Exploring Scientific Connotation of "Fried Charcoal Survivability" of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos Based on Color-composition Correlation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the scientific connotation of fried charcoal survivability of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos（LJF） by analyzing the correlation between the color change and the intrinsic components during the processing of LJF Carbonisata（LJFC）， and taking pH， charcoal adsorption and microscopic characteristics as indexes. MethodLJFC samples with different degrees of processing were prepared according to the stir-frying time of 0.0， 1.5， 3.0， 4.5， 6.0， 7.5， 9.0， 10.5 min（numbered S1-S8）， and the contents of gallic acid， chlorogenic acid， cryptochlorogenic acid， rutin， luteoloside， isochlorogenic acid A and isochlorogenic acid C were determined by high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）， and the L*（brightness）， a*（red-greenness） and b*（yellow-blueness） of LJFC samples with different degrees of processing were determined by spectrophotometer， and the correlation analysis and principal component analysis（PCA） between the contents of seven representative components and the color of the samples were carried out by SPSS 26. 0 and SIMCA-P 14.1. Then pH， adsorption force and characteristic structure of different samples of LJFC were detected and the processing pattern of LJFC was analyzed. ResultThe results of quantitative analysis revealed that the contents of luteoloside， rutin， chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid A gradually decreased， and the contents of cryptochlorogenic acid， isochlorogenic acid C and gallic acid firstly increased and then decreased. The L* and b* of the sample powders decreased， and a* showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing. The L* and b* were positively correlated with the contents of chlorogenic acid， rutin， luteoloside， isochlorogenic acid A， b* was positively correlated with the content of gallic acid， and a* was positively correlated with the contents of cryptochlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid C. PCA revealed that samples could be clearly divided into 3 groups， S1-S2 as one group， S3-S5 as one group， and S6-S8 as one group， with S3 having the highest score. The results of regression analysis showed that only isochlorogenic acid C could be used to predict the contents of components by colorimetric values combined with regression equations. Physicochemical analysis showed that pH of LJFC increased with the increase of degree of charcoal stir-frying， while adsorption force showed a tendency of increasing and then decreasing， with the highest adsorption force in the S5 sample， and the non-glandular hairs， calcium oxalate clusters and pollen grains had a varying degree of decreasing with the deepening of processing degree， and the microstructures of S6-S8 samples were obviously charred with pollen grains almost invisible. ConclusionThe changes in chemical composition and color characteristics of LJFC during the processing have certain correlations， combined with the changes in physicochemical properties， S5 sample is found to be the optimal processed products， which can provide a reference for the processing standardization and quality evaluation of LJFC， and enrich the scientific connotation of fried charcoal survivability of LJF.

Anti-inflammatory Effect and Mechanism of Active Constituents from Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Inflammation is involved in the development of various acute and chronic diseases in the body. Sustained inflammatory responses are key driving factors for diseases such as cancer， neurodegenerative diseases， cardiovascular diseases， metabolic syndrome， inflammatory bowel disease， and arthritis. Therefore， finding anti-inflammatory drugs is crucial for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. In recent years， there has been increasing attention to finding natural drugs with minimal toxic side effects. Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos， as traditional Chinese medicines potent in clearing heat and removing toxins， have strong biological activity and multiple pharmacological effects. They are widely distributed in the plant world and have significant medicinal value. With the continuous advancement of the research on Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos， they have been widely used in the medical field and possess great development potential. Currently， research mainly focuses on the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos， while systematic summaries of their anti-inflammatory active ingredients are rare. Therefore， this paper focuses on the differential analysis of the anti-inflammatory active components of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos. In addition， it reviewed the possible mechanisms by which extracts and active ingredients of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos may exert anti-inflammatory effects through various pathways， such as influencing the release of cellular inflammatory factors， regulating inflammatory signaling pathways such as nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）/c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/NF-κB， and Janus kinase （JAK）/signal transducer and activator of transcription （STAT） signaling pathways， increasing antioxidant stress capacity， enhancing immune defense capabilities， and improving intestinal microbiota， aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the rational clinical application of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos.

Comparison of chemical components of Lonicera fragrantissima and Lonicera japonica based on LC-MS / 中成药

AIM To compare the components difference between Lonicera fragrantissima Lindl.et Paxt.(LFL)and Lonicerae japonicae Flos(LJF),and to evaluate the medicinal value of LFL,so as to provide reference for the development and utilization of LFL and LJF.METHODS With 70%methanol as extraction solvent,the components were analyzed by UPLC-TOF-MS,and the contents of 20 components were determined by HPLC-QQQ-MS.The components difference was determined by multivariate statistical analysis.RESULTS A total of 52 components were identified in the buds of LFL and LJF.There were 4 different components in LJF,and the contents of 20 quantitative components were significantly different.The contents of isochlorogenic acid C,ferulic acid,luteolin and rutin in the buds of LFL were more than 2 times that of LJF,and the contents of marchanic acid and marchanin were 11.96 times and 37.23 times that of LJF respectively.Maganin,isochlorogenic acid A,maganic acid,rutin and dicomachanic acid are the key differentiating components of LFL and LJF.CONCLUSION The buds of LFL and LJF have similar species,but the content difference is obvious.The buds of LFL have important medicinal value,which need further development and utilization.

Quality evaluation and multi-spectral identification of origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos based on grey correlation-TOPSIS method / 中国中药杂志

The grey correlation-TOPSIS method was used to evaluate the quality of the origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, and the Fourier transform near-infrared(NIR) and mid-infrared(MIR) spectroscopy was applied to establish the identification model of origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos by combining chemometrics and spectral fusion strategies. The content of neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, secoxyloganin, isoquercitrin, isochlorogenic acid B, isochlorogenic acid A, and isochlorogenic acid C in six origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), and their quality was evaluated by the grey correlation-TOPSIS method. The Fourier transform NIR and MIR spectra of six origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos(Lonicera japonica, L. macranthoides, L. hypoglauca, L. fulvotomentosa, L. confuse, and L. similis) were collected. At the same time, principal component analysis(PCA), support vector machine(SVM), and spectral data fusion technology were combined to determine the optimal identification method for the origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. There were differences in the quality of the origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. Specifically, there were significant differences between L. japonica and the other five origin herbs(P<0.01). The quality of L. similis was significantly different from that of L. fulvotomentosa, L. macranthoides, and L. hypoglauca(P=0.008, 0.027, 0.01), and there were also significant differences in the quality of L. hypoglauca and L. confuse(P=0.001). The PCA and SVM 2D models based on a single spectrum could not be used for the effective identification of the origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. The data fusion combined with the SVM model further improved the identification accuracy, and the identification accuracy of the mid-level data fusion reached 100%. Therefore, the grey correlation-TOPSIS method can be used to evaluate the quality of the origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. Based on the infrared spectral data fusion strategy and SVM chemometric model, it can accurately identify the origin herbs of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, which can provide a new method for the origin identification of medicinal materials of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos.

Quality regulatory issues and suggestions for the Lonicerae Japonicae Flos with property of drug and food homologous substance / 国际中医中药杂志

In the context of the national strategy of promoting the research and development of food and drug homologous substances, it is necessary to study the regulatory model of food and drug homologous substances as food. Medicinal and food homologous substances are regulated as "Chinese medicinal materials" or "Chinese decoction pieces" in the drug category, and as "food and drug homologous substances", "agricultural products" or "traditional Chinese medicine healthy food" in the food category. Drug supervision focuses on quality, while food supervision focuses on safety, and it is worth exploring whether there is a blind spot in the supervision of food and drug substances completely based on the food concept. In this paper, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, as drug and food homologous substance, is selected as the research object, and its quality regulation status is investigated by reviewing the relevant laws and regulations and standards on food, analyzing the quality information and test results of the samples, and analyzing the necessity of quality regulation when serving as food, in order to provide a basis and reference for the way food substances are regulated.

Analysis of heavy metal pollution in Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and its health risk assessment / 中国中药杂志

In this study, the content of five heavy metals(Pb, Cd, As, Hg, and Cu) in 59 batches of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos(LJF) medicinal materials and pieces were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS). The health risk assessment was processed using the maximum estimated daily intake(EDI), target hazard quotients(THQ), and carcinogenic risks(CR) assessment models. With reference to the limit standard for heavy metal content in LJF specified in 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia, five batches produced in Hebei were found to contain excessive Pb, and the remaining 54 batches met the specifications, with the unqualified rate of 8.47%. Comparative analysis of heavy metal content in LJF samples from three different producing areas, namely Shandong, Henan, and Hebei showed that the levels of Pb, As, and Hg in LJF from Hebei were significantly higher than those from Henan and Shandong. The samples produced in Shandong contained the highest content of Cd. The samples from Hebei contained the highest content of Cu while those from Shandong had the lowest content of Cu. As demonstrated by health risk assessment based on the EDI, THQ and CR models, these 59 batches of LJF samples did not cause significant health hazards for the exposed population, and there was no potential non-carcinogenic or carcinogenic risk. In conclusion, a few of LJF samples contained excessive heavy metals, so some measures, including controlling production environment, cultivating management mode, and optimizing processing methods, should be taken for ensuring the medication safety of LJF.

Analysis and prediction of quality markers of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos / 中国中药杂志

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, as common Chinese medicine, has been used for thousands of years in the treatment of inflammation and infectious diseases with definite efficacies. The complex composition of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos results in its extensive pharmacological effects, so the assessment of its quality by only a few index components is not comprehensive. Guided by the quality marker(Q-marker), the present study comprehensively analyzed and predicted the quality connotation of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos based on the chemical composition and component transfer, the phylogenetic relationship, chemical composition effectiveness, measurability, and specificity. Chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acids A, B, and C, luteoloside, rutin, sweroside, and secoxyloganin were predicted as candidate Q-markers of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos.

Exploration of mechanism of Huoxue Jiedu Chinese Herbal Compatibility in anti-atherosclerosis: Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the mechanism of Huoxue Jiedu Chinese Herbal Compatibility (angelica sinensis - lonicerae japonicae flos ) in anti-atherosclerosis by means of network pharmacology and molecular rloe- king.Methods The effective eomponents and related targets of angelica sinensis and lonicerae japonicae flos were sereened by the TCMSP database, and the dis¬ease related targets of atheroselerosis were obtained by using the Gene Cards database, DrugBank database and OMIM database.The common targets were ob¬tained by Venny2.1 , an online mapping tool.The pro- tein-protein interaction ( PPI) network was established by String 11.0, and the common target was analyzed by gene ontology(GO) enrichment analysis and kvoto en- cyelopedia of genes and genomes ( KEGG) enrichment analysis using metascape online platform.Cyto- seape3.8.2 was used to construct the " active ingredi¬ent-active target-pathway network map.Finally AutoDock and PyMOL softwares were applied for mo¬lecular docking.Results A total of 31 active compo¬nents of angelica sinensis-lonicerae japonicae flos com¬ patibility and 509 component targets were screened.Hie number of intersection targets with atherosclerosis was 210.GO function enrichment analysis revealed 2 961 biological process items and 242 molecular func¬tion items.KEGG pathway enrichment screened 250 signaling pathways, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis were the key pathways.Molecular doc¬king results showed that beta-sitosterol, ferulic acid, rutin, luteolin, quercetin could bind stably with MAPK (-1,-3), AKT1, PRKC ( A, B).Conclusions Huoxue Jiedu Chinese Herbal Compatibility ( angelica sinensis -lonicerae japonicae flos) containing multiple active ingredients may play an anti-atherosclerosis role through the signaling pathways of MAPK, P13K-Akt and PRKC, reflecting the advantages of the treatment of activating blood circulation and detoxification of tra¬ditional Chinese medicine in anti-atherosclerosis.

Plant metabolomics for studying the effect of two insecticides on comprehensive constituents of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos / 中国天然药物

Pesticides' overuse and misuse have been reported to induce ingredient variations in herbal medicine, which is now gaining attention in the medicinal field as a form of alternative medicine. To date, available studies on pesticide-induced ingredient variations of herbal medicine are limited only on a few compounds and remain most others unexamined. In this study, a plant metabolomics-based strategy was performed to systematically explore the effects of two frequently used insecticides on the comprehensive constituents of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (LJF), the flower buds of Lonicera japonica Thunb. Field trials were designed on a cultivating plot of L. japonica with controls and treatments of imidacloprid (IMI) and compound flonicamid and acetamiprid (CFA). Unbiased metabolite profiling was conducted by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer. After data pretreatment by automatic extraction and screening, a data matrix of metabolite features was submitted for statistical analyses. Consequently, 29 metabolic markers, including chlorogenic acids, iridoids and organic acid-glucosides were obtained and characterized. The relative quantitative assay was subsequently performed to monitor their variations across flowering developments. This is the first study that systematically explored the insecticide-induced metabolite variations of LJF while taking into account the inherent variability of flowering development. The results were beneficial for holistic quality assessment of LJF and significant for guiding scientific use of pesticides in the large-scale cultivation.

Rapid chemome profiling of chemical components of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos using DI-MS/MS~(ALL) / 中国中药杂志

A new method of MS/MS~(ALL) was designed to sequentially record a MS~2 spectrum at each unit mass window through gas phase fractionation concept, so as to offer an opportunity for universal MS~2 spectral recording with direct infusion(DI). As a proof-of-concept, DI-MS/MS~(ALL) was applied for rapid chemome profiling of a famous herbal medicine named Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. After each MS~2 spectrum was correlated to its precursor ion, the structural annotation was conducted by applying well-defined mass cracking rules, matching the mass spectral data with literatures and referring to those accessible databases. As a result, a total of 54 components were identified from Lonicerae Japonicae Flos extract, including 21 phenolic acids, 13 flavonoids, 12 iridoids, 4 triterpenoids and 4 other compounds. Therefore, DI-MS/MS~(ALL) is a powerful tool for comprehensive, rapid qualitative analysis of chemical profiles of traditional Chinese medicine and other chemical components of complex systems.

Comparison of anti-inflammatory effects of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos based on network pharmacology / 中草药·英文版

Objective: In Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) history, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos were used clinically as one drug, but now they are admitted as two herbal medicines in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition). This study used network pharmacology to investigate whether the two can be used interchangeably for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in TCM clinical practice. Methods: Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos were compared in the inflammation mechanism including core targets, Gene Ontology (GO), pathway and principle chemical components by the method of network pharmacology. Results: Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos shared in six targets accounting for 66.7% of the entire core targets and more than half of the GO terms and pathways are similar. Organic acids are dominent compounds responsible for anti-inflammatory effects. Three of the compounds that bind to core targets including luteolin, quercetin and kaempferol, are shared in both herbs. Conclusion: Due to high similarity between Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos, we believe that they can be used interchangeably for the inflammation in clinical treatment.

Protective effects of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos against acute alcoholic liver injury in rats based on network pharmacology / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to explore underlying mechanism of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos(LJF) in protecting rats against acute alcoholic liver injury(ALI) based on mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) pathway. First, the targets of LJF in preventing ALI were predicted by network pharmacology and the component-target-pathway network was constructed, so that the key targets of LJF components acting on MAPK pathway were screened. Second, male SD rats were randomized into the control(KB) group, model(MX) group, positive(YX) group, and LJF high-(GJ), medium-(ZJ), and low-(DJ) dose groups. Each administration group was given(ig) corresponding drugs for 7 days and KB group and MX group received(ig) equal volume of distilled water every day. Except for KB group, rats were given Chinese spirit(56%, 3 days) for ALI modeling. The levels of aspartate transaminase(AST), alanine transaminase(ALT), interleukin-6(IL6) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in serum and malondialdehyde(MDA), glutathione(GSH), superoxide dismutase(SOD) and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) in liver tissue of rats in each group were detected. Furthermore, we employed quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR) to probe the effects of LJF on the key targets of MAPK pathway in ALI rats. A total of 28 active components of LJF were screened from TCMSP database, and 317 intersected with ALI-related targets. According to Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, the 317 targets involved 226 pathways, which were mainly liver disease, inflammation, immunity, apoptosis and other related pathways. According to the MAPK pathway-target-active component network, the key active components of LJF, such as chlorogenic acid, hederagenol, and hyperoside, acted on 25 key targets of MAPK pathway. The results of in vivo experiments showed decreased levels of AST, ALT, and MDA in DJ, ZJ, and GJ groups(P<0.01 or P<0.05), reduced levels of IL6 in DJ and GJ groups(P<0.01 or P<0.05), and improved levels of SOD and GSH in ZJ and GJ groups(P<0.01 or P<0.05). The results of qRT-PCR demonstrated that the expression levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4(MAPK2 K4) and mitogen-activated protein kinase 3(MAPK3) were decreased in DJ, ZJ, and GJ groups(P<0.01). The network pharmacology and experimental verification showed that the active components in LJF can reduce the inflammatory factor level and enhance the activities of SOD and GSH-Px by inhibiting the expression of key targets of MAPK pathway, thus alleviating and preventing liver damage caused by alcohol.

Quality Control of Dynamic Volatile Components in Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:The molecular connectivity index method and total statistical moment method were used to control the quality of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， and the stability and consistency of volatile components of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos were clarified. Method:Volatile oils in Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos from different producing areas was extracted for GC-MS determination with electron bombardment ion source， ion source temperature of 230 ℃， and detection range of m/z 35-650. Then National Institute of Standards and Technology （NIST） 05 and ChemicalBook database were used for qualitative analysis of these volatile components， the peak area normalization method was used for quantitative analysis， and the total statistical moment parameters and the zero-order， first-order， second-order， third-order molecular connectivity indexes of the components were calculated. Result:Number of peaks （RSD were 28.5%， 33.4%， respectively）， total zero-order moments （RSD were 55.5%， 128.9%， respectively） and total second-order moments （RSD were 15.3%， 21.5%， respectively） of 10 batches of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos were unstable， indicating that the types and contents of volatile components fluctuated sharply， but the total first-order moments （RSD were 7.5%， 8.8%， respectively） and the zero-order， first-order， second-order and third-order molecular connectivity indexes （RSD ranged from 8.1% to 10.3% and 4.2% to 5.5%， respectively） were relatively stable， indicating that the overall "imprinting template" of the components was similar. Statistical analysis of each parameter found that there were no significant differences in the number of peaks， total first-order moments and zero-order， first-order， second-order， third-order molecular connectivity indexes between volatile oils from Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos. Conclusion:Under the guidance of supramolecular gas evolution "imprinting template" theory， the molecular connectivity index method and total statistical moment parameters are used to jointly characterize the "imprinting template" of TCM components in vitro， which can control the stability and consistency of TCM quality.

Optimization of the Quality Control Method of Qingkailing Dropping Pills / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To optimize and improve the quality standard of Qingkailing dropping pills. METHODS Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, geniposide in Gardeniae Fructus and baicalin in Scutellariae Radix of Qingkailing dropping pills were identified by TLC and HPLC respectively. Cholic acid and hydrodeoxycholic acid were determined by HPLC equipped with an ELSD and a column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) packed with ODS bonded silica gel (5 μm particle size). The mobile phase was a mixture of methanol, acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid (68∶17∶15, V/V/V) and the flow rate was 1.0 mL•min-1. Geniposide in Gardeniae Fructus of Qingkailing dropping pills was determined by HPLC equipped with a DAD (238 nm) and a column (4.6 mm×250 mm) packed with ODS bonded silica gel (5 μm particle size). The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.05% phosphoric acid (10∶90, V/V) and the flow rate was 1.0 mL•min-1. Baicalin in Scutellariae Radix of Qingkailing dropping pills was determined by HPLC equipped with a DAD (275 nm) and a column (4.6 mm×150 mm) packed with ODS bonded silica gel (5 μm particle size), the mobile phase was a mixture of methnol, water and phosphoric acid (47∶53∶0.2, V/V/V), and the flow rate was 1.0 mL•min-1. RESULTS: The developed TLC spots were clear with good reproducibility. Hydrodeoxycholic acid, cholic acid, geniposide and baicalin showed good linear relationship in the ranges of 0.505 0-6.312 μg, 0.515-6.440 μg, 0.029 12-0.582 4 μg, and 0.109 2-1.092 μg, respectively. The average recoveries (n=6) were 101.5%, 101.6%, 98.61% and 99.77%, with RSDs of 1.7%, 1.5%, 1.42% and 0.79%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The method is simple, rapid, accurate, with low toxicity, and can be used to control the quality of Qingkailing dropping pills more effectively and comprehensively.

Comparative study on anti-inflammatory effect of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this paper was to observe the anti-inflammatory action and mechanism of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos extract and Lonicerae Flos extract in xylene-induced ear swelling experiment and lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cell inflammatory model. In vivo, xylene-induced mouse auricle swelling model was used to detect the auricle swelling degree and swelling inhibition rate of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos extract and Lonicerae Flos extract; the pathological changes of mice auricle were observed by hematoxylin eosin(HE) staining. In vitro, RAW264.7 inflammatory cell model was induced by LPS, where the cytotoxic effects of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos extract and Lonicerae Flos extract on RAW264.7 cells were detected by CCK-8 method; Griess method was used to detect the effect of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos extract and Lonicerae Flos extract on nitric oxide(NO) production, and ELISA method was used to detect the content of inflammatory factors interleukin-6(IL-6), IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α). At last, Western blot was used to detect the protein changes of cyclooxygenase 1(COX1), COX2 and inducible nitric oxide synthetase(iNOS) for RAW264.7 cells. The results showed that both Lonicerae Japonicae Flos extract and Lonicerae Flos extract could significantly inhibit the degree of auricle swelling caused by xylene in mice and the inhibition rate was positively correlated with the drug dose. Furthermore, both of them could reduce the infiltration of lymphocytes and neutrophils in mouse ear tissues. For in vitro experiments, both Lonicerae Japonicae Flos extract and Lonicerae Flos extract inhibited NO secretion in RAW264.7 cells, down-regulated the release of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, and down-regulated iNOS protein and COX2, NF-κB p65 protein content. In conclusion, both Lonicerae Japonicae Flos extract and Lonicerae Flos extract have good anti-inflammatory effect, and the mechanism may be related with the inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway.

Study on efficacy markers of heat-clearing and detoxifying effect of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos based on systematic traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos has a long history of heat-clearing and detoxifying effect. The description of its efficacy in Chinese Pharmacopoeia of past dynasties is relatively stable, and it is an excellent carrier for the study of efficacy markers. Guided by the theory of systematic traditional Chinese medicine, heat-clearing and detoxifying effect efficacy system of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos was taken as an example in this study to clarify the elements(active ingredients) of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos in heat-clearing and detoxifying efficacy system, determine the boundary(signal pathway), establish the structure(system dynamics model), identify the system functions corresponding to pharmacology, efficacy and effects(heat-clearing and detoxifying effect), and explore the application of system dynamics model in the discovery of efficacy markers of traditional Chinese medicine. In this paper, the dynamic models of interleukin 1(IL-1) and interleukin 6(IL-6) in vivo were established to predict the expression of related factors in IL-1 and IL-6 signaling pathways of different components and their combinations in Lonicerae Japonicae Flos by dynamic network, so as to find the effective markers of heat-clearing and detoxification of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. The results showed that the lower the concentration of chlorogenic acid, the higher the inhibition rate of Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK) at downstream of IL-1 by the combination of chlorogenic acid and linalool; the higher the concentration of luteolin in IL-6 pathway, the higher the inhibition rate of C-reactive protein(CRP) at downstream of IL-6 by the combination of chlorogenic acid and luteolin. It revealed that the potential efficacy markers of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos in heat-clearing and detoxifying effect based on IL-1 signaling pathway were chlorogenic acid and linalool, and the potential efficacy markers of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos in heat-clearing and detoxifying effect based on IL-6 signaling pathway were chlorogenic acid and luteolin. This study provided methodological guidance for the discovery of efficacy markers of traditional Chinese medicine.

Establishment of spectrum-antibacterial effect correlation quality evaluation system of Yinhuang Granules and its raw medicinal materials, extracts and preparation / 中草药

Objective: To establish the quality evaluation system based on spectrum-antibacterial effect correlation of Yinhuang Granules in order to detect its raw medicinal materials, extracts, and preparation simultaneously. Methods: Firstly, the spectrum- antibacterial effect correlation quality evaluation system of Yinhuang Granules was established by using Least Squares Support Vector Machine (LS-SVM). Then, by using supervised partial least square-discriminant analysis models (PLS-DA), the antibacterial effect evaluation was judged based on the spectrum-antibacterial effect data of Scutellariae Radix, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Scutellaria extract, Lonicerae japonica extract, and Yinhuang Granules. Results: The mathematical model of Yinhuang Granules based on spectrum-antibacterial effect correlation was established; The average relative error of the prediction results was less than 5%, and the antibacterial rate of Scutellariae Radix, Scutellaria Radix extract, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Lonicerae japonica extract was greater than 43%, 5.5%, 11%, 37% calculated by their mathematical model, which can ensure the antibacterial effect was greater than 11% (correct rate was 87%). Conclusion: The quality evaluation system can realize the quality control of the key link of the production of traditional Chinese medicine, the evaluation results are more scientific, comprehensive, and accurate.

Virtual screening of small molecular inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL hydrolase based on high-throughput molecular docking and prediction of Chinese materia medica and its compound against COVID-19 / 中草药

Objective: Based on the systematic pharmacological database of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the analysis platform TCMSP, the computer virtual screening technique was used to screen the small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL hydrolase from Chinese materia medica (CMM), and speculate the potential anti-COVID-19 novel coronavirus pneumonia TCMs and its compounds. Methods: SARS-CoV-2 3CL hydrolase protein was targeted in this study. Autodock Vina software and Python script were used to realize high-throughput molecular docking. Combined with “ADME-Lipinski” rules, the re-screening was carried out to optimize the active ingredients and speculate the key TCMs and compound prescriptions. Based on the perspective of network pharmacology, a component-target-pathway network was constructed to infer the mechanism of action of core drug pairs. Results: Taking the reference ligand as positive control, 66 natural micromolecule compounds with good pharmacokinetic properties were obtained. Twelve single TCMs, two Chinese medicine pairs of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Mori Cortex and Lonicerae Japonicae Flos-Forsythiae Fructus, and 12 TCM prescriptions including Sangju Drink and modified Sangju Drink and Yinqiao Powder were selected as candidate schemes to fight against novel coronavirus pneumonia. Conclusion: This study is based on high-throughput molecular docking technology to virtually screen small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL hydrolase of CMM and Chinese medicines, innovatively analyze the potential molecular mechanism in combination with network pharmacology, and provide scientific guidance and theoretical basis for TCM to resist novel coronavirus pneumonia.

Study on Chinese medicinal materials origin market integration--Taking Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Lycii Fructus, Isatidis Radix and Pseudostellariae Radix for examples / 中草药

Trading volume in Chinese medicinal materials market has gradually declined, and origin market trade has become a trend. Studying the degree of market integration is helpful to understand the operation of origin market of Chinese medicinal materials, which is of great significance for rational planning of the production of Chinese medicinal materials and improving market efficiency. In this study, four varieties (Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Lycii Fructus, Isatidis Radix and Pseudostellariae Radix) were selected to study the market integration degree of Chinese medicinal materials. Based on the price index data from 2013 to 2019, this paper makes an empirical analysis by using co-integration test, error correction model and Granger causality test. The results showed that the long-term integration of Chinese medicinal materials market was relatively high, but the short-term integration was far lower than the long-term integration. Finally, the author puts forward four policy suggestions: improving the price information platform conduction of Chinese medicinal materials, building high-quality brand of Chinese medicinal materials in non-authentic producing areas, speeding up the establishment quality traceability system and building modern logistics system of Chinese medicinal materials.

Establishment idea of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos fingerprint system based on Q-marker of Chinese materia medica / 中草药

The establishment of fingerprint system and the study of spectrum-effect relationship have become a very important development trend in quality evaluation of Chinese materia medica (CMM). It is based on the research of index components and can be used to evaluate the authenticity, quality and stability of crude drug, pieces and patent medicines of CMM. However, it is affected by many unstable factors and lacks of relevance to traditional Chinese medicine theories. Quality marker, in due course, provides an enlightening thought and way for the fingerprint system and spectrum-effect relationship studies. Taking Lonicerae Japonicae Flos as an example, this paper explores the researching ideas and establishes methods for fingerprinting research on CMM based on the characteristics of Q-markers.