Research progress on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Glechomae Herba and prediction of its Q-markers / 中国中药杂志

Glechomae Herba, the dried aerial part of Glechoma longituba(Labiatae), has the effects of promoting urination, draining dampness, and relieving stranguria. It has received wide attention in recent years owing to the satisfactory efficacy on lithiasis. Amid the in-depth chemical and pharmacological research, it has been found that Glechomae Herba has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antithrombotic, hepatoprotective, cholagogic, antitumor, hypoglycemic, and lipid-lowering effects. The main chemical constituents are volatile oils, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and organic acids. This paper summarized the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Glechomae Herba. Based on genetic relationship of plants, the characteristics, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of the chemical constituents, and the potential of these constituents as quality markers(Q-markers), it was summed up that ursolic acid, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, luteolin-7-O-diglucuronide, apigenin, apigenin-7-O-diglucuronide, apigetrin, and glechone can be the candidate Q-markers of Glechomae Herba.

Structural characterization and anti-complement activity of polysaccharides from Glechomae Herba / 中草药

Objective: To isolate and purify the homogeneous polysaccharides from Glechomae Herba through the guidance of anti-complement activity, and study their structures. Methods: Crude polysaccharides from Glechomae Herba were extracted by water extraction and alcohol precipitation, then homogeneous polysaccharides were separated by DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The structures of homogeneous polysaccharides were characterized by HPGPC, IR, GC, methylation and NMR, and their anti-complement activities were also determined. Results: Two homogeneous polysaccharides GLP-1 and GLP-2 were obtained with the molecular weight of 5 370 and 20 040. They were both heteropolysaccharides composed of arabinose and galactose with the ratio of 1:6.3 and 1:4.9, respectively. Conclusion: The structures of GLP-1 and GLP-2 further elucidate the pharmacodynamic basis of their anti-complement activities and provide basis for screening natural complement inhibitors.