Study on the mechanism of natural polysaccharides on the deastringent effect of Triphala extract.

This present study investigated the masking effect of high methoxyl pectin, xanthan gum, and gum Arabic on the astringency of the traditional herbal formula Triphala and further examined the mechanism of polysaccharide reducing astringency. Results of sensory evaluation and electronic tongue illustrated that 0.6 % pectin, 0.3 % xanthan gum, and 2 % gum Arabic had a substantial deastringent effect. The polyphenols in Triphala are basically hydrolysable tannins, which with high degree of gallic acylation may be the main astringent component of Triphala. Moreover, the three polysaccharides can combine with ß-casein through CO and NH groups to form soluble binary complexes and decrease the secondary structure of ß-casein. When polysaccharides were added to the Triphala-protein system, polyphenol-protein precipitation was also diminished, and they were capable of forming soluble ternary complexes. Consequently, the competition between polysaccharides and polyphenols for binding salivary proteins and the formation of ternary complexes help decrease the astringency of Triphala.

Thermal treatment enhances the resisting exercise fatigue effect of Phyllanthus emblica L.: novel evidence from tannin conversion in vitro, metabolomics, and gut microbiota community analysis.

Polyphenols are the main component of Phyllanthus emblica (PE). However, polyphenols are so easy to transform that it is unknown that how drying methods driven by heating affect the anti-fatigue effect of PE. This manuscript investigated the effects of five drying methods on the chemical composition transformation and anti-fatigue of PE, and discussed the action mechanism. The results suggested that the anti-fatigue effect of PE with hot-air-dried at 100 °C was the best, which was as 1.63 times as that with freeze-drying. Ellagic acid (EA) may be a key component of PE in anti-fatigue, and its mechanism of action may be related to regulating intestinal microbiota, protecting mitochondria, and regulating energy metabolism. This study first revealed the thermal transformation of polyphenols in PE, found the most effective strategy for enhancing the anti-fatigue function, and explores its action mechanism.

Fast Inspection of Quality of Indigo Naturalis by Multiple Light Scattering.

Quality control of Chinese herbal medicine is a crucial component of Chinese herbal medicine research and development. Faced with the challenges of modernization and internationalization of Chinese herbal medicine, it is urgent to establish thorough and effective procedures for quality identification of Chinese herbal medicine, and there is an urgent need for new analytical and testing techniques that are efficient, accurate, and environmentally friendly. Multiple light scattering is a cutting-edge and analytical method that can accurately and rapidly assess the quality of Chinese herbal medicine without altering the nature or state of the sample or using organic reagents. Indigo Naturalis is considered a good remedy for pediatric hyperthermia, psoriasis, leukemia, and ulcerative colitis. In this study, the process of addition of Indigo Naturalis powder in water was recorded precisely using a multiple light scattering instrument. The qualitative and quantitative measurements of the instrument can be used to accurately capture the overall trajectory and sinking behavior of Indigo Naturalis powder into water and to establish a rapid evaluation method for the quality of Indigo Naturalis with the transmission and backscattering spectrograms of the sample as qualitative indicators and stability index as a quantitative indicator. The analytical technique based on multiple light scattering provides a fast, accurate, green, and environmentally friendly method for the quality evaluation of Indigo Naturalis and supports the development and transformation of high-quality Indigo Naturalis.

Phyllanthus emblica fruits: a polyphenol-rich fruit with potential benefits for oral management.

The fruit of Phyllanthus emblica Linn., which mainly grows in tropical and subtropical regions, is well-known for its medicine and food homology properties. It has a distinctive flavor, great nutritional content, and potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and immunoregulatory effects. According to an increasing amount of scientific and clinical evidence, this fruit shows significant potential for application and development in the field of oral health management. Through the supplementation of vitamins, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and other nutrients reduce virulence expression of various oral pathogens, prevent tissue and mucosal damage caused by oxidative stress, etc. Phyllanthus emblica fruit can promote saliva secretion, regulate the balance of the oral microecology, prevent and treat oral cancer early, promote alveolar bone remodeling and aid mucosal wound healing. Thus, it plays a specific role in the prevention and treatment of common oral disorders, producing surprising results. For instance, enhancing the effectiveness of scaling and root planing in the treatment of periodontitis, relieving mucosal inflammation caused by radiotherapy for oral cancer, and regulating the blood glucose metabolism to alleviate oral discomfort. Herein, we systematically review the latest research on the use of Phyllanthus emblica fruit in the management of oral health and examine the challenges and future research directions based on its chemical composition and characteristics.

Using Multiple Light Scattering to Examine the Stability of Phyllanthus emblica L. Extracts Obtained with Different Extraction Methods.

The extraction intermediate of traditional Chinese medicine is the key intermediate in the preparation process, and its stability has an important impact on the effectiveness and quality of the final product. However, existing stability evaluation methods are often time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring long-term observation and the operation of complex equipment (such as high-performance liquid chromatography), and it is difficult to obtain more physical information about the instability of the system. Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish a fast and accurate stability analysis technology for traditional Chinese medicine. Multiple light scattering is a cutting-edge analytical method that can accurately and rapidly evaluate the stability of traditional Chinese medicines in an environment-friendly manner without changing the nature or state of the sample or using organic reagents. In this work, using the precise scanning data of multiple light scattering, the present protocol rapidly acquired the variation curves for layer thickness, particle migration speed, and average particle size over time. This enabled the precise identification of the mechanism and crucial characteristics causing the system's instability in its early stages. Of note, the research period for the extraction process can be considerably shortened by the detailed quantification of the system stability, which also allows for a quick, accurate, and in-depth analysis of the effects of various extraction processes on the stability of Phyllanthus emblica L.

[Comparison of odor and quality of Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum derived from domestic chickens and broilers].

Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum(GGEC) is commonly used for the clinical treatment of indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, and infantile malnutrition with accumulation. In recent decades, omnivorous domestic chickens, the original source of GGEC, has been replaced by broilers, which may lead to significant changes in the quality of the yielding GGEC. Through subjective and objective sensory evaluation, biological evaluation, and chemical analysis, this study compared the odor and quality between GGEC derived from domestic chickens and that from broilers. The odor intensity between them was compared by odor profile analysis and it was found that the fishy odor of GGEC derived from domestic chickens was significantly weaker than that of GGEC from broilers. Headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry(HS-SPME/GC-QQQ-MS/MS) suggested that the overall odor-causing chemicals were consistent with the fishy odor-causing chemicals. According to the odor activity va-lue and the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) result, dimethyl trisulfide, 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine, and 2-methylisoborneol were responsible for the fishy odor(OAV≥1) and the content of fishy odor-causing chemicals in GGEC derived from broilers was 1.12-2.13 folds that in GGEC from domestic chickens. The average pepsin potency in GGEC derived from broilers was 15.679 U·mg~(-1), and the corresponding figure for the medicinal from domestic chickens was 26.529 U·mg~(-1). The results of pre-column derivatization reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography(RP-HPLC) assay showed that the content of total amino acids and digestion-promoting amino acids in domestic chickens-derived GGEC was 1.12 times and 1.15 times that in GGEC from broilers, and the bitter amino acid content was 1.21 times folds that of the latter. In conclusion, GGEC derived from domestic chickens had weaker fishy odor, stronger enzyme activity, higher content of digestion-promoting amino acids, and stronger bitter taste than GGEC from broilers. This study lays a scientific basis for studying the quality variation of GGEC and provides a method for identifying high-quality GGEC. Therefore, it is of great significance for the development and cultivation of GGEC as both food and medicine and breeding of corresponding varieties.

[Material basis of stench of animal medicine: a review].

Despite the distinctive characteristics and remarkable efficacy, animal medicine is stenchy, which decreases the comp-liance of patients. At the moment, the research on the method for deodorizing animal medicines lags behind. To be specific, the components related to the odor and the basic properties transformation of the components are unclear and there is a lack of specific deodorizing method. This study aims to clarify the main components related to the stench of animal medicine, such as aldehydes, amines, trimethylamines and sulfur compounds, and their basic properties, and to explore their metabolism and transformation in vivo and in vitro, which is expected to serve as a reference for the research on deodorization of animal medicine and development of new techniques.

Interactions between Gut Microbiota and Polyphenols: New Insights into the Treatment of Fatigue.

Fatigue seriously affects people's work efficiency and quality of life and has become a common health problem in modern societies around the world. The pathophysiology of fatigue is complex and not fully clear. To some degree, interactions between gut microbiota and host may be the cause of fatigue progression. Polyphenols such as tannin, tea polyphenols, curcumin, and soybean isoflavones relieve fatigue significantly. Studies have shown that the gut microbiota is able to convert these active compounds into more active metabolites through intestinal fermentation. However, the mechanism of anti-fatigue polyphenols is currently mainly analyzed from the perspective of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and changes in gut microbiota are rarely considered. This review focuses on gut microecology and systematically summarizes the latest theoretical and research findings on the interaction of gut microbiota, fatigue, and polyphenols. First, we outline the relationship between gut microbiota and fatigue, including changes in the gut microbiota during fatigue and how they interact with the host. Next, we describe the interactions between the gut microbiota and polyphenols in fatigue treatment (regulation of the gut microbiota by polyphenols and metabolism of polyphenols by the gut microbiota), and how the importance of potential active metabolites (such as urolithin) produced by the decomposition of polyphenols by gut microbiota is emerging. Based on the new perspective of gut microbiota, this review provides interesting insights into the mechanism of polyphenols in fatigue treatment and clarifies the potential of polyphenols as targets for anti-fatigue product development, aiming to provide a useful basis for further research and design.

Traditional Uses, Pharmacological Effects, and Molecular Mechanisms of Licorice in Potential Therapy of COVID-19.

The current Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global challenge, and although vaccines have been developed, it is expected that mild to moderate patients will control their symptoms, especially in developing countries. Licorice, not only a food additive, but also a common traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which has several pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammation, detoxification, antibacterial, antitussive, and immunomodulatory effects, especially in respiratory diseases. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizin diamine and glycyrrhizin extract have been widely studied and used in COVID-19 clinical trials. Therefore, it is a very interesting topic to explore the material basis, pharmacological characteristics and molecular mechanism of licorice in adjuvant treatment of COVID-19. In this paper, the material basis of licorice for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 is deeply analyzed, and there are significant differences among different components in different pharmacological mechanisms. Glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid inhibit the synthesis of inflammatory factors and inflammatory mediators by blocking the binding of ACE 2 to virus spike protein, and exert antiviral and antibacterial effects. Immune cells are stimulated by multiple targets and pathways to interfere with the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Liquiritin can prevent and cure COVID-19 by simulating type I interferon. It is suggested that licorice can exert its therapeutic advantage through multi-components and multi-targets. To sum up, licorice has the potential to adjuvant prevent and treat COVID-19. It not only plays a significant role in anti-inflammation and anti-ACE-2, but also significantly improves the clinical symptoms of fever, dry cough and shortness of breath, suggesting that licorice is expected to be a candidate drug for adjuvant treatment of patients with early / mild COVID-19.

[Research progress of Phyllanthi Fructus and prediction of its Q-markers].

Phyllanthi Fructus, a unique Chinese and Tibetan medicinal plant with both edible and medical values, has high potential of cultivation and development. The resources of Phyllanthi Fructus in China are rich, mainly distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, etc. Phyllanthi Fructus is widely used in the clinical practice of Chinese medicine and plays an important role in Tibetan medicine, Uyghur medicine, Yi medicine, and Mongolian medicine. Phyllanthi Fructus mainly contains phenolic acids,tannins, terpenes, sterols, fatty acids, flavonoids, amino acids and other compounds. Modern pharmacological studies show that Phyllanthi Fructus has antioxidant, anticancer, blood lipid-lowering, liver protective, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immune regulatory activities. In this paper, the research status of Phyllanthi Fructus was reviewed from the aspects of herbal textual research,chemical composition, and pharmacological action. The quality markers(Q-markers) of Phyllanthi Fructus were predicted and analyzed from the aspects of biogenic pathway, specificity and measurability of chemical components, efficacy, properties, new clinical uses, drug-food homology, and transformation of polyphenols. The results will provide a scientific basis for the quality control, quality evaluation, and standard formulation of Phyllanthi Fructus.

[Changes in forms of Indigo Naturalis slices in ancient and modern times: a systematic study on quality of purified Indigo Naturalis and crude Indigo Naturalis].

Indigo Naturalis has a long history of medicinal use with particularity and complexity in its processing. Before the Ming dynasty,Indigo Naturalis was extracted from the top layer of zymotic fluid,called " purified Indigo Naturalis". In modern processing,the precipitate " crude Indigo Naturalis" is dried to produce Indigo Naturalis after impurity removal. The form of Indigo Naturalis slices has undergone significant changes in ancient and modern times. In view of this,the quality comparison between crude Indigo Naturalis and purified Indigo Naturalis was conducted in this study with modern analytical techniques. Firstly,chemical composition was analyzed with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS,and the chemical composition of scent with HS-SPME/GC-MS/MS. The content of indigo,indirubin,total ash,and water-soluble extract was determined as well as the inorganic composition in crude Indigo Naturalis and purified Indigo Naturalis. Then,their microscopic morphology was observed and the surface element composition was investigated. Finally,the antipyretic activities of crude Indigo Naturalis and purified Indigo Naturalis were compared in the fever rat model induced by lipopolysaccharide and 2,4-dinitrophenol. The results demonstrated that the purified Indigo Naturalis had a faster and more lasting antipyretic effect,while the crude Indigo Naturalis had almost no antipyretic effect. This study is of great significance to the research on processing technology of Indigo Naturalis and provides reference for the formulation of its quality standards,production specifications and calibration procedures.

Hepatoprotective Effects of Different Extracts From Triphala Against CCl4-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Mice.

Background: Triphala is a traditional polyherbal formula used in Indian Ayurvedic and Chinese Tibetan medicine. A wide range of biological activities have been attributed to Triphala, but the impact of various extraction methods on efficacy has not been determined. Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate Triphala extracts obtained by various methods for their hepatoprotective effects and molecular mechanisms in a mouse model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury. Methods: HPLC fingerprinting was used to characterize the chemical characteristics of Triphala extracts obtained by (a) 0.5 h ultrasonication, (b) 2 h reflux, and (c) 4 h reflux. Hepatoprotective efficacy was evaluated in a mouse model of CCl4-induced liver damage. Serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured, as well as the liver antioxidant and inflammatory markers malondialdehyde superoxide dismutase glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), TNF-α, and IL-6. Gene and protein expression of Nrf-2 signaling components Nrf-2, heme oxygenase (HO-1), and NADPH Quinone oxidoreductase (NQO-1) in liver tissue were evaluated by real-time PCR and western blotting. Results: Chemical analysis showed a clear difference in content between extracts produced by ultrasonic and reflux methods. The pharmacological analysis showed that all three Triphala extracts reduced ALT, AST, MDA, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels and increased SOD and GSH-Px. Triphala extracts also induced transcript and protein expression of Nrf-2, HO-1, and NQO-1. Conclusion: Triphala extract prevents CCl4-induced acute liver injury. The ultrasonic extract of Triphala was most effective, suggesting that hepatoprotection may be related to the larger tannins via activation of Nrf-2 signaling.

High or low temperature extraction, which is more conducive to Triphala against chronic pharyngitis?

OBJECTIVE: Explore the effects of high-temperature reflux extraction and low-temperature decompressing inner ebullition on Triphala's chemical composition and anti-chronic pharyngitis activity. METHODS: The network pharmacology was used to analyze the material basis, targets and pathways of Triphala for chronic pharyngitis. HPLC were used to compare the fingerprint profile and content of components between the two extracts. The antioxidant and anti-chronic pharyngitis activities of the two extracts were compared by DPPH assay and ammonia induced chronic pharyngitis model in rats. RESULTS: The network pharmacology results showed that the active ingredients of Triphala for chronic pharyngitis are epigallocatechin-3-gallate, (+)-catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, (+)-gallocatechin, quercetin, luteolin, leucodelphinidin and other flavonoids; phenolic acids such as gallic acid and ellagic acid; alkaloids such as ellipticine, cheilanthifoline; hydrolyzed tannins such as corilagin and chebulic acid. The high-temperature reflux extract and the low-temperature decompressing inner ebullition extract have extremely significant differences in the fingerprint profile. Among them, the content of gallic acid, ellagic acid, chebulic acid, catechin, epicatechin, corilagin, quercetin, and epicatechin gallate in the reflux extract is 1.1-5.3 times as much as decompressing inner ebullition extract. The free radical scavenging ability of reflux extract is significantly stronger than that of decompression extract (p < 0.01), and it has a repairing effect on pharyngeal mucosal damage (reducing keratinization or hyperplasia of mucosal epithelium, reducing inflammatory cell infiltration and bleeding), and reducing IL-1ß (P＜0.05), IL-6 (p＜0.05), TNF-α overexpression ability is stronger than the decompressing inner ebullition extract. CONCLUSIONS: gallic acid, ellagic acid, chebulic acid, catechin, epicatechin, corilagin and epicatechin gallate are the basic aglycones or oligomers of tannin. High temperature reflux extraction can significantly promote the occurrence of the hydrolysis of tannins and significantly increases the content of these components.Therefore, its anti-chronic pharyngitis activity is enhanced. It is suggested that high temperature reflux extraction should be used in the treatment of chronic pharyngitis.

Fever and Antipyretic Supported by Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Multi-Pathway Regulation.

The coronavirus disease, 2019 (COVID-19), has spread rapidly around the world and become a major public health problem facing the world. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been fully committed to treat COVID-19 in China. It improved the clinical symptoms of patients and reduced the mortality rate. In light of the fever was identified as one of leading clinical features of COVID-19, this paper will first analyze the material basis of fever, including pyrogenic cytokines and a variety of the mediators of fever. Then the humoral and neural pathways of fever signal transmission will be described. The scattered evidences about fever recorded in recent years are connected in series. On this basis, the understanding of fever is further deepened from the aspects of pathology and physiology. Finally, combining with the chemical composition and pharmacological action of available TCM, we analyzed the mechanisms of TCMs to play the antipyretic effect through multiple ways. So as to further provide the basis for the research of antipyretic compound preparations of TCMs and explore the potential medicines for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

[Strategies and ideas of comprehensive development and utilization of medicine and food homologous variety Phyllanthus emblica].

Phyllanthus emblica is a kind of traditional medicine and medicinal and edible plant, with rich variety resources and high development value. It is a key poverty alleviation variety in China at present. As P. emblica processing industry is rising gradually in recent years, in order to fully develop and utilize its industrial resources, this paper systematically introduces current comprehensive development and utilization of P. emblica, discusses the problems in P. emblica processing industry, and puts forward comprehensive development and utilization strategies and industrial models in terms of cultivation, breeding, grading, quality evaluation and waste recycling, so as to provide a certain reference for promoting the high-quality development of P. emblica industry in China.

Potential effect of tropical fruits Phyllanthus emblica L. for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetic complications: a systematic review of recent advances.

Phyllanthus emblica is a fruit widely consumed in subtropical areas, which is rich in polyphenols and other nutrients. There are increasing evidences that as a daily and nutritious fruit, it may have a positive role in controlling diabetic complications. According to the new study, its mechanisms include enhancing the functioning of insulin, reducing insulin resistance, activating the insulin-signaling pathway, protecting ß-cells, scavenging free radicals, alleviating inflammatory reactions, and reducing the accumulation of advanced glycation end products. Owing to its few side effects, and low price, it should be easily accepted by patients and has potential for preventing diabetes. Taken together, Phyllanthus emblica may be an ideal fruit for controlling diabetic complications. This review highlights the latest findings of the role of Phyllanthus emblica in anti-diabetes and its complications, especially clarifies the molecular mechanism of the chemical components related to this effect, and prospects some existing problems and future research directions.

Recent advances of novel technologies for quality consistency assessment of natural herbal medicines and preparations.

Quality consistency is one of the basic attributes of medicines, but it is also a difficult problem that natural medicines and their preparations must face. The complex chemical composition and comprehensive pharmacological action of natural medicines make it difficult to simply apply the commonly used evaluation methods in chemical drugs. It is thus urgent to explore the novel evaluation methods suitable for the characteristics of natural medicines. With the rapid development of analytical techniques and the deepening understanding of the quality of natural herbs, increasing numbers of researchers have proposed many new ideas and technologies. This review mainly focuses on the basic principles, technical characteristics and application examples of the chemical evaluation, biological evaluation methods and their combination in quality consistency evaluation of natural herbs. On the bases of chemical evaluation and clinical efficacy, new methods reflecting their pharmacodynamic mechanism and safety characteristics will be developed, and gradually towards accurate quality control, to achieve the goal of quality consistency. We hope that this manuscript can provide new ideas and technical references for the quality consistency of natural drugs and their preparations, thus better guarantee their clinical efficacy and safety, and better promote industrial development.

Natural medicines for the treatment of fatigue: Bioactive components, pharmacology, and mechanisms.

It is a common phenomenon that people are in a sub-health condition and facing "unexplained fatigue", which seriously affects their health, work efficiency and quality of life. Meanwhile, fatigue is also a common symptom of many serious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, and schizophrenia. However, there are still no official recommendations for the treatment of various forms of fatigue. Some traditional natural medicines are often used as health care products, such as ginseng, Cordyceps militaris (L.ex Fr.Link) and Rhodiola rosea L., and these have been reported to have specific anti-fatigue effects with small toxic and side effects and rich pharmacological activities. It may be promising treatment strategy for sub-health. In this review, we first outline the generation of fatigue. Furthermore, we put emphasis on the anti-fatigue mechanism, bioactive components, and clinic trials of natural medicines, which will contribute to the development of potential anti-fatigue agents and open up novel treatments for sub-health.

Study on the stability control strategy of Triphala solution based on the balance of physical stability and chemical stabilities.

Triphala is a well-known prescription in Indian Ayurveda and TCM medicine for its great effect on gingivitis and hyperlipidemia. However, its solution is unstable for the containing of excessive polyphenol, leading to the production of sediment in the short term and the decrease of efficacy. Based on the analysis of sediment formation, a novel control strategy is proposed. To conduct the analysis, the sediment formation was recorded for a consecutive five days. The changes in the composition of the supernatant and the sediment were studied by the HPLC profile analysis. The main components of the sediment were identified as corilagin, ellagic acid and gallic acid, and the amount of ellagic acid sediment increased with the storage time. Then, with a series of pH status adjustments of the Triphala solution, the physical and chemical stabilities were acquired by Turbiscan and HPLC respectively. The results showed that as the pH value increased, so did the physical stability, but the particle size and TSI of the association decreased. While the fingerprint of chemical profile similarity decreased, so did the chemical stability. Combining physical and chemical stability parameters, an equilibrium point was found out. When the pH value was adjusted to 5.0, both the physical and chemical stabilities were better: the verification test showed that the sedimentation inhibition rates on the 3rd, 5th,10th and15th days were 41%, 55%, 41%, and 23%, respectively. This manuscript provided a new control strategy that will pique pharmaceutical and food development engineers' interest and trigger research ideas controlling the quality of decoction.