- 1. Candidatus Phytoplasma balanitae' associated with witches' broom disease of Balanites triflora.
A phytoplasma was identified in naturally infected wild Balanites triflora plants exhibiting typical witches' broom symptoms (Balanites witches' broom: BltWB) in Myanmar. The 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that BltWB phytoplasma had the highest similarity to that of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi' and it was also closely related to that of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ulmi'. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the BltWB phytoplasma clustered as a discrete subclade with Elm yellows phytoplasmas. RFLP analysis of the 16S rRNA gene including the 16S-23S spacer region differentiated the BltWB phytoplasma from 'Ca. P. ziziphi', 'Ca. P. ulmi' and 'Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii'. Analysis of additional ribosomal protein (rp) and translocase protein (secY) gene sequences and phylogenetic analysis of BltWB showed that this phytoplasma was clearly distinguished from those of other 'Candidatus Phytoplasma' taxa. Taking into consideration the unique plant host and the restricted geographical occurrence in addition to the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, the BltWB phytoplasma is proposed to represent a novel taxon, 'Candidatus Phytoplasma balanitae'....(more)
Win NK, et al. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2013 Feb;63(Pt 2):636-40.
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- 2. Identification of the metabolites after oral administration of extract of ziziphi spinosae semen to rats or dogs by high-performance liquid chromatography/linear ion trap FTICR hybrid mass spectrometry.
Ziziphi spinosae semen (ZSS) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely used to treat insomnia and anxiety. Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that flavonoids are the main active compounds in ZSS. However, the metabolites and the metabolic pathways of flavonoids in ZSS have not been investigated thoroughly. In this study, a method based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (HPLC/FTICR-MS) was established to identify the metabolites of flavonoids after oral administration of extract of ZSS to rats or dogs, using parent mass list-triggered data-dependent multiple-stage mass analysis at a resolving power of 50,000 in the external calibration mode. The mass accuracies obtained for all full-scan analyses were less than 4 ppm (<2 ppm in most cases). A total of 15 compounds were detected in biological samples of rats and dogs, and nine compounds were identified. The metabolic pathways of flavonoids of ZSS in rats and dogs were proposed. The results may help better understand the material basis and pharmacological mechanism of ZSS.
Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....(more)
Ren Y, et al. Biomed Chromatogr 2013 Jan;27(1):17-26.
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- 3. Evaluation of anxiolytic activity of compound Valeriana jatamansi Jones in mice.
BACKGROUND:
Compound Valeriana jatamansi Jones is a formula for treating anxiety-related diseases in the clinic, which is composed of Valeriana jatamansi Rhizoma et Radix, Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Albiziae Cortex and Junci Medulla. The purpose of this study was to explore the anxiolytic properties of this compound in mice.
METHODS:
Male ICR mice were treated with compound Valerianae Jatamansi Jones (1.2 g/kg, 2.4 g/kg, 4.8 g/kg), saline, diazepam (2 mg/kg) orally for 10 days and then exposed to elevated maze-plus (EPM) and light-dark box (LDB). The effects of the compound on spontaneous activity were evaluated by locomotor activity test. We further investigated the mechanism of action underlying the anxiolytic-like effect of compound by pre-treating animals with antagonists of benzodiazepine (flumazenil, 3mg/kg) prior to evaluation using EPM and LDB.
RESULTS:
Compound Valerianae Jatamansi Jones (2.4, 4.8 g/kg, p.o.) significantly increased entries (P<0.05) into and time spent (P<0.05) on the open arms of the EPM, and number of transitions (P<0.05) and time spent (P<0.05) in the light compartment of the LDB. However, the anxiolytic-like effects of compound were significantly reduced by pre-treatment with flumazenil (P>0.05). In addition, compound Valerianae Jatamansi Jones treatment didn't affect the spontaneous activity in mice (P> 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS:
The present study supports the hypothesis that compound Valeriana jatamansi Jones exert anxiolytic action but no sedative effects in mice and that this effect might be mediated by benzodiazepine receptors....(more)
You JS, et al. BMC Complement Altern Med 2012 Nov 21;12:223.
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- 4. A UFLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantitation of spinosin, mangiferin and ferulic acid in rat plasma: application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study in normal and insomnic rats.
Suan-Zao-Ren (SZR) decoction, consisting of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Poria, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Anemarrhenae Rhizoma and Glycyrrhizae Radix Et Rhizoma, is a Traditional Chinese Medicine prescription, clinically used for the treatment of insomnia. The objective of this study was to develop a sensitive and reliable UFLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantitation of spinosin, mangiferin and ferulic acid, the main active ingredients in SZR decoction, and to compare the pharmacokinetics of these active ingredients in normal and insomnic rats orally administrated with the prescription. Analytes and IS were separated on a Shim-pack XR-ODS column (75 mm × 3.0 mm, 2.2 µm particles) using gradient elution with the mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.1% formic acid in water at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The detection of the analytes was performed on 4000Q UFLC-MS/MS system with turbo ion spray source in the negative ion and multiple reaction-monitoring mode. The lower limits of quantification were 1, 6 and 1 ng/mL for spinosin, mangiferin and ferulic acid, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy of analytes were well within acceptance criteria (15%). The mean extraction recoveries of analytes and IS from rats plasma were all more than 85.0%. The validated method has been successfully applied to comparing pharmacokinetic profiles of analytes in rat plasma. The results indicated that no significant difference in pharmacokinetic parameters of ferulic acid was observed between two groups, while absorptions of spinosin and mangiferin in insomnic group were significantly lower than those in normal group.
Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....(more)
He B, et al. J Mass Spectrom 2012 Oct;47(10):1333-40.
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- 5. [Analysis on volatile constituents of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae by HS-SPME-GC-MS].
OBJECTIVE:
To establish a rapid and simple method for the determination of volatile constituents in Semen Ziziphi Spinosae.
METHODS:
The volatile constituents in Semen Ziziphi Spinosae were extracted by head space solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and analysed by GC-MS.
RESULTS:
Powder of sample was pre-heated for 30 min at 90 degrees C, then headspace-extracted with 65 microm PDMS/DVB fiber for 50 min. After desorbed for 5 min at 250 degrees C, the separation was well completed on a Rxi -50 capillary column. 126 kinds of volatile compounds were isolated and 116 compounds were identified. The amounts of compound from the volatile constituents were determined by area normalization method. The main components extracted by HS-SPME were alkane (32.08%), terpenoid and derivatives of oxygenated terpenoid (27.06%).
CONCLUSION:
The method is simple, fast and accurate, and it is suitable for the determination of the volatile constituents in fruit of Ziziphus jujuba....(more)
Zhang JA, et al. Zhong Yao Cai 2012 Feb;35(2):235-40. Chinese.
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- 6. Antidepressant-like effect of the ethanolic extract from Suanzaorenhehuan Formula in mice models of depression.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:
Suanzaorenhehuan Formula (SHF) is a Chinese herbal formula for the treatment of depression-like disorders. It contains four herbs: Semen Ziziphi spinosae, Cortex Albiziae, Radix Paeoniae Alba and Semen Platycladi. The present study is to investigate the antidepressant-like effect of the ethanolic extract of SHF and its possible mechanisms.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Mouse models of depression including the tail suspension test (TST), forced swimming test (FST) and chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS) were used to evaluate the effects of SHF extract. The mechanisms were examined by measuring monoamine neurotransmitters in mice hippocampus and frontal cortex, testing monoamine oxidase enzyme (MAO) activities in brain of CUMS-exposed mice.
RESULTS:
After one-week treatment, SHF extract (50, 100 and 200mg/kg) induced a significant decrease on immobility time in TST. After two-week treatment, SHF extract (50, 100 and 200mg/kg) led to a reduction in the immobility period in TST and FST. The 5-HT levels in mice hippocampus were increased only after 200mg/kg SHF extract treatment. The noradrenaline (NE) levels were increased after 200mg/kg SHF extract treatment in mice hippocampus and frontal cortex. SHF extract (50, 100 and 200mg/kg) significantly inhibited monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) and monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) after 21-day CUMS exposure.
CONCLUSION:
These findings demonstrated that ethanolic SHF extract produced an antidepressant-like effect and the mechanism of action involves the serotonergic, noradrenergic and monoamine oxidase enzyme systems although underlying mechanism still remains to be further elucidated.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved....(more)
Liu J, et al. J Ethnopharmacol 2012 May 7;141(1):257-64.
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- 7. Two new flavonoid glycosides from Semen Ziziphi Spinosae.
Two novel flavonoid glycosides, 6"'-dihydrophaseoylspinosin (1) and 6″,6"'-diferuloylspinosin (2), were isolated from the MeOH extract of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae, together with six known flavonoids, isovitexin-2″-O-β-(6-O-E-feruloyl)glucopyranoside (3), spinosin (4), isospinosin (5), 6"'-feruloylspinosin (6), swertisin (7), and isovitexin-2″-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (8). The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including UV, IR, ESI-TOF-MS, 1D NMR, and 2D NMR experiments....(more)
Zhang L, et al. J Asian Nat Prod Res 2012;14(2):121-8.
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- 8. In vivo microdialysis with LC-MS for analysis of spinosin and its interaction with cyclosporin A in rat brain, blood and bile.
Spinosin, a major bioactive herbal ingredient isolated from Semen Ziziphi Spinosae, plays an important role in sedation and hypnosis. However, the pharmacokinetic behavior of spinosin in special sites has not been reported. Microdialysis (MD) technique, as a continuous, realtime monitoring sampling technique, is very suitable for the evaluation of the disposition of diverse drugs. To obtain more useful information on spinosin, an in vivo microdialysis sampling technique with High Performance Liquid Chromatography-mass spectrograph (HPLC-MS) method was developed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of spinosin and its interaction with cyclosporin A (CsA) in the brain, blood and bile of rats. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, linearity and sensitivity, and showed advantages in monitoring the pharmacokinetic behavior of drugs. The results revealed that CsA has obvious effects on the pharmacokinetic process of spinosin. When co-administered, the area under the curve (AUC) of spinosin in blood, bile and brain increased from 205.70 to 673.51 mg min/L, 7.77 × 10(4) to 1.25 × 10(5) mg min/L, and 2.09 to 5.58 mg min/L, respectively. The t(1/2) values of spinosin in blood, bile and brain also changed from 48.07 to 95.04 min, from 97.20 to 152.21 and from 42.18 to 73.83 min, respectively. These results demonstrated that the CsA decreased the efflux of spinosin through the inhibition of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux transporter and it might be used as a group of P-gp substrate. Other transporters or pathways may also be involved in the metabolism of spinosin.
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved....(more)
Ma RH, et al. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2012 Mar 5;61:22-9.
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- 9. Composition of fatty oils from semen ziziphi spinosae and its cardiotonic effect on isolated toad hearts.
In this study, the composition of fatty oil from Semen Ziziphi Spinosae and its cardiotonic activity on the heart isolated from a toad were studied. Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions of fatty oil were prepared by the perfusion method. The fatty oil had a positive inotropic effect on isolated rat hearts at a concentration between 5 × 10(-3) and 2 × 10(-2) mL/10 mL, and the effect was in positive correlation with the concentration of calcium ions. In addition, this effect was inhibited by 2 mg/mL nifedipine, suggesting that the cardiotonic mechanism could be responsible for accelerating the inflow of calcium ions. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the main constituents of the fatty oil were 9-octadecenoic acid (43.32%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (42.57%), hexadecanoic acid (4.76%), 9-eicosenoic acid (2.95%), stearic acid (2.41%) and arachidic acid (0.81%). This preliminary study revealed that the fatty oil of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae exhibited remarkable cardiotonic activity in the tested models, and it is necessary to further reveal the effective substances of the fatty oil....(more)
Xie J, et al. Nat Prod Res 2012;26(5):479-83.
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- 10. A novel spinosin derivative from Semen Ziziphi Spinosae.
A novel spinosin derivative, 6-(4'-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-vanilloyl spinosin (1) was isolated from the methanol extract of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae, together with five known flavonoids, swertish, spinosin, 6-feruloylspinosin, isospinosin and kaempferol 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-O-[O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside, and two alkanoids, zizyphusine and 6-(2',3'-dihydroxyl-4'-hydroxymethyl-tetrahydro-furan-1'-yl)-cyclopentene[c]pyrrole-1,3-diol. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic methods including UV, IR, ESI-TOF-MS, 1D, and 2D NMR techniques....(more)
Xie YY, et al. J Asian Nat Prod Res 2011 Dec;13(12):1151-7.
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