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Diabetes is one of the metabolic disorders in the world. It is the prime reason of mortality and morbidity owing to hyperglycemia which is link with numerus obstacles. Artemisia argyi is commonly used as an ingredient in healthy foods as well as an herbal medicine in Asian countries. The present research aims to evaluate the hypoglycemic effects of A. argyi and reveal its the potentially active constituents. The chemical composition was identified by HPLC-DAD-Q-TOF-MS, and fractionation was performed by extraction. The fractions were assessed by the blood glucose level, oral glucose tolerance and small intestinal α-glucosidase inhibitory tests, and an analysis of the total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. In our efforts to characterize the compounds responsible for hypoglycemic effect, bioactivity-guided fraction of the MeOH extract and chemical investigation of its active EtOAc fraction led to the successful identification of caffeoylquinic acids, which were elucidated by molecular docking, using the crystal structure of S. cerevisiae isomaltase (PD code: 3AXI). In summary, this bio-guided search revealed that caffeoylquinic acids from A. argyi as potential active constituents displayed with hypoglycemic activity, which provided a basis for further study of pharmacological activity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is a growing interest in the exploitation of agricultural byproducts. This study explored the potential beneficial health effects from the main biowaste, tea seed pomace of Camellia oleifera Abel (Theaceae), produced when tea seed is processed. Eighteen compounds were isolated from the 70% EtOH extract of the seed cake of C. oleifera. Their structures were determined by ESI-MS, 1 H- and 13 C-NMR together with literature data. All fractions and compounds were evaluated for the antioxidant and melanogenesis inhibitory activities. As the result, AcOEt fraction has the best in vitro antioxidant and antimelanogenesis activities, compounds 7 - 12 and 15 showed remarkable antioxidant activity, compounds 4, 6, 8, and 15 - 17 exhibited superior inhibitory activities against melanogenesis. Furthermore, tyrosinase inhibitory activity assay suggested that compound 8 could suppress melanogenesis by inhibiting the expression of tyrosinase., (© 2018 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Two new tetrahydrofuran-type lignans, (-)-gentioluteol 9-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), (-)-berchemol 9-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), along with sixteen known compounds 3 - 18 were isolated from the 95% EtOH extract of the stems of Periploca forrestii. The structures of the new tetrahydrofuran-type lignans were determined by HR-ESI-MS and various NMR techniques in combination with CD method. Then, their antioxidant abilities were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Meanwhile, a similar trend was obtained in tripartite antioxidant assays, which compounds 7 - 9 and 11 exhibited potent abilities. Subsequently, the evaluation of all compounds against the α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) induced melanogenesis on the B16F10 cell line, compounds 5 - 11, 15, and 16 exhibited inhibitory effects with no or weak toxicity at low concentration. Of these, compound 8 exhibited the strongest inhibition melanogenesis ability. Furthermore, Western blot analysis suggested that compound 8 could inhibit melanogenesis by suppressing the protein expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and tyrosinase., (© 2017 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Oxidative stress, a predominant cause of apoptosis cascades triggered in neurodegenerative disorders, has been regarded as a critical inducement in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Gou Teng-San (GTS) is a traditional Chinese herbs preparation commonly utilized to alleviate cognitive dysfunction and psychological symptoms of patients with dementia. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of GTS40, an active fraction of GTS, on H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative damage and identify the potential active ingredients. Our results revealed that GTS40 exhibited radical scavenging activity, elevated cell viability, decreased the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and stabilized mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MMP) in H 2 O 2 -treated PC12 cells. In addition, GTS40 blocked the apoptotic cascade by reversing the imbalance of Bcl-2/Bax and inhibiting the activity of caspase-3. Furthermore, an HPLC-QTOFMS method was developed to characterize major chemical constituents in GTS40. Our results revealed twenty-seven identified or tentatively characterized compounds through comparing their retention time (t R ) and MS spectra with reference standards. These results suggested that GTS40 was a promising active fraction that may be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of oxidative stress-mediated neurodegenerative disorders., (Copyright © 2017 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sauropus androgynus L. Merr is an underexploited perennial shrub traditionally used as a medicinal plant in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The plant is regarded as not just a green vegetable for diet, but as a traditional herb for certain aliments. For instance, it has traditionally been used to relieve fever, to treat ulcers and diabetes, to promote lactation and eyesight, and to reduce obesity. This paper aims to review the botany, phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, and pharmacological activities of S. androgynus , and discuss the known chemical constituents at work in S. androgynus -induced bronchiolitis obliterans for providing new ideas to the mechanism of the disease and pharmacology research of the plant. The data presented in this review were collected from published literatures as well as the electronic databases of PubMed, CNKI, Web of Science, SCI finder, ACS, Science Direct, Wiley, Springer, Taylor, Google Scholar, and a number of unpublished resources, (e.g. books, and Ph.D. and M.Sc. dissertations). The scientific literature indicates that S. androgynus is a valuable and popular herbal medicine whose nutritional value is also higher than that of other commonly used vegetables. Phytochemical analyses identified high content of fatty acids, flavonoids, and polyphenols as the major bioactive components in S. androgynus. Crude extracts and phytochemical compounds isolated from S. androgynus show a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, skin whitening, anti-diabetic, and immunoregulatory activities. The traditional use, such as increasing lactation, treating ulcers and diabetes, and reducing obesity, have been evaluated and studied with various methods. Numerous reports have revealed the unusual link between the consumption of S. androgynus and the induction of a chronic and irreversible obstructive disease (namely, bronchiolitis obliterans), indicating that the toxicity and side effects of this plant that is presently used in health care and medicine are a major area of concern. Though little importance was attached to this green plant, S. androgynus has notable phytochemical constituents and various pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity activities. Studies have firmly established the association between excessive consumption of the uncooked S. androgynus juice over a period of time and the occurrence of bronchiolitis obliterans. It is inadvisable to ingest excessive amounts of S. androgynus before fully understanding the pathogenesis and induction mechanism of this fatal disease. The phytochemistry of S. androgynus , its pharmacology for traditional use, S. androgynus -induced bronchiolitis obliterans still need further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]