Toxicity comparison of different active fractions extracted from radix Sophorae tonkinensis in zebrafish

Radix Sophorae tonkinensis(RST) is a widely used herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) for treating infectious and inflammatory diseases. However, the toxicity data for RST are limited. The aim of this work is to assess and compare the toxicity of the whole RST extract and its five active fractions using the zebrafish model. Five active fractions of RST were prepared using five different types of solvents, which included dealkalized water, ethanol, n-butyl ethanol, dichloromethane, and diethyl ether. The chemical profiles of the active fractions were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), and the toxicity observed in the zebrafish model was confirmed using mouse models. In the zebrafish model, cardiovascular toxicity was observed for the fraction extracted using diethyl ether, and hepatotoxicity was observed for the whole RST extract and the fractions extracted using water and ethanol, whereas both cardiovascular and hepatic toxicities were observed for the fractions extracted using n-butyl ethanol and dichloromethane. The hepatotoxicity of the fractions extracted using n-butyl ethanol and dichloromethane was also observed in mice. Our findings provide the toxicity data for RST and its five active fractions through modeling in a zebrafish, and indicate that the different fractions may each have a different toxicity, which is helpful for the optimal use of RST in clinical practice.

山豆根菌核病病原菌鉴定及室内药剂筛选

采用常规组织分离法分离山豆根(Sophora tonkinensis Radix)菌核病病原菌,利用柯赫式法则进行致病性测定,基于形态特征、菌丝融合群测定、细胞核荧光染色以及rDNA-ITS序列分析进行病原菌的鉴定,并利用菌丝生长速率法测定5种杀菌剂对病原菌的抑制活性。结果表明,山豆根菌核病的病原菌为立枯丝核菌(Rhizoctonia solani),属于融合群AG-1。98%恶霉灵可溶性粉剂(SP)、75%肟菌·戊唑醇水分散粒剂(WG)、250 g/L吡唑醚菌酯乳油(EC)、10亿/g哈茨木霉菌悬浮剂(SC)、50%多菌灵可湿性粉剂(WP)对病原菌菌丝的生长均有较好的抑制效果,抑制中浓度(EC_(50))分别为0.0611、0.5757、0.0748、0.2843、0.7405 mg/L。

In vitro screening of traditionally used medicinal plants in China against Enteroviruses

AIM： To search for new antiviral agents from traditional Chinese medicine, specifically anti-enterovirosuses agents. METHODS： The aqueous extracts （AE） of more than 100 traditionally used medicinal plants in China were evaluated for their in vitro anti-Coxsackie virus B3 activities with a MTT-based colorimetric assay. RESULTS： The test for AE of 16 plants exhibited anti- Coxsackie virus B3 activities at different magnitudes of potency. They can inhibit three steps （inactivation, adsorption and replication） during the infection. Among the 16 plants, Sargentodoxa cuneata （Oliv.） Rehd. et Wils., Sophora tonkinensis Gapnep., Paeonia veitchii Lynch, Spatholobus suberectus Dunn. and Cyrtorniurn fortunei J, sm. also have activity against other enterovirus, including Coxsackie virus 135, Polio virus I, Echo virus 9 and Echo virus 29. Cell cytotoxic assay demonstrated that all tested AE had CC50 values higher than their EC50 values. CONCLUSION： The sixteen traditionally used medicinal plants in China possessed antMral activity, and some of them merit further investigations.

Flavonoids from the roots and rhizomes of Sophora tonkinensis and their in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Acute respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)had caused a global pandemic since 2019,and posed a serious threat to global health security.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has played an indispensable role in the battle against the epidemic.Many components originated from TCMs were found to inhibit the production of SARS-CoV-23C-like protease(3CLpro)and papain-like protease(PLpro),which are two promising therapeutic targets to inhibit SARS-CoV-2.This study describes a systematic investigation of the roots and rhizomes of Sophora tonkinensis,which results in the characterization of 12 new flavonoids,including seven prenylated flavanones(1−7),one prenylated flavonol(8),two prenylated chalcones(9−10),one isoflavanone(11),and one isoflavan dimer(12),together with 43 known compounds(13−55).Their structures including the absolute configurations were elucidated by comprehensive analysis of MS,1D and 2D NMR data,and time-dependent density functional theory electronic circular dichroism(TDDFT ECD)calculations.Compounds 12 and 51 exhibited inhibitory effects against SARS-CoV-23CLpro with IC_(50) values of 34.89 and 19.88μmol·L^(−1),repectively while compounds 9,43 and 47 exhibited inhibitory effects against PLpro with IC_(50) values of 32.67,79.38,and 16.74μmol·L^(−1),respectively.

Five quinolizidine alkaloids with anti-tobacco mosaic virus activities from two species of Sophora

Three novel matrine-type alkaloids(1-3)and two unprecedented aloperine-type alkaloids(4 and 5)were isolated from the root of Sophora tonkinensis and the seeds of Sophora alopecuroides respectively.Notably,compound 1 possessed an unprecedented 6/5/6 tricyclic skeleton,while compounds 2 and 3 characterized by rare 6/6/5/6 tetracyclic system and 6/6/6/6/6 pentacyclic system respectively.Moreover,compound 4 possessed an unprecedented 6/7/6/6 tetracyclic core,and compound 5 characterized by rare 6/6/6/6tetracyclic skeleton.Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis and electronic circular dichroism(ECD)calculations.Biological tests indicated that compound 5 displayed significant anti-tobacco mosaic virus(TMV)activity compared with the positive control ningnanmycin.