Medicinal plants and antioxidants: What do we learn from cell culture and Caenorhabditis elegans studies?

Traditional medicinal plants have a long history of therapeutic use. The beneficial health effects of medicinal plants rich in polyphenols are often attributed to their potent antioxidant activities, as established in vitro, since diets rich in polyphenols are epidemiologically associated with a decreased incidence of age-related diseases in humans. However, medicinal plants may also exert pro-oxidant effects that up-regulate endogenous protective enzymes. Care is needed when studying the biological effects of medicinal plants in cell culture because some polyphenols oxidize readily in culture media. This review summarizes the data we have obtained from in vitro and in vivo (Caenorhabditis elegans) studies examining the diverse effects of traditional medicinal plants and their modes of action.     

Exploration and local utilization of medicinal vegetation naturally grown in the Deusai plateau of Gilgit,Pakistan

In the study area, the traditional knowledge regarding the uses of local wild medicinal plants for the health care of human and domestic animals is totally in hold of old people. The young ones are unaware about such an indispensable practices. The objective of the current study was to transfer this sort of precious knowledge from old members of the community to young generations in documented form.     

Human Gut Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Cancer

Human gut microbiota play an essential role in both healthy and diseased states of humans. In the past decade, the interactions between microorganisms and tumors have attracted much attention in the efforts to understand various features of the complex microbial communities, as well as the possible mechanisms through which the microbiota are involved in cancer prevention, carcinogenesis, and anti-cancer therapy. A large number of studies have indicated that microbial dysbiosis contributes to cancer susceptibility via multiple pathways. Further studies have suggested that the microbiota and their associated metabolites are not only closely related to carcinogenesis by inducing inflammation and immune dysregulation, which lead to genetic instability, but also interfere with the pharmacodynamics of anticancer agents. In this article, we mainly reviewed the influence of gut microbiota on cancers in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers) and the regulation of microbiota by diet, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, antibiotics, or the Traditional Chinese Medicine. We also proposed some new strategies in the prevention and treatment of GI cancers that could be explored in the future. We hope that this review could provide a comprehensive overview of the studies on the interactions between the gut microbiota and GI cancers, which are likely to yield translational opportunities to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality by improving prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.     

微生物转化技术在中药开发中的应用进展

中药现代化是目前中药研究最迫切的需要,微生物转化技术可以利用微生物的特性解决中药现代化研究中难以解决的诸多问题,我们总结了微生物转化中药的特点,转化酶系统及反应类型,分析了微生物生物转化对中药的影响,认为微生物转化技术酶系统广泛,选择性强,反应条件温和可控,反应类型广泛,适用于所有类型的中药有效成分的生物转化,经过转化后,可以提高中药药效,降低毒性,去除杂质,帮助有效成分的体内代谢及产生新的药物成分。中药微生物转化技术必定成为中药学与微生物学完美契合的典范,推进中药现代化的进程。     

肠道菌群与高血压病主要危险因素的相关性及 中药干预研究现状

近年来国内、外文献报道高血压病的发生可能与肠道菌群失调相关。肠道菌群与高血压病主要危险因素(肥胖、高血脂、糖尿病、代谢综合征、动脉粥样硬化)具有一定的相关性,某些益生菌或其发酵产品可能通过改善肠道菌群的方式为高血压病的治疗提供新的思路和途径。近年来研究显示中药具有较长的肠道停留时间,从而有利于其发挥调节肠道菌群的作用,提示某些中药具有调节肠道菌群的作用。但目前国内、外尚无关于中药直接通过肠道菌群作用而干预高血压病的文献报道,而近年来国内有研究显示肠道菌群可能是中药干预高血压病主要危险因素的作用机制之一。     

Collaborative research and intellectual property rights

Scientists find themselves working more and more with indigenous, traditional and local communities in all aspects of their collections and investigations. Indigenous knowledge has become increasingly important in research while at the same time local communities have become increasingly politicized in the use, misappropriation, and commercialisation of their knowledge and biogenetic resources. It is becoming more and more difficult for even the most well-intentioned scientists to stride into indigenous areas and collect plants, animals, folk tales, and photos without having first to convince local leaders that the scholarly efforts will somehow benefit the communities — that the benefits of research results will directly and indirectly lead to strengthening the traditional society. In many parts of the world, indigenous peoples only allow Collaborative Research in which the scientific priorities and agendas are controlled by the communities, or Community Controlled Research in which the communities actually contract scientists to carry out the group's research plan. Control over data has become one of the key battle cries for the indigenous movement, that is now demanding Intellectual Property Rights over information obtained through research and just compensation for economic benefits that eventually may accrue. This paper deals with some of the ethical and practical issues that frame this rapidly evolving debate.     

双歧杆菌及中药对小鼠血中抗氧化酶,T3,TSH和吞噬细胞功能的影响

本文用双歧杆菌、中药及复方双歧杆菌制剂饲喂ＢＡＬＢ／ｃ小鼠,发现中药及复方双歧杆菌制剂对老龄鼠血中ＳＯＤ、ＧＳＨ—Ｐｘ活性有明显增高作用,而对ＬＰＯ含量有明显减低作用,双歧杆菌及复方双歧杆菌能增强ＢＡＬＢ／ｃ小鼠内分泌功能及免疫功能,本试验中尚发现双歧杆菌与中药制成的复方双歧杆菌制剂能明显协同促进ＧＳＨ—Ｐｘ及吞噬细胞功能。说明双歧杆菌与一些传统补益类中药具有协同抗衰老作用。     

基诺族传统食用植物的民族植物学研究

基诺族是国务院１９７９年确认的我国第５６个民族,至今仍依赖于歇农业即刀耕火种为生,自给自足的自然经济是他们主要经济形式。除在轮歇地内栽培少数几种作物外,基诺族的菜肴绝大部分采自其周围的林地、山野。本文记述了基诺族的传统食用植物１７９种,其中野菜类８６种、野生水果类３７种,栽培植物５４种。     

黄柏,黄连中药合剂对抗生素所致家兔阴道菌群失调的调整作用

本实验应用阴道细菌学检查与光镜,电镜观察相结合方法,初步研究了黄柏,黄连中药合剂对抗生素所致家兔阴道菌群人调的调整作用。结果表明,盐酸林可霉素可造成家兔阴道菌群失调,乳杆菌比正常对照组明显减少,类杆菌,肠杆菌显示增加、同时家兔阴道粘膜充血,炎性细胞浸润。