[Chemical and pharmacological progress on a Tibetan folk medicine formula Bawei Chenxiang Powder].

Bawei Chenxiang Powder is a traditional Tibetan folk medicine formula, consisting of resinous wood of Aquilaria sinensis, kernel of Myristica fragrans, fruit of Choerospondias axillaris, travertine, resin of Boswellia carterii or B. bhaw-dajiana, stem of Aucklandia lappa, fruit of Terminalia chebula(roasted), and flower of Gossampinus malabarica. It has the function of clearing heart heat, nourishing heart, tranquilizing mind, and inducing resuscitation, which has been used for the treatment of coronary heart disease and angina pectoris. Modern research shows that the medicine materials of this formula mainly contain terpenoids like sesquiterpenes and triterpenes and polyphenols like flavonoids, lignans, and tannins, displaying some pharmacological activities such as anti-myocardial ischemia, anti-cerebral ischemia, and spatial learning and memory promotion. This review summaries the traditional uses, chemical constituents, and pharmacological activities research progress, hopefully to provide a reference for clarification of its pharmacological active ingredients.

Phytantriol-based lyotropic liquid crystal as a transdermal delivery system.

The purpose of this study was examined the feasibility of using phytantriol-based cubic and hexagonal liquid crystal preparation for the percutaneous administration of trans­cinnamaldehyde (TCA). TCA-loaded lyotropic liquid crystal formulations were prepared and characterized, their skin permeability in vitro and in vivo was evaluated. Preliminary pharmacodynamics were also investigated in adjuvant arthritics (AA) rats. The formulations were identified respectively as cubic and hexagonal structure. The in vitro permeability study exhibited that both cubic and hexagonal liquid crystal improved the cumulative permeation quantity and permeation rates of TCA compared with home-made gel. The results of an in vivo transdermal permeability experiment showed that the area under the curve [AUC(0-∞)] of the hexagonal and cubic liquid crystal was 1.62 and 1.53 times higher than that of the gel group, respectively. Preliminary pharmacodynamics studies indicated that the group of high-dose TCA-loaded (200 mg·kg-1) hexagonal liquid crystal was shown to inhibit the paw swelling of AA rats, improve synovial hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration, and down-regulate the levels of serum interleukin (IL)­1ß and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)­α. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the anti-inflammatory effects of TCA-loaded hexagonal liquid crystal and the commercially available product Voltaren® emulgel®. Thus, hexagonal liquid crystal was considered as an effective delivery system for TCA.