Extracts of Poria cocos polysaccharides improves alcoholic liver disease in mice via CYP2E1 and NF-κB inflammatory pathways / 中国中药杂志

The present study investigated the effect of extract of Poria cocos polysaccharides(PCP) on cytochrome P450 2 E1(CYP2 E1) and nuclear factor κB(NF-κB) inflammatory signaling pathways in alcoholic liver disease(ALD) mice and explored its protective effect and mechanism. Sixty male C57 BL/6 N mice of SPF grade were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, a positive drug group(bifendate, 200 mg·kg~(-1)), and high-(200 mg·kg~(-1)) and low-dose(50 mg·kg~(-1)) PCP groups. Gao-binge mo-del was induced and the mice in each group were treated correspondingly. Liver morphological and pathological changes were observed and organ index was calculated. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) were detected. Malondialdehyde(MDA) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) in liver tissues were detected by assay kits. The levels of interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) were detected by ELISA. The activation of macrophages was observed by immunofluorescence staining and protein expression of CYP2 E1, Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4), NF-κB p65, and phosphorylated NF-κB p65(p-NF-κB p65) were analyzed by Western blot. The ALD model was properly induced. Compared with the model group, the PCP groups significantly improved the pathological injury of liver tissues. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that compared with the model group, the groups with drug intervention showed decreased macrophages in liver tissues. Additionally, the PCP groups showed reduced ALT, AST, MDA, IL-6, and TNF-α(P<0.05), and potentiated activity of SOD(P<0.01). PCP extract has the protective effect against alcoholic liver injury in mice, and the underlying mechanism may be related to the regulation of the expression of CYP2 E1 and inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory injury, thereby inhibiting the development of ALD.

Mechanism of Dendrobium huoshanense in Treatment of Gastric Ulcer： Based on Network Pharmacology and in Vivo Experiment / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Dendrobium huoshanense in the treatment of gastric ulcer （GU） based on network pharmacology and in vivo experiment. MethodThe active components of D. huoshanense were searched from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP） and literature， and the targets of the components were screened from TCMSP and SwissTargetPrediction. GU-related genes were retrieved from GeneCards， Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM）， and DisGeNET. Thereby， the common targets of the disease and the medicinal were yielded and the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed， followed by Gene Ontology （GO） term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment. According to the predicted results， hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， immunohistochemistry， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， Western blot， and real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to validate the effects of D. huoshanense on acetic acid-induced GU in rats. ResultA total of 63 active components of D. huoshanense and 37 target genes of D. huoshanense for the treatment of GU were screened out. PPI network analysis yielded several possible core anti-GU targets of D. huoshanense. They influenced the development of GU by acting on signaling pathways such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）， hypoxia inducible factor-1 （HIF-1）， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， and nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， and various biological processes. The in vivo experiment showed that D. huoshanense significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and TNF-α in the serum of model rats （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased gastric blood flow （GBF） at the ulcer margin， raised the expression of epidermal growth factor （EGF） and epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） at the ulcer margin （P<0.01）， significantly down-regulated protein and mRNA expression of PI3K and Akt， and up-regulated protein and mRNA expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten （PTEN） in the gastric tissues of GU rats （P<0.01）. ConclusionThrough regulating EGFR/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， D. huoshanense can inhibit tissue inflammation， increase gastric microcirculatory blood flow at the ulcer margin， and promote cell proliferation and repair of damaged gastric mucosa.

Review of chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and clinical application of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and prediction of its Q-markers / 中国中药杂志

Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma is a Chinese herbal medicine that promotes blood circulation to remove blood stasis, nourishes blood to tranquilize the mind, and cools blood to disperse carbuncles. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma has microcirculation-improving, blood vessel-dilating, atherosclerosis-preventing, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and blood pressure-and blood lipid-lowering activities. As research progresses, the chemical composition, pharmacological effect, and clinical application of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma have attracted much attention. We reviewed the research progress in this field. Based on the concept of quality marker(Q-marker) in traditional Chinese medicine, the Q-markers of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma were predicted and analyzed from the aspects of quality transfer, traceability, ingredient specificity, association between ingredients and pharmacological effects, ingredient predictability, and compounding environment. This review provides a scientific basis for the quality control of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and its preparations.

Research progress on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and discussion of Q-markers / 中国中药杂志

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, mainly contains triterpenoids, flavonoids, polysaccharides, coumarins and volatile oils with many pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, immune regulatory and anti-fibrotic effects. The widespread applications of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in food, medicine and chemical industries make its demand increase gradually. Therefore, the quality guarantee of the medicinal is of great value. Starting from the elaboration of chemical components and pharmacological effects of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and the introduction to the concept of quality marker(Q-marker), this study analyzed the Q-markers of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma from the aspects of plant phylogene-tics, chemical component specificity, traditional efficacy, traditional medicinal properties, absorbed components, different processing methods and so on, which provides reference for quality evaluation, development and utilization of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma.

Therapeutic effect and mechanism of three kinds of Dendrobium on constipation in rats with spleen Yin deficiency / 中国中药杂志

Books on Chinese herbal medicines have shown that Dendrobium has the effect of nourishing Yin and reinforcing Yin,usually used for constipation induced by spleen Yin deficiency in clinical application. D. huoshanense,as an independent species among many species of Dendrobium,has no experimental studies about its effects on spleen Yin deficiency-type constipation. The purpose of this experiment was to illustrate the therapeutic effect of D. huoshanense on the constipation of spleen Yin deficiency type in rats,investigate its preliminary mechanism,and compare it with the D. officinale and D. nobile contained in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia to clarify its characteristics. The spleen Yin deficiency model was replicated in 70 rats by the composite factor method,and then the model rats were randomly divided into 7 groups: model group,Liuwei Dihuang Pills group( LWDHP),D. huoshanense high( DHS-H),medium( DHS-M),low( DHS-L) dose groups,D. nobile group( DNS),and D. officinale group( DOS),and another 10 rats were used as normal group( Normal). After 7 continuous days of administration,the fecal water content and intestine propulsion rate of each group were detected. HE staining was used to observe the pathological damage of ileum and colon in each group. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect aquaporin 3( AQP3) expressions,while the expression levels of the somatostatin( SS) and motilin( MTL) in the ileum of each group were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that as compared with the model group,the rats in each drug-administered group had increased number of fecal pellets,increased fecal water content,and the increased intestinal propulsion rate( P<0. 01),while the pathological damage of the ileum and colon was significantly reduced; the expression of AQP3 protein was significantly decreased( P<0. 01); the level of MTL was significantly increased and the level of SS was decreased( P<0. 01). All DHS groups showed a good dose-effect relationship,and the same dose treatment effect was equivalent to that of DOS,but it was superior to DNS. Therefore,DHS has a significant therapeutic effect on constipation of spleen Yin deficiency type,and its mechanism may be related to intestinal motility and water-liquid metabolism,with a good therapeutic effect.

Cluster analysis of Dendrobium officinale from different populations through agronomy characterization / 中国中药杂志

Through resources investigation and sample collection,a total number of 392 Dendrobium officinale from 38 different populations,9 provinces were processed for measuring and observing.Fourteen agronomy characterizations like stem height,stem diameter,number of node in stem were selected for further classification.The cluster analysis was performed using Ward and Euclidean method.The results showed that the threshold of genetic distance was 2.77.Thirtyeight populations were divided into 6 groups.The factor analysis showed that,the leaf shape,stem shape,pitch length and leaf color were very important factors for classification.This study establish the foundation for analyzing the genetic relationship of D.officinale from different populations.

Simultaneous determination of five saponins in Bupleuri Radix by HPLC-DAD dual wavelength method / 中国中药杂志

Epoxy ether type and isophthalene type saponin are the main saponins of Bupleurum chinense. However,due to the difference of their UV spectrum,there is no quantitative method for simultaneous determination of these two kinds of saponins. In this paper,a dual-wavelength high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was developed for simultaneous determination of five saponins in epoxidized ether(saikosaponin a,c,d) and isosorbide type(saikosaponin b1,b2). The mobile phase was eluted with acetonitrile-water(0.1% phosphoric acid) gradient at a column temperature of 30 °C and a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min⁻¹. The detection wavelengths were 208 nm for saikosaponins a,c, and d, and 254 nm for saikosaponins b₁ and b₂. The results showed that the separation of five kinds of saikosaponin was good, with the linear range of 9.70-1 935.00(=0.999 4),8.20-1 380.00(=0.999 3),6.90-1 640.00(=0.999 0),5.25-630.00(=0.999 4), and 5.15-618.00 mg·L⁻¹(=0.999 5), respectively. The average recoveries were 97.70%-100.2% and the RSD was less than 3%(=6). The method is simple,rapid and reproducible. It can be used for the determination of five kinds of saikosaponins in B. chinense.

Next generation sequencing and transcriptome analysis of root bark from Paeonia suffruticosa cv. Feng Dan / 中国中药杂志

Moutan Cortex is an important traditional Chinese medicine, "Fengdan Pi" was known as Dao-di herbs from the root bark of Paeonia suffruticosa cv. Feng Dan for its extracted various active components. However, the genetic basis for their activity is virtually unknown. The transcriptome of the root bark from "Fengdan" was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 sequencing platform. The clean reads were then de novo assembled into 72 997 unigenes. Among them, the number of unigenes which could been annotated by dataset Nr and GO was 41 139 and 34 592. The 20 016 unigenes could been annotated by KEGG dataset, which were involved in 5 major categories, 34 middle categories, and 352 metabolism pathways. The number of unigenes which were mapped to the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis pathway, terpenoid biosynthesis pathway, alkaloid biosynthesis pathway, and flavonoid biosynthesis pathway was 214, 104, 152, 55 and 36 respectively, suggesting that they are involves in these pathways of pharmaceutically important. Furthermore, there also showed remarkable differences in groups which enrichment ratio of the different expressed gene compared. In addition, a total of 9 939 SSRs were identified from the sequence of 72 997 unigenes. This study not only provides many valuable basal data which was important gene in the synthesis pathway of secondary metabolites with gene searching, but also has important significance to find molecular marker in germplasm for breeding and improvement.

Dynamic accumulation of dry substance and active components in root of Peucedanum praeruptorum / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the dynamic accumulation regulation of dry substance and four coumarin constituents in root of Peucedanum praeruptorum, so to provide the basis for optimal harvest time.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Roots of P. praeruptorum were collected periodically. The dry weight of the roots was measured and the content of four coumarins was determined by HPLC method.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The dry substance accumulation of the root reached the maximum amount and the coumarin contents maintain stability at the end of the vegetative growth period. The coumarins of roots decline significantly in the reproductive growth period.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The most optimum collecting time of root of P. praeruptorum cultivated in Ningguo county in Anhui province should be from December to next February.</p>