Effect of soil moisture on efficacy to eliminate dampness and relieve jaundice and flavonoid content of Sedum sarmentosum / 中国中药杂志

The growth environment of medicinal plants plays an important role in the formation of their medicinal quality. However, there is a lack of combined analysis studying the close relationship between the growth environment, chemical components, and related biological activities of medicinal plants. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of different soil moisture treatments on the efficacy to eliminate dampness and relieve jaundice and the flavonoid content of Sedum sarmentosum, and explored their correlation. The flavonoid content in the decoction of S. sarmentosum growing under field conditions with soil moisture levels of 35%-40%(T1), 55%-60%(T2), 75%-80%(T3), and 95%-100%(T4) was compared. The effects of these treatments on liver function parameters, liver inflammation, and oxidative damage in mice with dampness-heat jaundice were evaluated, and the correlation between pharmacological indicators and flavonoid content was analyzed. The results showed that the total flavonoid and total phenolic acid content in the decoction of S. sarmentosum were highest in the T1 treatment, followed by the T3 treatment. The content of quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin was highest in the T2, T1, and T3 treatments, respectively. Among the different moisture treatments, the T3 group of S. sarmentosum effectively reduced the levels of serum ALT, AKP, TBIL, DBIL, TBA, as well as hepatic TNF-α and IL-6 in mice with jaundice, followed by T2 treatment, especially in reducing AST level. The T4 treatment had the poorest effect. Correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between AST, ALT, AKP levels in mice and the total content of quercetin and the three flavonoids. MDA showed a significant negative correlation with the total flavonoid content and kaempferol. TNF-α exhibited a significant negative correlation with the content of isorhamnetin. In conclusion, S. sarmentosum growing under field conditions with a soil moisture level of 75%-80% exhibited the best efficacy to eliminate dampness and relieve jaundice. This study provides insights for optimizing the cultivation mode of medicinal plants guided by pharmacological experiments.

Relationship between Polymorphism of MTHFR and Curative Effect of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Postoperative Colorectal Cancer Patients / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR)C677T polymorphism and the efficacy of the adjuvant chemotherapy with XELOX regimen for patients who had underwent radical resection of colorectal cancer. METHODS: Sixty-two patients who had received chemotherapy with XELOX regimen following radical resection of colorectal cancer were tested for MTHFR C677T polymorphism using Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR to analyze the association of MTHFR C677T polymorphism with the prognosis and adverse reactions to chemotherapy. RESULTS: Among the 62 patients with colorectal cancer, there were 3 allelotypes (C/C, C/T and T/T)at the MTHFR C677T locus, and their frequencies were 46.8%, 40.3%, and 12.9%, respectively. The recurrence free survival time was prolonged in C/T and T/T group than C/C group(Log-rank=4.778, P0.05). CONCLUSION: MTHFR C677T polymorphism is associated with the prognosis with adjuvant chemotherapy with XELOX regimen, and is not associated with the toxicities of chemotherapy. TNM stage IV is predicative of worse prognosis with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.