Hippophae rhamnoides L.: A Comprehensive Review on the Botany, Traditional Uses, Phytonutrients, Health Benefits, Quality Markers, and Applications.

Hippophae rhamnoides L. (sea buckthorn), consumed as a food and health supplement worldwide, has rich nutritional and medicinal properties. Different parts of H. rhamnoides L. were used in traditional Chinese medicines for relieving cough, aiding digestion, invigorating blood circulation, and alleviating pain since ancient times. Phytochemical studies revealed a wide variety of phytonutrients, including nutritional components (proteins, minerals, vitamins, etc.) and functional components like flavonoids (1-99), lignans (100-143), volatile oils (144-207), tannins (208-230), terpenoids (231-260), steroids (261-270), organic acids (271-297), and alkaloids (298-305). The pharmacological studies revealed that some crude extracts or compounds of H. rhamnoides L. demonstrated various health benefits, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anticardiovascular disease, anticancer, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, neuroprotective, antibacterial activities, and their effective doses and experimental models were summarized and analyzed in this paper. The quality markers (Q-markers) of H. rhamnoides L. were predicted and analyzed based on protobotanical phylogeny, traditional medicinal properties, expanded efficacy, pharmacokinetics and metabolism, and component testability. The applications of H. rhamnoides L. in juice, wine, oil, ferment, and yogurt were also summarized and future prospects were examined in this review. However, the mechanism and structure-activity relationship of some active compounds are not clear, and quality control and potential toxicity are worth further study in the future.

[Correlation between color and content of eight components of Gardeniae Fructus at different harvest time].

This research is to establish an HPLC method for determination of geniposidic acid, genipin-1-ß-D-gentiobioside, geniposide, p-trans-coumaroylgenipin gentiobioside, chlorogenic acid, crocin-Ⅰ, crocin-Ⅱ and crocin-Ⅲ in Gardeniae Fructus at different harvest time. The detection wavelength was 238, 320 and 440 nm. Principal component analysis(PCA), correlation analysis, regression analysis and partial least squares(PLS) analysis were used to explore the relationship of color and content of eight components in Gardeniae Fructus. The result showed that the trend of the eight components in Gardeniae Fructus at harvest time in different three years was varied similarly. According to the variation of eight components at different harvest time, the mature and immaturate Gardeniae Fructus were discriminated. The content of crocin-Ⅰwas correlated positively with a~* of color significance. The redder color of Gardeniae Fructus showed the higher value of a~* and content of crocin-Ⅰ, indicating the better quality of Gardeniae Fructus. This method provided reference for justifying the color and quality of Gardeniae Fructus and scientific evidence for "assessing quality by distinguishing color".

[Varieties textual research, resource investigation and identification of commercial drugs on Cuscutae Semen].

Through the textual research, resource investigation, literature reviews (including Flora of China, municipal Flora, pharmacopoeia of China and municipal drug standards) and identification of commercial drugs on Cuscutae Semen, it was found the species described in the herbal textual was Cuscuta chinensis, with good quality from Shandong and Henan Province. The identification of commodities showed the majority drugs were from C. australis, varied from the ancient herbal textuals .Mordern literature reviews indicate that it was necessary to strengthen the research on Cuscutae Semen from C. australis, C. chinensis and C. japonica because of their differences in resources, macroscopical and microscopical characters, while wrong descriptions in some literatures. It was suggested that the two species (C. australis and C. chinensis) should be separated in pharmacopoeia of China. The study provides scientific basis for the development and utilization of Cuscutae Semen.

[Chemical Constituents from Xanthium mongolicum].

Objective: To investigate the chemical constituents from Xanthium mongolicum. Methods: The constituents were isolated and purified by silicagel,Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Their structures were identified on the basis of spectral data and physiochemical characteristics. Results: Ten compounds were isolated and identified as hexadecanoic acid( 1), methyl 3, 4-dihydroxybenzoate ( 2), protocatechuic aldehyde( 3), caffeic acid methyl ester( 4), vanillic acid( 5), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid( 6), caffeic acid ethyl ester( 7), chlorogenic acid( 8), caffeic acid( 9), 3, 4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid( 10). Conclusion: Compounds 1 ~ 5,7 and 10 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

[Histomorphological study on folk medicine Lysimachia fortunei].

To set standards for histomorphological studies on Lysimachia fortunei, an efficacious and widely applied folk medicine in this study, in order to develop its resources. Its species were identified by observing plant morphology and herbs appearance characters, preparing slices with routine methods and defining structural characters. According to the results of morphologic observation, leaves, stamen and pistil of this plant were different from the descriptions in Flora of China. The whole herb can be used in medicines, mainly including rhizomes, stems and leaves. According to the findings in the first study on microscopic structures, its rhizomes, stems and leaves were characteristic and worth identifying. The transaction tissue structures of rhizomes and stems were under developed and contained endodermis, secretory structures; Stems had sclerenchymata of different shapes of sclereids; Leaves were bifacial and had vascular bundles under midribs, which were surrounded by parenchymal sheathes. On the surface of leaves, stomata, glandular hairs and keratin lines were morphologically different in upper and lower epidermis. The herbal power had glandular hairs, sclereids and vessels. In conclusion, herbs of L. fortunei can be identified by the above histomorphological characteristics, which lays a foundation for further development and application of L. fortunei.

[Comparative research on histological and microscopical leaves characters of five species in Chloranthus].

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the origin and provide pharmacognostical evidences for the leaves of 5 species in Chloranthus. METHOD: Histological observation and microscopic identification through different slice-making techniques were applied to the research. RESULT: There were subtle differences between the histological characteristics. In microscopical identification, the different structures of vascular bundles in veins were observed, appendages and non-glandular hairs were distinct. CONCLUSION: The method can be used to distinguish the features of 5 species in Chloranthus. This article offers information for the further research and exploitation of Chloranthus.

[Study on mechanism of the anti-tumor activity of Acanthopanax gracilistylus].

OBJECTIVE: To study the mechanism of anti-tumor activity of Acanthopanax gracilistylus extract (Age). METHODS: The tumor cells proliferation was detected by using (3H)-TdR incorporation method, and the effects of Age on cell cycle of tumor cells, retinoblastoma (Rb) protein and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdk) were analyzed by flow cytometry and Western blotting assay, respectively. RESULTS: It was indicated by cytoactivity test in vitro that Age only had effect in inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells, it couldn't lead to death of cells. Under action of Age, the proliferation of tumor cells was halted at G0/G1 stage of cell cycle, and showed no direct cytotoxic effect by Age. Age could induce lowering of the expression of Rb, Cdk2 and Cdk4, cause halt of tumor cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: The tumor inhibitory effect of Age is realized by way of regulating the activity of cell cycle controlling enzymes to suspend the proliferation of tumor cells.