Rhizosphere microbial markers (micro-markers): A new physical examination indicator for traditional Chinese medicines

Rhizosphere microorganisms,as one of the most important components of the soil microbiota and plant holobiont,play a key role in the medicinal plant-soil ecosystem,which are closely related to the growth,adaptability,nutrient absorption,stress tolerance and pathogen resistance of host plants.In recent years,with the wide application of molecular biology and omics technologies,the outcomes of rhizosphere microorganisms on the health,biomass production and secondary metabolite biosynthesis of medicinal plants have received extensive attention.However,whether or to what extent rhizosphere microorganisms can contribute to the construction of the quality evaluation system of Chinese medicinal materials is still elusive.Based on the significant role of rhizosphere microbes in the survival and quality formation of medicinal plants,this paper proposed a new concept of rhizosphere microbial markers(micro-markers),expounded the relevant research methods and ideas of applying the new concept,highlighted the importance of micro-markers in the quality evaluation and control system of traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs),and introduced the potential value in soil environmental assessment,plant pest control and quality assessment of TCMs.It provides reference for developing ecological planting of TCMs and ensuring the production of high quality TCMs by regulating rhizosphere microbial communities.

‘Food and medicine continuum’ in the East and West: Old tradition and current regulation

Food-medicine products are important materials for daily health management and are increasingly popular in the global healthy food market.However,because of the biocultural difference,food-medicine knowledge may differ among regions,which hinders the global sharing of such health strategies.Aim at bridging the food-medicine knowledge in the East and West,this study traced the historical roots of food and medicine continuum of the East and West,which was followed by a cross-cultural assessment on the importance of food-medicine products of China,thereafter,the current legislative terms for foodmedicine products were studied using an international survey.The results show that the food and medicine continuum in the East and West have their historical roots in the traditional medicines since antiquity,and the food-medicine knowledge in the East and West differs substantially;although the foodmedicine products have common properties,their legislative terms are diverse globally;with proofs of traditional uses and scientific evidence,food-medicine products are possible for cross-cultural communication.Finally,we recommend facilitating the cross-cultural communication of the food-medicine knowledge in the East and West,thus to make the best use of the traditional health wisdom in the globe.

Food-medicine can promote cross-culture communication between East and West

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC),the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has set an action plan for the Construction of a Healthy China Program,insisting on putting people’s health in the strategic position of prioritizing development.As an important part of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)culture in China,food-medicines,the stuff consumed both as food and medicine,are one of the material foundations to prevent and treat chronic diseases and manage health ahead of sick,and an important carrier for China to promote the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)and participate in global health governance.To enrich the knowledge system of food-medicine through cross-cultural exchanges between the East and the West,and to promote the research progress of food-medicine are of critical importance in the context of the current global pandemic of COVID-19,since it is a profound understanding of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech and a practice of giving priority to people’s health in the strategic position of development,which helps to provide strong support for the comprehensive promotion of the Healthy China strategy and human well-being(Huang et al.,2022).

Investigation of free amino acid, total phenolics,antioxidant activity and purine alkaloids to assess the health properties of non-Camellia tea

To find novel functional beverages from folk teas, 33 species of frequently used non-Camellia tea(plants other than Camellia) were collected and compared with Camellia tea(green tea, pu-erh tea and black tea) for the first time. Data are reported here on the quantities of 20 free amino acids(FAAs) and three purine alkaloids(measured by UHPLC), total polyphenols(measured by Folin-Ciocalteu assay), and antioxidant activity(DPPH). The total amounts of FAAs in non-Camellia tea(0.62–18.99 mg/g) are generally less than that of Camellia tea(16.55–24.99 mg/g). However, for certain FAAs, the quantities were much higher in some non-Camellia teas, such as γ-aminobutyric acid in teas from Ampelopsis grossedentata, Isodon serra and Hibiscus sabdariffa. Interestingly, theanine was detected in tea from Potentilla fruticosa(1.16±0.81 mg/g). Furthermore, the content of polyphenols in teas from A. grossedentata, Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala are significantly higher than those from Camellia tea;teas from I. serra, Pistacia chinensis and A. tataricum subsp. ginnala have remarkable antioxidant activities similar to the activities from green tea(44.23 μg/m L). Purine alkaloids(caffeine, theobromine and theophylline) were not detected in non-Camellia teas. The investigation suggest some non-Camellia teas may be great functional natural products with potential for prevention of chronic diseases and aging,by providing with abundant polyphenols, antioxidants and specific FAAs.

Complete chloroplast genome sequences of Schisandra chinensis:genome structure,comparative analysis,and phylogenetic relationship of basal angiosperms

Dear Editor,Schisandra chinensis(Turcz.)Baill.belongs to family Schisandraceae.Its fruit called"Wu Wei Zi"in Chinese is a well-known medicinal material,which is used to treat chronic cough and dyspnea,nocturnal emission,enuresis,etc.(National Pharmacopoeia Committee,2015).Except for S.chinensis,many species of Schisandraceae,such as S.sphenanthera,S.lancifolia and S.rubriflora,are used as the original plants of folk medicines.Although these species have similar traditional effects,modern

Anemone medicinal plants:ethnopharmacology,phytochemistry and biology

The Ranunculaceae genus Anemone(order Ranunculales),comprising more than 150 species,mostly herbs,has long been used in folk medicine and worldwide ethnomedicine.Various medicinal compounds have been found in Anemone plants,especially triterpenoid saponins,some of which have shown anti-cancer activities.Some Anemone compounds and extracts display immunomodulatory,antiinflammatory,antioxidant,and antimicrobial activities.More than 50 species have ethnopharmacological uses,which provide clues for modern drug discovery.Anemone compounds exert anticancer and other bioactivities via multiple pathways.However,a comprehensive review of the Anemone medicinal resources is lacking.We here summarize the ethnomedical knowledge and recent progress on the chemical and pharmacological diversity of Anemone medicinal plants,as well as the emerging molecular mechanisms and functions of these medicinal compounds.The phylogenetic relationships of Anemone species were reconstructed based on nuclear ITS and chloroplast markers.The molecular phylogeny is largely congruent with the morphology-based classification.Commonly used medicinal herbs are distributed in each subgenus and section,and chemical and biological studies of more unexplored taxa are warranted.Gene expression profiling and relevant "omics" platforms could reveal differential effects of phytometabolites.Genomics,transcriptomics,proteomics,and metabolomics should be highlighted in deciphering novel therapeutic mechanisms and utilities of Anemone phytometabolites.

Research progress in the phytochemistry and biology of Ilex pharmaceutical resources

Ilex is a botanical source for various health-promoting and pharmaceutically active compounds that have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and food for thousands of years.Increasing interest in Ilex pharmaceutical and food resources has led to additional discoveries of terpenoids,saponins,polyphenols(especially flavonoids),glycosides,and many other compounds in various Ilex species,and to investigation of their chemotaxonomy,molecular phylogeny and pharmacol-ogy.In continuation of our studies on Ilex pharmacology and phylogeny,we review the phytochemistry,chemotaxonomy,molecular biology and phylogeny of Ilex species and their relevance to health-promotion and therapeutic efficacy.The similarity and dissimilarity between Ilex paraguariensis,the source plant of mate tea,and the source plants of large-leaved K udingcha(e.g.,Ilex kudingcha and Ilex latifolia)are discussed.It is essential to utilize emerging technologies in non-Camellia tea studies to promote the sustainable utilization of Ilex resources and the identification and development of novel compounds with potential health and clinical utility.Systems biology and "-omics"technologies will play an increasingly important role in pharmaceutical and food research on the bioactive compounds of Ilex species.

Commercialized non-Camellia tea:traditional function and molecular identification

Non-Camellia tea is a part of the colorful Chinese tea culture,and is also widely used as beverage and medicine in folk for disease prevention and treatment.In this study,37 samples were collected,including 33 kinds of non-Camellia teas and 4 kinds of teas(Camellia).Traditional functions of non-Camellia teas were investigated.Furthermore,non-Camellia teas of original plants were characterized and identified by molecular methods.Four candidate regions(rbcL,matK,ITS2,psbA-trnH)were amplified by polymerase chain reaction.In addition,DNA barcodes were used for the first time to discriminate the commercial non-Camellia tea and their adulterants,and to evaluate their safety.This study showed that BLASTN and the relevant phylogenetic tree are efficient tools for identification of the commercial non-Camellia tea and their adulterants.However,some sequences from original plants have not been found and there is a limitation of sequence number of original plants in GenBank.Submitting more original plant sequences to the GenBank will be helpful for evaluating the safety of non-Camellia teas.

Research progress of Chinese herbal medicine compounds and their bioactivities:Fruitful 2020

Traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs)have continued to be a treasure trove.The study of chemodiversity and versatility of bioactivities has always been an important content of pharmacophylogeny.There is amazing progress in the discovery and research of natural components with novel structures and significant bioactivities in 2020.In this paper we review 271 valuable natural products,including terpenoids,steroids,flavonoids,phenylpropanoids,phenolics,nitrogen containing compounds and essential oil,etc.,isolated and identified from TCMs published in journals of Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs(Zhong Cao Yao)and Chinese Herbal Medicines(CHMs),and focus on their structures,source organisms,and relevant bioactivities,paying special attention to structural characteristics of novel compounds and newly revealed pharmacological properties of known compounds.It is worth noting that natural products with antitumor activity still constitute the primary object of research.Among the reported compounds,two new triterpenoids,i.e.,ursolic acid 3-O-β-cis-caffeate and mollugoside E,display remarkable cytotoxicity against PC-9 and HL-60 cell lines,respectively.Three known phenolic compounds,i.e.,pyoluteorin,4-hydroxy-3-methoxy cinnamaldehyde and 3,7-dimethoxy-5-hydroxy-1,4-phenanthrenequinone,exhibit significant cytotoxicity against multiple cell lines.Numerous studies on the free radical scavenging activity of reported compounds are currently underway.In vitro,three known phenolic compounds,i.e.,3,4-Odicaffeoylquinic acid methyl ester,3,4,5-O-tricaffeoylquinic acid methyl ester and arbutin,had more considerable antioxidant activities than vitamin C.The anti-inflammatory,anti-diabetic,hypolipidemic,neuroprotective and antimicrobial activities of isolated compounds are also encouraging.The structural characteristics and bioactivities of TCM compounds highlighted here reflect the enormous progress of CHM research in 2020 and will play a positive role in the future drug discovery and development.According to pharmacophylogeny,the phylogenetic distribution of compounds with different natures and flavors can be explored,with view to better mining TCM resources.

An ethnopharmacological investigation of medicinal Salvia plants (Lamiaceae) in China

In China,over 40 species of the genus Salvia have been used as medicinal plants for various diseases,some for thousands of years.Recently,research has focused on the biological activities of Salvia medicinal plants used in traditional chinese medicine(TCM).However,to date a scientific survey of the genus Salvia in China has not been carried out.In this paper,we report the results of 10 field surveys of Salvia medicinal plants collected in 17 provinces including detailed information on their local names,growing environment,distribution and therapeutic effects.We also summarize the results of research on the materia medica,phytochemistry and pharmacology of some of the important Salvia medicinal plants.Our study reveals that 35 Salvia plants have been used in TCM in different regions of China,including 20 species used as Danshen to treat heart diseases,and 15 species used to treat a range of other conditions including gynecological diseases,muscular or skeletal problems,hepatitis,urological diseases,and mouth and eye conditions.It is clear that some species of Salvia L.possess significant pharmacological activity in the context of ethnopharmacological knowledge,especially in the treatment of heart disease.Further studies of the phytochemistry and pharmacology of Salvia species will no doubt improve their medical utilization and contribute to the development of new natural drugs.

‘Food and medicine continuum’–Why we should promote cross-cultural communication between the global East and West

It is estimated that by 2030 one sixth of the global population will be aged over 60(WHO,2021).Aging leads to functional decline,which triggers many chronic diseases and geriatrics.It is reported that the elderly often suffer from geriatric syndromes such as frailty,sarcopenia,weight loss and dementia(Sanford et al.,2020);for those aged over 85,conditions of hearing and vision loss,decline in immune function,cardiovascular diseases,osteoporosis and dementia are in high prevalence(Jaul&Barron,2017).Therefore,aging has been an important risk for chronic diseases and geriatrics globally.