Radix Glycyrrhizae is a commonly used herbal drug for traditional Chinese medicine in China, and it is also an important material for drug, food, chemical industry, and dye industry. Furthermore, in Northwest China, Radix Glycyrrhizae acts as a key plant for preventing desertification, which currently is the most serious environmental problem in China. This report concentrated on discussing the great potential value of Glycyrrhiza on ecosystem, introducing the principles of protection and sustainable utilization of Glycyrrhiza resource, offering the suitable methods of utilization, and suggesting how to carry out the research on the substitute drugs. To protect the ecosystem and herbal resource of Radix Glycyrrhizae, we should use this herb in a more reasonable way.

Objective Establishment and evaluation of a mouse model of aldosterone-induced multi-organ damage.Methods Twenty mice were randomly divided into four groups,with five mice in each group:a blank control group(0 μg/(kg·d)),a low-dose aldosterone group(150 μg/(kg·d))),a medium-dose aldosterone group(300 μg/(kg d)),and a high-dose aldosterone group(450 pug/(kg·d)).Aldosterone-containing osmotic minipumps were surgically implanted under the skin,and aldosterone was infused for 4 weeks to establish the aldosterone-induced damage model.The body weight and blood pressure of the mice were recorded weekly.After the 4 week modeling period,the mice were euthanized,and their tissues were collected for observation and analysis of blood pressure and histological morphology of various organs.Results(1)After 4 weeks of aldosterone infusion,the serum aldosterone levels were significantly increased in the medium-dose and high-dose aldosterone groups,but not in the low-dose aldosterone group.(2)After the implantation of osmotic minipumps,the systolic blood pressure was significantly increased in the low-dose,medium-dose,and high-dose aldosterone groups during the second and third weeks,but decreased in all these groups during the fourth week.(3)The kidney and heart in the low-dose,medium-dose,and high-dose aldosterone groups showed varying degrees of damage,interstitial edema,collagen deposition,and fibrotic lesions.The liver in the low-dose aldosterone group showed a small amount of collagen deposition,while the medium-dose and high-dose aldosterone groups showed varying degrees of hepatocyte damage,collagen deposition,and fibrotic lesions.Conclusions Aldosterone can induce multi-organ damage in mice.Under this modeling method,organ damage is mainly manifested as edema,collagen deposition,and fibrotic lesions.