This study aims to investigate the correlations of the appearance traits, total antioxidant capacity, and component content of Forsythiae Fructus processed by different methods, explore the effects of different processing methods on the abovementioned three aspects of Forsythiae Fructus, and screen out the internal and external indicators that have important effects on its quality. It determined the length, diameter, stem length, chroma value L~*, a~*, b~*, and other appearance indexes and antioxidant activity of Forsythiae Fructus processed by different methods. The content of forsythiaside A, rutin, forsythin, pinoresinol, and phillygenin was determined by ultra performance liquid chromatography(UPLC). Correlation analysis, principal component analysis(PCA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA), and independent sample t-test analysis were performed on the appearance indexes and the component content. The correlation analysis showed that there were differences in the appearance traits and the component content. L~* and E~* had highly significant negative correlations with pinoresinol and phillygenin(P<0.01) and significant positive correlations with forsythiaside A(P<0.05). There were a highly significant negative correlation between a~* and forsythiaside A(P<0.01) and highly significant positive correlations of a~* with pinoresinol and phillygenin(P<0.01). There were a highly significant positive correlation between b~* and forsythiaside A(P<0.01) and highly significant negative correlations of b~* with pinoresinol and phillygenin(P<0.01). The total antioxidant capacity had highly significant negative correlations with pinoresinol and phillygenin(P<0.01). The PCA results showed that there were differences among Forsythiae Fructus samples processed by different methods. OPLS-DA marked five important indicators, which were forsythiaside A, stem length, E~*, L~*, and b~*. The results of independent sample t-test showed that the content of forsythiaside A, pinoresinol, and phillygenin, the total antioxidant capacity, and the appearance traits such as L~*, a~*, b~*, and E~* were significantly different between the Forsythiae Fructus samples processed by steaming and boiling(P<0.05). According to content determination and a related biological activity analysis, steaming is a good choice from the perspective of improving the stability of chemical constituents and antioxidant activity of Forsythiae Fructus. From the point of view of improving the stability of chemical constituents and anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of Forsythiae Fructus, it is recommended to use boiling as the processing method. Based on the above analysis methods, the main indexes for the appearance traits of Forsythiae Fructus processed by different methods are powder chroma value(L~*, a~*, b~*, E~*), stem length, and total antioxidant capacity, and those for chemical constituents are the content of forsythiaside A, pinoresinol, and phillygenin. This study provides reference for seeking scientific processing methods of Forsythiae Fructus.
Forsythia/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Fruit/chemistry* ; Antioxidants/analysis* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Glycosides/analysis* ; Principal Component Analysis ; Furans ; Lignans

The chemical constituents from leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus were isolated and purified by chromatography on silica gel, C_(18) reverse-phase silica gel, and Sephadex LH-20 gel, as well as semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. Six compounds were identified by UV, IR, NMR, MS, calculated ECD, and comparison with literature data as cyclopaloside D(1), boscialin(2),(5R,6S)-6-hydroxy-6-[(E)-3-hydroxybut-1-enyl]-1,1,5-trimethylcyclohexanone(3), 3S,5R-dihydroxy-6R,7-megastigmadien-9-one(4), 3S,5R-dihydroxy-6S,7-megastigmadien-9-one(5), and gingerglycolipid A(6), respectively. Among them, compound 1 was identified as a new tetralone glycoside, and compounds 2-6 were isolated from leaves of C. paliurus for the first time. Furthermore, compound 1 exhibited strong antioxidant activity, with the IC_(50) of(454.20±31.81)μmol·L~(-1) and(881.82±42.31)μmol·L~(-1) in scavenging DPPH and ABTS free radicals, respectively.
Plant Leaves/chemistry* ; Glycosides/isolation & purification* ; Juglandaceae/chemistry* ; Tetralones/isolation & purification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification*

The seed kernel of Momordica cochinchinensis, i.e., Momordicae Semen, is used for medicinal purposes, but to date, no research has been reported on its chemical constituents. In this study, the chemical constituents of Momordicae Semen were investigated for the first time using silica gel column chromatography, semi-preparative HPLC, HR-MS, and NMR. As a result, eight compounds were isolated and identified as: p-hydroxybenzoic acid-7-O-trehaloside(mubeside A, 1), 2,6-dimethoxyphenol-O-β-D-apiosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucoside(mubeside B, 2), 1-O-p-methoxybenzoyl-1,4-benzenediol-4-O-β-D-apiosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucoside(mubeside C, 3), 1-O-p-hydroxybenzoyl-1,4-benzenediol-4-O-β-D-apiosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucoside(mubeside D, 4), gypsogenin-3-O-β-D-galactosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucuronoside(5), quillaic acid-3-O-β-D-galactosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucuronoside(6), violanthin(7), and kaempferitrin(8). Compounds 1-4 are new compounds, while compounds 5-8 were isolated from Momordicae Semen for the first time.
Glycosides/isolation & purification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Molecular Structure ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

The chemical components of Carthami Flos were investigated by using macroporous resin, silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase octadecylsilane(ODS) column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The planar structures of the compounds were established based on their physicochemical properties and ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis), infrared(IR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(HR-ESI-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopic technology. The absolute configurations were determined by comparing the calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism(ECD). Six flavonoid C-glycosides were isolated from the 30% ethanol elution fraction of macroporous resin obtained from the 95% ethanol extract of Carthami Flos, and identified as saffloquinoside F(1), 5-hydroxysaffloneoside(2), iso-5-hydroxysaffloneoside(3), isosafflomin C(4), safflomin C(5), and vicenin 2(6). Among these, the compounds 1 to 3 were new chalcone C-glycosides. The compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 could significantly increase the viability of H9c2 cardiomyocytes damaged by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) at a concentration of 50 μmol·L~(-1), showing their good cardioprotective activity.
Glycosides/pharmacology* ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Carthamus tinctorius/chemistry* ; Chalcones/pharmacology* ; Animals

Five new flavan-4-ol glycosides jixueqiosides A-E (1-5) and two new flavan glycosides jixueqiosides F and G (6 and 7), along with twelve known flavan-4-ol glycosides (8-19), were isolated from the roots of Pronephrium penangianum. Comprehensive spectral analyses, X-ray single-crystal diffraction, and theoretical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations established structures and absolute configurations. A single crystal structure of flavan-4-ol glycoside (14) was reported for the first time, while the characteristic ECD and NMR data for all isolated flavan-4-ol glycosides (1-5 , 8-19) were analyzed, establishing a set of empirical rules. Activity screening of these isolates showed that 8 and 9 could inhibit the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells with IC₅₀ values of 7.93 ? 2.85 ?mol?L^-1 and 5.87 ? 1.58 ?mol?L^-1 (MDA-MB-231), and 2.21 ? 1.38 ?mol?L^-1 and 3.52 ? 1.55 ?mol?L^-1 (MCF-7), respectively. Western blotting and flow cytometry analyses demonstrated that 8 and 9 dose-dependently induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells by up-regulating BAX, activating caspase-3 and down-regulating BCL-2. Additionally, compound 8 affected autophagy-related proteins, increasing the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I and Beclin-1 levels to inhibit MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation. Moreover, anti-inflammatory studies indicated that 2, 3, 7, 13, 14, and 18 moderately inhibited tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and nitric oxide (NO) release.
Humans ; Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Glycosides/isolation & purification* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification* ; Flavonoids/isolation & purification* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/isolation & purification* ; Molecular Structure ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Interleukin-6/immunology* ; Animals ; Mice

Chang-Kang-Fang (CKF) formula, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescription, has been widely used for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, its potential material basis and underlying mechanism remain elusive. Therefore, this study employed an integrated approach that combined ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS) with network pharmacology to systematically characterize the phytochemical components and metabolites of CKF, as well as elucidating its underlying mechanism. Through this comprehensive analysis, a total of 150 components were identified or tentatively characterized within the CKF formula. Notably, six N-acetyldopamine oligomers from CicadaePeriostracum and eight resin glycosides from Cuscutae Semen were characterized in this formula for the first time. Meanwhile, 149 xenobiotics (58 prototypes and 91 metabolites) were detected in plasma, urine, feces, brain, and intestinal contents, and the in vivo metabolic pathways of resin glycosides were elaborated for the first time. Furthermore, network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses revealed that alkaloids, flavonoids, chromones, monoterpenes, N-acetyldopamine dimers, p-hydroxycinnamic acid, and Cus-3/isomer might be responsible for the beneficial effects of CKF in treating IBS, and CASP8, MARK14, PIK3C, PIK3R1, TLR4, and TNF may be its potential targets. These discoveries offer a comprehensive understanding of the potential material basis and clarify the underlying mechanism of the CKF formula in treating IBS, facilitating the broader application of CKF in the field of medicine.
Humans ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/drug therapy* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Glycosides ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods*

Tripterygium glycosides liposome(TPGL) were prepared by thin film-dispersion method, which were optimized accor-ding to their morphological structures, average particle size and encapsulation rate. The measured particle size was(137.39±2.28) nm, and the encapsulation rate was 88.33%±1.82%. The mouse model of central nervous system inflammation was established by stereotaxic injection of lipopolysaccharide(LPS). TPGL and tripterygium glycosides(TPG) were administered intranasally for 21 days. The effects of intranasal administration of TPG and TPGL on behavioral cognitive impairment of mice due to LPS-induced central ner-vous system inflammation were estimated by animal behavioral tests, hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining of hippocampus, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) and immunofluorescence. Compared with TPG, TPGL caused less damage to the nasal mucosa, olfactory bulb, liver and kidney of mice administered intranasally. The behavioral performance of treated mice was significantly improved in water maze, Y maze and nesting experiment. Neuronal cell damage was reduced, and the expression levels of inflammation and apoptosis related genes [tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), BCL2-associated X(Bax), etc.] and glial activation markers [ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1(IBA1) and glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP)] were decreased. These results indicated that liposome technique combined with nasal delivery alleviated the toxic side effects of TPG, and also significantly ameliorated the cognitive impairment of mice induced by central nervous system inflammation.
Mice ; Animals ; Tripterygium ; Liposomes ; Glycosides/therapeutic use* ; Administration, Intranasal ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Central Nervous System ; Cognitive Dysfunction/drug therapy* ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Cardiac Glycosides

This study investigated the effect of multi-glycosides of Tripterygium wilfordii(GTW) on renal injury in diabetic kidney disease(DKD) rats through Nod-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)/cysteine-aspartic acid protease-1(caspase-1)/gsdermin D(GSDMD) pyroptosis pathway and the mechanism. To be specific, a total of 40 male SD rats were randomized into the normal group(n=8) and modeling group(n=34). In the modeling group, a high-sugar and high-fat diet and one-time intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ) were used to induce DKD in rats. After successful modeling, they were randomly classified into model group, valsartan(Diovan) group, and GTW group. Normal group and model group were given normal saline, and the valsartan group and GTW group received(ig) valsartan and GTW, respectively, for 6 weeks. Blood urea nitrogen(BUN), serum creatinine(Scr), alanine ami-notransferase(ALT), albumin(ALB), and 24 hours urinary total protein(24 h-UTP) were determined by biochemical tests. The pathological changes of renal tissue were observed based on hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining. Serum levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and interleukin-18(IL-18) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Western blot was used to detect the expression of pyroptosis pathway-related proteins in renal tissue, and RT-PCR to determine the expression of pyroptosis pathway-related genes in renal tissue. Compared with the normal group, the model group showed high levels of BUN, Scr, ALT, and 24 h-UTP and serum levels of IL-1β and IL-18(P<0.01), low level of ALB(P<0.01), severe pathological damage to kidney, and high protein and mRNA levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, and GSDMD in renal tissue(P<0.01). Compared with the model group, valsartan group and GTW group had low levels of BUN, Scr, ALT, and 24 h-UTP and serum levels of IL-1β and IL-18(P<0.01), high level of ALB(P<0.01), alleviation of the pathological damage to the kidney, and low protein and mRNA levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, and GSDMD in renal tissue(P<0.01 or P<0.05). GTW may inhibit pyroptosis by decreasing the expression of NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD in renal tissue, thereby relieving the inflammatory response of DKD rats and the pathological injury of kidney.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Diabetic Nephropathies/genetics* ; Interleukin-18/metabolism* ; Glycosides/pharmacology* ; Tripterygium ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Caspase 1/metabolism* ; Pyroptosis ; Uridine Triphosphate/pharmacology* ; Kidney ; Valsartan/pharmacology* ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Diabetes Mellitus

The flavonoids in Panax notoginseng were qualitatively analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), and the content of three main flavonoids in P. notoginseng of different specifications and grades collected from different habitats was determined by HPLC-DAD. Flavonoids and anthocyanins were analyzed by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS in the positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Twelve flavonoid glycosides and one anthocyanin glycoside in P. notoginseng were identified, but no flavonoid aglycones were detected. Among them, 12 compounds were identified in the underground part of P. notoginseng for the first time and eight compounds were first reported in this plant. Moreover, six and four compounds were identified in the Panax genus and the Araliaceae family for the first time, respectively. A method for simultaneous determination of three flavonoids in P. notoginseng was established by HPLC-DAD. The content of flavonoids in 721 P. notoginseng samples of 124 specifications and grades collected from 20 different habitats was simultaneously determined. Among three flavonoids determined, the content of quercetin-3-O-(2″-β-D-xylosyl)-β-D-galactoside was the highest with the average content in the tested samples of 161.0 μg·g~(-1). The content of compounds quercetin-3-O-hexosyl-hexoside and kaempferol-3-O-pentosyl-hexoside was relatively low, with the average content of 18.5 μg·g~(-1)(calculated as quercetin-3-O-sophoroside) and 49.4 μg·g~(-1)(calculated as kaempferol-3-O-sangbu diglycoside). There were significant differences in flavonoids content of samples from different production area. The content of flavonoids in spring P. notoginseng was significantly lower than that in winter P. notoginseng when the other influencing factors such as production areas, germplasm resources, and cultivation conditions were fixed. As for P. notoginseng of different specifications, the flavonoid content in the part connecting the taproot and the aboveground stem was significantly higher than that in other parts. The results of large-scale data showed that the flavonoid content gradually increased with the increase in the number of heads. There were significant differences between the flavonoid content in most specifications and grades, especially the 20-head P. notoginseng and countless head P. notoginseng, whose content was significantly lower and significantly higher than that of other specifications and grades, respectively. This study provides a scientific basis for the study of the effective components and quality control of P. notoginseng from the perspective of flavonoids.
Flavonoids/analysis* ; Anthocyanins/analysis* ; Quercetin ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Kaempferols ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Glycosides

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of various Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of inflammatory response in diabetic nephropathy(DN) based on network Meta-analysis. Randomized controlled trial(RCT) of oral Chinese patent medicines for improving inflammatory response in patients with DN was retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, Web of Science, and other databases from database inception to October 2022. All investigators independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the quality. Stata 16.0 software and RevMan 5.4.1 were used to analyze the data of the literature that met the quality standards. Finally, 53 RCTs were included, involving 6 Chinese patent medicines. The total sample size was 4 891 cases, including 2 449 cases in the test group and 2 442 cases in the control group. The network Meta-analysis showed that(1) in terms of reducing TNF-α, the top 3 optimal interventions according to the surface under the cumulative ranking curve(SUCRA) were Shenshuaining Capsules/Granules/Tablets + conventional western medicine, Jinshuibao Capsules + conventional western medicine, and Niaoduqing Granules + conventional western medicine.(2) In terms of reducing hs-CRP, the top 3 optimal interventions according to SUCRA were Bailing Capsules + conventional western medicine, Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets + conventional western medicine, and Shenshuaining Capsules/Granules/Tablets + conventional western medicine.(3) In terms of reducing IL-6, the top 3 optimal interventions according to SUCRA were Bailing Capsules + conventional western medicine, Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets + conventional western medicine, and Jinshuibao Capsules + conventional western medicine.(4) In terms of reducing UAER, the top 3 optimal interventions according to SUCRA were Shenshuaining Capsules/Granules/Tablets + conventional western medicine, Huangkui Capsules + conventional western medicine, and Jinshuibao Capsules + conventional western medicine.(5) In terms of reducing Scr, the top 3 optimal interventions according to SUCRA were Jinshuibao Capsules + conventional western medicine, Niaoduqing Granules + conventional wes-tern medicine, and Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets + conventional western medicine.(6) In terms of reducing BUN, the first 3 optimal interventions according to SUCRA were Niaoduqing Granules + conventional western medicine, Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets + conventional western medicine, and Huangkui Capsules + conventional western medicine.(7) In terms of improving the clinical total effective rate, the first 3 optimal interventions according to SUCRA were Jinshuibao Capsules + conventional western medicine, Niaoduqing Granu-les + conventional western medicine, and Huangkui Capsules + conventional western medicine. The results showed that the combination of western medicine and Chinese patent medicine could reduce the expression of serum inflammatory factors TNF-α, hs-CRP, and IL-6 and inhibit the inflammatory response. The combination of western medicine and Chinese patent medicine was superior to western medicine alone in reducing Scr, BUN, and UAER, and improving the total effective rate of treatment. Due to the limitation of the quantity and quality of literature included, the above conclusions need to be validated by more high-quality studies.
Humans ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Network Meta-Analysis ; Nonprescription Drugs ; Diabetic Nephropathies/drug therapy* ; C-Reactive Protein ; Capsules ; Interleukin-6 ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Glycosides ; Tablets ; Diabetes Mellitus/drug therapy*