New stilbenoligan and flavonoid from the roots of Caragana stenophylla Pojark. and their anti-inflammatory activity.

A phytochemical investigation on the 80% ethanol extract of the roots of Caragana stenophylla Pojark. resulted in the isolation of 20 compounds, including two new ones, named kompasinol P (2) and 3,5,7,2',3'-pentahydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavanone (3). Among them, a pair of enantiomers, (7S, 8 R, 7'R, 8'S)-kompasinol A (1a) and (7 R, 8S, 7'S, 8'R)-kompasinol A (1b), were successfully separated by the chiral-phase HPLC resolution for the first time. The absolute configurations of 1a and 1b were determined by the experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data. 15 isolates were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity via inhibiting the production of nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Compounds 1a/1b, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, and 16-18 showed moderate inhibition with IC50 values ranging from 11.45 to 68.54 µM.

A Review of Biologically Active Natural Products from a Desert Plant Cistanche tubulosa.

An Orobanchaceae plant Cistanche tubulosa (SCHENK) WIGHT (Kanka-nikujuyou in Japanese), which is one of the authorized plant resources as Cistanches Herba in both Japanese and Chinese Pharmacopoeias, is a perennial parasitic plant growing on roots of sand-fixing plants. The stems of C. tubulosa have traditionally been used for treatment of impotence, sterility, lumbago, and body weakness as well as a promoting agent of blood circulation. In recent years, Cistanches Herba has also been widely used as a health food supplement in Japan, China, and Southeast Asian countries. Here we review our recent studies on chemical constituents from the stems of C. tubulosa as well as their bioactivities such as vasorelaxtant, hepatoprotective, and glucose tolerance improving effects.

Four New Lignans from Kadsura Interior and Their Bioactivity.

A phytochemical investigation of the stems of Kadsura interior has led to an isolation of four new lignans, named kadsutherin E⁻H (1⁻4), together with two known lignans (5⁻6). The structures of the four new compounds were established on the basis of comprehensive spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1⁻6 exhibited inhibition against adenosine diphosphate (ADP) induced platelet aggregation. Among the isolated compounds, kadsutherin F (2) showed the strongest anti-platelet aggregation activity with an inhibition of 49.47%.

Natural potential neuroinflammatory inhibitors from Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.

Neuroinflammation is a key contributor to neuronal damage in neurodegenerative diseases. In our previous work on natural effective neuroinflammatory inhibitors, Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. (Leguminosae), a folk medicine widely distributed in Xinjiang, attracted our attention because of its significant anti-neuroinflammatory effect. Therefore, further investigation of the bioactive material basis was carried out. As a result, 33 major components were characterized and identified by chromatographic and spectral methods, respectively. Furthermore, the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of the extract and purified constituents were evaluated in LPS-induced N9 cells in vitro. The results displayed that compounds 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30, 33 could exhibit significant inhibitory activities without obvious cytotoxicities at their effective concentrations. Especially, isorhamnetin (1) (IC50 17.87µM), quercetin (2) (10.22µM), 3',7-dihydroxyl-4'-methoxylisoflavone (5) (17.43µM), 3',7-dihydroxyl-4',6-dimethoxylisoflavone (6) (11.21µM), syringgaresinol (16) (2.68µM), bombasinol A (17) (7.61µM), aurantiamide (23) (14.91µM) and 1,3,3,4-tetramethyl cyclopentene (33) (2.63µM) showed much stronger inhibiting effect than that of the positive control minocycline (19.89µM). Therefore, the effective compositions might be responsible for the significant neuroinflammation inhibitory activities exhibited by the herb. Moreover, compounds 16 and 33 could be good leading compounds for the development of potential therapeutic agents against neurodegenerative diseases.

Natural neuro-inflammatory inhibitors from Caragana turfanensis.

Because of the critical role of over-activated microglia in the progress of neurodegenerative diseases, it has been selected as a potential therapeutic target for drug discovery. In order to find natural neuroinflammatory inhibitors, we carried out a bioactivity-oriented phytochemical research of Caragana turfanensis Kom. (Krassn.), which is a folk medicine widely distributed in Xinjiang. As a result, a new coumarin lactone caraganolide A (1) and 35 known components were characterized from the effective extract of C. turfanensis. Furthermore, their anti-neuroinflammatory effects were evaluated in LPS-induced BV2 microglial cells using Griess assay to determine the release of nitric oxide (NO). Compounds 1, 2, 4-6, 9, 13-15, 20, 29 and 30 exhibited significant inhibitory activities and no obvious cytotoxicities were observed at their effective concentrations. It is noteworthy, the new compound caraganolide A (1) (IC50 1.01±1.57µM) and 3',7,8-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavone (5) (IC506.87±2.23µM) exhibited more excellent action than that of positive control minocycline (IC50 9.07±0.86µM).

[Projection of potential geographic distribution of Apocynum venetum under climate change in northern China].

Apocynum venetum belongs to apocynaceae and is a perennial medicinal plant, its stem is an important textile raw materials. The projection of potential geographic distribution of A. venetum has an important significance for the protection and sustainable utilization of the plant. This study was conducted to determine the potential geographic distribution of A. venetum and to project how climate change would affect its geographic distribution. The projection geographic distribution of A. venetum under current bioclimatic conditions in northern China was simulated using MaxEnt software based on species presence data at 44 locations and 19 bioclimatic parameters. The future distributions of A. venetum were also projected in 2050 and 2070 under the climate change scenarios of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 described in 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The result showed that min air temperature of the coldest month, annual mean air temperature, precipitation of the coldest quarter and mean air temperature of the wettest quarter dominated the geographic distribution of A. venetum. Under current climate, the suitable habitats of A. venetum is 11.94% in China, the suitable habitats are mainly located in the middle of Xinjiang, in the northern part of Gansu, in the southern part of Neimeng, in the northern part of Ningxia, in the middle and northern part of Shaanxi, in the southern part of Shanxi, in the middle and northern part of Henan, in the middle and southern part of Hebei, Shandong, Tianjin, in the southern part of Liaoning and part of Beijing. From 2050 to 2070, the model outputs indicated that the suitable habitats of A. venetum would decrease under the climate change scenarios of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5.

[Chemical constituents from roots of Caragana stenophylla and their anti-tumor activities].

Fourteen compounds were isolated from the 80% ethanol extract of Caragana stenophylla root, by using a combination of various chromatographic approaches, including silica gel sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and preparative HPLC. On the basis of their physical and chemical properties and spectroscopic data, their structures were elucidated as 2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy lphenyl)-3-methoxyl benzofuran-6-ol (1), mucodianin C (2), isopterofuran (3), formononetin (4), afromosin (5), calycosin (6), acacetin (7), 3-O-methylkaempferol (8), liquiritigenin (9), isoliquiritigenin (10), variabilin (11), resveratrol (12), zhebeiresinol (13), and 2, 3-dicarboxy-6, 7-dihydroxy-1-(3', 4'-dihydroxy)-phenyl-1, 2-dihydronaphthalen (14). Compound 1 is a new benzofuran derivative, named as mucodianin S; compounds 2, 3, 11, 13, 14 were isolated from the genus Caragana for the first time, and compounds 4-10 were firstly isolated from Caragana stenophylla. MTT assay was used to determine their cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds against human tumor cell lines, and 2 showed cytotoxicity against human hepato cellular cancer (HepG2) and human cervical (HeLa) lines, with IC50 values of (16.18±0.95), (3.75±0.08) µmol•L ⁻¹, respectively.

Diarylpentanol constituents from the aerial part of Stelleropsis tianschanica.

Five diarylpentanol derivatives including two new compounds stellerasme A (1), stellerasme B (2) were isolated from the aerial parts of Stelleropsis tianschanica. Their structures were elucidated by various spectroscopic techniques (UV, IR, MS, CD, 1D and 2D NMR). All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity activity against HeLa and KB cell lines, and compound 1 showed selective activities against HeLa cell line with an IC50 value of 7.4 µM.

[Research on spectral reflectance characteristics for Glycyrrhizae Radix].

In order to study the spectral reflectance differences of Glycyrrhizae Radix under different growth conditions and lay the foundation for quantitative monitoring of Glycyrrhizae Radix remote sensing images, spectra of Glycyrrhiza species under different growth period and different varieties and different regions were measured by a portable spectrometer. The results showed that the reflectivity of annual G. uralensis was obviously higher than that of the two years plant in the visible light band own to the contents of crown layer chlorophyll. The reflectivity of two years G. pallidiflora was higher than that of G. uralensis in the near infrared band own to the leaf area index and the content of leaf water. The red edge spectrum of annual plant fluctuated largely than that of two years plant due to vegetation coverage and leaf area index. G. pallidiflora grew well than G. uralensis. Under different regions of the Glycyrrhiza species, spectral data analysis showed that within a certain range, the average annual precipitation and average annual evaporation were the major factors to affect the differences of Glycyrrhiza species spectral data under different regions owe to the leaf water content, the higher leaf water content, the lower spectral reflectance. The principal component analysis and continuum-removed method of the spectral data under different regions found that, within a certain range, the average annual precipitation and average annual evaporation were the major factors caused by the differences of Glycyrrhiza species spectral data under the different regions, Glycyrrhiza species spectral similarity related to the spatial distance.

[Evaluation of high-resolution images application for wild medicinal plants macro monitoring: a case of Apocynum].

To investigate the resources of medicinal plant, such as wild Apocynum, supervised classification based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and texture feature were used to monitor wild medicinal plants from image captured by ZY-3 and World-view-2 and compare which satellite Image are more appropriate to monitor the wild medicinal plants. The research results shows that: for more complex growth conditions wild medicinal plants Apocynum, high-resolution images Worldview-2 is more suitable for its remote identification, the low-resolution satellite ZY-3 can only recognizes the wild medicinal plants which distributed intensively. If the study target distribution is more intensive and larger scale, and cultivated type medicinal plants, the use of satellite ZY-3 in low resolution remote sensing data to identify the target can be a good choice, it is not necessary to buy high-resolution data, in order to avoid waste of expenditure, for the scattered distribution, the high-resolution satellite imagery data may be indispensable to identify targets.

[Measurement of sown area of safflower based on PCA and texture features classification and remote sensing imagery].

To improve accuracy of estimation in planted safflower acreage,we selected agricultural area in Yumin County, Xinjiang as the study area. There safflower was concentrated planted. Supervised classification based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and texture feature were used to obtain the safflower acreage from image captured by ZY-3. The classification result was compared with only spectral feature and spectral feature with texture feature. The research result shows that this method can effectively solve the problem of low accuracy and fracture classification result in single data source classification. The overall accuracy is 87.519 1%, which increases by 7.117 2% compared with single data source classification. Therefore, the classification method based on PCA and texture features can be adapted to RS image classification and estimate the acreage of safflower. This study provides a feasible solution for estimation of planted safflower acreage by image captured by ZY-3 satellite.

Music Emotion Classification Method Based on Deep Learning and Improved Attention Mechanism.

Since the existing music emotion classification researches focus on the single-modal analysis of audio or lyrics, the correlation among models are neglected, which lead to partial information loss. Therefore, a music emotion classification method based on deep learning and improved attention mechanism is proposed. First, the music lyrics features are extracted by Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) and Word2vec method, and the term frequency weight vector and word vector are obtained. Then, by using the feature extraction ability of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and the ability of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network to process the serialized data, and integrating the matching attention mechanism, an emotion analysis model based on CNN-LSTM is constructed. Finally, the output results of the deep neural network and CNN-LSTM model are fused, and the emotion types are obtained by Softmax classifier. The experimental analysis based on the selected data sets shows that the average classification accuracy of the proposed method is 0.848, which is better than the other comparison methods, and the classification efficiency has been greatly improved.

Music Emotion Classification Method Based on Deep Learning and Explicit Sparse Attention Network.

In order to improve the accuracy of music emotion recognition and classification, this study combines an explicit sparse attention network with deep learning and proposes an effective emotion recognition and classification method for complex music data sets. First, the method uses fine-grained segmentation and other methods to preprocess the sample data set, so as to provide a high-quality input data sample set for the classification model. The explicit sparse attention network is introduced into the deep learning network to reduce the influence of irrelevant information on the recognition results and improve the emotion classification and recognition ability of music sample data set. The simulation experiment is based on the actual data set of the network. The experimental results show that the recognition accuracy of the proposed method is 0.71 for happy emotions and 0.688 for sad emotions. It has a good ability of music emotion recognition and classification.

[Speciation analysis of harmful elements in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, Chrysanthemi Flos].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the state and distribution of Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Cu in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Chrysanthemi Flos. METHOD: The samples were prepared by modified Tessier sequential extraction; The elements of Cu, Pb, and Cd in the samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), while Hg, and As were analyzed by atomic fluorescence (AFS). RESULT: Cu,Pb,Cd,Hg,As in Chrysanthemi Flos were 12.806, 10.478, 0.436, 0.231, 1.531 mg x kg(-1), respectively. Cu, Pb, Hg in Chrysanthemi Flos mainly existed in residual and organic states; Cd was priority to ion exchange state; the residual state was the main form of As, and ion exchange state and water soluble state also had a large proportion. Cu, Pb, Cd, Hg, As in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma were 10.530, 4.926, 0.478, 0.260, 0.750 mg x kg(-1), respectively. Cu, Pb and Hg of residual state were the highest ratio; Cd and As mainly existed in ion exchange state. CONCLUSION: The experiment results showed that sequential extraction can be applied in speciation analysis of the harmful elements of traditional Chinese medicine. The method can speciate the state and distribution of harmful elements and provide the information of harmful elements. It will provide reference to the production of Chinese traditional patent medicine and herb extracts, processing of medicine herbs, the development of new drugs and safety evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine.

Bioactive-guided isolation and identification of oligostilbenes as anti-rheumatoid arthritis constituents from the roots of Caragana stenophylla.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The roots of Caragana stenophylla have been used as folk medicine due to the functions of activating blood, diuresis, analgesic and tonicity, especially in treating rheumatoid arthritis and hypertension. However, the anti-rheumatoid arthritis mechanisms and bioactive ingredients have not previously been fully investigated. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to assess the anti-rheumatoid arthritis effects of the roots of Caragana stenophylla ethanol extract (EC), elucidate its mechanism of action and identify its active substances. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anti-rheumatoid arthritis activity of EC was assessed using type II-collagen induced arthritis in rats. Arthritis severity was evaluated by foot paw volume, arthritis index, joint swelling degree and histopathology. The serum inflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were also detected by immunohistochemical analysis. In addition, the protein expression of IκB, p-IκB, iNOS and COX-2 was analyzed by western blot. RAW 264.7 macrophage cells were employed to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of fractions and compounds in vitro. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was adopted to appraise the ingredients of the active fraction of the roots of C. stenophylla. Furthermore, various chromatographic techniques and spectroscopic methods were used for isolation and structure elucidation of compounds. RESULTS: The results showed that EC could reduce type II collagen-induced rheumatoid arthritis model arthritic score and histopathology markedly at dose of 240 mg/kg. Besides, EC could suppress the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, and TNF-α) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-3, MMP-9), and the expression levels of COX-2, p-IκB and iNOS also were declined. While, the levels of IL-10 and IκB were increased. The ethyl acetate fraction exhibited potent inhibitory effects against nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Eleven main components including 1 flavonoid and 10 oligostilbenes from active fraction were isolated by mass directed chromatographic techniques. Their structures were determined on the basis of various spectroscopic methods and by comparison with the published NMR data. CONCLUSION: The roots of C. stenophylla attenuated arthritis severity, restored serum cytokine imbalances by regulating NF-κB signaling pathway in type II collagen-induced rheumatoid arthritis model. Oligostilbenes were essential ingredients in ethyl acetate extract of C. stenophylla roots. Stilbenes and flavonoids should be responsible for its anti-rheumatoid arthritis activities.

[Study on callus induction of Ferula sinkiangensis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of different culture conditions and hormone combinations on callus induction of Ferula sinkiangensis. METHODS: Using different seedling age of Ferula sinkiangensis young cotyledon, hypocotyl, radicle as explants, which were cultivated on differentiation medium with different hormone combinations, to study the effects on Ferulic callus by different explants and hormone combinations. RESULTS: Ferulic seedlings with no true leaf was more favorable to the callus, the optimum medium for hypocotyl induction was MS + 2,4-D (1.0 mg/L) + KT (1.5 mg/L), for radicle induction was MS + NAA (0.5 mg/L) + 6-BA (0.5 mg/L), and the best subculture medium was MS + NAA (1.5 mg/L) + 6-BA (2.5 mg/L). CONCLUSIONS: NAA,2,4-D and 6-BA must have the inductive effects, 6-BA is better than the KT in the process of proliferation and the medium containing GA3 is conducive to the process of subculture embryogenic callus production.

[Simultaneous determination of contents of sophoridine, oxymatrine and oxysophocarpine in seed of Sophora alopecuroides by HPLC].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a HPLC method for simultaneous determination of the contents of sophoridine, oxymatrine and oxysophocarpine in seed of Sophora alopecuroides. METHOD: Chromatographic condition included a Phenomenex Gemini C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column and thmobile phase consisting of a mixture of methanol-0.2% phosphatic acid (7:93). The detection wavelength was at 205 nm. The flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1) and column temperature was set at 30 degrees C. RESULT: All calibration curves showed good linearity (r > or = 0.9997) within test ranges. The mean recoveries were 100.0%, 97.0% and 97.0% respectively. CONCLUSION: This method is simple, rapid and accurate, and suitable for quality control of S. alopecuroides seed.

Simultaneous Quantitative and Chemical Fingerprint Analysis of Receptaculum Nelumbinis Based on HPLC-DAD-MS Combined with Chemometrics.

A rapid and sensitive method based on HPLC-DAD-MS was developed for quantitative analysis of two flavonoids and chemical fingerprint analysis to evaluate the quality of Receptaculum Nelumbinis. The analysis was conducted on a Poroshell 120 C18 column (100 × 4.6 mm, 2.7 µm) with 0.2% formic acid buffer solution and methanol as mobile phases with gradient elution. This method displayed good linearity with R(2) at >0.9999 and limits of quantity <0.37 µg mL(-1). Relative standard deviation values for intra- and interday precision were <0.82 and 1.03%, respectively. The mean recovery of hyperoside was 95.54% and of isoquercitrin was 92.10%. Hyperoside and isoquercitrin were determined simultaneously, and 12 peaks in the chemical fingerprint were identified. The chemometric methods, including similarity analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis, were applied to distinguish 11 batches of Receptaculum Nelumbinis samples. The above results could validate each other and successfully divide these samples into two groups. Moreover, hyperoside and isoquercitrin could be selected as chemical markers to evaluate the quality of Receptaculum Nelumbinis from different localities. This study demonstrated that the developed method was a powerful and beneficial tool to carry out the quality control of Receptaculum Nelumbinis.

Pruinosanones A-C, anti-inflammatory isoflavone derivatives from Caragana pruinosa.

Pruinosanone A (1), a novel spirochromone, was isolated from the roots of Caragana pruinosa. Two biogenetically related isoflavone intermediates, pruinosanones B and C (2 and 3), were also isolated, together with five known analogs identified as 3-hydroxy-9-methoxypterocarpan (4), 7,2'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavanol (5), retusin-8-methylether (6), 7,2'-dihydroxy-8,4'-dimethoxy isoflavone (7) and 7,3'-dihydroxy-8,4'-dimethoxy isoflavone (8). The structures of 1-3 were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic methods. Notably, 1 is the first example of a spirochromone possessing an unprecedented pentacyclic skeleton containing a spiro[benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-2,3'-chroman]-4'-one motif, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. A plausible biosynthetic pathway for 1 was also proposed. Compounds 1-8 were tested for their ability to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages, and compounds 1-3 were the most potent inhibitors of NO production, with IC50 values of 1.96, 1.93 and 1.58 µM, respectively. A structure-activity relationship analysis revealed that the fused 2-isopropenyl-2,3-dihydrofuran moiety plays a vital role in the potency of these compounds. Moreover, 1 was found to significantly inhibit inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression, which accounts for the potent inhibition of NO production by this spirochromone.

Therapeutic effects of Caragana pruinosa Kom. roots extract on type II collagen-induced arthritis in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Caragana pruinosa Kom. is a deciduous shrub belonging to the genus of Caragana (Leguminosae), and Caragana plants exhibit a wide range of interesting pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-arthritis activity, etc. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study was aimed to investigate the anti-arthritic effect of 80% EtOH extract from the roots of C. pruinosa (ERCP) on arthritis and explore the potential pharmacological mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After collagen induced arthritis (CIA) were established in rats, the animals were orally administered with ERCP (130, 260 and 520mg/kg) for 30 days. During the treatment, the rats' body weights, arthritis indices and paw volumes were measured every 5 days. Subsequently, rats' blood samples were collected to determine TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, and C-reactive protein (CRP) contents in serum. Then, rats were sacrificed and the hind paws and knee joints were collected for histopathological examination. RESULTS: Our results indicated that ERCP significantly suppressed the inflammatory reactions and destructions in joints and synovial tissues. ERCP inhibited the paw swelling and arthritis index in CIA rats. Additionally, it decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6) and CRP, whereas increased that of IL-10. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested ERCP has significant anti-arthritic effect on CIA rats, and the pharmacological mechanisms are related to the down-regulation of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and CRP and the up-regulation of IL-10.