Based on the genome and transcriptome data of Salvia miltiorrhiza, a cytochrome P450 gene annotated as SmCYP72A395, which was highly expressed in the periderm of S. miltiorrhiza root was cloned. The total length of the cDNA sequence of SmCYP72A395 was 1 578 base pairs, encoding 525 amino acids. The predicted molecular weight of the protein was 59.9 kDa. The physicochemical properties, subcellular localization, protein structure, and conserved domains were predicted by online bioinformatic tools. The theoretical isoelectric point of SmCYP72A395 was 8.68, with a transmembrane domain in the protein. This gene was highly expressed in the flower, leaf, and root periderm tissues of S. miltiorrhiza. To further identify the biological function of SmCYP72A395, the transgenic hairy roots with SmCYP72A395 overexpressed (SmCYP72A395-OE) and RNA interference (SmCYP72A395-RNAi) were constructed, and the content of tanshinone compounds was detected by UPLC between these transgenic lines and control line (haboring the vector plasmid in the transgenic line). Compared with the control line of transgenic hairy roots, the content of dihydrotanshinone Ⅰ, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone Ⅰ and tanshinone ⅡA in the SmCYP72A395-OE lines was significantly less than those in the control line. On the contrary, the content of dihydrotanshinone Ⅰ, cryptotanshinone, and tanshinone Ⅰ was higher in the SmCYP72A395-RNAi lines than those in the control line. These results demonstrated that SmCYP72A395 played a negative role in the regulation of tanshinone accumulation in S. miltiorrhiza. This study lays the foundation for further elucidating the biosynthesis and regulatory pathways of tanshinone compounds in S. miltiorrhiza.

In order to further distinguish the differences of compounds in different medicinal parts of Angelica (head, body and tail), our study used UHPLC-QE-MS combined with non-targeted metabolomics technology to identify the different compounds in different medicinal parts of Angelica. Principal component analysis (PCA) and OPLS-DA were used to screen the differential metabolites, and the related pathways were compared and analyzed. Eighteen types of 1 072 metabolites were identified from different medicinal parts of Angelica sinensis, mainly terpenoids, phenylpropanes, lipids and their derivatives, alkaloids, flavonoids, organic acids and their derivatives, etc. The comparison between Angelica head and Angelica body, Angelica head and Angelica tail, Angelica body and Angelica tail showed 530, 565, 474 different metabolites, among which kaempferol, cinnamic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, ligustilide, liquiritigenin, and rutin were mainly enriched in Angelica tail, naringin, apigenin were mainly enriched in Angelica body, estradiol, ligustrazine were mainly enriched in Angelica head; differential metabolites are concentrated in flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, indole alkaloid biosynthesis, tryptophan metabolism, flavonoid and flavonol biosynthesis and other pathways. In this study, UHPLC-QE-MS non-targeted metabolomics technology can effectively analyze the differential metabolites of different medicinal parts of Angelica sinensis, providing scientific support for clinical rational and accurate application of different medicinal parts of Angelica sinensis.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection poses significant morbidity and/or mortality risks for individuals with compromised immune systems, rendering it one of the most prevalent congenital infections worldwide. The pursuit of HCMV vaccines has spanned over five decades, with clinical trials primarily focusing on various vaccine candidates, including live attenuated vaccines, viral vectored vaccines, subunit vaccines, peptide vaccines, DNA vaccines, RNA vaccines, and viral-like particle vaccines, usually accompanied by the use of adjuvants. Although the development of vaccines against HCMV is being actively promoted, there are still numerous obstacles and challenges persisting in the research process, due to unique pathogenic characteristics and infection mechanisms of HCMV. Based on the summarized research progress, this article analyzes and discusses the faced challenges and potential approaches to provide valuable insights and guidance for the exploration and development of new vaccines candidates, and ultimately achieve prevention and control of HCMV infection.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), a prevalent and deadly digestive malignancy, primarily causes death through recurrence and metastasis. Current treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, but they have significant side effects and high recurrence rates. Research shows traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can alleviate symptoms, reduce adverse reactions, enhance quality of life, prevent recurrence and metastasis post-surgery, and improve survival rates. This review explores TCM's theoretical framework, advantages in CRC management, and potential in modulating intestinal flora for CRC prevention and treatment.

The chemical constituents of the fruits of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl were investigated by using chromatographic techniques (silica gel, MCI, and sephadex LH-20 gel column chromatography, etc). Fourteen compounds were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of F. suspensa, and their structures were identified by HR-ESI-MS, NMR, and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) methods. The compounds included labdane diterpenes (1-6), clerodane diterpene (7), norlabdane diterpene (8), norclerodane diterpene (9), oleanane triterpenoid (10), ursane triterpenoids (11, 12), lupane triterpenoids (13, 14). Among them, compound 1 was a new compound and compounds 3-9, 11, and 12 were obtained from this plant for the first time. The inhibitory effect of these compounds on lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells also was evaluated. Unfortunately, none of these compounds exhibited significant inhibitory activity.

Root rot represents a significant disease affecting the cultivation of Platycodon grandiflorum. The screening of biocontrol strains with antagonistic properties against this disease can provide valuable microbial resources for the environmentally friendly prevention and control of Platycodon grandiflorum diseases. In this investigation, high-throughput bacterial isolation techniques were utilized to isolate and purify endophytic bacteria from the roots of Platycodon grandiflorum. An antagonistic bacterial strain R34B7, was identified through the plate confrontation culture method, exhibiting a notable inhibitory rate of 52.18% against the pathogen causing root rot. Morphological characteristics, physiological and biochemical properties, and molecular identification results collectively confirmed that the antagonistic endophytic bacterium R34B7 belonged to the species Serratia plymuthica. The control efficacy of strain R34B7 against Platycodon grandiflorum root rot was assessed using tissue-cultured seedlings of Platycodon grandiflorum, revealing a disease control efficacy of 44.44%. Furthermore, the fermented supernatant of strain R34B7 demonstrated considerable inhibitory effects on both the mycelial growth and spore germination of the pathogen. By examining the extracellular hydrolytic enzymes and growth-promoting factors of strain R34B7, it was discovered that this strain possesses the abilities to produce protease, chitinase, fix nitrogen, solubilize phosphorus, synthesize siderophores, and produce indole-3-acetic acid, indicating its potential for growth promotion. The antagonistic bacterium R34B7 identified in this study exhibits promising biocontrol activity against root rot and holds considerable potential for further development and utilization.

In the study, we employed an untargeted metabolomic approach in conjunction with 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing to identify potential antidepressant active effectors mediated by gut-flora among geniposides. Firstly, the rat depressed model was constructed using chronic unpredictable mild stress stimulation (CUMS) combined with orphaned model. Then the cecal contents of the rats were analyzed by untargeted metabolomics using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS) in order to identify differential metabolites. The intestinal genera exhibiting significant differences in the cecal contents were identified through 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, and correlation analysis was subsequently conducted between the differential metabolites and the intestinal genera. The comparison of the metabolic profiles between the normal control group, the depression model group, and the geniposide treatment group revealed that 147 metabolites were down-regulated and 381 metabolites were up-regulated in the model group compared with the normal group. Furthermore, 212 metabolites were up-regulated and 288 metabolites were down-regulated in the geniposide treatment group compared with the model group. Subsequently, the combination of the screening conditions of FC (fold change) > 2, P < 0.05 and VIP (variable importance in the projection) > 1, secondary mapping and database comparison led to the identification of 55 metabolites with significant differences among the three groups. The results of the metabolic pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the identified differential metabolites were primarily involved in five metabolic pathways, namely tryptophan metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, phenylalanine biosynthesis with tyrosine and tryptophan, phenylalanine metabolism, and arginine metabolism with proline. The 16S rRNA sequencing results further indicated that Gardenia jasminoides extract may exert its antidepressant effects, thereby providing a new basis for the study of the gut-brain axis in the therapeutic strategy of depression. All animal experiments were conducted with the approval of the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee of the Naval Medical University.

The critical relative humidity (CRH) is an important indicator for measuring the hygroscopicity of solid drugs. The intrinsic mechanism of rapid moisture absorption of water-soluble drugs under CRH is not fully understood, and we conducted preliminary exploration on this topic. Firstly, the newly developed model tablet moisture absorption method and the traditional powder moisture absorption method were employed to determine the CRH values, an equivalence test between the two methods was conducted by a two-tailed t test. Then a conductivity meter was employed to measure the conductivity values of drug model tablets under different relative humidity (RH) conditions. As we know, anhydrous copper sulfate is a grayish white powder, which is easy to turn blue after absorbing water, based on this, this salt was selected as a model drug, and its CRH value was measured. Furthermore, anhydrous copper sulfate was compressed into tablets, then placed under different RH conditions. A series of photos were taken to record the formation process of the liquid film. The reason for the inflection point of the moisture absorption equilibrium curve was postulated based on changes in conductivity and color. The results showed that the CRH values of sucrose powders and tablets were 85.05% and 85.01%, respectively; and the CRH values of sodium citrate powders and tablets were 77.14% and 76.93% individually; the results of the two-tailed t test indicated that the two methods are equivalent. At RH of 75%, the conductivity of sodium citrate changed slightly, while at RH of 79% greater than the CRH, the conductivity underwent a sudden change. Sucrose and anhydrous copper sulfate showed a similar trend of change. In addition, the process of blue dots of anhydrous copper sulfate changing from discrete to continuous was successfully captured during the observation of moisture absorption. In summary, the aforementioned results suggest that the mechanism of the rising rapidly in moisture absorption curve of water-soluble drugs at CRH is probably attributed to the formation of a continuous aqueous "liquid film" on the drug surface during the process of moisture absorption.

The main chemical components of Gandoufumu Decoction (GDFMD) were analyzed and identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS^E). We utilized a ZORBAX RRHD Eclipse Plus C₁₈ column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.8 μm) with a gradient elution of 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL·min^-1 and a column temperature of 35 ℃. The mass spectrometry was analyzed using an electrospray ionization source (ESI) in positive and negative ion modes. The UPLC-Q-TOF/MS^E was used to detect and analyze the complex mass spectra and the chemical composition of the GDFMD. The results show that 102 compounds were identified in GDFMD, 26 flavonoids, 22 terpenoids, 19 saponins, 10 phenylpropanoids, and 25 other components. The established qualitative method can rapidly and efficiently identify the chemical components of GDFMD, providing a scientific basis for the quality evaluation and clinical application of GDFMD.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV), an important class of non-selective cation channels, is closely associated with a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Pungent flavour is one of the important flavours in the doctrine of five flavours in traditional Chinese medicine, which has the functions of relieving the epidermis, moving the Qi, activating the blood and so on, which has a variety of main treatments. Modern research has shown that the active ingredients in numerous pungent Chinese medicine have the ability to modulate TRPV channels. The purpose of paper is to explore the biological characteristics of TRPV channels, the modern research process of pungent Chinese medicine and its mechanism in inflammation, pain and other pathological processes. This paper discusses the research progress of the pharmacological action of pungent Chinese medicine based on TRPV channel, in order to reveal the scientific connotation of spicy traditional Chinese medicine, and also provide new research ideas and models for the modern research of Chinese medicine.