Exploring the diversity and potential functional characteristics of microbiota associated with different compartments of Schisandra chinensis.

Introduction: Symbiotic microbial have a significant impact on the growth and metabolism of medicinal plants. Schisandra chinensis is a very functionally rich medicinal herb; however, its microbial composition and diversity have been poorly studied. Methods: In the present study, the core microbiomes associated with the rhizospheric soil, roots, stems, leaves, and fruits of S. chinensis from six geographic locations were analyzed by a macro-genomics approach. Results: Alpha and beta diversity analyses showed that the diversity of microbial composition of S. chinensis fruits did not differ significantly among the geographic locations as compared to that in different plant compartments. Principal coordinate analysis showed that the microbial communities of S. chinensis fruits from the different ecological locations were both similar and independent. In all S. chinensis samples, Proteobacteria was the most dominant bacterial phylum, and Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the most dominant fungal phyla. Nitrospira, Bradyrhizobium, Sphingomonas, and Pseudomonas were the marker bacterial populations in rhizospheric soils, roots, stems and leaves, and fruits, respectively, and Penicillium, Golubevia, and Cladosporium were the marker fungal populations in the rhizospheric soil and roots, stems and leaves, and fruits, respectively. Functional analyses showed a high abundance of the microbiota mainly in biosynthesis. Discussion: The present study determined the fungal structure of the symbiotic microbiome of S. chinensis, which is crucial for improving the yield and quality of S. chinensis.

Identifying biomarkers of ginseng medicines with different natures on heart failure.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The nature of Chinese medicine is a unique index to measure its efficacy. Generally, treating the hot syndrome with cold nature medicine and vice versa. Ginseng medicines, a renowned Chinese medicine known for its qi tonifying action, encompasses various herbal materials such as ginseng, red ginseng, and black ginseng (GS, RG, and BG, respectively), ginseng leaves (GL), and American ginseng (AG), which exhibited different natures, thought contained similar ginsenosides. This traditional effect of GS and RG "reinvigorate the pulse for relieving qi depletion". It is closely linked to anti-heart failure (HF), HF is a clinical manifestation of deficiency of "heart-qi". However, the elucidation of the mechanism underlying the anti-HF effects of ginseng medicines with different natures remains a significant challenge. AIM OF THE STUDY: To elucidate pharmacological mechanisms underlying the effect of ginseng medicines on HF, and to identify biomarkers associated with their various natures. Furthermore, it provides the basis for the different applications of ginseng medicines with various natures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study established a rat model of HF induced by isoproterenol (ISO) combined with a specific diet. Four representative hot/cold herbs were selected as compared references for the medicine natures. The divergent effects of these herbs on the HF model were investigated by analyzing RNA-seq data to identify genes expressed differentially. Additionally, pathways associated with medicine natures were obtained using KEGG. Furthermore, UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS, as well as ELISA, were used to measure indexes associated with the nervous system, energy metabolisms, and endocrinology systems, such as BNP, CK, IL-1, T3, T4, cAMP, cGMP, AD, adrenal hormones (DOC, CORT, and COR), progestogens (pregnenolone, P, 17-OH-PR, and 17-OH-P), androgens (DHEA, A4, and T), and estrogens hormones (E2). RESULTS: All ginseng medicines demonstrated varying levels of efficacy in alleviating HF and GS exhibited a significant protective effect on HF. The ginseng medicines with qi tonifying primarily achieve their effect by enhancing the levels of adrenal hormones (DOC, CORT, and COR), T4, elevation of cAMP/cGMP, and activation of AchE. Warm nature qi tonifying ginseng medicines increased the levels of 17-OH-PR and P while decreasing 17-OH-P and the ratio of E2/T. On the other hand, cold nature qi tonifying ginseng medicines decreased the levels of A4 and T while increasing the ratio of E2/T. CONCLUSION: Overall, the effects of warm nature ginseng medicines are stronger on HF compared to cold nature ginseng medicines. Our research firstly reported that the E2/T ratio, progestogens (17-OH-PR, 17-OH-P, and P), and androgens (A4 and T) have been identified as significant biomarkers for discerning the mechanism differences of ginseng medicines with differences natures in treatment of HF.

Design, synthesis and activity evaluation of arctigenin derivatives with HDAC inhibition activity.

Arctigenin, a natural product with diverse pharmacological activities, can inhibit cell proliferation and survival and has shown promising potential in cancer research. In this study, we designed a series of arctigenin derivatives with HDAC inhibitory activity based on the synergistic effects between HDAC inhibitors and arctigenin. Among them, compound B7 exhibited significantly higher antiproliferative activity in the MV411 cell line compared to the positive control, tucidinostat. Additionally, enzymatic activity testing was performed with compound B7. Further mechanistic studies indicated that compound B7 induced apoptosis through the Caspase-3 pathway in MV411 cells and enhanced histone acetylation levels in the MV411 cell line. These findings highlight the broad potential application of these arctigenin derivatives in cancer therapy.

Anti-prostate cancer mechanism of black ginseng during the "nine steaming and nine sun-drying" process based on HPLC analysis combined with vector space network pharmacology.

HPLC analysis determined six small-molecule organic acids, maltol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), 17 ginsenosides, four oligosaccharides, and 20 amino acids in black ginseng samples with different processing times. Based on the content determination results, the differential ingredients in the processing of black ginseng were screened by multivariate statistical analysis. Network pharmacological methods obtained the core targets and pathways of the above ingredients against prostate cancer. Finally, the entropy weight method was used to assign values to the above ingredients, targets, and pathways, and the vector space network pharmacology method was established to study the anti-prostate cancer mechanism of black ginseng in the process of "nine steaming and nine sun-drying". Based on principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), fructose, glucose, dencichin, glutamate, ginsenoside 20 (S)-Rg3, 20 (R)-Rg3, 20 (S)-Rh2, Rg1, Re, and Rc were the main differential ingredients in various steaming and sun-drying cycle periods of black ginseng. The results of vector space network pharmacology showed that the main reason for the change in the anti-prostate cancer pathway of black ginseng with the number of steaming and sun-drying was the different regulatory ability of black ginseng on the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation pathway. It gave researchers a fresh perspective for exploring the anti-prostate cancer active components of black ginseng and the change in the mechanism of the effect of traditional Chinese medicine in processing.

Structure elucidation and NMR spectral assignments of one new dammarane-type triterpenoid saponin from black ginseng.

New dammarane-type triterpenoid saponin, named 22(R)-notoginsenoside Ab1 (1), together with thirteen known dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins (2-14) was isolated from the EtOH extract of black ginseng and their structures were elucidated on the basis of one- and two-dimensional NMR (including 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, HSQC, HMBC, ROESY) and calculated ECD. Among them, compounds 1-2 and 6-8 were isolated for the first time from ginseng and black ginseng. Besides, the absolute structure of 22(R)- and 22(S)- notoginsenoside Ab1 were distinguished by ECD for the first time.

MOMS: A pipeline for scaffolding using multi-optical maps.

Here, we report a new multi-optical maps scaffolder (MOMS) aiming at utilizing complementary information among optical maps labelled by distinct enzymes. This pipeline was designed for data structure organization, scaffolding by path traversal, gap-filling and molecule reuse of optical maps. Our testing showed that this pipeline has uncapped enzyme tolerance in scaffolding. This means that there are no inbuilt limits as to the number of maps generated by different enzymes that can be utilized by MOMS. For the genome assembly of the human GM12878 cell line, MOMS significantly improved the contiguity and completeness with an up to 144-fold increase of scaffold N50 compared with initial assemblies. Benchmarking on the genomes of human and O. sativa showed that MOMS is more effective and robust compared with other optical-map-based scaffolders. We believe this pipeline will contribute to high-fidelity chromosome assembly and chromosome-level evolutionary analysis.

Effective substances and mechanism of red ginseng on rats with spleen-deficiency syndrome based on the substance and energy metabolism as well as the "brain-gut" axis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Red ginseng (RG), a processed product of ginseng (GS), is a generally used qi-tonifying medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to the TCM principle, RG is also generally applied to spleen-deficiency syndrome (SDS) clinically for its warmer property. However, the effective substances and mechanism of RG on SDS have not been well investigated. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to explore the effective substances and their mechanism of RG on SDS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The SDS model was established with a compound factor method involving an irregular diet, excessive fatigue and sennae folium with a bitter-cold property. The medicine of RG was split by multi-mode separation methods and analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). The appearance indexes such as body weight, body temperature, swimming endurance, urine output, and water content of fecal were determined. The biochemical indexes such as D-xylose, SP, VIP and AChE in the digestive system, CRH, ACTH, CORT, E, T3, T4, T, E2 and 5-HT in the endocrine system, CS, NCR, IDH1, COX and Na+-K+-ATPase in the metabolism of substance and energy, cAMP and cGMP in the cyclic nucleotide system were analyzed by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits and biochemical kits. The serum metabolites were analyzed by UPLC-QTOF/MS. Furthermore, the gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing and headspace gas chromatography-mass method. RESULTS: The pharmacological experiments showed that total saponin fraction (RGTSF), less polar fraction (RGLPF), and polysaccharides faction (RGPSF) significantly modulated the "brain-gut" axis-related indexes (the levels of VIP, AChE, and 5-HT). Besides, RGTSF also significantly modulated the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis-related indexes as well as the substance and energy metabolism-related indexes (the levels of ACTH, CORT, A, Na+-K+-ATPase, COX, NCR and CS). RGPSF also significantly modulated the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis-related indexes (the levels of T3 and T4). Secondly, metabolomics indicated that RGTSF could significantly regulate the abnormal metabolic pathways associated with the development of SDS, which involved steroid hormone biosynthesis, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, and amino acid metabolism. Subsequently, the study of gut microbiota indicated that RGLPF could increase the diversities of the gut microbiota and the relative abundance of Firmicutes in rats with SDS, while RGWEF significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes. At the genus level, RGLPF could increase the relative abundance of Lactobacillus in rats with SDS and decrease that of Akkermansia. Meanwhile, the water-eluted fraction (RGWEF) showed a stronger regulation in SCFAs. CONCLUSION: It is for the first time that the effective substances of red ginseng on spleen-deficiency syndrome were studied systematically, and the different mechanisms of the RG fractions involved in substance and energy metabolism as well as the "brain-gut" axis were revealed. The present study demonstrated that RGTSF, RGPSF, and RGLPF were the effective substances of red ginseng for ameliorating spleen-deficiency syndrome, indicating that ginsenosides composed of primary and secondary saponins as well as polysaccharides were the main effective substances for red ginseng in ameliorating spleen-deficiency syndrome.

The burdock database: a multi-omic database for Arctium lappa, a food and medicinal plant.

BACKGROUND: Burdock is a biennial herb of Asteraceae found in Northern Europe, Eurasia, Siberia, and China. Its mature dry fruits, called Niu Bang Zi, are recorded in various traditional Chinese medicine books. With the development of sequencing technology, the mitochondrial, chloroplast, and nuclear genomes, transcriptome, and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) fingerprints of burdock have all been reported. To make better use of this data for further research and analysis, a burdock database was constructed. RESULTS: This burdock multi-omics database contains two burdock genome datasets, two transcriptome datasets, eight burdock chloroplast genomes, one burdock mitochondrial genome, one A. tomentosum chloroplast genome, one A. tomentosum mitochondrial genome, 26 phenotypes of burdock varieties, burdock rhizosphere-associated microorganisms, and chemical constituents of burdock fruit, pericarp, and kernel at different growth stages (using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The wild and cultivation distribution of burdock in China was summarized, and the main active components and pharmacological effects of burdock currently reported were concluded. The database contains ten central functional modules: Home, Genome, Transcriptome, Jbrowse, Search, Tools, SRAP fingerprints, Associated microorganisms, Chemical, and Publications. Among these, the "Tools" module can be used to perform sequence homology alignment (Blast), multiple sequence alignment analysis (Muscle), homologous protein prediction (Genewise), primer design (Primer), large-scale genome analysis (Lastz), and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses (GO Enrichment and KEGG Enrichment). CONCLUSIONS: The database URL is http://210.22.121.250:41352/ . This burdock database integrates molecular and chemical data to provide a comprehensive information and analysis platform for interested researchers and can be of immense help to the cultivation, breeding, and molecular pharmacognosy research of burdock.

Comparative Study on Medicinal Natures (qi) of Black Ginseng, Red Ginseng, and Ginseng Leaves Based on Typical Deficiency-Heat Syndrome Rat Model.

To elucidate the medicinal nature of black ginseng (BG) by comparison of the effects of four Chinese herbs with different medicinal natures on the deficiency-heat syndrome rat model which was established by intragastric administration of traditional Chinese drugs with hot nature, the appearance indexes, biochemical indexes, and pathological sections of thyroid and stomach were examined. In addition, the seven short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in rat feces were also determined by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to reveal the action mechanism of the drugs with different natures. Results indicated that all the 4 drugs could exhibit similar actions in regulating the biochemical indexes of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and corticosterone (CORT) representing the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes of the animal. However, cold-natured cortex phellodendri (HB) and ginseng leaves (GLs) showed stronger downregulation of the AChE activity of the nervous system. Red ginseng (RG) and BG tested exhibited stronger upregulation of the liver Na+-K+-ATPase activity. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that GLs are similar to those of HB which belongs to the cold-nature drug, whereas BG showed closer to RG which attributes to a warm-nature drug. Thus, BG could be ascribed to a warm-nature drug. Further research disclosed that RG and BG mainly regulated the acetic acid and GL and HB primarily modulated the isovaleric acid and hexanoic acid in rat feces, which could be the features of drugs with warm or cold nature on the regulation of SCFAs in rats. It is for the first time that the medicinal nature of BG and its effect on the SCFAs were examined.

Semen raphani weakened the action of ginseng under chronic fatigue condition.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Fatigue is a kind of subhealth status and people paid much more attention on it. Ginseng is used to treating fatigue as a kind of qi -tonifying drug in Chinese medicine. In the traditional applications, there is a viewpoint that ginseng could not be used with semen raphani and supposed that semen raphani is a kind of qi regulating drug, which will reduce the qi invigorating effect of ginseng. However, the underlying combination mechanism of the two drugs remained unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study is to explore whether ginseng can be used with semen raphani or not to remedy acute and chronic fatigue conditions. METHODS: We used normal and weight-bearing swimming method combined with appetite control animals. The biochemical indexes in energy metabolism, antioxidant, regulating endocrine system and immunity capacities were performed to explore the antagonism effect of semen raphani on ginseng under acute and chronic fatigue conditions. The serum and urine metabolomics were investigated using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS). Fecal flora was analyzed via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. RESULTS: The combination of ginseng with semen raphani have no influence on acute fatigue effect compared with ginseng alone. Both can improve the exhausted swimming time, the activity of GSH-Px, LDH and Na+-K+-ATPase. Furthermore, the combination of ginseng with semen raphani can increase the urine volume of rats and down-regulate the content of AQP-3, which can alleviate the "fireness" side-effect of ginseng. But the abundance and diversity of bacterial are decreased under acute fatigue experiment. Both the combination of ginseng with semen raphani and ginseng alone can remedy chronic-fatigue. They can also regulate the endocrine system, immune system, citric acid cycle metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, etc. Furthermore, they can promote substance metabolism and energy metabolism in qi deficiency rats, and increase the abundance and diversities of the flora. While with the increased content of semen raphani, the combination of ginseng and semen raphani weaken the capacity of antioxidant, lactic acid metabolism, energy metabolism, flora diversity and regulation of endocrine system. CONCLUSION: Compared with ginseng alone, the combination of ginseng with semen raphani can weaken the qi invigorating ability under chronic fatigue condition. The more ratios of semen raphani is in the combination of the two drugs, the less the power of treating chronic fatigue is. Compared with ginseng alone, the combination of ginseng with semen raphani have no influence on the qi invigorating ability under actue fatigue experiment. But the combination of ginseng with semen raphani will benefit for the "fireness" side-effect of ginseng.

The correlations of adverse effect and tonifying effect of ginseng medicines.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ginseng has been used for thousands of years, it is described as both a tonic for restoration of strength and a panacea. However, the adverse effect is also reported clinically. In the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the occurrence of adverse reactions is closely related to warm property of ginseng, which can easily lead to fireness (, in Chinese). Several presumptions indicated that fireness of ginseng may be associated with the pathophysiology of inflammation, imbalance of metabolism, the disorder of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, and hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis. AIM OF THE STUDY: The tonifying effect of ginseng medicines was always focused on with little attention for their adverse effects. We selected red ginseng (RG), ginseng (GS), American ginseng (AG), and ginseng leaves (GL) as typical ginseng medicines to clarify correlations of adverse effect and tonifying effect of ginseng medicines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The RG, GS, AG, and GL decoctions were orally administered to rats for 30 days consecutively. The appearance indicators such as saliva secretion, urinary output, fecal moisture, heart rate were determined, and hair condition, nose color were also observed. Furthermore, some biochemical indexes such as IL-6, T3, T4, TSH, ACTH, CORT, Ach, DA, EPI, NE, SP, VIP, cAMP, cGMP, AQP-5, AMPK, and the activity of SOD, GSH-PX, Na+-K+-ATPase were measured by biochemical reagent kits or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The metabolites profile was analyzed by UPLC-QTOF-MS. Finally, the diversity of gut microbiota was also analyzed with the 16S rDNA sequencing. RESULTS: The study revealed the tonifying effects of ginseng medicines mainly on exciting nervous system, promoting immunity and antioxidative ability. While, the adverse effects were mainly associated with the abnormal nervous system, thyroid system, adrenal system, and oxidative stress. The GS group showed fireness symptoms, such as vertical and dirty hair, epistaxis, higher rectal temperature, lower salivary secretion, lower urinary output, lower fecal moisture. While the GL group showed the opposite symptoms. The levels of hormones, activities of the antioxidative enzyme, and Na+-K+-ATP enzyme were changed differently. From the second week to the fourth week, the levels of T3, T4, TSH, ACTH, CORT, and the activity of SOD, GSH-PX, Na+-K+-ATP enzymes were first increased, then decreased, and finally recovered to normal levels. We also found that the ginseng medicines mainly adjust the amino acid and TCA cycle metabolism exhibiting their tonifying and adverse effects. Meanwhile, GS and AG can modulate gut microbiota imbalance by increasing the gut microbial diversity as well as selectively promoting some probiotic populations, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first time to report the correlations between tonifying effects and adverse effects of four ginseng medicines. The present study demonstrated that the adverse effects of ginseng medicines mostly depended on their dosages, the higher dosage is, the more serious the adverse effects are. The adverse effects of ginseng and ginseng leaves are much more serious than red ginseng and American ginseng. The tendency of water regulation of ginseng and ginseng leaves was opposite may be related to their nature property.

Traditional ancient Egyptian medicine: A review.

The ancient Egyptians practiced medicine with highly professional methods. They had advanced knowledge of anatomy and surgery. Also, they treated a lot of diseases including dental, gynecological, gastrointestinal, and urinary disorders. They could diagnose diabetes and cancer. The used therapeutics extended from different plants to include several animal products and minerals. Some of these plants are still used in the present day. Fortunately, they documented their life details by carving on stone, clay, or papyri. Although a lot of these records have been lost or destroyed, the surviving documents represent a huge source of knowledge in different scientific aspects including medicine. This review article is an attempt to understand some information about traditional medicine in ancient Egypt, we will look closely at some basics, sources of information of Egyptian medicine in addition to common treated diseases and therapeutics in this great civilization.

The Ameliorative Effects of Arctiin and Arctigenin on the Oxidative Injury of Lung Induced by Silica via TLR-4/NLRP3/TGF-ß Signaling Pathway.

Silicosis remains one of the most serious diseases worldwide, with no effective drug for its treatment. Our research results have indicated that arctiin and arctigenin could increase the mitochondrial membrane potential, which in turn reduces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), blocks the polarization of macrophages, and inhibits the differentiation of myofibroblasts to reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis. Further, our study revealed that arctiin and arctigenin suppressed the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome through the TLR-4/Myd88/NF-κB pathway and the silica-induced secretion of TNF-α, IL-1ß, TGF-ß, and α-SMA. Besides, the silica-induced increase in the levels of serum ceruloplasmin and HYP was also inhibited. Results of metabolomics indicated that arctiin and arctigenin could regulate the abnormal metabolic pathways associated with the development of silicosis, which involve pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, cysteine and methionine metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and arginine and proline metabolism successively. Furthermore, the analysis of metabolomics, together with network topological analysis in different phases of silicosis, revealed that urine myristic acid, serum 4-hydroxyproline, and L-arginine could be regarded as diagnosis biomarkers in the early phase and formation of pulmonary fibrosis in the latter phases of silicosis. Arctiin and arctigenin could downregulate the increased levels of myristic acid in the early phase and serum 4-hydroxyproline in the latter phase of silicosis. Interestingly, the integration of TLR-4/NLRP3/TGF-ß signaling and metabolomics verified the importance of macrophage polarization in the silicosis fibrosis process. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting that arctiin and arctigenin both can ameliorate silicosis effectively, and the former is a little stronger than its aglycone arctigenin because of its high oral bioavailability, low toxicity, and multimolecular active metabolites as determined by AdmetSAR and molecular docking analysis.

Effects of hydroxysafflor yellow A on rats with collagen-induced arthritis.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) from safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) possesses several medicinal properties. However, it is unknown whether HSYA is effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Hence, we investigated the effects of HSYA on the inflammation and synovial damage in rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) by subjecting them to treatment with different doses of HSYA. Our results revealed that HSYA could significantly reduce paw swelling, pathological manifestations, and serum cytokine levels in rats with CIA. The HSYA-treated groups showed increased antioxidant enzyme activity in the serum and decreased expression of inflammatory mediators in the synovial tissues. Furthermore, HSYA treatment inhibited extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling pathway activation. Notably, the highest dose of HSYA (20 mg/kg) exhibited the best effects against RA symptoms. Therefore, our findings suggest that HSYA alleviates the inflammatory response and synovial damage in rats with CIA by inhibiting the ERK signalling pathway.

Application of Proteomics and Metabonomics to Reveal the Molecular Basis of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizome for Ameliorating Hypothyroidism Instead of Hyperthyroidism.

As the treatments of diseases with Chinese herbs are holistic and characterized by multiple components, pathways, and targets, elucidating the efficacy of Chinese herbs in treating diseases, and their molecular basis, requires a comprehensive, network-based approach. In this study, we used a network pharmacology strategy, as well as in vivo proteomics and metabonomics, to reveal the molecular basis by which Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizome (AMR) ameliorates hypothyroidism. Eighteen main compounds from AMR and its fractions (volatile oil fraction, crude polysaccharides fraction, lactones fraction, oligosaccharide fraction, and atractyloside fraction) were identified by HPLC, and their targets were screened using the TCMSP database and Swiss Target Prediction. Disease targets were gathered from the TTD, CTD and TCMSP databases. Hub targets were screened by different plug-ins, such as Bisogene, Merge, and CytoNCA, in Cytoscape 3.7.1 software and analyzed for pathways by the DAVID database. Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism pharmacological models were established through systems pharmacology based on proteomic and metabolomic techniques. Finally, AMR and its fractions were able to ameliorate the hypothyroidism model to different degrees, whereas no significant improvements were noted in the hyperthyroidism model. The lactones fraction and the crude polysaccharides fraction were considered the most important components of AMR for ameliorating hypothyroidism. These amelioration effects were achieved through promoting substance and energy metabolism. In sum, the integrative approach used in this study demonstrates how network pharmacology, proteomics, and metabolomics can be used effectively to elucidate the efficacy, molecular basis, and mechanism of action of medicines used in TCM.

The characteristics of ginsenosides and oligosaccharides in mountain- and garden-cultivated ginseng.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to explore the chemical characteristics of mountainous forest cultivated ginseng (MFCG) and garden ginseng (GG) with respect to their ginsenosides and oligosaccharides. METHODS: A high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection-evaporative light-scattering detection technique was adopted to investigate the ginseosides and oligosaccharides of GG and MFCG. RESULTS: The features of ginsenosides showed Rg1/Re in different parts of GG and MFCG: main root > lateral root > fibrous root, as well as Rg1/Re in the main root: MFCG > GG, indicating that the Rg1/Re is related to age of the ginseng. In most cases, Rg1/Re < 1 in entire GG and Rg1/Re > 1 in entire MFCG. In addition, the ratio of protopanaxadiol/protopanaxatriol in main root of GG is approximately 1 and, in the main roots of MFCG, the ratio is approximately 2 and, furthermore, Ro/Rb1 of MFCG is lower than that of GG. Analysis of oligosaccharides showed that GG mainly contained sucrose and MFCG mainly contained sucrose and maltose, and the ratio of sucrose to maltose was at least more than 4:1 in GG and less than 4:1 in MFCG in most cases, indicating the characteristics of oligosaccharides of MFCG are primarily affected by its growing environment. The results also showed that ginsenoside Re is most probably the biosynthetic precursor of ginsenoside Rg1 (i.e. Re was synthesized first and then transformed to Rg1 in vivo). CONCLUSION: The characteristics of Rg1/Re and higher maltose can be regarded as one of the characteristics of high quality MFCG, and these characteristics are related to a higher age and the cultivation environment of ginseng. The formation mechanism of these characteristics for GG and MFGG is also discussed. As far as we know, the present study is the first to determine the difference of Rg1/Re and oligosaccharides between MFCG and GG and this provides a reference for the quality control criterion of GG and MFCG. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Poria ameliorates the side effects of rhubarb in pair treatment.

To investigate the effect of Poria and effective constituents on gastrointestinal injury animals in the area of the side effects which caused by Rhubarb. Mice were administered i.g. with Rhubarb until the induction of diarrhea followed by gastrointestinal injury. The gastrointestinal injured mice were treated with high, medium and low doses of poria water extract and it's subfractions for 5 days. All indexes were determined to evaluate the action of poria in the pair treatment. The results showed that the higher dose of poria water decoction was discovered to be the most effective dose to treat gastrointestinal injury induced by rhubarb. Body weight, thymus and spleen indexes, the small intestinal propulsion rate and D-xylose absorption in mice with diarrhea and intestinal injury were analyzed to reveal the significant difference with the model group (P<0.01). EAF (Ethyl Acetate Fraction), PEF (Petroleum Ether Fraction) and CPF (Crude Polysaccharide Fraction) not only increase the levels of AMS, GAS and VIP significantly but also ameliorate diarrhea and intestinal injury situation compared with the model group (P<0.01). EAF, PEF and CPF were the most effective components to alleviate diarrhea and gastrointestinal injury induced by rhubarb.

The substance basis of Poria ameliorates hypothyroidism other than hyperthyroidism based on proteomics and metabolomics.

Integrated metabolomics and proteomics analysis was carried out to study the effects of Poria and its split components (volatile oil, triterpenoid, oligosaccharide, amino acid, and crude polysaccharide) on rats of normal physiological model, hyperthyroidism model, and hypothyroidism model to explore the substance basis of Poria for hypothyroidism from the perspective of a holistic view in substance and energy metalism. The key pathways regulating substance and energy metabolism were screened, encompassing tricarboxylic acid cycle pathway, glycolysis/ gluconeogenesis pathways, biosynthesis of amino acid pathway, fatty acid biosynthesis pathway, pentose phosphate pathway, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors pathway, etc Poria and its split components showed promoting effects on substance and energy metabolism in normal model, while showed amelioration effects on hypothyroidism model at different degrees, and had no significant improvement effects on hyperthyroidism in rats. Volatile oil, triterpenoid, and crude polysaccharide from Poria were regarded as substance basis of Poria ameliorating hypothyroidism other than hyperthyroidism. This work also revealed the feasibility of metabolomics and proteomics analysis to elucidate the effective substance basis of traditional Chinese medicine from a new viewpoint based on its effects on substance and energy metabolism.

Traditional uses, Phyto-chemistry and pharmacological activities of Tagetes Patula L.

ETHNO-PHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Tagetes patula L. an important medicinal plant of Asteraceae family is worldwide distributed and reported for its folkloric use in various disorders like skin, eye problems, injury and stomach issues by different communities of China, Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. AIM OF THIS REVIEW: The present review has focused the ethnomedicinal and traditional uses of T. patula with special reference to Asian countries. Chemical constituents and pharmacological aspects of T. patula was explored. After reading the review the researchers may able to find new insights to further investigate this plant. REVISION OF LITERATURE: Google scholar, PubMed, and Science direct, were the major search engines used to get relevant information based on articles and books. RESULTS: and Discussion: The ethno-botanical aspects were recorded, the pharmacological aspects like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-parasitic and anti-diabetic potentials evaluated both in vivo and in vitro is described. The toxicity or allergic manifestation with the use of the plant is also a section in the article. It is a rich source for thiophene derivatives, flavonoids, carotenoids, terpenes and terpenoids. Various gaps were pointed out for researchers that need to be investigated. CONCLUSION: Various traditional uses have been reported in Asian countries that need to be scientifically investigated in depth and several pharmacological activities have been reported for the T. patula but more detailed and mechanism-based studies linked to a particular lead compound need to be targeted in future.

Substance basis of warm nature of Poria cocos.

Objective: The research indicated that the nature of Chinese medicine is mainly related to body's substance and energy metabolism. The purpose of the study is to elucidate the substance basis for warm nature of Poria cocos (called Fuling (FL) in Chinese). Methods: In terms of the effects of its separated fractions on the substance and energy metabolism in rat models of cold-deficiency with Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (called Fuzi (FZ) in Chinese), with hot nature, as reference drug. Biochemical indexes in the material metabolism, energy metabolism, endocrine system, nervous system and nucleotide system were determined, then analyzed by additive, cluster and principal component analysis (PCA). Results: The medicinal natures of oligosaccharides and amino acids fractions were attributable to plain and crude polysaccharides, volatile oils and triterpenoids fractions were attributable to mild warm. Conclusion: The nature of FL was regarded as mild warm based on the old records of Chinese medicine and fractions of crude polysaccharides, volatile oils and triterpenoids might be the main substance basis for the warm nature of FL. It is the first time that substance basis of FL was elucidated from view point of medicinal nature.