To identify and verify the active ingredients from Astragalus membranaceus on hypertensive cardiac remodeling based on network pharmacology and heart RNA-sequencing data. The monomers of A. membranaceus and their intervention target database were established by using network pharmacology. The genes associated to cardiac remodeling were then screened by analyzing cardiac RNA-sequencing data. An overlap between genes related to cardiac remodeling and targets of ingredients form A. membranaceus was collected to obtain monomers with protective effect on hypertensive cardiac remodeling. Angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ)-induced mouse cardiac remodeling model was used to validate the protective effect of active ingredients from A. membranaceus on hypertensive cardiac remodeling. Finally, a total of 81 monomers and 1 197 targets were enrolled in our database. Mouse RNA-sequencing data showed that 983 genes were significantly up-regulated and 465 genes were down-regulation in myocardial tissues of the cardiac remodeling mice as compared with blank group mice, respectively. Ninety-two genes were found via overlapping between genes related to cardiac remodeling and targets, involving 59 monomers from A. membranaceus. Further research found that vanillic acid(VA) could intervene 27 genes associated with hypertensive cardiac remodeling, ranking top 1. Meanwhile, VA could significantly inhibit AngⅡ-induced increase in ratio of heart weight to body weight and heart weight to tibial length, ANP and BNP mRNA levels in myocardial tissues, myocardial tissue damage, cardiac fibrosis level and cardiac hypertrophy level in vivo. Those results showed that network pharmacology screen-based VA has protective effect on AngⅡ-induced cardiac remodeling.
Angiotensin II ; Animals ; Astragalus propinquus/chemistry* ; Heart ; Hypertension/genetics* ; Mice ; Protective Agents/pharmacology* ; Vanillic Acid/pharmacology* ; Ventricular Remodeling/genetics*

The present study aimed to study lipid-lowering effect of seven traditional Chinese medicine monomers in zebrafish system. Zebrafish were fed with high fat diet to establish a hyperlipemia model, then fasted and bathed with seven traditional Chinese medicine monomers stigmasterol, triacontanol, chrysophanol, vanillic acid, shikimic acid, polydatin and oleanolic acid respectively. The oil red O staining was used to detect the blood lipids of zebrafish. Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were detected to validate the lipid-lowering effect. The result showed that a zebrafish model of hyperlipemia could be established by feeding larvae zebrafish with high fat diet. Among the seven traditional Chinese medicine monomers, chrysophanol had lipid-lowering effect. Chrysophanol significantly reduced serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in adult zebrafish fed with high fat diet. Chrysophanol accelerated peristalsis frequency of zebrafish intestine and the excretion of high fat food. It is concluded that chrysophanol has lipid- lowering effect in zebrafish, and the mechanism of the effect may be due to the roles of chrysophanol in reducing lipid absorption from gastrointestinal tract and accelerating the excretion of food.
Animals ; Anthraquinones ; pharmacology ; Diet, High-Fat ; Fatty Alcohols ; pharmacology ; Glucosides ; pharmacology ; Hyperlipidemias ; drug therapy ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Larva ; Lipids ; blood ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Oleanolic Acid ; pharmacology ; Shikimic Acid ; pharmacology ; Stigmasterol ; pharmacology ; Stilbenes ; pharmacology ; Vanillic Acid ; pharmacology ; Zebrafish

AIM: To study the absorption properties and mechanism of two important components, trolline and veratric acid, from the flowers of Trollius chinensis, in order to better understand the contribution of these two compounds to the effectiveness of these flowers. METHOD: The human Caco-2 cell monolayer model was employed to study the transport of trolline and veratric acid from apical side (AP) to basal side (BL), and from BL to AP by determining the transport rates as the function of time and concentration and calculating apparent permeability coefficients (Papp). RESULTS: Trolline and veratric acid were transported across Caco-2 cell monolayer through different mechanisms in a concentration dependent manner. Trolline was transported at a Papp level of 10(-6) cm·s(-1) with a Papp AP→BL/Papp BL→AP ratio of more than 1.8 or less than 0.8, while veratric acid was transported at a Papp level of 10(-5)cm·s(-1) with a Papp AP→BL/Papp BL→AP ratio of close to 1.0. CONCLUSION Trolline is moderately absorbed through an associative mechanism involving active and passive transport, and veratric acid is well-absorbed mainly through passive diffusion. These factors should be taken into account when chemically assessing the pharmacodynamic material basis of the flowers of T. chinensis.
Alkaloids ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Anti-Infective Agents ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Biological Transport ; Caco-2 Cells ; Flowers ; chemistry ; Humans ; Intestinal Absorption ; Plant Extracts ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Ranunculaceae ; chemistry ; Vanillic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; metabolism ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo study the active constituents in vine stem of Spatholobus suberectus.

METHODThe constituents of Spatholobus suberectus were systematically separated with various chromatographic techniques. The structures were elucidated by physico-chemical properties and spectral data.

RESULTEight compounds were isolated from S. suberectus, and were identified as: ononin (1), pruneitin (2), gallocatechin (3), catechin (4), epicatechin (5), syringic acid (6), vanillic acid (7) and daucosterol (8).

CONCLUSIONCompound 3, 4, 6, 7 were obtained from Spatholobus genus for the first time. Compound 4 has stimulation to proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cell.

Animals ; Catechin ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Fabaceae ; chemistry ; Gallic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Mice ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Vanillic Acid ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo investigate the chemical constituents of the branches and leaves of Polyalthia nemoralis.

METHODThe compounds were isolated and purified by silica gel, macroporous adsorption resin and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographic methods. Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical properties and spectral data.

RESULTFourteen compounds were isolated and identified as syringic acid (1), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (2), vanillic acid (3), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4), mauritianin (5), (+)-xylopinidine (6), (+)-oblongine(7), (+)-tembetarine (8), eythritol (9), D-mannitol (10), ethyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (11), (+)-magnoflorine (12), stepharanine (13), (2S, 4R)-4-hydroxy-2-piperidine-carboxylic acid (14), respectively.

CONCLUSIONAll the compounds were isolated from the genus Polyalthia for the first time; compounds 6 and 13 showed inhibitation activities against multi tumor cell lines.

Alkaloids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Aporphines ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Chromatography, Agarose ; methods ; Coumaric Acids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Gallic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Kaempferols ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Parabens ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Polyalthia ; chemistry ; Vanillic Acid ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology