Articles

Application of metabolomics in toxicity evaluation of traditional Chinese medicines

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have a long history of use because of its potential complementary therapy and fewer adverse effects. However, the toxicity and safety issues of TCM have drawn considerable a...

Authors: Li Duan, Long Guo, Lei Wang, Qiang Yin, Chen-Meng Zhang, Yu-Guang Zheng and E.-Hu Liu

Pharmacological effects of medicinal components of Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC.

Atractylodes lancea Thunb. DC. (AL) has a long history as one of the important herbs used in East Asia. This review is on the purpose of providing a comprehensive summary of the pharmacological effects of AL and ...

Authors: Xie Jun, Peng Fu, Yu Lei and Peng Cheng

Abstracts from the 4th Global Chinese Symposium and the 8th Symposium for cross-straits, Hong Kong and Macao on free radical biology and medicine

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Abstracts from The International Conference on Medicinal Plants and Bioeconomy & the 1st Sino-CPLP Symposium on Natural Products and Biodiversity Resources

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Predicting the potential global distribution of diosgenin-contained Dioscorea species

Diosgenin, mainly extracted from wild diosgenin-contained Dioscorea species, is a well-known starting material of steroidal and contraceptive drugs. However, due to large market demand and increasingly ecological...

Authors: Liang Shen, Jiang Xu, Lu Luo, Haoyu Hu, Xiangxiao Meng, Xiwen Li and Shilin Chen

A preliminary review of studies on adaptogens: comparison of their bioactivity in TCM with that of ginseng-like herbs used worldwide

Modern studies have shown that adaptogens can non-specifically enhance the resistance of human body under a wide range of external stress conditions with a multi-targeted and multi-channel network-like manner,...

Authors: Lian-ying Liao, Yi-fan He, Li Li, Hong Meng, Yin-mao Dong, Fan Yi and Pei-gen Xiao

Comparing the antidiabetic effects and chemical profiles of raw and fermented Chinese Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian decoction by integrating untargeted metabolomics and targeted analysis

Microbial fermentation has been widely applied in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years in China. Various beneficial effects of fermentation for applications in TCM or herbals have been rep...

Authors: Yan Yan, Chenhui Du, Zhenyu Li, Min Zhang, Jin Li, Jinping Jia, Aiping Li, Xuemei Qin and Qiang Song

Blood and urinary metabolomic evidence validating traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic classification of major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly heterogeneous disease. Further classification may characterize its heterogeneity. The purpose of this study was to examine whether metabolomic variables could differ...

Authors: Lan-Ying Liu, Hong-Jian Zhang, Li-Yuan Luo, Jin-Bao Pu, Wei-Qing Liang, Chun-Qin Zhu, Ya-Ping Li, Pei-Rong Wang, Yuan-Yuan Zhang, Chun-Yu Yang and Zhang-Jin Zhang

Indigenous medicinal plants of Pakistan used to treat skin diseases: a review

Plants are providing reliable therapy since time immemorial. Pakistan has a great diversity in medicinal flora and people use these ethno-medicines to deal with many skin problems. This review explores the fun...

Authors: Alamgeer, Amber Sharif, Hira Asif, Waqas Younis, Humayun Riaz, Ishfaq Ali Bukhari and Asaad Mohamed Assiri

The antityrosinase and antioxidant activities of flavonoids dominated by the number and location of phenolic hydroxyl groups

Compounds with the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibit tyrosinase may be useful for the treatment and prevention from ROS-related diseases. The number and location of phenolic hydroxy...

Authors: Ai-Ren Zuo, Huan-Huan Dong, Yan-Ying Yu, Qing-Long Shu, Li-Xiang Zheng, Xiong-Ying Yu and Shu-Wen Cao

Internationalization of Traditional/Complementary Medicine products: market entry as medicine

Internationalization of Traditional/Complementary Medicine (T&CM) products is important for initiating and sustaining developments in this field. Particularly for traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), the glob...

Authors: Jiatong Li, Jianfan Zhu, Hao Hu, Joanna E. Harnett, Chi Ieong Lei, Ka Yin Chau, Ging Chan and Carolina Oi Lam Ung

Rapid screening and identification of bioactive compounds specifically binding to beta 2-adrenoceptor from San-ao decoction using affinity magnetic fine particles coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

San-ao decoction (SAD) has been widely used in Chinese medicine against respiratory diseases, such as asthma and rhinallergosis. The bioactive compounds for such pharmacological action remain unknown.

Authors: Fuhuan Fei, Huanmei Sun, Xixi Cheng, Jiajun Liu, Jing Wang, Qian Li and Yajun Zhang

Traditional medicinal plants used for respiratory disorders in Pakistan: a review of the ethno-medicinal and pharmacological evidence

Respiratory disorders are a common cause of malady and demise in Pakistan due to its remoteness, cold and harsh climatic conditions as well as scarce health care facilities. The people rely upon the indigenous...

Authors: Alamgeer, Waqas Younis, Hira Asif, Amber Sharif, Humayun Riaz, Ishfaq Ali Bukhari and Asaad Mohamed Assiri

Characterization and anti-tumor activity of a polysaccharide isolated from Dendrobium officinale grown in the Huoshan County

Polysaccharides are carbohydrate chains composed of linked monosaccharide units. Accumulating studies report that polysaccharides isolated from Dendrobium officinale have a variety of functions. However, the comp...

Authors: Yuan Wei, Linwei Wang, Dujun Wang, Dan Wang, Chongwei Wen, Bangxin Han and Zhen Ouyang

A network pharmacology approach to explore the mechanisms of Erxian decoction in polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) significantly affects women’s health and well-being. To explore the pharmacological basis of the Erxian decoction (EXD) action in PCOS therapy, a network interaction analysis w...

Authors: Lihong Liu, Bo Du, Haiying Zhang, Xiaofei Guo, Zheng Zhou, Aihui Xiu, Chang Liu, Shiyu Su and Hao Ai

Wnt5a mediates the effects of Bushen Huoxue decoction on the migration of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro

Bushen Huoxue decoction (BHD) has a significant effect on fracture rehabilitation, yet its underlying mechanism is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore whether BHD promotes bone marrow mese...

Authors: Wei Shen, Hui Luo, Liangliang Xu, Zhifang Wu, Hongtai Chen, Yamei Liu, Lijuan Yu, Liuchao Hu, Bin Wang and Yiwen Luo

Anti-cancer effects of Rhizoma Curcumae against doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer cells

Chemotherapy is a primary approach in cancer treatment after routine surgery. However, chemo-resistance tends to occur with chemotherapy in clinic, resulting in poor prognosis and recurrence. Nowadays, Chinese...

Authors: Zhangfeng Zhong, Haibing Yu, Shengpeng Wang, Yitao Wang and Liao Cui

Application of delayed luminescence method on measuring of the processing of Chinese herbal materials

Based on the principle of tradition Chinese medicine, the processing refers to various techniques that alter the overall properties of herbal materials to meet the requirements of therapeutic applications. How...

Authors: Mengmeng Sun, Wen-Te Chang, Eduard Van Wijk, Min He, Roeland Van Wijk and Mei Wang

Effects of different principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment on TLR7/NF-κB signaling pathway in influenza virus infected mice

Influenza virus is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes influenza in humans and animals. About 600 million people around the world suffer from influenza every year. Upon recognizing viral RNA molecules, TLR...

Authors: Ying-Jie Fu, Yu-Qi Yan, Hong-Qiong Qin, Sha Wu, Shan-Shan Shi, Xiao Zheng, Peng-Cheng Wang, Xiao-Yin Chen, Xiao-Long Tang and Zhen-You Jiang

Diversity and composition of bacterial endophytes among plant parts of Panax notoginseng

Bacterial endophytes are widespread inhabitants inside plant tissues that play crucial roles in plant growth and biotransformation. This study aimed to offer information for the exploitation of endophytes by a...

Authors: Linlin Dong, Ruiyang Cheng, Lina Xiao, Fugang Wei, Guangfei Wei, Jiang Xu, Yong Wang, Xiaotong Guo, Zhongjian Chen and Shilin Chen

Bioaccessibility and risk assessment of heavy metals, and analysis of arsenic speciation in Cordyceps sinensis

Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis) is a famous and precious Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), while frequent reports of heavy metals, especially arsenic, exceeding standards in C. sinensis in recent years have ra...

Authors: Li Zhou, Sheng Wang, Qingxiu Hao, Liping Kang, Chuanzhi Kang, Jian Yang, Wanzhen Yang, Jingyi Jiang, Lu-Qi Huang and Lanping Guo

Triphala: current applications and new perspectives on the treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders

Ayurvedic medicine is based on natural healing methods that use herbal medicine to cleanse the body of toxins and to attain physical and mental regeneration. Triphala (TLP) is one of the most important ayurved...

Authors: Aleksandra Tarasiuk, Paula Mosińska and Jakub Fichna

Effect of Da-Cheng-Qi decoction for treatment of acute kidney injury in rats with severe acute pancreatitis

The traditional Chinese formula Da-Cheng-Qi-decoction (DCQD) has been used to treat acute pancreatitis for decades. DCQD could ameliorate the disease severity and the complications of organ injuries, including...

Authors: Ling Yuan, Lv Zhu, Yumei Zhang, Huan Chen, Hongxin Kang, Juan Li, Xianlin Zhao, Meihua Wan, Yifan Miao and Wenfu Tang

Siegesbeckia pubescens Makino inhibits Pam₃CSK₄-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages through suppressing TLR1/TLR2-mediated NF-κB activation

Siegesbeckia pubescens Makino (SP) is one of the important plant origins for the anti-inflammatory Chinese herbal medicine of Siegesbeckiae Herba. The current investigations indicated that the anti-inflammatory e...

Authors: Wei Sang, Zhangfeng Zhong, Kegang Linghu, Wei Xiong, Anfernee Kai Wing Tse, Wai San Cheang, Hua Yu and Yitao Wang

Combination of Salvia miltiorrhiza and ligustrazine attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats via modulating TNF-α and TGF-β

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic, progressive, fibrosing interstitial lung disease, is associated with extremely poor prognosis, and lacks effective treatment. The frequently used immunosuppressi...

Authors: Chengliang Huang, Xu Wu, Shengpeng Wang, Wenjun Wang, Fang Guo, Yuanyuan Chen, Bi Pan, Ming Zhang and Xianming Fan

Anticancer drug discovery from Chinese medicinal herbs

Cancer is still presenting a serious threat to human health worldwide. The understanding of the complex biology of cancer and the development of oncotherapy have led to increasing treatment approaches such as ...

Authors: Mu-Yang Huang, Le-Le Zhang, Jian Ding and Jin-Jian Lu

Corni Fructus: a review of chemical constituents and pharmacological activities

Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. is part of the genus Cornus of the family Cornaceae. Ripening and dry fruits (Corni Fructus) are recognized as an essential herb medicine in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM...

Authors: Yu Dong, Zhe-Ling Feng, Hu-Biao Chen, Fu-Sheng Wang and Jia-Hong Lu

In silico approach in reveal traditional medicine plants pharmacological material basis

In recent years, studies of traditional medicinal plants have gradually increased worldwide because the natural sources and variety of such plants allow them to complement modern pharmacological approaches. As...

Authors: Fan Yi, Li Li, Li-jia Xu, Hong Meng, Yin-mao Dong, Hai-bo Liu and Pei-gen Xiao

Effective authentication of Placenta Hominis

Human placenta is used to make the medicinal product Placenta Hominis in Asian countries. With its therapeutic benefits and limited supply, intentional or inadvertent adulteration is found in the market. In or...

Authors: Yat-Tung Lo, Mavis Hong-Yu Yik and Pang-Chui Shaw

Global ecological regionalization of 15 Illicium species: nature sources of shikimic acid

Illicium plants are relevant officinal and ornamental species that are native in Eastern Asia, and they are the main sources of shikimic acid. Shikimic acid is an important component of Tamiflu, which is recogniz...

Authors: Xiang Zhang, Xiangxiao Meng, Jie Wu, Linfang Huang and Shilin Chen

The therapeutic effect of scalp acupuncture on natal autism and regressive autism

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a common disease and the incidence has been rising constantly. Acupuncture is one of the most widely used complementary and alternative medicine therapies. Despite studies ha...

Authors: Chuen Heung Yau, Cheuk Long Ip and Yuk Yin Chau

Isorhynchophylline alleviates learning and memory impairments induced by aluminum chloride in mice

To evaluate the effect of Isorhynchophylline (IRN) on the learning and memory impairments induced by aluminum chloride (AlCl₃) in mice.

Authors: Hui-Qin Li, Siu-Po Ip, Guo-Qing Zheng, Yan-Fang Xian and Zhi-Xiu Lin

Cost-consequence analysis of salvianolate injection for the treatment of coronary heart disease

Complicated with the impact of aging population and urbanization, coronary heart disease (CHD) incurs more and more disease burdens in China. Salvianolate injection is a Chinese patent drug widely used for tre...

Authors: Pengxin Dong, Hao Hu, Xiaodong Guan, Carolina Oi Lam Ung, Luwen Shi, Sheng Han and Shuwen Yu

Cellular stress response mechanisms of Rhizoma coptidis: a systematic review

Rhizoma coptidis has been used in China for thousands of years with the functions of heating dampness and purging fire detoxification. But the underlying molecular mechanisms of Rhizoma coptidis are still far ...

Authors: Jin Wang, Qian Ran, Hai-rong Zeng, Lin Wang, Chang-jiang Hu and Qin-wan Huang

Abstracts from the 2nd International Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine and Food (2-ISPMF)

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Clarifying the origin of Houzao

Houzao (bezoar) is a valuable imported Chinese medicine that is commonly used as a pediatric medicine to transform phlegm. There are mainly two types of Houzao, “Southeast Asian Houzao” and “Indian Houzao”. “I...

Authors: Zhongzhen Zhao, Eric Brand, Hiu Yee Kwan, Quanbin Han and Mengjia Zhou

Pharmacokinetics of Chinese medicines: strategies and perspectives

The modernization and internationalization of Chinese medicines (CMs) are hampered by increasing concerns on the safety and the efficacy. Pharmacokinetic (PK) study is indispensable to establish concentration-...

Authors: Ru Yan, Ying Yang and Yijia Chen

Extrahepatic cytochrome P450s play an insignificant role in triptolide-induced toxicity

Triptolide, an active ingredient of Chinese medicine plant Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f., has been shown to exert anti-tumor, immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fertility pharmacological effects. How...

Authors: Yuan Wei, Dujun Wang, Meng Chen, Zhen Ouyang, Shuo Wang and Jun Gu

Comparative study of the polyphenol content-related anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of two Urera aurantiaca specimens from different geographical areas

Urera aurantiaca is an Argentinean species that has been traditionally used to treat symptoms of inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of t...

Authors: Carla Marrassini, Ignacio Peralta and Claudia Anesini

Wentong decoction cures allergic bronchial asthma by regulating the apoptosis imbalance of EOS

Eosinophils (EOS) is one of the most important cells involved in the pathogenesis of chronic airway inflammation in asthma, and its apoptosis is part of the mechanisms of asthma. Therefore, this study aimed to...

Authors: Yue Yan, Hai-Peng Bao, Chun-Lei Li, Qi Shi, Yan-Hua Kong, Ting Yao and You-Lin Li

Techniques for extraction and isolation of natural products: a comprehensive review

Natural medicines were the only option for the prevention and treatment of human diseases for thousands of years. Natural products are important sources for drug development. The amounts of bioactive natural p...

Authors: Qing-Wen Zhang, Li-Gen Lin and Wen-Cai Ye

HPLC–ICP-MS speciation analysis and risk assessment of arsenic in Cordyceps sinensis

Cordyceps sinensis, one of the most valued traditional herbal medicines in China, contains high amount of arsenic. Considering the adverse health effects of arsenic, this is of particular concern. The aim of this...

Authors: Tian-Tian Zuo, Yao-Lei Li, Hong-Yu Jin, Fei Gao, Qi Wang, Ya-Dan Wang and Shuang-Cheng Ma

A concise classification of bencao (materia medica)

Books that record the sources and applications of medicinal materials are commonly known as bencao (materia medica) in China. Bencao (materia medica) literature review is the very first step in the standard authe...

Authors: Zhongzhen Zhao, Ping Guo and Eric Brand

Wenyang Huazhuo Tongluo formula inhibits fibrosis via suppressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in a Bleomycin-induced systemic sclerosis mouse model

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. So far, no Western medicine treatment can completely inhibit or reverse the progress of SSc, while a...

Authors: Qian Wang, Wenhua Zang, Li Han, Lei Yang, Songshan Ye, Jingfeng Ouyang, Chaoyun Zhang, Yuefeng Bi, Cuiyue Zhang and Hua Bian

Psoriasis therapy by Chinese medicine and modern agents

Psoriasis is a chronic, painful, disfiguring and non-contagious skin disease that has globally affected at least 200 million patients. In general, mild to moderate psoriasis patients will be treated by chemica...

Authors: Shikang Meng, Zibei Lin, Yan Wang, Zhenping Wang, Ping Li and Ying Zheng

Approaches in studying the pharmacology of Chinese Medicine formulas: bottom-up, top-down—and meeting in the middle

Investigating the pharmacology is key to the modernization of Chinese Medicine (CM) formulas. However, identifying which are the active compound(s) of CM formulas, which biological entities they target, and th...

Authors: Tao Huang, Linda L. D. Zhong, Chen-Yuan Lin, Ling Zhao, Zi-Wan Ning, Dong-Dong Hu, Man Zhang, Ke Tian, Chung-Wah Cheng and Zhao-Xiang Bian

Paeoniflorin exerts neuroprotective effects by modulating the M1/M2 subset polarization of microglia/macrophages in the hippocampal CA1 region of vascular dementia rats via cannabinoid receptor 2

Cerebral hypoperfusion is a pivotal risk factor for vascular dementia (VD), for which effective therapy remains inadequate. Persistent inflammatory responses and excessive chemotaxis of microglia/macrophages i...

Authors: Xian-Qin Luo, Ao Li, Xue Yang, Xiao Xiao, Rong Hu, Tian-Wen Wang, Xiao-Yun Dou, Da-Jian Yang and Zhi Dong

Coptidis rhizoma and its main bioactive components: recent advances in chemical investigation, quality evaluation and pharmacological activity

Coptidis rhizoma (CR) is the dried rhizome of Coptis chinensis Franch., C. deltoidea C. Y. Cheng et Hsiao or C. teeta Wall. (Ranunculaceae) and is commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment o...

Authors: Fan-Cheng Meng, Zheng-Feng Wu, Zhi-Qi Yin, Li-Gen Lin, Ruibing Wang and Qing-Wen Zhang

Development of models for classification of action between heat-clearing herbs and blood-activating stasis-resolving herbs based on theory of traditional Chinese medicine

Action (“gongxiao” in Chinese) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the high recapitulation for therapeutic and health-preserving effects under the guidance of TCM theory. TCM-defined herbal properties (“yaox...

Authors: Zhao Chen, Yanfeng Cao, Shuaibing He and Yanjiang Qiao

Ginsenoside G-Rh2 synergizes with SMI-4a in anti-melanoma activity through autophagic cell death

Melanoma is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and SMI-4a and G-Rh2 exert anti-tumor activity in multiple cancer. However, SMI-4a as well as a synergistic relationship between SMI-4a and G-Rh2 in anti-...

Authors: Da-lun Lv, Lei Chen, Wei Ding, Wei Zhang, He–li Wang, Shuai Wang and Wen-bei Liu