Corynoxine B derivative CB6 prevents Parkinsonian toxicity in mice by inducing PIK3C3 complex-dependent autophagy.

Increasing evidence shows that autophagy impairment is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease (PD). We previously identified a natural alkaloid named corynoxine B (Cory B) as a neuronal autophagy inducer. However, its brain permeability is relatively low, which hinders its potential use in treating PD.

[Research advance in metabolism of effective ingredients from traditional Chinese medicines by probiotics].

The pharmacological activity of active ingredients from Chinese medicine depends greatly on the microecological environment of probiotics in the human body. After effective ingredients from traditional Chinese medicines are metabolized or biotransformed by probiotics, their metabolites can increase pharmacological activity, and can be absorbed more easily to improve the bioavailability. Therefore, the combination of Chinese medicines with probiotics is the innovation point in R&D of functional food and Chinese medicines, and also a new thinking for the modernization of Chinese medicine.

Baicalein prevents 6-OHDA/ascorbic acid-induced calcium-dependent dopaminergic neuronal cell death.

6-OHDA plus ascorbic acid (AA) has long been used to induce Parkinson's disease in rodents, while only 6-OHDA is commonly used to induce cell damage in cellular PD models. AA was believed to act as an anti-oxidant to prevent the degradation of 6-OHDA; however, some studies suggested that AA dramatically enhanced the selectivity and toxicity of 6-OHDA. To understand the mechanisms by which 6-OHDA/AA induces cell death, we established a 6-OHDA/AA cell toxicity model in human dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Chinese Medicine on Nonmotor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease.

Nonmotor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson's disease (PD) have devastating impacts on both patients and their caregivers. Jiawei-Liujunzi Tang (JLT) has been used to treat some NMS of PD based on the Chinese medicine theory since Qing dynasty. Here we report a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, add-on clinical trial aiming at evaluating the efficacy and safety of the JLT in treating NMS in PD patients.

Full component analysis of --.

Background: -- (TGY), which is common Chinese medicine formulation consisting of 11 different herbs and being used in China for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, inflammatory conditions and cardiovascular diseases, was selected for full component analysis. The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze the chemical profiles of ten commercial TGY samples and one sample produced in our laboratory.

Methods: Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with quadrupole-tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS) was used to analyze the non-saccharide small molecule components of the different TGY samples.

A novel curcumin analog binds to and activates TFEB in vitro and in vivo independent of MTOR inhibition.

Autophagy dysfunction is a common feature in neurodegenerative disorders characterized by accumulation of toxic protein aggregates. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that activation of TFEB (transcription factor EB), a master regulator of autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis, can ameliorate neurotoxicity and rescue neurodegeneration in animal models. Currently known TFEB activators are mainly inhibitors of MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin [serine/threonine kinase]), which, as a master regulator of cell growth and metabolism, is involved in a wide range of biological functions.

Tianma Gouteng Yin, a Traditional Chinese Medicine decoction, exerts neuroprotective effects in animal and cellular models of Parkinson's disease.

Tianma Gouteng Yin (TGY) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction widely used to treat symptoms associated with typical Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, the neuroprotective effects of water extract of TGY were tested on rotenone-intoxicated and human α-synuclein transgenic Drosophila PD models. In addition, the neuroprotective effect of TGY was also evaluated in the human dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line treated with rotenone and the rotenone intoxicated hemi-parkinsonian rats.

Effects of pre-harvest chemical application on rice desiccation and seed quality.

Pre-harvest desiccation may increase the efficiency of seed production. Field studies were conducted to determine the effects of diquat, paraquat, and ethephon applications on grain moisture, grain weight, and seed germination of hybrid rice Yanliangyou 88 (Oryza sativa ssp. indica) and conventional rice Wuyunjing 7 (Oryza sativa ssp.

Comprehensive urinary metabolomic profiling and identification of potential noninvasive marker for idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Urine metabolic phenotyping has been associated with the development of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, few studies using a comprehensive metabolomics approach have investigated the correlation between changes in the urinary markers and the progression of clinical symptoms in PD. A comprehensive metabolomic study with robust quality control procedures was performed using gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC - MS) and liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC - MS) to characterize the urinary metabolic phenotypes of idiopathic PD patients at three stages (early, middle and advanced) and normal control subjects, with the aim of discovering potential urinary metabolite markers for the diagnosis of idiopathic PD.

LC-MS-based urinary metabolite signatures in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Increasing evidence has shown that abnormal metabolic phenotypes in body fluids reflect the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). These body fluids include urine; however, the relationship between, specifically, urinary metabolic phenotypes and PD is not fully understood. In this study, urinary metabolites from a total of 401 clinical urine samples collected from 106 idiopathic PD patients and 104 normal control subjects were profiled by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Efficacy of classic Chinese medicine formula Ditan Decoction () for Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: Determine the efficacy and safety of classic Chinese medicine formula Ditan Decoction (, DTD) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by reviewing the methods and results reported in laboratory and clinical studies in order to suggest strategies for developing more effective drugs for AD.

Methods: Embase (OVID) and China Journal Net (CJN) were searched for articles published between 1947 to November 2011 and 1915 to November 2011 respectively. Articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria and did not meet the exclusion criteria were collected and compared in terms of research method, interventions and outcomes.

Effects of Huanglian-Jie-Du-Tang and its modified formula on the modulation of amyloid-β precursor protein processing in Alzheimer's disease models.

Huanglian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT) is a famous traditional Chinese herbal formula that has been widely used clinically to treat cerebral ischemia. Recently, we found that berberine, a major alkaloid compound in HLJDT, reduced amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation in an Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse model. In this study, we compared the effects of HLJDT, four single component herbs of HLJDT (Rhizoma coptidis (RC), Radix scutellariae (RS), Cortex phellodendri (CP) and Fructus gardenia (FG)) and the modified formula of HLJDT (HLJDT-M, which is free of RS) on the regulatory processing of amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) in an in vitro model of AD.

Corynoxine, a natural autophagy enhancer, promotes the clearance of alpha-synuclein via Akt/mTOR pathway.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of protein aggregates (namely Lewy bodies) in dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain. Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is the major component of Lewy bodies in PD patients, and impairment of the autophagy-lysosomal system has been linked to its accumulation. In our previous study, we identified an oxindole alkaloid Corynoxine B (Cory B), isolated from Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.

HMGB1 is involved in autophagy inhibition caused by SNCA/α-synuclein overexpression: a process modulated by the natural autophagy inducer corynoxine B.

SNCA/α-synuclein and its rare mutations are considered as the culprit proteins in Parkinson disease (PD). Wild-type (WT) SNCA has been shown to impair macroautophagy in mammalian cells and in transgenic mice. In this study, we monitored the dynamic changes in autophagy process and confirmed that overexpression of both WT and SNCA(A53T) inhibits autophagy in PC12 cells in a time-dependent manner.

Effect of a derived herbal recipe from an ancient Chinese formula, Danggui Buxue Tang, on ovariectomized rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Radix Astragali (root of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var.

Berberine ameliorates β-amyloid pathology, gliosis, and cognitive impairment in an Alzheimer's disease transgenic mouse model.

The accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide derived from abnormal processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a common pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of berberine (BBR) extracted from Coptis chinensis Franch, a Chinese medicinal herb, on the neuropathology and cognitive impairment in TgCRND8 mice, a well established transgenic mouse model of AD. Two-month-old TgCRND8 mice received a low (25 mg/kg per day) or a high dose of BBR (100 mg/kg per day) by oral gavage until 6 months old.

Systematic review on the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines for vascular dementia.

We present a systematic review of existing research that aims to assess the efficacy and safety of herbal medications (HM), as either monotherapy or adjunct to orthodox medications (OM), mainly comprised of cholinesterase inhibitors, for vascular dementia (VaD). We included 47 studies conducted in mainland China, each testing different HM. Of 43 HM monotherapy studies, 37 reported HM to be significantly better than OM or placebo; six reported similar efficacy between HM and OM.

Isorhynchophylline, a natural alkaloid, promotes the degradation of alpha-synuclein in neuronal cells via inducing autophagy.

Accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the brain is a pathogenic feature and also a causative factor of Parkinson disease. Isorhynchophylline (IsoRhy) is a major tetracyclic oxindole alkaloid isolated from the Chinese herbal medicine Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.)Jacks (Gouteng in Chinese), which has been used for the treatment of neurological diseases in East Asia for centuries.

In vitro screening on amyloid precursor protein modulation of plants used in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine for memory improvement.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The 15 herbs for the screening have been traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine or in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of cognitive disorders clinically.

Aim Of The Study: Fifteen plant species were investigated for the inhibition of amyloid peptide (Aβ) production and modulation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing.

Materials And Methods: The selected plants were extracted successively with 70% ethyl alcohol and absolute alcohol concentrated with rotary evaporation then lyophilized.

Stimulation of non-amyloidogenic processing of amyloid-β protein precursor by cryptotanshinone involves activation and translocation of ADAM10 and PKC-α.

Cerebral deposition of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) plaques is now considered the central feature of Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies suggest that cryptotanshinone (CTS) extracted from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge could be used for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we investigated the role of CTS on non-amyloidogenic processing of amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) as well as its regulation by protein kinase C (PKC).

Baicalein inhibits formation of α-synuclein oligomers within living cells and prevents Aβ peptide fibrillation and oligomerisation.

Abnormal protein aggregation in the brain is linked to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Recent studies revealed that the oligomeric form of aggregates is most likely the toxic species, and thus could be a good therapeutic target. To screen for potent inhibitors that can inhibit both oligomerisation and fibrillation of α-synuclein (α-syn), we systematically compared the antioligomeric and antifibrillar activities of eight compounds that were extracted from Chinese herbal medicines through three platforms that can monitor the formation of α-syn fibrils and oligomers in cell-free or cellular systems.

[Study on the antitussive and antiasthmatic effects of Radix Fici Hirtae].

Objective: To observe the antitussive and antiasthmatic effects of Radix Fici Hirtae (RFH).

Methods: Antitussive effects were observed by ammonia water steaming test in mice and by citric acid test in guinea pigs. Antiasthmatic actions in guinea pigs were observed by histamine and acetylcholine ultrasonic atomization test, involved isolated guinea pig tracheal smoth muscle experiment and anaphylactic shock of guinea pigs.