Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xue-Feng Bao, Pei-Hong Cao, Jin Zeng, Luo-Min Xiao, Zhi-Hui Luo, Jian Zou, Chuan-Xi Wang, Zhong-Xiang Zhao, Zheng-Qun Zhou, Hui Zhi, Hao Gao
Summary: Eleven unknown and three known pterocarpans were isolated and identified from Huang-qi, a traditional Chinese medicine. Among them, nine rare apiosyl-containing pterocarpan glycosides were discovered. These compounds exhibited hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yanan Xu, Weifeng Wu, Yi Chen, Tingting Zhang, Keling Tu, Yun Hao, Hailu Cao, Xuehui Dong, Qun Sun
Summary: The non-destructive and highly accurate discrimination of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus, A. membranaceus, and similar seeds using hyperspectral imaging was achieved, providing support for standardization in the Astragalus production industry.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yadong Wang, Chao Wang, Yuanhao Wang, Qing Hu, Fenghuan Wang
Summary: A new isoflavan glucoside, astramemside A, along with six known compounds, were isolated from the roots of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus. Compound 1 exhibited moderate inhibition on nitric oxide production induced by lipopolysaccharide in RAW264.7 cells.
RECORDS OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yinli Bi, Zike Xue
Summary: The influence of dark septate endophytic (DSE) on the antioxidant activity of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus under heat stress was investigated. DSE inoculation significantly decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content during the initial three days of heat stress. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) of A. membranaceus leaves were significantly enhanced by DSE inoculation under heat stress, with SOD activities being 63-81% higher than in other treatments. The glutathione (GSH) and putrescine (Put) contents accumulated significantly on the third day under heat stress with DSE inoculation.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Pan Liang, Tao Bi, Yanan Zhou, Yining Ma, Xinyue Liu, Wei Ren, Sijin Yang, Pei Luo
Summary: Astragalus membranaceus and Angelica sinensis are a classic herb pair used to treat myocardial fibrosis. This study reports the formation of supermolecules, called AA-NPs, from the codoping reactions of these herbs. The self-assembly mechanism of AA-NPs was investigated, and it was found that AA-NPs were effective in treating myocardial fibrosis by improving cardiac function, reducing collagen deposition, and inhibiting endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhi-Hui Luo, Jin Zeng, Hai-Yang Yu, Hui-Yun Huang, Xue-Feng Bao, Sheng-Ying Qin, Guo-Dong Chen, Zheng-Qun Zhou, Hui Zhi, Xin-Sheng Yao, Hao Gao
Summary: Twenty new malabaricane triterpenoids have been isolated from the roots of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus and their structures have been determined. These compounds show significant inhibitory activity on migration and proliferation, and are reported in the genus Astragalus for the first time.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Haifeng Sun, Xinyu Zuo, Qingqing Zhang, Jianping Gao, Guoyin Kai
Summary: This study investigated the effects of adding (E)-2-hexenal and 2,3-butanediol into the medium on bioactive metabolites in Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus adventitious root cultures. The results showed that the combination of 2,3-butanediol and (E)-2-hexenal promoted the accumulation of astragaloside IV, while their individual application delayed it. The production of CG and ononin was not significantly affected, but their accumulation patterns were changed. This finding provides important insights into the production of bioactive products in herbal plants.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Tong Zhao, Liuwei Zhao, Miao Wang, Suzhen Qi, Xiaofeng Xue, Liming Wu, Qiangqiang Li
Summary: This study identified calycosin and formononetin as reliable chemical markers for MH-Am authentication, and determined their contents in MH-Am, other honeys and P-Am through a targeted quantitative analysis. Free radical scavenging assays showed that calycosin directly contributed to the antioxidative activity of MH-Am.
Article
Soil Science
Bingzhen Li, Qianqian Zhang, Yinghui Chen, Youla Su, Shuying Sun, Guilin Chen
Summary: Crop rotation with Avena sativa L significantly promoted the growth of A. mongholicus and improved soil quality by increasing organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and available potassium contents. It also enhanced the diversity of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere of A. mongholicus and increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria like Clostridia, Rubrobacterales, and Micromonosporales. Additionally, the composition of rhizosphere bacterial community varied with different sampling times and crop rotation practices, indicating the effectiveness of crop rotation in alleviating continuous cropping obstacles for A. mongholicus.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hai-dan Zou, Yan Liu, Zhen-Peng Zhang, Jia-Tong Wu, Jing Wang, Juan Pan, Wei Guan, Hai-xue Kuang, Bing-you Yang
Summary: In this study, a phytochemical investigation of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge) Hsiao ethanol extract led to the identification of seven new triterpenoid saponins, astralanosaponins F-L, along with fifteen known compounds. The structures of these compounds were determined through 1D-NMR and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and compared with similar compounds reported previously. The absolute configuration of sugar was determined using GC-MS. The inhibitory effects of these compounds on high glucose-induced SV40 MES 13 cells were evaluated using the CCK-8 assay, and compound 19 showed significant inhibition with an IC50 value of 12.2 + 1.29 mM. Compounds 5 and 9 also displayed moderate inhibitory effects with IC50 values below 30 mM. The possible structure-activity relationships were preliminarily summarized.
NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Acoustics
Yue Meng, Xiaoyu Sui, Xu Pan, Xinyi Zhang, Huimin Sui, Tao Xu, Honglian Zhang, Tingting Liu, Jicheng Liu, Pengling Ge
Summary: In this study, a green and high-density natural deep eutectic solvent was used for the extraction and purification of Astragalus polysaccharides under ultrasound-assisted conditions. By selecting the best solvent and optimizing the extraction process, the recovery of polysaccharides was significantly increased, simplifying the purification process and reducing impurities.
ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guowei Gong, Huiru Yu, Yuzhong Zheng, Baohui Qi, Huan He, Tianpeng Yin, Tina T. X. Dong, Karl W. K. Tsim
Summary: Astragaloside IV enhances the expression of heme recycling proteins through the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, promoting heme iron recycling during erythrophagocytosis.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Tianyue Wang, Xinyu Jiang, Yanmin Ruan, Lin Li, Lisheng Chu
Summary: This study reveals the pharmacological mechanism of Astragalus membranaceus and Ligusticum chuanxiong in the treatment of ischemic stroke. It demonstrates that these herbs can treat the disease by controlling the inflammatory response through multiple targets and pathways.
Article
Plant Sciences
Y. Cui, M. Jiang, K. -C. Yu, D. -Z. Ma, J. -H. LI, K. -Y. Zhang, J. -C. Liu, H. LI
Summary: This study compared the gene expression patterns of two different varieties of radix astragali, and found that they have many homologous genes but differ in different metabolic pathways. By analyzing these genes, valuable information for further development and utilization of these two species of astragalus can be obtained.
BIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xu-Dong Wen, Yao-Lei Zhang, Ling Yang, Zhen Ye, Guo-Chuan Fu, Yong-He Hu, Tao Pan, Qiao-Bo Ye
Summary: Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP) and Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide (AMP) can promote hepatocyte proliferation, accelerate liver regeneration, and protect the liver.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Ke Zhang, Wenjing Liu, Qingqing Song, Jian-Bo Wan, Juan Yu, Xingcheng Gong, Libo Cao, Dandan Si, Pengfei Tu, Jun Li, Yuelin Song
Summary: In this study, direct infusion (DI) was integrated into the concept of pseudo-targeted metabolomics (PTM) to develop a new strategy enabling shotgun PTM. By applying versatile MS/MSALL and online ER-MS technologies, quantitative data was obtained through SRM and structural annotation confidence was strengthened using breakdown graphs. Through in-depth investigation of Cistanche species, confirmatory chemical markers for species discrimination were identified, demonstrating the utility of the new strategy for shotgun PTM beyond Cistanche plants.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Maggie Suisui Guo, Xiong Gao, Weihui Hu, Xiaoyang Wang, Tina Tingxia Dong, Karl Wah Keung Tsim
Summary: Scutellarin enhances the regenerative function of SGC in promoting wound healing by binding to VEGF. Co-treatment of scutellarin and SGC on scratched keratinocyte cultures enhances the process of wound healing, and this enhancement is mediated by phosphorylation of VEGFR2 and MAPK signaling.
JOURNAL OF COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Integrative & Complementary Medicine
Alex Xiong Gao, Tracy Chen-Xi Xia, Marvin Shing-Hung Mak, Kevin Yue Zhu, Tina Ting-Xia Dong, Karl Wah-Keung Tsim
Summary: This study aimed to develop an anti-depressant from a group of food/medicine called medicinal food homology. The herbal mixture of Sesami Semen Nigrum and Longan Arillus showed neurotrophic activity and improved symptoms of depression in cell culture and animal models.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yaru Yan, Ting Mo, Wenqian Huang, Xiping Xu, Weisheng Tian, Yingxia Wang, Yuelin Song, Jun Li, Shepo Shi, Xiao Liu, Pengfei Tu
Summary: This article reports a new glycosyltransferase UGT71BD1 that can catalyze glycosylation of diverse glycosides and produce new multi-glycosylated glycosides. These products show enhanced pharmacological activities. The study also reveals the crucial role of sugar modules in substrate recognition.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yan Cao, Wei Li, Wei Chen, Xiaoya Niu, Nian Wu, Yitao Wang, Jun Li, Pengfei Tu, Jiao Zheng, Yuelin Song
Summary: The study focuses on developing a new technology to enhance the confidence of structural annotation, particularly for conjugated BAs, to help understand the physiological or pathological status of vertebrates. High-confidence structural analysis was conducted on 201 BAs, revealing significant impacts on the BA submetabolome of HepG2 cells after lithocholic acid treatment.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Wenqian Huang, Yingxia Wang, Weisheng Tian, Xiaoxue Cui, Pengfei Tu, Jun Li, Shepo Shi, Xiao Liu
Summary: The overuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of drug-resistant microorganisms, and plant-derived secondary metabolites with antimicrobial abilities show promise in treating multidrug-resistant microorganisms. Terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids are the main phytochemicals with antimicrobial activities, and synthetic biology research offers new methods for their production.
Article
Virology
Sheyne S. A. Choi, Ho Hin Chan, Ching Man Chan, Xiaoyang Wang, Sarah E. Webb, Ka Wing Leung, Karl W. K. Tsim, Andrew. L. L. Miller
Summary: Using zebrafish embryos/larvae as an in vivo model, this study explored the mechanism of host cell entry of SARS-CoV-2. The endolysosomal system was found to be involved in viral entry, and TPC2 played a key role in the translocation of the virus through this system. The peripheral sensory organs were identified as a likely site for viral host cell entry.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Alex Xiong Gao, Tracy Chen-Xi Xia, Lish Sheng-Ying Lin, Tina Ting-Xia Dong, Karl Wah-Keung Tsim
Summary: We aimed to investigate the neurotrophic activities of apigenin (4',5,7-trihydroxyflavone) through its interaction with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the activation of tyrosine kinase receptor B (Trk B receptor). Our results showed that apigenin and BDNF synergistically enhanced the survival and neurite outgrowth of cultured neurons. Apigenin also potentiated the neurogenesis induced by BDNF and protected against amyloid-beta-induced cytotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction. These effects were mediated by the phosphorylation of Trk B receptor. In conclusion, apigenin can enhance the neurotrophic effects of BDNF and may have therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative diseases and depression.
CNS NEUROSCIENCE & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wei Li, Wei Chen, Xiaoya Niu, Chen Zhao, Pengfei Tu, Jun Li, Wenjing Liu, Yuelin Song
Summary: As a primary treatment for cholestasis, ursodeoxycholic acid corrects the imbalances in bile acid metabolism in a comprehensive way. The complex metabolism of ursodeoxycholic acid makes it difficult to determine whether a specific bile acid species is directly or indirectly impacted by the drug, which hinders the understanding of its therapeutic mechanism. In this study, the metabolism pattern of ursodeoxycholic acid was explored using liver microsomes. Through sequential metabolism in vitro, 20 metabolites were identified, including hydroxylated, oxidized, and epimerized products that were further metabolized to glucuronides and sulfates. The conjugation sites and structural nuclei of the metabolites were determined using mass spectrometry. This study provides insight into the direct effects of ursodeoxycholic acid administration on bile acid species and highlights the utility of sequential metabolism in vitro and squared energy-resolved mass spectrometry in characterizing metabolic pathways and identifying metabolites.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Guowei Gong, Yuzhong Zheng, Kumar Ganesan, Qingping Xiong, Karl Wah Keung Tsim
Summary: Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) can enhance the anticancer capabilities of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a chemotherapy drug, and reduce its side effects, showing promising results in the treatment of colon cancer.
PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Lin Ye, Huodai Chen, Karl Wah Keung Tsim, Xing Shen, Xiangmei Li, Xueling Li, Hongtao Lei, Yunle Liu
Summary: Through mouse experiments, it was found that the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in AFB(1)-induced liver injury, as alterations in gut microbiota lead to colonic barrier dysfunction and liver pyroptosis, resulting in hepatic inflammation.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chen-Xi Xia, Alex Xiong Gao, Yue Zhu, Tina Ting-Xia Dong, Karl Wah-Keung Tsim
Summary: Seabuckthorn, enriched with flavonoids, showed potential in treating major depressive disorder by improving depressive behaviors, regulating levels of neurotrophins, neurotransmitters, stress-related hormones, inflammation-related cytokines, and modulating gut microbiota.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yan Cao, Xiaoya Niu, Wenzheng Li, Wei Chen, Luyao Ren, Zheng Cao, Jun Li, Yuelin Song
Summary: The homeostasis of bile acid-submetabolome is crucial for maintaining physiological status. In this study, the in vitro metabolism of a deoxycholic acid analogue was profiled, leading to the identification of twelve metabolites. The findings provide valuable information about the correlations between different endogenous bile acids and offer a promising structural identification strategy.
ANALYTICAL METHODS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ke Zhang, Xingcheng Gong, Qian Wang, Pengfei Tu, Jun Li, Yuelin Song
Summary: In recent years, proteinic drugs, especially monoclonal antibodies, have become more important than small molecule drugs, and peptide mapping through LC-MS/MS has emerged as a new method for quality control. DI-MS/MSALL shows great potential as an alternative method for peptide mapping of proteinic drugs, with faster measurement time and lower solvent consumption.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yan Cao, Wei Li, Wei Chen, Xiaoya Niu, Nian Wu, Yitao Wang, Jun Li, Pengfei Tu, Jiao Zheng, Yuelin Song
Summary: The research focuses on enhancing the structural annotation confidence of conjugated bile acids using squared energy-resolved mass spectrometry. By utilizing a combination of collision cells and linear ion trap, high-confidence structural analysis was achieved for 201 bile acids.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
