Search Results (3)

Caulophyllum robustum, commonly named Asian blue cohosh, is a perennial herb in the family Berberidaceae. It has traditionally been used for folk medicine in China. We isolated berberine from the leaves, stem, roots, and fruits of C. robustum, and this is the first report on berberine in this species. Transcriptome analysis was conducted for the characterization of berberine biosynthesis genes in C. robustum, in which, all the genes for berberine biosynthesis were identified. From 40,094 transcripts, using gene ontology (GO) analysis, 26,750 transcripts were assigned their functions in the categories of biological process, molecular function, and cellular component. In the analysis of genes expressed in different tissues, the numbers of genes in the categories of intrinsic component of membrane and transferase activity were up-regulated in leaves versus stem. The berberine synthesis genes in C. robustum were characterized by phylogenetic analysis with corresponding genes from other berberine-producing species. The co-existence of genes from different plant families in the deepest branch subclade implies that the differentiation of berberine synthesis genes occurred early in the evolution of berberine-producing plants. Furthermore, the copy number increment of the berberine synthesis genes was detected at the species level. Full article

Caulophyllum robustum Maxim is widely distributed in China and used as a traditional herbal medicine to induce childbirth, ease the pain of labor, rectify delayed or irregular menstruation, alleviate heavy bleeding and pain during menstruation, and treat external injuries and irregular menses. According to our detailed chemical investigation, three new triterpene derivatives (1–3), together with seven known compounds, were isolated from the root and rhizome of C. robustum Maxim. Their structures were elucidated by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic analysis and physio-chemical methods. They were identified as (1) 23-hydroxy-3,19-dioxo-olean-12-en-28-oic-acid; (2) 23-hydroxy-3,11-dioxo-olean-12-en-28-oic acid; and (3) 16α,23-dihydroxy-3-oxo-olean-12-en-28-oic acid. Compounds (1–10) inhibited the LPS-activated NO production in RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory characteristics of these compounds were confirmed on the basis of decreases in iNOS and NF-κB protein expression in RAW264.7 cells. Full article

Caulophyllum robustum Maxim (CRM) is a Chinese folk medicine with significant effect on treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was designed to explore the spectrum-effect relationships between high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints and the anti-inflammatory effects of CRM. Seventeen common peaks were detected by fingerprint similarity evaluation software. Among them, 15 peaks were identified by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS). Pharmacodynamics experiments were conducted in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice to obtain the anti-inflammatory effects of different batches of CRM with four pro-inflammation cytokines (TNF-α, IL-β, IL-6, and IL-17) as indicators. These cytokines were suppressed at different levels according to the different batches of CRM treatment. The spectrum-effect relationships between chemical fingerprints and the pro-inflammation effects of CRM were established by multiple linear regression (MLR) and gray relational analysis (GRA). The spectrum-effect relationships revealed that the alkaloids (N-methylcytisine, magnoflorine), saponins (leiyemudanoside C, leiyemudanoside D, leiyemudanoside G, leiyemudanoside B, cauloside H, leonticin D, cauloside G, cauloside D, cauloside B, cauloside C, and cauloside A), sapogenins (oleanolic acid), β-sitosterols, and unknown compounds (X3, X17) together showed anti-inflammatory efficacy. The results also showed that the correlation between saponins and inflammatory factors was significantly closer than that of alkaloids, and saponins linked with less sugar may have higher inhibition effect on pro-inflammatory cytokines in CIA mice. This work provided a general model of the combination of HPLC and anti-inflammatory effects to study the spectrum-effect relationships of CRM, which can be used to discover the active substance and to control the quality of this treatment. Full article