High-throughput sequencing-based analysis of the composition and diversity of the endophyte community in roots of Stellera chamaejasme.

Stellera chamaejasme (S. chamaejasme) is an important medicinal plant with heat-clearing, detoxifying, swelling and anti-inflammatory effects. At the same time, it is also one of the iconic plants of natural grassland degradation in northwest China, playing a key role in the invasion process. Plant endophytes live in healthy plant tissues and can synthesize substances needed for plant growth, induce disease resistance in host plants, and enhance plant resistance to environmental stress. Therefore, studying the root endophytes of S. chamaejasme is of great significance for mining beneficial microbial resources and biological prevention and control of S. chamaejasme. This study used Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology to analyze the composition and diversity of endophytes in the roots of S. chamaejasme in different alpine grasslands (BGC, NMC and XGYZ) in Tibet. Research results show that the main phylum of endophytic fungi in the roots of S. chamaejasme in different regions is Ascomycota, and the main phyla of endophytic bacteria are Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes (Bacteroidota). Overall, the endophyte diversity of the NMC samples was significantly higher than that of the other two sample sites. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) results showed significant differences in the composition of endophytic bacterial and fungal communities among BGC, NMC and XGYZ samples. Co-occurrence network analysis of endophytes showed that there were positive correlations between fungi and some negative correlations between bacteria, and the co-occurrence network of bacteria was more complex than that of fungi. In short, this study provides a vital reference for further exploring and utilizing the endophyte resources of S. chamaejasme and an in-depth understanding of the ecological functions of S. chamaejasme endophytes.

Structural and biofunctional diversity of sulfated polysaccharides from the genus Codium (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta): A review.

It is believed that polysaccharides will become a focal point for future production of food, pharmaceuticals, and materials due to their ubiquitous and renewable nature, as well as their exceptional properties that have been extensively validated in the fields of nutrition, healthcare, and materials. Sulfated polysaccharides derived from seaweed sources have attracted considerable attention owing to their distinctive structures and properties. The genus Codium, represented by the species C. fragile, holds significance as a vital economic green seaweed and serves as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. To date, the cell walls of the genus Codium have been found to contain at least four types of sulfated polysaccharides, specifically pyruvylated ß-d-galactan sulfates, sulfated arabinogalactans, sulfated ß-l-arabinans, and sulfated ß-d-mannans. These sulfated polysaccharides exhibit diverse biofunctions, including anticoagulant, immune-enhancing, anticancer, antioxidant activities, and drug-carrying capacity. This review explores the structural and biofunctional diversity of sulfated polysaccharides derived from the genus Codium. Additionally, in addressing the impending challenges within the industrialization of these polysaccharides, encompassing concerns regarding scale-up production and quality control, we outline potential strategies to address these challenges from the perspectives of raw materials, extraction processes, purification technologies, and methods for quality control.

Natural products in traditional Chinese medicine: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets of renal fibrosis and state-of-the-art drug delivery systems.

Renal fibrosis (RF) is the end stage of several chronic kidney diseases. Its series of changes include excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular cells, fibroblast activation, immune cell infiltration, and renal cell apoptosis. RF can eventually lead to renal dysfunction or even renal failure. A large body of evidence suggests that natural products in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have great potential for treating RF. In this article, we first describe the recent advances in RF treatment by several natural products and clarify their mechanisms of action. They can ameliorate the RF disease phenotype, which includes apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and EMT, by affecting relevant signaling pathways and molecular targets, thereby delaying or reversing fibrosis. We also present the roles of nanodrug delivery systems, which have been explored to address the drawback of low oral bioavailability of natural products. This may provide new ideas for using natural products for RF treatment. Finally, we provide new insights into the clinical prospects of herbal natural products.

Metabolic Insight Into the Neuroprotective Effect of Tao-He-Cheng-Qi (THCQ) Decoction on ICH Rats Using Untargeted Metabolomics.

Tao-He-Cheng-Qi decoction (THCQ) is an effective traditional Chinese medicine used to treat intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). This study was performed to investigate the possible neuroprotective effect of THCQ decoction on secondary brain damage in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage and to elucidate the potential mechanism based on a metabolomics approach. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into five groups: the sham group, collagenase-induced ICH model group, THCQ low-dose (THCQ-L)-treated group, THCQ moderate-dose (THCQ-M)-treated group and THCQ high-dose (THCQ-H)-treated group. Following 3 days of treatment, behavioral changes and histopathological lesions in the brain were estimated. Untargeted metabolomics analysis with multivariate statistics was performed by using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS). THCQ treatment at two dosages (5.64 and 11.27 g/kg·d) remarkably improved behavior (p < 0.05), brain water content (BMC) and hemorheology (p < 0.05) and improved brain nerve tissue pathology and inflammatory infiltration in ICH rats. Moreover, a metabolomic analysis demonstrated that the serum metabolic profiles of ICH patients were significantly different between the sham group and the ICH-induced model group. Twenty-seven biomarkers were identified that potentially predict the clinical benefits of THCQ decoction. Of these, 4 biomarkers were found to be THCQ-H group-specific, while others were shared between two clusters. These metabolites are mainly involved in amino acid metabolism and glutamate-mediated cell excitotoxicity, lipid metabolism-mediated oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction caused by energy metabolism disorders. In addition, a correlation analysis showed that the behavioral scores, brain water content and hemorheology were correlated with levels of serum metabolites derived from amino acid and lipid metabolism. In conclusion, the results indicate that THCQ decoction significantly attenuates ICH-induced secondary brain injury, which could be mediated by improving metabolic disorders in cerebral hemorrhage rats.

[Herbalogical study on original plant and medicinal and edible values of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus].

Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus is a both medicinal and edible species specified by the China Ministry of Health, with a long history in China. According to the ancient monographs about materia medica, it was found that the records of the Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus on the original plants were confused. This paper reviewed the ancient monographs about materia medica, and made a summarization and textual research on the name, origin, habitat, processing methods, medicinal properties and clinicacy efficacy of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus based the comprehensive analysis on modern literatures and authoritative books of Chinese herbal medicine. The results indicated that there were many bynames of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus. Before the Yuan Dynasty, there was a mixed use of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus and Citri Fructus, which were not distinguished from each other in terms of nature and taste until the Yuan dynasty. Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus was a varietas of Citri Fructus. The main shape of the original plant of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus is "like a human hand with fingers" as recorded in ancient monographs about materia medica. The main places of origin of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus were Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Sichuan, which were relatively stable. There were fewer records about medicinal proces-sing methods of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus. Only steaming and baking methods were found in ancient monographs about materia medica, and the steaming method could reduce the irritability of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus. The processing of therapeutic dietary of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus was widely used in folk, which was represented by Chaozhou Laoxianghuang, a traditional succade made of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus. According to the 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus had effects in soothing liver and regulating gas, relieving pain in the stomach, eliminating dampness and resolving phlegm, which was basically consistent with the descriptions in ancient monographs about materia medica. This paper defined the original plant of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus, and sorted out and summarized the processing methods, nature and taste of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus, so as to provide data support for the standardization of the processing technology and the development and utilization of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus.

Effects of zero-valent iron nanoparticles and quinclorac coexposure on the growth and antioxidant system of rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Quinclorac (3,7-dichloroquinoline-8-carboxylic acid, QNC) is a highly selective auxin herbicide that is typically applied to paddy rice fields. Its residue is a serious problem in crop rotations. In this study, Oryza sativa L. seedlings was used as a model plant to explore its biochemical response to abiotic stress caused by QNC and nZVI coexposure, as well as the interactions between QNC and nZVI treatments. Exposure to 5 and 10 mg/L QNC reduced the fresh biomass by 26.6% and 33.9%, respectively, compared to the control. The presence of 50 and 250 mg/L nZVI alleviated the QNC toxicity, but the nZVI toxicity was aggravated by the coexist of QNC. Root length was enhanced upon exposure to low or medium doses of both QNC and nZVI, whereas root length was inhibited under high-dose coexposure. Both nZVI and QNC, either alone or in combination, significantly inhibited the biosynthesis of chlorophyll, and the inhibition rate increased with elevated nZVI and QNC concentration. It was indicated that nZVI or QNC can affect the plant photosynthesis, and there was a significant interaction between the two treatments. Effects of QNC on the antioxidant response of Oryza sativa L. differed in the shoots and roots; generally, the introduction of 50 and 250 mg/L nZVI alleviated the oxidative stress (POD in shoots, SOD and MDA in roots) induced by QNC. However, 750 mg/kg nZVI seriously damaged Oryza sativa L. seedlings, which likely resulted from active iron deficiency. QNC could be removed from the culture solution by nZVI; as a result, nZVI suppressed QNC uptake by 20%-30%.

[Historical evolution of Coicis Semen processing methods].

Coicis Semen is widely used as a raw material which can be used as both medicine and food among people. According to the ancient monographs on materia medica and relevant documents on the processing specifications in various provinces and cities, herba logical study on the historical evolution of the processing methods of Coicis Semen was conducted in this paper from the aspects of collecting and processing methods of Coicis Semen, the processing methods in the past dynasties and the nature, flavour and efficacy of Coicis Semen. The results showed that the processing methods of Coicis Semen recorded in monographs on materia medica mainly included stir-frying, glutinous rice stir-frying, salt processing(including salt cooking and salt stir-frying), stir-frying with the earth scraped from the wall facing east, and ginger juice stir-frying, etc. Among them, stir-frying, and stir-frying with the earth scraped from the wall facing east are still used nowadays. The bran stir-frying is the improved version of glutinous rice stir-frying in order to be adaptive to the modern-day situation and the needs of the present. In addition, the ancient shell removal and kernel keeping method are also included in the processing procedures in modern local processing specifications, which are combined with frying to form a new method named "Fazhi" processing( "Fazhi" means a processing method of multiple procedures). The 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia records that Coicis Semen is helpful to clear dampness and promote diuresis, strengthen the spleen and prevent diarrhea, eliminate impediment, discharge pus, resolve toxin and a mass, etc., which are consistent with those contained in ancient monographs on materia medica. After the "Fazhi" processing, the cold nature of Coicis Semen has been removed and its nature,flavour and meridian tropism have been changed, so its application scopes expanded. The results of this study clearly traced the history of the collecting and proces-sing of Coicis Semen, summarized the nature, flavour and efficacy of Coicis Semen contained in both ancient and modern literature, and provided a historical basis for the standardization of the subsequent processing technology of Coicis Semen, the clinical application of various processed products, and the further development and utilization of medicinal materials.

[Effects of seeding pattern and phosphorus application on population structure, photosynthe-tic characteristics and yield of winter wheat]. / æ’­ç§æ–¹å¼å’Œæ–½ç£·å¯¹å†¬å°éº¦ç¾¤ä½“ç»“æž„ã€å ‰åˆç‰¹æ€§å’Œäº§é‡çš„å½±å“.

Under Xinjiang winter wheat seeding pattern, in order to sort out proper phosphorus application (PA) and find out the effects and mechanism of PA on population structure, photosynthesis characteristics and yield and provide reliable evidence for PA management of winter wheat, we arranged a two-factor complete split-plot design of wheat variety "Xindong 22". The main area consisted of two seeding ways: drill seeding pattern (D) and uniform seeding pattern (U), while in the sub-area there were four levels of PA(P2O5): 0, 60, 120, and 180 kg·hm-2(represented by P0, P60, P120 and P180 for those treatments, respectively). The results showed that the earbearing percentage in U was 15.9% higher than that in D, and the other features (PAR interception rate, extinction coefficient, leaf area index, SPAD and photosynthetic parameters) were more optimal in 120 kg·hm-2 treatment. Our results showed that the 120 kg·hm-2 treatment in U would be the optimal option with respect to population structure, photosynthetic characteristics, and yield.

Euphane- and 19(10 → 9)abeo-euphane-type triterpenoids from Jatropha gossypiifolia.

Four new tetracyclic triterpenoids (1-4) were isolated from the leaves and twigs of Jatropha gossypiifolia. Their structures were elucidated by MS and NMR data analysis, together with the Mo2(OAc)4-induced CD data. Jagabeoeuphols A-C (1-3) are rare 19(10 â†’ 9)abeo-euphane-type triterpenoids possessing a Δ5(10) group and a 7,8-epoxide moiety, and jagoseuphone A (4) is a typical euphane-type triterpenoid. The inhibitory effects of 1-4 on nitric oxide production induced by lipopolysaccharide in RAW264.7 cells were evaluated, and 4 exhibited moderate inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 20.1 µM.

Magnetic beads-based neuraminidase enzyme microreactor as a drug discovery tool for screening inhibitors from compound libraries and fishing ligands from natural products.

Neuraminidase (NA) is a glycoside hydrolase that has been proposed as a potential therapeutic target for influenza. Thus, the identification of compounds that modulate NA activity could be of great therapeutic importance. The aim of this study is to develop a drug discovery tool for the identification of novel modulators of NA from both compound libraries and natural plant extracts. NA was immobilized onto the surface of magnetic beads and the inherent catalytic activity of NA-functionalized magnetic beads was characterized. Based on the enzymatic activity (hydrolysis ratio), the inhibitory activities of 12 compounds from plant secondary metabolites were screened, and the desired anti-NA activities of flavonoids were certified. Ligand fishing with the immobilized enzyme was optimized using an artificial test mixture consisting of oseltamivir, lycorine and matrine prior to carrying out the proof-of-concept experiment with the crude extract of Flos Lonicerae. The combination of ligand fishing and HPLC-MS/MS identified luteolin-7-O-ß-D-glucoside, luteolin, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid and 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid as neuraminidase inhibitory ligands in Flos Lonicerae. This is the first report on the use of neuraminidase functionalized magnetic beads for the identification of active ligands from a botanical matrix, and it sets the basis for the de novo identification of NA modulators from complex biological mixtures.

[Construction of automatic elucidation platform for mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine].

Aim at the two problems in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mechanism elucidation, one is the lack of detailed biological processes information, next is the low efficient in constructing network models, we constructed an auxiliary elucidation system for the TCM mechanism and realize the automatic establishment of biological network model. This study used the Entity Grammar Systems (EGS) as the theoretical framework, integrated the data of formulae, herbs, chemical components, targets of component, biological reactions, signaling pathways and disease related proteins, established the formal models, wrote the reasoning engine, constructed the auxiliary elucidation system for the TCM mechanism elucidation. The platform provides an automatic modeling method for biological network model of TCM mechanism. It would be benefit to perform the in-depth research on TCM theory of natures and combination and provides the scientific references for R&D of TCM.

TCM grammar systems: an approach to aid the interpretation of the molecular interactions in Chinese herbal medicine.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Interpreting the molecular interactions in Chinese herbal medicine will help to understand the molecular mechanisms of Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) and predict the new pharmacological effects of TCM. Yet, we still lack a method which could integrate the concerned pieces of parsed knowledge about TCM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To solve the problem, a new method named TCM grammar systems was proposed in the present article. The possibility to study the interactions of TCM at the molecular level using TCM grammar systems was explored using Herba Ephedrae Decoction (HED) as an example. RESULTS: A platform was established based on the formalism of TCM grammar systems. The related molecular network of Herba Ephedrae Decoction (HED) can be extracted automatically. The molecular network indicates that Beta2 adrenergic receptor, Glucocorticoid receptor and Interleukin12 are the relatively important targets for the anti-anaphylaxis asthma function of HED. Moreover, the anti-anaphylaxis asthma function of HED is also related with suppressing inflammation process. The results show the feasibility using TCM grammar systems to interpret the molecular mechanism of TCM. Although the results obtained depend on the database absolutely, recombination of existing knowledge in this method provides new insight for interpreting the molecular mechanism of TCM. CONCLUSIONS: TCM grammar systems could aid the interpretation of the molecular interactions in TCM to some extent. Moreover, it might be useful to predict the new pharmacological effects of TCM. The method is an in silico technology. In association with the experimental techniques, this method will play an important role in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of TCM.