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

This article has systematically sorted out and verified the name， origin， producing area， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing of Pruni Semen by consulting ancient materia medica， medical books， prescription books and modern literature， in order to provide a basis for the development of famous classical formulas containing Pruni Semen. The results showed that Pruni Semen， as a medicinal material， has been widely used in medical literature of past dynasties since it was collected in Shennong Bencaojing， and also included under the names such as Yuhe， Yuzi and Yuli， and aliases such as Jueli， Queli and Chexiali. The primordial plants mentioned in the past dynasties involve about 12 species of Rosaceae， but with Prunus humilis， P. japonica and P. glandulosa as mainstream varieties used in the past dynasties， while the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia stipulates that the basal plants are P. humilis， P. japonica and P. pedunculata. Most of the ancient records for the origin of Pruni Semen are found everywhere in high mountains， valleys and hills， modern literature records that its origin varies according to its base， for example， P. humilis and P. japonica are mainly produced in Hebei， eastern Inner Mongolia， Liaoning， Shandong and other regions of China， and P. pedunculata is mainly produced in Inner Mongolia. Modern literature summarizes its quality as faint yellow， full and fulfilling， neat and not broken， and non-oiling， and the small Pruni Semen is better than the big Pruni Semen. The ancient processing methods of Pruni Semen mainly include blanching and peeling， blanching and peeling followed by frying， and blanching and peeling followed by pounding， with the common feature of blanching and peeling. The successive editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia stipulate that it should be pounded when used. Based on the results of the herbal textual research and the writing time of Bianzhenglu， and combined with the market survey of Pruni Semen， it is suggested that P. humilis or P. japonica should be used as the origin of Pruni Semen in Sanpiantang， and it is harvested when the fruits are ripe， the kernels are collected by removing the stones， and processed by blanching， peeling and pounding consulting the decoction method in the current edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Research progress on natural products with molluscicide from plants / 中草药

Oncomelania is the only intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum as well as an indispensable part of schistosomiasis transmission. Now synthetic molluscicides have a lot of problems, such as high cost of production, chemical pollution, drug resistance, and toxicity to non-target body, which makes people's interest turn to plants and plant-derived compounds. This paper describes the current existence of chemical snail control methods and biological snail control methods on the view of chemical construction, mechanism of action, and structure-activity relationships of natural extracts with molluscicidal activity, in order to provide the basis for the development of the new plant molluscacide.

Analysis of antioxidant prenylflavonoids in different parts of Macaranga tanarius, the plant origin of Okinawan propolis

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the antioxidant prenylflavonoids in different parts of Macaranga tanarius (M. tanarius) (Euphorbiaceae) including the leaf, petiole, stem, leaflet, flower and fruit (only in female plant), and to evaluate their antioxidant properties.@*METHODS@#Methanol extracts of each part of M. tanarius were prepared and five prenylflavonoids in them were quantitatively analyzed using HPLC. The fruits from female plant were further separated into seed, pericarp, and glandular trichome. After the quantitative analyses of prenylflavonoids in each part of M. tanarius, antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay.@*RESULTS@#The leaf of M. tanarius contained two prenylflavonoids as main components in both male and female plants. Both flowers (male and female) contained five kinds of prenylflavonoids. In the petiole, stem and leaflet of both male and female plants, the prenylflavonoids were not detected or their amounts were very low. Five kinds of prenylflavonoids were detected in the seed, pericarp and glandular trichome of female M. tanarius. In particular, the glandular trichome had the highest level of total prenylflavonoids (235 mg/g of fresh plant). DPPH radical scavenging activity of all parts was more than 30%.@*CONCLUSIONS@#We found that different parts of M. tanarius contained antioxidant prenylflavonoids. In particular, not only the glandular trichome but also the leaf contained prenylflavonoids, which indicated that M. tanarius may be developed as a functional plant, because the leaves of this plant can be easily collected.

Prácticas agrícolas para el cultivo de Xanthium strumarium L (guizazo de caballo) con fines terapéuticos / Agricultural practices for the culture of Xanthium strumanium L (guizazo de caballo) with therapeutic aims

Xanthium strumarium (guizazo de caballo) se encuentra entre las plantas con antividad antimitótica. OBJETIVOS: determinar en esta especie los aspectos agrícolas que garanticen el adecuado material vegetal. MÉTODOS: se realizaron estudios durante 2007-2009, donde se evaluaron dos fechas de siembra: junio y julio; dos distancias de siembra 90 x 30 cm y 90 x 50 cm y dos momentos de cosecha: 3 meses de edad (parte aérea y raíces) en plantas que presentaban estado de floración-fructificación y 4 meses de edad (solo raíces) en plantas en fructificación. Las semillas, obtenidas de areales silvestres, se sembraron en parcelas, 3 repeticiones en cada caso. Se evaluó la altura de las plantas en el momento de la cosecha, se seleccionaron 10 plantas/parcelas y se cosecharon 39 plantas/parcelas en la distancia de 90 x 30 cm y 24 plantas en la distancia de 90 x 50 cm, en el caso del follaje se evaluaron los rendimientos de 10 plantas/parcelas en cada caso. RESULTADOS: se observó que bajo cultivo la altura de las plantas fueron mayores en las que se sembraron en junio, con distancia de 90 x 30 cm, en tanto que en las de julio se comportaron de forma similar, independientemente a las distancias de siembra empleadas y en correspondencia con ello los rendimientos resultaron iguales; sin embargo, cuando se quieren cosechar también las raíces, es preferible hacer la cosecha a los 3 meses de edad y, en este caso, los mayores valores se presentaron en las siembras de julio, con distancia de 90 x 30 cm. CONCLUSIÓN: para el aprovechamiento de la planta con doble propósito: parte aérea y raíces, pues en ambas se ha encontrado la actividad antimitótica, la siembra se debe realizar entre junio y julio a la distancia de 90 x 30 cm y recolectarse el material a la edad de 3 meses

Xanthium strumarium (guizazo de caballo) is among the plants with antimitotic activity. OBJECTIVES: to determine in this species the agricultural features to guarantee the appropriate plant material. METHODS: during 2007-2009 studies were conducted to assess to sow dates: June and July; two sow distances 90 x 30 cm and 90 x 50 cm at two sow periods: three months of age (aerial parts and roots) in plants with a flowering-fructification states and four months of age (only roots) in plants in fructification process. Seeds obtained from wild aerial plants were sowed in plots, three repetitions in each case. The plants height was assessed at the harvest moment, choosing 10 plants/lots and 39 plants/lots were growed at a 90 x 30 cm distance and 24 plants at the 90 x 50 cm distance, in the case of foliage the yields of 10 plants/lots were assessed in each case. RESULTS: there was that at culture the plants heights were higher in those sowed in June at a 90 x 30 cm distance while those sowed in July behaved in a similar way independently of the sow distances used and in correspondence with it, the yields were similar; however, when we desire to grow also the roots, it is preferable to grow at three months of age, and in this case, the higher values were in sows of July at a 90 x 30 cm distance. CONCLUSION: for the plant exploitation with a double aim: aerial parts and roots, since in both there is antimitotic activity, sow must to be performed between June and July at a 90 x 30 cm distance and to harvest the material at three months age

Alterações pós-colheita em raízes de mandioquinha-salsa (Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancroft): atividade enzimática, identificação de contaminante e caracterização parcial do amido / Alterations after harvest in peruvian carotovora (arracacia santhorrhiza bancroft) roots: enzymatic activity, pollutant identification and partial characterization of the starch

Este trabalho teve como principais objetivos verificar as alterções na atividade de enzimas amilolíticas, pectinolíticas e celulásicas em raízes de mandioquinha-salsa durante o período pós-colheita, sob diferentes condições de armazenamento, visando avaliar os mecanismos de deterioração das raízes, bem como identificar o microrganismo possivelmente responsável pela alta perecibilidade das raízes. Além disso, foram estudadas características físico-químicas e reológicas do amido de mandioquinha extraído em laboratório. Para a detecção de atividade pectinesterásica (PE) e poligalacturonásica (PG) nas raízes, os parâmetros de extração destas enzimas foram otimizados através de metodologia de superfície de resposta (MSR)...

The aim of this work was to verify the changes in amylolytic, pectinolytic and cellulasic activity in Peruvian carrot roots after harvest, under different storage conditions, in order to evaluate the deteriorative mechanisms of the roots, as well as to identify the microorganism possible responsible to its low conservation time. In addition, physico-chemical and rheological characteristics of Peruvian carrot starch were studied. For pectinesterase (PE) and poligalacturonase (PG) detection on the roots, the extraction parameters of both enzymes were optimized by response surface methodology. The enzymes presented the optimum pH values at 7.5 and 4.0 for PE and PG, respectively. Extraction time and NaCI concentration were considered non-significant by the model. Pectic enzymes seams to be related to the deterioration process of Peruvian carrot, that is associated to the root softening. Considering the high volume of gas under specific packing and temperature, the presence of microorganisms soft rot promoters could be the main cause of the high perecibility of the roots. The amylolytic enzymes present an important role on Peruvian carrot deterioration related to the starch hydrolysis and the releasing of reducing sugars, substrate for opportunistic microorganisms. The cellulasic activity was not significant during storage time. Best conditions for roots conservation occurred at 4°C and under vacuum package. The bacteria isolated from the roots were identified by biochemical reactions as Erwinia carotovora subsp. odorifera. Peruvian carrot...

Efeitos dos triterpenóides ácidos oleanólico e ursólico em ratos F344 submetidos ao modelo de hepatocarcinogênese do ®hepatócito resistente¼ / Effects of the triterpenoids oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in rat F344 submitted to the resistant hepatocyte model of hepatocarcinogenesis

Avaliou-se os efeitos dos ácidos oleanólico (AO) e ursólico (AU), triterpenóides presentes em alimentos vegetais e especiarias, quando administrados a ratos F344 durante as etapas de iniciação e seleção/promoção do modelo de hepatocarcinogênese do ®hepatócito resistente¼ (RH). Os ratos receberam durante 8 semanas, por entubação gástrica e dissolvido em óleo de milho (OM): AO ou AU (8 mg/100 g de peso corpóreo [p.c]). Os grupos controle receberam apenas OM (0,25 mL/100 g de p.c; grupo OM), ou água (0,25 mL/100 g de p.c; grupo Água). O grupo Normal não recebeu qualquer tratamento. O agente iniciante foi uma dose de dietilnitrosamina (DEN, 20 mg/100 g de p.c.). Após 2 semanas de entubação, aplicou-se 3 doses diárias consecutivas de 2-acetilaminofluoreno (2-AAF)(2 mg/100 g de p.c.) e fez-se uma hepatectomia parcial a 70 por cento, acrescida de 1 dose de 2-AAF (0,5 mg/100 g de p.c.) 4 dias após a cirurgia...

It was evaluated the effects of the oleanólico acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA), triterpenoids present in vegetable foods and spices, when administered to rat F344 during the initiation and selection/promotion stages of the resistant hepatocyte model of hepatocarcinogenesis RH. The rat received for 8 weeks, by gavage and dissolved in com oil (CO): OA or UA (8 mg/100 g of body weight [b.w.]). The control groups just received CO (0,25 mL/100 g b.w.; CO group), or water (0,25 mL/100 g b.w.; group Water). Normal group did not receive any treatment type. The initiation agent was dietilnitrosamine (DEN, 20 mg/100 g b.w.). 2 weeks after gavage, it was applied 3 consecutive doses of 2-acetilaminofluoreno (2-AAF) (2 mg/100 g of b.w.) and it was made a 70% partial hepatectomy, added of 1 dose of 2-AAF (0,5 mg/100 9 b.w.) 4 days after the surgery. In 6 weeks after the initiation, the animals were sacrificed. Results: the macroscopic analysis demonstrated that OA did not alter and UA tended to increase the number of hepatocytes nodules, compared to the CO group. The morphometric analysis of the pre-neoplastic lesions (PNL) positive for glutatione S-transferase placentary form (GST-p), demonstrated that OA and UA did not alter the medium number of persistent LPN, however they reduced the medium number of remodeling LPN, compared to the OM group (p <0,05). OA and UA did not alter the medium area of persistent LPN, but they reduced the medium area of remodeling LPN, compared to the CO group (p <0,05). The triterpenoids did not alter the occupied area of the section for persistent LPN, but they reduced the occupied area cut for remodeling LPN, compared to the CO group (p <0,05). The Water, OM and AU groups showed increase in the plasmatic concentration of cholesterol, compared to the Normal group. OA promoted increase of the expression of the gene that codifies for the HMG-CoA reductase enzyme, compared to the Normal group (p <0,05), and AU promoted increase expression when compared to the Normal, Water, OM and AU groups (p <0,05). OA and UA did not alter the indexes of cellular proliferation (imunoistochemistry for bromodeoxiuridine [BrdU)) in persistent LPN. AU promoted increase (p <0,05) in the cellular proliferation in remodeling LPN when compared to the CO group. OA and UA did not alter the apoptosis in persistent LPN, but they increased the medium number of apoptotics bodies in remodeling LPN (p <0,05). The Adjusted Index Growth (cellular apoptosis/proliferation) of the groups demonstrated that, in persistent LPN, the cellular proliferation has predominance on the apoptosis. In remodeling LPN, the apoptosis has preponderance over the cellular proliferation. The damages in hepatic DNA (method of the "comet") were larger in the group OA (p <0,05) and AU (p <0,061), compared to the CO group. The analysis for imunoblot revealed that the RH model increased the expression and the activation of the NF-κB transcription factor (p <0,05). OA and UA increased the expression and the activation of NF-κB, compared to the CO group (p> 0,05). It was...