Temporal characteristics of agarwood formation in Aquilaria sinensis after applying whole-tree agarwood-inducing technique

Objective: Agarwood—a resinous wood produced by Aquilaria plants in response to injury or artificial induction—is a valuable medicinal and fragrance resource. Whole-Tree Agarwood-Inducing Technique(Agar-WIT) has been widely used to produce agarwood. However, the time-dependent characteristics of agarwood formation induced by Agar-WIT are yet to be clarified. To promote technologically efficient utilization and upgradation of Agar-WIT, the dynamic process and mechanism of agarwood formation were analyzed for one year.Methods: Agarwood formation percentage, barrier layer microscopic properties, extract levels, compound level, and characteristic chromatograms of agarwood were examined by referring to the Chinese Pharmacopeia(2020 version).Results: Agar-WIT could maintain a high percentage of agarwood formation over one year compared with that of healthy plants. Alcohol-soluble extract and agarotetrol levels showed fluctuating cyclic changes with peaks occurring first during the fifth and sixth months, and subsequently in the 11th month.Aquilaria trees subjected to Agar-WIT treatment for 1–12 months showed significant characteristics of a dynamic agarwood formation process. The barrier layer began to appear in the fourth month after treatment. Alcohol-soluble extractive levels in agarwood formed in the second month, and thereafter,exceeded 10.0%, and agarotetrol in agarwood produced after four months or later, exceeded 0.10%.Conclusion: According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, alcohol-soluble extractive levels in agarwood should not be less than 10.0% and agarotetrol level should exceed 0.10%. After four months of Agar-WIT treatment, the formed agarwood theoretically met these standards and was suitable for developed and utilization. However, the optimal harvest time was found to be the 11th month, followed by the sixth month after Agar-WIT treatment. Therefore, Agar-WIT resulted in swift agarwood formation and stable accumulation of alcohol-soluble extracts and agarotetrol. Thus, this method is efficient for large-scale cultivation of Aquilaria sinensis to produce agarwood and provide raw materials for the agarwood medicinal industry.

Isolation of exogenous fungi from Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and preliminary analysis of toxigenic fungi

Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma(Sanqi in Chinese)is a precious traditional Chinese herbal medicine.It has the effect of dispersing blood stasis and stopping bleeding,reducing swelling and fixing pain.However,it tends to contaminate with harmful fungi during storage,which may make it much less effective.In order to understand the fungal contamination of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and master its composition of the exogenous fungi.The surface fungi of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma samples collected from six Chinese provinces and districts were investigated by using dilution plate method.Detection of aflatoxins by UPLC-MS/MS.The results showed that Penicillium citrinum was dominantly isolated from Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma samples from No.1 to No.4.Aspergillus flavus,which produces aflatoxin,was dominantly isolated from Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma samples from No.5 and No.6.In addition,kinds of mycotoxin were assayed which were produced by three of those identified A.flavus.All three fungi strains produced aflatoxin B1(AFB1)and one strain HBSQ1-5 additionally produced other three kinds of mycotoxin,AFB2,AFG1 and AFG2.It is the results implied that it will be very important to take serious cautions when using Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma.As well as,understanding the composition of the exogenous fungi of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and the strains of toxin-producing fungi,which can play an important role in guiding the storage of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma.

Distribution patterns of the contents of five biologically activate ingredients in the root of Scutellaria baicalensis

As an important herbaceous plant, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi(Chinese skullcap) is geographically widespread and commonly used throughout the world. In the Chinese medicine market, S. baicalensis has been divided into two primary types, "Ku Qin"(WXR) and "Tiao Qin"(TST). Moreover, TST is also divided into different grades according to the diameter of roots. To explore the distribution patterns of the contents of five biologically activate ingredients(FBAI), we used six-year-old cultivated S. baicalensis and analyzed its growth characteristics as well as the quality difference among different types and diameters in roots. Throughout the entire root, we discovered that contents of the FBAI all initially increased and subsequently decreased from the top to the bottom of the roots. The baicalin content of WXR was less than that of TST. On the contrary, the contents of baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A in WXR were up to about two times higher than that in TST. We also found that the 0 to 40 cm part of the S. baicalensis root possessed about 87% of the root biomass and about 92% of the contents of the active ingredients.

Dalbergia odorifera Essential Oil Protects against Myocardial Ischemia through Upregulating Nrf2 and Inhibiting Caspase Signaling Pathways in Isoproterenol-Induced Rats

Objective:Dalbergia odorifera has long been used as a Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.This study aimed to determine the potential myocardial protective effect and possible mechanism of action of D.odor ife ra essential oil(DOEO).Materials and Methods:The essential oil of D.odorifera was extracted by hydrodistillation.The cardioprotective effects of DOEO were examined by histopathological observation,myocardial enzyme detection,peroxidation,anti-oxidant level detection,and related protein expression.The compounds in the blood were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.Results:These results showed that DOEO had significant myocardial cell protection,with IC50 values ranging from 17.64 to 24.78μg/mL in vitro.Compared to the myocardial ischemia group,the DOEO pretreatment groups had lower levels of myocardial injury,creatinine kinase,lactate dehydrogenase,alanine transaminase,aspartate transaminase,hydrogen peroxide,and nitric oxide,and higher levels of glutathione and superoxide dismutase.In addition,DOEO pretreatment significantly increased Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase levels.Moreove r,immunohistochemical e xperiments showed that DOEO remarkably increased the protein levels of NF-E2-related nuclear factor 2(Nrf2)and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)and reduced the expression of apoptotic caspases,including caspase 3 and caspase 9.The main components of the blood were transnerolidol and nerolidol oxide.Overall,the study showed that DOEO displayed myocardial protection by upregulating the NF-E2-related nuclear factor-antioxidant response element(Nrf2-ARE)and caspase pathways.DOEO has a therapeutic effect on MI by inhibiting the oxidant and apoptotic effects.Conclusions:D.odorifera may be a potential candidate drug for treating myocardial ischemic injury.