Mechanism prediction of Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Angelica sinensis Diels in treating interstitial lung disease based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Objective:To investigate the mechanism by which Astragalus mongholicus Bunge(AM),and Angelica sinensis Diels(AS)act in interstitial lung disease(ILD)based on computational prediction.Methods:We screened the ingredients of AM and AS in PubMed,the Web of Science,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)Databases,etc.Then obtained the potential effective components.By sharing the same molecular with ILD,we got the possible target genes for ILD treatment and constructed components–targets–disease network with Cytoscape software.The CTD(Comparative Toxicogenomics Database)database was used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of these target genes.Results:59 active ingredients that can be druggable were chosen from AM,67 active ingredients were chosen from AS.77 overlapping target genes for AM and ILD and 36 overlapping target genes for AS and ILD were acquired.The hub targets of AM were PTGS2,PTGS1,CDK2,MAOA,ESR1,TOP2A,GSK3B,ESR2,PPARG,NOS2,The hub targets of AS were PTGS2,GABRA1,PTGS1,CHRM1,SLC6A2,ADRA1B,ADRAIA,ADRB2,CHRM3,GABRA2,CHRM2.Quercetin,kaempferol,daidzein,pavilion,7-Hydroxycoumarin,and 5-Hydroxycoumarin were the main active ingredients which have more effective targets.Prediction of the protein-protein interaction network showed PTGS2,GSK3B,PPARG,etc.,were the important predicted targets.The enriched KEGG pathways,including the Immune System,Metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins,Cytokine Signaling in the Immune system,Generic Transcription Pathway,The interleukin pathway,Metabolism of proteins,PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,Metabolic pathways,Innate Immune System,Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction,Metabolism,GPCR downstream signaling,Amine ligand-binding receptors,Class A/1,Calcium signaling pathway.Molecular docking showed that quercetin,kaempferol,daidzein,pavilion,7-Hydroxycoumarin,5-Hydroxycoumarin had good binding activities with PTGS2 and GSK3B,which mainly mediated PI3K/Akt and other important signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of ILD.Conclusion:The components in AS and AM share some common targets,such as PTGS2.AM and AS may ameliorate ILD through the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway which is mediated by GSK3B.PTGS2,PPARG may also be vital target genes in the treatment of ILD with AM and AS.

Mechanism prediction of Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Angelica sinensis Diels in treating interstitial lung disease based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Objective:To investigate the mechanism by which Astragalus mongholicus Bunge(AM),and Angelica sinensis Diels(AS)act in interstitial lung disease(ILD)based on computational prediction.Methods:We screened the ingredients of AM and AS in PubMed,the Web of Science,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)Databases,etc.Then obtained the potential effective components.By sharing the same molecular with ILD,we got the possible target genes for ILD treatment and constructed components–targets–disease network with Cytoscape software.The CTD(Comparative Toxicogenomics Database)database was used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of these target genes.Results:59 active ingredients that can be druggable were chosen from AM,67 active ingredients were chosen from AS.77 overlapping target genes for AM and ILD and 36 overlapping target genes for AS and ILD were acquired.The hub targets of AM were PTGS2,PTGS1,CDK2,MAOA,ESR1,TOP2A,GSK3B,ESR2,PPARG,NOS2,The hub targets of AS were PTGS2,GABRA1,PTGS1,CHRM1,SLC6A2,ADRA1B,ADRAIA,ADRB2,CHRM3,GABRA2,CHRM2.Quercetin,kaempferol,daidzein,pavilion,7-Hydroxycoumarin,and 5-Hydroxycoumarin were the main active ingredients which have more effective targets.Prediction of the protein-protein interaction network showed PTGS2,GSK3B,PPARG,etc.,were the important predicted targets.The enriched KEGG pathways,including the Immune System,Metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins,Cytokine Signaling in the Immune system,Generic Transcription Pathway,The interleukin pathway,Metabolism of proteins,PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,Metabolic pathways,Innate Immune System,Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction,Metabolism,GPCR downstream signaling,Amine ligand-binding receptors,Class A/1,Calcium signaling pathway.Molecular docking showed that quercetin,kaempferol,daidzein,pavilion,7-Hydroxycoumarin,5-Hydroxycoumarin had good binding activities with PTGS2 and GSK3B,which mainly mediated PI3K/Akt and other important signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of ILD.Conclusion:The components in AS and AM share some common targets,such as PTGS2.AM and AS may ameliorate ILD through the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway which is mediated by GSK3B.PTGS2,PPARG may also be vital target genes in the treatment of ILD with AM and AS.

Study on mechanism and molecular docking verification of Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Astragali Radix in treating ischemic stroke

Background:Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has been shown to be effective in treating ischemic stroke(IS),and the combination of Angelicae Sinensis Radix(ASR)and Astragali Radix(AR)is a core TCM prescription that is widely acknowledged for its efficacy in IS treatment.This study utilized network pharmacology methods to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Astragali Radix in IS treatment,with preliminary validation conducted through molecular docking.Methods:Information on the structure,targets,main biological functions,and pathways of the active components in Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Astragali Radix was collected using databases such as PubChem,PharmMapper,UniProt,and GeneCards.The results were visualized using software such as Cytoscape 3.6.1,Ledock,and pymol.Results:We retrieved 20 active components and 149 targets associated with the compatibility of Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Astragali Radix from various databases,and GeneCards database was used to search 3350 IS-related gene targets,including 78 key targets of Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Astragali Radix for the treatment of IS.Enrichment analysis of these 78 targets using gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)revealed the involvement of 48 GO terms in the treatment of IS,mainly in biological processes such as metabolism,biological regulation,and stress response.The composition of biological devices such as supercavitary membrane,cell fluid,and extracellular space was also involved.The biological functions mainly included protein binding,ion binding,hydrolytic enzyme activity,and others.The identified pathways were estrogen signaling pathway,mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway,PI3K-AKT signaling pathway,RAP1 signaling pathway,P53 signaling pathway,PPAR signaling pathway,FOXO signaling pathway,RAS signaling pathway,prolactin signaling pathway,HIF-1 signaling pathway,and TNF signaling pathway.Molecular docking analysis showed that the 17 key active components of Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Astragali Radix had strong binding activity with 13 IS key targets.Conclusion:Through the application of network pharmacology methods,it was found that the use of Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Astragali Radix for treating ischemic stroke mainly targets the MAPK and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways,involving several crucial compounds and genes.Nevertheless,additional in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to verify these findings.

A rapid HPLC method for determination of coniferyl ferulate in Angelica sinensis and Ligusticum chuanxiong

Aim A reliable and rapid HPLC method was developed for quantitative determination of coniferyl femlate, an ester of ferulic acid, with multiple pharmacological activities in Angelica sinensis and Ligusticum chuanxiong, two commonly used Chinese medicines. Methods The determination was achieved by using a Zorbax ODS C18 analytical column （250 mm×4.6 mm ID, 5 μm） at isocratic elution of 1% aqueous acetic acid and acetonitrile （1：1） with diode-array detection （318 nm）. The calibration curve of coniferyl femlate showed good linearity （r^2 = 0.9995） within the test range. Results The developed method showed good precision with intra- and inter-day variations of 0.22% - 1.16% and 0.86% - 2.62% between the levels of 0.380 - 0.038 mg·mL^-1, respectively. The repeatability represented as RSD of coniferyl femlate was less than 2.7% for three levels （0.2 - 1.0 g of Angelica sinensis）, and the recovery was 105.3% with RSD of 3.2%. Conclusion The validated method was successfully applied to quantify coniferyl femlate in 12 samples of Danggui and Chuanxiong.

Preparation and Identification of Angelica sinensis Polysaccharide-iron Complex

Angelica sinensis polysaccharide（ASP） was extracted from Angelica sinensis by boiling water. An Angelica sinensis polysaccharide-iron complex（APC） was prepared under the alkaline condition by adding a ferric chloride solution to the ASP solution. Then some identifiable properties of the complex were studied. The content of iron（ Ⅲ ） in the complex was determined with iodometry. The thermal property, the microscopic structure, the spectral characteristics, and N, C, H contents of the complex were examined by a variety of techniques including DSC, TEM, IR, NMR, and elemental analysis. The content of iron（ Ⅲ ） in the complex ranges from 10% to 40%. The DSC result shows that the melting point of the complex is about 450 ℃. The TEM result shows that the complex has an iron（ Ⅲ ） core（β-FeOOH core） linked by hydroxy and oxy bridges, with the polysaccharide chains attached to the surface of the core. The IR and NMR results also show that there is a β-FeOOH core in the complex. The elemental analysis shows that the contents of N, C, H in the complex are, respectively, lower than those of N, C, H in ASP. All our studies indicate that the APC consists of a β-FeOOH core surrounded by ASP.

Chemical Constituents of Angelica sinensis

Aim To investigate the active constituents responsible for thepharmacological activities of Angelica sinensis (Oliv) Diels. Methods Chromatography was used toisolate chemical components, and spectroscopy was used to identify their structures. Results Sevencompounds were isolated and their structures were identified as ferulic acid (1), conife-rylferukte(2) , bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (3), dibutyl phthalate (4), lignoceric acid (5), palmitic acid(6), and Z-6, 7-cis-dihydroxyligustilide (7) Conclusion Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and dibutylphthalate were obtained from Angelica sinensis for the first time.

Effects of angelica sinensis polysaccharide-iron complex on hemolytic anemia and bone marrow injury in mice

To investigate the therapeutic effects of angelica sinensis polysaccharide-iron complex （APIC） on hemolytic anemia and bone marrow injury in mice models. The hemolytic anemia mouse model was established by i.p. of phenylhydrazine （PHZ）. Changes of the indices including red blood cell count （RBC）, hemoglobin （Hb） and hematocrit （HCT） were determined by blood analyzer, and reticulocytes were observed by brilliant cresol blue staining during administration. Bone marrow injured mouse model was established by i.p. of cytoxan （CY） and chloramphenicol （CH）, and the therapeutic effect was observed by H-E staining. The indices of APIC treated groups with the medium and high doses were higher than those of the model group significantly. Moreover, the Hb and HCT were restored to the normal level after drug treatments. In addition, APIC can promote the proliferation and differentiation of reticulocytes obviously in the early stage of anemia mice, decrease adipose cell proliferation in bone marrow of injured mice and hasten the recuperation. In conclusion, APIC has therapeutic efficacy on hemolytic anemia and bone marrow injury caused by chemicals, which is reported for the first time.

Seven new 3,4-dihydro-furanocoumarin derivatives from Angelica dahurica

Objective:To study the chemical constituents of the roots of Angelica dahurica,a well-known Chinese herbal medicine named Baizhi in Chinese.Methods:Compounds were separated by various chromatographies,and the structures of new compounds were elucidated based on the analysis of their spectroscopic and spectrometric data(1D,2D NMR,HRESI MS,IR,and UV).The absolute configurations of new compounds were determined by the calculated electronic circular dichroism and chemical derivatization.The inhibitory activities of all isolates against nitric oxide(NO)production were evaluated using lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7macrophage cells.Results:Seven new 3,4-dihydro-furanocoumarin derivatives(1a/1b,2a/2b,3a/3b,4)together with a known furanocoumarin(5)were isolated from the roots of A.dahurica.The new compounds included three pairs of enantiomers,(4S,2’’R)-angelicadin A(1a)/(4R,2’’S)-angelicadin A(1b),(4S,2’’S)-angelicadin A(2a)/(4R,2’’R)-angelicadin A(2b),and(4S,2’’S)-secoangelicadin A(3a)/(4R,2’’R)-secoangelicadin A(3b),together with(4R,2’’R)-secoangelicadin A methyl ester(4).The known xanthotoxol(5)inhibited the NO production with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)value of(32.8±0.8)μmol/L,but all the new compounds showed no inhibitory activities at the concentration of100μmol/L.Conclusion:This is the first report of the discovery of 3,4-dihydro-furanocoumarins from A.dahurica.The results are not only meaningful for the understanding of the chemical constituents of A.dahurica,but also enrich the reservoir of natural products.

Further Isolation of Coumarin from Angelica pubescence Maxim f. biserrata Shan et Yuan

Nine coumarin compounds were further isolated from Angelica pubescence. They were columbianedin (1), osthol (2), bergapten (3), isoimperaterin (4), meranzin hydrate (5), nodakenetin (6), marmesinin (7), columbianin (8) and angelidiol (9). Among them, 5～8 were isolated for the first time from this plant, 9 is a new natural product.

Polysaccharides from Angelica sinensis alleviate neuronal cell injury caused by oxidative stress

Angelica sinensis has antioxidative and neuroprotective effects. In the present study, we aimed to determine the neuroprotective effect of polysaccharides isolated from Angelica sinensis. In a pre-liminary experiment, Angelica sinensis polysaccharides not only protected PC12 neuronal cells from H202-induced cytotoxicity, but also reduced apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential induced by H202 treatment. In a rat model of local cerebral ischemia, we further demonstrated that Angelica sinensis poly-saccharides enhanced the antioxidant activity in cerebral cortical neurons, increased the number of microvessels, and improved blood flow after ischemia. Our findings highlight the protective role of polysaccharides isolated from Angelica sinensis against nerve cell injury and impairment caused by oxidative stress.

Effect of Angelica sinensis on neural stem cell proliferation in neonatal rats following intrauterine hypoxia

BACKGROUND： Angelica sinensis is a widely used herb in Chinese traditional medicine. It has been shown to improve hypoxia in embryonic rats and reduce nestin expression in neural stem cells, resulting in proliferation of neural stem cells. OBJECTIVE： To study the protective effect of Angelica on neural stem cell proliferation in neonatal rats after intrauterine hypoxia. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The randomized, controlled, experiment was performed at the Department of Histology and Embryology, Luzhou Medical College, China from July 2007 to January 2008. MATERIALS： Because gestational days 14-15 are a key stage in rat nervous system development, 21 healthy, pregnant Sprague Dawley rats （14 days after conception） were used for this study. Nestin monoclonal primary antibody was obtained from Chemicon, USA. Angelica parenteral solution （250 g/L） was obtained from Pharmaceutical Preparation Section, Second Affiliated Hospital of Wuhan University, China. METHODS： Rats were randomly divided into a control group （n = 5）, a hypoxia group （n = 8）, and an Angelica group （n = 8）. Saline （8 mL/kg） was injected into the caudal vein of rats in the hypoxia group once a day for seven consecutive days. Intrauterine hypotonic hypoxia was induced using 13% O2 for two hours per day on three consecutive days. Rats in the Angelica group received injections of Angelica parenteral solution （250 g/L）; all other protocols were the same as the hypoxia group. The control group procedures were identical to the hypoxia group, but under normal, non-hypoxic conditions. After birth, brain tissues were immediately obtained from neonatal rats and prepared for nestin immunohistochemistry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Nestin-positive cells in hippocampal CA3 area of neonatal rats in each group were quantified using image analysis to detect signal absorbance. RESULTS： The number of nestin-positive cells increased in the hippocampal CA3 area of neonatal rats in the hypoxia group. The number of nestin-positive cells was less in the Angelica group than in the hypoxia group. Integral absorbance of nestin-positive ceils in the hippocampal CA3 area of neonatal rats was significantly higher in the hypoxia group, compared with the control group （P 〈 0.05）. The integral absorbance of nestin positive cells was lower in the Angelica group, compared with the hypoxia group （P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Intrauterine hypoxia, induced for 2 hours daily for three consecutive days, with an oxygen concentration of 13%, stimulated the proliferation of neural stem cells. Angelica injection has a protective effect on neural stem cells from neonatal rats following intrauterine hypoxia by decreasing proliferation of neural stem cells.

Polysaccharide from Angelica Sinensis Suppresses Inflammation and Reverses Anemia in Complete Freund's Adjuvant-induced Rats

The antinlammatory and antianemic activities of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide(ASP)isolated from roots of Angelica sinensis(AS)was investigated in a complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA)-induced arthritic rat model.It was observed that serum iron(SI)and total iron binding capacity(TIBC)levels were elevated after 4-week oral administration of ASP.Red blood cell(RBC)count and hemoglobin(Hb)concentrations were ameliorated as well.Moreover,infammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-a were decreased strikingly in CFA-induced arthritic rats after treatment of ASP.Evidence also showed that ASP strongly inhibited hepcidin expression through the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription(JAK2/STAT3)pathway.Furthermore,ASP exhibited reduced primary and secondary lesions in adjuvant arthritis,attenuating synovitis and inflammatory joint damage.Data presented in this article collectively indicated that ASP significantly decreased proinflammatory cytokines(TNF-a,IL-6),which might play a crucial role in the CFA-induced arthritic rats,and had a therapeutic effect on adjuvant arthritis in rats.Results of Western blot analysis indicated that ASP inhibited the activation of IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the CFA-induced arthritic rats.

Protective effect of Angelica sinensis on cerebral neurons from rat embryos under hypoxia

BACKGROUND： The enhanced expression of c-Fos protein in nerve cells after hypoxia is the marker for converting extracellular hypoxia information to intracellular changes at hypoxia, and it is suspected that the increase of c-Fos protein can lead to the synthesis and excretion of related neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor. However, it is still unclear what functional changes of nerve cells are induced by the increase of c-Fos protein at hypoxia, and whether it is good for the survival of damaged neurons. OBJECTIVE： To observe the expression of c-Fos in the cerebral neurons from embryos of rats with hypoxia in uterus, and investigate the pathway for the protective effect of Angelica sinensis injection on the cerebral neurons from rat embryos under hypoxia. DESIGN： A completely randomized controlled study. SETTING： Department of Histology and Embryology, Luzhou Medical College. MATERIALS： Twelve female Wistar rats in oestrum and 1 male adult Wistar rat with body mass of 220 to 250 g were selected. Rabbit-anti-rat neuro-specific enolase （NSE） and rabbit-anti-rat c-Fos were purchased from Wuhan Boster Biological Technology Co., Ltd.; Double-staining kit was bought from Beijing Zhongshan Golden Bridge Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Angelica sinensis injection was produced by the Department of Pharmacy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hubei Medical University. METHODS： The experiments were completed in the experimental animal center and the Department of Histology and Embryology of Luzhou Medical College from December 2004 to December 2005. ①Twelve adult female Wistar rats in oestrum and 1 male Wistar rat were housed in one rearing cage. The appearance of vaginal embolus at 8：00 in the next morning was recorded as 0 day of pregnancy and the rats were recorded for 15 days, and they were divided randomly into three groups, control group （n =4）, hypoxia group （n =4） and Angelica group （n =4）. The pregnant rats in the hypoxia group were firstly injected with saline （8 mL/kg）, then put into 2 L wide-mouthed bottle containing 100 g sodalime, and then the lid of the bottle was closed tightly to induce hypotonic hypoxia for 1 hour followed by 1-hour re-oxygenation. The pregnant rats were killed under anesthesia, and then fetuses were taken out by rapid cesarean. Part of the brain tissues were exposed and then fixed in formaldehyde （40 g/L）. The pregnant rats in the Angelica group were treated the same as those in the hypoxia group except that saline was replaced by 250 g/L Angelica sinensis injection which was injected via caudal vein （8 mL/kg）. The rats in the control group were injected with saline （8 mL/kg） slowly via caudal vein, but not put into the wide-mouthed bottle for hypoxia, and then the brain tissues were removed and fixed as those in the hypoxia group after 1 hour. ②Twenty embryos from rats were chosen randomly in each group and then routinely embedded in paraffin. Paraffin sections of 4 μ m thick were prepared through the anterior fontanelle of head of the fetal rats. The sections were immunohistologically stained with c-Fos/NSE. ③The one-way analysis of variance （ANOVA） was used to compare the differences of measurement data among the groups, and the q test was applied in the two-two comparison. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The numbers of c-Fos and c-Fos/NSE positive neurons in cerebrum from rat embryos were observed. RESULTS： ① Numbers of NSE positive neurons in cerebrum of rat embryos in the control group, hypoxia group and Angelica group were （84.3 ±9.0）, （90.2±12.5） and （86.7±9.7） cells/high power field （P 〉 0.05）. ②The number of c-Fos/NSE positive neurons was more in the hypoxia group than in the control group and Angelica group [（38.4±5.28）, （11.35±2.67）, （20.65±4.07） cells/high power field, q =29.17, 19.14, P 〈 0.05]. CONCLUSION： Hypoxia can stimulate the expression of c-Fos in cerebral neurons from rat embryos. Angelica sinensis injection could reducing the damage of hypoxia to neurons and play a neuroprotective role by decreasing the expression of c-Fos protein in hypoxic neurons.

Determination of constituents of essential oil from Angelica sinensis by gas chromatographymass spectrometry

Gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled with chemometric resolution upon two- dimensional data was employed to analyze the constituents of essential oils of Angelica sinensis. Constituents in essential oils of Angelica sinensis root were identified by GC-MS with the help of subwindow factor analysis (SFA) method resolving two-dimensional original data into mass spectra and chromatograms. 76 of 97 separated constituents in essential oil of Angelica sinensis root were identified and quantified, and they account for about 91.36% of the total content. The results show that ligustilide, butylene phthalide, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, carvacrol, allo-ocimene,2,6,6-trimethylbicyclo-[3,1,1]hept-2-ene are the main constituents in essential oil of Angelica sinensis root.

A New Dimeric Phthalide from Angelica sinensis

A new dimeric phthalide named Z, Z＇-3.3＇a, 7.7＇a-diligustilide was isolated from the roots of Angelica sinensis. Its structure was determined using spectroscopic methods and X-ray crystallographic diffraction analysis.

Protective effect of decursin and decursinol angelate-rich Angelica gigas Nakai extract on dextran sulfate sodium-induced murine ulcerative colitis

Objective: To investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of decursin and decursinol angelate-rich Angelica gigas Nakai(AGNE) on dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced murine ulcerative colitis(UC).Methods: The therapeutic effect of an AGNE was analyzed in a mouse model of UC induced by DSS. Disease activity index values were measured by clinical signs such as a weight loss, stool consistency, rectal bleeding and colon length. A histological analysis was performed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Key inflammatory cytokines and mediators including IL-6, TNF-a, PGE2, COX-2 and HIF-1 a were assayed by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay or western blotting.Results: Treatment with the AGNE at 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg alleviated weight loss,decreased disease activity index scores, and reduced colon shortening in mice with DSSinduced UC. AGNE inhibited the production of IL-6 and TNF-a in serum and colon tissue. Moreover, AGNE suppressed the increased expression of COX-2 and HIF-1 a and the increased production of PGE2 in colon tissue were observed in mice with DSSinduced UC. Additionally, histological damage was also alleviated by AGNE treatment.Conclusions: The findings of this study verified that AGNE significantly improves clinical symptoms and reduces the activity of various inflammatory mediators. These results indicate the AGNE has the therapeutic potential in mice with DSS-induced UC.

Differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells into neuron-like cells by Radix Angelicae Sinensis

Human adipose tissues are an ideal source of stem cells. It is important to find inducers that can safely and effectively differentiate stem cells into functional neurons for clinical use. In this study, we investigate the use of Radix Angelicae Sinensis as an inducer of neuronal differentiation. Primary human adipose-derived stem cells were obtained from adult subcutaneous fatty tissue, then pre-induced with 10% Radix Angelicae Sinensis injection for 24 hours, and incubated in serum-free Dulbecco＇s modified Eagle＇s medium/Nutrient Mixture F-12 containing 40% Radix Angelicae Sinensis to induce its differentiation into neuron-like cells. Butylated hydroxyanisole, a common in- ducer for neuronal differentiation, was used as the control. After human adipose-derived stem cells differentiated into neuron-like cells under the induction of Radix Angelicae Sinensis for 24 hours, the positive expression of neuron-specific enolase was lower than that of the butylated hydroxyani- sole-induced group, and the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein was negative. Alter they were induced for 48 hours, the positive expression of neuron specific enolase in human adipose-derived stem cells was significantly higher than that of the butylated hydroxyanisole-induced group. Our experimental findings indicate that Radix Angelicae Sinensis can induce human adipose-derived stem cell differentiation into neuron-like cells and produce less cytotoxicity.

A new angelol-type coumarin glucoside from Angelica pubescens

A new angelol-type coumarin glucoside, 6-[（1R,2R）-1, 2-dihydroxy-3-β-D-glucosyloxy-3-methylbutyl]-7-methoxycoumarin, was isolated from the roots of Angelica pubescens. Its structure was elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis.

Study on Ultrasonic Extraction of Total Flavonoids from Angelica keiskei Koidzumi

[Objective] This study aimed to optimize the ultrasonic extraction process of total flavonoids from Angelica keiskei Koidzumi. [Method] Using the yield of total flavonoids as an indicator, the ultrasonic extraction process of total flavonoids from A. keiskei was optimized by orthogonal experimental design. [ Result ] Among four factors in orthogonal experimental design, extraction time exhibited the most significant effect on the extraction result; ethanol concentration exhib- ited a significant effect on the extraction result; ultrasonic power and solid-to-liquid ratio had no significant effect. The optimal conditions for ultrasonic extraction of total flavonoids from A. keiskei were extraction time of 25 min, ethanol concentration of 80%, ultrasonic power of 60 W, solid-to-liquid ratio of 1：20 （g/ml）, under which the yield of total flavonoids reached 1.56%. [ Conclusion] This study provides the basis for further development and utilization of total flavonoids from A. keiskei.

Optimal Formula of Angelica sinensis Ameliorates Memory Deficits in β-amyloid Protein-induced Alzheimer's Disease Rat Model

Objective:Angelica(A.)sinensis is used as a traditional medical herb for the treatment of neurodegeneration,aging,and inflammation in Asia.A.sinensis optimal formula(AOF)is the best combination in A.sinensis that has been screened to rescue the cognitive ability in P-amyloid peptide(Ap25-35)-treated Alzheimer’s disease(AD)rats.The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of AOF on the learning and memory of AD rats as well as to explore the underlying mechanisms.