Conservation of Natural Resources ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Humans ; Plants, Medicinal

To investigate the role of distribution and phylogeny of phenylethanoid glycoside in medicinal plants of Gesneriaceae, five phenylpropanoid glycosides, acteoside, paraboside B, isonuomioside A, paraboside II, and paraboside III were quantitatively determined in 12 species of Gesneriaceae by HPLC. The existence and content of these compounds were analyzed. The results showed that phenylethanoid glycosides were found in the most of those plants, but the kind of phenylethanoid glycosides varied in different species. Acteoside distribute in most of this plant group, paraboside B, isonuomioside A, paraboside II, and paraboside III were rare in those plants. The results of this study support morphological viewpoint that Trib. Trichosporeae is more developmental than Trib. Didymocarpeae.
Glucosides ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Magnoliopsida ; metabolism ; Phenylethyl Alcohol ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; metabolism

Based on the results of the morphologic studies on genus Dioscorea, the paper summarized the entire chemical constituent that isolated from this genus and analyzed it with the methods of chemotaxonomy. The rules of the chemical constituent and pharmacodynamic effects were analyzed. Seventeen species which belong to Sect. Stenophora Uline of Dioscorea contain steroidal sapogenin. Other species with different main components such as polysaccharide and tannin have have different effects. This chemotaxonomic view point will conduce to establish a phylogeny of the genus Dioscorea.
Animals ; China ; Dioscorea ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; growth & development ; Humans ; Phylogeny ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; pharmacology

Chinese materia medica resource (CMM resource) is the foundation of the development of traditional Chinese medicine. In the study of sustainable utilization of CMM resource, adopting innovative theory and method to find new CMM resource is one of hotspots and always highlighted. Pharmacophylogeny interrogates the phylogenetic relationship of medicinal organisms (especially medicinal plants), as well as the intrinsic correlation of morphological taxonomy, molecular phylogeny, chemical constituents, and therapeutic efficacy (ethnopharmacology and pharmacological activity). This new discipline may have the power to change the way we utilize medicinal plant resources and develop plant-based drugs. Phylogenomics is the crossing of evolutionary biology and genomics, in which genome data are utilized for evolutionary reconstructions. Phylogenomics can be integrated into the flow chart of drug discovery and development, and extends the field of pharmacophylogeny at the omic level, thus the concept of pharmacophylogenomics could be redefined in the context of plant pharmaceutical resources. This contribution gives a brief discourse of knowledge pedigree of pharmacophylogeny, epistemology and paradigm shift, highlighting the theoretical and practical values of pharmacophylogenomics. Many medicinally important tribes and genera, such as Clematis, Pulsatilla, Anemone, Cimicifugeae, Nigella, Delphinieae, Adonideae, Aquilegia, Thalictrum, and Coptis, belong to Ranunculaceae family. Compared to other plant families, Ranunculaceae has the most species that are recorded in China Pharmacopoeia (CP) 2010. However, many Ranunculaceae species, e. g., those that are closely related to CP species, as well as those endemic to China, have not been investigated in depth, and their phylogenetic relationship and potential in medicinal use remain elusive. As such, it is proposed to select Ranunculaceae to exemplify the utility of pharmacophylogenomics and to elaborate the new concept empirically. It is argued that phylogenetic and evolutionary relationship of medicinally important tribes and genera within Ranunculaceae could be elucidated at the genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic levels, from which the intrinsic correlation between medicinal plant genotype and metabolic phenotype, and between genetic diversity and chemodivesity of closely related taxa, could be revealed. This proof-of-concept study regards pharmacophylogenomics as the updated version of pharmacophylogeny and would enrich the intension and spread the extension of pharmacophylogeny. The interdisciplinary knowledge and techniques will be integrated in the proposed study to promote development of CMM resource discipline and to boost sustainable development of Chinese medicinal plant resources.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Knowledge ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics

Hippophae rhamnoides is one of the most representative economy crops for its wide uses of biological diversity and abundance of resource. As the key healthy food development and ecology protection, H. rhamnoides has been developed widely. Meanwhile, the development of H. rhamnoides has obtained great achievements. Nowadays, H. rhamnoides is still a necessary economy crop, while it has great influence on ecology protection. This paper discussed the phytochemistry, pharmacology, clinical application and product development, and propounded some suggestions for future research and economy development to get comprehensive benefit of H. rhamnoides and to serve for well-off society.
Biomedical Research ; methods ; trends ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Flavonoids ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Hippophae ; chemistry ; Humans ; Molecular Structure ; Phytotherapy ; methods ; trends ; Polyphenols ; chemistry ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETaxus species are highly valued for the production of taxol. Based on high-throughput sequenceing, EST-SSRs were explored and studied in the transcriptome of Taxus cuspidata.

METHODT cuspidata leaf cDNA was extracted and sequenced by 454 GS FLX Titanium. High-quality sequences were assembled using Newbler Assembler Software, which produced unique sequences. SSRs motif was explored using simple sequence repeat identification tool (Perl Script). Primers were designed using PRIMER3.

RESULTA total of 81 148 high-quality reads from the needles of T. cuspidata were produced using the Roche GS FLX Titanium system. A total of 20 557 unique sequences were obtained. There were 753 simple sequence repeat motifs identified. Primers of PCR were obtained for 519 EST-SSRs, randomly selected cloning sequencing revealed that 87.5% of ESTs were the same as the results of Sanger sequencing.

CONCLUSIONThe results provide the first EST-SSRs collection in Taxus and are essential for future efforts of gene discovery, functional genomics, and genome annotation in related species.

DNA Primers ; genetics ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; Gene Expression Profiling ; methods ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; methods ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Taxus ; genetics ; Transcriptome ; genetics

Objective: To study the polysaccharides in different development stages of Armillaria mellea.Method: Polysaccharides in rhizomorph, fruit-body, mycelia and its fermenting liquor of A. mellea were extracted, isolated and purified. The properties contents, molar ratio and molecular weight of the polysaccharides were determined by IR spectra, HPLC, GPC and gel chromatography. Result:The polysaccharides in mycelia and its fermenting liquor contained only glucose, the sugar contents were 9.00% in mycelia and 0.87 g*(100 ml)-1in fermenting liquor respectively. The polysaccharides in both rhizomorph and fruit-body consisted of glucose and xylose, and the molar ratio was 1∶14 in rhizomorph and 1∶10 in fruit-body respectively; the polysaccharide contents were 1.12% in rhizomorph and 2.27% in fruit-body. The molecular weight of these polysaccharides was about 10 000～70 000.Conclusion: The experimental results supply important scientific data for developing A. mellea as a medicine.

The paper reviewed compositions and pharmacological effects of eight antidiabetic herbal drugs that have been approved by health regulatory agency for commercial use in China. Investigators attributed the hypoglycemic effect of these products to their ability to restore the functions of pancreatic tissues and cause an increase in insulin output, to inhibit the intestinal absorption of glucose, or to the facilitation of metabolites in insulin-dependent processes. Treatment with herbal drugs has an effect on protecting beta cells and smoothing out fluctuations in glucose levels. The use of these naturally derived agents in conjunction with conventional drug treatments such as an chemical agent or insulin permits the use of lower doses of the drug and/or decreased frequency of administration which decreases the side effects most commonly observed.
Animals ; Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Insulin Resistance ; Panax ; chemistry ; Phytotherapy ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rehmannia ; chemistry

With the surge of high-throughput sequencing technology, it is becoming popular to perform the phylogenetic study based on genomic data. A bundle of new terms is emerging, such as phylogenomics, pharmacophylogenomics and phylotranscriptomics, which are somewhat overlapping with pharmaphylogeny. Phylogenomics is the crossing of evolutionary biology and genomics, in which genome data are utilized for evolutionary reconstructions. Pharmaphylogeny, advocated by Prof. Pei-gen Xiao since 1980s, focuses on the phylogenetic relationship of medicinal plants and is thus nurtured by molecular phylogeny, chemotaxonomy and bioactivity studies. Phylogenomics can be integrated into the flow chart of drug discovery and development, and extend the field of pharmaphylogeny at the omic level, thus the concept of pharmacophylogenomics could be redefined. This review gives a brief analysis of the association and the distinguished feature of the pharmaphylogeny related terms, in the context of plant-based drug discovery and sustainable utilization of pharmaceutical resource.
Drug Discovery ; Pharmacogenetics ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo establish the fingerprint of the hydrophilic constituents of Valeriana medicinal plants.

METHODThe HPLC-UV assay was used to establish the fingerprint of the hydrophilic constituents of Valeriana medicinal plants.

RESULTThe HPLC fingerprint profiles of the hydrophilic constituents of Valeriana medicinal plants contains 12 common peaks. The relative retention time and the ranges of relative area of the common peaks were determined.

CONCLUSIONThe fingerprint profile can be used for the identification and quality control of Valeriana medicinal plants.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Valerian ; chemistry