Maslinic acid is a novel phytochemical reported to target multiple signaling pathways. A complete gene expression profile was therefore constructed to illustrate the anti-tumourigenesis effects of maslinic acid in Raji cells across five time-points. Microarray analysis was used to identify genes that were differentially expressed in maslinic acid treated Raji cells at 0, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h. Extracted RNA was hybridized using the AffymetrixGeneChip to obtain expression profiles. A total of 109 genes were found to be significantly expressed over a period of 48 hours. By 12 hours, maslinic acid regulates the majority of genes involved in the cell cycle, p53 and NF-κB signaling pathways. At the same time, XAF1, APAF1, SESN3, and TP53BP2 were evidently up-regulated, while oncogenes, FAIM, CD27, and RRM2B, were down-regulated by at least 2-fold. In conclusion, maslinic acid shows an hourly progression of gene expression in Raji cells.
Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) exhibits a broad spectrum of clinical applications and demonstrates favorable therapeutic efficacy. Nonetheless, elucidating the underlying mechanism of action (MOA) of CHM in disease treatment remains a formidable task due to its inherent characteristics of multi-level, multi-linked, and multi-dimensional non-linear synergistic actions. In recent years, the concept of a Quality marker (Q-marker) proposed by Liu et al. has significantly contributed to the monitoring and evaluation of CHM products, thereby fostering the advancement of CHM research. Within this study, a Q-marker screening strategy for CHM formulas has been introduced, particularly emphasising efficacy and biological activities, integrating absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) studies, systems biology, and experimental verification. As an illustrative case, the Q-marker screening of Qianghuo Shengshi decoction (QHSSD) for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been conducted. Consequently, from a pool of 159 compounds within QHSSD, five Q-markers exhibiting significant in vitro anti-inflammatory effects have been identified. These Q-markers encompass notopterol, isoliquiritin, imperatorin, cimifugin, and glycyrrhizic acid. Furthermore, by employing an integrated analysis of network pharmacology and metabolomics, several instructive insights into pharmacological mechanisms have been gleaned. This includes the identification of key targets and pathways through which QHSSD exerts its crucial roles in the treatment of RA. Notably, the inhibitory effect of QHSSD on AKT1 and MAPK3 activation has been validated through western blot analysis, underscoring its potential to mitigate RA-related inflammatory responses. In summary, this research demonstrates the proposed strategy's feasibility and provides a practical reference model for the systematic investigation of CHM formulas.
Areca nut (Areca catechu L.) is commonly consumed as a chewing food in the Asian region. However, the investigations into the components of areca nut are limited. In this study, we have developed an approach that combines mass spectrometry with feature-based molecular network to explore the chemical characteristics of the areca nut. In comparison to the conventional method, this technique demonstrates a superior capability in annotating unknown compounds present in areca nut. We annotated a total of 52 compounds, including one potential previously unreported alkaloid, one carbohydrate, and one phenol and confirmed the presence of 7 of them by comparing with commercial standards. The validated method was used to evaluate chemical features of areca nut at different growth stages, annotating 25 compounds as potential biomarkers for distinguishing areca nut growth stages. Therefore, this approach offers a rapid and accurate method for the component analysis of areca nut.