AIM: To establish the fingerprints of Shuanghuanglian Pwder-Injection(Flos Lonicerae Japonicae,Radix Scutellariae,Fructus Forsythiae) by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) so as to control quality of the injection. METHODS: The experimental conditions of the HPLC method were as follows: YMC-Pack ODSA C_(18) column(4.6 mm?250 mm,5 ?m,mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.012 5 N ammonium acetate/acetic acid buffer eluted with a linear gradient,flow rate at 1.0 mL/min,the detectors of phtodiode array detector(PDA) and evaporative light scattering detector(ELSD) connected in series. RESULTS: The method provided two kinds of fingerprints with excellent spearation,which were HPLC-PDA(254 nm) fingerprint and HPLC-ELSD fingerprint.They had a good correlation and complementation each other.Baicalin was used as a standard substance.Thirteen common peaks were the picture of fingerprints features.The results showed the coincidence of the quality in the total ten batches of the injections. CONCLUSION: The method is stable,accurate and creditable,meanwhile it provides much useful information for the quality control of Shuanghuanglian Powder-Injection.

Object To establish a method by high performance liquid chromatography/evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) for the determination of contents of D-fructose, D-glucose, and sucrose in Siwu Decoction (SWD). Methods Condensed SWD was analyzed by HPLC-ELSD after dilution, precipitation by ethanol. Results Condensed SWD, 1 mL, contained (33.4?1.5) mg of D-fructose, (24.2?0.9) mg of D-glucose and (112.7?6.1) mg of sucrose. The standard curves were linear within the range of 0.15—3.75 mg/mL for D-fructose and 0.15—5 mg/mL for D-glucose and sucrose. The recovery rates were 128.5% for D-fructose, 114.7% for D-glucose, and 124.7% for sucrose. The relative standard deviations (RSD) within-days were 3.0% for D-fructose, 3.2% for D-glucose, and 4.4% for sucrose. Conclusion SWD contains abundant monosaccharide and disaccharide. HPLC-ELSD can be used to analyse the monosaccharide and disaccharide in SWD.

The chemic al composition of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the material base for its prevention and treatment of disease. Characterization, analysis and isolation of chemical constituents, important fields of modern research on TCM, however, are still a great challenge due to the complexity. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in these fields with the application of new chromatographic packing materials and methods, analysis technologies represented by LC-MS and the associated databases and softwares. Here, the advancement of methods and strategies used in the research on the chemical constituents of TCM is briefly reviewed.

Ginsenosides, belonging to a group of saponins with triterpenoid dammarane skeleton, show a variety of pharmacological effects. Among them, some ginsenoside derivatives, which can be produced by acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, biotransformation and steamed process from the major ginsenosides in ginseng plant, perform stronger activities than the major primeval ginsenosides on inhibiting growth or metastasis of tumor, inducing apoptosis and differentiation of tumor and reversing multidrug resistance of tumor. Therefore ginsenoside derivatives are promising as antitumor active compounds and drugs. In this review, the derivatization methods, ginsenoside derivatives and their anti-tumor structure-activity relationship have been summarized for providing useful information for the research and development of novel antitumor drugs.

Gut microbiota(GM)consists of a complex community of microorganism species that live in the digestive tracts of animals including humans. Dysbiosis is believed to involve in the development of some diseases. Recently dysbiosis in the patients with Alzheimer′s disease(AD)and AD rat models was reported. GM may influence the pathogenesis and development of AD in several ways. Some neurotoxic substances produced by GM can invade into the brain via circulation and impair the neural functions. These sub?stances include ammonia,cyanobacteria-producedβ-N-methylamino-L-alanine,saxitoxin,anatoxin-αand amyloid. The decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)in hippocampus and cerebral cortex induced by dysbiosis contributes to the cognitive dys?function. Dysbiosis related endotoxin can induce inflammation,which is one important risk factor for obesity,insulin resistance(IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus(TIDM). AD and diabetes have good correlation and similarity. Probiotics,prebiotics and Chinese herbal medicines can rebuild GM and have been reported to ameliorate the memory loss of AD patients or model rats. However ,whether and how their preventative and therapeutic effects on AD mediated by GM are worthy of further investigation.

Objective To find the microorganisms which hydrolyze sugar residues of steroidal saponins at C-3 position and to obtain their glucosyl-derivatives.Methods The enzymes secreted by fermentation of Curvularia lunata((3.438 1)) in the culture medium were employed to transform polyphyllin Ⅴ(compound Ⅰ) and polyphyllin Ⅵ(compound Ⅱ).The products were separated by means of chromatography on C_(18) column and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral analyses.Results Compounds Ⅰ and Ⅱ could be transformed by C.lunata((3.438 1)) and the main products were identified as diosgenin-3-O-?-D-glucopyranoside,named trillin(compound Ⅲ) and pennogenin-3-O-?-D-glucopyranoside(compound Ⅳ),respectively.Conclusion The terminal rhamnosyls of polyphyllin Ⅴ and polyphyllin Ⅵ at C-3 position could be hydrolyzed selectively by C.lunata((3.438 1)) for the first time.

Saponin and sapogenin are main components in chinese medicine Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge.Modern research has shown that Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge and its effective components could markedly enhance the ability of learning and memory in dementia animals,as well as improve the descent of brain function.The effect was related with many factors such as inhancing the cholinergic receptor(M,N),improving the activity of ChAT and inhibiting the activity of AChE,regulating the balance of ? receptor-cAMP and M receptor-cGMP,improving the metabolite of free radicals in model animal brains and so on.

bjective To investigate the effect of Steroidal Saponin TSA on the recovery of sensorimotor function after cerebral ischemia in rats. Methods Cerebral ischemia was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats which were divided into 6 groups: vehicle, TSA 15 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg，Angong Niuhuang (ANGH) 400 mg/kg and sham. Animals received drug administration 3～14 d after ischemia. Sensorimotor function was evaluated with beam-walking and adhesivetape-exposing performance 3 d, 7 d, 10 d, and 14 d after ischemia. Neural cell injury in the sensorimotor cortex ipsilateral to ischemia was studied with hematoxylin-eosin stain. Immunohistochemistry Methods were used to measure the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein and the angiogenesis of the area around infarction tissue. Results Animals receiving TSA at a dosage of 30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg recovered better in beam-walking and adhesivetape-exposing performance than vehicles, and the improvement became significant 14 d after ischemia. Treatment with TSA 30 mg/kg、60 mg/kg also significantly reduced the neural cell loss in sensorimotor cortex and increased the expression of VEGF protein and the microvascular density. Conclusion TSA can improve the recovery of sensorimotor function follwing focal cerebral ischemia in rats, which may involve the neural cells protection, promoting the expression of VEGF and angiogenesis after ischemia.