Ephedra is a classic herb in traditional Chinese medicine( TCM). The new effects of ephedra were gradually found,and the contraindications of the drug were broken in later ages. Because the principles of expanded application were not well elucidated,it is difficult to use in the clinical flexibility. Based on the characteristics of ephedra and its classic clinical application,the authors summarized the possible principles of clinical application of ephedra and the drug property and pharmacological characteristics of ephedra.Studies showed that ephedrine substances are an important material basis for the efficacy of ephedra,and its adrenergic action is the pharmacological basis of its efficacy. It is the key to grasp the autonomic function and the interaction between sympathetic/adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex for the clinical application of ephedra. The authors discussed the principles of clinical application of ephedra and the effects of processing of ephedra. Finally,the authors put forward the basic research process of clinical application of drugs,and provide ideas for the inheritance and further development of TCM experience.
Ephedra/chemistry* ; Ephedrine/pharmacology* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Plant Extracts ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*

OBJECTIVETo compare the behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs between two strains of mice.

METHODSThe Kunming (KM) and ICR mice were injected intraperitoneally with caffeine (3, 10, 30, 100 mg/kg), ephedrine (3, 10, 30, 100 mg/kg), diazepam (1, 3,1 0 mg/kg) and chloral hydrate (10, 30, 100 mg/kg), respectively. Ten min after injection, the locomotor activity in the open field was recorded for 2 h. The total distance, the distance ratio to total distance and the time in central region were analyzed for each drugs. Thirty min after injection, the latent time in the passive avoidance test was measured in a shuttle box.

RESULTSCaffeine and diazepam prolonged the latent time, and ephedrine and chloral hydrate decreased the latent time, but there were no differences between the two strains. The two strains of mice exhibited significant differences in the total distance after injection of ephedrine 10 mg/kg, diazepam 3 mg/kg and chloral hydrate 100 mg/kg. Compared to KM mice, ICR mice exhibited an increase in the distance ratio and the time in central region after injection of ephedrine 10-100 mg/kg, but a decrease after diazepam 3-10 mg/kg.

CONCLUSIONKM and ICR mice show no differences in latent time, but significant differences in the total distance, the distance ratio and the time in central region in the locomotor activity. Therefore, selection of mouse strains is important in the study of psychoactive drugs.

Animals ; Caffeine ; pharmacology ; Central Nervous System Agents ; pharmacology ; Chloral Hydrate ; pharmacology ; Diazepam ; pharmacology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Ephedrine ; pharmacology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Motor Activity ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of ephedrine on human nasal cilia movement.

METHODSCiliary beat frequency (CBF) of cultured human nasal epithelial cells was measured by high-speed digital microscopy in HBSS and ephedrine solution of different concentrations in 10 minutes.

RESULTSCBF of cultured nasal epithelial cells exposed to HBSS showed no significant changes in 10 minutes. However, in 2.5 g/L , 5 g/L, 10 g/L and 20 g/L ephedrine solution, CBF increased significantly in 1-2 minutes and reached the apex, then it decreased gradually, at the 10th minute. CBF of the samples exposed to 2.5 g/L and 5 g/L ephedrine solution were slower than those in HBSS, but no significant changes were found. However, in 10 g/L and 20 g/L ephedrine solution, CBF decreased significantly when compared with samples in sHBSS. With the concentrations from 2.5 g/L to 20 g/L ephedrine, the increment was independent on the concentration, the inhibitory effect was dependent on the concentration.

CONCLUSIONSIn initial time, 2. 5 g/L-20 g/L ephedrine stimulated CBF, then 10 g/L-20 g/L ephedrine inhibited CBF. The stimulation of 2.5 g/L and 5 g/L ephedrine on CBF was longer than that of 10 g/L and 20 g/L ephedrine. 5 g/L ephedrine had maximum stimulatory effect without obvious inhibitory effect on cultured human nasal CBF.

Cells, Cultured ; Cilia ; drug effects ; physiology ; Ephedrine ; pharmacology ; Epithelial Cells ; drug effects ; physiology ; Humans ; Nasal Mucosa ; cytology ; drug effects ; physiology

This study focused on the separation, characterization, content determination, and antiviral efficacy research on colloidal particles with different sizes in Maxing Shigan Decoction(MXSG). The mixed colloidal phase of MXSG was initially separated into small colloidal particle segment(S), medium colloidal particle segment(M), and big colloidal particle segment(B) using ultrafiltration. Further fine separation was performed using size-exclusion chromatography. Dynamic light scattering(DLS) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) were employed to characterize the size and morphology of the separated colloidal particles. UPLC-MS/MS was used to determine the content of ephedrine, amygdalin, glycyrrhizic acid, and the EDTA complexometric titration was used to measure the calcium(Ca~(2+)) content in different colloidal phases. Finally, a respiratory syncytial virus(RSV) infection mouse model was established using intranasal administration. The experimental groups included a blank group, a model group, a ribavirin group, an MXSG group, an S group, an M group, and a B group. Oral administration was given for treatment, and pathological changes in mouse lung tissue and organ indices were evaluated. The results of the study showed that the distribution of ephedrine, amygdalin, glycyrrhizic acid, and Ca~(2+) content was not uniform among different colloidal segments. Among them, the B segment had the highest proportions of the three components, except for Ca~(2+), accounting for 46.35%, 53.72%, and 92.36%, respectively. Size-exclusion chromatography separated colloidal particles with uniform morphology in the size range of 100-500 nm. Compared to the S and M segments, the B segment showed an increased lung index inhibition rate(38.31%), spleen index, and thymus index in RSV-infected mice, and it improved the infiltration of inflammatory cells and lung injury in the lung tissue of mice. The complex components in MXSG form colloidal particles of various sizes and morphologies through heating, and small-molecule active components such as ephedrine, amygdalin, glycyrrhizic acid, and Ca~(2+) participate in the assembly to varying degrees. The main material basis for the antiviral effect of MXSG is the colloidal particles with certain particle sizes formed by the assembly of active components during the heating process.
Mice ; Animals ; Amygdalin/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Glycyrrhizic Acid/analysis* ; Ephedrine/analysis* ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Antiviral Agents/pharmacology*

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of ephedrine on neural plasticity after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) in neonatal rats.

METHODSixty SD rats, aged 7 days, were made as HIBD model, which were randomly divided into following 4 groups, an ephedrine group, a D-amphetamine (D-AMPH) group, a cytodine triphosphate-2Na (CTP) group and a ganglioside (GMI) group. Changes in the expression of growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) and synaptophysin (SYP) in the hippocampal area CA3 were detected with immunohistochemical method. Four weeks after the operation, learning and memory test in Morris water maze was performed for 5 days.

RESULT(1) The GAP-43 and SYP expression levels in hippocampal area CA3 in the ephedrine group were higher than those in the spontaneous recovery group (P < 0.05), with no significantly different from those the CTP group and the D-AMPH group. (2) The average escape latency in the ephedrine group, the D-AMPH group and the CTP group were significantly shorter than that in the spontaneous recovery group (P < 0.05), and the frequency passing the original platform in the 3 treatment groups were significantly more than those in the spontaneous recovery group (P < 0.01). The escape latency was longer and the frequency passing the original platform was less in the ephedrine group than that in the GM1 group, with no significant differences as compared with the CTP group and the D-AMPH group.

CONCLUSIONEphedrine can enhance spatial orientation and learning and memory abilities of HIBD rats in later life. This protective effect is associated with decrease of neuronal loss after HIBD, and promotion of the expression of GAP43 and SYP. Ephedrine can exert the same protection against HIBD as D-AMPH and CTP do, but the amelioration of spatial orientation and learning and memory abilities by ephedrine in later life in rats after HIBD is slightly weaker than that by GM1, which is possibly related with the dose of ephedrine.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Ephedra sinica ; chemistry ; Ephedrine ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; GAP-43 Protein ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Neuronal Plasticity ; drug effects ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Synaptophysin ; metabolism