The traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Stemona species: A review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Plants of genus Stemona (Stemonaceae) have been long used locally and traditionally in many South and East Asian counties to relieve cough, dispel phlegm, prevent asthma, control pests, diminish inflammation, decrease pain, and treat some cutaneous diseases. AIM OF STUDY: This review provided comprehensive and up-to-date information about botanic characterization and distribution, ethnopharmacology, secondary metabolites, pharmacological activities, and toxicology of plants of genus Stemona to explore the scientific potential and future therapeutic potential of the plants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This article conducted a literature review on information about the Stemona species in multiple electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Wiley, Science Direct, Elsevier, Google Scholar, ACS publications, SpringerLink, and China National Knowledge Internet. Information was also derived from other literature sources (e.g. Chinese Pharmacopoeia, 2015 edition, Chinese herbal classic books, PhD and MSc thesis). Plant names were validated by "The Plant List" (www.theplantlist.org). All studies of the genus Stemona were included in this review until March 2020. RESULTS: Our comprehensive analysis of the scientific literatures indicated that many Stemona species are popular and valuable herbal medicines with therapeutic potentials to treat various ailments. Phytochemical analyses identified alkaloids and stilbenoids as the major bioactive substances of Stemona species. Numerous studies have shown that the extracts and secondary metabolites isolated from these plants have a wide range of pharmacological activities, including insecticidal and antifeedant, antitussive, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antivirus activities. CONCLUSION: Though plants of genus Stemona have been put to enormous traditional uses, the pharmacological studies conducted were insufficient. Therefore, more secondary metabolites need to be studied for more detailed pharmacological studies. Further studies are also required to establish the mechanisms which mediate the plants' bioactivities in relation to the medicinal uses as well as investigate any potential toxicity for future clinical studies.

Immuno-enhancement effects of Yifei Tongluo Granules on cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression in Balb/c mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Traditional Chinese medicine Yifei Tongluo Granules has been employed clinically with the combination of chemotherapy agents to treat patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. However, the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic potential have not been well elucidated. The present study was employed to verify immunomodulatory effect and to investigate the underlying mechanisms which have not been explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study samples of total extracts (FB-E) and polysaccharides (FB-P) were prepared by the extraction of the Yifei Tongluo Granules using appropriate techniques. A simple immunodeficient mice model was established by challenging Balb/c mice with cyclophosphamide in order to avoid the handling of tuberculosis viruses. The in vivo study was thus designed to systematically elucidate the immuno-enhancement effects of Yifei Tongluo Granules extracts in immunosuppressed mice induced by cyclophosphamide. Balb/c mice were orally ingested once daily with the low and high doses of two different extracts for ten consecutive days, respectively, accompanied by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (60mg/kg) on days 1-3 and 10. RESULTS: Compared with the model group, the treatment of immunodeficient mice with the low and high doses of the extracts FB-E or FB-P enhanced spleen and thymus indices, T- and B-cell proliferation as well as increased the activities of splenic natural killer, lymphokine activated killer, cytotoxic T lymphocyte cells and peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis. In addition, the FB-E or FB-P treatment balanced the ratio of Th1/Th2 and up-regulated the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the serum. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate, for the first time, that the treatment of the cyclophosphamide-challenged mice with the Yifei Tongluo Granules extracts resulted in accelerated recovery of immunosuppression, sugguesting that the immunomodulation might be the mechanism for the observed clinical benefits of Yifei Tongluo Granules. Our findings provide preliminary mechanistic study evidences for clinical application of Yifei Tongluo Granules in patients with immunodeficient diseases such as tuberculosis.