Rubi Fructus has a long history of medicinal and edible use in China. It contains chemical components such as terpenes, flavonoids, phenolic acids, fatty acids, and alkaloids, and possesses various pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, anti-tumor, anti-osteoporosis, and liver-protective effects. Rubi Fructus is widely applied in medical, health, and food fields. The quality of Rubi Fructus can directly affect the safety and effectiveness of clinical medication. Therefore, this article reviews the research progress on the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Rubi Fructus. Based on the concept of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) quality markers(Q-markers), the article explores the screening and determination of Q-markers for Rubi Fructus from various aspects, including plant kinship, traditional efficacy, medicinal properties, measurability of chemical composition, different processing methods, producing areas, harvesting periods, and planting conditions. The components ellagic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, rutin, astragalin, tiliroside, and hyperoside are preliminarily proposed as Q-markers for Rubi Fructus, providing a reference for the quality control of Rubi Fructus.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Rubus/chemistry* ; Fruit/chemistry* ; Quality Control ; Animals

Eucommiae Cortex, the dried bark of Eucommia ulmoides( Eucommiaceae), has both medicinal and edible values.Modern research has shown that Eucommiae Cortex contains various components such as flavonoids, lignans, iridoids, phenolic acids,terpenoids, and steroids, which have anti-osteoporosis, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, blood glucose-lowering, and gastrointestinal tract-protecting effects. Eucommiae Cortex has applications in multiple fields such as healthcare, industry, and animal husbandry,demonstrating broad development prospects. This article reviews the chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and quality control status of Eucommiae Cortex. Furthermore, according to the concept of quality marker(Q-marker), this article predicts the Q-markers of Eucommiae Cortex from traditional medicinal properties, traditional medicinal effects, new medicinal effects, measurability of chemical components, compatibility, harvesting periods, and geographical origins. The components such as pinoresinol diglucoside,chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, baicalein, baicalin, olivil, coniferyl ferulate, and kaempferol can be used as Q-markers for Eucommiae Cortex, which provide reference for establishing a systematic quality control system for Eucommiae Cortex.
Eucommiaceae/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Quality Control ; Humans ; Animals

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic, idiopathic, and recurrent gastrointestinal disorder with an unclear etiology and uncertain pathogenesis. Traditional treatment strategies rely on frequent administration of high doses of medication to reduce inflammation, whereas these approaches have limitations and may induce potential complications. Therefore, finding more effective and safe therapeutic drugs and methods is particularly important. Plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles(PDELNs) are nano-sized vesicles with a lipid bilayer structure that are secreted by plant cells. The bioactive molecules contained within, such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, can serve as information carriers, playing a role in the transmission of information and substances between cells and across species. PDELNs can carry and transfer their own bioactive substances or act as carriers for delivering other active components or drugs. Due to the high biocompatibility, low toxicity, and significant bioactivity, PDELNs have garnered widespread attention. Compared with other exosomes, PDELNs are not destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract when taken orally and can reach the intestines. This unique property makes PDELNs a promising oral nanodrug for treating intestinal diseases, showing great potential in this area. This article reviews recent research literature on PDELNs regarding the physicochemical characteristics, extraction and purification methods, functions, application characteristics and mechanisms in the treatment of intestinal diseases, and use as a carrier for treating intestinal diseases, aiming to provide a reference for the use of PDELNs in the treatment of intestinal diseases.
Humans ; Exosomes/metabolism* ; Animals ; Intestinal Diseases/metabolism* ; Plants/metabolism* ; Drug Carriers/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Nanoparticles/chemistry*

Aim To compare the effects of different methods on the preparation of ovariectomized mouse models. Methods The bilateral ovaries of mouse were completely removed by desmurgia and diathermocoagulation respectively. The effects of desmurgia and diathermocoagulation methods on ovariectomized mouse models were compared by detecting vaginal smears, organ indexes , biochemical indexes, Micro-CT was used to detect the mor-phological changes in femur tissue, and HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes in femur, uterus, thymus and spleen. Results Compared with the control group, the estrous cycle of mouse was disordered by desmurgia and diathermocoagulation, the indexes of uterus, spleen and thymus were reduced, the levels of BGP, BALP and E

Esophageal cancer is a digestive tract malignancy with high morbidity and mortality and mainly occurs in males. The 5-year survival rate is lower than 20%. In China， the morbidity and mortality of esophageal cancer rank the first in the world， seriously threatening national health. The pathogenesis of esophageal cancer is diverse， which is generally considered as the consequence of environmental-genetic-gene interaction. In addition to genetic factors and regional characteristics， gene mutation， RNA interference， DNA damage repair， tumor microenvironment， dietary habit， chronic adverse stimulation， and inflammatory reaction are all involved in the occurrence and development of esophageal cancer. However， there is no unified and accurate conclusion. Clarifying the exact pathogenesis of esophageal cancer is of great significance for its early screening， diagnosis， prevention， treatment， and prognosis. Surgery， radiotherapy， and chemotherapy are the three effective methods for the treatment of esophageal cancer. However， due to the atypical early symptoms， most patients have missed the best operation period when diagnosed， resulting in poor clinical prognosis. Moreover， radiotherapy and chemotherapy will cause side effects such as loss of appetite， low immune function， esophagitis， pneumonia， and malnutrition， which is not conducive to the prognosis and treatment maintenance of patients. With definite efficacies on esophageal cancer， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， which is flexible and diverse in the treatment， can primarily or alternatively be involved in the treatment of esophageal cancer. TCM can eliminate postoperative complications and postoperative infections and relieve adverse gastrointestinal reactions， weakened immune function， and organ damage caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It can enhance clinical efficacy and improve the quality of life of patients. Therefore， it is necessary to systematically summarize the clear pathogenesis or risk factors of esophageal cancer and review the clinical characteristics of TCM in the prevention and treatment of esophageal cancer to facilitate the early screening， diagnosis， and treatment of esophageal cancer and promote the application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of esophageal cancer and related adverse reactions.

In recent years， with the changes of people's life rhythm and living environment， the incidence of gastric ulcer has shown an increasing trend year by year， and the affected population has become younger and younger. In order to further explore the pathogenesis of gastric ulcer and its diagnosis and treatment methods， a variety of animal models of gastric ulcer have been established clinically， such as stress type， chemical factor type， pyloric ligation type， helicobacter infection type and disease-syndrome combination type. The authors intend to summarize the modeling methods and advantages and disadvantages of existing models on the basis of reviewing the etiology， pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria of gastric ulcers. It was found that the non-injurious stress method （restraint stress， restraint immersion stress and restraint freezing stress， etc.）+traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome modeling， acetic acid gavage method+TCM syndrome modeling were ideal choices for replicating animal models of acute and chronic gastric ulcer. At the same time， the analysis of the coincidence degree between each gastric ulcer model and the clinical disease characteristics of Chinese and western medicine showed that the coincidence degree of western medicine diagnostic criteria was higher than that of TCM diagnostic criteria. The successful judgment of the model was also based on western medicine diagnosis. In short， the model is insufficient in depth and breadth. It only detects a few core indicators and main indicators， ignoring the impact of secondary indicators on the diagnosis of the disease. There is also a big gap between the disease-syndrome combination model and the TCM clinical syndromes of this disease. Therefore， the depth and width of the model evaluation criteria should be strengthened， and the evaluation system of the disease-symptom combination model should be improved， in order to provide a more accurate reference for the replication of gastric ulcer models， and to replicate animal models of gastric ulcer with high coincidence degree of Chinese and western medicine for research purposes.

ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanism of total flavonoids of peony flower （TFPF） in protecting rats from gouty nephropathy and provide data support for the pharmaceutical research on the treatment of gouty nephropathy. MethodGouty nephropathy rat model was established by adenine combined with ethambutol. Rats were randomly assigned into blank control group， model group， allopurinol （42 mg·kg^-1） group， Tongfengshu tablets （600 mg·kg^-1， positive control） group， and TFPF （260， 130， and 65 mg·kg^-1） groups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 （MCP-1）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-18 （IL-18） in rat serum and those of transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁） and IL-1β in renal homogenate. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was carried out for observation of the morphological changes of renal cells. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL） was conducted for observation of the DNA damage in renal cells. The expression of NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， cysteine aspartic acid protease（Caspase）-1 and IL-1β were observed by immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1 and nuclear transcription factor -κB （NF-κB） in renal tissues were detected by Western blot. ResultCompared with blank group， the contents of TNF-α， MCP-1， IL-1β， IL-18， and TGF-β₁ in serum of model group were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the expressions of NLRP3， Caspase-1， NF-κB and IL-1β in kidney of model group were significantly increased （P<0.01）. The renal tissue cells showed cytoplasmic swelling， cell membrane rupture， and the number of nuclear pyknotic fracture increased. The positive rate of TUNEL staining was significantly increased in model group （P<0.01）， and the contents of IL-1β and TGF-β₁ in renal tissue homogenate were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， the contents of inflammatory factors TNF-α， IL-1β and IL-18 in serum of rats in TFPF high- and medium-dose groups could be decreased to different degrees （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the content of MCP-1 in TFPF high-dose group was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The content of TGF-β₁ in renal tissue homogenate in TFPF high- and medium-dose groups was significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the content of IL-1β in renal tissue homogenate in TFPF medium-dose group was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. HE staining showed that each dose group of TFPF could improve the status of renal tubular epithelial cells， reduce cytoplasmic swelling and the number of nuclear pyknosis to varying degrees. The positive rate of TUNEL staining was decreased （P<0.01） and DNA damage was decreased. The expression of NLRP3， Caspase-1， IL-1β and NF-κB protein in renal tissue cells was inhibited （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionTFPF protects rats from gouty nephropathy by inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Specifically， it may inhibit the activation of NF-κB and NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathways to reduce the expression， maturation， and release of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and IL-18 and further inhibit pyroptosis， thereby reversing the inflammatory injury of kidney in gouty nephropathy.

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical application characteristics of prescription preparations for external use in the Chinese pharmacopoeia 2020 edition （hereafter abbreviated as the Pharmacopoeia）. MethodThe topical functions， usage， dosage， dosage form， application method， and prescription of the preparations for external use in the Pharmacopoeia were analyzed. ResultThe Chinese pharmacopoeia 2020 edition includes a total of 138 prescription preparations for external use， the specific clinical usage， dosage， administration method， and efficacy evaluation of which remain unclear. These preparations can be used to treat a wide range of diseases. Specifically， the use in orthopedics and traumatology （36 preparations， accounting for 26.09%） is dominant， followed by that in internal medicine， surgery， and throat. The major application method is directly applying to the diseased area （35 preparations， 25.36%）. The main dosage forms are ointment （40 preparations， 28.99%） and powder （24 preparations， 17.39%） and others include liniments， suppositories， tinctures， and sprays. The clinical usage and dosage of these preparations are mostly unclear. Only 48 preparations （34.78%） are recorded with clear dosage and frequency of use， and 45 preparations （32.61%） have neither clear dosage nor frequency of use. The 138 prescription preparations for external use include 211 single medicines， of which 44 single medicines can be used alone. The single medicines are mostly used for heat clearing （48 preparations， 22.75%）. ConclusionThe Chinese pharmacopoeia 2020 edition （Volume I） records a large number of prescription preparations for external use， and the number shows an increasing trend. However， the usage， dosage， and efficacy evaluation criteria of these preparations remain to be improved and need in-depth research.

Endoplasmic reticulum （ER） is an important organelle responsible for protein， steroid， lipid and carbohydrate synthesis and calcium-dependent signal transduction in eukaryotic cells. ER homeostasis is essential for normal cell function. ER homeostasis imbalance can induce ER stress （ERS）， which participates in the occurrence and development of diseases of the digestive system， respiratory system， circulatory system， nervous system， reproductive system， and endocrine system， and affects body health. Among various diseases， cancers seriously endanger people′s health due to its high mortality rate， disability rate， and recurrence rate. Due to the survival characteristics of unlimited proliferation， tumor cells are often exposed to various internal and external stimuli such as hypoxia， ischemia， excessive proliferation， and starvation， which destroy intracellular protein balance and induce ERS to some extent for survival. ERS plays a major role in various tumors and has dual functions in the survival of tumor cells： promoting the survival of tumor cells by activating a series of adaptive responses， while inducing ERS-related apoptosis pathways， so as to promote tumor cell death and inhibit tumor growth and invasion. As multiple functions of ERS in tumors are reported， many scholars have tried to intervene in the progress of tumors from the perspective of ERS. The therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） on tumors has been widely recognized. TCM can participate in the regulation of tumors from many aspects， including ERS， chemoradiotherapy resistance， gastrointestinal adverse reactions caused by chemotherapy， postoperative recurrence and metastasis. Since there are few reports on the antitumor effect of TCM from the perspective of ERS， this paper expounds the influence of ERS on tumorigenesis and development and the progress of TCM intervention in tumor through ERS， in order to provide a new direction for tumor treatment.