Chemical interaction between Lilium brownii and Rhizoma Anemarrhenae, the herbal constituents of Baihe Zhimu decoction, by liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer.[Pubmed: 29027684]

During the course of decoction, the components of herbal formula interact with each other, such that chemical extraction characteristics are altered. The crude drugs, Lilium brownii (Baihe) and Rhizoma Anemarrhenae (Zhimu), are the herbal constituents of Baihe Zhimu decoction, a traditional herbal formula. To investigate the chemical interaction between Baihe and Zhimu when decocting together, eight marker components in Baihe Zhimu decoction were simultaneously characterized and quantified in one run by a hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer in the multiple reactions monitoring-information dependent acquisition-enhanced product ion mode. The results showed that Zhimu significantly suppressed the extraction of phenolic glycosides (the components from Baihe) when co-decocting, and Baihe clearly suppressed the extraction of xanthones and steroidal saponins (the components from Zhimu). Overall, the presently developed method would be a preferred candidate for the investigation of the chemical interaction between herbal medicines.

Escitalopram or novel herbal treatments differentially alter cytokine and behavioral responses to immune challenge.[Pubmed: 28601279]

Studies suggest that inflammation is involved in the pathophysiology of depression. The present study examined the effects of the commonly used antidepressant escitalopram, in comparison with a novel herbal treatment (NHT) consisted of Crataegus pinnatifida, Triticum aestivum, Lilium brownii and Fructus Ziziphus jujuba, on cytokine and behavioral responses to an immune challenge. Escitalopram augmented lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α peripheral secretion and induced a faster kinetics of interleukin-1β secretion, while marginally reducing sickness behavior. NHT, on the other hand, completely abolished lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-1β and TNFα peripheral secretion and diminished sickness behavior. These findings may have implications for the treatment of depressive symptoms associated with immune activation.

Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Anti-Inflammatory Components from the Bulbs of Lilium brownii var. viridulum and Identifying the Underlying Mechanism through Acting on the NF-κB/MAPKs Pathway.[Pubmed: 28333094]

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Metabonomic identification of the effects of the Zhimu-Baihe saponins on a chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced rat model of depression.[Pubmed: 27371920]

The herbal pair Zhimu-Baihe (Zhimu: Anemarrhena asphodeloides; Baihe: Lilium brownii var. viridulum) is a traditional Chinese medicament used for the treatment of depression. However, the relevant mechanisms of action has not been clarified. This study investigated the anti-depressant activity of the total saponins from Zhimu and Baihe and the mechanisms underlying using a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced rat model of depression. High performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) was applied to determine the levels of three monoamine neurotransmitters, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), noradrenaline (NE) and dopamine (DA), in the rat hippocampus. Optimized pretreatment of samples and mass spectrometry conditions were used to analyse the metabonomic profile of the hippocampus. The 5-HT and NE levels in the CUMS group were reduced compared with the control group, whereas all groups had similar DA levels. The metabonomic profile of the hippocampus revealed 32 differential metabolites between the CUMS and control group, among which 18 metabolites were significantly recovered in the Anemarrhena saponins and Lilium saponins (AL) combination intervention group. These results suggested an anti-depressant effect of AL. Moreover, 24 metabolites in AL group were better recovered compared with the Anemarrhena saponins (AS) or Lilium saponins (LS) intervention groups, suggesting a synergetic effect of AS and LS in the treatment of depression. The anti-depressant effect might be related to the regulation of several metabolic pathways, including monoamine neurotransmitter synthesis (especially 5-HT and NE), and amino acid, fatty acid, and phospholipid metabolism in rats.

New steroidal saponins from the bulbs of Lilium brownii var. viridulum.[Pubmed: 22960210]

Phytochemical investigation of the bulbs of Lilium brownii var. viridulum led to the isolation of seven new steroidal saponins (1-7), along with eight known analogues (8-15). The new steroidal saponins were identified as 27-O-[(3S)-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl 3-methylglutaroyl]isonarthogenin 3-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), (24S,25S)-3β,17α,24-trihydroxy-5α-spirostan-6-one 3-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), tenuifoliol 3-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosylnuatigenin (4), 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosylnuatigenin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosylnuatigenin 3-O-{α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)]}-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), 26-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranosylnuatigenin 3-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (7), using a combination of spectroscopic evidence and chemical methods. The carbohydrate chain of a sugar linked to C-3 of the HMG group (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarate) in compound 1 is rarely found in nature. Compound 2 possesses a new (24S,25S)-3β,17α,24-trihydroxy-5α-spirostan-6-one aglycon moiety. The disaccharide chain linked to C-26 hydroxy group of the furospirostanol in compound 7 has not been observed from natural sources.

Two new chlorophenyl glycosides from the bulbs of Lilium brownii var. viridulum.[Pubmed: 22694345]

Two rare new chlorophenyl glycosides, 2,4,6-trichlorol-3-methyl-5-methoxy-phenol 1-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 4-chlorol-5-hydroxyl-3-methyl-phenol 1-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), along with three known compounds (3-5) were isolated from the bulbs of Lilium brownii var. viridulum. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical methods. All the compounds exhibited weak inhibition of NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells.

A new chromosome fluorescence banding technique combining DAPI staining with image analysis in plants.[Pubmed: 15197560]

In this study, a new chromosome fluorescence banding technique was developed in plants. The technique combined 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining with software analysis including three-dimensional imaging after deconvolution. Clear multiple and adjacent DAPI bands like G-bands were obtained by this technique in the tested species including Hordeum vulgare L., Oryza officinalis, Wall & Watt, Triticum aestivum L., Lilium brownii, Brown, and Vicia faba L. During mitotic metaphase, the numbers of bands for the haploid genomes of these species were about 185, 141, 309, 456 and 194, respectively. Reproducibility analysis demonstrated that banding patterns within a species were stable at the same mitotic stage and they could be used for identifying specific chromosomes and chromosome regions. The band number fluctuated: the earlier the mitotic stage, the greater the number of bands. The technique enables genes to be mapped onto specific band regions of the chromosomes by only one fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) step with no chemical banding treatments. In this study, the 45S and 5S rDNAs of some tested species were located on specific band regions of specific chromosomes and they were all positioned at the interbands with the new technique. Because no chemical banding treatment was used, the banding patterns displayed by the technique should reflect the natural conformational features of chromatin. Thus it could be expected that this technique should be suitable for all eukaryotes and would have widespread utility in chromosomal structure analysis and physical mapping of genes.