Latest ArticlesThe object of this study is to preparate the berberine hydrochloride (BBH) resin compound with taste masking effect. We took the BBH as the model drug and Amberlite IRP69 as the drug carriers, uncovered the curve of solubility of BBH in different cosolvent with a certain range of temperature, and then used it to calculate the parameters during the preparation of the complex such as adding quantity of BBH and the reaction temperature. Afterwards, the characteristic and in vitro release experiments were studied to verify the formation and predict the in vivo release behavior of the complex. The results showed that in the condition of using 60% ethanol as a cosolvent and stirring at 50℃ for 1 h, the drug loading and drug availability of the complex are at about 35% and 64%, respectively, and has a better taste-masking effect. In this study, a method was provided for preparing a taste-masking preparation of BBH.
This study is to identify Chinese medicinal materials Rhizoma et Radix Heraclei, Angelicae Sinensis, Radix Angelicae Pubescentis and Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii based on ITS2 and its secondary structure. Total 26 ITS sequences of 7 species were downloaded from GenBank, the ITS2 sequences were annotated by HMMer method. The NJ phylogenetic tree was built by MEGA software, the intraspecific and interspecific K2P genetic distance were analyzed by MEGA as well. The ITS2 secondary structures of all taxa were predicted by ITS2 database. Sequence matrix of primary structure and secondary structure was aligned by 4Sale software. And the profile neighbor joining (PNJ) phylogenetic tree was constructed via the the ProfDistS software based on the distance method. The results show that, the average interspecific genetic distance was far greater than the average intraspecific genetic distance, an obvious barcoding gap was noted among all taxa; NJ tree showed that all species were clustered into seperate branches; each species had different secondary structures; the PNJ tree showed higher resolution than NJ tree. Therefore, ITS2 is suggested to be used as a barcode for distinguishing the original plants of Rhizoma et Radix Heraclei, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Radix Angelicae Pubescentis and Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii in this study, this provides some scientific basis for classification and accurate identification of these Chinese medicinal materials.
Medicinal and edible Armeniacae Semen Amarum (ASA) is susceptible to fungal contamination because it is rich in oil and other nutrients. In this study, the fungal community diversity in ASA samples was analyzed based on a DNA metabarcoding technique to provide evidence for its safe use. Twelve batches of ASA samples samples from four medicinal material markets and three processing approaches were collected. Total DNA was extracted, the ITS2 sequences were amplified, and high-throughput sequencing was performed using the Illumina MiSeq PE300 platform. The results show that Ascomycota was the most dominant fungus in ASA samples. The predominant genus in sample SW1_P was Diutina, whereas the most predominant genus in the other samples was Aspergillus. Three harmful fungi were identified, namely, Aspergillus flavus, Wallemia sebi, and Rhizopus arrhizus. In addition, significant differences were observed in the relative abundance of Botryosphaeriales and Alternaria in ASA samples from different collection sites. Meanwhile, there were significant differences in the relative abundance of Hypocreales and Cladosporium in ASA samples from different processing approaches. In summary, the DNA metabarcoding technique can effectively clarify the fungal community diversity and quickly detect potential toxigenic fungi in ASA samples, thus providing a warning for mycotoxin contamination.
We investigated the effect of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the content of asperosaponin VI and the expression of genes involved in its synthesis. Dipsacus aspero seedlings were treated with MeJA at different concentrations of 50, 100, 150, 200 and 300 μmol·L-1, and leaves and roots were sampled following treatment for 1, 3 and 5 days. The content of asperosaponin VI and superoxide anion in the roots, malondialdehyde (MDA) content in leaves and superoxide dismutase were determined. The results show that 150 μmol·L-1 MeJA significantly increased the accumulation of asperosaponin VI in roots. The content of asperosaponin VI was greatest after treatment for 3 days, and was 2.16 times higher than the control. After MeJA treatment, SOD activity decreased and MDA content increased in leaves. Moreover, superoxide anion content in roots increased. The expression of squalene epoxidase (DaSE1) and geranyl diphosphate synthase (DaGPS), key enzymes in the synthesis of asperosaponin VI, were up-regulated compared with the control group. These results indicate that an optimal concentration of 150 μmol·L-1 MeJA increases the accumulation of asperosaponin VI by up-regulating the expression of key enzymes involved in the synthesis of asperosaponin VI, which facilitates resistance to adversity stress stimulated by MeJA.
With the development of antibody manufacturing technology and improvement of new drug research in domestic industry, more innovative monoclonal antibody products submitted investigational new drug (IND) application. At the same time, monoclonal antibody products from abroad which have been approved marketing authorization and/or conducted clinical trials submitted IND applications in China. The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) issued the "Guideline of Investigational New Drug Application" (No. 16, 2018) which emphasized the chemical, manufacturing, and control (CMC) regulatory, and dossier requirements in IND application, greatly promoted the application quality of innovative biological products. However, compared to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA), our particular guidelines are insufficient, such as guideline on virus safety evaluation of biotechnological investigational medicinal products. This review investigated the questions raised by sponsors from 2018 to 2020, including the end of production cell (EOPC) and/or unprocessed bulk (UPB) testing and virus removal or inactivation validation. Meanwhile, sponsors submitted different dossiers due to differences in understanding of stage requirements of guidelines from domestic and abroad. Based on the guidelines of virus safety from NMPA, FDA, and EMA, and the technical considerations, this review puts forward personal suggestions on the adventitious agents testing and virus removal or inactivation validation in manufacturing process, aim to ensure virus safety of innovative monoclonal antibody products in clinical trials.
This paper reviews modern science and technology with regard to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research methods, quality control, and discusses the establishment and improvement of the evaluation system for TCM, focusing on the following issues: 1) How to incorporate the efficacy of TCM in the overall evaluation of TCM quality; 2) how to quantify the efficacy and properties of TCM; 3) how to understand the correlation between the efficacy and properties of TCM and its application; 4) how to reflect the specificity of the effective components in the overall evaluation of TCM quality; and 5) how to reflect the quality value transfer of effective components in the whole process of production and metabolism in vivo to the overall evaluation of TCM quality. The overall quality evaluation of TCM needs to better reflect its clinically safety and effectiveness. It is suggested to establish a clinical quality assessment method based on the content of the chemical components of TCM to explore and establish an overall evaluation method of TCM quality that reflects the efficacy of TCM and conforms with clinical practice.
The gut microbiota takes part in many in vivo important physiological activities of host, such as the substance metabolism and energy exchange, etc. The interaction between the host and the intestinal microorganisms has attracted scholars' attention. Flavonoids are a group of polyphenol compounds widely found in natural plants, with the bioactive effect of regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, anti-inflammation. However, their low bioavailability cause difficulty to clarify the effective substances and the mechanism of flavonoids. Apart from the metabolic effects of liver on flavonoids, recent studies have shown that the gut microbiota can interact with flavonoids. On the one hand, flavonoids can be metabolized by gut microbiota and subsequent metabolites can produce pharmacological activities different from the parent components. On the other hand, flavonoids and their metabolites can in turn regulate the composition and physiological activities of the intestinal flora, which seems to provide a new insight for the research on the effective substances of flavonoids. In this review, we introduced the metabolic characteristics of flavonoids under the actions of intestinal bacteria, and the regulation effects of flavonoids on gut microbiota was also summarized. Meanwhile, the therapeutic effect of flavonoids under the action of intestinal bacteria was discussed.
As the main active compound of Stephania tetrandra S. Moore, tetrandrine (TET) has been used to treat silicosis for nearly 50 years. TET has clear therapeutic effect on pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer. A recent study suggests that TET may inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 by blocking the two-pore channel 2 (TPC2), revealing its potential as a natural medicine to treat COVID-19. To explore the material basis of TET targeting lung efficacy and its potential toxicity, available literatures related to the pharmacological activity on pulmonary, dosage, toxicity and pharmacokinetics of TET are systemically reviewed. The prospect and current problems of TET to be a therapeutic agent for COVID-19 are further investigated on this basis.
ABC transporters on the intestinal barrier, blood-brain barrier and on tumor cells will affect drug bioavailability, transport across the blood-brain barrier and multidrug resistance. The active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines can affect the function and expression of ABC transporters. When combined with pharmaceuticals the potential interaction between the two can change the efficacy of the medicines. We review the ABC transporter superfamily and their distribution with regard to their relationship and interactions with traditional Chinese medicine on the intestinal barrier and the blood-brain barrier, as well as their role in tumor multidrug resistance mediated by ABC transporters. We summarize the research progress over the past five years.
An immunologically stressed rat model was used in a metabolomics study on the ability of Paeoniae Rubra Radix to reduce the liver toxicity of Psoraleae Fructus. Different groups of rats were given the extracts of Psoraleae Fructus and Psoraleae Fructus together with Paeoniae Rubra Radix or combined with a non-toxic dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The biochemical indices of liver function and pathological changes in liver tissue were used to evaluate histopathological changes. UHPLC-QTOF/MS was used to analyze the metabolic profile of serum samples, combined with principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) methods. The HMDB database and Metabo Analyst online tool were used for biomarker identification and metabolic pathway-enrichment analysis. The results show that the co-treatment Psoraleae Fructus and LPS resulted in significant liver injury, indicated by the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities, as well as obvious pathological changes. Liver injury was significantly decreased by treatment with Paeoniae Rubra Radix. Metabolomic analysis showed that the addition of Paeoniae Rubra Radix ameliorated the abnormal serum metabolism in rats mainly through regulation of arachidonic acid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways.