Therapeutic potential of alkaloid extract from Codonopsis Radix in alleviating hepatic lipid accumulation: insights into mitochondrial energy metabolism and endoplasmic reticulum stress regulation in NAFLD mice / 中国天然药物

Alkaloids are a class of naturally occurring bioactive compounds that are widely distributed in various food sources and Traditional Chinese Medicine. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of alkaloid extract from Codonopsis Radix (ACR) in ameliorating hepatic lipid accumulation in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). The results revealed that ACR treatment effectively mitigated the abnormal weight gain and hepatic injury associated with HFD. Furthermore, ACR ameliorated the dysregulated lipid metabolism in NAFLD mice, as evidenced by reductions in serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein levels, accompanied by a concomitant increase in the high-density lipoprotein level. ACR treatment also demonstrated a profound anti-oxidative effect, effectively alleviating HFD-induced oxidative stress and promoting ATP production. These effects were achieved through the up-regulation of the activities of mitochondrial electron transfer chain complexes I, II, IV, and V, in addition to the activation of the AMPK/PGC-1α pathway, suggesting that ACR exhibits therapeutic potential in alleviating the HFD-induced dysregulation of mitochondrial energy metabolism. Moreover, ACR administration mitigated HFD-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and suppressed the overexpression of ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14) in NAFLD mice. In summary, the present study provides compelling evidence supporting the hepatoprotective role of ACR in alleviating lipid deposition in NAFLD by improving energy metabolism and reducing oxidative stress and ER stress. These findings warrant further investigation and merit the development of ACR as a potential therapeutic agent for NAFLD.

Research progress of Codonopsis Radix and prediction of its Q-markers / 中国中药杂志

Codonopsis Radix is a traditional tonic medicine commonly used in China, which has the effects of strengthening the spleen and tonifying the lung, as well as nourishing blood and engendering liquid. The chemical constituents of Codonopsis species are mainly polyacetylenes, alkaloids, phenylpropanoids, lignans, terpenoids and saponins, flavonoids, steroids, organic acids, saccharides, and so on. Modern pharmacological studies showed that Codonopsis Radix also has a variety of pharmacological effects such as enhancing body immunity, protecting gastrointestinal mucosa and resisting ulcers, promoting hematopoietic function, regulating blood sugar, and delaying aging. In this paper, the chemical constituents of Codonopsis species and the pharmacological effects of Codonopsis Radix were summarized, and on this basis, the quality markers of Codonopsis Radix were analyzed. It was predicted that lobetyolin, tangshenoside I, codonopyrrolidium A, and the oligosaccharides were the possible Q-markers of Codonopsis Radix. This paper will provide scientific references for the quality evaluation and profound research and the development of Codonopsis Radix.

Herbal Textual Research on Local Varieties of Codonopsis Radix / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Codonopsis Radix， one of the bulk commodities， has been commonly used for tonification in clinical practice. Apart from the medicinal purpose， it can also be utilized as food. Among the multiple local varieties， the ones called "Luduiduoji" in Tibetan medicine cannot be neglected， which have frequently been adopted for diminishing inflammation and swelling， invigorating spleen and stomach， and tonifying Qi， etc. Considering its complex origins and frequent substitution by or confusion with other medicinal materials， this paper reviewed the Si Bu Yi Dian， Jingzhu Bencao， ministerial and local standards， modern literature on Tibetan medicine， and the results of field investigation in major Tibetan medicine hospitals and medicinal material markets of Sichuan， Qinghai and Tibet to figure out the name， original plants， medicinal parts， effects， and local varieties of Codonopsis Radix in Tibetan medicine. The results showed that the names of local varieties were diverse， many of which were transliterated into Tibetan， with "Luduiduoji" being most well-known. It was derived from 14 species in genus Codonopsis and one in Adenophora of family Campanulaceae， with Codonopsis foetens subsp. nervosa， C. thalictrifolia var. mollis， C. canescens， C. alpina， and C. pilosula being the main species. According to literature records， the roots， aerial parts， and whole plants could all be employed as medicine， but there were certain differences in their clinical applications. At present， in order to protect the medicinal resources， Tibetan medical workers mostly collect the aerial parts， which are applicable to patients with yellow water， rheumatism， Gamba disease， and leprosy. This literature review of local varieties for Codonopsis Radix and textual research on their original plants are of great significance for elevating the standard， accelerating the pharmacodynamic research， expanding the sources and promoting the rational use of Codonopsis Radix.

Influence of Yuanzhisan Containing Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma or Codonopsis Radix on Memory Disorder / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the effects of Yuanzhisan （YZS） containing Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma （YZSR） or Codonopsis Radix （YZSD） on memory disorder based on network and experimental pharmacology. Method:The active components and targets of YZS were retrieved from the component database and literature， and the targets of memory disorder from the disease databases. The intersection targets revealed by Veen diagram were subjected to pathway analysis. The common active components of YZSR and YZSD were molecularly docked onto the core targets. Scopolamine hydrobromide was used to establish the memory disorder model， which was employed in the behavioral experiments for evaluating the effect of YZSR and YZSD on memory disorder. Result:There existed 33 active components for Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and 31 for Codonopsis Radix， with four common active components and 380 common targets. YZSR contained 85 active components and 790 drug targets， and YZSD 81 active components and 781 drug targets. The mapping of 425 memory disorder targets with those of YZSD and YZSD yielded 133 and 130 intersection targets， respectively. The metabolic pathways involved calcium ion signaling pathway， hypoxia-inducible factor-1 （HIF-1） signaling pathway， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway， etc. As revealed by molecular docking， the binding energy of common active components to the targets was negative， and the binding effect of frutinone A was the best. Behavioral experiment results showed that both YZSR and YZSD alleviated the memory disorder. In the step-down test， the number of errors in the YZSD group was significant lower than that in the model group （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. In Morris water maze test， the movement distance of the YZSD group was remarkably shortened in comparison with that of the model group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. In the open field test， the movement distances of both the YZSR and YZSD group were shortened in contrast to that in the normal group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Conclusion:YZS had a certain effect on memory disorder. There are similarities and differences between YZSR and YZSD in the treatment of memory disorder.

Application of Relative Quality Constant in Grade Evaluation of Codonopsis Radix Slices / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To establish the grade evaluation method for Codonopsis Radix slices based relative quality constants， in order to provide scientific theoretical basis for grading of Codonopsis Radix slices. Method:Through literature and market research，the main production areas of Codonopsis Radix slices were determined，and 67 batches of Ludangshen slices（52 batches） and Baitiaodang slices （15 batches） were collected. The appearance traits （average quality and average thickness of Codonopsis Radix slices） were observed and measured. According to Chinese Pharmacopoeia （2015 edition）， the extract and the content of Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide was determined by phenol-sulphoacid method. Then the relative quality constant was calculated，and the results of grade evaluation were evaluated through systematic cluster analysis and correlation analysis. Result:Relative quality constants of 67 batches of Codonopsis Radix slices were between 0.32-2.97. If these samples were divided into three grades：the first-grade relative quality constants were greater than or equal to 2.08，the second grade was greater than or equal to 0.89 but less than 2.08，while the third grade was less than 0.89. The results of systematic cluster analysis showed that 67 batches of Codonopsis Radix slices were clustered into 3 categories，and the results were basically consistent with the classification. The correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the content of the extracts and the polysaccharide content （P<0.05）. Conclusion:This method links the extrinsic characteristics to the intrinsic quality，and objectively grade Codonopsis Radix slices， so as to provide a basis for its grade standards.

Network pharmacology unveils spleen-fortifying effect of Codonopsis Radix on different gastric diseases based on theory of “same treatment for different diseases” in traditional Chinese medicine / 中草药·英文版

Objective: “Same treatment for different diseases” is a unique treatment strategy under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory. Codonopsis Radix (Codonopsis pilosula, Dangshen in Chinese) with spleen-fortifying effect was employed to understand the strategy of “Same treatment for different diseases”, based on its common mechanism in the treatment of gastric diseases including gastric ulcer, gastritis and gastric cancer via network pharmacology research. Methods: Network pharmacology research methods were used to analyze the interaction network and potential mechanisms of Dangshen in treating gastric ulcer, gastritis and gastric cancer. The active components and their target proteins of Dangshen were integrated from TCMSP, BATMAN-TCM databases. The targets of gastric ulcer, gastritis and gastric cancer were collected through GeneCards, PubMed, TDD and DisGeNET Database. Through screening, the key components and the key targets of Dangshen in treating gastric ulcer, gastritis and gastric cancer were obtained. After KEGG pathway analysis and GO analysis, the important pathways and biological processes were analyzed. Results: Through data and literature mining, the common and specific pharmaceutical effects and mechanism of Dangshen were summarized in these three gastric lesions. It was shown that Dangshen mainly acted on gastric ulcer, gastritis and gastric cancer through the overall regulation of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. With the development of the disease, it will gradually increase the control of inflammation through TNF, NF-κB and other inflammation-related signaling pathways to reduce inflammatory damage. For tumorigenesis, it pays more attention to inhibiting the ErbB signaling pathways to reduce the proliferation and migration of tumor cells. In addition, Dangshen's regulation of HIF-1 signaling pathway may also be beneficial for the treatment of gastric ulcer, gastritis and gastric cancer. Conclusion: Dangshen achieves spleen-fortifying effect on gastric diseases including gastric ulcer, gastritis and gastric cancer through multiple targets in multiple pathways, especially PI3K-AKT pathway and HIF-1 pathway. It could provide a scientific basis for understanding the strategy of “Same treatment for different diseases” in traditional Chinese medicine.

Comparative Study on Contents of 5 Active Ingredients in Different Varieties and Harvesting Periods of Codo- nopsis Radix / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To establish a method for simultaneous determination of the contents of codonopatin ，syringin， atractylenolide Ⅰ，atractylenolide Ⅱ and atractylenolide Ⅲ，and to compare the contents of above 5 components in different varieties and harvesting periods of Codonopsis Radix. METHODS ：HPLC method was used. The column was Inertsil ODS- 3 with mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-water （gradient elution ）at the flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The detection wavelengths were 210 nm （codonopatin），220 nm （syringin，atractylenolide Ⅱ ，atractylenolide Ⅲ），276 nm （atractylenolide Ⅰ）. The column temperature was set at 30 ℃ ，and the sample size was 20 μ L. RESULTS：The linear range of codonopatin ，syringin， atractylenolide Ⅰ，atractylenolide Ⅱ and atractylenolide Ⅲ were 44.30-886.00 μg/mL（r＝0.999 7），6.50-130.03 μg/mL（r＝0.999 6）， 4.47-89.46 μg/mL（r＝0.999 5），2.53-50.50 μg/mL（r＝0.999 4），5.64-112.80 μg/mL（r＝0.999 5）；the limits of quantification were 2.446 0，0.168 0，0.248 1，0.065 7，0.099 8 μg/mL，and detection limits were 1.352 0，0.067 2，0.005 4，0.006 3，0.007 3 μ g/mL；RSDs of precision ，stability（24 h），repeatability and durability tests were all less than 2％；the recoveries were 98.87％-100.62％（RSD＝0.73％，n＝6），98.46％-101.54％ （RSD＝1.15％，n＝6），98.32％-101.12％（RSD＝1.19％，n＝ 96.83％-104.16％（RSD＝2.62％，n＝6），97.87％-100.99％ （RSD＝1.07％，n＝6）. The average contents were 33.78-431.82， 0-20.60，0.44-3.68，0-10.83，0.27-73.40 μ g/g. The content of 1271985629@qq.com codonopatin was in descending order was as follows as Codonopsis pilosula ＞C. tangshen ＞C. pilosula Nannf. var. modesta （Nannf.） L. T. Shen ＞ecotypic variety of C.·1677· tangshen. The content of syringin in descending order was C. pilosula ＞C. pilosula Nannf. var. modesta（Nannf.）L. T. Shen ＞C. tangshen，but it was not detected in ecotypic variety of C. tangshen . The content of atractylenolide Ⅰ in descending order was C. pilosula Nannf. var. modesta（Namf.）L. T. Shen ＞ecotypic variety of C. tangshen ＞C. pilosula ＞C. tangshen . The content of atractylenolide Ⅱ in C. pilosula was higher than C. pilosula Nannf. var. modesta（Nannf.）L. T. Shen ，but was no detected in C. tangshen and ecotypic variety of C. tangshen . The content of atractylenolide Ⅲ in descending order was C. pilosula ＞C. pilosula Nannf. var. modesta（Nannf.）L. T. Shen ＞ecotypic variety of C. tangshen ＞C. tangshen . In Codonopsis Radix collected from Jul. to Oct. ，the content of codonopatin was the highest ；the content of atractylenolide Ⅰ was lower in sample collected from Jun. to Oct.；atractylenolide Ⅱ was not detected in sample collected in Aug. ；the contents of atractylenolide Ⅰ and atractylenolide Ⅱ were the lower in sample collected in Sept. ，and syringin and atractylenolide Ⅱ were not detected in some samples. CONCLUSIONS ： The established HPLC method is simple ，accurate，highly sensitive and reproducible. It can be used to simultaneously determine 5 active ingredients contents of Codonopsis Radix ；there are great difference in contents of 5 active ingredients in different varieties and harvesting periods of Codonopsis Radix.

Study on the Anti-inflammatory Activity and Mechanism of Different Components from Codonopsis Radix Polysaccharides / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To screen the components with better anti-inflammatory effect from Codonopsis Radix polysaccharide and explore the anti-inflammatory mechanism. METHODS ：Using Codonopsis Radix as sample ，the crude polysaccharide （CP） was obtained by water extraction and alcohol precipitation. After CP was separated and purified by Fast Flow DEAE Sepharose ， SephadexG-150 gel column and so on ，the components CP 1-2-1 and CP 3-1-1 were obtained and then characterized. The survival rate of RAW 264.7 cell was determined by MTT method after cultured with CP ，CP1-2-1 and CP 3-1-1（0.01，0.1，1，10，100 μg/mL）for 24 and 48 h respectively. The cells were divided into blank group （blank culture medium ），model group （1 μg/mL LPS）and low-，medium- and high-concentration groups of 3 kinds of Codonopsis Radix polysaccharide （1 μg/mL LPS+25，50， 100 μg/mL CP，CP1-2-1，CP3-1-1 solution）. After cultured for 24 h，NO content in cell culture solution ，mRNA expressions of TLR4，IL-6，NF-κB and TNF-α in cells were determined. RESULTS：The sugar content of CP reached （92.20±0.73）％. CP 1-2-1 was a single neutral polysaccharide composed of fructose with a relative molecular weight of 25.8 kDa. CP 3-1-1 was an acidic heteropolysaccharide composed of arabinose ，rhamnose，galactose and galacturonic acid and so on ，with a relative molecular weight of 49.5 kDa. Cell survival rates were higher than 99％，after cultured with 3 kinds of polysaccharide for 24 and 48 h. Compared with blank group ，NO content in cell culture solution and mRNA expressions of TLR 4，IL-6，NF-κB and TNF-α in cells were increased significantly in model group （P＜0.05 or P＜ . Compared with model group ， NO content in cell 2016CFB412） culture solution of each administration group was significantly reduced，mRNA expressions of TLR 4，NF-κB，TNF-α，IL-6 in cells in 50，100 μg/mL CP group were significantly decreased ong1991@163.com （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）；mRNA expressi ons of TLR 4，NF-κB in cells in 25 µg/mL CP 1-2-1 group and mRNA expressions of TLR 4，NF-κB，TNF-α，IL-6 in cells in 50，100 µg/mL CP 1-2-1 group were significantly decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）；mRNA expressionsof IL- 6 in cells in 25 µg/mL CP 3-1-1 group，mRNA expressions of NF-κB，TNF-α，IL-6 in cells in 50 µg/mL CP 3-1-1 group and mRNA expressions of TLR 4，NF-κB，TNF-α，IL-6 in cells in 100 µg/mL CP 3-1-1 group were significantly decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS ：CP，CP 1-2-1 and CP 3-1-1 all have certain anti-inflammatory activities. The mechanism may be related to inhibiting the generation and releasing of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α，IL-6 by inhibiting the activation of TLR 4/NF-κB pathway.

Quantitative and HPLC fingerprint analysis combined with chemometrics for quality evaluation of Codonopsis Radix processed with different methods / 中草药·英文版

Objective: To observe the effect of different processing methods on the quality of Codonopsis Radix and provide data reference for the reasonable processing in the producing areas. Methods: An analytical strategy that combined quantitative and HPLC fingerprint analysis with chemometrics was developed for the quality evaluation of Codonopsis Radix. Lobetyolin, polysaccharide, sucrose, glucose, and fructose were detected simultaneously in Codonopsis Radix samples treated with different processing methods including dryer-drying, sun-drying, shade-drying, sulfur fumigation, and kneading, etc. Results: The results showed that different processing methods had an obvious impact on the quality of Codonopsis Radix. Sun-drying or shade-drying was recommended, and sulfur fumigation should be avoided. And dryer-drying at 40 °C−50 °C was suggested to meet the requirement for large scale processing. In addition, based on the content of polysaccharide, glucose, and fructose, it was advised to knead for three times. As for lobetyolin and sucrose, kneading should be avoided. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that processing method had a big impact on the quality of Codonopsis Radix. Based on the results, the appropriate processing methods directed at different requirements were recommended. The study could lay a foundation for the reasonable processing of Codonopsis Radix in producing areas.

Effect of Different Processing Methods on Types and Contents of Chemical Constituents in Codonopsis Radix from Shanxi / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To establish the HPLC fingerprint of raw products,rice-processed products and honey-processed products of Codonopsis Radix from Shanxi,and establish determination of their chemical constituents,which was used to analyze the changes of types and contents of chemical constituents in Codonopsis Radix from Shanxi before and after processing. Method:Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18 column(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm) was adopted,the separation process was carried out using a binary gradient elution system composed of 0.5% phosphoric acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile,the column temperature was 30℃ and the detection wavelength was 220 nm. Result:Compared with the corresponding reference fingerprint,the similarities of HPLC fingerprint of 10 batches of raw products and processed products were >0.90.In raw products,rice-processed products and honey-processed products of Codonopsis Radix from Shanxi,the contents of lobetyolin were (0.33±0.049),(0.24±0.034),(0.18±0.047) mg·g-1,the contents of atractylenolide Ⅲ were (0.20±0.046),(0.40±0.046),(0.31±0.060) mg·g-1,the contents of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(5-HMF) were (0.74±0.16),(1.45±0.19),(1.54±0.12) mg·g-1,respectively. Conclusion:Different processing methods have little effect on types of chemical constituents in Codonopsis Radix from Shanxi,but have great effect on the contents of some chemical constituents.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Contents of Sulfur Dioxide Residue and Sulfur-containing Derivatives in Sulfur-fumigated Codonopsis Radix / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of heat-treating de-sulfur method for sulfur-fumigated Codonopsis Radix (CR) by investigating the changes in contents of sulfur dioxide residue and sulfur-containing derivatives after sulfur-fumigation.Method: Qualitative and semi-quantitative characterization of sulfur-containing derivatives was analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS),and sulfur dioxide residues were determined by acid-base titration method. Then the correlations between sulfur dioxide residues and sulfur-containing derivatives in sulfur-fumigated CR samples with different sulfur-fumigation and heat treatment extents were analyzed.Result: Atractylenolide Ⅱ and atractylenolide Ⅲ sulfur-containing derivatives were identified as major characteristic markers of sulfur fumigated CR. With the increase of sulfur-fumigation time,the content of sulfur dioxide residues was continuously increased,while the content of sulfur-containing derivatives was elevated at the beginning and then reached to a plateau, so there was not necessarily a positive correlation between sulfur dioxide residue and the amount of sulfur derivatives. With the increase of heat-treated time,the content of sulfur dioxide residues was continuously decreased,while the content of sulfur-containing derivatives was decreased first and remained at a high level later. There was no clear correlation between sulfur dioxide residue and sulfur-containing derivatives in different sulfur-fumigated and heat-treating de-sulfur degrees of CR.Conclusion: Heat-treatment could decrease the content of sulfur dioxide residue,but the content of sulfur-containing derivatives still remained at a high level, so heat treatment could not reinstate the inner quality of sulfur-fumigated CR to its non-fumigated ones. Therefore, heat-treating de-sulfur is not a feasible method for the quality assurance of sulfur-fumigated CR.

Study on quality transfer law of rice-processed Codonopsis Radix in processing based on “correlation between external apparence color and internal component” / 中草药

Objective: To study the correlation between the apparent color of the samples and the important variable components of HPLC fingerprint of rice-processed Codonopsis Radix (rpCR) in processing and its quality transfer law, and lay the foundation for revealing the processing principle of rpCR. Methods: This experiment was based on the experience of the process of rpCR and the apparent color change of traditional processed slices, the visual analyzer was used to analyze the change of apparent color of rpCR from different process time. HPLC fingerprint was used to evaluate the dynamic changes of chemical constituents of rpCR in processing. Then, the multivariate statistical method was used to analyze the correlation between the apparent color and the important variable components of the HPLC fingerprint. Results: In the processing of rpCR, the total color value (E*) of sample powder showed a downward trend, the apparent color of the samples changed from light yellowish brown to dark yellow; The proportions of the 10 chemical components varied greatly, corresponding to peaks of 7, 9, 10, 2, 3, 1, 20, 15, 6, and 4 in HPLC fingerprint, among them peak 4 was confirmed to be 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde; Components 1, 3 and 4 were highly significantly and negatively relevant with the change of total color value Eab*, and peak 2 was highly significantly and positively correlated with the change of total color value Eab*, while peak 6 and peak 15 were positively relevant with the change of total color value Eab*. Conclusion: Compounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 15 were the components with obvious changes in process of rpCR, which were significantly correlated with the change of color and could be used as chemical markers for the monitoring processing and quality control of rpCR.

HPLC fingerprint of Zhixue Tiaojing Granule and determination of main components / 中草药

Objective: To establish an HPLC fingerprint of methanol extract of Zhixue Tiaojing Granule (ZTG), and determine the content of paeoniflorin and calycosin-7-glucosid. Methods: HPLC analysis was performed on an Thermo UltiMateTM U3000 LC system and carried out at 30 ℃ on a column of Thermo AcclaimTM 120 C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm). Gradient elution system was composed of water solution (phase A) and acetonitrile (phase B). Detection was performed at the wavelength of 254 nm, the mobile flow rate was 1 mL/min, the column temperature was 30 ℃, and sample volumn was 10 μL. Results: The HPLC fingerprint for 10 batches of ZTG were obtained and the similarities for 10 batches of samples were all over 0.95. Eleven characteristic peaks were found and peaks were from Astragali Radix (peak 1, 5, 7, 10), Codonopsis Radix (peak 1), Dipsaci Radix (peak 2, 3), Paeoniae Radix Alba (peak 4), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (peak 6), Rubiae Radix et Rhizoma (peak 6, 8, 11), and Agrimoniae Herba (peak 9). Besides, three peaks were assigned include paeoniflorin, calycosin-7-glucosid, and formononetin. The content of paeoniflorin and calycosin-7-glucosid was 1 062 μg/g and 84.08 μg/g. Conclusion: The method can be used for the quality control of ZTG with good precision, accuracy, and reproducibility.

Quality standard analysis and research for Wuji-Jianwei granules / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To establish the quality standard of Wuji-Jianwei granules. Methods The contents of Bupleuri Radix, Codonopsis Radix, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Corydalis Rhizoma in Wuji-Jianwei granules were identified by using the thin layer chromatography (TLC) method. The contents of peoniflorin was determined by the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Results The TLC had strong specificity and high separation, negative control without interference. The linear range was 0.124 8-0.748 8 μg for peoniflorin (r=0.999 6). The average recovery was 94.42% (RSD=1.46%) and the content of peoniflorin was 0.725 3 mg/g. Conclusions The method is accurate and reasonable, and can be used for the quality control of Wuji-Jianwei granules.

Effect of Sulfuring on Time-quality Relationship of Codonopsis Radix in the Process of Storage / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of sulfuring to Codonopsis Radix in its process of storage. METHODS: Sulfur dioxide residual amount was determined by distillation. The character was observed referring to Ch.P. The content of polysaccharide was measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The contents of lobetyolin and rhizome atractylodis inner fat III were measured by high performance liquid chromatography, and fingerprints were established. RESULTS: Under the natural storage conditions, the contents of effective components decreased with the extension of storage time. After being stored for 30 m, the Codonopsis Radix samples without sulfuring treatment had darkened color and were damaged by worms seriously, the contents of polysaccharide, lobetyolin, and rhizome atractylodis inner fat III reduced by more than half, and yellow aspergillus toxin were detected; however, few sulfured samples were damaged by worms and the magnitude of content decrease of the three compounds was significantly smaller than that of the non-sulfured ones. CONCLUSION: Storage time is negatively correlated with the medicinal quality of Codonopsis Radix and proper sulfuring can slow the rate of quality deteriorating of Codonopsis Radix.

The Influence of Market Risk on Planting Industry of Codonopsis pilosula(Franch.) Nannf. Based on the Relation of Different Growing Years and Yield, Quality of Codonopsis Radix / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of different growing years on the yield, quality and benefits of Codonopsis Radix for providing the basis for guiding the planting and obtaining relatively stable economic benefits. METHODS: The Codonopsis pilosula(Franch.)Nannf. were cultivated year by year by field plot completely randomized trial for measuring the yield and quality of 1 year to 5 year Codonopsis Radix. The Codonopsis Radix was harvest in the fifth year at the same time and the yield of plot was measured for the evaluating yield of per Mu. Quality of character and the content of extract of Codonopsis Radix were analyzed and measured according the methods recorded in 2015 edition Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The content of Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide was measured by UV spectrophotometry. The contents of lobetyolin and atractylenolide III were determined by method of HPLC. Taking yongxinxiang as an example to analyze the efficiency and market risk of growing Codonopsis pilosula(Franch.)Nannf.. RESULTS: The yield of Codonopsis Radix increases along with increase of growing years. The size is positively correlated with the length of growth, and the texture is on the contrary. There is a negatively relationship between content of Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide, extract and the increase of growing years. And there is a positive correlation between contents of lobetyolin, atractylenolide III, output value of field and the increase of growing years. However, the economic benefit was due to the price in market. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the cultivation years of Codonopsis pilosula(Franch.)Nannf. should be extended for effectively avoiding market risks on the premise of guaranteeing quality because of the economic benefit of Codonopsis Radix is greatly influenced by market fluctuation.

Effects of Drought Stress on Physiological Characteristics of Codonopsis Radix / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To study the physiological characteristics of Codonopsis Radix under drought stress; To reveal the physiological mechanism of Codonopsis Radix in response to drought stress. Methods Method of pot experiment was used to set up 4 water treatments: normal water supply, mild stress, moderate stress and severe stress. Through the determination of leaf relative water content, cell membrane permeability, osmotic adjustment contents and protective enzyme activity, the effects of drought stress on physiological characteristics of Codonopsis Radix were studied. Results With the drought stress increased, the chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll content and leaf relative water content of Codonopsis Radix decreased, but chlorophyll b had no obvious change; The conductivity increased first and then decreased; MDA contents increased first and then decreased and then increased; There was no significant change in the rate of superoxide anion production; POD and CAT activity increased; SOD had no significant change; The proline content increased first and then decreased; soluble sugar decreased; soluble protein had no significant change. Conclusion Under the condition of drought stress, by increasing the content of proline to regulate cell osmotic potential, Codonopsis Radixcan increase the antioxidant enzyme activity to reduce membrane lipid peroxidation damage to cells.

Standardization of preparation of rice fried Codonopsis Radix based on correlation analysis of functional component and shape index / 中国中药杂志

The quality standard of Chinese herbal medicine is the key in quality control, and the establishment of rice processing technology standard of rice fried Codonopsis Radix has important significance for the overall quality control. In this study, the color brightness (L*), red-green chromaticity coordinate (a*), yellow-blue chromaticity coordinate (b*) and total color value（E*ab）were determined by colorimeter and used as the shape indexes. Ethanol extractives, polysaccharide, lobetyolin and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural contents were determined by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultraviolet (UV), and used as chemical indexes in the analysis by normalization distance method. The two index methods were adopted to optimize the processing technology of rice fried Codonopsis Radix by taking processing temperature, processing time, rice types and rice dosage as factors. The correlation analysis between the two index methods was carried out by SAS 9.40 and JMP 11 software. The results showed that all the four factors had significant differences, and the best processing technology was as follows: polished round-grained rice as raw material, processing temperature at 140 °C, processing time of 10min, and the ratio of Codonopsis pilosula and rice is 100:30. Chemical indexes showed significant positive correlations with shape indexes, providing basis for the quality evaluation of rice fried Codonopsis Radix in processing.

Comparison of two algorithms for development of design space-overlapping method and probability-based method / 中国中药杂志

In this work, two algorithms (overlapping method and the probability-based method) for design space calculation were compared by using the data collected from extraction process of Codonopsis Radix as an example. In the probability-based method, experimental error was simulated to calculate the probability of reaching the standard. The effects of several parameters on the calculated design space were studied, including simulation number, step length, and the acceptable probability threshold. For the extraction process of Codonopsis Radix, 10 000 times of simulation and 0.02 for the calculation step length can lead to a satisfactory design space. In general, the overlapping method is easy to understand, and can be realized by several kinds of commercial software without coding programs, but the reliability of the process evaluation indexes when operating in the design space is not indicated. Probability-based method is complex in calculation, but can provide the reliability to ensure that the process indexes can reach the standard within the acceptable probability threshold. In addition, there is no probability mutation in the edge of design space by probability-based method. Therefore, probability-based method is recommended for design space calculation.

Influence of different cultivation measures on the content of three free carbohydrates of Codonopsis Radix / 中国中药杂志

To provide a scientific evidence for the quality control of Codonopsis Radix, a method was established for determining the content of three free carbohydrates of Codonopsis Radix. The developed method showed good linearity. The calibration curves were linear within the range of 2.312 5-18.500 0 μg for sucrose, 1.500 0-12.000 0 μg for glucose, and 2.000 0-16.000 0 μg for fructose, resgectwely. The recoveries varied between 96.31%-101.8%. The method is simple, accurate and reproducible, and can be used for determining the content of sucrose, glucose and fructose of Codonopsis Radix. The results showed that different cultivation measures had an effect on the content of three free carbohydrates of Codonopsis Radix. According to the content of sucrose, using Zhuanggenling>not using Zhuanggenling. While, not pinching, shelving>not pinching, not shelving>pinching, not shelving>pinching, shelving. According to the content of glucose and fructose, not using Zhuanggenling>using Zhuanggenling. While, pinching, shelving>not pinching, not shelving>not pinching, shelving>pinching, not shelving. In consideration of the differences of sweetness and content of the three free carbohydrates in Codonopsis Radix, we recommend that the content of free carbohydrates could be considered as the marker to evaluate the quality of Codonopsis Radix.