Nitric oxide bioactivity of traditional Chinese medicines used for cardiovascular indications

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for centuries to treat and prevent certain ailments and diseases. Although TCM has served as mainstream medical care throughout Asia for many generations, it is considered an alternative medical system in much of the Western world. Because many TCMs are used primarily for cardiovascular indications characterized by a nitric oxide (NO) insufficiency, we hypothesized that some, if not all, of these TCMs have a robust NO bioactivity that may act to restore NO homeostasis. We tested a group of convenience samples of TCMs obtained in the United States for endogenous nitrite, nitrate, nitroso, and nitrite reductase activity as well as their ability to relax isolated aortic rings. The results from this study reveal that all of the TCMs tested reveal NO bioactivity through their inherent nitrite and nitrate content and their ability to reduce nitrite to NO. Many of the TCM extracts contain a nitrite reductase activity greater by 1000 times that of biological tissues. Repletion of biological nitrite and nitrate by these extracts and providing a natural system for NO generation in both endothelium-dependent and -independent mechanisms may account for some of the therapeutic effects of TCMs.     

The faunal drugstore: Animal-based remedies used in traditional medicines in Latin America

Zootherapy is the treatment of human ailments with remedies made from animals and their products. Despite its prevalence in traditional medical practices worldwide, research on this phenomenon has often been neglected in comparison to medicinal plant research. This review discusses some related aspects of the use of animal-based remedies in Latin America, identifies those species used as folk remedies, and discusses the implications of zootherapy for public health and biological conservation. The review of literature revealed that at least 584 animal species, distributed in 13 taxonomic categories, have been used in traditional medicine in region. The number of medicinal species catalogued was quite expansive and demonstrates the importance of zootherapy as an alternative mode of therapy in Latin America. Nevertheless, this number is certainly underestimated since the number of studies on the theme are very limited. Animals provide the raw materials for remedies prescribed clinically and are also used in the form of amulets and charms in magic-religious rituals and ceremonies. Zootherapeutic resources were used to treat different diseases. The medicinal fauna is largely based on wild animals, including some endangered species. Besides being influenced by cultural aspects, the relations between humans and biodiversity in the form of zootherapeutic practices are conditioned by the social and economic relations between humans themselves. Further ethnopharmacological studies are necessary to increase our understanding of the links between traditional uses of faunistic resources and conservation biology, public health policies, sustainable management of natural resources and bio-prospecting.     

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist activity in traditional Chinese stroke medicines

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history in stroke therapy and its therapeutic efficacy has been confirmed by clinical studies. The molecular basis of the neuroprotective effects is unknown. We wondered whether or not the neuroprotective effect of TCMs might be due to their N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) antagonist properties. We used the patch-clamp technique to screen 22 TCM stroke drugs for NMDAR antagonist activity in cultured cortical neurons. The drugs were also screened for their ability to abate NMDA-induced neurotoxicity. Aqueous extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis, Stephania tetrandra, and Salvia miltiorrhiza blocked currents induced by NMDA (200 microM, 10 microM glycine, 0 Mg2+) at a holding potential of -80 mV by 83.45+/-4.34, 38.65+/-7.50, and 52.97+/-1.78%, respectively. The block of the NMDA-evoked currents was voltage-dependent and showed a negative slope conductance reminiscent of Mg2+. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry revealed the presence of 12.5, 2, and 8.7 mM Mg2+ in the extracts of S. baicalensis,S. tetrandra, and S. miltiorrhiza, respectively. None of these extracts blocked NMDA-induced neuronal death. The Uncaria rhynchophylla extract blocked NMDA-evoked currents by 54.98+/-8.61% even at +60 mV and reduced NMDA-induced neuronal death by 59.13+/-3.52%. NMDAR antagonist activity may underlie the neuroprotective effects of this TCM. Some TCM drugs may exert therapeutic effects due to their Mg2+ content.     

Current progress in the use of traditional medicines and nutraceuticals

Traditional medicines in the form of botanical dietary supplements and nutraceuticals have found a place in 21st century healthcare. They nonetheless all contain compounds that are foreign to humans (i.e. xenobiotics) and that are subject to the same pharmacological issues encountered by synthetic therapeutic agents. It is crucial therefore for all parties, the medical profession, investigative scientists, the regulatory agencies and the public, to understand the particular characteristics of botanicals and nutraceuticals and their potential for success and failure in preventing and confronting disease.     

Global Pharmacopoeia Genome Database is an integrated and mineable genomic database for traditional medicines derived from eight international pharmacopoeias

Science China Life Sciences - Genomic data have demonstrated considerable traction in accelerating contemporary studies in traditional medicine. However, the lack of a uniform format and dispersed...     

Cochrane systematic reviews of Chinese herbal medicines: an overview

Objectives

Our study had two objectives: a) to systematically identify all existing systematic reviews of Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) published in Cochrane Library; b) to assess the methodological quality of included reviews.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We performed a systematic search of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR, Issue 5, 2010) to identify all reviews of CHM. A total of fifty-eight reviews were eligible for our study. Twenty-one of the included reviews had at least one Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner as its co-author. 7 reviews didn''t include any primary study, the remaining reviews (n = 51) included a median of 9 studies and 936 participants. 50% of reviews were last assessed as up-to-date prior to 2008. The questions addressed by 39 reviews were broad in scope, in which 9 reviews combined studies with different herbal medicines. For OQAQ, the mean of overall quality score (item 10) was 5.05 (95% CI; 4.58-5.52). All reviews assessed the methodological quality of primary studies, 16% of included primary studies used adequate sequence generation and 7% used adequate allocation concealment. Of the 51 nonempty reviews, 23 reviews were reported as being inconclusive, while 27 concluded that there might be benefit of CHM, which was limited by the poor quality or inadequate quantity of included studies. 58 reviews reported searching a median of seven electronic databases, while 10 reviews did not search any Chinese database.

Conclusions

Now CDSR has included large numbers of CHM reviews, our study identified some areas which could be improved, such as almost half of included reviews did not have the participation of TCM practitioners and were not up-to-date according to Cochrane criteria, some reviews pooled the results of different herbal medicines and ignored the searching of Chinese databases.     

Recent advances in analysis of Chinese medical plants and traditional medicines

Chinese herbal medicine is gaining increasing popularity worldwide for health promotion and adjuvant therapy. Thus, selective and efficient analytical methods are required not only for quality assurance but also for authentication of the plant material. Applications of both chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques to the analysis of medicinal plants and Chinese traditional medicine preparations over the last 3 years are outlined in this review. The role of chemical fingerprinting is highlighted and a brief survey of determination of toxic components, natural and synthetic adulterants is also included. Moreover, different sample pretreatment and extraction methods are discussed.     

PIXE determination of essential trace elements in some traditional Chinese medicines

Biological Trace Element Research - The essential trace elements in 30 traditional Chinese medicines, (24 tonics and 6 nontonics) were determined by proton-induced X-ray emission. The...     

A comprehensive overview of bacteria and fungi used for pentachlorophenol biodegradation

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is an extremely dangerous worldwide pollutant due to its high toxicity towards all organisms. It has been introduced into the environment mainly as a wood preservative, biocides and from the bleaching of paper or tissues. The use of PCP indiscriminate has led to the contamination of water and soil systems. Many countries have specific regulations, guidelines or procedures for the management and disposal of PCP but the most common methods are: adsorption with activate carbons, incineration in an approved and secure area, closed in sealed containers and biological degradation. PCP depletion can occur either by abiotic processes such as: absorption, volatilization and photo degradation or by biotic degradation. One of the main studies focused on remediation using plants, animals and microbial communities. Aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms can degrade PCP under a variety of conditions and at different PCP concentrations. Bacterial strains such as Pseudomonas sp., Sphingomonas sp., Arthrobacter sp., Mycobacterium sp., Flavobacterium sp., Serratia sp. and Bacillus sp., and fungal cultures as Trametes sp., Phanerochaete sp., Anthracophyllum sp., Armillaria sp., Bjerkandera sp., Ganoderma sp., Lentinula sp., Penicillium sp, Trichoderma sp., Rhizopus sp. and Plerotus sp. showed various rates and extent of PCP degradation. This review focuses on PCP degradation by various aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms with emphases on the biological and chemical aspects. Furthermore we will analyze intermediate products, processes and enzymes involved in the degradation of PCP in different environmental conditions and at various PCP concentrations.     

Strategy for analysis and screening of bioactive compounds in traditional Chinese medicines

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), due to their long time clinic test and reliable therapeutic efficacy, are attracting increased global attention served as excellent pools of bioactive compounds for the discovery of new drugs. However, hundreds or even thousands of components are usually contained in traditional Chinese medicines and only a few compounds are responsible for the pharmaceutical and/or toxic effects. The large numbers of other components in traditional Chinese medicines make the screening and analysis of the bioactive components extremely difficult. By the way, the combination effect of bioactive components on the pharmacological activity makes it very difficult to clear the therapeutic mechanism of TCMs. Therefore, some strategies have to design for screening of bioactive compounds in traditional Chinese medicines, which further leads to disclose the therapeutic mechanism of TCMs in molecular level. The review will summarize the present state of the art of screening strategy for active compounds in traditional Chinese medicines, and the chromatography methods for screening and analysis of bioactive compounds in traditional Chinese medicines will be emphasized.