Aims: The oriental-based herbs Acalypha indica (AI), Centella asiatica (CA), and Sesbania grandiflora (SG) possess a broad range of undisclosed therapeutic activities which are edible and easily available throughout the year. To convert the herb extracts into a potential drug form, aqueous (A) and methanol (M) extracts of herbs were assessed alone and in combination for their antifungal-demelanising activity and nitric oxide (NO) immunomodulatory responses. A new bioactive synergistic and antagonistic assessments approach was made on these herbs to identify which extract combination qualifies as a natural drug candidate. Methodology and results: Via micro-dilution technique, methanol extract of A. indica (AI-M) showed the strongest antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 50 mg/mL and a minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of 100 mg/mL. Sublethal (50 mg/mL) and subinhibitory (25 mg/mL) doses of AI-M produced the optimal black pigmentation reduction to demelanise A. niger. The combinations AI-M+CA-M, AI-M+SG-M, and CA-M+SG-M showed similar antifungal activities (MIC = 100 mg/mL). At 500 µg/mL, CA-A and the combination CAA+SG-A successfully induced RAW264.7 cells to produce NO at 17.85 µM and 40.84 µM, respectively. The combination of herbs extract showed synergistic interaction towards stimulation of NO production. In contrast, they demonstrated antagonism towards antifungal-demelanising properties. Compound identification of AI-M, SG-M, and SG-A were performed using a UHPLC-QTrap-MS/MS system, which detected phenolic compounds from various groups (cinnamic acids, benzoic acids, and flavonoids). Conclusion, significance and impact of study The combination of herb extracts showed better stimulation of NO production while the single herb extracts demonstrated good antifungal-demelanising activity. These findings help in the selection of herbs combination for potential natural drug discovery. A good combination of herbs demonstrated synergism to execute better bioactivities compared to individual herb extracts.
Plants, Medicinal--drug effects

Plant growth retardants are widely used in cultivation of medicinal plant, but there is still lack of scientific guidance. In order to guide the use of plant growth retardants in medicinal plant cultivation efficiently and reasonably, this paper reviewed the mechanism, function characteristic, plant and soil residue of plant growth retardants, such as chlorocholine chloride, mepiquat chloride, paclobutrazol, unicnazle and succinic acid, and summarized the application of plant growth retardants in medicinal plants cultivation in recent years, with focus on the effect of growth and yield of the officinal organs and secondary metabolites.
Agriculture ; Agrochemicals ; pharmacology ; Plant Development ; drug effects ; Plants, Medicinal ; drug effects ; growth & development

Water extract of dried ginseng, which is known as a histamine liberator and induces degranulation and disruption of mesenteric mast cells, is thought to contain many different chemical factors. The essential component, a saponin extract of dried ginseng, was obtained and administered to albino rats. Even minute amounts (l mg in 0.0l cc of normal saline solution) when locally injected into the mesentery of albino rats caused degranulation of mesenteric mast cells. Degranulation of mesenteric mast cells followed the intraperitoneal injection of a crude water extract, of an alcohol extract of dried ginseng, and a direct injection of both extracts into the connective tissue of mesentery. This degranulation is believed to be a saponin fraction of ginseng in the ginseng extracts.
Animals ; Mast Cells/*drug effects ; *Panax ; *Plants, Medicinal ; Rats ; Saponins/*pharmacology

This article introduced the theorem and method of hydroponics. Some examples of studies in agriculture and forestry were presented, the effects of elements, environmental stress and hormones on physiology of medicinal plants by using hydroponics were analyzed. It also introduced the feasibility and advantage of hydroponics in intermediate propagation and allelopathy of medicinal plant. And finally it made the conclusion that the way of hydroponics would be widely used in medicinal plant study.
Culture Media ; Hydroponics ; methods ; Plant Growth Regulators ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; drug effects ; growth & development ; physiology

The study examined the effect of DS147, the bioactive component of the traditional herbal recipe Bangdeyun, on pregnancy in mice with embryo implantation dysfunction induced by controlled ovarian stimulation (COS), and the underlying mechanisms. Female mice were superovulated by intraperitoneal injection of 7.5 IU of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) followed by an additional injection of 7.5 IU hCG 48 h later to establish embryo implantation dysfunction (EID) model. Pregnant mice were randomly divided into normal control group, COS group and DS147-treated groups. The pregnancy rate and the average implantation site were obtained on pregnancy day 8 (PD8). The side effect of 200 mg/kg of DS147 on naturally pregnant mice was also observed. Further, the uterine and ovarian tissue samples were collected on PD5 for measuring their weights, observing the development of the endometrium and ovary, and detecting the endometrial expression of MMP-2, TIMP-2, CD34 and angiogenin (ANG). The female mice treated with DS147 at doses of 100 to 800 mg/kg showed a higher pregnancy rate than those in COS group, and the highest pregnancy rate of 83.3% occurred in the 200 mg/kg DS147-treated group. Moreover, no obvious side effect was found in mice treated with 200 mg/kg DS147 on PD8 and PD16. The ovarian and uterine weights, and the expression levels of MMP-2, ANG and CD34 were significantly increased in DS147-treated groups when compared with COS group. The TIMP-2 expression level was much lower in DS147-treated mice than in COS mice and the ratio of MMP-2/TIMP-2 was much higher in DS147-treated group than in COS group, and even higher than normal control group. In all, these findings suggest that DS147 may improve pregnancy in mice with COS-induced EID by promoting matrix degradation and angiogenesis, and improving the development of corpus luteum and endometrial decidualization around the implantation window.
Animals ; Biological Factors ; pharmacology ; Embryo Implantation ; drug effects ; Female ; Mice ; Ovulation Induction ; methods ; Plants, Medicinal ; Pregnancy

In view of the increasing number of patients undergoing kidney dialysis or transplant every year, a survey of the literature on renal protective medicinal plants was undertaken. Most of them are from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Although many of the medicinal herbs reported have not been investigated in terms of active chemical ingredients, some do have compounds well characterized. They fall into a wide range of structures. Several groups of compounds with well established activities are discussed. These include: antioxidant phenolic compounds like tannins, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, unsaturated organic acids and lignans; circulation enhancing compounds like saponins, and basic alkaloids with multiple targets (G-protein coupled receptors). Also presented are proinflammatory and antiinflammatory fatty acids like linoleic (n-6) and α-linolenic (n-3) acids, respectively. Attention is also drawn to the plants containing nephrotoxic aristolochic acid. Different directions of future research are also presented. We hope that this review may provide some leads for new drug discovery and development, and more rational application of TCM.
Animals ; Humans ; Kidney ; drug effects ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Protective Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Structure-Activity Relationship

Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pinellia ; Plants, Medicinal ; poisoning

This study was conducted to determine how much of a residua1 accommodation remained one hour after three instillations of atropine or homatropine in 384 eyes of younger Koreans. The amount of residual accommodation was measured by the blur point method, and the following results were obtained. 1) The average amount of the residual accommodation was 0.96 D under l% atropine and 1.42 D under 5% homatropine. 2) In comparing the two cycloplegic agents, 1% atropine was found to be more effective than 5% homatropine. 3) Residual accommodation under l% atropine and 5% homatropine showed gradually decrease in older patients. 4) No sex difference was found.
Accommodation, Ocular/*drug effects ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Atropa belladonna/*pharmacology ; Atropine/*pharmacology ; Child ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Male ; *Plants, Medicinal ; *Plants, Toxic

China is the country possessing the largest amount of trade and consumption of medicinal plants in the world. Research and application of gene engineering on medicinal plants are the one of the most promising ways to increase the productivity and quality of medicinal plants, reduce the resource stress, and enhance the competitive power and sustainable development ability of the medicinal plants industry. In spite of the great progress in research and application of plant gene engineering worldwide, the research of gene transformation has mostly been conducted on some model plants, and the application of transgenic plant has been limited to a few staple and important crop species. For medicinal plants, recently the researches of gene transformation has emerged, however, compared with other crop and economic plants, it is still a very limited amount. On the basis of a general introduction of application of transgenic plants, this paper focuses on the present situation of the research and application of gene engineering on medicinal plants, to put forward the problems in this field, and give a prospect for its development.
Breeding ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Genetic Engineering ; methods ; Humans ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics

OBJECTIVEPrunalla vulgaris was used as the experimental material to study the effects of lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) on the related physiological and growth indexes of the plant.

METHODBy referencing the GAP and the soil environmental quality standard, the growth and inherent quality of the plant were observed under different concentrations of the heavy metals stresses. The data were statistically processed.

RESULTThe results showed that the plant grew normally when the heavy metal concentrations in soil were close to up limits of the soil environmental quality standard II. The content of heavy metal in spica met the requirement of the standard, and under the circumstances the content of ursolic acid was increased in a certain range. The critical values of Pb, Cu, Cd in the P. vulgaris grown soil were set at 450, 100, 1.0 mg x kg(-1), respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe harmful influence of the heavy metal stress at a lower concentration is lighter than at a higher concentration, and it could increase the content of ursolic acid. The stress of Pb, Cu and Cd is more obvious than that of Zn.

Cadmium ; toxicity ; Copper ; toxicity ; Lamiaceae ; drug effects ; growth & development ; physiology ; Lead ; toxicity ; Plants, Medicinal ; drug effects ; growth & development ; physiology