Effect of the molecular mass of tremella polysaccharides on accelerated recovery from cyclophosphamide-induced leucopenia in rats.

The body of tremella were decocted with water, and hydrolyzed with 0.1 mol/L hydrochloric acid for different times, giving tremella polysaccharides with six molecular mass values. The structures of all the tremella polysaccharides had non-reducing terminals of ß-D-pyranglucuronide, the backbone was composed of (1 → 3)-linked ß-D-manno-pyranoside, and the side chain composed of (1 → 6)-linked ß-D-xylopyranoside was attached to the C(2) of the backbone mannopyranoside. Immunomodulatory effect studies indicated that tremella polysaccharides increased the counts of leukocytes in the peripheral blood which were significantly lowered by cyclophosphamide, and the lower the molecular mass of the tremella polysaccharide, the better this effect was.

[A quantitative method using one marker for simultaneous assay of ginsenosides in Panax ginseng and P. notoginseng].

Current quality control patterns are limited to industrial application, for most of the natural chemical reference substances are expensive and unavailable. Herein, a method, quantitative analysis of multi-components with single marker (QAMS), was established and validated to simultaneously determine nine ginsenosides (ginsenoside Rg1, Re, Rf, Rh1, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, Rb3, Rd) in P. ginseng and four ginsenosides (ginsenoside Rg1, Rh1, Rb1, Rd) in P. notoginseng. Using ginsenoside Rb1 as the contrast, the relative correction factors (RCF) of the other eight ginsenosides were determined by HPLC-DAD. Within the linear ranges, the values of RCF of ginsenoside Rb1 to ginsenoside Rg1, Re, Rf, Rh1, Rc, Rb2, Rb3 and Rd were 1.400, 1.215, 1.517, 1.801, 0.944, 1.012, 1.143, and 1.135, respectively. The RCF had a good reproducibility in various instruments, chromatographic columns (RSD = 0.30% - 3.9%). According to their RCF, we simultaneously determined nine ginsenosides in P. ginseng only using one marker. In addition, the RCF of ginsenosides were used to simultaneously quantitative analysis of four ginsenosides in P. notoginseng. The results of QAMS method were validated by comparing with that of external standard method, and no obvious significant difference was found.

Triterpenoid saponins from the fruits of Akebiae quinata.

Three new triterpenoid saponins together with eight known compounds have been isolated from the fruits of Akebiae quinata. On the basis of the spectroscopic and physiochemical evidence, the new compounds were elucidated as 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl gypsogenin, 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl gypsogenin and 3-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl-28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl gypsogenin.