Polysaccharides from Dendrobium huoshanense possess immunostimulating activity, antioxidant activity and anticataract activity. In order to produce the active polysaccharides from Dendrobium huoshanense through cell culture, we investigated the effects of salicylic acid on cell growth, accumulation of polysaccharides and utilization of carbon source in suspension cultures of protocorm-like bodies from Dendrobium huoshanense. Although salicylic acid slightly inhibited the cell growth, it was beneficial to the utilization of carbon source, thus leading to significant increase in the contents of polysaccharides. The highest polysaccharide production occurred on the medium supplied with 100 micromoI/L salicylic acid. After 18 days of culture the production of polysaccharides reached 3.129 g/L, which was 1.63 times that of the control. Further, we established the kinetic models describing cell growth, polysaccharide production and carbon source utilization based on Logistic equation, Luedeking-Piret equation and Luedeking-Piret-Like equation. The calculated values from the kinetic models showed a good fit to the experimental values, suggesting that salicylic acid could be an effective compound to enhance the production of active polysaccharides from protcorm-like bodies from Dendrobium huoshanense.
Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Dendrobium ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Polysaccharides ; biosynthesis ; Salicylic Acid ; pharmacology

A structure kinetic model was established for describing the relationship among cell growth, genistein formation and substrate utilization in suspension culture of Maackia amurensis. In this model, sucrose uptake, structure components production, intermediate matter changes, cell respiration loss and secondary metabolite (genistein) production were all predicted. The parameter sensitivity test was indicated that intermediate matter self-catalysis rate constant (k(b1)), structure component synthesis rate constant (k(b2)) and secondary metabolite synthesis rate constant (k(p)) were the most sensitive parameters for this model. If k(b1), k(b2) or k(p) are changed by 10%, the range of the aim function value would be changed by 12.8%, 4.61% and 2.54%, respectively. Adjustment of the other parameters only aroused a change of less than 0.5% in the aim function value. The predicted values were in good agreement with those obtained experimentally.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Cells, Cultured ; Kinetics ; Maackia ; cytology ; Models, Biological

Objective:Immune cells and inflammatory mediators play important roles in the development of atherosclerotic vascular inflammation.This study focuses on the direct effect ofIL-27 on human coronary artery endothelial cells.Methods:In this study,the effects of IL-27 and TNF-α on inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were investigated.Results:IL-27 could significantly enhance the TNF-α-mediated upregulation of inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and chemokines CCL5 from human coronary artery endothelial cells.The release of IL-6 and CCL5 was significantly suppressed by specific signaling molecule inhibitors.Conclusion:The induction of these mediators from the human coronary artery endothelial cells could be differentially regulated by the c-Jun N-terminal kinase,p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase,and nuclear factor-κB pathways.These results provided new insights into the effect of IL-27 on the TNF-α mediated activation of human coronary artery endothelial cells in atherosclerotic vascular inflammation.

Three bibenzyls 1-3 and six other compounds 4-9 were firstly isolated from Dendrobium huoshanense stems. They were identified as 3',4-dihydroxy-3,5'-dimethoxybibenzyl(1), batatasin Ⅲ(2), 3,4'-dihydroxy-5-methoxy bibenzyl(3), dihydroconiferyl dihydro-p-coumarate(4), syringaresinol(5), 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionic acid ethyl ester(6),(3-ethylphenyl)-1,2-ethanediol(7),(S)-5-hydroxy-3,4-dimethyl-5-pentylfuran-2(5H)-one(8) and loliolide(9). Anti-inflammation assay showed that bibenzyls 1-3 could significantly inhibit the production of nitric oxide(NO) and the expression of tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α) and interleukin 1β(IL-1β) mRNA in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. Mechanism study exhibited that the phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB) p65, inhibitor of κB(IκB), extracellular regulatedprotein kinase(ERK), c-Jun N-terminalkinase(JNK), p38 and Akt of LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages could be remarkably reduced by 1. These results suggested that the inflammatory response of LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages could be significantly inhibited by 1-3. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory effect of 1 might be contributed to its ability on the regulation of NF-κB, MAPKs and Akt signaling pathways.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; therapeutic use ; Dendrobium ; Humans ; Inflammation ; drug therapy ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Macrophages ; NF-kappa B ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a very common chronic liver disease in clinic, which can further develop into liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, eventually hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure. Limonin is a natural triterpenoid compound containing furan rings. Previous studies have found that limonin has good anti-inflammatory, analgesic and liver protective functions. However, the mechanism of action of limonin on NAFLD has not been clarified. Based on the background, C57BL/6J male mice were fed with high fat diet (HFD) to establish NAFLD model (the experiment was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Hefei University of Technology, the approval number is HFUT20220429001), and limonin was added to the mice for administration by intragastric administration (i.g.). The results showed that HFD can induce typical NAFLD phenotypes, including impaired liver function, increased fat accumulation, and increased serum aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in mice. Mice were treated with limonin (50 and 100 mg·kg^-1) for 10 weeks, and it was found that limonin could restore dyslipidemia and improve fat accumulation in liver cells of mice. In addition, we conducted in vitro experiments with human hepatoma cell line HepG2 cells, and found that limonin can promote the expression of oxidative metabolism and autophagy related genes and inhibit apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Mechanistically, limonin improves high-fat food-induced NAFLD by promoting the expression of oxidative metabolism genes transcriptional coactivator of peroxisome proliferator activating receptor γ (PPARγ) (PGC1α) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 alpha (CPT1α) through peroxisome proliferator activates receptor alpha (PPARα). These results indicate that limonin can inhibit apoptosis, promote autophagy and improve NAFLD by promoting oxidative metabolism of fatty acids through PPARα.

Objective : To explore the application of ZnxNi1－xS@ DOX nanostructures in combined photothermal- chemotherapy treatment of tumors，and to provide new ideas for the study of tumor treatment methods． Methods: The morphology and elementary composition of ZnxNi1－xS nanostructures were characterized by scanning emission e- lectron microscopy and other methods．The photothermal properties of ZnxNi1－xS nanostructures were explored by infrared thermal camera．The release of DOX under different temperature and pH was investigated by fluorescence spectrophotometer．The biosafety of ZnxNi1－xS nanostructures and the in vitro antitumor properties of ZnxNi1－xS@ DOX nanostructures were investigated by MTT assay. Results : The as-prepared ZnxNi1－xS nanostructure had good dispersion and uniform size．The ZnxNi1－xS nanostructures had good photothermal effect．The drug release behavior showed temperature and pH responsiveness．The MTT assay showed that ZnxNi1－xS nanostructures were nontoxic to normal cells．ZnxNi1－xS@ DOX nanostructures could significantly inhibit the growth of tumor cells under near-infra- red illumination． Conclusion The as-prepared ZnxNi1－xS nanostructure has good biocompatibility，on the basis of which the ZnxNi1－xS@ DOX nanostructures achieve good antitumor performance，which can be used for combined photothermal-chemotherapy treatment of tumors.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the characteristics of growth, and water-soluble polysaccharide and total alkaloid accumulation in protocom-like bodies (PLBs) of Dendrobium huoshanenese in liquid culture system.

METHODPLBs were suspended in liquid medium and growth kinetics was analyzed. Water-soluble polysaccharide and total alkaloid content in PLBs were determined by colorimetry.

RESULTPLBs were induced from stem explants of D. huoshanenese regenerants cultured on MS medium supplemented with NAA or NAA and KT at different concentrations. Basal MS medium was suitable for propagation of PLBs. When PLBs were suspended in liquid medium, mumax was 0.044.d-1, t(d) was 15.8 d and the optimum growth time was 4 weeks. Water-soluble polysaccharide and total alkaloid contents in PLBs were 3.75% and 0.0261%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONPLBs in liquid culture system show a potential for rapid growth and high metabolite synthesis, which provides possibility for exploiting resources of D. huoshanenese by large scale culture of PLBs.

Alkaloids ; analysis ; Culture Media ; Culture Techniques ; methods ; Dendrobium ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Plant Stems ; growth & development ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Polysaccharides ; analysis

"Xishuang" is a special phenomenon that chemical composition of medicinal materials crystallize on the surface exposed to air for a long time. We summarized Herbal textual research of "Xishuang" phenomenon of six herbs, such as Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, Moutan Cortex, Atractylodis Rhizoma, Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, dried persimmon frost and watermelon frost. From historical perspective, cream of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus was firstly discovered in Lei Gong's Moxibustion Theory. Thereafter, dried persimmon frost was found in Song Dynasty, which was named "white persimmon" in Ben Cao Tu Jing and had become an independent medicine in Compendium of Materia Medica. Then, watermelon frost was found in Yang Yi Da Quan of the Qing Dynasty, and Moutan Cortex's "sand star" was recorded in Zeng Ding Wei Yao Tiao Bian of the Republic of China. After that, "Xishuang" phenomenon of Atractylodis Rhizomaand Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex were reported in 1950s and 1960s in succession. The pattern of "Xishuang" is divided into different type, natural "Xishuang" includes Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, Moutan Cortex, Atractylodis Rhizoma and Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, artificial "Xishuang" includes watermelon frost, and dried persimmon frost formed crystals by using artificial intervention. The above 6 kinds of herbs have different crystal structure and chemical composition. Therefore, according to traditional identification experience, "Xishuang" phenomenon is related to varieties and quality of medicinal herbs. These research provide herbalism basis for the modern study of "Xishuang" medicinal materials.

Anhui is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Plain, its across warm temperate zone and subtropics. The mountain and water next to each other, which leads to Chinese medicine resources ranked first in East China. The utilization of traditional Chinese medicine resources in Anhui has a long history, which could date back to the publishing time of Ming Yi Bie Lu (Appendant Records of Famous Physicians). And the kinds of traditional Chinese medicine in Song Dynasty ups to 80. There are also some differences in the distribution of various geographical units in terms of the types: Jianghuai hilly region's ups to 64, 25 in Wannan mountainous area, the species in Dabie Mountains and Huaibei plain are 16 and 14 respectively. In addition, the Jianghuai hilly region's and Wannan mountainous area have a long history among of them, which have been reached a peak in the Song Dynasty. The history of native medicinal materials in Anhui recorded in different periods, though combing herbal books. And the results showed that the vast majority of varieties in ancient are the same as modern ones, which provide the historical basis for the rich bulk medicinal materials in Anhui. The distinctions in natural and social environment of different geographical units have effects on the history of the usage of Chinese medicine resources in respective regions. Thus, the variety and distribution of native medicinal materials in Anhui among the Bencao works of different period provides herbalism basis for the protection and utilization of Chinese medicine resources currently.

The growth years of medicinal materials are closely related to their quality, and "Herb-chronology" has been used to determine the growth years of perennial dicotyledonous plants in recent years. On the basis of conventional paraffin section and freehand section, the anatomical study on roots of seven Sect. Paeonia species and main roots of cultivated Paeonia lactiflora was conducted in this paper. The results showed that, there existed some differences in microstructure of the seven species such as P. lactiflora, P. obovata, P. veitchii, P. mairei, P. anomala, P. sinjiangensis and P. anomala var. intermedia, and this could be used to distinguish different species. In the roots of seven Sect. Paeonia species, distinct growth rings were formed because that the different diameters or density of xylem vessels in the secondary xylem formed clusters and arranged interrupted rings in tangential direction. There were growth rings in the main roots of P. lactiflora cultivated 1-4 years in Siping, Jilin, which were all consistent with their growth years. Due to the similar growth characteristics between wild Sect. Paeonia species and cultivated P. lactiflora, the growth rings can provide a basis for the age identification and lay the foundation for the quality evaluation of Paeoniae Radix Rubra.