Study on the mechanism of Wikstroemia indica in the treatment of inflammatory diseases based on network pharmacology

Wiksroemia indica belongs to the family of Thymelaeaceae.As a material of Traditional Chinese Medicine,it is mainly used to treat inflammation-related diseases.However,due to its complex composition,the scientific basis for its traditional application is still insufficient and the mechanism of action is still unclear.At present,most studies on its anti-inflammatory effect focus on a certain component and its different solvent fractions.There are few reports about the synergistic mechanism of the constituents from W.indica for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.Therefore,the present study aimed to uncover its potential mechanism from a holistic perspective using the network pharmacology approach.Firstly,compounds in W.indica and genes associated with inflammatory diseases were obtained.Then,the active compounds were screened out and their targets were predicted.After that,the key targets for W.indica to treat inflammatory diseases were screened out.Finally,the protein-protein interaction(PPI),Gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses of key targets were performed to further study the mechanism of W.indica in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.The results showed that the active constituents of W.indica might play an anti-inflammatory role through the key targets CYP19A1 and CYP1B1,which clarified the primary mechanism for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and provided a scientific basis for further study of this herb.

Bioactive Constituents of the Seed Kernels from Vernicia fordii

A new compound,(2′R)-(5-oxo-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-yl)methyl octanoate(1),together with 9 known ones(2-10)were isolated from the bioactive extract of the seed kernels from Vernicia fordii.Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses,including Nuclear Magnetic Resonance(NMR)and High Resolution Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectroscopy(HRESI-MS).Their cytotoxicities against three human cancer cell lines(A549,HepG2 and Caco2 cells)and anti-neuroinflammatory effects were evaluated.Cytotoxicity assay revealed that compound 9 could inhibit the growth of HepG2 cells,while compound 6 had a moderate inhibitory effect against A549 cells.Further anti-neuroinflammatory activity assay showed that compound 10 exhibited moderate inhibitory effect on the release of NO in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia cells.