Structure and histochemistry of the stem of Dracaena cambodiana Pierre ex Gagnep.

Dracaena cambodiana Pierre ex Gagnep is an important plant resource for producing dragon's blood and one of most popular ornamental trees in China. For a better understanding of the physiological function of the stem, the structural characteristics and main substance histological location of the stems of D. cambodiana were studied. The structural characteristics of the different developmental stages of stems of D. cambodiana were observed and described detailly. And then a schematic diagram of the mature stem was created. Histochemical staining showed that two kinds of polysaccharides distributed in parenchymal cells. Saponins distributed mainly in ground tissue and phenolic compounds distributed mainly in the thick cell walls. An abundant of calcium oxalate raphide bundles were identified in cortex and primary tissue. Finally, the role of the above results in the taxonomy of Dracaena species and in their strong adaptability was discussed.

Simultaneous quantification of six indicator compounds in Wen-Qing-Yin by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection.

A simple gradient high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) method was used to simultaneously to analyze characteristics of six indicator compounds in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulation Wen-Qing-Yin (WQY). Separate optimization was performed using a Cosmosil C18 column gradient method with 0.1% formic acid in both mobile phases of aqueous and acetonitrile (ACN), at a flow rate, detection wavelength, and sample volume of 1.8 mL/min, 268 nm, and 10 µL, respectively. The linear regression of six active compounds berberine (BER), baicalin (BAI), ferulic acid (FER), geniposide (GEN), hydorxymethoxylfurfural (HMF), and paeoniflorin (PAE) was produced at the concentration range of 10-2000 µg/mL. The method validation revealed an acceptable precision (intra- and inter-day precision < 3.39% and 4.11%, respectively) and recovery (85.60-110.45% and 86.58-110.90%), a recovery range of 86.61-109.42%, and sensitivity (limit of detection [LOD] and limit of quantification [LOQ] values were in the range of 0.03-3.13, and 0.08-9.38 µg/mL, respectively) while the calibration curves were linear with a correlation coefficient (R2) ranging from 0.9966 to 0.9989. The qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed by direct comparison of the peaks of the WCY extract to retention times of reference standards. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) successfully discriminated four purchased commercial samples of all six indicator constituents, and the present results indicate their comprehensive potential usefulness for qualitative and quantitative analyses of the WQY decoction and its commercial products.

Evaluation of the teratogenic effects of three traditional Chinese medicines, Si Jun Zi Tang, Liu Jun Zi Tang and Shenling Baizhu San, during zebrafish pronephros development.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the teratogenic effects of three common Chinese medical prescriptions, Si Jun Zi Tang (SJZT), Liu Jun Zi Tang (LJZT) and Shenling Baizhu San (SLBS), during zebrafish pronephros development. We used the transgenic zebrafish line Tg(wt1b:EGFP) to assess the teratogenic effects using 12 different protocols, which comprised combinations of 4 doses (0, 25, 250, 1,250 ng/mL) and 3 exposure methods [methods I, 12-36 hours post fertilization (hpf), II, 24-48 hpf, and III, 24-36 hpf]. As a result, few defects in the kidneys were observed in the embryos exposed to 25 ng/mL of each medical prescription. The percentage of kidney malformation phenotypes increased as the exposure concentrations increased (25 ng/mL, 0-10%; 250 ng/mL, 0-60%; 1,250 ng/mL, 80-100%). Immunohistochemistry for α6F, which is a basolateral and renal tubular differentiation marker, revealed no obvious defective phenotypes in either SJZT- or LJZT-treated embryos, indicating that these Chinese medical prescriptions had minimal adverse effects on the pronephric duct. However, SLBS-treated embryos displayed a defective phenotype in the pronephric duct. According to these findings, we suggest (1) that the Chinese medical prescriptions induced kidney malformation phenotypes that are dose dependent and (2) that the embryonic zebrafish kidney was more sensitive to SLBS than SJZT and LJZT.