Teratogenic Effect of Paulownia Flower Extract on Rats

In this study, Paulownia flower extract of different concentrations was administered to pregnant rats by gavage to investigate its teratogenic effect. It was found that Paulownia has neither teratogenic effect nor growth inhibitory effect on rats, and it can be used in animal production as new feed additive.

Mechanism of Novel Natural Products Maintaining Skin

The inducement of skin carbonylation was briefly introduced,then the mechanism of protein carbonylation from skin was discussed and adverse reactions to human skin were analyzed.Finally,according to the mechanism of protein carbonylation and the degradation mode,the proposed solutions were as follows:diglucosyl gallic acid,Hibiscus sabdariffa flower extract;Prunus cerasus flower extract can reduce the protein carbonylation level of skin by reducing t ROS and Phaeodactylum tricornutum extract can improve the activity of 20s enzyme and accelerating the hydrolysis level of carbonyl protein,to achieve the perfect repair of skin.

Antioxidant activity and protective effect of Clitoria ternatea flower extract on testicular damage induced by ketoconazole in rats

Background： Ketoconazole （KET）, an antifungal drug, has adverse effects on the male reproductive system. Pre-treatments with antioxidant plant against testicular damage induced by KET are required. The flowers of Clitoria tematea （CT） are proven to have hepatoprotective potential. However, the protective effect on KET-induced testicular damage has not been reported. Objective： To investigate the protective effect of CT flower extracts with antioxidant activity on male reproductive parameters including sperm concentration, serum testosterone level, histopathology of the testis, and testicular tyrosine phosphorylation levels in rats induced with KET. Methods： The antioxidant activity of CT flower extracts was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl （DPPH） and ferric reducing antioxidant power （FRAP） assays. Male rats were treated with CT flower extracts （10, 50, or 100 mg/kg BW） or distilled water via a gastric tube for 28 d （preventive period： Days 1-21） and induced by KET （100 mg/kg BW） via intraperitoneal injection for 7 d （induction period： Days 22-28）. After the experiment, all animals were examined for the weights of the testis, epididymis plus vas deferens and seminal vesicle, serum testosterone levels, sperm concentration, histological structures and diameter of testis, and testicular tyrosine phosphorylation levels by immunoblotting. Results： The CT flower extracts had capabilities for DPPH scavenging and high reducing power. At 100 mg/kg BW, the extract had no toxic effects on the male reproductive system. Significantly, in CT＋KET groups, CT flower extracts （50 and 100 mg/kg BW） alleviated the reduction of reproductive organ weight parameters, testosterone levels, and sperm concentration. In addition, CT flower extracts gave protection from testicular damage in KET-induced rats. Moreover, in the CT100＋KET group, CT flower extracts significantly enhanced the expression of a testicular 50-kDa tyrosine phosphorylated protein compared with that of other groups. Conclusions： C. ternatea flower extracts possessing antioxidant activity are not harmful to the male reproductive system and can protect against testicular damage in KET-induced rats.

Effect of Miscanthus sinensis var.purpurascens Flower Extract on Proliferation and Molecular Regulation in Human Dermal Papilla Cells and Stressed C57BL/6 Mice

Objective： To investigate the hair growth-promoting effect of Miscanthus sinensis var.purpurascens（MSP） flower extracton on in vitro and in vivo models.Methods： MSP flower extract was extracted in 99.9% methanol and applied to examine the proliferation of human dermal papilla cells（h DPCs） in vitro at the dose of 3.92-62.50 μg/m L and hair growth of C57 BL/6 mice in vivo at the dose of 1000 μg/m L.The expression of transforming growth factor β1（TGF-β1）,hepatocyte growth factor（HGF）,β-catenin,substance P was measured by relative quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction.Histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis were performed.Results： MSP（7.81 μg/m L） down-regulated TGF-β1 and up-regulated HGF and β-catenin in h DPCs（P〈0.01）.MSP（1000 μg/m L）-treated mice showed the earlier transition of hair follicles from the telogen to the anagen phase.The number of mast cells was lower in the MSP-treated mice than in other groups（P〈0.05 vs.NCS group）.Substance P and TGF-β1 were expressed in hair follicles and skin of the MSP group lower than that in negative control.Stem cell factor in hair follicles was up-regulated in the MSP-treated mice（P〈0.01）.Conclusion： The MSP flower extract may have hair growth-promotion activities.

Green-synthesized gold nanoparticles from Plumeria alba flower extract to augment catalytic degradation of organic dyes and inhibit bacterial growth

Bio-inspired eco-friendly gold nanoparticles were synthesized by a green method using aqueous Plume- ria alba flower extract （PAFE）. The use of 1% and 5% concentrations of PAFE resulted in two different sizes of P. alba gold nanoparticles, PAGNPsl and PAGNPs2, with surface plasmon resonance （SPR） peaks at 552 and 536 nm, respectively. Size-controlled formation of gold nanoparticles was indicated by the SPR shift observed with increasing concentration of PAFE. The accurate size and morphology of PAGNPs I and PAGNPs2 were determined by transmission electron microscope （TEM） analysis is found to be 28 ＋ 5.6 and 15.6 4-3.4 nm, respectively, and those are spherical in shape. The antibacterial activity of PAGNPsl and PAGNPs2 was tested against Escherichia coil; the small-sized PAGNPs2 exhibited better antibacterial activity with a 16-mm zone of inhibition at a concentration of 400 txg/mL. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of PAGNPsl and PAGNPs2 was analyzed on six hazardous dyes; PAGNPs2 exhibited more pro- nounced catalytic activity than PAGNPsl. Among all of the dyes, 4-nitrophenol was most rapidly degraded to 4-aminophenol by PAGNPs2 within 5 min. The mechanism of catalysis in the presence of PAGNPsl and PAGNPs2 can be described as an electron transfer process from donor NaBH4 to an acceptor. The facile green synthesis of such eco-friendly nanoparticles in bulk suggests this method has potential industrial applications.

Ethanol extract of Sophora japonica flower bud, an effective potential dietary supplement for the treatment of hyperuricemia

Hyperuricemia(HUA)is a common metabolic condition associated with a variety of diseases,mainly manifested by the increase in uric acid(UA)levels.As xanthine oxidase(XOD)is the key enzyme in UA production,it has become a target for treating HUA.In this study,an extract named EESJ was extracted from Sophora japonica using 80%ethanol solution and administered to HUA mice to verify its UA-lowering effect.The results confirmed that administering EESJ could reduce the UA levels in vivo by inhibiting XOD activity,and ameliorating renal injury in a dose-dependent manner.To further study the active components in EESJ,243 chemical components and 32 blood components were identified by the UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technology,of which flavonoids were the main constituents.The molecular docking results showed that the following six compounds,namely hydroxygenkwanin,genistein,tectorigenin,kaempferol,sophoricoside,and quercetin,had strong binding properties with XOD;among which hydroxygenkwanin had the best binding capacity.In conclusion,this study confirmed that EESJ could effectively reduce UA levels,and speculated the active compounds playing a role in lowering UA levels,which has certain guiding significance for Sophora japonica and natural compounds as potentially effective treatment options for HUA.