Jinnan Zhang

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs-)-ultrasonic-assisted extraction technology was used to evaluate and optimize the extraction process of paeoniflorin and paeonol in Moutan Cortex. First of all, 10 kinds of choline chloride-based DESs were selected as potential extraction solvents, and the DES extraction effect of choline chloride: lactic acid was determined to be the best. Then, single-factor experiments were conducted to explore the effects of DES composition (molar ratio, water content, and ratio of material to liquid) and ultrasonic treatment (ultrasonic power, extraction time, extraction temperature, and vortex time) on the yield of paeoniflorin and paeonol in Moutan Cortex. On this basis, the response surface method was used to optimize the process of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of paeoniflorin and paeonol from Moutan Cortex with DESs. The results showed that the optimum process parameters of DESs-ultrasonic-assisted extraction of paeoniflorin and paeonol from Moutan Cortex were as follows: molar ratio of choline chloride to lactic acid was 1 : 2, water content was 30%, ratio of material to liquid was 1 : 30 (g/mL), ultrasonic power was 300 W, extraction time was 33 min, extraction temperature was 50°C, and vortex time was 5 min. Under these conditions, the yield sum of paeoniflorin and paeonol in the obtained Moutan Cortex was 9.279 mg/g. The difference between the experimental value and the theoretical value was 0.333 mg/g. The results showed that the response surface method can simulate and predict the yield of paeoniflorin and paeonol in Moutan Cortex under different extraction conditions, and it was feasible to optimize the process parameters. The results of this study show that DES has great potential to replace traditional solvents in the extraction of active components of the Moutan Cortex. The study on the extraction of active components of traditional Chinese medicine by DES is helpful to expand the scope of the application of DES in traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective. To compare the difference of inflammatory cytokines and lymphocyte subsets between deceased patients and survivors with COVID‐19. Methods. This retrospective study included 254 confirmed patients from 10 January to 11 March, 2020, at Tongji Hospital of Wuhan, China. Laboratory and immunologic features were collected and analyzed, and the main outcomes focused on inflammatory cytokines and lymphocyte subsets. Results. A trend of markedly higher levels of inflammatory cytokines as well as lower lymphocyte subset levels in deceased patients was observed compared with survivors. ROC curve analyses indicated that inflammatory cytokines and the decrease levels of T cell, Th (helper T cells) cell, Ts (suppressor T cells) cell, B cell, and NK cell along with Th/Ts ratio increase could be used to predict the death of COVID‐19. Multivariate analyses showed that higher levels of IL‐6, IL‐8, and IL‐10 remained significantly correlated with shorter survival time and that the amount of Ts cells was negatively associated with the possibility of death in COVID‐19 patients. In conclusion, SARS‐CoV‐2 would cause lymphopenia and result in decreased lymphocyte subset cells, particularly in Ts cell counts, which further induces hyperinflammatory response and cytokine storm. IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, and Ts cell might be independent predictors for the poor outcome of COVID‐19.