No abstract

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in HepG2 was used to screen hepatocyte protective compounds from the flowers of Hemerocallis fulva. Three new polyphenols, n-butyl 4-trans-O-caffeoylquinate (1), kaempferol 3-O-{α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1→6)[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)]}-β-D-galactopyranoside (2), and chrysoeriol 7-O-[β-D-glucuronopyranosyl(1→2)(2-O-trans-feruloyl)-β-D-glucuronopyranoside (3), together with four caffeoylquinic acid derivatives (4-7), eight known flavones (8-15), one naphthalene glycoside, stelladerol (16), one tryptophan derivative (17), adenosine (18), and guanosine (19) were isolated from the bioactive fractions of the aqueous ethanol extract of H. fulva flowers. The structures of isolated compounds were characterized by means of spectroscopic data. Compounds 1-3 were described as first isolated natural products. Among the above-mentioned compounds, the caffeoylquinic acid derivatives are the major components with potent free radical scavenging activity in HepG2 cells and are for the first time isolated from H. fulva flowers. A convenient ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was also developed to simultaneously separate and identify caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids promptly.

Stroke is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, and tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) is the only drug used for a limited group of stroke patients in the acute phase. Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BHD), a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, has long been used for improving neurological functional recovery in stroke. In this study, we characterized the therapeutic effect of TPA and BHD in a cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (CIR) injury mouse model using multiplex proteomics approach. After the iTRAQ-based proteomics analysis, 1310 proteins were identified from the mouse brain with <1% false discovery rate. Among them, 877 quantitative proteins, 10.26% (90/877), 1.71% (15/877), and 2.62% (23/877) of the proteins was significantly changed in the CIR, BHD treatment, and TPA treatment, respectively. Functional categorization analysis showed that BHD treatment preserved the integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) (Alb, Fga, and Trf), suppressed excitotoxicity (Grm5, Gnai, and Gdi), and enhanced energy metabolism (Bdh), thereby revealing its multiple effects on ischemic stroke mice. Moreover, the neurogenesis marker doublecortin was upregulated, and the activity of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) and Tau was inhibited, which represented the neuroprotective effects. However, TPA treatment deteriorated BBB breakdown. This study highlights the potential of BHD in clinical applications for ischemic stroke.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a crucial inflammatory cytokine when hepatocytes are damaged. Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (Chinese licorice) has been widely used in Chinese herbal prescriptions for the treatment of liver diseases and as a food additive. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) reporter gene assay in TNF-α-induced HepG2 was used as a screening platform. IκBα phosphorylation and p65 translocation were measured by Western blotting, and nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression were further confirmed in rat primary hepatocytes. Results showed that TNF-α enhanced NF-κB activity was significantly attenuated by glycyrrhetinic acid in a concentration-dependent manner in the NF-κB reporter gene assay. Glycyrrhetinic acid decreased the gene expression of iNOS through inhibited IκBα phosphorylation and p65 translocation in protein level. Furthermore, NO production and iNOS expression were reduced by glycyrrhetinic acid in TNF-α-induced rat primary hepatocytes. These results suggest that glycyrrhetinic acid may provide hepatoprotection against chronic liver inflammation through attenuating NF-κB activation to alleviate the inflammation.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Hypericum sampsonii Hance (Clusiaceae) is a folk medicine used in Taiwan to treat blood stasis, relieve swelling, and as an anti-hepatitis drug. Two new polyprenylated phloroglucinol derivatives, hypersampsone R (1) and hypersampsone S (2), and a known prenylated benzophenone, hyperibone K (3) were isolated from the aerial parts of H. sampsonii. Their structures were determined by extensive 1D and 2D NMR, and MS spectral analyses.