Research Progress on Pharmacological Effects of Ardisia gigantifolia Stapf,a Traditional Chinese Medicine with Lingnan Characteristics

This paper comprehensively reviews the research progress on the pharmacological effects of Ardisia gigantifolia Stapf in recent years,and finds that Ardisia gigantifolia Stapf has good pharmacological effects in many aspects,including anti-inflammation,anti-oxidation,anti-thrombosis,anti-tumor and so on.In particular,more than ten saponins have been found to have good anti-tumor activity and have potential research value,which can provide reference for the full development and utilization of Ardisia gigantifolia Stapf resources.

Screening of Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Parts of Ardisia gigantifolia stapf.and Its Toxicological Safety Study

[Objectives] To screen out the anti-inflammatory and analgesic parts of Ardisia gigantifolia stapf.and to explore the toxicological safety of each part.[Methods]The carrageenan-induced toe swelling experiment of mice,acetic acid-induced peritoneal capillary permeability experiment,pain writhing test,and mouse maximum tolerated dose experiment were carried out.Taking mouse toe swelling,capillary permeability,pain writhing reaction times,and animal death number as indicators,anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects were screened and toxicological safety was evaluated for petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and water parts of A.gigantifolia.[Results] The petroleum ether part of A.gigantifolia can significantly reduce the degree of carrageenan-induced toe swelling of(P < 0.05),significantly inhibit the glacial acetic acid induced capillary permeability of mice(P < 0.05) and the times of pain writhing of mice(P < 0.01),no death was observed in each group after 150-fold of clinical equivalent dose administration,and no abnormality was observed in body weight and tissues of mice.[Conclusions]The petroleum ether part of A.gigantifolia is active part of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect,and each part is low in toxicological safety.

Optimization of Quality Control Method and Ethanol Extraction Process of Psoralen and Bergapten in Ficus pandurata

[Objectives]To establish a qualitative identification and content determination method for psoralen and bergapten in the roots and leaves of Ficus pandurata,and the multi-indicator scoring method to optimize the ethanol extraction process for the effective parts of F.pandurata.[Methods]Qualitative identification was carried out by thin-layer chromatography(TLC)and content determination was made by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC);the content of psoralen and bergapten and extract yield were used as indicators,to investigate the effects of ethanol volume fraction,solid-to-liquid ratio,extraction time and extraction times on the ethanol extraction process of F.pandurata;multi-indicator scoring method was adopted,orthogonal test method was designed to optimize the extraction process,and verification test was performed.[Results]TLC chart of F.pandurata shows clear spots and good separation;the detected concentrations of psoralen and bergapten in the roots are in the range of 1.02-32.64μg/mL and shows a good linear relationship with the peak area(r=0.9997);these components have not been detected in the leaves,and the precision,RSD of stability and repeatability test is less than 2%;the average recovery rate was 99.8%-100.2%,and the RSD value is 1.12%-1.13%(n=6);the optimized extraction process is to use 50%ethanol as the extraction solvent,the solid-to-liquid ratio of 1∶10,reflux extraction of 3 times,and 1.5 h each time;the results of the three batches of verification tests show that the content of the two indicator components obtained is high,and the average value of the total amount is 0.34 mg/g(RSD=0.30%,n=3).[Conclusions]The established quality control method for F.pandurata is simple,easy,accurate and reproducible;the preferred extraction process is stable and feasible,suitable for the extraction and purification of coumarin effective parts in F.pandurata roots,so it is expected to provide references for further development of F.pandurata.

Progress in Pharmacological Research of Phyllanthus urinaria

Phyllanthi Urinariae Herba is dry grass of Phyllanthus urinaria,and has the effects of calming liver,clearing heat,diuresis and detoxification in traditional Chinese medicine. Studies have shown that the effects of anti-hepatitis B virus,hepatoprotective,anti-tumor,antipathogenic microorganism,anti-oxidation,and anti-thrombosis were good and worthy of further research and development. The research progress on the pharmacological effects of P. urinaria was reviewed in order to provide a reference for the rational development of this product.

Effects of Alcohol Extract of Giantleaf Ardisia Rhizome on Levels of Inflammatory Factors in Serum of Rats with Adjuvant Arthritis

[Objectives]The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ethanol extract of Giantleaf Ardisia Rhizome on the serum levels of interleukin 6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α)and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)in adjuvant arthritis(AA)rats induced by Freund’s complete adjuvant(CFA),so as to investigate its role in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.[Methods]Rat models of AA were induced by CFA,and they were given with different doses of ethanol extract of Giantleaf Ardisia Rhizome,followed by scoring of systemic and joint inflammation and swelling degree and determination of serum IL-6,TNF-αand IL-1βlevels.[Results]Compared with the model group,the ethanol extract of Giantleaf Ardisia Rhizome significantly reduced the scores of systemic and joint inflammation and swelling degree and the serum levels of IL-6,TNF-αand IL-1βin AA rats(P<0.05,P<0.01).[Conclusions]The ethanol extract of Giantleaf Ardisia Rhizome can suppress the development of AA in rats and the mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of the expression of serum inflammatory factors(IL-6,TNF-α,IL-1β).

Mechanism of Pinelliae Rhizoma in Treatment of Insomnia Based on Network Pharmacology

[Objectives]To explore the mechanism of Pinelliae Rhizoma in the treatment of insomnia.[Methods]Using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology(TCMSP)database,the effective components of Pinelliae Rhizoma were explored,to predict its targets,and screen out the targets of insomnia through GeneCards,OMIM and other databases.With the aid of Cytoscape software,a"component-target-pathway-disease"network for the treatment of insomnia by Pinelliae Rhizoma was built.Then,a target protein-related interaction network was created through the String database,and biological function annotation and pathway analysis of key targets were performed.[Results]The 13 active components of Pinelliae Rhizoma take action in the treatment of insomnia by intervening 33 targets,59 GO biological processes,and 10 main biological pathways.[Conclusions]The active components of Pinelliae Rhizoma may treat insomnia by such pharmacological effect as regulating G protein-coupled amine receptor activity,adrenergic receptor activity,catecholamine binding,and neurotransmitter receptor activity.

Study on the Mechanism of Atractylodes lancea in the Treatment of Diabetes Based on Network Pharmacology

[Objectives]To predict the mechanism of Atractylodes lancea in the treatment of diabetes by using the method of network pharmacology.[Methods]The active constituents of A.lancea were mined and their action targets were predicted by using TCMSP database,and the targets of diabetes were screened out by GeneCards,and OMIM databases.The"constituent-target-pathway-disease"network of A.lancea in the treatment of diabetes was constructed by using Cytoscape software.The target protein-related interaction network was constructed by STRING database,and the biological function annotation and pathway analysis of key targets were carried out.[Results]The 4 active constituents of A.lancea could treat diabetes by intervening in 47 targets,95 GO biological processes and 116 main biological pathways.[Conclusions]The wogonin,NSC63551,3β-acetoxy atractylone andβ-carotene in A.lancea may regulate nuclear receptor activity,transcription factor activity(directly bind to the ligand-regulated sequence-specific DNA),steroid receptor,G protein-coupled amine receptor activity,sodium-chloride transporter activity,neurotransmitter receptor activity and other pharmacological effects,by mediating AGE-RAGE pathway,IL-17 pathway,PI3K-Akt pathway,p53 pathway,etc.,so as to treat diabetes.

A Pharmacognostical Study on Ardisia gigantifolia and Its Adulterants

[Objectives]The research aimed to study the characteristics of Ardisia gigantifolia and its adulterants Embelia scandens and Mappianthus iodoides for identification. [Methods] Through the trait identification method,powder microscopic identification method,TLC,inclusions detection and content determination,A. gigantifolia and its adulterants were contrasted. [Results]The morphological and histological characteristics of A. gigantifolia,E. scandens and M. iodoides were different from each other. Containing water,total ash,acid insoluble ash and other inclusions also had difference; the total triterpenoid saponins were respectively 122. 90 mg/g of A. gigantifolia,147. 052 mg/g of E. scandens,and 63. 06 mg/g of M. iodoides. [Conclusions] These methods are accurate and reliable,which could be used for the identification of A. gigantifolia and its adulterants.

Qualitative Identification and Content Determination of Psoralen in Ficus Pandurata Hance

[Objectives]This study aimed to establish a qualitative identification and content determination method for psoralen in Ficus pandurata Hance and compare the psoralen contents in roots,stems and leaves of F.pandurate Hance and Ficus pandurata Hance var.holophylla Migo.[Methods]Thin-layer chromatography(TLC)was used for qualitative identification,and the content of psoralen was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.The chromatographic conditions were as follows:column,Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm);mobile phase,methanol-water(55∶45);flow rate,1 mL/min;detection wavelength,246 nm;column temperature,30℃;and injection volume,10μL.[Results]The TLC chromatogram of F.pandurate Hance showed clear spots and good separation.The concentration of psoralen detected in the range of 2.06-41.20μg/mL had a good linear relationship with the peak area(r=0.9999).The RSD values of the precision,stability and reproducibility tests were all less than 2%.The average recovery rate was 100.2%(RSD=1.13%,n=6).[Conclusions]The established method is simple,easy,accurate and reproducible.It can be used for quality control of F.pandurate Hance.

Advances in Pharmacological Research of Psidium Guajava L.Leaves in Resisting Diabetes and Its Complications

Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Psidium Guajava L.leaves have a variety of pharmacological effects,such as anti-inflammation,anti-oxidation,anti-tumor,reducing blood lipid,and reducing blood sugar.In recent years,the effect of Psidium Guajava L.leaves on diabetes and its complications has become the focus of research.This paper reviews the pharmacological research trends of effect of Psidium Guajava L.leaves on diabetes and its complications,in order to provide reference for the application and research and development of this plant.

Advances in Pharmacological Research on Active Components of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease-related Bowel Cancer

In recent years,with the modern development of traditional medicine,the research on the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and bowel cancer is increasingly deep.This paper reviews the pharmacological research progress of flavonoids,alkaloids,polyphenols,polysaccharides,steroids and saponins in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and canceration.

Effects of Ethanol Extract of Clinacanthus nutans on Gut Microbiota and Lipid Metabolism of HFD-induced Obese Mice

[Objectives]To explore the effects of ethanol extract of Clinacanthus nutans on gut microbiota and lipid metabolism in high-fat diet(HFD)-induced obese mice.[Methods]A HFD-induced obesity mouse model was established,and the mice were randomly divided into high-fat model group,high-dose and low-dose groups of ethanol extract of C.nutans.Normal group and high-fat model group were given normal saline by intragastric administration every day.The high-dose and low-dose groups of the ethanol extract of C.nutans were given corresponding drugs by intragastric administration.After 8 weeks of administration,the body weight,fat accumulation,blood lipid level,and liver histopathological changes of the mice in each group were compared.The high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA was used to sequence the fecal samples of mice in each group,and the effects of ethanol extract of C.nutans on lipid metabolism and gut microbiota structure in HFD-induced obese mice were analyzed.[Results]Compared with the normal group,the high-fat model group had significantly higher body weight(P<0.01),increased subcutaneous fat accumulation(P<0.01),increased liver fat content,and increased serum TC,TG and LDL levels(P<0.01).Compared with the high-fat model group,the high-dose group of the ethanol extract of C.nutans significantly reduced the body weight of obese mice(P<0.01),reduced the subcutaneous fat accumulation in obese mice(P<0.05),inhibited the synthesis of fat in the liver,significantly reduced serum TC,TG levels(P<0.01),and significantly increased serum HDL levels(P<0.01).Compared with the normal group,the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in the gut microbiota of mice in the high-fat model group was significantly increased,while the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes,Verrucomicrobia,and Akkermansia were significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes was significantly increased.After treatment with ethanol extract of C.nutans,the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes was reduced,the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes,Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia(AKK)increased(P<0.05),while the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria decreased(P<0.05).[Conclusions]HFD-induced obese mice have imbalanced gut microbiota structure and abnormal lipid metabolism,and the ethanol extract of C.nutans can improve the imbalance of microbiota structure and lipid metabolism in obese mice.

Advances in Research of Gut Microbiota and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

The"gut-liver axis"theory is the theoretical basis for the influence of gut microbiota on the occurrence and development of chronic liver diseases,and it mainly elaborates the relationship between the gut and chronic liver diseases.With the emergence of high-throughput sequencing metagenomic technology,it is feasible to conduct in-depth research on the diversity and population structure of gut microbes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),so as to provide more ideas for the research on the pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of NAFLD.This paper reviewed the bidirectional effects of gut microbiota and NAFLD.In addition,it summarized the relevant content of regulating gut microbiota in the treatment of NAFLD,in the hope of providing more reference for the treatment of NAFLD from the perspective of gut microbiota.