Perillae Fructus is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine,which is widely used in Chinese medicine clinics.It contains a variety of chemical components,including volatile oils,fatty acids,flavonoids,phenolic acids,phytosterols,etc.It has a variety of pharmacological effects,such as anti-cough and anti-asthma,antibacterial,anti-allergic,hypolipidemic,hypoglycemic,anti-cancer,anti-aging,and memory enhancement.In this paper,the chemical composition and pharmacological effects of Perillae Fructus were summarized,and combined with the concept of quality marker (Q-Marker) in traditional Chinese medicine.The Q-Markers of Perillae Fructus were comprehensively predicted and analyzed from the perspectives of plant affinity and compositional peculiarities,traditional medicinal properties,the correlation between chemical composition and clinical application,different processing methods,measurability of components,different compounding environments and so on.The results suggested that rosmarinic acid,caffeic acid,luteolin,apigenin,α-linolenic acid and dihydro cuminyl alcohol could be used as the Q-Markers of Perillae Fructus,which could provide the basis for the improvement of the pharmacological material basis of Perillae Fructus and the quality evaluation system.

This study aims to explore the optimal processing parameters of the Aconitum sinomontanum root.The comprehensive score of total alkaloid,lappaconitine and ranaconitine content were used as the evaluation indexes.The total alkaloid content was determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometry,and the lappaconitine and ranaconitine contents were measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography.The single factor experiment were conducted to determine the effects of the amount of added Huangjiu,moistening time,and steaming time.The weight of the three components were determined by analytic hierarchy process combined with entropy weight method.The optimal processing parameters of Huangjiu-steamed A.sinomontanum root were determined by the comprehensive score combined with central composite design-response surface method.The results showed that the optimal processing parameters for Huangjiu-steamed A.sinomontanum root was as follows:15% of the weight of A.sinomontanum root as the amount of added Huangjiu,a moistening time of 2 h,a steaming time of 5 h,a steaming temperature of 127 ℃,and a steaming pressure of 0.15 MPa.This study broadens the processing methods of A.sinomontanum root.The established processing evaluation system for the processing technology is accurate and reliable,and can provide references for related research and clinical safety applications of A.sinomontanum root.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the mechanism of action of glucosinolates (GSL) in common head cabbage for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Using public databases,this study obtained the targets of IBD and GSL,took the intersection of the two,constructed the protein interactions network,and analyzed their potential targets for the treatment of IBD using GO and KEGG enrichment.The binding energy between glucobrassicin (GBC),the active monomer component of GSL,and the core target was verified by molecular docking.Mice models of IBD were established with dextran sodium sulfate,and their disease activity index scores,intestinal permeabilities,intestinal tissue tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and other cytokine levels were detected.The proliferative activity of human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells was detected using a kit,and the levels of TNF-α and interleukin-1 (IL-10) released from this cell induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were detected by ELISA.Ninety-two intersection targets of IBD and GSL were obtained.GO functional analysis indicated that various biological processes,such as regulation of inflammatory response and modulation of kinase activity,were involved in the developmental process of IBD.Ten targets for the treatment of IBD by GSL,such as topoisomerase Ⅱα (TOP2A),cell cycle protein-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1),cytochrome P4502C9 (CYP2C19) were obtained;In the KEGG enrichment analysis,the pathways with higher relevance included the TRP channel inflammatory mediator-regulated pathway.Molecular docking showed that GBC had better binding activity with the core targets.The medium and high GSL groups slowed down the weight loss and improved the condition of mice,such as loose stool and blood in stool,and significantly reduced the DAI score of the model group (P<0.001),lowered the levels of cytokines,such as TNF-α,in the intestinal tissues of the mice (P<0.001),and elevated the levels of IL-10 (P<0.001).In the concentration range of 20-300 μmol/L,GSL promoted the proliferation of human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells,inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α secretion,and elevated IL-10 levels.The above results suggested that GSL could attenuate the inflammatory response of the mouse intestine and alleviate the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease by inhibiting TOP2A and CDK1 protein expression.

This study aims to investigate the effect of gypenosides (GPs) on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by improving liver lipid deposition,and to explore its potential mechanism.Twelve ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into model group (Mod) and gypenosides group(GPs),and six C57BL/6J mice were used as blank control (Con) group.Con group was fed with normal diet,and the other groups were fed with high-fat diet for 12 weeks.GPs group was given 2.97 g/(kg·d) by gavage,and Con group and the Mod group were given the same volume of normal saline by gavage for 4 weeks.The levels of triglyceride (TG),total cholesterol (TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level in mice serum were detected by fully automated biochemical analyzer,hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining to observe the mice liver pathological morphology,oil red O staining to observe the mice liver lipid deposition,the contents of TG and free fatty acid (FFA) in liver were detected by ELISA.The mRNA and protein expression squalene cyclooxygenase (SQLE),carbonic anhydrase Ⅲ (CA3),sterol regulatory factor binding protein-1c (SREBP1c),acetyl-coa carboxylase (ACC),fatty acid synthase (FASN),stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) in liver were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot.The results showed that compared with Con,the levels of TC,TG and LDL-C in Mod group were significantly increased,and the level of HDL-C was significantly decreased (P<0.01).There were a large number of fat vacuoles in hepatocytes,and the liver lipid deposition was obvious;the contents of TG and FFA increased (P<0.01).SQLE,CA3,SREBP1c,ACC,FASN,SCD1 protein and mRNA expression increased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).Compared with Mod,TG,TC,LDL-C were significantly reduced and HDL-C were significantly increased in GPs group (P<0.01);the morphology of hepatocytes tended to be normal and lipid droplets decreased,liver lipid deposition loss;TG and FFA content decreased significantly (P<0.01);SQLE,CA3,SREBP1c,ACC,FASN and SCD1 proteins and mRNA expression decreased (P < 0.05 or P<0.01).In conclusion,gypenosides can inhibit fatty acid synthesis and reduce lipid accumulation through SQLE/CA3/SREBP1C pathway,thereby improving NAFLD.

To establish a quality control method for multi-index components of Fici Hirtae Radix. Established it’s fingerprint by HPLC, and the HPLC fingerprinting was established by “Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprinting in Chinese Medicine (2012A version)”, and the samples were analysed by SPSS 22.0 for the clustering analysis (CA) and the principal component analysis (PCA), and the content of multi-index components was determined by UPLC-MS/MS. The HPLC fingerprint identified 24 common peaks, of which seven perks were identified as psoralen, quercetin, naringenin, luteolin, bergapten, apigenin, and aconitine. The similarities were 0.990-0.999, and the samples were divided into three categories. The experimental results showed that Fici Hirtae Radix contained eight components by UPLC-MS/MS, including psoralen, quercetin, naringenin, luteolin, bergapten, kaempferol, apigenin, and aconitine. The eight components exhibited excellent linear relationships within their respective mass concentration ranges, the average recoveries were 96.88%-101.0%, and the RSD were 1.2%-1.8%.The CA results showed that the 12 batches of samples were clustered into three groups, the PCA results showed that the eigenvalue of the first principal component (psoralen) was 11.89, and the variance contribution rate was 99.08%, which indicated that this principal component could be regarded as a quality marker for the Fici Hirtae Radix. The content of eight components in 12 batches of samples were 0.085 8-1.11, 2.51×10^-6-5.34×10^-4, 1.24×10^-3-0.117, 2.30×10^-4-3.98×10^-2, 0.011-0.507, 3.36×10^-6-8.17×10^-4, 2.52×10^-3-7.92×10^-2, 5.13×10^-5-5.85×10^-4 mg/g. There were certain differences in the content of each component in the 12 batches of samples. In conclusion, the established method have good accuracy, stability, and reliability, and it can provide a scientific reference for the quality control of Fici Hirtae Radix.

This study aims to improve extraction of polyphenols from Sophorae Flavescentis Radix (SFP),which had good ability to lower blood sugar and resist glycation in vitro.The SFP were extracted by ionic liquid-assisted ultrasonic method.The effects of Ionic liquid concentration,extraction time,extraction temperature and ultrasonic power on the extraction yield of SFP were studied by single factor experiment,and the extraction process was optimized by response suriace method based on the resulted of single factor experiment.Meanwhile, α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity,and hypoglycemic activity in vitro of SFP was determined.The results showed that the optimal extraction process of SFP was as follows:ionic liquid concentration was 34.6%,material-liquid ratio was 1∶35.4 (g/mL),extraction temperature was 60.6 ℃,extraction time was 29.7 min.The average extraction rate of SFP was 41.27 mg/g by the optimal extraction process,and purified by an AB-8 macroporous resin column,and the purity of SFP was increased from 7.54% to 17.47%.SFP could inhibit the activities of α-glucosidase and α-amylase,and inhibit the glycosylation reaction to reduce blood glucose,respectively,the SFP extracted by ionic liquid-assisted ultrasonic extraction was purified by AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin,which had good ability to lower blood sugar and resist glycation in vitro.

This study investigates the pharmacodynamic material basis of Qizhi Yishen Capsules (QYC) against diabetic kidney disease (DKD) by focusing on the constituents absorbed into blood,integrating network pharmacology and experimental validation.The constituents absorbed into blood of QYC were identified using UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap MS/MS technology.Key pharmacodynamic compounds and core targets associated with the anti-DKD effects of QYC were screened through network pharmacology.Additionally,molecular docking techniques were employed to analyze the binding affinity between these key pharmacodynamic compounds and their core targets.This study established two models to further validate the activity of the selected pharmacodynamic compounds.The first model was constructed by inducing injury in human renal cortex proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) via high-glucose stimulation,thereby simulating the cytopathological state characteristic of DKD.The second model was established using a combination of a high-fat and high-sugar diet along with streptozotocin to induce a DKD rat model.The key pharmacodynamic compounds were verified by these two models.In conclusion,a total of 23 constituents absorbed into blood were identified in QYC.Network pharmacology was employed to analyze these components.The results revealed that nine key pharmacodynamic components,including rhein,astragaloside Ⅳ,emodin,and catalpol were screened,and five core targets,such as EGFR and HSP90AA1 were identified.The results of the molecular docking between the components and the targets were satisfactory.Subsequent cell and animal experiments demonstrated that these pharmacodynamic components could significantly ameliorate HK-2 cell damage induced by high glucose and improve renal injury in DKD rats.This study elucidated the key pharmacodynamic substances of QYC anti-diabetic nephropathy,laying a foundation for further developing quality standards and clinical application promotion.

This study aims to explore the impact of Huangqisan on synaptic plasticity in rat model of Alzheimer′s disease and to analyzed its potential mechanism.Fifty SPF grade male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group (Norm),model group (Mod),Huangqisan low dose group (HQS-L,1.2 g/kg),Huangqisan high dose group(HQS-H,4.8 g/kg) and positive group (Pos),with 10 rats in each group.Except for the normal group,the rats in other groups were injected with β-amyloid 25-35 into bilateral hippocampal to establish the model.Morris water maze test was used to detect the learning and memory function of the rats.Nissl staining was used to detect neuronal damage in hippocampus of rats.JC-1 probe was applied to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential in hippocampus by flow cytometry.Transmission electron microscope was used to detect the ultrastructural observation of neurons and synapses in rat hippocampus.ELISA was performed to measure the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β),interleukin-6 (IL-6),and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the rat hippocampus.Flow cytometry was used to detect the level of hippocampus reactive oxygen species (ROS).The expressions of PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1),Parkin E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (Parkin),microtuble-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3B),ubiquitin-binding protein p62 (p62),dynamin-related protein (Drp1),mitofusion 1 (Mfn1),mitofusion 2 (Mfn2),NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3),growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43),N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunit 2B (NR2B),postsynaptic dense protein 95 (PSD95),synaptosin (SYP) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) proteins in the hippocampus were detected by Western blot (WB).Compared with Norm group,the learning and memory function of rats in the Mod group was significantly reduced(P<0.01).Nissl bodies in neurons of hippocampus decreased or disappeared.The ultrastructure of neurons and synapses in hippocampus presented obvious pathological changes.Mitochondrial membrane potential decreased significantly and the structure was damaged,autolysosome has formed.The contents of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in hippocampus increased significantly (P<0.01),the level of ROS increased significantly(P<0.01),the protein expression of PINK1,Parkin,LC3B,Mfn1,Mfn2,GAP43,NR2B,PSD95,SYP and BDNF decreased significantly(P<0.05),and the protein expression of p62,Drp1,NLRP3 increased significantly(P<0.01).Compared with Mod group,the learning and memory function of AD rats improved significantly in the HQS-L group,HQS-H group and Pos group,which was mainly manifested by shortened the escape latency and elevated the number of crossing the platform (P<005,P<0.01).Nissl bodies in neurons of hippocampus increased,the ultrastructure of neurons and synapses in hippocampus was improved,the mitochondrial membrane potential was increased,and the mitophagy was increased.The contents of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in hippocampus decreased significantly (P<0.05,P<0.01),the level of ROS decreased significantly(P<0.01),the protein expression of PINK1,Parkin,LC3B,Mfn1,Mfn2,GAP43,NR2B,PSD95,SYP and BDNF increased significantly,and the protein expression of p62,Drp1,NLRP3 decreased significantly (P<0.05,P<0.01).The mechanism of Huangqisan improved synaptic plasticity in AD rats might be related to the activation of PINK1-Parkin pathway in hippocampus to promoted mitophagy,improved mitochondrial function,reduced ROS level and inhibited the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome.

This study aims to explore the mechanism by which berberine inhibits the proliferation,migration,and invasion of gastric cancer cells (AGS and HGC27).AGS and HGC27 cells were used as the research subjects and were intervened with berberine at different concentrations (10,20,30,40,and 50 μg/mL).The MTT assay was employed to detect the inhibition rate of gastric cancer cells.The colony formation assay was used to assess the proliferation ability of gastric cancer cells.Flow cytometry was utilized to determine the cell cycle and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells.The scratch formation assay was conducted to measure the migration ability of gastric cancer cells.The Transwell assay was performed to examine the invasion ability of gastric cancer cells.Transcriptome sequencing was implemented to detect the possible mechanism of action of the drug.RT-qPCR was carried out to detect the mRNA expression of E-cadherin (E-CA),N-cadherin (N-CA),α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA),and vimentin (VIM) in gastric cancer cells.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of E-CA,N-CA,α-SMA,VIM,and phosphorylated vimentin (P-VIM) in gastric cancer cells.Results demonstrated that compared with the blank control group,berberine significantly inhibited the cell viability of gastric cancer cells,suppressed the colony formation ability of gastric cancer cells (P<0.05),increased the number of cells arrested in the G0/G1 phase (P<0.05),promoted apoptosis of gastric cancer cells (P<0.05),and inhibited the migration and invasion abilities of gastric cancer cells (P<0.05).Berberine could reduce the mRNA and protein expression of N-CA,VIM,and α-SMA in gastric cancer cells (P<0.05),increase the mRNA and protein expression of E-CA (P<0.01),and increase the protein expression of P-VIM (P<0.01).Consequently,berberine induces apoptosis of gastric cancer cells and inhibits the in vitro activity,invasion,and migration of gastric cancer cells,which may be related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

This study aims to explore the effect and mechanism of frankincense essential oil (FEO) on cardiac hypertrophy in rats based on NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway. The ingredients of FEO were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Cardiomyocytes were pretreated with 0.225 μg/mL FEO for 1 h followed by 10 µmol/L isoproterenol (ISO) treatment for 24 h. The effects of FEO on ISO-induced cardiomyocyte surface area, hypertrophy-related fetal gene expressions, the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and NLRP3 inflammasome-related gene and protein expressions were determined. Rats were intragastrically treated with FEO (50 or 100 mg/kg) for four weeks after undergoing coronary artery ligation (CAL) surgery to induce cardiac hypertrophy model. The heart weight, left ventricular weight, cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area, hypertrophy-related fetal gene expressions, NLRP3 inflammasome-related gene and protein expressions, and serum LDH content were measured. The results showed that FEO could significantly inhibit ISO-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, reduce LDH release, and inhibit the expressions of NLRP3 inflammasome-related gene and protein. CAL surgery induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats as shown by increases in heart weight, left ventricular weight, and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area, as well as upregulation of fetal gene expression. Additionally, CAL surgery also induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation as evidenced by increased serum LDH content and upregulated expressions of NLRP3 inflammasome-related gene and protein. FEO inhibited these above changes induced by CAL. Therefore, FEO can improve cardiac hypertrophy in rats by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome.