Tanreqing injection is a Chinese medical formula used to treatment of respiratory diseases. In our study, we developed a feasible and accurate strategy applying an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q Exactive™ Plus-Orbitrap Fusion mass spectrometers (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap Fusion MS/MS) to clarify and quantify the chemical profiling of Tanreqing injection rapidly. A total of 80 ingredients were identified by comparing the accurate mass, fragment ions, and cleavage pathways, including flavonoids, phenyl propionic acid, coumarins, amino acids, cholesterol, etc. And 18 characteristic components among them were definitely identified by comparison with reference substance. Meanwhile, the 18 representative constituents were simultaneously measured in eight batches Tanreqing injection utilizing UPLC-Q-Orbitrap Fusion MS/MS in negative ion mode. Among the 18 components, beta-d-glucopyranosiduronic acid, baicalin, ursodeoxycholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid were the predominant constituents. In principal components analysis results, five dominating components were extracted, and the variant contribution rates were ranked as: 37.86, 22.86, 16.42, 9.80, 7.32%, with the accumulated value 94.26%. 5-caffeoylquinic acid, isochlorogenic acid C, and baicalin possessed larger loads on the first factor. Our research carried out qualitative and quantitative analysis on Tanreqing injection, provided a certain reference for the research on pharmacodynamic material basis and the selection of quality markers.
Peimine and peiminine are isosteroidal alkaloids with multiple biological activities, such as anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities, but their cellular uptake and pharmacodynamics are unclear. In this study, a rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of peimine and peiminine concentrations in A549 cells. In the pharmacodynamic study, the selected inflammatory cytokines were IL-8, MMP-9, and TIMP-1. The results demonstrated that all calibration curves exhibited good linearity (r > 0.9970). The RSDs of intraday and interday precision and accuracy were less than 6.73% and 1.76% and 7.73% and 3.05% for peimine and peiminine, respectively. Moreover, the average analytic recoveries ranged from 83.85% to 113.67%, and the matrix effect was within 95.05%-111.29%. The uptake experiment showed a time-dependent characteristic in the A549 cells. The combination group had increased uptake and had a longer Tmax than the single group. In the experimental pharmacodynamics groups, the anti-inflammatory effects of the 100.0 µg/mL combination group were the most obvious. This investigation, for the first time, explores the cellular uptake profiles and pharmacodynamics of peimine and peiminine in A549 cell lines.
Acute lung injury (ALI) is a common and devastating respiratory disease associated with uncontrolled inflammatory response and transepithelial neutrophil migration. In recent years, a growing number of studies have found that Ardisiae Japonicae Herba (AJH) has a favorable anti-inflammatory effect. However, its serum material basis and molecular mechanism are still unknown in ALI treatment. In this study, metabolomics and network analysis of serum pharmacochemistry were used to explore the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanism of AJH against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI.
This article is dedicated to the memory of Sue Kim Hanson, a graduate student in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In cholinergic neurons, the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) by a phospholipase D (PLD)-type enzyme generates some of the precursor choline used for the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh). We sought to determine the molecular identity of the relevant PLD using murine basal forebrain cholinergic SN56 cells in which the expression and activity of the two PLD isoforms, PLD1 and PLD2, were experimentally modified. ACh levels were examined in cells incubated in a choline-free medium, to ensure that their ACh was synthesized entirely from intracellular choline. PLD2, but not PLD1, mRNA and protein were detected in these cells and endogenous PLD activity and ACh synthesis were stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Introduction of a PLD2 antisense oligonucleotide into the cells reduced PLD2 mRNA and protein expression by approximately 30%. The PLD2 antisense oligomer similarly reduced basal- and PMA-stimulated PLD activity and ACh levels. Overexpression of mouse PLD2 by transient transfection increased basal- (by 74%) and PMA-stimulated (by 3.2-fold) PLD activity. Moreover, PLD2 transfection increased ACh levels by 26% in the absence of PMA and by 2.1-fold in the presence of PMA. Overexpression of human PLD1 by transient transfection increased PLD activity by 4.6-fold and ACh synthesis by 2.3-fold in the presence of PMA as compared to controls. These data identify PLD2 as the endogenous enzyme that hydrolyzes PC to generate choline for ACh synthesis in cholinergic cells, and indicate that in a model system choline generated by PLD1 may also be used for this purpose.
Adaptive responses to stressful stimuli involving behavioral, emotional and metabolic changes are orchestrated by the nervous and endocrine systems. Adipose tissue has been recognized as a highly active metabolic and endocrine organ, secreting adipokines that operate as hormones to mediate the crosstalk with other organs including the brain. The role of adipose tissue in sensing and responding to emotional stress and in behavioral regulation, however, remains largely unknown. The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a key transcriptional factor controlling adipokine gene expression. Here we show that chronic social defeat stress decreases messenger RNA and protein levels of PPARγ in adipose tissue of susceptible but not resilient mice, which was correlated with social avoidance behavior. A corresponding reduction in adipose adiponectin production was observed in susceptible mice. Rosiglitazone, a blood–brain barrier-impermeant PPARγ-selective agonist, elicited antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like behavioral effects in wild-type mice, with a concurrent increase in plasma adiponectin levels. These effects of rosiglitazone were absent in mice lacking adiponectin but having normal PPARγ expression in adipose tissue and brain. Moreover, pretreatment with the PPARγ-selective antagonist GW9662 blocked rosiglitazone-induced adiponectin expression and antidepressant/anxiolytic-like effects. Together, these results suggest that the behavioral responses to rosiglitazone are mediated through PPARγ-dependent induction of adiponectin. Our findings support an important role for the adipose PPARγ-adiponectin axis in susceptibility to stress and negative emotion-related behaviors. Selectively targeting PPARγ in adipose tissue may offer novel strategies for combating depression and anxiety.
Background Many patients with constipation also suffer from varying degrees of malnutrition, and the relationship between the two conditions is a vicious cycle. Surgery is the final step in the treatment of constipation, with a success rate of up to 95%. This study aims to investigate the effects of surgical treatment on the nutritional status of patients with chronic constipation and malnutrition. Methods A total of 60 patients with chronic constipation and various degrees of malnutrition who underwent surgery in our department from January 2020 to March 2023 were included in this study. Biochemical tests including BMI, albumin, total protein, hemoglobin, cholesterol and lymphocyte count were conducted, as well as measurements of inflammatory markers such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-8 (IL-8), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Additionally, multiple nutritional risk screening scales (NRS2002, MUST, NRI, and MNA) and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were used to assess the nutritional status of patients before surgery, as well as at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months post-surgery. Finally, we analyzed the factors influencing postoperative recovery outcomes in patients. Results Compared to pre-operation, the BMI of patients significantly increased at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the operation, with statistically significant differences ( p < 0.001). Multiple nutritional risk assessment tools (NRS2002, MUST, NRI, and MNA), as well as the prognostic nutritional index (NPI), indicated a reduction in nutritional risk and improvement in nutritional status at 1, 3, and 6 months post-surgery, compared to pre-surgery levels ( p < 0.001). The levels of albumin, total protein, and hemoglobin in patients at 1, 3, and 6 months after the surgery were significantly higher than those before the surgery ( p < 0.001). However, there was no significant change in the number of lymphocytes. Inflammatory markers such as IL-6, IL-8, and CRP exhibited a significant decrease after the surgery, reaching normal levels at 6 months post-surgery ( p < 0.001). Low BMI, low PNI, and low cholesterol levels are independent risk factors for patient prognosis ( p < 0.05). Conclusion Surgical treatment can enhance the nutritional status of constipation patients with malnutrition, which in turn promotes the restoration of intestinal motility. The patient’s nutritional status will impact the postoperative recovery outcomes.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the classification of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) based on clinical manifestations and myositis- specific antibodies using cluster analysis. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with IIM admitted in Nanfang Hospital in 2015-2019. The clinical data of the patients including serum creatine kinase (CK), interstitial lung disease (ILD), cancer, and myositis-specific antibodies were collected for two-step cluster analysis to identify the distinct clusters of patients, whose clinical characteristics were subsequently analysed. RESULTS A total of 71 patients with IIM were included in this study, including 30 (42.3%) with polymyositis (PM), 20 (28.2%) with classic dermatomyositis (DM), 16 (22.5%) with amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM), and 5 (7.0%) with immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM). Two-step cluster analysis identified 3 distinctive subgroups: Cluster 1 of 15 (51.7%) patients characterized by rash, positive anti-MDA5 antibody and hypoproteinemia (P < 0.05) with normal or slightly elevated CK level, mainly corresponding to CADM; Cluster 2 of 4 (57.1%) patients with significantly elevated CK and positive anti-SRP antibody (P < 0.001) corresponding to IMNM; and Cluster 3 of 17 (48.6%) patients consisting primarily of patients with PM, characterized by positivity for anti- aminoacyl transfer RNA synthetases antibodies (P=0.022) corresponding to antisynthetase syndrome (ASS). CONCLUSIONS Patients with IIM can be divided into 3 subgroups based on their clinical and serological characteristics (especially myositis-specific antibodies), and among them ASS may represent an independent IIM subgroup with unique clinical characteristics.
Salvianolic acid A, salvianolic acid B, danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, rosmarinic acid and lithospermic acid are the six major active constituents in Danshen injection. In this study, a rapid, sensitive and specific liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of these compounds in rat plasma was developed. After a single step of liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate, they were eluted by a Hypersil C18 column (5 µm, i.d. 4.6 × 200 mm) within 4 min with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid water solution (35:65, v/v). The assay was linear in the concentration range of 0.05-10 µg mL(-1). Absolute recoveries were above 60%. The precisions and accuracies determined within three consecutive days were within acceptable limits. The method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats after an intravenous administration of Danshen injection.