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Eupatorium lindleyanum DC. (EL) is a traditional Chinese herb known for its phlegm-reducing, cough-relieving and asthma-calming properties. It is widely used for treating cough and bronchitis. However, preliminary experiments have revealed wide variations in the composition of its different medicinal parts (flowers, leaves and stems), and the composition and efficacy of its different medicinal parts remain largely underexplored at present. In this study, non-targeted rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with a quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-Q-TOF-MS)-based metabolomics approach was developed to investigate the differences in the chemical composition of different medicinal parts of EL. We identified or tentatively identified 9 alkaloids, 11 flavonoids, 14 sesquiterpene lactones, 3 diterpenoids and 24 phenolic acids. In addition, heatmap visualization, quantitative analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-PDA) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) showed particularly high levels of sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids and phenolic acids in the flowers, such as eupalinolide A and B and chlorogenic acid, among others. The leaves also contained some flavonoid sesquiterpene lactones and phenolic acids, while the stems were almost absent. The findings of in vitro activity studies indicated that the flowers exhibited a notable inhibitory effect on the release of the inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6, surpassing the anti-inflammatory efficacy observed in the leaves. Conversely, the stems demonstrated negligible anti-inflammatory activity. The variations in anti-inflammatory activity among the flowers, leaves and stems of EL can primarily be attributed to the presence of flavonoids, phenolic acids and sesquiterpene lactones in both the flowers and leaves. Additionally, the flowers contain a higher concentration of these active components compared to the leaves. These compounds mediate their anti-inflammatory effects through distinct biochemical pathways. The results of this study are anticipated to provide a scientific basis for the rational and effective utilization of EL resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The pharmaceutical process's component transmission behavior is determined by its molecular state. Currently, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, differential thermal analysis, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, and other techniques are used to analyze the molecular state of pharmacological components. Nevertheless, to apply the aforementioned technologies, the components must be isolated from the original solution. Using the detection principle, a qualitative analysis of the component status can be produced, but the precise ratio of ionic, molecular, and other states cannot be determined. In this work, a teaching experiment was designed for the quantitative calculation of the molecular state of rosmarinic acid using a nanofiltration mass transfer model. [Methods] Using the theory that "nanofiltration mass transfer coefficient can represent the difficulty of components passing through nanofiltration membrane pores, and is a manifestation of comprehensive separation of multiple states of existence," this study developed an experimental teaching program based on the nanofiltration mass transfer model for the quantitative analysis of drug ingredient molecular states. Given that rosmarinic acid has a pKa of 4.01, a 5% hydrochloric acid solution was used, and the mass concentration was adjusted to 0.210 mg/mL. The pH of the rosmarinic acid monomer component solution was 2.01, implying that 99% of the molecular state of rosmarinic acid was present. The rosmarinic acid solution was put in the liquid storage tank, and the system pressures of the nanofiltration apparatus were changed to 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, and 1.4 MPa, respectively. The nanofiltration liquid and membrane flux (Jv) were then collected at an appropriate pressure. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, the rosmarinic acid solution and filtrate were identified, and the retention rate (R) was computed. The linear equation of ln[(1 - R)Jv/R] and the nanofiltration mass transfer coefficient of rosmarinic acid (k) were fitted using the correlation among k and R and Jv. Subsequently, the power function equations for k and rosmarinic acid concentration (C) were fitted, and the extracted liquid of Salvia miltiorrhiza was separated using nanofiltration, with the proportion of rosmarinic acid molecular states determined using the power function equations of the concentration and mass transfer coefficient of this monomeric component. Furthermore, the relationship between the transfer rate and the component molecular states during the alcohol precipitation, resin adsorption, clarity filtration, concentration, and drying processes was investigated. [Results] Rosmarinic acid had a molecular proportion of 33.62% in Salvia miltiorrhiza extract. Rosmarinic acid's solubility in ethanol solution fell as its molecular proportion dropped, and it was easily adsorbed by polysaccharide, protein, and colloid components during alcohol precipitation, resulting in a decrease in alcohol precipitation transfer rate. Rosmarinic acid was difficult to adsorb on the surface of the macroporous resin, and the transfer rate increased as the aqueous solution flowed out. Rosmarinic acid had a substantial interfacial adsorption impact on the surface of the microfiltration membrane, leading to component loss.The results showed that the existence of rosmarinic acid had a significant effect on the component transfer rate in the pharmaceutical process, which aided in the standardization of the manufacturing process. [Conclusions] This experiment combined important pharmaceutical issues with scientific research to feed teaching, develop students' scientific research literacy and practical ability, and realize the collaborative improvement of scientific research application and teaching expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an immunocompromised rat model was established by long-term diet control and excessive swimming and treated with extracts of raw licorice (RL) and honey-roasted licorice (HL) to explore the immunomodulatory efficacy and gut microbiota composition with their metabolites. Pharmacological experiment confirmed that honey-roasting enhanced the ability of RL to regulate inflammatory cytokines and gut mucosal-layer homeostasis. The analysis of 16S rRNA sequences showed that both RL and HL regulated the balance of gut microbiota, but HL exhibited better effects than RL in regulating microbiota closely related to inflammatory cytokines (Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002) as well as short-chain fatty acids-producing bacteria (Dubosiella and Ruminococcus). Moreover, HL improved the contents of butyrate and isobutyrate in feces more significantly than RL. In conclusion, the balance of gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids might be one of the pathways that honey-roasting improve the immunomodulatory efficacy of licorice. Abbreviations: ANOVA: analysis of variance; BCA: bicinchoninic acid; ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; HRP: horseradish peroxidase; LDA: the linear discriminant analysis; LEfSe: the linear discriminant analysis effect size; MS: mass spectrometry; OTU: operational taxonomic units; PBS: phosphate buffered saline; PCoA: principal coordinate analysis; PVDF: polyvinylidene fluoride; RIPA: radio immunoprecipitation assay; SCFAs: short-chain fatty acids; [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active hydraulic ventricular attaching support system (ASD) placed around the heart is not only a novel, nontransplant surgical device used for epicardial administration of drugs like lidocaine, but also a promising treatment option for ventricular fibrillation (VF) and arrhythmias. We hypothesize that lidocaine in 5 mg/kg dose released by ASD significantly improves the VF in the rat model. Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats were selected and were divided into four groups, intravenous injection (IV), epicardial infusion (EI), ASD, and control. ASD group was further divided into four subgroups for different lidocaine doses (i) ASD+A group (10 mg/kg), (ii) ASD+B group (5 mg/kg), (iii) ASD+C group (1 mg/kg), and (iv) ASD+D group (0.1 mg/kg). VF was induced with calcium chloride injection and was confirmed by electrocardiogram (ECG) in all the groups. VF was treated with different doses of lidocaine using different modes of administration. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 19.0 Chi‐square tests and one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The Kaplan–Meier curve for OS was compared to the Logrank test based on the survival time. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. ASD + B group (5 mg/kg) showed significantly reduced sgroup. The time of first sinus rhythm recovered (15.96 ± 21.77 min) and ▵T‐SOD in plasma (−42.02 ± 26.99 U/mL) was significantly different than that of control, IV, and EI groups. ▵T‐SOD in plasma for all ASD‐treated groups was smaller than the control and IV groups. This study proves that ASD with 5 mg/kg lidocaine dose appears as a promising therapeutic platform for treating VF in rats. Furthermore, ASD may also have potential for treating VF or other cardiovascular disease with different therapeutic agents. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 1722–1731, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]