Effects and evaluation of different processing and drying methods on components in Paeoniae Radix Alba / 中国中药杂志

The present study evaluates different processing and drying methods and investigates their effects on the chemical components in Paeoniae Radix Alba via content determination. The fresh medicinal materials of Paeoniae Radix Alba collected from Bozhou of Anhui province were processed(boiled and peeled) and dried(hot air-dried, infrared-dried, and microwave-dried) at different temperatures(40, 50, 60 and 70 ℃), and the 11 components(monoterpene glycosides, polyphenols, tannin, and benzoic acid) in Paeoniae Radix Alba were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-TQ-MS). Then the compounds in processed and dried samples were analyzed by partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA), and the contribution rates of differential components were evaluated by variable important in projection(VIP). The results indicated that the samples obtained by different processing and drying methods could be distinguished. Albiflorin, gallic acid, 1,2,3,4,6-pentakis-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose, and benzoic acid were the common differential components in boiled Paeoniae Radix Alba. Benzoic acid was the common differential component in peeled Paeoniae Radix Alba. Gallic acid was the common differential component in Paeoniae Radix Alba dried by different methods. The samples could not be distinguished after drying at different temperatures due to the lack of common differential components. This study is expected to provide a reference for the selection of processing and drying methods and the optimization of processing parameters.

Studies on blood enrichment and anti-tumor effects of combined Danggui Buxue Decoction, Fe and rhEPO based on colon cancer-related anemia model and gut microbiota modulation / 中国天然药物

Colon cancer-related anemia (CCRA) is mainly caused by systemic inflammation, intestinal bleeding, iron deficiency and chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression in colon cancer. However, the best therapeutic schedule and related mechanism on CCRA were still uncertain. Studies on blood enrichment and anti-tumor effects of combined Danggui Buxue Decoction (DBD), Fe and rhEPO based on CCRA and gut microbiota modulation were conducted in this paper. Here, CCRA model was successfully induced by subcutaneous inoculation of CT-26 and i.p. oxaliplatin, rhEPO + DBD high dosage + Fe (EDF) and rhEPO + DBD high dosage (ED) groups had the best blood enrichment effect. Attractively, EDF group also showed antitumor activity. The sequencing results of gut microbiota showed that compared to P group, the relative abundances of Lachnospiraceae and opportunistic pathogen (Odoribacter) in ED and EDF groups were decreased. Interestingly, EDF also decreased the relative abundances of cancer-related bacteria (Helicobacter, Lactococcus, Alloprevotella) and imbalance-inducing bacteria (Escherichia-Shigella and Parabacteroides) and increased the relative abundances of butyrate-producing bacteria (Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014), however, ED showed the opposite effects to EDF, this might be the reason of the smaller tumor volume in EDF group. Our findings proposed the best treatment combination of DBD, rhEPO and Fe in CCRA and provided theoretical basis and literature reference for CCRA-induced intestinal flora disorder and the regulatory mechanism of EDF.

Comparative study on differences of Paeonia lactiflora from different habitats based on fingerprint and chemometrics / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to compare the differences of Paeonia lactiflora from different habitats by establishing fingerprint. The fingerprint of P. lactiflora was established by UPLC. The samples collected from Sichuan,Hebei,Henan,Shanxi and Anhui were analyzed. The common peaks were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. The relative peak area of the common peaks was analyzed through similarity evaluation system( 2012 edition) for chromatographic fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine developed by the National Pharmacopoeia Commission. Twelve common peaks were obtained and ten components were identified by reference substance and literature comparison. The similarity of each sample to the reference fingerprint is greater than 0. 900. However,all samples were clearly divided into 5 groups according to habitats after PLS-DA analysis. The peaks 2,6( ethyl gallate),10( galloypaeoniflorin) and 12( benzoyl paeoniflorin) were found to be the main difference components between the samples from five different habitats through the VIP value map. The study found that the variety of ingredients in the different areas are basically similar. But there are some differences in the content of the four components. The results of this study can provide reference at choosing and utilizing P. lactiflora from different places comprehensively.

Effects of pungent essential oil from three Chinese herbs on percutaneous absorption of alkaloids from Sophorae Flavescentis Radix / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the effects of essential oil from three kinds of pungent herbs,namely Menthae Haplocalycis Herba,Atractylodis Rhizoma and Cnidii Fructus,on the transdermal absorption in vitro of alkaloids from Sophorae Flavescentis Radix. The modified vertical Franz diffusion cell was used to conduct a transdermal experiment in vitro with the isolated abdominal skin of the SD rats as the transdermal absorption barrier. The effects of such three kinds of pungent essential oil on percutaneous absorption of alkaloids from Sophorae Flavescentis Radix were investigated by determining the content of 6 alkaloids( oxymatrine,oxysophocarpine,N-methylcytisine,sophoridine,matrine,and sophocarpidine) in the transdermal acceptor with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadruple mass spectrometry( UPLC-TQ-MS) technique simultaneously. With enhancement ratio( ER) as the index,their effects on promoting penetration was as follows: 1% Atractylodis Rhizoma oil > 1% Cnidii Fructus oil > 3% Azone ≈ 3% Atractylodis Rhizoma oil > 5%Atractylodis Rhizoma oil > 3% Cnidii Fructus oil ≈ 5% Cnidii Fructus oil > 3% Menthae Haplocalycis Herba oil > 5% Menthae Haplocalycis Herba oil > 1% Menthae Haplocalycis Herba oil > Blank. The results showed that these three kinds of pungent essential oil could be used as enhancers for alkaloids of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix,providing scientific guidance for improving percutaneous absorption of alkaloids from Sophorae Flavescentis Radix.

Elucidating the interaction of kansui and licorice by comparative plasma/tissue metabolomics and a heatmap with relative fold change / 药物分析学报

Although compatibility is highly advocated in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), inappropriate com-bination of some herbs may reduce the therapeutic action and even produce toxic effects. Kansui and licorice, one of TCM"Eighteen Incompatible Medicaments", are the most representative cases of improper herbal combination, which may still be applied simultaneously under given conditions. However, the potential mechanism of their compatibility and incompatibility is unclear. In the present study, two different ratios of kansui and licorice, representing their compatibility and incompatibility respectively, were designed to elucidate their interaction by comparative plasma/tissue metabolomics and a heatmap with relative fold change. As a result, glycocholic acid, prostaglandin F2a, dihydroceramide and sphin-ganine were screened out as the principal alternative biomarkers of compatibility group; sphinganine, dihydroceramide, arachidonic acid, leukotriene B4, acetoacetic acid and linoleic acid were those of in-compatibility group. Based on the values of biomarkers in each tissue, the liver was identified as the compatible target organ, while the heart, liver, and kidney were the incompatible target organs. Furthermore, important pathways for compatibility and incompatibility were also constructed. These results help us to better understand and utilize the two herbs, and the study was the first to reveal some innate characters of herbs related to TCM"Eighteen Incompatible Medicaments".

Analysis and evaluation of resourceful chemical compositions in different parts of Zanthoxylum bungeanum fruit and its seed oil / 中国中药杂志

The study aims of this study is to analyze and evaluate the resourceful chemical compositions in different parts of mature fruit of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, and provide a scientific basis for the comprehensive utilization of this medicinal plant resources. GC-MS method was used to analyze the volatile oils and the fatty acids, and HPLC method was used to determine the flavonoids and phenolic acids in the pericarp, seed and seed oil of Z.bungeanum. There were 26, 19 and 11 kinds of volatile components detected in the pericarp, seed and seed oil, respectively, in which terpenoids and their oxy-derivatives were the main components, and the contents of linalool and its esters in pericarp were relatively high. The contents of total fatty acids in the pericarp, seed and seed oil were 108.42, 331.63, 966.04 mg•g⁻¹, respectively.Oleic acid, linoleic acid andα-linolenic acid were abundantin all samples. The pericarp contains relatively high content of flavonoids, such as hyperoside, quercitrin, rutin, isoquercitrin, while the above components were not detected in the seed and seed oil. These results confirmed that the fruit of Z.bungeanum contains high contents of the resourceful chemical compositions, and their composition and contents were differed among organs, which provide a scientific basis for the utilization of Z.bungeanumfruit.

comparisons of pharmacokinetic profile of eleven bioactive components in Haizao Yuhu decoction modified with Haizao and Gancao anti-drug pair in normal rats / 中国中药杂志

Haizao Yuhu decoction (HYD) is a formula that has been used for approximately 500 years and famous for its efficiency in treating thyroid-related diseases in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). HYD was first presented by Chen Shi-gong in a famous surgical monograph named Waike Zhengzong during the Ming Dynasty. We conducted the research to investigate the possible pharmacokinetic profile of different prescriptions of HYD in rats, in order to reveal the interactions of Haizao and Gancao drug pair with other herbs in HYD. Liquiritin, naringin, besperidin, peimine, peiminine liquiritigenin, glycyrrhizic acid, hergapten, nobiletin, osthole, glycyrrhetinic acid in blood samples were determined by UPLC-MS/MS. The result revealed tbat Haizao could enhance the peak concentration of glycyrrhizic acid. The other herbs in HYD may promote'the absorption of flavonoids in Gancao in normal rats, but inhibit the absorption of saponins and accelerate their metabolism. Gancao and Haizao drug pair could enhance the bioavailability of hesperidin, peimine, bergapten, nobiletin and osthole and prolong the elimination of peimine and naringin.

Effect of β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex on transport of major components of Xiangfu Siwu decoction essential oil in Caco-2 cell monolayer model / 中国中药杂志

Although the essential oil of Xiangfu Siwu decoction (XFSWD) has strong pharmacological activity, its special physical and chemical properties restrict the clinical application and curative effect. In this paper, Xiangfu Siwu decoction essential oil (XFS-WO) was prepared by forming inclusion complex with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The present study is to investigate the effect of β-CD inclusion complex on the transport of major components of XFSWO using Caco-2 cell monolayer model, thus to research the effect of this formation on the absorption of drugs with low solubility and high permeability, which belong to class 2 in biopharmaceutics classification system. A sensitive and rapid UPLC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous quantification of senkyunolide A, 3-n-butylphthalide, Z-ligustilide, dehydrocostus lactone and α-cyperone, which are active compounds in XFSWO. The transport parameters were analyzed and compared in free oil and its β-CD inclusion complex. The result revealed that the formation of XFSWO/β-CD inclusion complex has significantly increased the transportation and absorption of major active ingredients than free oil. Accordingly, it can be speculated that cyclodextrin inclusion complex can improve bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. Above all these mentioned researches, it provided foundation and basis for physiological disposition and pharmaceutical study of XFSWD.

Effect on quality of Scrophulariae Radix with modern drying technology / 中国中药杂志

Modern drying technology was used to explore suitable drying process to provide scientific basis for improving drying processing methods of Scrophulariae Radix. Controlled temperature and humidity drying, vacuum drying apparatus, microwave vacuum drying apparatus, short infrared drying device were used to gain samples for analyzing. The character appearance, concentration of main components and power consumption indicators were chosen for preliminary judging. Six major components, including iridoids and phenylpropanoids were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS method. The contents of polysaccharides were determined by UV-visible spectrophotometry. The character appearance with controlled temperature and humidity drying and short infrared drying meet the pharmacopoeia standard (Ch. p, edition 2015), while samples with vacuum and microwave vacuum drying apparatus didn't. Compared to fresh sample, concentrations of harpagide, harpagoside, aucubin and catalpol were lower in the dried samples. Angoroside-C showed no significant change before and after drying. Concentration of acteoside increased after drying. Samples with controlled temperature (70 degrees C) and humidity (15% - 10%) drying had high content and short drying time. The better drying process of Scrophulariae Radix was controlled temperature and humidity drying. The method will provide the reference for the drying technology standard of roots medicine.

Determination of lignans in schisandrae sphenantherae fructus from different regions / 中国中药杂志

With an objective to provide an experimental basis for scientific officinal of Schisandrae Sphenantherae Fructus, this research uses UPLC-TQ/MS method to analyze 7 different kinds of lignan in 70 batches of Schisandra sphenantherae Fructus samples from 9 regions. The results showed that in the area south of Qinling mountains, Schisandrae sphenantherae Fructus from Zhashui county and Shanyang county of Shangluo mainly contained schisantherin A and deoxyschizandrin. However, Schisandrae sphenantherae Fructus from Mei county of Baoji, Shiquan county and Ningshan county of Ankang, and Lueyang county of Hanzhong, mainly contained anwuligan. Samples from Ningshan county also consists relatively high level of deoxyschizandrin. In the central area of Qinling mountains and the Daba mountains, Schisandrae Sphenantherae Fructus from Nanzheng county of Hanzhong mainly contained schisanhenol and deoxyschizandrin. In conclusion, the kinds and level of lignan differ significantly in Schisandrae sphenantherae Fructus produced in different regions. In practical application, Schisandrae Sphenantherae Fructus produced in different regions should be distinguished and differently applied based on their main effective components corresponding to different diseases, which can lead to the best clinical use.

Characterization of 23S rRNA gene mutation in primary and secondary clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori strains from East China.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Clarithromycin is an effective antibiotic for treating Helicobacter pylori; however, the development clarithromycin- resistance by multiple strains prevents the eradication of Helicobacter pylori. We aimed to characterize mutations in the 23S rRNA gene of primary clarithromycin-sensitive, primary clarithromycin-resistant and secondary clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori strains that were collected in East China and elucidate the mechanisms of clarithromycin resistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The disk diffusion test and E-test method were used to determine the clarithromycin susceptibility of clinical Helicobacter pylori strains. The 23S rRNA gene fragments were amplified by polymerase chain reaction from 18 primary clarithromycin- resistant strains, 15 primary sensitive strains and 8 secondary clarithromycin-resistant strains. Polymerase chain reaction-products were sequenced to determine mutations of the 23S rRNA gene. RESULTS: We found an A2143G (8 strains) mutation in primary clarithromycin-resistant strains, an A2143T (5 strains) mutation in secondary clarithromycin-resistant strains; but no mutations were found in position 2143 of sensitive strains. A T2182C mutation in primary clarithromycin-sensitive, primary clarithromycinresistant and secondary clarithromycin-resistant strains was found with a prevalence of 86.7% (13 strains), 72.2% (13 strains) or 87.5% (7 strains), respectively. In addition, we found a G2254T (8 strains) and a G2172T (7 strains) mutation in secondary clarithromycin- resistant strains. These point mutations were absent in primary clarithromycin-resistant and -sensitive strains. CONCLUSION: The gene mutation in position 2143 was associated with resistance to clarithromycin, but the mutation was different between primary and secondary clarithromycin-resistant strains. The T2182C mutation was not associated with clarithromycin resistance. Two new hotspot mutations: G2254T and G2172T, in 23S rRNA were discovered in secondary clarithromycin-resistant strains.