Research progress on vesicles from Chinese medicinal herbs / 浙江大学学报·医学版

Vesicles derived from Chinese medicinal herbs (VCMH) are nano-vesicular entities released by the cells of Chinese medicinal herbs. VCMHs have various biological effects and targeting characteristics, and their component chemicals and functional activities are closely related to the parent plant. VCMH differs from animal-derived vesicles in three ways: stability, specificity, and safety. There are a number of extraction and isolation techniques for VCMH, each with their own benefits and drawbacks, and there is no unified standard. When two or more approaches are used, high quantities of intact vesicles can be obtained more quickly and efficiently. The obtained VCMHs were systematically examined and evaluated. Firstly, they are generally saucer-shaped, cup-shaped or sphere, with particle size of 10-300 nm. Secondly, they contain lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and other active substances, and these components are an important part for intercellular information transfer. Finally, they mostly have good biocompatibility and low toxicity, with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor and anti-fibrotic effects. As a new drug carrier, VCMHs have outstanding active targeting capabilities, and the capsule form can effectively preserve the drugs, considerably enhancing drug delivery efficiency and stability in vitro and in vivo. The modification of its vesicular structure by suitable physical or chemical means can further create more stable and precise drug carriers. This article reviews the extraction and purification techniques, activity evaluation and application of VCMH to provide information for further research and application of new active substances and targeted drug carriers.

Active Components in Chinese Medicinal Herbs Regulate AMPK/mTOR Pathway to Mediate Autophagy in Diabetic Kidney Disease： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Diabetic kidney disease （DKD） is one of the typical microvascular complications in patients with diabetes and a major cause of end-stage renal disease， with the pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. It may be associated with hemodynamic effects， genetic factors， kidney inflammatory injury， oxidative stress， autophagy dysregulation， metabolic disorders and so on. Because of its complex mechanism， there are no specific prevention and treatment measures in clinical practice. AMP-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway is a classical pathway involved in the regulation of autophagy. This pathway can be activated for treating DKD. Recent studies have demonstrated that the active components in Chinese medicinal herbs play a role in the prevention and treatment of DKD by directly acting on targeted cells and autophagy targets， which has attracted extensive attention. Researchers have extensively studied the occurrence and development of DKD and the mechanism of drug intervention in DKD， and the results prove that AMPK/mTOR pathway plays a role in the development of this disease. The active components in Chinese medicinal herbs regulate the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway to affect autophagy， alleviate oxidative stress， inflammation， and extracellular matrix aggregation， and promote the generation of autophagosomes， thus mitigating kidney injury. This paper mainly reviews the relationship between AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway， autophagy， and DKD and the mechanism of active components in Chinese medicinal herbs in mediating autophagy via the AMPK/mTOR pathway， aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of DKD.

Active Components in Chinese Medicinal Herbs Regulate Osteogenic Signaling Pathway in Treatment of Steroid-induced Osteonecrosis of Femoral Head： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

As a threat to human health， steroid-induced osteonecrosis of femur head is a common refractory orthopedic disease mainly caused by glucocorticoids， with poor prognosis and unclear pathogenesis. Osteogenesis-associated signaling pathways play an important role in bone formation. Glucocorticoid-induced abnormal activation and transport of these signaling pathways lead to abnormal differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells， dysfunction of bone metabolism， and osteogenesis disorders， which may be the main reasons for the occurrence and development of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of femur head. Bone formation and remodeling need the participation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells， which are stem cells characterized by continuous self-renewal and differentiation. The key to strengthening bone remodeling is to improve the osteogenic differentiation capacity， which is the key point to inhibit bone resorption and prevent bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from differentiating into osteoclasts. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has been used in the treatment of osteonecrosis in ancient times. It is recorded in the Treasury of Words on Materia Medica （《本草汇编》） that "The deficiency in the lower energizer cannot be tonified without Eucommiae Cortexz.The soreness in lower legs cannot be alleviated without Eucommiae Cortex...The pain in the waist and knee cannot be relieved without Eucommiae Cortex...Tonifying liver and invigorating kidney， Eucommiae Cortex is an essential medicine." This indicates that ancient physicians have already begun to use the liver-tonifying， kidney-invigorating， and sinew-bone-strengthening effects of Eucommiae Cortex for the treatment of osteonecrosis. As the national support for the development of TCM strengthens， increasing studies have been conducted on the TCM prevention and treatment of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of femur head. Studies have suggested that Chinese medicinal herbs can exert a positive effect on the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by affecting targeted signaling molecules， and promote osteogenesis and bone defect repair， thus combating the occurrence and development of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of femur head. The regulation of osteogenic signaling pathway by Chinese medicines to prevent steroid-induced osteonecrosis of femoral head has become a hot research topic. This article reviews the studies about the prevention and treatment of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of femur head with the active components in Chinese medicinal herbs by regulating osteogenic signaling pathways. We then explore the mechanism of the active components in promoting the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts and inhibiting their differentiation into osteoclasts to facilitate bone formation， aiming to provide a reference for the further study of treating steroid-induced osteonecrosis of femoral head with Chinese medicinal herbs.

The traditional Chinese medicines treat chronic heart failure and their main bioactive constituents and mechanisms

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a severe public health problem with increasing morbidity and mortality, any treatment targeting a single session is insufficient to tackle this. CHF is characterized by reduced cardiac output resulting from neurohumoral dysregulation and cardiac remodeling, which might be related to oxidative stress, inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, apoptosis, autophagy, mitochondrial function, and angiogenesis. These molecular mechanisms interact with each other through crosstalk. Historically, Chinese medicinal herbs have been widely applied in the treatment of CHF, and therapeutic effects of Chinese medicinal herbs and their ingredients have been scientifically confirmed over the past decades. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with multiple components can confront the different pathogenesis of CHF through multiple targets. This review analyzes commonly used TCM patent drugs and TCM decoctions that are applicable to different stages of CHF based on clinical trials. Diverse bioactive ingredients in Chinese medicinal herbs have been found to treat CHF via multiple molecular mechanisms. This review comprehensively covers the key works on the effects and underlying mechanisms of TCM, herbal ingredients and synergistic effects of constituent compatibility in treating CHF, providing additional ideas to address this threat.

Comparison of chemical components between aerial and underground parts of Coptis chinensis based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS~E technology / 中国中药杂志

The ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS~E) technology was employed to compare the chemical components between the aerial and underground parts of Coptis chinensis samples from different batches. According to the retention time, molecular ion peak, and LC-MS~E fragment information of the reference substances and available literature, we identified a total of 40 components. Thirty-three and 31 compounds were respectively identified in the underground part(taproots) and the aerial part(stems and leaves) of C. chinensis. Among them, 24 compounds, including alkaloids(e.g., berberine and jatrorrhizine) and phenolic acids(e.g., chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, and tanshinol), were common in the two parts. In addition, differential components were also identified, such as magnoline glucoside in the underground part and(±) lariciresionol-4-β-D-glucopyranoside in the aerial part. The analysis of fragmentation pathways based on spectra of reference substances indicated the differences among samples of different batches. Furthermore, we performed the principal component analysis(PCA) for the peak areas of C. chinensis in different batches. The results showed that the underground part and the aerial part were clearly clustered into two groups, indicating that the chemical components contained in the two parts were different. Furthermore, the results of partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) identified 31 differential compounds(VIP value>1) between the underground part and the aerial part, mainly including alkaloids, phenolic acids, lignans, and flavonoids. This study proves that C. chinensis possesses great development potential with multiple available compounds in stems and leaves. Moreover, it sheds light on for the development and utilization of non-medicinal organs of C. chinensis and other Chinese medicinal herbs.

Application Progress of Plant Growth Regulator in Production of Chinese Medicinal Materials / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Plant growth regulator （PGR） is mostly a class of chemical synthesis substance with physiological activities similar to plant hormones，which can promote cell elongation，induce vascular differentiation or accelerate tissue aging via regulating the physiological processes such as photosynthesis，respiration，transpiration，signal transduction，substance absorption and operation. PGR has the advantages of small dosage，high efficiency，low toxicity and less residue，and it is widely used in the planting of Chinese medicinal herbs. By consulting the relevant literature published in recent years，this paper briefly summarizes the main types of PGR，e.g.auxins，gibberellins，cytokinins，abscisic acid and ethylene，etc. On the other hand，this article analyzes and sums up the specific applications of PGR in the manufacture of Chinese herbal medicine，for instance，promoting seed germination，improving seed setting rate or fruit setting rate，dwarfing plants，inhibiting reproductive growth，regulating gender differentiation，stimulating fruit falling，enhancing resistance and so on. The problems existing in the practical use of PGR are pointed out，non-differentiation of specific species，unreasonable combination，not paying attention to the operation method，arbitrarily increasing the dose，lack of residue limit standard and reducing the content of some effective components，for example.Meanwhile，some feasible suggestions are put forward.Not only the suitable types of PGR should be selected in a reasonable and standardized manner，but also the appropriate concentration，dosage and period of application should be chosen carefully； the dual effects of PGR on plant growth and active ingredients in medicinal organs should be concerned，so as to improve the yield and avoid the loss of effective components on the basis of ensuring the quality of Chinese medicinal materials； it is necessary to strengthen the registration of PGR in the production of Chinese medicinal materials and establish residue limit standards to provide a monitoring basis for ensuring the safety of Chinese medicine in the future.The scientific use of PGR can promote the increase of agricultural yield and farmers' income，and make the healthy development of Chinese herbal medicine planting industry.

Flavor and meridian tropism classification analysis of Callianthemum taipaicum / 中国中药杂志

To explore the flavor and meridian tropism classification of Callianthemum taipaicum by principal components analysis(PCA) and partial least square analysis(PLS). Meanwhile,to establish a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-ESI-MS) method for the simultaneous determination of 55 active components from 13 kinds of Ranunculaceae of Chinese traditional herbs. Samples were separated on HPLC system by Agilent 5 TC-C₁₈（2）（4.6 mm×250 mm，5 μm）column and eluted with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid at the flow rate of 0.6 mL·min⁻¹. The data were performed by HPLC-ESI-MS with multiple reaction monitoring（MRM）scanning mode under positive and negative ion modes and quantified by external standards. The data from 13 Ranunculaceae herbs were analyzed by the PLS-tree and cooman's prediction of PCA and PLS to evaluate the similarities and differences of C. taipaicum in flavor and meridian tropism. The results showed that calibration curves of 55 components all showed good linearity, >0.99,with good precision, repeatability and stability. After compared to other 12 herbs,PCA and PLS results revealed that the C. taipaicum belonged to lung and bladder meridians while its flavor attributive to pungent,warm in nature. In conclusion,the analysis approach of chemometric calculation combined with multi-components quantification is suitable for the classification of meridian tropism and flavor of Chinese traditional medicine,which can be used for alternative research of rare herbs.

Investigation of Species of Wild Chinese Medicinal Herbs for Treating Liver Diseases in Quanzhou City of Fujian Province / 中国中医药信息杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the species of wild Chinese medicinal herbs for treating liver diseases in Quanzhou City of Fujian Province.Methods Based on the field investigation combined with literature reference, induction and analysis of the species of wild Chinese medicinal herbs for treating liver diseases in Quanzhou City of Fujian Province have been conducted.ResultsIt was found that there are 59 families, 112 genera, and 132 species of wild Chinese medicinal herbs for treating liver diseases in Quanzhou City of Fujian Province, most of which belong to angiosperm. 15 families, 21 genera, and 21 species are recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition). Compositae has the largest number of genera and species (16 genera &19 species), followed by leguminosae (8 genera & 8 species) and labiatae (6 genera & 8 species). Chinese medicinal herbs for heat-clearing and promoting urination and leaching out damp amount to 69 and 20 species respectively. Over 88% of these wild medicinal herbs can be used to treat various liver diseases, and 46 species are used with high frequency. They are mainly taken by water decoction and oral administration.ConclusionWild Chinese medicinal herbs for treating liver diseases in Quanzhou City of Fujian Province are rich in species and resources, and are worth further development and utilization.

Effect of Pelvic Traction Combined with Chinese Medicinal Herbs Hot Pack-electrotherapy on Prolapse of Lumbar Intervertebral Disc / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To observe the effect of pelvic traction combined with Chinese medicinal herbs hot pack-electrotherapy on prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc (PLID).Methods Eighty patients with PLID were treated with pelvic traction combined with Chinese medicinal herbs hot pack-electrotherapy. The curative effect were assessed with Japanese Orthopedic Association Scoring System (JOA score).Results After treatment, symptoms, signs and activities of daily living of patients improved significantly ( P<0.01).Conclusion Pelvic traction combined with Chinese medicinal herbs hot pack-electrotherapy has an obvious curative effect on PLID patients.

Heavy metals contents of 26 Chinese medicinal herbs in Guizhou GAP plantation / 中成药

Hg.Only comprehensive pollution index of Blumea balsamifera and roots of Epimedium wushanense were higher than 1. CONCLUSION: In 155 batches of Chinese medicinal herbs investigated,with the exception of Blumea balsamifera and roots of Epimedium wushanense polluted slightly,the most of them have not been polluted.

Study of Bacterial Endotoxin Test(BET) for Five Chinese Medicinal Herbs for Injection / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To investigate BET for five Chinese medicinal herbs for injection METHODS:By interfering test Suanghuanglian for injection showed no interference with BET,Yinzhihuang for injection had inhibiting action,Salviae mtltiorrhizae composita,Qingkailing and Shengmai for injections revealed enhancing action on BET RESULTS:The interference could be eliminated when the samples were diluted with dextran solution CONCLUSION:Five Chinese medicinal herbs for injection can be examined by BET instead of the pyrogen test method

Investing modern research on meridian-reaching actions of traditinal Chinese medicinal herbs / 中国药理学通报

The Meridian-raching theory is a core of Traditinal Chinese Medicinal Herbs,and a guidebook of Chinese clinical medicine. It is beneficial to discuss the underling methods, advan tages and disadvantages of the theory.