Edible mushrooms, both wild and cultivated, can be seen as healthy functional food. More and more valuable compounds are obtained from mycelia of macromycetes. However, there was limited report about the medicinal fungus Laetiporus versisporus (Lloyd) Imazeki. Herein, L. versisporus was fermented on rice media and the secondary metabolites of mycelia were investigated. In this study, two-step method was used to obtain fermented products, silica gel column chromatography, recrystallization, medium pressure column chromatography, preparative thin-layer chromatography were applied to separate the chemical constituents. Nine chemical compounds (1-9) including one new triterpenoid acid versisponic acid F were identified by NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy and MS (mass spectrometry). Seven compounds including monolinoleoyl glycerol, linoleic acid, ergosta-5, 7, 22-triene-3β-ol, β-sitosterol, daucosterol, versisponic acid F were isolated for the first time from L. versisporus.

Eleven kinds of Camellia oleifera seed oils (CSOs) were evaluated in terms of chemical constituents, antioxidant activities, acid value (AV) as well as peroxide value (POV). These CSOs contained abundant β-sitosterol, squalene, α-tocopherol and phenolics, in which the squalene was the distinct constituent with the content between 45.8±0.8 and 184.1±5.5 mg/kg. The β-sitosterol ranging from 143.7±4.8 to 1704.6±72.0 mg/kg contributed a considerable content to total accompaniments. Palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid were present in these CSOs, in which the dominant fatty acid was oleic acid with the content between 59.66±0.72 and 82.89±2.16 g/100 g. The AV ranged from 0.1±0.0 to 1.3±0.0 mg KOH/g, and the POV was between 0.1±0.0 and 1.0±0.0 g/100 g. These CSOs showed antioxidant activity based on DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assay. Both α-tocopherol and β-sitosterol contents showed a positive correlation with DPPH and ABTS values, respectively, while the α-tocopherol content showed a negative correlation with AV. These results suggested that CSO can be categorized into high oleic acid vegetable oil with abundant active constituents, of which the quality presented variation among different origins. These accompaniments may contribute to the delay of its quality deterioration.

Our study aimed to explore the potential of using nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) to enhance the topical administration of β-sitosterol, a bioactive that is poorly soluble in water. Here, we have taken advantage of the unique characteristics that cubosomes have to provide as a drug delivery system. These characteristics include a large surface area, thermal stability, and the capacity to encapsulate molecules that are hydrophobic, amphiphilic, and hydrophilic. The cubosomal formulation was optimized by building a central composite design. The optimum dispersion exhibited a particle size of 88.3 nm, a zeta potential of -43, a polydispersity index of 0.358, and drug entrapment of 95.6%. It was composed of 15% w/w oleic acid and 5% w/w pluronic F127. The optimized cubosome dispersion was incorporated into a sponge formulation. The optimized cubosome sponge achieved a higher drug release compared with the cubosome dispersion. The SEM micrograph of the selected sponge showed that it has an interwoven irregular fibrous lamellar structure with low density and high porosity. The in-vivo data revealed that topical application of the β-sitosterol cubosomal sponge showed significant higher wound closure percentage relative to the β-sitosterol product (Mebo)®.

This study aimed to develop a rapid method for separation of stigmasterol, campesterol and β-sitosterol in Prunus spinosa L. (sloe) fruit extracts by High Performance Liquid Chromatography system. Samples were prepared by Soxhlet extraction method and separated on a high strength silica C18 column using acetonitrile-methanol mobile phase and Photodiode Array Detector. The optimized method resulted in a linear calibration curve ranging from 1.7 ng mL-1 to 130 ng mL-1 for all three phytosterols. Analyses of internal and external phytosterol standards showed good linearity (R2 of 0.998 to 0.999); LOD and LOQ were determined to be 2.33×10-7-2.18×10-4 and 7.07×10-7-6.60×10-4 mg mL-1, respectively. Repeatability and reproducibility precision analyses showed acceptable values of RSD %. β-sitosterol was the predominant phytosterol (51.53-81.03 % of total) among all samples. Method validation parameters indicated that this analytical method can be applied for accurate and precise determination of campesterol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol, in selected extracts.

Du Zhong is a valuable Chinese medicinal herb unique to China. It is a national second- class precious protected tree, known as \"plant gold\", which has been used to treat various diseases since ancient times. The main active ingredients are lignans, phenylprophetons, flavonoids, iridoids and steroids and terpenoids, which have pharmacological effects such as lowering blood pressure, enhancing immunity, regulating bone metabolism, protecting nerve cells, protecting liver and gallbladder and regulating blood lipids. In this paper, a comprehensive review of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. was summarized from the processing and its compositional changes, applications, chemical components, pharmacological effects, and pharmacokinetics, and the Q-marker of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. is preliminarily predicted from the aspects of traditional efficacy, medicinal properties and measurability of chemical composition, and the pharmacodynamic substance basis and potential Q-marker of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. are further analyzed through network pharmacology. It is speculated that quercetin, kaempferol, β-sitosterol, chlorogenic acid and pinoresinol diglucoside components are selected as quality markers of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv., which provide a basis for the quality control evaluation and follow-up research and development of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.

BACKGROUND: There has been a substantial increase in the use of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) to treat morbid obesity despite observational evidence demonstrating the superiority of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) for reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The main aim was to ascertain whether high LDL cholesterol levels should be considered when selecting the most appropriate surgical procedure for each patient (RYGB or SG).
METHODS: In this single-center, randomized clinical trial using intention-to-treat analysis, 38 patients with severe obesity and elevated levels of LDL cholesterol were randomly assigned to undergo RYGB or SG. The primary outcome was LDL cholesterol remission at 12 months, defined as LDL cholesterol < 3.36 nmol/l without lipid-lowering medications. Secondary outcomes included changes in weight, other comorbidities, qualitative lipoprotein traits, cholesterol esters, glycoproteins, cholesterol absorption and synthesis metabolites and complications.
RESULTS: Intention-to-treat analysis revealed that LDL cholesterol remission occurred in 66.6% of RYGB patients compared to 27.8% of SG patients (p = 0.019). Among patients completing follow-up, RYGB demonstrated superior remission (80.0% vs. 29.4%, p = 0.005). Exclusive benefits of RYGB included a reduction in large, medium, and small LDL particles. Cholesterol absorption markers showed differential behavior after both techniques: campesterol (Δ -15.2 µg/mg, 95% CI -30.2 to -0.1) decreased after RYGB, and sitosterol (Δ 21.1 µg/mg, 95% CI 0.9 to 41.2), cholestanol (Δ 30.6 µg/mg, 95% CI 14.8 to 57.9) and campesterol (Δ 18.4 µg/mg, 95% CI 4.4 to 32.3) increased after SG. No differences in weight loss, cholesterol esters, glycoproteins, cholesterol synthesis metabolites or postoperative complications were observed between techniques.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, RYGB is superior to SG in terms of short-term of high LDL cholesterol remission. Furthermore, RYGB also led to a greater improvement in lipoprotein parameters that confer an atherogenic profile. Therefore, the presence of elevated levels of LDL cholesterol should be considered when determining the optimal bariatric surgery procedure for each patient.
BACKGROUND: Clinicaltrials.gov number, NCT03975478).

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder mainly affecting joints, yet the systemic inflammation can influence other organs and tissues. The objective of this study was to unravel the ameliorative capability of Ondansetron (O) or β-sitosterol (BS) against inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress that complicates Extra-articular manifestations (EAM) in liver, kidney, lung, and heart of arthritic and arthritic irradiated rats.
METHODS: This was accomplished by exposing adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats to successive weekly fractions of total body γ-irradiation (2 Gray (Gy)/fraction once per week for four weeks, up to a total dose of 8 Gy). Arthritic and/or arthritic irradiated rats were either treated with BS (40 mg/kg b.wt. /day, orally) or O (2 mg/kg) was given ip) or were kept untreated as model groups.
RESULTS: Body weight changes, paw circumference, oxidative stress indices, inflammatory response biomarkers, expression of Janus kinase-2 (JAK-2), Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), high mobility group box1 (HMGB1), and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), as well as pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators in the target organs, besides histopathological examination of ankle joints and extra-articular tissues. Treatment of arthritic and/or arthritic irradiated rats with BS or O powerfully alleviated changes in body weight gain, paw swelling, oxidative stress, inflammatory reactions, and histopathological degenerative alterations in articular and non-articular tissues.
CONCLUSIONS: The obtained data imply that BS or O improved the articular and EAM by regulating oxidative and inflammatory indices in arthritic and arthritic irradiated rats.

To explore the effects of β-Sitosterol upon hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and to investigate the underlying mechanism using network pharmacology. Human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (Huh-7 and HCCLM3) were expose to gradient concentrations of β-Sitosterol (5 μg/mL, 10 μg/mL, and 20 μg/mL). Cell viability and proliferation were assessed using MTT, CCK-8, colony formation, and EdU assays.Flow cytometry was employed to evaluate cell cycle and apoptosis. Scratch and Transwell assays were performed, respectively, to detect cell migration and invasion. The levels of apoptosis-associated proteins (BAX, BCL2, and cleaved caspase3) as well as EMT-associated proteins (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Snail, and Vimentin) were detected in Huh-7 and HCCLM3 cell lines using Western blot analysis. The drug target gene for β-Sitosterol was screened via PubChem and subsequently evaluated for expression in the GSE112790 dataset. In addition, the expression level of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3B) within the Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC) database was analyzed, along with its correlation to the survival outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The diagnostic efficiency of GSK3B was assessed by analyzing the ROC curve. Subsequently, Huh-7 and HCCLM3 cell lines were transfected with the overexpression vector of GSK3B and then treated with β-Sitosterol to further validate the association between GSK3B and β-Sitosterol. GSK3B demonstrated a significantly elevated expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, which could predict hepatocellular carcinoma patients\' impaired prognosis based on GEO dataset and TCGA database. GSK3B inhibitor (CHIR-98014) notably inhibited cell proliferation and invasion, promoted cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. β-Sitosterol treatment further promoted the efffects of GSK3B inhibitor on hepatocellular carcinoma cells. GSK3B overexpression has been found to enhance the proliferative and invasive capabilities of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Furthermore it has been observed that GSK3B overexpression, it has been obsear can partially reverse the inhibitory effect of β-Sitosterol upon hepatocellular. β-Sitosterol suppressed hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and invasion, and enhanced apoptosis via inhibiting GSK3B expression.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease caused by the loss of immune tolerance to platelet autoantigens, resulting in reduced platelet production and increased platelet destruction. Impaired megakaryocyte differentiation and maturation is a key factor in the pathogenesis and treatment of ITP. Sarcandra glabra, a plant of the Chloranthaceae family, is commonly used in clinical practice to treat ITP, and daucosterol (Dau) is one of its active ingredients. However, whether Dau can treat ITP and the key mechanism of its effect are still unclear. In this study, we found that Dau could effectively promote the differentiation and maturation of megakaryocytes and the formation of polyploidy in the megakaryocyte differentiation disorder model constructed by co-culturing Dami and HS-5 cells. In vivo experiments showed that Dau could not only increase the number of polyploidized megakaryocytes in the ITP rat model, but also promote the recovery of platelet count. In addition, through network pharmacology analysis, we speculated that the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway might be involved in the process of Dau promoting megakaryocyte differentiation. Western blot results showed that Dau inhibited the expression of P-JAK2 and P-STAT3. In summary, these results provide a basis for further studying the pharmacological mechanism of Dau in treating ITP.

Clickable chemical tools are essential for studying the localization and role of biomolecules in living cells. For this purpose, alkyne-based close analogs of the respective biomolecules are of outstanding interest. Here, in the field of phytosterols, we present the first alkyne derivative of sitosterol, which fulfills the crucial requirements for such a chemical tool as follows: very similar in size and lipophilicity to the plant phytosterols, and correct absolute configuration at C-24. The alkyne sitosterol FB-DJ-1 was synthesized, starting from stigmasterol, which comprised nine steps, utilizing a novel alkyne activation method, a Johnson-Claisen rearrangement for the stereoselective construction of a branched sterol side chain, and a Bestmann-Ohira reaction for the generation of the alkyne moiety.