Advances in polysaccharides of natural source of anti-diabetes effect and mechanism.

PURPOSE: Diabetes is a chronic disease in metabolic disorder, and the pathology is characterized by insulin resistance and insulin secretion disorder in blood. In current, many studies have revealed that polysaccharides extracted from natural sources with significant anti-diabetic effects. Natural polysaccharides can ameliorate diabetes through different action mechanisms. All these polysaccharides are expected to have an important role in the clinic. METHODS: Existing polysaccharides for the treatment of diabetes are reviewed, and the mechanism of polysaccharides in the treatment of diabetes and its structural characteristics are described in detail. RESULTS: This article introduced the natural polysaccharide through different mechanisms of action in the treatment of diabetes, including oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammatory response and regulation of intestinal bacteria. Natural polysaccharides can treat of diabetes by regulating signaling pathways is also a research hotspot. In addition, the structural characteristics of polysaccharides were explored. There are some structure-activity relationships between natural polysaccharides and the treatment of diabetes.

[Comparison on biological activities of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides extracted with five methods].

Studying the physicochemical properties and biological activities of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides(LBPs) is of great significance. The previous study had extracted LBPs(LBP-1, LBP-2, LBP-3, LBP-4, and LBP-5) by five different methods(cold water extraction, boiling water reflux extraction of the residue after cold water extraction, ultrasonic extraction with 50% ethanol, ultrasonic extraction with 25% ethanol of the residue after 50% ethanol extraction, and hot water extraction). In this study, the structures of the obtained five LBPs were characterized by UV spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the antioxidant, blood lipid-lowering, nitrosation-inhibting, acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting, and tyrosinase-inhibiting activities of the five LBPs were measured in vitro. The results showed that high-temperature extraction destroyed the polysaccharide structure, while ultrasound-assisted extraction ensured the structural integrity. The thermal stability and degradation behaviors differed among the five LBPs. However, the UV spectroscopic results of the five LBPs did not show significant differences, and all of the five LBPs showed the characteristic absorption peaks of proteins. LBP-3 and LBP-4 exhibited strong antioxidant activity, while LBP-3 had the strongest blood lipid-lowering activity. In addition, LBP-3 outperformed other LBPs in inhibiting nitrosation and acetylcholineste-rase, and LBP-2 showed the strongest inhibitory effect on tyrosinase. This study explored the effects of different extraction methods on the physicochemical properties and biological activities of LBPs, with a view to providing a basis for the selection of suitable extraction methods to obtain LBPs with ideal biological activities.

Investigation of the Mechanism of Action of Periploca forrestii Schltr. Extract on Adjuvant Collagen Rats Based on UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS Non-Targeted Lipidomics.

Periploca forrestii Schltr. (P. forrestii) is a classical medicinal plant and is commonly used in traditional medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, soft tissue injuries, and traumatic injuries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-arthritic effects of three fractions of P. forrestii alcoholic extracts (PAE), P. forrestii water extracts (PWE), and total flavonoids from P. forrestii (PTF) on Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA)-induced arthritis in rats, and to use a non-targeted lipidomic method to investigate the mechanism of action of the three fractions of P. forrestii in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. To assess the effectiveness of anti-rheumatoid arthritis, various indicators were measured, including joint swelling, histopathological changes in the joints, serum cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6)), and the joint inflammatory substance prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Finally, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS) was used to determine the non-targeted lipid histology of the collected rat serum and urine samples to investigate the possible mechanism of action. PWE, PAE, and PTF were all effective in treating FCA-induced rheumatoid arthritis. The administered groups all reduced joint swelling and lowered serum inflammatory factor levels in rats. In the screening of lipid metabolite differences between serum and urine of the rat model group and the normal group, a total of 52 different metabolites were screened, and the levels of lipid metabolites in PWE, PAE, and PTF were significantly higher than those in the normal group after administration. In addition, PWE, PAE, and PTF may have significant therapeutic effects on FCA-induced arthritis by modulating nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, and histidine metabolic pathways.

[Effects of different extraction methods on chemical compositions and biological activities of polysaccharides from Lycium barbarum].

In this study, five polysaccharides from Lycium barbarum(LBPs)(LBP-1-LBP-5) were selectively extracted by different extraction methods, and the chemical composition, structural characteristics, and biological activities of LBPs were explored. The results of chemical composition analysis showed that alkaloids were not detected in the five LBPs. The total polysaccharide content was(81.95%±1.6%)-(92.96%±0.76%), the uronic acid content was(8.26%±0.46%)-(24.81%±0.46%), and the protein content was(0.06%±0.03%)-(1.35%±0.13%). The monosaccharide compositions of the five LBPs were basically same, mainly including glucose, xylose, and galactose. However, there was significant difference in the content ratio of different monosaccharide. The results of infrared spectra analysis indicated that the five LBPs had typical infrared spectral characteristics of polysaccharides. The results of nuclear magnetic resonance characteristic spectrum analysis revealed that the five LBPs had two configurations of α and ß. Meanwhile, there were triple helix structures in LBP-2, LBP-3, and LBP-4, which enhanced the activities of polysaccharides. The results of activities screening suggested that the biological activities of the five LBPs were significantly different. LBP-3 showed the highest lipid oxidation clearance rate, and its antioxidant activity was equivalent to that of the positive control group. The inhibitory rate of LBP-4 on α-amylase and its activation rate of alcohol dehydrogenase were better than those of other fractions, and the inhibitory rate of LBP-4 on α-amylase was slightly higher than that of the positive control group when the mass concentration was 10 g·L~(-1). LBP-2 showed stronger inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and hyaluronidase. This study provides references for the precise development and utilization of LBPs.

[Research progress on intestinal microecology regulating mechanism and biological activities of polysaccharides].

Intestinal microecology is an important defense system in the human body. The intestinal flora is the core micro-ecosystem in the human intestine. It has a symbiotic relationship with the overall functions of the body. It has strong metabolic activity to maintain the normal functioning of the body and resist the invasion of various viral antigens in the body. Playing a protective function,the imbalanced intestinal microecology can cause various diseases. Polysaccharides can be extracted from a wide range of sources and have low toxicity and side effects. They have attracted wide attention because of their anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and other biological activities. Studies have demonstrated that polysaccharides can regulate intestinal microecological disorders. According to the studies in recent years, this review summarizes that polysaccharides mainly modulate intestinal microecological disorders through regulating the composition of intestinal flora, improving the metabolism of the flora, and repairing the intestinal tract barrier. On the basis of these mechanisms of action, this paper elaborates the anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities of polysaccharides. This paper can provide reference for the future research on the intestinal microecology-regulating mechanism and biological activities of polysaccharides.

Knockout of macrophage migration inhibitory factor accentuates side-stream smoke exposure-induced myocardial contractile dysfunction through dysregulated mitophagy.

Second hand smoke exposure increases the prevalence of chronic diseases partly attributed to inflammatory responses. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a proinflammatory cytokine, is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple diseases although its role in second hand smoke exposure-induced cardiac anomalies remains elusive. This study evaluated the impact of MIF knockout on side-stream smoke exposure-induced cardiac pathology and underlying mechanisms. Adult WT and MIF knockout (MIFKO) mice were placed in a chamber exposed to cigarette smoke for 1 h daily for 60 consecutive days. Echocardiographic, cardiomyocyte function and intracellular Ca2+ handling were evaluated. Autophagy, mitophagy and apoptosis were examined using western blot. DHE staining was used to evaluate superoxide anion (O2-) generation. Masson trichrome staining was employed to assess interstitial fibrosis. Our data revealed that MIF knockout accentuated side-stream smoke-induced cardiac anomalies in fractional shortening, cardiomyocyte function, intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis, myocardial ultrastructure and mitochondrial content along with overt apoptosis and O2- generation. In addition, unfavorable effects of side-stream smoke were accompanied by excessive formation of autophagolysosome and elevated TFEB, the effect of which was exacerbated by MIF knockout. Recombinant MIF rescued smoke extract-induced myopathic anomalies through promoting AMPK activation, mitophagy and lysosomal function. Taken together, our data suggest that MIF serves as a protective factor against side-stream smoke exposure-induced myopathic changes through facilitating mitophagy and autophagolysosome formation.

[Mass spectrometry imaging technology and its application in medicinal plants research].

As an important molecular imaging technology, mass spectrometry imaging(MSI) converts the ionic strength, mass-charge ratio and coordinates of ionized molecules in specific areas recorded by mass spectrometer into a pixel model by special imaging analysis software, and reconstructs the spatial ion distribution image of the compounds tested. It has the advantages of simple sample preparation, high sensitivity and no need for labeling. In recent years, MSI technology has been widely used in medicine, pharmacy, botany and other fields. Among them, the application of MSI technology in the research of medicinal plants provides a new technical idea for clarifying the pharmacological mechanism, improving the curative effect, tracking the distribution of toxic components, and makes an important contribution to the further development and utilization of medicinal plants. This review summarizes the research results of MSI technology in recent years for identification of medicinal plants, distribution of metabolites, pathway of active ingredient synthesis, medicinal safety and plant defense, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different research methods. Finally, the advantages and practical obstacles of MSI technology in medicinal plant research are briefly pointed out, and the prospects for the future development of MSI technology and medicinal plant research are also prospected.

[Research progress on anti-hepatocellular carcinoma mechanism of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine].

According to the latest data, the annual mortality rate of liver cancer in China ranks the second among malignant tumors, and it has become one of the most fatal cancers in urban and rural areas. This article starts with the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines for liver cancer to summarize the relevant literature at home and abroad, with the hope to provide theoretical references for the development of traditional Chinese medicines against liver cancer. The results show that the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines such as Chinese herbal extracts, flavonoids, polysaccharides, alkaloids, saponins, volatile oils, terpenes, quinones, phenols, bioenzymes, and protein components are the entry points, mainly by inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells, blocking the cancer cell cycle, inhibiting the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells, regulating signal pathways, regulating vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and reactive oxygen species(ROS), etc. to play the effects against liver cancer. It can be seen that the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine with coordinated intervention effects at multiple levels and multiple targets are expected to become ideal medicines for the treatment of liver cancer.

[Research progress on mechanism of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine for gastric cancer].

Gastric cancer is a disease with high mortality, which threatens the health of people for a long time. At present, the main treatment methods are surgery and chemotherapy, but these methods have great harm to the human body. However, it is found that the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine have an obvious therapeutic effect in the adjuvant treatment of the tumor. Therefore, the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine have become a research hotspot in the anti-tumor field. In recent years, many related researchers have been particularly active in studying the in vitro activity and mechanism of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine on human gastric cancer cells. In this paper, the Chinese herbal medicine extracts, polysaccharides, alkaloids, saponins, flavones, terpenes, quinones, volatile oils, esters, phenols, protein components and other active ingredients of Chinese medicine were used as the starting points to investigate the anti-gastric cancer mechanism, such as inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis of cancer cells, inhibiting cell invasion and migration; inhibiting over-expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF); interfering with cell mitosis; and regulating cell signaling pathways. Their in vitro inhibitory activity and mechanism for gastric cancer cells were described in this study, providing a theoretical reference for the development and application of anti-gastric cancer drugs.

Study on the spectrum-effect relationship of the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of Ligustrum lucidum.

To evaluate the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of the chemical constituents of Ligustrum lucidum in vitro, the spectrum-effect relationship was investigated. The high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprint was established by ultraviolet spectrophotometry, and the xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity was tested in vitro by a high-throughput screening method. Cluster analysis, principal component analysis, gray correlation analysis, and partial least squares regression were used to explore the spectrum-effect relationships. Sixty batches of Ligustrum lucidum were collected from 16 provinces for testing. The results revealed differences among the batches of medicinal materials, and the similarity score was between 0.635 and 0.968. Thirty-three characteristic peaks (1-33) were calibrated by fingerprint evaluation software for traditional Chinese medicine. The spectrum-effect relationship study further revealed that the contents of peaks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 17, 25, 28, 31, and 33, which are potentially critical ingredients for quality control of Ligustrum lucidum fruit, were highly correlated with the inhibition of xanthine oxidase activity.

Preparative separation of the flavonoid fractions from Periploca forrestii Schltr. ethanol extracts using macroporous resin combined with HPLC analysis and evaluation of their biological activities.

A preparative separation method using macroporous absorptive resin coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was developed for the separation of six fractions of the 80% ethanol extract of Periploca forrestii Schltr. The six ethanol fractions (5-95; A, B, C, D, E, and F) obtained were carefully analyzed to locate the corresponding peaks in the high-performance liquid chromatography chromatogram of the total extract, which was established in a previous study. Furthermore, the biological activities, including antioxidant activities, acetyl cholinesterase inhibitory capacities, antihyaluronidase activities, and anti-inflammatory effects, were evaluated in MH7A cells. The results demonstrated that fraction E could significantly prevent oxidation and inhibit hyaluronidase and acetyl cholinesterase. Finally, the main flavonoids in fractions A and E from P. forrestii Schltr. were purified, and the compounds were identified as chlorogenic acid, quercetin-3-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside, and quercetin-7-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside. The chemical structures were confirmed by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of these compounds against complete Freund's adjuvant-induced secondary immune arthritis in rats were evaluated.

PAHs Accumulations in Plant Leaves Around Coal-Fired Power Plant and Identification of their Potential Use as Bioindicators.

The purpose of this study was to investigate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) accumulation in leaves of different plant species growing in the neighborhood of coal-fired power plant (CPP) and to identify potential bioindicators for PAHs pollution monitoring. The study was performed in 8 sites in the surrounding areas of CPP. PAHs concentrations in leaves of 21 plant species growing within 1 km of CPP ranged from 0.043 to 4.52 µg g-1. A higher mean concentration of PAHs was found in leaves of perennial herbs and shrubs compared with annual herbs and trees. Herbaceous plants had the highest concentrations of 5-6 rings PAHs, and 4-ring PAHs mainly existed in shrubs. For 2- to 3-rings PAHs, there was no significant difference among herbaceous plants trees and shrubs. Then, four representative plants were further chosen for investigating the effect of CPP on the spatial distribution patterns of PAH compounds. No distinct difference in the level of 2- to 3-rings PAHs was observed on Broussonetia kaempferi Sieb, whereas 4 rings, 5-6 rings, and Σ16PAHs had regional statistical differences. PAHs in Kalimeris indica (L.) Sch.-Bip had significant regional statistical differences. With the change of distance, the concentration of PAHs showed a significant decrease. Taraxacum mongolicum tended to capture the largest amount of both total PAHs and 5- to 6-ring PAHs, especially to BaP. These results could improve scientific evidence for the screening of bioindicators, in particular, T. mongolicum could be a priority.

[Exploration of modern scientific connotation of Miao medicine Qizu Xueyu syndrome and intervention mechanism of Kangfuyan Capsules].

The aim of this paper was to explore the modern scientific connotation of Qizu Xueyu syndrome in Miao medicine and the intervention mechanism of Kangfuyan Capsules on Qizu Xueyu syndrome. Under the guidance of the theory of Miao medicine,an experimental animal model was constructed to characterize Qizu Xueyu syndrome in Miao medicine,and its modern scientific connotation was explored from the perspectives of general signs,blood lipid index,serum biochemical index and immune index. Furthermore,the relevant experimental animals were given Kangfuyan Capsules for intervention,then observed the corrective effect of Kangfuyan Capsules on abnormal physiological and biochemical indexes of the experimental animal model. The model animals showed signs such as mental depression,rough coat,dull and glossy,and the writhing behavior changed significantly. Low density lipoprotein cholesterol,creatine phosphate kinase,Ig G,urea nitrogen,creatinine,direct bilirubin,urea,urinary biliary and liver index were significantly higher than those in the blank group( P< 0. 01). The blood sugar and thymus index were significantly lower than those in the blank group( P <0. 01). After the intervention of Kangfuyan Capsules,the physiological and mental state of the experimental animals improved,their weight increased and their writhing behavior improved. Creatine phosphate kinase( CK) was significantly higher than that of Qizu Xueyu group( P<0. 01),direct bilirubin was significantly lower than that of Qizu Xueyu group( P<0. 01),immune indexes had no significant difference,urinary bilirubin returned to normal. The modern scientific connotation of Qizu Xueyu syndrome in Miao medicine can be characterized by ischemia,tissue and cell damage,infection and abnormal liver and kidney function caused by smooth muscle spasm. Kangfuyan Capsules can relieve uterine smooth muscle spasm,improve local blood circulation,repair muscle cell injury,protect liver and improve renal function.

Optimized microwave-assistant extraction combined ultrasonic pretreatment of flavonoids from Periploca forrestii Schltr. and evaluation of its anti-allergic activity.

Microwave extraction combined ultrasonic pretreatment of flavonoids from Periploca forrestii Schltr. was investigated in this study, extraction process was first performed in an ultrasonic cleaner, then treated by microwave irradiation. The optimum ultrasonic time of 25 min was selected by single-factor experiments. A response surface methodology has been used to obtain a mathematical model that describes the process and analyzes the significant parameters ethanol concentration 59.92%, liquid to raw materials ratio 21.24 mL/g, microwave radiation time 209.53 s, and microwave power 274.14 w. In these optimum conditions, the yield of flavonoids from P. forrestii (TFPF) could be up to 9.11 ± 0.08%, which was increased by 14.30 and 19.86% compared microwave extraction and ultrasonic extraction, respectively. In vitro suppress hyaluronidase experimentation showed that TFPF purified using polyamide exhibited good anti-hyaluronidase ability with IC50 value of 1.033 mg/mL, possessing certain anti-antiallergic and potential application prospect in pharmaceutical production of treating inflammation and other related fields.

[Structure-activity relationship of plant polysaccharides].

Plant polysaccharides have a variety of biological activities and have become the focus of many fields such as the areas of medicine and food for the features of safety, high efficiency and low toxicity. The chemical structure of plant polysaccharides is the foundation for the biological activity. Polysaccharides with different chemical structures have great differences in biological activity. The exploration of the structure-activity relationship of plant polysaccharides has guiding significance for the development of new drugs and the health care products of saccharides. Many biological activities of plant polysaccharides such as anti-hepatic injury, antineoplastic, antiviral, hypoglycemia, anticoagulation, anti-oxidation and immunoregulation have been discovered. Therefore, this paper focuses on the bioactivity as the main line, and summarizes the studies on structure-activity relationship and mechanism of plant polysaccharides at home and abroad in recent years. The key point is the structure-activity relationship between plant polysaccharides and the anti-hepatic injury, antineoplastic, antiviral, hypoglycemia, and anticoagulation activities, providing reference for intensive study and exploration of structure-activity relationship of plant polysaccharides as well as development and application of polysaccharides products.

[Characterization and activity effect on ADH of polysaccharides from Mori Fructus].

Mori Fructus polysaccharides (MFPs) have been used as a source of therapeutic agents. The most promising activities of these biopolymers are their immunomodulation and anti-cancer effects. It was reported that polysaccharides were a potential drug against liver injury, but the hepatoprotective effect of MFPs was ambiguous. In this study, the fractionation of crude polysaccharides on DEAE-Cellulose 52 gave four fractions (MFP-1, MFP-2, MFP-2 and MFP-4). The results showed that the contents of carbohydrates were 75.3%, 83.7%, 79.1%, 74.3%, and the molecular weight of them were 112.2, 128.8, 199.5, 181.9 kDa. Monosaccharide component analysis indicated that MFP-1 was composed of galactose, glucose, arabinose, rhamnose and mannose with the molarity rate of 26.8∶20.4∶8.74∶5∶1; MFP-2 contained arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, glucose and galacturonic acid with the molarity rate of 34.2∶38.2∶8∶17.5∶15.1; MFP-3 was composed of galacturonic acid, galactose, glucose, rhamnose and arabinose with the molarity rate of 28.3∶22.6∶20.9∶18.6∶15.1; MFP-4 contained glucose, galactose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, arabinose and glucuronic acid with the molarity rate of 47.4∶34.9∶36.1∶33.1∶19.9∶4.1. IR analysis's results indicated that MFP-3 and MFP-4 may be polysaccharides containing ß-glycosides. The alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity text showed that, all these four MFPs were found have a positive effect on the activity of ADH, with order: bifendate>MFP-3>MFP-1>MFP-2>tioprnin>MFP-4, and the MFP-3 had the highest activity and demonstrated outstanding hepatic protecting activity.

The Tissue Distribution and Urinary Excretion Study of Gallic Acid and Protocatechuic Acid after Oral Administration of Polygonum Capitatum Extract in Rats.

In the present study, we investigated the tissue distribution and urinary excretion of gallic acid (GA) and protocatechuic acid (PCA) after rat oral administration of aqueous extract of Polygonum capitatum (P. capitatum, named Herba Polygoni Capitati in China). An UHPLC-MS/MS analytical method was developed and adopted for quantification of GA and PCA in different tissue homogenate and urine samples. Interestingly, we found that GA and PCA showed a relatively targeted distribution in kidney tissue after dosing 60 mg/kg P. capitatum extract (equivalent to 12 mg/kg of GA and 0.9 mg/kg of PCA). The concentrations of GA and PCA in the kidney tissue reached 1218.62 ng/g and 43.98 ng/g, respectively, at one hour after oral administration. The results helped explain the empirical use of P. capitatum for kidney diseases in folk medicine. Further studies on urinary excretion of P. capitatum extract indicated that GA and PCA followed a concentrated elimination over a 4-h period. The predominant metabolites were putatively identified to be 4-methylgallic acid (4-OMeGA) and 4-methylprotocatechuic acid (4-OMePCA) by analyzing their precursor ions and characteristic fragment ions using tandem mass spectrometry. However, the amount of unchanged GA and PCA that survived the metabolism were about 14.60% and 15.72% of the total intake, respectively, which is reported for the first time in this study.

[Advance in study on hepatoprotective effects and its mechanism of polysaccharides].

Liver damage is the pathologic status in the liver system, which can lead to cirrhosis, fibrosis and cancer of the liver. So to search for effective drugs on prevention and treatment of anti-hepatic lesion have already attracted broad concern in the world. Polysaccharides widely exist in plants, microorganisms and animals, and have high efficiency but low toxicity properties. Therefore, polysaccharides had been the hotspot in the research field of liver-protecting medicines, and had undergone great progresses. In this study, the hepatoprotective effects and its mechanism of polysaccharides were summarized and reviewed, and the market prospects of development and application were prospected. The research result indicated that polysaccharides derived from plants, microorganisms, animals which had significant effects on liver protection. Results also showed that polysaccharides showed the protective effect on chemical liver injury by anti-oxidation, alleviating calcium overload, adjusting the function of mitochondria, and the protective effect on immune liver injury by regulating cytokine secretion, blocking the complement system activity, inhibiting inflammatory mediator expression, suppressing hepatocyte apoptosis. Polysaccharides had rich resource, diverse bio-effects, abundance approaches and multitarget. Therefore, there is huge potential for developing polysaccharides as novel hepatoprotective medicine candidates.

Source identification and health risk assessment of metals in indoor dust in the vicinity of phosphorus mining, Guizhou Province, China.

An investigation was performed to identify the sources of arsenic (As) and heavy metals in house dust and to assess the associated human health risks in the vicinity of phosphorus (P) mining in Guizhou, China. The concentrations and spatial distributions of mercury (Hg), As, cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and P in 23 house dust samples from the study area were determined. Greater concentrations of As and Pb were found compared with values in other investigations in various countries. Pollution sources were identified using multivariate statistical analysis. As, Pb, Mn, and Hg pollution was mainly attributed to mining activities, and Mn and Cd levels were largely associated with automobile emissions. The dominant wind direction and the distance of the residence from the mining region were found to play an important role in element distributions. A health risk assessment showed that As and Pb should be paid more attention, although the noncancer risks of the studied elements were within the safe range and the cancer risks of As and Cd are within the acceptable range under present conditions.

Studies on Chromatographic Fingerprint and Fingerprinting Profile-Efficacy Relationship of Saxifraga stolonifera Meerb.

This work investigated the spectrum-effect relationships between high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints and the anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia activities of aqueous extracts from Saxifraga stolonifera. The fingerprints of S. stolonifera from various sources were established by HPLC and evaluated by similarity analysis (SA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Nine samples were obtained from these 24 batches of different origins, according to the results of SA, HCA and the common chromatographic peaks area. A testosterone-induced mouse model of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was used to establish the anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia activities of these nine S. stolonifera samples. The model was evaluated by analyzing prostatic index (PI), serum acid phosphatase (ACP) activity, concentrations of serum dihydrotestosterone (DHT), prostatic acid phosphatase (PACP) and type II 5α-reductase (SRD5A2). The spectrum-effect relationships between HPLC fingerprints and anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia activities were investigated using Grey Correlation Analysis (GRA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR). The results showed that a close correlation existed between the fingerprints and anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia activities, and peak 14 (chlorogenic acid), peak 17 (quercetin 5-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside) and peak 18 (quercetin 3-O-ß-l-rhamno-pyranoside) in the HPLC fingerprints might be the main active components against anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia. This work provides a general model for the study of spectrum-effect relationships of S. stolonifera by combing HPLC fingerprints with a testosterone-induced mouse model of BPH, which can be employed to discover the principle components of anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia bioactivity.