Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. J Chromatogr A. 2024 Oct 22;1737:465465. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.465465. 
Online ahead of print.

An integrated strategy for deciphering quality markers of Terminaliae Belliricae 
Fructus based on a three-dimensional characteristic model.

Xu YH(1), Chen XY(2), Chen J(3).

Author information:
(1)School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China.
(2)School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China. Electronic 
address: cxy@lzu.edu.cn.
(3)School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China. Electronic 
address: chenjuan@lzu.edu.cn.

Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. is an ethnomedicinal plant that has been 
utilized in Tibetan and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Nevertheless, its 
quality standard officially listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia does not include 
any content determination of the indicator components of Terminaliae Belliricae 
Fructus, which constrains the effective quality evaluation of medicinal material 
and related products. In this paper, a three-dimensional 
"content-pharmacokinetics-pharmacology" network strategy was developed to 
identify the quality markers (Q-markers) of Terminaliae Belliricae Fructus in 
terms of "measurability", "traceability" and "effectiveness". Chromatographic 
fingerprint analysis was performed to outline its chemical contour, and identify 
the differential components of 17 batches of Terminaliae Belliricae Fructus 
combined with multivariate statistics analysis and UPLC-QTOF-MS analysis. Serum 
pharmacochemistry analysis was implemented on rats, and 25 prototype components 
absorbed into the blood were identified. By network pharmacology analysis, a 
component-disease-target-pathway network was constructed, thus validating the 
effectiveness of the chemical components of Terminaliae Belliricae Fructus. 
Afterwards, the above screened candidate components were put into construction 
of three-dimensional "radar chart". According to the calculated regression area 
(RA) and coefficient of variation (CV) values, the potential Q-markers was 
determined, followed by "specificity" evaluation. Ultimately, ellagic acid (EA), 
chebulagic acid (CHA), gallic acid (GA), chebulinic acid (CA), corilagin (CO) 
and chebulanin (CH) were specified as the Q-markers of Terminaliae Belliricae 
Fructus. Owing to high content, good pharmacokinetic property, high 
pharmacological activities and specificity. The screened Q-markers could offer a 
scientific foundation for the quality control of Terminaliae Belliricae Fructus, 
and the proposed strategy is demonstrated to be reliable and feasible for 
deciphering Q-markers of TCM.

Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.

DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.465465
PMID: 39471606

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors 
declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be 
considered as potential competing interests: Juan Chen reports financial support 
was provided by Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of 
China. Juan Chen reports financial support was provided by National Medical 
Products Administration. If there are other authors, they declare that they have 
no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have 
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.


2. Int Immunopharmacol. 2024 Oct 17;143(Pt 2):113401. doi: 
10.1016/j.intimp.2024.113401. Online ahead of print.

Corilagin inhibits human cytomegalovirus infection and replication via 
activating the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo.

Xie J(1), Shang L(2), Liu C(3), Mao J(4), He C(5), Luo M(6), Fisher D(7), Thi 
Thu Hien N(8), Xu S(9), Zhao L(10).

Author information:
(1)Health Management Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong 
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
(2)Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union 
Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 
Wuhan, China.
(3)The Tenth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Dongguan, 
China.
(4)Department of Vascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, 
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
(5)Department of Vascular Surgery, the Affiliated People's Hospital of Fujian 
University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
(6)Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, 
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
(7)Department of Medical Biosciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of 
The Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.
(8)Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hai Phong, Viet Nam.
(9)Health Management Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong 
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: 
xusanpinghao@aliyun.com.
(10)Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, 
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: 
laizhao@hust.edu.cn.

AIM: The existence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is extremely widespread, 
causing serious diseases in patients with low immune function. The purpose of 
this study is to explore the efficacy and mechanism of Corilagin in the control 
of CMV infection, in order to provide scientific basis for the control of CMV 
infection.
METHODS: Our study employed an animal model in Balb/c mice, infected with MCMV, 
alongside cellular models in HFF cells and THP-1 cells, stimulated with HCMV. 
The expression of cGAS-STING signaling pathway molecules was detected in liver 
tissue, lung tissue, serum, cells and cell supernatant. The liver function and 
histopathological changes of mice were evaluated.
RESULTS: In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that Corilagin significantly 
inhibits CMV levels and attenuates pathological damage in liver and lung tissues 
in vivo, and similarly inhibits viral load in cells in vitro. Corilagin promotes 
the expression levels of STING and its downstream molecules in vivo and in 
vitro. Inhibition/down-regulation of STING significantly promotes CMV 
replication, on the contrary, activation/up-regulation of STING inhibits CMV 
replication, and Corilagin also promotes the expression levels of molecules 
related to the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in the above cases.
CONCLUSION: Corilagin could effectively inhibit the infection and replication of 
CMV in vitro and in vivo, which may be through the activation of cGAS-STING 
signaling pathway.

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.113401
PMID: 39423664

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. Int J Food Sci. 2024 Oct 9;2024:8920060. doi: 10.1155/2024/8920060.
eCollection  2024.

Formulation Development of Directly Compressible Tablets Incorporating Trisamo 
Extract With Synergistic Antioxidant Activity.

Suksaeree J(1), Wunnakup T(2), Chankana N(3), Charoenchai L(2), Monton C(2).

Author information:
(1)Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Rangsit 
University, Pathum Thani 12000, Thailand.
(2)Drug and Herbal Product Research and Development Center, College of Pharmacy, 
Rangsit University, Pathum Thani 12000, Thailand.
(3)Sun Herb Thai Chinese Manufacturing, College of Pharmacy, Rangsit University, 
Pathum Thani 12000, Thailand.

This work investigates the synergistic antioxidant activity of the compositions 
of Trisamo (TSM) herbal formula containing the dried fruits of Terminalia 
chebula, Terminalia arjuna, and Terminalia bellirica. An augmented simplex 
lattice design was utilized to investigate the synergistic antioxidant activity, 
finding an equal mass ratio among the three herbal drugs to exhibit optimal 
synergistic antioxidant activity, with a combination index of less than 0.8. The 
optimal TSM extract was used to prepare directly compressible tablets employing 
a Box-Behnken design response surface methodology, optimizing compressional 
force (500, 1000, and 1500 psi), sodium starch glycolate (0%, 2%, and 4%), and 
magnesium stearate (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%). Optimal parameters were a 
compressional force of 1000 psi, 2% sodium starch glycolate, and 0.5% magnesium 
stearate. The TSM extract tablet had a weight of 600.06 mg, a diameter of 
12.78 mm, a thickness of 4.12 mm, a hardness of 6.85 kP, a friability of 0.30%, 
and a disintegration time of 1.81 min. Computer model predictions were verified 
with a low percentage error (≤ 10.00%). After 6 h, phenolic compounds were 
dissolved to an extent of approximately 40%-80%, including gallic acid (57.11%), 
corilagin (38.64%), chebulagic acid (58.49%), and chebulinic acid (81.44%). 
Stability data revealed that the phenolic compounds were retained for 3 months 
compared to the initial time point, with gallic acid at 81.43% and 100.27%, 
corilagin at 94.81% and 87.85%, chebulagic acid at 92.22% and 69.83%, and 
chebulinic acid at 107.00% and 85.54% at 30°C/75% RH and 45°C/75% RH, 
respectively. The summation of these four compounds did not change significantly 
when stored under either set of conditions. In summary, mixture design and 
response surface design were successfully utilized in the optimization of TSM 
extract tablets with synergistic antioxidant activity.

Copyright © 2024 Jirapornchai Suksaeree et al.

DOI: 10.1155/2024/8920060
PMCID: PMC11483649
PMID: 39421547

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.


4. Dose Response. 2024 Sep 18;22(3):15593258241261198. doi: 
10.1177/15593258241261198. eCollection 2024 Jul-Sep.

Corilagin Alleviates Ang II-Induced Cardiac Fibrosis by Regulating the 
PTEN/AKT/mTOR Pathway.

Zhang X(1), Tian B(2), Cong X(1), Ning Z(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Pudong New Area Zhoupu Hospital (Shanghai 
Health Medical College Affiliated Zhoupu Hospital), Shanghai, China.
(2)Department of Nursing, Shanghai Pudong New Area Zhoupu Hospital (Shanghai 
Health Medical College Affiliated Zhoupu Hospital), Shanghai, China.

This research aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of corilagin (Cor) 
against angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac fibrosis and its underlying 
mechanisms. C57BL/6 mice (male, 8-10 weeks) received saline or Ang II 
(2.0 mg/kg/day) via subcutaneous infusion and intraperitoneal injection of Cor 
(30 mg/kg) for 28 days. Ang II induction increased the fibrotic area, whereas 
Cor treatment inhibited the fibrotic area significantly. Cor markedly reduced 
the Ang II-induced cardiac fibroblasts. Cor significantly inhibited Ang 
II-induced increase in expressions of smooth muscle alpha-actin (α-SMA), 
collagen I, collagen III, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), 
fibronectin, and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Cor suppressed the 
intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Cor therapy reduced Ang 
II-induced malondialdehyde (MDA) content, whereas superoxide dismutase (SOD) and 
catalase (CAT) activities were increased (all, P < .001). Moreover, Ang II 
induction elevated the expression of phosphorylated phosphatase and tensin 
homolog (p-PTEN), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) (Ser473) and 
phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) (Ser 2448), whereas Cor 
reduced their expressions. Cor treatment inhibited the migration ability of the 
cardiac fibroblast, whereas a PTEN inhibitor, VO-ohpic, increased the migration 
capability. Cor could have a protective effect against Ang II-induced cardiac 
fibrosis via inhibition of the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway.

© The Author(s) 2024.

DOI: 10.1177/15593258241261198
PMCID: PMC11412214
PMID: 39301185

Conflict of interest statement: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of 
interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this 
article.


5. World J Diabetes. 2024 Sep 15;15(9):1916-1931. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v15.i9.1916.

Corilagin alleviates podocyte injury in diabetic nephropathy by regulating 
autophagy via the SIRT1-AMPK pathway.

Lou Y(1), Luan YT(2), Rong WQ(3), Gai Y(4).

Author information:
(1)Department of Preventive Treatment of Disease, Seventh People's Hospital 
Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 
200137, China.
(2)Department of Infectious Diseases, Seventh People's Hospital Affiliated to 
Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200137, China.
(3)Department of General Practice (Including Medical Oncology), Seventh People's 
Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 
Shanghai 200137, China.
(4)Department of General Practice (Including Medical Oncology), Seventh People's 
Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 
Shanghai 200137, China. gaiyunlucky@163.com.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most frequent chronic microvascular 
consequence of diabetes, and podocyte injury and malfunction are closely related 
to the development of DN. Studies have shown that corilagin (Cor) has 
hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, 
anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, and anti-tumor activities.
AIM: To explore the protective effect of Cor against podocyte injury in DN mice 
and the underlying mechanisms.
METHODS: Streptozotocin and a high-fat diet were combined to generate DN mice 
models, which were then divided into either a Cor group or a DN group (n = 8 in 
each group). Mice in the Cor group were intraperitoneally injected with Cor (30 
mg/kg/d) for 12 wk, and mice in the DN group were treated with saline. 
Biochemical analysis was used to measure the blood lipid profiles. Hematoxylin 
and eosin staining was used to detect pathological changes in kidney tissue. 
Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to assess the protein 
expression of nephrin and podocin. Mouse podocyte cells (MPC5) were cultured and 
treated with glucose (5 mmol/L), Cor (50 μM), high glucose (HG) (30 mmol/L), and 
HG (30 mmol/L) plus Cor (50 μM). Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting 
were performed to examine the effects of Cor on podocyte autophagy.
RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the DN mice models had increased 
fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, triglycerides, and total 
cholesterol, decreased nephrin and podocin expression, increased apoptosis rate, 
elevated inflammatory cytokines, and enhanced oxidative stress. All of the 
conditions mentioned above were alleviated after intervention with Cor. In 
addition, Cor therapy improved SIRT1 and AMPK expression (P < 0.001), inhibited 
reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, and elevated autophagy in 
HG-induced podocytes (P < 0.01).
CONCLUSION: Cor alleviates podocyte injury by regulating autophagy via the 
SIRT1-AMPK pathway, thereby exerting its protective impact on renal function in 
DN mice.

©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights 
reserved.

DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v15.i9.1916
PMCID: PMC11372637
PMID: 39280180

Conflict of interest statement: Conflict-of-interest statement: 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.