Advances in Research on Constituents and Pharmacological Effects ofArtemisia argyi Essential Oil / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Artemisia argyi is a perennial aromatic herb，which has used as a medicine for its leaves.It is spicy，bitter and warm，it has a small poison，it acts on the liver，spleen and kidney.According to traditional Chinese medicine（TCM），it has the functions of warming the bleeding，relieving cold and pain，dispelling dampness and itching，and so on.Previous researches have shown that A. argyi is used for treatment of various diseases，including pneumonia，gastritis，and hepatitis.Modern pharmacological studies have shown that it has a variety of antibacterial，antioxidant，insect-resistant，anti-inflammatory，immunomodulative and other activities，which depend on their complex chemical constituents，mainly including essential oil，flavonoids，tannins and polysaccharides.The A. argyi essential oil（AAEO）are the main active parts isolated from the extract of A. argyi，including ethers，alcohols，monoterpenes，sesquiterpenes，and other compounds，which have broad-spectrum antibacterial，antioxidant，anti-inflammatory，anti-tumor，analgesia，asthma relief and immune regulation，and have broad-spectrum biological activities.By studying the literatures at home and abroad in recent years，the chemical composition of AAEO was sorted out，and the chemical composition characteristics and contents of it prepared by different extraction methods were summarized，as well as the common chemical components detected in AAEO at the present stage.The author also reviewed a variety of pharmacological activities of AAEO，focusing on its anti-inflammatory，anti-tumor，antibacterial，antioxidant and other activities，and found that it has a good drug development prospect for inflammation，tumor，bacterial diseases and so on.In order to better exploit and utilize AAEO natural resources，the author analyzes the existing problems in the research and development process of it and puts forward that it is necessary to further and systematically explore its chemical components，pharmacological effects，basis of medicinal substances and mechanism of action，so as to lay a foundation for the comprehensive development and utilization of AAEO.

~1H-NMR-based metabonomics analysis of the acute hepatotoxicity mechanism of Artemisia argyi essential oil / 中国中药杂志

This study based on~1H-NMR urine metabolomics technique combined with biochemical indicators to focus on studying the acute hepatotoxicity mechanism of Artemisia argyi essential oil( AAEO). In order to further explore the acute hepatotoxicity mechanism of AAEO,the researchers collected the urine nuclear magnetic data of rats in different periods of high and low doses of olive oil and AAEO group. Using the principal component analysis( PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discrimination analysis( OPLSDA) to analyze the endogenous small molecule metabolites in rat urine to study the effects of AAEO on the metabolic process of normal rats. The results showed there was a significant difference between the olive oil group and the AAEO group,the PCA scores chart demonstrated that there was no obvious separation tendency in the urine of olive oil group rats 0-6,6-12,12-24 h,and the metabolic components were distributed in aggregation pattern. The urinary metabolic trajectory of the rats in the AAEO group was conspicuously separated at 0-6,6-12,12-24 h. The experiments proved that the analysis of metabolites by~1H-NMR found that AAEO caused metabolic disorders in rats and produced acute hepatotoxicity. After metabolite differential comparison,it was speculated that the mechanism of acute hepatotoxicity may be involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and energy metabolism,while the citrate and oleanolic acid would be the potential biomarkers. This study discussed that the acute hepatotoxicity mechanism of AAEO was used to provide the experimental data for the clinical prescription of Artemisia argyi.

Activity of essential oil extracted from Artemisia argyi in inducing apoptosis of Candida albicans / 中国中药杂志

To explore the activity of essential oil extracted from Artemisia argyi (AAEO) in inducing the apoptosis of Candida albicans SC5314. The effect of AAEO on reactive oxygen species(ROS) and mitochondria membrane potential(MMP) of C. albicans SC5314 was detected by flow cytometry. Phosphatidylserine externalization was observed under fluorescence microscopic with Annexin-V/PI staining at the early stage of apoptosis in C. albicans. Metacaspase activity was observed under fluorescence microscopic with FITC-VAD-FMK staining at the early stage of apoptosis in C. albicans. C. albicans morphology was observed by DAPI nuclear staining and fluorescence microscopy. After intervention with 0.5 mL•L⁻¹ AAEO, apoptosis of C. albicans significantly increased, metacaspase activity increased, nuclear pyknosis and fragmentation, and intracellular ROS were significantly increased, and mitochondrial membrane potential decreased significantly. The certain concentrations of AAEO could induce the apoptosis of C. albicans.