ABSTRACT
Cistanche deserticola is a traditional and precious Chinese herbal medicine, known as "desert ginseng", with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, improving immunity, nourishing the kidneys and other pharmacological effects. Its chemical components mainly include phenylethanol glycosides, iridoids, polysaccharides and volatile components, among which polysaccharides have received extensive attention due to their biological activities such as regulating immune activity, anti-aging, anti-spleen deficiency and antitumor. In recent years, a large number of research have been carried out on the extraction and isolation, chemical structure analysis and biological activity of Cistanche deserticola polysaccharides. The methods of polysaccharide extraction mainly include traditional extraction method, ultrasonic assisted method, microwave assisted method and enzyme assisted method, etc. The extracted polysaccharides were analyzed by chemical methods including methylation, acid hydrolysis and Smith degradation and spectroscopy methods such as NMR and IR. A variety of polysaccharides with new structures were obtained, and some polysaccharides with known structures were also investigated for their biological activities and their structure-activity relationships. However, the relationship between polysaccharides structure and their biological activities is still unclear due to the large number of polysaccharide components, their complex structures and the lack of systematic research and analysis on them. It is expected that the subsequent study of polysaccharide structure and active conformational relationship will be highly valuable for the application of Cistanche deserticola in pharmaceutical sciences and health food.
Subject(s)
Cistanche , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Polysaccharides , Cistanche/chemistry , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Polysaccharides/chemistry , Polysaccharides/isolation & purification , Polysaccharides/pharmacologyABSTRACT
RATIONALE: To explore the curative effect of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ucMSC) therapy for patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with immune thrombocytopenia and refractory Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). PATIENT CONCERNS: A 12-year-old boy presented to our hospital with an 11-month history of purpura on the skin of both lower limbs accompanied by thrombocytopenia. The patient had a history of repeated swelling and painful dorsum pedis, followed by skin redness. DIAGNOSIS: Bone marrow slides showed megakaryocyte maturation disorder. Based on the pathology and drug abuse history, he was diagnosed with nodular cirrhosis, secondary allergic purpura, and thrombocytopenia, etiologies related to his drugs and an immune dysfunction. INTERVENTIONS: ucMSC transplantation was performed, the liver damaging drugs were discontinued, and the appropriate liver immunosuppressive drugs were administered. ucMSCs were injected 8 times/wk in 2 months, with a median cell count of 5.65â×â10/L, ranging from 5.48 to 5.98â×â10/L. OUTCOMES: As the patient's skin rash resolved, his platelets gradually increased to >150â×â10/L and liver transaminase levels gradually decreased to a normal level. Ultrasonography of the abdomen indicated that the round nodules in the liver decreased in size and that the spleen thickness also decreased. LESSONS: This is a unique case of significant HSP with associated thrombocytopenia in a patient with liver cirrhosis. Long-term oral administration of excessive herbal medicine may cause liver damage. We believe that ucMSCs provide a novel approach for the treatment of liver cirrhosis.
Subject(s)
IgA Vasculitis , Immunosuppressive Agents , Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Thrombocytopenia , Child , Fetal Blood , Humans , IgA Vasculitis/complications , IgA Vasculitis/diagnosis , IgA Vasculitis/immunology , IgA Vasculitis/therapy , Immunosuppressive Agents/administration & dosage , Immunosuppressive Agents/adverse effects , Liver Cirrhosis/diagnosis , Liver Cirrhosis/etiology , Liver Cirrhosis/therapy , Liver Function Tests/methods , Male , Phytotherapy/adverse effects , Platelet Count/methods , Thrombocytopenia/complications , Thrombocytopenia/diagnosis , Thrombocytopenia/immunology , Thrombocytopenia/therapy , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of phospholipids composition on pharmaceutical characteristics of liposomes containing zedoary turmeric oil (ZTO). METHODS: The ZTO was extracted supersonically by solvent and then colored by sulfuric acid-vanillin reagent. The ZTO liposomes were prepared by ethanol injection method. To determine the entrapment efficiency of the ZTO liposomes, we passed the liposome suspension through a Sephadex G-50 column equilibrated with PBS. Pharmaceutical characteristics of different liposomes such as size, zata potential, entrapment efficiency, stablility were determined and compared. RESULTS: The ZTO liposomes and free drug could be separated completely by the Sephadex G-50 chromatography, and the column recovery was (100.09+/-3.375)% (n=5). The ZTO liposomes composed of hydrogenated soybean phosphatidylcholine (HSPC) possessed the worst entrapment efficiency and sedimentation stability. The entrapment efficiency of the ZTO liposomes composed of soybean phosphatidylcholine (SPC) was equal to that of liposomes composed of both HSPC and SPC. However, The sedimentation and leakage stabilities of the latter were significantly higher than those of SPC liposomes. CONCLUSION: As the carrier of the ZTO liposomes, the composition of both HSPC and SPC can improve its stability.