1.Design, synthesis and evaluation of oxadiazoles as novel XO inhibitors
Hong-zhan WANG ; Ya-jun YANG ; Ying YANG ; Fei YE ; Jin-ying TIAN ; Chuan-ming ZHANG ; Zhi-yan XIAO
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):164-171
Xanthine oxidase (XO) is an important therapeutic target for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. Based on the previously identified potent XO inhibitor
2.Herbal Textual Research on Picrorhizae Rhizoma in Famous Classical Formulas
Feng ZHOU ; Yihan WANG ; Yanmeng LIU ; Xiaoqin ZHAO ; Kaizhi WU ; Cheng FENG ; Wenyue LI ; Wei ZHANG ; Wentao FANG ; Zhilai ZHAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(9):228-239
This article systematically analyzes the historical evolution of the name, origin, quality evaluation, harvesting, processing and other aspects of Picrorhizae Rhizoma by referring to the medical books, prescription books, and other documents of the past dynasties, combined with relevant modern research materials, in order to provide a basis for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this medicinal herb. The research results indicate that Picrorhizae Rhizoma was first recorded in New Revised Materia Medica from the Tang dynasty. Throughout history, Huhuanglian has been used as its official name, and there are also aliases such as Gehu Luze, Jiahuanglian and Hulian. The main source of past dynasties is the the rhizomes of Picrorhiza kurrooa and P. scrophulariiflora. In ancient times, Picrorhizae Rhizoma was mainly imported by foreign traders via Guangzhou and other regions, and also produced in China, mainly in Xizang. In ancient times, it was harvested and dried in early August of the lunar calendar, while in modern times, it is mostly harvested from July to September, with the best quality being those with thick and crispy rhizomes without impurities, and bitter taste. Throughout history, Picrorhizae Rhizoma was collected, washed, sliced, and dried before being used as a raw material for medicine, it has a bitter and cold taste, mainly used to treat bone steaming, hot flashes, infantile chancre fever, and dysentery. There is no significant difference in taste and efficacy between ancient and modern times. Based on the research results, it is recommended that the rhizomes of P. scrophulariiflora in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia, or the rhizomes of P. kurrooa, can be used in famous classical formulas containing this medicinal herb, which can be processed according to the processing requirements marked by the original formula. For those without clear processing requirements, the dried raw products are used as medicine.
3.Effects of Different Microbial Fertilizers on Physiology and Rhizosphere Soil Environment of Codonopsis pilosula
Xia JIANG ; Junxi ZHAO ; Panpan SHI ; Xiaoxuan WANG ; Chenhui DU ; Shuosheng ZHANG ; Haixian ZHAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):241-251
ObjectiveTo study the effects of applying different microbial fertilizers on the growth and rhizosphere soil environment of Codonopsis pilosula and provide a theoretical basis for ecological cultivation of this medicinal plant. MethodsSeven groups were designed, including CK (no application of microbial fertilizer), T1 (Trichoderma longibrachiatum fertilizer), T2 (Bacillus subtilis fertilizer), T3 (Trichoderma viride fertilizer), T4 (compound microbial fertilizer), T5 (C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer), and T6 (Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves fermented with T. viride fertilizer). The physiological indicators, yield, and quality of C. pilosula and the physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere soil of different fertilizer treatments were measured. ResultsGroup T1 showed slight decreases in soluble protein content (SPC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Groups T2-T6 showed increases in physiological indicators such as proline (Pro), soluble solids content (SSC), SPC, catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) and a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) in C. pilosula leaves. All the fertilizer treatments increased the yield of C. pilosula and the total polysaccharide content in the roots. T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 increased the total flavonoid content in the roots. Meanwhile, T4 increased the total saponin content in the roots. All the fertilizer treatments reduced the pH and increased the electric conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), and alkaline nitrogen (AN) in the soil. T2 and T5 increased the available phosphorus (AP), and T3, T4, T5, and T6 increased the available potassium (AK) in the soil. All the fertilizer treatments increased the activities of urease, sucrase, and CAT in the soil. Except that T1 decreased the bacterial diversity in the soil, other fertilizer treatments significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil. Different fertilizer treatments significantly affected the composition of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. At the phylum level, the dominant bacterial phyla included Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Bacteroideta, and the dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, and unclassified_fungi in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula after bacterial fertilizer treatment. At the genus level, unclassified Gemmatimonadaceae, Sphingomonas, and unclassified Vicinamibacteraceae were the dominant bacterial genera, while unidentified, unclassified Fungi, and unclassified Sordariomycetes were the dominant fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil. The results of redundancy analysis indicated that the main physicochemical factors affecting changes of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula were pH, EC, AK, AN, AP, and soil organic matter (SOM) in the soil. The correlation heatmap showed that Bryobacter had significantly positive correlations with EC, AK, and AN. There was a significantly negative correlation between Fusarium and SOM. In summary, applying an appropriate amount of microbial fertilizer can promote the growth and improve the rhizosphere soil environment of C. pilosula. ConclusionThe compound microbial fertilizer and the C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer can improve the soil nutrients, growth, development, yield, and quality of C. pilosula, and thus they can be applied to the artificial cultivation of C. pilosula.
4.Effects of Different Microbial Fertilizers on Physiology and Rhizosphere Soil Environment of Codonopsis pilosula
Xia JIANG ; Junxi ZHAO ; Panpan SHI ; Xiaoxuan WANG ; Chenhui DU ; Shuosheng ZHANG ; Haixian ZHAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):241-251
ObjectiveTo study the effects of applying different microbial fertilizers on the growth and rhizosphere soil environment of Codonopsis pilosula and provide a theoretical basis for ecological cultivation of this medicinal plant. MethodsSeven groups were designed, including CK (no application of microbial fertilizer), T1 (Trichoderma longibrachiatum fertilizer), T2 (Bacillus subtilis fertilizer), T3 (Trichoderma viride fertilizer), T4 (compound microbial fertilizer), T5 (C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer), and T6 (Scutellaria baicalensis stems and leaves fermented with T. viride fertilizer). The physiological indicators, yield, and quality of C. pilosula and the physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere soil of different fertilizer treatments were measured. ResultsGroup T1 showed slight decreases in soluble protein content (SPC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Groups T2-T6 showed increases in physiological indicators such as proline (Pro), soluble solids content (SSC), SPC, catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) and a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) in C. pilosula leaves. All the fertilizer treatments increased the yield of C. pilosula and the total polysaccharide content in the roots. T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 increased the total flavonoid content in the roots. Meanwhile, T4 increased the total saponin content in the roots. All the fertilizer treatments reduced the pH and increased the electric conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), and alkaline nitrogen (AN) in the soil. T2 and T5 increased the available phosphorus (AP), and T3, T4, T5, and T6 increased the available potassium (AK) in the soil. All the fertilizer treatments increased the activities of urease, sucrase, and CAT in the soil. Except that T1 decreased the bacterial diversity in the soil, other fertilizer treatments significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity in the soil. Different fertilizer treatments significantly affected the composition of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. At the phylum level, the dominant bacterial phyla included Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Bacteroideta, and the dominant fungal phyla were Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, and unclassified_fungi in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula after bacterial fertilizer treatment. At the genus level, unclassified Gemmatimonadaceae, Sphingomonas, and unclassified Vicinamibacteraceae were the dominant bacterial genera, while unidentified, unclassified Fungi, and unclassified Sordariomycetes were the dominant fungal genera in the rhizosphere soil. The results of redundancy analysis indicated that the main physicochemical factors affecting changes of microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of C. pilosula were pH, EC, AK, AN, AP, and soil organic matter (SOM) in the soil. The correlation heatmap showed that Bryobacter had significantly positive correlations with EC, AK, and AN. There was a significantly negative correlation between Fusarium and SOM. In summary, applying an appropriate amount of microbial fertilizer can promote the growth and improve the rhizosphere soil environment of C. pilosula. ConclusionThe compound microbial fertilizer and the C. pilosula stems and leaves fermented with compound microbial fertilizer can improve the soil nutrients, growth, development, yield, and quality of C. pilosula, and thus they can be applied to the artificial cultivation of C. pilosula.
5.Analysis on Quality of Sojae Semen Praeparatum Based on Traditional Quality Evaluation
Yihan WANG ; Wangmin LIN ; Shuili ZHANG ; Bing YU ; Tiegui NAN ; Liping KANG ; Guofeng LI ; Xiyuan HE ; Zhilai ZHAN ; Luqi HUANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(1):31-42
ObjectiveBased on the quality evaluation experience of "it is better to have a fragrant and strong aroma" summarized by materia medica of past dynasties, the chemical components of Sojae Semen Nigrum(SSN) and Sojae Semen Praeparatum(SSP) were systematically compared and analyzed, and the main fermentation products in different fermentation time were quantitatively analyzed, so as to clarify the transformation law of internal components in the processing process and provide scientific basis for the modern quality control of SSP. MethodUltra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used for the structural identification of the chemical constituents of SSN and SSP, and with the aid of Progenesis QI v2.3 software, the negative ion mode was employed for principal component analysis(PCA) pattern recognition, and the data were analyzed with the aid of orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) for two-dimensional data to obtain S-plot, and components with |P|>0.1 were selected as the differential constituents. The contents of isoflavonoids in SSP during fermentation was determined by UPLC, and the samples were taken every 8 h in the pre-fermentation period and every 2 d in the post-fermentation period, and the dynamic changes of isoflavonoid contents in different fermentation stages were analyzed. The contents of amino acids and nucleosides in SSP and SSN from different fermentation stages were quantitatively analyzed by phenyl isothiocyanate(PITC) pre-column derivatization and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) gradient elution, and the contribution of flavor substances to the "delicious" taste of SSP was discussed by taste intensity value(TAV). ResultA total of 19 kinds of differential components were screened out, mainly soybean saponins and isoflavones, and their contents decreased significantly or even disappeared after fermentation. In the pre-fermentation process of SSP, glycoside bond hydrolysis mainly occurred, and isoflavone glycosides in SSN were degraded and converted into the corresponding aglycones, the content of flavor substances such as amino acids increased gradually. In the post-fermentation process, protein degradation mainly occurred, after 8 d of post-fermentation, the content of isoflavones was basically stable, while the total content of amino acids increased by 8-40 times on average. Different amino acids form the special flavor of SSP, such as the TAV of glutamate is always ahead of other flavor substances, and sweet substances such as alanine and valine have made relatively great contributions to SSP. ConclusionBased on the law of constituent transformation, combined with the traditional evaluation index of "fragrant and strong", it is difficult to control the fermentation degree of SSP by the existing standards in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. It is suggested that description of the characteristics of SSP be refined and changed to "fragrant, delicious and slightly sweet", and at the same time, the post-fermentation index compounds such as glutamic acid, alanine and valine should be added as the quality control indicators of SSP, so as to standardize the production process and improve the quality of SSP.
6.Herbal Textual Research on Olibanum in Famous Classical Formulas
Haiyan ZHOU ; Qingqing WANG ; Qi ZHANG ; Suping XIAO ; Meng CHEN ; Jianxin ZHOU ; Yeda ZHANG ; Danyang JIA ; Zhilai ZHAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(4):55-66
By consulting the ancient and moderm literature, this paper makes a textual research on the name, origin, quality evaluation, harvesting and processing of Olibanum, so as to provide a basis for the development of the famous classical formulas containing this medicinal material. According to the herbal textual research, the results showed that Olibanum was first described as a medicinal material by the name of Xunluxiang in Mingyi Bielu(《名医别录》), until Ruxiang had been used as the correct name since Bencao Shiyi(《本草拾遗》) in Tang dynasty. The main origin was Boswellia carterii from Burseraceae family. The mainly producing areas in ancient description were ancient India and Arabia, while the modern producing areas are Somalia, Ethiopia and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The medicinal part of Olibanum in ancient and modern times is the resin exuded from the bark, which has been mainly harvested in spring and summer. It is concluded that the better Olibanum has light yellow, granular, translucent, no impurities such as sand and bark, sticky powder and aromatic smell. There were many processing methods in ancient times, including cleansing(water flying, removing impurities), grinding(wine grinding, rush grinding), frying(stir-frying, rush frying, wine frying), degreasing, vinegar processing, decoction. In modern times, the main processing methods are simplified to cleansing, stir-frying and vinegar processing. Nowadays, the commonly used specifications include raw, fried and vinegar-processed products. Among the three specifications, raw products is the Olibanum after cleansing, fried products is a kind of Olibanum processed by frying method, vinegar-processed products is the processed products of pure frankincense mixed with vinegar. Based on the research results, it is recommended to select the resin exuded from the bark of B. carterii for the famous classical formulas such as Juanbitang containing Olibanum, processing method should be carried out in accordance with the processing requirements of the formulas, otherwise used the raw products if the formulas without clear processing requirements.
7.Herbal Textual Research on Farfarae Flos in Famous Classical Formulas
Tao WANG ; Xiaoying DING ; Hengyang LI ; Qi AN ; Zijing XUE ; Huikang ZHANG ; Yuguang ZHENG ; Zhilai ZHAN ; Dan ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(4):67-76
By consulting ancient and modern literature, the herbal textual research of Farfarae Flos has been conducted to verify the name, origin, producing area, quality evaluation, harvesting and processing methods, so as to provide reference for the development and utilization of the famous classical formulas containing Farfarae Flos. According to the research, the results showed that Farfarae Flos was first described as a medicinal material by the name of Kuandonghua in Shennong Bencaojing(《神农本草经》), and the name was used and justified by later generations. The main origin was the folwer buds of Tussilago farfara, in addition, the flower buds of Petasites japonicus were used as medicine in ancient times. The ancient harvesting time of Farfarae Flos was mostly in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, and the modern harvesting time is in December or before the ground freeze when the flower buds have not been excavated. Hebei, Gansu, Shaanxi are the authentic producing areas with the good quality products. Since modern times, its quality is summarized as big, fat, purple-red color, no pedicel is better. Processing method from soaking with licorice water in the Northern and Southern dynasties to stir-frying with honey water followed by micro-fire in the Ming dynasty, and gradually evolved to the modern mainstream processing method of honey processing. Based on the research results, it is suggested that the dried flower buds of T. farfara, a Compositae plant, should be selected for the development of famous classical formulas containing Farfarae Flos, and the corresponding processed products should be selected according to the specific processing requirements of the formulas, and raw products are recommended for medicinal use without indicating processing requirements.
8.Therapeutic effect of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells co-cultured with bone marrow M2 macrophages on a rat model of liver cirrhosis
Xinrui ZHENG ; Yannan XU ; Danyang WANG ; Feifei XING ; Mengyao ZONG ; Shihao ZHANG ; Junyi ZHAN ; Wei LIU ; Gaofeng CHEN ; Jiamei CHEN ; Ping LIU ; Yongping MU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(1):96-103
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) co-cultured with bone marrow-derived M2 macrophages (M2-BMDMs), named as BMSCM2, on a rat model of liver cirrhosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)/2-acetaminofluorene (2-AAF). MethodsRat BMDMs were isolated and polarized into M2 phenotype, and rat BMSCs were isolated and co-cultured with M2-BMDMs at the third generation to obtain BMSCM2. The rats were given subcutaneous injection of CCl4 for 6 weeks to establish a model of liver cirrhosis, and then they were randomly divided into model group (M group), BMSC group, and BMSCM2 group, with 6 rats in each group. A normal group (N group) with 6 rats was also established. Since week 7, the model rats were given 2-AAF by gavage in addition to the subcutaneous injection of CCl4. Samples were collected at the end of week 10 to observe liver function, liver histopathology, and hydroxyproline (Hyp) content in liver tissue, as well as changes in the markers for hepatic stellate cells, hepatic progenitor cells, cholangiocytes, and hepatocytes. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the N group, the M group had significant increases in the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P<0.01); compared with the M group, the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in ALT and AST (P<0.01), and the BMSCM2 group had significantly better activities than the BMSC group (P<0.05). Compared with the N group, the M group had significant increases in Hyp content and the mRNA and protein expression levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the liver (P<0.01); compared with the M group, the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in Hyp content and the expression of α-SMA (P<0.05), and the BMSCM2 group had a significantly lower level of α-SMA than the BMSC group (P<0.01). Compared with the N group, the M group had significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the hepatic progenitor cell markers EpCam and Sox9 and the cholangiocyte markers CK7 and CK19 (P<0.01) and significant reductions in the expression levels of the hepatocyte markers HNF-4α and Alb (P<0.01); compared with the M group, the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam, Sox9, CK7, and CK19 (P<0.05) and significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of HNF-4α and Alb (P<0.05), and compared with the BMSC group, the BMSCM2 group had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam and CK19 (P<0.05) and significant increase in the expression level of HNF-4α (P<0.05). ConclusionM2-BMDMs can enhance the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on CCl4/2-AAF-induced liver cirrhosis in rats, which provides new ideas for further improving the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on liver cirrhosis.
9.Clinical trial of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of adults with mild and moderate depression
Shu-Zhe ZHOU ; Zu-Cheng HAN ; Xiu-Zhen WANG ; Yan-Qing CHEN ; Ya-Ling HU ; Xue-Qin YU ; Bin-Hong WANG ; Guo-Zhen FAN ; Hong SANG ; Ying HAI ; Zhi-Jie JIA ; Zhan-Min WANG ; Yan WEI ; Jian-Guo ZHU ; Xue-Qin SONG ; Zhi-Dong LIU ; Li KUANG ; Hong-Ming WANG ; Feng TIAN ; Yu-Xin LI ; Ling ZHANG ; Hai LIN ; Bin WU ; Chao-Ying WANG ; Chang LIU ; Jia-Fan SUN ; Shao-Xiao YAN ; Jun LIU ; Shou-Fu XIE ; Mao-Sheng FANG ; Wei-Feng MI ; Hong-Yan ZHANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(6):815-819
Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P<0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59%(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49%(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35%(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.
10.Pan-cancer analysis revealed the correlation between SPP1 and clinical prognosis of multiple tumors
Jie CHEN ; Mo ZHANG ; Zhan-Yu MEN ; Lin CHEN ; Lu WANG ; Xiao-Cong PANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(12):1827-1831
Objective This study utilized bioinformatics to investigate the role of secreted phosphoprotein 1(SPP1)in tumors and assess its differential expression and prognostic significance across human cancers.Method Cancer sample data was sourced from the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Genotype-tissue Expression(GTEx)database.Analysis of gene expression differences in pan-cancer involving SPP1 utilized the CPTAC database,correlations between SPP1 and patient survival outcomes were assessed using GEPIA2,and alterations in gene mutations for SPP1 across 32 cancers were appraised via the CbioPortal tool.Results Across 32 tumor types,SPP1 mRNA disparity is observed in eight cancer types,decreasing only in clear cell renal carcinoma while increasing in other malignancies.Expression in tumor stage is specific;SPP1 mRNA negatively correlates with patient overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS);low methylation associated with SPP1 gene activity promotes oncogene activation,impacting tumor cell generation,apoptosis,and proliferation,thereby influencing cancer progression;SPP1 primarily exhibits missense mutations that correlate with poor prognoses in prostate and stomach cancer patients.Conclusion Through pan-cancer studies,SPP1's selective expression in human malignancies was validated and found to be strongly correlated with clinical prognosis.This suggests that SPP1 is a viable target for cancer prognostic precision.

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