Evaluating the safety and efficiency of robotic dispensing systems.

Background: Although automated dispensing robots have been implemented for medication dispensing in Japan, their effect is yet to be fully investigated. In this study, we evaluated the effect of automated dispensing robots and collaborative work with pharmacy support staff on medication dispensing.

Methods: A robotic dispensing system integrating the following three components was established: (1) automated dispensing robot (Drug Station®), which is operated by pharmacy support staff, (2) automated dispensing robot for powdered medicine (Mini DimeRo®), and (3) bar-coded medication dispensing support system with personal digital assistance (Hp-PORIMS®).

Epicutaneous Allergic Sensitization by Cooperation between Allergen Protease Activity and Mechanical Skin Barrier Damage in Mice.

Allergen sources such as mites, insects, fungi, and pollen contain proteases. Airway exposure to proteases induces allergic airway inflammation and IgE/IgG1 responses via IL-33-dependent mechanisms in mice. We examined the epicutaneous sensitization of mice to a model protease allergen, papain; the effects of tape stripping, which induces epidermal barrier dysfunction; and the atopic march upon a subsequent airway challenge.

Epicutaneous administration of papain induces IgE and IgG responses in a cysteine protease activity-dependent manner.

Background: Epicutaneous sensitization to allergens is important in the pathogenesis of not only skin inflammation such as atopic dermatitis but also "atopic march" in allergic diseases such as asthma and food allergies. We here examined antibody production and skin barrier dysfunction in mice epicutaneously administered papain, a plant-derived occupational allergen belonging to the same family of cysteine proteases as mite major group 1 allergens.

Methods: Papain and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease were patched on the backs of hairless mice.

Structure and biogenesis of jolkinin, a highly oxygenated ellagitannin from Euphorbia jolkinii.

A new ellagitannin, jolkinin (2), was isolated from the fresh whole plant of Euphorbia jolkinii, and its structure, including absolute configuration, was determined on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical evidence. A highly oxygenated acyl group with unique hexacyclic structure is attached to the 2,4-positions of 1-O-galloyl-3,6-(R)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-beta-d-glucopyranose. The structural similarity to elaeocarpusin (4) suggests that jolkinin is produced by a condensation reaction between ascorbic acid and geraniin (1), the dominant ellagitannin in this plant, which contains a dehydrohexahydroxydiphenoyl group.

Evaluation of the anti-oxidative effect (in vitro) of tea polyphenols.

Forty-three polyphenols from tea leaves were evaluated for their anti-oxidative effect against lipid peroxidation by the ferric thiocyanate method in vitro. Among these, 1,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose (hydrolyzable tannin) showed the highest anti-oxidative activity against lipid peroxidation, even stronger than that of 3-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA).

Revised structure of cercidinin A, a novel ellagitannin having (R)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl esters at the 3,4-positions of glucopyranose.

The structure of cercidinin A, an ellagitannin isolated from the bark of Cercidiphyllum japonicum, was revised to 1,2,6-tri-O-galloyl-3,4-(R)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-beta-D-glucose by two-dimensional NMR spectral analysis. Cercidinin A represents the first ellagitannin possessing a hexahydroxydiphenoyl group at the 3,4-positions of a modified 4C1-glucopyranose core.

Study on the inhibitory effect of tannins and flavonoids against the 1,1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl radical.

Fifty-one tannins and forty-one flavonoids isolated from Oriental medicinal herbs were evaluated for their antioxidant ability with a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-generating system. The results showed that tannins and certain flavonoids are potential free-radical scavengers, and that their activity against the DPPH radical is closely associated with their chemical structure. A comparison of the two classes of compounds showed that tannins have more potential than flavonoids because almost all the tannins demonstrated significant scavenging action within a low concentration range, whereas the activity of flavonoids varied distinctively among the different compounds.

Magnesium lithospermate B ameliorates cisplatin-induced injury in cultured renal epithelial cells.

A study was conducted to clarify whether magnesium lithospermate B ameliorates cisplatin-induced renal injury in terms of lactate dehydrogenase and malondialdehyde leakage from LLC-PK1 cells in culture. Magnesium lithospermate B was shown to suppress the cytotoxicity of cisplatin, the suppressive effect increasing with the dose of magnesium lithospermate B.

Protective effects of Wen-Pi-Tang against cultured renal epithelial cellular injury.

A study was conducted to clarify whether extracts of Wen-Pi-Tang and its component crude drugs ameliorate renal cellular injury by assaying lactate dehydrogenase and malondialdehyde leakage from LLC-PK(1) cells in culture. The cells were cultured with various concentrations of the samples under two sets of conditions: routine and hypoxia-reoxygenation. The results demonstrated that Wen-Pi-Tang, Rhei rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae radix exerted marked protective effects on the cells; Ginseng radix showed moderate activity, whereas Zingiberis rhizoma and Aconiti tuber had virtually no such effect.

Magnesium lithospermate B suppresses the increase of active oxygen in rats after subtotal nephrectomy.

Subtotally nephrectomized rats were found to have decreased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and spin trapping with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) showed that the amount of hydroxyl radical in the residual kidney tissue was greater than that in normal rat kidney. This indicated both direct and indirect involvement of free radicals in renal failure. In contrast, rats given magnesium lithospermate B (10 mg/kg body weight) orally for 30 days after subtotal nephrectomy showed restoration of SOD and catalase activities to almost normal levels.

Effects of a Dan Shen component, magnesium lithospermate B, in nephrectomized rats.

Magnesium lithospermate B, a compound newly isolated from Dan Shen, was given orally to rats for 70 days after excision of five-sixths of their kidney volume. As a result, mesangial proliferation, tubulo-interstitial lesions and glomerular sclerotic lesions, which were conspicuous in rats that were not given magnesium lithospermate B after nephrectomy, were inhibited. Furthermore, a decrease in blood urea nitrogen, improvement of hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia and hypercholesteremia, and inhibition of urinary protein excretion were observed.

Principle of the bark of Phellodendron amurense to suppress the cellular immune response: effect of phellodendrine on cellular and humoral immune responses.

Previously we have isolated the quaternary base alkaloids, magnoflorine and phellodendrine, from Phellodendri Cortex (cortex of Phellodendron amurense Rupr., Rutaceae) as the biologically active principles to suppress local graft-versus-host (GvH) reactions in mice. In this paper, we focus on phellodendrine.

Principle of the bark of Phellodendron amurense to suppress the cellular immune response.

We previously reported that Wen-Qing-Yin (Unsei-in), a traditional Chinese blended medicine, inhibited the induction phase of various kinds of delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) and local graft-versus-host (GvH) reactions, but did not affect humoral immune responses or the effector phase of DTH in experimental animals. In another report, we demonstrated that Phellodendri Cortex (bark of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. Rutaceae) was a component having the most potent suppressive effect on the cellular immune response among the 8 medical plants composing Unsei-in.

Inhibition of collagen hydroxylation by lithospermic acid magnesium salt, a novel compound isolated from Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix.

We have screened several chinese medicinal herbs for the presence of antifibrotic agents. An aqueous extract of Salviae miltorrhizae Radix was found to inhibit collagen secretion by human skin fibroblasts without affecting DNA or noncollagen protein synthesis. We have subsequently purified the material exhibiting the inhibitory activity and identified it as magnesium lithospermate.

Inhibitory effects of tannins on NADH dehydrogenases of various organisms.

We examined the effects of purified tannins and related compounds (33 species) on NADH-ubiquinone-1 oxidoreductase activity in four kinds of organism (Paracoccus denitrificans, Bacillus subtilis, Photobacterium phosphoreum, and Thermus thermophilus HB-8) and rat liver mitochondria. In addition to pentagalloylglucose, which was reported as a potent inhibitor of NADH dehydrogenases (NDH), sanguiin H-11, oolonghomobisflavan A, and polymerized procyanidin are potent inhibitors for both types of NDH (NDH-1 and NDH-2). We found that some other tannins contained in tea are also inhibitors of NDH from all organisms.

Tannins and related compounds. CXXII. New dimeric, trimeric and tetrameric ellagitannins, lambertianins A-D, from Rubus lambertianus Seringe.

Chemical examination of the leaves of Rubus lambertianus Seringe (Rosaceae) has led to the isolation of four new ellagitannins, which were characterized on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence to be dimers [lambertianins A (6) and B (7)], a trimer [lambertianin C (8)] and a tetramer [lambertianin D (10)], all having sanguisorbic acid ester group(s) as linking unit(s) between glucopyranose moieties. Furthermore, HPLC analyses of fifteen Rubus species collected in Japan and Taiwan revealed that the trimer (8) and the tetramer (10), together with sanguiin H-6 (1), occur widely in these species.

Inhibition of DNA topoisomerases by sanguiin H-6, a cytotoxic dimeric ellagitannin from Sanguisorba officinalis.

Many tannins were previously identified as candidate topoisomerase poisons. Here we report further studies on sanguiin H-6, a dimeric ellagitannin isolated from Sanguisorba officinalis as an inhibitor of DNA topoisomerases. Catalytic strand-passing activities of topoisomerases I and II were inhibited in vitro with IC50 values of 1 microM and 0.

Tannins as potent inhibitors of DNA topoisomerase II in vitro.

Fifty-two out of 60 tannins, including gallo-, ellagi-, condensed, and complex tannins, are inhibitors of human DNA topoisomerase II in vitro. Thirty-six compounds that completely inhibited enzyme activity at a concentration of 500 nM or less, as assessed by ATP-dependent unknotting of P4 phage DNA, were at least 100-fold more potent than the clinically useful antitumor agent etoposide (VP-16). Relative inhibitory activity was primarily related to the number of phenolic hydroxyl groups (galloyl and hexahydroxydiphenoyl moieties) found in the active structures, with more groups generally conferring increased potencies.

Effect of magnesium lithospermate B on the renal and urinary kallikrein activities in rats with adenine-induced renal failure.

A study was conducted to examine the effect of magnesium lithospermate B on both the urinary and renal total and active kallikrein and prokallikrein in rats with adenine-induced renal failure. In rats given magnesium lithospermate B at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight/day for 12 days, significant increases of urinary total and active kallikrein were associated with significant increases of urine volume and urinary total and active kallikrein were associated with significant increases of urine volume and urinary creatinine excretion. The renal total and active kallikrein levels were also significantly elevated by the treatment with magnesium lithospermate B.

Effects of rhubarb tannins on renal function in rats with renal failure.

The effects of tannins purified from Rhei Rhizoma on various parameters of renal function were investigated in rats with adenine-induced renal failure. The glomerular filtration rate, renal plasma flow and renal blood flow were significantly increased in rats given (-)-epicatechin 3-O-gallate at a dose of 5 or 10 mg/kg body weight/day for 24 days. Administration of 5 mg of procyanidin B-2 3,3'-di-O-gallate also led to a significant increase in renal functional parameters.

Antitumor agents, 129. Tannins and related compounds as selective cytotoxic agents.

Fifty-seven tannins and related compounds, including gallotannins, ellagitannins, and condensed and complex tannins, were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against human tumor cell lines, including malignant melanoma, lung carcinoma, ileocecal adenocarcinoma, epidermoid carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and medulloblastoma cell lines. Among them, chebulagic acid [1], geraniin [2], sanguiin H-11 [3], 4,5-di-O-galloylquinic acid [12], 1,3,4,5-tetra-O-galloylquinic acid [15], 1(beta)-O-galloylpedunculagin [24], furosin [29], castalagin [38], sanguiin H-2 [34], vescalagin [39], grandinin [40], phyllyraeoidin A [42], (-)-epicatechin 3-O-gallate [50], cinnamtannin B2 [55], and acutissimin A [56] exhibited moderate selective cytotoxicity against PRMI-7951 melanoma cells with ED50 values in the range of 0.1-0.

Effect of magnesium lithospermate B in rats with sodium-induced hypertension and renal failure.

To evaluate the antihypertensive effect of magnesium lithospermate B isolated from Salviae miltiorrhizae radix, determinations of blood pressure and urinary excretions of sodium, potassium, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and kallikrein, which have been proposed to play an important role in the regulation of blood pressure, were made in rats with sodium-induced hypertension and renal failure. In rats given magnesium lithospermate B, blood pressure was significantly decreased, whereas urinary excretion of electrolytes was significantly increased. Urinary PGE2 excretion following administration of magnesium lithospermate B increased as the dose of the compound was stepped up.