Eleutherococcus senticosus is one of the Dao-di herbs in northeast China. In this study, the chloroplast genomes of three E. senticosus samples from different genuine producing areas were sequenced and then used for the screening of specific DNA barcodes. The germplasm resources and genetic diversity of E. senticosus were analyzed basing on the specific DNA barcodes. The chloroplast genomes of E. senticosus from different genuine producing areas showed the total length of 156 779-156 781 bp and a typical tetrad structure. Each of the chloroplast genomes carried 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. The chloroplast genomes were relatively conserved. Sequence analysis of the three chloroplast genomes indicated that atpI, ndhA, ycf1, atpB-rbcL, ndhF-rpl32, petA-psbJ, psbM-psbD, and rps16-psbK can be used as specific DNA barcodes of E. senticosus. In this study, we selected atpI and atpB-rbcL which were 700-800 bp and easy to be amplified for the identification of 184 E. senticosus samples from 13 genuine producing areas. The results demonstrated that 9 and 10 genotypes were identified based on atpI and atpB-rbcL sequences, respectively. Furthermore, the two barcodes identified 23 genotypes which were named H1-H23. The haplotype with the highest proportion and widest distribution was H10, followed by H2. The haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were 0.94 and 1.82×10~(-3), respectively, suggesting the high genetic diversity of E. senticosus. The results of the median-joining network analysis showed that the 23 genotypes could be classified into 4 categories. H2 was the oldest haplotype, and it served as the center of the network characterized by starlike radiation, which suggested that population expansion of E. senticosus occurred in the genuine producing areas. This study lays a foundation for the research on the genetic quality and chloroplast genetic engineering of E. senticosus and further research on the genetic mechanism of its population, providing new ideas for studying the genetic evolution of E. senticosus.
DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; Eleutherococcus/genetics* ; Base Sequence ; Chloroplasts/genetics* ; Genetic Variation ; Phylogeny

Neurodegenerative diseases are global public health problems that seriously affect the quality of human life. The incidence of neurodegenerative diseases is increasing year by year and there has been no effective treatment. Acanthopanax senticosus is a Chinese medicine for tonifying kidney and has a long medicinal and edible history. It contains many active ingredients such as saponins, coumarins, flavonoids, organic acids and polysaccharides, with pharmacological effects of anti-oxidation, anti-age, anti-inflammation, anti-fatigue and immune regulation. Modern medical studies have found that A. senticosus can act on the central nervous system, and its extracts and active ingredients can improve learning and memory ability, playing vital roles of anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, antagonizing against amyloid β protein(Aβ) toxicity, modulating neurotransmitter release, signaling pathways and brain energy metabolism, maintaining the structure and function of mitochondria, and epigenetic regulation. It treats neurodegenerative diseases via multiple components, multiple targets, and multiple pathways, with the characteristics of low toxic side effects. This study reviewed the pharmacological reports of A. senticosus on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and ischemic stroke in China and abroad in recent ten years, and summarized the active ingredients and the mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effects of A. senticosus. Additionally, the significant advantages of A. senticosus in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and the limitations of the reports were discussed from the aspects of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) theory and modern medical research. This study provided theoretical support for the drug development and clinical application of A. senticosus in treating neurodegenerative diseases and also facilitated the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases by kidney-tonifying method in TCM.
Amyloid beta-Peptides ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Eleutherococcus/chemistry* ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Humans ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/prevention & control* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use*

To investigate the clinical characteristics and the rule of administration of Ciwujia Injection in patients with cardiovascular disease by correlation analysis and frequency analysis. The information of 5 904 patients who used Ciwujia Injection to treat cardiovascular disease for at least three times in the hospital information system(HIS) of 19 comprehensive tertiary hospitals nationwide. The frequency analysis method was used to analyze the higher frequency variables, and the algorithm of Apriori correlation analysis method was used to analyze the clinical characteristics and medication laws of Ciwujia Injection in treating patients with cardiovascular disease. Among the 5 904 patients, the median age of the patients was 70 years, and the number of patients between 65-75 years old was up to 2 096(35.5%). There were more women than men in terms of diagnosis and treatment, and the women at age of 45-65 and 65-75 years old were more than men. The top three diagnoses by Western medicine were coronary heart disease in 8 104 cases(65.66%), dyslipidemia in 2 515 cases(20.38%), and cardiac function grade Ⅱ-Ⅲ in 581 cases(4.71%), while the largest number of syndromes in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) at discharge was 1 109(21.37%) in other type, followed by 739 cases(14.24%) of Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome, and 698(13.46%) of liver and kidney Yin deficiency syndrome. The most frequently used Western medicine in combined use was Nifedipine in 2 567 cases(7.21%), and most frequently used TCM was Compound Xianzhuli Liquid leachate in 766 cases(3.53%). From the results of pharmacological analysis, the frequency of using Ciwujia Injection + stasi-seliminating agent + calcium channel blocking drugs was highest when using 1 Chinese medicine combined with 1 or 2 Western medicines. In the use of 2 Chinese medicines combined with 1 Western medicine, Ciwujia Injection + heat-clearing agent + stasis-eliminating agent + calcium channel blocker was the most common. This study demonstrated that Ciwujia Injection was more common in middle-aged and elderly patients and more in women than men. Treatment should be based on different cardiovascular disease treatment guidelines to reduce complications caused by underlying diseases, and attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of cardio-vascular disease risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes and abnormal lipid metabolism. According to the analysis of frequency distribution and association rules, it was concluded that Ciwujia Injection was mainly used in combination with calcium channel blockers and stasis-eliminating agents in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. In the treatment of cardiovascular diseases by Ciwujia Injection in combination with other Chinese and Western medicines, in order to avoid pharmacological changes and avoid affecting the efficacy of the drug, it is necessary to closely observe whether adverse reactions occur and ensure that the medication is safe and effective. This study provides a good reference for the follow-up clinical guidance of Ciwujia Injection.
Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Eleutherococcus ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Yin Deficiency

To explore the real world clinical application characteristics and the drug combination regularity of Ciwujia Injection, 12 554 cases of patients with Ciwujia Injection were extracted from the information systems of 24 class Ⅲ grade A hospitals in China, and a standardized analysis was carried out. Most of the patients were middle-aged and old-aged, and the main departments were cardiovascular department(22.50%) and neurology department(17.92%). Before 2008, 93.77% of the patients were single overdose users, which reduced to only 2.07% after 2011. The course of treatment was mostly between 8-14 days(32.98%). The top three di-seases diagnosed by Western medicine were hypertension(11.78%), cerebral infarction(9.47%), and coronary heart disease(8.15%), and the most common traditional Chinese medicine syndrome was the deficiency of liver and kidney(18.59%). The most commonly used Western medicine was Acetylsalicylic Acid(51.07%), and the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicine was Danshen Injection(9.67%). The most commonly used Western medicine in combined application was calcium channel blocker(46.88%), and the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in combined application was stasis removing agent(93.21%). And the drug combination with the highest support was Isosorbide Mononitrate + Acetylsalicylic Acide, with a high recovery rate after discharge(96.81%). The results showed that Ciwujia Injection had certain regularity. It considered underlying concurrent diseases, anticoagulation and blood circulation, with a wide range of effects in strengthening the body and regulating the mind. The results could expand the understanding of Ciwujia Injection and provide a more detailed real world basis and reference for optimizing therapeutic regimen in clinic.
Aged ; Aspirin ; China ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Eleutherococcus ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged

The growth parameters,clonal propagation parameters and sexual reproduction parameters of Acanthopanax giraldii population were systematically investigated and analyzed by means of population ecology in this study. The correlation among the above mentioned parameters and the correlation among canopy density,topography and soil fertility factors were analyzed. It is clear that there was a significant correlation among the clonal ramets,the fruit production capacity of the cluster and the new shoot production capacity of the A. giraldii. Sexual reproduction and clonal reproduction played an important role in the continuation of the population. Illumination was the key ecological factor that determined growth type. The increase in canopy density changed the population from " group clonal growth" to " guerrilla clonal growth",and the higher stand closure degree and low-strength herb layer competition was a necessary condition for seed germination and colonization. Under the background of natural forest protection and sustainable development of resources,the reproductive characteristics of wild A. giraldii resulted in the decrease of its recoverable quantity.
Ecosystem ; Eleutherococcus ; growth & development ; physiology ; Forests ; Reproduction ; Soil

The aim of this paper was to discuss the protective effect and mechanism of Acanthopanax senticosus polysaccharides( ASPs) on immunological liver injury caused by conanavalin A( Con A). BALB/c mice were randomly divided into seven groups: control group,model group( Con A),low-,medium-,and high-dose( 36. 25,72. 5,145 mg·kg~(-1)) ASPs groups,bifendate( 200 mg·kg~(-1),positive drug) group and pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate( PDTC,NF-κB inhibitor,200 mg·kg~(-1)) group. ASPs groups and bifendate group were given with corresponding drugs by ig administration once daily for 7 d. Control group,model group and PDTC group were given with normal saline by ig administration once daily for 7 d. After the last ig administration,PDTC was given in DTC group by iv administration( 200 mg·kg~(-1)); 0. 5 h after that,Con A( 20 mg·kg~(-1)) was injected via the tail vein to induce immunological liver injury in all the mice except normal control group. The mice were killed 8 h later and their liver tissues were collected for histopathological examination. The contents of nitric oxide( NO),superoxide dismutase( SOD),malondialdehyde( MDA),reduced glutathione( GSHPX),interleukin( IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor( TNF-α) in liver tissues were detected by kit assay. Western blot method was used to detect TNF-α,intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1( ICAM-1),inducible nitric oxide synthase( i NOS) and nuclear factor( NF-κB) protein expression in liver tissues. As compared with model group,ASPs not only could reduce the activity of MDA,NO,IL-1β and TNF-α,but also increase the content of GSH-PX and SOD; at the same time,the protein expression levels of TNF-α,ICAM-1,i NOS and NF-κB were reduced in liver tissues; in addition,inflammatory cell infiltration was alleviated,hepatocyte cytoplasm was loose and swollen,and nuclear condensation and staining were improved. ASPs has a protective effect on immunological liver injury,and the mechanism may be associated with regulating secretion of inflammatory cytokines and the expression of adhesion factor through NF-κB signaling pathway.
Animals ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; drug therapy ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Eleutherococcus ; chemistry ; Liver ; drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Peptides, Cyclic ; Polysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Signal Transduction

The present study was conducted to explore the effect of endophytic fungi fraction on growth and anti-oxidative activity of Eleutherococcus senticosus. The growth,yield,contents of MDA,and antioxidant activities were assessed in E. senticosus under five fungi fractions,namely BZ,MH,DT,JS,and XFZ. The results showed that fungi fractions and component significantly affected the growth,low concentration of DT fungi fraction significantly increased the biomass of E. senticosus,reduced the MDA content in cells,and the antioxidant activities of the aqueous extracts were superior to the others. The results indicated that low concentration of DT fungi fraction was the optimum fraction to achieve high yield and quality of E. senticosus.
Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Eleutherococcus ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Fungi ; chemistry ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress

This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of Acanthopanax sessiliflorum fruit (ASF; Ogaza) extracts on Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus, which are agents that cause dental caries, and on Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus salivarius, the microbial flora of the oral cavity. The ASF extracts obtained using 70% ethanol were fractionated in the order of ethyl acetate and n-Butanol, concentrated under reduced pressure, and lyophilized to give powdery solvent extracts. The antimicrobial activity of ASF extracts from each solvent was examined using the disk diffusion method. As a result, only those extracts obtained using an ethyl acetate solvent showed antimicrobial activity. These extracts were selected, and the minimum inhibitory concentration was measured by disk diffusion method at various extract concentrations. Results showed a minimum inhibitory concentration of 32 mg/ml. The viable cell count was measured to confirm the minimum bactericidal concentration. Results showed a minimum bactericidal concentration of 64 mg/ml. In the cytotoxicity test using normal human dermal fibroblast cells, the absorbance value of the test group was similar to that of the control group at 0.64, 1.28, and 6.4 mg/ml. The bacteria and their colonies were examined using a scanning electron microscope. Boundaries between the antimicrobial activity region and non-antimicrobial activity region were observed around the paper disk, which was immersed in the extract with 32 mg/ml concentration. Bacterial colonization was not observed in the area with antimicrobial activity. This finding suggests that ASF extracts can inhibit the growth of some microorganisms in the oral cavity, in addition to the effects of these extracts known to date. In particular, ASF extracts may be used as a preparation for preventing dental caries by adding the extract to the toothpaste or oral mouthwash.
1-Butanol ; Bacteria* ; Cell Count ; Colon ; Dental Caries ; Diffusion ; Eleutherococcus* ; Ethanol ; Fibroblasts ; Fruit* ; Humans ; Methods ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Mouth ; Streptococcus ; Streptococcus mitis ; Streptococcus mutans ; Streptococcus sobrinus ; Toothpastes

The kaurenoic acid-type diterpenoids in Acanthopanacis Cortex have been reported to be the major active components. However, the diterpenoids are present as position isomers that exacerbate the challenges in obtaining standards compounds. Little work has been done on the quantitative analysis of the diterpenoids in the herb. In the present study, two diterpenoid isomers ent-16βH,17-isovalerate-kauran-19-oic acid (1) and ent-16βH,17-methyl butanoate-kauran-19-oic acid (2) with high purity were separated by analytical HPLC, followed by recrystallization in acetone. Furthermore, an HPLC-ELSD method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of 1 and 2 in 9 batches of Acanthopanacis Cortex samples. The HPLC separation and quantification was achieved in 40 min using an Agela Promosil C column eluted with a gradient of water and acetonitrile. The calibration curves showed good linearity (r ≥ 0.999 9) within the test ranges. The LOD ranged from 0.407 2 to 0.518 0 μg and LOQ ranged from 1.018 0 to 1.295 0 μg. The precisions (%RSD) were within 1.47% for the two isomers. The recovery of the assay was in the range of 98.78%-99.11% with RSD values less than 2.76%. It is the first time to establish a quantitative HPLC method for the analysis of the bioactive kaurenoic acid isomers in the herb.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Diterpenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Eleutherococcus ; chemistry ; Isomerism ; Plant Roots ; chemistry

In order to find potential therapeutic agents on lung inflammatory conditions, the extracts of Acanthopanax divaricatus var. albeofructus were prepared and its constituents were isolated. They include lignans such as (+)-syringaresinol (1), acanthoside B (2), salvadoraside (3) and acanthoside D (4), lariciresinol-9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5) and phenylpropanoids such as 4-[(1E)-3-methoxy-1-propenyl]phenol (6), coniferin (7), and methyl caffeate (8). The extracts and several constituents such as compound 1, 6 and 8 inhibited the production of inflammatory markers, IL-6 and nitric oxide, from IL-1beta-treated lung epithelial cells and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated alveolar macrophages. Furthermore, the extracts and compound 4 significantly inhibited lung inflammation in lipolysaccharide-treated acute lung injury in mice by oral administration. Thus it is suggested that A. divaricatus var. albeofructus and its several constituents may be effective against lung inflammation.
Eleutherococcus* ; Acute Lung Injury ; Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Epithelial Cells ; Interleukin-6 ; Lignans ; Lung* ; Macrophages ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; Pneumonia*