[Morphological and biochemical characterization during seed development of Notopterygium incisum].

This study aimed to examine the morphological, physiological, and biochemical alterations occurring in Notopterygium incisum seeds throughout their developmental stages, with the objective of establishing a theoretical foundation for the cultivation of superior quality seeds. The experimental materials utilized in this study were the seeds of N. incisum at various stages of development following anthesis. Through the employment of morphological observation and plant physiology techniques, the external morphology, nutrients, enzyme activity, and endogenous hormones of the seeds were assessed. The results revealed a transition in seed coat color from light green to brown during the growth and development of N. incisum seeds. Additionally, as the seeds matured, a decrease in water content was observed. Conversely, starch content exhibited a progressive increase, while sucrose content displayed fluctuations. At 7 days after anthesis, the soluble sugar content attained its highest level of 4.52 mg·g~(-1), whereas the soluble protein content reached its maximum of 6.00 mg·g~(-1) at 14 days after anthesis and its minimum of 4.94 mg·g~(-1) at 42 days after anthesis. The activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD) exhibited an initial increase, followed by a decrease, and eventually reached a stable state. Conversely, the activities of catalase(CAT) and peroxidase(POD) demonstrated a decrease initially, followed by an increase, and then another decrease. The levels of the four endogenous hormones, namely gibberellin(GA_3), zeatin riboside(ZR), auxin(IAA), and abscisic acid(ABA), in the seeds displayed significant variations, with IAA and ABA exhibiting considerably higher levels compared to the other hormones. The levels of plant growth-promoting hormones, represented by IAA, generally displayed a pattern of initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease during seed development, while the plant growth-inhibiting hormone ABA showed the opposite trend. The findings indicate that the alterations in nutrient composition, antioxidant enzyme activity, and endogenous hormone levels vary throughout the maturation process of N. incisum seeds. These observations hold relevance for the cultivation of N. incisum seeds.

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in traditional Chinese medicine materials (TCMMs): A critical review.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has accumulated a wealth of ecological wisdom and is regarded as an outstanding cultural and medical resource in China. However, in the context of serious environmental pollution, the potential harm caused by TCM materials (TCMMs) due to toxic heavy metals has seriously affected the sustainable development of TCM. Cadmium (Cd) is an internationally recognized heavy metal contaminant. In this paper, 270 reports on Cd in TCMMs were screened from 1969 publications covering 243 species in 81 families. According to the source of the TCMMs, the data were divided into the following categories: aboveground part, bark, flower and fruit, herb, leaf and rhizome. The temporal dynamics of the Cd content and its correlations with the habitats and categories (parts) of TCMMs were also studied. The results show that 22.05 % of the investigated TCMM samples exceeded the relevant domestic standards (Cd≤0.3 mg/kg), among which the maximum Cd content was 17.75 mg/kg. Myrtaceae and Syzygium aromaticum were the family and species with the highest mean Cd content, respectively. Regarding the source of TCMMs of great concern, the mean Cd content of TCMMs decreased in the order of herb > aboveground part > flower and fruit > leaf > rhizome > bark. In addition, in terms of the spatiotemporal distribution, the spatial distribution of the mean Cd content of TCMMs was significantly higher on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, followed by Southwest China. When comparing different times, more serious Cd pollution of TCMMs existed after 2000, and the highest mean Cd content was observed in 2000-2004. In summary, soil acidity must be decreased and the cultivation conditions of Cd-hyperaccumulators such as Ligusticum chuanxiong and Lonicera japonica must be modified, in conjunction with a scientific health risk assessment, to ensure the sustainable development of TCMMs.

[Effect of intercropping with Vicia faba on secondary metabolites and rhizosphere soil microbial diversity of Notopterygium incisum].

Rhizosphere soil microbial community and its diversity are important for the structure and functions of medicinal plant ecosystem. In this study, based on high-throughput sequencing, rhizosphere soil microbial diversity, and yield and quality of rhizome and root of Notopterygium incisum cultivated alone(control, CK) and intercropped with Vicia faba(QH) were analyzed, which is expected to lay a basis for optimization of the cultivation mode and ecological production of N. incisum. RESULTS:: showed that the rhizosphere soil bacteria of N. incisum were dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroides, with the relative abundance of 50.38%-51.95% and 16.36%-17.02%, respectively. Soil bacterial community at the phylum level was not significantly different between CK and QH. At the genus level, the relative abundance of MND1(3.54%), Spinstomonas(3.50%), Nitrospira(1.53%), and Rhizobacter(1.05%) was significantly higher and that of Gemmatimonas, Candidatus＿Solibacter, and Bryophytes was lower in QH treatment than in the CK. The plant height, leaf length, leaf width, and petiole length of N. incisum in QH treatment was significantly increased and the underground biomass rose by 71.43% compared with those in the CK. Thus, intercropping with V. faba promoted the aboveground growth of N. incisum and improved the yield of root and rhizome. Moreover, the content of notopterol and isoimperatorin increased by 37.96% and 4.09% in QH treatment, respectively, indicating that the intercropping with V. faba boosted the accumulation of secondary metabolites in N. incisum. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that the soil bacterial community was mainly influenced by the soil factors including the content of soil available nutrients, soil organic matter, pH value, and soil water. The influence was in the order: total potassium>total nitrogen>pH>organic matter>available potassium>soil water content>available nitrogen>available phosphorus. In conclusion, the intercropping with V. faba altered soil microenvironment and also increased the yield and accumulation of secondary metabolites of N. incisum, which is a promising ecological planting model for N. incisum.

Research progress on quality assurance of genuine Chinese medicinal in Sichuan.

The genuine Chinese medicinal (GCM), also known as Dao-di Herbs, is a synonym for high quality Chinese medicinal materials, which has been established in thousands of years of clinical practice and is a comprehensive standard for evaluating the quality of Chinese medicinal materials. The newest data from the Fourth National Survey of Chinese Medicinal Resources showed that Sichuan Province has 7290 types of Chinese medicine and 86 GCM, both ranking highly in China. The characteristics like diverse species, wide distribution, higher yield, and good quality are considered as advantages of geo-herbals grown in Sichuan. Resources guarantee and high-quality development of those medicine materials make a difference in local Chinese medicine quality promotion and Chinese medicine industry and technology development to serve the public's needs, assist targeted poverty alleviation, and strengthen ecological protection. This review aims to outline significant progress in the recent ten years regarding regionalization, germplasm resources, and quality evaluation around the quality assurance of GCM in Sichuan, China.

[Comparison of soil hydraulic properties in wild and cultivated areas of Notopterygium incisum].

To clarify the difference of soil moisture characteristics between mixed broad leaf-conifer forest soil and artificial cultivation of Notopterygium incisum, the HYPROP system and the dew point potential meter were used to determine soil water retention curves(SWRC) for samples of two horizons(i.e. 2-7 cm, 10-15 cm). The basic physical and chemical properties of soil and its water characteristic parameters were also determined. The result showed as fllows:①The bulk density of mixed coniferous-broad leaf forest soil was between 0.33 and 0.52 g·cm~(-3), significantly lower than the corresponding value of field soil(1.01-1.18 g·cm~(-3))(P<0.05), While the organic matter content was significantly higher than the corresponding value of field soil(P<0.05). ②The saturated water content(θ_s), field water holding capacity(θ_(FC)) and Water that can be effectively utilized by plants(θ_(PAC)) of mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest soil were significantly higher than the corresponding value of field soil(P<0.05), while the retained water content(θ_r) value that cannot be effectively utilized by plants was significantly lower than that of field soil(P<0.05). ③The values of structural porosity(0.13-0.24 cm~3·cm~(-3)) and Matrix porosity(0.34-0.44 cm~3·cm~(-3)) of mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest soil were higher than the corresponding values of field soil. Therefore, with low bulk density and high content of organic matter, mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest soil can store more water in soil in the form of effective water to meet the needs of plants for water, thus possibly forming high quality medicinal materials of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix. In conclusion, the results of this study can provide theoretical basis guidance for soil structure improvement and water management to form high quality medicinal materials in the artificial cultivation of N. incisum.

[Correlation between growth characteristics and quality of rhizomes of Notopterygium incisum under wild tending].

Study the growth and development process of rhizomes(bamboo-like part) of Notopterygium incisum and the changes of carbohydrate, endogenous hormones and secondary metabolites, and provide theoretical guidance for the formation of high-quality N. incisum medicinal commodities under artificial cultivation. The One-year-old seedlings were transplanted to the original habitat,and the growth and physiological characteristics of N. incisum were dynamically monitored. The results showed that: ① Seedlings transplanted to the original habitat in spring could form rhizomes(bamboo-like part) in the same year. ② After 60 days of transplantation, the root length and root diameter of underground part of N. incisum had increased rapidly, and carbohydrate content in roots and rhizomes had accumulated rapidly. After 120 days of transplantation, the roots and rhizomes of underground part had grown slowly, and starch content in roots and rhizomes increased continuously, while sucrose and total soluble sugar content decreased gradually. ③ The content of abscisic acid(ABA) in rhizomes decreased firstly and then increased, while the indole acetic acid(IAA) content stabilized firstly and then increased rapidly, and the contents of gibberellin(GA_3) and zeatin riboside(ZR) continued to increase. ④ The content of notopterol in rhizomes was higher than that in roots, while the content of isoimperatorin was lower than that in roots, but the total content of the both in rhizomes was higher than that in roots. Therefore, N. incisum can form rhizomes with high content of secondary metabolites under wild tending, and the growth and development of rhizomes are closely related to changes in carbohydrates and are regulated by related endogenous hormones.

[Ethnobotanical study of Juenang cultural area in Rangtang county of northwestern Sichuan].

Indigenous knowledge and traditional culture for sustainable use of native plants in Juenang cultural region of Rangtang county, Aba Zang and Qiang Prefecture of Sichuan province, have been characterized in this paper followed the principles and methods of ethnobotany. The results indicate that 38 species from 27 families(including 6 species of fungi) are ethnobotanically used commonly in this area. Of 38 species of the native plants, 13 species from 12 families are collected for eatables and vegetables, 12 families and 16 species of indigenous plants for medicinal and edible use, 4 species from 4 families for decoration, 4 species from 4 families used for building materials or firewood, and 1 species from 1 families used for religious folklore. Under the influence of Juenang culture and Tibetan culture, indigenous knowledge such as instinctive reverence and gratitude for nature, protection ecological environment and habitats, and moderate use of natural resources(especially wild bioresource), have been gotten passed on from generation to generation in Juenang culture region of Rangtang county, which is of great significance to the protection of local bioresources and environment, including ethnic medicinal plants, and also to provide practical guidance for biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration in those alpine ecological vulnerable areas.

[Dao-di herbs pharmacology and new ideas of Dao-di herbs standard construction].

Guided by the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine and using modern scientific methods, Dao-di herbs pharmacology studies the nature, performance, interaction with the body and its clinical application.It is a bridge between the basic research and clinical application of Dao-di herbs. It can objectively describe the law of efficacy of Dao-di herbs, scientifically explain the mechanism of efficacy of Dao-di herbs, explore and establish the standards and methods of Dao-di herbs based on biological effect and clinical efficacy, and provide scientific basis for the special properties, pharmacology and clinical value of Dao-di herbs.Furthermore, we put forward a new idea of building the standard of Dao-di herbs based on the curative effect rather than the origin.The Dao-di herbs standard should come from the systematic research of traditional Dao-di herbs producing areas and form a new characteristic system, through the extraction of environmental, genetic, character, chemical, pharmacological and other characteristics.This standard originates from the tradition, but it is higher than the tradition. It may not have the origin meaning of strict administrative division, but it can better reflect the pharmacological characteristics and excellent clinical value of Dao-di herbs.

[Framework construction and standardization practice of standard system for Sichuan Dao-di herbs].

Dao-di herbs is one of the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine different from other ethnic medicine. Sichuan province is rich in varieties and resources of Dao-di herbs, and its development scale and benefits are not obvious in recent decades due to the lag of standards behind the development of the times and objective needs. From the point of view of the whole process and the whole industrial chain, the significance of standardization system for quality assurance, healthy development of the industry, and development of the industry of Sichuan Dao-di herbs are presented in this paper. At present, Sichuan has made every effort to promote the construction and practice of the standardization system for Sichuan Dao-di herbs, to promote the rapid and high-quality development of Dao-di herbs industry in Sichuan.

Tazarotene-Induced Gene 1 Interacts with DNAJC8 and Regulates Glycolysis in Cervical Cancer Cells.

The tazarotene-induced gene 1 (TIG1) protein is a retinoid-inducible growth regulator and is considered a tumor suppressor. Here, we show that DnaJ heat shock protein family member C8 (DNAJC8) is a TIG1 target that regulates glycolysis. Ectopic DNAJC8 expression induced the translocation of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) into the nucleus, subsequently inducing glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression to promote glucose uptake. Silencing either DNAJC8 or PKM2 alleviated the upregulation of GLUT1 expression and glucose uptake induced by ectopic DNAJC8 expression. TIG1 interacted with DNAJC8 in the cytosol, and this interaction completely blocked DNAJC8-mediated PKM2 translocation and inhibited glucose uptake. Furthermore, increased glycose uptake was observed in cells in which TIG1 was silenced. In conclusion, TIG1 acts as a pivotal repressor of DNAJC8 to enhance glucose uptake by partially regulating PKM2 translocation.

[Effects of soil water content on growth and accumulation of active ingredients of Notopterygium incisum].

To investigate the adaptive mechanism of Notopterygium incisum to water changes, one-year-old seedlings were used as test materials. The characteristics of growth, physiology, and active ingredients of N. incisum were studied at different soil water content by pot experiments. The result showed that: ①The water content at 100% field capacity is conducive to the growth and accumulation of biomass of N. incisum. The leaf length, petiole length, petiole diameter, root diameter, root length and biomass of underground dry of N. incisum were all significantly increased at the 100% field capacity, and they slightly declined at 70% field capacity. 20% field capacity could not provide the necessary water to growth of N. incisum, all N. incisum withered and died. ②With the extension of moisture treatment time, the relative content of chlorophyll (SPAD) in leaves and the activity of peroxidase (POD) in rhizome showed a trend of increasing firstly, decreasing then; the tendency of activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in rhizome increased; the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in rhizome decreased firstly and increased then;. For the late test, the SPAD value, the activity of POD and SOD in N. incisum at the 40% field capacity were lower than 70% field capacity and 100 field capacity, while the content of MDA in rhizome were higher than 70% field capacity and 100% field capacity. ③ At 70% field capacity, the active ingredients accumulated most in the N. incisum. At the 70% field capacity, the notopterol and isoimperatorinwerehigher than100 field capacity and 40 field capacity. In summary, the soil water content at 70%-100% field capacity would contribute to the growth and accumulation of active ingredients of N. incisum.

[Industrialization condition and development strategy of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix].

Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix, the underground part of Notopterygium incisum and N. franchetii, is used as a classical traditional Chinese medicine, and as raw materials for 262 Chinese patent drugs production in 694 pharmaceutical factories currently. It plays an important role in the whole Chinese medicine industry with irreplaceable important economic and social values. However, wild resource of was abruptly depleted, and large-scale artificial cultivation has been inapplicable. In this study, Utilization history and the industrialization status of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix were summarized. Resource distribution, ecological suitability of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix and core technologies for seeds production, seedling breeding, large-scale cultivation has been reported by current studies, and basic conditions are already available for industrialization production of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix. However, there still some key technical problems need to be solved in the further research, and some policy dimensions need to be focused on in the coming industrialization cultivation of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix.

[Cultural regionalization for Notopterygium incisum based on 3S technology platform â ¡. Evaluation for quality suitability for N. incisum based on collocated Cokriging].

Quality characteristics based on active substance are focused for in the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) plants due to their economic values. However, ecological and quality suitability are not always a coincidence, which makes traditional cultural regionalization for TCM cultivation based on ecological suitability have great limitations in practical applications. A regionalization method integrated GIS and medicinal plants quality have been analyzed by using field quality data of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix as a case study. Spatial interpolation based on medicine quality by Cokriging method is reasonable, and the predicted values of interpolation are correlated with measured values significantly, which shows that cultural regionalization for TCM cultivation based on spatial quality suitability is possible theoretically. The results indicate that the most suitable areas for quality suitability were mainly distributed in Sichuan province (29.42%), while the spatial distribution of quality suitability and ecological suitability was not coincidence. The cultivation regionalization of TCM plants based on quality suitability is helpful to high quality and quantity cultivation of those TCM plants which spatial distribution of geoherbalism and ecological suitability is separated.

[Cultural regionalization for Notopterygium incisum based on 3S technology platform â ¢. Functional regionalization for cultivation based on suitability evaluation of growth and production quality].

Based on the research results of suitability evaluation of growth and production quality, a functional production cultivation regionalization with high feasibility and operability to solve the problem of the separation of high quality and high yield were formatted for protection, wild monitoring, and cultivation of this plant by weighted sum of spatial suitability data of ecology and quality, as well as integrated with land use and cover data. The results of the study revealed that good quality and high yield area were mainly distributed in the original production areas in Sichuan province and where could carry out monitoring and commercialization cultivation. This method is expected to overcome shortage of traditional regionalization methods difficult to distinguish the contribution of ecological factors and quality factors, which provide an innovative theory and methodology for regionalization, and is helpful to practical application of wild resource protection, nature research, monitoring, and commercialization cultivation for Chinese material medica.

[Ecological suitability assessment for Notopterygium plants transplanting along altitudinal gradients].

A comprehensive field research had been focused on growing status, underground biomass and active constituents of Notopterygium incisum and N. franchetii to evaluate the ecological suitability and appropriate cultivation zones by growing the two species seedlings along different elevation gradient. The results showed that compared to the survival rate and underground biomass, the beneficial altitude region to N. incisum was ranged from 2 600 m to 4 100 m, while N. franchetii required a lower altitude which ranges from 1 700 m to 3 600 m. For the active constituent contents, the values were higher in the range of 2 600 to 3 600 m for N. incisum, but for N. franchetii, the range was form 1 700 to 3 600 m. This result provides instructional guidance and scientific basis for artificial cultivation of N. incisum and N. franchetii.

[Dynamics of plant biomass and nutrients accumulation of Notopterygium incisum in artificial cultivation].

In this study,field cultivation experiments of Notopterygium incisum had been carried out for three years, and samples had been collected monthly during growth seasons, and biomass and nutrient elements of aerial and underground part of sampled plants had been determined to assess their seasonal and interannual dynamics respectively. The results showed that biomass of underground part (dry weight) increased mainly in the second year after seedling transplanting, i.e., biomass increased about 32 times in the second year whilst less than 6 times and 2 times in the first year and in the third year, respectively. Therefore, efforts for yield improvement should be focused on the first two year in artificial cultivation of N. incisum. Accumulation of nutrient elements increased steady in the underground part during the first and second year, then showed a sharp decline in the first phase of growth season in the third year, while its accumulation in July to August of third year was higher than the value of second year. Ca, Fe, B and Zn were larger demand nutrient elements to meet growth demands whether for the underground part or aerial part during the second year and third year for N. incisum cultivation. This result provided instructional guidance and scientific basis for artificial cultivation and specific fertilizer of N. incisum.

Tazarotene-Induced Gene 1 Enhanced Cervical Cell Autophagy through Transmembrane Protein 192.

Tazarotene-induced gene 1 (TIG1) is a retinoic acid-inducible protein that is considered a putative tumor suppressor. The expression of TIG1 is decreased in malignant prostate carcinoma or poorly differentiated colorectal adenocarcinoma, but TIG1 is present in benign or well-differentiated tumors. Ectopic TIG1 expression led to suppression of growth in cancer cells. However, the function of TIG1 in cell differentiation is still unknown. Using a yeast two-hybrid system, we found that transmembrane protein 192 (TMEM192) interacted with TIG1. We also found that both TIG1A and TIG1B isoforms interacted and co-localized with TMEM192 in HtTA cervical cancer cells. The expression of TIG1 induced the expression of autophagy-related proteins, including Beclin-1 and LC-3B. The silencing of TMEM192 reduced the TIG1-mediated upregulation of autophagic activity. Furthermore, silencing of either TIG1 or TMEM192 led to alleviation of the upregulation of autophagy induced by all-trans retinoic acid. Our results demonstrate that the expression of TIG1 leads to cell autophagy through TMEM192. Our study also suggests that TIG1 and TMEM192 play an important role in the all-trans retinoic acid-mediated upregulation of autophagic activity.

[Functional production regionalization for Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus based on growth and quality suitability assessment].

The major contributing factors for growth of endangered medicinal plants of Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus were screened on the GIS platform by using the MaxEnt model, and spatial distribution data of the medicine quality suitability were generated by geostatistics interpolation based on reported measured data of ecology and quality suitability assessment. On this basis, a functional production cultivation regionalization with high feasibility and operability were formatted for protection, wild monitoring, and cultivation of this plant by fuzzy superposition of spatial suitability data of ecology and quality, as well as integrated with land use and cover data. Therefore, a novel assessment and regionalization method were presented for ecology, growth and quality suitability of the Chinese traditional medicinal plants. This method is expected to overcome shortage of traditional regionalization methods difficult to distinguish the contribution of ecological factors and quality factors, which provide an innovative theory and methodology for regionalization, and is helpful to practical application of wild resource protection, monitoring, and commercialization cultivation for traditional Chinese medicinal plants.

[Correspondence analysis between traditional commercial specifications and quantitative quality indices of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix].

This paper aims to explore a comprehensive assessment method combined traditional Chinese medicinal material specifications with quantitative quality indicators. Seventy-six samples of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix were collected on market and at producing areas. Traditional commercial specifications were described and assigned, and 10 chemical components and volatile oils were determined for each sample. Cluster analysis, Fisher discriminant analysis and correspondence analysis were used to establish the relationship between the traditional qualitative commercial specifications and quantitative chemical indices for comprehensive evaluating quality of medicinal materials, and quantitative classification of commercial grade and quality grade. A herb quality index (HQI) including traditional commercial specifications and chemical components for quantitative grade classification were established, and corresponding discriminant function were figured out for precise determination of quality grade and sub-grade of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix. The result showed that notopterol, isoimperatorin and volatile oil were the major components for determination of chemical quality, and their dividing values were specified for every grade and sub-grade of the commercial materials of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix. According to the result, essential relationship between traditional medicinal indicators, qualitative commercial specifications, and quantitative chemical composition indicators can be examined by K-mean cluster, Fisher discriminant analysis and correspondence analysis, which provide a new method for comprehensive quantitative evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine quality integrated traditional commodity specifications and quantitative modern chemical index.

[Cultural regionalization for Notopterygium incisum based on 3S technology platform. I. Evaluation for growth suitability for N. incisum based on ecological factors analysis by Maxent and ArcGIS model].

Growth suitability as assessment indicators for medicinal plants cultivation was proposed based on chemical quality determination and ecological factors analysis by Maxent and ArcGIS model. Notopterygium incisum, an endangered Chinese medicinal plant, was analyzed as a case, its potential distribution areas at different suitability grade and regionalization map were formulated based on growth suitability theory. The results showed that the most suitable habitats is Sichuan province, and more than 60% of the most suitable areawas located in the western Sichuan such as Aba and Ganzi prefectures for N. incisum. The results indicated that habitat altitude, average air temperature in September, and vegetation types were the dominant factors contributing to the grade of plant growth, precipitation and slope were the major factors contributing to notopterol accumulation in its underground parts, while isoimperatorin in its underground parts was negatively corelated with precipitation and slope of its habitat. However, slope as a factor influencing chemical components seemed to be a pseudo corelationship. Therefore, there were distinguishing differences between growth suitability and quality suitability for medicinal plants, which was helpful to further research and practice of cultivation regionalization, wild resource monitoring and large-scale cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine plants.