Icariin and total flavonoids in "Xianlinggubao Capsule", a Chinese herbal preparationcontaining Epimedium L. as the main ingredient for the treatment of osteoporosis, were determined quan-titatively by HPLC and UV spectrophotometry respectively. It was found that the contents of icariin were4.16～27.67 mg/g and that of flavonoids were 62. 56～109.78 mg/g. The recoveries were 96.17% and103.58% respectively. The method could be used for the quality control of the drug.

築y rneans of Rp-HPLC,a quantitative method for the analysis of five ma jor flavonoids in Epimediumsagittatum (Sieb. et Zucc. )Maxim. is developed. The variation of active compounds caused by geographicaland morphological factors are discussed,and a comprehensive evaluation of drug quality of E' sagittatum isgiven.

AIM　To discuss the intraspecific relationship in Magnolia officinalis and the genuineness of Cortex Magnoliae officinalis, and to find some DNA characters of certified “Houpo”. METHODS　Thirty-three samples from eleven locations, which can represent most of the distribution of M.officinalis, were selected. The total DNA was extracted. Severty-four random primers were tried to get good amplification. RESULTS One hundred and sixteen bands amplified from seventeen primers, were clustered by NTSYS-pc software. Three branches were obtained. Some distinctive primers and bands, which represent certified species or fine breed, were obtained also. CONCLUSION　1) M.officinalis should be divided into three geographic clans instead of two subspecies or varieties, they are, a) typical officinalis, b) typical biloba and c) Middle type. This conclusion agrees with the leaf form and other characters. 2) The genetic difference between “Chuanpo” and “Wenpo” is evident and the difference is in correspondence with the quantities of their chemical constituents. So, the genetic difference is the main reason of the genuineness of Cortex Magnoliae officinalis. 3) These results may be used to establish DNA database for identification of Cortex Magnoliae officinalis.

At present,the medical profession generally acknowledged the best way to treat osteosarcoma is gene therapy,which includes tumor suppressor gene therapy,antisense gene therapy,suicide gene therapy,immune gene therapy,combined gene therapy,etc.But no matter what kind of gene therapy is that the gene must have a safe carrier.Gene therapy has made a breakthrough in osteosarcoma recently.On the basis of widespread use,we should emphasize the importance of gene vectors.

Thirty eight adult male rabbits were selected for the experiment. The experimental peptic ulcer was induced by means of injection of 40% acetic acid to the submucosa of the stomach. Animals of the control group were injected with normal saline instead and another control group consisted of normal rabbits without any treatment. The animals were killed by decapitation at different time intervals (3～49 days) after the operation. The adrenal tissues were prepared for histochemical studies from both experimental and control animals. The results were observed as follows:During the early stage of the peptic ulcer, the fascicular and reticular zones were the chief sites in the adrenal cortex where histochemical changes were involved. Three days after the peptic ulcer operation, the cells of the fascicular and reticular zones filled with sudanophilic lipid droplets and cholesterol droplets. Five days after the operation, both of lipid droplets and cholesterol droplets decreased; the content of ascorbic acid increased slightly; and the activity of succinic dehydrogenase also increased. The above changes were most conspicuous in the inner portion of the fascicular zone within ten days. After fourteen days, all the above histochemical changes began to recover and gradually returned to the normal level after eighteen to thirty five days. In the normal saline operation control group, the contents of lipid droplets and cholesterol droplets decreased in the fascicular and reticular zones after three days and returned to normal level during the period of ten to fourteen days after operation for saline injection.The above histochemical changes showed that the adrenal cortex was at an active functional state during the early period of the experimental peptic ulcer.

Herba Epimedii (named Yinyanghuo in Chinese) of the family Berberidaceae is one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) recorded in the pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China.Total flavonoids of Epimedium (TFE) are considered to be its active components.TFE content was measured by ultraviolet method and its representative constituents,icariin and epimedin C,were determined by high performance liquid chromatography.The test results from 36 samples of 4 species showed that the contents differed significantly in different species.The average data of the summation (icariin and epimedin C) content were 20.83,7.61,14.43,23.29 mg/g in Epimedium pubescens Maxim.,E.koreanum Nakai.,E.brevicornum Maxim.,E.sagittatum (Sieb.Et Zucc.) Maxim.,respectively.Both E.sagittatum and E.pubescens performed better than the other two batches.E.sagittatum hardly has any circulation in Chinese herbal medicine market.The results showed that E.pubescens,which had much more amounts of icariin,epimedin C and TFE than those of other species,has a better quality and may be considered as potential anti-osteoporosis drug.

Nine compounds were isolated from the n-butanol fraction of 95% ethanol extract of the fruit of Alpinia oxyphylla Miq. with a combination of various chromatographic approaches, including MDS resin, silica gel, reverse phase C18 and preparative HPLC. On the basis of spectroscopic data analysis, they were elucidated as (1R, 4R, 10R)-1β, 4α-dihydroxy-11, 12, 13-trinor-5, 6-eudesmen-7-one (1), 1β, 4β-dihydroxy-11, 12, 13-trinor-8, 9-eudesmen-7-one (2), oxyphyllenone A (3), oxyphyllenone B (4), rhamnocitrin (5), staphylionoside D (6), benzyl-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7), 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1S)-phenylethylene glycol (8), and (S)-1-phenylethyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (9). Among them, compound 1 is a new sesquiterpene, named as oxyphyllenone C; compounds 8 and 9 are new natural products; compounds 2 and 6 were isolated from the genus Alpinia for the first time, and compound 7 was isolated from A. oxyphylla for the first time.