Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plants on Antiinsulin Resistance Bioactivity of DXMS-Induced Insulin Resistant HepG2 Cells

Medicinal plants have a long history of use in China to treat diabetic symptoms.Ancient Chinese medical manuscripts and ethnobotanical surveys document plant remedies that continue to be actively used in China for the treatment of diabetic symptoms.Based on a systematic ancient Chinese medical manuscripts review in combination with ethnobotanical survey,16 medicinal plants for the traditional treatment of diabetic symptoms were identified for the evaluation of anti-insulin resistance bioactivity.The biological activity of 16 medicinal plants was tested on dexamethasone(DXMS)-induced insulin resistant HepG2 cells.The result shows that 11 of the 16 medicinal plants enhanced glucose uptake of DXMS-induced insulin resistant HepG2 cells,thereby demonstrating their ability to increase insulin sensitivity,other five medicinal plants including Astragalus membranaceus were found ineffective.The study shows that ancient Chinese medical manuscripts and ethnobotanical surveys on plants for the prevention and treatment of diabetic symptoms provide a promising knowledge base for drug discovery to mitigate the global diabetes epidemic.

The History of Saffron in China:From Its Origin to Applications

Saffron(Stigma Croci)is an autumn-flowering perennial plant,and its use has a history of over 3500 years.Saffron has often been considered as the costliest medicinal plant,a premium spice,and the best dye with a golden yellowish color.Iran currently produces the finest quality saffron and dominates its global production(>90%).Other countries such as Australia,Canada,the USA,China,and some countries in Central Africa,produce saffron at a lower yield.In China,saffron is celebrated as“red gold”owing to the red stigmas of the flower and its price,which is comparable to the price of gold.Saffron has been one of the most attractive traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)herbs in the Zhong Guo Yao Dian(《中国药典》Chinese Pharmacopoeia)since its inclusion in the 2005 edition.The earliest use of saffron in TCM was recorded in the Ben Cao Shi Yi(《本草拾遗》Supplement to Materia Medica)written during the Tang dynasty(741 A.D.).However,saffron grown in inland China has been widely mistaken as originating from Tibet.This is because its Chinese name begins with“Xi”or“Zang,”which sounds similar to its Tibetan name(“Xi Zang”).In this review,we clarify the origin of saffron and its introduction to China and summarize its various applications.

Dearomatized Isoprenylated Acylphloroglucinol Derivatives with Potential Antitumor Activities from Hypericum henryi

A series of dearomatized isoprenylated acylphloroglucinols derivatives,hyperhenols A-E(1-5),as well as seven known analogues(6-12),were characterized from Hypericum henryi.Their structures were determined by combination of NMR,ECD spectroscopy,and X-ray difraction analysis.Compounds 1 and 6-8 were tested to exhibit potential antitumor properties,of which 6 and 7 inhibited cell growth through inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.In addition,these compounds could induce autophagy and PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy in cancer cell lines,as well as suppress lung cancer A549 cells metastasis in vitro.

Clinical Research on Cinnamomi Cortex: A Scoping Review

There are over 250 species of cinnamon. Each has its distinct morphology and phytochemical composition, which may result in varied therapeutic effects. However, clinical studies have rarely put emphasis on the species of cinnamon being investigated. This scoping review summarized the clinical evidence of Cinnamomum cassia (also known as Cinnamomum aromaticum), which is the species of cinnamon used in traditional Chinese medicine. Electronic searches were conducted on PubMed from its inception till August 2021. Clinical studies that were published in English, stating monotherapy with Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum aromaticum, or “Rou Gui” were included. The 15 included clinical studies investigated the effects of Cinnamomum cassia on type-2 diabetes patients (n=7), and healthy adults (n=8). In the type 2 diabetes population, Cinnamomum cassia supplementation of as low as 1 g/d seemed to improve HbA1c in only poorly controlled diabetes. In the healthy population, Cinnamomum cassia supplementation appeared to influence blood glucose response in a dose-dependent manner, with current studies indicating a minimum of 5 g/d to achieve significant improvement. Studies also showed potential improvement in insulin sensitivity with prolonged Cinnamomum cassia supplementation. However, there were apparent heterogeneity among studies and uncertainties regarding the accuracy of reported cinnamon species. Therefore, the therapeutic effects of Cinnamomum cassia remain inconclusive. Future larger scale and more rigorous clinical studies, with clear identification of Cinnamomum species used, are needed for more conclusive evidence of the clinical effects of Cinnamomum cassia.

Overview of Research Trends in Precious Chinese Medicines

Introduction Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has continued through centuries to this day since the ancient times and has contributed greatly to the well-being maintenance and disease treatment in China.[1-3]Before the ushering in of Western medicine into China in the 19th century,TCM had been the major healthcare and medical modality in Chinese communities.[4]This ancient art of healing has not diminished over time;conversely,it is now widely accepted by patients both in China and around the world owing to the shift of the disease spectrum and the rise of the“return to nature”paradigm.Moreover,TCM is attracting increasing attention from research circle worldwide.[5]At present,TCM is used in approximately 45%of the world’s countries,and a large amount of Chinese medicine raw materials is exported from China,and some of these Chinese medicines are collected directly from the wild.[6,7]Owing to the popularity of Chinese medicine around the world,the natural resources required for Chinese medicine production can hardly meet the rapidly increasing demand.Wild herbal resources are decreasing by approximately 30%every year.[5,8,9].

Proteome profiling of spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia in rats with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis

AIM: To investigate proteomic changes in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of rats with trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. METHODS: The colonic myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and tumor necrosis factor-(TNF- ) level were determined. A two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE)-based proteomic technique was used to profile the global protein expression changes in the DRG and spinal cord of the rats with acute colitis induced by intracolonic injection of TNBS. RESULTS: TNBS group showed significantly elevated colonic MPO activity and increased TNF-level. The proteins derived from lumbosacral enlargement of the spinal cord and DRG were resolved by 2-DE; and 26 and 19 proteins that displayed significantly different expression levels in the DRG and spinal cord were identified respectively. Altered proteins were found to be involved in a number of biological functions, such as inflammation/immunity, cell signaling, redox regulation, sulfate transport and cellular metabolism. The over-expression of the protein similar to potassium channel tetramerisation domain containing protein 12 (Kctd 12) and low expression of proteasome subunit type-1 (psma) were validated by Western blotting analysis. CONCLUSION: TNBS-induced colitis has a profound impact on protein profiling in the nervous system. This result helps understand the neurological pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease.

Synthesis and Cytotoxicities of Royleanone Derivatives

Carnosic acid was used as starting material to synthesize royleanone derivatives featured C11–C14 para quinone.The importance of C-20 group of royleanone derivatives was verified by the cytotoxicity assay of royleanonic acid,miltionone I and deoxyneocrptotanshinone.Following our synthetic route,15 amide derivatives were synthesized and 8 compounds exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against three human cancer lines in vitro.

Dendrobium nobile Lindl:A Review on Its Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Effects

Dendrobium nobile Lindl (D. nobile), a well-known precious herb, has a long history of use as a medicine and health food in China. Phytochemically, D. nobile has been found to contain various bioactive compounds, such as alkaloids, bibenzyl, phenanthrene, phenylpropanoids, and polysaccharides. Its medicinal applications are closely correlated to its diverse pharmacological activities, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, nervous system protective, antifatigue, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic actions. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the main chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of D. nobile, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms for its bioactivities. It is expected that this review will provide a helpful scientific reference for the development and use of D. nobile.

Interactions Between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Anticancer Drugs in Chemotherapy

Herbal medicines, including traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs), have been used in Eastern countries for treating diseases such as cancer for thousands of years. With the growing knowledge of tumorigenesis and cancer therapy, some natural compounds have been developed as clinical anticancer drugs. In addition, many compounds and TCMs have been characterized as complementary and alternative treatments,with synergetic effects on enhancing the efficacy or reducing the side effects of the therapeutics. In this review, we summarized the recent studies focusing on the combination of natural compounds or TCM decoction with chemotherapeutics. The detailed mechanisms of action of the combinations and the application of analytical methods on TCM development are also discussed.

Current Global Status and Future Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Prevention and Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019

Recognizing the potential of globalizing traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),this review summarizes the current global use of TCM for COVID-19,status of the internationalization of TCM,and strategy on globalizing TCM for COVID-19.COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus disease that has sparked a pandemic in March 2020 affecting over 110 countries.Although researchers have been racing to develop targeted anti-COVID-19 treatment and vaccine,they are still currently unavailable.Thus,in treating patients infected with COVID-19,western medicine mainly recommended symptomatic treatment and monitoring.Existing drugs are used in the context of clinical trials,and the FDA still not yet approved these drugs for COVID-19.On the other hand,TCM proposed herbal treatment for suspected individuals to take within their observation period,as well as for confirmed COVID-19 patients to take during active phase of disease and during recovery.In China,Integrative Chinese-Western Medicine had been used in treating 91.5%of COVID-19 patients and showed its strength in reducing disease severity,shortening recovery time,and lowering the mortality rate.Despite obstacles in globalizing TCM for the treatment of COVID-19,promoting appropriate use of locally registered TCM products may prevent disease in susceptible individuals,improve the quality of life,and assist in the recovery of COVID-19 patients.With increasing global acceptance,TCM may play a more important role in the battle against infectious disease in the future.

Cytotoxic 7-Methoxylated Caged Xanthones from the Twigs of Garcinia oligantha

Main observation and conclusion Nineteen unprecedented 7-methoxylated caged xanthones(1—19)were isolated from the twigs of Garcinia oligantha under the guidance of NMR spectroscopy.Their structures and absolute configurations were demonstrated by extensive spectroscopic data,single-crystal X-ray diffraction,electronic circular dichroism(ECD)calculations,and the modified Mosher's method.Compound 1 is a rare scalemic 7-methoxylated neo-caged xanthone,which was resolved using HPLC with CD detection on a chiral-phase AD column,and compounds 2—3 are rare 7-methoxylated caged xanthones with the hydrogenatedΔ^(8(8a))double bond.Fourteen compounds exhibited promising inhibitory activities against four human cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 1.9 to 14.3μmol/L.A cell apoptosis analysis using flow cytometry showed that compound 11 could induce apoptosis in a dose dependent manner.Moreover,PARP,caspase-9,and Bcl-2 western blotting suggested that compound 11-induced apoptosis may be involved in caspase-dependent pathway.