Ophiopogon Japonicus Research Articles

Analysis of the Rule of Application of Chinese Patent Medicine Containing Schisandra Chinensis

Purpose: In order to analyze the rule of Chinese patent medicine with schisandra fruit, it provides reference for clinical medicine. Methods: With the 2015 edition of the Chinese pharmacopoeia as the data source, the Chinese patent medicines containing schisandra were collected. With Excel 2013 and SPSS Modeler 14.1 statistical software, the collected prescriptions and single traditional Chinese medicines were statistically processed and the association rules were analyzed. Results: Among all prescriptions included in the standard, the top four herbs with the highest cumulative frequency were Schisandra chinensis (103 times, 17.20%), Ophiopogon japonicus (40 times, 6.68%), Poria cocos (40 times, 6.68%), Astragalus membranaceus (39 times, 6.51%). Among the statistics of the tetra qi, warm drugs (85 times, 39.34%) and cold drugs (76 times, 35.19%) accounted for a larger proportion. In the five flavors, sweet (104 times, 30.32%),bitter (97 times, 28.27%) and acrid (84 times, 24.49%) ccount for a large proportion. Meridians of the liver (123times, 22.28%), lung (84 times, 15.22%) and kidney (81 times, 14.67%) were the most common. In addition, combined with the comprehensive analysis of major therapeutic diseases such as palpitation and insomnia, the combination of Schisandra chinensis and tonic deficiency medicine (52 times, 30.95%), Ophiopogon japonicus and Astragalus membranaceus has the highest frequency, and the clinical application is mostly in the form of solid preparations such as pill and tablet. Conclusion: Chinese patent medicine preparation containing Schisandra chinensis is often used together with nourishing deficiency drug, heat-clearing drug, relieving phlegm and relieving cough and asthma drug. The most compatible drugs are liver meridian, kidney meridian, bitter, sweet, partial warm, cold medicine.

Accumulation of Cd in Ophiopogon Japonicus, Houttuynia Cordata and Duchesnea Indica, and Its Human Health Risk Assessment

In this paper, Chinese herbal medicines of Ophiopogon japonicus, Houttuynia cordata and Duchesnea indica were planted in the soil containg 0.847 mg/kg Cd, which is close to the grade III of Environmental Quality Standard for Soil in China (GB15618-1995). After growth a certain time, the Cd in the three plants were determined respectively. Then the human health risk of Cd intake via taking the herbal medicines was assessed using the internationally recommended method of health risk assessment, as well as accordance to the Standards of Import and Export of Green Medicinal Plants and Their Preparations (WM2-2001), and the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of World Health Organization (WHO). The results showed that, after growth 90d, the Cd contents in the leaves and roots of O. japonicus and H. cordata, and all parts of D. indica were lower than the safe value of Green Trade Standards of Importing & Exporting Medicinal Plants & Preparations (WM2-2001), while that in stems of H. cordata was higher than the safe value. The human health risk of Cd in the three herbal medicines was in the order of H. cordata＞O. japonicu＞D. indica. Under the asumption of 30g as the average daily intake of the three herbal medicines for an adult, the maximum amount of Cd intake per person via O. japonica, H. cordata, and D. indica were 8.7μg, 10.5μg and 6.2μg respectively, which were lower than the allowable daily Cd intake value of WHO and the limit value recommended by the International Committee for Radiological Protection (ICRP). However, as the stem of H. cordata was slightly polluted after growth 90d in grade III soil, it was not recommended to use it as an edible Chinese herbal medicine.

Comprehensive screening and identification of natural inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitors from Radix Ophiopogonis by off-line multi-hyphenated analyses

Off-line multi-hyphenated methods including affinity-ultrafiltration mass spectrometry, molecular docking, and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (RP-HPLC-FD) were used to rapidly screen and identify natural inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitors isolated from Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker-Gawl. Ultrafiltration high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to screen and identify the potential ligands with high binding affinity to iNOS. Seven compounds (three saponins and four flavonoids) were found in Radix Ophiopogonis. Molecular docking identified the binding sites and found that the binding affinity of the three ophiopogonis ligands was higher than that of the four homoisoflavonoids. Pre-column derivatization of l-citrulline and RP-HPLC-FD verified that the in vitro inhibition activity of the three ophiopogonis compounds was stronger than that of the four homoisoflavonoids, which was similar to the screened results. In conclusion, combining an in vitro iNOS inhibition assay and affinity-ultrafiltration mass spectrometry with molecular docking was a powerful tool for rapid screening and identification of iNOS inhibitors isolated from this traditional Chinese medicine.

Clinical Efficacy of Oligofructans from Ophiopogon japonicus in Reducing Atopic Dermatitis Flare-ups in Caucasian Patients.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease affecting 15-20% children and 2-10% adults worldwide. Topical treatments include corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors, despite frequently observed adverse events such as skin atrophy, itching and burning sensations. Good alternatives that can prolong disease relief in between flare-ups are therefore needed. We conducted a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial in a Caucasian cohort of 90 children and 144 adults with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis that applied tested products twice daily for 60 days. A natural active from Ophiopogon japonicus, that improves atopic dermatitis symptoms in vivo, was successful in reducing the SCORing of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), including erythema, pruritus and body surface area in both cohorts. The active also improved patient's quality of life and significantly reduced the number of patients relapsing compared to placebo. We conclude that this treatment could be an effective solution to help control the disease in between flare-ups.

Comparative analysis of active ingredients and effects of the combination of Panax ginseng and Ophiopogon japonicus at different proportions on chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression mouse.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of the combination of Panax ginseng and Ophiopogon japonicus (PG-OJ) herbs at different ratios on myelosuppression induced by chemotherapy. The myelosuppression model was established using an intraperitoneal injection of 100 mg kg-1 cyclophosphamide (CTX) in mice. The mice were administered the PG-OJ extract or Shengmaiyin (SMY) at different proportions (1 : 0, 1 : 1, 1 : 2, 2 : 1, 2 : 3, 3 : 2, and 0 : 1). The changes in the chemical composition caused by decocting the herbs together were analyzed by HPLC. The parameters i.e. the number of bone marrow nucleated cells and peripheral blood cells and the thymus and spleen indices were determined after administration. The results indicated that the co-decoction of PG and OJ, especially at the ratio of 2 : 3, was more conducive to the conversion of conventional ginsenosides (Rg1, Re, Rb1, Rg2, Rc, Rb2, Rb3 and Rd) to rare ginsenosides (Rg5, Rk3, S-Rg3, R-Rg3, Rk1 and Rh1) and the dissolution of ophiopogonin D. In addition, PG-OJ has an excellent synergistic effect on myelosuppression induced by CTX in mice. PG-OJ could significantly increase the numbers of the bone marrow nucleated cells and peripheral blood cells; moreover, it increased the thymus index and decreased the spleen index. The herb pair with a ratio of 2 : 3 showed the best therapeutic effect. By combining the results of the chemical composition changes and pharmacological activities, it can be concluded that rare ginsenosides and ophiopogonin D may be the main material basis of PG-OJ for the treatment of bone marrow suppression after chemotherapy.

Effects of steroidal saponins extract from Ophiopogon japonicus root ameliorates doxorubicin-induced chronic heart failure by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammatory response

Context: Ophiopogonis Radix, the root of Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker-Gawl (Liliaceae), is a Traditional Chinese Medicine, which has been investigated to possess effective treatment of cardiovascular diseases.Objective: This study evaluates the cardioprotective effects of steroidal saponins extract from Ophiopogon japonicus (SOJ) root against doxorubicin-induced chronic heart failure (CHF) through the amelioration of oxidative stress and inflammation.Materials and methods: A Sprague-Dawley rat model of CHF was established by intraperitoneally injected with DOX. All rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control group, CHF group, CHF + SOJ (100 mg/kg) treatment group, SOJ (100 mg/kg) treatment group (n = 8/group). After six weeks administration, biometric and echocardiography were measured. The levels of biochemical parameters were measured using commercial kits.Results: The values of LVESP, +dP/dtmax, –dP/dtmax, EF and FS increased to 116.20 ± 1.68 mmHg, 2978.71 ± 168.26 mmHg/s, 3452.61 ± 286.09 mmHg/s, 68.26 ± 5.28% and 31.97 ± 3.79%, respectively; the values of LVEDP, LVESD and LVEDD decreased to 8.85 ± 0.84 mmHg, 8.39 ± 0.45 mm and 12.36 ± 0.87 mm in CHF + SOJ group. In addition, the levels of IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β decreased to 154.41 ± 7.72 pg/mg protein, 110.02 ± 6.96 pg/mg protein and 39.39 ± 5.27 pg/mg protein, respectively; the relative activity of p38 MAPK decreased to 2.60 ± 0.40 in CHF + SOJ group. Furthermore, the activities of SOD, CAT and GSH-Px increased to 268.77 ± 6.20 U/mg protein, 13.68 ± 0.68 U/mg protein and 316.90 ± 8.08 µmol/mg protein, and the content of MDA decreased to 4.03 ± 0.43 nmol/mg protein in CHF + SOJ group.Conclusions: SOJ exerts the cardioprotective effect against DOX-induced CHF through suppressing inflammatory and oxidative stress. These results provide evidence that SOJ might be an effective treatment for CHF.

The structures and biological functions of polysaccharides from traditional Chinese herbs.

Most of traditional Chinese medicine substances come from herbal plants. The medicinal quality of herbal plants varies with the locations of cultivation, the parts of the herb collected, the season of the herb collected, and the herb processing method. Polysaccharides are major components of the herb plants and their biosynthesis is partly controlled by the genes but mostly influenced by the availability of the nutrition and determined by the various environmental factors. In recent decades, polysaccharides isolated from different kinds of Chinese herbs have received much attention due to their important biological activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, radiation protecting, antiviral, hypolipidemic, and immunomodulatory activities. Interestingly, different batches of the same herb can obtain different polysaccharide fractions with subtle differences in molecular weight, monosaccharide compositions, glycosidic linkages, and biological functions. Even with these variations, a large number of bioactive polysaccharides from different kinds of traditional Chinese herbs have been purified, characterized, and reported. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the latest polysaccharide extraction methods and the strategies used for monosaccharide compositional analysis plus polysaccharide structural characterization. Most importantly, the reported chemical characteristics and biological activities of the polysaccharides from the famous traditional Chinese herbs including Astragalus membranaceus, Ginseng, Lycium barbarum, Angelica sinensis, Cordyceps sinensis, and Ophiopogon japonicus will be reviewed and discussed. The published studies provide evidence that polysaccharides from traditional Chinese herbs play an important role in their medical applications, which forms the basis for future research, development, and application of these polysaccharides as functional foods and therapeutics in modern medicine.

Enrichment and separation of steroidal saponins from the fibrous roots of Ophiopogon japonicus using macroporous adsorption resins.

In this study, a simple and effective strategy for the enrichment of total steroidal saponins (TSS) from the fibrous roots of Ophiopogon japonicus (L. f.) Ker-Gawl. (FROJ) using macroporous adsorption resin was systematically developed. XAD-7HP resin was selected from six macroporous resins for further study because of the highest static adsorption and desorption capacities. The static adsorption of TSS on XAD-7HP resin fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo second-order kinetic model; the thermodynamics test showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. The dynamic tests on XAD-7HP resin columns demonstrated that the breakthrough volume was 16 bed volume (BV), and 6 BV of 80% ethanol was suitable for dynamic desorption. In a lab scale-up separation under optimal dynamic conditions, the content of TSS in the resin-enrichment fraction increased from 1.83% in the crude extracts to 13.86% by 7.59-fold with a recovery yield of 82.68%. Three steroidal saponins were obtained from the resin-enrichment fraction, and showed protective effects against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) injury. Overall, these results suggested that XAD-7HP resin chromatography was an effective strategy for the large scale enrichment of TSS from FROJ, which showed the potential for functional food and pharmaceutical application.

Exopolysaccharides from an Ophiopogon japonicus endophyte inhibit proliferation and migration in MC-4 human gastric cancer cells

Background: Recently, natural products have gained increasing attention. Endophytic bacteria represent a source of natural anticancer products, and are well-known for producing diverse bioactive anti-cancer compounds. Herein, we investigated the antitumor activity of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) extracted from endophytes in Ophiopogon japonicus . Methods: The endophyte bacterium MD4 was isolated from O. japonicus . To identify MD4, a partial sequence of 16S rDNA was analyzed. The phenol-sulfuric acid method was used to measure the EPSs concentration. Cell viability was tested by the MTT assay to quantify the EPS cytotoxicity effect. Wounding healing, gelatin zymography, and ELISA were used to measure cell migration ability. Results: MD4 was identified as a Staphylococcus sp . with 99% similarity. The results of the phenol sulfuric acid method showed that the purified EPS concentration from MD4 was 28.068 µg/µL. There was a concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect of MD4-EPS on MC-4 cells, with IC50 values of 0.891 µg/µL. The results of the MTT assay showed that MD4-EPS effectively inhibited the migration of MC-4 cells as the concentration increased. The gelatin zymography analysis showed that the enzymatic activities of the migration-related MMP2 and MMP9 proteins decreased after EPS treatment. Furthermore, the protein secretion levels of MMP2 and MMP9 after MD4-EPS treatment were significantly lower than those in the control and PBS groups. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the EPSs derived from the MD4 endophyte of O. japonicus acted as natural antitumor agents to inhibit the migration of gastric cancer cells.

Exopolysaccharides from an Ophiopogon japonicus endophyte inhibit proliferation and migration in MC-4 human gastric cancer cells

Exopolysaccharides from an Ophiopogon japonicus endophyte inhibit proliferation and migration in MC-4 human gastric cancer cells

Multiple circulating saponins from intravenous ShenMai inhibit OATP1Bs in vitro: potential joint precipitants of drug interactions

ShenMai, an intravenous injection prepared from steamed Panax ginseng roots (Hongshen) and Ophiopogon japonicus roots (Maidong), is used as an add-on therapy for coronary artery disease and cancer; saponins are its bioactive constituents. Since many saponins inhibit human organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATP)1B, this investigation determined the inhibition potencies of circulating ShenMai saponins on the transporters and the joint potential of these compounds for ShenMai-drug interaction. Circulating saponins and their pharmacokinetics were characterized in rats receiving a 30-min infusion of ShenMai at 10 mL/kg. Inhibition of human OATP1B1/1B3 and rat Oatp1b2 by the individual saponins was investigated in vitro; the compounds' joint inhibition was also assessed in vitro and the data was processed using the Chou-Talalay method. Plasma protein binding was assessed by equilibrium dialysis. Altogether, 49 saponins in ShenMai were characterized and graded into: 10-100 μmol/day (compound doses from ShenMai; 7 compounds), 1-10 μmol/day (17 compounds), and <1 μmol/day (25 compounds, including Maidong ophiopogonins). After dosing, circulating saponins were protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Ra1, Rg3, Ra2, and Ra3, protopanaxatriol-type ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rg2, and Rf, and ginsenoside Ro. The protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides exhibited maximum plasma concentrations of 2.1-46.6 μmol/L, plasma unbound fractions of 0.4-1.0% and terminal half-lives of 15.6-28.5 h (ginsenoside Rg3, 1.9 h), while the other ginsenosides exhibited 0.1-7.7 μmol/L, 20.8-99.2%, and 0.2-0.5 h, respectively. The protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides, ginsenosides without any sugar attachment at C-20 (except ginsenoside Rf), and ginsenoside Ro inhibited OATP1B3 more potently (IC50, 0.2-3.5 µmol/L) than the other ginsenosides (≥22.6 µmol/L). Inhibition of OATP1B1 by ginsenosides was less potent than OATP1B3 inhibition. Ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Ro, Ra1, Re, and Rg2 likely contribute the major part of OATP1B3-mediated ShenMai-drug interaction potential, in an additive and time-related manner.

Annual variation patterns of the effluent water quality from a green roof and the overall impacts of its structure.

To explore the optimal combination of vegetation type, substrate type, and substrate thickness in a green roof and the interannual variation patterns of the runoff quality, eight green roof units were constructed in Shenzhen, China. Runoff quality of the eight units was monitored for 3years (24 rainfall events). The rainfall event mean concentrations (EMC) were used to evaluate runoff quality as well as annual pollutant load. An orthogonal L8(24) experiment was designed to verify the significance of different factors. An optimal level of significant factors was selected to determine the optimal design of green roof. The optimal vegetation was Ophiopogon japonicus. The optimal substrate was modified perlite, while optimal substrate thickness was 200mm. A three-year interannual variation analysis was performed on the optimal green roof. It was found that the interannual variation of each runoff quality index is different. The concentrations of SS, COD, and NH4+-N in the runoff decreased with years. The concentration of NO3--N increased over time, while TP remained stable. The concentration of TN had certain volatility with no significant interannual variation. Overall, the runoff quality of the green roof improves over time. The optimal green roof's runoff quality in the third year including 11 rainfall events was monitored. Results showed that the effluent quality from the green roof was lower than that of precipitation. The average concentrations of SS, COD, NH4+-N, TN, and TP decreased respectively by 37.85%, 28.89%, 30.25%, 14.52%, and 12.93%, but NO3--N increased by 69.91% comparing to the traditional roof.

The influence of polysaccharides from Ophiopogon japonicus on 2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside about biopharmaceutical properties in vitro and pharmacokinetics in vivo

2,3,5,4′-Tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside (THSG) is a bioactive polyhydroxystilbene compound obtained from Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. Although it has broad therapeutic potential, the application of THSG is limited due to its poor stability in vitro, poor absorption in the intestine, and short-term storage in tissues. Polysaccharides from herbal medicines have been proven to be functional foods and potential natural plant derived drugs. However, the effects of polysaccharides when co-administered with other active ingredients are currently unknown. The present study investigated the influences of Ophiopogon japonicus polysaccharides (OJPs) on THSG. Results showed that OJPs notably enhanced aqueous solubility, and stability of THSG, but slightly decreased the permeability of THSG. In addition, Tmax, Cmax, and AUC(0-tn) of THSG were 3.5 fold, 1.45 fold and 2.32 fold higher for THSG-OJP. Thus, OJPs could potentially be used to improve the biopharmaceutical properties and prolong the pharmacological effects of THSG. This finding could provide a reference point for further applications of polysaccharides from herbal medicines.

New steroidal glycosides from the fibrous roots of Ophiopogon japonicus

Two new steroidal glycosides (named fibrophiopogonins A, B), along with one known glycoside, were isolated from the fibrous roots of Ophiopogon japonicus (Liliaceae). Comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, including 2D NMR spectroscopy, and the results of acid hydrolysis allowed the chemical structure of the compounds to be assigned as 26-[(O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-D-glucopyranosyl)]-barogenin- 3-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside and (25R)-26-[(O- β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl)]- 3β,22α,26- trihydroxyfurost- 5-ene-3-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside. This is the first isolation of a cholestane glycoside with disaccharide moiety from a Ophiopogon species. The cytotoxic activities of 1~3 against A375 and MCF-7 cells are described.

TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED CANCER FOLLOWING CHEMOTHERAPY AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINE - LONG TERM FOLLOW UP OF 75 CASES

Objective: Traditional systems of medicine all over the world even traditional medicine and cancer have been using plants and plants products for therapeutic intention. The purpose of these retrospective trials is to assess the clinical efficacy of chemotherapy in conjunction with TCM for a broad variety of cancers. Methods: 75 patients with available cancers were concluded in the study during September1993 – May 2018.The sex ratio of male: female was 50:25 respectively. The mean age at onset was 46.9 years（range 10-79 years. All patients were treated with different dosage of various chemotherapy in combination with TCM or traditional medicine alone. The basic chemotherapeutic regimen consisted of vincristine（VCR, 1-2 mg/week)、cyclophosphamide（CTX, 200-1, 000mg/ week), mitomycin C(MMC, 2-4mg/week) and 5-fluorouracil（5-Fu,250-500mg/ day). The detail prescription of TCM varied among a broad variety of carcinomas. The criteria of complete remission（CR）and/or partial remission（PR）is according to the rules where physicians have in common with in clinics. In 75 cases, the CR was obtained in 33(44%) advanced cancers, a short CR in 11(14.7%) cases, PR in 25 (33.3%) cancers, stable disease in 6 cases.. The crude herbs consisted of sargassum, tangle, Oyster（mussels), Poria cocos, Ophiopogon japonicus, Prunella vulgaris, Taraxacum, Scrophularia ningpoensis, Cremastra appendiculata, Trichosanthes Kirilowii, Sophora subprostrata, Houttuynia cordata, Scutellaria barbata d. don and Oldenlandia diffusa roxb. Results: Among those long-term survivors, 31 carcinomas obtained in disease-free survival over 5 years, 20 cancers were survival over 10 years, the longest four patients over 25 years. Conclusion: In this study, it was experienced that a CR was a pivotal influencing factor in those longest survival patients, and traditional medicine was also recommended. Down regulating oncogenic receptors may be useful paradigm and perspective in currently the third line setting of clinical target therapy and in rendering our better understanding of cancer biology. Peer Review History: Received 5 June 2018; Revised 4 July; Accepted 8 July, Available online 15 July 2018 UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file: Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 8.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Nuray Ari, Ankara University, Turkiye, ari@ankara.edu.tr Dr. Mohamed Salama, Modern University for Technology & Information, Egypt, salama47@yahoo.com Similar Articles: ESTIMATION OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY AS WELL AS APOPTOTIC ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF CROCUS SATIVUS

Complex network analysis of law on Chinese herbal drugs intervention on radiation induced lung injury

To mainly analyze the prescription rules of Chinese herbal drugs for radiation induced lung injury, optimize the prescriptions, and provide a reference for the clinical treatment of radiation induced lung injury. The major Chinese databases CNKI, CBM and Wanfang data were searched to obtain the literature on Chinese herbal drugs for radiation induced lung injury. BICOMS 2 software was used to extract and collect all Chinese herbal drugs information and generate the co-occurrence matrix; NetDraw and Gcluto software were then used to make network map and visualization matrix for analysis. A total of 552 articles (19 types and 304 Chinese herbal drugs) were included. Ophiopogon japonicus had the highest frequency (229 times), followed by Astragalus membranaceus(181 times), Glycyrrhiza uralensis (166 times), and Scutellaria baicalensis (150 times). After the classification of efficacy, deficiency-supplementing medicinal (69 kinds of Chinese herbs), heat-clearing medicine (51 kinds of Chinese herbs) and phlegm cough medicine (42 kinds of Chinese herbs) accounted for 53.29% of all the Chinese herbs, acting in the main position. After the prescription analysis for the top 25 herbal prescriptions, six main structures of common prescriptions were found for the treatment of radiation induced lung injury. There are many kinds of Chinese herbal drugs for the treatment of radiation induced lung injury in clinical application. In the future, researchers can mainly focus on Ophiopogon japonicus etc. as the main drugs, combine with other high-frequency Chinese herbal drugs found in this study, or directly refer to the main structures of commonly used prescriptions found in this analysis.

Anti-inflammatory activities of Ophiopogonis Radix on hydrogen peroxide-induced cellular senescence of normal human dermal fibroblasts.

Ophiopogonis Radix (Ophiopogon root), which nourishes the yin, has been used in clinical practice to promote fluid secretion and to moisturize the lungs and skin in traditional Chinese and Japanese (Kampo) medicine. To evaluate this traditional medicinal effect, we investigated the anti-chronic inflammatory effect of Radix Ophiopogonis on senescent cells. Conversely, although several phenotypes of Ophiopogon japonicus Ker-Gawler (Liliaceae) are prevalent in Japan and China, we used these Ophiopogon roots by considering them as one crude drug, Ophiopogonis Radix. In this study, it was revealed that there are two chemotypes (Types A and B) in the root of the original plant, O. japonicus. Methylophiopogonanone A (compound 1) and methylophiopogonanone B (compound 2) were isolated as index compounds from Type A and compound 1 and ophiopogonanone A (compound 3) from Type B. In addition, ophiopogonin B (compound 4) was isolated as the main steroidal saponin from both Type A and B. The results indicated that two different methanol extracts (from Types A and B) and the main constituents of O. japonicus (compound 1-4), significantly downregulated the expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8, which were enhanced by senescent normal human dermal fibroblasts. Moreover, the two different methanol extracts and compounds 1-4 decreased IL-6 production in a strong and concentration-dependent manner by the ELISA method.

Ophiopogonin B suppresses the metastasis and angiogenesis of A549 cells invitro and invivo by inhibiting the EphA2/Akt signaling pathway.

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common metastatic cancer, and is associated with high patient mortality. Therefore, investigation of anti-metastatic treatments for lung adenocarcinoma is crucial. Ophiopogonin B (OP-B) is a bioactive component of Radix Ophiopogon Japonicus, which is often used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat pulmonary disease. Screening of transcriptome and digital gene expression (DGE) profiling data in NSCLC cell lines showed that OP-B regulated the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway in A549 cells. Further results showed that 10 µmol/l OP-B downregulated EphA2 expression and phosphorylation (Ser897) in A549 cells but upregulated them in NCI-H460 cells. Meanwhile, the Ras/ERK pathway was unaffected in A549 cells and stimulated in NCI-H460 cells. More importantly, detection of the EMT pathway showed that OP-B treatment increased the epithelial markers ZO-1 and E-cadherin and decreased the expression of the mesenchymal marker N-cadherin and the transcriptional repressors Snail, Slug and ZEB1. Furthermore, through Transwell migration and scratch wound healing assays, we found that 10 µmol/l OP-B significantly reduced the invasion and migration of A549 cells. In vivo, we found that 75 mg/kg OP-B inhibited A549 cell metastasis in a pulmonary metastasis nude mouse model. In addition, we also found that 10 µmol/l OP-B significantly inhibited tube formation in EA.hy926 cells. The expression of VEGFR2 and Tie-2, the phosphorylation of Akt (S473) and PLC (S1248), and the levels of EphA2 and phosphorylated EphA2 (S897) were all inhibited by OP-B in this cell line. In vivo, using a Matrigel plug assay, we found that OP-B inhibited angiogenesis and the hemoglobin content of A549 transplanted tumors. Taken together, OP-B inhibited the metastasis and angiogenesis of A549 cells by inhibiting EphA2/Akt and the corresponding pathway. The investigation gives new recognition to the anticancer mechanism of OP-B in NSCLC and this compound is a promising inhibitor of metastasis and angiogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Effect of different vase solutions on postharvest longevity of cut foliage &lt;i&gt;Ophiopogon&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;japonicus&lt;/i&gt;

Ophiopogon japonicus (L.f.) Ker-Gawl (family Liliaceae) is an export-oriented foliage plant with attractive white-green strips. The vase life of this cut foliage ends when the leaves loose turgidity and/ or bright green colour. Thus, to enhance the vase life of O. japonicus, effect of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mM CuSO4.5H2O, 10, 20, and 30 g/L sucrose and combination of sucrose with 0.5 mM CuSO4.5H2O as holding treatments, 20 g/L and 30 g/L sucrose solutions as 24 h pulsing treatments and 6-Benzylaminopurine 5, 10, 20 mg/L BAP were tested. Relative fresh weight of leaves, solution uptake rate and vase life were assessed. Vase solution bacterial enumerations were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of CuSO4.5H2O as a biocide. To investigate the function of BAP, amount of chlorophyll was quantified using leaf pigment extracts. The vase life of O. japonicus could be extended from 5.1 days to 12.5 days by giving BAP based vase solutions. Chlorophyll contents of leaves dipped in BAP solutions were significantly higher than the control (distilled water). CuSO4 solutions did not show any significant antibacterial effects compared to the control. According to vase life data, the most effective vase solutions were CuSO4.5H2O (0.5 mM), sucrose 20 g/L with CuSO4.5H2O (0.5 mM) as holding treatments, sucrose 20 g/L and 30 g/L as pulsing treatments and BAP treatments (5, 10, 20 mg/L).

Migration and transformation of different phosphorus forms in rainfall runoff in bioretention system.

Artificial bioretention system consisting of Ophiopogon japonicus infiltration medium was used to simulate an infiltration experiment of rainfall runoff. Continuous extraction method was used to detect contents of inorganic phosphorus (P) under exchangeable state (Ex-P) and aluminium phosphate (Al-P) and iron phosphate (Fe-P) at different depths (0, 5, 15 and 35cm) of soil infiltration medium in bioretention system. Effluent total P (TP) concentration of the system was also monitored. Results indicated that the adsorption of inorganic P, Al-P and Fe-P by soil infiltration medium was implemented layer by layer from top to bottom and gradually weakened. Moreover, Ex-P was gradually transformed into Al-P and Fe-P, whereas Al-P was gradually transformed into Fe-P; thus, Ex-P content reduced layer by layer, whereas Al-P and Fe-P gradually accumulated. The TP removal rate in runoff rainwater by the system was more than 90%, where the TP that was not used by plants was under dynamic equilibrium in water-soil-root system/biological system.