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Liu F, Zhan S, Zhang P, Jia C, Zhu Q, Dai Q, Yu M, Cheng L, Xiong L, Sun F, Xia P, Zhang X, Hu J. Simultaneous quantitative analysis and in vitro anti-arthritic effects of five polyphenols from Terminalia chebula. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1138947. [PMID: 36969583 PMCID: PMC10030958 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1138947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The fruit of Terminalia chebula has been widely used for a thousand years for treating diarrhea, ulcers, and arthritic diseases in Asian countries. However, the active components of this Traditional Chinese medicine and their mechanisms remain unclear, necessitating further investigation. Objectives: To perform simultaneous quantitative analysis of five polyphenols in T. chebula and evaluate their anti-arthritic effects including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. Materials and methods: Water, 50% water-ethanol, and pure ethanol were used as extract solvents. Quantitative analysis of gallic acid, corilagin, chebulanin, chebulagic acid, and ellagic acid in the three extracts was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Antioxidant activity was assessed by the 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay, and anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by detecting interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 expression in IL-1β-stimulated MH7A cells. Results: The 50% water-ethanol solvent was the optimal solvent yielding the highest total polyphenol content, and the concentrations of chebulanin and chebulagic acid were much higher than those of gallic acid, corilagin, and ellagic acid in the extracts. The DPPH radical-scavenging assay showed that gallic acid and ellagic acid were the strongest antioxidative components, while the other three components showed comparable antioxidative activity. As for the anti-inflammatory effect, chebulanin and chebulagic acid significantly inhibited IL-6 and IL-8 expression at all three concentrations; corilagin and ellagic acid significantly inhibited IL-6 and IL-8 expression at high concentration; and gallic acid could not inhibit IL-8 expression and showed weak inhibition of IL-6 expression in IL-1β-stimulated MH7A cells. Principal component analysis indicated that chebulanin and chebulagic acid were the main components responsible for the anti-arthritic effects of T. chebula. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the potential anti-arthritic role of chebulanin and chebulagic acid from T. chebula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Shipeng Zhan
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Pu Zhang
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality Monitoring of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Chongqing Institute for Food and Drug Control, Chongqing, China
| | - Changsheng Jia
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Qingzong Zhu
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Qing Dai
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Mingjie Yu
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Lin Cheng
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Lirong Xiong
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Fengjun Sun
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Peiyuan Xia
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
- *Correspondence: Peiyuan Xia, ; Xiao Zhang, ; Jing Hu,
| | - Xiao Zhang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
- *Correspondence: Peiyuan Xia, ; Xiao Zhang, ; Jing Hu,
| | - Jing Hu
- Department of Pharmacy, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
- *Correspondence: Peiyuan Xia, ; Xiao Zhang, ; Jing Hu,
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Dissecting the molecular mechanism of cepharanthine against COVID-19, based on a network pharmacology strategy combined with RNA-sequencing analysis, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation. Comput Biol Med 2022; 151:106298. [PMID: 36403355 PMCID: PMC9671524 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.106298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Recently, it has been reported that cepharanthine (CEP) is highly likely to be an agent against Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In the present study, a network pharmacology-based approach combined with RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was performed to determine hub targets and potential pharmacological mechanism of CEP against COVID-19. METHODS Targets of CEP were retrieved from public databases. COVID-19-related targets were acquired from databases and RNA-seq datasets GSE157103 and GSE155249. The potential targets of CEP and COVID-19 were then validated by GSE158050. Hub targets and signaling pathways were acquired through bioinformatics analysis, including protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and enrichment analysis. Subsequently, molecular docking was carried out to predict the combination of CEP with hub targets. Lastly, MD simulation was conducted to further verify the findings. RESULTS A total of 700 proteins were identified as CEP-COVID-19-related targets. After the validation by GSE158050, 97 validated targets were retained. Enrichment results indicated that CEP acts on COVID-19 through multiple pathways, multiple targets, and overall cooperation. Specifically, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway is the most important pathway. Based on PPI network analysis, 9 central hub genes were obtained (ACE2, STAT1, SRC, PIK3R1, HIF1A, ESR1, ERBB2, CDC42, and BCL2L1). Molecular docking suggested that the combination between CEP and 9 central hub genes is extremely strong. Noteworthy, ACE2, considered the most important gene in CEP against COVID-19, binds to CEP most stably, which was further validated by MD simulation. CONCLUSION Our study comprehensively illustrated the potential targets and underlying molecular mechanism of CEP against COVID-19, which further provided the theoretical basis for exploring the potential protective mechanism of CEP against COVID-19.
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