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Aim: To reinvestigate the chemical constituents of the ethanolic extract of Meconopsis quintuplinervia Regel which is a traditional Tibetan medicine used for treatments of hepatitis, tuberculosis etc..; Methods: The compounds were enriched by column chromatography techniques over silica gel, macro porous resin and Sephadex LH-20 absorbents, and finally purified by reverse phase preparative HPLC methods with isocratic mobile phase systems of methanol-H2O-acetic acid (500:500:1) and acetonitrile-H2O-acetic acid (200:800:1). Structural determination of the pure compounds were based on extensive analyses of modern spectroscopic methods including IR, MS, HRMS, 1D- and 2D-NMR spectra.; Results: Three alkaloids were obtained and their structures were elucidated as norsanguinarine (I), O-methylflavinantine (II) and 6-methoxy-17-methyl-2, 3-[methylenebis (oxy)]-morphin-5-en-7-one (III).; Conclusion: Norsanguinarine (I) was isolated from genus Meconopsis for the first time, and 6-methoxy-17-methyl-2,3-[methylenebis(oxy)]-morphin-5-en-7-one (III) is a new alkaloid named as meconoquintupline.;

Graphical abstract Highlights • Five anthocyanidins are identified in Lycium ruthenicum Murray by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS. • Five anthocyanins are identified in Lycium ruthenicum Murray by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS. • Anthocyanin extracts hanve the activity of anti-gout. • Petunidin-3-glu has the activity of anti-gout. Abstract Lycium ruthenicum Murray (LR) represents an agricultural cash crop found in Northwest China and has been used in traditional folk medicine for a long time. However, detailed qualitative and quantitative analyses of LR anthocyanins, as well as their pharmacological research, remain scarce. In this work, we established a rapid method for the simultaneous identification and quantification of six anthocyanidins and six anthocyanins from LR via UPLC-quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS) analysis. Finally, five anthocyanidins and five anthocyanins were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. Among these, 10 constituents (delphinidin-3-glu, cyanidin-3-glu, petunidin-3-glu, peonidin-3-glu, malvidin-3-glu, delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, pelargonidin and malvidin) were detected and petunidin-3-glu proved to be the predominant species in LR. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory effects of anthocyanin extracts and petunidin-3-glu were investigated using a rat model involving gouty arthritis induced by monosodium urate. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-18 (IL-18), prostaglandin E2 (PE2), cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) enzymes in serum, the paw COX-1 mRNA expression and paw volume could be determined to be significantly increased in rats suffering from gouty arthritis induced by monosodium urate. However, these indicators were found to be significantly reduced after treatment with anthocyanin extracts (200 mg/kg b.wt, p.o.) and petunidin-3-glu (40 mg/kg b.wt, p.o.). Taken in concert, our study shows that anthocyanin extracts and petunidin-3-glu may significantly reduce monosodium urate crystal-induced inflammation. Use and administration of these compounds may be potentially valuable for the further development and clinical applicability of the active compounds in this plant.

Lycium ruthenicum Murr. (LR) is a perennial shrub commonly used as a nutritional food and medicine. Herein, we identified 12 anthocyanins from LR, with petunidin derivatives constituting approximately 97% of the total anthocyanin content. Furthermore, the potential mechanism of anthocyanins exerting neuroprotective effects in d-galactose (d-gal)-treated rats was explored. Behavioral results showed that anthocyanins relieved d-gal-induced memory disorder. Additionally, anthocyanins reduced receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and suppressed oxidative stress caused by d-gal. Anthocyanins suppressed microgliosis and astrocytosis and reduced the overexpression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), interleukin-1-β (IL-1β), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Moreover, anthocyanins lowered C-jun N-terminal kinase ( p-JNK), caspase-3 levels, and the B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein/B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bax/Bcl-2) ratio. Thus, anthocyanins from LR attenuated memory disfunction, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration caused by d-gal, possibly through the RAGE/NF-κB/JNK pathway, representing a promising, safe candidate for prevention and therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.

The essential oil of Tibetan medicine Dracocephalum heterophyllum Benth was obtained by hydrodistillation with a 0.7% (v/w) yield. The chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectral (GC-MS). Eighty-three compounds, constituting about 89.83% of the total oil, were identified. The main compound in the oil were Cineole (14.89%), trans-nerolido (7.10%), 1-m-ethyl-2-(1-methylethyl)-benzene (4.42%), Germacrene-D (4.84%), Decahydro-1,1,4,7-tetramethyl-4aH-cycloprop[e]azulen-4a-ol (4.94%), p-menth-1-en-4-ol,acetate (4.34%), 4-methyl-1-(1-methylethyl)-3-cyclohexen-1-ol (4.10%). The antimicrobial activity of the oil was evaluated against nine bacterial, one yeast, and three fungi. The antimicrobial test result showed that the essential oil strongly inhibited the growth of test microorganisms studied. The maximal inhibition zones and MIC values for bacterial, yeast and fungi strain were in the range of 18-25 mm and 0.039-0.156 mg mL(-1); *20 mm, and 0.156 mg mL(-1); 8-24 mm and 0.313-2.5 mg mL(-1); respectively. The antioxidant activity of the oil was determined by the malonyldialdehyde (MDA) test, measuring the MDA concentration in mouse liver cell microsomal after induced lipid peroxidation using FeSO(4) and ascorbic acid, The inhibition of lipid peroxidation was 59.3% with a concentration of 0.5 mg mL(-1). Result presented here may suggest that the essential oil of D. heterophyllum posses antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and therefore, they can be one of new medicinal resources for antimicrobial agent and/or used as a natural preservative ingredient in food and cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industry.

The essential oil of Tibetan medicine Dracocephalum heterophyllum Benth was obtained by hydrodistillation with a 0.7% (v/w) yield. The chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectral (GC-MS). Eighty-three compounds, constituting about 89.83% of the total oil, were identified. The main compound in the oil were Cineole (14.89%), trans-nerolido (7.10%), 1-m-ethyl-2-(1-methylethyl)-benzene (4.42%), Germacrene-D (4.84%), Decahydro-1,1,4,7-tetramethyl-4aH-cycloprop[e]azulen-4a-ol (4.94%), p-menth-1-en-4-ol,acetate (4.34%), 4-methyl-1-(1-methylethyl)-3-cyclohexen-1-ol (4.10%). The antimicrobial activity of the oil was evaluated against nine bacterial, one yeast, and three fungi. The antimicrobial test result showed that the essential oil strongly inhibited the growth of test microorganisms studied. The maximal inhibition zones and MIC values for bacterial, yeast and fungi strain were in the range of 18-25 mm and 0.039-0.156 mg mL(-1); *20 mm, and 0.156 mg mL(-1); 8-24 mm and 0.313-2.5 mg mL(-1); respectively. The antioxidant activity of the oil was determined by the malonyldialdehyde (MDA) test, measuring the MDA concentration in mouse liver cell microsomal after induced lipid peroxidation using FeSO(4) and ascorbic acid, The inhibition of lipid peroxidation was 59.3% with a concentration of 0.5 mg mL(-1). Result presented here may suggest that the essential oil of D. heterophyllum posses antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and therefore, they can be one of new medicinal resources for antimicrobial agent and/or used as a natural preservative ingredient in food and cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industry.

In this paper, we report an efficient method by high-speed counter-current chromatography for the first separation of four aromatic acids and two analogs with similar structures and polarities from Clematis akebioides. First, the ethyl acetate extract was treated by silica gel column chromatography to enrich the target compounds. And then the fraction with target compounds were purified by high-speed counter-counter chromatography using a two-phase solvent system consisting of chloroform/acetonitrile/water (10:6:4, v/v). The results showed high-speed counter-current chromatography could be a powerful technology for the separation of compounds with similar structures and polarities. Besides, it was found acetonitrile could be a good methanol substitute when a chloroform/methanol/water system could not provide a good separation factor. This study provides a reference for the separation of compounds from Clematis akebioides.

The medicines targeted at α-glucosidase played an important role in anti-diabetes and anti-HIV therapy. Unfortunately, the method based on fluorescent assay strategy for α-glucosidase inhibitor screening remains poorly investigated. In this study, a novel "Turn On" fluorescence sensor platform has been developed for trace α-glucosidase inhibitor screening from natural medicines. Firstly, carbon dots were prepared by one-pot synthesis and used as the signal output. Combining with the carbon dots, cobalt oxyhydroxide (CoOOH) nanoflakes were employed to build the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) based sensor platform. Secondly, L-ascorbic acid-2-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl (AAG) was innovatively introduced as α-glucosidase substrate. With hydrolysis of AAG by α-glucosidase, ascorbic acids (AA) were released that can rapidly reduce CoOOH nanoflakes to Co(2+), and then FRET was stopped accompanying with the fluorescence recovery of CDs. The sensor platform was ultrasensitive to AA with a detection limit of 5 nM, ensuring the sensitive monitoring of enzyme activity. Acarbose was used as the inhibitor model and its inhibition rate is proportional to the logarithm of concentration in range of 10(-9)-10(-3)M with the correlation coefficient of R(2)=0.996, and an ultralow limit of detection of ~1×10(-9)M was obtained. The inhibiting ability of seven compounds isolated from natural medicines was also evaluated. The constructed sensor platform was proven to be sensitive and selective as well as cost-effective, facile and reliable, making it promising as a candidate for trace α-glucosidase inhibitor screening.

Lycium ruthenicum Murr. is commonly used in traditional Tibetan medicine, and the fruits of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. contain an immunologically active pectin which improves immune function against chronic diseases. The present study was performed to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. polysaccharide 3 (LRGP3) in cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced immunosuppressed mice. Mice were injected intraperitoneally once daily with low-dose (25 mg/kg), intermediate-dose (50 mg/kg), high-dose (100 mg/kg) of LRGP3 for 10 consecutive days, respectively. Compared with Cy group, LRGP3 accelerated recovery of spleen and thymus indices, enhanced T cell and B cell proliferation responses, as well as peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis. In addition, LRGP3 treatment restored the levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the serum of Cy-treated mice. These results indicate that LRGP3 plays an important role in the protection against immunosuppression in Cy-treated mice and could be a potential immunomodulatory agent.

Lycium ruthenicum Murr. is commonly used in traditional Tibetan medicine, and the fruits of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. contain an immunologically active pectin which improves immune function against chronic diseases. The present study was performed to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. polysaccharide 3 (LRGP3) in cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced immunosuppressed mice. Mice were injected intraperitoneally once daily with low-dose (25 mg/kg), intermediate-dose (50 mg/kg), high-dose (100 mg/kg) of LRGP3 for 10 consecutive days, respectively. Compared with Cy group, LRGP3 accelerated recovery of spleen and thymus indices, enhanced T cell and B cell proliferation responses, as well as peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis. In addition, LRGP3 treatment restored the levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the serum of Cy-treated mice. These results indicate that LRGP3 plays an important role in the protection against immunosuppression in Cy-treated mice and could be a potential immunomodulatory agent.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is frequently used for psychiatric disorders. Despite MBCT's considerable potential for improving psychological health for patients, there is little empirical evidence to support its practical application in Chinese. This review will define meditation and mindfulness, provide an overview of the development of MBCT, identify the evidence for the effectiveness of MBCT, and offer recommendations to medical personnels on how to provide support for patients receiving mindfulness intervention.

Chemical investigation of the ethanolic extracts of the dried leaves of Bergenia purpurascens led to the isolation and identification of a new aromatic glycoside, 1-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-2-methoxy-3-hydroxyl-phenylethene (1), along with other 19 known compounds (2-20). The structure of compound 1 was determined by a detailed analysis using various analytical techniques, including 1D and 2D NMR. In vitro anti-proliferative activities of compound 1 on five human cancer cell lines were evaluated. The results showed that compound 1 possessed the most potent effects with the IC50 values of 14.36 ± 1.04 μM against T24 cells. The further bioactivity analysis showed that compound 1 induced apoptosis of T24 cells, and altered anti- and pro-apoptotic proteins, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and activation of caspase-3 for causing cell apoptosis. The present investigation illustrated compound 1 might be used as a potential antitumour chemotherapy candidate.

Chemical investigation of the ethanolic extracts of the dried leaves of Bergenia purpurascens led to the isolation and identification of a new aromatic glycoside, 1-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-2-methoxy-3-hydroxyl-phenylethene (1), along with other 19 known compounds (2-20). The structure of compound 1 was determined by a detailed analysis using various analytical techniques, including 1D and 2D NMR. In vitro anti-proliferative activities of compound 1 on five human cancer cell lines were evaluated. The results showed that compound 1 possessed the most potent effects with the IC50 values of 14.36 ± 1.04 μM against T24 cells. The further bioactivity analysis showed that compound 1 induced apoptosis of T24 cells, and altered anti- and pro-apoptotic proteins, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and activation of caspase-3 for causing cell apoptosis. The present investigation illustrated compound 1 might be used as a potential antitumour chemotherapy candidate.

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of a Tibetan medicine Meconopsis quintuplinervia.METHOD: Column chromatographic techniques were applied to isolate constituents. A combination of IR, MS and NMR spectroscopy was used to identify structures of constituents. RESULT: Twelve compounds were isolated from the ethanolic extract and their structures were elucidated as quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (I), quercetin 3-O-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->6)-glucopyranoside (II), kaempferol 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (III), isorhamnetin 3-0-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (IV), caffeic acid (V), protocatechuic acid (VI), p-hydroxycinnamic (VII), 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl )-ethyl-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (VIII), p-hydroxybenzoyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (IX), 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(Z)-p-coumaric acid (X), 5, 7-dihydroxy-4H-4-chromenone (XI), daucosterol (XII). CONCLUSION: Ten compounds were isolated from this genus for the first time except for XI and XII.

Oxyfadichalcones A and B, two unprecedented chalcone dimers fused through a cyclobutane ring by head-to-tail [2+2] cycloaddition of two chalcones that had never been found previously in nature, along with oxyfadichalcone C, a new head-to-head [2+2] cyclized chalcone dimer, were simultaneously obtained from Oxytropis falcata. Structural elucidation was succeeded by spectroscopic and single-crystal synchrotron radiation analysis. Additionally, the photosynthesis of the chalcone dimers was performed and the plausible biosynthesis was discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The pathogenesis of itchy skin diseases including allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is complicated and the treatment of chronic itch is a worldwide problem. One traditional Tibetan medicine, Qingpeng ointment (QP), has been used in treatment of ACD in China for years. In this study we used HPLC and LC/MS analysis, combined with a BATMAN-TCM platform, for detailed HPLC fingerprint analysis and network pharmacology of QP, and investigated the anti-inflammatory and antipruritic activities of QP on ACD induced by squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE) in mice. The BATMAN-TCM analysis provided information of effector molecules of the main ingredients of QP, and possible chronic dermatitis-associated molecules and cell signaling pathways by QP. In ACD mice, QP treatment suppressed the scratching behavior induced by SADBE in a dose-dependent manner and inhibited the production of Th1/2 cytokines in serum and spleen. Also, QP treatment reversed the upregulation of mRNAs levels of itch-related genes in the skin (TRPV4, TSLP, GRP, and MrgprA3) and DRGs (TRPV1, TRPA1, GRP, and MrgprA3). Furthermore, QP suppressed the phosphorylation of Erk and p38 in the skin. In all, our work indicated that QP can significantly attenuate the pathological alterations of Th1/2 cytokines and itch-related mediators, and inhibit the phosphorylation of MAPKs to treat the chronic itch.

The pathogenesis of itchy skin diseases including allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is complicated and the treatment of chronic itch is a worldwide problem. One traditional Tibetan medicine, Qingpeng ointment (QP), has been used in treatment of ACD in China for years. In this study we used HPLC and LC/MS analysis, combined with a BATMAN-TCM platform, for detailed HPLC fingerprint analysis and network pharmacology of QP, and investigated the anti-inflammatory and antipruritic activities of QP on ACD induced by squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE) in mice. The BATMAN-TCM analysis provided information of effector molecules of the main ingredients of QP, and possible chronic dermatitis-associated molecules and cell signaling pathways by QP. In ACD mice, QP treatment suppressed the scratching behavior induced by SADBE in a dose-dependent manner and inhibited the production of Th1/2 cytokines in serum and spleen. Also, QP treatment reversed the upregulation of mRNAs levels of itch-related genes in the skin (TRPV4, TSLP, GRP, and MrgprA3) and DRGs (TRPV1, TRPA1, GRP, and MrgprA3). Furthermore, QP suppressed the phosphorylation of Erk and p38 in the skin. In all, our work indicated that QP can significantly attenuate the pathological alterations of Th1/2 cytokines and itch-related mediators, and inhibit the phosphorylation of MAPKs to treat the chronic itch.

• Simultaneously identified and quantified 18 phenolic compounds from LR fruit by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS. • Catechin, naringenin and 9 phenolic acids are the first time to conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis in LR. • Total phenolics content and total anthocyanin content were determined. • The antioxidant activities in vitro of the LR were also evaluated.<br><b>Lycium ruthenicum</b> Murray (LR) is a functional food, and it has long been used in traditional folk medicine. However, detailed qualitative and quantitative analyses related to its phenolic compounds remains scarce. This work reports, for the first time, the establishment of a rapid method for simultaneous identification and quantification of 25 phenolic compounds by UPLC-quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS). This method was validated by LODs, LOQs, precision, repeatability, stability, mean recovery, recovery range and RSD. The confirmed method was applied to the analysis of phenolic compounds in LR. Finally, 18 phenolic compounds in LR were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. Among them, 11 constituents were detected for the first time, which included two flavonoids (catechin and naringenin) and seven phenolic acids (gallic acid, vanillic acid, 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, veratronic acid, benzoic acid, ellagic acid and salicylic acid). Moreover, Phloretin and protocatechuate, belonging to the dihydrochalcone flavonoid and protocatechuic acid respectively, were also identified and quantified. The total phenolics content (20.17 ± 2.82 mg/g) and the total anthocyanin content (147.43 ± 1.81 mg/g) were determined. In addition, the antioxidant activities of the LR extract were evaluated through 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and total antioxidant activity (T-AOC) assays.

Far-reaching changes to the structure and function of the Earth's natural systemsrepresent a growing threat to human health. And yet, global health has mainly improved as these changes have gathered pace. What is the explanation? As a Commission, we are deeply concerned that the explanation is straightforward and sobering: we have been mortgaging the health of future generations to realise economic and development gains in the present. By unsustainably exploiting nature's resources, human civilisation has flourished but now risks substantial health effects from the degradation of nature's life support systems in the future.

Far-reaching changes to the structure and function of the Earth's natural systemsrepresent a growing threat to human health. And yet, global health has mainly improved as these changes have gathered pace. What is the explanation? As a Commission, we are deeply concerned that the explanation is straightforward and sobering: we have been mortgaging the health of future generations to realise economic and development gains in the present. By unsustainably exploiting nature's resources, human civilisation has flourished but now risks substantial health effects from the degradation of nature's life support systems in the future.

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detection was established to simultaneously determine the seven bioactive lignans in <i>Herpetospermum caudigerum</i>, namely ent-isolariciresinol (<b>1</b>), dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (<b>2</b>), herpetrione (<b>3</b>), herpetin (<b>4</b>), herpetetrone (<b>5</b>), herpetotriol (<b>6</b>) amd herpetal (<b>7</b>). The HPLC assay was performed on a Restek Pinnacle DB C<sub>18</sub> column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.1% phosphoric acid within 65 min. The detection wavelength was 240 nm. The flow-rate was 1.0 mL/min. All calibration curves showed good linearity (<i>r</i>² > 0.9998) within test ranges. The method was reproducible with intra- and inter-day variation of less than 1.98%. The method provided good accuracy with recoveries in the range 95.19-102.64% with RSDs less than 1.52%. The method was successfully applied to the quantification of seven constituents in 15 <i>H. caudigerum</i> samples collected from different cities. The results indicated that the developed assay could be considered as a suitable quality control method for <i>H. caudigerum</i>. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of Tibetan Madicine Wangla.METHOD: Sepearing the chemical constituents by means of chromatography and identifying their structures on the basis of MS and NMR spectra and TLC with authentic samples. RESULT: Eight compounds were isolated as 4-[(4-hydroxyphenyl) methoxy]benzenemethanol(I), 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl methane(II), 4,4'-dihydroxydibenzyl ether(III), gastrodin(IV), 4-hydroxy benzenemethanol(V), 4-hydroxybenz aldehyde(VI), beta-sitosterol(VII) and beta-daucosterol(VIII). CONCLUSION: All the compounds were obtained from genus Coeloglassum for the first time. The compound I is a new natural product.

The eco-environment in eastern part of Qinghai-Tibet plateau is a rather complicated complex. The plants species there are quite diverse. The plant resource from Polygonaceae family used in traditional Tibetan medicine is very rich according to preliminary investigation. There were 6 genera and 15 species. The flora and the medicine value of them were analyzed. And some suggestions about traditional Tibetan medicine plant resource exploitation and utilization were presented.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the xanthones from Tibetan medicine Halenia elliptica and their antioxidant activity.METHODS: Column chromatography over normal phase silica gel, reversed phase silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and recrystallization techniques were used to isolate and purify constituents from Halenia elliptica. Infrared spectrometry, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry were used to identify the structure of compounds. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring the content of malondialdehyde product in mice liver cell microsomal induced by ferrous-cysteine. RESULTS: Eight xanthones (compound I-VIII) were isolated and identified from the ethyl acetate extract of Halenia elliptica, among which 1,7-dihydroxy-2,3,5-trimethoxyxanthone was a novel compound. Compound I, III at 10 microg/ml and 100 microg/ml could inhibit the production of malondialdehyde in mouse liver microsomes in vitro. CONCLUSION: Eight xanthones were isolated and they have certain antioxidant activity.