Periostracum Cicadae Extract and N-Acetyldopamine Regulate the Sleep-Related Neurotransmitters in PCPA-Induced Insomnia Rats.

Insomnia is the second most prevalent mental illness worldwide. Periostracum cicadae (PC), as an animal traditional Chinese medicine with rich pharmacological effects, has been documented as a treatment for children's night cries, and later extended to treat insomnia. This study aimed to investigate the effects of PC extract and N-acetyldopamine compounds in ameliorating insomnia.

Neuroprotective properties of the Lilium brownii extracts in the experimental model of Parkinson's disease.

Lilium brownii (L. brownii) is a plant that can be used for both medicine and food. Its bulbs are commonly used to treat neurological disorders like depression, insomnia, and Parkinson's disease (PD).

Two New Isospirostanol-Type Saponins from the Bulbs of Lilium Brownii and Their Anti-Hepatocarcinogenic Activity.

Bulbs of Lilium brownii, commonly known as "Bai-he" in China, serve both edible and medicinal purposes in clinical practice. In this study, two new isospirostanol-type saponins were isolated from L. brownii, and their structures were identified by spectroscopic method, and absolute configurations were elucidated by comprehensive analysis of spectral data obtained from combined acid hydrolysis.

Phellodendronoside A Exerts Anticancer Effects Depending on Inducing Apoptosis Through ROS/Nrf2/Notch Pathway and Modulating Metabolite Profiles in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose: To reveal the potential mechanism of PDA on hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells in vitro.

Methods: The cytotoxic activity, colony formation, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and their associated protein analysis, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca levels, proteins in Nrf2 and Ntoch pathways and metabolite profiles of PDA against hepatocellular carcinoma were investigated.

Results: PDA with cytotoxic activity inhibited cell proliferation and migration, increased intracellular ROS, Ca levels and MCUR1 protein expression in a dose-dependent manner, caused cell cycle arrest in the S phase and induced apoptosis via adjusting the levels of Bcl-2, Bax, and Caspase 3 proteins, and inhibited the activation of Notch1, Jagged, Hes1, Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins.

Cytotoxic ent-Kaurane Diterpenoids from Rabdosia Rubescens.

One new (1) and 11 reported ent-kaurane diterpenoids (2-12) were received from the ethanol extract of the air-dried aerial parts of Rabdosia rubescens collected in Jiyuan. Their structures were determined in accordance with high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy, one dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR spectroscopy and the data published in the literature. The cytotoxic activity of these isolated compounds was assessed against SMMC-7721, A-549, H-1299 and SW-480 cancer cell lines.

Chemical constituents from and their antifungal activity.

One new () and six known cycloartane triterpenoids (), along with seven reported abietane diterpenoids (), were isolated from the bark of the branches of , of which compounds were also received for the first time from the genus of . Structural elucidation of all the compounds was carried out by extensive spectroscopic analyses. Additionally, the antifungal activity of isolated compounds - was evaluated by inhibiting the growth of fungal mycelium.

Extract of Corallodiscus flabellata attenuates renal fibrosis in SAMP8 mice via the Wnt/β-catenin/RAS signaling pathway.

Background: Fibrosis is one of the most common pathological features of the aging process of the kidney, and fibrosis in aging kidneys also aggravates the process of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Corallodiscus flabellata B. L.

A comprehensive study on the relieving effect of on the intestinal flora and metabolic disorder in -chlorphenylalanine induced insomnia rats.

Context: The bulb of F. E. Brown (Liliaceae) (LB) is a common Chinese medicine to relieve insomnia.

Comprehensive 16S rDNA Sequencing and LC-MS/MS-Based Metabolomics to Investigate Intestinal Flora and Metabolic Profiles of the Serum, Hypothalamus and Hippocampus in p‑Chlorophenylalanine-Induced Insomnia Rats Treated with Lilium brownie.

Gut microbiota homeostasis in the organism and insomnia have been reported to influence each other. In the study, a method of 16S rRNA gene sequencing combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass/mass spectrometry was adopted to evaluate the effects of Lilium brownie (LB) on intestinal flora and metabolic profiles of serum, hypothalamus and hippocampus in insomnia rat induced by p‑chlorophenylalanine (PCPA). It was observed that the imbalance in the diversity and abundance of gut microbiota induced by PCPA was restored after LB intervention.

Isolation and characterization of phellodendronoside A, a new isoquinoline alkaloid glycoside with anti-inflammatory activity from Phellodendron chinense Schneid.

Bark of Phellodendron chinense Schneid. (Rutaceae), called "Huang Bai" in China, is one of the 50 most used Chinese medicines in clinical practice. In this paper, a new isoquinoline alkaloid glycoside was isolated from P.

A UPLC-Q-TOF/MS-Based Metabolomics Study on the Effect of (Craib) B. L. Burtt Extract on Alzheimer's Disease.

A UPLC-Q-TOF/MS-based metabolomics study was carried out to explore the intervening mechanism of (Craib) B. L. Burtt (CF) extract on Alzheimer's disease (AD).

extract alleviates ‑chlorophenylalanine‑induced insomnia in rats through modification of the hypothalamic-related neurotransmitters, melatonin and homeostasis of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Context: var. Cotton ( genus, Liliaceae) is an edible plant and a herb used in China to alleviate insomnia.

Objective: To investigate the alleviating insomnia mechanism of (LD).

A Review on Classification and Biological Activities of Alkaloids from the Genus Species.

Many plants in the genus Zanthoxylum, belonging to the Rutaceae family, are used as folk medicines for the treatment of various diseases, which have gained much attention for their phytochemical and pharmacological activity investigations. Alkaloids are the largest secondary metabolites with structurally diverse types found in this genus and they demonstrate a wide range of biological activities. The aim of this review is to provide a summary on the isolation, classification, and biological properties of alkaloids from Zanthoxylum species, which also will bring more attention to other researchers for further biological study on alkaloids for the new drug development.

Integrated metabolomics and 16S rRNA sequencing to investigate the regulation of Chinese yam on antibiotic-induced intestinal dysbiosis in rats.

Antibiotics have saved hundreds of millions of patient's lives, but there are also many side effects. This paper mainly studies the regulation of Chinese yam on antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups, normal control group, antibiotic group, and Chinese yam group.