PCR-RFLP for Distinguishing Periplocae Cortex from Acanthopanacis Cortex and Lycii Cortex / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo establish a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-RFLP） method for rapid distinguishing Periplocae Cortex from Acanthopanacis Cortex and Lycii Cortex， so as to avoid the influence of genetic confusion on drug safety. MethodThe DSS-tagged sequences of Periplocae Cortex were obtained from the Chloroplast Genome Information Resource （CGIR） and analyzed to find the enzymatic cleavage sites that were different from those of Acanthopanacis Cortex and Lycii Cortex. The specific enzymatic cleavage site， Cla I， of Periplocae Cortex was selected， on the basis of which the primers for PCR-RFLP were designed. Furthermore， the factors such as annealing temperature， number of cycles， Taq enzyme， PCR instruments， and enzymatic treatment time that may influence PCR-RFLP were studied. The established PCR-RFLP method was applied to the identification of Periplocae Cortex， Acanthopanacis Cortex， and Lycii Cortex samples produced in different regions. ResultThe PCR-RFLP at the annealing temperature of 59 ℃ and with 40 cycles showed clear bands of the samples. When the enzyme digestion time was 30 min. The reaction produced the target bands at about 140 bp and 290 bp for both Periplocae Cortex and its original plant and only a band at about 430 bp for Acanthopanacis Cortex， Lycii Cortex， and their original plants. The method can accurately distinguish Periplocae Cortex from its confounders Acanthopanacis Cortex and Lycii Cortex. ConclusionThe PCR-RFLP method for distinguishing Periplocae Cortex from Acanthopanacis Cortex and Lycii Cortex was established. It has high stability， sensitivity， and applicability， providing a reference for the quality control of Periplocae Cortex， Acanthopanacis Cortex， and Lycii Cortex.

Herbal Textual Research on Acanthopanacis Cortex in Famous Classical Formulas / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Through the textual research and analysis of ancient and modern documents of Acanthopanacis Cortex（AC）， this paper combed the variety， origin， harvesting， processing and ancient quality evaluation methods of AC， and clarified the historical context of the mixing of its common counterfeit product（Periplocae Cortex）， in order to provide a basis for the development of famous classical formulas containing AC. AC was first published in Shennong Bencaojing with the name of Wujia， Wujiapi is the name rectification in all dynasties since Leigong Paozhilun. According to the description of inflorescence location and fruit morphology of Wujia in the materia medica， it is judged that the mainstream origin of AC used in previous dynasties was Acanthopanax gracilistylus. Periplocae Cortex was mixed with AC in the period of the Republic of China because it was in line with the "like Lycii Cortex， light， brittle and fragrant". The origin of Wujiapi recorded in past dynasties was concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River， mainly in Hubei， Henan， Anhui and other places. Since modern times， the traditional quality evaluation of AC has been gradually summarized， with thick skin， white color and fragrant smell as the best. The traditional harvesting and processing of AC involved picking the stems in May and July of the lunar calendar， picking the roots in October， and drying in the shade. In modern times， the roots of AC are harvested， washed， peeled and dried in summer and autumn. In the past dynasties， there were rice wine processing， Euodiae Fructus boiling， ginger juice processing and other methods. In modern times， it is usually cut into thick slices after the cleansing. According to the research results， it is suggested that the root bark of A. gracilistylus should be selected as the origin of AC in famous classical formulas， which should be processed into the medicine according to the specific prescription requirements. In addition， it is suggested to restore the medicinal name of Periplocae Cortex as Yangtao， in order to reduce its chaotic influence on the medicinal use of AC.

Research progress on chemical composition and pharmacological effects of Periplocae Cortex and predictive analysis on Q-marker / 中国中药杂志

Periplocae Cortex is a traditional Chinese medicine in China, which is mainly produced in northeast China, north China, northwest China, southwest China. In recent years, the increasing in-depth research resulted in the discovery of anti-tumor and cardiac pharmacological activities of Periplocae Cortex, which has broad application prospects. On the basis of summarizing chemical components and pharmacological effects, combined with the theoretical system of Q-marker, the quality control components of Periplocae Cortex were predicted from the aspects of the correlation between chemical composition and traditional medicinal properties, traditional efficacy, and new clinical use, plasma composition, measurable composition, storage time by analyzing literature. Among the components, periplocoside, periplocin, periplogenin, 4-methoxy salicylaldehyde showed significant activity, which provides a scientific basis for quality evaluation of Periplocae Cortex.

Effect of baohuoside-I on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway of human esophageal carcinoma cell Eca-109 / 中草药

Objective: To study the effect of baohuoside-I extracted from Periplocae Cortex on proliferation and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway of human esophageal carcinoma cell Eca-109. Methods: The expressions of β-catenin, Cyclin D1, and Survivin protein in Eca-109 cells were measured with flow cytometry (FCM). The expressions of β-catenin, Cyclin D1, and Survivin mRNA were detected by RT-PCR. Results: After treatment with 25 and 50 μg/mL of baohuoside-I for 48 h, the expression levels of β-catenin, Cyclin D1, Survivin mRNA, and protein were decreased significantly (P<0.01), but with 12.5 μg/ML of baohuoside-I the expression level was not decreased significantly compared with the control group. Conclusion: Baohuoside-I from Periplocae Cortex could inhibit the proliferation of Eca-109 cells. This effect associais with down-regulation expression of β-catenin, Cyclin D1, Survivin, and their proteins, which affects on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.