Chemical composition and biological activities of volatile oil isolated from Curcumae rhizoma

Curcumae rhizoma(C.rhizoma),the rhizome of Curcuma Longa L.,Curcuma kwangsiensis L.and Curcuma wenyujin L.in the ginger family,is a treasure in traditional Chinese medicine.It has the effect of promoting qi and breaking blood,eliminating accumulation and relieving pain.With the development of modern medicine,the active ingredients and therapeutic mechanism of C.rhizoma have been gradually revealed.In this paper,the chemical composition and biological activities of volatile oil isolated from C.rhizoma are reviewed in detail,aiming to provide reference for further utilization of C.rhizoma volatile oil and provide more effective drug options for clinical treatment.

Effecacy of Biejia(Carapax Trionycis) and Ezhu(Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis) couplet medicine on epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion and migration of MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cells via PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the efficacy of Biejia(Carapax Trionycis)and Ezhu(Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis)couplet medicine on epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT),invasion and migration of MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)cells based on PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.METHODS:MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with different medicated serum as Biejia-,Ezhu-,Biejia-Ezhu(BJ-,EZ-,BJ-EZ-)groups,intervened with no drug rat serum and paclitaxel with final concentration of 33 nM(IC50)as negative and positive control(NC and PC)groups.CCK-8 assay,scratch test,and Transwell assay were used to examine cell proliferation,invasion,and migration.The expression of E-cadherin,N-cadherin,Vimentin,MMP-2,MMP-9,PI3K,Akt,p-Akt,mTOR,and p-mTOR was determined by Western blot,and the m RNA expression of PI3K,Akt and mTOR was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction.RESULTS:BJ-EZ group inhibited proliferation after 24,48,and 72 h compared with the NC group(P<0.05,<0.01 or<0.001)and reduced the invasion and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells(P<0.01 or<0.001).In addition,BJ-EZ group upregulated the expression of E-cadherin,downregulated the expression of N-cadherin,Vimentin,MMP-2,and MMP-9(P<0.05,P<0.01 or P<0.001),and inhibited the m RNA and protein expression of PI3K,Akt(p-Akt),mTOR(p-mTOR)(P<0.05,<0.01 or<0.001).CONCLUSION:Biejia(Carapax Trionycis)and Ezhu(Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis)couplet medicine can inhibit the proliferation,invasion,migration and EMT of MDA-MB-231 cells through PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway,and the effect is better than that of Biejia(Carapax Trionycis)or Ezhu(Rhizoma Curcumae Phaeocaulis)alone.

A Review: The Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Pharmacokinetics of Curcumae Longae Rhizoma(Turmeric)

Curcumae Longae Rhizoma(CLR)is the rhizome of Curcuma longa L.Pharmacological studies show that CLR can be used to treat cervical cancer,lung cancer,lupus nephritis,and other conditions.In this paper,we review botany,traditional application,phytochemistry,pharmacological activity,and pharmacokinetics of CLR.The literature from 1981 to date was entirely collected from online databases,such as Web of Science,Google Scholar,China Academic Journals full-text database(CNKI),Wiley,Springer,PubMed,and ScienceDirect.The data were also obtained from ancient books,theses and dissertations,and Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae.There are a total of 275 compounds that have been isolated from CLR,including phenolic compounds,volatile oils,and others.The therapeutic effect of turmeric has been expanded from breaking blood and activating qi in the traditional sense to antitumor,anti-inflammatory,antioxidation,neuroprotection,antibacterial,hypolipidemic effects,and other benefits.However,the active ingredients and mechanisms of action related to relieving disease remain ill defined,which requires more in-depth research and verification at a clinical level.

Effect of Aqueous Extracts of Several Kinds of Herbs on Human Platelet Aggregation and Expression of P-Selectin in Vitro

Objective： To study the effect of aqueous extract of several kinds of herbs on human platelet aggregation and expression of P-selectin in vitro. Methods： Blood was collected from volunteers. Effects of the prepared water extracts of herbs on platelet aggregation were monitored on a Packs-4 aggregometer. The fluorescence intensity of water extracts of Caulis Spatholobi, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae on the expression of P-selectin in human platelets of healthy persons was measured with flow cytometry. Results： Out of several herbs investigated, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae potently inhibited platelet aggregation after incubation with platelet-rich plasma （PRP） for 15 min. Caulis Spatholobi, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae inhibited adenosine-5＇-diphosphate （ADP） or platelet activating factor （PAF）-induced platelet aggregation in PRP in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast to Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae, Caulis Spatholobi could not inhibit thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Despite its inability to inhibit thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in PRP, Caulis Spatholobi had a greater anti-aggregating activity in PRP induced by ADP or PAF. Caulis Spatholobi and Flos Carthami showed significant inhibitory effects on the expression of P-selectin. Conclusions： Caulis Spatholobi, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae have potent anti-platelet properties, and their inhibitory actions are mediated via different mechanisms. Caulis Spatholobi inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation but not by thrombin, indicating that its mechanism of action might be independent of the thromboxane pathway. The effect of Caulis Spatholobi and Flos Carthami were associated with suppressing the expression of P-selectin.

Analysis on internal mechanism of zedoary turmeric in treatment of liver cancer based on pharmacodynamic substances and pharmacodynamic groups

Zedoary tumeric(Curcumae Rhizoma,Ezhu in Chinese)has a long history of application and has great potential in the treatment of liver cancer.The antiliver cancer effect of zedoary tumeric depends on the combined action of multiple pharmacodynamic substances.In order to clarify the specific mechanism of zedoary tumeric against liver cancer,this paper first analyzes the mechanism of its single pharmacodynamic substance against liver cancer,and then verifies the joint anti liver cancer mechanism of its“pharmacodynamic group”.By searching the research on the antihepatoma effect of active components of zedoary tumeric in recent years,we found that pharmacodynamic substances,including curcumol,zedoarondiol,curcumenol,curzerenone,curdione,curcumin,germacrone,β-elemene,can act on multi-target and multi-channel to play an antihepatoma role.For example,curcumin can regulate miR,GLO1,CD133,VEGF,YAP,LIN28B,GPR81,HCAR-1,P53 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR,HSP70/TLR4 and NF-κB.Wnt/TGF/EMT,Nrf2/Keap1,JAK/STAT and other pathways play an antihepatoma role.Network pharmacological analysis showed that the core targets of the“pharmacodynamic group”for anti-life cancer are AKT1,EGFR,MAPK8,etc,and the core pathways are neuroactive live receiver interaction,nitrogen metabolism,HIF-1 signaling pathway,etc.At the same time,by comparing and analyzing the relationship between the specific mechanisms of pharmacodynamic substance and“pharmacodynamic group”,it is found that they have great reference significance in target,pathway,biological function,determination of core pharmacodynamic components,formation of core target protein interaction,in-depth research of single pharmacodynamic substance,increasing curative effect and so on.By analyzing the internal mechanism of zedoary tumeric pharmacodynamic substance and“pharmacodynamic group”in the treatment of liver cancer,this paper intends to provide some ideas and references for the deeper pharmacological research of zedoary tumeric and the relationship between pharmacodynamic substance and“pharmacodynamic group”.

Therapeutic Effects of Traditional Herbal Medicine on Cerebral Ischemia:A Perspective of Vascular Protection

Although many agents for acute ischemic stroke treatment have been developed from extensive preclinical studies, most have failed in clinical trials. As a result, researchers are seeking other methods or agents based on previous studies. Among the various prospective approaches, vascular protection might be the key for development of therapeutic agents for stroke and for improvements in the efficacy and safety of conventional therapies. Traditional medicines in Asian countries are based on clinical experiences and literature accumulated over thousands of years. To date, many studies have used traditional herbal medicines to prove or develop new agents based on stroke treatments mentioned in traditional medicinal theory or other clinical data. In the current review, we describe the vascular factors related to ischemic brain damage and the herbal medicines that impact these factors, including Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, Notoginseng Radix, and Curcumae Rhizoma, based on scientific reports and traditional medical theory. Further, we point out the problems associated with herbal medicines in stroke research and propose better methodologies to address these problems.