Kind Of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Articles

Clinical cases and experimental evaluation of liver injury related to anti-psoriasis Keyin Pills

Keyin Pills is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of psoriasis, but it has been reported that it can cause serious liver injury. In this paper, we used the integrated evidence chain method to retrieve and reevaluate the adverse drug reaction database, CNKI literature and cases of liver injury relating to Keyin Pills in specialist hepatology hospitals. We screened out 23 cases with the causal relationship of the possible grade and above. Among them, 11 cases showed the positive causal relationship only with Keyin Pills, accounting for 47.83%, suggesting that there was objective liver injury caused by Keyin Pills. The incubation period of liver injury caused by Keyin Pills is 1-90 days, and the cumulative dosage span is 20-1 800 g. There were obvious individual diffe-rences. There was no relationship between liver injury as well as dose and course of treatment, suggesting that Keyin Pills could induce immune idiosyncratic liver injury. Furthermore, based on the liver injury model induced by immunological stress, it was confirmed that Keyin Pills could induce acute liver injury in a dose-dependent manner in rats with immunological stress. The toxic dose(14 g·kg~(-1)) of a single dose was 6.7 times of the clinical equivalent dose, and had no significant effect on the biochemical index of liver function and histopathology in normal rats. Decomposition experiments showed that Dictamnus dasycarpus in Keyin Pills is the main medicinal flavor that causes special liver injury, and the other three medicines had neither liver injury nor compatibility attenuation effect. The results suggest that clinical medication shall pay attention to the risk of liver injury caused by Keyin Pills in patients with immunological stress.

Research progress in biosynthesis and synthetic biology of active ingredients of <italic>Scutellaria baicalensis</italic> Georgi based on multi-omics approach

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is a common kind of traditional Chinese medicine; it promotes heat-clearing and detoxification and has been used to treat coronavirus disease 2019. Scutellaria baicalensis contains a unique group of flavonoids that are largely distributed within the Scutellaria species. As such, there is significant interest in research focused on the metabolic pathways that promote endogenous flavonoid production and methods that might be used for their in vitro biosynthesis. However, as is the case with various Chinese medicinal herbs, there are still many challenges to overcome including shortage of wild resources, degradation associated with the cultivated germplasm, and instability leading to uneven product quality. The use of a multiomics approach will provide genetic information as well as insights into the endogenous mechanisms of flavonoid biosynthesis and their regulation, thus promoting frontier research and practical application of traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, we presented a systematic review of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics associated with S. baicalensis ; our current understanding of the functional genes that promote biosynthesis in vivo as well as the methods that facilitate the in vitro biosynthesis of active compounds are summarized. We also discussed the critical factors associated with further development of S. baicalensis including the cultivation of enriched varieties through genome-assisted breeding, regulatory mechanisms associated with plant growth and development, and optimization of conditions that promote biosynthesis of active compounds both in vivo and in vitro . This review provides a foundation for determining effective solutions for issues associated with the cultivation of S. baicalensis and for the production of high quality products.

Anti-Hepatoma Compound Determination by the Method of Spectrum Effect Relationship, Component Knock-Out, and UPLC-MS2 in Scheflera heptaphylla (L.)Frodin Harms and Its Mechanism.

Scheflera heptaphylla (L.)Frodin, a kind of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is commonly used in anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-viral, anti-tumor, and hemostasis. This study aimed to determine the anti-hepatoma components and its mechanism from the leaves of S. heptaphylla. The spectrum-effect relationships were analyzed by the method of Partial least squares, indicating that P1, P2, and P10 were positively correlated to inhibitory activity of Huh7 cells. Whereas others were negatively correlated. The technologies of component knock-out and UPLC-MS2 were used to determine compounds as 3,4-Dicaffeoylquinic acid (P6), 3,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid (P7), 3α-Hydroxy-lup-20(29)-ene-23,28-dioic acid (P10, named Compound A). The results forecasted that Compound A had the best correlation with inhibitory activity. The effects of Compound A on the activities of human hepatoma cells (Huh7, SMMC-7721, HepG 2) and normal hepatocytes (L0-2, Chang liver) were evaluated. Cell apoptosis was observed with inverted microscope and flow cytometer. In addition, the proteins, related to apoptosis, were detected by Western blot. The results showed that Compound A (400 nM) could significantly inhibit the activity of three hepatoma cells (P < 0.001) with slight toxicity to normal hepatocytes, and the IC50 values were 285.3 and 315.1 nM, respectively, which were consistent with the prediction of spectrum-effect relationships. After treatment with Compound A, the number of hepatoma cells decreased significantly. And the apoptosis rate of Huh7 cells increased significantly (P < 0.001) in Compound A (200, 400 nM) groups, SMMC-7721 and HepG 2 were directly necrotic. Compound A groups could significantly improve the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) (P < 0.05, P < 0.001) in Huh7 with no effect on normal hepatocytes. The content of apoptotic protein (Bax and Bim) in mitochondria was significantly increased in Compound A groups (P < 0.001). On the contrary, the content of anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-xL and Mcl-1) decreased significantly (P < 0.001). These results demonstrated that Compound A was the main anti-hepatoma active component in the S. heptaphylla leaves. It achieved the effect of promoting apoptosis of Huh7 cells by regulating the levels of ROS and Bcl-2 family protein in mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

Baicalin protects mice from infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus via alleviating inflammatory response.

Sepsis was redefined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection in 2016. One of its most common causes is Staphylococcus aureus, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which leads to a significant increase in morbidity and mortality. Therefore, innovative and effective approaches to combat MRSA infection are urgently needed. Recently, host-directed therapy (HDT) has become a new strategy in the treatment of infectious diseases, especially those caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Baicalin (BAI) is the predominant flavonoid and bioactive compound isolated from the roots of Radix Scutellariae (Huang Qin), a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. It has been reported that BAI exhibits multiple biological properties such as anti-oxidant, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the therapeutic role of BAI in MRSA infection is still unknown. In this study, it is found that BAI treatment inhibited the production of IL-6, TNF-α, and other cytokines from MRSA- or bacterial mimics-stimulated Mϕs and dendritic cells (DCs). BAI played an anti-inflammatory role by inhibiting the activation of ERK, JNK MAPK, and NF-κB pathways. Moreover, the serum level of TNF-α was decreased, whereas IL-10 was increased, in mice injected with MRSA. Furthermore, the bacterial load in livers and kidneys were further decreased by the combination of BAI and vancomycin (VAN), which might account for the amelioration of tissue damage. BAI reduced the high mortality rate caused by MRSA infection. Collectively, the results suggested that BAI may be a viable candidate of HDT strategy against severe sepsis caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA.

Therapeutic Effectiveness of Gardenia jasminoides on Type 2 Diabetic Rats: Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics Approach.

Gardenia jasminoides fruits, a kind of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), have shown prospects in the prevention of diabetes and its complications. However, due to their chemical diversity and multiple biological targets, the effective mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics was applied to uncover the underlying therapeutic mechanism of G. jasminoides on type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its clinical complications. We established a T2D rat model using high-fat diet and identified 45 urinary endogenous metabolites as potential diagnostic biomarkers for T2D rats. After treatment with G. jasminoides, pathologic symptoms of T2D rats were significantly improved and some of the diagnostic biomarkers were significantly regulated. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that these therapeutic biomarkers were involved in bile acid biosynthesis, amino acid metabolism, vitamin B metabolism, taurine metabolism, etc., which indicated potential therapeutic mechanisms of G. jasminoides on T2D and its complications.

Research Progress of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of AIDS

Objective: To review the research progress of using Chinese medicine ginseng to prevent and treat AIDS in China. Methods: Based on the method of TCM syndrome differentiation, Chinese medical researchers divided AIDS into four types: heat toxin stagnation type, Qi and blood deficiency type, stasis and internal resistance type, and Qi and Yin injury type. Results: The therapeutic effects of the compound preparation of traditional Chinese medicine were significant, such as Aikang capsule, Tangcao tablet, Wuweilingqi capsule, Aining granule, compound Sanhuang powder, etc. Astragalus, licorice, honeysuckle, Scutellaria, bupleurum, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Viola, Hedyotis diffusa and other 8 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine have been proved to have anti HIV effect. Conclusion: Among the 27 kinds of Chinese medicine ginseng, Andrographis paniculata, Viola, Arnebia, Arctium lappa, Sophora flavescens, honeysuckle, Guanzhong, Prunella, Coptis, Wolfberry, Wedelia and epimedium have been proved to have the effect of preventing HIV replication.

Huaier Restrains Cholangiocarcinoma Progression in vitro and in vivo Through Modulating lncRNA TP73-AS1 and Inducing Oxidative Stress.

PurposeHuaier, the fruiting body of Trametes robiniophila Murr, is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, many studies have confirmed that Huaier has antitumor effects on various malignancies. Moreover, studies have demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs play an important regulatory role in the occurrence and progression of malignancies. Our present study was to explore whether Huaier has a potential antitumor effect in cholangiocarcinoma and reveal the relationship between lncRNAs and Huaier-induced tumor inhibition.MethodsMicroarray assay was performed to identify the candidate lncRNAs regulated by Huaier. Quantitative real-time PCR was applied to assess the effect of Huaier on TP73-AS1 expression. The effect of Huaier on the cell viability, proliferation, migration and invasion was evaluated by CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. The ratio of cell apoptosis was determined using AO/EB, Hoechst 33342 and flow cytometry. The effect of Huaier on oxidative stress was revealed using DCFH-DA, mito-SOX, JC-1 probes and Western blotting. In addition, the effect of Huaier on tumor growth and metastasis was explored using subcutaneous tumor model and lung metastatic tumor model in nude mice.ResultsIn vitro, Huaier inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of cholangiocarcinoma cells by down-regulating TP73-AS1 and induced apoptosis through mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. In vivo, Huaier suppressed the growth and metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma by modulating the expression of proliferation and EMT-associated proteins.ConclusionHuaier could inhibit cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis by modulating the expression of TP73-AS1, meanwhile promote apoptosis of CCA cells through disturbing mitochondrial function, inducing oxidative stress and activating caspases in vitro. In addition, Huaier could suppress tumor growth and metastasis by regulating the expression of proliferation and EMT-related proteins. In the meantime, Huaier prolonged the survival of nude mice in lung metastatic model with acceptable drug safety.

Determination of sulfamethoxazole adulterated in traditional Chinese medicine

In this study, three kinds of traditional Chinese medicine obtained from a traditional Chinese physician's clinic for curing herpes were analyzed. Each kind of medicine was dispensed for use after breakfast, lunch and dinner. For each meal, 11, 11 and 12 doses were collected, respectively. The weight distribution ranges and their coefficient of variation among doses of each kind of medicine were 2.822-4.420 g, 13.2%, 2.808-3.782 g, 9.2% and 2.654-3.723 g, 9.2%, respectively. Sulfamethoxazole was detected in the doses dispensed for breakfast and lunch but not found in the dose for dinner. Sulfamethoxazole in the samples were assayed by high performance liquid chromatography on C 18 column. The linear calibration range was 0.1-0.8 mg/ml (r = 0.9999) and recovery was 93.9-97.0%. The relative standard deviations for intraday and interday analysis were 1.2% and 0.2% (n = 5), respectively. The average content of sulfamethoxazole in the dose for breakfast and lunch were 395 mg and 345 mg, respectively.

Mechanism of Astragalus membranaceus in the treatment of laryngeal cancer based on gene co-expression network and molecular docking

Astragalus membranaceus (HUANG QI, HQ) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers have widely concerned its antitumor effect. At present, there is still a lack of research on the treatment of laryngeal cancer with HQ. In this study, we integrated data from the weighted gene co-expression network of laryngeal cancer samples and the components and targets of HQ. A new method for dividing PPI network modules is proposed. Important targets of HQ treatment for laryngeal cancer were obtained through the screening of critical modules. These nodes performed differential expression analysis and survival analysis through external data sets. GSEA enrichment analysis reveals pathways for important targets participation. Finally, molecular docking screened active ingredients in HQ that could interact with important targets. Combined with the laryngeal cancer gene co expression network and HQ PPI network, we obtained the critical module related to laryngeal cancer. Among them, MMP1, MMP3, and MMP10 were chosen as important targets. External data sets demonstrate that their expression in tumor samples is significantly higher than in normal samples. The survival time of patients with high expression group was significantly shortened, which is a negative factor for prognosis. GSEA enrichment analysis found that they are mainly involved in tumor-related pathways such as ECM receptor interaction and Small cell lung cancer. The docking results show that the components that can well bind to important targets of HQ are quercetin, rutin, and Chlorogenic acid, which may be the primary mechanism of the anti-cancer effect of HQ. These findings provide a preliminary research basis for Chinese medicine treatment of laryngeal cancer and offer ideas to related drug design.

The Effect of Chinese Traditional Medicine Huaiqihuang (HQH) on the Protection of Nephropathy

Kidney disease is one of the common diseases with high morbidity and high mortality, which brings a huge burden to the society and the patient's family. The pathogenesis, treatment, and prognosis of kidney diseases are related to oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial damage, and immune dysfunction. However, existing treatments always cause some damage to the kidneys. Kidney disease and immunosuppressant used together often lead to drug toxicity, patients with weakened immunity, organic rupture of the normal structure of the kidney, damage to the physiological function of the kidney, etc. Huaiqihuang is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine with a history of more than one thousand years. According to research, Robinia pseudoacacia can regulate the immune function by regulating oxidative stress, calcium inflow, and mitochondrial ATP. At the same time, it is also involved in regulating the ways of cell death, such as apoptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and clockophagy, to reduce kidney damage, which has important clinical value. This article reviews the exact mechanism and clinical application of Huaiqihuang in different types of nephropathy. The aim is to provide new ideas for the treatment of clinical nephropathy.

Untargeted metabolomics analysis on Cicer arietinium L.-Induced Amelioration in T2D rats by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS

Cicer arietinium L., which belongs to Cicer genus, was not only a kind of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) recorded in Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (version 2015), but also a kind of Uighur antidiabetic medicines. It has been used as an adjuvant drug or functional food for thousand years in Xinjiang province, China. However, the mechanisms of C. arietinium treatment in T2D have not been fully understood especially on the perspective of metabolomics. To clarify the potential mechanisms of C. arietinium treatment in T2D from the perspective of metabolomics since T2D is indeed a kind of metabolic syndromes. T2D rat model was built by HFD for 4 weeks, combining with STZ administration. T2D rats were administrated C. arietinium extraction or metformin (positive control) for 4 weeks. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was applied to screen and identify differential metabolites among groups. After 4 weeks of treatments, IR and inflammation were greatly ameliorated in C. arietinium group. And the therapeutic efficiency of C. arietinium treatment was comparable to metformin treatment. Differential metabolites related to C. arietinium treatment, including acylcarnitines, amino acid related metabolites and organic acids, were further used to indicate relevant pathways in T2D rats, including glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, vitamin B6 metabolism and energy metabolism. In summary, C. arietinium treatment could effectively alleviate diabetic symptoms and regulate metabolic disorders in T2D rats.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Citrus reticulate (Rutaceae, Citrus)

The peel of Citrus reticulata can be useful as a kind of traditional Chinese medicine in China. The circular complete chloroplast genome of Citrus reticulata was 160,101 bp in length with the typical quadripartite structure of angiosperms, including 87,721 bp large single-copy region (LSC), 18,394 bp small single-copy region (SSC) of and a pair of 26,993 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions. The overall nucleotide composition of chloroplast genome sequence is 30.5% A, 31.0% T, C (19.6%), G (18.9%), and the total G + C content of 38.5%. A total of 138 genes were annotated in chloroplast genome of C. reticulata. The phylogenetic tree result showed that C. reticulata was evolutionarily close to Citrus sinensis in the family Rutaceae the genus Citrus by the maximum-likelihood (ML) method.

Progress of research on effect and mechanism of Scutellariae Radix on preventing liver diseases

Scutellariae Radix is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, which has the functions of heat-clearing and damp-drying, purging fire and detoxifying, hemostasis and miscarriage prevention. Modern pharmacological studies show that Scutellariae Radix has various effects, such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, liver protection and antiviral microorganisms. By searching the documents in the past ten years, the author has found that Scutellariae Radix and its active components play an important role in protecting the liver. It can prevent and cure liver injuries caused by different reasons, including acute or chronic hepatitis, liver fibrosis and liver cancer. Among all kinds(chemical, immunological, alcoholic, nonalcoholic, viral, ischemia-reperfusion, etc.) of acute or chronic hepatitis, most studies are on CCl_4 induced chemical liver injury. Scutellariae Radix and its active components can significantly reduce the serum transaminase level in hepatitis animals, and reduce the degree of liver pathological damage. The mechanisms include antioxidant stress, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, inhibition of immunity, anti-virus and regulation of lipid metabolism, etc. Scutellariae Radix and its active components can significantly inhibit the activation of hepatic stellate cells and reduce extracellular matrix, and its anti-fibrosis mechanism involves antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, inducing apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells and so on. Whether in vivo or in vitro, Scutellariae Radix and its active components show a good anti-hepatocarcinoma effect, especially on hepatocarcinoma. Its prevention and treatment mechanisms for hepatocarcinoma mainly include blocking cancer cell cycle, inhibiting cancer cell metastasis, promoting cancer cell apoptosis and inducing autophagy. It can be seen that Scutellariae Radix has multiple functions and mechanisms in liver protection, and has a great development potential. Therefore, this paper reviews the prevention and treatment effects and mechanism of Scutellariae Radix and its components on different liver diseases, in order to provide reference for in-depth study, development and clinical application in the prevention and treatment of liver disease.

Analysis of the Rule of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Hysteromyoma Based on Data Mining

Objective: To explore the rule of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of hysteromyoma, and provide theoretical basis for clinical medication and development of new drugs. Methods: In CNKI, with "hysteromyoma" and "traditional Chinese medicine" as the subject words, search the journal papers from January 2009 to July 2019, sort out the prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine recorded in the literature, establish a database, and carry out statistical analysis. Using statistical software tools, such as Excel 2013, SPSS Modeler 14.1, SPSS Statistics 21, the frequency and types of Chinese medicine, association rules and association factors were analyzed. Results: 125 articles were included, involving 183 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine, and the total frequency was 1268.Among the 183 traditional Chinese medicines included, there are 55 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines with frequency ≥ 5, 29 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines with frequency ≥ 10. The first three medicines with the highest frequency are angelica, peach kernel and trigonometry; the most effective drugs are blood activating and stasis removing drugs, Qi regulating drugs, qi invigorating drugs and heat clearing and blood cooling drugs. In the taste of drugs, mainly sweet, bitter and pungent; in the meridian tropism, mainly liver, lung, heart and kidney. Among the association rules, 23 combinations with the highest Association intensity were found, and 8 common factors were extracted by factor analysis. Conclusion: in the clinical treatment of hysteromyoma, the drugs for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis are mainly used, and they are mostly combined with Qi regulating drugs.

Natural soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors from Inula helenium and their interactions with soluble epoxide hydrolase

The inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is regarded as a promising therapeutic approach to treat inflammation and its related disorders. In present work, we investigated inhibitory effects of forty-nine kinds of traditional Chinese medicines against sEH. Inula helenium showed significant inhibitory effect against sEH, and the extract of I. helenium was isolated to obtain eight compounds, including 4H-tomentosin (1), xanthalongin (2), linoleic acid (3), 8-hydroxy-9-isobutyryloxy-10(2)-methylbutyrylthymol (4), dehydrocostus lactone (5), alantolactone (6), costunolide (7), and isoalantolactone (8). Among them, 4H-tomentosin (1), xanthalongin (2), and linoleic acid (3) showed significantly inhibitory activities on sEH with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) from 5.88 ± 0.97 μM to 11.63 ± 0.58 μM. The inhibition kinetics suggested that 4H-tomentosin (1) and xanthalongin (2) were mixed-competitive type inhibitors with inhibition constants (Ki) of 7.02 and 6.57 μM, respectively, and linoleic acid (3) was a competitive type inhibitor with a Ki values of 3.52 μM. The potential interactions of 4H-tomentosin (1), xanthalongin (2), and linoleic acid (3) with sEH were analyzed by molecular docking, which indicated that these bioactive compounds had interactions with key amino acid residues Tyr343, Ile363, Tyr383, and His524.

Vitamins combined with traditional Chinese medicine for male infertility: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Male infertility is a tough problem in medicine. This article aims to provide the latest evidence for the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with vitamins in the treatment of male infertility. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used TCM combined with vitamins for male infertility treatment were included in databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, VIP Database, China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. The quality of the included articles was evaluated using the Cochrane Reviewer's Handbook 5.3, and meta-analysis was performed using Stata 15. A total of 14 eligible studies with 1488 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results suggested that, compared with vitamin E or vitamin E+C alone, combination of TCM with vitamins increased significantly sperm concentration, sperm motility, sperm viability, liquefaction time of semen, the activity of acrosome enzyme, and the pregnancy rate of patients with male infertility. Three kinds of TCM (Shengjing capsule, Huanshao capsule, and compound Xuanju capsule) showed significant improvement for male infertility in terms of pregnancy rate, sperm concentration, or sperm motility. In addition, the results of the publication bias test demonstrated that no significant bias occurred. Traditional Chinese medicine combined with vitamins has significant efficacy in the treatment of male infertility with no increase in side effects. The specific implementing regulations still need more long-term, multicenter, randomized, and double-blind clinical trials.

Determination and Analysis of Trace Elements in Five Kinds of Traditional Chinese Medicine in High Blood Pressure Medicinal Food by ICP-AES

Objective. To establish a method for analysis of microelements in five kinds of traditional Chinese medicine in high blood pressure medicinal food, mainly including manganese, cobalt, selenium, iron, magnesium, and other 15 elements. Methods. The samples were digested using a microwave digestion instrument through NHO3-H2O2 solution, and then, the elements were synthesized by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Results. The content of cobalt, manganese, zinc, copper, and nickel in the high blood pressure diet foods is higher, the RSD is between 0.005% and 4.82%, and the recovery rate ranges from 93.40% to 106.5%. The precision and recovery of the detection method are higher. Conclusion. The experiment result is better. Medicinal foods curing high blood pressure contain a number of micronutrients that are beneficial to the human body. This experiment provides some meaningful basis for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension.

Comprehensive analysis of the chemical constituents in sulfur-fumigated Lonicerae Japonicae Flos using UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (LJF), a kind of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), has functions of detoxifying and evacuating heat. In the study, a method based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS) was developed for the chemical constituent analysis of organic acids, flavonoids, iridoids and new-generated compounds in sulfur-fumigated LJF (SF-LJF). Based on the accurate mass measurement (< ± 5 ppm), chromatographic behavior and diagnostic product ions (DPIs), 113 constituents were unambiguously or tentatively characterized from SF-LJF extract, including 46 chlorogenic acids, 19 flavonoids, 29 iridoid glycosides and 19 newly-generated compounds (including 17 sulfur-containing derivatives). In addition, 5-CQA (5-caffeoylquinic acid, chlorogenic acid) was chosen to be sulfur-fumigated for the result validation. It was found that the most significant change of LJF after sulfur fumigation was the occurrence of sulfate or sulfite esterification reactions, which resulted in the emergence of many new sulfur-containing components. Our results demonstrated that the established method was a useful and efficient analytical tool to comprehensively characterize the material basis of SF-LJF, and also an excellent guidance of quality control about LJF.

An integrated multiple reaction monitoring strategy based on predicted precursor ions and characteristic product ions for global profiling Rubiaceae-type cyclopeptides in three Rubiaspecies

Complexity and diversity of natural compounds make it a challenge for globally profiling constituents in multiple species plants, especially for minor new compounds. Rubiaceae-type cyclopeptides (RAs) are one kind of active constituents and characteristic components in Rubia plants, particularly Rubia cordifolia (RC), which is one kind of traditional Chinese medicines. In this study, a new multiple reaction monitoring strategy (PPCP-MRM) based on predicted precursor ions and characteristic product ions was developed to globally profile RAs in RC and its two main adulterants, including Rubia alata (also named Jinjiancao in Chinese) (RAJ) and Rubia podantha (RP). Moreover, characteristic components of these species have been found by targeted relative quantitative analysis of RAs by LC-MS. In total, 39 RAs have been structurally annotated based on fragment ions in MS2 data, including 19 new compounds. In addition, 7 RAs as the chemical markers were found to distinguish these three Rubia species. The results indicated that this PPCP-MRM integrated strategy is a powerful tool for comprehensive analysis of RAs and screening chemical markers for Rubia species discrimination, which would be useful for distinguishing Rubia adulterants. Furthermore, this developed strategy could also be a useful tool for analysis of other cyclopeptides.

Analysis on acupoint selection and medication rule of acupoint application for cough among pneumonia children

Objective To analyze the acupoint selection and medication rule of acupoint application for cough among pneumonia children with the method of cluster analysis. Methods Literatures on acupoint application for cough among pneumonia children were retrieved by computer in main databases at home and abroad. Data of literatures met the inclusion criteria were extracted by two researchers respectively with the Excel including literature titles, selection of acupoint and medication. The frequency was counted by taking acupoint and medication as the unique variable. Cluster analysis was used to acupoint and medication with the frequency equal to 10 times or higher with SPSS 19.0. Results A total of 120 literatures were included and all in Chinese which referred to 28 acupoints appearing 350 times. There were 8 acupoints with the usage frequency equal to 10 times or higher. A total of 113 literatures all involved the drug composition of acupoint application including 97 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines appearing 634 times; there were 13 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines with the usage frequency equal to 10 times or higher. Conclusions In adjuvant treatment of acupoint application for cough among pneumonia children, the most frequently used acupoints includes Feishu, Tiantu, Danzhong, Ashi point, and the most frequently used medicines involves Baijiezi, Dahuang, Mahuang and Xixin. Key words: Pneumonia; Child; Cough; Cluster analysis; Acupoint application