Effects of plants-associated microbiota on cultivation and quality of Chinese herbal medicines.

Microbial resource influences the life activities of medicinal plants from several perspectives. Endophytes, rhizosphere microorganisms, and other environmental microorganisms play essential roles in medicinal plant growth and development, plant yield, and clinical efficacy. The microbiota can influence the biosynthesis of active compounds in medicinal plants by stimulating specific metabolic pathways. They induce host plants to improve their resistance to environmental stresses by accumulating secondary metabolites. Microorganisms can interact with their host plants to produce long-term, targeted selection results and improve their ability to adapt to the environment. Due to the interdependence and interaction between microorganisms and medicinal plants, Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) quality is closely related to the associated microorganisms. This review summarizes the relationship between medicinal plants and their associated microorganisms, including their species, distribution, life activities, and metabolites. Microorganisms can aid in quality control, improve the efficacy of medicinal plants, and provide markers for identifying the origin and storage time of CHMs. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between microorganisms and medicinal plants will help to control the quality of CHMs from different perspectives.

Ethnobotanical Knowledge, Nutritional Composition, and Aroma Profile of Vicia kulingiana Bailey: An Underutilized Wild Vegetable Endemic to China.

Vicia kulingiana, an endemic species, serves as a wild and underutilized vegetable traditionally consumed in China. However, ethnobotanical and chemical studies of this species are not available. This study analyzed its associated ethnobotanical knowledge, nutritional composition and aroma profile. Ethnobotanical surveys revealed its diverse traditional uses, especially as a nutritious vegetable. Further analysis showed V. kulingiana leaves to be high in protein, minerals, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. In total, 165 volatile compounds, such as terpenoids, alcohols, and ketones, were identified. Among them, ß-ionone is the most abundant compound with a relative percentage of 8.24%, followed by 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethylheptane (3.2%), 3-(4-methyl-3-pentenyl)furan (2.37%), and linalool (1.68%). Results supported the traditional uses of V. kulingiana's and highlighted its potential as a valuable food source, encouraging further research on its food applications. The documentation of ethnobotanical knowledge contributes to the conservation of this heritage.

The Extraction, Determination, and Bioactivity of Curcumenol: A Comprehensive Review.

Curcuma wenyujin is a member of the Curcuma zedoaria (zedoary, Zingiberaceae) family, which has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) due to its abundant biologically active constituents. Curcumenol, a component of Curcuma wenyujin, has several biological activities. At present, despite different pharmacological activities being reported, the clinical usage of curcumenol remains under investigation. To further determine the characteristics of curcumenol, the extraction, determination, and bioactivity of the compound are summarized in this review. Existing research has reported that curcumenol exerts different pharmacological effects in regard to a variety of diseases, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bactericidal, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer activity, and also ameliorates osteoporosis. This review of curcumenol provides a theoretical basis for further research and clinical applications.

Chemical characterization and discovery of novel quality markers in Citrus aurantium L. fruit from traditional cultivation areas in China using GC-MS-based cuticular waxes analysis.

Citrus aurantium L. fruit is a commonly used Chinese medicine whose therapeutic effects tends to be affected by growing conditions. In order to gain insights into the effects of growing location on the cuticular wax composition of C. aurantium L. fruit, we analyzed the differences in the wax composition of its fruits collected from different regions. The findings showed that the cuticular waxes in the fruit peels were mainly composed of fatty acids, which differed quantitatively in the chemical profiles of C. aurantium L. samples from different geographical conditions. Particularly, the concentrations of linoleic acid and stearic acid in the total component content of the fruit peel were above 1%, with a greater level in the geo-authentic samples. Thus, GC-MS-based wax analysis was first used for the chemical characterization and quantification of cuticular waxes, which could be considered as a rapid way for evaluating the quality of medicinal fruits.

The impact of professional learning communities on pre-service teachers' professional commitment.

While in-service teachers' professional commitment has gained significant attention in recent years, researches on pre-service teachers' professional commitment is still insufficient, particularly with regard to the effect that professional learning communities play on pre-service teachers' professional commitment. In this context, this study employed mixed methods to investigate the impact of workshops for teaching competitions as a professional learning community on pre-service teachers' professional commitment in China. A questionnaire survey was administered to pre-service teachers who had workshop experiences (n = 43) and their classmates who did not have workshop experiences (n = 98) to examine the effect of workshops for teaching competitions as a professional learning community on pre-service teachers' professional commitment. Follow-up qualitative interviews with 5 pre-service teachers with workshop experiences were conducted to explain the reasons behind such effects. The results showed that workshop experiences had significant and positive effects on pre-service teachers' professional commitment and the characteristics of shared vision, collaboration, and reflective dialogue affected their professional commitment from three perspectives: commitment to teaching as a career, personal time investment, and interest in professional development.

DNA barcoding and comparative RNA-Seq analysis provide new insights into leaf formation using a novel resource of high-yielding Epimedium koreanum.

Epimedium koreanum Nakai, a well-known traditional Chinese medicinal herb, has been widely used to treat osteoporosis and sexual dysfunction for thousands of years. However, due to the decreasing population of East Asian natural resources, yearly output of Epimedium crude herb has been in low supply year by year. In this study, an unusual variety of E. koreanum was discovered in Dunhua, Jilin Province, the northernmost area where this variety was found containing 6 individuals, with three branches that had 27 leaflets, which is much more than the typical leaflet number of 9. Firstly, the novel E. koreanum varety was identified using DNA barcodes. Then, 1171 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were discovered through parallel RNA-seq analysis between the newly discovered variety and wild type (WT) E. koreanum plant. Furthermore, the results of bioinformatics investigation revealed that 914 positively and 619 negatively correlated genes associated with the number of leaflets. Additionally, based on RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR analysis, two homologous hub TCP genes, which were commonly implicated in plant leaf development, and shown to be up regulated and down regulated in the discovered newly variety, respectively. Thus, our study discovered a novel wild resource for leaf yield rewarding medicinal Epimedium plant breeding, provided insights into the relationship between plant compound leaf formation and gene expression of TCPs transcription factors and other gene candidates, providing bases for creating high yield cultivated Epimedium variety by using further molecular selection and breeding techniques in the future.

Phylogenetic Analysis of Elaeagnus L. in China: A Basis for Genetic Improvement of a Berry Crop.

Elaeagnus L. is found in wild or grown as ornamental plants and is increasingly regarded as underutilized berry shrubs by breeders. This genus has cosmopolitan distribution with various species widely distributed in China, Europe, the United States, and Canada. Interspecific hybrids, which have been reported several times, have attracted intense interest from plant breeders attempting to develop a fruit crop of Elaeagnus. Orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) is a powerful statistical modeling tool that provides insights into separations between experimental groups. In this study, the molecular phylogeny of Elaeagnus species was first discussed using the ITS and matK sequences for guiding the construction of a genetic basis pool. A morphological OPLS-DA clustering model based on the genetic divergence was also constructed for the first time, which effectively realized the morphological grouping of Chinese Elaeagnus species. The results showed that a total of 10 wild species widely distributed in China have the potential to develop fruit crops. Particularly, Elaeagnus conferta has the potential to provide a founder species with a large fruit size, while Elaeagnus Gonyanthes has the potential to provide important genetic resources with long pedicel. Elaeagnus lanceolata and Elaeagnus delavayi could be used to domesticate hybrids without spines, and the other five climbing shrubs could be used to develop high-yield crown-type commercial cultivars for automated field management. The top five contributing morphological traits affecting the current clustering model were V9 (flower color), V1 (flowering), V5 (evergreen or deciduous), V3 (leaf size), and V2 (fruiting). Furthermore, the grouping analysis indicated that the V9 was the most important factor affecting morphological clustering. Thereafter, the temporally calibrated phylogeny inferred from the matK sequence was used to reconstruct the origin and evolution of the genus Elaeagnus, and the results inferred an interesting geographic distribution pattern and potential cross-species interactions of Elaeagnus species at low latitudes in China. Our study also highlighted dispersal pattern investigation and genetic background analysis to improve future practices and policies related to species introduction of genetic basis pool.

Sinomenine increases the methylation level at specific GCG site in mPGES-1 promoter to facilitate its specific inhibitory effect on mPGES-1.

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in cancer and inflammatory diseases is a key mediator of disease progression. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used to inhibit the expression of PGE2 by depressing cyclooxygenase (COX) in inflammatory treatments. However, the inhibition to COXs may cause serious side effects. Thus, it is urgent to develop new anti-inflammatory drugs aiming new targets to inhibit PGE2 production. Microsomal prostaglandin E synthase 1 (mPGES-1) catalyzes the final step of PGE2 biosynthesis. Therefore, the selective inhibition of mPGES-1 has become a promising strategy in the treatments of cancer and inflammatory diseases. Our previous studies confirmed that sinomenine (SIN) is a specific mPGES-1 inhibitor. However, the exact mechanism by which SIN inhibits mPGES-1 remains unknown. This study aimed to explain the regulation effect of SIN to mPGES-1 gene expression by its DNA methylation induction effect. We found that the demethylating agent 5-azacytidine (5-AzaC) reversed the inhibitory effect of SIN to mPGES-1. Besides, SIN selectively increased the methylation level of the promoter region in the mPGES-1 gene while the pretreatment of 5-AzaC suppressed this effect. The results also shows that pretreatment with SIN increased the methylation level of specific GCG sites in the promoter region of mPGES-1. This specific methylation site may become a new biomarker for predicting and diagnosing RA and cancer with high expression of mPGES-1. Also, our research provides new ideas and solutions for clinical diagnosis and treatment of diseases related to mPGES-1 and for targeted methylation strategy in drug development.

[Molecular mechanism of Spatholobi Caulis in treatment of ovarian cancer based on network pharmacology and experimental verification].

The present study explored the main active ingredients and the underlying mechanism of Spatholobi Caulisin the treatment of ovarian cancer(OC) by network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vitro cell experiments. The active ingredients and their predicted targets(AITs) were first acquired online with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP). Theoretical disease targets(DTs) were obtained through professional databases including GeneCards, OMIM, PharmGkb, TTD, and DrugBank. The common targets in the intersection of AITs and DTs were used for the construction of a "drug-ingredient-disease-target" network by Cytoscape 3.7.1. STRING database was used to construct a protein-protein interaction(PPI) network. R 4.0.5 was used for GO and KEGG functional enrichment analyses. Schr9 dinger Maestro was used to perform and optimize the molecular docking and virtual screening.Twenty-three active ingredients of Spatholobi Caulis were screened out, involving 75 OC targets and 178 signaling pathways.Network analysis revealed that Spatholobi Caulis presumedly exerted an anti-OC effect by acting on key protein targets such as GSK-3ß, Bcl-2, and Bax. Molecular docking showed that GSK-3ß possessed goodbinding activity to prunetin. In vitro cell experiments preliminarily verified the core targets and pathways of prunetin, the active ingredient of Spatholobi Caulis against human OC SKOV3 cells.CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell proliferation, and flow cytometry was used to detect the effect of prunetin on apoptosis of human OC SKOV3 cells.The expression of prunetin targets and related regulatory proteins was detected by Western blot.In vitro cell experiments demonstrated that prunetindisplayed significant inhibitory effects on the proliferation of OC cells and could induce apoptosis of SKOV3 cells. Western blot showed that prunetin could induce SKOV3 cell apoptosis by inhibiting GSK-3ß phosphorylation and regulating the expression of downstream Bcl-2 and Bax proteins. This study reveals the scientific nature of network pharmacology in the prediction and guidance of experimental design, confirming that prunetin can treat OC by blocking the GSK-3ß/Bcl-2/Bax cell signal transduction pathway. The findings are expected to provide a basis for the investigation of the mechanism of Spatholobi Caulis in the treatment of OC.

Systematic investigation on the distribution of four hidden toxic Aconitum alkaloids in commonly used Aconitum herbs and their acute toxicity.

Yunaconitine (YAC), crassicauline A (CCA), 8-deacetylyunaconitine (DYA), and 8-deacetylcrassicauline A (DCA), as hidden toxic Aconitum alkaloids, are detected in some products of processed Aconitum carmichaelii lateral root and poisoning cases. The distribution and toxicity of these four components in Aconitum herbs should be further systematically studied for medication safety. This study developed a new UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS method to determine ten Aconitum alkaloids, including aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine, benzoylaconine, benzoylmesaconine, benzoylhypaconine, YAC, CCA, DYA, and DCA, for Aconitum herbs simultaneously. YAC and CCA were founded in some samples of unprocessed A. carmichaelii lateral root (7.04%), A. carmichaelii root (9.43%), A. brachypodum root (6.00%), and A. ouvrardianum root (100%). Four hidden toxic Aconitum alkaloids were detected in processed A. carmichaelii lateral root (2.56%) and A. vilmorinianum root (100%). Four hidden toxic Aconitum alkaloids played significant roles in the classification of Aconitum herbs by OPLS-DA analysis. The acute toxicity test was performed by up-and-down procedure (UDP). The oral administration of the half lethal dose (LD50) of YAC, CCA, DYA, and DCA to female ICR mice was 2.37 mg/kg, 5.60 mg/kg, 60.0 mg/kg, and 753 mg/kg, respectively. The LD50 by intravenous injection was 0.200 mg/kg, 0.980 mg/kg, 7.60 mg/kg, and 34.0 mg/kg, respectively. The LD50 of unprocessed A. carmichaelii lateral root, A. vilmorinianum root, and A. brachypodum root to mice orally was 1.89 g/kg, 0.950 g/kg, and 0.380 g/kg, respectively. Symptoms of Aconitum alkaloid poisoning in mice were decreased activity, fur erect, palpebral edema, vomiting, polypnea, and convulsions. The main change of organs was flatulence. No poisoning or death occurred in mice at the maximum dosage (27.0 g/kg) of A. ouvrardianum root orally. To better control the quality and safety of Aconitum herbs, this study provides favorable support for improving the existing standards to strengthen the supervision of the four hidden toxic Aconitum alkaloids.

Potential propensity of traditional herbal materials ingested by collegiate athletes in South China for their consuming health care.

ABSTRACT: In south China, traditional herbal medicines have been widely used as functional foods or dietary supplements for daily health care. Many plant-derived chemical substances with biological activity are inadvertently ingested by collegiate athletes daily through canton-style herbal tea or herbal slow-cooked soup. In the view of the complexity of herbal ingredients, it is still no full survey reported for the sports risk of plant-derived sports doping. This research is firstly a descriptive statistical analysis. Collegiate athletes with different socio-economic characteristics from medical colleges in 3 different regions in China participated in the questionnaire survey. Three survey forms, including the oral interview, email inquiry, handing out and recovering the questionnaires in live, were developed and performed by researchers. It was first found that collegiate athletes resorted to some traditional herbal materials to protect their health care that there were regional differences (P < .01). Collegiate athletes with Health Fitness and Traditional Wushu as their sports expertise showed a higher frequency of recognition or ingestion in the use of traditional herbal materials (P < .01), while their different living types and cuisine preferences did not seem to be associated with the ingestion frequency of traditional herbal materials. In addition, in the view of the significant differences in the use of herbal preparations to relieve sports stress among young athletes in different regions (P < .01), the findings strongly suggested that athletes should strictly control their use of various herbal preparations during sports training and competition, including herbal wines, herbal oils, topical plasters, analgesic tablets.

Identification of blood-red color formation in edible bird's nests provides a new strategy for safety control.

In order to reveal the color formation mechanism of blood-red edible bird's nests (EBNs) and develop a quick and specific strategy to distinguish the artificial fake one, multiple methods of UPLC-TOF/MS, UV, NMR, FT-IR and 2D IR were used to detect the chemical markers of the reddening reaction, the results showed that the reddening substances were C9H10N2O5 and C9H9NO6, which were verified as products of a phenol-keto tautomerism evolved from l-tyrosine. Moreover, natural and artificial red EBNs with varying degrees of chemical fumigation also can be successfully distinguished using the chemical markers, and the protein variation in SDS-PAGE gel could also support the distinction. This work established a systematic method of chemical identification for both natural and artificial blood-red EBNs, and provided a new identification strategy for food safety control that can promote the development of a healthier market of EBNs.

Review on the Development and Applications of Medicinal Plant Genomes.

With the development of sequencing technology, the research on medicinal plants is no longer limited to the aspects of chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacodynamics, but reveals them from the genetic level. As the price of next-generation sequencing technology becomes affordable, and the long-read sequencing technology is established, the medicinal plant genomes with large sizes have been sequenced and assembled more easily. Although the review of plant genomes has been reported several times, there is no review giving a systematic and comprehensive introduction about the development and application of medicinal plant genomes that have been reported until now. Here, we provide a historical perspective on the current situation of genomes in medicinal plant biology, highlight the use of the rapidly developing sequencing technologies, and conduct a comprehensive summary on how the genomes apply to solve the practical problems in medicinal plants, like genomics-assisted herb breeding, evolution history revelation, herbal synthetic biology study, and geoherbal research, which are important for effective utilization, rational use and sustainable protection of medicinal plants.

Novel SNP markers on ginsenosides biosynthesis functional gene for authentication of ginseng herbs and commercial products.

Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius have similar bioactive components and morphological characteristics, but they are known to have different medicinal values, high-sensitive and accurate method is expected to identify the sources of ginseng products and evaluate the quality, but with a huge challenge. Our established UHPLC-TOF/MS method coupled with orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model based on 18 ginsenosides was applied to discriminate the sources of raw medicinal materials in ginseng products, and nested PCR strategy was used to discover 6 novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites in functional dammarenediol synthase (DS) gene for genetic authentication of P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius for the first time. OPLS-DA model could identify the sources of raw ginseng materials are real or not. SNP markers were applied to identify ginseng fresh samples as well as commercial products, and proved to be successful. This established molecular method can tell exact source information of adulterants, and it was highly sensitive and specific even when total DNA amount was only 0.1 ng and the adulteration was as low as 1%. Therefore, this study made an attempt at the exploration of new type SNP marker for variety authentication and function regulation at the same time, and the combination of chemical and molecular discrimination methods provided the comprehensive evaluation and authentication for the sources of ginseng herbs and products.

External application of two unrestricted herbal medicines to treat costochondritis in a young collegiate athlete: A case report.

Costochondritis (ChC), especially chronic ChC, typically manifests as spontaneous vague pain in anterior chest area and often occurs in adolescents for unknown reasons; it has prevented many collegiate athletes from participating in physical training and competitions. A 21-year-old female collegiate taekwondo athlete suffering from chronic chest pain was sent by her coaches for diagnosis and treatment. Seated motion palpation was used to identify spontaneous and motion-involved pain areas. Palpation in the supine position was used to initially rule out breast diseases. X-ray, electrocardiogram, and cardiac Doppler ultrasound were used in conjunction with myocardial enzyme testing to rule out lung and cardiovascular diseases. The patient was treated using herbal medicines applied via an external patch. The medicine was comprised of Rhizoma Corydalis and borneol, and the treatment lasted for seven weeks. For five weeks patches were applied at a frequency of two or three times per day, followed by a two-week period of once per day. The patient reported that the pain was relieved after two weeks of external herb use, and the autonomic chest pain had resolved. Re-examination after one month showed that her upper limb range of motion was close to normal, and her psychological burden had almost disappeared. It is possible to seek more active medicinal treatment and more practical external products for young athletes who is suffering chronic ChC that affects the sport training and competitive performances.

Isovaleroylbinankadsurin A ameliorates cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury through activating GR dependent RISK signaling.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a pathological process caused by reperfusion. The prevention of I/R injury is of great importance as it would enhance the efficacy of myocardial infarction treatment in patients. Isovaleroylbinankadsurin A (ISBA) has been demonstrated to possess multiple bioactivities for treating diseases. However, its protective effect on myocardial I/R injury remains unknown. In this study, the cardiomyocytes hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) in vitro model and coronary artery ligation in vivo model were used to examine the protective effect of ISBA. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and Caspase 3 activity. Protein level was determined by Western blot. The mitochondrial viability was examined with mitochondrial viability stain assay. Mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1 staining and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was stained with 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA). The binding interactions between ISBA and receptors was simulated by molecular docking. Results showed that ISBA effectively protected cardiomyocytes from I/R injury in in vitro and in vivo models. It remarkably blocked the apoptosis induced by H/R injury through the mitochondrial dependent pathway. Activation of the reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) pathway was demonstrated to be essential for ISBA to exert its protective effect on cardiomyocytes. Moreover, molecular docking indicated that ISBA could directly bind to glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and thus induce its activation. Furthermore, the treatment of GR inhibitor RU486 partially counteracted the protective effect of ISBA on cardiomyocytes, consistent with the results of docking.Most attractively, by activating GR dependent RISK pathway, ISBA significantly elevated the cellular anti-oxidative capacity and hence alleviated oxidative damage induced by I/R injury. In conclusion, our study proved that ISBA protected the heart from myocardial I/R injury through activating GR dependent RISK pathway and consequently inhibiting the ROS generation. It provides a valuable reference for ISBA to be developed as a candidate drug for cardiovascular diseases.

Discovery of chemical markers for identifying species, growth mode and production area of Astragali Radix by using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Astragali Radix (AR) is a well-known Chinese herbal medicine. The quality of AR can be affected by many factors such as species, growth mode and production area, but there are still no chemical markers to distinguish it. PURPOSE: To explore chemical markers for improving the quality assessment of AR and discover chemical markers for identifying species, growth mode and production area of AR. METHODS: A highly sensitive, efficient and accurate method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS) for simultaneous quantitative determination of 14 major chemical components (five flavonoids and nine triterpene saponins) in 94 batches of AR from China, Republic of Korea and Germany was developed for the first time. To explore chemical markers and assess changes in the contents of 14 compounds in the 94 batches of AR samples from different regions, hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed. RESULTS: Astragaloside III was not only an important chemical marker for distinguishing two species of AR, i.e.: Astragalus mongholicus and A. membranaceus, but also a potential chemical marker for the classification of cultivated and semi-wild AR. In addition, in the batches of cultivated AR, the content of isoastragaloside II and cyclocephaloside II were greater in batches from the region of Shaanxi Province than that of other Provinces in China, but the content of calycosin-7-O-ß-D-glucoside and astragaloside IV, which are the quality control markers of AR required by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, were higher than that of other Provinces in China. In addition, the content of calycosin-7-O-ß-D-glucoside, ononin, calycosin and astragaloside I could be used to identify samples of AR collected from China, Republic of Korea and Germany. CONCLUSION: This UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS method could be applied to the quantitative evaluation of AR and could be an important and meaningful reference to develop chemical markers for quality control of AR.

Comparison of two Polygonum chinense varieties used in Chinese cool tea in terms of chemical profiles and antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activities.

Despite the extensive use of Polygonum chinense (PC) as a detoxifying ingredient of Chinese cool tea, the efficacy of different PC varieties remains underexplored. Herein, we compare the chemical profiles and antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous extracts of two PC varieties, namely P. chinense var. chinense (PCC) and P. chinense var. hispidum (PCH). Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MSMS) and multivariate analysis are used to rapidly identify extract components, while DPPH radical scavenging and xylene-induced mice ear edema assays are used to evaluate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, respectively. Correlation analysis reveals that ellagic acid and quercitrin contents are positively correlated with the magnitude of the anti-inflammatory effect, and the adopted technique is concluded to allow for the rapid discrimination of PC varieties used in Chinese cool tea formulations.

[Research on hemostatic effect and mechanism of carbonized Scutellariae Radix on rats of uterine bleeding].

The aim of this paper was to investigate the hemostatic effect and mechanism of carbonized Scutellariae Radix on uterine bleeding in the rats caused by early pregnancy termination. Eight unpregnant female rats were selected as normal group. Forty female rats conceived on the same day received mifepristone(11. 4 mg·kg-1) and misoprostol(125 µg·kg-1) to induce model of incomplete abortion in early pregnancy. Abortion models were randomly divided into model group,carbonized Scutellariae Radix water extract low dose group(0. 55 g·kg-1),medium group(1. 10 g·kg-1),high dose group(2. 20 g·kg-1) and positive control group(0. 45 g·kg-1).The uterine bleeding volume was detected by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The pathological changes of endometrium were detected by HE(hematixylin-eosin) staining. The levels of interleukin(IL-1ß),IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α) in the plasma of rats were determined by ELISA. The expression levels of IL-1ß,IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA in the uterus of rats were determined by RT-PCR.The protein expression levels of VEGF,MMP-2 and MMP-9 were determined by Western blot. As compared with the normal group,the uterine bleeding volume and histopathological score were increased significantly; microvessel density of endometrial tissues was decreased significantly; the contents of TNF-α,IL-1ß and the levels of TNF-α mRNA and IL-1ß mRNA in the plasma were increased,while the content of IL-6 and level of IL-6 mRNA were decreased significantly. The protein expression levels of VEGF,MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the uterine tissues were also decreased. As compared with the model group,the uterine bleeding volume was decreased significantly in the carbonized Scutellariae Radix medium dose and high dose groups; endometrial repair was promoted,and the microvessel density of endometrial tissues was increased significantly; the contents of IL-1ß and TNF-α in the plasma of rats were decreased significantly,while the content of IL-6 in the plasma of rats was increased significantly; the expression levels of IL-1ß and TNF-α mRNA in the uterus of rats were decreased and the expression level of IL-6 mRNA showed an increase; the protein expressions of VEGF,MMP-2 and MMP-9 were decreased significantly in carbonized Scutellariae Radix medium and high dose groups. In conclusion,carbonized Scutellariae Radix showed good hemostatic effect,and its mechanism may be related to the repair of endometrium and inhibition of inflammatory reaction.

Discovery of the mechanisms and major bioactive compounds responsible for the protective effects of Gualou Xiebai Decoction on coronary heart disease by network pharmacology analysis.

BACKGROUND: Gualou Xiebai decoction (GLXB), a multi-component herbal formula, has been widely used to treat coronary heart disease (CHD) in China for centuries. Several studies have revealed part of its pharmacological activities, whereas its active compounds and mechanisms of action are still unknown because of its complex composition. PURPOSE: Discover the major active compounds and the pharmacological mechanisms of GLXB by network pharmacology methods. METHODS: The main candidate target network was constructed by predicting targets of absorbable chemical compounds of GLXB, collecting therapeutic targets of cardiovascular drugs, constructing target network and layers of screening. Community detection and edge-betweenness calculation were applied to analyze the main candidate target network. Cell viability test, Western blot and flow cytometry were performed to validate the predicted results in cardiomyocytes hypoxia/reoxygenation model. RESULTS: Five clusters and eight cross-talk targets were found in the main candidate target network. Their functions combined together might explain the multifunctional role of GLXB against CHD. Among the cross-talk targets, ESR1 (Estrogen receptor alpha, ERα) and MAPK14 (Mitogen-activated protein kinase 14, p38) were both drug targets and therapeutic targets whose interaction exhibited the greatest edge-betweenness value, suggesting their crucial role in the protective effect of GLXB. The compounds targeting on ESR1 and MAPK14 were identified as apigenin and 25S-macrostemonoside P respectively which were regard as the major bioactive compounds. The predicted results including the major bioactive compounds, their targets and the synergic effects between them were validated. CONCLUSION: This study screened out major bioactive compounds from GLXB and offered a new understanding of the protection mechanism of GLXB against CHD by network pharmacology method and provides a combination strategy to explore mechanisms of action of multi-component drugs from a holistic perspective.