Aconitum is a genus of various species of flowering plants that belongs to the Family Ranunculaceae. Most Aconitum sp. have extremely toxic alkaloid substances such as aconitine, mesaconitine and hypaconitine. Among these substances, aconitine can cause fatal cardiotoxicity by activating sodium channels followed by calcium channels in myocardial cells. Even though there have been various therapeutic plans suggested comprising antidotes based on diverse case reports and studies, there is no confirmatory treatment protocol for aconite poisoning. Here, we report an aconite poisoning patient who had refractory ventricular tachyarrhythmia that did not respond to intravenous amiodarone therapies even though they were sustained for over 2 hours, but showed successful recovery following intravenous fat emulsions (IFE) therapy.
Aconitine ; Aconitum* ; Amiodarone ; Antidotes ; Calcium Channels ; Cardiotoxicity ; Clinical Protocols ; Fat Emulsions, Intravenous ; Flowers ; Humans ; Poisoning* ; Ranunculaceae ; Sodium Channels ; Tachycardia

Aconitum is a genus of various species of flowering plants that belongs to the Family Ranunculaceae. Most Aconitum sp. have extremely toxic alkaloid substances such as aconitine, mesaconitine and hypaconitine. Among these substances, aconitine can cause fatal cardiotoxicity by activating sodium channels followed by calcium channels in myocardial cells. Even though there have been various therapeutic plans suggested comprising antidotes based on diverse case reports and studies, there is no confirmatory treatment protocol for aconite poisoning. Here, we report an aconite poisoning patient who had refractory ventricular tachyarrhythmia that did not respond to intravenous amiodarone therapies even though they were sustained for over 2 hours, but showed successful recovery following intravenous fat emulsions (IFE) therapy.
Aconitine ; Aconitum* ; Amiodarone ; Antidotes ; Calcium Channels ; Cardiotoxicity ; Clinical Protocols ; Fat Emulsions, Intravenous ; Flowers ; Humans ; Poisoning* ; Ranunculaceae ; Sodium Channels ; Tachycardia

The powder X-ray diffraction(PXRD) technique was used to investigate fourteen kinds of Ranunculaceae herbal decoction pieces(RHDP) recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia and to explore a novel PXRD quality control method for RHDP. The results indicated that only three RHDP-Paeoniae Radix Alba, Paeoniae Radix Rubra, and Moutan Cortex, contained calcium oxalate monodydrate(COM), whereas no COM existed in other eleven kinds of RHDP. The difference in PXRD for Paeoniae Radix Alba and Paeoniae Radix Rubra from different growing areas were investigated. The quantitative analysis method for COM was discussed by considering the water-boiling manufacturing process of herbal decoction pieces. The water-boiling experiments revealed that the PXRD peaks from COM crystals in RHDP were enhanced significantly after boiling. Paeoniae Radix Alba, Paeoniae Radix Rubra, Moutan Cortex, Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, Aconiti Radix, Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix, and Anemone Raddeanae Rhizoma exhibited a similar series of broader peaks in the 2θ region of 15° to 35°, whose origins were discussed on the basis of chemical constituents RHDP reported by other researchers. These diffraction broader peaks most likely originated from periodic orientation of benzene ring in organic molecular crystals of aconitine-and paeonolum-based alkaloids and glycosides chemical constituents, subsequently, possibly from some other organic constituents. The PXRD technique can be used to rapidly identify Cimicifuga heracleifolia with an amorphous dispersion peak and C. dahurica with a sharp-peak feature. Climatidis Radix et Rhizoma exhibited a series of sharp PXRD peaks. The PXRD method can provide a valuable quality control method for RHDP.
Aconitum ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Paeonia ; chemistry ; Phytochemicals ; analysis ; Ranunculaceae ; chemistry ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; X-Ray Diffraction

Inflammation is a biological response caused by overactivation of the immune system and is controlled by immune cells via a variety of cytokines. The overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines enhances abnormal host immunity, resulting in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. Inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-12p40, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α might be one way to treat these conditions. Here, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of compounds isolated from Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.) Maxim., which is traditionally used as an antipyretic and analgesic in Korea. In primary cell culture assays, 12 compounds were found to inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-12p40, IL-6, and TNF-α) in vitro in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells stimulated with LPS.
Alzheimer Disease ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cimicifuga ; Cytokines ; Dendritic Cells ; Immune System ; In Vitro Techniques ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Korea ; Primary Cell Culture ; Ranunculaceae ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

OBJECTIVETo study quality test, and establish quality classification standard of Trollius chinensis.

METHODSeed purity, weight per 1 000 seeds, seed moisture content, seed viability and their exterior parameters of the seed samples from different producing areas were measured, K cluster analysis was applied for the data analysis.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONQuality of T. chinensis seeds from different producing areas was analyzed, and the primary T. chinensis seed quality classification standard was established.

Quality Control ; Ranunculaceae ; chemistry ; Seeds ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo deal with the correlation between phylogeny, chemical constituents and pharmaceutical aspects of Ranunculaceae, namely a pharmaphylogenic study of this taxon.

METHODBased on chemical, pharmaceutical (both ethnopharmacologic and pharmacological) information, linking with different plant systems of Ranunculaceae.

RESULTChemical constituents of this taxon included several natural groups: benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, ranunculin, triterpenoid glycoside and diterpene alkaloid etc. Ranunculin and magoflorine were found to present simultaneously in some plants of this taxon.

CONCLUSIONCombining with therapeutic information, pharmaphylogenic research were in accordance with the phylogenetic system presented by Tamura that Ranunculaceae was proposed to be divided into six sub-families: Helleboroideae, Ranunculoideae, Cimicfugoideae, Isopyroideae, Thalictroideae and Coptidoideae. Results also supported the establishment of Cimicifugoideae.

Benzylisoquinolines ; isolation & purification ; Cimicifuga ; chemistry ; Diterpenes ; isolation & purification ; Furans ; isolation & purification ; Helleborus ; chemistry ; Methylglycosides ; isolation & purification ; Pharmacognosy ; classification ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; classification ; Ranunculaceae ; chemistry ; classification ; Triterpenes ; isolation & purification

The clematis apiifolia A.P. DC. is a plant which belongs to Clematis Linne, Ranunculaceae. It contains anemonol, clematiscampher, clematin, labenzyme, saponin, of which anemonol is a probable irritant reacting component. We report two cases of irritant dermatitis due to Clematis apiifolia A.P.DC. plant. These patients developed painful, inflamed erythematous patches with flaccid bullae and erosions on the application sites of the crushed plant for self-treatment of arthralgia.
Arthralgia ; Clematis* ; Dermatitis, Irritant* ; Humans ; Plants ; Ranunculaceae ; Saponins

Sargentodoxae Caulis was prepared from the stems of Sargentodoxa cuneata. Twenty compounds from the the stems of S. cuneata collected in Huangshan Mountain, Anhui province, were isolated and purified by column chromatography on macroporous resin (HPD100), silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of physico-chemical properties and spectral data analyses as (7R,8S)-3,3 '-5-trimethoxy-4,9-dihydroxy-4',7-expoxy-5',8-lignan-7'-en-9'-oic acid 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(1), 1-O-(vanillic acid) -6-O-vanilloyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside(2), 4-hydroxyphenylethyl-6-O-coumaroyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside(3), citrusin B(4), cinnamoside(5), (-) -isolariciresinol 4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (6), (-) -isolariciresinol 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (7), 1-O-(vanillic acid) -6-(3", 5"-dimethoxy-galloyl) -beta-D-glucopyranoside (8), 4-hydroxyphenyl-ethyl-6-O-(E) -caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9), (-)-syringaresinol 4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (10), (-)-syringaresinol di-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (11), aegineoside (12), calceolarioside B (13), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-acetophenone-4-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (14), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-acetophenone-4-O-beta-D-apiofuranosyl-(1 --> 6) -beta-D-glucopyranoside (15), (-) -epicatechin (16), salidroside (17), 3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl ethyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (18), chlorogenic acid (19) and protocatechuic acid (20). Compound 1 was a new compound and compounds 2-7 were isolated from this plant for the first time.
Lignans ; isolation & purification ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Ranunculaceae ; chemistry

In order to characterize the chloroplast genome and phylogenetic relationships of Isopyrum anemonoides, we performed Illumina Hiseq high-throughput sequencing to sequence the complete chloroplast genome of this plant and constructed a whole-genome map based on contig assembly and annotation. The chloroplast genome of I. anemonoides is 161 034 bp in length and has a typical tetrad structure, comprising 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The genome also contains a total of 44 dispersed repeat sequences and 47 simple sequence repeats. Among the genome's 53 678 codons, the largest proportion are leucine-encoding codons (5 251), whereas the smallest proportion encode tryptophan (712). Colinear analysis revealed an absence of inversions and rearrangements between I. anemonoides and related species at the chloroplast genome level. Whereas phylogenetic analysis indicated that I. anemonoides did not cluster in a clade with I. manshuricum, it did show a very close phylogenetic relationship with Paraquilegia microphylla. The findings of this study provide basic data that will contribute to further species identification and phylogenetic study of the genus Isopyrum.
Codon ; Genome, Chloroplast/genetics* ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Phylogeny ; Ranunculaceae/genetics*

Fasciola hepatica infection may result in biliary obstruction with or without cholangitis in the chronic biliary phase. Because clinical symptoms and signs of F. hepatica are similar to other biliary diseases that cause bile duct obstruction, such as stones or bile duct malignancies, that are, in fact, more common, this condition may not be suspected and diagnosis may be overlooked and delayed. Patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or endoscopic ultrasonography for the evaluation of bile duct obstruction may be incidentally detected with the worm, and diagnosis can be confirmed by extraction of the leaf-like trematode from the bile duct. Intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) can provide high-resolution cross-sectional images of the bile duct, and is useful in evaluating indeterminate biliary diseases. We present a case of biliary fascioliasis that was diagnosed using IDUS and managed endoscopically in a patient with acute cholangitis.
Bile Ducts ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangitis* ; Cholestasis ; Diagnosis ; Endosonography ; Fasciola hepatica ; Fascioliasis* ; Humans ; Ranunculaceae ; Ultrasonography*