Review of the Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils from Artemisia Argyi, Artemisia Princeps, and Artemisia Montana.

BACKGROUND: Artemisia argyi Lévl. et Van., Artemisia princeps Pamp., and Artemisia montana Pamp., which are the sources of mugwort, have been popular across East Asian countries for nearly 2000 years now. Essential oils are the major chemical component obtained from them, exhibiting a variety of biological activities. OBJECTIVE: This review mainly focuses on the chemical composition and biological activities of A. argyi essential oil (AAEO), A. princeps essential oil (APEO), and A. montana essential oil (AMEO), with a special focus on their common and specific characteristics. The traditional use, distribution, and botany of A. argyi, A. princeps, and A. montana have also been summarized. In addition, the pharmacokinetics of AAEO was involved. METHODS: We collected literature from online and offline databases by entering the following keywords: mugwort, wormwood, A. argyi, A. princeps, A. montana, essential oil, and volatile oil. No language limitation was present in our search. RESULTS: A. argyi, A. princeps, and A. montana were used as traditional medicine, food, and health care products for a long time in Asia. They are widely distributed in most parts of China, Korea, and Japan. AAEO, APEO, and AMEO composed of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and their derivatives, alkanes, olefins, etc. Most of the specific compounds of AAEO were monoterpenoids, nearly half of the specific compounds of APEO were aliphatic hydrocarbons, and the sesquiterpenes were the typical specific compounds of AMEO. The mugwort essential oil showed multiple biological activities, such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, anticoagulation, sedative, and insecticide. CONCLUSION: The present review provided insight into the chemical composition and biological activity of AAEO, APEO, and AMEO. The comprehensive literature showed that they possessed wide application prospects in various fields. However, they should be studied in more depth. The underlying bioactive mechanisms should be elucidated and their toxicity and quality control should be determined.

[Correlations between appearance traits and internal quality of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium roots based on theory of "quality evaluation through morphological identification"].

It is generally believed that high-quality Bupleurum scorzonerifolium roots possess specific morphological characteristics, being red, robust, and long with strong odor. However, the scientific connotation of these characteristics has not been elucidated. According to the theory of "quality evaluation through morphological identification", we studied the correlations between appearance traits(the RGB value of root surface, root length, root diameter, dry weight, and ratio of phloem to xylem) and content of main chemical components(volatile oils, total saponins, total flavonoids, total polysaccharides, and seven saikosaponins) of B. scorzonerifolium roots. Epson Scanner and ImageJ were used to scan the root samples and measure the appearance traits. Ultraviolet spectrophotometry and HPLC were employed to determine the content of chemical components. The correlation, regression, and cluster analyses were performed to study the correlations between the appearance traits and the content of chemical components. The results showed that the content of volatile oils and saikosaponins were significantly correlated with RGB value, root length, and root diameter, indicating that within a certain range, the roots being redder, longer, and thicker had higher content of volatile oils and saikosaponins. According to the appearance traits and chemical component content, the 14 samples from different producing areas were classified into four grades, and the differences in morphological traits and chemical component content were consistent among different grades. The findings in this study demonstrate that appearance traits(RGB value, root length, and root diameter) can be used to evaluate the quality of B. scorzonerifolium roots. Meanwhile, this study lays a foundation for establishing an objective quality evaluation method for B. scorzonerifolium roots.

Immunoregulatory mechanism studies of ginseng leaves on lung cancer based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Panax ginseng is one of the oldest and most generally prescribed herbs in Eastern traditional medicine to treat diseases. Several studies had documented that ginseng leaves have anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties similar to those of ginseng root. The aim of this research was to forecast of the molecular mechanism of ginseng leaves on lung cancer by molecular docking and network pharmacology so as to decipher ginseng leaves' entire mechanism. The compounds associated with ginseng leaves were searched by TCMSP. TCMSP and Swiss Target Prediction databases were used to sort out the potential targets of the main chemical components. Targets were collected from OMIM, PharmGKB, TTD, DrugBank and GeneCards which related to immunity and lung cancer. Ginseng leaves exert its lung cancer suppressive function by regulating the several signaling proteins, such as JUN, STAT3, AKT1, TNF, MAPK1, TP53. GO and KEGG analyses indicated that the immunoreaction against lung cancer by ginseng leaves might be related to response to lipopolysaccharide, response to oxidative stress, PI3K-Akt, MAPK and TNF pathway. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated that hydrogen bonding was interaction's core forms. The results of CCK8 test and qRT-PCR showed that ginseng leaves inhibit cell proliferation and regulates AKT1 and P53 expression in A549. The present study clarifies the mechanism of Ginseng leaves against lung cancer and provides evidence to support its clinical use.

Transcriptomic analysis in Anemone flaccida rhizomes reveals ancillary pathway for triterpene saponins biosynthesis and differential responsiveness to phytohormones.

Anemone flaccida Fr. Schmidt is a perennial medicinal herb that contains pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins as the major bioactive constituents. In China, the rhizomes are used as treatments for a variety of ailments including arthritis. However, yields of the saponins are low, and little is known about the plant's genetic background or phytohormonal responsiveness. Using one-quarter of the 454 pyrosequencing information from the Roche GS FLX Titanium platform, we performed a transcriptomic analysis to identify 157 genes putatively encoding 26 enzymes involved in the synthesis of the bioactive compounds. It was revealed that there are two biosynthetic pathways of triterpene saponins in A. flaccida. One pathway depends on ß-amyrin synthase and is similar to that found in other plants. The second, subsidiary ("backburner") pathway is catalyzed by camelliol C synthase and yields ß-amyrin as minor byproduct. Both pathways used cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenases (CYPs) and family 1 uridine diphosphate glycosyltransferases (UGTs) to modify the triterpenoid backbone. The expression of CYPs and UGTs were quite different in roots treated with the phytohormones methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid and indole-3-acetic acid. This study provides the first large-scale transcriptional dataset for the biosynthetic pathways of triterpene saponins and their phytohormonal responsiveness in the genus Anemone.

Identification and characterization of major constituents in Juglans mandshurica using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS).

The present study was designed to identify and characterize the major constituents in Juglans mandshurica Maxim. A simple, efficient and sensitive ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS) method was established and validated under positive and negative ion modes. The separation was performed on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.7 µm) by gradient elution with a mobile phase (Phase A: 0.1% aqueous formic acid solution, Phase B: 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile solution). A total of 165 compounds were rapidly selected by Targeted and Non-Targeted Peak Finding approaches, and then tentatively identifled by comparing with reference substances or inferred through mass spectrometry fragment ion analysis and literature data. These compounds included 68 naphthalenequinones, 20 diarylheptanoids, 29 flavonoids, 20 triterpenes, and 28 phenolic acids. In conclusion, the present study provided an effective approach to identifying components in complex matrices of herbal medicines such as Juglans mandshurica Maxim.

[Determination of eight heavy metals and two main ingredients of safflower planted in linzhi of Tibetan].

The eight heavy metals and two essential constitutes of safflowers planted in linzhi which lies in Southern Tibet were analyzed by ICP-MS and by HPLC respectively. Heavy metals of safflower in the region were at the lower level and the essential constitutes were at the higher level. The better quality of safflower here was assisted by the excellent climate in tibet.

Constituents from Zhuyeqing Liquor with hepatoprotective effect on alcohol-induced HepaG 2 toxicity.

An unprecedented new skeleton compound (1R, 10R, 11S)-10,11-dimethyl-4-formyl-2,9-dioxa-bicyclo [5.4.0] undeca-4,6-dien-3-one (1), monoterpenoids and monoterpene glycoside picrocrocinic ester (2), epijasminoside B (3) and 6'-O-(3-methoxyl-4-hydroxyl-coumaroyl)-epijasminoside B (4), along with 26 known compounds, were obtained from Zhuyeqing Liquor. These compounds were identified mainly by analyzing their NMR, HR-ESI-MS and CD data. The isolated compounds were screened against alcohol induced HepaG 2 toxicity for hepatoprotective assay. Compounds 10, 19, 21 and 26 displayed the highest potency against alcohol induced HepaG 2 toxicity with the cell viability ratio 41.21, 56.91, 67.69 and 70.32% respectively.

Screening for differentially expressed genes in endophytic fungus strain 39 during co-culture with herbal extract of its host Dioscorea nipponica Makino.

Strain 39 is an endophytic fungus which was isolated from Dioscorea nipponica Makino (DNM). After Strain 39 co-cultured with ethanol extract of DNM rhizomes for several days, the content of saponins in this culture mixture would be obviously increased. To analyze the mechanism of this microbial transformation, we used the differential display reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR) method to compare the transcriptomes between Strain 39 cultured in normal PD medium and in PD medium which added ethanol extract of DNM rhizomes. We amplified 29 DDRT-PCR bands using 12 primer combinations of three anchored primers and five random primers, and six bands were re-amplified. Analysis of real-time PCR and sequence alignment showed that three clones were up-regulated in sample group: squalene epoxidase, squalene synthase, and catalase, one clone was expressed only in sample group. The possible roles and origins of the above genes were discussed, and the molecular mechanism of Strain 39 biotransformation was speculated. This study is the first report of the molecular biotransformation mechanism of saponins production by endophytic fungus of DNM.

Metabolomic profiling for identification of potential biomarkers in the protective effects of modified Sinisan against liver injury in dimethylnitrosamine treated rats.

Metabolomics is a new platform based on the comprehensive analysis of low molecular weight metabolites and provides a powerful approach to discover biomarkers in biological systems. Modified Sinisan (MSNS), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, displayed bright prospects in the prevention and therapy of liver injury. However, its molecular mechanism of hepatoprotective effects remains unclear. This paper was designed to explore the effects and potential mechanisms of MSNS against dimethylnitrosamine-induced liver injury. Global metabolic profiling was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-Q-TOF-MS) in conjunction with multivariate data analysis and pathway analysis. Eleven serum biomarkers were identified and pathway analysis results showed that phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, retinol metabolism, tyrosine metabolism were perturbed by liver injury. More importantly, MSNS has showed satisfactory pharmacological effect on liver injury through partially regulating the perturbed pathways, correlates well to the biochemical and histopathological detection results. The present study proved that the robust metabolomics approach is promising for unraveling hepatoprotective effects of MSNS and these findings provide new insights into mechanisms of the liver injury, and its pathophysiologic processes.

Protective effects of Zhuyeqing liquor on the immune function of normal and immunosuppressed mice in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Zhuyeqing Liquor (ZYQL), a well-known Chinese traditional health liquor, has various biological properties, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunoenhancement and cardiovascular protective effects. METHODS: The protective effects of Zhuyeqing Liquor (ZYQL) on the immune function was investigated in vivo in normal healthy mice and immunosuppressed mice treated with Cyclophosphamide (Cy, 100 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection on days 4, 8 and 12. ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) was administered via gavage daily for 14 days. The phagocytotic function of mononuclear phagocytic system was detected with carbon clearance methods, the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in serum were detected with Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immune organs were weighed and organ indexes (organ weight/body weight) of thymus and spleen were calculated. Meanwhile, the activity of lysozyme (LSZ) in serum and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT) in spleen tissue were measured. RESULTS: ZYQL significantly upgrades the K value for clearance of carbon particles in normal mice treated with ZYQL (400 mg/kg) and immunosuppressed mice treated with ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) together with Cy (100 mg/kg) in vivo. The treatment of ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) effectively increased the activity of serum lysozyme as well as promoted the serum levels of IL-6 and IFN-γ in normal mice and immunosuppressed mice. Furthermore, ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) had an antioxidant effects in immune system by enhancing the antioxidant enzyme activity of SOD, CAT and GSH-Px in vivo. In addition, ZYQL (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) effectively elevated the Cy-induced decreased organ index (thymus and spleen). CONCLUSIONS: The present work shows that the dose-dependent administration of ZYQL is capable of influencing immune responses, which implying that its valuable functional health may be attributed partly to its protective effects for the immune function.

Identification of metabolites of FR429, a potential antitumor ellagitannin, transformed by rat intestinal bacteria in vitro, based on liquid chromatography-ion trap-time of flight mass spectrometry analysis.

FR429 is an ellagitannin with a potential antitumor activity, isolated and purified from Polygonum capitatum Buch.-Ham.ex D.Don, which is a traditional Miao-nationality herbal medicine in Guizhou and Yunnan of China. Our preliminary result of pharmacology study has indicated that the antitumor activity of FR429. However, the metabolism of FR429 has not been reported yet. In this study, LC-ion trap-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-IT-TOF/MS) was used to characterize unpredictable metabolites of FR429 biotransformed by intestinal bacteria in vitro. Total thirteen metabolites were detected and characterized via comparisons of their accurate molecular masses and fragment ions of each MS(n) stage with those of the parent drug, and four of them were also elucidated by NMR. The results demonstrated that FR429 could be transformed by intestinal bacteria in vitro, mainly via hydrolysis and reduction reaction. This work provided a basis for the further study on the biotansformation of FR429 in vivo.

[Pharmacological effects of volatile oil of Valeriana amurensis on CNS].

OBJECTIVE: To study the pharmacological effects of volatile oil of Valeriana amurensis on central nervous system. METHODS: The pharmacological effects of volatile oil of Valeriana amurensis on the autonomic activities of mice, the sleeping synergistic action of mice with pentoharbital sodium at subthreshold and hypnotic dosages, the sleep phases of rats, the writhing response of mice caused by acetic acid and the convulsion of mice induced by thio-semicarbazide were investigated. RESULTS: The autonomic activities of mice were significantly inhibited by the volatile oil of Valeriana amurensis. The rate of falling sleep and the extension of sleeping time of mice were significantly increased by the synergic action of pentobarbital sodium with the volatile oil. The sleep phases of SWS2 and REMS of rats were obviously extended by the volatile oil of Valeriana amurensis. In addition, the frequency of writhing response of mice caused by acetic acid was reduced, and the convulsion of mice induced by thio-semicarbazide was antagonized with the administration of the volatile oil. CONCLUSION: The volatile oil of Valeriana amurensis has significantly sedative analgesic and anti-hyperspasmia effects.

[Study of quality standards on Qianshan Huoxue plaster].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the methods of identification and assay in Qianshan Huoxue Gao. METHOD: Using TLC to identify Sanchi, Dragon's Blood and using HPLC to determine the content of ginsenoside Rg1. RESULT: The linear range of ginsenoside Rg1 was from 0.153 9 to 1.026 microg. The average recovery was 97.4%, RSD was 2.1%. CONCLUSION: The methods are simple and have good reproducibility.