{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T22:58:18Z","timestamp":1790290698694,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,14]],"date-time":"2020-12-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1607904000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"China Post-doctoral Science Foundation","award":["2019M653087"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2019M653087"]}]},{"name":"Shenzhen Science and Technology Committee Research Grant","award":["JCYJ20170413173747440; ZDSYS201707281432317; JCYJ20180306174903174"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JCYJ20170413173747440; ZDSYS201707281432317; JCYJ20180306174903174"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100017291","name":"Zhongshan Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ZSST20SC03"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ZSST20SC03"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100017291","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Guangzhou Science and Technology Committee Research Grant","award":["GZSTI16SC02; GZSTI17SC02"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GZSTI16SC02; GZSTI17SC02"]}]},{"name":"GBA Institute of Collaborate Innovation","award":["GICI-022"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GICI-022"]}]},{"name":"Special project of Foshan University of science and technology in 2019","award":["FSUST19-SRI10"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FSUST19-SRI10"]}]},{"name":"Hong Kong RGC Theme-based Research Scheme","award":["T13\u2013607\/12R"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["T13\u2013607\/12R"]}]},{"name":"Hong Kong RGC Theme-based Research Scheme","award":["T13-605\/18-W"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["T13-605\/18-W"]}]},{"name":"Hong Kong Innovation Technology Fund","award":["UIM\/340, UIM\/385, ITS\/500\/18FP; TCPD\/17-9"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIM\/340, UIM\/385, ITS\/500\/18FP; TCPD\/17-9"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Stephaniae tetrandrae radix (STR) is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in alleviating edema by inducing diuresis. In the clinic, STR extracts or its components are widely used in the treatment of edema, dysuria, and rheumatism for the regulation of water metabolism. Furthermore, STR has been used in treating emotional problems for years by combining with other Chinese herbs. However, the material basis and mechanism of STR on the nervous system have not been revealed. Here, the main components of STR extracts with different extracting solvents were identified, including three major alkaloids, i.e., cyclanoline, fangchinoline, and tetrandrine. The cholinesterase inhibitory activity of STR extracts and its alkaloids was determined using the Ellman assay. Both cyclanoline and fangchinoline showed acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity, demonstrating noncompetitive enzyme inhibition. In contrast, tetrandrine did not show enzymatic inhibition. The synergism of STR alkaloids with huperzine A or donepezil was calculated by the median-effect principle. The drug combination of fangchinoline\u2013huperzine A or donepezil synergistically inhibited AChE, having a combination index (CI) &lt; 1 at Fa = 0.5. Furthermore, the molecular docking results showed that fangchinoline bound with AChE residues in the peripheral anionic site, and cyclanoline bound with AChE residues in the peripheral anionic site, anionic site, and catalytic site. In parallel, cyclanoline bound with butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) residues in the anionic site, catalytic site, and aromatic site. The results support that fangchinoline and cyclanoline, alkaloids derived from STR, could account for the anti-AChE function of STR. Thus, STR extract or its alkaloids may potentially be developed as a therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer\u2019s patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules25245914","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,14]],"date-time":"2020-12-14T22:30:52Z","timestamp":1607985052000},"page":"5914","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["The Cholinesterase Inhibitory Properties of Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"25","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2013-1131","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xiang-Peng","family":"Kong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Pharmaceutical &amp; Food Engineering, Chinese Medicine Master Studio of Wang Shimin, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, 121 Daxue Road, Yuci District, Jinzhong 030619, China"},{"name":"Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Shenzhen 518057, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hai-Qin","family":"Ren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Shenzhen 518057, China"},{"name":"Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Etta Y. L.","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety of Guangdong Province, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6137-3877","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ka-Wing","family":"Leung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Shenzhen 518057, China"},{"name":"Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shu-Chen","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Shenzhen 518057, China"},{"name":"Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ran","family":"Duan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Shenzhen 518057, China"},{"name":"Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tina T. X.","family":"Dong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Shenzhen 518057, China"},{"name":"Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Karl W. K.","family":"Tsim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Shenzhen 518057, China"},{"name":"Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.1007\/s12264-008-0105-7","article-title":"Alzheimer\u2019s disease: Epidemiology, genetics, and beyond","volume":"24","author":"Wang","year":"2008","journal-title":"Neurosci. Bull."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"192","article-title":"Best predictors of cognitive status in AD: Amyloid, neurofibrillary tangles or neuronal loss","volume":"15","author":"Giannakopoulos","year":"2003","journal-title":"Int. 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