The rhizomes of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz improve gastrointestinal health and pregnancy outcomes in pregnant mice via modulating intestinal barrier and water-fluid metabolism.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Baizhu (BZ) is the dried rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (Compositae), which invigorates the spleen, improves vital energy, stabilizes the fetus, and is widely used for treating spleen deficiency syndrome. However, the impact of BZ on gastrointestinal function during pregnancy remains unexplored. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study elucidated the ameliorative effects of BZ on gastrointestinal health and pregnancy outcomes in pregnant mice with spleen deficiency diarrhea (SDD). METHODS: To simulate an irregular human diet and overconsumption of cold and bitter foods leading to SDD, a model of pregnant mice with SDD was established using an alternate-day fasting and high-fat diet combined with oral administration of Sennae Folium. During the experiment, general indicators and diarrhea-related parameters were measured. Gastric and intestinal motility (small intestinal propulsion and gastric emptying rates) were evaluated. Serum motilin (MTL), ghrelin, growth hormone (GH), gastrin (Gas), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), chorionic gonadotropin ß (ß-CG), progesterone (P), and estradiol (E2) were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pathological changes were examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) and alcian blue periodic acid Schiff staining (AB-PAS). Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to measure the expression levels of the intestinal barrier and water metabolism-related proteins in colonic tissues. The pregnancy rate, ovarian organ coefficient, uterus with fetus organ coefficient, small size, average fetal weight, and body length of fetal mice were calculated. RESULTS: The results showed that BZ significantly improved general indicators and diarrhea in pregnant mice with SDD, increased gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate, elevated the levels of gastrointestinal hormones (AMS, ghrelin, GH, and Gas) in the serum, and reduced lipid levels (TC and LDL-c). It also improved colonic tissue morphology, increased the number of goblet cells, and promoted the mRNA and protein expression of occludin, claudin-1, ZO-1, AQP3, AQP4, and AQP8 in colonic tissues, downregulating the mRNA and protein expression levels of claudin-2, thereby alleviating intestinal barrier damage and regulating the balance of water and fluid metabolism. BZ also held the levels of pregnancy hormones (ß-CG, P, and E2) in the serum of pregnant mice with SDD. Moreover, it increased the pregnancy rate, ovarian organ coefficient, uterus with fetus organ coefficient, litter size, average fetal weight, and body length of fetal mice. These findings indicate that BZ can improve spleen deficiency-related symptoms in pregnant mice before and during pregnancy, regulate pregnancy-related hormones, and improve pregnancy outcomes.

Application Oriented is the Core of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has distinctive traditional features and unique therapeutic advantages.The characteristics of TCM including long history, rich theory, efficacy diversity, complex chemical composition, fuzzy mechanism, leading health care, compound-based, dose confidential, and dialectical pharmacy and so on, but TCM research findings with few practical applications now. We need a profound understanding of the characteristics of TCM and Chinese medicine research and application of full advantage of clear objectives that to accurate selection of TCM research focus and appropriate methods, creative design scheme of TCM. In this way, we may have satisfied the anticipated target about TCM and TCM academic truly promote the maintenance of health. In the medicine industry is bound to promote the great development of TCM to the world.

Current situation and prospect of antihypertensive pharmacology of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

The incidence and its growth rate of hypertension are both very high. Its pathology and pathogenesis are complex and unclear,and it does serious harm to human health. Hypertension remains incurable. Chemical medicine has good effect on hypertension,but life-long application and multi-drug combination are required,with significant adverse reactions. Also,complications can′t be effectively alleviated. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)guided by traditional theories,can lower blood pressure,improve metabolic abnormalities and reduce complications. Its advantages or potentials have not been fully exploited and clinical application is inadequate. Metabolic hypertension has become the main form of hypertension,and its formation mechanism is mainly related to metabolic abnormalities and insulin resistance,metabolic inflammation and other pathology and pathogenesis. A better understanding of the current status of antihypertensive pharmacology of TCM,especially devel?opment and application of metabolic hypertension models is of great significance for TCM treatment of hypertension,and for exploration of new approaches to hypertension.

Preparative Purification of Linarin Extracts from Dendranthema indicum Flowers and Evaluation of Its Antihypertensive Effect.

Background. Preliminary research showed that linarin (LIN) might have a relationship with the antihypertensive effect of Dendranthema indicum flowers. However, the preparative method for LIN enriched extract from Dendranthema indicum flowers was not clear and its antihypertensive effect was not confirmed. In this study, we designed a series of experiments to develop an efficient method for purification of LIN extracts and confirm the possibility of LIN extracts to be an antihypertensive drug. Materials and Methods. HPLC-VWD/DAD were used in the process of developing purification method. The antihypertensive effect of LIN extracts was tested by CODA Mouse & Rat Tail-Cuff Blood Pressure System; western blot and biochemical analysis were used to investigate mechanism and toxicity. Results. The content and recovery of LIN reached 55.68 ± 2.08% and 66.65 ± 1.73%, respectively, through solid-liquid extraction. The composition of product was stable through the analysis of fingerprint. Chronic administration of LIN extracts reduced blood pressure obviously which had a relationship with the inhibition of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in kidney and the function indexes of kidney and liver had no variations. Conclusions. The preparation method was simple, low-cost, and stable, and it was fit for industrial application. The LIN prepared by this method had the potential to be an antihypertensive drug.

To Study the Analgesic, Anti-diarrhea and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Wulian Compound Extract / 浙江中医药大学学报

[Objective] To study the analgesic, anti-diarrhea and anti-inflammatory effects of Wulian compound extract. [Method] To study the analgesic effect of Wulian compound extract on mice with hot-plate test, writhing test, and formaldehyde stimulation. To study the anti-inflammatory effect of Wulian compound extract by mice ear-swol en induced by xylene and abdominal cavity capil ary Permeability text .To study the anti-diarrhea effect of the Wulian compound extract with the method of diarrhea induced by castor oil and senna. [Results] Wulian compound extract can inhibit the pain caused by high fever, acetic acid and formaldehyde. Inhibit the xylene induced ear swel ing of mice and increase of celiac capil ary permeability induced by acetic acid. At the same time Wulian compound extract can prolong diarrhea latency induced by the senna and castor oil, reduce the frequency of diarrhea. [Conclusion]Compound Wulian extracts have significant antidiarrheal effect, anti-inflammatory, analgesic.

Effects of three traditional Chinese medicine with pungent-flavor, warm-nature and meridian tropism in lung on lung-yang deficiency rats induced by compound factors / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effects of three traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) such as Amomi Fructus Rotundus, Perillae Folium and Angelicae Dahuricae Radix on lung-yang deficiency rats induced by compound factors.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Lung-yang deficiency rats were established with three-factor combination, such as smoking (exogenous evil effect on lung), swimming in common and ice water (cold body and exhaustoin) and drinking ice water (inhale cold). Meanwhile, rats were given water extracts of the three TCM by intragastric administration for 24 days everyday. Indexes such as general behavior, weight, rectal temperature, back temperature and grip strength were observed. Blood was collected to determine NO, IgG in blood serum. Lung and heart were dissected to measure organs index.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The water extracts of Amomi Fructrs Rotundus, Perillae Folium and Angelicae Dahuricae Radix could markedly heighten weight, back temperature, grip strength, content of IgG in blood serum, reduce content of NO in blood serum, lung index and heart index. The water extracts of Amomi Fructrs Rotundus and Perillae Folium could heighten rectal temperature.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Amomi Fructrs Rotundus, Perillae Folium and Angelicae Dahuricae Radix were TCM with pungent-flavor, warm-nature and meridian tropism in lung, which could improve the symptoms of physique emaciation, aversion to cold of the back, weary and acratia and so on. It provides an important reference for the regularity of the properties theories about pungent-flavor, warm-nature and meridian tropism in lung.</p>

Effect of Jimaitong tablet combined with nifedipine on blood-pressure and mechanisms investigation in spontaneously hypertensive rats / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect and its mechanism of antihypertensive of drug combination of Jimaitong tablt and nifedipine on spontaneously hypertensive rats.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were treated by intragastric administration (ig) with Jimaitong (450 mg x kg(-1)), Jimaitong (300 mg x kg(-1)) combined with the nifedipine (0.5 mg x kg(-1)), nifedipine (5 mg x kg(-1)) for 8 weeks. Blood pressure and heart rate was measured. The level of oxidation indicators, lipid indicators, as well as hormones related to blood pressure was detected.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with that in the control group, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure of SHR decreased significantly in all the three administration groups (P < 0.01). Heart rates of nifedipine group was faster than other groups (P < 0.05). In combination group, contents of URE, MDA, ET and Ang II were decreased significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.01), the contents of NO and CAMP, SOD and NOS were significantly enhanced (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combination use of Jimaitong and nifedipine has synergistic effects on anti-hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats. It indicates the potential applications of combination of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine for the hypertension treatment.</p>

Preparation of submicron emulsion of fresh Zhongjiefeng volatile oil / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To prepare the submicron emulsion of fresh Zhongjiefeng volatile oil.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The Zhongjiefeng volatile oil submicron emulsion was obtained after passing the elementary emulsion through a high pressure homogenizer. The physical and chemical stability of the emulsion was evaluated with the stability parameter of centrifugation, appearance of emulsion and the pH. The formulation and processing factors were optimized by single factor reviewing and orthogonal experimental design.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>By controlling various processing factors and optimizing formulation, the stable submicron emulsion of Zhongjiefeng volatile oil was prepared. Its mean particle diameter was 164-169 nm with PDI 0.084-0.107 and Zeta electric potential was -40 mV.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The formulation and preparation technique of the emulsion is reasonable.</p>

Pharmacological Study on the Function of "Qi-promoting, Blood-breaking, Stagnation-removing and Pain-relieving" of Zedoray Rhizome / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To discuss Zedoray Rhizome on the correlation between its traditional Chinese herbal nature(Property and Flavor,Cannel Tropism,Efficacy and so on)and its pharmacologic actions.Methods By searching for and summarizing the literatures on the nature and pharmacologic actions of Zedoray Rhizome recorded in CNKI,CBM,Wanfang and Vip Database from 1989 to 2007,analyzed the correlation between its herbal nature and its modern pharmacologic actions.Results The efficacies of"Qi-promoting Blood-breaking and stagnation-removing" are related with the modern pharmacologic actions of resisting tumor,improving factors of hemorheology,resisting inflammation and virus,and preventing acute liver injury,etc;the efficacy of "Warming middle energizer to relieve pain"means the function of improving activities of spleen,stomach and uterus in modern pharmacology;and the spleen channel tropism is related with and its pharmacologic action of enhancing immune activity.Conclusion There are some correlations between Zedoray Rhizome's traditional Chinese herbal nature and its modern pharmacologic actions.The correlations between Zedoray Rhizome's traditional Chinese herbal nature and its modern pharmacologic actions are waiting for the further improvements to provide the dependable basis for the clinical application.

A new fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique.

To perform real-time detection of specific genes, a new complex probe has been designed and synthesized. Based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), this complex probe is composed of a long-fluorescent reporter probe and a short-quenching probe. The 5' end of the fluorescent probe is connected to a fluorescein molecule, and its 3' end is linked to an extending blocking molecule. The 3' end of the quenching probe is connected to a quenching molecule-p-methyl red (Dabcyl). The quenching probe is complementary to the 5' end of the fluorescent probe. When there is no template, the two probes combine to form a complex probe and therefore no fluorescence is produced; when there are templates, the fluorescent probe hybridizes with the templates first, and the fluorescence is not quenched. The fluorescence intensity produced is in direct proportion to the template quantity. In accordance with the principles of reaction of the complex probe, we have studied the probe's FRET nature and the factors that affect it, including the quenching probe and amplified fragment length, the proper proportion of the fluorescent probe to the quenching probe, and the magnesium ion concentration. Experimental results showed that the quenching probe and its amplified fragment length had an obvious impact on the function of the complex probe. The quenching probe used in the present experiment is up to 21 nucleotides long, with an amplified fragment of 127bp. The most preferable reaction system is obtained when the proportion of the fluorescent probe to the quenching probe is 1:1, and the concentration of magnesium ions is 3mmol/L. The complex probe is easy to synthesize. The quenching is thorough with good accuracy and specificity. The sensitivity reaches 10(2) copies with a very large dynamic quantitation range. Accurate quantitation can be achieved with samples detected within 10(2)-10(9) copies. The complex probe method can be used to detect virus infection levels, transgenic copy quantities, single nucleotide polymorphisms, etc.