Traditional Chinese Medical Plant Research Articles

The complete chloroplast genomes of three Alismataceae species, including the medicinally important Alisma orientale

Alismataceae is one of the early diverged families of monocotyledonous plants. We report the complete chloroplast genomes of three Alisma species, including Alisma orientale (Sam.) Juzep. 1934, A. subcordatum Raf. 1908, and A. triviale Pursh 1813, of which A. orientale is a traditional Chinese medical plant used widely to treat diuretics, diabetes, hepatitis, and inflammation. We sequenced the complete chloroplast genomes with the Illumina Nova-Seq 6000 platform using herbarium collections. The chloroplast genomes of A. orientale, A. subcordatum and A. triviale are 159,861 bp, 160,180 bp, and 159,727 bp in length, respectively. The three chloroplast genomes each contain 113 genes, including four rRNAs, 30 tRNAs genes, and 79 protein-coding genes, and the average GC content is 36.0%. Based on the whole chloroplast genomes of 19 species of Alismataceae and the close allies, the medicinally important A. orientale was found to be closely related to another medicinal plant Alisma plantago-aquatica L. 1753 in the phylogenetic analysis. The genus Alisma was supported to be monophyletic.

The phenotypic diversity of Schisandra sphenanthera fruit and SVR model for phenotype forecasting

Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils. is an endangered traditional Chinese medical plant whose fruits can be used for medicinal purposes, and is mainly distributed in the Qinling Mountains. Presently, little is known about the phenotypic diversity in natural populations of S. sphenanthera, and its fitness and evolutionary potential to the environmental factors, which is important for its conservation. In this study, we have made an in-depth research of the degree of phenotypic differentiation between and within populations, phenotypic diversity, environment factors on phenotypic differentiation, and the prediction of fruit phenotypes under different environments. The phenotypic diversity of S. sphenanthera fruits on a large scale (9 provinces, 25 counties) is evaluated by means of cluster analysis, principle component analysis, statistics of phenotypic traits diversity index and differentiation coefficient. Our data report a high degree of variation between the 25 populations for most morphological traits. The average phenotypic variation between populations accounts for 27.11%, and the average phenotypic variation within populations accounts for 72.89%. 25 populations are divided into four categories based on twelve fruit phenotypic traits of S. sphenanthera. Five counties in Shaanxi Province are grouped together (cluster I) where the highest single fruit weight and 100-berries fresh weight, which are most closely related to fruit weight. Correlation analysis is used to evaluate the relationship between environmental factors and fruit phenotypes, and path analysis is used to analyse the effect of environmental factors on fruit phenotypes. There are many significant correlations between phenotype and environmental factors. Some factors have direct effects on phenotype, while others are indirect effect factors, for example, bio1 has direct effects on longitudinal and horizontal diameter of fruit and 100-berries weight (including fresh and dry weight), and has indirect effect on fruit pedicels length. Topographic and soil factors mainly affect phenotypes about fruit weight, and phenotypes of fruit shape are affected by topographic and climate factors. Our study propose a data-driven machine learning (ML) method, namely support vector regression (SVR), based on the results of path analysis, which can predict the phenotype of S. sphenanthera in different environments with high prediction accuracy. S. sphenanthera in five counties of Shaanxi Province (cluster I) can serve as an important source of genetic material for wild upbringing towards the development of new breed with high yield in this Chinese herb. This study also finds the environmental factors have significant effect on fruit weight-related phenotypes. The results of this study can provide data support for artificial cultivation to improve fruit yield.

Integrated transcriptome and small RNA sequencing analyses reveal a drought stress response network in Sophora tonkinensis

BackgroundSophora tonkinensis Gagnep is a traditional Chinese medical plant that is mainly cultivated in southern China. Drought stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that negatively impacts S. tonkinensis growth. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the responses to drought stress in S. tonkinensis at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels are not well understood.ResultsTo identify genes and miRNAs involved in drought stress responses in S. tonkinensis, both mRNA and small RNA sequencing was performed in root samples under control, mild drought, and severe drought conditions. mRNA sequencing revealed 66,476 unigenes, and the differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs) were associated with several key pathways, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, sugar metabolism, and quinolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis pathways. A total of 10 and 30 transcription factors (TFs) were identified among the DEGs under mild and severe drought stress, respectively. Moreover, small RNA sequencing revealed a total of 368 miRNAs, including 255 known miRNAs and 113 novel miRNAs. The differentially expressed miRNAs and their target genes were involved in the regulation of plant hormone signal transduction, the spliceosome, and ribosomes. Analysis of the regulatory network involved in the response to drought stress revealed 37 differentially expressed miRNA-mRNA pairs.ConclusionThis is the first study to simultaneously profile the expression patterns of mRNAs and miRNAs on a genome-wide scale to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the drought stress responses of S. tonkinensis. Our results suggest that S. tonkinensis implements diverse mechanisms to modulate its responses to drought stress.

Dauricine Attenuates Vascular Endothelial Inflammation Through Inhibiting NF-κB Pathway.

Endothelial cells are the fundamental components of blood vessels that regulate several physiological processes including immune responses, angiogenesis, and vascular tone. Endothelial dysfunction contributes to the development of various diseases such as acute lung injury, and endothelial inflammation is a vital part of endothelial dysfunction. Dauricine is an extract isolated from Menispermum dauricum DC, a traditional Chinese medical plant that can be used for pharyngitis. In this work, we found that IL-1β-induced overexpression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and E-selectin was inhibited by dauricine in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Correspondingly, adhesion of human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) to HUVECs was decreased by dauricine. Further studies showed that dauricine inhibited the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway in HUVECs stimulated with IL-1β. In vivo, dauricine protected mice from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury. In lung tissues, the activation of NF-κB pathway and the expression of its downstream genes (ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin) were decreased by dauricine, consistent with what was found in vitro. In summary, we concluded that dauricine could alleviate endothelial inflammation by suppressing NF-κB pathway, which might serve as an effective candidate for diseases related with endothelial inflammation.

Curcumol Inhibits Lung Adenocarcinoma Growth and Metastasis via Inactivation of PI3K/AKT and Wnt/-Catenin Pathway.

Curcumol (Cur), isolated from the Traditional Chinese Medical plant Rhizoma Curcumae, is the bioactive component of sesquiterpene reported to possess antitumor activity. However, its bioactivity and mechanisms against lung adenocarcinoma are still unclear. We investigated its effect on lung adenocarcinoma and elucidated its underlying molecular mechanisms. In vitro, Cur effectively suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells A549 and H460, which were associated with the altered expressions of signaling molecules, including p-AKT, p-PI3K, p-LRP5/6, AXIN, APC, GSK3β and p-β-catenin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, and MMP-9. Furthermore, Cur significantly induced cell apoptosis of A549 and H460 by promoting the expression of Bax, caspase 3, and caspase 9 and suppressing the expression of Bcl-2, and arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase by lowering the levels of cyclin D1, CDK1, and CDK4. In vivo experiment revealed that Cur could inhibit lung tumor growth and lung metastasis, which were consistent with these in vitro results. In xenograft model mice, Cur strongly decreased tumor weight and tumor volume, which may be related to the downregulation of p-AKT and p-PI3K by immunofluorescence analysis. In addition, a lung metastasis model experiment suggested that Cur dramatically decreased the ratio of lung/total weight, tumor metastatic nodules, and the expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in lung tissues compared with the control. Overall, these data suggested that the inhibitory activity of Cur on lung adenocarcinoma via the inactivation of PI3K/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin pathways, at least in part, indicates that curcumol may be a potential antitumor agent for lung adenocarcinoma therapy.

Impact of rhizosphere microorganisms on arsenic (As) transformation and accumulation in a traditional Chinese medical plant.

Panax notoginseng is an important traditional medicinal plant, but the commercial value is threatened by root-rot disease caused by rhizosphere microbes and a potential health risk caused by plant arsenic (As) accumulation. Whether rhizospheric microbes isolated from P. notoginseng rhizosphere soil could impact As uptake and transport into P. notoginseng is not yet known. Among the three root-rot disease-causing pathogens Fusarium flocciferum (PG 1), Fusarium oxysporum (PG 2), and Fusarium solani (PG 3) and one root-rot disease biocontrol fungus Trichoderma koningiopsis (FC 1) and five biocontrol-exerting bacterial species Bacillus siamensis (BC 1), Delftia acidovorans (BC 2), Brevibacillus formosus (BC 3), Mortierella alpine (BC 4), and Bacillus subtilis (BC 5), one As-resistant pathogen and four biocontrol microorganisms with As-resistant ability were identified. The As-transforming ability of the identified fungi and bacteria was ranked in the order of FC 1 > PG 1 and BC 2 > BC 3 > BC 1, respectively. Then, the As-resistant biocontrol and pathogenic microbes were initiated to colonize the rhizosphere of 1-year-old P. notoginseng seedlings growing in artificially As(V)-contaminated soil to evaluate the impact of microbe inoculation on P. notoginseng As uptake and transport capacity. Concentration of As in P. notoginseng tissues decreased in the order of the sequence stem > root > leaf. Compared to treatment without colonization by microorganism, inoculation with microorganisms increased As root uptake efficiency and root As concentration, especially under treatment of inoculation by BC 2 and PG 1 + BC 2. As transport efficiency from root to stem decreased by inoculation with microorganism, especially under treatment with inoculation of BC 2 and PG 1 + BC 2. However, the impact of microorganism colonization on As stem to leaf transport efficiency was not obvious. In summary, inoculation with rhizosphere microbes may increase As accumulation in P. notoginseng root, especially when using bacteria with high As transformation ability. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the As transformation capacity before applying biological control microorganism to the rhizosphere of P. notoginseng.

PPARγ mediates the anti-pulmonary fibrosis effect of icaritin

BackgroundPulmonary fibrosis is a fatal lung disease with limited treatment options. Icaritin is the active ingredient derived from the traditional Chinese medical plant Epimedium and possesses many biomedical activities. This study aimed to investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of icaritin on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. MethodsTo assess its preventative effects, bleomycin treated mice received 0, 0.04, 0.2, and 1 mg/kg of icaritin from day 1 onwards. To assess its therapeutic effects, bleomycin treated mice received 0 and 1 mg/kg of icaritin from day 15 onwards. Mice were sacrificed on day 21 and lung tissues were collected, stained with HE, Masson and immunohistochemistry. Q-PCR was used to measure Collagen I and Collagen III expression, western blotting was used to quantify α-SMA, Collagen I expression. Hydroxyproline content was measured using a biochemical method. NIH3T3 and HLF-1 cells were treated with TGF-β1with or without icaritin, and α-SMA, Collagen I were tested. PPARγ antagonist GW9662 and PPARγ-targeted siRNA were used to investigate the mechanism of icaritin in inhibiting myofibroblast differentiation. ResultsBoth preventative and therapeutic administration of icaritin improved the histopathological changes, decreased Collagen and α-SMA, lowered hydroxyproline content in bleomycin-treated lung tissues. Icaritin decreased α-SMA and Collagen I expression in TGF-β1-stimulated NIH3T3 and HLF-1 cells. However, its effect in reducing α-SMA and Collagen I expression was suppressed when expression or activity of PPARγ was inhibited. ConclusionsIcaritin has therapeutic potential against pulmonary fibrosis via the inhibition of myofibroblast differentiation, which may be mediated by PPARγ.

The inhibitory activity of magnolol on Candida tropicalis

Background: Candida tropicalis (C. tropicalis) is isolated third in non- albicans Candida species. Antifungal agents used for the treatment of Candida species are mainly Fluconazole (FLCZ) and amphotericin-B (AMPH-B) and so on. However, according to the SENTRY Antifungal Surveillance Program, it has been reported that the C. tropicalis FLCZ resistance rate is increasing. It is also known that AMPH-B has nephrotoxicity. Magnolol first extracted from traditional Chinese medical plant magnolia officinalis. Previous studies demonstrated that magnolol inhibit the growth of candida species. Nevertheless, there few studies of C. tropicalis on magnolol. In this study, we investigated the activities of magnolol against C. tropicalis. Methods and materials: We used 20 strains of C. tropicalis clinical isolates (C. t 1–20) and C. tropicalis ATCC 750. We investigated MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration), MBIC (minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration), Biofilm formation (BF) ability and Time-kill (TK) assay (6h, 12h, 24h, 48h). MBIC used 3 strains (C. t 1, 4, 9) with different BF ability and was assayed 4 time point (6h, 12h, 24, 48h). Time-kill assay (6h, 12h, 24h, 48h) used C. tropicalis ATCC 750, the magnolol concentration was determined as MIC and sub-MIC concentration. Results: The MIC90 of FLCZ, AMPH-B and magnolol with respect to C. tropicalis were 0.5 μg/mL, 1 μg/mL and 64 μg/mL, respectively. BF ability was produced in all strains on microtiter plate. All antifungal drugs and magnolol against MBIC were >512 ug/mL at all 4 time point. TK assay was inhibited growth for 48 hours at MIC concentrations, but not inhibited growth for 24 hours at concentration sub-MIC. Conclusion: It was suggested in MIC that magnolol exhibits antifungal activity against C. tropicalis. However, magnolol showed no antifungal activity in MBIC like other antifungal agents. These indicate that magnolol may not show antifungal activity after C. tropicalis BF.

Metabolic Engineering for Glycyrrhetinic Acid Production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is one of the main bioactive components of licorice, and it is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine due to its hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral functions. Currently, GA is mainly extracted from the roots of cultivated licorice. However, licorice only contains low amounts of GA, and the amount of licorice that can be planted is limited. GA supplies are therefore limited and cannot meet the demands of growing markets. GA has a complex chemical structure, and its chemical synthesis is difficult, therefore, new strategies to produce large amounts of GA are needed. The development of metabolic engineering and emerging synthetic biology provide the opportunity to produce GA using microbial cell factories. In this review, current advances in the metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for GA biosynthesis and various metabolic engineering strategies that can improve GA production are summarized. Furthermore, the advances and challenges of yeast GA production are also discussed. In summary, GA biosynthesis using metabolically engineered S. cerevisiae serves as one possible strategy for sustainable GA supply and reasonable use of traditional Chinese medical plants.

Green and Efficient Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Components from Salvia miltiorrhiza by Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents.

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDESs) are recently developed green solvent alternatives to conventional fossil solvents. The present work systematically screened 22 different NaDESs for the ultrasonic-assisted extraction of bioactive components from Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM), a widely used traditional Chinese medical plant. The suitable solvent and extraction condition were optimized in a two-round screening. In comparison with fossil solvents, NaDESs, especially L-proline-lactic acid (L-Pro-Lac) showed significant advantages in the extraction of salvianolic acid B (SAB), tanshinone IIA (TIIA) and cryptotanshinone (CYT). The optimized yields of the three targeting compounds were 42.05, 1.485 and 0.839 mg/g, respectively. The present method was also applied to the pretreatment of SM samples from different geographic origins. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities of NaDES extracts were determined in the study to prove the feasibility of NaDES in bioactive component extraction. The application of NaDESs in the extraction of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic small molecules from SM is proved to be a green and efficient method for pretreatment of herbal materials.

Characterization of complete chloroplast genome of traditional Chinese medical plants Paris Mairei and its phylogenetic positions

The genus Paris (Liliaceae) has been used for traditional medicine in China. The wild Paris was on the verge of exhaustion due to illegal and immoderate exploitation coupled with environmental pollution. In order to alleviate resource pressure, Paris mairei can be considered as alternative sources. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome of Paris mairei. The genome is 162,736 bp in length including a small single-copy region (SSC, 12,908 bp) and a large single-copy region (LSC, 84,286 bp) separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs; 32,771 bp). The genome contained 113 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 tRNA genes. Among these genes, 16 harboured a single intron, and 2 contained a couple of introns. The overall G + C content of the cpDNA is 37.1%, while the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 35.7, 32.1, and 39.9%, respectively. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Paris mairei will provide a useful resource for the conservation genetics of this species as well as for the phylogenetic studies for the genus Paris.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of shrubby sophora (Sophora flavescens Ait.)

Sequencing the Sophora flavescens mitochondrial genome is important for elucidating the evolutionary characteristics of traditional Chinese medical plants. In this study, the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of S. flavescens was sequenced through Illumina sequencing method, and the mitochondrial genome map was constructed after de novo assembly and annotation. The results showed that the 494,369 bp S. flavescens mitochondrial genome has a total of 78 genes, including 53 protein-coding genes, three rRNA genes, and 23 tRNA genes. The overall GC content of this mitogenome is 44.9%. By phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood method, S. flavescens showed the closest relationship with Vigna radiata in the clade of Papilionoideae.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of shrubby sophora (Sophora flavescens Ait.)

Sophora flavescens, with high medicinal value, is a traditional Chinese medical plant wildly distributed in China. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Sophora flavescens was determined through Illumina sequencing method. The complete chloroplast genome of S. flavescens was 154,378 bp in length and contained a pair of IR regions (28,876 bp) separated by a small single copy region (18,110 bp) and a large single copy region (84,516 bp). The cp genome of S. flavescens encoded 130 genes including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and eight ribosomal RNA genes. The overall GC content of S. flavescens cp genome is 36.6%. By phylogenetic analysis using ML method, S. flavescens showed the closest relationship with Sophora alopecuroides.

Genetic Diversity, Population Genetic Structure and Protection Strategies for Houpoëa officinalis (Magnoliaceae), an Endangered Chinese Medical Plant

Houpoea officinalis is a traditional Chinese medical plant, which has significantly declined in the past decades because of human influence and habitat fragmentation. Twelve expressed sequence tag SSR (EST-SSR) markers developed from the EST sequence of H. officinalis were used to analyse the genetic diversity and structure of fourteen natural populations. The results indicated that moderate genetic diversity and high genetic differentiation existed in this plant (Ho = 0.600, Fst = 0.327). STRUCTURE and UPGMA analyses showed that H. officinalis populations could be divided into 3 different groups, and the west group had higher genetic diversity than the central and east groups. The historical migration rates among the groups were low and unsymmetrical, and there was no significant correlation between Nei’s genetic distance and geographic distance. According to the genetic consequences, conservation strategies (in situ or ex situ, artificial pollination) should be carried out in all populations to preserve genetic diversity.

Identification and screening of active components from Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. in regulating autophagy

This study investigated the flavonoid constituents of a traditional Chinese medical plant Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry and screened the active components in regulating autophagy.Normal rat kidney (NRK) cells transfected with green fluorescent protein- microtubule-associated protein 1 light Chain 3(GFP-LC3) were treated with Z. clinopodioides flavonoids and its chemical compositions. After 4 h of treatment, the auto-phagy spot aggregation in NRK cells was photographed and observed by laser scanning confocal microscopy. The following 10 flavonoid components of Z. clinopodioides were identified: baicalein(1), quercetin(2), hyperoside(3), quercetin3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside(4), apigenin(5), kaempferol(6), chrysin(7), diosimin(8), linarin(9) and rutin(10). Among these flavonoids, chrysin, apigenin and quercetin were identified as the active principles in activating autophagy. This research may provide a reference for further developing and utilizing Z. clinopodioides.

Antitumor Research of the Active Ingredients from Traditional Chinese Medical Plant Polygonum Cuspidatum.

In recent years, the utilization of Chinese native medicine and other plant extracts in the treatment of diseases has attracted extensive attention, especially in the area of malignant tumors. However, lots of herbal remedies active ingredients have not been found or have been discovered but not effectively developed and applied. Therefore, screening new Chinese medicine active components and determining their antitumor effects have become a new breakthrough in the prevention and treatment of tumor disease. In the past years, a large number of studies have demonstrated that Polygonum cuspidatum and its active components like resveratrol showed excellent antitumor activities, including our own antitumor studies about resveratrol in colorectal cancer. The purpose of this review is to summarize the research progress of Chinese herb Polygonum cuspidatum and its active components in tumor diseases and provide theoretical basis for further scientific experiments and clinical applications.

Analysis and identification of chemical constituents of fenugreek by UPLC-IT-MS n and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS

Fenugreek, a traditional Chinese medical plant, has been widely used as food ingredients because of its outstanding medicinal qualities. The hypoglycemic activity of fenugreek is one of its important pharmacological properties. Both of saponin and flavonoid components have the hypoglycemic activity and their contents in fenugreek are 4%—8% and 1%—2%, respectively. This paper focused on these two types of components to carry out purification research and chemical analysis. The heating reflux extraction method and macroporous resin purification method were designed to prepare the saponins and the flavonoids components from defatted fenugreek seeds. Petroleum ether ultrasonic skim and 70% ethanol refluxing were used for the extraction of saponins and flavonoid from fenugreek. The column of DM130 macroporous resin and D101 macroporous resin were respectively used to prepare fenugreek saponin and flavonoid components, and the total contents of them were 78.56% and 62.28%, respectively. The saponin and flavonoids were subsequently analyzed by an ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) along with an ultra-performance liquid chromatography and ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-IT-MS n ). As a result, 57 saponins and 19 flavonoid compounds were characterized. The obtained results will provide a theory basis for further research on fenugreek, as well as research and development of hypoglycemic new drugs.

Predictions of the Potential Geographical Distribution and Quality of a Gynostemma pentaphyllum Base on the Fuzzy Matter Element Model in China

Specific spatial information about medicinal plants is becoming an increasingly important part of their conservation. Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino is a traditional Chinese medical plant, and gypenosides is one of the main active components of G. pentaphyllum. In our research, many samples of G. pentaphyllum and the data of gypenosides content in these samples were collected from 43 sampling sites, and based on the Fuzzy Matter Element model (FME), the relationships between gypenosides content and 19 environmental variables were established. Then, the maximum entropy model was used to determine the relative importance of each environmental variable, and thus determine the most limiting habitat criteria. Finally, the weighted average method was applied to determine the potential distribution of G. pentaphyllum in China, which was based on the content of gypenosides. The results showed that the areas of marginally suitable and suitable habitats for G. pentaphyllum in China were approximately 1.2 × 106 km2 and 0.3 × 106 km2, respectively. The suitable habitats were mainly located in southern China, including Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing, Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, and other regions. In conclusion, the FME model could accurately evaluate the habitat suitability of G. pentaphyllum, quantify the area of a suitable habitat, and analyze the spatial distribution.

Predictions of potential geographical distribution and quality of Schisandra sphenanthera under climate change.

Climate change will significantly affect plant distribution as well as the quality of medicinal plants. Although numerous studies have analyzed the effect of climate change on future habitats of plants through species distribution models (SDMs), few of them have incorporated the change of effective content of medicinal plants. Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils. is an endangered traditional Chinese medical plant which is mainly located in the Qinling Mountains. Combining fuzzy theory and a maximum entropy model, we obtained current spatial distribution of quality assessment for S. spenanthera. Moreover, the future quality and distribution of S. spenanthera were also projected for the periods 2020s, 2050s and 2080s under three different climate change scenarios (SRES-A1B, SRES-A2 and SRES-B1 emission scenarios) described in the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The results showed that the moderately suitable habitat of S. sphenanthera under all climate change scenarios remained relatively stable in the study area. The highly suitable habitat of S. sphenanthera would gradually decrease in the future and a higher decline rate of the highly suitable habitat area would occur under climate change scenarios SRES-A1B and SRES-A2. The result suggested that in the study area, there would be no more highly suitable habitat areas for S. sphenanthera when the annual mean temperature exceeds 20 °C or its annual precipitation exceeds 1,200 mm. Our results will be influential in the future ecological conservation and management of S. sphenanthera and can be taken as a reference for habitat suitability assessment research for other medicinal plants.

Extracts from Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plants Inhibit Acetylcholinesterase, a Known Alzheimer's Disease Target.

Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a common treatment for early stages of the most general form of dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). In this study, methanol, dichloromethane and aqueous crude extracts from 80 Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) plants were tested for their in vitro anti-acetylcholinesterase activity based on Ellman’s colorimetric assay. All three extracts of Berberis bealei (formerly Mahonia bealei), Coptis chinensis and Phellodendron chinense, which contain numerous isoquinoline alkaloids, substantially inhibited AChE. The methanol and aqueous extracts of Coptis chinensis showed IC50 values of 0.031 µg/mL and 2.5 µg/mL, therefore having an up to 100-fold stronger AChE inhibitory activity than the already known AChE inhibitor galantamine (IC50 = 4.33 µg/mL). Combinations of individual alkaloids berberine, coptisine and palmatine resulted in a synergistic enhancement of ACh inhibition. Therefore, the mode of AChE inhibition of crude extracts of Coptis chinensis, Berberis bealei and Phellodendron chinense is probably due to of this synergism of isoquinoline alkaloids. All extracts were also tested for their cytotoxicity in COS7 cells and none of the most active extracts was cytotoxic at the concentrations which inhibit AChE. Based on these results it can be stated that some TCM plants inhibit AChE via synergistic interaction of their secondary metabolites. The possibility to isolate pure lead compounds from the crude extracts or to administer these as nutraceuticals or as cheap alternative to drugs in third world countries make TCM plants a versatile source of natural inhibitors of AChE.