EFFECTS OF RADIX ANGELICAE SINENSIS AND SHUANGHUANGLIAN ON A RAT MODEL OF CHRONIC PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA PNEUMONIA

Objective. To study the effects of two kinds of Chinese herbal medicine, Radix angelicae sinensis(RAS)(当归)and Shuanghuanglian(SHL)(双黄连) on chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa(PA)lung infection in a rat model mimicking cystic fibrosis(CF). Methods.Rats were divided into RAS, SHL and control groups. All rats were challenged intratracheally with alginate embedded PA and the treatments with herbal medicine started on the same day of challenge. The drugs were administered subcutaneously once a day for ten days and the control group was treated with sterile saline.The rats were sacrificed two weeks after challenge. Results. Significantly improved lung bacterial clearance(P<005, P<001) and milder macroscopic lung pathology (P<0005) were found in the two treated groups compared to the control group. In the SHL treated group, the neutrophil percent in the peripheral blood leukocytes(P<005), the antiPA IgG level in serum (P<005), the incidence of lung abscesses(P<0005) and the incidence of acute lung inflammation(P<005) were significantly lower than in the control group. The RAS treatment reduced fever(P<005), decreased the incidence of lung abscesses(P<0005) and lung mast cell number (P<005), and lowered antiPA IgG1 level in serum(P<005) when compared to the control group. The antiPA bacterial activity test in SHL was weakly positive whereas in RAS it was negative. Conclusion.The treatment with both herbal medicines could increase the resistance of the rats against PA lung infection and they therefore might be potential promising drugs for stimulation of the immune system in CF patients with chronic PA lung infection.

Effects of Chinese Herbal Medicine Serum on the Apoptosis of Sinoatrial Node Cells Induced by Simulated Ischemia-reperfusion

Objective:To study the effect of Chinese herbal medicine Kangxin Fumai Granule(康心复脉颗粒 Granule for heart diseases) serum on the primary cultured sinoatrial node(SAN) cell apoptosis induced by simulated ischemia-reperfusion(IR).Methods:The SAN cells removed from SAN tissue of neonatal Wistar rats were cultured and purified with differential attachment and 5'-bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU) treatment.Simulated IR model was adopted.The obtained cells were morphologically observed with inverted microscopy.By using the method of serum pharmacology,the cell apoptosis was measured with TUNEL staining qualitatively and with flow cytometry quantitatively.Results:Three kinds of cells were observed in the cultured SAN cells:spindle,triangle and irregular.The spindle cells comprised the greatest proportion.The SAN cells in the model group showed moderate positive brown staining in the nucleus,and the apoptosis rate increased significantly compared to that in the control group(P<0.01).While the SAN cells in the Kangxin Fumai Granule high-dose group did not demonstrated positive staining in the nucleus,and the apoptosis rate decreased significantly compared to that in the model group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Of the cells cultured from SAN,the spindle cells were pacemaker cells of SAN in rats.Blockade and/or inhibition of the SAN cell apoptosis might be one of the important mechanisms of Kangxin Fumai Granule in preventing and treating sinoatrial injury induced by simulated IR.

Exploring Traditional Chinese Medicine by A Novel Therapeutic Concept of Network Target

Traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） holds a holistic theory, and specializes in balancing disordered human body using numerous natural products, particularly Chinese herbal formulae. TCM has certain treatment advantages for patients suffering from various complex diseases. However, due to the complex nature of TCM, it remains difficult to unveil such holistic medicine by the current reductionism research strategies, which treat both herbal ingredients and targets in isolation. Recently, an emerging network pharmacology approach has been introduced to tackle this bottleneck problem. A TCM-derived novel therapeutic concept, ＂network target＂, which is different from the Western medicine＇s ＂onetarget＂ concept, has been proposed from China. The network target strategy is able to illustrate the complex interactions among the biological systems, drugs, and complex diseases from a network perspective, and thus provides an innovative approach to access ancient remedies in a precision manner and at a systematic level, which also highlights TCM＇s potential in current medical systems.

Phytochemistry,Metabolism, and Metabolomics of Ginseng

Ginseng, as a medicinal plant, has been used for thousands of years in China, Korea, and Japan, and the study on ginseng is a hotspot in the research field as evidenced by about 7000 scientific papers in PUBMED. In recent decades, many ginseng studies focused on the metabolism and metabolomics of ginseng or its active ingredients using modern bioanalytical technologies. To date, more than 200 ginsenosides and non-saponin constituents have been isolated and identified. In the past decades, rapid development of analytical technologies has facilitated the advancement of ginseng research in many ways. In this review, we focus on the advances of ginseng research in chemistry, pharmacology, and metabolomics. We also provide the comments on the significance as well as challenges of metabolomics-based ginseng studies.

Health-promoting and disease-preventive potential of Trianthema portulacastrum Linn.(Gadabani)--An Indian medicinal and dietary plant

It is estimated that 80% of the world population depends on traditional medicine for primary healthcare need. Trianthema portulacastrum Linn.（family： Aizoaceae） is a small perennial weed found in the Americas, Africa, India, and other regions of the world. This plant is used extensively in Indian traditional medicines and is also consumed as a vegetable throughout Asia for its perceived health benefits. Phytochemical analysis of T. portulacastrum reveals the presence of alkaloids, fl avonoids, terpenoids, saponins, and phenolic compounds. Emerging studies demonstrate that crude extracts as well as bioactive phytoconstituents of T. portulacastrum exhibit potent antioxidant, anti-infective, analgesic, and anti-infl ammatory activities. A growing number of in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate various biological and pharmacological activities, including prevention and amelioration of hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, infectious diseases and cancer. This review aims to present and analyze available literature to understand the full potential of T. portulacastrum in health promotion and disease prevention. Current limitations and future directions of research on this medicinal and dietary plant are also critically discussed.