ObjectiveTo investigate the quality markers of Xiaoqinglong granules（XQLG） for treating bronchial asthma using the analytic hierarchy process（AHP）-entropy weight method（EWM）， network pharmacology and high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） content determination. MethodsEffectiveness， testability and peculiarity component data of XQLG in treating bronchial asthma were constructed through database retrieval， literature review， and network pharmacology. Subsequently， AHP-EWM was used to quantitatively identify and weight the control layer and element layer， the relevant compounds were selected as candidate quality markers based on comprehensive scores. Further comparison of reference substances and establishment of HPLC content determination method were used to determine the potential quality markers of XQLG， which were verified by molecular docking with disease targets. ResultsA total of 13 components， including glycyrrhizic acid， paeoniflorin， schisandrol A， isoliquiritigenin， 6-gingerol， ephedrine， liquiritin， albiflorin， liquiritigenin， 6-shogaol， pseudoephedrine， cinnamic acid and cinnamaldehyde， were identified as potential quality markers of XQLG by AHP-EWM. Quantitative analysis indicated that all aforementioned quality markers could be detected in 13 batches of XQLG， indicating that it had stable testability as a quality marker. Among these 13 batches of samples， ephedrine and paeoniflorin exhibited good consistency in content， while pseudoephedrine and cinnamaldehyde showed poor consistency. Molecular docking analysis revealed that the 13 compounds exhibited binding energies with the core targets -2.11 kcal·mol^-1， indicating that the 13 compounds could spontaneously bind to the disease targets， which may be the material basis for the treatment of bronchial asthma with XQLG. ConclusionIn this study， 13 compounds were screened by AHP-EWM combined with network pharmacology and HPLC as quality markers for the treatment of bronchial asthma by XQLG， laying the foundation for enhancing the quality standards of this preparation.

In this study, potential quality markers(Q-markers) of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus for treating bronchial asthma were predicted based on analytic hierarchy process(AHP), entropy weight method(EWM), fingerprint, and network pharmacology. AHPEWM was employed to quantitatively identify the Q-markers of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus. AHP was used to weight the primary indicators(effectiveness, measurability, and specificity), while EWM was employed to analyze the secondary indicators of each primer indicator. Further, through fingerprint combined with network pharmacology, a ″component-target-pathway″ network was constructed to screen the components of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus for treating bronchial asthma. It was finally determined that schisandrol A,schisandrin A, and schisandrin B were potential Q-markers of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in the treatment of bronchial asthma. This study is the first to comprehensively use AHP-EWM, fingerprint, and network pharmacology to screen the key Q-markers of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in the treatment of bronchial asthma. This study provides a scientific basis for improving the quality standard of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus and lays a foundation for studying its material basis in treating bronchial asthma.
Schisandra/chemistry* ; Asthma/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Network Pharmacology ; Humans ; Entropy ; Lignans/analysis* ; Fruit/chemistry* ; Quality Control ; Cyclooctanes ; Polycyclic Compounds/analysis*

Aesculus chinensis is an important medicinal and horticultural plant. Its dried mature seeds, known as "Suoluozi", are a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. Aescins are its main active components, possessing multiple pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory and anti-exudative effects. They are widely used in the treatment of diseases such as lumbar disc herniation, postoperative edema, and sports injuries, leading to a continuous increase in market demand in recent years. The DNA binding with one finger(Dof) family is a unique transcription factor family found in the plant kingdom. It plays a crucial role in plant growth, development, stress responses, and regulation of secondary metabolism. However, research on the Dof gene family in A. chinensis is relatively scarce. In this study, we identified 36 AcDof genes from the genome of A. chinensis and analyzed their physicochemical properties, chromosomal localization, phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, cis-acting elements, and expression patterns in different tissues. The results showed that AcDof proteins ranged from 81 to 493 amino acids in length, with molecular weights ranging from 9 270.38 to 55 015.68 and isoelectric points ranging from 4.84 to 10.2. The subcellular localization analysis revealed that 34 AcDof proteins were located in the nucleus, while the remaining two AcDof proteins were located in the chloroplasts. Phylogenetic analysis divided AcDofs into nine subgroups, and gene structure analysis indicated that all AcDof genes possessed a C2-C2 type single zinc finger domain. Gene expression analysis using transcriptome data revealed tissue-specific expression patterns among AcDof family members. Specifically, AcDof04, AcDof02, and AcDof03 exhibited specific expression in seeds, suggesting their potential involvement in the regulation of aescin biosynthesis. This study not only enhances our understanding of the Dof gene family in A. chinensis but also provides important genetic resources for further investigation of the functions and regulatory mechanisms of Dof genes in this species.
Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Phylogeny ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Multigene Family

ObjectiveTo establish a rapid screening method for germplasm materials of Gastrodia elata with high purity， and lay a foundation for pure line breeding and cross breeding. MethodBased on the whole genome sequencing and population resequencing of G. elata， 20 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers were developed by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-RFLP method was used to carry out restriction endonuclease experiments on 20 RFLP markers of 15 G. elata germplasms. According to the number of enzymatic bands at 20 RFLP marker sites, the purity of 15 germplasms was calculated and evaluated. On this basis, genome resequencing technology was used to verify the assessment results. ResultTen germplasm materials with purity greater than 95% were screened out by PCR-RFLP method， 3 of which had 95% purity and 7 had 100% purity. Nine germplasm materials with purity greater than 95% were screened out by genome resequencing methods, and 8 of them were consistent with the results of PCR-RFLP. ConclusionThe PCR-RFLP method established in this study for screening G. elata germplasms with high purity precision of RFLP markers has 80% precision and 89% accuracy. The method is simple， efficient， and significantly less expensive than genome resequencing method, which provides technical support for pure line breeding of G. elata and references for breeding of other Chinese medicinal materials.

Qizhu, the dried rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala in Compositae family, is the representative wild variety of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Baizhu) with modern excellent quality. Through textual research of materia medica works and modern studies, the medication methods between Qizhu and ancient Baizhu were systematically compared. Focusing on seven key issues, this paper systematically summarized the medicinal history, characters, cultivation and other related contents of Qizhu, in order to provide a basis of Qizhu in the recovery and development of its own Daodi-status, and further serve the industrial development of this herb. The name, harvesting time, processing method and other issues had undergone a relatively complicated evolution process. At present, acknowledged points are as following：①The distribution areas of Qizhu include southern areas of the Yangtze River in Anhui province and its surrounding regions. ②Harvesting time is late October. ③Qizhu can be dried in the shade or micro-hot dried after being wrapped with absorbent paper, later it can be divided into two commercial specifications. ④In addition to cutting, there is still a lack of other processing methods. ⑤The superior characters of Qizhu contain white, less oil, fragrant smell and sweet taste and so on. ⑥The history of Qizhu as a genuine medicinal material can be traced back to the Ming dynasty.

Huangpu Tongqiao Capsules(HPTQC), with the functions of invigorating Qi and kidney, eliminating phlegm and removing blood stasis, have the effect of treating Alzheimer's disease(AD), but its mechanism needs further exploration. To explore the relationship between the therapeutic mechanism of HPTQC on Alzheimer's disease and EGFR-PLCγ signal pathway, 40 healthy male SD rats were selected and divided into 4 groups randomly: sham operation group(sham), model group(model), HPTQC group(HPTQC), and nimodipine group(NMP). AD rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of D-galactose combined with an intracerebral injection of amyloid-β peptide(25-35). After 28 days of administration, Morris water maze test and HE staining showed that the learning and memory ability of AD rats were significantly decreased(P<0.01), and hippocampal neurons were obviously da-maged. However, HPTQC could improve the learning and memory ability of AD rats(P<0.05) and reduce the damage of hippocampal neurons. Immunofluorescence test results showed that the expression levels of EGFR and p-Tau in hippocampal CA1 region of AD rats were significantly increased(P<0.01), and HPTQC could reduce the expression of EGFR and p-Tau in hippocampus of AD rats(P<0.01). Western blot results showed that the protein expression levels of EGFR, PLCγ, IP3 R and p-Tau in hippocampus of AD rats were significantly increased(P<0.01), and HPTQC could reduce the protein expression of EGFR, PLCγ, IP3 R and p-Tau in AD rats(P<0.05). RT-PCR results showed that the mRNA levels of EGFR, PLCγ, IP3 R and Tau in hippocampus of AD rats were significantly increased(P<0.01), and HPTQC could reduce the mRNA levels of EGFR, PLCγ, IP3 R and Tau in AD rats(P<0.05). The results indicate that HPTQC can improve the learning and memory ability of AD rats, and its mechanism of action may be related to regulating EGFR-PLCγ signal pathway.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; Animals ; Capsules ; Disease Models, Animal ; ErbB Receptors ; Hippocampus ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction

To better understand the formation mechanism of Gastrodia elata traits, the agronomic traits of aboveground tissues and tubers were measured and analyzed in this study. It has shown that the color and thickness of the stems of the 39 samples of the G. elata collected are affected by the germplasm and variation. Clustering analysis of 39 agronomic traits of G. elata was conducted with Ward's method and Euclidean distance. The threshold of 11.0 was divided into three groups, namely hybrid G. elata, G. elata f. elata and G. elata f. glauca. Simultaneously, the correlation analysis, coefficient of variation analysis, factor analysis and cluster analysis of 13 agronomic traits of 105 G. elata tuber samples were carried out. The results showed that the weight of G. elata was significantly positively correlated with tuber length and width. The agronomic traits of tuber were highly variable, and the depth of variability of the scar was the largest and 13 agronomic traits could be divided into 6 types of factors and the contribution up to 89.348%, furthermore, tuber length factor, width and weight factor contributed more than 20%, indicating that it is of great significance for distinguishing G. elata germplasm. Cluster analysis was performed by Ward's method and Euclidean distance, with 8.0 as the threshold can be divided into three categories in the light of the origin of the source, 33 samples from Shanxi and Hubei are clustered into one category, and 19 samples from Yunnan and Guizhou are clustered into one group, and the remaining samples are grouped into one category. This study will provide a basis for the identification and purification of G. elata germplasm and germplasm resources.
China ; Gastrodia ; Phenotype ; Plant Tubers

Moutan Cortex is one kind of famous medicinal materials. The dry root bark of Paeonia ostii which is a genuine medicinal material produced in Tongling,Anhui province,and later was introduced to Heze,Shandong province and Bozhou,Anhui province.Dangshan county is located at the northern end of Anhui province and adjacent to Shandong province. Its medicinal seedlings were came from Heze,Shandong province. At present,there is a lack of scientific investigation on the planting area of P. ostii in north China plain. On the basis of field investigation and remote sensing technology,through the data source provided by the remote sensing image of " Resources 3"( ZY-3),combined with the biological characteristics of P. ostii,the planting area of P. ostii in Dangshan county was extracted by field investigation and supervisory classification. The supervise classification method with the highest interpretation accuracy so far,the overall accuracy was 97. 81%,Kappa coefficient 0. 96. The results showed that the remote sensing classification method based on the maximum likelihood classification could extract P. ostii plots in the study area effectively. This study provides a scientific basis for the protection and rational utilization of traditional Chinese medicine resources,the development policy of traditional Chinese medicine industry and the long-term development plan in Dangshan county,and provides technical support for the poverty alleviation of traditional Chinese medicine industry in Dangshan county. It provides scientific reference for the application of remote sensing technology to investigate the planting area of P. ostii in in north China plain.
China ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Paeonia ; Remote Sensing Technology

Databases including China Biological Medicine database(CBM), Chinese scientific journals full-text database(VIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure database(CNKI), WanFang Data, PubMed, and EMbase were searched from inception to March 2018 to collect the randomized controlled trials(RCTs) on Shenqi Fuzheng Injection combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer. All included studies were critically appraised by two independent reviewers by following the cochrane systematic review method and using Revman 5.3 software and State 12.0 for data analysis. After screening, 20 RCTs involving 2 095 patients were included in the study. Meta-analysis showed that as compared with control group of chemotherapy alone, Shenqi Fuzheng Injection combined with chemotherapy could improve the clinical curative efficiency, the KPS score, and immune function indexes such as total T cells, Th cells and Ts cells; inhibit the decline of white blood cells(WBC), platelets in blood system, T-lymphocyte subsets such as CD3~+, CD4~+, CD4~+/CD8~+, alleviate myelosuppression and reduce the incidence of side effects such as gastrointestinal adverse reaction, liver and kidney dysfunction and abnormal electrocardiogram. The results revealed that for clinical breast cancer patients, Shenqi Fuzheng Injection combined with chemotherapy could significantly improve its clinical efficacy and reduce adverse reactions. However, the conclusions still need to be verified by high-quality, multi-center, large-sample, prospective, randomized and double-blind clinical trials. In conclusion, this study has systemically evaluated the efficacy and safety of Shenqi Fuzheng Injection combined with chemotherapy in treatment of breast cancer and provided the reference of evidence-based medicine for safe and effective clinical application of medicines.
Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets