Herbal Textual Research of Alpinia katsumadai / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Alpinia katsumadai is recorded in Chinese herbal classics of previous dynasties，with a long history of medicinal use and significantly efficacy. This paper made a comprehensive textual research and summarization of the name，origin，distribution of producing areas，genuine producing area，harvesting time，processing method，property and flavor，and treatment functions of A. katsumadai by reviewing the ancient and modern literatures systematically. A. katsumadai has many alias names， such as Doukou，Loukou，Caokou in Chinese. Through the analysis of ancient herbal researches and drawings，it is concluded that there was some disordered uses of A. katsumadai with A. zerumbet and Amomum tsaoko. And the varieties of A. katsumadai have changed in some areas from ancient to present. The original plants of A. katsumadai is Alpinia katsumadai， which belongs to Alpinia of Zingiberaceae in modern textual research. A. katsumadai mainly grows in Lingnan and some other tropical areas； especially， those produced in Hainan have a better quality. The harvest time is usually in summer and autumn when fruits are all ripe. The processing methods of A. katsumadai are various， including heating and bending wrapped with flour， processing slowly with Euodiae Fructus，stir-frying in ancient times，while purifying processing （peeling） is generally used in modern times. A. katsumadai has the effect in invigorating spleen and warming stomach，lower Qi and relieving stagnation-syndrome，drying dampness and driving cold. In modern studies， efforts shall be made to strengthen basic research，establish quantitative standards for processing and digital standard for genuine medicinal materials of A. katsumadai， and deeply explore the compatibility regularity and application of A. katsumadai in ancient prescriptions， in order to ensure the quality and maximize its medicinal value in modern studies.

Genome survey and characteristic analysis of SSR in Callicarpa nudiflora / 中国中药杂志

Callicarpa nudiflora,which is a big brand of Li nationality medicine with Hainan characteristics,has the effects of dissolving stasis,hemostasis,anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. At present,there is a lack of information about the reference genome of C. nudiflora. The study of the genome size,heterozygosity rate and characteristics of SSR of C. nudiflora,can provide an effective basis for the formulation of the whole genome de novo sequencing strategy and development of SSR molecular markers of C. nudiflora. To realize this purpose,high throughput sequencing platform Illumina Hiseq was used to sequence the genome structure of C. nudiflora and K-mer analysis was applied to estimate genome size,repeat sequences and heterozygosity rate. Simple-sequence repeat( SSR) loci that are suitable as markers were identified by MISA software. The results showed the estimated genome size of C. nudiflora was 822. 43 Mb,with a 0. 85% heterozygosity rate and 71. 67% repeats,and the GC content of genome was about 49. 20%. Therefore,C. nudiflora belongs to a complex genome with high heterozygosity and repetition. SSR molecular genetic markers were analyzed in the genome sequence,and a total of 206 049 SSRs were identified,among which mono-nucleotide,di-nucleotide and tri-nucleotide repetitive motifs summed up to 198 993,accounting for 96. 57% of the total SSRs. Among the 2-6 nucleotide repeats,AT/AT,AAT/ATT,AGCC/CTGG,AAAAT/ATTTT and AGATAT/ATATCT have the largest number,respectively. This report represents the first genome-wide characterization of C. nudiflora,and provides a reference for the construction of the library for the fine sequencing of the genome,and a molecular basis for the development of SSR molecular markers as well as for the protection and utilization of gene resources.

Protective effect of essential oils from Blumea balsamifera on sunburn induced by UVB in mouse skin / 中成药

AIM To study the protective effect of essential oils from Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC.(BBO) on UVB-induced sunburn in mouse skin and its mechanism of action.METHODS The model for sunburned mouse skin was established by acute UVB irradiation.Essential oils from B.balsamifera were applied to the surface of wound for external use.The pathological changes of sunburned skin tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin HE) staining.The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD),and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) were measured.The levels of 8-hydroxy-desoxyguanosine (8-OHdG),interleukin-6 (IL-6) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) in epidermis were detected by ELISA.Additionally,the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α),P53 tumor suppressor protein and proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC).RESULTS Compared with the model group,treatment with essential oils from B.balsamifera significantly reduced the thickness of epidermis,and the activity of SOD and the contents of MDA,GSH in mouse skin were restored.In addition,the essential oils from B.balsamifera resulted in a significant decrease in levels of 8-OHdG,IL-6 and NF-κB,and an inhibition in expressions of P53 and PCNA.CONCLUSION The essential oils from B.balsamifera can alleviate UVB-induced sunburn.Its mechanism is related to enhanced antioxidant power,inhibited NF-κB signal passway,down-regulated release of IL-6 and reduced levels of 8-OHdG,PCNA.

Metabolic pathway of flavonoids in Blumea balsamifera / 中国中药杂志

To better understand the biosynthetic pathway of flavonoids in Blumea balsamifera, and to increase the biosynthesis of flavone and flavonol amount, we carried out this research. Basing on transcriptome information, B. balsamifera flavonoids metabolic pathway was analyzed in KEGG data base. The result demonstrated that two metabolic pathways of flavonoids were found in KEGG data base. They were flavonoid biosynthesis pathway (No.ko00941) that contained 32 genes and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathway (No.ko00944) that contained 12 genes. Metabolic pathway of flavonoids in B. balsamifera was similar to that in other plants. Chalcone synthase (CHS) and Chalconeisomerase were much likely to be key enzymes on metabolic pathway of flavonoids in B. balsamifera. HCT was much relevant to biosynthesis of favones.

Analysis of metabolic pathway of terpenoids in Blumea balsamifera / 中国中药杂志

In order to provide a theoretical basis for the regulation of active ingredient, the terpenoids metabolic pathway and specific enzymes in Blumea balsamifera are investigated. Basing on transcriptome information, B. balsamifera terpenoids metabolic pathway was analyzed in KEGG data base. Four metabolic pathway of terpenoids were found in KEGG data base. They were terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, monoterpenoid biosynthesis, diterpenoid biosynthesis, sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthesis, contained 103, 10, 29,59 genes, respectively. Through the analysis of the enzyme and product in the pathway, the result showed that there were 8 kinds of monoterpenes, 3 kinds of diterpenes, 3 kinds of triterpenes and sesquiterpenes. The mainly key enzymes were deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate synthase, HMG-CoA reductase and allyl transferase system. In B. balsamifera, there were relatively few monoterpenes synthetic enzymes, while the type of products was much more than other terpenes. This may be relate to the non-specific catalytic characteristic of monoterpene synthase. It is expected to improve the yield of terpenoids in B. balsamifera by analysis the pathways and regulation the key enzymes.

Cloning and expression regulation of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase cDNA from Alpinia officinarum / 中国中药杂志

The rhizome of Alpinia officinarum is a widely used Chinese herbal medicine. The essential oil in A. officinarum rhizome is mainly composed of 1, 8-cineole and other monoterpenes, as the major bioactive ingredients. In plants, monoterpenes are synthesized through the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway in the plastids, and 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) is an enzyme catalyzing a committed step of the MEP pathway. In the present study, the full-length cDNA encoding DXR was cloned from the rhizome of A. officinarum, using homology-based RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) techniques. The new cDNA was designated as AoDXR and submitted to GenBank to be assigned with an accession number HQ874658. The full-length cDNA of AoDXR was 1 670 bp containing a 1 419 bp open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 472 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 51.48 kDa and an isoelectric point of 6.15. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that AoDXR showed extensive homology with DXRs from other plant species and contained a conserved plastids transit peptide, a Pro-rich region and two highly conserved NADPH-binding motifs in its N-terminal region characterized by all plant DXRs. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that AoDXR belonged to angiosperm DXRs. The structural modeling of AoDXR showed that AoDXR had the typical V-shaped structure of DXR proteins. The tissue expression pattern analysis indicated that AoDXR expressed strongly in leaves, weak in rhizomes of A. officinarum. Exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) could enhance the expression of AoDXR and the production of 1, 8-cineole in A. officinarum rhizomes. The cloning and characterization of AoDXR will be helpful to reveal the molecular regulation mechanism of monoterpene biosynthesis in A. officinarum and provides a candidate gene for metabolic engineering in improving the medicinal quality of A. officinarum rhizome.