This paper is aimed to microscopic identification of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) using an in situ imaging method. In this study, two kinds of Zingiberaceae seeds, Amomi Rotundus Fructus and Alpiniae Katsumadai Semen, were investigated by synchrotron radiation in-line X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (IXPCT) imaging method. The results showed that the microstructures of these Zingiberaceae seeds could be clearly obtained from the virtual slices information in different observing angles. It proves that IXPCT is an effective imaging method, which can provide the imaging information for the microscopic identification of the intact TCMs in situ and non-destructively.
Amomum ; cytology ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Seeds ; cytology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo compare the morphological difference between dermal tissue of normal skin and that of scar in rat, and to explore its structural pattern.

METHODSThe full-thickness skin and the scar tissue formed 3 weeks after wound healing from SD rats were harvested as samples, which were prepared appropriately afterwards. Samples were scanned and imaged with synchrotron radiation technology, micro-CT, and phase-contrast imaging technology. The images were rebuilt with three-dimensional software.

RESULTSThe micro-CT was materialized by using X-ray generated by synchrotron radiation light source. The structure of dermal tissues was clearly shown with the assistance of phase-contrast imaging technology in the process. It was demonstrated that the dermal tissues of normal skin of rat were mainly composed of collagenous fibers, which twined together to form an olive-like structure. These olive-like structures as basic units were arranged randomly in a certain way. The collagenous fibers in dermal tissue of the scar were arranged in a parallel manner, while some fibers were crooked and arranged in a disorderly manner.

CONCLUSIONSDermal tissue of normal skin in rat has stable three-dimensional structure, and its basic structure and manner of composition are obviously different from those of scar dermal tissue.

Animals ; Cicatrix ; diagnostic imaging ; Dermis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Male ; Microscopy, Phase-Contrast ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin ; diagnostic imaging ; Synchrotrons ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Wound Healing

Strategies and techniques are extremely important to improve the evaluation efficiency and fully guarantee the consistency of dosage forms. For preparations with a structural feature as solid dosage forms and particulate dispersion systems, the structures of dosage forms are the outcome of the specific formulation and production process, which determine the drug delivery behaviors as well as the pharmacokinetics of the dosage forms. Conventional techniques failed to quantitatively determine the structures of dosage forms. Synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography is a new generation of structural quantitative characterization technology in revealing the internal structure of dosage forms with unprecedented capability for quantitative characterization of the static and dynamic structures of dosage forms, enabling to reversely analyze the production process and identify the structure differences between the generics and brand products. Based on synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography methodology researches and applications in static structures (powders, particulate systems, tablets, films, membranes, etc.), dynamic structures (hydration) and de-formulation of production process, we have classified the structures of dosage forms into four levels from macro-scope to molecular level as dosage forms, granular intermediates for formulation, dynamic structure and molecular structures, and proposed dosage form structure based new strategy for consistency evaluation. Along with conventional dissolution/ release behavior similarity, the internal structure consistency ensures high consistency between the brand product and the generics.