Integrated anti-fatigue effects of polysaccharides and small molecules coexisting in water extracts of ginseng: Gut microbiota-mediated mechanisms.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Both clinical and animal studies have demonstrated that ginseng has curative effects on fatigue. Our previous study found that water extracts of ginseng (WEG) could significantly mitigate exercise-induced fatigue (EF). Notably, polysaccharides (GP) and small molecules (GS, mainly ginsenosides) coexist in WEG.

Posterior cingulate and medial prefrontal excitation-inhibition balance in euthymic bipolar disorder.

Background: Persistent cognitive deficits and functional impairments are associated with bipolar disorder (BD), even during the euthymic phase. The dysfunction of default mode network (DMN) is critical for self-referential and emotional mental processes and is implicated in BD. The current study aims to explore the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, i.

Rationality of the ethanol precipitation process in modern preparation production of Zishui-Qinggan decoction evaluated by integrating UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-based chemical profiling/serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology.

Introduction: Zishui-Qinggan decoction (ZQD) is a classical traditional Chinese medicine formula (TCMF) for alleviating menopausal symptoms (MPS) induced by endocrine therapy in breast cancer patients. In the production of TCMF modern preparations, ethanol precipitation (EP) is a commonly but not fully verified refining process.

Objectives: Chemical profiling/serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology approaches were integrated for exploring the rationality of the EP process in the production of ZQD modern preparations.

Quality evaluation of Pterocephali Herba through simultaneously quantifying 18 bioactive components by UPLC-TQ-MS/MS analysis.

Pterocephali Herba (PH), the dried whole plant of Pterocephalus hookeri, is a Tibetan medicine commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Iridoids, triterpenoids, flavonoids and phenylpropanoids are the major groups of bioactive constituents from PH. However, only ursolic acid and oleanolic acid, two unspecific triterpenoid components, are used as markers for the quality control of PH in Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Nicotinamide enhances natural killer cell function and yields remissions in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell adoptive transfer has shown the potential to induce remissions in relapsed or refractory leukemias and lymphomas, but strategies to enhance NK cell survival and function are needed to improve clinical efficacy. Here, we demonstrated that NK cells cultured ex vivo with interleukin-15 (IL-15) and nicotinamide (NAM) exhibited stable induction of l-selectin (CD62L), a lymphocyte adhesion molecule important for lymph node homing. High frequencies of CD62L were associated with elevated transcription factor forkhead box O1 (FOXO1), and NAM promoted the stability of FOXO1 by preventing proteasomal degradation.

Comparing steamed and wine-stewed Rehmanniae Radix in terms of Yin-nourishing effects via metabolomics and microbiome analysis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata (RRP), the processed root of Rehmannia glutinosa, has been widely used to treat Yin deficiency syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine. RRP is available in two forms: processed by steaming with water (SRR) or processed by stewing with yellow rice wine (WRR). Previous work has documented chemical differences in the secondary metabolomes and glycomes of SRR and WRR.

Structure-specific antitumor effects and potential gut microbiota-involved mechanisms of ginseng polysaccharides on B16F10 melanoma-bearing mice.

Ginseng polysaccharides (GPs) have shown gut microbiota-related antitumor effects. However, the relation between their structures and antitumor functions remains unknown. Here, crude polysaccharide (GP-c) and its fractions neutral polysaccharide (GP-n) and pectin (GP-a) were prepared for structure characterization and anti-B16F10 melanoma effect evaluation, and their influence on gut microbiota diversities and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were also analyzed.

Integrating serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology to identify chemical markers for quality control of Apocyni Veneti Folium.

Introduction: Apocyni Veneti Folium (AVF) is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal herb for the treatment of hypertension. Chemical markers are crucial for the quality control of herbal medicines; however, the therapeutic components of AVF remain to be well elucidated.

Objectives: This study was intended to integrate serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology to identify chemical markers of AVF and establish an efficacy-related quality control method of AVF.

Holistic quality evaluation of Hibisci Mutabilis Folium by integrating UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS chemical profiling and UPLC-TQ-MS/MS quantification approaches.

In present study, an integrating UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS chemical profiling and UPLC-TQ-MS/MS quantification strategy was developed for the holistic quality evaluation of Hibisci Mutabilis Folium (HMF), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS, a total of 58 components were characterized in HMF sample, of which 36 flavonoids, 3 coumarins, 7 organic acids and 4 triterpene acids were unambiguously identified by comparing the chromatographic behavior and mass spectrum with that of reference compounds, or tentatively assigned by comparing the fragmentation pathways and characteristic fragment ions with that of reference substances and/or published literatures together with mass defect filtering (MDF) screening. Meanwhile, 29 representative major components, including 16 flavonoids, 3 coumarins, 7 organic acids and 3 triterpene acids, were quantified by a newly established UPLC-TQ-MS/MS method that was validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, repeatability, accuracy and stability.

Gut Microbiota Mediates the Protective Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Qiong-Yu-Gao against Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury.

Our previous study found that Qiong-Yu-Gao (QYG), a traditional Chinese medicine formula derived from Rehmanniae Radix, Poria, and Ginseng Radix, has protective effects against cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI), but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In the present study, the potential role of gut microbiota in the nephroprotective effects of QYG was investigated. We found that QYG treatment significantly attenuated cisplatin-induced AKI and gut dysbiosis, altered the levels of bacterial metabolites, with short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as acetic acid and butyric acid increasing and uremic toxins such as indoxyl sulfate and -cresyl sulfate reducing, and suppressed histone deacetylase expression and activity.

Gut microbiota influenced the xenograft MC38 tumor growth potentially through interfering host lipid and amino acid metabolisms, basing on the integrated analysis of microbiome and metabolomics.

Gut microbiota is associated with tumor progress and host metabolic disorder, but whether gut microbiota regulation can affect cancer growth through interfering host metabolism maintains unknown yet. Here, we used combined antibiotics (ABX) to build an extremely altered gut microbiota ecosystem and study its influence on the xenograft MC38 tumor as well as the associations of the effects with host metabolisms. The MC38 tumor bearing mouse was treated with ABX (vancomycin, neomycin and imipenem-cilastatin) to build the extremely altered microbiota ecosystem, the gut microbiota diversity alteration was determined by 16S rRNA based gene sequencing.

Holistic quality evaluation of commercial Agastache rugosa by multiple chromatographic and chemometric analysis.

In present study, a comprehensive strategy integrating multiple chromatographic and chemometric methods to simultaneously characterize the volatile and non-volatile components was developed for the holistic quality evaluation of commercial Agastache rugosa (AR), a common edible and medicinal herb, collected in China. The volatile components and the non-volatile components were characterized by GC-MS and UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS, respectively. And the data were analyzed either independently or integratively by multivariate statistical analysis (MVS) for the quality assessment of commercial samples.

Harnessing features of adaptive NK cells to generate iPSC-derived NK cells for enhanced immunotherapy.

Select subsets of immune effector cells have the greatest propensity to mediate antitumor responses. However, procuring these subsets is challenging, and cell-based immunotherapy is hampered by limited effector-cell persistence and lack of on-demand availability. To address these limitations, we generated a triple-gene-edited induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC).

The transcription factor Bcl11b promotes both canonical and adaptive NK cell differentiation.

Epigenetic landscapes can provide insight into regulation of gene expression and cellular diversity. Here, we examined the transcriptional and epigenetic profiles of seven human blood natural killer (NK) cell populations, including adaptive NK cells. The gene, encoding a transcription factor (TF) essential for T cell development and function, was the most extensively regulated, with expression increasing throughout NK cell differentiation.

Protective effects of Poria cocos and its components against cisplatin-induced intestinal injury.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Poria) is a well-known traditional medicinal fungus. It has been considered to possess spleen-invigorating (Jianpi) effects in traditional Chinese medicine, and is used clinically to treat spleen deficiency (Pixu) with symptoms of intestinal disorders such as diarrhea, indigestion, mucositis and weight loss.

Similar hypoglycemic effects of glucomannan and its enzyme degraded products from Amorphophallus albus on type 2 diabetes mellitus in mice and potential mechanisms.

In the present study, the hypoglycemic effects of glucomannan (AGM) and its enzyme-degraded products from Amorphophallus albus were investigated. Four degraded products were prepared through ultrafiltration of β-glucanase-degraded products of AGM. The hypoglycemic activities were evaluated in HFD-STZ-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice, and the diversity of gut bacteria was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing; the fecal short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and endogenous metabolites were determined by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS.

The dual roles of ginsenosides in improving the anti-tumor efficiency of cyclophosphamide in mammary carcinoma mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cyclophosphamide (CTX) is a first line chemotherapeutic agent, but often limited for its unstable therapeutic effect and serious side effects. Ginsenosides could facilitate the anti-tumor efficiency of CTX, including benefiting therapeutic effect and decreasing side effects.

Aim Of The Study: To investigate the potential mechanism of ginsenosides on benefiting the anti-tumor efficiency of CTX.

Ascorbic Acid Promotes Demethylation during Early NK Cell Differentiation.

Variegated expression of killer Ig-like receptors (KIR) in human NK cells is a stochastic process exclusive to subsets of mature NK cells and CD8 T cells. Allele-specific expression is maintained by DNA methylation within the proximal promoter regions. Because genes are densely methylated in NK cell progenitors, there is an implied stage of human NK cell development in which DNA demethylation takes place to allow for active transcription.