Study on the quality of Corydalis Rhizoma in Zhejiang based on multidimensional evaluation method

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The quality requirements of Corydalis Rhizoma (CR) in different producing areas are uniform, resulting in uneven efficacy. As a genuine producing area, the effective quality control of CR in Zhejiang Province (ZJ) could provide a theoretical basis for the rational application of medicinal materials.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study was to effectively distinguish the CR inside and outside ZJ, and provided a theoretical basis for the quality control and material basis research of ZJ CR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The core components of ZJ CR could be identified by HPLC combined with chemometrics screening, and the quality of CR from different producing areas was evaluated by a genetic algorithm-back propagation (GA-BP) neural network. Chromaticity and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy were used to identify CR inside and outside ZJ, and rapid content prediction was realized. The analgesic effect of CR in different regions was compared by a zebrafish analgesic experiment. Analgesic experiments in rats and analysis of the research status of quality components were used to screen the quality control components of ZJ CR.

RESULTS

The contents of palmatine hydrochloride (YSBMT), dehydrocorydaline (TQZJJ), tetrahydropalmatine (YHSYS), tetrahydroberberine (SQXBJ), corydaline (YHSJS), stylopine (SQHLJ), and isoimperatorin (YOQHS) in ZJ CR were higher than those in CR from outside ZJ, but the content of protopine (YAPJ) and berberine hydrochloride (YSXBJ) was lower than that in CR from outside ZJ. YHSJS and SQHLJ could be used as the core components to identify ZJ CR. The GA-BP neural network showed that the relative importance of ZJ CR was the strongest. Chroma-content correlation analysis and the NIR qualitative model could effectively distinguish CR from inside and outside of ZJ, and the NIR quantitative model could quickly predict the content of CR from inside and outside of ZJ. Zebrafish experiments showed that ZJ, Shaanxi (SX), Henan (HN), and Sichuan (SC) CR had significant analgesic effects, while Hebei (HB) CR had no significant analgesic effect. Overall comparison, the analgesic effect of ZJ CR was better than that of CR outside ZJ. The comprehensive score of the grey correlation degree between YAPJ, YSBMT, YSXBJ, TQZJJ, YHSYS, YHSJS, SQXBJ, and SQHLJ were higher than 0.9, and the research frequency were extremely high.

CONCLUSIONS

The relative importance of the content and origin of most components of ZJ CR was higher than that of CR outside ZJ. The holistic analgesic effect of ZJ CR was better than that of CR outside ZJ, but slightly lower than that of SX CR. YHSJS and SQHLJ could be used as the core components to identify ZJ CR. YAPJ, YSBMT, YSXBJ, TQZJJ, YHSYS, SQXBJ, YHSJS, and SQHLJ could be used as the quality control components of ZJ CR. The multidimensional evaluation method used in this study provided a reference for the quality control and material basis research of ZJ CR.

Characterization of CYP82 genes involved in the biosynthesis of structurally diverse benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in Corydalis yanhusuo

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) represent a significant class of secondary metabolites with crucial roles in plant physiology and substantial potential for clinical applications. CYP82 genes are involved in the formation and modification of various BIA skeletons, contributing to the structural diversity of compounds. In this study, Corydalis yanhusuo, a traditional Chinese medicine rich in BIAs, was investigated to identify the catalytic function of CYP82s during BIA formation. Specifically, 20 CyCYP82-encoding genes were cloned, and their functions were identified in vitro. Ten of these CyCYP82s were observed to catalyze hydroxylation, leading to the formation of protopine and benzophenanthridine scaffolds. Furthermore, the correlation between BIA accumulation and the expression of CyCYP82s in different tissues of C. yanhusuo was assessed their. The identification and characterization of CyCYP82s provide novel genetic elements that can advance the synthetic biology of BIA compounds such as protopine and benzophenanthridine, and offer insights into the biosynthesis of BIAs with diverse structures in C. yanhusuo.

Corydecusines A-H, new phthalideisoquinoline hemicetal alkaloids from the bulbs of Corydalis decumbens inhibit Tau pathology by activating autophagy mediated by AMPK-ULK1 pathway

Twelve phthalideisoquinoline hemiacetal alkaloids including eight new ones (1-8) and one natural alkaloid characterized by an aziridine moiety with unassigned NMR data (9), were isolated and identified from the bulbs of Corydalis decumbens. Their structures were established by comprehensive analyses of HRESIMS, NMR, X-ray crystallography, and ECD analyses. The unambiguously established structures of the phthalideisoquinoline hemiacetal alkaloids indicated that the absolute configurations of C-1, C-9, and C-7' were confusable only relied on coupling constants. A summary of their ECD spectra was concluded and provided an insight for C-1, C-9, and C-7' absolute configuration assignment. These new compounds were evaluated to induce autophagy flux through flow cytometry analysis. Moreover, compounds 2 and 6 could significantly induce autophagy and inhibit Tau pathology by AMPK-ULK1 pathway activation, which provided an avenue for anti-AD lead compounds discovery.

Alkaloids from Corydalis saxicola and their antiproliferative activity against cancer cells

Eight undescribed alkaloids named corydalisine D-K (1-7), including one isoquinoline benzopyranone alkaloid (1), one benzocyclopentanone alkaloid (2), four benzofuranone alkaloids (3, 4, and 5a/5b) and two protoberberine alkaloids (6 and 7), along with fourteen known ones, were isolated from the Corydalis saxicola. Their structures, including absolute configurations, were unambiguously identified using spectroscopic techniques, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and electron circular dichroism calculation. Compounds 2, 14 and 21 exhibit antiproliferative activity against five cancer cell lines. The aporphine alkaloid demethylsonodione (compound 14), which exhibited the best activity (IC50 = 3.68 ± 0.25 μM), was subjected to further investigation to determine its mechanism of action against the T24 cell line. The molecular mechanism was related to the arrest of cell cycle S-phase, inhibition of CDK2 expression, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), induction of cell apoptosis, inhibition of cell migration, and activation of p38 MAPK signaling pathway. The results indicated that 14 could be used as a potential candidate agent for further development of anti-bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

Variations of the fungal microbiome in Corydalis Rhizoma with different collection areas, processing methods, and storage conditions

Corydalis Rhizoma (CR, Yanhusuo in Chinese) has been widely used as an analgesic in herbal medicine and functional food. Cases of fungal and mycotoxin contamination in CR have been reported. In this study, the composition and diversity of fungal microbiome in CR samples from four herbal markets and two processing methods were investigated by DNA metabarcoding. Variations of the fungal microbiome in CR during cold and conventional storage were monitored. Results showed that Aspergillus was the dominant genus and saprotroph was the dominant trophic mode. Six potential toxigenic fungi, namely, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus ostianus, Aspergillus terreus, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium oxalicum, and Trichothecium roseum, were detected. Differences in fungal composition and diversity among various groups based on collection areas and processing methods were also observed. Moreover, the relative abundance of dominant genera in CR samples stored at different temperatures was significantly different and changed with storage time. This study is the first to reveal the influence of collection areas, processing methods, and storage conditions on the fungal microbiome in CR, which was expected to provide a basis for control strategies of fungal contamination in the industrial chain of CR.

Based on spinal central sensitization creating analgesic screening approach to excavate anti-neuropathic pain ingredients of Corydalis yanhusuo W.T.Wang

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Corydalis Rhizome (RC) as a traditional analgesic Chinese medicine is the dried tuber of Corydalis yanhusuo W.T.Wang. Many efforts have revealed that RC could effectively alleviate neuropathic pain, while its active ingredients in neuropathic pain are still not clear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Spinal central sensitization contributes greatly to neuropathic pain, and neuron, astrocyte and microglia play important roles in spinal central sensitization. The aim of the present study is to excavate active compounds in RC regulating spinal central sensitization to inhibit neuropathic pain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Immunofluorescence and western blotting were used to determine protein expression levels. Gene expression levels were detected by RT-PCR. PC12 neuronal cells, C6 astrocyte cells, and BV2 microglia cells were cultured for in vitro studies. Targeting multi types of cells extraction combined with HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was established to identify components binding to above cells. Animal studies were used to verify the analgesic activities of components.

RESULTS

Total alkaloids of RC (RC-TA) significantly relieved neuropathic pain in chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats and repressed spinal central sensitization. Eight components of RC-TA were found to bind to PC12, C6, or BV2 cells. They could respectively suppress the activation of cells in vitro and alleviate CCI-induced neuropathic pain, among which glaucine and dehydrocorydaline induced antinociception was stronger than l-THP. Meanwhile, glaucine had no effect on acute or chronic inflammatory pain, and its antinociception in neuropathic pain could be abolished by dopamine D1 receptor agonist.

CONCLUSIONS

Employing multi types of cells based on spinal central sensitization rather than single cell may allow for more thorough excavation of active substances. Glaucine was firstly found could attenuate neuropathic pain but not other types of pain which indicated that different alkaloids in RC exert distinct analgesic effects on different pain models, and gluacine has the potential to be developed as an analgesic drug specifically for neuropathic pain relieving.

An integrated RNA-Seq and network pharmacology approach for exploring the preventive effect of Corydalis bungeana Turcz. Extract and Acetylcorynoline on LPS-induced acute lung injury

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Corydalis bungeana Turcz. (KDD) is a Chinese herbal medicine with anti-inflammatory, lung cleansing, detoxification and other functions. Clinically, it is commonly used to treat respiratory infections. This study uses ALI as the research model, which is consistent with the clinical use of KDD. Acetylcorynoline (AC) is the main alkaloid component of the KDD extracts, and network pharmacology studies suggest that it may be the main active ingredient in the prevention of ALI.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study is to explore the underlying mechanisms and to study the efficacy material basis of KDD in anti-ALI effect by LPS-induced mice and using a combination of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology and network pharmacology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Establish a mouse model of ALI by intraperitoneal injection of LPS (5 mg/kg). The main active ingredients of KDD were identified and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS) and network pharmacology. IL-18, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), lung histopathological changes, and lung myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were assessed. We investigated the possible molecular mechanisms of KDD and AC in an LPS-induced mouse ALI models with RNA-Seq technology. In addition, the anti-inflammatory effect of AC was verified in vitro by establishing an LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 inflammation model. Molecular docking further validated AC as the efficacy material basis of KDD in anti-ALI.

RESULTS

Based on HPLC-QTOF-MS technology and network pharmacology, KDD is more strongly associated with lung tissue, and that AC may be the main active ingredient of KDD. Subsequently, in vivo experiments results showed that KDD and AC reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum and BALF, reduced MPO levels and reduced inflammatory damage in the lungs. To elucidate its underlying mechanism, based on RNA-Seq analysis techniques performed in lung tissue, enrichment analysis showed that KDD and AC intervened through the NLR signaling pathway, thereby mitigating LPS-induced ALI. Then, RT-qPCR, IF, WB and other technologies were used to verify the anti-ALI core difference genes of KDD and AC from the gene transcription and protein expression levels of the NLR signaling pathway, and confirmed the anti-ALI. In vitro experimental results also showed that AC has anti-inflammatory effects in RAW264.7. Finally, the biotransformation and molecular docking results also further indicated that AC is the active ingredient of KDD in anti-ALI.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies have shown that KDD has a good therapeutic effect on ALI, and AC is the main pharmacodynamic material basis for its therapeutic effect in ALI.

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids with their antitumor activity from the aerial parts of Corydalis impatiens (pall.) Fisch

Phytochemical investigation on the aerial parts of Corydalis impatiens (pall.) Fisch (Papaveraceae) resulted in the identification of four previous undescribed benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, impatienines A-D (1-4), together with 14 known analogues (5-18). The structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis (IR, HR-ESIMS, 1D- and 2D-NMR) as well as ECD calculations. All the compounds obtained were investigated for their inhibitory effect on the growth of A549, H1299 and HepG2 cancer cells. Compounds 7 and 15 exhibited pronounced inhibition against the A549 cancer cells with IC50 values of 6.81 μM and 3.17 μM, while the positive control cisplatin was 1.83 μM. Compounds 1-3 showed moderate inhibitory on the H1299 cancer cells. Compounds 4, 10-12, and 16 showed signiffcant activity against HepG2 cancer cells with IC50 values range of 4.41-8.75 μM.

Bracteatinine and isogroenlandicine, two new isoquinoline alkaloids isolated from Corydalis bracteata and their effect on platelet function

Two previously undescribed isoquinoline alkaloids, bracteatinine (1) and isogroenlandicine (2), together with four known alkaloids - coptisine (3), dehydrocorydaline (4), palmatine (5) and jatrorrhizine (6) were isolated from the aerial parts of Corydalis bracteata (Steph. Ex. Willd.) Pers. The structures of the compounds were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR data along with HRESI-MS. The isolated new compounds bracteatinine and isogroenlandicine are close structural derivatives and isomers of corgoine and groenlandicine, respectively. Bracteatinine is also notable, being a representative of the rare 2-benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. Many natural products isolated from different plants are used as adjuvants, in addition to standard chemotherapy, in treatment of different cancers. Cancer-associated thrombosis remains a common complication and leading cause of mortality for cancer patients. Because platelets play the key role in thrombotic complications, we investigated effects of the isolated alkaloids 1-6 on platelet reactivity and showed that they did not significantly affect platelet function.

Isoquinoline alkaloids from Corydalis edulis Maxim. Exhibiting insulinotropic action

Eleven undescribed isoquinoline analogues, namely edulisines A-K, along with sixteen known alkaloids, were isolated from the whole plants of Corydalis edulis. The structures of the isolated alkaloids were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data (1D and 2D NMR, UV, IR, and HRESIMS). Their absolute configurations were determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis and ECD. Compounds (+)-1 and (-)-1 are a pair of undescribed isoquinoline alkaloids bearing a unique coupled pattern of coptisine and ferulic acid via Diels-Alder [4 + 2] cycloaddition, while compounds (+)-2 and (-)-2 feature benzo [1,2-d:3,4-d]bis [1,3]dioxole moiety. Compounds (+)-2, (-)-2, (-)-5, 10, 13, 15, 20, 22, and 23 significantly triggered the secretion of insulin in the HIT-T15 cells at a concentration of 40 μM.

(±)-Yanhusuomide A, a pair of ornithine-fused benzylisoquinoline enantiomers from Corydalis yanhusuo

(±)-Yanhusuomide A (1), a novel enantiomeric pair of ornithine-fused benzylisoquinoline, were characterized from the dried tubers of Corydalis yanhusuo, along with a biogenetically related intermediate oblongine (2). Yanhusuomide A features an unprecedented skeleton based on a benzylisoquinoline coupled with an ornithine derivative to form a rare 5,6-dihydro-4H-pyrido[3,4,5-de]quinazoline motif. Plausible biosynthetic pathway of 1 was proposed, and (±)-yanhusuomide A (1) presented potential inhibitory bioactivity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) with IC₅₀ = 14.07 ± 2.38 μM. The simulation of molecular docking displayed that 1 generated strong interaction with Asp-74 and Trp-86 residues of AChE through attractive charge of the quaternary nitrogen.

New alkaloids and their in vitro antitumor activity of Corydalis balansae

The chemical investigation on Corydalis balansae resulted in the isolation of three previous undescribed compounds (1, 10, and 11) and 17 known compounds. Compound 1 and 2 were obtained as two lignanamide dimers, and compound 11 had a spiro [benzofuranone-benzazepine] skeleton, which was found in Corydalis for the first time. The structures of new compound were determined by the detailed analysis of 1D/2D NMR, UV, and IR data. Absolute configurations of compounds 10 and 11 were defined by their crystal X-ray diffraction data and calculations of electronic circular dichroism (ECD). The CCK-8 method was used to assay the inhibition effect of all the compounds on the growth of Hela, MGC-803, A549, and HepG2 cancer cells. Compound 2, 13, and 14 showed moderate inhibitory activity against the tested cell lines. Compound 2 exhibited potential antitumor activity against MGC-803 cells with an IC50 value of 20.8 μM, while the positive control etoposide was 17.3 μM. Furthermore, results from the cellular-mechanism investigation indicated that compound 2 could induce S-phase cell-cycle arrest and MGC-803 cells apoptosis, which was triggered by the up-regulation of PARP1, caspase-3 and -9, Bax, and down-regulation of Bcl-2. The 2-induced strong apoptosis indicated that compound 2 had good potential as an antitumor lead compound.

Isoquinoline alkaloids from the Corydalis tomentella with potential anti-hepatoma and antibacterial activities

Six undescribed isoquinolines, including one rarely reported N-benzyl isoquinoline together with sixteen known ones were isolated from C. tomentella. Their planar structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive analyses of UV, IR, NMR, HRESIMS, DP4+ probability analysis as well as ECD calculations. Biological evaluations revealed that 3,4-2H-tomentelline C (6) showed significant cytotoxicity (IC₅₀ = 7.42 μM) against the HepG2 cell line while (1'R, 2'S)-coptichine B (3) exhibited stronger antibacterial activities.

Corybungines A-K: Isoquinoline alkaloids from Corydalis bungeana with dopamine D2 receptor activity

Eleven undescribed isoquinoline alkaloids corybungines A-K including a protoberberine-type alkaloid, an isoquinoline alkaloid with a unique 6-norprotoberberine skeleton, one 13,14-seco-protoberberine-type alkaloid, two 1a,14-seco-protoberberine-type alkaloids with a 4-(hydroxymethyl)phenoxy moiety and six aporphine alkaloids, together with seven known alkaloids, have been isolated from the whole herb extract of Corydalis bungeana Turcz. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated based on an analysis of spectroscopic data and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. (R)-stephanine displayed high antagonistic activity against the dopamine D2 receptor with an IC₅₀ value of 0.85 ± 0.09 μM in CHO-D2 cells. Additionally, corybungines D, F, H, (R)-roemerine, (R)-vireakine and (R)-tuduranine showed moderate D2 antagonism (IC₅₀ 5.20-26.07 μM). The preliminary structure-activity relationships (SARs) of aporphine alkaloids were discussed.

The Analgesic Properties of Corydalis yanhusuo

Corydalis yanhusuo extract (YHS) has been used for centuries across Asia for pain relief. The extract is made up of more than 160 compounds and has been identified as alkaloids, organic acids, volatile oils, amino acids, alcohols, and sugars. However, the most crucial biological active constituents of YHS are alkaloids; more than 80 have been isolated and identified. This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the phytochemical and pharmacological effects of these alkaloids that have significant ties to analgesia.

Analgesic effect of the main components of Corydalis yanhusuo (yanhusuo in Chinese) is caused by inhibition of voltage gated sodium channels

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY RELEVANCE

Pain often causes a series of abnormal changes in physiology and psychology, which can lead to disease and even death. Drug therapy is the most basic and commonly used method for pain relief and management. Interestingly, at present, hundreds of traditional Chinese medicines have been reported to be used for pain relief, most of which are monomer preparations, which have been developed into new painkillers. Corydalis yanhusuo is a representative of one of these medicines and is available for pain relief.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aims to determine the analgesic effect and the potential targets of the monomers derived from Corydalis yanhusuo, and to explore any possible associated cardiac risk factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, four monomers derived from Corydalis yanhusuo (tetrahydropalmatine, corydaline, protopine, dehydrocorydaline) were tested in vivo, using the formalin-induced pain model to determine their analgesic properties. Their potential targets were also determined using whole cell patch clamp recordings and myocardial enzyme assays.

RESULTS

The results showed that all monomers showed analgesic activity and inhibited the peak currents, promoted the activation and inactivation phases of Nav1.7, which indicating that Nav1.7 might be involved in the analgesic mechanism of Corydalis yanhusuo. Protopine increased the level of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and inhibited the peak currents, promoted the activation and inactivation phases of Nav1.5, indicating that Nav1.5 might be involved in the cardiac risk associated with protopine treatment.

CONCLUSION

These data showed that tetrahydropalmatine produced the best analgesic effect and the lowest cardiac risk. Thus, voltage gated sodium channels (VGSCs) might be the main targets associated with Corydalis yanhusuo. This study, therefore, provides valuable information for future studies and use of traditional Chines medicines for the alleviation of pain.

The Phytochemical Scoulerine Inhibits Aurora Kinase Activity to Induce Mitotic and Cytokinetic Defects

To identify novel bioactive compounds, an image-based, cell culture screening of natural product extracts was conducted. Specifically, our screen was designed to identify phytochemicals that might phenocopy inhibition of the chromosomal passenger protein complex in eliciting mitotic and cytokinetic defects. A known alkaloid, scoulerine, was identified from the rhizomes of the plant Corydalis decumbens as being able to elicit a transient mitotic arrest followed by either apoptosis induction or polyploidy. In examining the mitotic abnormality further, we observed that scoulerine could elicit supernumerary centrosomes during mitosis, but not earlier in the cell cycle. The localization of NUMA1 at spindle poles was also inhibited, suggesting diminished potential for microtubule recruitment and spindle-pole focusing. Polyploid cells emerged subsequent to cytokinetic failure. The concentration required for scoulerine to elicit all its cell division phenotypes was similar, and an examination of related compounds highlighted the requirement for proper positioning of a hydroxyl and a methoxy group about an aromatic ring for activity. Mechanistically, scoulerine inhibited AURKB activity at concentrations that elicited supernumerary centrosomes and polyploidy. AURKA was only inhibited at higher concentrations, so AURKB inhibition is the likely mechanism by which scoulerine elicited division defects. AURKB inhibition was never complete, so scoulerine may be a suboptimal AURK inhibitor or work upstream of the chromosomal passenger protein complex to reduce AURKB activity. Scoulerine inhibited the viability of a variety of human cancer cell lines. Collectively, these findings uncover a previously unknown activity of scoulerine that could facilitate targeting human cancers. Scoulerine, or a next-generation analogue, may be useful as a nontoxic component of combination therapies where inhibiting the chromosomal passenger protein complex is desired.

Advances in phytochemical and modern pharmacological research of Rhizoma Corydalis

ABSRACTContext: Rhizoma Corydalis (RC) is the dried tubers of Corydalis yanhusuo (Y. H. Chou and Chun C. Hsu) W. T. Wang ex Z. Y. Su and C. Y. Wu (Papaveraceae). Traditionally, RC is used to alleviate pain such as headache, abdominal pain, and epigastric pain. Modern medicine shows that it has analgesic, anti-arrhythmia, and other effects.Objective: We provided an overview of the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of RC as a foundation for its clinical application and further research and development of new drugs.Methods: We collected data of various phytochemical and pharmacological effects of RC from 1982 to 2019. To correlate with existing scientific evidence, we used Google Scholar and the journal databases Scopus, PubMed, and CNKI. 'Rhizoma Corydalis', 'phytochemistry', and 'pharmacological effects' were used as key words.Results: Currently, more than 100 chemical components have been isolated and identified from RC, among which alkaloid is the pimary active component of RC. Based on prior research, RC has antinociceptive, sedative, anti-epileptic, antidepressive and anti-anxiety, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effect, drug abstinence, anti-arrhythmic, antimyocardial infarction, dilated coronary artery, cerebral ischaemia reperfusion (I/R) injury protection, antihypertensive, antithrombotic, antigastrointestinal ulcer, liver protection, antimicrobial, anti-inflammation, antiviral, and anticancer effects.Conclusions: RC is reported to be effective in treating a variety of diseases. Current pharmacological studies on RC mainly focus on the nervous, circulatory, digestive, and endocrine systems, as well as drug withdrawal. Although experimental data support the beneficial effects of this drug, its physiological activity remains a concern. Nonetheless, this review provides a foundation for future research.

Discovery of novel potential plant growth regulators from Corydalis mucronifera

Three pairs of enantiomers mucroniferals A-C (1-3), with a novel skeleton of 1,4-epoxynaphthalene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid first reported from nature source, were isolated from Corydalis mucronifera. Their structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic data analysis of MS, 1D and 2D NMR, and their absolute configurations were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and comparison of the experimental and calculated ECD data. Mucroniferals A-C showed broad-spectrum inhibitory activities on seedling growth of all plants tested (Lepidium apetalum, Raphanus sativus, Lactuca sativa, and Arabidopsis thaliana) with a dose-dependent relationship. Additionally, mucroniferals A and B exhibited significant inhibitory effects on germination of most seeds at concentration of 80 μg/mL, and the inhibition was reversible.

Rapid Quantitative Detection of Deltamethrin in Corydalis yanhusuo by SERS Coupled with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

With the increase in demand, artificially planting Chinese medicinal materials (CHMs) has also increased, and the ensuing pesticide residue problems have attracted more and more attention. An optimized quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method with multi-walled carbon nanotubes as dispersive solid-phase extraction sorbents coupled with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was first proposed for the detection of deltamethrin in complex matrix Corydalis yanhusuo. Our results demonstrate that using the optimized QuEChERS method could effectively extract the analyte and reduce background interference from Corydalis. Facile synthesized gold nanoparticles with a large diameter of 75 nm had a strong SERS enhancement for deltamethrin determination. The best prediction model was established with partial least squares regression of the SERS spectra ranges of 545~573 cm⁻¹ and 987~1011 cm⁻¹ with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.9306, a detection limit of 0.484 mg/L and a residual predictive deviation of 3.046. In summary, this article provides a new rapid and effective method for the detection of pesticide residues in CHMs.

Phytochemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Corydalis solida and Pseudofumaria lutea

Corydalis and Pseudofumaria are two closely related genera from the Papaveraceae subfamily Fumarioideae with Corydalis solida (C. solida) and Pseudofumaria lutea (P. lutea) as two representative species. Phytochemical analysis revealed significant differences in the quality and quantity of isoquinoline alkaloids, phenolic compounds and non-phenolic carboxylic acids between aerial and underground parts of both species. Using the Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) technique, 21 compounds were identified: five protoberberine derivatives, three protopine derivatives, four phenanthridine derivatives, as well as three carboxylic acids, two hydroxycinnamic acids, one chlorogenic acid, one phenolic aldehyde, and two flavonoids. Moroever, significant differences in the content of individual compounds were observed between the two studied species. The phytochemical profile of C. solida showed a higher variety of compounds that were present in lower amounts, whereas P. lutea extracts contained fewer compounds but in larger quantities. Protopine was one of the most abundant constituents in C. solida (440-1125 µg/g d.w.) and in P. lutea (1036-1934 µg/g d.w.). Moreover, considerable amounts of coptisine (1526 µg/g) and quercetin (3247 µg/g) were detected in the aerial parts of P. lutea. Extracts from aerial and underground parts of both species were also examined for the antimicrobial potential against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans. P. lutea herb extract was the most effective (MIC at 0.39 mg/L) against all three pathogens.

Yanhusanines A-F, Isoquinoline-Derived Alkaloid Enantiomers from Corydalis yanhusuo and Their Biological Activity

Six new pairs of isoquinoline alkaloid enantiomers, designated as yanhusanines A-F (1-6), were isolated from an aqueous extract of Corydalis yanhusuo tubers. The structures of these enantiomers were elucidated via physicochemical analysis and a variety of spectroscopic methods. All compounds were resolved into their enantiomers via chiral-phase HPLC, and their configurations were determined by DP4+ NMR calculation methods, specific rotations, and comparison of experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Compounds 1-6 bear a rare 9-methyl moiety, and compound 1 possesses a rare 1-oxa-6-azaspiro[4.5]decane core containing an N-CHO group. Compounds (+)-2, (-)-2, (+)-4, (-)-4, (+)-5, (-)-5, (+)-6, and (-)-6 exhibited selective inhibitory activities against human carboxylesterase (hCE2), in the IC₅₀ value range of 2.0-13.2 μM.

Phthalideisoquinoline Hemiacetal Alkaloids from Corydalis decumbens That Inhibit Spontaneous Calcium Oscillations, Including Alkyl Derivatives of (+)-Egenine That Are Strikingly Levorotatory

The new phthalideisoquinoline hemiacetal alkaloids (2-7) and the known analogues (1 and 8) were isolated from the bulbs of Corydalis decumbens. The new compounds were characterized by analysis of their NMR spectroscopic data, chemical degradation syntheses, X-ray crystallography, and comparison of experimental and calculated ECD data. All the isolates were screened in vitro for inhibitory activity of spontaneous calcium oscillations in primary cultured neocortical neurons. Compounds 1-3 and 5-7 were found to be active in the suppression of spontaneous calcium oscillations with IC₅₀ values of 6.8, 5.6, 11.6, 10.2, 8.3, and 3.1 μM, respectively. It was also observed that the presence of hydroxy, methoxy, and ethoxy groups at the remote stereogenic center C-7' of some isolated phthalideisoquinoline hemiacetal alkaloids could alter the preferred conformation and invert the sign of optical rotation, rather than this resulting from configurational isomerism at C-1 or C-9, and that the ³J_1,9 coupling constants of these analogues varied accordingly. For example, compounds 1 and 6 are levorotatory, despite these molecules having the same carbon skeleton and absolute configuration as (+)-egenine. This emphasizes the potential risk of incorrectly assigning absolute configuration based only on observed coupling constants or optical rotation when comparing the data of new compounds with literature values for known analogues, especially within this class of molecules.

Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of Constituents of Corydalis bungeana Turcz Extract

In this study, the constituents of a Corydalis bungeana Turcz extract were qualitatively analyzed using gradient elution with a mobile phase of 0.2% acetic acid and acetonitrile. We obtained comprehensive insight into the constituents of C. bungeana Turcz extracts through the quantitative analysis of 14 compounds by comparison with authentic reference standards, and tentatively identified an additional 44 compounds through electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and tandem MS detection. The separation was successfully achieved using an Agilent SB-C₁₈ column (1.8 µm, 150 × 2.1 mm; Agilent, Santa, CA, USA). A tandem quadrupole spectrometer was operated in either full-scan mode or multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of the constituents, respectively. Validation data (inter-day and intra-day combined) for accuracy and precision ranged from -4.80% to 4.73%, and 0.30% to 4.97%, respectively. An ultrahigh performance liquid chromatographic-ESI-tandem MS (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method for qualitative of C. bungeana Turcz (C. bungeana) extract and the quantification of 14 alkaloids, namely, A-N, was developed and validated. Quantitative analysis involved gradient elution with a mobile phase of 0.1% acetic acid and methanol for 45 min. The separation was successfully achieved using a Waters SB-C₁₈ column (1.8 µm, 100 mm × 2.1 mm, Waters, Milford, Massachusetts, USA). The repeatability and stability of the method also met USFDA criteria with CV values lower than 5%. The limit of detection of the 14 alkaloids ranged from 9.74 to 13.00 ng/mL, whereas the linearities of the standard curves were between 0.9991 and 0.9995. In total, 15 commercial samples from 11 different sources were analyzed.

In Vitro and In Silico Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activity of Thalictricavine and Canadine and Their Predicted Penetration across the Blood-Brain Barrier

In recent studies, several alkaloids acting as cholinesterase inhibitors were isolated from Corydalis cava (Papaveraceae). Inhibitory activities of (+)-thalictricavine (1) and (+)-canadine (2) on human acetylcholinesterase (hAChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (hBChE) were evaluated with the Ellman's spectrophotometric method. Molecular modeling was used to inspect the binding mode of compounds into the active site pocket of hAChE. The possible permeability of 1 and 2 through the blood⁻brain barrier (BBB) was predicted by the parallel artificial permeation assay (PAMPA) and logBB calculation. In vitro, 1 and 2 were found to be selective hAChE inhibitors with IC50 values of 0.38 ± 0.05 µM and 0.70 ± 0.07 µM, respectively, but against hBChE were considered inactive (IC50 values > 100 µM). Furthermore, both alkaloids demonstrated a competitive-type pattern of hAChE inhibition and bind, most probably, in the same AChE sub-site as its substrate. In silico docking experiments allowed us to confirm their binding poses into the active center of hAChE. Based on the PAMPA and logBB calculation, 2 is potentially centrally active, but for 1 BBB crossing is limited. In conclusion, 1 and 2 appear as potential lead compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Cholinesterase inhibitory isoquinoline alkaloids from Corydalis mucronifera

Eight previously undescribed isoquinoline alkaloids, mucroniferanines H-M, together with 16 known isoquinoline alkaloids, were isolated from Corydalis mucronifera Maxim.. The structures of the previously undescribed compounds were elucidated by interpretation of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic and HRMS data, and their absolute configurations were established by computational electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations and X-ray diffraction data. Mucroniferanine L is reported as the first natural amide bond linked isoquinoline alkaloid dimer. The isolated compounds were evaluated for AChE and BuChE inhibitory activities and mucroniferanine H showed significant activities with IC₅₀ values of 2.31 μM and 36.71 μM, respectively.

Potential target-related proteins in rabbit platelets treated with active monomers dehydrocorydaline and canadine from Rhizoma corydalis

BACKGROUND

Dehydrocorydaline (DHC) and canadine (THB) are two active alkaloid compounds in Corydalis yanhusuo (Y.H. Chou & Chun C. Hsu) W.T. Wang ex Z.Y. Su & C.Y. Wu (Papaveraceae) (Rhizoma Corydalis). DHC and THC were previously shown to exert anti-platelet aggregation effect dose-dependently, but their exact mechanisms had not yet been addressed. Therefore, it is essential to study the mechanisms of DHC and THB affecting on platelet's function.

PURPOSE

To investigate the anti-platelet effects and corresponding signal cascades of DHC and THB on platelet aggregation.

METHODS

Firstly, in vitro anti-platelet aggregation of DHC and THB induced by different agonists including thrombin (THR), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and arachidonic acid (AA) were determined through turbidimetry method. Then the possible target-related platelet proteins after treated with DHC/THB were separated and identified by two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF-MS/MS analysis, respectively. Finally, the signal cascades network induced by DHC/THB were predicted through functional analysis of these proteins along with the determination of platelet DAG concentration.

RESULTS

The platelet aggregation stimulated by THR, ADP and AA were inhibited by DHC and THB dose-dependently to a certain degree. Meanwhile, DHC and THB had the strongest effect on ADP- and THR-induced platelet aggregation respectively. In addition, treatment of these two compounds caused regulations of about sixty proteins in platelet, including cytoskeleton proteins, cell signaling proteins, proteins related to material energy metabolism, etc. CONCLUSIONS: Using proteomic analysis combined with platelet aggregation test and ELISA, this study was successful in exploring the possible mechanisms of DHC/THB on platelet aggregation. DHC might inhibit platelet aggregation by a mechanism involving the ADP receptors P2Y1 and P2Y12, and the effect of THB on platelet function may be related to its binding to THR receptor PAR1 for mediated Gi signaling pathway. These results provide fundamental information for the anti-thrombotic effect of RC.

Isoquinolines from Corydalis tomentella from Tibet, China, possess hepatoprotective activities

The phytochemical study on Corydalis tomentella Franch, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant in Tibet, China, led to the isolation of six previously undescribed isoquinolines, including two rarely reported N-benzyl ones, and twenty-one known ones firstly obtained from this plant. Their planar structures were elucidated by 1D, 2D NMR experiments and high resolution mass spectrometry, and the absolute configurations were determined by NOE experiments, electronic circular dichroism, and specific rotation. Seven isoquinolines exhibited stronger hepatoprotective activities than that of positive control in D-galactosamine induced L02 cells damage model, which could be served as the leading compounds for further investigations. The primary structure-activity relationship was also summarized accordingly.

Identification of Alkaloids from Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang as Dopamine D₁ Receptor Antagonists by Using CRE-Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay

Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang (C. yanhusuo) has been traditionally used for drug addiction and pain relief in China. In our previous study, we showed that the extract of C. yanhusuo blocks dopamine receptors, demonstrating that its pharmacological activities are mostly due to the antagonistic effects of some of its components at dopamine receptors. As part of our ongoing project on C. yanhusuo, the aim of the present study is to establish a high-throughput and low-cost screening assay system and test the abilities of the isolated alkaloids from C. yanhusuo to inhibit dopamine-induced dopamine D₁ receptor activity. By using our established cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-response element (CRE)-luciferase reporter gene assay system, we identified eight alkaloids from C. yanhusuo with D₁ receptor antagonistic activities. We next validated the activities of these compounds using fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR) assay by measuring the intracellular Ca2+ change. Six out of eight compounds, including tetrahydropalmatine, corydaline, 13-methyldehydrocorydalmine, dehydrocorybubine, dehydrocorydaline, and columbamine, can be confirmed for their inhibitory activities. The dopamine-receptor-antagonistic effects of four compounds, including 13-methyldehydrocorydalmine, dehydrocorydaline, columbamine, and corydaline, are reported for the first time. The present study provides an important pharmacological basis to support the traditional use of C. yanhusuo in China.

Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Simultaneous Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of Fourteen Alkaloid Components in Dog Plasma after Oral Administration of Corydalis bungeana Turcz Extract

A rapid and sensitive Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of fourteen alkaloids in beagle dog plasma after a single oral dose of the Corydalis bungeana Turcz (C. bungeana) extract selected bifendate as the internal standard (IS). The plasma samples were preprocessed by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with aether before separation on an Agilent SB-C₁₈ column (1.8 µm, 150 × 2.1 mm) using a gradient elution program. The mobile phase consists of 0.2% acetic acid and acetonitrile at the flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. In the positive ion mode, the analytes were detected by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The results indicated that calibration curves for fourteen analytes have good linearity (R² = 0.9904). The lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) of fourteen alkaloids and IS were all over 4.87 ng/mL and the matrix effects ranged from 94.08% to 102.76%. The mean extraction recoveries of Quality control samples at low (LQC), medium (MQC) and high (HQC) and IS were all more than 78.03%. The intra- and inter-day precision (R.S.D.%) also met the criterion, at the same time the deviation of assay accuracies (R.E) ranged from −13.70% to 14.40%. The T_max values of fourteen alkaloids were no more than 1 h. The range of C_max was from 74.16 ± 8.71 to 2256 ± 255.9 ng/mL. The assay was validated in the light of the regulatory bioanalytical guidelines and proved acceptable, which was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of these compounds in beagle dogs after oral administration of Corydalis bungeana Turcz extract.

An Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Determination of 10 Alkaloids in Beagle Dog Plasma after the Oral Administration of the Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang Extract and Yuanhuzhitong Tablets

This study has developed a sensitive and simple ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of corydaline, dehydrocorydaline, tetrahydropalmatine, protopine, palmatine, tetrahydroberberine, columbamine, berberine, coptisine and berberrubine in beagle dog plasma after the oral administration of the Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang and Yuanhuzhitong tablets. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Agilent Eclipse Plus C18 RRHD column (1.8 µm, 50 × 2.1 mm) using a gradient elution program with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. A tandem mass spectrometric detection was conducted by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode via an electrospray ionization source in the positive mode. The calibration curves of all analytes showed good linear (r² > 0.9800). The intra-day and inter-day precisions were less than 15% and the accuracies were within ±15%. The extraction recoveries conformed to the acceptable range. And there was no interference of endogenous substances in the sensitive assay method. All analytes were proven to be stable during sample storage and analysis procedures. The pharmacokinetic study indicated that the Yuanhuzhitong tablets could get a better absorption than Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang.

[Study on structural conversion of dihydrochelerythrine in different solvents]

Dihydrochelerythrine was isolated from the ethanol extract of Corydalis yanhusuo by chromatographic and recrystallization techniques. To our knowledge, this is the first report that dihydrochelerythrine was found to be unstable. The NMR, HPLC, and LC-MS were applied to monitor the structural conversion process of dihydrochelerythrine. The results showed that when dissolved in polar deuteration solvent (e.g., DMSO-d₆ & MeOD), dihydrochelerythrine is directly converted to chelerythrine gradually. However, if used non-polar reagent (e.g.,CD₂Cl₂), the sample of dihydrochelerythrine undergoes the formation of pseudobase, chelerythrine, and bimolecular ether then followed by oxidation to oxychelerythrine as the major final product. Which leads to this phenomenon maybe is that the C-6 in dihydrochelerythrine is highly reactive to nucleophiles, and is easily converted to different derivatives in different solvents attributed to the solvent effect. This finding will contribute to the extraction and isolation, bioactivity screening, and quality evaluation of medicinal materials containing dihydrochelerythrine and other similar derivatives.

Alkaloids from Corydalis decumbens suppress neuronal excitability in primary cultures of mouse neocortical neurons

Eight previously undescribed alkaloids, named corydemine, dihydrocorydemine, corydedine, 8,13-dioxo-14-hydroxytetrahydropalmatine, egenine-α-N-oxide, egenine-β-N-oxide, 7'-O-ethylegenine-α-N-oxide, and 7'-O-ethylegenine-β-N-oxide, together with three known ones, muramine, l-tetrahydropalmatine, and (+)-egenine, were isolated from the bulbs of Corydalis decumbens. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and chemical correlation. The isolated compounds were tested for their ability to modulate neuronal excitability in primary cultured neocortical neurons. Four of the compounds, corydemine, dihydrocorydemine, muramine, and l-tetrahydropalmatine, inhibited neuronal excitability with IC₅₀ values of 3.6, 16.7, 13.5 and 14.0 μM, respectively.

Mucroniferanines A-G, Isoquinoline Alkaloids from Corydalis mucronifera

Five pairs of isoquinoline alkaloid enantiomers, mucroniferanines A-E (1-5), two inseparable epimeric pairs, mucroniferanines F and G (6, 7), and 10 known isoquinoline alkaloids (8-17) were obtained from Corydalis mucronifera. The structures were characterized using spectroscopic data analysis, and the absolute configurations were established by ECD and X-ray data analysis. The new compounds except for 3 possess a rare 9-methyl group in the isoquinoline alkaloids, and compounds 2 and 3 possess rare benzo[1,2-d:3,4-d]bis[1,3]dioxole moieties. It is the first report of stereoisomerism involving the 9-methyl phthalideisoquinoline alkaloids. Compounds (-)-4, 6, and 7 exhibited acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities with IC₅₀ values of 28.3, 12.2, and 11.3 μM, respectively.

Canadine from Corydalis turtschaninovii Stimulates Myoblast Differentiation and Protects against Myotube Atrophy

Cachexia and sarcopenia are the main causes of muscle atrophy. These result in a reduction in the muscle fiber area, myo-protein content, and muscle strength, with various molecular modulators being involved. Although several reports have proposed potential therapeutic agents, no effective treatments have been found for muscle atrophy. We searched for myogenic modulators from medicinal plants to treat muscle diseases. We isolated six alkaloids from Corydalis turtschaninovii and evaluated their myogenic potential by using the MyoD reporter gene assay in C2C12 cells. Among the tested compounds, canadine showed the strongest transactivation of MyoD and increased MHC expression during myogenesis. The activation of p38 MAP kinase and Akt are major mechanisms that contribute to the myogenesis by canadine. Canadine increased the number of multinucleated and cylinder-shaped myotubes during myogenesis of C2C12 myoblasts. To determine the preventive effect of canadine in cancer-induced muscle wasting, differentiated C2C12 myotubes were treated with conditioned media from CT26 colon carcinoma culture (CT26 CM) in the presence of canadine. Canadine ameliorated the muscle protein degradation caused by CT26-CM by down-regulating the muscle specific-E3 ligases, MAFbx/atrogin-1 and MuRF1. In this study, we found that canadine from C. turtschaninovii stimulates myogenesis and also inhibits muscle protein degradation. Therefore, we suggest canadine as a protective agent against muscle atrophy.

Differential proteomic analysis of platelets suggested target-related proteins in rabbit platelets treated with Rhizoma Corydalis

CONTEXT

Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang (Papaveraceae) (Rhizoma Corydalis) showed inhibitory effects on rabbit platelet aggregation induced by ADP, thrombin (THR) or arachidonic acid (AA).

OBJECTIVE

This study separates and identifies the possible target-related platelet proteins and suggests possible signal cascades of RC antiplatelet aggregation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Based on comparative proteomics, the differentially expressed platelet proteins treated before and after with 50 mg/mL RC 90% ethanol extract (for 15 min at 37 °C) were analyzed and identified by two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF-MS/MS. To further verify the possible signalling pathways of RC antiplatelet aggregation function, the concentration of calcium (Ca²⁺) was measured by Fura-2/AM fluorescence (Ex 340/380 nm, Em 500 nm) (RC final concentrations of 0.0156-0.1563 mg/mL), the levels of P-selectin and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were quantified by ELISA (OD. 450 nm) (RC final concentrations of 0.0156-1.5625 mg/mL), and the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) level was measured using ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPT) fluorescence (Ex 340 nm, Em 470 nm) (RC final concentrations of 0.3125-1.5625 mg/mL).

RESULTS

The expression of 52 proteins were altered in rabbit platelets after the treatment and the MALDI-TOF-MS analysis indicated that those proteins include 12 cytoskeleton proteins, 7 cell signalling proteins, 3 molecular chaperone proteins, 6 proteins related to platelet function, 16 enzymes and 7 other related proteins. Furthermore, RC extract could decrease the levels of 5-HT [inhibition rate of 96.80% (p < 0.05, vs. THR-activated group) treated with 0.7813 mg/mL of RC], Ca²⁺[172.73 ± 5.07 to 113.56 ± 5.46 nM (p < 0.001, vs. THR-activated group) treated with 0.0313 mg/mL of RC] and P-selectin [13.48 ± 0.96 ng/3 × 10⁸ to 11.64 ± 0.17 ng/3 × 10⁸ (p < 0.05, vs. THR-activated group) treated with 0.0156 mg/mL of RC], and increase in cGMP level [38.93 ± 0.57 to 50.26 ± 4.05 ng/3 × 10⁸ (p < 0.05, vs. THR-activated group) treated with 1.5165 mg/mL of RC] in ADP (10 μmol/L), THR (0.25 u/mL) or AA-(0.205 mmol/L) activated rabbit platelets.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The present study indicated that P2Y12 receptor might be one of the direct target proteins of RC in platelets. The signal cascades network of RC after binding with P2Y12 receptor is mediating Gαi proteins to activate downstream signalling pathways (AC and/or PI3K signalling pathways) for the inhibition of platelet aggregation.

Fingerprint-efficacy study of the quaternary alkaloids in Corydalis yanhusuo

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Corydalis yanhusuo is a well-known Chinese herbal medicine that is commonly applied as an analgesic agent in clinic using for thousands of years. Resent research showed that the quaternary ammonium alkaloids from Corydalis yanhusuo have a significant effect on myocardial ischemia. However, the corresponding anti-myocardial ischemia components that represent the efficacy of the quaternary ammonium alkaloids have not been elucidated.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Explore the anti-myocardial ischemia components of Corydalis yanhusuo and develop a method of quality control for Corydalis yanhusuo. Chemical fingerprints of quaternary ammonium alkaloids extracted from Corydalis yanhusuo samples from 37 different sources were identified using UPLC-Q-TOF MS. The protective effects of the 37 samples with respect to H₉C₂ cell hypoxia-reoxygenation were detected by MTT assays. The fingerprint-efficacy relationship between the chemical fingerprints and cardioprotection afforded by Corydalis yanhusuo was investigated using three chemometric methods.

RESULTS

Because of their inherent differences in chemical compositions, the protective effects to H₉C₂ cell hypoxia-reoxygenation were different. The results of three chemometric methods showed that the source of the Corydalis yanhusuo has an important influence on both the chemical fingerprint and efficacy. In particular, dehydrocorybulbine, 13-methyldehydrocorydalmine, dehydrocorydaline, columbamine, and palmatine appear to be the main effective components for quality control of this TCM.

CONCLUSION

This work provides a general model of combination of UPLC and cardioprotection efficiency to study the fingerprint-efficacy relationship of Corydalis yanhusuo which can offer some references for detecting principal components of Corydalis yanhusuo on cardioprotection efficiency. Fingerprint-efficacy studies also provide a powerful method of quality control in Corydalis yanhusuo and other TCMs.

Corydalis bungeana Turcz. attenuates LPS-induced inflammatory responses via the suppression of NF-κB signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Corydalis bungeana Turcz. (C. bungeana) is one of traditionally used medicines in China and possesses various biological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial activity and inhibition of the immune function of the host.

AIM OF THE STUDY

we studied the anti-inflammatory effect and molecular mechanism involved of C. bungeana both in vitro and in vivo model system in which the inflammatory response was induced by LPS treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Anti-inflammatory activity of C. bungeana was investigated by LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages and BALB/c mice. The production and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines were evaluated by Griess reagent, ELISA kits and RT-qPCR, respectively. Phosphorylation status of IκBα and p65 was illustrated by western blot assay.

RESULTS

C. bungeana reduced the secretion of NO, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β through inhibiting the protein expression of iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in vitro and in vivo. Western blot analysis suggested that C. bungeana supressed NF-κB activation via regulating the phosphorylation of IκBα and p65. Immunohistochemical assay also demostrated the histological inflammatory change in liver tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that C. bungeana supresses the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway through inhibiting phosphorylation of IκBα and p65, which results in good anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, C. bungeana attenuates inflammatory reaction by supressing the expression of various inflammatory cytokines both in vivo and in vitro.

Antitumor lignanamides from the aerial parts of Corydalis saxicola

BACKGROUND

Cancer is one of the leading cause of unnatural death globally. There is still a great need for effective anticancer agents from plant sources. Corydalis saxicola Bunting is a medicinal plant that is traditionally used to treat various diseases in southwest China. Previous phytochemical investigations of C. saxicola have focused on isoquinoline alkaloids that have been isolated, which have activity against anti-hepatitis B virus and inhibit DNA topoisomerase I. However, the exploration of other classes of constituents and their bioactivities needs further study.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate the antitumor activity of isolated lignanamides as well as their detailed cellular proliferation, suppression, and cytotoxic mechanisms.

METHODS

Herbs were extracted and constituents were purified by chromatographic separation, including silica gel, ODS, MCI, Sephadex LH-20 and Preparative HPLC. The compound structures were elucidated by the use of UV, IR, NMR and MS spectral data. The cytotoxicity effects of all compounds from the MGC-803, HepG2, T24, NCI-H460, Spca-2, and HL-7702 cell lines were studied by MTT assays. The induction of apoptosis by corydalisin C was investigated using acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, Hoechst 33,258 staining, JC-1 mitochondrial membrane potential staining and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Three new lignanamides, together with five known analogues, were isolated from the aerial parts of C. saxicola. Corydalisin C possessed the most potent inhibitory effects, with an IC₅₀ value of 8.81 ± 2.05µM against MGC-803 cells. SAR analysis showed that the sterics and chirality of lignanamides play a crucial role in pharmacologically relevant events. The antitumor activity was possibly due to the induction of cell apoptosis. Western blot experiments demonstrated that corydalisin C may induce apoptosis through both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways, accompanied by down-regulating the expression of Bcl-2 and FasL in a time-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence that a lignanamide from the ethyl acetate extract of whole plants of C. saxicola showing potential in cancer treatment.

[Chemical constituents and mechanism of Corydalis Rhizoma based on HPLC-QTOF/MS and G protein-coupled receptor analysis]

The chemical constituents of Corydalis Rhizoma were identified in the 60% ethanol extract using high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF/MS). The stimulation and inhibition effects of Corydalis Rhizoma and its representative compounds (protopine, palmatine, tetrahydropalmatine) on G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), including 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A receptor(5-HT(1A)), μ opioid receptor (OPRM1), β(2) adrenergic receptor (ADRB2), dopamine receptor (D(2)), acetylcholine receptor (M(2)) and thromboxane-prostaglandin receptor (TP) were explored using the fluorescence assay of intracellular calcium ion. As a result, 31 compounds were obtained and 28 alkaloid compounds were identified. The results of GPCR experiments showed that Corydalis Rhizoma could activate 5-HT(1A), OPRM1, ADRB2 receptors and block D(2) receptor. Protopine showed antagonism on D2 and M2 receptors, tetrahydropalmatine could agitate ADRB2 receptor and antagonize D(2) and TP receptors, while palmatine showed no significant biological activity on the 6 GPCRs. In conclusion, Corydalis Rhizoma may exert biological activity by multi-components acting on multi-targets.

[Effect of Corydalis yanhusuo and L-THP on Gastrointestinal Dopamine System in Morphine-Dependent Rats]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the protective mechanism of Corydalis yanhuso and L-THP in morphine-dependent gastrointestinal injury rats.

METHODS

180 male rats were randomly divided into nine groups, 20 rats for each group: saline group (N), model group (M), NS treatment group and three different dosage of Corydalis yanhusuo and L-THP groups (low dose group,middle dose group and high dose group). The rat CPP (conditioned place preference) model was established by injecting the rats with an increasing dosage of morphine, all groups received CPP training in a black compartments and white ones (drug-paired compartment) for ten days. At 48 h after the final training, the performance of CPP models were assessed to make sure all models were exported correctly. Then the treatment groups were administered with different concentration of Corydalis yanhuso (0.5, 1 and 2 g/kg) and L-THP (0.94, 1.88 and 3.76 mg/kg) for six days. All rats were immediately killed after finish the last CPP test. For each group, ten rats were killed to detect the contents of DA in the stomach and duodenum through the fluorescence spectrophotometer. The expression levels of D2 receptor( D2R) in different tissues (gastric cardia, gastric body, pylorus and duodenum) were checked by Western-blot in the other rats.

RESULTS

In the NS treatment group, the time when rats stay in the white ones were significantly decreased compared with the Corydalis yanhusuo treated groups (1 and 2 g/kg) and L-THP treated groups (1.88 and 3.76 mg/kg) (P < 0.01), the high expression of DA contents in the stomach and duodenum were significantly decreased (P < 0.01). However the protein level of D2R were notably lower in gastric cardia, gastric body, pylorus and duodenum (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Injuries of the gastrointestinal tract followed lower DA contents and an abnormal increase of D2R in the stomach and duodenum of rats, which induced by morphine-dependent could be reversed by treatment with Corydalis yanhusuo and L-THP. This is one of mechanism underlying the protective effects of gastrointestinal tract in morphine-dependent rats.

[Establishment of simultaneous quantitative model of five alkaloids from Corydalis Rhizoma by near-infrared spectrometry]

This paper established a near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative model for simultaneous quantitative analysis of coptisine hydrochloride, dehydrocorydaline, tetrahydropalmatine, corydaline and glaucine in Corydalis Rhizoma. Firstly, the chemical values of the five components in Corydalis Rhizoma were determined by the reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with UV detection. Then, the quantitative calibration model was established and optimized by fourier transformation near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with partial least square (PLS) regression. The calibration model was evaluated by correlation coefficient (r), the root-mean-square error of calibration (RMSEC) and the root mean square of cross-validation (RMSECV) of the calibration model, as well as the correlation coefficient (r) and the root mean square of prediction (RMSEP) of prediction model. For the quantitative calibration model, the r, RMSEC and RMSECV of coptisine hydrochloride, dehydrocorydaline, tetrahydropalmatine, corydaline and glaucine were 0.941 0, 0.972 7, 0.964 3, 0.978 1, 0.979 9; 0.006 7, 0.003 5, 0.005 9, 0.002 8, 0.005 9; and 0.015, 0.011, 0.020, 0.010 and 0.022, respectively. For the prediction model, the r and RMSEP of the five components were 0.916 6, 0.942 9, 0.943 6, 0.916 7, 0.914 5; and 0.009, 0.006 6, 0.007 5, 0.006 9 and 0.011, respectively. The established near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative model is relatively stable, accurate and reliable for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of the five alkaloids, and is expected to be used for the rapid determination of the five components in crude drug of Corydalis Rhizoma.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Heterocarpin from the Salt Marsh Plant Corydalis heterocarpa in LPS-Induced RAW 264.7 Macrophage Cells

The inhibitory effect of three chromones 1-3 and two coumarins 4-5 on the production of nitric oxide (NO) was evaluated in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Among the compounds tested heterocarpin (1), a furochromone, significantly inhibited its production in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, heterocarpin suppressed prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production and expression of cytokines such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

[Study on UPLC Fingerprint of Corydalis bungeana]

OBJECTIVE

To establish an Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography fingerprint of Corydalis bungeana from different habitats.

METHODS

UPLC-PDA was adopted to analysis ten batches of Corydalis bungeana from different habitats with Phenomenex Luna C₁₈ column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 µm) eluted with the mobile phase of acetonitrile and 0. 02% triethylamine in a gradient mode. The flow rate was 0.3 mL/min and the column temperature was 30 °C. The detection wavelength was set at 289 nm.

RESULTS

The fingerprints of ten batches of Corydalis bungeana from different habitats had 13 common peaks, three of them were identified. The similarities were larger than 0.80. Ten batches of samples were divided into three categories by cluster analysis. Three principal components were ob- served via principal component analysis and the value of three principal components accounted for 89. 607% of the total variance. Two major chemical components of Corydalis bungeana were confirmed.

CONCLUSION

The high-performance and rapid method is successfully used for fingerprint analysis and can be used to evaluate the quality of Corydalis bungeana.

[Discussion of HPLC fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine of Corydalis yanhusuo and its preparation]

Fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is in the guidance of the basic theory of TCM, according to the variety and quality of TCM and using a variety of analytical methods and technology, to establish the objective, overall and multi index comprehensive evaluation system. The TCM fingerprint in one of the strategic subjects for TCM modernization. As more and more technologies have been applied to the fingerprint research of TCM, it is sure to play a much more important role in many aspects, such as the quality control of TCM, the researches of efficient components, and the mechanism in TCM, and so on. The fingerprint technology includes many modern technologies such as high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Corydalis yanhusuo is an ancient TCM, and recent years appears many researches about fingerprint of C. yanhusuo. This paper generalizes the research in progresses in research and analytical methods on fingerprint technology of C. yanhusuo, processed products (vinegar), and painkillers, to provide the scientific basis for fingerprint method and quality control of C. yanhusuo.

A 1H-NMR-Based Metabonomic Study on the Anti-Depressive Effect of the Total Alkaloid of Corydalis Rhizoma

Corydalis Rhizoma, named YuanHu in China, is the dried tuber of Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang which is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for pain relief and blood activation. Previous pharmacological studies showed that apart from analgesics, the alkaloids from YuanHu may be useful in the therapy of depression by acting on the GABA, dopamine and benzodiazepine receptors. In this study, the antidepressive effect of the total alkaloid of YuanHu (YHTA) was investigated in a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model using 1H-NMR-based metabonomics. Plasma metabolic profiles were analyzed and multivariate data analysis was applied to discover the metabolic biomarkers in CUMS rats. Thirteen biomarkers of CUMS-introduced depression were identified, which are myo-inositol, glycerol, glycine, creatine, glutamine, glutamate, β-glucose, α-glucose, acetoacetate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, leucine and unsaturated lipids (L7, L9). Moreover, a metabolic network of the potential biomarkers in plasma perturbed by CUMS was detected. After YHTA treatment, clear separation between the model group and YHTA-treated group was achieved. The levels of all the abnormal metabolites mentioned above showed a tendency of restoration to normal levels. The results demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of YHTA against depression and suggested that NMR-based metabolomics can provide a simple and easy tool for the evaluation of herbal therapeutics.

[Study on effect of oligochitosan in promoting intestinal absorption of protoberberine alkaloids in extracts from Corydalis saxicola total alkaloids]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of oligochitosan in promoting intestinal absorption of protoberberine alkaloids in extracts from Corydalis saxicola total alkaloids.

METHOD

The in vitro single-pass intestinal perfusion model in rats was established to study the changes in absorption kinetic parameters of dehydrocavidine, berberine hydrochloride and palmatine chloride in C. saxicola total alkaloids after the addition of different concentrations oligochitosan and evaluate the effect of oligochitosan in promoting intestinal absorption of the drugs.

RESULT

The concentration of oligochitosan had different effects on the absorption rate constant (Ka) and apparent permeability coefficient (Peff) of the three active component in rat intestines. Ka and Peff in 0.5% oligochitosan group significantly increased, indicating a stronger effect in promoting the absorption.

CONCLUSION

Oligochitosan has a certain effect in promoting the intestinal absorptions of protoberberine alkaloids in C. saxicola total alkaloids.

[Correlation of HPLC Characteristic Spectra of Vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma Decoction Pieces, Water Decoction and Formula Granules]

OBJECTIVE

To study the correlation of characteristic spectra of Vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma decoction pieces, water decoction and formula granules by HPLC, and to investigate the transfer of the main chemical constituents between three different forms.

METHODS

The analysis was carried out by a Phenomenex Gemini C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm,5 μm) with acetonitrile-1% acetic acid and ammonium acetate buffer solution (pH 6.0) as the mobile phase in a gradient elution mode. The detection wavelength was 280 nm with a flow rate of 0.8 mL /min. The column temperature was 30 degrees C. The characteristic spectra from 11 batches of Vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma decoction pieces, 11 batches of water decoction and 11 batches of formula granules were established respectively.

RESULTS

Ten peaks in the HPLC characteristic spectra from 11 batches of formula granules could be tracked in the water decoction, nine peaks in the HPLC characteristic spectra could be tracked in the decoction pieces. In the ten common peaks, four components such as protopine, palnatine chloride, berberine hydrochloride and tetrahydropalmatine were verified.

CONCLUSION

The main chemical components of Vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma decoction pieces, water decoction and formula granules are basically the same, the common component contents have similar proportion.

[Identification and analysis of Corydalis boweri, Meconopsis horridula and their close related species of the same genus by using ITS2 DNA barcode]

The study is aimed to ensure the quality and safety of medicinal plants by using ITS2 DNA barcode technology to identify Corydalis boweri, Meconopsis horridula and their close related species. The DNA of 13 herb samples including C. boweri and M. horridula from Lhasa of Tibet was extracted, ITS PCR were amplified and sequenced. Both assembled and web downloaded 71 ITS2 sequences were removed of 5. 8S and 28S. Multiple sequence alignment was completed and the intraspecific and interspecific genetic distances were calculated by MEGA 5.0, while the neighbor-joining phylogenetic trees were constructed. We also predicted the ITS2 secondary structure of C. boweri, M. horridula and their close related species. The results showed that ITS2 as DNA barcode was able to identify C. boweri, M. horridula as well as well as their close related species effectively. The established based on ITS2 barcode method provides the regular and safe detection technology for identification of C. boweri, M. horridula and their close related species, adulterants and counterfeits, in order to ensure their quality control, safe medication, reasonable development and utilization.

[Controlled clinical study on compound Decumbent Corydalis Rhizome and diclofenac in treatment of knee osteoarthritis]

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of compound Decumbent Corydalis Rhizome (DCR) in treating patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Totally 79 patients with knee osteoarthritis were selected from out-patient and inpatient departments of West China Hospital and randomly divided into the test group and the control group. The test group (n = 41) was given Compound DCR with the dosage of 1.8 g · d(-1), while the control group (n = 38) was administered with diclofenac sodium with the dosage of 75 mg · d(-1). After 12 weeks of treatment, the total efficacy rates based on patients/physicians evaluation for experimental and control groups were 68.29%, 63.41% and 71.05%, 63.16%, respectively, without significant difference between the two groups. Both of the two groups showed significant improvements in the main efficacy indexes (pain on walking 20 m) and minor indexes (tenderness on palpation, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA index (WOMAC) and Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36 ), but without significant difference in efficacy between them. The incidence of related adverse events was 24.39% in the test group and 47.37% in the control group, respectively, with significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.05). In the controlled study, compound DCR is as efficient as diclofenac sodium but more tolerable, with a good clinical application prospect.