Simultaneous determination of 76As, 122Sb and 153Sm in Chinese medicinal herbs by epithermal neutron activation analysis

Optimal conditions for the simultaneous determination of As, Sb and Sm in Chinese medicinal herbs using epithermal neutron activation analysis were investigated. The minimum detectable concentrations of 76As, 122Sb and 153Sm in lichen and medicinal herbs depended on the weight of the irradiated sample, and irradiation and decay durations. Optimal conditions were obtained by wrapping the irradiated target with 3.2 mm borated polyethylene neutron filters, which were adopted to screen the original reactor fission neutrons and to reduce the background activities of 38Cl, 24Na and 42K. Twelve medicinal herbs, commonly consumed by Taiwanese children as a diuretic treatment, were analysed since trace elements, such as As and Sb, in these herbs may be toxic when consumed in sufficiently large quantities over a long period. Various amounts of medicinal herbs, standardised powder, lichen and tomato leaves were weighed, packed into polyethylene bags, irradiated and counted under different conditions. The results indicated that about 350 mg of lichen irradiated for 24 h and counted for 20 min following a 30-60 h decay period was optimal for irradiation in a 10(11)n/cm s epithermal neutron flux. The implications of the content of the studied elements in Chinese medicinal herbs are discussed.     

Correlation between total and EDTA/DTPA-extractable trace elements in soil and wheat

Wheat and wheat products are more important sources of energy and nutrients in diets of people in many cultures compared to other foods. The daily consumption of wheat is about 200 g/d/person in Western Europe and North America. On the other hand, 400–450 g of wheat and wheat products are consumed daily by average Turkish people. Wheat samples collected from the Iskenderun region in 1995 and 1996 and Ankara and Istanbul regions in 1995 were analyzed for their trace element content by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). In addition, 13 soil samples were collected from the Iskenderun region in 1996. Total soil samples were analyzed by INAA and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), EDTA-extractable elements by INAA, and DTPA-extractable elements by AAS. Correlation analysis and enrichment factor calculations were applied to the trace element results. In wheat samples, a strong correlation was found between the elements such as Sc, La, Sm, Rb, and K whose main source is soil. The concentration of Se appeared to show larger variations among different regions. No significant correlation was observed for elements such as As and Se whose main sources in the atmosphere are anthropogenic activities.     

Elemental analysis of herbal preparations for traditional medicines by neutron activation analysis with the k0 standardization method

Medicinal herb preparations prescribed for specific treatment purposes were purchased from markets and were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis withk ₀ standardization. Then, 500–700 mg of each sample was pelletized under a pressure of six tones and irradiated together with monitors for a and neutron flux ratio determinations for about 6 h in a thermal flux of 2.29 x 10¹² n/cm²/s. The accuracy of the method was established by analyzing standard reference materials. Twenty-nine elements, Ag, As, Au, Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sr, Th, U, Yb, and Zn, were measured in all the samples, and Hg was detected in some samples, with good accuracy and reproducibility. The concentration of elements determined was found to vary depending on the composition of the herbs used. Although the trend linking the element of the medicinal plants to its curative abilities could not be clearly determined, this study showed that the toxic elements found in the samples were below the levels prescribed by health regulations. Nevertheless, such data are important to understand the pharmacological action and the exact mechanisms of action and formation of active constituents for each medicinal plant and to decide the dosage of the herbs used in the final formulation.     

Antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of 112 traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with anticancer

Cancer prevention and treatment using traditional Chinese medicines have attracted increasing interest. This study characterizes antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with anticancer, comprising 112 species from 50 plant families. The improved ABTS(*+) method was used to systematically assess the total antioxidant capacity (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, TEAC) of the medicinal extracts. The TEAC values and total phenolic content for methanolic extracts of herbs ranged from 46.7 to 17,323 micromol Trolox equivalent/100 g dry weight (DW), and from 0.22 to 50.3 g of gallic acid equivalent/100 g DW, respectively. A positive, significant linear relationship between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (all R(2) values>/=0.95) showed that phenolic compounds were the dominant antioxidant components in the tested medicinal herbs. Major types of phenolic compounds from most of the tested herbs were preliminarily identified and analyzed, and mainly included phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, lignans, quinones, stilbenes, and curcuminoids. These medicinal herbs exhibited far stronger antioxidant activity and contained significantly higher levels of phenolics than common vegetables and fruits. Traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with anticancer might be potential sources of potent natural antioxidants and beneficial chemopreventive agents.     

Screening of anti-Helicobacter pylori herbs deriving from Taiwanese folk medicinal plants

In this study, extracts from 50 Taiwanese folk medicinal plants were examined and screened for anti-Helicobacter pylori activity. Ninety-five percent ethanol was used for herbal extraction. Paederia scandens (Lour.) Merr. (PSM), Plumbago zeylanica L. (PZL), Anisomeles indica (L.) O. Kuntze (AIOK), Bombax malabaricum DC. (BMDC) and Alpinia speciosa (J. C. Wendl.) K. Schum. (ASKS) and Bombax malabaricum DC. (BMDC) all demonstrated strong anti-H. pylori activities. The minimum inhibitory concentration values of the anti-H. pylori activity given by the five ethanol herb extracts ranged from 0.64 to 10.24 mg ml(-1). Twenty-six herbs, including Artemisia argvi Levl. et Vant (AALEV), Phyla nodiflora (Linn.) Greene (PNG) and others, showed moderate anti-H. pylori activity. The additional 19 herbs, including Areca catechu Linn. (ACL), Euphorbia hirta Linn. (EHL) and Gnaphalium adnatum Wall. ex DC. (GAWEDC), possessed lower anti-H. pylori effects. About half of the Taiwanese folk medicinal plants tested, demonstrated to possess higher anti-H. pylori activity.     

Determination of multielement concentrations in normal human organs from the Japanese

In order to elucidate the distribution of elements in organs from healthy Japanese, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), based on the preliminary examination, was applied to quantitative determination of multielements in nine organs autopsied (brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, muscle, pancreas, spleen, and thyroid). The following results were obtained: (1) The values obtained for each element could be considered to be representative as "normal values" and "ranges" in organs from healthy Japanese males; (2) the essential elements Br, Cl, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Na, Rb, Se, and Zn were not affected by external environmental factors or by racial difference; (3) renal and hepatic Cd levels were very high in several cases and the accumulation has still been in progress in the Japanese, whereas the contaminant elements are low in each organ except for lung.     

Unique ayurvedic metallic-herbal preparations, chemical characterization

Bhasmas are unique Ayurvedic metallic preparations with herbal juices/fruits, known in the Indian subcontinent since the seventh century BC and widely recommended for treatment of a variety of chronic ailments. Twenty bhasmas based on calcium, iron, zinc, mercury, silver, potassium, arsenic, copper, tin, and gemstones were analyzed for up to 18 elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis, including their C, H, N, and S contents. In addition to the major constituent element found at % level, several other essential elements such as Na, K, Ca, Mg, V, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn have also been found in μg/g amounts and ultratrace (ng/g) amounts of Au and Co. These seem to remain chelated with organic ligands derived from medicinal herbs. The bhasmas are biologically produced nanoparticles and are taken along with milk, butter, honey, or ghee (a preparation from milk), thus, this makes these elements easily assimilable, eliminating their harmful effects and enhancing their biocompatibility. Siddha Makaradhwaja, a mercury preparation is found to be stoichiometrically HgS without any traces of any other element. Similarly, Swet Parpati is stoichiometrically KNO₃ but is found to have Mn, Cu, Zn, Na, P, and Cl as well. An attempt has been made to correlate the metallic contents with their medicinal importance. Na and K, the two electrolytic elements, seem to be well correlated, although K/Na varies in a wide range from 0.06 to 95, with specifically low values for Ca-, Fe-, and Zn-based hasmas. K/P also varies in a wide range from 0.23 to 12, although for most bhasmas (n=12)., it is 2.3±1.2. Further, Fe/Mn is linearly correlated (r=0.96) with Fe in nine noniron bhasmas.     

Determination of inorganic components in Brazilian medicinal plants by neutron activation analysis

Biological Trace Element Research - Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) has been applied to multielemental determinations of medicinal extracts obtained from the plants.Cordia...     

Anti-acetylcholinesterase activities of traditional Chinese medicine for treating Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive impairment. It is the most common type of dementia in the ageing population due to a severe loss of cholinergic neurons in selected brain area. At present, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI) are the first group of drugs approved by the FDA to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Most of these drugs such as huperzine and galanthamine are originally isolated from plants. In this study, the AChE inhibitory activities from extracts of Chinese medicinal herbs that have traditionally been prescribed to treat insomnia and brain function disorders were examined in a 96-well plate assay based on Ellman's method. Both ethanol and aqueous extracts of 26 traditional Chinese medicinal herbs were tested. Inhibitory effects were expressed as the percentage of inhibition. For the herbal extracts that were shown to exert a significant inhibition, dose-dependent inhibitory assays were also performed. Ethanol and aqueous extracts of six herbs were found to have high AChE inhibitory activities in a dose-dependent manner. The IC(50) of these herbal extracts on inhibition of AChE are at around 5-85mum/ml. The results of this study indicate that there is a great potential to search for novel usage of these medicinal herbs for the treatment of AD.     

Matrix effects in PIXE analysis of aerosols and ashes

A comparison of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) results for sizefractionated atmospheric aerosols (“coarse” and “fine” fractions with an equivalent aerodynamic diameter of 2–10 Μm and < 2 Μm, respectively, or the PM10 fraction) showed that PIXE yielded significantly lower results for the PM10 and coarse fractions, especially for elements with a low Z resulting from a particle size effect. Somewhat lower PIXE results were also obtained for the fine fraction of atmospheric aerosols. A correction is also needed for irregularly shaped deposits of combustion aerosols collected by a cascade impactor in 11 size fractions ranging from 0.016 to 14.3 Μm, as well as for thick samples of fly and bottom ashes. An equivalent layer thickness (ELT) model is proposed to correct the matrix effects in PIXE. The approaches for the calculation of ELT using a comparison of PIXE and INAA results or by comparing PIXE results obtained using two different incident proton beam energies (1.31 and 2.35 MeV) are described. The correction for the ash pellets and irregular deposits are also discussed.     

Concentration levels of major and trace elements in rice from sri lanka as determined by the k 0 standardization method

Instrumental neutron activation (INAA) with k ₀ standardization has been used to determine the concentration levels of a variety of major and trace elements (Al, As, Br, Cd, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, Sc, Se, and Zn) in rice grains (raw and parboiled) and in rice flour collected from local markets in Sri Lanka. In addition, the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis has been used to determine the three elements Ca, P, and S in powdered samples. To evaluate and assure the accuracy and precision of the k ₀ standardization method, the IAEA standard reference material V-8 rye flour was analyzed. The results obtained in the present investigation were compared with the results reported from other countries. All of the elements detected in the rice matrices from Sri Lanka were very low in concentration or within normal limits for food plants. Approximate daily dietary intakes of the individual elements supplied through rice were calculated and compared with the available literature values of daily allowances.     

江苏宝华山区药用维管植物资源组成分析

为全面了解江苏宝华山区药用维管植物资源现状,依据“第四次全国中药资源普查”项目的要求,采用线路调查和样方调查相结合的方法,对该区域药用维管植物的种类组成、科属构成、生活型、濒危现状和中药学特征以及重点药用维管植物的资源状况进行了调查和分析。结果显示：宝华山区共有药用维管植物164科620属1089种(含种下等级),分别占江苏省药用维管植物科、属、种数的88.2%、87.3%、81.0%,其中,蕨类植物25科33属50种、裸子植物7科13属16种、被子植物132科574属1023种;在科属构成上均以包含单种和寡种的小科、小属为主。从该区域药用维管植物的生活型看,以草本最为丰富,有734种;乔木和灌木(含木质藤本)较少,分别有125和230种。从所在的植被类型看,阔叶林数量最多,其后依次为针阔混交林、灌草丛、人工植被,针叶林数量最少。从地理分布看,与同区域种子植物的地理分布特征基本吻合,具有亚热带向温带过渡的特点。从珍稀濒危状况看,该区域现存中国特有属14属、国家级珍稀濒危药用维管植物18种、江苏省省级保护药用维管植物32种。从中药材上看,有道地药材17种和重点药用维管植物130种,但各种类的数量总体上较少。从该区域药用维管植物的中药学特征看,在药用部位上以全草(株)类、根和根茎类较多,分别占总种数的44.2%和24.0%;在药性上以平性最多,占30.9%;在药味上以苦味最多,占40.0%;有毒的药用植物占12.9%,其中小毒种类最多。综合分析结果显示：宝华山区药用维管植物种类丰富,其中,道地药材占有一定比例,但重点药用维管植物数量有限且分布频度总体较低。根据上述调查结果,对宝华山区药用维管植物资源的保护和利用提出了一些建议。     

福建省福州市马尾区药用植物资源研究

依托第四次全国中药资源普查工作,摸清马尾区药用植物资源种类、分布、重点中药材品种以及药材栽培等情况。根据第四次全国中药资源普查要求,通过实地调查、走访以及栽培基地调查等方法对马尾区药用植物资源进行调查,查阅相关资料确定野生药用植物的药用部位、生活型等。马尾区野生药用植物种类共计506种,隶属于132科360属,含2～5种的寡种科占绝对优势地位;草本为主要生活型,药用部位集中在根类和全草类;有福建省重点药材50种、特色药材22种。由于长期受人为干扰,马尾区原生植被破坏严重,药用植物种类较为贫乏。因此,可考虑林下种植中药改善土壤环境,实现中药资源可持续发展。     

Correlation between the different therapeutic properties of Chinese medicinal herbs and delayed luminescence

In the practice and principle of Chinese medicine, herbal materials are classified according to their therapeutic properties. ‘Cold’ and ‘heat’ are the most important classes of Chinese medicinal herbs according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this work, delayed luminescence (DL) was measured for different samples of Chinese medicinal herbs using a sensitive photon multiplier detection system. A comparison of DL parameters, including mean intensity and statistic entropy, was undertaken to discriminate between the ‘cold’ and ‘heat’ properties of Chinese medicinal herbs. The results suggest that there are significant differences in mean intensity and statistic entropy and using this method combined with statistical analysis may provide novel parameters for the characterization of Chinese medicinal herbs in relation to their energetic properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Safety Assessment of Toxic Metals in Commonly Used Pharmaceutical Herbal Products and Traditional Herbs for Infants in Jordanian Market

The objective of this study was to assess the levels of contamination by toxic metals (Pb, Al, Ni, Cd and As) that may be present in 25 infant pharmaceutical herbal products and 15 traditional herbs in Jordan. Both products and medicinal herbs are currently prescribed by paediatricians. They are available as over-the-counter medicines and are sold the in herbal market, ensuring easy accessibility for parents. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), with limit of detections (LODs) of 0.10, 1.00, 0.20, 0.15 and 2.00 mg.kg⁻¹ for Pb, Al, Ni, Cd and As respectively, was employed to measure the levels of toxic metals in the samples. Pb, Al and Ni were detected in 88, 76 and 4% of the analysed samples of pharmaceutical herbal products and in 93, 87 and 13% of the analysed samples of traditional herbs, respectively. Neither Cd or As were detected in all analysed samples. The data obtained were subsequently compared by referral to the acceptable limits of toxic heavy metals according to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. Largely, the results showed acceptable toxic metal levels in the finished pharmaceutical products and the traditional medicinal herbs for infants. One exception to this was Persian Thyme (Satureja thymbra) with Pb content of 41.18 mg.kg⁻¹. Also, the daily intake of detected metals through pharmaceutical herbal products was found to be lower than the daily tolerable intake limit set by the regulatory bodies, except of 8% of products that exceeded the tolerable daily intake of Pb set by US FDA, as compared to traditional medicinal herbs, where the tolerable daily intake for Pb, Al and Ni were exceeded in 40, 60 and 8% of the analysed herbs, respectively. The results obtained revealed that the excessive use of medicinal plants as alternative medicine should be used with caution keeping in mind the safety factor in infants.

     

四种中草药抗白内障形成中晶状体脂类过氧化水平及脂类含量的变化

我们观察了中草药防治大鼠半乳糖性白内障形成中脂类含量的变化及脂类过氧化水平。结果表明,与正常晶状体相比,白内障晶状体中总脂类的含量明显降低,总胆固醇的含量及脂类过氧化水平明显升高,总脂类与总胆固醇之比明显下降。而同时分别用黄苓、石斛、菟丝子及玉蝴蝶四种中草药水煎剂灌胃的大鼠晶状体中,总胆类与总胆固醇的含量基本恢复至正常;脂类过氧化水平虽仍高于正常晶状体,但也明显低于白内障晶状体,表明脂类过氧化参与了白内障的形成,上述四种中草药具有抑制脂类过氧化的作用。     

中草药浸提液对小列当种子发芽的影响

选用240种常用中草药,研究其蒸馏水和甲醇浸提液原液及其10倍、100倍和1 000倍稀释液对小列当种子发芽的影响.结果表明:小列当种子在蒸馏水浸提液刺激下发芽率超过70%的中草药有灯心草、降香和莲须,在甲醇浸提液刺激下发芽率超过70%的中草药有百部、桑椹、谷芽和萆薢;蒸馏水浸提液对小列当种子发芽抑制率超过50%的中草药有菊花、棕榈、苦杏仁和黄柏,甲醇浸提液对小列当种子发芽抑制率超过70%的有续断、地黄、肉豆蔻、地肤子、黄连、木贼和胡黄连.大部分中草药浸提液在10倍稀释液条件下对小列当种子发芽的刺激或抑制作用最明显.研究发现,一些参试中草药蒸馏水和甲醇浸提液能够刺激或抑制小列当种子萌发,并且其对种子萌发的影响程度随浸提液浓度的变化而异,不同中草药最佳处理浓度不同,而且用甲醇浸提液可筛选出更多种具有化感作用的中草药.     

Toxicological Aspect of Some Selected Medicinal Plant Samples Collected from Djelfa,Algeria Region

Biological Trace Element Research - Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) has been used to determine the concentration of some toxic chemical elements in a variety of aromatic plants...     

Ursolic acid and its derivative inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B, enhancing insulin receptor phosphorylation and stimulating glucose uptake

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a key element in the negative regulation of the insulin signaling pathway and may play an important role in diabetes and obesity. We identified ursolic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid that occurs widely in traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, as an inhibitor of PTP1B by screening an extract library of the traditional Chinese medicinal herbs used a diabetes clinic. By modifying urosolic acid, we designed and synthesized a derivative with a K(i) of 283 nM. As competitive inhibitors of PTP1B, ursolic acid and its derivative also inhibit T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase and src homology phosphatase-2 but not leucocyte antigen-related phosphatase or protein tyrosine phosphatase alpha and epsilon, which are all possibly involved in the insulin pathway. The ursolic acid derivative enhanced insulin receptor phosphorylation in CHO/hIR cells and stimulate glucose uptake in L6 myotubes.     

Natural occurrence of cancer-preventive geranylgeranoic acid in medicinal herbs

Geranylgeranoic acid (GGA; all-trans 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-2,6,10,14-hexadecatetraenoic acid) has been shown to induce apoptosis in a human hepatoma-derived cell line, HuH-7. We aimed not only to confirm the apoptogenic properties of GGA and its derivatives, but also to search for natural GGA in medicinal herbs. GGA induced apoptosis in human hepatoma-derived cell lines, HuH-7, PLC/PRF-5, and mouse transformed hepatocyte-derived cell line, MLE-10, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but failed to induce cell death in human hepatoblastoma-derived HepG-2 and mouse primary hepatocytes in the same condition. Besides GGA, 4,5-didehydro GGA, 14,15-dihydro GGA, and 2,3-dihydro GGA were also active to induce cell death in HuH-7 cells, while 4,5-didehydro-10,11, 14,15-tetrahydro GGA, 4,5,8,9-tetrahydro GGA, farnesoic acid, and geranylgeraniol were inert. By using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, we found natural GGA as a negative ion of m/z 303.4 in a Chinese herb, Schisandra chinensis, and Schisandra GGA was identified by derivatization with both mild methylation and catalytic hydrogenation. Some other GGAs hydrogenated in the different degrees, including phytanic acid (perhydro GGA), were also found in S. chinensis. GGA and phytanic acid were detected in 24 out of 25 herbs tested. The present study is the first report of natural GGA in medicinal herbs.