Development of indel markers for molecular authentication of Panax ginseng and P. quinquefolius / 中国中药杂志

Panax ginseng and P. quinquefolius are two kinds of important medicinal herbs. They are morphologically similar but have different pharmacological effects. Therefore, botanical origin authentication of these two ginsengs is of great importance for ensuring pharmaceutical efficacy and food safety. Based on the fact that intron position in orthologous genes is highly conserved across plant species, intron length polymorphisms were exploited from unigenes of ginseng. Specific primers were respectively designed for these two species based on their insertion/deletion sequences of cytochrome P450 and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and multiplex PCR was conducted for molecular authentication of P.ginseng and P. quinquefolius. The results showed that the developed multiplex PCR assay was effective for molecular authentication of P.ginseng and P. quinquefolius without strict PCR condition and the optimization of reaction system.This study provides a preferred ideal marker system for molecular authentication of ginseng,and the presented method can be employed in origin authentication of other herbal preparations.

Protective effect of Qihuang Mingmu capsule on retina of diabetic mice and its impact on VEGF expression / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the protective effect of Qihuang Mingmu capsule (QHMM) on retina of diabetic mice and its impact on VEGF expression.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Forty KK/Upj-Ay mice were randomly divided into the model group and high, middle and low dose QHMM (8.32, 4.16, 2.08 g x kg(-1)) groups. Additional 10 C57BL/6 mice were selected as the control group. Mice were orally administered for three months. Their general appearance, fasting blood-glucose (FBG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were observed. Pathological changes of retina were observed by light microscope and electron microscope. The expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), growth factor receptors-1 (Flt-1) and growth factor receptors-2 (Flk-1) were examined by Real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>QHMM could ameliorate the symptoms of diabetic mice to varying degrees, decrease FBG and HbA1c, alleviate pathological lesions of retina and decrease the expressions of VEGF, Flt-1, Flk-1 mRNA and protein.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>QHMM has the protective effect on diabetic retinopathy of mice by inhibiting the expressions of VEGF, Flt-1 and Flk-1 and intervening VEGF-VEGFR signal transduction pathway.</p>

Identification of chemical constituents in qiliqiangxin capsule by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS(E) / 药学学报

In order to clarify the chemical constituents in Qiliqiangxin capsule, a rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography/orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS(E)) method was established. Forty peaks were identified on line using this method. The herbal sources of these peaks were assigned. The results implied that triterpenoid saponins, flavonoid glycosides, C21-steroids and phenolic acids were included in the main components of Qiliqiangxin capsule. The method is simple and rapid for elucidation of the constituents of Qiliqiangxin capsule and the results are useful for the quality control of Qiliqiangxin capsule.

Effects of Tongxinluo on neuron ultrastructure and endothelial cell self-repairing ability in hypoxia preconditioning mice / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the ultrastructure changes of cerebral cortex neuron and endothelial cell in hypoxia preconditioning mice and the effects of Tongxinluo (TXL, Chinese traditional medilihe) on them.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, hypoxia group, hypoxia preconditioning (HP) group and Tongxinluo (TXL) group. The hypoxia preconditioning mice were exposed by repetitive hypoxia for 5 runs. The animal's tolerance time of each hypoxia run was recorded. The ultrastructure change of cerebral neuron and endothelial cell were studied by electron microscope.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The hypoxic tolerance time in HP and TXL groups were significantly increased run by run. Compared with HP group, the tolerance time of TXL group were increased in every run. The ultrastructure of cerebral neuron and endothelial cell in hypoxia group changed obviously, mitochondrion and endoplasmic reticulum destroyed. However they were slighter in HP group than those in hypoxia group. The change in TXL group had no obvious differentce with control group and were slighter than those in HP group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Hypoxia preconditioning shows that organism has a strong self-repairing ability. Tongxinluo self-repairing; could increase self-repairing ability and adaptive ability of mice to hypoxia obviously.</p>

Protective effect of Tongxinluo Ultramicro-pulverization on experimental myocardial infarction of rats / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of Tongxinluo ultramicro-pulverization (TXLU) on experimental myocardial infarction and platelet aggregation of rats, investigate its mechanisms on ischemia heart disease and offer a reference to clinical usage.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Rats were separated randomly into 7 groups: sham, model, diltiazem (0.15 mg x kg(-1)), TXL(1.2 g x kg(-1)), TXLU (1.2, 0.6, 0.3 g x kg(-1)). The experimental myocardial infarction was induced with ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary of rats. The infarction size was determined after myocardium tissue was stained with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC). And the serum of rats was separated to analyze CK, LDH, SOD, MDA. Another 60 rats were separated randomly into 6 groups: control, aspirin (0.15 mg x kg(-1)), TXL (1.2 g x kg(-1)), TXLU (1.2 ,0.6,0.3 g x kg(-1)). The rat platelet aggregation was induced with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and collagen to observe the inhibitory effects of TXLU.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>TXLU could relieve the myocardial infarction size and weight stained with TTC significantly, the myocardial infarction size of the three groups of TXLU were (2.7 +/- 2.1)%, (3.4 +/- 1.2)%, (2.8 +/- 1.8)%, compared with model group (8.9 +/- 5.9)%, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01. The myocardial infarction weight of the three groups of TXLU were (8.4 +/- 3.5)%, (8.7 +/- 4.1)%, (9.7 +/- 4.1)%, compared with model group (l2.2 +/- 3.6)% P < 0.05 or P < 0. 01. And the content of MDA and the activities of CK and LDH in rats subjected with ligation of coronary artery were inhibited obviously too, compared with model group P < 0.05 or P < 0.01, then the activity of SOD increased. TXLU could inhibit the maximum percentage of rats platelet aggregation induced with ADP and collagen, the maximum percentage of platelet aggregation induced with ADP were (26.9 +/- 9.2)%, (24.4 +/- 13.4)%, (30.6 +/- 12.2)%, compared with control group (44.3 +/- 15. 7)% P < 0.05 or P < 0.01; The maximum percentage of platelet aggregation induced with collagen were (33.8 +/- 6.9)%, (32.1 +/- 8.3)%, (41.5 +/- 7.8)%, compared with control group (49.2 +/- 15.9)%, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The experiment results indicated that TXLU could protect myocardial tissue of rats from ischemic injury and the mechanism may be related with antioxidation and inhibiting platelet aggregation, and the results also suggested TXLU could lower clinical dosage.</p>

Effect of tongshenluo capsule on the components of extracellular matrix and their metabolism in kidney of rats with diabetic nephropathy / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of Tongshenluo Capsule (TSL) on the components of extracellular matrix (ECM) and their metabolism in kidney of rats with diabetic nephropathy (DN), and to explore its mechanism of kidney protecting.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The DN model rats established by one side nephrectomy and intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin were randomly divided into 5 groups, the sham-operation group, the model group, the Valsartan group, the Gliquidon group, and the TSL group, 10 in each group. Levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and 24-h urinary micro-content of albumin (24 h mAlb) were determined dynamically; the serum glycosyl hemoglobin (HbA1c)was determined after the last medication; the ultrastructural changes of kidney were observed by transmission electron microscope; the expressions of collagen IV (IV-C), fibronctin (FN), laminin(LN), and the ECM metabolism influencing factors, including MMP-2, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-2), transfer growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) in renal tissue were detected by immunohistological chemistry and image collecting analytical system. Results TSL could decrease the levels of FBG, HbA1c, 24 h mAlb (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), ameliorate the thickness of glomerular basement membrane (GBM), decrease the components of ECM, down-regulate TGF-beta1 and TIMP-2 expression, and up-regulate MMP-2 expression (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TSL plays a role of kidney protection by decreasing the ECM components expression and regulate ECM metabolism.</p>

Clinical observation on isolated electroacupuncture for treatment of peripheral facial paralysis / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study on therapeutic effect of isolated electroacupuncture on peripheral facial paralysis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred cases were randomly divided into an observation group of 60 cases and a control group of 40 cases. The observation group were treated by isolated electroacupuncture and the control group by normal electroacupuncture. Jiache (ST 6), Yangbai (GB 14), Dicang (ST 4), Xiaguan (ST 7), Fengchi (GB 20) and Hegu (LI 4) were selected and same drugs were administrated in the two groups. Then their therapeutic effects were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Forty-five cases were cured, 11 cases were markedly effective and 4 cases improved with an effective rate of 100.0% in the observation group, and corresponding figures were 26, 2 and 10 cases, and 95.0% in the control group, the observation group being better than the control group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Isolated electroacupuncture has a significant therapeutic effect on facial paralysis, being better than that of normal electroacupuncture.</p>