Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of Ebracteolatain A, a potential anti-cancer compound, as determined by an optimized ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method

Yuexiandajisu diterpenoids from Euphorbia ebracteolata Hayata (Langdu roots): An overview

The roots of the plant Euphorbia ebracteolata Hayata (Yue Xian Da Ji) are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat multiple diseases such as chronic liver diseases, oedema, pulmonary diseases and cancer. It is the main ingredient of the TCM called Langdu which can be prepared also from roots of E. fischeriana Steud. and occasionally from Stellera chamaejasme species. Numerous bioactive natural products have been isolated from E. ebracteolata including a large diversity of diterpenoids with anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. One little series of compounds has been named yuexiandajisu (A, B, C, D, D₁, E, F) which comprises two casbane-, one isopimarane-, two abietane-, and two rosane-type diterpenes including a dimeric molecule. The origin, structural diversity and properties of these little-known natural products is discussed here. Several of these compounds have been identified in the roots of other Euphorbia species, notably the potent phytotoxic agent yuexiandajisu C. The abietane diterpenes yuexiandajisu D-E exhibit marked anticancer properties but their mechanism of action remains unresolved. The dimeric compound, renamed yuexiandajisu D₁, also exhibit anti-proliferative properties against cancer cell lines, unlike the rosane diterpene yuexiandajisu F. The structural or functional analogy with other diterpenoids is discussed.

Standardization of açaí extracts for in-vitro assays based on anthocyanin quantitation

Euterpe oleracea Mart., commonly known as açaí, is a fruit that grows on a palm tree native to the Amazon region. Quantitation of bioactive constituents is a crucial preliminary step before utilizing extracts for biological assays so they may be normalized and administered according to a specific constituent concentration. Açaí has four main anthocyanin analytes: cyanidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-sambubioside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, and peonidin 3-rutinoside. This is the first comparison of açaí anthocyanin profiles between fresh fruits, processed powders, and botanical dietary supplement capsules. The materials examined shared a similar anthocyanin profile, with cyanidin 3-rutinoside being the most abundant (0.380 ± 0.006 - 15.1 ± 0.01 mg/g), followed by cyanidin 3-glucoside (0.0988 ± 0.0031 - 8.95 ± 0.01 mg/g). Among the botanical dietary supplement capsules, the two formulations varied greatly in anthocyanin concentration despite both being aqueous extracts (0.650 ± 0.011 - 0.924 ± 0.010 mg/g versus 1.23 ± 0.01 - 1.27 ± 0.02 mg/g). Previous LC-MS methods range from 35-120 min per injection, while we report a 10 min quantitative method for analysis of anthocyanins in various açaí materials that is fast, reproducible, and accurate. The method produced is useful to assure the quality, efficacy and safety of food and dietary supplement materials containing açaí.

Outstanding Antibacterial Activity of Hypericum rochelii-Comparison of the Antimicrobial Effects of Extracts and Fractions from Four Hypericum Species Growing in Bulgaria with a Focus on Prenylated Phloroglucinols

Microbial infections are by no means a health problem from a past era due to the increasing antimicrobial resistance of infectious strains. Medicine is in constant need of new drugs and, recently, plant products have had a deserved renaissance and garnered scientific recognition. The aim of this work was to assess the antimicrobial activity of ten active ingredients from four Hypericum species growing in Bulgaria, as well as to obtain preliminary data on the phytochemical composition of the most promising samples. Extracts and fractions from H. rochelii Griseb. ex Schenk, H. hirsutum L., H. barbatum Jacq. and H. rumeliacum Boiss. obtained with conventional or supercritical CO₂ extraction were tested on a panel of pathogenic microorganisms using broth microdilution, agar plates, dehydrogenase activity and biofilm assays. The panel of samples showed from weak to extraordinary antibacterial effects. Three of them (from H. rochelii and H. hirsutum) had minimum inhibitory concentrations as low as 0.625-78 mg/L and minimum bactericidal concentrations of 19.5-625 mg/L against Staphylococcus aureus and other Gram-positive bacteria. These values placed these samples among the best antibacterial extracts from the Hypericum genus. Some of the agents also demonstrated very high antibiofilm activity against methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed the three most potent samples as rich sources of biologically active phloroglucinols. They were shown to be good drug or nutraceutical candidates, presumably without some of the side effects of conventional antibiotics.

Ebracteolatain A exerts anti-proliferation of breast cancer by inhibiting Protein kinase D 1 in MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways

BACKGROUND

Ebracteolatain A (EA) is an acetyl-phloroglucinol compound extracted from Euphorbiae Ebracteolatae Radix, which has been shown to have antitumor activity.

PURPOSE

Current research addressed the antitumor activity of EA in breast cancer and further clarified its mechanism.

STUDY DESIGN

Based on the pharmacodynamic evaluation in breast cancer cells and animal models, the antitumor effects of EA will be validated in vitro and in vivo.

METHODS

Breast cancer cells were processed with increasing concentrations of EA. CCK-8 and colony formation assays were employed to examine the effects of EA on proliferation and survival. Flow cytometry detected the blocking function of EA on the cell cycle. The specific mechanism of EA in breast cancer was studied by transfection experiments and Western Blot analysis. Finally, a nude mice xenograft tumor model was constructed to assess the therapeutic and potential mechanism of EA.

RESULTS

We proved that EA caused a dose-dependent inhibition on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-415 cells with IC₅₀ of 6.164 and 6.623 μmol/l, respectively. While EA reduced cell proliferation and clone formation, and markedly arrested cells in the G₀/G₁ phase. In vivo, EA remarkably suppressed the tumor weight and volume in xenograft nude mice. Besides, PKD1 reversed the inhibition of EA on breast cancer cell proliferation, clone formation, and cycle arrest, and restored tumor growth in xenograft nude mice. Western Blot confirmed that EA regulates breast cancer by suppressing PKD1 in MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

Herein, we first confirmed EA exerts anti-proliferation by inhibiting PKD1 in MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, indicating that EA is a prodigious breast cancer drug candidate.

A strategy for rapid discovery and validation of active diterpenoids as quality markers in different habitats of Langdu using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with multivariate statistical analysis

Langdu known as a Traditional Chinese Medicine was identified as the roots of species of Euphorbia ebracteolata Hayata and Euphorbia fischeriana Steud, displaying anti-tuberculosis activity. In order to clarify the potent quality markers of Langdu, this research firstly developed a fast and sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantification of thirteen diterpenoids existed in Langdu. The developed method was further applied in the analyses of 12 authentic E. ebracteolata and E. fischeriana samples collected in the North and Southeast of China. Then, the anti-tuberculosis evaluation of 12 batches of Langdu samples was performed in vitro. Finally, Partial least squares discrimination analysis was used in the discrimination of E. ebracteolata and E. fischeriana from different origins and processing methods. Jolkinolide A (1), jolkinolide E (3), yuexiandajisu D (6), Ebractenone A (11) were identified as the key, potent diterpenoids for quality control of E. ebracteolata Hayata and E. fischeriana Steud. The present study established a qualitative chemical analysis method for Langdu (E. ebracteolata and E. fischeriana), and suggested the key bioactive components which will improve qualitative control methodology for this important medicine. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Pharmacokinetics, Tissue Distribution, and Human Serum Albumin Binding Properties of Delicaflavone, a Novel Anti-Tumor Candidate

Delicaflavone (DF), a natural active ingredient from Selaginella doederleinii Hieron, has been reported to have favorable anticancer effects and is thus considered a potential anticancer agent. However, its pharmacokinetics and plasma protein binding properties remain unknown. Here, we investigated the pharmacokinetic profile of DF in rats using a validated HPLC-MS/MS methods, as well as its human serum albumin (HSA) binding properties through multi-spectroscopic and in silico methods. The results showed that DF was rapidly eliminated and had a widespread tissue distribution after intravenous administration. DF showed linear dynamics in the dose range of 30–60 mg/kg and poor oral bioavailability. The major distribution tissues of DF were the liver, lungs, and kidneys. Ultraviolet and fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular docking demonstrated that DF had a static quenching effect on HSA, with one binding site, and relatively strong binding constants. Thermodynamic analysis of the binding data revealed that hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions played major roles in binding. The results of this study further our understanding of the pharmacokinetic and plasma protein binding properties of the potential anticancer agent DF and shed light on pharmacological strategies that may be useful for the development of novel cancer therapeutics.

Distributions of eight bioactive components in rat tissues administered Marsdenia tenacissima extract orally detected through UPLC-MS/MS

Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight et Arn. (M. tenacissima) is considered an anticancer medicine in traditional Chinese medicine, which is extensively used in clinical application since it has great therapeutic effects. Currently, although a number of articles have examined M. tenacissima in terms of its pharmacology and quality control, few have investigated the in vivo mechanism of M. tenacissima active ingredients. Previously, we have studied the pharmacokinetics of eight active ingredients after oral administration of M. tenacissima extracts in rat plasma. This study constructed a new scientific ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) approach to simultaneously quantify the contents of tenacissosides B, G, H and I, cryptochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid and caffeic acid in rats orally administered M. tenacissima extract. The proposed approach was successfully used for investigating the distributions of those eight analytes in rat tissues, with digoxin being used as an internal control. The Eclipse Plus C₁₈ RRHD column was used for determination at a column temperature of 30°C. The mobile phase system consisted of acetonitrile and water (supplemented with 0.1% formic acid) under optimal gradient elution conditions. Afterwards, this approach was validated according to the requirements for the analysis of biological samples developed by the US Food and Drug Administration, including precision, accuracy, stability and matrix effects. Based on tissue distribution analysis, those eight analytes showed rapid distribution within all the tested tissues. With regard to organic acid distribution, it followed the order stomach > liver > kidney > small intestine > lung > spleen > heart, whereas the four steroids followed the order stomach > lung > spleen > small intestine > liver > kidney > heart. The present study lays the theoretical foundation for the use and development of M. tenacissima in clinical practice.