The impact of^(60)Co-γirradiation on the chemical constituents of Chuanxiong Rhizoma

Background:In order to clarify the inmpat ofγirradiation on the chemical composition of traditional Chinese medicine,this paper carefully choosed Chuanxiong Rhizoma to carry on a demonstration study.Methods:Through a meticulous assessment,a comprehensive comparison was made between the irradiated and unirradiated Chuanxiong Rhizoma samples.The property characteristics were investigated by colorimeter and electronic nose.The changes in chemical structures and contents was analyzed by fourier infrared spectroscopy,high performance liquid chromatography and fingerprinting.In a quest to uncover the presence of any new radiolysis products,cutting-edge techniques like ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were employed.Moreover,the difference of antioxidant activity were investigated.Results:The irradiation doses within 12 kGy had no significant effects on the content of the main chemical components,characteristics and in vitro antioxidant activity of Chuanxiong Rhizoma,while changes in some functional groups and degradation of some volatile oil components containing olefins need further study.Conclusion:This study indicates that^(60)Co-γirradiation is a stable method for sterilization of Chuanxiong Rhizoma.It’s also provide a reference for the establishment of irradiation standards for Chuanxiong Rhizoma and other aromatic medicinal plants.

Optimization of Extraction Process of Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma by Orthogonal Experiment

[Objectives]To optimize the water extraction process of Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma.[Methods]The entropy weight method was used to determine the weight of epicatechin extraction rate and dry extract rate and calculate the comprehensive score.The water extraction process of Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma was optimized by orthogonal design with the comprehensive score as the indicator and the amount of water,extraction time and extraction times as the factors.[Results]The optimum extraction process of Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma was as follows:adding 10 times of water,extracting 3 times,and extracting for 60 min each time.[Conclusions]The optimized extraction process is stable and feasible,and can be used for the extraction of Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma.

Fingerprint Study of Polygonati Rhizoma with Steaming and Exposing to the Sun Alternatively for Different Times

[Objectives]To explore the influence of different times of steaming and exposing to the sun on the fingerprint of Polygonati Rhizoma by studying the HPLC fingerprint of Polygonati Rhizoma processed products with different times of steaming and exposing to the sun,and to provide a basis for the determination of the best processing technology of Polygonati Rhizoma.[Methods]SETSAIL II AQ-C 18(5μm×250 mm×4.6 mm)was used as the column,the column temperature was 30℃,pure water(A)and acetonitrile(B)were eluted gradually,0-10 min,B(5%-10%),10-30 min,B(10%-35%),30-40 min,B(35%-60%),40-45 min,B(60%-100%),flow rate 1 mL/min,absorption wavelength 200 nm.[Results]The relative retained peak area RSDs of the common peaks in the precision,reproducibility and stability tests were all less than 5%.There were 17 common peaks in the fingerprint of nine batches of samples,and the retention time of Peak 2 was basically the same as that of the reference peak of 5-HMF.Peak 4 mainly existed in the chromatogram of Sample 3 to Sample 5,peaks 5 and 11 mainly existed after Sample 3,peaks 9,14 and 16 mainly existed after Sample 6,and peaks 12 and 17 mainly existed after Sample 4.[Conclusions]A total of 17 common peaks were obtained,and the Peak 2 was the designated peak,and the chemical components of each processed product were different.

Mechanism of Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma in treating atherosclerosis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Background:The incidence and prevalence of atherosclerosis(AS)is increasing every year and has becoming a major health issue of global concern.Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma(PCR)is a Chinese herb that is widely used clinically for the treating of AS.However,its pertinent targets and probable mechanisms,still need to be completely explored.Methods:Active compounds and targets for PCR and AS targets were screened using public databases.A“drug-component-disease target”network map was created and analyzed after using the Venn online tool to identify common targets and Cytoscape software to screen drug-disease core targets.Critical targets pathway enrichment analyses are conducted using the Metascape database.Using AutoDock Vina and Pymol software,docking validation and visualization of active components and core targets were carried out.Results:PCR was obtained for ten compounds with 105 AS-related targets.Rhein,quercetin,beta-sitosterol,and luteolin may be drug candidates,and the genes for AKT1,TNF,IL-6,EGFR,TP53,IL-1,RELA,and VEGFA are potential therapeutic targets,according to network analysis.PCR might modulate the AGE/RAGE,PI3K/Akt,IL-17 and NF-ᴋB signaling pathways against the development of AS.Molecular docking indicated that quercetin has high affinity for AKT1 and TNF gene targets.Conclusion:This study provides rare information and scientific basis for further exploration of PC in the treatment of AS.

Exploring the mechanism of active ingredients of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma in treating migraine headache through network pharmacology and animal experiments

Background:To explore the potential mechanism of action of the active ingredients of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma(SGR)in the treatment of migraine using network pharmacology and in vivo experiments.Methods:Through the search of Traditional Chinese Medicines Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform,Genecards,Drugbank and other databases,we obtained active ingredients,targets of SGR and related disease targets of migraine,and took the intersection for protein-protein interactions analysis.After constructing the network diagram,network topology analysis was performed to derive the core targets and key active ingredients,and Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were performed.Finally,molecular docking was performed and validated by in vivo experiments.In vivo experiments,18 male BALB/c mice were selected,and the SGR group was fed with SGR drinking tablet concentrate,and nitroglycerin injection was used to construct a mouse model of migraine.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test was used to detect the levels of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,and AKT1 in plasma.Results:The results showed that the core targets of SGR for the treatment of migraine were TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,and AKT1.These core targets and key active ingredients had better binding ability.Compared with the blank group,the number of head scratching in the model group increased.Compared with the model group,there was a significant reduction of the number of head scratching in the SGR group.In comparison with the blank group,the protein level in the plasma in the model group was markedly higher.Compared with the model group,the protein level in the SGR group was significantly lower.Conclusion:SGR has the characteristics of improving migraine based on multi-targets,multi-components and multi-pathways,and the mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of the release of inflammatory factors,neuron protection,and interference with apoptosis and other processes.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Rhizoma of Polygonum cuspidatum

Aim To establish reliable methods for evaluating the quality of rhizoma of Polygonum cuspidatum( Huzhang in Chinese). Methods TLC and HPLC were employed for the chemical identification and content determination,respectively. Results A qualitative TLC method and a quantitative HPLC method with piceid as the reference substance were established, respectively. With piceid as the reference substance and ethyl acetate-methanol-formic acid-water ( 19:3:0.5:1) as the mobile phase, a TLC method for the identification of Huzhang from the commonly used crude drugs of the same family was also set up. Conclusion The established TLC method can reasonably appraise the quality of the drug and easily distinguish Huzhang from the other commonly used crude drugs of the same family. The HPLC method for determining piceid is simple, reproducible, accurate, and feasible.

Mechanism of "Pinelliae rhizoma-Arisaematis rhizoma" in treatment of lung cancer based on network pharmacology

Objective:The study was designed to explore the mechanism of“Pinelliae RhizomaArisaematis Rhizoma”(PR-AP)in treatment of lung cancer based on network pharmacology.Methods:The active components and their targets of“Pinelliae Rhizoma-Arisaematis Rhizoma”were screened out from TCMSP database.The cytoscape3.7.0 software was used to construct the drug-active component-targets network.Searched the DisGeNet database to obtain lung cancer related targets.Bisogenet was used to construct"PPI network of active component target"and"PPI network of lung cancer target",and the intersection of the two networks was taken and the target was screened.AutoDockTools software was used to dock the key active ingredients with the key targets.David database was used to perform Go biological process enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.Results:A total of 15 active components were collected,including beta-sitosterol,baicalein,Stigmasterol,Cavidine,coniferin,etc.These active components mainly act on 95 key targets such as ESR1 and CDK2,which enriched in multiple lung cancer related signaling pathways,such as PI3KAkt、MAPK、HIF-1、FoxO、TGF-β、Hippo、TNF、Notch、VEGF、cAMP,etc.The results of molecular docking showed that the active components could regulate the core targets(ESR1 and CDK2).Conclusion:The effect of“Pinelliae Rhizoma-Arisaematis Rhizoma”in the treatment of lung cancer embodies the characteristics of multi-component,multi-target and multi-pathway of traditional Chinese medicine.Its mechanism of action may be to play a role in the treatment of lung cancer by regulating cell cycle,angiogenesis,tumor stem cells,etc.This research can provide ideas and references for further research.

Network pharmacology research of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma in the treatment of vascular dementia

Objective:Using network pharmacology to explore the target and mechanism of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma in the treatment of vascular dementia(VaD),so as to provide a reference for treating VaD through them.Methods:Traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform were used to screen the main active ingredients and targets of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma.By means of Gene Cards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM),targets of VaD were collected.The intersecting targets were obtained by using the Venn map.The String online database was used to build a protein-protein interactions Network and the Metascape database was used to perform GO function enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.A“drug-ingredient-target-pathway”network was constructed by Cytoscape software.Autodock vina software was used to conduct molecular docking between targets.Results:A total of 7 active ingredients in Chuanxiong Rhizoma and 4 active ingredients in Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma were screened.There were 42 active targets of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and 70 active targets of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma and 1152 disease targets.After deleting the repeat value,51 drugs targets were obtained.After the intersection,with a total of 25 targets.According to GO and KEGG enrichment analysis,the main biological processes involved include cellular response to lipid,negative regulation of apoptotic signaling pathway,blood circulation,response to a steroid hormone,etc.The main pathways include pathways in cancer,PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,and AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications,etc.Molecular docking showed that the most active docking combinations were AKT1 and Perlolyrine,RELA and FA,MAPK14 and FA,respectively.Conclusion:Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma play an important role in the treatment of VaD mainly by anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptosis.

Studies on the Basic Principles for the Processing of Rhizoma Cibotii Part Ⅰ Influence of Rhizoma Cibotii and Its Processed Samples on Thrombin Induced Rabbit Platelet Aggregation

比较研究了狗脊及其不同炮制品对凝血酶诱导的兔血小板聚集作用的影响 ,各炮制品均有抑制血小板聚集作用 ,抗血小板聚集作用砂烫品 >盐制品 >酒蒸品 >单蒸品 >

Effects of Rhizoma Acori Tatarinowii extracts on gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor alpha 1 subunit brain expression during development in a recurrent seizure rat model

Extracts from Rhizoma Acori Tatarinowii （Grassleaf Sweetflag Rhizome, Shichangpu） have been shown to improve learning and memory, reduce anxiety, allay excitement, and suppress seizures. Rhizoma Acori Tatarinowii extracts interact with y-aminobutyric acid and activate the y-aminobutyric acid type A receptor, although few studies have addressed the precise effects of v-aminobutyric acid type A receptor al subunit. In the present study, y-aminobutyric acid type A receptor al subunit protein expression in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, and pathological scores of brain injury, were significantly greater following recurrent seizures, but significantly decreased following treatment with Rhizoma Acori Tatarinowii extracts. These results indicated that Rhizoma Acori Tatarinowii extracts down-regulated y-aminobutyric acid type A receptor al subunit protein expression in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus and protected seizure-induced brain injury during development.

Study on Rhizoma Chuanxiong based on capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection

A high-performance capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection(CE-AD) method has been developed for the analysis of seven bioactive ingredients,namely ferulic acid(FA),vanillin,vanillic acid,p-hydroxybenzoic acid,caffeic acid,gallic acid and protocatechuic acid,in Rhizoma Chuanxiong.The effects of several factors such as the acidity and concentration of running buffer,the separation voltage,the applied potential to working electrode and the injection time were investigated.Under the optimum condit...

Volatile components of Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum using three different extraction methods combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Volatile components from Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum were respectively extracted by three methods including hydrodistillation, headspace solid-phase microextraction （HS-SPME） and diethyl ether extraction. A total of 40 （hydrodistillation）, 32 （HS-SPME） and 37 （diethyl ether extraction） compounds were respectively identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC/MS） and 22 compounds were overlapped, including β-farnesene, 7-muurolene, 2,6-dimethyl-6- （4-methyl-3-pentenyl）bicyclo[3.1.1]hept-2-ene, eucalyptol and cadina-1（10）, 4-diene and so forth, varying in relative contents. HS-SPME is fast, sample saving and solvent-free and it also can achieve similar profiles as those from hydrodistillation and solvent extraction. Therefore, it can be the priority for extracting volatile components from medicinal plants.

Study of Total Alkaloids from Rhizoma Coptis Chinensis on Experimental Gastric Ulcers

Objective： To study the effects of total alkaloids （TA） extracted from Rhizoma Coptis Chinensis on experimental gastric ulcer models. Methods： Four kinds of experimental ulcer models were established respectively by water-immersion stress, intragastric ethanol, acetic acid erosion, and pylorus ligation. The anti-ulcer effects of TA were evaluated, and compared with that of berberine （Bet） and cimetidine （Oim）. Results： TA showed significant inhibitory effects on ulcerative formation induced by water-immersion stress, intragastric ethanol, and pylorus l igation in dose-dependent manner, and showed therapeutic effect on acetic acid erosion-inducing ulcer, in comparison with the control group. The anti-ulcer activity of Bet was less than TA containing equal content of Bet. TA significantly reduced the free acidity, total acidity and total acid output, but didn＇t affect the gastric juice volume, gastric pepsin activity, adherent mucus quantity of stomach wall and free mucus dissolving in gastric juice. The suppressive activities of TA on gastric acid secretion didn＇t occur when it was administered into dodecadactylon at a dose of 360 mg/kg wt. Moreover, when compared with Oim, the inhibitory effect of TA on gastric acid secretion isn＇t proportional to the inhibitory effects on the formation of the 4 kinds of experimental ulcers. Conclusion： TA is a potent candidate in therapeutic drugs for treating gastric ulcer. Its anti-ulcer effective components and mechanism is not only related to Bet and inhibition of gastric acid, but also to other ingredients of TA and mechanism so far unknown.

Effects of Gastrodiae rhizoma on proliferation and differentiation of human embryonic neural stem cells

Objective:To investigate the effects of Gastrodiae rhizoma,a dried root of Gastrodia elata Blume,on proliferation and differentiation of human NSCs derived from embryonic stem cells.Methods:A 70%ethanol extract of Gastrodiae rhizoma(EEGR) was estimated with4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol as a representative constituent by HPLC.Results:MTT assay showed that the treatment with EEGR increased the viability of NSCs in growth media.Compared to contro1,EEGR increased the number of dendrites and denritic spines extended from a differentiated NSC.Whereas EEGR decreased the mRNA expression of Nestin,it increased that of Tuj1 and MAP2 in NSCs grown in differentiation media.Immunocytochemical analysis using confocal microscopy also revealed the increased expression of MAP2 in dendrites of EEGR-treated NSCs.Furthermore,EEGR decreased mRNA expression of Sox2 in NSCs grown even in growth media.Conclusions:In conclusion,our study demonstrates for the first time that EEGR induced proliferation and neuronal differentiation of NSCs,suggesting its potential benefits on NSC-based therapies and neuroregeneration in various neurodegenerative diseases and brain Injuries.

Effects of Cinnamon Granules on Pharmacokinetics of Berberine in Rhizoma Coptidis Granules in Healthy Male Volunteers

The effects of Cinnamon granules on pharmacokinetics of berberine in Rhizoma Coptidis granules in healthy male volunteers,and the compatibility mechanism of Jiao-Tai-Wan（JTW） composed of Rhizoma Coptidis granules and Cinnamon granules were investigated.The concentration of berberine in plasma of healthy male volunteers was determined directly by high performance liquid chromatogra-phy（HPLC） after an oral administration of Rhizoma Coptidis granules alone or combined with Cinnamon granules（JTW）.The plasma concentration-time curves of berberine were plotted.The data were analyzed with Drug and Statistics（DAS） 2.0 pharmacokinetic program（Chinese Pharmacology Society） to obtain the main pharmacokinetic parameters.The results showed that the plasma concentration-time curve of berberine was described by a two-compartment model.The Cmax,Tmax,t1/2 and CLz/F of berberine in Rhizoma Coptidis granules were 360.883 μg/L,2.0 h,3.882 h,119.320 L.h-1.kg-1 respectively,and those of berberine in JTW were 396.124 μg/L,1.5 h,4.727 h,57.709 L.h-1.kg-1 respectively.It was suggested that Rhizoma Coptidis granules combined with Cinnamon granules could increase the plasma concentration of berberine,promote berberine absorption and lengthen the detention time of berberine in healthy male volunteers.

Active Ingredients and Mechanism of Action of Rhizoma Coptidis against Type 2 Diabetes Based on Network-Pharmacology and Bioinformatics

A pharmacological network of"component/target/pathway"for Rhizoma coptidis against type 2 diabetes(T2D)was established by network-pharmacology,and the active components of Rhizoma coptidis and its mechanism were explored.A literature-based and database study of the components of Rhizoma coptidis was carried out and screened by ADME paramcters.The targets of Rhizoma coptidis were predicted by the ligand similarity method.Related pathways were analyzed with databases,and software was used to construct a "component/target path" network.The mechanism was further confirmed by GEO database with R software.A total of 12 active components were screened from Rhizoma coptidis,involving 57 targets including MAPKI,STAT3,INSR,and 38 signaling pathways were associated with T2D.Related signaling pathways included essential pathways for T2D such as insulin resistance,and pathways that had indirect effect on T2D.It was suggested that Rhizoma coptidis may exert its effects against T2D through multi-component,multi-target,and multi-pathway forms.

The Inhibitory Effect of Extracts From Fructus lycii and Rhizoma polygonati on in vitro DNA Breakage by Alternariol

Alternariol caused DNA single-strand breakage. Conversion of the closed circular double-stranded supercoiled DNA (pBR 322) to the nicked circular form and linear form was used to investigate the effect of extracts of some Chinese medical herbs on DNA nicking induced by alternariol. Some substances in the extracts of Rhizoma polygonati (RP) and Fructus lycii (FL) were shown to protect DNA from the attack by alternariol.Some substance in the RP may bind to plasmid DNA, and this binding reduces the electrophoretic mobility of DNA. These results indicate that substances from FL and RP may be used as DNA protectors. It is possible that they play an important role in preventing cancer.

Untiring Researches for Alternative Resources of Rhizoma Paridis

Rhizoma Paridis(RP,M®),a traditional Chinese medicine,is the rhizoma of Paris polyphylla var.yunnanensis(PPY)or P.polyphylla var.chinensis which are widely used as important raw materials for several Chinese patent drugs.However,the wild resources of these herbs have become less and less due to their slow-growing characteristics and previously excessive excavation.This review covers untiring investigations on alternative resources of RP by our research group over the past decades,including non-medicinal parts of PPY as well as other plants of Liliaceae and Liliflorae families.The arial parts of PPY and the whole plants of Trillium kamtschaticum might be alternative resources for RP based on the fact that they shared the same or similar saponins and bioactivities.

Discrimination of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma from two habitats based on GC-MS fingerprinting and LASSO-PLS-DA

This study is intended to explore the chemical differences of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma （ATR） samples collected from two habitats, Sichuan and Anhui provinces, China. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） was applied to establishing the quantitative chemical fingerprints of ATRs. A total of 104 volatile compounds were identified and quantified with the information of mass spectra and retention index （RI）. Furthermore, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator （LASSO）, a sparse regularization method, combined with subsampling was employed to improve the classification ability of partial least squares-discriminant analysis （PLS-DA）. After variable selection by LASSO, three chemical markers,β-elemene, α-selinene and α-asarone, were identified for the discrimination of ATRs from two habitats, and the total classification correct rate was increased from 82.76% to 96.55%. The proposed LASSO-PLS-DA method can serve as an efficient strategy for screening marked chemical components and geo-herbalism research of traditional Chinese medicines.

Comprehensive metabolic profiling of Alismatis Rhizoma triterpenes in rats based on characteristic ions and a triterpene database

Alismatis Rhizoma(AR)is widely used in Chinese medicine,and its major bioactive components,triterpenes,reportedly possess various pharmacological activities.Therefore,it is very important to study the metabolism of triterpenes in vivo.However,the metabolism of AR triterpene extract has not been comprehensively elucidated due to its complex chemical components and metabolic pathways.In this study,an ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method,which was based on the characteristic ions from an established database of known triterpenes,was used to analyze the major metabolites in rats following the oral administration of Alismatis Rhizoma extracts(ARE).As a result,a total of 233 constituents,with 85 prototype compounds and 148 metabolites,were identified for the first time.Hydrogenation,oxidation,sulfate and glucuronidation conjugation were the major metabolic pathways for triterpenes in AR.In addition,the mutual in vivo transformation of known ARE triterpenes was discovered and confirmed for the first time.Those results provide comprehensive insights into the metabolism of AR in vivo,which will be useful for future studies on its pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.Moreover,this established strategy may be useful in metabolic studies of similar compounds.