Research Progress on Anti-atherosclerosis Mechanism of Mongolian Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Atherosclerosis is one of the most common diseases that threaten human health. How to effectively inhibit atherosclerosis， extend the survival time and improve the quality of life has become one of the most urgent issues to be solved clinically. Mongolian medicine， with a long history of managing human diseases， is an important part in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and has distinct ethnic characteristics. It has been gradually formed and developed by absorbing some theories of Tibetan medicine， Indian medicine and relevant knowledge of TCM. Mongolian medicine has many advantages， including but not limited to， low toxicity and diverse structure. However， the action mechanism of Mongolian medicine in preventing and managing atherosclerosis has yet to be fully clarified， which has been a major obstacle for further promotion and application of Mongolian medicine in clinical settings. In this review， the up-to-date research findings on Mongolian medicine were collected， analyzed and summarized， and the anti-atherogenic action mechanism of Mongolian medicine were reviewed from the aspects of anti-inflammatory， lipid-lowering， anti-oxidative stress， vascular endothelial cell protection， and inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration.

Rapid identification of constituents of Urtica hyperborea using UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS method / 中国中药杂志

This paper deals with the application of ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS) method to rapidly determine and analyze the chemical constituents of methanol extract of Urtica hyperborea. We employed UPLC YMC-Triart C18(2. 1 mm×100 mm,1. 9 μm) column to UPLC analysis with acetonitrile-water(containing 0. 4% formic acid) in gradient as mobile phase. The flow rate was 0. 3 m L·min-1 gradient elution and column temperature was 30℃; the injection volume was 4 μL. ESI ion source was used to ensure the data collected in anegative ion mode. The chemical components of U. hyperborea were identified through retention time,exact relative molecular mass,cleavage fragments of MS/MS and reported data.The results indicated that a total of 31 compounds were identified,including 8 flavonoids,14 phenolic compounds,8 phenylpropanoids(4 coumarins and 4 lignans),and 1 steroidal compound,13 of which were confirmed by comparison. The UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS method could rapid identify the chemical components of U. hyperborea. The above compounds were discovered in U. hyperborea for the first time,which could provide theoretical foundation for further research on the basis of the pharmacodynamics of U. hyperborea.

Study on effect of extract from Tibetan medicine Urtica hyperborean on anti-prostatic hyperplasia / 中国中药杂志

In this study,mouse models of benign prostatic hyperplasia induced by subcutaneous injection of testosterone propionate was used to investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Urtica hyperborean( UW) extracts on prostate hyperplasia in mice. The effects of UW extracts on prostate index,serum epidermal growth factor( EGF) and dihydrotestosterone( DHT) in model mice were observed,and the EGF and anti-apoptotic factor( Bcl-2) mRNA expression levels were detected as well as pathological changes in prostate tissue. The results showed that the ethyl acetate extraction and alcohol soluble fraction of the UW could significantly reduce the prostate index,reduce the serum DHT and EGF levels( P<0. 01),and significantly decrease the EGF and Bcl-2 mRNA expression( P<0. 01),significantly improved the morphological structure of prostate tissue. The above results confirmed that ethyl acetate extract and alcohol-soluble parts of UW have a good preventive effect on mice prostatic hyperplasia model,and its mechanism may be to reduce androgen levels by regulating polypeptide growth factors and/or inhibiting cell hyperproliferation and promoting apoptosis. This study laid the foundation for the further research on UW.

Research progress on medicinal plant of Urtica L / 中草药

Medicinal plants of Urtica L. have 13 species, three subspecies in China, with wind-damp-dispelling and blood-activating analgesic effects, and used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), skin diseases, digestive system, respiratory system, pediatric, and gynecological diseases. At present, more than 200 compounds were isolated from this genus, including flavonoids, alkaloids, lignans, coumarins, terpenes, steroids, organic acids, and volatile oils. Its extracts have pharmacological actions of anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia, antibacterial, anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and so on. However, it is still lack of the therapeutic material basis and mechanism research. In recent years, the medicinal value of this genus has been widely concerned by scholars at domestic and foreign, European has developed various drugs for the treatment of RA and BPH from this genus appeared on the market. Therefore, it is necessary to study and develop Urtica L. medicinal plants of our country, especially for the unreported characteristic Tibetan medicinal materials of U. tibetica and U. hyperborean with abundant resources, which should be in-depth systematic study. In this paper, the medicinal situation, chemical composition, and pharmacological action of the medicinal plants of Urtica L. were reviewed and analyzed by referring to the relevant herbal works and domestic and foreign research literatures, which can provide the scientific basis for further research and clinical application of this genus.