ALBERT

Description: Background: As a typical Chinese herbal medicine, rhizoma Cimicifugae (RC, [unknown][unknown] in Chinese) possesses various pharmacological effects involved in antioxidant activity. However, its antioxidant activity has not been reported so far. The aim of the present study was to systematically evaluate the antioxidant ability of RC in vitro, then discuss the mechanism. Methods: Firstly, five RC extracts (i.e. petroleum ether extract PERC, ethyl acetate extract EARC, absolute ethanol extract AERC, 95% ethanol extract 95ERC, and water extract WRC) were prepared and determined by various antioxidant methods, including anti-lipidperoxidation, protection against DNA damage, [bullet]OH scavenging, [bullet]O2- scavenging, DPPH[bullet] (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazl radical) scavenging, ABTS+[bullet] (2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzo- thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical ion) scavenging, Cu2+-chelating, and Fe3+ reducing assays. Subsequently, we measured the chemical contents of five RC extracts, including total phenolics, total saponins, total sugars, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and isoferulic acid. Finally, we quantitatively analyzed the correlations between antioxidant levels (1/IC50 values) and chemical contents. Results: In the study, the antioxidant levels and chemical contents (including total phenolics, total saponins, total sugars, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and isoferulic acid) of five RC extracts were determined by various methods. In all antioxidant assays, five RC extracts increased the antioxidant levels in a dose-dependent manner. However, their antioxidant levels (IC50 values) and chemical contents significantly differed from each other. Quantitative analysis of the correlation showed that total phenolic was of significant positive correlations (average R value was 0.56) with antioxidant levels; In contrast, total sugars and total saponins had no positive correlation with antioxidant (the average R values were -0.20 and -0.26, for total sugars and total saponins, respectively); Among total phenolics, three phenolic acids (caffeic acid, ferulic acid and isoferulic acid) also displayed positive correlations (the average R values were 0.51, 0.50, and 0.51, for caffeic acid, ferulic acid and isoferulic acid, respectively). Conclusions: As an effective antioxidant, Rhizoma Cimicifugae can protect DNA and lipids against oxidative damage. Its antioxidant ability can be responsible for its various pharmacological effects and may be mainly attributed to the existence of total phenolics, among which caffeic acid, ferulic acid and isoferulic acid are regarded as main bioactive components. Rhizoma Cimicifugae exerts its antioxidant effect through metal-chelating, and radical-scavenging which is via donating hydrogen atom (H.) and donating electron (e).

Description: Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the degeneration of joint cartilage, with concomitant changes in the synovium and subchondral bone. Recently, the inflammatory response and involvement of several types of T-cells has been implicated in the development of OA. This study investigated the frequency of MR1-restricted mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in patients with knee OA. Methods Forty-five patients recently diagnosed with knee OA and 21 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were recruited for this study. Percentages of circulating MAIT cells were assessed by flow cytometry. Plasma cytokine levels were measured using cytometric bead arrays. Associations between the percentages of MAIT cells, plasma cytokine levels, and clinical parameters of OA (erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR] and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC]) were analyzed using the Spearman correlation test. Results The percentages of total, CD8αα, and CD8αβ MAIT cells were higher in patients with OA compared to healthy controls. The percentages of total and CD8αα MAIT cells were higher in patients with multi-joint OA (MOA) compared to patients with knee-only OA (KOA). Plasma IFN-γ and TNF-α levels were elevated in patients with OA compared to healthy controls, and there was a positive correlation between plasma IFN-γ levels and the percentages of total, CD8αα, and CD8αβ MAIT cells. Plasma IFN-γ and IL-17 levels were higher in patients with MOA compared to healthy controls or patients with KOA. There were positive correlations between the percentages of total and CD8αα MAIT cells and clinical parameters (ESR and WOMAC scores) in patients with OA or MOA. Binary logistic regression analysis shown the frequency of MAIT cells was associated with the risk of OA. Conclusions MAIT cells and their subpopulations were significantly increased in patients with OA and have potential as biological markers of OA disease severity, especially in patients with MOA.