Natural Medicinal Materials Research Articles

Ethnobotany of Medicinal Plants for Infectious Diseases in the Besemah Tribe, Lahat Regency, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia

Knowledge about medicinal plants in the Besemah tribe community in Jarai District and Sukamerindu District, Lahat Regency, South Sumatra Province, has long been known and used for generations and stored as local wisdom of the community. The use of medicinal plants as one of the community's solutions to cure infectious diseases, with natural medicinal materials the side effects caused are relatively less. This study aims to inventory and identify the types of medicinal plants and types of medicinal plants typical of the Besemah tribe, how to process, how to use, and how to use specifically to treat infectious diseases in the Besemah tribe in Jarai District and Sukamerindu District, Lahat Regency, South Sumatra Province. This research will be conducted from January to March 2023. The study was conducted using quantitative descriptive methods by conducting interviews with 9 traditional medicine (battra) as sources of information. The results showed that plants used as medicine by the Besemah tribe community as many as 94 species of plants from 47 families to treat 29 infectious diseases. There are seven species of typical plants of the Besemah tribe, namely Tetap kadam (Hadgsonia macrocarpa (Blume) Cogn.), Tetungau (Debregeasia longifolia (Burm.f) Wedd), Memban burung (Donax canniformis (G.Forst) K.Schum), Temperingat (Rubus moluccanus L.), Tapal selembar (Monophyllaea horsfieldii R.Brown), Sedingin hutan (Fissistigma fulgens (Hook.f & Thomson) Merr.), Memaye (Leea indica (Burm.f.) Merr), and the typical way of processing is that the stem is cut, the water is collected and drunk directly. The most widely used plant part is the 38% leaf part. The most processing method is used by boiling 46% and the most use method by drinking 53%.

Triptolide inhibits epithelial ovarian tumor growth by blocking the hedgehog/Gli pathway.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), the most predominant subtype of ovarian cancer (OC), involves poor prognosis and exhibits high aggression. Triptolide (TPL), like other Chinese herbs, has historically played a significant role in modern medicine. The screening system based on Gli-dependent luciferase reporter activity assessed the effects of over 800 natural medicinal materials on hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway activity and discovered that TPL had an excellent inhibitory effect on Hh signaling pathway activity. However, the significance and mechanism of TPL involvement in regulating the Hh pathway have not been well explored. Thus, this work aimed to understand better how TPL affects the Hh pathway activity, which, in turn, influences the biological behavior of EOC. Our findings observed that Smo agonist SAG-induced EOC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were drastically reversed by TPL in a concentration-dependent pattern. Further evidence suggested that TPL promotes the degradation of Gli1 and Gli2 to inhibit the activity of the Hh signaling pathway by relying on Gli1 and Gli2 ubiquitination. Our in vivo studies also confirmed that TPL could significantly inhibit the tumor growth of EOC. Taken together, our results revealed that one of the antitumor mechanisms of TPL was the targeted inhibition of the Hh/Gli pathway.

In-situ formation of ion pair assisted liquid-liquid microextraction of natural alkaloids by response surface methodology

A simple and rapid method for the determination of microsacle natural alkaloids, being based on the reaction of in-situ formation of ion pair assisted liquid–liquid microextraction (LLME) was established. Microsacle alkaloids and acid dyes formed ion pairs online, which were easily extracted by bonding reagent at an appropriate pH, so as to realize the enrichment and determination of alkaloids. The experimental parameters such as pH value, vortex time, dye types, amount of dye and solvent types were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, good linear relationships (R2 ≥ 0.9995) were obtained, the detection limits of the proposed method were between 8.9 and 16.7 ng/mL, and the average recoveries of four alkaloids ranged from 87.20 to 102.50%. These results demonstrated that the LLME procedure was a potential method for the separation and determination of alkaloids from natural medicinal materials.

Moderate warming will expand the suitable habitat of Ophiocordyceps sinensis and expand the area of O. sinensis with high adenosine content

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a valued entomopathogenic fungus endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. Large-scale commercial harvesting and collection have decreased the production and distribution of this fungus, especially for high-quality O. sinensis. Using adenosine content as a quality index of O. sinensis, we developed a comprehensive niche modelling approach to predict the spatial pattern of O. sinensis quality. Based on distribution and quality data for O. sinensis from published field work and experimental data, we separately built a comprehensive habitat suitability model to identify suitable habitats and a spatial quality model to map the adenosine content pattern in O. sinensis. The final model result was defined as the product of the results of the two models. Via this modelling process, we analysed the adenosine content in O. sinensis under baseline climates and different scenarios of future climate change. The model results showed that with increasing temperature, the suitable habitat of O. sinensis tended to shift to the high-latitude and high-altitude hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau, and moderate climate warming expanded the area of suitable habitat for O. sinensis, as well as the area of habitats with high adenosine contents. This study provides information necessary for the conservation and sustainable utilization of O. sinensis, and a comprehensive niche model approach to simulate the contents of effective components in natural medicinal materials; thus, the results can contribute to our understanding of climate change impacts on medicinal materials.

Ethnobotanical Survey of Natural Galactagogues Prescribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacies in Taiwan.

Natural medicinal materials have been used to promote breast milk secretion. Here, we investigated the natural medicinal materials prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacies across Taiwan to induce lactation. We collected medicinal materials from 87 TCM pharmacies, identified them in the prescriptions, and analyzed their drug contents. We examined their botanical origins, biological classifications, traditional usage, and modern pharmacological properties. We used the TCM Inheritance Support System to identify core medicinal materials in galactogenous prescriptions. We collected 81 medicinal materials from 90 galactogenous prescriptions. Leguminosae accounted for 12%, whereas Apiaceae accounted for 7% of all materials examined. The primary medicinal plant parts used were roots and seeds. Nineteen frequently used medicinal materials had a relative frequency of citation of greater than or equal to 0.2. According to their efficacy, 58% were warm, 54% were sweet, and 63% were tonifying; 74% of the frequently used medicinal materials have been showed efficacy against breast cancer. The primary core medicinal material was Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, whereas the secondary core medicinal materials were Tetrapanax papyrifer (Hook.) K. Koch and Hedysarum polybotrys Hand.-Mazz. Most galactogenous prescriptions consisted of multiple materials from Leguminosae and Apiaceae. The mechanisms underlying galactogenous efficacy warrant further investigations.

Hot and Cold Theory: Evidence in Pharmacology.

Traditional and folk medicine from different countries are valuable sources of new ideas to design novel natural products for health and diseases. In this field, the classification of medicinal plants and other natural medicinal materials into hot or cold categories is a common concept within different doctrines of complementary and alternative medicine such as Persian medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and Indian medicine. Today, a growing body of evidence is being provided to support different pathophysiologic bases of this categorization, as well as the pharmacological targets affected by natural products from each of the two categories. Different body systems such as endocrine and nervous systems are influenced by the hot/cold materials, some of which have been studied in animals or humans. This chapter focuses on the pharmacological evidence supporting the hot/cold nature of medicinal plants.

Luteolin Attenuates Atherosclerosis Via Modulating Signal Transducer And Activator Of Transcription 3-Mediated Inflammatory Response.

BackgroundInflammatory factors play a crucial role throughout the development and progression of atherosclerosis, which has been considered as a chronic vascular inflammatory disease. Luteolin, a natural flavonoid which exists in many natural medicinal materials, has anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and other pharmacological effects. Recently, the protective effects of luteolin on the cardiovascular disease have been reported. However, there is a paucity of studies on anti-atherosclerosis. Therefore, the anti-atherosclerosis potential of luteolin remains to be elucidated.MethodApoE-/- mice were fed with a high-fat diet to induce atherosclerosis in an animal model, where they were treated with oral administration of luteolin for 12 weeks. Primary mouse peritoneal macrophages challenged with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) were used for in vitro mechanistic study. The effectiveness of luteolin in the ApoE-/- mouse model of atherosclerosis was estimated in the aortic sinus and enface, and the underlying mechanisms were explored by molecular modeling study and siRNA-induced gene silencing.ResultsOur results showed that luteolin remarkably attenuated atherosclerosis in high-fat diet-induced ApoE-/- mouse via alleviating inflammation. We further found that luteolin decreased oxLDL-induced inflammation by inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in vitro, respectively. Further molecular modeling analysis indicated that luteolin interacted with STAT3 primarily through hydrogen bond interaction.ConclusionLuteolin could be a promising candidate molecule for atherosclerosis, and STAT3 may be a potential therapeutic target that could prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

Py-GC/MS Analysis of Bioactive Components of 450°C Pyrolyzate from Ethanol Extractives of Oil-Tea Cake

450°C-based pyrolysis- GC/MS technology was used to analyze the bioactive components of ethanol extractives of oil-tea cake. The analytical result showed that 38 peaks were obtained from the 450°C-based pyrolyzate of ethanol extractives of oil-tea cake, and 37 compounds representing 97.81 % of the total areas were identified (Table 1). The analytical result showed that the main components of ethanol extractives of oil-tea cake by 450°C-based pyrolysis- GC/MS were as: Benzene, 1,2,3-Trimethoxy-5-Methyl- (21.56%), Phenol, 3,4-Dimethoxy- (16.31%), 3',5'-Dimethoxyacetophenone (14.37%), 1,2-Ethanediamine, N-Ethyl- (6.62%), Indole (5.39%), Mequinol (4.13%), Phosphonic Acid, (P-Hydroxyphenyl)- (2.97%), 1,2-Cyclobutanedicarboxylic Acid, Cis- (1.67%), Bicyclo 3.1.0 Hexan-3-One (1.38%), Benzene, 1,4-Dimethoxy-2,3,5,6- Tetramethyl- (1.35%), 2h-Azepin-2-One, Hexahydro-1-(2-Propenyl)- (1.15), etc. The results of function analyses showed that the 450°C-based pyrolyzate of ethanol extractives of oil-tea cake can be used as rare natural medicinal materials, and value-added materials of spice, food and cosmetic industry.

Bioactive Components Determination of Acetone Extractives from Oil-Tea Cake by 600°C-Based Pyrolysis-GC/MS

A high temperature Pyrolysis (600°C) correlated with GC/MS was used to analyze the bioactive components of acetone extractives from oil-tea cake. The analytical result showed that 44 peaks were obtained from the 600°C pyrolyzate of acetone extractives of oil-tea cake and 42 compounds representing 99.12 % of the total areas were acetone extractives of oil-tea cake by 600°C-based pyrolysis- GC/MS were as: 3',5'-Dimethoxyacetophenone (22.16%), 9-Octadecenal, (Z)- (13.47%), Hexadecanoic Acid (8.36%), Dodecane, 1-Fluoro- (5.19%), Benzothiazole, 2-(Methylthio)- (4.61%), Naphthalene, 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-1,4,6-Trimethyl- (3.87%), .Gamma.-Sitosterol (3.16%), Naphthalene, 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,8a-Octahydro-1,8a-Dimethyl-7-(1-Methyletheny (3.12%), 1,4-Dimethyl-1,2,3,4- Tetrahydronaphthalene (2.69%), Squalene (2.08%), Bis(2-Methoxyethyl) Phthalate (1.83%), Ergost-5-En-3-Ol, (3.Beta.)- (1.65%), etc. The result of function analyses showed that the 600°C pyrolyzate of acetone extractives of oil-tea cake contain abundant components of rare natural medicinal materials, and materials of high-grade spice and cosmetic.

450°C-Based Pyrolysis- GC/MS Analysis of Utilization of Benzene/Ethanol-Extracted Residue from Oil-Tea Cake

The extractives of oil-tea cake are considered to have bioactive components, but the extracted residues of oil-tea cake are still not utilized. The analytical result by 450°C-based Pyrolysis-GC/MS showed that 42 peaks were obtained from the 450°C pyrolyzate of benzene/ethanol-extracted residues of oil-tea cake, and 41 compounds representing 97.53% of the total areas were identified. The analytical result revealed that the main components of benzene/ethanol-extracted residues of oil-tea cake by 450°C-based pyrolysis- GC/MS were as: Ethanone, 1-(2-Hydroxy-5-Methylphenyl)- (19.16%), Phenol, 2-Methoxy-6-(2-Propenyl)- (15.24%), Mequinol (14.37%), 2-Cyclohexen-1-One, 4,4,6-Trimethyl- (6.51%), 1,2-Cyclobutanedicarboxylic Acid, Trans- (5.68%), 3-Tert-Butyl-4-Hydroxyanisole (4.92%), Phenol, 2-Methoxy-4-Methyl- (4.33%), Phenol, 4-Ethyl-2-Methoxy- (3.62%), Vanillin (3.59%), Phenol, 2,6-Dimethoxy-4- (2-Propenyl)- (3.17%), N,N-Dimethyl-2-Cyclohexyloxyethylamine (2.94%), 1,3-Cyclopentanedione, 2-Methyl- (2.85%), Eugenol (2.56%), etc. The results of function analyses showed that the benzene/ethanol-extracted residues of oil-tea cake contain abundant components of rare natural medicinal materials, and materials of high-grade spice, cosmetic and food industry.

Determination of Bioactive Components of Oil-Tea Cake by Pyrolysis- GC/MS

The oil-tea cake is the particular byproduct during producing tea-oil from seeds of Camellia oleifera (oil-tea tree). However, the current processing and utilization of oil-tea cake is still low economic benefit and also low value-added. Therefore, 300°C-based pyrolysis- GC/MS technology was used to analyze the top value-added bioactive components of benzene/ethanol extractives of oil-tea cake. The analytical result showed that 14 peaks were obtained from the 300°C pyrolyzate of benzene/ethanol extract of oil-tea cake, and 13 compounds representing 99.16% of the total areas were identified. The MS analytical result showed that the main components of pyrolyzates of benzene/ethanol extractives of oil-tea cake by 300°C pyrolysis- GC/MS were identified as: ethyl oleate; 14-pentadecenoic acid; pentadecanoic acid, ethyl ester; hexadecanoic acid, 2-hydrsoxy-1,3-propanedryl ester; pentadecanoic acid, ethyl ester; squalene; 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, butyl 2-methylpropyl ester; 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, 3-nitro-; etc.The results of function analyses showed that the 300°C pyrolyzate of benzene/ethanol extractives of oil-tea cake contains abundant bioactive components of rare natural medicinal materials, and also contain many components which can be developed into two value-added materials of industrial chemical and high-grade spice.

Pyrolysis-GC/MS of Bioactive Components of Acetone Extractives of Oil-Tea Cake under 300°C

The current processing and utilization of oil-tea cake is still characterized by low economic benefit and low value added, therefore, 300°C-based pyrolysis- GC/MS technology was used to analyze the bioactive components of acetone extractives of oil-tea cake. Relative content of each component was determined by area normalization. The analytical result showed that the main components from 300°C-based pyrolyzate of acetone extractives of oil-tea cake by pyrolysis- GC/MS were as: SQUALENE (18.61%), 9-OCTADECENAL, (Z)- (15.27%), 3',5'-DIMETHOXYACETOPHENONE (9.53%), HEXADECANOIC ACID (7.28%), (Z)14-TRICOSENYL FORMATE (5.15%), .GAMMA.-SITOSTEROL (3.82%), BIS(2-METHOXYETHYL) PHTHALATE (2.86%), ERGOST-5-EN-3-OL, (3.BETA.)- (2.31%), etc. The results of function analyses showed that the 300°C-based pyrolyzate of acetone extractives of oil-tea cake contain rich components of rare natural medicinal materials, and also contain value-added materials of high-grade spice, food, cosmetic and bioenergy.

Neuronal Differentiation of C17.2 Neural Stem Cells Induced by a Natural Flavonoid, Baicalin

Natural medicinal materials are a significant resource for the identification of compounds with specific biological properties. In this study, we employed multipotent C17.2 neural stem cells as a model for screening natural compounds that possess neural differentiation-inducing properties. We show here for the first time that, out of the 67 compounds tested, the flavonoid baicalin is a potent differentiation-inducing agent. Baicalin increased the number of cells bearing extended neurites and the expression levels of a number of neuronal markers. Importantly, baicalin promoted the expression of several key neurogenic transcriptional factors. Moreover, we demonstrated that baicalin enhanced the phosphorylation/activation of Erk1/2. Inhibition of Erk1/2 activation by the MEK inhibitor U0126 attenuated the neuronal differentiation-inducing effect of baicalin. Taken together, our findings suggest that baicalin induces neuronal differentiation of C17.2 neural stem cells and that this is mediated by activation of Erk1/2. Our work lays the foundation for exploring baicalin for the promotion of neural regeneration after injury or disease.

Studies on Effective Constituents of Chinese Herbal Drugs Based on Theory of TCM and Modern Bio-Technologies

Traditional Chinese Medicine is the theoretic summing-up of Chinese people's experiences in their long-term struggles with diseases. As a result, Traditional medicines and natural medicinal materials are being reconsidered and welcomed by peoples and governments. Traditional Chinese medicine has long been proved to have remarkable clinical effects, its unique diagnosis and treatment methods, the particular thinking when medicating are favorably recognized by more and more peoples and countries. There are 12,807 kinds of traditional medicinal materials recorded in China, including 11,146 kinds of plant medicine. The certificated preparations of TCM formulation were over 10,000. Studies on effective constituents of Chinese herbal drugs based on theory of TCM and modern bio-technologies provide a short cut way for novel drug R&D in China. Here, based on the experiences of our laboratories, I introduce the idea and routine of studies on effective constituents of Chinese herbal drugs and the R&D of novel drugs based on theory of TCM. Given some examples[1] in my lab, these cases demonstrated that novel drug R&D will develop rapidly in China based on valuable theory of TCM and advanced modern bio-technologies. Acknowledgements: The work was supported by Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (PCSIRT), National 863 Program (2006AA02Z338) and in part by the Scientific Foundation of Shanghai China (05DZ19733, 06DZ19717, 06DZ19005).

Potential antimicrobial effects of pharmacognostic drugs

Pharmacognostic aspect, in treating of natural medicinal materials and medicinal of natural origin, is presented by very complex group of analytical and applicative methods. They are applied by means of identification, purities and quality of natural medicinal materials of vegetal, animal or mineral origin, more precisely of pharmacognostic drugs. A great number of drugs and their isolated products show the antimicrobial activities. The chemical substances, which are present in drugs, are currier of antimicrobial activities manifested by action on different bacteria, fungus, parasites and even viruses. The whole series of methods for analyzing of antimicrobial effects of drugs and the medicines in general are treated by scientific discipline microbiology. In order to complete the pharmacognostic analyses of drugs and there medicinal products, the microbiological analyses take a very important role. The antimicrobial and antifungal effects of series of plant materials, of pharmacognostic drugs against the large number of bacteria and fungus Candida have been carried out. The drugs we analyzed were treated from their chemical point of view and that is the presence of: coumarins, mucus and anthraquinones. The contents of these substances in plant material were analyzed by method of thin layer chromatography that was published preliminary. The antimicrobial effects of analyzed drugs were determinate by using dilution method in antimicrobial analyses which have been carried out with decocts of drugs.