Analysis and suggestions on harvest period standards of plant medicinal materials in 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia / 中国中药杂志

The improvement of the harvest period standards is critical in the quality control of Chinese medicinal materials. The present study statistically analyzed the harvest period standards of plant medicinal materials in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia(Vol.Ⅰ) and put forward the existing problems and suggestions based on herbal records and modern research to provide references for the improvement of the standards. According to the statistical analysis, in 499 types of plant medicinal materials, harvest period standards are recorded under 486 types, accounting for 97.4%, and are lacking in the remaining. Only one medicinal material(Stellariae Radix) is recorded with the standard of the harvest year. The standards of the harvest season and phenological period are recorded under 233 types, accounting for 46.7%. For 237 types, only harvest season is specified, accounting for 47.5%, and for 15 types, only harvest phenological period is specified, accounting for 3.0%. Among 222 types mainly derived from cultivation and 51 types from wild resources and cultivation, only 11 types are recorded with harvest period of cultivated products. Only Stellariae Radix is recorded with the harvest period standards for the wild and cultivated products separately. The harvest period standards of plant medicinal materials with different medicinal parts have certain rules to follow. The main problems about the harvest period standards are discovered. Specifically, no harvest period standards are recorded under 13 types of plant medicinal materials. Almost all perennial cultivated medicinal materials are not recorded with harvest year standard. No phenological period standard is found under 250 types of plant medicinal materials. There is no clear distinction between the harvest period standards of cultivated and wild products. The evidence for harvest period standards of 26 types of plant medicinal materials that can be harvested all year round is insufficient. As a result, it is proposed to strengthen basic research in response to the above-mentioned problems and improve the harvest period standards as soon as possible to ensure the quality of Chinese medicinal materials.

Comparison of anti-inflammatory effects of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos based on network pharmacology / 中草药·英文版

Objective: In Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) history, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos were used clinically as one drug, but now they are admitted as two herbal medicines in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition). This study used network pharmacology to investigate whether the two can be used interchangeably for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in TCM clinical practice. Methods: Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos were compared in the inflammation mechanism including core targets, Gene Ontology (GO), pathway and principle chemical components by the method of network pharmacology. Results: Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos shared in six targets accounting for 66.7% of the entire core targets and more than half of the GO terms and pathways are similar. Organic acids are dominent compounds responsible for anti-inflammatory effects. Three of the compounds that bind to core targets including luteolin, quercetin and kaempferol, are shared in both herbs. Conclusion: Due to high similarity between Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos, we believe that they can be used interchangeably for the inflammation in clinical treatment.

Sequence analysis and identification of a chloroplast matK gene in Rhei Rhizoma from different botanical origins / 药学学报

Rhei Rhizoma is a Chinese medicine with multiple botanical origins. There is a problem to identify it with conventional methods. To compare the characteristics of chloroplast matK gene sequences of different Rheum species and authenticate inspected species, the matK gene sequences of different species from different origins were amplified, cloned, and sequenced. Genomic DNA of Rheum plants was extracted using modified DNA extracted Kit and matK gene sequences were analyzed by ContingExpress, DNAman and MEGA5.0. The length of matK gene sequences of Rheum palmatum, R. tanguticum and R. officinale were 1 518 bp containing 57 variable loci. According to the mutation sites, R. palmatum, R. tanguticum and R. officinale were divided into different genotypes separately. Based on the established method according to the loci 587, 707, 838, we successfully identified the genuine Rheum species from its adulterants.