Plant distribution and pharmacological activity of flavonoids

Flavonoids are natural organic compounds that are widely found in nature, their structural types are complex, and they mainly include flavonoids, flavonols, dihydroflavonols, isoflavones, dihydroisoflavones, chalcones, orange ketones, flavanoids, anthocyanidins, and biflavonoids. This review covers the plant distribution and pharmacological activities of flavonoids. Flavonoids are mainly distributed in angiosperms and gymnosperms, and they are abundant in plants such as Rutaceae, Labiatae, Zingiberaceae, Scrophulariaceae, and Leguminosae. Because of their wide distribution and variety, researchers have found that flavonoids have diverse biological activities, mainly focusing on anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antitumor activities. Mechanistically, the anti-inflammatory effects are mainly related to the NF-κB and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway and then the inhibition of the production of inflammatory cytokines and mediators. The antibacterial activity is mainly manifested as inhibitory effects on many strains, including Escherichia coli, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, via destroying the stability of the microbial membrane, inhibiting the invasion of virulent bacteria into host cells, promoting the apoptosis of bacteria, inhibiting bacterial fatty acid synthesis, etc. The antitumor activity of flavonoids is related to their inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis via the mitochondria-mediated, endoplasmic reticulum-mediated, and death factor and its receptor-mediated signal transduction pathways. Understanding the plant distribution and pharmacological activity of flavonoids not only reveals the importance of identifying such valuable flavonoids in another genus or family but also provides a basis for fully exploiting the therapeutic potential of flavonoids.

Research progress on anti-tumor properties of Marsdenia tenacissima

Tongguanteng （Marsdenia tenacissima）, which is mainly distributed in the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces of China, wasfirst recorded in Diannanbencao by Lan Mao of the Ming dynasty of China. According to recent pharmacological studies,the chemical composition of Tongguanteng （Marsdenia tenacissima） is complex and contains C21 steroidal saponins,polysaccharides, alkaloids, and other molecules, which show anti-cancer effects on various tumor cell lines. It inhibitstumor cell proliferation and growth mainly by increasing the expression of apoptosis- and cell cycle-related proteins topromote apoptosis and arrest tumor cells in the G2/M or S phase. Downregulation of the expression of vascularendothelial growth factor-2/A and matrix metalloprotease-2/9 suppresses the formation of the tumor microvasculature,leading to tumor malnutrition, increased expression of interleukin-2, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxidedismutase, and decreased interleukin-10 and malondialdehyde expression, thereby enhancing immunity andantioxidation in the body. Additionally, inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor, hepatocyte growth factor receptor,and tyrosine-protein kinase receptor activation enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of epidermal growth factorreceptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors as well as inhibits P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P450 to increase the concentrationof anti-tumor drugs in tumor cells.

Metabonomics/metabolomics analysis technology and its application in quality control of traditional Chinese medicines

Chinese medicines are an important part of traditional Chinese medicines,but their'safe,effective,stable and controllable'issue still remains to be solved.The rise of metabonomics in 20th century,consistent with the overall adjustment concept of multi-component,multi-level,multi-target,multi-metabolic pathways of traditional Chinese medicines,is conducive to solve basic problems in their quality control.This paper systematically describes recent application and development of 1H-NMR metabonomics techniques,LC-MS metabonomics techniques and GC-MS metabonomics techniques in the quality control of traditional Chinese medicines.It provides a new reference for Chinese medicines and the identification and quality assessment of their products.

Investigation on the ecological suitable regionalization of Melicope ptelefolia

Objective:The aim of paper is to find ecological suitable regionalization of Melicope ptelefolia planting and provide a reference for the rational planning of Good Agricultural Practices(GAP).Methods:The natural ecological niches of Melicope ptelefolia was taken as basic point.The adaptable areas of Melicope ptelefolia was analysed throughout the whole nation by using Geographic Information System for Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCMGIS).Results:Besides the original distribbution region of Guangxi,Guangdong,Hainan,Yunnan,Fujian,Jiangxi,Hunan,Guizhou,we further found that Zhejiang,Taiwan,Hong Kong,Chongqing,Sichuan are adaptable for the growth of Melicope ptelefolia.The most suitable region is Guangxi,and the followed is Guangdong.Conclusion:The ecological suitable area of Melicope ptelefolia mainly distributes in Lingnan Region,and TCMGIS is comparatively scientific and accurate to analyze suitable areas for the growth of Melicope ptelefolia.These findings have important reference value for the introduction,cultivation and scientific planning of Melicope ptelefolia.

A review on cocrystal of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine

In the development of new drugs products,especially the development of traditional Chinese medicine active ingredients,solubility and oral bioavailability are the main factors which are restricting the development of new drugs,whereas the physicochemical properties of active ingredients are the key element to affecting these factors.Pharmaceutical cocrystal provides an excellent opportunity to develop new drugs with excellent physical and chemical properties such as melting point,solubility,stability and bioavailability while retaining the pharmacological properties of individuals active pharmaceutical ingredients among pharmaceutical cocrystal compounds.Traditional Chinese herbal medicine has the characteristics of multiple pathways and multiple targets,mainly because it contains many active ingredients,like cocrystals thereof with many components.The active ingredients extracted from traditional Chinese herbal medicine have a wide range of pharmacological activities,but most of the active ingredients affect the development of traditional Chinese medicine active ingredients due to their physical and chemical properties such as solubility.Traditional Chinese medicine pharmaceutical cocrystals can not only improve the physical and chemical properties of drugs without changing the internal structure of drugs,so as to provide a new scheme for the development of traditional Chinese medicine active ingredients.This paper reviews the research progress of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine pharmaceutical cocrystal.The preparation methods of cocrystals are summarized and the advantages of cocrystals are illustrated with examples.

Effects of sotetsuflavone on expression of endostatin, TGF-β, STAT3, β-catenin and ZO-1 in non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells

Objective To investigate the effects of sotetsuflavone on endostatin, transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）, signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 （STAT3）, β-catenin and zonula occludens-1 protein （ZO-1） in non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells. Methods： STAT3, β-catenin, TGF-β and ZO-1 mRNA expression were detected by real-time PCR. Endostatin and TGF-β expression were detected by immunofluorescence assay. STAT3 and β-catenin protein expression were detected by western blot. Results： Compared with the control group, TGF-β, STAT3 and β-catenin expression were down-regulated, endostatin and ZO-1 expression were up-regulated by sotetsuflavone. Simultaneously, it showed a significant concentration-dependent. Conclusion： The mechanism of action of sotetsuflavone in the treatment of lung cancer may be via inhibiting the expression of TGF-β, STAT3, and β-catenin, increasing the expression of endostatin and ZO-1, thereby exerting an anti-tumor effect.