Baicalein, a flavonoid and aglycon hydrolyzed from baicalin, has anticancer properties in several human carcinomas, but its molecular mechanisms of action remain unclear. Here, we show that baicalein leads to human cancer cell death by inducing autophagy rather than apoptosis, because cell death induced by baicalein was completely reversed by suppressing the expression levels of key molecules in autophagy such as Beclin 1, vacuolar protein sorting 34 (Vps34), autophagy-related (Atg)5 and Atg7, but not by pan-caspase inhibitor. Our data revealed that baicalein significantly increased the number of green fluorescence protein-cytosol-associated protein light chain 3 (GFP-LC3)-containing puncta and LC3B-II expression levels, which were further enhanced by chloroquine treatment. Furthermore, a luciferase-based reporter assay showed that the ratio of RLuc-LC3wt/RLuc-LC3G120A was greatly reduced. The data suggested that baicalein induced not only autophagosome formation, but also autophagic flux. Experiments using short interfering RNAs and pharmacological inhibitors revealed that Beclin 1, Vps34, Atg5, Atg7 and UNC-51 (Caenorhabditis elegans)-like kinase 1 (ULK1) play pivotal roles in mediating baicalein-induced autophagy. Moreover, baicalein activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)a, leading to ULK1 activation through phosphorylation at Ser555, whereas both protein and mRNA levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Raptor, upstream inhibitors of ULK1 and autophagy, were markedly downregulated by baicalein. Our data suggest that the anticancer effects of baicalein are mainly due to autophagic cell death through activation of the AMPK/ULK1 pathway and inhibition of mTOR/Raptor complex 1 expression. These results provide new mechanistic insights into the anticancer functions of autophagy inducers, such as baicalein, which may be used as potential therapeutics for cancer treatment.Abbreviations Δwmt, mitochondrial membrane potential; 3-MA, 3-methyladenine; AMPK, AMP-activated protein kinase; Atg, autophagy-related; cdk, cyclindependent kinase; CQ, chloroquine; DMEM, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium; FLICA, fluorescent-labeled inhibitor of caspases; GFP, green fluorescent protein; LC3, microtubule-associated protein light chain 3; mTORC1, mammalian target of kanamycin complex 1; PARP, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase; PtdIns3K, phosphoinositide 3-kinase; PtIns3P, phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate; Raptor, regulatory-associated protein of mTOR; siRNA, small interfering RNA; ULK1, UNC-51 (C. elegans)-like kinase 1; Vps34, vacuolar protein sorting 34; wt, wild-type.

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Alismatis rhizoma (AR), the dried rhizome of Alisma orientale (Sam.) Juzep, is a well-known, traditional medicine that is used for the various biological activities including as a diuretic, to lower cholesterol and as an anti-inflammatory agent. The present study was carried out to investigate the potential toxicity of the Alismatis rhizoma aqueous extract (ARAE) following 90-day repeated oral administration to Sprague-Dawley rats. ARAE was administered orally to male and female rats for 90 days at 0 (control), 500, 1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg/day ( n = 10 for male and female rats for each dose). Additional recovery groups from the control group and high dose group were observed for a 28-day recovery period. Chromatograms of ARAE detected main compounds with four peaks. Treatment-related effects including an increase in the red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, albumin, total protein, and urine volume were observed in males of the 2,000 mg/kg/day group ( p < 0.05). However, the diuretic effect of ARAE was considered, a major cause of hematological and serum biochemical changes. The oral no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of the ARAE was > 2,000 mg/kg/day in both genders, and no target organs were identified.

Coumarins in Cham-dang-gwi, the dried root of Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN), possess pharmacological effects on anemia, pain, infection, and articular rheumatism. The AGN root containes decursin (D), decursinol angelate (DA), nodakenin, and decursinol (DOH), a major metabolite of D and DA. The aim of this study was to develop a simultaneous determination method for these four coumarins in human plasma using ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Chromatographic separation was performed on dual columns (Kinetex® C18 column and Capcell core C18 column) with mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min using gradient elution. Multiple reaction monitoring was operated in positive ion mode with precursors to product ion transition values of m/z 328.9→228.8, 328.9→228.9, 409.4→248.8, and 246.8→212.9 to measure D, DA, nodakenin, and DOH, respectively. Linear calibration curves were fitted over concentration range of 0.05–50 ng/mL for these four components, with correlation coefficient greater than 0.995. Inter- and intra-day accuracies were between 90.60% and 108.24%. These precisions were within 11.19% for all components. The established method was then applied to a pharmacokinetic study for the four coumarins after usual dosing in Korean subjects.

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The aim of this study was to develop an analytical method to simultaneously analyze schizandrin, schizandrol B, and gomisin N lignans in human plasma using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The three lignans were separated using a mobile phase of water and acetonitrile containing 0.02% acetic acid equipped with a Kinetex C column (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm). This analysis was achieved by multiple reaction monitoring mode in an electrospray interface. The mass transitions were m/z 433.1→384.0 for schizandrin, 398.8→367.8 for schizandrol B, and 400.6→299.8 for gomisin N. Liquid-liquid extraction with methyl tert-butyl ether was used to obtain the three lignans. The chromatograms showed high resolution, sensitivity, and selectivity with no interference with plasma constituents. The calibration curves for the three lignans in human plasma were 0.05-50 ng/mL and displayed excellent linearity with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99. Precision for all three lignans was within 11.23%. The accuracy was 88.3-99.0% for schizandrin, 90.6-103.4% for schizandrol B, and 90.2-103.5% for gomisin N. The developed simultaneous analytical method satisfied the criteria of international guidance and could be successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of three lignans after oral administration of Schisandrae Fructus extract powder to humans.

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