albiflorin and neoisoliquiritin

A rapid, highly sensitive, and selective method was applied in a non-invasive way to investigate the antidepressant action of Xiaoyaosan (XYS) using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) and chemometrics. Many significantly altered metabolites were used to explain the mechanism. Venlafaxine HCl and fluoxetine HCl were used as chemical positive control drugs with a relatively clear mechanism of action to evaluate the efficiency and to predict the mechanism of action of XYS. Urine obtained from rats subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) was analyzed by UPLC-MS. Distinct changes in the pattern of metabolites in the rat urine after CUMS production and drug intervention were observed using partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The results of behavioral tests and multivariate analysis showed that CUMS was successfully reproduced, and a moderate-dose XYS produced significant therapeutic effects in the rodent model, equivalent to those of the positive control drugs, venlafaxine HCl and fluoxetine HCl. Metabolites with significant changes induced by CUMS were identified, and 17 biomarker candidates for stress and drug intervention were identified. The therapeutic effect of XYS on depression may involve regulation of the dysfunctions of energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and gut microflora changes. Metabonomic methods are valuable tools for measuring efficacy and mechanisms of action in the study of traditional Chinese medicines.

Topics: Animals; Antidepressive Agents; Benzoates; Biomarkers; Bridged-Ring Compounds; Catechin; Chalcone; Chromatography, Liquid; Citric Acid; Citric Acid Cycle; Coumaric Acids; Creatine Kinase; Creatinine; Cyclohexanols; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Flavanones; Fluoxetine; Gallic Acid; Gastrointestinal Tract; Glucosides; Glycine; Hippurates; Ketoglutaric Acids; Kynurenic Acid; Male; Mass Spectrometry; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Metabolomics; Microbiota; Monoterpenes; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Stress, Psychological; Tryptophan; Tyrosine; Venlafaxine Hydrochloride

A complex formula composed of Paeonia lactiflora PALL. and Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., which is called as Jakyak-Gamcho Decoction (JGD), has been used for a pain-relieving function and muscle spasms due to blood deficiency in the traditional medicine. In this study, the anti-inflammatory activity of JGD was evaluated based on the quantitative determinations and the relative proportions of six major constituents in the decoction mixture extracted by orthogonal array methods. Our results suggest that the three parameters are all crucial factors. The optimized conditions for extraction were therefore established [solvent (water); pH value (4); extraction number (4)]. We also optimized the extraction conditions related to anti-inflammatory activity [solvent (70% EtOH); pH value (6); extraction number (4)]. So, we found that the bioactivity was responsible for mixed components but not individual one. It was proportionally associated with the amounts of some components in the extracts of herbal medicines. When the proportion of the active components was similar to each other, they had the similar functions. Furthermore, the results could establish a model system for the quality assurance of herbal preparations, and provided a new paradigm of active components-pharmacodynamics, which is used for illustrating the connections between the bioactivities and the proportion of active constituents in the extracts of herbal medicines.

Topics: Alkaline Phosphatase; Animals; Benzoates; Bridged-Ring Compounds; Cell Line; Cell Survival; Chalcone; Chemical Fractionation; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Ethanol; Flavanones; Glucosides; Glycyrrhiza; Glycyrrhizic Acid; Herbal Medicine; Lipopolysaccharides; Macrophages; Monoterpenes; NF-kappa B; Nitric Oxide; Paeonia; Plant Extracts; Research Design; Solubility; Technology, Pharmaceutical; Water