Spore Oil enhances the effect of cyclophosphamide inhibiting programmed death-1 and prolongs the survival of H22 tumor-bearing mice.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Ganoderma Lucidum Spore Oil (GLSO) on the tumor growth and survival of H22 tumor-bearing mice treated with cyclophosphamide (CTX), and explore the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Allograft H22 hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model was applied to investigate the effect of GLSO on the tumor growth and survival of animals, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to analyze the life span. Plasma biochemical examination was used to determine the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), urea (UREA) and creatinine (CRE). Western blot analysis was performed to detect Programmed Death-1 (PD-1), Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1), Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2), phosphorylated Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (p-STAT3), and Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) expression. RESULTS: GLSO increased the anti-tumor effect of CTX and prolonged the survival of H22 tumor-bearing mice treated with CTX. Meanwhile, GLSO increased the thymus index and showed no obvious toxicity to liver functions of animals. GLSO also decreased the level of UREA in H22 tumor-bearing mice treated with CTX. Furthermore, GLSO could inhibit the expression of PD-1 in spleen, which was independent of JAK2 expression and STAT3 phosphorylation. However, GLSO did not affect the expression of PD-L1, JAK2, and p-STAT3 in tumor tissue. CONCLUSION: GLSO could strengthen the anti-tumor effect of CTX and prolong the life span of H22 tumor-bearing mice, while the underlying mechanism might be relevant to the amelioration effect of thymus function and inhibition of PD-1 expression in spleen. Furthermore, these findings implied the promising role of GLSO in combination with CTX to extend the survival of patients in clinical chemotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Total glucosides of Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae: a therapeutic approach for psoriasis by regulating Th17/Treg balance / 中国天然药物

Total glucosides of Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae (RSG) are selective immunosuppressants that exhibit primary efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis through targeted inhibition of activated T cells. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential application of RSG in the treatment of psoriasis and elucidate its mechanism of action and material basis. Our findings revealed significant improvements upon administration of RSG in an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis model. These improvements were characterized by a remarkable increase in the number of tail scales in mice and a substantial amelioration of skin erythema, ulceration, and flaking. By transcriptome sequencing and T-cell flow sorting assay, we identified notable effects of RSG on the modulation of various cellular processes. Specifically, RSG prominently down-regulated the Th17/Treg ratio in damaged skin tissues and reduced the proportion of G2 phase cells. Furthermore, RSG exhibited a stimulatory effect on the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells. Of particular interest, we discovered that β-sitosterol, sitostenone, stigmasterol, smiglanin, and cinchonain Ib displayed potent inhibitory effects on the IL-17-mediated inflammatory response in HaCaT cells. In summary, our study highlights the therapeutic potential of RSG in the treatment of psoriasis, attributed to its ability to regulate the Th17/Treg balance. These findings contribute to the development of new indications for RSG and provide a solid theoretical foundation for further exploration in this field.

Simultaneous Determination of 5 Components in the Classical Formula Huaihua San by HPLC Wavelength Switching Method / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To develop a method for simultaneous determination of 5 components in classical formula Huaihua san，including rutin ，naringin，neohesperidin，quercetin and pulegone. METHODS ：HPLC wavelength switching method was adopted. The determination was performed on Cosmosil C 18 column with mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile- 0.05％ phosphoric acid solution （gradient elution ）at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelengths were set at 257 nm for rutin ，283 nm for naringin and neohesperidin ，254 nm for quercetin ，252 nm for pulegone ，respectively. The column temperature was set at 30 ℃， and sample size was 10 μL. RESULTS：The linear range was 21.7-2 170 μg/mL for rutin，46-4 600 μg/mL for naringin，22.3- 2 230 μg/mL for neohesperidin，0.96-96 μg/mL for quercetin，2.7-270 μg/mL for pulegone（all r＞0.999），respectively. RSDs of precision，stability（24 h）and reproducibility tests were all lower than 2％（n＝6）. Average recoveries were 100.70％，99.31％， 101.10％，100.03％ and 99.63％（all RSD ＜2％，n＝9）. Among 3 batches of Huaihua san samples ，the contents of above 5 components were 20.055-22.615，25.557-27.806，11.428-13.250，0.350-0.478，2.372-4.011 mg/g，respectively. CONCLUSIONS ： Established method is simple ，accurate and reproducible ，and could be used for the simultaneous determination of 5 components in Huaihua san.

Content Determination of 4 Indicator Components in Shengyu Decoction Lyophilized Powder by HPLC / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To establish the content determin ation method of ferulic acid ，verbascoside，ligustilide and astragaloside in Shengyu decoction lyophilized powder. METHODS ：HPLC method was adopted to determine 4 components in 3 batches of lyophilized powder. The determination of ferulic acid ，verbascoside and ligustilide was performed on Inertsil ODS-SP C 18 column with mobile phase consisted of methanol- 0.1％ phosphoric acid （gradient elution ）at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min；detector was diode array detector ；detection wavelength was set at 330 nm；column temperature was 30 ℃，the sample size was 10 μL. The determination of astragaloside was performed on Kromasil C 18 column with mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-water （32∶68，V/ V）；detector was evaporative light scattering detector ；the drift tube temperature wa s 100 ℃，the carrier gas （air）flow rate was 2.5 L/min at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min；column temperature was 30 ℃，the sample size was 10 μL. RESULTS：The linear ranges of ferulic acid ，verbascoside，ligustilide and astragaloside were 0.050 15-10.03 μg（r＝0.999 8），0.067 80-13.56 μg（r＝ 0.999 9），0.057 30-11.46 μg（r＝0.999 5），1.128-11.28 μg（r＝0.999 3），respectively. The detection limits were 2.12×10－4，1.30× 10－3，8.02×10－4，1.09×10－3 μg，respectively. The limit of quantification were 7.43×10－4，3.87×10－3，2.34×10－3，3.36×10－3 μg， respectively. RSDs of precision ，stability（12 h）and reproducibility tests were all lower than 2％（n＝6）. Average recovery rates were 99.6％（RSD＝0.83％，n＝6），100.9％（RSD＝1.07％，n＝6），98.8％（RSD＝0.84％，n＝6）and 101.3％（RSD＝0.99％， n＝6），respectively. The contents of ferulic acid ，verbascoside，ligustilide and astragaloside in 3 batches of samples were 1.225-1.248， 0.413-0.424， 0.325-0.332， 0.394-0.404 mg/g， respectively （RSDs among batches were lower than 1.5％ ）. CONCLUSIONS：Established method is stable ，reproducible，rapid and accurate for the content determination of ferulic acid ， verbascoside， ligustilide and astragaloside in Shengyu

Study on main components of water extract in Xiefei-Pingchuanling using UPLC-MS / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To establish a Ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) chromatographic method for Xiefei-Pingchuanling extract, and to analyze the main components of its water extract. Methods The UPLC-MS was adopted with acetonitrile -0.2% formic acid aqueous solution (gradient elution) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min, detection wave length at 254 nm, and column temperature was 30 ℃. Results Eighteen components were separated from Xiefei-Pingchuanling extract, and eight ingredients were identified, such as the ephedrine, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, salvianolic acidB, rhein, aloeemodin, chrysophanol, physcionwere. Conclusions The UPLC-MS chromatographic method has the specialty of stability and repeatability, and it is suitable for analysis of Xiefei-Pingchuanling extract.

Effect of icariin on cyclic GMP levels and on the mRNA expression of cGMP-binding cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE5) in penile cavernosum / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

To further investigate the mechanisms of action of icariin (ICA), we assessed the effects of ICA on the in vitro formation of cGMP and cAMP in isolated rabbit corpus cavernosum. Isolated segments of rabbit corpus cavernosum were exposed to increasing concentrations of ICA and the dose-dependent accumulation of cGMP and cAMP was determined in the tissues samples by means of 125I radioimmunoassay. Responses of the isolated tissues preparations to ICA were compared with those obtained with the reference compounds sildenafil (Sild). Furthermore, the effects of ICA on the mRNA expression of specific cGMP-binding phosphodiesterase type V (PDE5) in rat penis were also observed. After incubation with ICA for 6 h or 14 h respectively, the levels of PDE5 mRNA were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that ICA increased cGMP concentrations directly (P 0.05). In the presence of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a stimulatory agent of cGMP, both ICA and Sild increased cGMP concentrations with increasing dose (P 0.05). There were PDE5A1 and PDE5A2 mRNA expressions in rat corpus cavernosum with PDE5A2 being the dominant isoform. ICA could obviously inhibit these two isoforms mRNA expression in rat penis, and decrease PDE5A1 more pronouncedly (P < 0.01). The present study indicated that the aphrodisiac mechanisms of icariin involved the NO-cGMP signal transduction pathway, with increasing cGMP levels in the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle. The inhibitory effect of icariin on PDE5 mRNA expression, especially on PDE5A1, might account for its molecular mechanisms for its long-term activity.

Effect of Icariin on Cyclic GMP Levels and on the mRNA Expression of cGMP-binding cGMP-specific Phosphodiesterase (PDE5) in Penile Cavernosum / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

To further investigate the mechanisms of action of icariin (ICA), we assessed the effects of ICA on the in vitro formation of cGMP and cAMP in isolated rabbit corpus cavernosum. Isolated segments of rabbit corpus cavernosum were exposed to increasing concentrations of ICA and the dose-dependent accumulation of cGMP and cAMP was determined in the tissues samples by means of 125I radioimmunoassay. Responses of the isolated tissues preparations to ICA were compared with those obtained with the reference compounds sildenafil (Sild). Furthermore, the effects of ICA on the mRNA expression of specific cGMP-binding phosphodiesterase type V (PDE5) in rat penis were also observed. After incubation with ICA for 6 h or 14 h respectively, the levels of PDE5 mRNA were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that ICA increased cGMP concentrations directly (P＜0.05), but there was no significant effect on cAMP concentrations (P＞0.05). In the presence of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a stimulatory agent of cGMP,both ICA and Sild increased cGMP concentrations with increasing dose (P＜0.01). Their EC50 was 4.62 (ICA) and 0.42 (Sild) μmol/L respectively. Under the same condition, ICA and Sild unaltered cAMP level significantly (P＞0.05). There were PDE5A1 and PDE5A2 mRNA expressions in rat corpus cavernosum with PDE5A2 being the dominant isoform. ICA could obviously inhibit these two isoforms mRNA expression in rat penis, and decrease PDE5A1 more pronouncedly (P＜ 0.01). The present study indicated that the aphrodisiac mechanisms of icariin involved the NO-cGMP signal transduction pathway, with increasing cGMP levels in the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle. The inhibitory effect of icariin on PDE5 mRNA expression, especially on PDE5A1, might account for its molecular mechanisms for its long-term activity.