Quality assessment of different forms of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum based on content of free amino acids / 中国中药杂志

In this study, we analyzed the composition and content of 25 free amino acids in 32 batches of different forms of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum(CCP; one-branched, two-branched, and three-branched) from 15 producing areas. The clustering analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were performed based on the content of 25 free amino acids. Potential differential metabolites were identified based on VIP value. The results showed that there were 25 free amino acids in CCP, and the average content of essential, non-essential, and total amino acids was 6.13, 32.99, and 39.12 mg·g~(-1), respectively. The clustering analysis and OPLS-DA demonstrated that 25 free amino acids had different content among the three forms of CCP, of which two-branched CCP samples were separately gathered into a group. Five differential components, including glutamic acid, tryptophan, ornithine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and hydroxylysine, were screened out as potential quality markers for the identification of different forms of CCP. This study provides a theoretical basis for the quality evaluation, processing, and utilization of different forms of CCP.

Corrigendum to “Effects of Raphani Semen on anti-fatigue and pharmacokinetics of Panax ginseng ” Chinese Herbal Medicines 11 2019 308–313 (Chinese Herbal Medicines (2019) 11(3) (308–313), (S1674638419300413), (10.1016/j.chmed.2019.05.001)) / 中草药·英文版

When this paper was first published the following ethical statement was omitted in error: The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of Experimental Animal Management of Institute of Special Wild Economic Animals and Plants, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences (No. 201807024). All animals were treated in strict accordance with animal ethics procedures and norms. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Simultaneous determination of 13 hormones in Testis et Penis Cervi using QuEChERS-ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry / 中国中药杂志

A reliable QuEChERS-ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS) analysis method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 13 steroid hormones(nrolone, androstenedione, methyltestosterone, testosterone, norethindrone, medroxyprogesterone, progesterone, diethylstilbestrol, hexan-stilbestrol, estradiol, estrotriol, cortisone, hydrocortisone) in Testis et Penis Cervi. The samples were extracted with methanol and purified by QuEChERS. Subsequently, the samples were separated by ACQUITY BEH C_(18) column and detected in the multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) mode under electrospray ionization in the positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Significant differences in the content of thirteen steroid hormones in Testis et Penis Cervi between the sika deer at different periods and the red deer were observed. The content of testosterone(10.88 μg·kg~(-1)) and hydrocortisone(12.82 μg·kg~(-1)) in Testis et Penis Cervi derived from rutting sika deer was significantly higher than the content of testosterone(1.05 μg·kg~(-1)) and hydrocortisone(0.73 μg·kg~(-1)) from antler growth stage. The content of progesterone in Testis et Penis Cervi derived from red deer was 6.07 μg·kg~(-1), significantly higher than that from sika deer. The content of progesterone in the testicle of red deer reached 27.46 μg·kg~(-1), 4.5 times greater than that in the penis of red deer. The sensitivity, accuracy, and precision of the method can meet the detection requirements, and the developed method is suitable for the measurement of hormones in animal-derived food.

Analysis of material basis of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in different growth stages based on chromatography / 中国中药杂志

Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in six growth stages was taken as materials to study the species and content changes of material basis, which were detected by UPLC, GC and MS chromatography, including lignans, nucleosides, aroma components and fatty acids. The results showed that the texture, color and taste of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in six growth stages were different. On the material basis, 12 lignans were detected by UPLC-MS, and the content of total lignans was higher in the samples from late August to early September, among which the highest content of schisandrin was 0.67%±0.01%, followed by schizandrol B, angeloylgomisin H and schisandrin B, and the total content increased with the maturity of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus. Thirteen kinds of nucleosides were detected by UPLC. The total nucleoside content was the highest in late July samples, in which the contents of uridine and guanosine were higher and decreased after maturity. Aroma components and fatty acids were identified by GC-MS. A total of 53 aroma components were detected and the highest total content was appeared in late August samples, of which ylangene was higher and bergamotene was followed. A total of 24 kinds of fatty acids were detected. The fruits matured basically in August, and the content of fatty acids in the samples was the highest, among which linoleic acid content was top the list and oleic acid was the second. To sum up, the maturity of Schisandra chinensis fruit is related to the content and variety of various material bases, and the growth period has different influences on the quality of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus. Therefore, the appropriate harvesting time should be determined according to the change law of target components. The results of this study can provide reference for the quality evaluation of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus material basis.

Present situation and analysis of deer industry standardization at home and abroad / 中国中药杂志

Deer is valuable all over the body,which is rich in nutritional value and medicinal value. Deer breeding and processing are very advanced in North America and New Zealand where many related standards have been published. The development of Chinese deer industry lack standard and normal management,neither standards' number nor coverage area formed complete frame structure. The international standards like Panax ginseng and P. notoginseng were more lacked. This paper makes a classification statistics on standardization organizations at home and abroad,foreign standards,Chinese national standards,industry standards,local standards and enterprise standards. The classes,contents,ages,implementation and promotion and demonstration area construction of standards were compared and analyzed. We found Chinese deer industry standards were deficient in coverage,uniformity,innovation,repeatability and support. And we give advises for the construction of industry quality standard system,organizational mobility and ideology of consumers,hoping to boost the standard construction and promote international competitiveness of Chinese deer industry.

Effects of ginseng neutral polysaccharide on gut microbiota in antibiotic-associated diarrhea mice / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the effect of ginseng neutral polysaccharide on gut microbiota composition and diversity as well as the therapeutic effect for antibiotic associated diarrhea( AAD) in mice. The water-soluble ginseng neutral polysaccharide( WGPN) was purified from water-soluble ginseng polysaccharides( WGP) by DEAE-sepharose fast flow column,which was obtained from the roots of Panax ginseng. AAD mice were induced by gastric gavage with lincomycin hydrochloride,followed by administration of normal saline( natural recovery group,NR) or WGPN( WGPN group) for one week. Body weight changes,psychosis and diarrhea status were observed and assessed. 12 h after the last administration,histological observation of ileum and 16 S rRNA high throughput sequencing analysis of intestinal contents were conducted to identify the effects of WGPN on AAD mice. The results showed that WGPN could alleviate the symptoms of diarrhea in mice,decrease the inflammation and edema of ileum,and increase the length of intestinal villi. As compared to NR mice,WGPN could increase the relative abundance of Lactobacillus,and significantly decrease the relative abundance of Bacteroides,Streptococcus,Ochrobactrum and Pseudomonas at the genus level. In conclusion,WGPN could improve the gut microecology by recovering the ileum structure and improving the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota in AAD mice.

Simultaneous determination of nucleosides and nucleobases in Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum of sika deer (Cervus nippon) with different processing methods by UPLC / 中草药

Objective To establish the method of simultaneous determination of the content of 13 nucleosides and nucleobases, including cytosine, uracil, adenine, guanine, 6-hydroxypurine, 2,6-dihydroxypurine, uridine, thymine, inosine, guanosine, adenosine, 2′-deoxyguanosine (2′-dG), beta-thymidine, in Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum (CCP) of sika deer (Cervus nippon) by UPLC, and compare the distribution differences of nucleosides and nucleobases in different zones of the CCP with different processing methods. Methods The nucleosides and nucleobases in CCP were extracted by water with assistance of ultrasound. Acquity UPLC HSS T3 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm) was used as chromatographic column to separate the nucleosides and nucleobases. Thirteen target compounds were eluted with acetonitrile 100% (eluent A) and water plus 0.006% formic acid (eluent B) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The column temperature was 30 ℃, and the injection volume was 3 μL and the detection wavelength was 260 nm. Results A total of 13 nucleosides and nucleobases basically reached the baseline separation with a good linearity within linear range (r > 0.999 6). The nucleosides and nucleobases content in wax slices, powder slices, gauze slices of CCP without and with blood were respectively 4.47, 3.95, 2.68 g/kg and 4.14, 3.44, 2.51 g/kg. And those three parts of CCP with boiling and freeze-drying processing were respectively 4.60, 2.95, 2.74 g/kg and 5.06, 4.24, 2.31 g/kg. Conclusion As far as the total content of nucleosides and nucleobases were concerned, the wax slices, powder slices and gauze slices of CCP without blood were all higher than those of CCP with blood. The wax slices, powder slices of CCP with freeze-drying processing were more than those of CCP with boiling processing, while the gauze slices of which were less than those of CCP with boiling processing.

Protective effects of extracts of Schisandra chinensis stems against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity via regulation of MAPK and caspase-3 signaling pathways / 中国天然药物

The present study was designed to evaluate protective activity of an ethanol extract of the stems of Schisandra chinensis (SCE) and explore its possible molecular mechanisms on acetaminophen (APAP) induced hepatotoxicity in a mouse model. The results of HPLC analysis showed that the main components of SCE included schisandrol A, schisandrol B, deoxyschisandrin, schisandrin B, and schisandrin C and their contents were 5.83, 7.11, 2.13, 4.86, 0.42 mg·g, respectively. SCE extract was given for 7 consecutive days before a single hepatotoxic dose of APAP (250 mg·kg) was injected to mice. Our results showed that SCE pretreatment ameliorated liver dysfunction and oxidative stress, which was evidenced by significant decreases in aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and elevations in reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. These findings were associated with the result that the SCE pretreatment significantly decreased expression levels of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT). SCE also significantly decreased the expression levels of Bax, mitogen- activated protein kinase (MAPK), and cleaved caspase-3 by APAP exposure. Furthermore, supplementation with SCE suppressed the expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), suggesting alleviation of inflammatory response. In summary, these findings from the present study clearly demonstrated that SCE exerted significant alleviation in APAP-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis mainly via regulating MAPK and caspase-3 signaling pathways.

Research on chemical compositions in different processed products of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the chemical compositions of "antler powder" and "antler slice", two types of processed products of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum (CCP) documented in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. With polysaccharides, crude protein, amino acids, fatty acids, mineral elements, biogenic amines, nucleosides and nucleobases as the evaluating indicators, the antler powder and antler slice processed with methods documented in Chinese Pharmacopoeia were compared in this study. The results showed that as compared with the antler powder by directly "chopping into pieces, and grinding into fine powder", the crude protein, amino acids, biogenic amines, nucleosides and nucleobases contents were reduced by 5.01%, 4.35%, 5.90%, 27.62% respectively in antler slices processed with 40% ethanol; the polysaccharides and nucleosides contents were reduced by 24.53% and 21.07% respectively in antler slices processed with 50% ethanol; and the crude protein and nucleosides contents were reduced by 1.65% and 20.52% in antler slices processed with 60% ethanol. While the contents of fatty acids and mineral elements were not decreased in these three methods. Polysaccharide, crude protein, amino acids, and nucleosides contents in "antler slices" were less than those in "antler powder", most notably in polysaccharides and nucleosides. According to the comprehensive scores of principal component analysis (PCA), the decrease of active ingredient determined in this study was lowest in antler slice processed with 50% ethanol.

Protective effects of extracts of Schisandra chinensis stems against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity via regulation of MAPK and caspase-3 signaling pathways / 中国天然药物

The present study was designed to evaluate protective activity of an ethanol extract of the stems of Schisandra chinensis (SCE) and explore its possible molecular mechanisms on acetaminophen (APAP) induced hepatotoxicity in a mouse model. The results of HPLC analysis showed that the main components of SCE included schisandrol A, schisandrol B, deoxyschisandrin, schisandrin B, and schisandrin C and their contents were 5.83, 7.11, 2.13, 4.86, 0.42 mg·g, respectively. SCE extract was given for 7 consecutive days before a single hepatotoxic dose of APAP (250 mg·kg) was injected to mice. Our results showed that SCE pretreatment ameliorated liver dysfunction and oxidative stress, which was evidenced by significant decreases in aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and elevations in reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. These findings were associated with the result that the SCE pretreatment significantly decreased expression levels of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT). SCE also significantly decreased the expression levels of Bax, mitogen- activated protein kinase (MAPK), and cleaved caspase-3 by APAP exposure. Furthermore, supplementation with SCE suppressed the expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), suggesting alleviation of inflammatory response. In summary, these findings from the present study clearly demonstrated that SCE exerted significant alleviation in APAP-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis mainly via regulating MAPK and caspase-3 signaling pathways.

Analysis of chondroitin sulfate content of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum with different processing methods and different parts / 中国中药杂志

The differences and the variations of chondroitin sulfate content in different parts of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum(CCP) with different processing methods were investigated. The chondroitin sulfate from velvet was extracted by dilute alkali-concentrated salt method. Next， the chondroitin sulfate was digested by chondroitinase ABC.The contents of total chondroitin sulfate and chondroitin sulfate A， B and C in the samples were determined by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).The content of chondroitin sulfate in wax，powder，gauze，bone slices of CCP with freeze-drying processing is 14.13，11.99，1.74，0.32 g·kg⁻¹， respectively. The content of chondroitin sulfate in wax，powder，gauze，bone slices of CCP with boiling processing is 10.71，8.97，2.21，1.40 g·kg⁻¹， respectively. The content of chondroitin sulfate in wax，powder，gauze，bone slices of CCP without blood is 12.47，9.47，2.64，0.07 g·kg⁻¹， respectively. And the content of chondroitin sulfate in wax，powder，gauze，bone slices of CCP with blood is 8.22，4.39，0.87，0.28 g·kg⁻¹ respectively. The results indicated that the chondroitin sulfate content in different processing methods was significantly different.The content of chondroitin sulfate in CCP with freeze-drying is higher than that in CCP with boiling processing.The content of chondroitin sulfate in CCP without blood is higher than that in CCP with blood. The chondroitin sulfate content in differerent paris of the velvet with the same processing methods was arranged from high to low as： wax slices， powder， gauze slices， bone slices.

Chemical constituents in flowers of Polygonum cuspidatum / 中草药

Objective: To investigate the chemical constituents in the flowers of Polygonum cuspidatum. Methods: The components were separated by means of solvent extraction, repeated chromatography with silica and Sephadex LH-20 column. The structures were determined by spectral analysis and physicochemical properties. Results: Sixteen compounds were isolated from the ethyl ether extract and methanol extract from the flowers of P. cuspidatum and identified as β-sitosterol (1), aloe-emodin (2), physcion (3), emodin (4), daucosterol (5), chrysophanol (6), luteolin (7), kaempferol (8), anthraglycoside B (9), rhein (10), apigenin (11), hesperetin (12), 4-hydroxyacetophenone (13), rutin (14), sucrose (15), and genistein (16). Conclusion: Compounds 2, 8, 12, 13, 15, and 16 are obtained from the flowers of P. cuspidatum for the first time.