Pueroside B

Protective effects of puerariae radix extract and its single compounds on methylglyoxal-induced apoptosis in human retinal pigment epithelial cells.[Pubmed: 24486213]

J Ethnopharmacol. 2014 Mar 28;152(3):594-8.

In Korea, Puerariae radix is a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat various diseases including diabetes mellitus. To provide pharmacological basis for Puerariae radix in the treatment of diabetes, we investigated the protective effects of the ethanolic extract and its single compounds on apoptosis associated with glycation in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In the present work, a quantified ethanolic extract or single compounds of Puerariae radix were selected to determine its anti-apoptotic effect in human RPE cells cultured with methylglyoxal (MG), which is a stimulator of glycation. To assess the protective effect of the extract or single compounds, the cytotoxicity assessment was performed using an MTT assay in the human RPE cells. Selected active compounds or extracts were tested by FACS analysis with annexin V staining for apoptosis. Daidzein (1), daidzin (2), puerarin (3), 3'-hydroxy-daidzein 8-C-apiosyl (1→6) glucoside (4), and daidzein 8-C-apiosyl (1→6) glucoside (5), and Pueroside B (6) were isolated from an ethanolic extract of Puerariae radix. MG-induced apoptosis was completely inhibited by Puerariae radix, ethanolic extract, and single compounds. Of the six major compounds, daidzin (2) and 3'-hydroxy-daidzein 8-C-apiosyl (1→6) glucoside (4) significantly inhibited MG-induced apoptosis.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our results provide the first evidence that, due to its anti-glycation effect, Puerariae radix extract could inhibit MG-induced apoptosis in the cultured human RPE cells. These data suggest that Puerariae radix extract, especially its single compounds daidzin and 3'-hydroxy-daidzein 8-C-apiosyl (1→6) glucoside, has potential utility as a preventive agent for glycation-related diabetic retinopathy.

Molecular Docking in Xin-Ke-Shu Preparation's Multi-Target Effect on Coronary Heart Disease.[Reference: WebLink]

ACTA PHYSICO-CHIMICA SINICA, 2012, 28(5).

Xin-Ke-Shu (XKS), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation, has been widely used for treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) in China. However, the active constituents of XKS and their interactions with targets remain unclear.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
In this study, we assessed two docking programs, LibDock and AutoDock, by calculating the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) of X-ray structure reproduction and the enrichment factor (EF) in virtual screening; both proved to be practical in our protein-ligand complex systems. Moreover, the combined use of the two programs yielded better EFs for each target. We therefore used a combination of the two programs to investigate the interactions of the 51 chemical constituents identified from XKS with five CHD targets, namely peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A receptor (HMGR), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), and thrombin.
CONCLUSIONS:
The docking results suggest that pueroside A, Pueroside B, salvianolic acid A, and salvianolic acid C can interact with two or more targets, and the other eight compounds may be potent for at least one of the five targets. In this research, we propose a strategy for studying TCM preparations, and suggest that XKS has a multi-target effect on CHD.