Active components of Bupleuri Radix in the treatment of schizophrenia analyzed by network pharmacology and clinical verification

Background:Bupleuri Radix is a common Chinese medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine.Currently,the therapeutic effect of treating schizophrenia is relatively well understood.However,there are fewer studies examining the underlying mechanisms of its treatment.The objective of the study was to investigate the primary mechanisms of Bupleuri Radix in treating schizophrenia through network pharmacology and clinical validation.Method:Network pharmacology revealed possible molecular mechanisms,followed by clinical verification.Sixty-seven schizophrenia patients undergoing treatment at the Hunan Brain Hospital between October and November 2022 were recruited and randomly divided into the olanzapine group and the olanzapine+Bupleuri Radix group.Additionally,32 healthy people undergoing physical examinations during the same period were included as the control group.The patient’s positive and negative symptom scale scores were compared.qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of ESR1,mTOR,EIF4E,and SMAD4 in peripheral blood.Results:Through network pharmacological analysis,it was concluded in this study that Bupleuri Radix might regulate the mTOR,PI3K-Akt,and HIF-1 signaling pathways.Clinical experiments indicated that compared with before treatment,the positive and negative symptom scale scores and total scores of the two treatment groups were significantly decreased after treatment(P<0.01).In addition,the positive and negative symptom scale scores and total scores in the olanzapine+Bupleuri Radix group were significantly decreased(P<0.01)compared to the olanzapine group after treatment.Before treatment,ESR1 mRNA expression levels in peripheral blood were significantly higher in the two treatment groups than in the control group,whereas the mRNA expression levels of mTOR,EIF4E,and SMAD4 in peripheral blood were significantly lower(P<0.01).The mRNA expression levels of mTOR,EIF4E,and SMAD4 in peripheral blood were significantly higher after therapy than before treatment,whereas the mRNA expression levels of ESR1 in peripheral blood were significantly lower(P<0.01).After therapy,the olanzapine+Bupleuri Radix group’s mRNA expression levels of mTOR,EIF4E,and SMAD4 were significantly higher than those of the olanzapine group,whereas the mRNA expression levels of ESR1 were significantly lower(P<0.01).Conclusion:The mechanism of Bupleuri Radix’s therapeutic efficacy in schizophrenia may involve the up-regulation of mTOR,EIF4E,and SMAD4 mRNA expression and the down-regulation of ESR1 mRNA expression in peripheral blood.

Effects of different thermal processing methods on bioactive components,phenolic compounds,and antioxidant activities of Qingke(highland hull-less barley)

Qingke(highland hull-less barley)is a grain replete with substantial nutrients and bioactive ingredients.In this study,we evaluated the effects of boiling(BO),steaming(ST),microwave baking(MB),far-infrared baking(FB),steam explosion(SE),and deep frying(DF)on bioactive components,phenolic compounds,and antioxidant activities of Qingke compared with the effects of traditional roast(TR).Results showed that the soluble dietary fiber,beta-glucan and water-extractable pentosans of Qingke in dry heat processes of TR,SE,MB and FB had a higher content compared with other thermal methods and had a better antioxidant activity of hydroxyl radical scavenging and a better reduction capacity,while those in wet heat processes of BO and ST had a better antioxidant activity of ABTS radical scavenging and a better Fe^(2+) chelating ability.DF-and SE-Qingke had a higher content of tocopherol,phenolic,and flavonoid.Overall,6 free phenolic compounds and 12 bound phenolic compounds of Qingke were identified,and free phenolic compounds suffered more damage during thermal processing.Principal component analysis showed that SE had more advantages in retaining and improving the main biological active ingredients of Qingke,and it may be the best method for treating Qingke.

Effects of Different Sterilization Conditions on Active Components and Flavor of Apple Vinegar

[Objectives]To explore the effects of different sterilization conditions on nutrition and flavor of apple vinegar.[Methods]Five kinds of high temperature short time(HTST)sterilization conditions were selected to treat apple vinegar,and the volatile aroma components and the content of active components in apple vinegar before and after sterilization were analyzed.[Results]Compared with the control,the contents of total acid and malic acid in the samples after sterilization changed little,but the contents of citric acid increased significantly(P<0.01),and the contents of total phenols,ascorbic acid and total flavonoids decreased.Ethyl acetate,isopentyl acetate,ethyl caprylate,phenethyl acetate,1-pentanol,phenylethyl alcohol,acetic acid,and sec-butyl ether were the characteristic aroma components which contributed to the flavor of apple vinegar.As sterilization temperature increased,the content of esters decreased,while the content of acids,alcohols and aldehydes increased.The contents of nutrition,active components and volatile aroma components in apple vinegar under 100℃and 30 s sterilization conditions had little change compared with other sterilization conditions,so 100℃and 30 s were the optimal sterilization conditions.[Conclusions]Under different sterilization conditions,the content of flavor components in apple vinegar will change greatly,which will affect the quality of apple vinegar.

Research Progress of Natural Active Components against Damage from UV Radiation

The sun's ultraviolet(UV)rays are extremely harmful to the skin.In addition to causing sunburn and aging,excessive UV radiation can also lead to benign or malignant skin tumors.This paper reviews the researches on natural active components against damage from UV radiation,and summarizes the types of compounds,research methods and mechanisms of action.Moreover,the main problems in current research are put forward,and the possible development direction in the future is discussed.

Volatile Components and Antitumor Activity of Ganoderma lucidum Spore Oil and Its Molecular Distillation Components

[Objectives]To compare the effects of molecular distillation on the flavor and antitumor activity of Ganoderma lucidum spore oil.[Methods]G.lucidum spore oil was separated and purified by molecular distillation technology,and the volatile components of different components of molecular distillation were analyzed by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry(GC-IMS)technology.Human liver carcinoma cells(HepG2),human breast cancer cells(MCF-7),and human cervical cancer cells(Hela)were selected as the tumor cell lines to be tested,and the cell viability was detected by the MTT assay.[Results]Molecular distillation effectively reduced small molecular substances produced by oil oxidation in G.lucidum spore oil,such as heptanal,octanal,linalool,hexanal,E-2-octanal,3-ethylpyridine,etc.Among the heavy components,the content of esters was relatively high,mainly including ethyl levulinate,ethyl crotonate,and amyl butyrate.The MTT cytotoxicity test indicated that G.lucidum spore oil and its molecular distillation components had certain inhibitory effects on the growth of three tumor cells,and G.lucidum spore oil crude oil had the most significant antitumor activity.G.lucidum spore oil crude oil,heavy component,and light component had the most significant antitumor activity on HepG2 cells,followed by MCF-7 cells,and the weakest antitumor activity on Hela cells.The quality of G.lucidum spore oil became higher after molecular distillation,and the rancid smell was reduced,and molecular distillation had little effect on the antitumor activity of G.lucidum spores.[Conclusions]Molecular distillation technology can be applied to the refining of G.lucidum spore oil to improve product quality.

Component Analysis and Free Radicals Scavenging Activity of Physalis alkekengi L. Polysaccharide

A crude polysaccharide was extracted from Physalis alkekengi L. fruit. HPLC was used for the component analysis of the polysaccharide. The results indicate that Physalis alkekengi L. polysaccharide（PAP） was composed of rhamnose, xylose, arabinose, galactose, and glucose. Free radicals scavenging activity of PAP was studied through 3 free radicals scavenging tests. PAP exhibited high scavenging effects on OH and DPPH radicals, and both the scavenging rates were about 80%. The scavenging rate of O2^- radical was about 22%.

Insecticidal activities and active components of the alcohol extract from green peel of Juglans mandshurica

The extract of green peel of Juglans mandshurica Maxim was extracted by common method for studying its insecticidal activities and analyzing the active components. Results showed that the alcohol extract and the chloroform part of extract （separated with chloroform from alcohol extract） form green peel of J. mandshurica have insecticidal activities in contact toxicity and stomach toxicity against larvae of Lymantria dispar L.. After application of the extracts for five days, the corrected mortality of larvae of Lymantria dispar for both extracts was more than 50% in contact toxicity and stomach toxicity at the concentration of ≥ 5 g·L^-1. The insecticidal activity for both alcohol extract and chloroform part of extract is more effect in contact toxicity than in stomach toxicity, but no significant difference in the insecticidal activities was found between alcohol extract and chloroform part of extract. The active components in the chloroform part of extract from green peel of.J. mandshurica were analyzed by GC-MS. The analyzed results showed that the active components in the chloroform part of extract are： （1） joglone （5-hydroxy-1,4- naphthaoquinone）, the relative content 27.11%, （2） 1,5-Naphthalenediol, the relative content 9.52%, （3） 7-Methoxy-1-tetralone, the relative content 6.81%, （4） Benzofuran, 2,3-dihydro-, the relative content 6.76%, （5） 4-Hydroxy-2-methoxycinnamaldehyde, the relative content 3.99%, （6） 2-Methoxy-4-vinylphenol, the relative content 3.05%.

Network Pharmacology-based Research of Active Components of Albiziae Flos and Mechanisms of Its Antidepressant Effect

Albiziae Flos(AF)has been experimentally proven to have an antidepressant effect.However,due to the complexity of botanical ingredients,the exact pharmacological mechanism of action of AF in depression has not been completely deciphered.This study used the network pharmacology method to construct a component-target-pathway network to explore the active components and potential mechanisms of action of AF.The methods included collection and screening of chemical components,prediction of depression-associated targets of the active components,gene enrichment,and network construction and analysis.Quercetin and 4 other active components were found to exert an tidepressant effects mainly via monoaminergic neurotransmitters and cAMP signaling and neuroactive ligand・wceptor interaction pathways.DRD2,HTR1 A,and SLC6A4 were identified as important targets of the studied bioactive components of AF.This network pharmacology analysis provides guidance for further study of the antidepressant mechanism of AF.

Application of Principal Component Analysis(PCA)to the Evaluation and Screening of Multiactivity Fungi

Continued innovation in screening methodologies remains important for the discovery of high-quality multiactive fungi,which have been of great significance to the development of new drugs.Mangrove-derived fungi,which are well recognized as prolific sources of natural products,are worth sustained attention and further study.In this study,118 fungi,which mainly included Aspergillus spp.(34.62%)and Penicillium spp.(15.38%),were isolated from the mangrove ecosystem of the Maowei Sea,and 83.1%of the cultured fungi showed at least one bioactivity in four antibacterial and three antioxidant assays.To accurately evaluate the fungal bioactivities,the fungi with multiple bioactivities were successfully evaluated and screened by principal component analysis(PCA),and this analysis provided a dataset for comparing and selecting multibioactive fungi.Among the 118 mangrove-derived fungi tested in this study,Aspergillus spp.showed the best comprehensive activity.Fungi such as A.clavatonanicus,A.flavipes and A.citrinoterreus,which exhibited high comprehensive bioactivity as determined by the PCA,have great potential in the exploitation of natural products and the development of new drugs.This study demonstrated the first use of PCA as a time-saving,scientific method with a strong ability to evaluate and screen multiactive fungi,which indicated that this method can affect the discovery and development of new drugs.

Degradation of malathion by Pseudomonas during activated sludge treatment system using principal component analysis (PCA)

Popular descriptive multivariate statistical method currently employed is the principal component analyses （PCA） method. PCA is used to develop linear combinations that successively maximize the total variance of a sample where there is no known group structure. This study aimed at demonstrating the performance evaluation of pilot activated sludge treatment system by inoculating a strain of Pseudomonas capable of degrading malathion which was isolated by enrichment technique. An intensive analytical program was followed for evaluating the efficiency of biosimulator by maintaining the dissolved oxygen （DO） concentration at 4.0 mg/L. Analyses by high performance liquid chromatographic technique revealed that 90% of malathion removal was achieved within 29 h of treatment whereas COD got reduced considerably during the treatment process and mean removal efficiency was found to be 78%. The mean pH values increased gradually during the treatment process ranging from 7.36-8.54. Similarly the mean ammonia-nitrogen （NH3-N） values were found to be fluctuating between 19.425-28.488 mg/L, mean nitrite-nitrogen （NO3-N） ranging between 1.301- 2.940 mg/L and mean nitrate-nitrogen （NO3-N） ranging between 0.0071-0.0711 mg/L. The study revealed that inoculation of bacterial culture under laboratory conditions could be used in bioremediation of environmental pollution caused by xenobiotics. The PCA analyses showed that pH, COD, organic load and total malathion concentration were highly correlated and emerged as the variables controlling the first component, whereas dissolved oxygen, NO3-N and NH3-N governed the second component. The third component repeated the trend exhibited by the first two components.

Review of Factors Influencing Active Components of Lonicera japonica Thunb.

Lonicera japonica Thunb. is a typical medicinal and edible plant in China. It has antibacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-endotoxin, and anti-inflammatory effects, etc. Its pharmacological action is closely related to its active components. Based on the results of previous studies, this paper summarized the effects of variety, origin, cultivation conditions, pruning, harvesting period and processing methods on the active components of L. japonica , in the hope of providing theoretical guidance for high-yield and high-quality cultivation of L. japonica.

Sulfated polysaccharides with antioxidant and anticoagulant activity from the sea cucumber Holothuria fuscogliva

Sea cucumber is a traditional nutritional food and medicinal resource with many bioactive components in China.Holothuria fuscogliva is a big sea cucumber with a rich of bioactive polysaccharides.To investigate the bioactivities of the polysaccharides from sea cucumber H.fuscogliva,we prepared the sulfated polysaccharides(HfP) from sea cucumber H.fuscogliva using a protease hydrolysis method.Antioxidant activities of HfP were investigated,including hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and superoxide radical scavenging activity.And,the anticoagulant activities of HfP were studied,including the activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT),prothrombin time(PT) and thrombin time(TT).The average molecular weight was 1 867.1 Da,with a sulfate content of 20.7%.In addition,the molar ratio of monosaccharide composition of HfP was Man:Rha:Glc A:Glc:Gal:Xyl:Fuc=0.083 6:0.437:0.134:0:1.182:0.748:1.It had a strong antioxidant activity,the hydroxyl and superoxide radical scavenging activity EC_(50) of HfP was 3.74 and 0.037 mg/mL,respectively.It also showed a good anticoagulant activity in our study.The APTT of HfP was much higher than that of heparin sodium,and the PT and TT of HfP was close to that of heparin sodium at a low concentration.Therefore,HfP shows a good antioxidant and anticoagulant activity and it may become a potential candidate of the natural antioxidant and anticoagulant and will have a good application future in health product or medicine industry.

Effects of different drying methods on phenolic components and in vitro hypoglycemic activities of pulp extracts from two Chinese bayberry(Myrica rubra Sieb.et Zucc.)cultivars

The effects of two different drying methods,namely hot-air drying and freeze drying,on the phenolic profiles,antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of pulp extracts from two main Chinese bayberry cultivars(’Biqi’or’BQ’and’Dongkui’or’DK’)were evaluated.The results showed that’BQ’bayberry provided higher total phenolic(TPC),total flavonoid(TFC)and total anthocyanin(TAC)contents than’DK’bayberry after the same drying method,while its antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities were highly affected by drying method.Freeze-dried samples possessed significantly higher TPC,TFC and TAC,and exhibited more potent antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities than hot-air dried ones(P<0.05).Freeze-dried’DK’bayberry exhibited similar antioxidant activities and a-amylase inhibitory activity,but higher a-glucosidase inhibition than freeze-dried’BQ’bayberry(P<0.05).Compared with hot-air dried samples,freeze-dried samples had significantly higher contents of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside,myricitin-3-O-rhamnoside,quercetin-3-O-galactoside,quercetin-3-O-glucoside and quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside,which had been proved to be the main contributors to the in vitro hypoglycemic activities of bayberry pulp extract.All these results demonstrate that freeze drying is more suitable for the preservation of phenolic components in the pulp extract of Chinese bayberry,and the pulp extract of freeze-dried’DK’could be applied as a potential hypoglycemic food additive.

In-vitro anticoagulant activity of fucoidan derivatives from brown seaweed Laminaria japonica

Fucoidan, a group of sulfated heteropolysaccharides, was extracted from Laminaria japonica, an important economic alga species in China. The anticoagulant activity of fucoidan and its derivatives (including sulfated, phosphorylated, and aminated fucoidan) was examined using in-vitro anticoagulant systems. The correlation between chemical variations within the fucoidan group and anticoagulant activity was determined. The in-vitro anticoagulant properties of fucoidan and its derivatives were determined by measuring activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT). The results indicate anticoagulant activity in all samples using APTT and TT assays; however, only the fucoidan derivatives affected the PT assay. Thus, the fucoidan derivatives were able to inhibit both intrinsic and extrinsic blood coagulants. Fucoidan (FPS) and its derivatives presented better anticoagulant activity than low molecular weight fucoidan (DFPS) and its derivatives, suggesting that molecular weight and proper conformation are contributing factors for anticoagulant activity of polysaccharides. Amino groups have a positive charge and can thus change the charge density of fucoidan. Accordingly, among the tested samples, aminated fucoidan (NF) was the most active reflecting the importance of charge density for anticoagulant activity. Available data obtained using in-vitro models suggest that the sulfate content, sulfate/total-sugar ratio, molecular weight, and the substituted group of fucoidan are important factors for anticoagulant activity but that the influence of sulfate, phosphate and amino groups on anticoagulant activity was different.

Insecticidal activities and chemical components of alcohol extract from leaves of Rhodendron dauricum L.

The extract from leaves of Rhododendron dauricum L. was extracted with 95% alcohol by common method for studying its insecticidal activities. The chemical components of the alcohol extract and relative contents were analyzed by GC-MS. The insecticidal activities of the alcohol extract were tested on the 2nd？3rd instar larvae of Lymantria dispar L. for five days. Five concentrations of the extract samples were designed as 50, 10, 5, 1, and 0.5 g？L？1. The results show that the alcohol extracts from leaves of R. dauricum exhibited insecticidal activities against larvae of L. dispar. The corrected mortality of larvae of L. dispar for was over 50% for both contact toxicity and stomach toxicity at the extract concentration of ≥ 5 g·L？1 after five days of application. The insecticidal activity in contact toxicity is more effect than stomach toxicity for the alcohol extract. Twenty compounds, with total GC relative contents of 93.81% in the alcohol extract from leaves of R. dauricum were identified. The main chemical components in the extract are： （1） 4,5-Dihydro-5-oxo-3-（p-tolyl） isoxazole, with a relative content of 40.03%; （2） 1,3-Benzenediol, 5-methyl-2-（3,7,11-trimethyl-2,6,10- dodecatrienyl）-, （E,E）-, the relative content 18.27%; （3） 3,6-Diphenyl- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro-1,8-acridinedione, the relative content 3.89%; （4） 6H-[1,2,4]Triazolo[1,5-a]indole, 4a,5,7,8,8a,9-hexahydro-9- methylene-, the relative content 2.99%; （5） 7-Amino-4-methyl-1,8- naphthyridin-2-ol, the relative content 2.64%; （6） 4-Methyl-2,6- dihydroxyquinoline, the relative content 2.63%; （7） 2,4,6- Triaminoquinazoline, the relative content 2.27%; （8） 2（1H）-Quinolinone, 4-hydroxy-1-methyl-, the relative content 2.02%.

Evaluation of Component Activities in C-Mn-Fe-Si with Model Self-SReM4

A sub-regular solution model SELFSReM4 used to evaluate activities of the components in a homogeneous region of a quaternary system has been developed in Shanghai Enhanced Lab of Ferrometallurgy. This paper introduces the application of SELFSReM4 in evaluating activities of the components in C-Mn-Fe-Si system without SiC precipitation.

Review of Effects of Active Components of Gastrodiae Rhizoma on Central Nervous System

In order to explore the pharmacological effects of active components of Gastrodiae Rhizoma on the central nervous system,through consulting related literatures,this paper summarized the pharmacological effects of the active components of Gastrodiae Rhizoma.The pharmacological effects of the active components of Gastrodiae Rhizoma on the central nervous system include improving the ability of learning and memory,analgesia,sedation and hypnosis,anticonvulsant,anti-aging,anti-anxiety and neuroprotective effects.The active components of Gastrodiae Rhizoma have certain curative effect in the treatment of some diseases of the central nervous system.At present,it has been widely used clinically.There are no toxic and side effects at conventional doses,and it is worth popularizing and applying.

Evaluation of Component Activity in Molten MnO-SiO_(2)-Al_(2)O_(3)-CaO System with Model SELF-SReM4

A sub-regular solution model SELF-SReM4 used to evaluate activity of the components in a homogeneous region of a quaternary system has been developed in Shanghai Enhanced Laboratory of Ferrometallurgy.The application of SELF-SReM4 in C-Mn-Fe-Si system without the SiC formation has been introduced in previous paper.It’s application for molten slag of MnO-SiO2-Al2O3-CaO was introduced in this paper.They provide a basis for the prediction of the metal-slag equilibrium conditions.

Preparation of low molecular weight Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide and its anticoagulant activity

Heparin has been used as an anticoagulant drug for many years, but it has significant side ef fects. In the search for good substitutes, low molecular weight(MW) polysaccharides from S argassum fusiforme have been examined and confi rmed to possess biological activities. Here, S. fusiforme polysaccharides(SFP) were extracted and subjected to a hydrogen peroxide(H_2O_2) oxidation method for the preparation of low-MW SFP(LSFP). The effects of temperature, pH, and H_2O_2 concentration on the degradation process were also examined. Several LSFP of 36, 9, 5.7, and 2.7 kDa were obtained under different conditions, and their anticoagulant activities studied in vitro. The results showed that SFP and LSFP prolonged activated partial thromboplastin(APTT), prothrombin(PT) and thrombin times(TT) significantly, indicating that these low MW polysaccharides possessed anticoagulant activity in the intrinsic, extrinsic, and common coagulation pathways. As these ef fects were related to the MW of the polysaccharides in APTT and TT but not in PT, the contents of the monosaccharide fucose and sulfate and the polysaccharide MW could have exerted combined ef fects. The details of this mechanism require further verifi cation.

Effects of an immunosuppressive active component of Periplocae Cortex (Periploca sepium Bge.) on positive selection of thymocytes in vitro

Objective:To determine the effect of an immunosuppressive active component (periploside A) isolated from the stem bark of Periplocae Cortex (Periploca sepium Bge.),a Chinese medicinal herb used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis for centuries in China,on positive selection of thymocytes in vitro.Methods:Female C57BL/6 mice at 6 weeks of age were housed in specific pathogen-free conditions.Double-positive thymocytes from C57BL/6 mice were induced into positive selection in vitro with or without periploside A treatment.Cell viability and expression of CD69,CD4,and CD8 were analyzed by flow cytometry.Results:Flow cytometric examination of thymocyte populations revealed that the percentage of CD8+ single-positive thymocytes was decreased by periploside A upon differentiation induced by an anti-CD3 antibody.However,the percentage of CD4+ single-positive thymocytes was decreased by periploside A upon differentiation induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate/ionomycin.Expression of CD69 plays a major role in prohibiting differentiation of thymocytes.Treatment with periploside A decreased CD69 expression in thymocytes.Conclusion:These results demonstrate that periploside A influences positive selection of thymocytes in vitro.