Panax ginseng and its ginsenosides: potential candidates for the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects.

Chemotherapy-induced side effects affect the quality of life and efficacy of treatment of cancer patients. Current approaches for treating the side effects of chemotherapy are poorly effective and may cause numerous harmful side effects. Therefore, developing new and effective drugs derived from natural non-toxic compounds for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects is necessary. Experiments in vivo and in vitro indicate that Panax ginseng (PG) and its ginsenosides are undoubtedly non-toxic and effective options for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects, such as nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and hematopoietic inhibition. The mechanism focus on anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and anti-apoptosis, as well as the modulation of signaling pathways, such as nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), P62/keap1/Nrf2, c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/P53/caspase 3, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4)/JNK, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT. Since a systemic review of the effect and mechanism of PG and its ginsenosides on chemotherapy-induced side effects has not yet been published, we provide a comprehensive summarization with this aim and shed light on the future research of PG.

[Analysis on DNA methylation of mosaic and moxa type leaves of Aconitum carmichaeli by MSAP].

An MSAP analysis method was established for detecting DNA methylation of Aconitum carmichaeli leaves, and the DNA methylation of different leaf shapes and different leaf position was analyzed by MSAP. The study made experiments on the leaves of different position of mosaic and moxa leaf type A. carmichaeli, researched the effects of restriction digestion of genomic DNA by using two restriction enzymes, screened the suitable selective amplification primers, and analyzed the methylation differences of leaves by calculating the 6% acrylamide gel electrophoresis bands and lane. The best reaction system of MSAP was obtained, under the conditions of 37 ℃, the 16 h incubated time was more suitable for 150 ng DNA, and 25 pairs of selective amplification primers were selected from 256 pairs. Totally, 273 electrophoresis bands were obtained by 25 pairs of selective primers, including 228 non methylation or single chain methylation bands,27 double chain methylation bands,and 18 single stranded methylation bands, the total methylation rate was 16.48%. The methylation rate was slightly different in mosaic and moxa leaf type A. carmichaeli leaf, which were 15.36%, 14.34%, respectively, and article 8, article 6 nucleotide fragments of genome methylation modification differences were obtained, accounted for 3%, 2.26% of the total number of bands. Based on this study it can provide new ideas for molecular identification, breeding and cultivation, and genetic evolution of A. carmichaeli.