Chebulae Fructus Research Articles

Screening acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicines by paper-immobilized enzyme combined with capillary electrophoresis analysis

Discovering acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors is one of the important ways to develop new drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In this work, a simple strategy was developed for screening AChE inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis combined with enzymatic assay, in which immobilized AChE was employed. For AChE immobilization, cellulose filter paper (CFP) was used as the carrier material and physically coated with chitosan owing to moderate viscosity of chitosan to be introduced into amino groups, and then AChE was covalently bonded to the amino-functionalized CFP through a Schiff base reaction using glutaraldehyde (GA) as a cross-linking agent. The CFP-immobilized AChE exhibited enhanced endurance to pH and temperature, improved storage stability, excellent repeatability and reusability. More remarkably, CFP-immobilized AChE can be instantly separated from enzyme reaction mixture thus greatly simplifying the operational process. For immobilized AChE, the Michaelis-Menten constant, inhibition constant and IC50 were determined using huperzine A as a model inhibitor. Finally, CFP-immobilized AChE was applied to inhibitor screening from 17 TCMs, among which Chebulae Fructus (ripe fruits of Terminalia chebula) exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on AChE. The positive results indicated that such a screening strategy may open up a new avenue to discover active components from TCMs.

Analysis on formula of Mongolian medicine for prevention of COVID-19

The epidemic situation of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) is developing rapidly in the world, and the influence is serious. In this study, the prescription of Mongolian medicine to prevent new type of COVID-19 was investigated. Based on the second edition and the third edition of COVID-19 Mongolian Medicine Prevention and Treatment Guidance Program issued by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Health Commission, using Excel 2007, SPSS Modeler 18, SPSS Statistics 25, Cytoscape 3.7.1 statistical software as a tool, the association rules analysis and cluster analysis of Mongolian medicine included in the standard were carried out. Among the 45 prophylactic prescriptions included in the standard, a total of 34 high-frequency drugs using frequency ≥5 were used, of which Carthami Flos(21 times, 4.46%), Chebulae Fructus(20 times, 4.26%), Moschus(13 times, 2.77%), Myristicae Semen(12 times, 2.55%), Santali Albi Lignum(12 times, 2.55%), and Bovis Calculus(12 times, 2.55%) were the most common. The main drugs for the prevention of COVID-19 were Liang(13 times, 38.23%), Wen(9 times, 26.47%), the flavor was Ku(20 times, 34.48%), Xin(13 times, 22.41%), Gan(11 times, 18.97%), the most used drugs treating hot evil(99 times, 32.46%), treatment of "Heyi" drugs(51 times, 16.72%), treatment of "Badagan" drugs(40 times, 13.11%), treatment of "sticky" drugs(37 times, 12.13%), and a cough, eliminating phlegm and antiasthmatic(31 times, 10.16%), the association rule analysis found that the highest association intensity of the drug pair combination of 11. Clustering analysis using the cluster analysis of inter-group join method found a total of 8 categories. In this study, 45 prescriptions of Mongolian medicine for the prevention of COVID-19 were collec-ted and further analyzed, hoping to provide new ideas for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Chemical variation in Aconti Kusnezoffii Radix before and after processing based on UPLC-Orbitrap-MS

Some Chinese herbal medicine needs to be processed before it can be used as medicine, especially toxic Chinese medicine. Highly toxic Aconti Kusnezoffii Radix(Caowu in Chinese) is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and Mongolian medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, Caowu is usually processed by boiling with water(CW) until no white part inside and being tasted without tongue-numbing. In Mongolian medicine, it is usually soaked in Chebulae Fructus(Hezi in Chinese) decoction for several days(CH). Both methods could reduce toxicity according to reports. The biggest difference between CW and CH is that CW needs to be heated for 4-6 h, while CH needs Hezi as processing adjuvants. To explore the toxicity reduction mechanism of CW and CH, we studied the contents of various compounds in Caowu processed by two methods by UPLC-Orbitrap-MS. The results indicated that CW had 14 new ingredients, such as 14-O-anisoylneoline and dehydro-mesaconitine, while N-demethyl-mesaconitine and aconitine disappeared. At the same time, it could significantly decrease the content of diester diterpenoid alkaloids and increase the contents of monoester diterpenoid alkaloids and amine-diterpenoid alkaloids. CH had 9 new ingredients from Hezi, like gallic acid, chebulic acid and shikimic acid. Neither the kinds nor the contents of compositions from Caowu in CH changed little. This suggested that the processing mechanism of CW reduced highly toxic components(diester diterpenoid alkaloids) and increased the content of lowly toxic components(monoester diterpenoid alkaloids and amine-diterpenoid alkaloids). Attenuated principle of CH may be related to the components of Hezi. In this experiment, the conclusion shows that the chemical constituents of CW and CH are essentially different, and the two methods have different toxicity reduction principles.

Study on regularity of drug use in Tibetan medicine treating hypertension based on multi-center clinical medical records and "prescription-property-efficacy-disease"

This study aimed to explore the rule of Tibetan medicine in clinical treatment of hypertension( k Hrag-rLung-stod-vtshangs) and analyze the characteristics of its prescriptions. One hundred and thirty-seven cases of hypertension treated Tibetan medicine were collected. Data mining,Gephi,Cytoscape and other methods and software were used to analyze the characteristics of Tibetan medicine. The results showed that there were 44 cases of r Lung-type hypertension in clinical medical records,while 57 cases of k Hrag-type hypertension. There were 103 treatment prescriptions. The frequency of these prescriptions covered Twenty-five Yuganzi Pills( 96 times),Seventy Pearl Pills( 80 times),Eight Chenxiang Pills( 75 times),and Sanwei Ganlu Powder( 62 times),and they were highly correlated,with confidence greater than 95%. There were 332 prescriptions involved in the prescriptions which is core prescription medicines. This study first proposed the dosage analysis method of Tibetan medicine prescription medicines,and obtained the more dosage of Chebulae Fructus,Phyllanthi Fructus,Aucklandiae Radix,Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum and so on. The correlation analysis of the prescription medicines found that Carthami Flos,Myristicae Semen,Bambusae Concretio Silicea,Caryophylli Flos,Amomi Fructus Rotundus led by Tsaoko Fructus had a high correlation and a confidence greater than 75%. These herbs were guaranteed when Tibetan medicine was used in combination. The key drugs for protecting viscera and regulating the three gastric fires. The prescription is mainly cold,blunt,sparse and rough. Its efficacy focuses on the pathogenesis of blood fever,blood stickiness and venous blockage caused by heat,sharpness,odor and stickiness. It mainly treats Tibetan medicine diseases such as k Hrag-r Lung-stod-vtshangs and k Hrag-vpel( polyemia). It is suggested that Tibetan medicine has a three-in-one invisible treatment principle of " clearing blood-heat,opening vessel and regulating stomach-fire" in the treatment of hypertension,which attributed to both cardiovascular function and gastrointestinal metabolic function. This may be a significant and invisible knowledge of Tibetan medicine in the treatment of hypertension.

Protective effect of phenolic acids from Chebulae Fructus immaturus on carbon tetrachloride induced acute liver injury via suppressing oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in mouse

Chebulae Fructus immaturus, a traditional Tibetan medicine, originated from the immature fruit of Terminalia chebula Retz., has been proven to have antioxidat function. However, its protection to injury liver cell caused by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) has not been clarified. This study evaluated the effect of phenolic acid from Chebulae Fructus immaturus (PATC) on CCl4-induced acute liver injury in mice and related molecular mechanisms. Our data showed that PATC had convincing protective effects on the CCl4-induced acute liver injury by enhancing the anti-oxidative defense system, ameliorating inflammation and inhibiting the hepatocyte apoptosis.

A Novel Quantitative Prediction Approach for Astringency Level of Herbs Based on an Electronic Tongue.

Background:The current astringency evaluation for herbs has become dissatisfied with the requirement of pharmaceutical process. It needed a new method to accurately assess astringency.Methods:First, quinine, sucrose, citric acid, sodium chloride, monosodium glutamate, and tannic acid (TA) were analyzed by electronic tongue (e-tongue) to determine the approximate region of astringency in partial least square (PLS) map. Second, different concentrations of TA were detected to define the standard curve of astringency. Meanwhile, coordinate-concentration relationship could be obtained by fitting the PLS abscissa of standard curve and corresponding concentration. Third, Chebulae Fructus (CF), Yuganzi throat tablets (YGZTT), and Sanlejiang oral liquid (SLJOL) were tested to define the region in PLS map. Finally, the astringent intensities of samples were calculated combining with the standard coordinate-concentration relationship and expressed by concentrations of TA. Then, Euclidean distance (Ed) analysis and human sensory test were processed to verify the results.Results:The fitting equation between concentration and abscissa of TA was Y = 0.00498 × e(−X/0.51035) + 0.10905 (r = 0.999). The astringency of 1, 0.1 mg/mL CF was predicted at 0.28, 0.12 mg/mL TA; 2, 0.2 mg/mL YGZTTs was predicted at 0.18, 0.11 mg/mL TA; 0.002, 0.0002 mg/mL SLJOL was predicted at 0.15, 0.10 mg/mL TA. The validation results showed that the predicted astringency of e-tongue was basically consistent to human sensory and was more accuracy than Ed analysis.Conclusion:The study indicated the established method was objective and feasible. It provided a new quantitative method for astringency of herbs.SUMMARY The astringency of Chebulae Fructus, Yuganzi throat tablets, and Sanlejiang oral liquid was predicted by electronic tongueEuclidean distance analysis and human sensory test verified the resultsA new strategy which was objective, simple, and sensitive to compare astringent intensity of herbs and preparations was provided. Abbreviations used: CF: Chebulae Fructus; E-tongue: Electronic tongue; Ed: Euclidean distance; PLS: Partial least square; PCA: Principal component analysis; SLJOL: Sanlejiang oral liquid; TA: Tannic acid; VAS: Visual analog scale; YGZTT: Yuganzi throat tablets.

Assessment of the antidiarrhoeal properties of the aqueous extract and its soluble fractions of Chebulae Fructus (Terminalia chebula fruits)

Context Chebulae Fructus is used as an herbal remedy for diarrhoea in traditional Chinese medicine. However, there is no scientific evidence to support its antidiarrhoeal activity.Objective This study evaluates the antidiarrhoeal properties of Chebulae Fructus aqueous extract (CFAE) and determines the active fraction.Materials and methods The antidiarrhoeal effect of CFAE (200–800 mg/kg) was investigated by determining the wet dropping, intestinal transit in BALB/c mice and enteropooling in Wister rats. The protective effects of the CFAE on the intestinal and liver were tested by histopathological analyses. The antidiarrhoeal fraction was determined by castor oil-induced diarrhoea and its main constituents were identified by HPLC-ESI-MS.Results The extract at doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg reduced the diarrhoea by 9.1, 40.0 and 58.2% and inhibited intestinal transit by 18.3, 24.1 and 35.7%, respectively. Additionally, the CFAE (200, 400 and 800 mg/kg) decreased the volume of enteropooling by 47.1, 58.8 and 64.7%, respectively. Mice treated with castor oil presented morphological alterations in the small intestine and the liver. However, the lesions of mice treated with CFAE were alleviated. Moreover, the ethyl acetate fraction was the active fraction of CFAE, the fraction (41.7, 83.4 and 166.8 mg/kg) reduced the diarrhoea by 9.1, 38.2 and 54.5%, respectively. The major components of the ethyl acetate fraction were tannins, including gallic acid, 3, 4, 6-tri-O-galloyl-β-d-Glc, corilagin and ellagic acid according to the HPLC-ESI-MS analysis.Conclusion The CFAE possessed antidiarrhoeal property and the ethyl acetate fraction was its main active fraction.

Antioxidant Activity of Selected Natural Medicines used in Nepal

Diminished antioxidant defence or increased production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in the biological system can result into oxidative stress which can cause damage to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), proteins, lipids and as a result different disease states arise like cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, rheumatoid arthritis. Antioxidants from different plant resources can significantly delay or prevent oxidation of the substrate and hence prevents from various diseases. Therefore, present research was focused in search of potent natural antioxidants. For the study, methanolic extracts of twenty-five common natural medicines, mostly spices were screened using 1,1–diphenyl–2–picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical for their antioxidative activities. Among them, extracts of Chebulae Fructus, Terminalia Billericae Fructus, Phyllanthi Fructus, Cinnamomi Cortex, Arecae Semen, Pericarpium Punicae Granati, Syzygiae Fructus, Rhei Rhizoma, Pterocarpi Lignum and Santali Lignum Albi showed potent antioxidative activity with EC50 values being 1.5, 2.1, 1.4, 2, 1.5, 1.45, 2.7, 2.9, 3, 3.8 μg/mL, respectively. Ascorbic acid (EC50: 2.6 μg/mL) was used as positive control. Therefore, consumers can increase their intake of foods rich in antioxidant compounds that can lower the risk of chronic health problems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jcmc.v3i2.8439 Journal of Chitwan Medical College Vol.3(2) 2013 27-31

Determination of hydrolyzable tannins in the fruit of Terminalia chebula Retz. by high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis.

A RP-HPLC method for determining fourteen components (gallic acid, chebulic acid, 1,6-di-O-galloyl-D-glucose, punicalagin, 3,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-D-glucose, casuarinin, chebulanin, corilagin, neochebulinic acid, terchebulin, ellagic acid, chebulagic acid, chebulinic acid, and 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-D-glucose) in the fruit of Terminalia chebula Retz. is described. The separation was achieved within 80 min using a binary gradient with mobile phases consisting of a pH 2.7 phosphoric acid solution and an 80% CH3CN solution. Capillary electrophoretic analyses were also attempted, and it was found that CZE (25 mM Na2B4O7, 5 mM NaH2PO4, pH 7.0) was an efficient method for the separation of gallotannins, while an MEKC method (25 mM Na2B4O7, 5 mM NaH2PO4, 20 mM SDS, pH 7.0, and 10% acetonitrile) provided a better separation for most of the tannins examined. The HPLC and CE methods developed were both successfully applied to the assay of tannins in commercial samples of Chebulae Fructus.

Confirmation that tannin‐containing crude drugs have a uraemic toxin‐decreasing action

AbstractNine crude drugs containing tannins were selected in order to examine their actions on rats with renal failure. The levels of urea nitrogen, creatinine (Cr), methylguanidine (MG) and guanidinosuccinic acid (GSA) were decreased markedly and significantly in rats given Ephedrae Herba. Chebulae Fructus and Geranii Herba produced the same effect on uraemic toxins as that of Ephedrae Herba. MG was significantly decreased by all tannin‐containing crude drugs. However, there were no particular changes in these parameters after administration of non‐tannin‐containing crude drugs. The levels of urea nitrogen, Cr, MG and GSA showed a tendency to be increased in rats given Rehmanniae Radix, Coptidis Rhizoma, Scutellariae Radix and Alismatis Rhizoma, but MG was decreased significantly in rats given Bupleuri Radix. Non‐tannin compounds also produced no significant decreases in the levels of uraemic toxins.