Function of Autophagy in Development of Chronic Heart Failure Based on Theory of Healthy Qi and Pathogenic Qi / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Chronic heart failure is a serious heart disease with dyspnea and limited activity tolerance as the main clinical manifestations. Autophagy is a self-protection mechanism in eukaryotic cells and plays an important role in the development of heart failure. Appropriately increasing the level of autophagy during the compensated stage of heart failure and timely removal of necrotic myocardial organelles and other harmful garbage can inhibit myocardial hypertrophy to a certain extent，alleviate myocardial remodeling，and delay heart failure. The theory of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi is an important basic theory for explaining the occurrence of diseases，and struggle between healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi exists in the entire onset of chronic heart failure，which may lead to pathogenic Qi invasion and healthy Qi deficiency. The regulatory effect of autophagy on cardiomyocytes is similar to the theory of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Autophagy is the body's self-regulatory mechanism for healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi in a dose-effect manner，Specifically，autophagy can only protect the body's cells to a certain extent，and healthy Qi can only take effect within a certain range and degree. To protect the body from external pathogenic factors，excessive or insufficient autophagy may destroy the stability of the body's environment. In this regard，we use the theory of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi as a starting point to clarify the function of autophagy in the development of chronic heart failure from a macro and micro perspective，and propose adjusting the balance of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi in the body to regulate the autophagy of cardiomyocytes. The principle of prevention and treatment is expected to lay the foundation for modern research on the function of autophagy in the development of chronic heart failure in TCM，find novel therapy for chronic heart failure at different stages，and provide new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of chronic heart failure.

Determination of five saponins in Xuesaitong Dropping Pills by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and evaluation method of between-batch consistency / 中国中药杂志

The present study determined five saponins in Xuesaitong Dropping Pills(XDP) by micellar electrokinetic chromatography(MEKC), and evaluated between-batch consistency by MEKC fingerprints and similarity analysis. A background buffer was composed of 20 mmol·L~(-1) sodium tetraborate-20 mmol·L~(-1) boric acid solution(pH 8.5), 55 mmol·L~(-1) sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS), 23 mmol·L~(-1) β-cyclodextrin, and 13% isopropyl alcohol. All separations were performed at 25 ℃,20 kV and the detection wavelength was set at 203 nm. The separation channel was a fused silica capillary with a dimension of 75 μm I.D. and a total length of 50.2 cm(effective length of 40.0 cm). The contents of notoginsenoside R_1, and ginsenosides Rg_1, Re, Rb_1, Rd were determined with their quality control ranges set. The fingerprints of XDP were established and the between-batch consistency was evaluated by similarity analysis. The contents of five saponins from the 19 batches of XDP were stable in the fixed ranges. Statistical analysis was carried out on the results of multiple batches of samples, and the specific quality control ranges were recommended as follows: notoginsenoside R_1 21.92-34.16 mg·g~(-1), ginsenosides Rg_1 83.54-131.78 mg·g~(-1), ginsenosides Re 13.58-19.82 mg·g~(-1), ginsenosides Rb_1 89.40-129.90 mg·g~(-1), and ginsenosides Rd 22.34-35.67 mg·g~(-1). Eleven characteristic peaks were identified in the fingerprints. Five peaks, notoginsenoside R_1 and ginsenosides Rg_1, Re, Rb_1, Rd, were identified with reference standards. The similarities of the 19 batches of samples were all above 0.988, indicating good between-batch consistency. This method is green and simple, and can be used for the quantitative determination and quality evaluation of XDP. It can also provide references for the quality control of other Chinese medicinal dripping pills.

Metabonomics Analysis on Different Varieties of Angelica sinensis Based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To establish differential metabolites between different varieties of Angelica sinensis, and provide reference for breeding, introduction, regional cultivation and ecological cultivation of new varieties of A. sinensis. Method::Comprehensive non-target metabonomics analysis was conducted for five new varieties of A. sinensis collected at the same time from the same origin: Mingui No. 1 (MG1), Mingui No. 2 (MG2), Mingui No. 4 (MG4), Mingui No. 5 (MG5), and Mingui No. 6 (MG6). The 50% methanol extract of each variety was taken, and then the differential metabolites among varieties were found by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), software Progenesis QI, principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and non-targeted metabonomics analysis. Differential metabolites were identified based on precise molecular weight, secondary fragments, KEGG database, HMDE database and related literature information. Result::The results of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and multivariate statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences in the metabolites of five Angelica varieties. As compared with MG1, the contents of chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, tryptophan and ferulic aldehyde were significantly lower in MG2, MG4, MG5 and MG6, while the contents of ligustilide, coumarin, bovine keratin, palmitin, protocatechualdehyde and linolenic acid were significantly higher (P<0.05). The results of multivariate statistical analysis showed that the metabolites of MG2 and MG5 were similar with those of MG6, but were significantly different from those of MG4.In addition, 38 distinct metabolites were identified, involving 7 potential targeted metabolic pathways. Different varieties of A. sinensis could regulate the synthesis of their metabolites through phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and sesquiterpene-like compounds metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, carotenoids, linolenic acid, linoleic acid and some other metabolic pathways. Conclusion::UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and Progenesis QI metabonomics techniques were used to compare the chemical constituents of different varieties of A. sinensis from the overall level. The differences and their regularities were found, which could provide reference for quality control, variety sorting, identification, breeding and ecological planting of A. sinensis.

Soil ecological effect of attapulgite and its application prospect in ecological planting of Chinese materia medica / 中国中药杂志

The long-term and extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the cultivation of Chinese materia medica has resulted in serious soil ecological and environmental problems such as secondary salinization, soil consolidation, soil acidification, continuous cropping obstacles, micro-ecological imbalance, and serious soil pests and diseases in the production areas of Chinese materia medica. Therefore, promoting the ecological planting of Chinese materia medica is the only way for the production of Chinese materia medica. Attapulgite(ATP) is a kind of water-rich magnesium-rich aluminosilicate clay mineral with layered and chain structure. It has abundant reserves in China, possesses nano-material properties, strong adsorption and ion exchange properties, and has huge high value utilization space. ATP and its functional products have the potential of water and fertilizer conservation, regulating soil structure and micro-ecology, and are widely used in ecological planting of Chinese materia medica. This paper reviews the resource distribution, structural characteristics, the research and application progress in soil ecological effects of ATP, and prospects the application prospects of it in the ecological planting of Chinese materia medica.

Cloning and tissue expression of 4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase gene in Angelica sinensis / 中国中药杂志

4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase is a key enzyme of phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway in higher plant and may regulate the biosynthesis of ferulic acid in Angelica sinensis. In this study, the homology-based cloning and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique were used to clone a full length cDNA encoding 4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase gene (4CL), and then qRT-PCR was taken for analyzing 4CL gene expression levels in the root, stem and root tissue at different growth stages of seedlings of A. sinensis. The results showed that a full-length 4CL cDNA (1,815 bp) was obtained (GenBank accession number: KT880508) which shares an open reading frame (ORF) of 1 632 bp, encodes 544 amino acid polypeptides. We found 4CL gene was expressed in all tissues including leaf, stem and root of seedlings of A. sinensis. The expressions in the leave and stem were increased significantly with the growth of seedlings of A. sinensis (P < 0.05), while it in the root showed little change. It indicates a time-space pattern of 4CL gene expression in seedlings of A. sinensis. These findings will be useful for establishing an experiment basis for studying the structure and function of 4CL gene and elucidating mechanism of ferulic acid biosynthesis and space-time regulation in A. sinensis.

The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin in primary cultural fibroblasts of rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>AIM</b>To observe the expression of a-smooth muscle actin(a-SMA) in primary cultural fibroblasts of rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>12 female Wistar rats were randomly assigned into two groups, the normal group and the model group. The model group was filled with bleomycin A2 (5 mg/kg) once into the trachea. The normal group was filled with equal saline into the trachea. The rats were sacrificed under drugged state at 28 days of feeding, then Hematoxylin-Eosin staining and electron microscopy were used to evaluate the foundation of the model. The isolated fibroblasts from the rats were cultured in vitro. Flow cytometry was used in the test to observe the expression of alpha-SMA in fibroblast in vitro in rats.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The formation of fibroblast foci was observed in the model group by optical microscope. The ultrastructure in pulmonary tissue of the model group rats were changed and proliferated myofibroblasts with filaments were found in the alveolar septa by electron microscopy. The expression of alpha-SMA was positive in the normal and model group. There was no difference between the two groups in the rates of positive cells (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both the normal and model groups had the phenotype conversion in lung fibroblasts in vitro.</p>