-Voltage LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2.

LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 positive electrode materials of lithium ion battery can release a discharge capacity larger than 200 mAh/g at high potential (>4.30 V). However, its inevitable capacity fading, which is greatly related to the structural evolution, reduces the cycling performance. The origin of this capacity fading is investigated by coupled in situ XRD-PITT-EIS. A new phase of NiMn2O4 is discovered on the surface of the LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 upon charging to high voltage, which blocks Li+ diffusion pathways. Theoretical calculations predict the formation of cubic NiMn2O4. Moreover, corrosion, cracks, and microstress appear to increase the difficulty of Li+ transportation, which are attributed to the protection degradation of the interfacial film on the positive electrode material at high voltage. After 50 electrochemical cycles, the increase in degree of crystal defects by low-angle grain boundary, evidenced through HR-TEM, leads to poor Li+ kinetics, which in turn causes capacity loss. The in situ XRD-PITT-EIS technique can bring multiperspective insights into fading mechanism of the high-voltage positive electrode materials and provide a solution to control or suppress the problem on the basis of structural, kinetic, and electrochemical interfacial understandings.

Relative risk factors associated with the development of fundic gland polyps.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of fundic gland polyps (FGPs) is increasing. Some researchers consider this increase to be associated strongly with the long-term use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs); however, not all researchers share this belief. There are minimal data on the development of FGPs in China. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of FGPs and risk factors associated with the development of this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 10 904 consecutive patients who underwent gastroduodenal endoscopies at our digestive endoscopy center between February 2011 and January 2013. Information on sex, age, Helicobacter pylori infection, PPIs intake, and the pathological results of the polyps were collected in the FGPs group and in the control group. The use of PPIs, sex, and H. pylori infection were statistically evaluated as dichotomous variables using a χ-test; age was evaluated as a continuous variable using a t-test. Finally, these factors were evaluated using a multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Gastric polyps were found in 759 (7.0%) patients, and 213 (2.0%) of these patients had FGPs. FGPs accounted for 28.1% of the gastric polyps. In the FGPs group, the percentage of H. pylori infection was 66.8% and the percentage of PPIs intake for at least 12 months was 23.1%. In the control group, the percentage of H. pylori infection was 77.4% and the percentage of PPIs intake for at least 12 months was 2.3%. The difference in the long-term use of PPIs was statistically significant between these two groups [χ=33.98, P<0.05, odds ratio (OR)=12.83, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.47-36.80]. The results of the logistic regression were as follows: long-term use of PPIs (P<0.01, OR=14.11, 95% CI: 4.15-47.93); age (P<0.01, OR=1.69, 95% CI: 1.31-2.18). The P-values for sex and H. pylori infection were higher than 0.05. CONCLUSION: Age and the long-term use of PPIs were risk factors for the presence of FGPs; the long-term use of PPIs was a particularly strong risk factor.

Optimal intensity shock wave promotes the adhesion and migration of rat osteoblasts via integrin ß1-mediated expression of phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase.

To search for factors promoting bone fracture repair, we investigated the effects of extracorporeal shock wave (ESW) on the adhesion, spreading, and migration of osteoblasts and its specific underlying cellular mechanisms. After a single period of stimulation by 10 kV (500 impulses) of shock wave (SW), the adhesion rate was increased as compared with the vehicle control. The data from both wound healing and transwell tests confirmed an acceleration in the migration of osteoblasts by SW treatment. RT-PCR, flow cytometry, and Western blotting showed that SW rapidly increased the surface expression of α5 and ß1 subunit integrins, indicating that integrin ß1 acted as an early signal for ESW-induced osteoblast adhesion and migration. It has also been found that a significant elevation occurred in the expression of phosphorylated ß-catenin and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) at the site of tyrosine 397 in response to SW stimulation after the increasing expression of the integrin ß1 molecule. When siRNAs of integrin α5 and ß1 subunit were added, the level of FAK phosphorylation elevated by SW declined. Interestingly, the adhesion and migration of osteoblasts were decreased when these siRNA reagents as well as the ERK1/2 signaling pathway inhibitors, U0126 and PD98059, were present. Further studies demonstrated that U0126 could inhibit the downstream integrin-dependent signaling pathways, such as the FAK signaling pathway, whereas it had no influence on the synthesis of integrin ß1 molecule. In conclusion, these data suggest that ESW promotes the adhesion and migration of osteoblasts via integrin ß1-mediated expression of phosphorylated FAK at the Tyr-397 site; in addition, ERK1/2 are also important for osteoblast adhesion, spreading, migration, and integrin expression.

Quantitative determination of sauchinone in rat plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A rapid, sensitive and specific method using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS) was developed for the analysis of sauchinone in rat plasma. Di-O-methyltetrahydrofuriguaiacin B was used as internal standard (IS). Analytes were extracted from rat plasma by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. A 2.1 mm i.d. × 150 mm, 5 µm, Agilent Zorbax SB-C(18) column was used to perform the chromatographic analysis. The mobile phase was methanol-deionized water (80:20, v/v). The chromatographic run time was 7 min per injection and the flow-rate was 0.2 mL/min. The tandem mass spectrometric detection mode was achieved with electrospray ionization interface in positive-ion mode (ESI(+) ). The m/z ratios [M + Na](+) , m/z 379.4 for sauchinone and m/z 395.4 for IS were recorded simultaneously. Calibration curve were linear over the range of 0.01-5 µg/mL. The lowest limit of quantification was 0.01 µg/mL. The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy of the quality control samples were 2.94-9.42% and 95.79-108.05%, respectively. The matrix effect was 64.20-67.34% and the extraction recovery was 93.28-95.98%. This method was simple and sensitive enough to be used in pharmacokinetic research for determination of sauchinone in rat plasma.

Simultaneous determination of eleven bioactive compounds in Saururus chinensis from different harvesting seasons by HPLC-DAD.

A high performance liquid chromatography method coupled with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was developed for simultaneous determination of five major active flavonoids, two aristolactams and four main lignans in Saururus chinensis, namely rutin (1), isoquercitrin (2), quercetin-3-O-beta-d-glucopyranosyl (1-->4)-alpha-l-rhamnoside (3), quercitrin (4), quercetin (5), aristolactam A II (6), sauristolactam (7), dihydroguaiaretic acid (8), sauchinone (9), licarin A (10) and licarin B (11). The analysis was performed on an Agilent Eclipse XDB C(18) column (4.6mmx150mm, 5microm) with gradient elution of 0.4% aqueous phosphoric acid and acetonitrile. The detection wavelengths were 280 and 360nm. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r(2)>0.9991) within test ranges. The method was reproducible with intra- and inter-day variation less than 3.2%. The recovery of the assay was in the range of 95.1-103.9%. The validated method was successfully applied for the analysis of the eleven bioactive compounds in seven samples from different harvesting seasons and significant variations were revealed. The results indicated that the developed method can be used as a suitable quality control method for S. chinensis and it should be harvested in August (fruiting period) for Jiangsu cultivation regions, taking the yield into consideration, with the highest amounts of lignans, relative higher amounts of flavonoids and lower amounts of aristolactams.