Safety evaluation of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy for pancreatic stones: Experience based on a large chronic pancreatitis cohort.

Background: The safety of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for pancreatic stones (P-ESWL) and adverse events were not evaluated and classified within large sample population. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and classify the adverse events of P-ESWL based on a large sample cohort.

Methods: This is an observational study based on the large prospective chronic pancreatitis (CP) cohort.

Long-term clinical outcomes of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for pancreatic duct stone treatment in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

Background And Aims: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for pancreatic stones (P-ESWL) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are the preferred therapeutic approaches for painful chronic pancreatitis (CP) with pancreatic stones. This study aimed to report the short- and long-term outcomes following P-ESWL and ERCP in a large cohort with CP.

Methods: Patients with painful CP and pancreatic stones >5 mm in size, who underwent P-ESWL and subsequent ERCP between March 2011 and June 2018, were included in this retrospective-prospective mixed observational study.

Direct Identification and Quantitation of Protein Peptide Powders Based on Multi-Molecular Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Data Fusion.

Given that protein peptide powders (PPPs) from different biological sources were inherited with diverse healthcare functions, which aroused adulteration of PPPs. A high-throughput and rapid methodology, united multi-molecular infrared (MM-IR) spectroscopy with data fusion, could determine the types and component content of PPPs from seven sources as examples. The chemical fingerprints of PPPs were thoroughly interpreted by tri-step infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and the defined spectral fingerprint region of protein peptide, total sugar, and fat was 3600-950 cm, which constituted MIR finger-print region.

[Chemical constituents from ethyl acetate-soluble extraction of Valeriana jatamansi].

Application of a combination of various chromatographic techniques including column chromatography over silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, macroporous adsorbent resin, and reversed-phase HPLC, led to the isolation of 173 compounds including irdidoids, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, lignans, flavonoids, and simple aromatic derivatives from the ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of the whole plants of Valeriana jatamansi(Valerianaceae), and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 1D, 2D NMR UV, IR, and MS techniques. Among them, 77 compounds were new. In previous reports, we have described the isolation, structure elucidation, and bioactivities of 68 new and 25 known compounds.

[Pharmacokinetics of five ginsenosides of Shexiang Baoxin pill in plasma of myocardial infarction rats].

Shexiang Baoxin pill(SBP) is widely used for treating coronary heart disease in clinic, with ginsenosides as its main effective component. This study was designed to investigate and compare the pharmacokinetic characteristics of five ginsenosides of five compounds after multiple oral administrations, ginseng extract(GE) and SBP in myocardial infarction rats. After intragastric administration to myocardial infarction rats, the plasma samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem triple-quad mass spectrometry.

Protective effect of cinnamaldehyde against glutamate-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in PC12 cells.

Cinnamaldehyde is a main ingredient of cinnamon oils from the stem bark of Cinnamomum cassia, which has been widely used in food and traditional herbal medicine in Asia. In the present study, the neuroprotective effects and the potential mechanisms of cinnamaldehyde against glutamate-induced oxidative stress in PC12 cells were investigated. Exposure to 4mM glutamate altered the GSH, MDA levels and SOD activity, caused the generation of reactive oxygen species, resulted in the induction of oxidative stress in PC12 cell, ultimately induced cell death.

A network-based method for mechanistic investigation of Shexiang Baoxin Pill's treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Shexiang Baoxin Pill (SBP), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, is commonly used to treat cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China. However, the complexity of composition and targets has deterred our understanding of its mechanism of action. Using network pharmacology-based approaches, we established the mechanism of action for SBP to treat CVD by analyzing protein-protein interactions and pathways.

"Omics" in pharmaceutical research: overview, applications, challenges, and future perspectives.

In the post-genomic era, biological studies are characterized by the rapid development and wide application of a series of "omics" technologies, including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, lipidomics, cytomics, metallomics, ionomics, interactomics, and phenomics. These "omics" are often based on global analyses of biological samples using high through-put analytical approaches and bioinformatics and may provide new insights into biological phenomena. In this paper, the development and advances in these omics made in the past decades are reviewed, especially genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics; the applications of omics technologies in pharmaceutical research are then summarized in the fields of drug target discovery, toxicity evaluation, personalized medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine; and finally, the limitations of omics are discussed, along with the future challenges associated with the multi-omics data processing, dynamics omics analysis, and analytical approaches, as well as amenable solutions and future prospects.

Abieslactone induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinomas through the mitochondrial pathway and the generation of reactive oxygen species.

Abieslactone is a triterpenoid lactone isolated from Abies plants. Previous studies have demonstrated that its derivative abiesenonic acid methyl ester possesses anti-tumor-promoting activity in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, cell viability assay demonstrated that abieslactone had selective cytotoxicity against human hepatoma cell lines.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of phenyl substituted polyoxygenated xanthone derivatives as anti-hepatoma agents.

A series of novel derivatives of phenyl substituted tetramethoxy xanthone were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and non-tumor hepatic cells. Among these derivatives, compound 6 was more potent than positive control 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) on QGY-7703 and SMMC-7721 cells with IC50 values of 6.27 μM, 7.

Efficient total synthesis and biological activities of 6-deoxyisojacareubin.

6-Deoxyisojacareubin was directly synthesized in a six-step route with an overall yield of about 20%. In this route, the excellent site selectivity of this Claisen rearrangement-cyclization reaction cascade was achieved by inserting a bulky p-tosyl group into the free 1-OH, and in the last step, some efficient demethylation methods were explored. Furthermore, all synthesized intermediates including 6-deoxyisojacareubin were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against the QGY-7703 cell line.

Simultaneous determination of six hydrophilic components in rat plasma after oral administration of Jitai tablet by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry: application to a pharmacokinetic study.

A liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of amygdalin (ADL), danshensu (DSS), ferulic acid (FA), hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), salvianolic acid A (SAA) and salvianolic acid B (SAB) in rat plasma. Plasma samples were pretreated by protein precipitation with acetonitrile. LC separation was performed on a Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 column (3.

Pseudolaridimers A and B, hetero-cycloartane-labdane Diels-Alder adducts from the cone of Pseudolarix amabilis.

Pseudolaridimers A (1) and B (2), two unprecedented heterodimers formed via a [4 + 2] Diels-Alder cycloaddition between a cycloartane triterpenoid unit and a labdane diterpenoid unit, were isolated from the cones of Pseudolarix amabilis. Their structures were established by extensive analysis of HRESIMS and NMR spectra. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction (CuK(α)) of its methyl esterified derivative.

Characterization of chlorinated valepotriates from Valeriana jatamansi.

HPLC-PDA-MS and TLC analysis were used to look for minor cytotoxic chlorinated valepotriates from whole plants of Valeriana jatamansi (syn. Valeriana wallichii DC.).

A new furostanol saponin from Asparagus cochinchinensis.

A new furostanol saponin, (25S)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5β-furost-20(22)-en-3β, 15β,26-triol-3-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-4)]-β-D: -glucopyranoside, namely, aspacochioside D (1) were isolated from Asparagus cochinchinensis (Lour.) Merr, along with three known saponins, aspacochioside C (2), (25S)-5β-spirostan-3β-yl-O-[O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-4)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), and pseudoprotoneodioscin (4). The structure of 1 was elucidated on the basis of chemical reactions and spectral analysis (IR, GC, ESI-MS, (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR, DEPT, HMBC, HMQC and NOESY).

New sesquiterpenoids from Ainsliaea macrocephala and their nitric oxide inhibitory activity.

Investigation of the ethanol extract of the whole plant of Ainsliaea macrocephala led to the isolation of five new sesquiterpenoids, namely ainsliadimer C (1), ainsliadimer D (2), ainsliaolide B (3), ainsliatone B (4), and ainsliaolide C (5), together with seventeen known sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene glycosides (6- 22). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The relative stereochemistry of ainsliadimers C (1) and D (2) were further confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

Reprogramming of cell junction modules during stepwise epithelial to mesenchymal transition and accumulation of malignant features in vitro in a prostate cell model.

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is pivotal in tumor metastasis. Our previous work reported an EMT model based on primary prostate epithelial cells (EP156T) which gave rise to cells with mesenchymal phenotype (EPT1) without malignant transformation. To promote prostate cell transformation, cells were maintained in saturation density cultures to select for cells overriding quiescence.

Revision of the Structures of 1,5-Dihydroxy-3,8-epoxyvalechlorine, Volvaltrate B, and Valeriotetrate C from Valeriana jatamansi and V. officinalis.

The structures of 1,5-dihydroxy-3,8-epoxyvalechlorine (1a) and volvaltrate B (6a), two new chlorinated iridoids isolated from Valeriana jatamansi and V. officinalis, respectively, were originally assigned on the basis of spectroscopic methods. Reinvestigation using X-ray analysis and chemical transformation revealed that the original assignment of H-7 in 1a and OH-8 in 6a should be inverted and that the structures should be revised to 1 and 6, respectively.

Screening and analysis of the multiple absorbed bioactive components and metabolites in rat plasma after oral administration of Jitai tablets by high-performance liquid chromatography/diode-array detection coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

Based on the serum pharmacochemistry technique and high-performance liquid chromatography/diode-array detection (HPLC/DAD) coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS), a method for screening and analysis of the multiple absorbed bioactive components and metabolites of Jitai tablets (JTT) in orally dosed rat plasma was developed. Plasma was treated by methanol precipitation prior to liquid chromatography, and the separation was carried out on a Symmetry C(18) column, with a linear gradient (0.1% formic acid/water/acetonitrile).

Iridoids and lignans from Valeriana jatamansi.

Thirteen new iridoids including seven iridolactones, jatamanins A-M (1-13), and a new lignan, (+)-9'-isovaleroxylariciresinol (14), together with seven known iridoids and 13 lignans were obtained from whole plants of Valeriana jatamansi. Structures of the new compounds were determined by spectroscopic and crystallographic methods, and the absolute configuration of compound 1 was assigned by application of the modified Mosher method. Jatamanins H (8) and I (9) are iridolactones with an unusual C-8-C-11 oxygen bridge, forming a cage-like structure.

Antitumor and antiplatelet activity of alkaloids from veratrum dahuricum.

Ten steroidal alkaloids - cyclopamine, veratramine, jervine, 3, 15-diangyloylgermine, 3-angyloylzygadenine, 3-veratroyl zygadenine, 15-veratroylgermine, germine, veratrosine and pseudojervine - from Veratrum dahuricum, together with the ethanol extract and total alkaloids, were evaluated for their antitumor and antiplatelet activities. Cyclopamine, veratramine and germine significantly inhibited the hedgehog pathway in NIH/3T3 cells. Cyclopamine exerted a potent inhibitory effect against the growth of PANC-1 tumors in mice, with inhibition rates of 40.

Chemical constituents of Crinum asiaticum L. var. sinicum Baker and their cytotoxic activities.

A phytochemical investigation of the bulbs of Crinum asiaticum L. var. sinicum Baker resulted in the isolation of two new alkaloids, asiaticumines A and B (1 and 2, resp.

Two new coumarins from Edgeworthia chrysantha.

Two new coumarins, 8-[3-(2,4-benzenediol)-propionic acid methyl ester]-coumarin-7-beta-D-glucoside (1) and 7-hydroxyl-odesmethoxyrutarensin (2), were isolated from the stems and barks of Edgeworthia chrysantha. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation.