Search

Background/Aims: Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is an oncogene in various types of cancers, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Oxysophocarpine (OSC) is a natural alkaloid that has multiple pharmacological activities. However, the biological functions and molecular mechanism underlying the effects of OSC on the growth and metastasis of OSCC are unclear. Methods: Nrf2 levels were determined in OSCC tissues and non-cancerous specimens by quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays. The effects of OSC on OSCC cell growth and metastasis were explored (1) using 5-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine staining and Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, wound-healing, Transwell, and tube formation assays in vitro; and (2) by establishing a xenograft nude mouse model in vivo. The molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of OSC on the growth and metastasis of OSCC were investigated in vitro by western blotting, caspase-3 activity, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and in vivo by western blotting and IHC assays. Results: The expression levels of Nrf2 in OSCC tissues and in cell lines were much higher than in non-cancerous tissues and normal oral keratinocytes. The upregulation of Nrf2 was positively correlated with a high incidence of lymph node metastasis and advanced histological grade and TNM stage, but inversely associated with differentiation and survival of OSCC patients. OSC reduced the expression of Nrf2 and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in OSCC cells. OSC also inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and pro-angiogenesis of OSCC cells. Moreover, OSC induced cell cycle arrest, enhanced apoptosis of OSCC cells in vitro, and decreased OSCC tumor growth in vivo. Mechanically, OSC reduced the aggressive behavior of OSCC cells by inactivation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence that OSC inhibits the growth and metastasis of OSCC by targeting the Nrf2/ HO-1 axis, suggesting that OSC may be a potential therapeutic agent for OSCC.

The qualitative and quantitative analyses by HPLC and LC-DAD-MS/MS were conducted for the quality consistency evaluation of Compound Kushen Injection (CKI). For fingerprint analysis, 8 peaks were selected as the characteristic peaks in the HPLC chromatograms of 27 different batches of CKI samples and their similarities were more than 0.90, except the four samples. For the typical HPLC profile, peak identification was carried out by HPLC and LC-MS/MS analyses and as a result, 21 chromatographic peaks were identified or characterized based on the comparison of retention time and UV spectra with authentic compounds as well as by summarized MS fragmentation rules. Six of these identified compounds, including oxymatrine, oxysophocarpine, N-methylcytisine, matrine, sophocarpine, and trifolirhizin, were simultaneously determined and the results showed that the total amounts of six marker compounds were variable, to some extent, which was deduced to be related to the quality of the crude materials and the manufac...

To compare the contents of alkaloids in theroots of cultivated and the wild Sophora flavsecens, 22 cultivated and 17 wild samples were collected. HPLC method was employed to simultaneously determine the contents of six alkaloids (oxymatrine, oxysophocarpine, sophoridine, N-methylcytisine, matrine, and sophocarpine). Independent t-test, hierarchical clustering analysis（HCA）and principal components analysis (PCA) were applied to analyze and evaluate the cultivated and the wild S.flavsecens. With a great wide range of the inter-group, the t-test results showed that the contents difference of N-methylcytisine, matrine, and sophocarpine were statistical significance(matrineandsophocarpine P

According to the research strategy of resource chemistry of Chinese medicinal materials and Chinese medicinal resources recycling utilization, this study intends to explore the potential resource-oriented utilization value of the seed of Sophora flavescens by contrasting with its kindred plant S. alopecuroides. This study established a rapid UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and UPLC-TQ-MS/MS method to determine the alkaloids in the seed of S. flavescens. Results of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis showed that the alkaloids in the seed of S. flavescens were highly similar with S. alopecuroides.In the determination of 7 kinds of alkaloids, the total content was 11.203 and 15.506 mg•g⁻¹ in the seed of S. flavescens and S. alopecuroides, respectively. The content of oxymatrine, oxysophocarpine and sophoridine is high in the seed of S. flavescens. The results indicated that the seeds of S. flavescens. could be an important material resource to obtain alkaloids.

Background In this study, a RP - HPLC method was applied for determination of pKa value by using the dependence of the capacity factor (k) on the pH of the mobile phase for oxysophocarpine (OSP). Findings The effect of the mobile phase composition on the ionization constant was studied by measuring the pKa value at different MeOH concentrations, ranging from 10 to 20% (v/v). Based on all pH - k curves plotted and pH values at inflection point calculated, experimental pKa value obtained for oxysophocarpine was 6.5. Conclusion This method was successfully applied to realize low sample consumption, rapid sample throughput, high sensitivity and precision.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the absorption mechanism of oxysophocarpine across Caco-2 cell monolayer model. METHOD The safety concentration of oxysophocarpine in Caco-2 cell was first selected by using MTT method. Then the Caco-2 cell monolayers drug transport model was assigned to study the bi-direction transport mechanism of oxysophocarpine by evaluating the influent factors such as time, concentration, pH, P-gp inhibitor of verapamil, on its absorption characterization. RESULT In the Caco-2 cell monolayer model, the transport volume was correlated positively with the time and concentration of oxysophocarpine, and affected by pH value. Verapamil had no influence on its transport since the transport of oxysophocarpine from apical (AP) to basolateral (BL) was similar to the transport from basolateral to apical. CONCLUSION The intestinal absorption mechanism of oxysophocarpine was deduced as passive transference by Caco-2 cell monolayer model.

OBJECTIVE To establish a method for determination of 7 alkaloid in Herba Sophorae Alopecuroidis by HPLC. METHOD X-Brige C18 (4.6 mm x 200 mm, 5 microm) column was used with acetonitriles-0.05 mol x L(-1) KH2PO4 solution (2.0 mL x L(-1) triethylamine) with gradient elution as the mobile phase and 1.0 mL x min(-1) as the flow rate. The detection wavelength was 205 nm. RESULT Aloperin curve was linear in the range from 20.66 to 103.32 microg (r = 0.998 8) and the average recovery was 97.12% (RSD 7. 3%); sophoridine curve was linear in the range from 22.82 to 114.12 microg (r = 0.999 7) and the average recovery was 97.47% (RSD 3.0%); oxymatrine curve was linear in the range from 25.10 to 125.52 microg (r = 0.999 1) and the average recovery was 96.21% (RSD 4.5%); oxysophocarpine curve was linear in the range from 23.88 to 119.40 microg (r = 0.997 5) and the average recovery was 94. 64% (RSD 5.2%); matrine curve was linear in the range from 5.00 to 24.99 microg (r = 0.998 6) and the average recovery was 98.04% (RSD 5.4%); sophocarping curve was linear in the range from 4.69 to 23.46 microg (r = 0.999 6) and the average recovery was 96.24 (RSD 5.8%); lehmannine curve was linear in the range from 4.60 to 23.01 microg (r = 0.997 8) and the average recovery was 101.31% (RSD 4.3%). CONCLUSION The method is accurate, simple and feasible. It can be used as a quality evaluation in Herba S. Alopecuroidis.