Ganoderma tsuage promotes pain sensitivity in aging mice.

Advances in modern medicine have extended human life expectancy, leading to a world with a gradually aging society. Aging refers to a natural decline in the physiological functions of a species over time, such as reduced pain sensitivity and reaction speed. Healthy-level physiological pain serves as a warning signal to the body, helping to avoid noxious stimuli. Physiological pain sensitivity gradually decreases in the elderly, increasing the risk of injury. Therefore, geriatric health care receives growing attention, potentially improving the health status and life quality of the elderly, further reducing medical burden. Health food is a geriatric healthcare choice for the elderly with Ganoderma tsuage (GT), a Reishi type, as the main product in the market. GT contains polysaccharides, triterpenoids, adenosine, immunoregulatory proteins, and other components, including anticancer, blood sugar regulating, antioxidation, antibacterial, antivirus, and liver and stomach damage protective agents. However, its pain perception-related effects remain elusive. This study thus aimed at addressing whether GT could prevent pain sensitivity reduction in the elderly. We used a galactose-induced animal model for aging to evaluate whether GT could maintain pain sensitivity in aging mice undergoing formalin pain test, hot water test, and tail flexes. Our results demonstrated that GT significantly improved the sensitivity and reaction speed to pain in the hot water, hot plate, and formalin tests compared with the control. Therefore, our animal study positions GT as a promising compound for pain sensitivity maintenance during aging.

Lipid concomitant γ-oryzanol decreased oil absorbency of French fries by changing the microstructure of French fries and physical properties of frying oil.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this research was to evaluate the possibility of lipid concomitant γ-oryzanol reducing oil absorbency of fried foods and the underlying mechanism. Therefore, the influence of γ-oryzanol on moisture and oil content, and distribution and micromorphology of French fries and the viscosity, fatty acid composition and total polar compounds content of rice bran oil (RBO) after frying were studied. RESULTS: Our results showed that the incorporation of low concentration of γ-oryzanol [low addition group (LAG)] (5.754 g/kg) decreased the oil absorbency and porous structure of French fries during frying. Additionally, LAG incorporation inhibited the degradation of linoleic acid, decreased the growth rate of saturated fatty acids, total polar compounds and viscosity of frying oil. CONCLUSIONS: Consequently, it was recommended to incorporate a small amount of γ-oryzanol in frying oil because it could inhibit oil absorption behavior of French fries. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Clinical efficacy of closure operation guided by transthoracic echocardiography with simply delivery sheath for patent foramen ovale / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of percutaneous closure of foramen ovale guided by transthoracic echocardio-graphy with simply delivery sheath.Methods The clinical data of patients with patent foramen ovale underwent interventional closure and percutaneous closure guided by transthoracic echocardiography with simply delivery sheath in our hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were analyzed retrospectively,the patients were divided into interventional closure group(40 cases)and simply delivery sheath group(39 cases).The operation time,incidence of surgical complications,and surgical success rates of patients in the two groups were compared.The closure effect were evaluated by ultrasound immediately after surgery.All the patients were followed up for 6 months after surgery to evaluate remission of the symptoms.Results The surgical success rate of simply delivery sheath group(100%)was higher than that of interventional closure group(90.0%),with statistically significant difference(P<0.05).The operation time of simply delivery sheath group was longer than that of interventional closure group,with statistically significant difference(P<0.05).One patient in the interventional closure group had small amount of pericardial effusion during the operation.Two patients had decreased blood pressure and slowed heart rate in simply delivery sheath group,and symptoms disappeared after treatment.There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups(P>0.05).After 6-month follow-up,all occluders were in good position and no residual leakage was found.The symptoms of headache or dizziness disappeared in 28 patients in interventional closure group,significantly relieved in 8 patients;the symptoms of headache or dizziness disappeared in 30 patients in simply delivery sheath group,and significantly relieved in 9 patients.Conclusion Percutaneous closure for patent foramen ovale under the guidence of transthoracic echocardiography with simply delivery sheath is safe and feasible with satisfactory efficacy and higher successful rate without radiation hazard.It is worthy of clinical promotion.

Flavonoids from the fruits of Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels with anti-α-glucosidase activity.

Eleven flavonoids including one new flavonol glycoside, quercetin-3-O-(2-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-ß-D-glucuronopyranosyl methyl ester (1), were isolated for the first time from the fruits of Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels (Phyllanthaceae). Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic data. The known flavonoids, quercetin-3-O-ß-D-glucuronide methyl ester (3), quercetin-3-O-(2''-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-6''-O-α-L-rhamno pyranosyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (5), myricetin (9), and 6-methoxy-naringenin (11) were isolated for the first time from the genus Phyllanthus. Flavonoids 4, 6 and 9 (IC50 = 6.01, 6.32, and 7.84 µM, respectively) showed stronger α-glucosidase inhibitory activities than the positive control, acarbose (IC50 = 306.45 µM). The fruits of P. acidus might be further developed as an anti-diabetic food supplement.

Phyllaciduloids E and F, two new cleistanthane diterpenoids from the leaves of Phyllanthus acidus.

Phyllaciduloids E (1) and F (2), two new cleistanthane diterpenoids, were isolated from the leaves of Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels (Phyllanthaceae). Their planar structures were established by spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature values. The relative configurations of phyllaciduloids E and F were confirmed by DFT-NMR chemical shift calculations and subsequent CP3 probability methods. Phyllaciduloids E and F were evaluated for their cytotoxicity. However, no significant activities were detected at concentrations up to 40 µM.[Formula: see text].

New cytotoxic dichapetalins in the leaves of Phyllanthus acidus: Identification, quantitative analysis, and preliminary toxicity assessment.

The young leaves of Phyllanthus acidus (Euphorbiaceae) are commonly used as edible vegetables in Indonesia, Thailand, and India, and their water infusions as dieting aids for people trying to remain slim. However, it is regarded as a poisonous plant in Malaya, and current researches are insufficient to provide a conclusion on its toxicity and safety under large doses. In this study, we firstly found that the refined nonpolar extracts of P. acidus leaves showed significant cytotoxic effect against BEAS-2B and L02 normal cell lines with IC50 values of 2.15 and 1.64 mg/mL, respectively. Further bioactivity-guided isolation produced four new rare dichapetalins (pacidusins A-D) from the most active fraction. Their structures including absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data and X-ray diffraction analysis. All the isolated dichapetalins exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against, BEAS-2B and L02 normal cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 12.44 to 22.55 µM, as well as five human cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 3.38 to 22.38 µM. Furthermore, the content of the main dichapetalins in the leaves were determined by analytical HPLC, which showed that the leaves contained a very high amount of the four isolated dichapetalins with a total yield of 0.488 mg/g of dry plant material. These toxic dichapetalins may lead to adverse health effects in higher doses. Our findings indicate that the dichapetalin containing leaves may not be suitable for consumption in large quantities as food, but demonstrate their potency as anti-cancer agents for new drug discovery.

Phyllanacidins A-C, three new cleistanthane diterpenoids from Phyllanthus acidus and their cytotoxicities.

Phytochemical investigation on the nonpolar extracts of P. acidus leaves afforded three new cleistanthane diterpenoids, named phyllanacidins A-C (1-3), in addition to three known ones (4-6). Among them, compounds 2 and 3 represent the first examples of 17-nor cleistanthane diterpenoids. Their structures including absolute configurations were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. All the isolated cleistanthane diterpenoids were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against five human cancer cell lines. Compounds 4-6 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity with IC50 values ranging from 16.11 to 30.82 µM.

Effect of Wuzang Wenyang Huayu Decoction on Neurofibrillary Tangles by Inhibiting Cyclin-dependent Kinase-5 Over-expression in SAMP8 Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To explore the mechanism of Wuzang Wenyang Huayu decoction in improving the cognitive competence and the pharmacological mechanism for neurofibrillary tangles related to cyclin-dependent kinase-5(CDK-5).Method: The 10 SAMR1 mice were used as normal group,40 SAMP8 mice were randomly divided into model group,donepezil group (0.4 mg·kg-1·d-1),high and low dose Wuzang Wenyang Huayu decoction groups (5,1.25 g·kg-1·d-1).Drugs were administered by gastric lavage for 4 continuous weeks.Directional navigation and space exploration ability were evaluated with Morris amaze.Real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of CDK-5 in brain nerve tissues.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of CDK-5 and phosphorylation of Tau protein.Meanwhile,neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissue were detected with silver staining method.Result: As compared with normal group,both CDK-5 expression and Tau protein phosphorylation in brain nerve tissues were remarkably increased in model group (PPPPPPConclusion: Wuzang Wenyang Huayu decoction can markedly improve the cognitive competence of SAMP8 mice,and the mechanism may be related to its inhibition on CDK-5 over-expression,and down-regulation of Tau protein phosphorylation and neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissue.

Dynamic lipid profile of hyperlipidemia mice.

Biomarkers of serum fatty acids in hyperlipidemia need to be elucidated. 90 SPF KM male mice were randomly divided into 18 groups (n=5/group), control groups, and high fat diet (HFD) groups at 9 time points. On day 7, 10, 15, 18, 21, 24, 28, 31, and 35, the mice were sacrificed; blood was collected into tubes from the eyes, serum samples for clinical biochemistry assays and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy were attained after centrifugation, and the contents of serum fatty acids were detected with GC-MS. Sections of livers were taken and stored in formalin solution for histological assessments. No species differences existed in all these groups. The contents of C16:1, C18:1, C22:6 were significantly different between HFD groups and the corresponding controls; meanwhile, the proportion of fatty acids, especially the monounsaturated degree, the polyunsaturated degree, changed significantly and regularly (P<0.05). Thus the three unsaturated fatty acids C16:1, C18:1, C22:6 and the monounsaturated/polyunsaturated unsaturated degrees may be as potential biomarkers of hyperlipidemia.

Assessment of clinical effect of therapy combining disease with syndrome on rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effectiveness and safety of a therapy combining disease with syndrome on rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Eighty patients with rheumatoid arthritis belonging to syndrome of damp-heat obstruction were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group according to stratified blocked randomization method. Forty cases in the control group orally took Loxoprofen Sodium Tablet and Leifumite Tablet and the other 40 cases in the treatment group orally took a Chinese medicine for 12 weeks as a course of treatment. ACR therapeutic effect was used as the standard for evaluating the total therapeutic effect. RESULTS: After 12 weeks of treatment, there was a statistical difference (P < 0.01) in the improvement of VAS score, morning stiffness time, number of swelling joints, index of swelling joints, number of joints with tenderness, index of joints with tenderness, average grip strength of both hands, DSA28 score, HAQ, patient's assessment, physician's assessment, ESR, CRP and RF in both groups. The improvement of morning stiffness time, number of swelling joints, index of swelling joints, grip strength, HAQ and patient's assessment in the treatment group was much better than that in the control groups with statistical difference (P < 0.05). ACR20, ACR50 and ACR70 was 27.5% (11/40), 37.5% (15/40) and 22.5% (9/40) respectively in the treatment group and 40% (16/40), 27.5% (11/42) and 10.0% (4/40) respectively in the control group with statistical difference (P < 0.05) in the superiority of the treatment group over the control group. The incidence of adverse reaction in the control group was higher than that in the treatment group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Definite therapeutic effect and high safety can be achieved in using the therapy combining disease with syndrome to treat rheumatoid arthritis belonging to syndrome of damp-heat obstruction.

Temperature-dependent development and population growth of Tetraneura nigriabdominalis (Homoptera: Pemphigidae) on three host plants.

The root aphid Tetraneura nigriabdominalis (Sasaki) (Homoptera: Pemphigidae) is a pest of many Gramineae species; however, little is known about its biology and relationships with host plants. The objectives of this study were to quantify the effects of temperature on development, longevity, fecundity, and population growth of T. nigriabdominalis and to assess the effects of host plant on development of T. nigriabdominalis. The effects of temperature on performance of this root aphid were determined at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 +/- 1 degrees C on rice roots, Oryza sativa L. Nymphal stages from birth to adult decreased from 46.3 d at 10 degrees C to 8.5 d at 30 degrees C. Aphid survival and development were lowest at 35 degrees C, and no aphid produced progeny at this temperature. Average adult longevity decreased from 23.3 d at 15 degrees C to 8.2 d at temperatures up to 35 degrees C. Average number of nymphs produced per female was highest at 25 degrees C; averaging near 30 nymphs per female, but it dropped to near zero at both 10 and 35 degrees C. The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r(m)) was 0.241 at 30 degrees C. Net reproductive rate (R(0)) ranged from 29.8 at 25 degrees C to 0.2 at 10 degrees C. The generation time (GT) decreased with increasing temperatures from 60.3 d at 10 degrees C to 13.8 d at 30 degrees C. In addition, root aphids reared at 30 degrees C on three host plants [O. sativa, Zea mays L. and Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] revealed that the developmental time of the nymphal stages averaged 6.9 d when reared on O. sativa and 10.7 d when reared on Z. mays. Comparison of the nitrogen content of the three host plants indicated that the root nitrogen content was highest in O. sativa. The effect of nitrogen content on aphid performance, however, is still not clear. Other factors, such as plant secondary chemistry, may play a role in affecting aphid performance.

Magnesia-zirconia based mimetic biomembrane chromatography for predicting human drug absorption.

In this paper, a novel mimetic biomembrane chromatography stationary phase of magnesia-zirconia composite matrix were prepared with the Lewis acid-base interaction between phosphatidylcholine's residue phosphonate group and Lewis acid sites of magnesia-zirconia composite; the retention factors of a chemically diverse set of drugs on the new stationary phase were determined; the drugs logK(mbm) values were correlationed with the absorbed fraction of drugs orally administered in humans (%F(a)) and a hyperbolic relationship was obtained. Meanwhile, the relationship between the logK(mbm) values and hydrophobic parameters (logP(oct) and logD(oct)) were discussed. The usefulness of the new column for predicting oral drug absorption in humans is demonstrated by comparing this model with IAM, ILC and BMC models. Results show that the logK(mbm) values have good relationship with logK(W)(IAM), logK(BMC) and have moderate to fair relationship with logK(s) determined on four different ILC column (EPL, PC, PC-PE, PC-PS). Therefore, the logK(mbm) values can provide key information about the transport properties of drugs and this chromatographic model may be applicable for prediction of drug uptake through epithelial cell membranes during the drug discovery process.

A new process for preparation of soybean protein concentrate with hexane-aqueous ethanol mixed solvents.

A new process for the preparation of soybean protein concentrate (SPC) by directly extracting full-fat soy flour with a mixture of hexane and aqueous ethanol was established. Compared with conventional methods, it has some advantages, such as saving energy and reducing protein denaturation caused by heat action during solvent recovery, because this process saves one step of solvent recovery. The effects of aqueous ethanol concentration and the mixure ratio (hexane to ethanol) on the degree of protein denaturation and product quality were investigated, on the basis of which the orthogonal tests were performed. The optimum technical parameters were obtained by analyzing the results of the orthogonal tests with statistical methods. We found that SPC can be obtained by extracting full-fat soy flour under the following conditions: mixture ratio hexane: 90% ethanol, 9:1, v/v; extraction temperature, 45 degrees C; ratio of solid to solvents, (1:2 w/v); and 5 repeated extractions (15 min each time). The results of quality analysis showed that solubility of the product was improved significantly [nitrogen solubility index (NSI) 46.6%] compared with that for ethanol washing of protein concentrate (NSI 8.7%).

Optimization of parameters of high-performance displacement chromatography for separation of soybean phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine.

Hundred milligrams of soybean phospholipids were successfully separated by using high-performance displacement chromatography (HPDC) on a 150mm x 4.6mm analytical silica column (3-5 microm packings) with dichloromethane-methanol (9:1, v/v) as carrier and ethanolamine as displacer. From the viewpoint of preparative separation, the effects of loading amount, concentration and flow-rate of displacer on separation efficiency were investigated using throughput and recovery as indices. The parameters were optimized by orthogonal test design and statistical analysis method. Under the optimum conditions, namely displacer concentration being 167 mM, the flow-rate of displacer at 0.2 ml/min and concentration of sample being 211 mg/ml (factual loading amount 211 mg/ml x 0.7 ml = 148 mg), the purity, throughput and recovery of obtained soybean phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) were 80.2%, 65.7 mg/h, 70.9% and 90.5%, 272.6 mg/h, 88.3%, respectively. In addition, selections of regenerant and appropriate regeneration condition were also studied.

Study on interaction between drug and membrane by using liposome coated zirconia-magnesia chromatography.

The interactions between drug molecules and membrane were studied using the new chromatography stationary phase of liposome coated zirconia-magnesia. logK(s)(ZrO(2)-MgO) on this new chromatography for some drugs, compared with that on liposome coated silica chromatography and other reported data, fair correlations were observed between them when excluding effect of special adsorption. logK(s)(ZrO(2)-MgO) values for barbitalum, diazepam, benzene, benzocaine and toluene correlated well with corresponding values on liposome coated silica chromatography (R=0.99778, P<0.001; R=0.98229, P<0.003; R=0.9985, P<0.0001; R=0.99925, P<0.0001, pH value of mobile phase at pH 7.4, 7.0, 6.4 and 5.4, respectively). They also correlated well with the literature data on immobilized artificial membrane chromatography (R=0.99999, P<0.004 at pH 7.4) and liposome chromatography (R=0.99994, P<0.008) for procaine, lidocaine and bupivacaine. Liposome coated zirconia-magnesia chromatography can thus be used for studying drug-membrane interaction and prediction of drug absorption as another liposome chromatography method.

[Gene expression profiles in different tissues of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To screen the genes that may play an important role in the carcinogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: Microdissection and cDNA genechip hybridization techniques were used to examine the differentially expressed genes in NPC tissue, the surrounding and adjacent tissues of NPC, and the nasopharyngeal inflammation tissue. The fluorescent signals on cDNA chip were scanned and the results of hybridization analyzed by image processing software. RESULTS: Many differentially expressed genes were identified between the three samples, including many different types of genes, such as those responsible for signal and protein transmission, oncogene and tumor suppression genes, immune-associated genes, apoptosis genes and DNA binding and transcription factor genes. CONCLUSION: The carcinogenesis of NPC involves many genes of a variety of types, suggesting its complex process.

Separation of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine by using high-performance displacement chromatography.

A binary mixture of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) was successfully separated by high-performance displacement chromatography (HPDC) on an 150 mm x 4.6 mm analytical silica column (3-5 microm packing), using dichloromethane-methanol (9:1, v/v) as carrier and ethanolamine as displacer. The effects of displacer concentration, flow-rate, loading amount and the composition of the sample on separation efficiency were studied. Eighty-four milligrams sample (PE:PC 1:1.16) was separated perfectly by using 83 mM ethanolamine (in carrier) as displacer at the flow-rate of 0.1 ml/min. The yields of the pure PE and PC (100% purity) were 94.8% and 87.9%, respectively and the cycle time for a single separation was about 195 min. It was valuable that the optimum loading amount (the allowed maximum of sample loading) was investigated only by using the sample to be simulated the composition of the separated actual one, because the separation efficiency was significantly affected by the composition of the sample. For the same loading amount of 175 mg, the yields of the pure PE and PC were improved greatly from 31.4 and 16.9 to 56.0 and 77.6%, respectively, when the proportion of PE to PC was adjusted from 1:1.16 to 1:4. Furthermore, the separation of PE and PC in an actual sample (soybean phospholipids) was achieved using the proposed HPDC method.

[Effects of site-directed mutagenesis at amino acid residues of GATA-1b different from that of GATA-1a in Xenopus].

The GATA-1 of Xenopus (xGATA-1), which has two subtypes xGATA-1a and xGATA-1b, is a necessary factor for erythroid differentiation and maturation as similar as that of other GATA-1s. Although both xGATa-1a and xGATA-1b are able to stimulate erythropoiesis, only xGATA-1b is capable of inhibiting neurogenesis in Xenopus embryos. Compared between their structures, xGATA-1a and xGATA-1b are very similar in nucleotide and amino acids composition, but not identical. Therefore, it is responsible for studying the role of the diverse codons between the two genes, so the desired mutations: S(168), H(169) double deletion and point mutation of T(304)-->A, T(359)-->A, were introduced into xGATA-1b gene through site-directed mutagenesis. Then, mRNA from each mutant as well as wtxGATA-1b was co-injected with DN-BR mRNA or separately injected into Xenopus stage 2 embryos, and the role of mutants in erythropoiesis and neurogenesis was analyzed by using animal cap culture system. The results showed that the neural-inhibiting activity of xGATA-1b, but not hematopoiesis-inducing activity, was aborted because of deletion of Ser(168) and His(169) or point mutation of T(359)-->A. So it is demonstrated for the first time that Ser(168) and His(169) or Thr(359)in xGATA-1b may be one of the structural basis for explanting the different function between xGATA-1b and xGATA-1a.