Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury(IDILI)is an adverse drug reaction that occurs only in a minority of the population. IDILI also has many characteristics such as unpredictable and low morbidity, its occurrence has often not been clearly correlated with the dose, route, or duration of drug administration. Several studies have shown that IDILI is a synergistic effect which was caused by body diathesis, environment and drugs. In addition, evidence also suggests that most IDILIs are mediated by immunity. Chemical medicines-related IDILIs have been extensively studied, and a variety of immunological mechanism hypotheses have also emerged to explain the pathogenesis and characteristics of chemical medicines-related IDILIs. However, the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)-related IDILI has always been neglected due to the complexity and specificity of TCM. In recent years, TCM-related IDILI has been gradually confirmed by researchers, and formed a new hypothesis, a immunological stress-mediated tri-elements synergetic mechanism hypothesis, which can reveal the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of TCM-related IDILI. This paper is prepared to summarize the immunological mechanism hypotheses of chemical medicine-related IDILI and TCM-related IDILI to provide a scientific basis for guiding IDILI research and establishing its clinical risk prevention and control measures.

To investigate the effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPAR-γ)on the liver injury of Polygonum multiflorum, we established a model of immunological idiosyncrasy liver injury induced by lipopolysaccharide. The 70 Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into control group, LPS group(2.8 mg·kg^-1), PM group(crude drug, 2.16 g·kg^-1), PPAR-γ agonist group(pioglitazone, 0.5 mg·kg^-1), PM+LPS group(crude drug 2.16 g·kg^-1, 2.8 mg·kg^-1), PPAR-γ agonist+LPS group(0.5 mg·kg^-1, 2.8 mg·kg^-1)and PM+LPS+PPAR-γ agonist group(crude drug, 2.16 g·kg^-1, 2.8 mg·kg^-1, 0.5 mg·kg^-1). The rats were orally given PM, once a day for consecutive 2 days. The control rats were given the same amount of distilled water. Liver injury was induced by intravenous injection of LPS. Sodium pentobarbital was injected intraperitoneally for anesthesia, and liver samples were collected together with blood. The plasma levels of alanine transaminase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6) and interferon-γ(IFN-γ)were measured. Pathological changes and hepatocellular apoptosis were examined by liver biopsy, and immunohistochemical observation of liver tissue expression of PPAR-γ and NF-κB p65. A negative correlation was observed between the expression of PPAR-γ in hepatic tissue and liver injury of Polygonum multiflorum. PPAR-γ agonist significantly reduced the PM-induced idiosyncratic liver injury in rats according to serum ALT and AST(P < 0.05), reduced liver pathological injury and hepatocyte apoptosis, decreased serum TNF-α and other inflammatory cytokines(P < 0.05), liver tissue PPAR-γ expression, and inhibited expression of NF-κB p65(P < 0.05). The results suggest that the occurrence of immunological idiosyncrasy liver injury of PM is related to inhibition of the PPAR-γ pathway and elevation of inflammatory factors. PPAR-γ agonist can reverse the idiosyncratic liver injury induced by PM, and provide a reference for elucidating mechanism of idiosyncratic liver injury induced by Polygonum multiflorum.

On basis of the idiosyncratic lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-mediated hepatotoxicity model, liver injury induced by Zhuangguguanjie wan(ZGW)was evaluated, and the mechanism was explored. Idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity model was established in rats by injecting LPS at a dosage of 2.8 mg·kg^-1. Rats were randomly divided into the normal control group, LPS group, ZGW group and LPS+ZGW group. Alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)activities were analyzed in serum; pathological changes(HE staining)and the content of cytokines of liver were tested; and immune cell subpopulation ration were determined in blood and liver. Compared with the control group, the ZGW group and LPS group had no significant changes in ALT, AST and liver pathology(P > 0.05); while the ZGW+LPS group exhibited an elevation in ALT and AST(P < 0.05). Disorder of liver lobular arrangement and irregular island-like or massive necrosis of liver cells were observed in the group. Several cytokines in the liver were increased in LPS group and ZGW+LPS group(P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and the level in ZGW+LPS group was higher than that of LPS group. Compared with the control group, the ratio of CD3⁺ T cell/lymphocyte of blood in LPS group was significantly decreased(P < 0.01); while the percentage of CD3⁺ T cells in the liver were significantly increased(P < 0.05). The contents of immune cells of blood had no significant changes between LPS group and ZGW+LPS group(P > 0.05). CD3⁺ T cell in the liver of ZGW+LPS group was significantly increased over the LPS group(P < 0.05). Aggregation or activity of CD3⁺ T cell was increased by ZGW combined with LPS. These results suggest that ZGW could promote T lymphocyte recruitment to liver under the immune activation state leading to inflammatory response, which may contribute to idiosyncratic liver injury.

This study was designed to investigate the correlation between idiosyncratic liver injury and content of cis-2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside(cis-SG)in radix Polygoni multiflori Preparata(RPMP). In order to compare the effect of hepatotoxicity of different cis-SG contents in RPMP, rats were administered with 50% alcohol extracts of RPMP(7.56 g·kg^-1, via intragastric administration)alone or co-treated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS, 2.8 mg·kg^-1, via tail vein injection). The results showed that no significant alterations of plasma ALT and AST activities were observed in the normal rats. In the LPS treated rats, the group without light treatment and the group with 0.10% cis-SG after light treatment did not exhibit obvious injury in liver. The group with 0.35% cis-SG after light treatment and the group with 0.70% cis-SG after light treatment showed significant increases in ALT, AST, TNF-α, IL-6, NF-κB p65 and apoptosis rate(P < 0.05), causing pathological changes in the liver tissue. Through the content analysis of drug in patients with liver injury, we found that the content of cis-SG( > 0.40%)was generally higher than that of pieces collected from different origins( < 0.10%). The comparative analysis of experiments and clinical data showed that there was a relationship between the content of cis-SG and idiosyncratic liver injury. In order to reduce the risk of clinical medication, the content of cis-SG of 0.10% should be a limit of quality control in the production processing of Polygonum multiflorum.

In this study, the three dimensional(3D)organoid culture system was established by liquid overlay method, and applied as an effective model to evaluate the hepatic injury of susceptible compounds in Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. Compared with the ordinary two dimensional(2D)culture of liver cells, the albumin expression of L02 cells and HepG2 cells were increased by 2.5 and 6.7 times in the 3D organoid culture system, respectively. After the cultivation of 21 days, urea generation levels of 3D culture were increased by 8.3 and 15.5 times. More importantly, HepG2 cells were more suitable to development of organoids than L02 cells. The gene expressions of phase Ⅰ and Ⅱ drug metabolism enzymes of HepG2 cells cultured as 3D organoids were significantly increased than that in 2D culture, such as the fold changes of CYP2C9 was up to 381.9, CYP3A4 to 87.0, CYP2D6 to 312.6. In addition, drug transporter relative genes were also up-regulated. The results demonstrated that the liver synthesis and metabolic function of the 3D model were better than that of the 2D cultured hepatocytes. The results of hepatotoxicity evaluation showed this developed model can be used to assess the hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen and other positive control drugs, which were considered with defined hepatotoxicity. On the 3D culture model, the IC₅₀ value of repeated drug dose administration was significantly lower than that of single dose administration. However, the IC₅₀ of 2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxy-cis-stilbene-2-O-β-glucoside(cis-SG), which is the susceptible compound in Polygonum multiflorum Thunb., could not be detected in 2D cultured model. With the treatment of a single dose administration in organ 3D culture model, the IC₅₀ of cis-SG was 1.9 times than that of cyclosporine A, and the IC₅₀ of 2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxy-trans-stilbene-2-O-β-glucoside(trans-SG)was 4.1 times than cis-SG. The hepatotoxicity results of cis-SG and trans-SG on the 3D cultures were similar to in vivo toxicity results obtained in previous work. On organ 3D culture model, the IC₅₀ of cis-SG with repeat of administration decreased compared with that with single dose administration, suggesting that long-term medication may increase the risk of liver injury. In summary, the 3D organoid culture system can be used for a long period to preserve the capacity of liver synthesis and metabolism. The organoids were a model suitable for evaluation of mechanism of the drugs with low toxicity.

The drug hepatotoxicity assessment method in vitro was established by 3D organoid model of HepaRG cell line in combination with high content imaging analysis. HepaRG cells were differentiated into hepatocyte-like morphology and bile canaliculus-like structures by treatment with hydrocortisone and dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO), inducing the expressions of drug-metabolizing enzymes, transporters, nuclear receptors and hepatocyte-specific protein albumin(ALB)genes, finally forming the stable organoids with closely resembling liver function in vitro. Through the high content imaging analysis and the specific, multi-targets fluorescent dye, the number of live/dead cells, mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP), intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS)were analyzed for the drug hepatotoxicity evaluation. The results showed that the organoids evaluation model of HepaRG cells in vitro could be used to assess accurately the difference between hepatotoxicity positive control drugs of amiodarone(AMD), cyclosporin(CSP)and the negative control drug of aspirin(ASP): AMD and CSP concentration-dependently decreased the number of total and live organoid cells. The number of dead organoid cells was increased sharply when the concentration of AMD was more than 50 μmol·L^-1, while no significant changes was observed for ASP. AMD and CSP concentration-dependently caused the MMP declined and the ROS increased, with AMD showing a greater degree than CSP and ASP presenting no markedly effect. In conclusion, the organoid evaluation method of HepaRG cells in combination with high content imaging analysis can be used for the drug hepatotoxicity assessment in vitro. It displays the advantages of multi-target, high throughput, intuitive results as well as quantitatively.

By using the drug metabolizing enzyme inhibitors, the effects of metabolic factors on potential liver injury induced by the main component, trans-2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside(trans-SG), in Polygonum multiflorum was investigated. The main metabolic enzyme isoforms involved in trans-SG metabolism were also screened. The results showed that trans-SG at the dosage 31 mg·kg^-1 did not cause liver injury; and the combination of trans-SG with the phase Ⅰ metabolic enzyme inhibitor, 1-benzylimidazole (10 mg·kg^-1), did not change the degree of liver injury(compared with LPS + trans-SG group, P > 0.05). However, the combination of trans-SG with phase Ⅱ metabolic enzyme inhibitor, ketoconazole(35 mg·kg^-1), significantly increased the degree of liver injury(compared with LPS + trans-SG group, P < 0.05). The phase Ⅰ metabolites of trans-SG were not detected in human liver microsomes phase Ⅰ metabolism system, while the phase Ⅱ trans-SG metabolites were detected in recombinant human UGT isozymes phase Ⅱ metabolism system. Six isoforms of uridine diphosphate glucuronate transferase(UGT)exhibited abilities to metabolize trans-SG and the order of metabolic ability was: UGT1A1 > UGT1A9 > UGT1A7 > UGT1A10 > UGT2B7 > UGT1A8. The results showed that trans-SG was mainly metabolized by UGT in phase Ⅱ metabolism. The inhibition of drug metabolizing enzymes of phase Ⅱ can increase the liver injury susceptibility of trans-SG, which provides a reference to the evaluation of susceptible factors and drug incompatibility research of Polygonum multiflorum.

It is investigated that the hepatotoxicity of Polygonum multiflorum (PM)was attenuated by its processed products of nine times steaming and nine times sunning(RPM)based on immunological stress-mediated animal model by using metabolomics method. Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were intragastrically administered with(5.4 g crude drug per kg body weight)of 50% alcohol extracts of PM and its processed products of nine times steaming and nine times sunning respectively or co-treated with non-toxic dose of lipopolysaccharide(LPS, 2.8 mg·kg^-1)via tail vein injection. The plasma alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)activities were assayed and the isolated livers were evaluated for histopathological changes. Global metabolomics profiling, multivariate analysis and data base searching were performed to discover common differential metabolites for idiosyncratic liver injury. The results showed that co-treatment with non-toxic dose of LPS and PM could result in significant liver injury, indicated by the elevation of plasma ALT and AST activities, as well as obvious liver histologic damage; whereas RPM failed to induce detectable liver injury. Furthermore, 10 potential metabolomics biomarkers that differentially expressed in LPS/PM group compared with LPS/RPM without liver injury were identified by untargeted metabolomics, mainly involved ten pathways: sphingolipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, galactose metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, pyrimidine metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, primary bile acid biosynthesis. This work illustrated the idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity of heshouwu and provided a metabolomic insight into diosyncratic liver injury of PM and RPM.

In this study, rats were used to evaluate the effect of Radix glycyrrhiza on reducing liver toxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii. Metabonomics techniques were used to analyze the changes of small molecular metabolites and the metabolic pathways involved in the beneficial process. Different groups of rats were given for the extractions from Tripterygium wilfordii and Tripterygium wilfordii together with Radix glycyrrhiza. The general state, pathological changes of liver tissue, biochemical indexes of liver function and the changes of inflammatory factors in rats were observed. The results showed that the liver tissue injury of Tripterygium wilfordii group was significant, and the injury was reduced by Radix glycyrrhiza. Biochemical indexes and inflammatory factors also suggested that Tripterygium wilfordii together with Radix glycyrrhizaeffectively decreased the liver toxicity. HPLC-MS/MS-IT-TOF was used to characterize the difference of serum metabolism in rats. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to screen 15 potential biomarkers, such as fatty acid, glycerol ester, glycerol phosphate, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. It mainly involved in 7 metabolic pathways, such as glycerol phospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, alpha linoleic acid metabolism, and glycosyl phosphatidylinositol terminal biosynthesis. The results showed that the Tripterygium wilfordii compatibility of Radix glycyrrhizaeffectively decreased the liver toxicity induced by Tripterygium wilfordii. Phospholipid metabolism may be the key metabolic pathway of Tripterygium wilfordii hepatotoxicity and the target of Radix glycyrrhiza. This study provides a reference for the control of liver toxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii.

Heat shock protein 90(HSP90), as an essential molecular chaperone, regulates the folding, assembly and maturation of a wide range of oncogenic client proteins. The process of adenosine triphosphate(ATP)binding and adenosine diphosphate(ADP)/ATP exchange act as a conformational switch to regulate the chaperone function of HSP90. Furthermore, this process is controlled by a range of accessory proteins(as referred to co-chaperones), such as Hop, CDC37, p23, AHA1, PP5, etc. This article describes the structure and function of several co-chaperones, and their roles in tumor progress.

Actinobacteria remain to be one of the major sources for new antibiotics, which historically play an essential role in human's fight against infectious diseases. Due to the emergence of resistant pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses, it is imperative to develop new and effective drugs against these pathogens. The symbiotic actinobacteria residing inside the animals are becoming more and more important as a new source for drug discovery, as well as a "hotspot" in the field of microbial medicine. During the long period of evolution, a specific host-microbe mutualism is formed between the symbiotic bacteria and their hosts of animals. In this unique ecosystem, the secondary metabolites produced by bacteria are well tolerated by the hosts, meanwhile, are able to selectively suppress pathogenic microorganisms, thus providing a specific protection to their hosts. These secondary metabolites encompass a large variety of structural diversities of natural products, and so far, the reported biological activities are including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antitumor, and immunomodulatory effects, which give them a great potential in the field of drug discovery. Herein, we review the secondary metabolites of animal symbiotic actinobacteria and their biological activities within the recent decade, by which to provide a viewpoint for future research of drug discovery from actinobacteria.

The methylation of histone lysine plays a pivotal role in epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Histone lysine methylation modifications have 5 sites within histone H3(K4, K9, K27, K36, K79) and 1 site within histone H4(K20). Methylation at various sites has been shown to lead to transcriptional activation or silencing. Histone lysine methyltransferases(HKMTs)and histone lysine demethylases(HKDMs)collectively regulate the methylation modification state of histone lysine. It was reported that the mis-regulation of HKDMs is associated with the occurring and resistance of numerous malignant tumors, so more and more attention are received to HKDMs. Therefore, it is great significant in the study and development of HKDMs inhibitors. The inhibitors could be served not only as a tool in the investigation of the biological function, but also could be used as novel anti-cancer agents in the anticancer therapy. In this review, we provide a short summary of the HKDMs inhibitors recently reported and their potential in the treatment of diseases.

Nanoparticles hold great potential in the improvement of the therapeutic activities of many drugs. Synthetic approaches are dominant in the conventional approach for nanoparticles design and engineering strategies. However, combination of synthetic nanoparticles with natural biomaterials have recently gained much attention. By taking inspiration from nature, cell-derived nanomedicine delivery system has been created, which is a biomimetic platform consisting of a nanoparticulate core coated with cell or cell membrane. Compared to the conventional drug delivery systems, this novel system combines the unique functionalities of cells and engineering versatility of synthetic nanomaterials for effective delivery of therapeutic agents. With existing of cell, nanomedicine has significantly improved the biocompatibility, accurate delivery and long half-life in circulation as well as reduced the toxicity and side effect of drugs. Moreover, the delivery system can interact with the incredibly complex biological systems that exist within the body, such as actively targeting the inflammatory sites and tumors. Hence, it can be applied to drug delivery, tumor radiotherapy, and vaccine preparation. The cell-derived nanomedicine delivery system emerging as a novel delivery strategy, have the potential to significantly advance the nanomedicine to improve the therapeutic efficacy. The recent research in characteristics, preparation and application of erythrocyte, mononuclear phagocyte, bacteria and tumor cell as nanomedicine delivery carrier are reviewed.

The objective of this study was to examine the antimetastatic effects of cordycepin and elucidate its molecular mechanism using MHCC97H cells in vitro and in vivo. Cellular proliferation was detected with MTT assay. The migration and metastatic potential were measured with scratch wound healing as well as transwell migration assays in vitro. Protein expression was detected by Western blotting. Antitumor and antimetastatic effects of cordycepin were evaluated by subcutaneous xenograft and lung metastatic model in vivo. The results demonstrated that cordycepin significantly inhibited MHCC97H cells proliferation and metastasis which was due to the down-regulation of AKT, p-AKT, p-GSK-3β, β-catenin, N-cadherin, MMP-7, MMP-9 and up-regulation the expression of E-cadherin. Furthermore, cordycepin inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in a dose-dependent manner in vivo. Cordycepin(40 and 20 mg·kg^-1)and 5-fluorouracil group significantly inhibited the tumor weights to 0.38 ± 0.04, 0.61 ± 0.08 and 0.65 ± 0.07 g, respectively, comparing with the control group(1.52 ± 0.46 g)(P < 0.01), but not 10 mg·kg^-1 cordycepin group(1.13 ± 0.36 g)(P > 0.05); the lung metastasis nodus numbers showed the same results, which in all group above(48.9 ± 7.2, 67.2 ± 9.4, 73.6 ± 8.6, respectively)were fewer than the control group(123.5 ± 14.5)(P < 0.01), except 10 mg·kg^-1 cordycepin(106.4 ± 11.3)(P > 0.05). Collectively, cordycepin inhibited MHCC97H cell proliferation and metastasis in vivo and in vitro.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of 2, 3, 5, 4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glycoside(TSG)on hypoxia/reoxygenation(H/R)-induced oxidative stress injury and its potential mechanism in human bronchial epithelial cell(BEAS-2B)cells. BEAS-2B cells were exposed to H/R treatment. Level of intracellular ROS was detected using DCFH-DA probe and fluorescence microplate reader. Production of MDA and activity of SOD were evaluated with MDA and SOD kits. Nucleus was shaped by DAPI staining. Translocation of Bax to mitochondria was observed in MCF-7/GFP-Bax cells. Change in mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1 staining. Release of cytochrome C from mitochondria was detected by immunofluorescence. Expressions of mitochondrial/cytoplasmic Bax and cytochrome C, caspase-9, caspase-3, phosphorylated MAPK, HIF-1α and phosphorylated p53(p-p53) were determined by Western blotting. TSG significantly improved cell viability and reduced H/R-induced ROS production in BEAS-2B cells, while significantly decreased MDA production. It inhibited Bax translocation and nucleus fracture, reversed the decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential and inhibited the release of cytochrome C and following activation of caspase-9/caspase-3. Simultaneously, TSG down-regulated the signals of SAPK JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK without an impact in ERK1/2. It attenuated expression of HIF-1α and phosphorylation of p53. This study suggests that TSG could protect BEAS-2B against H/R-induced apoptosis, perhaps through the MAPK, HIF-1α and p53 pathways.

A series of novel xanthones with terminal amine substituents at xanthone's C3 and C6 positions were designed and synthesized as potential ligands for telomeric G-quadruplex DNA. All the compounds in this series were bound to telomeric G-quadruplex in a "thread intercalation" manner that illustrated both in molecular docking and spectrometric studies. Among them, 10c and 10d showed better binding abilities and specific affinity toward G-quadruplex DNA HTG21 over ctDNA in the fluorescence assay. The antiproliferative activities of four screened compounds were examined in three cancer cells by MTT in vitro, and their inhibitory effects were observed at low micromolar ranges. In addition, the PCR stop assay demonstrated that 10c and 10d effectively inhibited the amplification ability of telomerase.

In this study, eleven containing gallic acid moiety derivatives of Matijin-Su(MTS)were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-HBV activities in HepG2 2.2.15 cells in an effort to find novel effective anti-hepatitis B virus(HBV)agents. Compounds 5c, 6c and 6d exhibited significant anti-HBV activity with IC₅₀ values of 6.12, 8.44 and 9.86 μmol·L^-1, respectively. Incorporation of gallic acid moiety into MTS derivatives can lead to profound changes in their anti-HBV activity, and could be worth of further research.

To study the chemical constituents of the fruits of Fructus carotae, silica gel column chromatography and preparative HPLC were used to isolate and purify the extract of Fructus carotae. The structures of obtained compounds were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical property and spectral data. Nine guaiane-type sesquiterpenes were isolated and identified as 8β-angeloyloxy-11-hydroxy-4-guaien-3-one(1), 11-acetoxy-4-guaien-3-one(2), 11-acetoxy-8β-isobutyryl-4-guaien-3-one(3), 11-acetoxy-8β-propionyl-4-guaien-3-one(4), 11-hydroxy-4-guaien-3-one(5), 11-acetoxy-8β-angeloyloxy-1β-hydroxy-4-guaien-3-one(6), 11-acetoxy-8β-angeloyloxy-4-guaien-3-one(7), 11-acetoxy-8β-hydroxy-4-guaien-3-one(8)and 8β, 11-dihydroxy-4-guaien-3-one(9). Compound 1 is a new compound, compound 5 is a new natural product, and compounds 2-4 were isolated from this genus for the first time.

Panax quinquefolium and Panax ginseng were investigated using non-linear chemical fingerprint technology, and a novel method to identify two ginsengs and different producing areas of P. quinquefolium was put forward. The non-linear chemical fingerprints of P. quinquefolium(collected from Canada, Jilin and Shaanxi)and P. ginseng (collected from Jilin)were obtained by reactions took place in the system of "H₂SO₄-MnSO₄-CH₃COCH₃-NaBrO₃" and their system similarities were evaluated. In the meantime, the quality difference in P. quinquefolium from different producing areas was evaluated using HPLC to determine the contents of main 7 ginsenosides. As a result, the non-linear chemical fingerprints exhibited a good reproducibility and characteristic when dosage of detection was 0.4 g and the reaction temperature was 37 ℃. The fingerprint characteristics of P. quinquefolium were obviously different from P. ginseng. The two species of ginsengs could be distinguished by the visual fingerprint characteristics, and P. quinquefolium from different producing areas were identified by the system similarities. Furthermore, HPLC analysis showed that the quality P. quinquefolium from different producing areas was varied, which indicated that rapid identification and quality evaluation of P. quinquefolium become very important and necessary. Compared with HPLC technology, non-linear chemical fingerprint is a more convenient, rapid and economic technology. This study provides a novel strategy to distinguish and evaluate P. quinquefolium and P. ginseng, which will provide a reference for the quality evaluation and control of Chinese medicine.

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS)method has been established to analyze the bioactive components of the aqueous extract of Euodiae Fructusand detect the metabolites in rats after oral administration of the aqueous extract. Compounds were detected by analyzing their retention times, high resolution mass data, mass spectra and comparing with the reference substances. As a result, 27 compounds were characterized from the aqueous extract of Euodiae Fructus, and 25 compounds were identified on the basis of the reference substances. 16 parent compounds and 35 metabolites were detected in rats' plasma, urine and feces samples, and all of the parent compounds were determined unambiguously through comparison with the reference substances. Four classes of compounds were identified from the aqueous extract of Euodiae Fructus, including phenolic acids, limonins, flavonoid glycosides and alkaloids. Phenolic acids, flavonoid glycosides and alkaloids were detected in rats' plasma, urine and feces, while limonins were detected in the urine and feces. The main metabolism pathways of these compounds in rats might include hydroxyl, hydrogenation, methylation, sulfating, glucuronidation, and so on. The results of this study provide references in the material basis of Euodiae Fructus in vivo.

A new type of L. Bulgaricus microcapsule was prepared to improve stability and resistance of L.Bulgaricus probiotics in harsh environments. An optimal method of preparation of L. Bulgaricus microcapsule is as follow. L. Bulgaricus was mixed with 3% alginate solution. The concentration of bacterial suspension was 1×10⁹ cfu·mL^-1. The mixture was microencapsulated by extrusion into 2% CaCl₂ solution with a dispensing equipment. After 30 min solidification, the gel beads were lyophilized to obtain L.Bulgaricus microcapsules. The microencapsulation technology was aimed to improve the stability and survival rate of L. Bulgaricus. The microcapsule was spherical with uniform particle size and intact structure. The tolerance of acid, high temperature, high humidity and the long-term stability of freeze-dried powder and microcapsule were evaluated. The results indicated that microencapsulation technic could greatly improve stability and resistance of L. Bulgaricus probiotics in harsh environments.

This study was designed to establish the method of characterization of surface free energy(SFE)and evaluate the compaction properties of pharmaceutical materials based on SFE. We investigated the contact angles of materials with water and diiodomethane under different compression pressures. The contact angles of materials at 353 MPa compression pressure were utilized to calculate the related parameters of SFE ultimately. The area under tensile strength-compression pressure curve(AUTSC)and pressure yield(Py)were employed to evaluate the compactibility of material. Additionally, Pearson correlation analysis was utilized to analyze the relationship between the SFE and the compaction properties of pharmaceutical materials. The results exhibited that SFE had a significant correlation with the compaction properties of materials(P < 0.05). Moreover, the related parameters of SFE, i.e., cohesive work(W_co)and polarity index(PI)of SFE, were positively correlated with Py of Heckel equation and negatively related with AUTSC. The higher values of W_co and PI, the stronger repulsive force among the particles, led to a worse compaction behavior. In this study, we established the method for characterization of the compaction behavior of materials based on SFE initially. This study also demonstrated that SFE could evaluate the compaction behavior effectively, which provides a better understanding of compaction behavior for pharmaceutical researchers.

This study aims to synthesize new phospholipids, 1, 3-dipalmaminophospholipid(Pad-PC-Pad), and prepare shear-stress sensitive liposomes(SSSL). ¹H NMR and MS indicated that Pad-PC-Pad were fully synthesized successfully. SSSL were prepared by filming-rehydration method with Pad-PC-Pad, which loaded calcein with aggregation-caused quenching(ACQ)characteristics to evaluate shear-stress sensitivity of liposomes and release behavior of liposomes in vitro. The results showed that the particle size of liposomes was 106.91 ± 1.24 nm and liposomes had lenticular morphology under transmission electron microscope. The release of calcein was increased with ultrasonic power, which suggests that the liposomes is shear-stress sensitive. Moreover, the liposomes exhibited a releasing effect for obstructed region under high shear-stress in a model system. Therefore, we synthesized quick functional phospholipid Pad-PC-Pad and the liposomes made from Pad-PC-Pad was shear-stress sensitive, which may be used for treatment of thrombosis.

At present, taxol is an internationally acknowledged drug with a unique anticancer activity in the world and mainly come from Taxus plants, these plants have 12 species, all of which have been listed as endangered tree species and protected by the countries concerned. But available wild Taxus plants resources are rather rare, so it is very urgent to strengthen introduction and cultivation of Taxus plants to meet people's demand for taxol. According to the ecological similarity of growth of Taxus plants predict suitable areas in the whole world, which could put forward rational suggestions for introduction and planning production layout of plants. A geographic information system for global medicinal plants(GMPGIS)was developed by Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences independently, and using GMPGIS analyzed in detail the potential ecological suitable areas of Taxus plants. Ecological range of Taxus wallichiana var. chinensis, Taxus wallichiana var. mairei, Taxus baccata, Taxus brevifolia and Taxus wallichiana covered a wide field, and had larger suitable area in the northern and southern hemispheres; Taxus cuspidate mainly distributed in the northern hemisphere, and only scattered in the southern hemisphere; Taxus canadensis, Taxus floridana and Taxus cuspidata var. nana only distributed in the northern hemisphere, and the latter two prediction areas are relatively less areas; Taxus fauna, Taxus globosa and Taxus sumatrana grew up in relatively strict environment, belong to the niche species, scattered distribution and the distribution of the areas are rare. This research would exert an important promoting effect on the cultivation of Taxus plants and the escalation of abundance to guarantee the sufficient supply of raw materials for taxol production. Finally, this paper summarized the research on the ecological quality and resource conservation of Taxus plants, to provide the reference for scientific introduction and cultivation of Taxus plants.