Metabolic characterization of a potent natural neuroprotective agent dendrobine in vitro and in rats.

Dendrobine is the main sesquiterpene alkaloid of Dendrobium nobile Lindl, which exhibits potent neuroprotective activity. However, its metabolism and disposition are little known. In this study, we investigated the metabolic characteristics of dendrobine in vitro and in rats.

Notch1-ADAM8 positive feed-back loop regulates the degradation of chondrogenic extracellular matrix and osteoarthritis progression.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent joint disease, and there are still no effective therapeutic agents or clinical methods for the cure of this disease to date. The degradation of cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) is a major cause of OA.

Method: IL-1β was used to induce chondrogenic degradation.

Sodium ferulate inhibits myocardial hypertrophy induced by abdominal coarctation in rats: Involvement of cardiac PKC and MAPK signaling pathways.

Sodium ferulate (SF) is the sodium salt of ferulic acid which is an active ingredient of Radix Angelica Sinensis and Ligusticum chuanxiong hort. Here, we investigated SF inhibition in a rat model of myocardial hypertrophy induced by coarctation of the abdominal aorta. Following coarctation, rats were given SF (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg/day) for 25 consecutive days.

Oleanolic acid reprograms the liver to protect against hepatotoxicants, but is hepatotoxic at high doses.

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a triterpenoid that exists widely in fruits, vegetables and medicinal herbs. OA is included in some dietary supplements and is used as a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in China, India, Asia, the USA and European countries. OA is effective in protecting against various hepatotoxicants, and one of the protective mechanisms is reprogramming the liver to activate the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2).

Adulthood Exposure to Lipopolysaccharide Exacerbates the Neurotoxic and Inflammatory Effects of Rotenone in the Substantia Nigra.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most neurodegenerative disorder with a regional decrease of dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Despite intense exploration, the etiology of PD progressive process remains unclear. This study was to investigate the synergistic effects of systemic inflammation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and neurotoxicity of rotenone (ROT) on exacerbating DA neuron lesion.

[An HPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of trans-ferulic acid in human plasma].

In this study, we developed a sensitive and rapid HPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of trans-ferulic acid(trans-FA) in plasma samples, and investigated the pharmacokinetics characteristics in healthy volunteers. The plasma samples were extracted with acetic ether, and then separated on a Hedera ODS-2 column with a mobile phase of methanol and 5 mmol·L(-1) ammonium acetate buffer solution containing 0.05% acetic acid(34∶66) at a flow rate of 0.

[An LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of amygdalin and paeoniflorin in human urine and application to urinary excretion study].

The study aims to develop an LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of amygdalin and paeoniflorin in urine samples, and to investigate their urinary excretion characteristics in healthy volunteers after intravenous infusion administration of Huoxue-Tongluo lyophilized powder for injection (HTLPI). The urine samples were extracted by methanol, and then separated on a Hedera ODS-2 column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile and 5 mmol · L(-1) ammonium acetate buffer solution containing 0.05% formic acid (20:80).