Chemical profiling of Fritillariae thunbergii Miq prepared by different processing methods reveals two new quality markers: Zhebeininoside and imperialine-3-ß-D-glucoside.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Fritillariae thunbergii Miq (FTM)exhibit versatile biological activities including the significant antitussive and expectorant activities. As a herbal medicine, the therapeutic effects of FTM may be expressed by multi-components which have complicated integration effects on multi-targets. With the time going, the different processing methods of FTM has been changed a lot. Thus，the study described the effect of processing methods to FTM and its quality. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Studies were undertaken by using UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS and pharmacodynamic models. All reagents were involved of analytical grade. While a HPLC-ELSD's method has been developed and validated, a certified Quality System is conformed to ICH requirements. The experimental animals followed the animal welfare guidelines. AIM OF THE STUDY: We aimed to found the differences after the different processing methods of FTM, and to demonstrate the changes could be selected as quality control indicators, and established a method for simultaneous determination of these for quality control. RESULTS: we have previously found two new steroidal alkaloids: zhebeininoside and imperialine-3-ß-D-glucoside from the different processing methods of FTM, which is the difference between the different processing methods of FTM, mainly on the steroidal alkaloids. The activity analysis of zhebeininoside, imperialine-3-ß-D-glucoside, verticine and verticinone showed that the mouse model of cough expectorant has antitussive effect. The positive drug selected was dextromethorphan syrup. The positive group showed biological activity, but the blank group showed nothing. The model group showed illness which means that the model was effective. There are two ways of the mechanism of action of the expectorant action which can make sputum thin, reduce its viscosity, and be easy to cough up, or can accelerate the movement of mucous cilia in the respiratory tract and promote the discharge of sputum. In our study, the content of phenol red was significantly reduced in the administration group. CONCLUSIONS: To sum up, our results suggest that zhebeininoside and other three components cloud be selected as quality control indicators, and a method for simultaneous determination of zhebeininoside and other three components was established for quality control.

Identification of quality control markers in Suhuang antitussive capsule based on HPLC-PDA fingerprint and anti-inflammatory screening.

Suhuang antitussive capsule (SH), one of traditional Chinese patent medicines, has been widely used for treating cough variant asthma and postinfectious cough in clinic. The objective of this work is to identify the characteristic and active ingredients as the quality control markers for SH based on high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) fingerprint and screening of anti-inflammatory components. Similarity analysis (SA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to evaluate 16 different batches of SH. 13 compounds accounting for 36% of the total components in the fingerprint were identified and semi-quantitatively analyzed, which anti-inflammatory activity was tested with the in vitro assay. The results showed that the established chemical fingerprint could clearly distinguish different batches of SH by SA, HCA, and PCA analysis. Furthermore, four known compounds (chlorogenic acid, schisandrin, angeloylgomisin H and praeruptorin A) were screened out to be the most discriminant variables, which could be applied to quality control of SH by quantitative analysis. The semi-quantitative results showed that six compounds were major components, i.e. arctiin (10.28 ±â€¯3.18 mg/g), ephedrine (9.26 ±â€¯1.58 mg/g), schisandrin (3.09 ±â€¯0.83 mg/g), pseudoephedrine (2.34 ±â€¯1.04 mg/g), schisandrin B (1.48 ±â€¯0.16 mg/g), and 1-caffeoylquinic acid (1.36 ±â€¯0.42 mg/g). The anti-inflammatory results showed that SH extract, praeruptorin A, schisandrin, arctigenin and pseudoephedrine could significantly inhibit inflammatory mediator NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. These findings indicated that praeruptorin A, schisandrin, arctiin and pseudoephedrine could be proposed as the quality control markers for SH.

Fifteen-minute consultation: A structured approach to the management of chronic cough in a child.

Coughing is a primary pulmonary defence mechanism that enhances clearance of secretions and particles from the airways and protects against aspiration of foreign materials. Coughing may affect 30% of children at any given time (1). Many are healthy children but some may have serious underlying disease. Childhood cough accounts for a large number of consultations and 80% of families who are referred to a paediatric respiratory clinic for chronic cough have sought medical advice five times or more (2). The majority of childhood coughs are secondary to an acute respiratory tract infection and will improve once the infection resolves, usually within 1 to 3 weeks. With pre-school children who may experience between 6 and 10 respiratory infections a year differentiating acute recurrent cough from chronic cough is key (Table 1). Chronic cough can significantly impact a family's quality of life, as it affects the child's sleep, school attendance and play. Parents experience distress and anxiety, worrying that the cough may lead to long-term chest damage or even death (3). This article aims to guide clinicians through the assessment of the child with a chronic cough. It will discuss identifying causes, use of first line investigations, initiating appropriate management and addressing parental anxiety and exacerbating factors (4,5).

Establishment of a standard reference material (SRM) herbal DNA barcode library of Vitex negundo L. (lagundi) for quality control measures.

The majority of the population in the Philippines relies on herbal products as their primary source for their healthcare needs. After the recognition of Vitex negundo L. (lagundi) as an important and effective alternative medicine for cough, sore throat, asthma and fever by the Philippine Department of Health (DOH), there was an increase in the production of lagundi-based herbal products in the form of teas, capsules and syrups. The efficiency of these products is greatly reliant on the use of authentic plant material, and to this day no standard protocol has been established to authenticate plant materials. DNA barcoding offers a quick and reliable species authentication tool, but its application to plant material has been less successful due to (1) lack of a standard DNA barcoding loci in plants and (2) poor DNA yield from powderised plant products. This study reports the successful application of DNA barcoding in the authentication of five V. negundo herbal products sold in the Philippines. Also, the first standard reference material (SRM) herbal library for the recognition of authentic V. negundo samples was established using 42 gene accessions of ITS, psbA-trnH and matK barcoding loci. Authentication of the herbal products utilised the SRM following the BLASTn and maximum-likelihood (ML) tree construction criterion. Barcode sequences were retrieved for ITS and psbA-trnH of all products tested and the results of the study revealed that only one out of five herbal products satisfied both BLASTn and ML criterion and was considered to contain authentic V. negundo. The results prompt the urgent need to utilise DNA barcoding in authenticating herbal products available in the Philippine market. Authentication of these products will secure consumer health by preventing the negative effects of adulteration, substitution and contamination.

Codeine and cough: an ineffective gold standard.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cough is one of the most common reasons why patients visit physicians. The opioid codeine has been a mainstay in the treatment of cough for decades and this drug is widely regarded as the 'gold standard' cough suppressant. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent placebo-controlled studies have shown that codeine is no more effective than placebo in suppressing cough caused by either upper respiratory disorders or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These recent reports are not consistent with several older placebo-controlled studies that demonstrated the efficacy of codeine. The reasons for this difference are not fully understood. SUMMARY: We propose that these differences, as well as results from animal models, can be explained by the existence of a complex hierarchical control system that regulates the expression of coughing. This system, known as a holarchy, is composed of regulatory elements known as 'holons' that interact with one another to regulate cough. Based on work in animal models, codeine is proposed to act on an intermediate order holon that may not be critical for coughing under some situations in humans. Testing of this hypothesis and further elucidation of the control system for cough will represent an important direction for future research in this area.

Genetic distinction of radix adenophorae from its adulterants by the DNA sequence of 5S-rRNA spacer domains.

Radix Adenophorae (Shashen), a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used as an antitussive and expectorant, is derived from roots of Adenophora stricta Miq. and Adenophora tetraphylla (Thunb.) Fisch. Twelve species and varieties of Adenophora and Glehnia, however, could act as substitutes or adulterants of Radix Adenophorae on the commercial markets in South East Asia, and roots of Adenophora hunanensis Nannf. and Glihnia littoralis F. Schmidt ex Miq. are the most common examples. The authentic identification of dried roots of A. stricta and A. tetraphylla, however, is difficult on the basis of appearance and morphology. A molecular genetic approach was developed here to identify the species of Radix Adenophorae. The 5S-rRNA spacer domains (approximately 250 bp) were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from genomic DNAs isolated from A. stricta, A. tetraphylla, A. hunanensis and G. littoralis, and subsequently, the nucleotide sequences were determined. Diversity in DNA sequence and restriction enzyme mapping among various species were found in their 5S-rRNA spacer domains, which could serve as markers for authentic identification of Radix Adenophorae.

[Quality standard of tanre kesou granules].

A TLC method was used in the identification of the following chemical consitituents of medicinal herbs in Tanre Kesou Granules: Radix Scutellariae, Bulbus Fritillariae Thunbergii, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae and Fructus Aurantii Immaturus. The sample was purified through acidification with hydrochloric acid and extraction with ethyl acetatethe. The contents of baicalin in the preparation and Radix Scutellariae were determined by means of HPLC and TLC-densitometry. These methods fit for quality control of the preparation containing baicalin.

Codeine and its alternates for pain and cough relief. 3. The antitussive action of codeine--mechanism, methodology and evaluation.

This report-the third of a series on codeine and its alternates for pain and cough relief-presents a detailed review of the physiology and pathophysiology of cough, the methods for the experimental and clinical measurement of the antitussive action of drugs, possible mechanisms of action of antitussive agents, and includes a compilation of experimental results and clinical experience with codeine as an antitussive.