Shen Nong's Materia Medica Research Articles

Elucidation of the anti-colorectal cancer mechanism of Atractylodes lancea by network pharmacology and experimental verification.

Atractylodes lancea which was listed in "Shennong's Materia Medica" and could be used to treat gastrointestinal-associated diseases. However, its roles, core and active ingredients, and mechanisms in treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) were still unknown. Therefore, network pharmacology and experimental validation were used to clarify the effects, core active ingredients and molecular mechanisms of Atractylodes lancea. We found that Atractylodes lancea has 28 effective active components and 213 potential targets. Seventy-three genes which demonstrate interaction between the Atractylodes lancea and CRC were confirmed. Enrichment analysis showed that 2033 GO biological process items and 144 KEGG pathways. Survival and molecular docking analysis revealed that luteolin as the core component interacted with these genes (Matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3), Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1), Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA)) with the lowest binding energy, and these genes were involved in building a prognostic model for CRC. Cellular phenotyping experiments showed that luteolin could inhibit the proliferation and migration of CRC cells and downregulate the expression of MMP3, MMP9, TIMP1, VEGFA probably by Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/ serine/threonine kinase Akt (PI3K/AKT) pathway. To conclude, Atractylodes lancea could inhibit proliferation and migration of CRC cells through its core active ingredient (luteolin) to suppress the expression of MMP3, MMP9, TIMP1, VEGFA probably by PI3K/AKT pathway.

Network pharmacology-based exploration identified the antiviral efficacy of Quercetin isolated from mulberry leaves against enterovirus 71 via the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Introduction: Mulberry leaf (ML) is known for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, historically documented in "Shen Nong's Materia Medica". This study aimed to investigate the effects of ML on enterovirus 71 (EV71) using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vitro experiments. Methods: We successfully pinpointed shared targets between mulberry leaves (ML) and the EV71 virus by leveraging online databases. Our investigation delved into the interaction among these identified targets, leading to the identification of pivotal components within ML that possess potent anti-EV71 properties. The ability of these components to bind to the targets was verified by molecular docking. Moreover, bioinformatics predictions were used to identify the signaling pathways involved. Finally, the mechanism behind its anti-EV71 action was confirmed through in vitro experiments. Results: Our investigation uncovered 25 active components in ML that targeted 231 specific genes. Of these genes, 29 correlated with the targets of EV71. Quercetin, a major ingredient in ML, was associated with 25 of these genes. According to the molecular docking results, Quercetin has a high binding affinity to the targets of ML and EV71. According to the KEGG pathway analysis, the antiviral effect of Quercetin against EV71 was found to be closely related to the NF-κB signaling pathway. The results of immunofluorescence and Western blotting showed that Quercetin significantly reduced the expression levels of VP1, TNF-α, and IL-1β in EV71-infected human rhabdomyosarcoma cells. The phosphorylation level of NF-κB p65 was reduced, and the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway was suppressed by Quercetin. Furthermore, our results showed that Quercetin downregulated the expression of JNK, ERK, and p38 and their phosphorylation levels due to EV71 infection. Conclusion: With these findings in mind, we can conclude that inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway is a critical mechanism through which Quercetin exerts its anti-EV71 effectiveness.

Herbalogical study of Colla Corii Asini(Ejiao)

Colla Corii Asini(Ejiao)is an important Chinese medicine used in China for thousands of years, and is well known for its famous tonic properties. The herbalogical study was detailed carried out based on the naming, habitat, harvesting, processing, medicinal properties and clinical efficacy. The results showed that the name of Ejiao could be traced back to Shennong's Materia Medica, and various names of Lvpi Jiao, Penfu Jiao and Fuzhi Jiao were recorded in other ancient books. In the many intervening centuries, the main materials of Ejiao had been replaced from cow leather before Tang Dynasty to donkey skin in the middle to late Tang Dynasty. This phenomenon could be probably caused by complicated social factors of various periods and different efficacy of Ejiao made by all kinds of raw materials. Ejiao was merely processed with the simple methods before Tang Dynasty, which subsequently improved avariety of methods to enhance the supplementation action. Most importantly, Ejiao has a wide clinic application along with the development of processing theories and methods, which can be found in various Classics, especially in imperial medical case record in Qing Dynasty.

Chromones and coumarins from Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk. Growing in Buryatia and Mongolia and their cytotoxicity

Ethnopharmacological relevanceSaposhnikovia divaricata (family Apiaceae) a traditional medicinal plant distributed in many provinces of China, is well known for the pharmaceutical value and has been used for rheumatic arthritis, and anxiety in children. Antiviral, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities were also mentioned. The application of this plant are recorded in the Chinese Medicine (CM) classical text the Shen Nong's Materia Medica (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing). In this monograph S. divaricata (syn Radix Ledebouriella divaricata) is graded as a premium-grade herb, with their broad-spectrum of therapeutic applications for the treatment of cough, common cold, arthralgia, as well as in rheumatic disorders. Aim of the studyTo isolate and identify chemical constituents (chromones and coumarins) from S. divaricata, collected in Buryatia and Mongolia and to study their in vitro anticancer activity against MEL-8, U-937, DU-145, MDA-MB-231 and ВТ-474 cell lines. Materials and methodsAn 40% aqueous ethanol extract of the roots of S. divaricata was prepared and further successively fractionated by extraction with petroleum ether, diethyl ether, tert-butyl methyl ether and ethyl acetate. The obtained extracts were subjected to a series of chromatographic separations on silica gel for isolation of individual compounds. Isolated compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity with respect to model cancer cell lines using the conventional MTT assays. Results: Total of 15 individual compounds: coumarins scopoletin 2, bergapten 3, isoimperatorin 4, marmesin 5, (+)-decursinol 9, (−)-praeruptorin B 10, oxypeucedanin hydrate 11, chromones: hamaudol 6, cimifugin 7, 5-О-methylvisamminol 8, chromone glycosides: prim-O-glucosylcimifugin 12, sec-O-glucosylhamaudol 13, 4′-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5-О-methylvisamminol 14, 4′-O-β-D-glucopyranosylvisamminol (15) and also polyyne compound panaxinol 1 were isolated and characterized. The structure of dihydropyranocoumarin 10 was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analyses. HPLC-UV method was used for determination of the content of most abundant chromones 7, 12 and 14 in the roots of S. divaricata, collected in Mongolia. Compounds 3–11 and 13, 14 were evaluated for their cytotoxicity with respect to model cancer cell lines. All the compounds were non-toxic in the hemolysis test. Conclusion: This report about the phytochemical profiles of S. divaricata growing in Mongolia and Buryatia led to the identification of 14 compounds including coumarins and chromones. The available coumarins and chromones may serve as new leads for the discovery of anticancer drugs.

Chemical and pharmacological research on the polyphenol acids isolated from Danshen: A review of salvianolic acids.

Danshen, the dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge, is a common medicinal herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which has been used for the treatment of a number of diseases for thousands of years. More than 2000 years ago, the Chinese early pharmacy monograph "Shennong Materia Medica" recorded that Danshen could be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, certain gynecological diseases, etc. Since then, Danshen has been widely used clinically in many different prescriptions for many different diseases, especially for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Nowadays, many pharmacological studies about the water-soluble components from Danshen have been reported, especially salvianolic acids. It turned out that salvianolic acids showed strong anti-lipid peroxidation and anti-thrombic activities, and among them, SalAA and SalAB were the most potent. This review focused on the achievements in research of salvianolic acids regarding their bioactivities and pharmacological effects. These studies not only shed light on the water-soluble active components of Danshen and their mechanisms at the molecular level, but also provided theoretical information for the development of new medicines from Danshen for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, inflammatory diseases, metabolic diseases, etc.

A review of isolation methods, structure features and bioactivities of polysaccharides from Dendrobium species.

Dendrobium, orchid, is a traditional Chinese herb medicine applied extensively as tonic and precious food for thou-sands of years recorded in ancient Chinese medical book "Shen Nong's Materia Medica". It's well known that bioactivities are usually related to the ingredients' basis. Based on the previous research, Dendrobium species contain amino acid, sesquiterpenoids, alkaloids and polysaccharides. As the bioactive substances, carbohydrate shows extensive activities in antitumor, antiglycation, immune-enhancing, antivirus, antioxidant, antitumor and etc. Therefore, as the main biologically active substance, the exact structures and latent activities of polysaccharides from Dendrobium species are widely focused on. In this review, we focus on the advancements of extraction methods and diversity of structures and bioactivities of polysaccharides obtained from Dendrobium species.

Chrysanthemum in a Prominent Position of the Compendium of Materia Medica and Jin Shiyuan’s Modern Coping of Chrysanthemum

This paper is to publicize Li Shizhen 's academic thought and medicine culture, inherit the technical experience of Jin Shiyuan 's dispensing technology, and then develop and improve of Chrysanthemum technology. In the analysis process, CNKI, Wanfang data, and the other authoritative databases were searched with “Chrysanthemum” “Li Shizhen” “Jin Shiyuan” as key words, meanwhile, “Shen Nong's Materia Medica”, “Compendium of Materia Medica”, “Curative Measures for All Diseases”, “Prescriptions for Universal Relief”, and related ancient books were accessed systematically to summarize the historical change of processing methods of Chrysanthemum. Through the collation of research knew that “Compendium of Materia Medica” carries out detailed records on the chrysanthemum historical origin, its dispensing processing methods, its clinical application and other aspects. Chrysanthemum was first recorded in the Ancient books - “Shen Nong's Materia Medica”. Li Shizhen attached great importance to the clinical application of different types of chrysanthemum. Professor Jin Shiyuan emphasizes the clinical dispensing technology of chrysanthemum, including its place of origin, its nature identification technology, harvesting and processing technology, clinical processing technology, and packaging and transported technology. And with his proficient knowledge structure in medicine inherit Li Shizhen's academic thought of pharmacy and develop the clinical application of chrysanthemum technology to provide a more scientific theoretical support for the clinical application of Chrysanthemum.

Evolution of the Origin of Herba Schizonepetae

Herba Schizonepetae was firstly recorded in the Sheng nong ben caojing (Shennong's Materia Medica) with the title Jiasu. It could be sure that the original plant of Jiasu is Ocimumbasilicum L. ofLabiatae based on the record of Jiasu's name, morphology, edible property before the Song Dynasty. Beginning from the Ben cao tu jing (Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica) in the Song Dynasty, the source of this drug evolved as SchizonepetatenuisfoliaBriq. ofLabiatae, and it has been in use until now. Hence, the sources of Jiasu should be both O. basilicum L. and the co-existence of S. tenuisfolia Briq in the Qing Dynasty. It is claimed that the hometowns of those herb writers who considered the source ofOcimumbasilicum L. to be the producing areas of cultivation of the edible Ocimumbasilicum L. It was found that the source of Jiasu recorded in the Sheng nong ben cao jing should be O. basilicum L. , hence, it is suggested the title Jiasu should be recorded for the source of O. basilicum L, and the original plant of Herba Schizonepetae was Schizonepetatenuisfolia Briq. of Labiatae, and this medicine should be separately recorded. In fact, Jiasu and Herba Schizonepetae were two different kinds of medicines.

Classification of 365 Chinese medicines in Shennong's Materia Medica Classic based on a semi-supervised incremental clustering method

Evidence of the pharmacological activity of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides the basis for clinical prescription. Study of the classification of Chinese medicines according to these activities is key to understanding the general active tendencies of medicinal prescriptions, exploring their material basis, investigating their properties and searching for their alternatives. Taking the herbal classic Shennong's Materia Medica Classic (Shennong Bencao Jing) for the data source, this paper studied the classification of Chinese medicines based on semi-supervised incremental clustering algorithm using "micro-cluster" concept in order to investigate the complex similarity among Chinese medicines. The results showed that 253 Chinese medicines were reasonably classified into 14 types, such as invigoration, clearing heat, diuresis, dredging blockages in the channels, treating gynecological conditions and treating strange diseases caused by ghosts. The results also showed that the other 112 Chinese medicines were classified into 112 individual types and the same high similarity to different known types was the main reason for this. The semi-supervised incremental clustering algorithm employed in the study had a high quality and a good development for clustering which is suitable for classification of Chinese medicines. This study illustrated the diversity of Chinese medicines and their complex similarities, thus aiming to provide innovative ideas and methods for related research.

EFFECT OF SOIL CONDITION ON THE ROOT CONTRACTION OF GINSENG

EFFECT OF SOIL CONDITION ON THE ROOT CONTRACTION OF GINSENG

The general development of Chinese ophthalmology from its beginnings to the 18th century.

Chinese medicine has a long history and there are a great number of historical records about the ancient Chinese people struggling against diseases. Some of the records are found in our oldest writings discovered in modern times. For instance, not a few diseases were mentioned in the prayers and divining words of the royal family which were engraved on the shells and bones dug out of the ruins of the Yin Dynasty — the remnants of the Wu-Ding Period (1324–1266 BC) in Anyang, Henan Province. The record of eye diseases is the earliest record of ophthalmology in our country. In the ‘Hill and Sea Classic’, an old book written in the period of the Qin Dynasty, more than 100 drugs are mentioned, and among them seven are related to eye diseases. Besides the ‘Hill and Sea Classic’ the ‘Book of History’, ‘Book of Odes’ and ‘Poetry of Chu’ are books recording the drugs used by our ancestors. According to the book ‘Huai Nan Zi’, fraxinus bungeana was beneficial to eye diseases and this kind of plant is still commonly used in Chinese medicine. Owing to the increase of the kinds of drugs and knowledge in pharmacology, a special study concerning herbs came into being. The first book on herbs in China is the ‘Shen Nong Materia Medica’. It was probably completed in the Han Dynasty and is evidently a summary of the pharmacology before that time. In this book, 365 drugs including plant, animal and mineral ones were studied, those related to the eye being more than 70 — more than 40 related to promoting visual acuity and more than 30 to treating eye diseases.