Plant distribution and pharmacological activity of flavonoids

Flavonoids are natural organic compounds that are widely found in nature, their structural types are complex, and they mainly include flavonoids, flavonols, dihydroflavonols, isoflavones, dihydroisoflavones, chalcones, orange ketones, flavanoids, anthocyanidins, and biflavonoids. This review covers the plant distribution and pharmacological activities of flavonoids. Flavonoids are mainly distributed in angiosperms and gymnosperms, and they are abundant in plants such as Rutaceae, Labiatae, Zingiberaceae, Scrophulariaceae, and Leguminosae. Because of their wide distribution and variety, researchers have found that flavonoids have diverse biological activities, mainly focusing on anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antitumor activities. Mechanistically, the anti-inflammatory effects are mainly related to the NF-κB and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway and then the inhibition of the production of inflammatory cytokines and mediators. The antibacterial activity is mainly manifested as inhibitory effects on many strains, including Escherichia coli, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, via destroying the stability of the microbial membrane, inhibiting the invasion of virulent bacteria into host cells, promoting the apoptosis of bacteria, inhibiting bacterial fatty acid synthesis, etc. The antitumor activity of flavonoids is related to their inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis via the mitochondria-mediated, endoplasmic reticulum-mediated, and death factor and its receptor-mediated signal transduction pathways. Understanding the plant distribution and pharmacological activity of flavonoids not only reveals the importance of identifying such valuable flavonoids in another genus or family but also provides a basis for fully exploiting the therapeutic potential of flavonoids.

Annual advances of Chinese minority traditional medicine in 2019

Traditional medicine systems practiced by various ethnic minorities represent an important part of traditional Chinese medicine.The past 12 months have witnessed extensive research pertaining to different Chinese minority traditional medicine(CMTM).The annual CMTM review evaluates research published during 2019 in different CMTM including Tibetan medicine,Uyghur medicine,Mongolian medicine,Korean medicine and Zhuang medicine.Research in the field of Tibetan medicine focused on pharmacology,pharmacy,plant sciences,medicinal chemistry and integrated complementary medicine and the top three countries were China,USA and India.Research in Uyghur medicine mainly pertained to chemistry,pharmacology,pharmacy,and food science technology and the publications were mainly from China.Research in Mongolian medicine mainly pertained to pharmacology,pharmacy,analytical chemistry,biochemistry,molecular biology and experimental research;the publications were mainly from China and Mongolia.In short,research related to traditional medicine of various ethnic minorities was mainly conducted in China and the neighboring countries.The research focus for each minority medicine is essentially on the effects and mechanisms of action of the active ingredients of the ethnodrugs and the special prescriptions or therapies.The generated evidence will facilitate further developments in this field.

Annual advances of Chinese minority traditional medicine in 2020

Chinese minority traditional medicine is a traditional medicine formed during the long-term medical practice of various ethnic groups and is the crystallization of the wisdom of the people in all ethnic groups in China.The unique meaning carried by Chinese minority traditional medicine makes it an inseparable and important part of traditional Chinese medicine.The rich clinical experience and theoretical studies with different Chinese minority traditional medicine provide new ideas and new methods for Chinese medicine development.The pieces of literature published in 2020 on the traditional application analyzed the phytochemical composition,pharmacological effects,and mechanisms of the different ethnic groups including Tibetan,Mongolian,Zhuang,Dai,and Uyghur medicines,among others.This study found that some projects were stalled or delayed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in 2020 compared with 2019,resulting in a decrease in the number of articles in certain fields.However,studied on Chinese minority traditional medicine have shown an overall upward trend this year with the Tibetan,Mongolian,and Dai medicines as the top three.In addition,the Chinese minority traditional medicine application under the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic situation background was also summarized.Consequently,this study found that among the Chinese minority traditional medicine-related publications in 2020,publications using Chinese minority traditional medicine to treat coronavirus disease 2019 account for a certain percentage.Thus,this article systematically reviews and summarizes the related research of Chinese minority traditional medicine published in 2020 and provides references for future Chinese minority traditional medicine development.

Research hotspots and trends in Chinese minority traditional medicine during 2021:a visual bibliometrics analysis

Background:Chinese minority traditional medicine(CMTM)is an important component of Chinese traditional culture and medicine that has contributed to the health and prosperity of Chinese people of all ethnic groups.Although this type of medicine has attracted interest,its developmental trends and research status remain unclear.Therefore,we used literature metrology to evaluate the publications on CMTM during 2021 and explore hotspots and frontier areas.Methods:Reports associated with CMTM published between January 1,2021,and December 31,2021,were downloaded from the Web of Science database.The authors,institutions,countries,journals,keywords,and other standard bibliometric indicators were analyzed and visualized using CiteSpace,and research hotspots and trends were identified.Results:We retrieved 152 CMTM-related publications,among which Tibetan medicine attracted the most interest.Journals covering alternative and complementary medicine topics were the most prevalent sources of reports about CMTM,particularly the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.Most research in this field was conducted in China and frequently published by traditional Chinese medicine colleges and universities.One author,Yi Zhang,has extensively investigated Tibetan and Korean medicine.The keyword co-occurrence network revealed that investigations into ethnic groups mainly focused on the pharmacological activities and phytochemical components of ethnic medicines.The keywords of gut microbiota and autophagy in some publications reflect the direction of future CMTM investigations.Conclusion:Our findings showed the current status and trends in CMTM investigations.This information will help identify new research directions and hotspots in this field.