Psoralen and isopsoralen are two isomers and main effective components within Psoralea corylifolia. In order to investigate the salt-processing effect on tissue distribution characters of psoralen and isopsoralen, a sensitive and accurate ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometric (UHPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of the 2 components in rats' tissues after administration of the extracts that came from either crude or salt-processed Psoralea corylifolia L. Data displayed that both areas under the curve (AUC) of psoralen and isopsoralen from salt-processed scurfpea fruit group were significantly increased compared with that of the crude herb group, especially in heart (p < 0.05), ovary, and testes (p < 0.001). Though the RE and RCmax of psoralen and isopsoralen in all of the investigated organs were over 1.0, generative organs kept the maximum value. The experiment manifested that salt-processing of scurfpea fruit can increase the distribution of psoralen and isopsoralen to generative organs, heart and spleen, and the distribution of psoralen and isopsoralen to generative organs is significantly higher compared to heart and spleen (p < 0.01). Results indicate that salt-processing of scurfpea fruit can significantly increase the distribution of psoralen and isopsoralen to generative organs.
To evaluate and compare the effect of raw and processed pyritum on tibial defect healing, 32 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups. After tibial defect, animals were produced and grouped: sham and control group were orally administrated with distilled water (1 mL/100 g), while treatment groups were given aqueous extracts of raw and processed pyritum (1.5 g/kg) for successive 42 days. Radiographic examination showed that bone defect healing effect of the treatment groups was obviously superior compared to that of the control group. Bone mineral density of whole tibia was increased significantly after treating with pyritum. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry showed that the contents of Ca, P, and Mg in callus significantly increased in the treatment groups comparing with the control. Moreover, serological analysis showed that the concentration of serum phosphorus of the treatment groups significantly increased compared with that of the control group. By in vitro study, we have evaluated the effects of drug-containing serum of raw and processed pyritum on osteoblasts. It was manifested that both the drug-containing sera of raw and processed pyritum significantly increased the mRNA levels of alkaline phosphatase and collagen type I. Protein levels of phosphorylated Smad2/3 also increased. The mRNA levels of osteocalcin and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) type I and II receptors, as well as the protein levels of TGF-β1 in the processed groups, were higher than those in the control. In summary, both raw and processed pyritum-containing sera exhibited positive effects on osteoblasts, which maybe via the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway. Notably, the tibia defect healing effect of pyritum was significantly enhanced after processing.
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