Changes in free amino acid and protein polymerization in wheat caryopsis and endosperm during filling after shading.

Over the past several decades, a decreasing trend in solar radiation has been observed during the wheat growing season. The effects of shade stress on grain yield formation have been extensively studied. However, little information on shade stress's effects on protein formation warrants further investigation. Two wheat cultivars were grown under three treatments, no shade as the control group (CK), shading from the joint to the anthesis stage (S1), and shading from the joint to the mature stage (S2), to investigate the effects of shade stress on the free amino acids of the caryopsis and endosperm and protein accumulation during grain filling. The dry mass of caryopsis and endosperm was significantly decreased under shade stress, whereas Glu, Ser, Ala, and Asp and protein relative content increased during grain filling. The observed increases in total protein in S1 and S2 were attributed to the increases in the SDS-isoluble and SDS-soluble protein extracts, respectively. S1 improved polymer protein formation, but S2 delayed the conversion of albumins and globulins into monomeric and polymeric proteins. Moreover, shade stress increased the proportion of SDS-unextractable polymeric protein, which represented an increase in the degree of protein polymerization. The polymerization of protein interrelations between protein components and accumulation in caryopsis and endosperm provided novel insights into wheat quality formation under shade stress.

Relationship between the baking quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and the protein composition and structure after shading.

Although wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain protein content is increased by shade stress, the relationship between the baking quality of wheat flour and protein composition and structure remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of shade stress on wheat flour protein composition and structure. The contents of the flour protein, α/ß-gliadins and disulfide and hydrogen bonds were significantly increased by shade stress. Glutenins, UPP%, and ß-sheet contents also increased, whereas that of α-helices decreased. Spearman correlations revealed that the flour protein content, Glu:Gli ratio, and disulfide, hydrogen, and ionic bonds can predict the specific volume and number of crumb cells in bread, whereas α/ß-gliadins content can predict the crumb cell wall thickness and diameter of bread. Under shade stress, variations in protein composition and structure help increase the specific volume and crumb cells number and decrease crumb cell wall thickness and diameter of bread, ultimately leading to improved baking quality.

[Research progress in pathogenesis and traditional Chinese medicines treatment of ischemic stroke-related headache].

Headache is a common clinical complication of ischemic stroke. As a precursor of stroke, headache occurs repeatedly in the convalescent period of ischemic stroke, leading to secondary stroke and seriously hindering patients' rehabilitation. Currently, it is believed that the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke-related headache is associated with the abnormal release of vasoactive substances, high platelet aggregation, and stimulation of intracranial pain-sensitive structures. The active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) with the effects of activating blood to resolve stasis and clearing heat to release exterior can protect brain tissue and relieve headache by reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines, alleviating antioxidant stress, inhibiting neuronal apoptosis and so on. This paper introduces the research progress in the potential mechanism and TCM treatment of ischemic stroke-related headache, aiming to provide reference for further research and drug development of this complication.

Regulating the composition and secondary structure of wheat protein through canopy shading to improve dough performance and nutritional index.

Viscoelastic properties of gluten proteins critically determine the biscuit-making quality. However, cultivar genetics and light conditions closely regulate the composition of the gluten proteins. The impact of pre- and post-anthesis shading (60 %) on amino acid profile, gluten protein composition, secondary structure, dough performance, and biscuit-making quality were evaluated using four wheat cultivars that differ in gluten protein composition. Pre- and post-anthesis shading increased the contents of gliadin, by 35.8 and 3.1 %; glutenin, by 27.6 and 7.3 %; and total protein, by 21.7 and 10.6 %, respectively, compared with those of unshaded plants. Conversely, the ratios of glutenin/gliadin, ω-/(α,ß + Î³)-gliadin, and high-molecular-weight/low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits decreased with shading. Strong-gluten cultivars exhibited smaller declines in these parameters than weak-gluten cultivars. Secondary structure analysis of the wheat protein revealed that shading increased ß-sheet content but decreased ß-turn content. Changes in protein components and their secondary structures caused an increase in wet gluten content, dough development time, and gluten performance index, thereby decreasing the biscuit spread ratio. Shading stress increased the protein content and nutrition index but decreased the biological value of protein by 2.5 %. Transcriptomic results revealed that shading induced 139 differentially expressed genes that decreased carbohydrate metabolism and increased amino acid metabolism, involved in increased protein content. Thus, canopy shading improves dough performance and nutrition index by regulating the amino acid profiles, protein compositions, and secondary structures. The study provides key insights for achieving superior grain quality under global dimming.

[Traditional application and modern research progress on new foreign medicinal resources].

Chinese medicinal resources are the material basis for the survival and development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)and the sustainable development of Chinese medicinal resources is also an important project for the modernization of TCM in China. With the increasing demand for Chinese medicinal resources in China, over-exploitation has destroyed Chinese medicinal resources, resulting in a shortage of many natural medicinal resources in China and making the sustainable development of TCM in trouble. The introduced new foreign medicinal resources have become effective supplement and replacement for Chinese medicinal resources to some extent. However, the development and utilization of new foreign medicinal resources in China are different. To fully understand the development of new foreign medicinal resources in China, this paper, taking 43 new foreign medicinal resources such as Acacia nilotica as objects, sorted out the introduction forms and policies of new foreign medicinal resources, overviewed its current development status in China, summarized the application experience of new foreign medicinal resources in the place of origin, as well as the research progress and problems of new foreign medicinal resources in China and abroad, and analyzed the research situation, which can enrich Chinese medicinal resources and other uses, promote the sustainable development of Chinese medicinal resources, and provide ideas for further development and research of new foreign medicinal resources.

Protective Effect of Trillium tschonoskii Maxim Components Against Glutamate-Induced SH-SY5Y Cells Damage Through Regulating Apoptosis.

Context: Among the Tujia people, the root or rhizome of Trillium tschonoskii Maxim.in Bull.Acad (TTM) is considered a miraculous herb for headaches. Previous studies have shown ethyl acetate extract (TTM1) can protect SH-SY5Y cells against glutamate injury. Objective: This study clarified TTM1's mechanism against glutamate-induced cell damage, focusing on the regulation of apoptosis. The compounds were separated, identified, and performed molecular docking with pro-apoptotic proteins. Materials and Methods: SH-SY5Y cells were treated with glutamate (2 mM) for 12 hour, and the effect of TTM1 (2.5, 5, 10, and 20 µg/mL) was evaluated with MTT and LDH release assays, taking EGb761(40 µg/mL) as a control. Cell apoptosis was detected with Hoechst 33258 and Annexin V-FITC and measurements of intracellular calcium and caspase-3. The major components were separated and identified by LCMS-IT-TOF and NMR, then the proapoptotic activity of TTM1 was confirmed by molecular docking method. Results: TTM1 protected SH-SY5Y cells by resisting apoptosis, TTM1 (10 and 20 µg/mL) decreased apoptotic bodies and nuclear fragments, increased the proportion of normal cells to 68.38 ± 5.63% and 92.80 ± .88%, decreased VA cells to 4.30 ± .76% and 3.58 ± .45% and caspase-3 to .365 ± .034 and .344 ± .047 ng/mL.TTM1 (10 µg/mL) decreased intracellular free calcium to 2.77 ± .40. Polyphyllin VI and pennogenin 3-O-ß-chacotrioside were identified in TTM1 at 15.04% and 2.84%, and had potential anti-apoptosis activities. Discussion and Conclusions: Folk records of TTM for headache may be related to its anti-apoptosis of nerve cells. Identification and content determination of index components based on effective extract provides research paradigms for rare and endangered ethnic plants.

Shading affects the starch structure and digestibility of wheat by regulating the photosynthetic light response of flag leaves.

Heavy haze-induced decreases in solar radiation represent an important factor that affects the structural properties of starch macromolecules. However, the relationship between the photosynthetic light response of flag leaves and the structural properties of starch remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of light deprivation (60 %) during the vegetative-growth or grain-filling stage on the leaf light response, starch structure, and biscuit-baking quality of four wheat cultivars with contrasting shade tolerance. Shading decreased the apparent quantum yield and maximum net photosynthetic rate of flag leaves, resulting in a lower grain-filling rate and starch content and higher protein content. Shading decreased the starch, amylose, and small starch granule amount and swelling power but increased the larger starch granule amount. Under shade stress, the lower amylose content decreased the resistant starch content while increasing the starch digestibility and estimated glycemic index. Shading during the vegetative-growth stage increased starch crystallinity, 1045/1022 cm-1 ratio, starch viscosity, and the biscuit spread ratio, while shading during the grain-filling stage decreased these values. Overall, this study indicated that low light affects the starch structure and biscuit spread ratio by regulating the photosynthetic light response of flag leaves.

Synergistic effect of cucurbitacin E and myricetin on Anti-Non-Small cell lung cancer: Molecular mechanism and therapeutic potential.

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with extremely high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad, widely distributed in Asian and African countries, is used to treat cancers in traditional Uyghur medicine. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: The combination of Cucurbitacin E (CuE) and Myricetin (Myr) of C. colocynthis could treat NSCLC by targeting autophagy. STUDY DESIGN: The potential anti-cancer components (CuE and Myr) of C. colocynthis were identified using in-silico methods and further in vitro explored the anti-NSCLC properties of the combination of CuE and Myr. METHODS: Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to identify potential therapeutic compounds of C. colocynthis for the treatment of NSCLC. In A549 cells, the anti-cancer activities and synergy of CuE and Myr were studied using CompuSyn, their mechanism behind autophagy regulation was determined by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: CuMy-12 (CuE: 0.5 µM, Myr: 20 µM), a combination of CuE and Myr from C. colocynthis, inhibited A549 cell proliferation and colony formation, and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase, exhibiting a synergistic effect. Furthermore, CuMy-12 inhibited autophagy and activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, which was characterized by a decrease in Beclin 1, AKT, and phospho-AKT proteins. CONCLUSION: CuMy-12 can be considered a natural candidate with anticancer activity for autophagy-based regulation, but mechanistic and clinical studies are required to validate its potential.

Effect of Massa Medicata Fermentata on the intestinal flora of rats with functional dyspepsia.

BACKGROUND: Massa Medicata Fermentata (MMF) is one of the most commonly used traditional fermented Chinese medicines. MMF is widely used for the treatment of digestive diseases such as dyspepsia and flatulence in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, the therapeutic mechanism of MMF is not well understood. METHOD: In this study, SD rats received 0.1% iodoacetamide either alone or in combination with water platform sleep deprivation to induce functional dyspepsia and were administered MMF (1 or 3 g/kg/d, ig), mosapride citrate (Mosa., 2 mg/kg/d, ig) or saline for 21 days. After treatment, the sucrose preferences and gastric emptying rates of the rats were assessed; HE staining was used to detect the pathological changes in the rat duodenum; ELISA kits were used to detect motilin (MTL) in the rat duodenum and the serum contents of Interferon-λ (IFN-λ), Interleukin 6 (IL-6), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α). An approach based on 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was utilized to explore the intestinal microflora in the colon contents of rats and the metabolism of the microflora to assess the potential mechanisms of MMF in ameliorating functional dyspepsia (FD). In addition, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to detect changes in short fatty acids (SCFAs) in the colon contents of rats. RESULTS: MMF reduced the serum levels of TNF-α, and IFN-λ, improved the morphology of duodenal intestinal villi and ameliorated intestinal mucosal lamina propria injury in FD rats, and the sucrose preference increased and the gastric emptying rate decreased in FD rats. MMF alleviated intestinal microflora disturbance and exerted a regulatory effect on Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes, reduced total SCAFs, Butyric Acid, Propionic acid-2-methyl, Butanoic Acid-3-methyl, and Hexanoic acid. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that the effect of MMF on the intestinal flora and its metabolites may provide a new treatment strategy for FD.

Quality marker prediction in Trillium tschonoskii based on UHPLC-MS chemical characterisation and network pharmacology.

INTRODUCTION: As a folk herbal medicine, Trillium tschonoskii has been used for thousands of years. However, due to the complexity of the chemical constituents of this herb, few investigations have acquired a comprehensive understanding of its quality markers. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to characterise the chemical composition of T. tschonoskii and identify its potential quality markers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic analytical method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) was used to characterise the constituents of T. tschonoskii. Multivariate statistical analysis was performed to investigate the chemical differences between different tissues, as well as the relationship between chemical compositions and habitats. The potential quality markers were predicted via network pharmacology and molecular docking, then confirmed by cellular assays. RESULTS: A total of 77 compounds were co-isolated and identified, and among them, 26 were discovered from the genus Trillium for the first time. Ten batches of roots/rhizomes were explicitly clustered into five groups according to the climate types of the habitats, and the clusters of the fruits and roots/rhizomes from the same plants were independent due to the significant difference in chemical composition. Diosgenin had a good docking affinity with the relevant targets within the IL-17 pathway and cytokine pathway and could significantly inhibit TNF-α expression in hypoxic brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to establish the chemical composition profile of T. tschonoskii by UHPLC-MS systematically, and diosgenin was confirmed to be a potential quality marker of T. tschonoskii for the treatment of headaches.

Response of soil bacterial communities in wheat rhizosphere to straw mulching and N fertilization.

Straw mulching and N fertilization are effective in augmenting crop yields. Since their combined effects on wheat rhizosphere bacterial communities remain largely unknown, our aim was to assess how the bacterial communities respond to these agricultural measures. We studied wheat rhizosphere microbiomes in a split-plot design experiment with maize straw mulching (0 and 8,000 kg straw ha-1) as the main-plot treatment and N fertilization (0, 120 and 180 kg N ha-1) as the sub-plot treatment. Bacterial communities in the rhizosphere were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and quantitative PCR. Most of the differences in soil physicochemical properties and rhizosphere bacterial communities were detected between the straw mulching (SM) and no straw mulching (NSM) treatments. The contents of soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), NH4 +-N, available N (AN), available P (AP) and available K (AK) were higher with than without mulching. Straw mulching led to greater abundance, diversity and richness of the rhizosphere bacterial communities. The differences in bacterial community composition were related to differences in soil temperature and SOC, AP and AK contents. Straw mulching altered the soil physiochemical properties, leading to greater bacterial diversity and richness of the rhizosphere bacterial communities, likely mostly due to the increase in SOC content that provided an effective C source for the bacteria. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria was high in all treatments and most of the differentially abundant OTUs were proteobacterial. Multiple OTUs assigned to Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi and Actinobacteria were enriched in the SM treatment. Putative plant growth promoters were enriched both in the SM and NSM treatments. These findings indicate potential strategies for the agricultural management of soil microbiomes.

Simultaneously genetic selection of wheat yield and grain protein quality in rice-wheat and soybean-wheat cropping systems through critical nitrogen efficiency-related traits.

Analyzing the contribution of nitrogen (N) uptake and its utilization in grain yield and protein quality-related traits in rice-wheat (RW) and soybean-wheat (SW) cropping systems is essential for simultaneous improvements in the two target traits. A field experiment with nine wheat genotypes was conducted in 2018-19 and 2019-20 cropping years to investigate N uptake and utilization-related traits associated with high wheat yield and good protein quality. Results showed that N uptake efficiency (NUpE) in the RW cropping system and N utilization efficiency (NUtE) in the SW cropping system explained 77.6 and 65.2% of yield variation, respectively, due to the contribution of fertile spikes and grain number per spike to grain yield varied depending on soil water and N availability in the two rotation systems. Lower grain protein content in the RW cropping system in comparison to the SW cropping system was mainly related to lower individual N accumulation at maturity, resulting from higher fertile spikes, rather than N harvest index (NHI). However, NHI in the SW cropping system accounted for greater variation in grain protein content. Both gluten index and post-anthesis N uptake were mainly affected by genotype, and low gluten index caused by high post-anthesis N uptake may be related to the simultaneous increase in kernel weight. N remobilization process associated with gluten quality was driven by increased sink N demand resulting from high grain number per unit area in the RW cropping system; confinement of low sink N demand and source capability resulted in low grain number per spike and water deficit limiting photosynthesis of flag leaf in the SW cropping system. CY-25 obtained high yield and wet gluten content at the expense of gluten index in the two wheat cropping systems, due to low plant height and high post-anthesis N uptake and kernel weight. From these results, we concluded that plant height, kernel weight, and post-anthesis N uptake were the critically agronomic and NUE-related traits for simultaneous selection of grain yield and protein quality. Our research results provided useful guidelines for improving both grain yield and protein quality by identifying desirable N-efficient genotypes in the two rotation systems.

Resveratrol Reestablishes Mitochondrial Quality Control in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury through Sirt1/Sirt3-Mfn2-Parkin-PGC-1α Pathway.

Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol found in various plants. It has been widely studied on cardiovascular disorders. It is known that resveratrol can activate Sirtuin proteins and participate in cellular energy metabolism through a Sirtuin-dependent pathway. Here, we hypothesized that resveratrol may protect against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) through the target of Sirt1/Sirt3 on mitochondrial dynamics, cardiac autophagy, bioenergetics and oxidative damage in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. We observed that resveratrol could activate the Sirt1/Sirt3-FoxO pathway on myocardial mitochondria in H/R cardiomyocytes. Subsequently, we found that resveratrol repaired the fission-fusion balance, autophagic flux and mitochondrial biosynthesis compared by H/R group. These changes were followed by increased functional mitochondrial number, mitochondrial bioenergetics and a better mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme system. Meanwhile, these effects were antagonized by co-treatment with Selisistat (Ex527), a Sirtuin inhibitor. Together, our findings uncover the potential contribution of resveratrol in reestablishing a mitochondrial quality control network with Parkin, Mfn2 and PGC-1α as the key nodes.

Market survey on the traditional medicine of the Lijiang area in Yunnan Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Traditional markets are important trading places for medicinal plants, and researchers performing market surveys often engage in ethnobotanical research to record the herbal plants used locally and any related traditional knowledge. However, information on market-traded medicinal plants from traditional markets in the Lijiang area of Yunnan is not well documented. This research is an ethnobotanical survey focusing on medicinal plants traded in the traditional markets of the Lijiang area and contributes to the understanding of medicinal plants and related information used by the Naxi people. METHODS: Ethnobotanical surveys were performed for two years (2019-2020). Three traditional markets in the Lijiang area were investigated. The methods we used included literature research, participatory surveys and group discussions. The collected voucher specimens were identified using the botanical taxonomy method and were deposited in the herbarium. The data were analysed through the informant consensus factor and use frequency (UF). These medicinal plants were compared with the Information System of Chinese Rare and Endangered Plants from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Those results were in turn compared with the Dongba Sutras and Yulong Ben Cao. RESULTS: A total of 277 species from 97 families were recorded, with Asteraceae providing the maximum numbers of medicinal plants. Among them, 248 species (89%) were wild plants and 266 species (92.39%) were from the local area. Root (40.43%) was the most common medicinal part. A total of 267 species (96.04%) had a UF value above 0.5. Eighty-three investigated human ailments were grouped into 16 categories. Diseases of the digestive system (166 mentions) were most frequently mentioned in this study. There were 19 species of nationally protected plants in China, including 2 species of first-level nationally protected plants and 17 species of second-level nationally protected plants. A total of 31 species of these medicinal plants can be found in the Dongba Sutra or Yulong Ben Cao. CONCLUSION: We surveyed the herbal medicine in the markets covering the Lijiang area, analysing and revealing the resource composition and current market situations. The medicinal plants used by the Naxi people are diverse and are used to treat a wide spectrum of body disorders. There are many wild medicinal plants, and to ensure sustainable development, their natural protection should be strengthened. Knowledge of the medicinal plants recorded in Naxi medical classics has ethnobotanical value and should be further developed.

[Study on potential molecular mechanism of Mongolian medicine Bawei Sanxiang San in treatment of chronic heart failure based on network pharmacology and molecular docking].

To explore the potential molecular mechanism of Mongolian medicine Bawei Sanxiang San in the treatment of chronic heart failure(CHF) through network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. The active ingredients and potential targets of Bawei Sanxiang San were collected by applying TCMSP, BATMAN databases and literature mining. CHF-related genes were collected through TTD, GeneCards and CTD databases. After the potential common targets between Bawei Sanxiang San and CHF were disco-vered, the interaction network diagram of "compound-target-pathway" was constructed using Cytoscape. The intersecting targets were imported into the DAVID database for GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Finally, the Autodock_vina software was used to molecularly dock the selected proteins with the active ingredients of Bawei Sanxiang San. The results showed that there were 60 active ingredients in Bawei Sanxiang San that might be used to treat CHF, involving 311 target genes and 7 signaling pathways that directly related to CHF, such as HIF-1 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes, aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption, calcium signaling pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, renin secretion. Additionally, molecular docking showed that the bioactive compounds had good binding activity with the protein receptors of key target genes. Bawei Sanxiang San might exert therapeutic effects on CHF by regulating cardiomyocytes, angiogenic and inflammation related targets and pathways in a multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway manner.

A strategy for component-based Chinese medicines design approach of Polygonum orientale L. against hypoxia/reoxygenation based on uniform design-stepwise regression-simulated annealing.

Presently, optimal proportions and synergistic mechanisms of component-based Chinese medicines are critical for developing novel strategies to treat cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). A new multi-objective optimization algorithm based on uniform design (UD) and stepwise regression (SR) modeling is proposed to find the synergistic effect of orientin (Ori), quercitrin (Que) and vitexin (Vit), the three effective components from Polygonum orientale L., using the H9c2 cells injury induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). The optimal proportion of these three components was calculated by simulated annealing (SA). In this research, the excellent combination named OQV-e (Ori: Que: Vit =12.55 µM: 39.99 µM: 19.99 µM) could exert significant cardioprotection against the H9c2 cells injury induced by H/R through increasing cell viability, decreasing leakage rate of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the level of nitric oxide (NO). Moreover, western blot analysis revealed that OQV-e could activate autophagy by inhibiting the p-JNK/JNK signaling pathway, which showed that the method (UD-SR-SA) was a feasible strategy. Mathematical system modeling may be a considerable approach for the powerful mathematical analysis of the complex pharmacological effects of component-based Chinese medicines from herbal medicines, which might greatly enhance the efficiency to find new modern Chinese drugs for CVDs based on Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) with affirmative therapeutic effect.

A review of the traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and quality control of the ethnic medicinal plant Persicaria orientalis (L.) Spach in China.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Persicaria orientalis (L.) Spach (syn. Polygonum orientale L.) is a potent medicinal herb widely used in many ethnic groups, such as the Han, Tibetan, Mongolian, Zhuang, Miao, Yao, Yi, Korean, Dong, Hani, Lisu, Naxi and She people in China. Aims of the review: This article aims to present the research progress on P. orientalis, which is helpful to understand the multi-purpose of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and prompt its medicinal value. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Information on P. orientalis was obtained from published materials, including monographs on medicinal plants, ancient and modern recorded classics, pharmacopoeias and electronic databases, such as Web of Science, Science Direct, Springer, AGRIS, Europe PMC, SCI Finder, PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang DATA, J-STAGE, classical treatises of modern pharmaceutical science and Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (FRPS). RESULTS: Clinical applications of traditional medicine of P. orientalis have therapeutic effects for dispelling rheumatism, promoting digestion, aiding diuresis and activating blood circulation. A total of 153 chemical constituents have been identified from P. orientalis, including flavonoids, carboxylic acids, phenolic acids, amino acids, hydrocarbons, chromones, lignans, volatile oils, amides and other components. Its active ingredients have a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as anti-oxidative, anti-aging, anti-inflammation, analgesia, anti-myocardial ischemia, anti-abortion, and anti-rheumatoid arthritis, as well as protective effects on cerebral ischemia and liver injury. By establishing stable detection methods, the quality standards of P. orientalis medicinal materials have been guaranteed, such as determination of the iconic components, harvesting periods and optimization of specific components extraction processes. CONCLUSIONS: P. orientalis has different pharmacological activities based on the diversity of chemical constituents. However, the existing reports mainly focus on the extracts, and these studies on its corresponding compounds are not clear enough. The information suggests that P. orientalis has good potential medicinal value, and more attention should be paid to further explore its bioactive components.

[Usage of ethnomedicine on COVID-19 in China].

In December 2019, an outbreak of viral pneumonia began in Wuhan, Hubei Province, which caused the spread of infectious pneumonia to a certain extent in China and neighboring countries and regions, and triggered the epidemic crisis. The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease listed as a B infectious disease, which is managed according to standards for A infectious disease. Traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine have played an active role in the prevention and control of this epidemic. China's ethnomedicine has recognized infectious diseases since ancient times, and formed a medical system including theory, therapies, formula and herbal medicines for such diseases. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Chuxiong Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan, Qiandongnan Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou have issued the prevention and control programs for COVID-19 using Tibetan, Mongolian, Uygur, Yi and Miao medicines. These programs reflect the wisdom of ethnomedicine in preventing and treating diseases, which have successfully extracted prescriptions and preventive measures for the outbreak of the epidemic from their own medical theories and traditional experiences. In this paper, we summarized and explained the prescriptions and medicinal materials of ethnomedicine in these programs, and the origin of Tibetan medicine prescriptions and Mongolian medicine prescriptions in ancient books were studied. These become the common characteristics of medical prevention and treatment programs for ethnomedicine to formulate therapeutic programs under the guidance of traditional medicine theories, recommend prescriptions and prevention and treatment methods with characteristics of ethnomedicine, and focus on the conve-nience and standardization. However, strengthening the support of science and technology and the popularization to the public, and improving the participation of ethnomedicine in national public health services and the capacity-building to deal with sudden and critical diseases are key contents in the development of ethnomedicine in the future.

[Research progress on chemical constituents of Citrullus colocynthis and their pharmacological effects].

Citrullus colocynthis is widely distributed in the desert regions of the world. C. colocynthis has shown to improve constipation, liver diseases, jaundice, typhoid fever, diabetes and asthma in traditional use. As a kind of exterritorialy medicinal material, C. colocynthis has been used in China and introduced successfully. The main active ingredients of C. colocynthis are cucurbitacin, flavonoids, alkaloids and phenolic acids, which have been proven to have antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-pathogenic microorganisms and anti-cancer activities in modern pharmacological research. This paper reviews the traditional application, chemical composition and pharmacological effects of C. colocynthis, and provides reference for the in-depth study for the efficacy and mechanism of different components of C. colocynthis.

MiR-3162-3p Is a Novel MicroRNA That Exacerbates Asthma by Regulating ß-Catenin.

Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease. In a previous study, we found several circulating microRNA signatures associated with childhood asthma and selected miR-3162-3p for subsequent studies. Since the target proteins and underlying molecular mechanisms of miR-3162-3p in asthma etiopathogenesis are not well characterized, we designed this study to clarify its role. We employed bioinformatics and quantitative PCR methods as a first step to determine the target of miR-3162-3p, and we elucidated ß-catenin. Luciferase assays and western blot analysis confirmed ß-catenin as a direct target of miR-3162-3p as the 3'-untranslated region of ß-catenin mRNA possesses a specific miR-3162-3p pairing site. The correlation between the expression levels of miR-3162-3p and ß-catenin is confirmed by quantitative PCR and western blot studies in A549, Beas-2B and H1299 cell lines and OVA-induced asthma mouse model. Of note, upregulation of the endogenous miR-3162-3p level is concomitant with the reduction of ß-catenin mRNA and protein expression levels. MiR-3162-3p antagomir treatment antagonizes the endogenous miR-3162-3p and effectively rescues the attenuation of endogenous ß-catenin in OVA-induced asthmatic mice, which alleviates airway hyperresponsiveness and ameliorates airway inflammation. Collectively, our findings suggest a novel relationship between miR-3162-3p and ß-catenin and clarify their mechanistic role in asthma etiopathogenesis.