Phillygenin Attenuated Colon Inflammation and Improved Intestinal Mucosal Barrier in DSS-induced Colitis Mice via TLR4/Src Mediated MAPK and NF-κB Signaling Pathways.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing, and nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Phillygenin (PHI), a natural bioactive ingredient, isolated from Forsythiae Fructus, exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and hepatoprotective activities. However, few reports provide direct evidence on the efficacy of PHI in improving colitis mice. The present study elucidated that the symptoms of DSS-induced colitis mice were alleviated after PHI administration, including body weight loss, the disease activity index, colon length shortening, colonic pathological damage, splenomegaly, and hepatomegaly. PHI treatment improved the intestinal mucosal barrier by protecting goblet cells, promoting gene expressions of Clca1, Slc26a3, and Aqp8, increasing tight junction proteins (TJs), and reducing epithelial cell apoptosis. In addition, the levels of oxidative stress (MPO, SOD, and MDA) and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-10) were reversed by PHI in colitis mice. According to transcriptome and network pharmacology analysis, inflammatory pathway might be an important mechanism for PHI to improve colitis. Western blotting displayed that the PHI inhibited the activation of tyrosine kinase Src mediated by TLR4, and then reduced the phosphorylation of downstream proteins p38, JNK, and NF-κB in colitis mice. In summary, our results suggested that PHI might be an appropriate and effective drug candidate to protect colitis.

Potential HIV latency-reversing agents with STAT1-activating activity from the leaves of Wikstroemia chamaedaphne.

Developing highly effective HIV latency-reversing agent is an inportmant approach for the treatment of AIDS via the "shock and kill" of latent HIV. In this study, two unreported modified daphnane-type diterpenes (chamaedaphnelide A and epi-chamaedaphnelide A) and one unreported tigliane-type diterpene (chamaedaphnelide B), along with four known daphnane-type diterpenes and one known tigliane-type diterpene were obtained from the leaves of Wikstroemia chamaedaphne. Chamaedaphnelide A and epi-chamaedaphnelide A represents the first A ring cleavage daphnane-type backbone. Chamaedaphnelide A, epi-chamaedaphnelide A, chamaedaphnelide B, and 6α,7α-epoxy-5ß-hydroxy-12-deoxyphorbol-13-decanoate showed HIV latency-reversing activity, especially chamaedaphnelide B and 6α,7α-epoxy-5ß-hydroxy-12-deoxyphorbol-13-decanoate displayed equally potential to positive drugs prostratin with reversing latent HIV on more than 100-fold compared to unstimulated cells. Furthermore, the activation of STAT1 was involved in the HIV latency-reversing activity of these diterpenes, firstly demonstrating that daphnane- and tigliane-type diterpenes can rapidly activate STAT1 activity. Indeed, these results also supported that activating STAT1 activity is a pathway for reversing latent HIV.

Better detoxifying effect of ripe forsythiae fructus over green forsythiae fructus and the potential mechanisms involving bile acids metabolism and gut microbiota.

Forsythiae Fructus (FF), the fruit of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl. (Lianqiao), is one of the most fundamental herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM), mainly due to its heat-clearing and detoxifying effects. There are two types of FF, the greenish fruits that start to ripen (GF) and the yellow fruits that are fully ripe (RF), called "Qingqiao" and "Laoqiao" referred to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, respectively. It undergoes a complex series of changes during the maturation of FF. However, the clinical uses and preparation of phytopharmaceuticals of FF have not been distinguished to date. Moreover, there is limited information on the study of the difference in pharmacological activity between RF and GF. In this study, a rat model of bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced cholestasis was used to compare the differences in their effects. RF was found to have better results than GF in addressing toxic bile acids (BAs) accumulation and related pathological conditions caused by BDL. The underlying mechanism may be related to the interventions of gut microbiota. The results of the present study suggest that the better detoxifying effect of RF than GF may be indirectly exerted through the regulation of gut microbiota and thus the improvement of BAs metabolism.

Dimeric sesquiterpenoids and anti-inflammatory constituents of Sarcandra glabra.

Three novel dimeric sesquiterpenoids named sarglanoids A-C (1-3), two undescribed monomeric sesquiterpenoids named sarglanoids D (4) and E (5), and seven known compounds (6-12), were isolated and characterized from Sarcandra glabra. Compound 1 represents the first heterodimeric sesquiterpenoid composed of a eudesmane and an eremophilane moiety. Compound 2 possesses two eremophilane monomers featuring an undescribed dimerization pattern. Compound 3 is a symmetric eudesmane dimer with a rare 1,4-epoxy bridge. The structures of 1-5 were fully identified by spectroscopic methods and single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. Compounds 3 and 6 suppressed the LPS-triggered inflammatory responses in RAW 264.7 cells.

Discovering the Mechanisms of Wikstroelide E as a Potential HIV-Latency-Reversing Agent by Transcriptome Profiling.

The discovery of efficient and specific HIV-latency-reversing agents is critical for HIV therapy. Here, we developed wikstroelide E, a daphnane diterpene from the buds of Wikstroemia chamaedaphne, as a potential HIV-latency-reversing agent that is 2500-fold more potent than the drug prostratin. Based on transcriptome analysis, the underlying mechanism was that wikstroelide E regulated the MAPK, PI3K-Akt, JAK-Stat, TNF, and NF-κB signaling pathways. We clearly demonstrated that wikstroelide E reversed latent HIV infection by activating PKC-NF-κB signals, serving as a proxy for verifying the transcriptome data. Strikingly, the Tat protein contributes to the robust activation of latent HIV in wikstroelide-E-treated cells, producing an unexpected latency-reversing effect against latent HIV. This study provides the basis for the potential development of wikstroelide E as an effective HIV-latency-reversing agent.

[Study on residues of heavy metals and harmful elements in Qingqiao and Laoqiao based on chemometrics].

Forsythiae Fructus is divided into Qingqiao and Laoqiao due to different harvesting periods. So far, the accumulation of heavy metals in the two types of Forsythiae Fructus has not been reported. In this study, the residual levels of copper(Cu), lead(Pb), chromium(Cr), arsenic(As), cadmium(Cd) and mercury(Hg) in 29 batches of Laoqiao and 60 batches of Qingqiao were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS). The samples were collected from Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, and Hebei Provinces. In addition, the diversity and correlation of harmful elements in Qingqiao and Laoqiao were analyzed by multivariate statistical method. Furthermore, principal component analysis(PCA) was used to analyze the harmful elements concentrations of Qingqiao and Laoqiao. The results showed that there was a significant difference on the residual levels of heavy metals and harmful elements between Qingqiao and Laoqiao. Among them, the content of Pb in Laoqiao is significantly higher than that in Qingqiao(P<0.01), while the content of Cu is significantly lower than that in Qingqiao. However, the difference in harmful elements among different producing areas of Forsythiae Fructus is not significant. PCA analysis showed that Qingqiao and Laoqiao were successfully grouped into two categories. This study suggests significant difference in the residual levels of heavy metals and harmful elements between Qingqiao and Laoqiao. Besides, Forsythiae Fructus has a certain enrichment of Pb in the fruit ripening stage(Laoqiao). This study provides a reference for the quality classification and safety of Forsythiae Fructus.

Daphnane Diterpenoids from Trigonostemon lii and Inhibition Activities Against HIV-1.

Natural products are the important source for the discovery of more potent anti-HIV agents. In this study, six daphnane diterpenoids including three unreported structures were isolated from Trigonostemon lii, which showed significant activities against HIV-1 strains replication in the nanomolar/picomolar range. Meanwhile, these diterpenoids significantly inhibited the fusion of H9/HIV-1 IIIB cells with uninfected C8166 cells, with the EC50s from 1.06 to 8.73 ng/mL, and did not show any inhibition activities against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Moreover, all of the diterpenoids shows significant inhibitions against T20-resistan HIV-1 strains, PNL4-3gp41(36G)V38E, N42S and pNL4-3gp41(36G)V38A, N42T. The results revealed that the six diterpenoids could be a new type of potential lead candidate as an HIV entry inhibitor, particularly for those infected by T20-resistant variants.

[Phenolic constituents from Wikstroemia chamaedaphne].

The phenolic constituents of Wikstroemia chamaedaphne were investigated by various column chromatographic methods including silica gel,Sephadex LH-20,ODS and preparative HPLC,and their chemical structures were identified by physico-chemical properties and spectral analyses. Thirteen phenolic compounds were isolated and elucidated,including five flavonoids: luteolin 7-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(1),luteolin 4'-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(2),kaempferol 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(3),chrysoeriol 4'-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(4),chrysoeriol(5); and eight lignans:(-)-secoisolariciresinol(6),acanthosessilin A(7),(-)-nortrachelogenin(8),(+)-isolariciresinol(9),sesamin(10),syringaresinol(11),(+)-epipinoresinol(12),and [3,3',4,4'-tetrahydro-6,6'-dimethoxy-3,3'-bi-2 H-benzopyran]-4,4'-diol(13). Compounds 1, 3, 5-8, 10, 11 and 13 were obtained from the plants of W. chamaedaphne for the first time,and compounds 1,5,7,10 and 13 were obtained from the Wikstroemia genus for the first time.

[Optimization of method for determination of Forsythia Fructus and discussion on the establishment of quality control standard for green (old) Forsythia Fructus].

In order to obtain the optimum method for content determination of Forsythia Fructus (FF), a variety methods for the sample preparation of FF were evaluated by the content determination methods of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. And an optimum method was screened and as follows: 30 times with 70% ethanol solution in ultrasonic extractor for half an hour. The method can achieve the best effect of simultaneously extracting forsythoside A and forsythin. Then, a HPLC method for simultaneous determination of forsythoside A and forsythin was established by methodology. The HPLC chromatographic conditions: the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile (A)-0.4% acetic acid solution (B) with gradient elution [0-33 min，15%A，33-43 min，15%-25%A，43-60 min，25% A] was at the flow rate of 1 mL·min⁻¹, the column temperature was 25 °C, and the detection wavelength was 330 and 277 nm. Moreover, the contents of forsythoside A and forsythin for 10 Green Forsythia Fructus (GF) and 5 Old Forsythia Fructus (OF) were determined by this method and Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The result not only displayed that the established method is effective, rapid, and simple, but also showed that the contents of forsythoside A and forsythin for GF and OF were significantly different. Which implied that the forsythoside A and forsythin limit standard for GF and OF should be controled by different values. This studies provide an important basis for the establishment of the content determination of FF and the quality control standard for GF and OF.

Diterpenes from buds of Wikstroemia chamaedaphne showing anti-hepatitis B virus activities.

Phytochemical study of the buds of Wikstroemia chamaedaphne Meisn. led to the isolation of seven previously undescribed diterpenes, including one tigliane diterpene (wikstchalide A), two daphnane diterpenes (wikstroelides W-X), and four lathyrane diterpenes (laurifoliosides A-B and 2-epi-laurifoliosides A-B), along with four known diterpenes. The structures of these compounds were established by extensive spectroscopic evidence and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Wikstchalide A possesses a 5,6-epoxy ring in the tigliane skeleton. Two compounds exhibited potential anti-hepatitis B virus activities, with IC50 values of 46.5 and 88.3 µg/mL against hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg), and six compounds showed certain inhibitory effects on HBV-DNA replication with the inhibition ratios ranging from 2.0% to 33.0% at the concentrations ranging from 0.39 to 6.25 µg/mL.

In Vitro Anticoagulant Activity and Active Components of Safflower Injection.

Safflower injection is well-known as a traditional Chinese medicine used to improve the blood circulation. In this study, seven safflower injection samples from different companies were evaluated for their in vitro anticoagulant activity by measuring their activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) against human plasma. The screening results suggested that the safflower injections exhibited a significant prolonging influence on APTT (p < 0.05 vs. the control group), but not on prolonging PT (p > 0.05 vs. the control group). The safflower injection was separated into four fractions, and among them, fraction four demonstrated the most anticoagulant activity, with an APTT of 95.4 ± 1.4 s at a concentration of 4.0 µg/µL (p < 0.01 vs. control group). In addition, three active components, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, p-hydroxy-cinnamic acid, and (8Z)-decaene-4,6-diyne-1-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside were isolated from fraction four with Sephadex LH-20 and C18 column chromatography. All three active components showed significant prolonging of APTT (p < 0.05 vs. control group). Among them, p-hydroxy-cinnamic acid exhibited the most activity (p < 0.01 vs. control group). The results indicated that safflower injection strongly affects the intrinsic coagulation system, and we suggest that this might be the mechanism by which the safflower injection activates and promotes blood circulation.

[Biological activity and hydroxy safflor yellow A content of intermediates in preparation of Safflower Injection].

In order to investigate the effect of various production processes on the quality of Safflower Injection, the biological activities of the intermediates were evaluated by measuring activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) induced platelet aggregation in vitro. Intermediates were produced by key processes, such as extraction, concentration, twice alcohol precipitation, water sedimentation and two sterilizations during the production of Safflower Injection. The content of main chemical components in intermediates was determined by HPLC. The results showed that with the advance of the preparation process of Safflower Injection, the inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation rate of each intermediate decreased gradually, and the trend of extending APTT activity decreased first and then increased. Meanwhile, the content of hydroxy safflor yellow A (HSYA) was gradually lowered, the content of p-hydroxy-cinnamic acid was increased, and new chemical component p-hydroxybenzaldehyde was produced. In conclusion, sterilization played a key role in the biological activity and HSYA content of Safflower injection.

Cycloartane triterpenoid and its glucoside isolated from Cassia occidentalis.

In the present study, one new cycloartane triterpenoid, named cycloccidentalic acid C (1) and its glucoside, cycloccidentaliside VI (2) were isolated from the whole plant of Cassia occidentalis. Their structures were elucidated by a combinational analyses of 1D and 2D NMR data and HRMS. Compound 2 showed modest anti-HIV-1 activity with EC50 value of 1.44 µmol·L-1 and TI (Therapeutic Index) value of 15.59.

Antimicrobial Diterpenoids of Wedelia trilobata (L.) Hitchc.

Continued interest in the metabolites of Wedelia trilobata (L.) Hitchc, a notoriously invasive weed in South China, led to the isolation of twenty-six ent-kaurane diterpenoids, including seven new ones 1-7. Their structures and relative configuration were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments. The antimicrobial activities of all isolated diterpenoids were evaluated against a panel of bacteria and fungi.

[Simultaneous determination of four coumaroylspermidine constituents in Carthamus tinctorius by HPLC-DAD].

The HPLC-DAD method was established to simultaneously determine the contents of four coumaroylspermidine[ N1, N5, N10-(Z)-tri-p-coumaroylspermidine (1), N1, N5-(Z)-N10-(E)-tri-p-coumaroylspermidine (2), N1(E)-N5-(Z)-N10-(E)-tri-p-coumaroylspermidine (3), and N1, N5, N10-(E)-tri-p-coumaroyl-spermidine (4) ] in Carthamus tinctorius. The method was performed on an Eclipse XDB-C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 µm) eluted with 47% methanol in an isocratic program. The flow rate was 1 mL•min⁻¹; the injection volume was 10 µL, and the column temperature was 30 ℃. The detective wavelength was 270, 280, 290, and 300 nm, respectively. Four coumaroylspermidine constituents showed a good linearity in the range of 0.002 1-0.041 6 (r=0.999 5), 0.002 6-0.051 2 (r=0.999 7), 0.002 7-0.054 0 (r=0.999 8) g•L⁻¹, and 0.005 0-0.100 4 (r=0.999 8) g•L⁻¹, respectively. The average recoveries of these four coumaroylspermidine constituents were in the range of 98.61%-100.9% (RSD 2.3%-3.0%). In conclusion, the method is simple, rapid, and sensitive, which could be used as a quantitative determination method for the four coumaroylspermidine components in C.tinctorius.

Three new phenanthrenone constituents from Trigonostemon lii.

Three new phenanthrenone constituents, trigoxyphins U-W (1, 7 and 9), together with eight known ones, trigoxyphin M (2), 6,9-O-dimethyltrigonostemone (3), trigonstemone (4), thrigonosomone B (5), trigonochinene E (6), actephiiol A (8), epiactephilol A (10) and neoboutomannin (11), were obtained from the methanol extract of the leaves and stems of Trigonostemonlii. The structures of the new metabolites were elucidated by analysing the spectroscopic data (1D NMR, 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS and IR). Compounds 1-6 were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities on five human tumour cell lines by using the MTT method, and compound 1 exhibited inhibitory activity against HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7 and SW480 with IC50 values ranging from 3.77 to 14.51 µM.

Phragmalin limonoids from the stem barks of Chukrasia tabularis var. velutina.

Seven new phragmalin limonoids, chukvelutilides I-O (1-7), were isolated from the stem barks of Chukrasia tabularis var. velutina. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis. Among them, compound 1 showed moderate lethal activity against brine shrimp larvae, with an LC50 value of 84.1 µM.

Cytotoxic eburnamine-aspidospermine type bisindole alkaloids from Bousigonia mekongensis.

Four new eburnamine-aspidospermine type bisindole alkaloids, namely, mekongenines C-F (1-4), along with 27 known indole alkaloids were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Bousigonia mekongensis. Their structures with the absolute configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and ECD analyses. All new compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against five human cancer cell lines: HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7 and SW480 in vitro. Alkaloids 1-4 exhibited inhibitory effects with IC50 values comparable to those of cisplatin.

Anti-HIV active daphnane diterpenoids from Trigonostemon thyrsoideum.

Sixteen daphnane diterpenoids, trigothysoids A-P, along with 15 known ones, were isolated from the methanol extract of the twigs and leaves of Trigonostemon thyrsoideum. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic techniques, including 2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The anti-HIV-1 activity of the compounds was also evaluated in vitro, and five compounds demonstrated potent anti-HIV-1 activity, with EC50 values of 0.015-0.001 nM and TI values of 1618-17,619.

A new Amaryllidaceae alkaloid from the bulbs of Lycoris radiata.

AIM: To study the Amaryllidaceae alkaloids of the bulbs of Lycoris radiata. METHODS: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by various chromatographic techniques, and the chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. In addition, the antiviral activities of alkaloids 1-10 were evaluated using flu virus A. RESULTS: One new homolycorine-type alkaloid 2α-methoxy-6-O-ethyloduline (1), together with nine known alkaloids 2α-methoxy-6-O-methyloduline (2), trispherine (3), 8-O-demethylhomolycorine (4), homolycorine (5), 9-O-demethylhomolycorine (6), oduline (7), lycorenine (8), 6α-O-methyllycorenine (9) and O-ethyllycorenine (10) were obtained. CONCLUSION: Alkaloid 1 is a new compound, and 1-3 were major alkaloids in this plant. Alkaloids 1-3 showed weak antiviral activities against flu virus A with IC50 values of 2.06, 0.69, and 2.71 µg·mL-1 and CC50 values of 14.37, 4.79, and 80.12 µg·mL-1, respectively.