Studies on the Incompatibility between Bulbus fritillariae and Radix aconiti praeparata Based on the P-gp

Bulbus fritillariae and Radix aconiti praeparata are an incompatible herbal pair in the traditional Chinese medicine theory “eighteen incompatible medicaments,” and they should not be used simultaneously in clinical treatment for safety. This study aimed to investigate the incompatibility mechanism between Bulbus fritillariae and Radix aconiti praeparata based on their interaction with P-glycoprotein (P-gp). The interaction between Bulbus fritillariae and Radix aconiti praeparata during in vitro decocting as well as in vivo absorption was investigated by determining the dry extract yield and by rat single-pass intestinal perfusion (SPIP) model. Inhibition of different species of Bulbus fritillariae on P-gp function was examined using the SPIP model. The mRNA and protein expression of P-gp was determined by PCR and western blotting. The active ingredients of Bulbus fritillariae were predicted and screened for inhibiting P-gp activity by Schrodinger’s molecular docking and MDR1-MDCK cell transport study, respectively. Mediation of monoester alkaloids in Radix aconiti praeparata by P-gp was predicted and examined using Schrodinger’s molecular docking and SPIP experiment, respectively. In the results, when Radix aconiti praeparata was combined with Bulbus fritillariae, the toxic ingredient benzoylmesaconine in Radix aconiti praeparata displayed higher intestinal permeability, whereas the toxic ingredients showed no significant difference during the in vitro decoction process. Bulbus fritillariae thunbergii inhibited both the P-gp function and expression; in contrast, Bulbus fritillariae cirrhosae inhibited the function only. Alkaloids including peimine, peimisine, and imperialine were the active ingredients for inhibiting P-gp activity. Benzoylmesaconine in Radix aconiti praeparata was the substrate of P-gp.

Ethnobotanical Survey of Plants Commonly used for Diabetes in Tarlac of Central Luzon Philippines

Introduction: Plants have been used for the treatment of diabetes in Philippine system of medicine and in other countries. They provide clues for the development of new and better oral drugs for diabetes due to the fact that prevalence of diabetes is on a steady upsurge worldwide and identified as one of the leading causes of mortality in Philippines. Methods: An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in Tarlac of Central Luzon Philippines to evaluate the relative efficacy of the plants used to treat diabetes. A total number of 450 respondents medically diagnosed of having diabetes were interviewed using a previously prepared questionnaire. Fidelity levels (FLs) and use values (UVs) were calculated to identify and verify most preferred plant species used in study areas. Results: A total of 25 plant species are utilized by the respondents to treat diabetes. Medicinal plants commonly utilized are Momordica charantia Linn., Moringa oleifera Lam, Annona muricata Linn., Psidium guajava Linn., Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers., Hibiscus esculentis Linn., Amomum zingiber Linn., Myrtus cumini Linn., Garcinia mangostana Linn., and Aloe vera Linn. Decoction process is used to prepare the leaves of the medicinal plants for medical consumption in the form of tea. Conclusion: This study confirms the use of different plant species to treat diabetes. It further affirms that most people with diabetes in the study areas rely on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs.

Study on the Fingerprints and Quality Evaluation of Angelica Sinensis Radix by HPLC Coupled With Chemometrics Based on Traditional Decoction Process of ACPTCM

Objective: To establish a HPLC fingerprints evaluation method for Angelica Sinensis Radix (ASR) based on traditional decoction process of Ancient Classical Prescriptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACPTCM). Methods: The fingerprints of 10 batches of ASR were further evaluated by chemometrics methods. The similarity analyzed with “Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2004A,” and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed by SPSS (version 22.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: There were 12 common peaks, and the similarity degrees of 10 batches of samples were more than 0.923 and showed that all the samples from different origins were of good consistency. The samples were divided into 4 clusters by HCA. The results of PCA showed that the 3 factors were chosen, the quality of samples could be evaluated basically. The comprehensive score results show that the ASR with Lot.Nos.DG-18007, DG-18008 in Weiyuan County, Gansu and DG-18009 produced in Minle County, Gansu Province rank among the top 3 in all samples. Conclusions: These results demonstrated that the combination of HPLC chromatographic fingerprint and chemometrics offers an efficient and reliable approach for quality evaluation of ASR from different sources as Ancient Classical Prescriptions ingredients.

Chemical Profiling of Wen-Dan Decoction by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS and Variation Analysis between Different Processes Based on Chemometric

Background: Wen-Dan decoction (WDD) is a traditional Chinese medical prescription composed of six herbs for the treatment of neurological diseases. The research of classic prescription (CP) is the hotspot in China which aims to develop the ancient and highly effective prescriptions into modern formulations under the condition of ancient dosage. In order to clarify the effects of ancient and modern techniques on WDD in the research of CP, the compounds in WDD should be systematically studied first, and the issue whether there are significant differences on components even efficacy between different preparation processes has to be explored.Methods: In this study, ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was employed to analyze the components of WDD rapidly in both positive and negative ion mode. The analysis methods of chemometric, such as partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), was innovatively adopted to compare three typical processes (ancient decoction process, modern decoction process and modern alcohol precipitation process).Results: The 121 compounds were identified in WDD, including 23 organic acids, 69 flavonoids, 4 amino acids, 5 phenylpropanoids, 6 triterpenoid saponins and 14 other components, and most of them were from Zhishi (Immature orange fruit), Chenpi (Dried tangerine peel) and Gancao (Liquorice root). Additionally, significant differences between three processes were proved in this study, and 24 components were considered to be related to the differences between ancient and modern technology, as well as 18 compounds could be affected in the process of alcohol precipitation. The relative content of compounds in modern decoction process was higher than that in ancient decoction process, indicating the extraction efficiency of modern technology was greater than that of ancient process. Conclusion: The chemical profiling of WDD provided the bases for the study of active components and quality control. The obvious differences among three processes suggested that the content of active ingredients in the study of CP should be strictly controlled to ensure the transfer of significant efficacy from ancient prescriptions to modern formulations.

Decoction as an Alternative to Producing Indigo Tarum Areuy (Marsdenia tinctoria) Dyes and Its Role on Fiber Coloration from Cellulose

Indigo natural dyes are generally made by maceration-fermentation for 24 - 72 hours impacting on productivity. A faster extraction method is needed by decoction methods. The faster production of indigo tarum areuy dyes is done by decoction at temperatures of 60ºC, 70ºC and 80ºC for 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes. The extract was adjusted to reach pH 11. Aeration was carried out 30 minutes and then deposited for 24 hours. Indigo dyes are determined yield, purity of indigo, and evaluation of the quality of the staining results using spectrophotometric methods and color fastness testing of washing. Increased yield of indigo dyes occurs at temperatures of 60ºC and 70ºC. At 80ºC, the yield decreases with increasing decoction time. The best temperature and decoction time for pure indigo yield and the quality of the dyeing results in cotton were at 70ºC for 15 minutes with a yield of 3.625 grams per 500 grams of leaves. The dyeing color of the cotton fabric has increased along with the increase in yield and the purity of the dye. The highest color determination is achieved by a cloth dyed by indigo dyes from the decoction process at 70ºC for 15 minutes, with a<em> </em>K / S value of 3.8754. The extraction time and temperature did not affect the washing fastness.

ESI-TOF MS analysis and DNA cleavage activity of rutin–metal complexes in aqueous extracts of medicinal plants

Rutin, a flavonoid commonly present in natural plants, can form multiple complexes at different rutin : metal ratios with various trace metal elements during the water decoction process, and these complexes exhibit novel activities.

Quantitative comparative analysis of main isoflavonoids and saponins in the Huangqi–Sanqi herb pair using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

The content changes of 14 components of the Huangqi–Sanqi herb pair in the decoction process were compared and evaluated.