[Analysis of endophytic fungi community of Ligusticum chuanxiong using PCR-DGGE].

OBJECTIVE: To research the diversity of endophytic fungal communities among Ligusticum chuanxiong growing at 5 areas in Sichuan province, and illuminate the developing mechanism of geoherbs from the microecological perspective. METHOD: The PCR-DGGE and DNA sequencing techniques were used to analyze the endophytic fungi community of L. chuanxiong. RESULT: The community of endophytic fungi present difference among different growing areas. Though minor difference were found among individuals at the same area, similarity among individuals from the same growing areas were higher significantly than those from different growing areas. Compared with the other 4 growing areas, L. chuanxiong from Shiyang town, Dujiangyan city had more abundant endophytic fungi and low similarity to others, and which probably had special types of fungi. CONCLUSION: The abundant and stable endophytic fungal community is an important factor for the development of geoherb L. chuanxiong at Shiyang town, Dujiangyan city.

[Discussion on forming pattern of dao-di herbs Ligusticum chuanxiong].

As a famous-region Dao-di Herbs, Ligusticum chuanxiong which mainly grows in the west of the upper reaches of Jinma River in Dujiangyan for a long time. In recent years, the history, species and origin of L. chuanxiong were researched by many scholars. However, the forming pattern of Dao-di herbs of L. chuanxiong has not been reported systematically. Basing on the general principles of the formation of Dao-di herbs, it can be concluded that the forming pattern of L. chuanxiong is the type of two determinants, which are combined both unique ecological environment of genuine regions and advanced cultivation techniques.

[Herbal textual research on origin and development of chuanxiong].

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the origin and development of Xiongqiong with medicinal literatures. METHOD: Medical literatures of past dynasties were analysed combined with the modern material. RESULT: There were two main origins of Xiongqiong in ancient times: eastern origin and western origin. It evolved into Chuanxiong and Xixiong because of cultivating in the western origin after Tang dynasty. The earliest original plant of Xiongqiong was Ligusticum sinense. Actually, Xixiong was the cultivation product of L. sinense. And L. chuanxiong was likely to be a gardening breed due to long-term cultivation of L. sinense. CONCLUSION: Xixiong is used as Xiongqiong in ancient times, but now it is used as Ligustici Rhizoma et Radix. Therefore, we need to find out the relationship between L. chuanxiong and L. sinense through modern research, and determine which Chinese herb is L. sinense classifies.

[Effect of spring topdressing on yield, ferulic acid and total alkaloids of Ligusticum chuanxiong].

A field trial was carried out to study the influence of different kinds of spring topdressing on growth, yield and quality of Ligusticum chuanxiong. The results showed that the spring topdressing had effects of improving root length, tiller numbers and plant height to some extent. At the same time the chlorophyll content and dry weight accumulation especially the dry weight of root increased significantly. It also showed that the yield increased and quality was improved significantly. The effect of different treatment with urea58.7 kg x hm(-2)(N 27 kg x hm(-2)) was the best and the treatment with N,P,K the second.

[GC-MS analysis of essential oil from rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong cultivated in GAP base for Chinese medicinal materials of China].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the constituents of the essential oil extracted from the rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong. cultivated in "GAP base for Chinese medicinal materials of China" (GAP demonstrative base of L. chuanxiong in Dujiangyan City of China), and to provide scientific foundation for the quality control and standard establishment of ones. METHOD: The essential oil was extracted by water-steam distillation and separated by GC capillary column chromatography. The components were determined with normalization method, and identified by GC-MS and co-artificial searches. RESULT: One hundred forty-two chromatographic peaks were isolated, among them sixty-two components were identified, which was composed of 87.36% of the total essential oil. The mass fragmentation rules of phthalides and its derivatives in the essential oil were summarized, which primarily underwent two electron impact fragmentation pathways: side-chain cleavage with losses of alkenes/alkanes and ring-opening with elimination of H2O followed by losses of CO. On the basis of these rules, the plane structure of 4, 5-dihydro-3, 1 '-dihydroxy-3-pentylphthalide as a new compound was determined. CONCLUSION: The main components of the essential oil extracted from the rhizomes of L. chuanxiong cultivated in "GAP Demonstrative Base of L. chuanxiong in Dujiangyan City of China" were phthalides and its derivatives. 4,5-Dihydro-3,1'-dihydroxy-3-pentylphthalide was a new compound.

[Determination and fingerprint analysis of tetramethylpyrazine and ferulic acid in Ligusticum chuanxiong].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the contents of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) and ferulic acid in Ligusticum chuanxiong from different producing areas and seasons. METHODS: The contents of TMP and ferulic acid were determined by HPLC, and then analyzed by Chromatographic Fingerprints. RESULTS: The contents of TMP and ferulic acid from different seasons were obviously different from each other. It was much higher in "laoxiong" than that in "naixiong". The similarity of fingerprints was high if the samples were collected from the same season, or the same areas, but not different seasons. CONCLUSIONS: The contents of TMP and ferulic acid were different from different producing areas. The evident variety of Ligusticum chuanxiong's fingerprints from different collecting seasons, Laoxiong and Naixiong, was not relevant for clinical use as the same medicine.

[Effects of hormone proportion on different adventitious buds from explant of Ligusticum chuanxiong].

The differential results of explants from Ligusticum chuanxiong in medica with different kinds and proportions of hormone were reported in this article. The result showed that the best medica for inducement of adventitious buds and growing into plantlets were MS + 6-BA 0.5 mg/L + NAA 0.5 mg/L and 1/2 MS + IAA 1.0 mg/L + NAA 0.5 mg/L respectively.

Time-course accumulation of main bioactive components in the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong.

Fresh rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong, a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal herb, were collected monthly from a cultivating base in China practicing good agriculture practice (GAP). These samples were analyzed by HPLC-UV for their main chemical ingredients. Senkyunolide A (6), coniferyl ferulate (7) and Z-ligustilide (8) were identified as the major ingredients. The accumulation of the main ingredients with time in the herb was elucidated. Both individual and total contents of all main components gradually increased from the beginning of October to the middle of next April. The weight of a single rhizome reached a plateau at the end of May, whilst the content of the major ingredients peaked in the middle of April. Based on these results, it is recommended that Rhizoma Chuanxiong be harvested between the middle of April and the end of May.