Comparative analysis of phytochemical profile and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of four Gentiana species from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Gentiana species, known as the traditional Tibetan medicine "Bangjian," have been integral to clinical practice for millennia. Despite their longstanding use, our understanding of the variation in chemical constituents and bioactive effects among different species is limited.

AIM OF THE STUDY

In the present study, we aimed to assess the differences in chemical profiles and bioactivities among four Gentiana species (G. veitchiorum, G. trichotoma, G. crassuloides, and G. squarrosa) and explore potential bioactive markers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The chemical composition of the four Gentiana species was analyzed using UPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was compared through DPPH, ABTS, and reducing power assays. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by measuring the inhibitory effects on lipopolysaccharide-induced secretion of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) by RAW264.7 macrophages. Additionally, compounds strongly correlated with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities were identified through spectrum-effect relationship analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 50 compounds were identified across the four Gentiana species. In vitro antioxidant assays demonstrated DPPH and ABTS scavenging abilities and reducing power within the concentration range of 62.5-2000 μg/mL. All four species inhibited the production of NO, IL-6, and TNF-α in RAW264.7 cells. Spectrum-effect relationship analysis revealed that gentiascabraside A, gentiatibetine, tachioside, lutonarin, and isotachioside were associated with the highest antioxidant activity; and swertiamarin, tarennoside, eleganoside C, and alpigenoside were associated with the highest anti-inflammatory activity.

CONCLUSIONS

This study presents, for the first time, the chemical profiles and bioactivities of G. trichotoma, G. crassuloides, and G. squarrosa, which were comprehensively compared with those of G. veitchiorum. The findings provide novel insights to understand the traditional use and/or expand the current use of Gentiana species. Additionally, this research highlights the potential of Gentiana species as natural sources of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, suggesting promising applications in tea production or medicinal contexts in the near future.

Study of the Mechanism of Astragali Radix in Treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Renal Protection Based on Enzyme Activity, Network Pharmacology, and Experimental Verification

Astragali Radix (AR) is a common Chinese medicine and food. This article aims to reveal the active role of AR in treating Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its renal protective mechanism. The hypoglycemic active fraction was screened by α-glucosidase and identified by UPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS spectrometry. The targets and KEGG pathway were determined through the application of network pharmacology methodology. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation technology were used for virtual verification. Subsequently, a mouse model of T2DM was established, and the blood glucose and renal function indexes of the mice after administration were analyzed to further prove the pharmacodynamic effect and mechanism of AR in the treatment of T2DM. HA was determined as the best hypoglycemic active fraction by the α-glucosidase method, with a total of 23 compounds identified. The main active components, such as calycoside-7-O-β-D-glucoside, methylnisoline, and formononetin, were revealed by network pharmacology. In addition, the core targets and the pathway have also been determined. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation techniques have verified that components and targets can be well combined. In vivo studies have shown that AR can reduce blood sugar levels in model mice, enhance the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of kidney tissue, and alleviate kidney damage in mice. And it also has regulatory effects on proteins such as RAGE, PI3K, and AKT. AR has a good therapeutic effect on T2DM and can repair disease-induced renal injury by regulating the RAGE/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. This study provides ideas for the development of new drugs or dietary interventions for the treatment of T2DM.

Exploring Asthma Mechanism of Belamcanda Chinensis by "Dose-effect Weighted Coefficient" Network Pharmacology and Experiment Validation

BACKGROUND

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that seriously endangers human health. Belamcanda chinensis (BC), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to counteract asthma as it has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and regulatory immunity properties.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of action of BC in the treatment of asthma; a "dose-effect weighted coefficient" network pharmacology method was established to predict potential active compounds.

METHODS

Information on the components and content of BC was obtained by UPLC-QEOrbitrap- MS spectrometry. Based on BC content, oral bioavailability, and molecular docking binding energy, dose-effect weighting coefficients were constructed. With the degree greater than average as the index, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) database was used to obtain the core key targets for asthma under dose-effect weighting. GO function and KEGG pathway analyses of the core targets were performed using DAVID software. Finally, MTT and ELISA assays were used to assess the effects of active components on 16HBE cell proliferation.

RESULTS

The experimental results using the 16HBE model demonstrated BC to have a potential protective effect on asthma. Network pharmacology showed SYK, AKT1, and ALOX5 to be the main key targets, and Fc epsilon RI as the promising signaling pathway. Eight components, such as tectoridin, mangiferin, luteolin, and isovitexin were the main active compounds, Finally, we analyzed the LPS-induced 16HBE proliferation of each active ingredient. Based on the activity verification study, all five predicted components promoted the proliferation of 16HBE cells. These five compounds can be used as potential quality markers for asthma.

CONCLUSION

This study provides a virtual and practical method for the simple and rapid screening of active ingredients in natural products.

Discovery of the Potential Novel Pharmacodynamic Substances From Zhi-Zi-Hou-Po Decoction Based on the Concept of Co-Decoction Reaction and Analysis Strategy

Background: Zhi-Zi-Hou-Po Decoction (ZZHPD), a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, is clinically used to treat insomnia and depression. The analysis strategy based on the concept of co-decoction of TCM is helpful to analyse the effective substances of TCM formula in depth. Aim of the study: This manuscript intends to take ZZHPD as a model sample to explore the phenomenon of co-decoction of complex formula in the combination of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technology, data analysis, and molecular docking. Materials and methods: In the current research, an innovative LC-MS method has been established to study the active ingredients in ZZHPD, and to identify the ingredients absorbed into the blood and brain tissues of mice. And molecular docking was used to study the binding pattern and affinities of known compounds of the brain tissue toward insomnia related proteins. Results: Based on new processing methods and analysis strategies, 106 chemical components were identified in ZZHPD, including 28 blood components and 18 brain components. Then, by comparing the different compounds in the co-decoction and single decoction, it was surprisingly found that 125 new ingredients were produced during the co-decoction, 2 of which were absorbed into the blood and 1 of which was absorbed into brain tissue. Ultimately, molecular docking studies showed that 18 brain components of ZZHPD had favourable binding conformation and affinity with GABA, serotonin and melatonin receptors. The docking results of GABRA1 with naringenin and hesperidin, HCRTR1 with naringenin-7-O-glucoside, poncirenin and genipin 1-gentiobioside, and luteolin with SLC6A4, GLO1, MAOB and MTNR1A may clarify the mechanism of action of ZZHPD in treating insomnia and depression. Conclusion: Our study may provide new ideas for further exploring the effective substances in ZZHPD.

In-depth investigation of the effective substances of traditional Chinese medicine formula based on the novel concept of co-decoction reaction-using Zuojin decoction as a model sample

Zuojin decoction (ZJD) is a classic pair composed of Coptidis Rhizoma and Evodiae Fructus, which is suitable for treating gastrointestinal diseases and tumours, etc. In recent years, scientists have been widely focused on research into the treatment of liver cancer using ZJD; however, the effective substances have not yet been comprehensively elucidated. The difference between the co-decoction and the single decoction of ZJD is revealed in this paper based on the UPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS, and the chemical components absorbed into the blood and liver of mice have been analyzed simultaneously. In addition, the combination of prototype components absorbed into the liver with liver cancer-related targets has been performed via molecular docking to explore the mechanism of ZJD in treating liver cancer. By comparing the co-decoction and single decoction of ZJD, 44 new components appeared during co-decoction and 76 known chemical compounds have been identified at the same time. It has been confirmed that 35 known components and 11 new components were absorbed into the blood. Furthermore, 20 known components were discovered from the sample of liver tissue. Molecular docking results showed that 3-O-feruloylquinic acid has good conjugation with Bcl-2, Stat3, mTOR, and mmp9. Catechin has the lowest binding energy with CDK6 and β-catenin. The study provides data for the further confirmation of the material basis and mechanism of ZJD in treating liver cancer, and provides a new idea for the researches on the compatibility mechanism of prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine.

[Quantitative analysis of 16 components in Cyclocarya paliurus leaf by UPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS]

Modern research showed that components in the dried leaf of Cyclocarya paliurus. had various biological activities. The current quality control research was focused on content determination of polysaccharides and flavonoids, while there were less research on quantitative analysis of terpenes and phenolic acids. In this paper, the contents of 16 components of 3 kinds in C. paliurus leaf were determined by UPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS. The results were as following: good linear relationship of 16 analytes existed within the studied concentration rages (R²>0.996), and RSDs were of <3.0% in the precision test and replicate test, with the average recovery rates 95.20%-104.4%, respectively. The results indicatod that the method is simple and accurate, which can be used for the comprehensive quality evaluation of C. paliurus leaf. The established method was applied to determine the contents of 12 batches of C. paliurus leaf from different areas, and the 16 analvtes contents in the samples could be different from several times to dozens times, which indicated that there might be significant quality difference in C. paliurus leaf from different areas.