Comparison of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine therapy on vascular cognitive impairment with no dementia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of western medicine therapy assisted by Ginkgo biloba tablets (GBT) in patients with vascular cognitive impairment with no dementia (VCIND). Eighty patients with VCIND were randomly divided into two groups: the conventional treatment group (control group) and the combined treatment group. The conventional treatment group was provided with anti-platelet aggregation conventional treatment. In this group, 75 mg aspirin was given three times a day for 3 months, whereas the combined treatment group was given 19.2 mg GBT three times a day for 3 months along with conventional anti-platelet aggregation treatment. Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography were used to observe changes in cognitive ability and cerebral blood flow in patients with VCIND before and after treatment in the two groups. After 3 months of treatment, the MoCA scores of execution, attention, abstraction, delayed memory, and orientation were significantly increased in the combined treatment group compared with those before treatment and those in the control group after treatment. In addition, the blood flow velocity of the anterior cerebral artery was significantly increased in the combined treatment group. GBT can improve the therapeutic efficacy, cognitive ability, and cerebral blood flow supply of patients with VCIND.

Effects of an acetone extract of Boswellia carterii Birdw. (Burseraceae) gum resin on adjuvant-induced arthritis in lewis rats.

Ruxiang (Gummi olibanum), the dried gum resin of Boswellia carterii (BC), has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate pain and inflammation for thousands of years. In this random, blinded study, the anti-arthritic effects of a BC extract were observed and compared to vehicle control in a Lewis rat adjuvant arthritis model (n=8/group). Arthritis was induced by injecting CFA subcutaneously into the base of the tail, and the extract was administered orally (i.g.) for 10 consecutive days beginning on day 16 after the injection. Arthritic scores, paw edema, and the local tissue pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) were assessed. Toxicity and adverse effects of the extract were evaluated. At 0.90 g/kg per day, BC significantly decreased arthritic scores between days 20 and 25 (p<0.05) and reduced paw edema on days 18, 20 and 22 compared to control (p<0.05). It also significantly suppressed local tissue TNF-alpha and IL-1beta (p<0.05). No major adverse effects were observed in animals during the repeated-dose treatment profile although mild fur discoloration was noted. The data show that BC extract has significant anti-arthritic and anti-inflammation effects and suggest that these effects may be mediated via the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

A pair of 24-hydroperoxyl epimeric dammarane saponins from flower-buds of Panax ginseng.

Further investigation on the saponins of the flower-buds of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer has resulted in the isolation and structural elucidation of a pair of new 24-epimers of dammarane type saponins named ginsenoside I and II. The structures of the epimers were characterized on the basis of chemical and spectral evidence as 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-20-S-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-3beta, 12beta,20(S)-trihydroxy-24xi-hydroperoxydammar-25-ene, except for their C-24 configurations. Ginsenoside I is a new triterpene glycoside, and ginsenoside II is a known compound first isolated from a natural plant.

Alkaloids and phenylpropanoids from Peganum nigellastrum.

Two canthin-6-one alkaloids, luotonins C and D, and two phenylpropanoids, dihydrosinapyl ferulate and dihydroconiferyl ferulate, were isolated from the aerial parts of Peganum nigellastrum along with four known alkaloids, harmine, 3-phenylquinoline, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)quinoline and 3-(1H-indol-3-yl)quinoline. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques. The structures of luotonins C and D were also confirmed by chemical synthesis.

Three new triterpenoids from Peganum nigellastrum.

Three new triterpenoids, 3alpha,27-dihydroxylup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid methyl ester, 3alpha-acetoxy-27-hydroxylup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid methyl ester, and 3alpha-acetoxyolean-12-ene-27,28-dioic acid 28-methyl ester, were isolated from the roots of Peganum nigellastrum along with four known lupene-type triterpenoids. The structures of the new triterpenoids were determined by NMR spectroscopic means. The new triterpene, 3alpha, 27-dihydroxylup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid methyl ester is a DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor (IC(50) = 8.9 microM/mL).

Studies on dammarane-type saponins in the flower-buds of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer.

From the dried flower-buds of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, a new minor dammarane-type triterpene saponin named ginsenoside III together with nine known saponins was isolated. On the basis of spectral and chemical evidence, the structure of the new saponin was elucidated as 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-20-O-beta- D-glucopyranosyl-3 beta,12 beta,20(S)-trihydroxy-dammar-25-en-24-one.