Humulus lupulus L. extract and its active constituent xanthohumol attenuate oxidative stress and nerve injury induced by iron overload via activating AKT/GSK3ß and Nrf2/NQO1 pathways.

Hops, the dried female clusters from Humulus lupulus L., have traditionally been used as folk medicines for treating insomnia, neuralgia, and menopausal disorders. However, its pharmacological action on iron overload induced nerve damage has not been investigated. This study aims to evaluate the protective effects of hops extract (HLE) and its active constituent xanthohumol (XAN) on nerve injury induced by iron overload in vivo and in vitro, and to explore its underlying mechanism. The results showed that HLE and XAN significantly improved the memory impairment of iron overload mice, mainly manifested as shortened latency time, increased crossing platform times and spontaneous alternation ratio, and increased the expression of related proteins. Additionally, HLE and XAN significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activities, and remarkably decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) level in hippocampus. Also, HLE and XAN apparently reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) content of PC12 cells induced by iron dextran (ID), and improved the oxidative stress level. Moreover, HLE and XAN significantly upregulated the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor (Nrf2), NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), SOD, phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT), and phosphorylated GSK3ß (p-GSK3ß) both in hippocampus and PC12 cells. These findings demonstrated the protective effect of HLE and XAN against iron-induced memory impairment, which is attributed to its antioxidant profile by activation of AKT/GSK3ß and Nrf2/NQO1 pathways. Also, it was suggested that hops could be a potential candidate for iron overload-related neurological diseases treatment.

Clinical study of intra-articular injection of autologous PRP combined with Tongbi San fumigation in the treatment of early knee osteoarthritis / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular injection of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) combined with Tongbi Powder fumigation in the treatment of early knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Methods:Randomized controlled trial. Totally 160 patients with KOA in Tai'an Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were enrolled between March 2021 and March 2022. According to random number table method, they were divided into two groups, with 80 cases in each group. The control group was given routine treatment, while observation group was given intra-articular injection of autologous PRP combined with Tongbi Powder fumigation. All were treated for 3 weeks. The knee function was evaluated by Western Ontario and McMaster University (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index. The activities of daily living were evaluated by Lysholm knee scale (LKS). The pain degree was evaluated by VAS. The levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by ELISA. The adverse reactions during treatment were observed and recorded. The clinical efficacy was evaluated.Results:The total effective rate of the observation group was 95.0% (76/80), and that of the control group was 77.5% (62/80), with statistical significance ( χ2=10.33, P<0.01). At 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment, the WOMAC score of the observation group was lower than that of the control group ( F=15.63, P<0.01), the LKS score was higher than that of the control group ( F=55.23, P<0.01), and the VAS score was lower than that of the control group ( F=11.93, P<0.01). After treatment, the observation group IL-1β [(51.75±2.74)μg/L vs. (63.38±3.31) μg/L, t=24.21], TNF- α [(10.58±1.25) μg/L vs. (11.62±1.84) μg/L, t=4.18] were lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01). The incidence of adverse reactions was 10.0% (8/80) in the observation group and 7.5% (6/80) in the control group, without statistical significance ( χ2=0.31, P=0.576). Conclusion:Intra-articular injection of autologous PRP combined with Tongbi San fumigation can effectively improve knee function and activities of living ability, relieve pain symptoms, reduce inflammatory response and improve clinical curative effect in early KOA.

Analysis of the of Pb, Cd and As in decoction of Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm. by PBET digestion in vitro/Caco-2 cell model and their cumulative risk assessment / 药学学报

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was applied to determine the concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) in Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm. The physiologically based extraction test (PBET) digestion in vitro/Caco-2 cell model was established to investigate the bioaccessible contents of Pb, Cd and As in decoction of Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm. The target-organ toxicity dose modification of HI method (TTD) was used to evaluate the cumulative risk caused by the combined exposure of the total levels of Pb, Cd and As in Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm. and the bioaccessible contents in the decoction. The results showed that the total contents of Pb, Cd and As in 4 batches of samples were in the range of 2.901-3.872, 1.299-1.800 and 0.062-0.216 mg·kg-1, respectively. After transportation by Cacco-2 cells, the bioaccessible contents of Pb, Cd, and As in the decoction were in the range of 0.045-0.080, 0.070-0.112 and 0.004-0.018 mg·kg-1. The results of risk assessment showed that calculated by the total amounts of heavy metals in the Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm., for the end points of nervous system, the cumulative risks of co-exposure of heavy metals in 3 batches of samples were of concern. After decoction and transportation by Caco-2 cells, for the end points of cardiovascular system, blood, nervous system, kidney and testis, the TTD modification of HI values of all batches of samples were less than 1, and the health risks were acceptable. The study provided methodology basis for a more objective assessment of the health risks of heavy metals and harmful elements in traditional Chinese medicine and for a more scientific limit standard of heavy metals and harmful elements.

High-throughput screening identifies established drugs as SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors

A new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the etiologic agent for the COVID-19 outbreak. Currently, effective treatment options remain very limited for this disease; therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new anti-COVID-19 agents. In this study, we screened over 6,000 compounds that included approved drugs, drug candidates in clinical trials, and pharmacologically active compounds to identify leads that target the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro). Together with main protease (M

Risk assessment of pesticide residues in domestic ginsengs / 中国中药杂志

The study aims at taking risk assessment of pesticide residues in ginseng and high risk pesticides were picked up in order to provide a scientific basis for the establishment of maximum residue limits(MRLs) for pesticides in ginseng. Residues of 246 pesticides in 80 ginseng samples collected from different place were detected by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS method. Acute and chronic intake risks were evaluated by using deterministic approach, and the matrix ranking developed by the Veterinary Residues Committee of the United Kingdom was referred to assess risk score of pesticides. The 25 kinds of pesticide residues were detected in ginseng samples, the detection rate of quintozene(PCNB) was 78%, which was the most frequently detectable pesticide. The chronic dietary intake risks of 25 pesticide residues expressed as %ADI were 0.00%-2.6%, and their acute dietary intake risks expressed as %ARfD were 0.00%-104.2%. Among them the acute dietary intake risks of PCNB was 104%,which was the highest. The 25 pesticides were divided into 3 groups by risk score, high risk group(4 pesticides), medium risk group(6 pesticides), and low risk group(15 pesticides). Hexachlorobenzene, phorate, PCNB and BHC were classified as high risk group. It is necessary and effective to establish the limit of residual organic chlorine in ginseng from Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2015 edition). MRLs for PCNB and hexachlorobenzene in ginseng were proposed to be revised based on the results of risk assessment.

Construction and application of effect-related near-infrared spectroscopy for traditional Chinese medicines — Exemplification by rhubarb dispensing granules / 药学学报

Consistency in quality of traditional Chinese medicine granules is an important factor to ensure reproducible clinical efficacy. In this study rhubarb dispensing granules were utilized to construct an efficacious near-infrared spectroscopy (eNIRS) assay by combining NIRS and biopotency. A NIR method for assaying rhubarb dispensing particles was established, and information on different batches was collected. The diarrhea-inducing biopotency of rhubarb dispensing granules was determined based on a constipation model induced by diphenoxylate in mice. The animal protocol was approved by the Animal Ethic Committee​ of 302 Hospital of Chinese PLA People's Liberation Army (ID: IACUC-2019-0010). Ten anthraquinones were determined in rhubarb dispensing granules by UPLC. The correlation between NIR and biopotency was analyzed and five characteristic bands that correlated highly with bioactivity were identified, including 4 011-4 390, 4 859-5 461, 7 012-7 493, 10 992-11 312 and 11 871-12 489 cm-1. There were some differences in the main bands of different chemical constituents. In summary, five active bands based on NIRS were identified and found to be able to achieve rapid on-line detection of rhubarb dispensing granule quality. This research model may also provide reference for quality control of other Chinese medicine dispensing granules.

Exploring Chinese medicine and Western medicine group modules in acute phase of ischemic stroke disease / 中国中药杂志

Under the theoretical guidance of "combination of disease and syndrome， correspondence between syndrome and prescription， and dynamic space-time"， 11 135 acute ischemic stroke patients were collected from hospital information system(HIS) of many 3A grade hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine. Complex network analysis was adopted to obtain the core syndrome elements in different periods of acute ischemic stroke patients， and it was found that the core syndrome elements were blood stasis syndrome， phlegm， endogenous wind， Yin deficiency， Qi deficiency， heat， hyperactivity of liver Yang， liver， and kidney of patients in hospital for the first day， and during 8-14 d in hospitalization， the core syndrome elements were blood stasis， phlegm， Yin deficiency， Qi deficiency， endogenous wind， hyperactivity of liver Yang， liver， and kidney. The data with "improved" and "cured" treatment outcomes were adopted for complex network analysis and correlation analysis to identify the Chinese and Western medicine group modules in patients with different disease conditions in different phases after hospitalization. It was found that the Chinese and Western medicine modules within 14 d after hospitalization mainly included "blood-activating and stasis-dissolving module "consisted by "anti-platelet drug + circulation-improving medicine(or anticoagulant drug and anti-fibrinogen drug， et al) + blood-activating and stasis-dissolving drugs"， as well as "stasis-dissolving and phlegm-reducing module" consisted by "anti-platelet drugs + circulation-improving medicine(or anticoagulant drug and anti-fibrinogen drug， et al) + phlegm refreshing drug". The core Chinese and Western medicine modules in patients with urgent and general conditions within 7 d after hospitalization mainly used "blood-activating and stasis-dissolving module" and "stasis-dissolving and phlegm-reducing module". Three or more Chinese medicine and Western medicines module with more than 1% utilization rate was not found in the patients with critical disease condition in admission. The urgent， general and critically ill patients in admission mainly used "blood-activating and stasis-dissolving module" in 8-14 d. From the real world medical big data research， it was found that the combined use of Chinese and Western medicines were consistent with "combination of disease and syndrome， correspondence between syndrome and prescription， and dynamic space-time" theory， and multiple multidimensional dynamic Chinese medicine and Western medicine group modules of "patient-syndrome-drug-time-effective" at the acute ischemic stroke stage were dug out， forming the method of Chinese and Western medicine combination research based on electrical medical big data.

Research progress of treating osteoporosis with Longspur epimedium / 中国中西医结合急救杂志

Osteoporosis is a systemic metabolic osteopathy characterized by low bone mineral density, leading to an increased risk of bone fractures. The study on the treatment of osteoporosis is mostly a research hotspot, and traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of this disease has its distinctive ascendancy. A large quantity of research indicates that the effect of Longspur epimeium (LE) for treatment of osteoporosis is definite. In this article, the authors summarized the drug components, the results of experimental research and clinical trial of LE for treatment of osteoporosis in recent years.

Establishment of fingerprint profiles of polysaccharides extracted from Guifu Dihuang Wan / 国际药学研究杂志

Objective To find a new method for quality control of polysaccharides by establishing the fingerprint profiles of polysaccharides extracted from Guifu Dihuang Wan. Methods The polysaccharides extracted from Guifu Dihuang Wan were hydro-lyzed partially under appropriate hydrolysis condition with acid,and the fingerprint profiles of the hydrolyzates was obtained by HPLC. Microsoft Excel 2002 was applied for calculating the similarity of fingerprint profiles,and informatton analysis of these profiles was performed by a software for evaluating fingerprint profiles of traditional Chinese medicine. Results Fingerprint profiles of the hydroly-zates of polysaccharides from 10 of Guifu Dihuang Wan products,produced by different manufacturers,were obtained. It was observed that the similarity of eight products was greater than 0.99,while the similarity of the other two was 0.92 and 0.94,respectively. Con-clusion This method is technically feasible for the quality control of polysaccharides from Guifu Dihuang Wan.

A holistic strategy of identification and quality evaluation of frankincense by chromatographic fingerprint combined with chemometrics / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To propose and establish a novel holistic strategy of identification and quality evaluation of frankincense by chromatographic fingerprint analysis. METHODS: The strategy contained five steps. The first step was multi-species sample collection. The second was to establish fingerprint identification and assay under the same chromatographic conditions. The third was components identification by means of reference substances and LC-MS. The fourth was multivariate analysis for identification and classification of certified products and adulterants. The fifth was to evaluate TCMs using similarity threshold and content range criteria. RESULTS: Twenty-six chromatographic peaks were separated and fourteen were identified. Furthermore, HCA heatmap analysis, principal component analysis, partial least squares discrimination, self-organizing map clustering, and support vector machine were used for pattern recognition. The common patterns for three species of frankincenses were established. The content ranges for KBA and AKBA were also calculated. CONCLUSION: The method is specific and can be used to accurately identify and systematically evaluate medicinal frankincense.

Guideline of substitute reference substance method for evaluation of traditional chinese medicines / 中国药学杂志

Substitute reference substance method is an effective approach for quality control of multiple components in accordance with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicines. The purpose of the guideline is to guide the establishment of substitute reference substance method, prove the conformance of the method to the requirements for testing, and standardize the study method and its application in national drug standards. The topics of the guideline include the definition and classification of substitute reference substance method, the principles and approaches of quantitative analysis, the identification and confirmation of chromatographic peaks, and technical requirements. When substitute reference substance method is used for fingerprint identification or multiple components assay in traditional Chinese medicines, the analytical method can be validated following the guideline.

Complex network analysis on dynamic change regularity of combining use of Chinese and western medicine in 27,678 cases with ischemic stroke in acute phase / 中国中药杂志

The acute phase of ischemic stroke patients are often treated with both Chinese patent medicine:and western medicine therapies in clinical practice. This research included 27,678 cases of the acute phase of ischemic stroke came from 14 3A level hospitals. We collected data from patients with ischemic stroke who used both Chinese patent medicine and western medicine and were hopitalized within 14 days from hospital information system (HIS). Constructing complex network of Chinese patent medicine and western medicine were found to show scale-free network. Hierarchical structure of the core algorithm was used to analyze the characteristics of combined core Chinese patent medicine and western medicine in admission condition of "acute", "critically", and "general" of ischemic stroke acute phase patient within one day, 2-3 days, 4-7 days and 8-14 days. We found that the core Chinese patent medicine mainly used for activate blood and resolve stasis medicine, and phlegm eliminating brain refreshing medicine in all kinds of patients, but the phlegm eliminating brain refreshing medicine were used to reduce with time elapsing. The core western medicine mainly used for anti-platelet medicine, improve circulation medicine, neuroprotective medicine, anticoagulants medicine and dehydration medicine. The dehydration medicine as the core western medicine for critically patients within 14 days, but the patients for general admission as core western medicine within 3 days. The neuroprotective medicine was used to decreases after 7 days in hospital. Combination of Chinese patent medicine and western medicine were mainly for neuroprotective medicine + activate blood and resolve stasis medicine, and anti-platelet medicine + activate blood and resolve stasis medicine, and improve circulation medicine + activate blood and resolve stasis medicine. The phlegm eliminating brain refreshing medicine was mainly combined with neuroprotective medicine by urgent and general admission condition patients, and it was more combined with dehydration medicine by critically admission condition patients. This research found that the dynamic characteristics for the combination of Chinese patent medicine and western medicine of acute phase of ischemic stroke patients by big data analytics and complex networks modeling, and provide basis for acute phase of ischemic stroke patients, it provide basis for ischemic stroke treatment strategy making.

Identification of two varieties of Citri Fructus by fingerprint and chemometrics / 中国中药杂志

Citri Fructus identification by fingerprint and chemometrics was investigated in this paper. Twenty-three Citri Fructus samples were collected which referred to two varieties as Cirtus wilsonii and C. medica recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. HPLC chromatograms were obtained. The components were partly identified by reference substances, and then common pattern was established for chemometrics analysis. Similarity analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) , partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and hierarchical cluster analysis heatmap were applied. The results indicated that C. wilsonii and C. medica could be ideally classified with common pattern contained twenty-five characteristic peaks. Besides, preliminary pattern recognition had verified the chemometrics analytical results. Absolute peak area (APA) was used for relevant quantitative analysis, results showed the differences between two varieties and it was valuable for further quality control as selection of characteristic components.

HPLC fingerprint of glycyrrhizea radix et rhizoma praeparata cum melle / 中国中药杂志

The chromatographic fingerprint was established by eluting with the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 0.2% formic acid water on an Agilent TC-C18 (2) column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm). Six chromatographic peaks were identified by HPLC-MS/MS method. Ten batches of Glycyrrhizea Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata Cum Melle were determined, and the similarity was arranged from 0.72 to 0.99. Good precision, stability and repeatability were obtained, and this study provides a reference for the quality control of Glycyrrhizea Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata Cum Melle.

Census of pesticide residues and suggestions for control in traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

In our study, 198 types of pesticides in 120 types 333 lots of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which were reasonably classified according to its matrix property, were determined by using the pretreatment platform and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. As a result, 158 were contaminated with pesticides. However, the content of pesticides in most TCM was very low. In addition, types of pesticides were different in different part of materia medica. In conclusion, the current status of pesticide residues pollutants in TCM was summarized, and the result can provide proof for the formulation of maximum residue limit. The new species of herbs and the new detecting index should be electively monitored in Chinese Pharmacopeia.

Quality assessment of sulfur-fumigated paeoniae alba radix / 中国中药杂志

The samples of sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Alba Radix acquired both by random spot check from domestic market and self-production by the research group in the laboratory were used to evaluate the effects of sulphur fumigation on the quality of Paeoniae Alba Radix by comparing sulfur-fumigated degree and character, the content of paeoniflorin and paeoniflorin sulfurous acid ester, and changes of the fingerprint. We used methods in Chinese Pharmacopeia to evaluate the character of sulfur-fumigated Paeoniae Alba Radix and determinate the content of aulfur-fumigated paeoniflorin. LC-MS method was used to analyze paeoniflorin-converted products. HPLC fingerprint methods were established to evaluate the differences on quality by similarity. Results showed that fumigated Paeoniae Alba Radix became white and its unique fragrance disappeared, along with the production of pungent sour gas. It also had a significant effect on paeoniflorin content. As sulfur smoked degree aggravated, paeoniflorin content decreased subsequently, some of which turned into paeoniflorin sulfurous acid ester, and this change was not reversible. Fingerprint also showed obvious changes. Obviously, sulfur fumigation had severe influence on the quality of Paeoniae Alba Radix, but we can control the quality of the Paeoniae Alba Radix by testing the paeoniflorin sulfurous acid ester content.

Influence of continuous cropping years on yield and active compounds in Salvia miltiorrhiza f. alba / 中国中药杂志

Biological characteristic of Salvia miltiorrhiza f. alba in field was studied. HPLC method was used to determine the lipophilic constituents (dihydrotanshinone, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone, tanshinone II (A) and miltione) and hydrophilic constituents (salvianolic acid, rosemarinic acid). The results showed that the fresh weight of S. miltiorrhiza f. alba which cropped for 2 years was decreased by 80.47%, while dry weight decreased by 79.42%. The normal diameter of the root was 0.3-0.5 cm, however, the diameter was 0.2-0.4 cm after 2 years, it was said that the decrease of the root diameter was the main reason for the decrease of the yield. The average contents of dihydrotanshinone, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone, tanshinone II (A), miltione, salvianolic acid and rosemarinic acid were decreased by 35.26%, 32.26%, 19.35%, 3.39%, 64.40%, 66.93% in plant which continuously cropped for 2 years, respectively. The yield and active constituents were mostly effected in the plant of S. miltiorrhiza f. alba, which continuously cropped for 2 years.

HPLC fingerprint of Liuwei Dihuang condensed pills / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish HPLC fingerprints of Liuwei Dihuang condensed pills.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Dikma Diamonsil C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) was adopted, with acetonitrile (containing 0.05% phosphoric) -water (containing 0.05% phosphoric) as the mobile phase. The column temperature was set at 40 degrees C, and the flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1). The detection wavelength was 276 nm (0-10 min), 236 nm (10-40 min) and 276 nm (40-60 min). The sample size was 20 microL. Chromatographic peaks were identified by Q-TOF-MS-IDA-MS/MS method.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Good precision, stability and repeatability were proved. Q-TOF-MS-IDA-MS/ MS method was adopted for qualitative determination of eighteen chromatographic peaks. Ten batches of Liuwei Dihuang condensed pills were determined with the method, and their similarities were above 0. 96.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The study lays a foundation for the overall quality evaluation of Liuwei Dihuang condensed pills.</p>

Chemical constituents of glucoside fraction from Liuwei Dihuang Gantang / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study chemical constituents of glucoside fraction from Liuwei Dihuang Gantang and clarify its substance foundation of active constituents.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Glucoside fraction was prepared by macroporous resin chromatography. Constituents were separated by silica gel and reverse phase silica gel column chromatography, and their structures were identified by MS and NMR.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Eleven compounds were separated and identified as 7-dehydrologanin (1), 7alpha-O-methylmorroniside (2), 7beta-O-methylmorroniside (3), 7alpha-O-ethylmorroniside (4), 7beta-O-ethylmorroniside (5), morroniside (6), sweroside (7), loganin (8), paeoniflorin (9), paeonolide (10) and loganic acid (11).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>All of those compounds were separated from Liuwei Dihuang Gantang for the first time.</p>

Chinese materia medica estrogen-like active substances induce the proliferation and differentiation of the neural stem cells / 中国中西医结合杂志

Chinese medicine (CM) and Chinese materia medica (CMM) have a long history in treating neurodegenerative diseases. In recent years great progress has taken place in modern pharmacological studies on CMM inducing the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs). In order to find out the internal correlation between classic CM theories and modern pharmacological achievements, the author raised that the estrogen-like activity of nurturing Gan and Shen CMM is one of CMM's mechanisms for inducing the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs through summarizing the progress of CMM's inducing the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs, taking nurturing Gan and Shen as the starting point, and combining the achievements of estrogen's inducing the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs.