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.     

中药处方中有毒、小毒中药的应用分析

目的调查我院中药处方中有毒药物的用药情况,促进有毒中药的合理应用。方法随机抽取2014年4月~2015年5月我院有毒中药处方2420张,对有毒中药用量和有毒中药超量处方进行统计分析。结果有毒中药使用处方中,有毒、小毒中药19种,均存在超规定用药情况;而使用有毒中药处方的临床科室中,以内科最多,占60.33%;以法半夏的使用量最大,占全部有毒、小毒中药使用量的35.62%。结论有毒中药的使用比较普遍,应严格控制其使用剂量,科学合理安全用药。     

高良姜等五味山姜属中药乙酸乙酯部位的HPLC指纹图谱

以95%乙醇作为提取的溶媒,将加热回流提取得到的提取液水浴挥干得到浸膏,并用甲醇配制成1 mg·m L~(-1)供试液。采用phenomenex-C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm)色谱柱,流动相为乙腈-0.1%磷酸水溶液,梯度洗脱,流速为1.0 m L·min~(-1),柱温为30℃,检测波长为260 nm HPLC色谱法测定,采用国家药典委员会相似度评价软件进行分析。结果表明:建立了精密度、稳定性和重现性均较好的5味山姜属中药乙酸乙酯部位HPLC指纹图谱,确定了9个共有峰,6个强峰;其中高良姜、大高良姜含有5个共有峰,高良姜和草豆蔻含有3个共有峰,大高良姜和红豆蔻含有2个共有峰,高良姜和益智含有3个共有峰。对5味山姜属中药乙酸乙酯部位化学成分进行相似度分析,得出其相似度分别为0.955、0.805、0.371、0.794、0.345。所建立的5味山姜属中药乙酸乙酯部位的指纹图谱方法稳定、简便、可靠,其特征峰所代表的化学成分的相似性不尽相同,高良姜、大高良姜、草豆蔻的相似性较大,红豆蔻、益智的相似性较小,说明同基原中药之间的化学成分有一定的相关性。该研究结果为探讨山姜属中药亲缘关系与化学成分相关性提供了思路与基础。     

12种中药乙醚提取物对角膜真菌的作用研究

目的体外观察12种中药乙醚提取物对患珠镰孢菌、茄病镰孢菌和黄曲霉菌3种真菌的抗菌作用。方法采用体外药基法进行筛选。结果体外初筛发现．12种中药对3种常见角膜致病菌真菌体外试验均有不同的抗真菌活性。结论地肤子、吴茱萸、木香和香附4种中药对3种真菌有较强抑制作用。     

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...     

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.     

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.     

中药抗耐药大肠埃希菌研究进展

近年来,耐药大肠埃希菌感染日趋严重,产超广谱β-内酰胺酶的大肠埃希菌株不断增加,由于细菌的多重耐药性,西药抗生素治疗效果差.医药工作者将新药物研究的方向投向中药.本研究就近年来中药抗耐药大肠埃希菌研究进展进行综述.     

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.     

One-step immunochromatographic separation and ELISA quantification of glycyrrhizin from traditional Chinese medicines

The bioactive constituent, glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhizic acid (GA), was purified from two traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), Shaoyao gancao tang and Dahuang gancao tang, and from crude extracts from licorice roots by means of immunoaffinity chromatography using anti-GA monoclonal antibody (MAb) and was quantified with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Laboratory preparations included the synthesis of conjugate GA-human serum albumin (GA-HSA), the production of anti-GA-MAb, the optimization of the immunoaffinity column packed with the anti-GA-MAb coupled to hydrazide gel and the determination of the GA content in TCM and crude drugs from five different sources by ELISA and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The experimental results reveal that the anti-GA-MAb coupled to Affi-Gel Hz gel results in a coupling efficiency of 95.2%, and the immunoaffinity chromatography gives a mean recovery of 97.6% of GA with a capacity of 33.5+/-2.40 microg/mL of immunoaffinity gel under the given conditions. The GA content of the crude extracts (ranging 74.8-114.6 microg/mg) from different sources by the ELISA method is much greater than that of the TCM (16.4-25.1 microg/mg) which is, in good agreement with the results of the HPLC method. Our report provides a rapid, reliable and sensitive approach for one-step separation and quantification of GA.     

Antiviral compounds from traditional Chinese medicines Galla Chinese as inhibitors of HCV NS3 protease

Under the guidance of bioassay, the EtOAc extract fraction of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Galla Chinese was found to be efficient in inhibiting the NS3 protease of HCV and purified the fraction to get three polyphenol compounds 1,2,6-tri-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose (1), 1,2,3,6-tetra-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose (2), and 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose (3), which were identified as inhibitors of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) NS3 protease. Compounds 1, 2, and 3 inhibited HCV NS3 protease with IC₅₀ of 1.89, 0.75, and 1.60 μM, respectively.     

Cell-based high-throughput proliferation and cytotoxicity assays for screening traditional Chinese herbal medicines

A simple, reliable, high-throughput screening method was developed and used to assess the pharmaceutical effects of extracts of traditional Chinese herbal medicines (TCHMs). This method is based on 3-dimensional (3-D) cultures of mouse embryonic stem (mES) and human colon cancer and breast cancer cells expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibrous scaffolds on modified 384-well plates with online monitoring of culture fluorescence for dynamic responses of cells to drugs present in culture media. Cell responses to deoxycholic acid and the extracts of 3 TCHMs (Ganoderma lucidum spores, Ginkgo biloba, and Epimedium brevicornum) at various concentrations were investigated for their effects on proliferation and cytotoxicity. The screening results, i.e., the growth responses of cancer cells to those drugs, were consistent with what have been reported in the literature, confirming the reliability of the new screening approach. Different from previous screening methods for both TCHMs and western medicines that used animal models or 2-D cell-based assays with single cell lines, this 3-D cell-based screening method employs both cancer and normal cells and thereby provides a way for quick, direct evaluation of the anticancer effects of TCHMs. This method also offers assessment on the side effects of TCHMs.     

益生菌与中药在改善肥胖中的研究进展

近些年来,越来越多的研究发现肠道菌群在肥胖的发生发展中起重要作用.研究证实口服益生菌制剂,可以有效的改善肥胖,而中国传统中药在治疗肥胖上也具有独特优势.本文就肠道菌群与肥胖的发生发展的关系,益生菌、中药以及其相互作用在改善肥胖中的研究进展做一综述.     

Antitumor activities and tumor necrosis factor producibility of traditional Chinese medicines and crude drugs

Summary The antitumor activities and capacity for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production of traditional Chinese herbal preparations (Zhu-ling-tang, Xiao-chai-hu-tang), crude drugs (Polyporus, Hoelen, Bupleuri radix, Angelica radix, Cnidii rhizoma, Cinnamomum cortex), and Krestin (PSK) were investigated. These drugs were given to DDY mice in the drinking water before and after transplantation of Ehrlich tumors, and the development of the intradermally transplanted Ehrlich tumors and survival rate were observed. A good survival rate and sometimes a complete cure were found in the groups administered Bupleuri radix, Xiao-chai-hu-tang, Angelica radix, or Cinnamomum cortex, while the group given Hoelen showed poor results. To examine the capacity for TNF production these drugs were given to DDY mice PO as initial stimulating agents, to stimulate the reticuloendothelial system (RES) prior to lipopolysaccharide injection. The TNF activity was tested from the cytotoxicity against L cells. Significant differences in capacity for TNF production were observed among the drugs. Relatively high levels of TNF activity were noted in the groups given Angelica radix, Bupleuri radix, Cnidii rhizoma, or Cinnamomum cortex, very low activities in the groups given Xiao-chai-hu-tang, Zhu-ling-tang, or Krestin, and no TNF activities in the groups given Polyporus or Hoelen. The TNF capacity for production broadly paralleled the survival rate of the mice transplanted to Ehrlich tumors. Our findings suggest that one mechanism underlying the antitumor activities of these drugs is based on stimulation of the RES and is closely related of TNF production.This work was supported in part by a grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Japan     

Electrochemical detection of honokiol and magnolol in traditional Chinese medicines using acetylene black nanoparticle-modified electrode

Introduction – Honokiol and magnolol are the active components of Magnolia officinalis, which is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine. Their simultaneous analysis is, therefore, important for the quality control of the product. Objective – To establish a simple, sensitive and rapid electrochemical method for the simultaneous detection of honokiol and magnolol based on the remarkable enhancement effect of acetylene black nanoparticle (AB). Methodology – The AB‐modified electrode was prepared via solvent evaporation. The electrochemical response of honokiol and magnolol was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The simultaneous detection was performed with differential pulse voltammetry. The method was validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision and accuracy. Results – The linear range for honokiol is 0.5–300 µg/L, and the limit of detection (LOD) is 0.25 µg/L (9.4 × 10^?10 mol/L). For magnolol, the linear range is 10–250 µg/L, and the LOD is 5 µg/L (1.88 × 10^?8 mol/L). Conclusion – The new method was successfully used to determine honokiol and magnolol in a traditional Chinese medicine called Ageratum liquid. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.