Paotianxiong polysaccharides potential prebiotics: Structural analysis and prebiotic properties.

Paotianxiong (PTX) is a processing product of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx., often used as a tonic food daily. However, the structure and activity of the polysaccharide component that plays a major role still need to be determined. In our work, two new polysaccharides were purified from PTX and named PTXP-1 and PTXP-2. Structural analysis showed that PTXP-1 is a glucan with a molecular weight of 915 Da and a structure of 4)-α-D-Glcp-(1 â†’ as the main chain. PTXP-2 is a glucose arabinoglycan with 4)-α-D-Glcp-(1 â†’ as the main chain, containing 8 glycosidic bonds attached, and a molecular weight of 57.9KDa. In vitro probiotic experiments demonstrated that PTXP-1 could significantly promote probiotic growth and acid production. In vivo experiments demonstrated that both PTXP-1 and PTXP-2 exhibited significant effectiveness in promoting the growth of intestinal probiotics. These findings help expand the application of polysaccharide components extracted from tonic herbs as functional food ingredients.

Exploring the Potential Role of Massa Medicata Fermentata in Alcoholic Liver Injury Disease Based on Network Pharmacology and Animal Experiments.

BACKGROUND: ALD is a chronic liver disease caused by chronic excessive alcohol consumption, for which there are no drugs with better efficacy. Ancient literature and modern studies have shown that Massa Medicata Fermentata (MMF) has a hangover effect and ameliorates hepatic inflammation, so we believe that MMF has a potential role in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease. METHODS: UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS was used to characterize the chemical constituents in MMF. The database was utilized to collect targets for the components and diseases, and cross-targeting analysis of the targets was performed. PPI, KEGG, GO enrichment analysis and molecular docking were performed using the core cross-targeting information to preliminarily validate the mechanism of action of MMF on disease. Finally, animal validation was carried out using male KM mice of the alcoholic liver injury model. RESULTS: MMF could play a role in the therapeutic prevention of alcoholic liver disease through the core targets AKT1, TNF, TP53, IL6 and CASP3 to regulate cancer pathways, lipid, and atherosclerosis, targeting IL-17 signaling, TNF signaling pathway, and hepatitis C, which was confirmed by animal pharmacodynamic experiments. CONCLUSION: This study serves as a rationale to support MMF in the treatment of ALD and meets the urgent need for clinical treatment of ALD. At the same time, it broadens the scope of clinical application of MMF.

The current situation of Zanthoxylum bungeanum industry and the research and application prospect. A review.

Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. has been included in "The Plant List" (http://www.theplantlist.org) is a plant of the Rutaceae family of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, also named Chinese prickly ash. It is a resource for both medicinal and edible reasons. Traditional Chinese medicine claims that its main functions are: warming, and easing pain, destroying insects and soothing itching. Modern study has established that it possesses anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, insecticidal, anti-tumor, and other pharmacological characteristics effect. As a traditional condiment, Chinese prickly ash is the soul of Sichuan cuisine. Its numb flavor is the main characteristic and one crucial indicator of its quality. Studies have proven that the numb flavor of Chinese prickly ash stems from its abundant volatile oil. The research on the exact components of its volatile oil is becoming a hot spot. Sichuan, the central core-producing area of Chinese prickly ash, cultivates numerous species of prickly ash and is rich in resources. By planting Chinese prickly ash, the income level of local farmers has been enhanced, the villagers' quality of life has been considerably improved, and poverty has been lifted. This study briefly explains the planting status and production area distribution of prickly ash in Sichuan Province and reviews the recent research on the chemical components, volatile oil extraction methods, pharmacological effects, etc. Reasonable development prospects are projected to reference the in-depth research of prickly ash, the development and usage of resources, and the development of associated items.

Colonization characteristics of fungi in Polygonum hydropipe L. and Polygonum lapathifolium L. and its effect on the content of active ingredients.

Polygonum hydropiper, is a plant of the Persicaria genus, which is commonly used to treat various diseases, including gastrointestinal disorders, neurological disorders, inflammation, and diarrhea. However, because of different local standards of P. hydropiper, people often confuse it with Polygonum lapathifolium L. and other closely related plants. This poses a serious threat to the safety and efficacy of the clinical use of P. hydropiper. This study aims to determine the six active ingredients of P. hydropiper and P. lapathifolium. Then the endophytic fungi and rhizosphere soil of the two species were sequenced by Illumina Miseq PE300. The results show significant differences between the community composition of the leaves, stems, and roots of the P. hydropiper and the P. lapathifolium in the same soil environment. Of the six secondary metabolites detected, five had significant differences between P. hydropiper and P. lapathifolium. Then, we evaluated the composition of the significantly different communities between P. hydropiper and P. lapathifolium. In the P. hydropiper, the relative abundance of differential communities in the leaves was highest, of which Cercospora dominated the differential communities in the leaves and stem; in the P. lapathifolium, the relative abundance of differential community in the stem was highest, and Cladosporium dominated the differential communities in the three compartments. By constructing the interaction network of P. hydropiper and P. lapathifolium and analyzing the network nodes, we found that the core community in P. hydropiper accounted for 87.59% of the total community, dominated by Cercospora; the core community of P. lapathifolium accounted for 19.81% of the total community, dominated by Sarocladium. Of these core communities, 23 were significantly associated with active ingredient content. Therefore, we believe that the community from Cercospora significantly interferes with recruiting fungal communities in P. hydropiper and affects the accumulation of secondary metabolites in the host plant. These results provide an essential foundation for the large-scale production of P. hydropiper. They indicate that by colonizing specific fungal communities, secondary metabolic characteristics of host plants can be helped to be shaped, which is an essential means for developing new medicinal plants.