Isolation of active compounds from methanol extracts of Toddalia asiatica against Ichthyophthirius multifiliis in goldfish (Carassius auratus)

The parasitic ciliate Ichthyophthirius multifiliis infests all species of freshwater fish and can cause severe economic losses in fish breeding. The present study aims to evaluate the antiparasitic activity of the active components from Toddalia asiatica against I. multifiliis. Bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation of compounds with antiparasitic activity were performed on the methanol extract of T. asiatica yielding two bioactive compounds: chelerythrine and chloroxylonine identified by comparing spectral data (NMR and ESI-MS) with literature values. Results from in vitro antiparasitic assays revealed that chelerythrine and chloroxylonine could be 100% effective against I. multifiliis at the concentration of 1.2 mg L^?1 and 3.5 mg L^?1, with the median effective concentration (EC₅₀) values of 0.55 mg L^?1 and 1.90 mg L^?1 respectively. In vivo experiments demonstrated that fish treated with chelerythrine and chloroxylonine at the concentrations of 1.8 and 8.0 mg L^?1 carried significantly fewer parasites than the control (P < 0.05). The acute toxicity (LC₅₀) of chelerythrine for goldfish was 3.3 mg L^?1.     

Effect of chelerythrine on TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway in mouse livers with hepatic fibrosis

AIM:To investigate the anti-hepatic fibrosis effect of chelerythrine on mice and the regulation of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smads signaling pathway. METHODS:C57BL/6N mice (n=50) were randomly divided into control group, model group and chelerythrine groups (10 mg·kg^-1·d^-1, 20 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 and 40 mg·kg^-1·d^-1, ig). The mouse model of hepatic fibrosis was established by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) in combination with the olive oil for 8 weeks. At the 5th week, different doses of chelerythrine was used to treat hepatic fibrosis in the mice. At the 14th week, hepatic index was detected. Histopathological changes and the degree of hepatic fibrosis were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Van Gieson staining. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and hyaluronic acid (HA), and hepatic hydroxyproline (Hyp) content were assayed by spectrophotometry and ELISA. The mRNA expression of TGF-β₁, Smad3, Smad4 and Smad7 in the liver was detected by RT-qPCR, and the protein expression of TGF-β₁, Smad4 and Smad7 was determined by Western blot. RESULTS:The degree of hepatic fibrosis changed markedly in model group compared with control group. The hepatic index, the serum levels of ALT and AST, and the contents of HA and Hyp were significantly increased (P<0.05). The mRNA expression of TGF-β₁, Smad3 and Smad4 was significantly up-regulated, while the mRNA expression of Smad7 was significantly down-regulated (P<0.05). The protein expression of TGF-β₁ and Smad4 was significantly up-regulated, while the protein expression of Smad7 was significantly down-regulated (P<0.05). Compared with model group, the changes of the above indexes in chelerythrine groups were inhibited. CONCLUSION:Chelerythrine protects the mouse liver from CCl₄-induced fibrogenesis injury by regulating TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway.     

贵州不同产地苗药飞龙掌血中总生物碱和白屈菜红碱的含量测定

[目的]测定贵州不同产地苗药飞龙掌血中总生物碱和白屈菜红碱的含量。[方法]采用反滴定法测定总生物碱含量,并采用高效液相色谱法测定白屈菜红碱的含量,色谱柱为Diamonsil C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm),流动相为乙腈-浓度0.1%磷酸水溶液(V/V,28∶72),检测波长为270 nm,流速为1.0 ml/min。[结果]总生物碱、白屈菜红碱的平均回收率分别为97.5%和99.8%;RSD分别为2.71%和0.40%。[结论]该分析方法准确、灵敏、可靠,可用于飞龙掌血中总生物碱和白屈菜红碱的含量测定。     

Effects of chelerythrine, a specific inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2, on acute inflammation in mice

Chelerythrine (CHE), a quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloid, which is an agent in traditional Chinese medicine exhibits a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects. In this study, we examined the anti-inflammatory activities and mechanism of CHE in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Further, in the analgesic test, CHE also showed pronounced inhibition of the acetic acid-induced writhing response. These results clearly suggested that CHE is a bioactive agent which has a significant anti-inflammatory action, which may be relevant to the inhibition of the release/production of exudates and prostaglandin E₂ mediated through cyclooxygenase-2 regulation.