[Simultaneous determination of eleven volatile components in Cinnamomi Oleum by GC-MS].

A gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(GC-MS) method was established for the simultaneous determination of eleven volatile components in Cinnamomi Oleum and the chemical pattern recognition was utilized to evaluate the quality of essential oil obtained from Cinnamomi Fructus medicinal materials in various habitats. The Cinnamomi Fructus medicinal materials were treated by water distillation, analyzed using GC-MS, and detected by selective ion monitoring(SIM), and the internal standards were used for quantification. The content results of Cinnamomi Oleum from various batches were analyzed by hierarchical clustering analysis(HCA), principal component analysis(PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) for the statistic analysis. Eleven components showed good linear relationships within their respective concentration ranges(R~2>0.999 7), with average recoveries of 92.41%-102.1% and RSD of 1.2%-3.2%(n=6). The samples were classified into three categories by HCA and PCA, and 2-nonanone was screened as a marker of variability between batches in combination with OPLS-DA. This method is specific, sensitive, simple, and accurate, and the screened components can be utilized as a basis for the quality control of Cinnamomi Oleum.

LncRNA ABCC6P1 promotes proliferation and migration of papillary thyroid cancer cells via Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: LncRNAs play an important regulatory function in the occurrence and progression of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 6 pseudogene 1 (ABCC6P1) in PTC. METHODS: Cancerous and paracancer normal thyroid tissues were collected from 18 patients with PTC, who were operated at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to investigate the levels of ABCC6P1. Cell proliferation was evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays. Wound healing and Transwell invasion assays were performed to examine cell migratory and invasive ability. Western blotting analysis was used to detect the expression levels of EMT-related markers and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway-related proteins. RESULTS: The expression of ABCC6P1 was upregulated in PTC tissues and cells. ABCC6P1 silencing could significantly suppress the proliferation, colony formation ability, migratory and invasive ability in PTC cells. Moreover, knockdown of ABCC6P1 induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of PTC cells by increasing the E-cadherin expression, but downregulating N-cadherin and vimentin expression. In addition, knockdown of ABCC6P1 caused a significant decrease in levels of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway members (including ß-catenin, c-myc, and cyclin D1) in PTC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that ABCC6P1 exerts an oncogenic activity in PTC which may be mediated by the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, suggesting that ABCC6P1 may be a promising therapeutic target for PTC.

Duodenal perforation caused by imatinib mesylate during adjuvant treatment of gastric stromal tumor: Case report.

Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is frequently used to treat unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors. The application of this medication is considered an adjuvant treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors. It can reduce the postoperative recurrence of the tumors. During the treatment with imatinib, there can be various gastrointestinal adverse reactions, which are mild and can be alleviated following a reduction in the dose. It is rare that perforation of the digestive tract happens after the employment of this medication. This study reported that imatinib mesylate caused bowel perforation in one patient with gastric stromal tumors after its use for 3 months.

Anti-rheumatoid arthritis effects in adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats and molecular docking studies of Polygonum orientale L. extracts.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Polygonum orientale L. (family: Polygonaceae), named Hongcao in China, has effects of dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation, and relieving pain. Our group has already studied and confirmed that POEa and POEe (ethyl acetate and ethyl ether extract of P. orientale, respectively) had anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in early research, which was mainly relevant to the existence of flavonoids. According to the clinical application of P. orientale in traditional Chinese medicine, it has long been used for rheumatic arthralgia and rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, our group further explored whether flavonoids of P. orientale have anti-rheumatoid arthritis effect and how does they play this role. METHODS: Dried small pieces of the stems and leaves of P. orientale were decocted with water and partitioned successively to obtain POEa and POEe, respectively. The anti-rheumatoid arthritis effect of P. orientale was studied by using a Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA)-induced arthritis (AIA) in a rat model. The levels of PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-1ß in serum of AIA rats were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to explore its mechanisms. In addition, we computationally studied the relationships between the 15 chemical components of POEa and POEe, and the currently focused 9 target proteins of rheumatoid arthritis by molecular docking. RESULTS: Pharmacological experiments showed that POEa and POEe significantly ameliorate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis via reducing paw swelling volume, arthritis score, and thymus and spleen indices, as well as increasing body weight in AIA rats. Simultaneously, the concentrations of PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-1ß were significantly decreased by POEa and POEe. Histopathology revealed noticeable reduction in bone and cartilage, synovial hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltration, cartilage surface erosion, and joint degeneration by POEa and POEe treatment. In addition, the molecular docking studies showed that docking scores of 14 chemical compositions (including 12 flavonoids and 2 phenolic acids) of POEa and POEe with anti-rheumatoid arthritis protein targets were better than the complexed ligands of the anti-rheumatoid arthritis protein targets. Among them, six flavonoids in POEa and POEe had more docking protein targets (n ≥ 3). Five anti-rheumatoid arthritis targets including high-temperature requirement A1 protease (HtrA1), janus kinase 1 (JAK1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) had better docking score compared with the complexed ligands. Moreover, most of the chemical components in POEa and POEe showed strong interaction with HtrA1. CONCLUSIONS: The flavonoids of P. orientale have anti-rheumatoid arthritis effect. In addition, the molecular docking results indicate that quercetin, catechol, orientin, and other six flavonoids may be closely related to HtrA1, JAK1, COX-2, i-NOS, and PGE2 protein target receptors. It suggests that these chemical compositions form strong protein-ligand complexes with these protein targets, especially HtrA1 to exert anti-rheumatoid arthritis. Further experimental studies show that mechanisms of anti-rheumatoid arthritis effects may also be relevant to inhibit the levels of PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-1ß in serum. Therefore, our group can further explore the possible active ingredients and mechanisms of the anti-rheumatoid arthritis effects of flavonoids, and focus on the inhibition of the expression of inflammatory factors and the TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway associated with HtrA1 protein target receptors, which can provide a direction and powerful reference for the action mechanism and drug research of anti-rheumatoid arthritis of flavonoids in P. orientale.

Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Polygonum orientale L. Extracts.

Background and Purpose:Polygonum orientale L. (family: Polygonaceae), named Hongcao in China, is a Traditional Chinese Medicinal and has long been used for rheumatic arthralgia and rheumatoid arthritis. However, no pharmacological and mechanism study to confirm these clinic effects have been published. In this investigation, the anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects and representative active ingredient compounds of P. orientale have been studied. Methods: Dried small pieces of the stems and leaves of P. orientale were decocted with water and partitioned successively to obtain ethyl acetate and ethyl ether extract of P. orientale (POEa and POEe). Chemical compositions of them were analyzed by UPLC-Q-Exactive HRMS. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of POEa and POEe were evaluated using xylene induced ear edema, carrageenan induced paw edema, Freunds' complete adjuvant induced arthritis, and formaldehyde induced pain in rat. Their mechanisms of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects were also studied via assays of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and PGE2 in serum. Results: UPLC-Q-Exactive HRMS analysis showed that POEa and POEe mainly contained flavonoids including orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, luteolin, and quercetin. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory effects of POEa and POEe were evident in xylene induced ear edema. The paw edema in Freund's complete adjuvant and carrageenan were significantly (P < 0.05, 0.01) inhibited by POEa (5, 7.5 g/kg). POEe (7.5 g/kg) was significantly (P < 0.05, 0.01) inhibited Freunds' complete adjuvant induced paw edema and cotton pellet induced granuloma formation. Similarly, POEe significantly (P < 0.05, 0.01) inhibited the pain sensation in acetic acid induced writhing test. POEa (5, 7.5 g/kg) significantly (P < 0.05, 0.01) inhibited formaldehyde induced pain in both phases. POEa (7.5 g/kg) markedly (P < 0.05) prolonged the latency period of hot plate test after 30 and 60 min. The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and PGE2 were significantly (P < 0.01) decreased by POEa (3.75, 5 g/kg). Conclusion: POEa and POEe have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, which was mainly relevant to the presence of flavonoids, including orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, luteolin, and quercetin. The mechanism of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of POEa may be to decrease the concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and PGE2 in serum.