A comparison of plant and animal stem cells can highlight core aspects of stem-cell biology. In both kingdoms, stem cells are defined by their clonogenic properties and are maintained by intercellular signals. The signaling molecules are different in plants and animals stem cell niches, but the roles of argonaute and polycomb group proteins suggest that there are some molecular similarities.
Animals ; Plant Cells ; Signal Transduction ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism

Though parched Chinese herbal medicines contain less effective or index components, their pharmacological actions do not reduce or even become improved to some extent. However, the current studies related to material basis could not explain the changes in property, flavour and efficacy of parched Chinese herbal medicines. Meanwhile, due to the lack of objective and specific evaluation indexes, the quality evaluation could not reflect features of parched Chinese herbal pieces. Therefore, how to break the bottleneck for the studies on parched Chinese herbal pieces, make further innovation and conduct in-depth studies on the material basis of parched Chinese herbal medicines are common problems that medical scholars are facing. According to the findings in the previous studies, the author proposed to explain the material basis of parched Chinese herbal medicines by studying Maillard reaction and establish specific quality evaluation indexes according to the features of parched Chinese herbal pieces, and conducted relevant studies.
Drug Compounding ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Maillard Reaction ; Quality Control

This paper explains the status of science and technology of traditional Chinese medicine in China. Basic conclusions are as follows: policy environment is improved step by step, R&D funds and R&D personnel in traditional Chinese medicine field are increased continuously, and a lot of achievements have been got in traditional Chinese medicine field.
Academies and Institutes ; economics ; statistics & numerical data ; Biomedical Research ; economics ; manpower ; statistics & numerical data ; China ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

The complex production processes and long industrial chain in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) market result in difficulty in Chinese market microstructure research. Based on the defining the logical relationships among different concepts. This paper divides TCM market into two stages as Chinese materia medica resource market and traditional Chinese Patent Medicines market. Under this foundation, we investigated the supply capacity, approaching rules and motivation system of suppliers in TCM market, analyzed the demand situation in the perspective of demand side, and evaluated the purchasing power in terms of population profile, income, and insurance. Furthermore we also analyzed the price formation mechanism in two stages of TCM market. We hope this study can make a positive and promotion effect on TCM market related research.
Materia Medica ; economics ; supply & distribution ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; economics ; Statistics as Topic

Euphorbia kansui (EK) is a toxic herbal drug, and often used after vinegar-processing to reduce its toxicity. In present study, a 1H-NMR based metabonomic approach was used to evaluate the detoxification effect of vinegar-processed EK. The water extracts of EK and VEK were administered orally to male SD rats at doses of 9 g x kg(-1) x d(-1) for 1 week, respectively, and one more week observation was further conducted. The control group was orally given with saline. Histopathological studies of liver samples on the 8th and 15th day were conducted, and the metabolites of rat urine and liver were analysed by 1H-NMR. Histopathological studies of liver samples from EK and VEK treated rats showed no negative impacts. In metabonomic analyses of urines, changes of metabolites indicated liver damages, kidney lesions and imbalance of gut microbes in the second week. VEK-treated rats showed a quite lower toxicity compared with EK-treated ones. The present study revealed that the metabonomic approach might be helpful for the evaluation of toxicity of EK and detoxic effect of VEK.
Acetic Acid ; chemistry ; Animals ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; toxicity ; Euphorbia ; chemistry ; Inactivation, Metabolic ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Male ; Metabolomics ; methods ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Urinalysis

Sailuotong (SLT) is a compound preparation composed of ginseng, ginkgo and saffron for the treatment of vascular dementia In order to identify its material foundation and provide evidence for therapeutic regimen, the pharmacokinetics and brain distribution of ginsenosides were investigated after intragastric administration of SLT. An LC-MS/MS method was developed for the determination of 7 ginsenosides in rat plasma simultaneously. Statistical analysis of obtained data demonstrated that the method has achieved the desired linearity, precision, accuracy and sensitivity. After administration of SLT at 60 mg x kg(-1) dose, 7 ginsengosides were all absorbed into systematic circulation. The quantitative and statistical analysis of gensenosides in plasma showed that protopanaxdiol saponins exhibited higher concentration and longer half life than protopanaxatriol saponins. The mean value of half life of ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rb1, Rb2/b3, Rc and Rd were 15.26, 2.46, 18.41, 27.70, 21.86 and 61.58 h respectively. The peak concentration of them were 7.15, 2.83, 55.32, 30.22, 21.42, 8.81 microg x L(-1) respectively. The determination of brain distribution at different time after dosing revealed ginsenosides entered into brain promptly but the concentration declined along with time rapidly. The ginsenosides with higher concentration in brain were Rg1, Re, Rb1 and Rc. These findings demonstrated ginsenosides could be absorbed in blood and penetrated into brain rapidly. Some ginsenosides, especially Rg1 and Re, might be the main components directly effecting neurocyte in brain taking advantage of their better brain distribution. While ginsenosides of mostly protopanaxdiol saponins might protect brain mainly depending on peripheral efficacy in virtue of their long residence in blood, by which higher concentration could be reached after multiple dosing.
Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Ginsenosides ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Time Factors

In order to explore the clinical hypolipidemic features of Daidai flavone extract, the pharmacokinetics features of characteristic active ingredients of Daidai flavone extract in normal and hyperlipemia rats were studied and compared. The study established the quantitative determination method of naringin and neohesperidin in plasma by UPLC-MS. Study compared the pharmacokinetics differences of naringin and noehesperidin in normal and hyperlipemia rats on the basis of establishment of hyperlipemia model. Results indicated that the pharmacokinetics features of characteristic active ingredients of Daidai flavone extract in normal and hyperlipemia rats showed significant differences. The C(max) of naringin and neohesperidin in hyperlipemia rats plasma after oral administration of Daidai flavone extract increased obviously, while t1/2, MRT and AUC0-24 h decreased, compared to normal rats. But t(max) showed no differences to that of normal rats. The results further proved Daidai flavone extract would have better hypolipidemic effect in the hyperlipemia pathological status. And the characteristic active ingredients naringin and noehesperidin were the material base of Daidai flavone extract to express the hypolipidemic effect.
Animals ; Citrus ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Flavones ; chemistry ; Hyperlipidemias ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo verify the pharmacological hypothesis of prescriptions by studying the targeted distribution of major components in stewed rhubarb in the rat model with acute pancreatitis (AP).

METHODNormal SD rats (control group, n = 5) and the AP model induced with intraperitoneal cerulein (model group, n = 5) were taken as the experimental objects. Rats of the two groups were orally administered with stewed rhubarb granules (20 g x kg(-1)). Their heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney and pancreas were collected two hours after the administration. Such constituents as emodin, chrysophanol, physcion, rhein and aloe-emodin and their concentrations in each tissue homogenate were detected by high performance liquid chromatography-mass-mass.

RESULTAloe-emodin and physcion in stewed rhubarb whose concentrations in liver and kidney of normal rats were higher than that in pancreatic tissues, while the distribution spectrums and concentrations of the remaining components in pancreatic tissues had no significant difference with that of other organs. The concentrations of emodin, aloe-emodin, rhein and chrysophanol in stewed rhubarb in pancreatic tissues of the AP model group were higher than that in other tissues and organs, while their concentrations in pancreatic, renal and splenic tissues were notably higher than that in the normal group.

CONCLUSIONIn the conditions of AP, effective components in stewed rhubarb show a targeted distribution feature in pancreas, which provides experimental basis for the pharmacological hypothesis of prescriptions.

Acute Disease ; Animals ; Anthraquinones ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Organ Specificity ; Pancreatitis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rheum ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo observe effect of formula of removing both phlegm and blood stasis (TYTZ) in improving hemorheology and blood fat of mini-swine with coronary heart disease of phlegm-stasis cementation syndrome.

METHODThirty-six Chinese mini-swine were randomly divided to six groups: the normal control group, the model group, the Shujiangzhi group and TYTZ groups with doses of 2.0, 1.0 and 0.5 g x kg(-1), with six mice in each group. Except for the normal control group, all of other groups were fed with high-fat diet for 2 weeks. Interventional balloons are adopted to injure their left anterior descending artery endothelium. After the operation, they were fed with high-fat diet for 8 weeks to prepare the coronary heart disease model of phlegm-stasis cementation syndrome. In the 8th week after the operation and administration, the changes in hemorheological parameters, serum lipid level, myocardial ischemia level and range were observed.

RESULTCompared with the normal control group, the model group showed significant increase in serum TC, TG, LDL-C and VLDL-C levels (P < 0.01), whole blood viscosity under the shear rate of 5 s (-1) and 60 s (-1) (P < 0.01), and myocardial ischemia degree and range (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, TYTZ groups revealed significant decrease in myocardial ischemia degree and range (P < 0.01), serum TC, TG, LDL-C and VLDL-C levels (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) and whole blood viscosity under the shear rate of 5 s(-1) and 60 s(-1) (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONTYTZ could improve the abnormal hemorheology in Chinese mini-swine with coronary heart disease of phlegm-stasis cementation syndrome, and regulate serum lipid, with a certain efficacy for coronary heart disease of phlegm-stasis cementation syndrome.

Animals ; Coronary Disease ; blood ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Hemorheology ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Mucous Membrane ; secretion ; Swine ; Swine, Miniature

OBJECTIVETo investigate the resistant effect of houttuyfonate sodium (SH) combined with imipenem (IMP) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) biofilms.

METHODThe two-fold dilution method was used to examine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the tested drug. The crystal violet staining was applied to detect the effect of the combination of 1/2MIC, 1MIC, 2MIC of SH, single IMP, 1/2MIC of SH and IMP of various concentrations on the clearance rate of adherent bacteria, growth of biofilms and alginate production. Fluorescein diacetate (FDA)-propidium iodide (PI) doubling staining assay was employed to observe the bacterial viability and morphological changes after membrane dispersion of each drug group.

RESULTSodium houttuyfonate could enhance the effect of IMP against pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Particularly, the combination group with the concentration of 2MIC showed the highest effect, with P < 0.001 compared with the negative control group. The above results were proved by the bacterial viability and biofilm morphology under fluorescence microscope.

CONCLUSIONAfter being combined with imipenem, sodium houttuyfonate shows a higher effect against biofilms. It is expected that the combination of the two drugs could improve the clinical efficacy of associated infections.

Alkanes ; pharmacology ; Biofilms ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Drug Synergism ; Imipenem ; pharmacology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Microbial Viability ; drug effects ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; drug effects ; physiology ; Sulfites ; pharmacology