Anti-inflammatory furostanol saponins from the rhizomes of Smilax china L

Characterization of Seven New Steroidal Saponins from Korean Oat Cultivars by UPLC-QTOF-MS and UPLC-MS/MS

Oat saponins are composed of triterpenoid and steroidal saponins, and their potential biological activities, such as antibacterial, antifungicidal, osteogenic, and anticancer activities, have been reported. In this study, qualitative and quantitative analyses of oat saponins were conducted by using UPLC-QToF-MS and UPLC-Triple Q-MS/MS. A total of 22 saponins were analyzed in seven Korean oat cultivars. Among them, 7 saponins were identified as new compounds in this source, which were tentatively confirmed as nuatigenin-type saponins with 26-O-diglucoside and 3-O-malonylglucoside forms and (25S)-furost-5-en-3β,22,26-triol-type saponins. In addition, the total content of these saponins ranged from 70.61 to 141.38 mg/100 g dry weight, and it was affected by the type of oat cultivar and the presence or absence of hulling. These detailed profiles will be suggested as fundamental data for breeding superior oat cultivars, evaluating of related products, and various industries.

Medicinal patterns of vines used in Chinese herbal medicine: a quantitative study

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The botanical characteristics of twinning, climbing vine plants conceptually take shape to interlink the meridians and collaterals system throughout the human body by expelling climatic evils (e.g., wind, dampness). Thus, vines have displayed great medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

AIM OF THE STUDY

Although some popular vine species have been intensively investigated, the comparable features and medicinal specifications among a vast collection of taxonomic groups based on data visualization methods are relatively lacking in attention. Moreover, the translatability of vines from ancient ethnomedical evidence to modern medical system has not been well established. This review tends to quantitatively summarize the strength of vines in healthcare from the perspectives of medicinal part, traditional function, clinical spectrum, phytochemistry divergence, pharmacological attributes, toxicity as well as the progress of proprietary drug development.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Medicinal vines were retrieved from databases of drug standards and curated catalogues. Synonyms of plant origin across different datasets were normalized by accepted scientific names in the World Flora Online. The distribution patterns and rank of plant origin, medicinal parts, traditional functions and target conditions, as well as the correlation between phytochemical composition and clinical applications were analyzed and visualized.

RESULTS

A total of 121 crude drugs from 36 families, 77 genera, 133 species of vines were obtained and analyzed. The Fabaceae, Menispermaceae and Rubiaceae were the highest ranked families of medicinal vines. Not surprisingly, stem was the most dominant medical part. Moreover, "eliminate wind" displayed a hub node in the traditional function co-occurrence network. In addition to joint impediment disorders, these vines particularly displayed a wide range of therapeutic modalities toward conditions from various organ systems. Chemotaxonomic properties-oriented phytochemical analysis was performed and the chemical diversity among medicinal vines complementarily determined a certain group of therapeutic domains. Particularly, the anti-inflammatory effect and antiarthritic effect were highlighted for treating rheumatic diseases. Using integral animal models and cultured cells, modern pharmacological actions of medicinal vines have been largely observed and validated according to their traditional ethnopharmacology. Furthermore, a small proportion of vine species are well-known toxic plants. Successful drug development pipelines in rheumatic, cardiovascular, liver, malignant and infectious diseases have offered the capacity to generate new treatment options that are being sought out from vine plants.

CONCLUSIONS

Medicinal vines are rich sources of Chinese Material Medica (CMM) and good fit for a variety of clinical manifestations beyond arthritis and rheumatic diseases. In addition to stem, other parts are also popular for both medicines and dietary supplements. Vine plants provide extensive biologically relevant chemical space for developing value-creating drugs. Thus, our analysis can be useful for further motivating and strengthening the preclinical and clinical research of vine-derived remedies.

Smilax china L.: A review of its botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, actual and potential applications

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Smilax china L., an extensively used traditional Chinese medicine, is known as Baqia in China. It has been used to treat various inflammatory disorders, particularly pelvic inflammation.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

The present paper aims to provide an up-to-date review at the advancements of the investigations on the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacological effect and actual and potential applications of S. china. Besides, the possible tendency and perspective for future research of this plant are discussed, as well.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This article uses "Smilax china L." "S. china" as the keyword and collects relevant information on Smilax china L. plants through electronic searches (Elsevier, PubMed, ACS, CNKI, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Web of Science), relevant books, and classic literature about Chinese herb.

RESULTS

134 chemical constituents, among which steroid saponins and flavonoids are the predominant groups, have been isolated and identified from S. china. S. china with its active compounds is possessed of wide-reaching biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, detoxify nicotine, anti-diabetes, anti-obesity, anti-hyperuricaemia, anti-hypertension, promoting skin wound and barrier repair and anti-bacterial activity. Besides, S. china is also applied to other fields, such as food industry and detection technology.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the review of the existing phytochemical studies on Smilax china L., the structural characterization of Smilax china L. extract can continue to be the focus of future research. Pharmacological studies in vitro and in vivo have demonstrated some of the traditional uses of Smilax china L. extract, while other traditional uses still need to be confirmed by research.

A new phenylpropanoid-substituted epicatechin from the rhizome of Smilax china

A new phenylpropanoid-substituted epicatechin, (2 R,3S,9R)-methyl {2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,5,8a,4a-tetrahydroxy-3,4-dihydro-2H,12H-pyrano[2,3-α]xanthen-12-yl}acetate (1) was isolated from the rhizome of Smilax china, along with twelve known compounds (2 - 13), which were isolated from the Smilax genus for the first time. On the basis of chemical evidences and spectral data analysis (UV, ECD, 1 D and 2 D-NMR, HR-ESI-MS), the structures of compound 1 was elucidated. Furthermore, all compounds have been tested for their inhibitory effects on NO production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, and compounds 6, 7, 11 and 13 have obvious inhibitory effect, in which the IC50 value of compound 7 reached 11.63 ± 1.29 μM. Through target screening and molecular docking, we can speculate that compound 7 may exert its anti-inflammatory effect by binding to MAPKAP kinase 2 and Leukocyte Proteases Cathepsin G & Chymase.

Cytotoxic steroidal saponins from the rhizomes of Paris fargesii var. Petiolata

Phytochemical investigation on the rhizomes of Paris fargesii var. petiolata (Baker ex C. H. Wright) Wang et Tang led to the isolation of five previously undescribed steroidal saponins, parpetiosides A-E (1-5), and six known analogs (6-11). Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic data analysis and chemical methods. Compound 5 was a rare steroidal saponin with disaccharide moiety linked at C-26 of dehydrokryptogenin that was hardly seen in the genus Paris. The cytotoxicities of the isolated compounds against three human cancer cell lines (U87, HepG2 and SGC-7901) were evaluated, and compound 1 displayed certain inhibitory effect with IC₅₀ values of 8.02 ± 0.45, 8.24 ± 0.57 and 6.20 ± 0.79 μM, respectively. Moreover, the preliminary mechanism of 1 inhibiting the proliferation of the three cancer cell lines might be related to cell cycle distribution and the induction of S phase arrest.

Steroidal Saponins from the Rhizomes of Smilax china and Their Inhibitory Effects on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Proinflammatory Cytokines Expression

Four new furostanol saponins (1:  - 4: ) and a new pregane-type saponin (5: ) along with six known steroidal saponins (6:  - 11: ) were isolated from the rhizomes of Smilax china. The structures of 1:  - 5: were elucidated by extensive analysis of NMR and HR-ESI-MS data in addition to enzymatic hydrolysis and other chemical methods. Compounds 1, 4: , and 11: showed inhibitory activity against the expression of proinflammatory mediators, inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells. Compound 1: , at a concentration of 20 µM, decreased the production of inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α by 36, 62, 72, and 67%, respectively, which is comparable to that of the positive control dexamethasone.

Cardioprotective 22-hydroxylanostane triterpenoids from the fruiting bodies of Phellinus igniarius

Seven undescribed 22-hydroxylanostane triterpenoids were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Phellinus igniarius, together with three known sterols. Their structures were assigned by extensive spectroscopic and HRESIMS data analyses. The absolute configurations of C-22 were determined by X-ray crystallography, chemical methods, and spectroscopic data comparison. Phellinol G was a 25,26,27-trinorlanostane triterpenoid glycoside. 22S/22R-25,26,27- Trinorlanosta-8-en-3β,22,24-triols with the same side chain as that of phellinol G were stereoselectively synthesized from commercial lanosterol for the first time. The key step involved Sharpless asymmetrical epoxidation. Phellinols A, B, and F showed cardioprotective activity against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation injury in H9c2 cells at a concentration of 20 μM.

Optimization of ultrasound extraction of Tribulus terrestris L. leaves saponins and their HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn profiling, anti-inflammatory activity and mechanism in vitro and in vivo

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Tribulus terrestris L., as an annual herb plant from Zygophyllaceae, exhibits many biological activities, and its main chemical constituents are saponins. However, the extraction process, chemical compositions, anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of total saponins from Tribulus terrestris L. leaves are still unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study extensively evaluated the extraction process, major components, anti-inflammatory action and mechanism of Tribulus terrestris L. leaves saponins.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The ultrasonic extraction and response surface methods were adopted for optimization of extraction technology of total saponins from Tribulus terrestris L. leaves, and its compositions were detected with LC-MSⁿ method. The anti-inflammatory activity of total saponins was studied by lipopolysaccharide induced RAW 264.7 cells and acute lung injury mice models.

RESULTS

The ultrasonic extraction parameters of saponins fraction, including ethanol concentration 30%, extraction time 55 min, ratio of solvent to material 35:1 ml/g and extraction temperature 46 °C, were screened by response surface method with the extracting rate 5.49%, and thirty compositions were detected with LC-MSⁿ method. Moreover, saponins fraction can play a stronger anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the phagocytic activity and pulmonary edema, and protection of morphology of RAW 264.7 cells and lung tissues, and decreasing the content of NO and TNF-α. Moreover, it was revealed that total saponins extract can exert the anti-inflammatory action by the inhibition of the activation of the TLR4-TRAF6-NF-κB signalling pathway.

CONCLUSION

These studies imply that Tribulus terrestris L. leaves saponins may be an important anti-inflammatory drug in clinic.

Novel Steroidal Saponins in Oat Identified by Molecular Networking Analysis and Their Levels in Commercial Oat Products

Through the use of the Global Natural Product Social (GNPS) feature-based networking system, a series of newly identified steroidal saponins were discovered in oat. The structures of the three new major steroidal saponins, sativacosides A-C (1-3), were characterized by analyzing their high-resolution MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectra, and an additional eight new steroidal saponins were also tentatively identified (4-11) based on their tandem mass spectra and typical fragments. Using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry techniques, a complete profile of the new sativacoside series was established, and the contents of sativacosides A-C were quantified in 18 different commercial oat products. The total levels of sativacosides A-C varied from 62.2 to 192.9 μg/g in these 18 products, in which oat bran (11 samples) and oatmeal (3 samples) had higher levels than cold oat cereal (4 samples).

Sanjin tablet combined with antibiotics for treating patients with acute lower urinary tract infections: A meta-analysis and GRADE evidence profile

Numerous clinical studies have evaluated the performance of Sanjin tablets (SJTs) in the treatment of acute lower urinary tract infections (ALUTIs) in China. The present meta-analysis aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of SJT combined with antibiotics for the treatment of patients with ALUTIs and to evaluate the quality of evidence. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Chinese BioMedical Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang and VIP databases were searched for entries added between inception and December 2018 to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials for Traditional Chinese Medicine were used for assessing the methodological quality and reporting quality of eligible studies, respectively. Meta-analysis and quality of evidence assessment were performed with RevMan 5.3 and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE), respectively. A total of 8 RCTs comprising 790 patients with ALUTIs were included in the present meta-analysis. The cure rate of SJTs combined with gatifloxacin tablets (GTs) was higher than that of GTs alone [relative ratio (RR)=1.30, 95% CI=1.07–1.57, P=0.009]. The cure rate of SJTs combined with levofloxacin tablets (LTs) was higher than that of LTs alone (RR=1.13, 95% CI=1.04–1.24, P=0.006). SJTs combined with LTs was better in improving the total effective rate than LTs alone (RR=1.11, 95% CI=1.03–1.19, P=0.005). The recurrence rate for SJTs combined with antibiotics was lower than that associated with antibiotics alone (RR=0.35, 95% CI=0.13–0.97, P=0.04). The bacterial clearance rate achieved with SJTs combined with antibiotics was higher than that obtained with antibiotics alone (RR=1.41, 95% CI=1.09–1.84, P=0.009). The present meta-analysis demonstrated that, compared with the effects of antibiotics treatment, SJTs combined with antibiotics improved the cure rate, total effective rate and bacterial clearance rate, and decreased the recurrence rate. In addition, no serious adverse reactions were observed in patients with ALUTIs. However, the GRADE quality of evidence was low. Thus, further large-scale and rigorously designed clinical trials are required to improve the quality of evidence.