Rapid screening and target-guided isolation of antioxidants from German chamomile by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with off-line two-dimensional high-speed countercurrent chromatography.

German chamomile is one of the most effective herbal elements used in anti-allergic products and as an antioxidant. Herein, the antioxidant activity of different extract fractions of German chamomile was initially evaluated using an off-line 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl spectrophotometric assay. The ethyl acetate extract demonstrated the highest efficacy in scavenging free radicals. Based on this, a rapid screening and separation method using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay was implemented to identify antioxidants in the ethyl acetate fraction of German chamomile flowers. Ten potential radical scavengers were tentatively screened from German chamomile using a target-guided isolating approach with off-line two-dimensional high-speed countercurrent chromatography and the structures of the compounds were analyzed and identified. Ultimately, 10 radical scavengers were obtained from the ethyl acetate extract with a purity quotient exceeding 90%. The results demonstrated the effectiveness and reproducibility of this method for isolating potential antioxidants from complex mixtures in a targeted manner. This strategy can be applied to the target-guided isolation of complex mixtures of natural products with broad K-values and similar structures.

Metabolomics analyses of cancer tissue from patients with colorectal cancer.

The alteration of metabolism is essential for the initiation and progression of numerous types of cancer, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Metabolomics has been used to study CRC. At present, the reprogramming of the metabolism in CRC remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, comprehensive untargeted metabolomics analysis was performed on the paired CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues from patients with CRC (n=35) using ultra­high­performance liquid chromatography­mass spectrometry. Subsequently, bioinformatic analysis was performed on the differentially expressed metabolites. The changes in these differential metabolites were compared among groups of patients based on sex, anatomical tumor location, grade of tumor differentiation and stage of disease. A total of 927 metabolites were detected in the tissue samples, and 24 metabolites in the CRC tissue were significantly different compared with the adjacent normal tissue. The present study revealed that the levels of three amino acid metabolites were increased in the CRC tissue, specifically, N­α­acetyl­Îµ­(2­propenal)­Lys, cyclo(Glu­Glu) and cyclo(Phe­Glu). The metabolites with decreased levels in the CRC tissue included quinaldic acid (also referred to as quinoline­2­carboxilic acid), 17α­ and 17ß­estradiol, which are associated with tumor suppression activities, as well as other metabolites such as, anhydro­ß­glucose, Asp­Arg, lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine (lysoPE), lysophosphatidylinositol, carnitine, 5'­deoxy­5'­(methylthio) adenosine, 2'­deoxyinosine­5'­monophosphate and thiamine monophosphate. There was no difference in the levels of the differential metabolites between male and female patients. The differentiation of CRC also showed no impact on the levels of the differential metabolites. The levels of lysoPE were increased in the right side of the colon compared with the left side of the colon and rectum. Analysis of the different tumor stages indicated that 2­aminobenzenesulfonic acid, P­sulfanilic acid and quinoline­4­carboxylic acid were decreased in stage I CRC tissue compared with stage II, III and IV CRC tissue. The levels of N­α­acetyl­Îµ­(2­propenal)­Lys, methylcysteine and 5'­deoxy­5'­(methylthio) adenosine varied at different stages of tumorigenesis. These differential metabolites were implicated in multiple metabolism pathways, including carbohydrate, amino acid, lipid, nucleotide and hormone. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that CRC tumors had altered metabolites compared with normal tissue. The data from the metabolic profile of CRC tissues in the present study provided supportive evidence to understand tumorigenesis.

Increased NOX1 and DUOX2 expression in the colonic mucosa of patients with chronic functional constipation.

To determine whether oxidative stress and inflammation are associated with constipation by examining the expression of the main producers of reactive oxygen species, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the colon of patients with chronic functional constipation. The colonic biopsies were collected from 32 patients with chronic functional constipation and 30 healthy subjects who underwent colonoscopy. Colonic mucosal histology was observed. Interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 messenger RNA (mRNA), and 4 members of NADPH oxidase (NOX1, NOX2, DUOX2, and NOX4) protein and mRNA were assessed by immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The tissues from both patients and healthy subjects showed normal histological structure without increase of inflammatory cells. NOX1 protein and mRNA levels were significantly increased compared to controls (P < .05). DUOX2 protein, but not mRNA, was increased by 2-fold compared to controls (P < .05). The levels of NOX2 and NOX4 protein and mRNA demonstrated no significant difference between patients and control subjects. The levels of IL-1ß and IL-6 mRNA were significantly higher in constipation patients (P < .05), while IL-8 mRNA level was no different between the 2 groups. NADPH oxidase and pro-inflammatory cytokine might be involved in the pathogeneses of chronic functional constipation.

Serum pepsinogen II levels are doubled with Helicobacter pylori infection in an asymptomatic population of 40,383 Chinese subjects.

ABSTRACT: Pepsinogen (PG) I and II are crucial in the gastric digestive processes. This study is to examine the relationship of serum PGI, PGII, and PGI/PGII ratio with Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) in subjects in Beijing, China.A total of 40,383 asymptomatic subjects, who underwent medical examination in Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital, were included in this study. Serum PG levels were measured using chemoluminescence techniques. The age, sex, and BMI data were collected, and Hp infection was identified with 13C-urea breath test. Statistical analysis was conducted with Python, Pandas and Seaborn software.Asymptomatic subjects with Hp infection (Hp+) had a significantly higher level of PGI in the serum (111 ng/mL [median]) than those without Hp infection (Hp-) (94 ng/mL, P < .001). The asymptomatic Hp+ subjects had 2-fold higher PGII levels (7.2 ng/mL) than Hp- subjects (3.2 ng/mL, P < .001). These changes produced significantly lower PGI/II ratio in Hp+ patients than in Hp- subjects (16:30, P < .001). The serum PGI and PGII levels were higher in males than in females (PGI: 104 ng/mL vs 95 ng/mL, PGII: 4.3 ng/mL vs 3.7 ng/mL, both P < .001), PGI/II ratio of males is at 95% of that in females (P < .001). PGI and PGII levels gradually increased in older people (P < .001), whereas the PGI/II ratio decreased significantly with age (P < .001). The levels of the two serum PGs were decreased and the ratio increased when BMI were higher than 28 kg/cm2 (P < .05).The levels of serum PGI, especial PGII, were increased by Hp infection, and also influenced by age, sex, and BMI. Therefore, these influencing factors should be considered during clinical practice.

MicroRNA-4472 Promotes Tumor Proliferation and Aggressiveness in Breast Cancer by Targeting RGMA and Inducing EMT.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. MicroRNA (miRNA) ectopic expression has been reported to be involved in the regulation of gene expression in breast cancer. We screened several differentially expressed miRNAs associated with breast cancer chemoresistance, growth, and metastasis using a miRNA microarray. Increased expression of miR-4472 has been associated with larger breast tumors and chemoresistance. However, the biologic function of miR-4472 and its molecular mechanisms in cancer progression have not yet been reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression of miR-4472 in breast cancer tissue and cell lines. The biologic functions of miR-4472 and its target gene were explored using Transwell, cell proliferation, and flow cytometry assays. Bioinformatics tools, dual-luciferase reporter assays, and Western blot were used to identify the target genes of miR-4472. Western blot was used to explain the participation of miR-4472 and target gene in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. RESULTS: miR-4472 was significantly upregulated in highly metastatic breast cancer tissues, and its expression was positively associated with larger tumor size and advanced pTNM stage. miR-4472 promoted breast cancer cell metastasis and growth. Repulsive guidance molecule A (RGMA) was a direct target gene of miR-4472. RGMA was identified as a suppressor in cancer metastasis. miR-4472 downregulated expression of RGMA and promoted epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by suppressing E-cadherin and initiating vimentin, ß-catenin, and Slug. CONCLUSIONS: miR-4472 contributes to the progression of breast cancer by regulating RGMA expression and inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, indicating that miR-4472/RGMA might serve as a therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Separation of polyphenols from leaves of Malus hupehensis (Pamp.) Rehder by off-line two-dimensional High Speed Counter-Current Chromatography combined with recycling elution mode.

In this study, off-line two-dimensional High Speed Counter-Current Chromatography (2D HSCCC) strategy combined with recycling elution mode was developed to isolate compounds from the ethyl acetate extract of a common green tea--leaves of Malus hupehensis (Pamp.) Rehder. In the orthogonal separation system, a conventional HSCCC was employed for the first dimension and two recycling HSCCCs were used for the second in parallel. Using a solvent system consisting of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:4:0.6:4.4, v/v) in the first and second dimension, four compounds including 3-hydroxy-phlorizin (1), phloretin (2), avicularin (3) and kaempferol 3-O-ß-D-glucoside (4) were obtained. The purities of these four compounds were all over 95.0% as determined by HPLC. And their structures were all identified through UV, MS and (1)H NMR. It has been demonstrated that the combination of off-line 2D HSCCC with recycling elution mode is an efficient technique to isolate compounds with similar polarities in natural products.

Separation of five flavonoids from tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn) grains via off-line two dimensional high-speed counter-current chromatography.

An off-line two dimensional (2D) high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) strategy was successfully used for preparative separation of five flavonoids from tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn) grains with different solvent systems for the first time in this paper. n-Hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water 3:5:3:5 (v/v) was selected as the first dimension solvent system to purify quercetin (4) and kaempferol (5). The second dimension solvent system, ethyl acetate-n-butanol-water 7:3:10 (v/v), was used to isolate quercetin 3-O-rutinoside-3'-O-ß-glucopyranoside (1), rutin (2) and kaempferol 3-rutinoside (3). The purities of these compounds were all above 96.0% and their structures were identified through UV, MS and (1)H NMR. The results indicated that the off-line 2D HSCCC is an efficient technique to isolate flavonoids compounds from grains.

Separation of five compounds from leaves of Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees by off-line two-dimensional high-speed counter-current chromatography combined with gradient and recycling elution.

An off-line two-dimensional high-speed counter-current chromatography method combined with gradient and recycling elution mode was established to isolate terpenoids and flavones from the leaves of Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees. By using the solvent systems composed of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water with different volume ratios, five compounds including roseooside, 5,4'-dihydroxyflavonoid-7-O-ß-d-pyranglucuronatebutylester, 7,8-dimethoxy-2'-hydroxy-5-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyloxyflavon, 14-deoxyandrographiside, and andrographolide were successfully isolated. Purities of these isolated compounds were all over 95% as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Their structures were identified by UV, mass spectrometry, and (1) H NMR spectroscopy. It has been demonstrated that the combination of off-line two-dimensional high-speed counter-current chromatography with different elution modes is an efficient technique to isolate compounds from complex natural product extracts.