An Active Fraction of Trillium tschonoskii Promotes the Regeneration of Intestinal Epithelial Cells After Irradiation

Hydroxyl groups introducing NMR strategy for structural elucidation of a heptasaccharide isolated from Trillium tschonoskii

A heptasaccharide was isolated from an active fraction of Trillium tschonoskii using HILIC and high-temperature PGC chromatography methods. UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS analysis gave this oligosaccharide a degree of polymerization (DP) of 7 and MS/MS showed that it has a six-carbon aldehyde glucan structure with the possible chain 1 → 4 connected. The structure was determined by series 1D and 2D NMR in two solvents D2O and DMSO‑d6. Using 1H resonances of the -OH groups as the starting point and HSQC-TOCSY on the covalent structure definition for structural elucidation allowed this heptasaccharide to be uncovered. This heptasaccharide was elucidated as maltoheptaose via complete assignment of 1H and 13C with jigsaw H-C-OH pieces produced by HSQC-TOCSY at increasing mixing time. The significance of identifying maltoheptaose in Trillium tschonoskii indicates the high potential of -OH introducing strategy for other oligosaccharides' structural determination with relatively higher DP.

Screening model in Caenorhabditis elegans for radioprotective natural products

PURPOSE

Ionizing radiation (IR) could induce damage such as DNA damage and oxidative stress. Natural products, like tea, have been demonstrated potential in mitigating these damages. However, the lack of efficient and rapid screening methods for natural products hinders their widespread application. To address this challenge, this study utilized Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as an in vivo model to investigate radioprotective natural products.

METHODS

L1 stage C. elegans were exposed to X-rays or 60Co γ-rays at varying dosages (20, 50, and 100 Gy), then the growth, reproduction, and lifespan of the nematodes were observed. Different culture and sample-administered modes were tested. Known radioprotective agents, including Amifostine (WR2721), Lycium barbarum extract (LBE), and Trillium tschonoskii fraction (TTF), served as positive controls to validate the reliability of the model. The radioprotective activity of teas with different fermentation degrees was compared based on this screening model.

RESULTS

A screening model in C. elegans was established by X-rays at 20 Gy. An appropriate sample-administrated approach was investigated, which involves adding the sample to the nematode growth medium (NGM) agar covered with inactivated Escherichia coli 2 h before irradiation. The known radioprotective agents (WR2721, LBE, and TTF) validated that the model is stable. Our results of the model application revealed that teas with lower fermentation levels, such as green tea and oolong tea, particularly the n-butanol and ethyl acetate fractions from oolong tea, exhibited significant radioprotective activity.

CONCLUSIONS

This study presents an effective in vivo approach for the initial screening of radioprotective natural products.

Radiation-Induced Intestinal Injury: Injury Mechanism and Potential Treatment Strategies

Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) is one of the most common intestinal complications caused by radiotherapy for pelvic and abdominal tumors and it seriously affects the quality of life of patients. However, the treatment of acute RIII is essentially symptomatic and nutritional support treatment and an ideal means of prevention and treatment is lacking. Researchers have conducted studies at the cellular and animal levels and found that some chemical or biological agents have good therapeutic effects on RIII and may be used as potential candidates for clinical treatment. This article reviews the injury mechanism and potential treatment strategies based on cellular and animal experiments to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of RIII in clinical settings.

Isolation and structural elucidation of prebiotic oligosaccharides from Ziziphi Spinosae Semen

Six oligosaccharides were discovered and isolated for the first time from Ziziphi Spinosae Semen. On the basis of spectroscopic analysis, their structures were determined to be verbascose (1), verbascotetraose (2), stachyose (3), manninotriose (4), raffinose (5), and melibiose (6). The prebiotic effect of the oligosaccharide fraction was assayed by eight gut bacterial growth in vitro, revealing a significant increase in cell density, up to 4-fold, for Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Lactobacillus johnsonii. The impact of six oligosaccharides with different degrees of polymerization (DPs) and structures on the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus was evaluated. As a result, stachyose and raffinose demonstrated superior support for bacterial growth compared to the other oligosaccharides. This study explored the structure-activity relationship of raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) and showed that the more the monosaccharide type, the more supportive the gut bacteria growth when oligosaccharides have the same molecular weight.

Classic mechanisms and experimental models for the anti‐inflammatory effect of traditional Chinese medicine

Inflammation is a common disease involved in the pathogenesis, complications, and sequelae of a large number of related diseases, and therefore considerable research has been directed toward developing anti‐inflammatory drugs for the prevention and treatment of these diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat inflammatory and related diseases since ancient times. According to the review of abundant modern scientific researches, it is suggested that TCM exhibit anti‐inflammatory effects at different levels, and via multiple pathways with various targets, and recently a series of in vitro and in vivo anti‐inflammatory models have been developed for anti‐inflammation research in TCM. Currently, the reported classic mechanisms of TCM and experimental models of its anti‐inflammatory effects provide reference points and guidance for further research and development of TCM. Importantly, the research clearly confirms that TCM is now and will continue to be an effective form of treatment for many types of inflammation and inflammation‐related diseases.