Worldwide, there are plants known as psychoactive plants that naturally contain psychedelic active components. They have a high concentration of neuroprotective substances that can interact with the nervous system to produce psychedelic effects. Despite these plants' hazardous potential, recreational use of them is on the rise because of their psychoactive properties. Early neuroscience studies relied heavily on psychoactive plants and plant natural products (NPs), and both recreational and hazardous NPs have contributed significantly to the understanding of almost all neurotransmitter systems. Worldwide, there are many plants that contain psychoactive properties, and people have been using them for ages. Psychoactive plant compounds may significantly alter how people perceive the world.
1. ACS Omega. 2024 Jun 18;9(26):28926-28936. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c03641. eCollection 2024 Jul 2. Pharmacological Components and Mechanism Research on the Treatment of Myelosuppression after Chemotherapy with Danggui Jixueteng Decoction Based on Spectrum-Effect Relationships and Transcriptome Sequencing. Guo M(1), Zeng J(1), Li J(2), Jiang L(1), Wu X(3), Ren Z(1), Hu Z(1). Author information: (1)The Affiliated Yixing Hospital of Jiangsu University, Yixing 214200, China. (2)Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo 255000, China. (3)Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 516006, China. Danggui Jixueteng decoction (DJD) has been used to treat anemia for many years and has been shown to be effective. However, the mechanism of action and effective components are yet unknown. We want to search for pharmacodynamic components in DJD with therapeutic effects on myelosuppression after chemotherapy (MAC), utilizing a spectrum-effect connection study based on gray relational analysis and partial least-squares regression analysis. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to investigate the mechanism by which DJD treats MAC. In this study, fingerprints of different batches of DJD (S1-S10) were established by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), after which the resulting shared peaks were screened and identified. A total of 21 common peaks were screened through the fingerprints of different batches of DJD, and the similarity of each profile was greater than 0.92. The 21 shared peaks were identified by comparison with the standard sample and searching on a MassLynx 4.1 workstation. The rat model of MAC was established by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide, and DJD treatment was carried out in parallel with the establishment of the model. White blood cell count, red blood cell count, platelet count, interleukin-3, hemoglobin concentration, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and nucleated cell count were used as efficacy indicators. Pharmacodynamic results indicated that DJD could effectively improve the pharmacodynamic indices of MAC rats. The results of gray relational analysis demonstrated eight peaks with high correlation with efficacy, which were 2, 7, 10, 14, 15, 16, 18, and 21, and the partial least-squares regression analysis showed four peaks with variable importance in projection values greater than 1, which were 10, 12, 13, and 19. RNA-Seq was used to identify DEGs in rat bone marrow cells, Gene Ontology functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed. The genes related to the effects of DJD on MAC were mainly involved in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine-threonine kinase (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathway, the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, actin cytoskeleton regulation, focal adhesion, and Rap1 signaling pathways. The results of the RNA-Seq study were confirmed by a qPCR experiment. The effective compounds of DJD against MAC include albiflorin, paeoniflorin, gallopaeoniflorin, salvianolic acid H/I, albiflorin R1, salvianolic acid B, salvianolic acid E, benzoylpaeoniflorin, and C12H18N5O4. The mechanism by which DJD prevents and treats MAC might involve the control of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. © 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c03641 PMCID: PMC11223127 PMID: 38973888 Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing financial interest. 2. J Ethnopharmacol. 2023 Nov 15;316:116698. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116698. Epub 2023 Jun 5. Porcine cardiac blood - Salvia miltiorrhiza root alleviates cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury by inhibiting oxidative stress induced apoptosis through PI3K/AKT/Bcl-2/Bax signaling pathway. Zhou S(1), Gao X(2), Chen C(2), Zhang J(3), Zhang Y(4), Zhang L(5), Yan X(6). Author information: (1)Changzhou Key Laboratory of Human Use Experience Research & Transformation of Menghe Medical Sect, Changzhou Hospital of Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 25 Heping North Road, Tianning District, Changzhou, 213003, PR China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine and Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No.138, Xianlin Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210023, PR China. (2)Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine and Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No.138, Xianlin Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210023, PR China. (3)Changzhou Key Laboratory of Human Use Experience Research & Transformation of Menghe Medical Sect, Changzhou Hospital of Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 25 Heping North Road, Tianning District, Changzhou, 213003, PR China. (4)Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine and Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No.138, Xianlin Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210023, PR China. Electronic address: zhangyi@njucm.edu.cn. (5)Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High Technology Research of TCM Formulae, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine and Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No.138, Xianlin Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, 210023, PR China. Electronic address: zhangli@njucm.edu.cn. (6)Changzhou Key Laboratory of Human Use Experience Research & Transformation of Menghe Medical Sect, Changzhou Hospital of Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 25 Heping North Road, Tianning District, Changzhou, 213003, PR China. Electronic address: yanxiaojing963@163.com. ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. mixed with porcine cardiac blood (PCB-DS) is mainly employed for the treatment of brain ischemia-induced mental disturbances, palpitations and phlegm confusion based on the traditional principle of Menghe medical sect. PCB is the guide to DS and enhances the effect of DS. However, the potential mechanism of PCB-DS preventing cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI) from the perspective of oxidative stress induced cell apoptosis remains unknown. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the pharmacological activity and molecular mechanism of PCB-DS against CIRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DS samples processed with different methods were prepared and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was employed for qualitative analysis of the respective processing product. The middle cerebral artery occlusion reperfusion model was then established to investigate the pharmacological activities of PCB-DS. Pathological changes in the rat brain were observed by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC), hematoxylin-eosin, and TUNEL staining. The levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α were detected by ELISA to evaluate the inflammatory damage. Metabolomics of cerebrospinal fluid was further used to explore the potential mechanism of PCB-DS in preventing CIRI. Based on this, the levels of oxidative stress-related lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined. The protein levels of PI3K, AKT, Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved-caspase-3, and cleaved-caspase-9 proteins of the cerebral infarct zone were finally measured by western blotting. RESULTS: Forty-seven components were identified in four processing products. Compared to DS, the content of total aqueous components in PCB-DS was significantly increased including salvianolic acid B isomer, salvianolic acid D, salvianolic acid F, and salvianolic acid H/I/J. Among the DS, DS processed with wine, DS processed with pig blood, and DS processed with porcine cardiac blood, PCB-DS best alleviated the CIRI through the neurological score, brain infarct volume, brain histopathology and the levels of inflammatory factors in the brain. Twenty-five significant metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid were screened out between the sham and I/R groups. They were mainly involved in the beta-alanine metabolism, histidine metabolism, and lysine degradation, which indicated that PCB-DS may inhibit oxidative stress-induced apoptosis to achieve treating ischemic stroke. The results of biomedical examination showed that PCB-DS could alleviate oxidative damage, significantly downregulate the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9, and upregulate the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, and Bcl-2. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study demonstrated that PCB-DS alleviated CIRI and the molecular mechanism may be related to inhibiting the oxidative stress induced apoptosis through PI3K/AKT/Bcl-2/Bax signaling pathway. Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116698 PMID: 37286116 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 3. Molecules. 2022 Feb 27;27(5):1582. doi: 10.3390/molecules27051582. Inhibitory Effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza Extract and Its Active Components on Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplastic Cells. Leng X(1), Kan H(1), Wu Q(1), Li C(1), Zheng Y(1), Peng G(1). Author information: (1)College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Avenue, Qixia District, Nanjing 210023, China. The effective treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) can prevent cervical cancer. Salvia miltiorrhiza is a medicinal and health-promoting plant. To identify a potential treatment for CIN, the effect of S. miltiorrhiza extract and its active components on immortalized cervical epithelial cells was studied in vitro. The H8 cell was used as a CIN model. We found that S. miltiorrhiza extract effectively inhibited H8 cells through the CCK8 method. An HPLC-MS analysis revealed that S. miltiorrhiza extract contained salvianolic acid H, salvianolic acid A, salvianolic acid B, monomethyl lithospermate, 9‴-methyl lithospermate B, and 9‴-methyl lithospermate B/isomer. Salvianolic acid A had the best inhibitory effect on H8 cells with an IC50 value of 5.74 ± 0.63 μM. We also found that the combination of salvianolic acid A and oxysophoridine had a synergistic inhibitory effect on H8 cells at molar ratios of 4:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4, with salvianolic acid A/oxysophoridine = 1:2 having the best synergistic effect. Using Hoechst33342, flow cytometry, and Western blotting analysis, we found that the combination of salvianolic acid A and oxysophoridine can induce programmed apoptosis of H8 cells and block the cell cycle in the G2/M phase, which was correlated with decreased cyclinB1 and CDK1 protein levels. In conclusion, S. miltiorrhiza extract can inhibit the growth of H8 cells, and the combination of salvianolic acid A (its active component) and oxysophoridine has a synergistic inhibitory effect on H8 cells and may be a potential treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. DOI: 10.3390/molecules27051582 PMCID: PMC8911905 PMID: 35268683 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest. The sponsors had no role in the design, execution, interpretation, or writing of the study. 4. Molecules. 2021 Jan 26;26(3):631. doi: 10.3390/molecules26030631. Pulmonaria obscura and Pulmonaria officinalis Extracts as Mitigators of Peroxynitrite-Induced Oxidative Stress and Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors-In Vitro and In Silico Studies. Krzyżanowska-Kowalczyk J(1), Kowalczyk M(1), Ponczek MB(2), Pecio Ł(1), Nowak P(2), Kolodziejczyk-Czepas J(2). Author information: (1)Department of Biochemistry and Crop Quality, Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute, Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Puławy, Poland. (2)Department of General Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Pomorska 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland. The Pulmonaria species (lungwort) are edible plants and traditional remedies for different disorders of the respiratory system. Our work covers a comparative study on biological actions in human blood plasma and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) -inhibitory properties of plant extracts (i.e., phenolic-rich fractions) originated from aerial parts of P. obscura Dumort. and P. officinalis L. Phytochemical profiling demonstrated the abundance of phenolic acids and their derivatives (over 80% of the isolated fractions). Danshensu conjugates with caffeic acid, i.e., rosmarinic, lithospermic, salvianolic, monardic, shimobashiric and yunnaneic acids were identified as predominant components. The examined extracts (1-100 µg/mL) partly prevented harmful effects of the peroxynitrite-induced oxidative stress in blood plasma (decreased oxidative damage to blood plasma components and improved its non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity). The cellular safety of the extracts was confirmed in experimental models of blood platelets and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. COX-2 inhibitor screening evidently suggested a stronger activity of P. officinalis (IC50 of 13.28 and 7.24 µg/mL, in reaction with synthetic chromogen and physiological substrate (arachidonic acid), respectively). In silico studies on interactions of main components of the Pulmonaria extracts with the COX-2 demonstrated the abilities of ten compounds to bind with the enzyme, including rosmarinic acid, menisdaurin, globoidnan A and salvianolic acid H. DOI: 10.3390/molecules26030631 PMCID: PMC7865227 PMID: 33530389 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest. 5. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2018 Jul 15;156:278-283. doi: 10.1016/j.jpba.2018.04.043. Epub 2018 Apr 27. Multiple on-line screening and identification methods for hydroxyl radical scavengers in Yudanshen. Wang YQ(1), Zhuang G(2), Li SJ(2). Author information: (1)Scientific Research Center, Nanyang Medical College, Nanyang 473061, China. Electronic address: wyq2013@163.com. (2)Scientific Research Center, Nanyang Medical College, Nanyang 473061, China. Yudanshen, the genuine medicinal materials of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Although its pharmacological and antioxidative activities have been well-documented, there is little research on the hydroxyl radical (OH) scavenging capacity of Yudanshen. In this study, we established multiple on-line high-performance liquid chromatography- chemiluminescence detector-diode-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-CL-DAD-Q-TOF/MS) methods to rapidly screen and identify the OH scavengers in Yudanshen simultaneously. The chromatographic and potency fingerprints revealed seventeen peaks that showed the inhibition of OH. Fourteen of them were identified as danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, salvianolic acid F, salvianolic acid H/L, salvianolic acid G, salvianolic acid D, salvianolic acid E, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, isosalvianolic acid B, salvianolic acid A, and salvianolic acid C. This study explores the OH scavenging activities of Yudanshen, and provides novel and powerful multiple on-line methods in the field of TCM for rapid screening and identification of OH scavengers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2018.04.043 PMID: 29730337 [Indexed for MEDLINE]