Determination of platycodin in Platycodi Radix from different habitats / 中草药

Objective: To establish a method of the determination of total platycodin and platycodin D; And to determine the contents of total platycodin and platycodin D in Platycodi RadiX from different habitats. Methods: The content of total platycodin was determined by 1ultrasonic extraction and weight method; And the content of platycodin D was determined by HPLC. The chromatographic conditions were Waters Symmetry-C18 column, mobile phrase of CH3CN-H2O (22:78), flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, detection wavelength at 210 nm and column temperature 30℃. Results: There was a greater difference between the contents of total platycodin and platycodin D in Platycodi Radix from different habitats. In measuring Platycodi Radix, the content of total platycodin in Platycodi Radix from Zhejiang Province was the highest, which was 12.03%; the contents in Platycodi Radix from Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Anhui, Shandong, and Jiangxi Provinces were more than 6%; However, the contents in Platycodi Radix from the other provinces were lower than 6%, and it was the lowest in Platycodi Radix from Henan province, which was 1.57%. The contents of platycodin D in Platycodi Radix from Yunnan province was the highest, and it was the lowest in Platycodi Radix from Hebei province. Conclusion: The methods could be used for the determination of total platycodin and platycodin D in Platycodi Radix because of theirs simple operations with accurate and reliable results. The contents of total platycodin and platycodin D are different obviously in Platycodi Radix from different habitats, and the contents of total platycodin and platycodin D in the same drug with the level of inconsistency don't show correlation.

Stabilizing the bactericidal activity of hydrogen peroxide: a brand new function of certain Chinese herbs / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore natural herbs to maintain the bactericidal activity of hydrogen peroxide (H).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen extracts of Chinese herbs were prepared complying with the standard protocol. Each of the solutions was then mixed with 1% H2O2. The mixtures were handled with two approaches: autoclaved daily for one, two or three times; stored at room temperature from one through five years. Then the bactericidal activity were evaluated by assaying the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, ATCC25923) and Gram negative (Escherichia coli, ATCC12421) bacteria.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>While mixed with 1% H2O2, 10 out of 18 kinds of assessed Chinese herbs displayed MBC values at 1:12800 or higher after three times of autoclaving, and 8 of them preserved such level of MBC value after stored at room temperature for three years. Some Chinese herbs, i.e. R. Scutellariae, R. Coptidis, R. Bupleuri, H. Epimedii, C. Phelledendri and F. Chrysanthemi, can significantly maintain the bactericidal activity of diluted H2O2.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Certain Chinese herbs can effectively stabilize the bactericidal activity of H2O2 undergoing autoclave or long-term storage. This paper reported a brandnew pharmaceutical function of Chinese herbs and provided experimental data for the potential enhancement of H2O2 usage while its stability level is promoted.</p>

Effects of different soaking treatments on seed germination and seedling growth of Platycodon grandiflorum / 中草药

Objective: To investigate the effects of different soaking treatments by KNO3, KMnO4, H2O2, GA3, and distilled water for different times on seed germination and seedling growth of Platycodon grandiflorum. Methods: Adopting a double-layer filter paper culture method, the seeds were cultured in the 12 h illumination light incubator at 25 °C, and the germination energy, germination percentage, germination index of the seeds, and the root length and the shoot height of the seedling were recorded. Then the data were analyzed. Results: The best soaking treatment to break seed dormancy, promote the seed germination, and improve the seedling growth of P. grandiflorum was with 0.150 g/L GA3 for 24 h. In addition, another effective soaking treatment is using 0.005 g/mL KNO3 for 12 h. Conclusion: The appropriate soaking reagent and time for the seed germination of P. grandiflorum are obtained, which could provide the guidance for seedling and artificial cultivating P. grandiflorum.