Ethnobotanical study of Zhuang medicinal herbs of Ardisia: variety systematization, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, clinical application, and toxicity.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to systematize the Zhuang medicinal herbs of Ardisia (ZMHA) in China, to clarify the traditional use in Zhuang medicine and the dynamics of international research on phytochemistry, pharmacology, clinical application, and toxicity. KEY FINDINGS: There are 25 species of ZMHA, approximately 938 compounds from the different part, including triterpenoids, phenolics, volatile oils, etc. Pharmacological activity studies have also shown that this genus has anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, etc., and significant effects on respiratory, digestive, urinary, and musculoskeletal system diseases without toxic side effects. SUMMARY: The Ardisia has a medicinal history of nearly a thousand years, mainly for treating diseases of the injuries, musculoskeletal, and symptomatic system in Zhuang medicine. Some plants, such as A. crenata, A. gigantifolia, and A. japonica, are also commonly used in folk Zhuang medicine formulas, to treat musculoskeletal, injury, respiratory, and urinate systems disease. These diseases are related to inflammation. These could provide a new direction for future new drug development research. Therefore, species identification and resource investigation should be strengthened, and conducted in vitro mechanism, in vivo pharmacology, clinical efficacy, and toxicology studies and establish a perfect quality standard system.

Plant nitrogen retention in alpine grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau under multi-level nitrogen addition.

Nitrogen (N) deposition might alleviate degradation of alpine grassland caused by N limitation on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). To determine such limitation and quantify the N-induced N retention in plant, a six-year fertilization experiment with six levels of N addition rates (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 g N m-2 yr-1) was conducted in the Namco alpine steppe and additional 89 experiments with multi-level N addition were also synthesized worldwide among which 27 sites were on the TP. In general, N addition promoted N retention in plants, and this increasing trend diminished at the critical N rate (Ncr). The maximum N retention capacity (MNRC) of plants at Ncr was strongly correlated with initial aboveground net primary productivity with a slope of 0.02, and the MNRC of grasslands globally ranged from 0.35 to 42.59 g N m-2 yr-1, approximately account for 39% of Ncr. Tibetan alpine grassland had a low average MNRC (2.24 g N m-2 yr-1) with distinct regional characteristic, which was much lower in the western TP (0.80 g N m-2 yr-1) than the eastern TP (4.10 g N m-2 yr-1). Our results inferred 0.33-1.21 Tg N yr-1 (0.22-0.79 g N m-2 yr-1) can be retained and 5.65-20.11 Tg C yr-1 (3.67-13.06 g C m-2 yr-1) can be gained by Tibetan alpine grasslands under current N deposition level. With the aggravation of N deposition, the alpine steppe ecosystem might continuously absorb N and C until N deposition reaches Ncr.

Ardisia gigantifolia stapf (Primulaceae): A review of ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, clinical application, and toxicity.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ardisia gigantifolia Stapf, known as Zou-ma-tai (in Chinese), is a traditional folk medicine, which was commonly used by Dong, Jing, Li, Maonan, Miao, Mulam, Yao, and Zhuang people. The main use of A. gigantifolia is the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis, fractures, osteoproliferation, traumatic injuries, gynecological, and neurological diseases. Current studies have shown that the plant has various bioactive components, especially gigantifolinol, which has anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-tuberculosis, and neuroprotective activities. However, to date, few reviews have been made to summarize A. gigantifolia's related studies. AIMS OF THE REVIEW: This review aimed to summarize the traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacology, clinical applications, and toxicity of A. gigantifolia, which expect to provide theoretical support for future utilization and highlight the further investigation of this vital plant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The information related to A. gigantifolia were collated by surveying the traditional medicine books, ethnomedicinal publications, and searching academic resource databases including Web of Science, SciFinder, Springer Link, Pub Med, Science Direct, CNKI, and CQVIP database. RESULTS: A. gigantifolia has been used as a traditional folk medicine for more than 400 years in China. Different parts of the plant, including the aerial part, root, rhizome, and leaf, are mainly used as herbal medicine to treat rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic injuries, gynecological, etc. Currently, 165 compounds have been identified from the plant, including triterpenes, phenolics, coumarins, quinones, volatile oil, and sterols, 137 of which were identified from the rhizome parts. Pharmacological research showed that A. gigantifolia has various bioactivities, such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-thrombus, anti-tuberculosis, cough expectorant, and neuroprotective activities. Clinical studies have shown that the plant has no toxic side effects. In vivo administration at the maximum dose was not lethal, indicating the plant's safety. CONCLUSION: To date, most bioactive compounds are identified from the rhizomes of A. gigantifolia, which pharmacological activity and clinical observational studies have validated the plant's traditional use as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. It would be helpful to verify the mechanism of some components in vivo, such as gigantifolinol. Moreover, the plant's triterpenoid saponins demonstrated valid anti-tumor effects, especially the AG4 and AG36 compounds, which were shown to have anti-breast cancer effects both in vitro and in vivo. Further research on these components, including molecular mechanisms and in vivo metabolic regulation, needs to be confirmed.

Bioactivities of thymol and p-cymene from the essential oil of Adenosma buchneroides against three stored-product insects.

The adverse effects of relying solely on synthetic pesticides have become increasingly evident, leading many countries to explore alternatives sourced from plant-based green economies. Essential oil (EO) from stems and leaves of Adenosma buchneroides Bonati (A. buchneroides) was distilled by using hydrodistillation and subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for component identification. Subsequently, EO as well as its main constituents (thymol and p-cymene) were tested for their insecticidal activity against the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), the cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne), and the booklouse (Liposcelis bostrychophila). The joint action of thymol and p-cymene produced an additive or synergistic effect. A. buchneroides essential oil (BHO) and the fixed ratio of the main compounds, thymol, and p-cymene both showed significant toxic activity against the target pests. This toxic effect is not simply the sum of individual effects, as it is influenced by various factors such as insect species and mode of action. These findings imply that the BHO and its phytoconstituents possess great potential to develop plant-derived biopesticides that will be safe for humans and the environment.

Co-Fermentation of Marsdenia tenacissima with Ganoderma lucidum and Anti-Lung Cancer Effect of the Fermentation Products.

Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight et Arn. (MT), as a traditional Chinese and Dai herbal medicine, has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antitumor properties. However, most of its main active substances are aglycones, such as tenacigenin A and tenacigenin B. As the bioavailability of MT is low and its medicinal active components are challenging to synthesize, it is primarily studied by biotransformation. This study aims to produce biotransformation products rich in pungent saponins by using MT as a fermentation medium for Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum). Through the preliminary screening of three medicinal fungi, it was found that G. lucidum and Ophiocordyceps sinensis (O. sinensis) can generally grow in the medium for MT; hence, the efficacy of the fermentation of the two types of fungi was screened using a mouse model of lung cancer. Finally, the co-fermentation of G. lucidum and MT was selected for further investigation. Non-target metabolomics analysis was performed on the products of MT with G. lucidum co-fermentation. We identified 12 specific saponins of MT from the fermentation products, and obtained a monomeric compound, tenacigenin A, from fermentation products. Most of the tenacigenin showed a significant upward trend, through tenacigenin A and tenacigenin B levels. The results showed that the efficacy of MT improved after fermentation by G. lucidum. Furthermore, the biotransformation of C21 steroidal glycosides in MT was the central reaction in this fermentation process. In summary, this study established a systematic and comprehensive co-fermentation system and pharmacodynamic evaluation method for MT, which not only enhanced the full utilization of effective active substances in MT but also provided a methodological reference for the development of other ethnic drugs.

Nontargeted metabolomics study and pharmacodynamic evaluation of bidirectional fermentation for Ganoderma lucidum with Marsdenia tenacissima.

Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the fastest incidence rate and mortality growth and the greatest threat to human health and life. Marsdenia tenacissima is an antitumor of Chinese medicine. However, Marsdenia tenacissima has low bioavailability in the human body and most of its main active substances are aglycones, such as Tenacigenin A, Tenacigenin B. This study aims to produce biotransformation products rich in pungent saponins by using Marsdenia tenacissima as a fermentation medium of Ganoderma lucidum. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis was carried out on the fermentation products after the optimization process. A total of 249 differential metabolites were detected, and the content of saponins increased from 0.1% to 0.41% and most of them were tenacigenin. Furthermore, the biotransformation of C21 steroidal glycosides in Marsdenia tenacissima was the central reaction in this fermentation process. Pharmacodynamics resewed that the anticancer effect of Marsdenia tenacissima was significantly enhanced after fermentation, mainly through inhibiting the growth and apoptosis of cancer cells.

Nitrogen deposition accelerates greenhouse gas emissions at an alpine steppe site on the Tibetan Plateau.

The increase in atmospheric N deposition can alter the exchange of greenhouse gas (GHG) between the biosphere and atmosphere. The effect of N deposition on GHG is poorly understood in alpine steppe. Therefore, we conducted a 4-year experiment with multilevel N addition of 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160 kg N ha-1 using the static chamber and gas chromatography method to quantify responses of GHG fluxes and characterize the relationship between GHG fluxes and N addition rate in Namco located in the alpine steppe in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). The mean CO2 efflux, CH4 uptake, N2O emission during growing seasons across four years were 33.59 ± 16.41 mg C m-2 h-1, -56.42 ± 29.20 µg C m-2 h-1, 0.67 ± 4.40 µg N m-2 h-1 respectively. CO2 efflux increased 1.55-22.6%, CH4 uptake decreased 5.96-20.1%, N2O emission increased 37.3-133.5% with N addition. We also observed a critical threshold of 40 kg N ha-1 a-1 of N addition above which the increase rate of N2O emission would diminish. Our current results implied that under the background of future N deposition, N induced C sequestration might be offset by GHG balance causing a heating effect to the climate.