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Two new lignans, 3,4-(10-methoxy-phenylallyl)-9″-((10'-isopropanol-3',4'-furan)-phenylacetyl)-8″-dioxane-7″-O- β -d-glucopyranoside ( 1 ), 3,4-benzolactone-9″-((12'-isopropanol-3',4'-furan)-phenylbutenone)-8″-dioxane-7″-O- β -d-glucopyranoside ( 2 ), and nine known lignan derivatives ( 3 - 11 ) were isolated from the flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp. for the first time. Their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR, UV, IR, and MS data, as well as by comparison with those of the references. Compounds ( 1 - 11 ) were evaluated for their neuroprotective activities against 6-OHDA-induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells. As a result, compounds 1 , 2 , and 5 exhibited significant neuroprotective activities with IC 50 values in the range of 3.08-6.12 μM., (© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Urtica L. has been long used for gout in traditional Tibetan medicine and is closely related to the effect of reducing uric acid. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Urtica hyperborea Jacq. ex Wedd. (UW) on lowering uric acid and its mechanism by using HK2 cells and hyperuricemia mouse model. Petroleum ether extract (UWP), ethyl acetate extract (UWE), n-butanol extract (UWB), and alcohol-soluble extract (UWA) from UW were prepared, and HK2 cells were treated with various parts extracts to observe the expression of uric acid transporter at 25, 50, and 100  μ g/mL for 24 h. Moreover, hyperuricemia mice were administered orally various parts extracts at 0.78 and 2.34 g/kg (crude drug dose converted by extraction rate) to observe the change of hepatic XOD, serum ADA, renal function, and uric acid transporter. In vitro experiments showed that UWA can remarkably elevate OAT1 expression and decrease URAT1 expression in HK2 cells. In vivo experiments showed that UWP, UWE, UWB, and UWA showed remarkable activity in reducing uric acid, rendering a substantial decline in the SUA level in hyperuricemia mice. Compared with the hyperuricemia and allopurinol groups, UWB and UWA had significant protective effects on renal injury. At the same time, UWA can significantly reduce the activity of XOD and ADA, reduce the expression of URAT1, and increase the expression of OAT1. These results indicated that UWA had an outstanding uric acid lowering effect and did not affect renal function. This may be related to increased uric acid excretion and decreased uric acid production, mediated by renal OAT1, URAT1, liver XOD, and serum ADA. UWA may be a potential drug against hyperuricemia., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Surina Han et al.)

Lagopsis supina is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine and used as an agent for diuresis in China for centuries. This is the first time to evaluate the diuretic activity of the ethanol extract of L. supina (LS) and its four fractions (LSA, LSB, LSC, and LSD) in normal rats. After the administration of LS-H, LS-M, LSB-H, and LSC-L, the urine output of the rats was significantly increased, while the urine excretion was significantly reduced after treatment with LSB-L. The urine Na + excretion was remarkably increased with LS-H, LS-M, LSA-H, LSA-L, LSB-H, LSC-L, and LSD-L, and the urine K + excretion was significantly increased after administration of LS-H and LSB-H. Moreover, the urine Na + and K + excretion was significantly reduced after treatment with LSC-H and LSD-H. However, the urine pH values and urine and serum Na + -K + -ATPase levels did not show remarkable change after administration of LS or its four fractions in comparison with the control group. On the contrary, LS and its four fractions can suppress the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), including ADH arrest by LSB-H, LSB-L, LSC-L, LSD-L, and LSD-H and ALD arrest by LSD-L, as well as promote ANP release by LS-M, LSB-H, LSC-H, and LSD-H, while furosemide can suppress only arrest of ADH within 24 h compared with the control group. In addition, LS and its four fractions did not change the urine and serum TNF- α and IL-6 levels in normal rats within 24 h. This study will provide a quantitative basis for explaining the natural medicinal use of LS as a diuretic agent for edema and promoting the diuretic process., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Zhiyong Liu et al.)

Four new phenylpropanoid derivatives (1-4), together with eleven known analogues (5-15) were isolated and identified by comparison with their references and extensive spectroscopic methods from Murraya koenigii for the first time. Compounds (1-15) were assayed for their inhibitory activities by measuring IL-6-induced STAT3 promoter activities in HepG2 cells, and found compounds 1, 2, 6, and 15 showed inhibitory effects with IC 50 values of 11.5, 18.7, 8.9, and 22.7 μM, respectively. The inhibitory activities of compounds (1-15) were screened against NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells, and found compounds 3, 4, 9, 11, and 14 exhibited inhibitions against LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages, with IC 50 values of 32.7, 7.9, 42.1, 58.9, and 62.4 μM, respectively., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Lagopsis supina has been used as a traditional medicinal herb for centuries in China. In folk medicine, it is used for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis (PBCRBS), anti-inflammatory and diuretic activities. Modern pharmacological investigation have shown that L. supina have an improvement in blood and lymphatic microcirculation, myocardioprotective, and antioxidative activities. Although the pharmacological research of L. supina was more, there was no report on the diuretic activity., Aim of the Study: This study was to evaluate the diuretic activity and the underlying mechanism of an ethanol extract of L. supina (LS) in a rat model of traumatic blood stasis (TBS)., Materials and Methods: There were 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats that were randomly assigned to the control group, TBS group, and LS group (10 animals in each group). LS was administered orally (460 mg/kg) once daily for 7 successive days. The control group and TBS group were given an equal amount of 0.3% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na). For the efficacy evaluation, the urine output volume, the urinary electrolyte concentrations (Na + , K + , Cl - and Ca 2+ ) and pH value, the levels of angiotensin II (Ang II), atriopeptin (ANP), anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) and aldosterone (ALD), as well as aquaporin (AQP)-1, 2 and 3 protein expressions were detected in a rat model of TBS. The protein expressions of AQP-1, 2 and 3 were detected by quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot analysis., Results: In the efficacy evaluation, rat models treated with LS showed a significant increase in the total urine output (p < 0.01). The urinary electrolyte and the acid-base disturbances, including the decrease of Na + and Ca 2+ levels and the Na + /K + value together with the increase in the Cl - level and the pH value, in the urine of the LS group were compared with the TBS group. Moreover, the levels of Ang II, ADH and ALD of rat model were decreased after being treated with LS (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), while the ANP level was increased (p < 0.05). In addition, the results of the quantitative IHC and the Western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of AQP-1, 2 and 3 proteins decreased significantly compared with those of the TBS group., Conclusions: This is the first reported notable diuretic effect by LS, which probably was through the suppression of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and the regulation of the signaling pathways of AQP-1, 2 and 3 protein expressions. Based on our results, we conclude that L. supina carries out its diuretic effect mainly by down-regulating the levels of AQP-1, 2 and 3 expressions in TBS rat model. These data also embody the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) application principle of Huo xue li shui. These findings suggest that LS may warrant further evaluation as a possible agent for the diuretic drug in clinical applications. Further research is underway to elucidate the active compounds responsible for the diuretic activity of LS., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological relevance Houttuynia cordata is an important traditional Chinese medicine used in heat-clearing and detoxifying, swelling and discharging pus, promoting diuresis and relieving stranguria which recorded in Pharmacopoeia of the people's Republic of China (2015 Edition). H. cordata has been recorded in the book Bencaogangmu which was written by Shizhen Li for the treatment of pyretic toxicity, carbuncle swelling, haemorrhoids, and rectocele diseases. Aim of the study Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of H. cordata and evaluation of their PTP1B inhibitory activities and hepatoprotective activities. Materials and methods The dried aerial parts of H. cordata were fractionated by liquid-liquid extraction to obtain CHCl 3 , ethyl acetate, and n-butanolic fractions. The CHCl 3 fraction was confirmed active fraction by the bioactivity-guided investigation, which was isolated and purified by chromatographing over silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, MPLC, and preparative HPLC. The chemical structures of the purified compounds were identified by their spectroscopic data and references. Results Eight new compounds ( 1 – 8 ), together with fourteen known compounds ( 9–22 ) were isolated from the aerial parts of H. cordata. The known compounds ( 9–22 ) were obtained from this plant for the first time. Among them, some compounds exhibited moderate bioactivities. Conclusion Compounds ( 1–8 ) were identified as new alkaloids, and the known alkaloids ( 9–22 ) were isolated from this plant for the first time. Compounds 1 , 4 , 14 , and 19 showed significant PTP1B inhibitory activities with IC 50 values of 1.254, 2.016, 2.672, and 1.862 µm, respectively. Compounds 1 , 3 , 6 , 11 , 17 , and 20 (10 µm) exhibited moderate hepatoprotective activities against D-galactosamine-induced WB-F344 cells damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on obtaining Phenylethanoid glycosides from Houttuynia cordata Thunb., belonging to the Saururacea family. H. cordata has antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunostimulating activities. This study isolates and identifies 13 compounds as phenylethanoid glycosides on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis.

The flower of Hosta plantaginea (Lam.) Aschers (Liliaceae) is a traditional medicinal material in Mongolian medicine for treating sore throat, hoarseness, pulmonary fever, and toxic fever in folk. The present work investigated anti-prostate cancer and hepatoprotective activities of flavonoid derivatives from H. plantaginea (Lam.) Aschers. Aim of the study : To isolate and identify the chemicals of H. plantaginea (Lam.) Aschers for anti-prostate cancer and hepatoprotective activities. Active chemicals were isolated and purified from H. plantaginea (Lam.) Aschers by chromatographic methods, and their structures were established on spectroscopic analysis and references. These compounds were evaluated for their anti-prostate cancer activities using the LNCaP prostate cancer cells, and assayed for their hepatoprotective activities on CCl 4 -induced injury of human L-O2 cells, respectively. Four new flavonol-lignan heterodimers (1 – 4), together with nine known flavonoid derivatives (5 – 13) were isolated from this plant for the first time. Among them, some compounds exhibited moderate anti-prostate cancer and hepatoprotective activities. Compounds 1 , 2 , 5 , and 6 showed anti-prostate cancer activities using the LNCaP prostate cancer cells with IC 50 values of 17.84, 33.26, 54.13, and 81.55 μg/mL, and compounds 3 , 4 , 8 , and 9 exhibited moderate hepatoprotective activities, respectively. A preliminary structure-activity relation was summarized in this paper. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]