Study on mechanism of enhancing antioxidant activity in fermented Ziziphi Spinosae Semen with Poria cocos / 中国中药杂志

In this study, the antioxidant property changes in fermented Ziziphi Spinosae Semen(FZSS) with Poria cocos were analyzed by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods. Then the content determination of active ingredients and ~1H nuclear magnetic resonance(~1H-NMR) spectroscopy were also used to investigate the mechanism of FZSS with P. cocos in enhancing the antioxidant activity. The results showed that the content of active ingredients such as total phenols, total saponins and total polysaccharides were significantly increased during the fermentation time. The results of ~1H-NMR metabonomics showed that the contents of amino acids such as leucine, lysine, valine and alanine, nitrogen compounds such as creatine, creatinine, and betaine, and secondary metabolites, for instance, jujuboside A and spinosin were higher after fermentation, and above components showed positive correlation with antioxidant capacity in Pearson correlation analysis. Therefore, it was inferred that the enhancement of antioxidant activity of FZSS may be the result of the joint action of various chemical components. This study preliminarily clarified the mechanism of FZSS in enhancing the antioxidant activity, and provided new research ideas for the product development and utilization of FZSS.

Discussion on time standards of acupuncture based on Ziwu Liuzhu / 中国针灸

Designation of days and hours in terms of the heavenly stems and earthly branches is held as an important basis for point selection according to the ancient acupuncture theory of Ziwu Liuzhu (midnight-moon ebb flow). While the heavenly stems and earthly branches are predicted on the base of particular times. Therefore, what standard of time should be adopted is essential for acupuncture based on Ziwu Liuzhu. The article has pointed out the possible errors in adopting Beijing time, local mean solar time and real solar time. It proposes that real solar time should be adopted as the time standard for acupuncture based on Ziwu Liuzhu in the view of analysis of the theory itself and history background of the generation of the theory. It is also suggested to explore a particular software or establish a website for assistance of the acupoint selection.