Curculigo orchioides, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, prevents bone loss in ovariectomized rats.

OBJECTIVE: Natural medicines derived from plants have aroused increasing interest in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. This is due to their unique characteristics as these are more suitable for long-term use compared with synthesized chemicals and have apparently fewer adverse effects. Curculigo orchioides (CO) has a long history in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in traditional Chinese medicine. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of ethanol extracts of CO on ovariectomy-induced bone loss. METHODS: Sixty female (4.5-month-old) Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to sham and OVX groups. The OVX rats were further divided into five subgroups treated respectively, with vehicle, nylestriol (1 mg/kg, i.g.) and CO extract (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g/kg, i.g.) for 12 weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured by peripheral quantitative computerized tomography (pQCT) densitometry. Serum phosphorus, calcium, ACTH, corticosterone, deoxypyridinoline crosslinks to creatinine ratio (DPD/Cr), alkaline phosphate (ALP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), osteoprotegerin (OPG), IL-6, and TNF-alpha were also determined. RESULTS: Administration of CO extract prevented bone loss in the trabecular bone of the tibia in ovariectomized rats without affecting the weight of the body and the uterus, and increased serum phosphorus, calcium, and OPG levels, decreased serum DPD/Cr, TRAP, ACTH, and corticosterone levels, but did not alter serum TNF-alpha, IL-6, and ALP levels in ovariectomized rats. CONCLUSION: CO ethanol extract has a definite protective effect on bone loss in ovariectomized rats by inhibiting bone resorption and increasing serum phosphorus and calcium levels, without affecting bone formation. Therefore, CO can be considered a potential antiosteoporosis herbal plant, although more studies are needed to clarify its real potential chemical constituents and their mechanism of action.

Natural medicines for alcoholism treatment: a review.

Alcoholism is a serious problem throughout the world. The development of alcoholism remedies have medical, social and economical significance. In view of the pitfalls of psychological dependence and adverse behavioural effects of synthetic drugs, the development of low toxicity and high efficiency medicines derived from natural products exhibits expansive market prospects. Based on these considerations, we summarize briefly folk application of traditional hangover remedies and clinical application of herbal complex and patent medicines for alcoholism treatment. We have reviewed the effects of natural medicines on intake, absorption and metabolism of alcohol, as well as the protective effects on alcohol-induced acute and chronic tissue injury.

Anti-obesity effects in rodents of dietary teasaponin, a lipase inhibitor.

OBJECTIVE: Based on the inhibitory effects of teasaponin on pancreatic lipase activity in vitro, this study was performed to clarify whether teasaponin prevented obesity induced in mice by a high-fat diet for 11 weeks. DESIGN: For in vitro experiments, assay for the inhibitory effects of teasaponin on pancreatic lipase activity was performed by measuring the rate of release of oleic acid from triolein in an assay system using triolein emulsified with lecithin, gum arabic, Triton X-100 or 4-methylumbelliferyloleate. For in vivo experiments, female ICR mice were fed a high-fat diet with or without 0.5% teasaponin for 11 weeks. RESULTS: Teasaponin competitively inhibited the hydrolysis of triolein emulsified with lecithin, gum arabic, Triton X-100 or 4-methylumbelliferyloleate. Teasaponin inhibited the elevations of plasma triacylglycerol levels 3, 4 and 5 h after oral administration of lipid emulsion containing corn oil. Teasaponin suppressed the increases in body, parametrial adipose tissue weights and diameter in adipose cell size induced by a high-fat diet. Furthermore, feeding a high-fat diet plus teasaponin had no effect on stool frequency and content, but significantly increased triacylglycerol contents in feces as compared to feeding a high-fat diet. CONCLUSIONS: The anti-obesity effects of teasaponin in high-fat diet-treated mice may be partly mediated through delaying the intestinal absorption of dietary fat by inhibiting pancreatic lipase activity.

Platycodi radix affects lipid metabolism in mice with high fat diet-induced obesity.

An aqueous extract of Platycodi radix inhibited the hydrolysis of triolein emulsified with phosphatidylcholine by pancreatic lipase in vitro and it reduced the elevation of rat plasma triacylglycerol level 2-4 h after oral administration of a lipid emulsion containing corn oil. These preliminary results suggested that the aqueous extract of Platycodi radix may inhibit the intestinal absorption of dietary fat by inhibiting its hydrolysis. Therefore, we examined the antiobesity activity of the aqueous extract of Platycodi radix by testing whether the extract prevented the obesity induced by feeding a high fat diet to mice for 8 wk. Body weights at 3-8 wk and the final parametrial adipose tissue weights were significantly lower in mice fed the high fat diet containing 5% aqueous extract of Platycodi radix than in the controls fed the high fat diet. The aqueous extract of Platycodi radix also significantly reduced hepatic triacylglycerol concentrations that were elevated in mice fed the high fat diet alone. Inulin, which is a major component of Platycodi radix, had no effect on the hydrolysis of triolein emulsified with phosphatidylcholine by pancreatic lipase in vitro, and did not prevent obesity or the fatty liver induced by the high fat diet. On the other hand, the total saponin fraction of the aqueous extract inhibited pancreatic lipase activity in vitro. Therefore, the antiobesity effect of the aqueous extract of Platycodi radix in mice fed a high fat diet may be due in part to the inhibition of intestinal absorption of dietary fat by the saponins of Platycodi radix.

[Isolation and identification of malonyl-ginsenosides from the fresh root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer].

Four chemical constituents were isolated for the first time from the fresh ginseng root cultivated in China. Three of them were elucidated as malonyl-ginsenosides-Rb1, -Rb2, -Rd.