A novel off-line multi-dimensional high-speed countercurrent chromatography strategy for preparative separation of bioactive neolignan isomers from Piper betle. L.

Separation and purification of naturally occurring isomers from herbs are still challenging. High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) has been applied to isolate natural products. In this study, an off-line multi-dimensional high-speed counter-current chromatography (multi-D HSCCC) strategy was developed utilizing the in situ concentration technique with online storage recycling elution to rapidly separate bioactive isomeric neolignans from chloroform-partitioned samples of the plant Piper betle L.

Relayed chromatography - Countercurrent chromatography in series with liquid chromatography for the separation of natural products.

Chromatography is an essential method for separating natural products. In this study, we proposed the concept of 'relayed chromatography', based on the strategy of combining different chromatography with relayed resolution by in-situ concentration technique. The following chromatographic methods were used: high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC), silica gel liquid chromatography (silica gel LC), and reverse phase liquid chromatography (reverse phase LC).

Neolignans from Have Synergistic Activity against Antibiotic-Resistant .

A phytochemical investigation of an extract of the leaves of , guided by a synergistic antibacterial screen, led to the isolation and structural elucidation of 10 new neolignans, Pibeneolignan A-J (-), together with 11 known compounds. The structures and absolute configurations of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and experimental and calculated ECD investigations. Compounds and are new naturally occurring neolignan skeletons, based on the cyclohept-2-ene-1,4-dione framework.

Unlimited recycling counter-current chromatography for the preparative separation of natural products: Naphthaquinones as examples.

Recycling counter-current chromatography (CCC) has been developed and widely used in preparative separation. Due to increasingly broader peaks with longer elution times, recycling elution must be stopped before a peak overlap occurs, resulting in the insufficient separation of target compounds. In this study, the concept of in situ concentration was proposed, and the corresponding technique was designed to compress the effluents with the reserved separation effect (peak resolution).

Synergism of sophoraflavanone G with norfloxacin against effluxing antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), remains a challenge in hospital and community settings. The design and discovery of new compounds to deal with resistant bacteria has become one of the most important areas of anti-infective research today.

An Optimized Protocol of Azoxymethane-Dextran Sodium Sulfate Induced Colorectal Tumor Model in Mice.

Since azoxymethane (AOM)-dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced tumorigenesis was used to explore inflammation-associated carcinogenesis of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC), different administration modes of AOM or DSS have been reported. In this article we optimized the protocol of the AOM-DSS modeling using C57BL/6 mice for study on sporadic CRC by intraperitoneal injecting AOM solution at a proper concentration with a 100 μl sterile syringe once, feeding with DSS solution for 7 days in a roll and change DSS solution every day. More than 100 C57BL/6 mice had been treated with the optimized protocol, and all mice were demonstrated suffering from colorectal tumors when sacrificed in 8 to 20 weeks after AOM injection.

Flavonoids from and their synergistic antibacterial effects on drug-resistant .

This study seeks to discover flavonoids from a traditional Chinese herb, L., with synergistic antibacterial effects against multidrug-resistant . Five flavonoids, artemetin (), chrysosplenetin (), pachypodol (), penduletin () and chrysoeriol () were obtained by various column chromatographic methods.

Isovalerylshikonin, a new resistance-modifying agent from Arnebia euchroma, supresses antimicrobial resistance of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Antimicrobial resistance is the greatest threat to the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. The development of resistance-modifying agents (RMAs) represents a promising strategy to mitigate the spread of bacterial antimicrobial resistance. In this study, a natural product, isovalerylshikonin (IVS), was isolated from Arnebia euchroma, a traditional Chinese medicine herb, that exhibited marginal antibacterial activity against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus RN4220, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 16 mg/L.

High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography with an Online Storage Technique for the Preparative Isolation and Purification of Dihydroflavonoids from Sophora alopecuroides L.

Introduction: High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) is an efficient and non-absorption separation technique, but limitations still exist in simultaneous isolation of complex structures of natural products. Moreover, particular methods are various for different kinds of natural products.

Objective: A novel HSCCC strategy combined with an online storage recycling elution (OSR-CCC) technique was developed for the quick separation of naturally occurring dihydroflavonoids from the extract of the herb Sophora alopecuroides L.

Online-storage recycling counter-current chromatography for preparative isolation of naphthaquinones from Arnebia euchroma (Royle) Johnst.

Counter-current Chromatography (CCC) has gradually become a popular method for preparative separation, especially in natural product isolation. As an effective separation method, one-dimensional (1D) CCC often results in insufficiently resolved peaks, due to limitations in the separation efficiency and peak capacity in an equipment. Therefore, two dimensional (2D)/multi-dimensional (multi-D) CCC strategies with recycling elution mode were developed to achieve successful separation of target compounds.

Variation of Ginsenosides in Ginseng of Different Ages.

Panax ginseng has been used in traditional oriental medicine for thousands of years. Ginsenosides, the major chemical components of the roots, are considered to be responsible for the medicinal properties of ginseng. Ginsenosides increase with the age of ginseng root in general knowledge, and in this study the content of ginsenosides in ginseng of different ages was quantified.

EZH2 promotes colorectal cancer stem-like cell expansion by activating p21cip1-Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Because colorectal cancer (CRC) stem-like cells (CCS-like cells) contribute to poor patient prognosis, these cells are a potential target for CRC therapy. However, the mechanism underlying the maintenance of CCS-like cell properties remains unclear. Here, we found that patients with advanced stage CRC expressed high levels of polycomb group protein enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2).

The medicinal uses of the genus Mahonia in traditional Chinese medicine: An ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological review.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Plants of the genus Mahonia Nuttall (Berberidaceae) have a long history of medical use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the treatment of a wide range of health disorders, such as tuberculosis, periodontitis, dysentery, pharyngolaryngitis, eczema, and wounds. In the theory of TCM, most Mahonia species exert the effects of relieving internal heat, eliminating dampness, removing toxins, suppressing pain, promoting blood circulation, inhibiting cough and alleviating inflammation. The aim of the review is to provide comprehensive summary on ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and clinical trials of Mahonia species used in TCM based on scientific literature.

Suppression of nuclear factor-kappa B and mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling pathways by goshonoside-F5 extracted from Rubi Fructus.

Rubi Fructus, a traditional Chinese medicine, was considered as an anti-inflammatory agent in folk medicine. In the present study, we investigated the signalling pathways involved in the anti-inflammatory effects of goshonoside-F5 (GF5), isolated from Rubi Fructus, in peritoneal macrophages and examined its therapeutic effect in a mouse endotoxic shock model. GF5 decreased NO and PGE2 production in LPS-stimulated macrophages (IC50=3.

[Determination of ellagic acid, flavonoids and goshonoside-F5 in Rubi Fructus by HPLC].

High-performance liquid chromatographic coupled with variable wavelength detection (HPLC-VWD) has been developed for simultaneous determination of 5 analytes including ellagic acid, quercetin, kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-rutinoside, tiliroside and kaempferol, and high-performance liquid chromatographic with an evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) has been established to determine goshonoside-F5 in extract of Rubi Fructus. Chromatographic separations were carried out on an Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5.

Total bakkenolides protects neurons against cerebral ischemic injury through inhibition of nuclear factor-κB activation.

Total bakkenolides is the major component of the rhizome of Petasites trichinous Franch.. In this study, we investigated its neuroprotective effects in a rat transient focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model, and in an in vitro cerebral ischemia model, oxygen-glucose deprivation of cultured nerve cells.

Comparison of cell proliferation, apoptosis, cellular morphology and ultrastructure between human umbilical cord and placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Research in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is mainly focused on applications for treatments of brain and spinal cord injury as well as mechanisms underlying effects of MSCs. However, due to numerous limitations, there is little information on selection of appropriate sources of MSCs for transplantation in clinical applications. Therefore, in this study we compared various properties of human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (HUCMSCs) with human placenta-derived MSCs (HPDMSCs), including cell proliferation, apoptosis, cellular morphology, ultrastructure, and their ability to secrete various growth factors (i.

Protective effects of ginger root extract on Alzheimer disease-induced behavioral dysfunction in rats.

The aim of this study was to assess the ability of a traditional Chinese medicinal ginger root extract (GRE) to prevent behavioral dysfunction in the Alzheimer disease (AD) rat model. Rat AD models were established by an operation (OP) in which rats were treated with a one-time intra-cerebroventricuIar injection of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) and continuous gavage of aluminum chloride every day for 4 weeks. GRE was administered intra-gastrically to rats.

Knockdown of focal adhesion kinase reverses colon carcinoma multicellular resistance.

Chemotherapy resistance in solid tumors is broad and encompasses diverse unrelated drugs. Three-dimensional multicellular spheroids (MCSs) are a good model for studying in vitro drug resistance. In the current study, we investigated the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemoresistance in colon carcinoma MCS culture cells.

Down-regulation of alphav integrin by retroviral delivery of small interfering RNA reduces multicellular resistance of HT29.

Since multicellular resistance (MCR) has been shown to be as adhesion-dependent, the role of alphav integrin in MCR of HT29 was investigated in this paper. Down-regulation of alphav integrin reduced MCR to oxaliplatin, but did not detectably change the drug sensitivity of monolayers. Down-regulation of alphav integrin decreased phosphorylated NF-kappaB p65 and increased phosphorylated JNK2 in multicellular spheroids.