Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science by the editorial department of Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, bimonthly,64 pages,USD 10,00 Abstracts,April,2003

Analysis of the Characteristics of Diarrhea by Acupunc-ture Treatm ent in Ancient Times,by L IU L i- gong et al:The data concerning the treatment of diarrhea byacupuncture in 6 2 ancient books are computerized andthus show that the ancient acupuncturists …     

Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science by the editorial department of Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion,bimonthly,64 pages,USD 10,00 Abstracts,February, 2003

Characteristics of Acupuncture Treatment of Dementia inAncient Times,by L IU L i- gong et al:This paper m akesa statistical analysis on the acupuncture treatm ent of de-m entia recorded in 93ancient books. The statistics showthat the comm on acupoints are…     

Local Treatment of Obesity and Cellulitis with Acupuncture, Cupping and Massage

Purpose :Obesityandcellulites (OandC)aretwoofthemostcommonmetabolicdiseasesamongwomen .Theaimofthisstudyistestingthecombinationofacupunctureandphysiotherapeuticapparatus‘Celludist3C’forlocalre ductionofareasincaseofabdominalandgluteofemoralOandC .MethodsandMaterials:Eighteensubjects ( 2 0womenand 5men)weretestedwiththeapprobatedprogramincluded 1 0 procedures.Acupuncturewasperformedusingaspecialmethodofinsertionofneedlesatthelocalpointsontheupperexternalsideoftightsandatsomeadditionalpoin…     

Assessment of phytotoxic,genotoxic and enzyme inhibition potential of Sterculia diversifolia

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate Sterculia diversifolia stem bark and leaves for phytotoxic, genotoxic and enzymes inhibition potential. METHODS:Phytotoxic activity of both stem bark and leaves were screened using Lemna minor. The genotoxic activity of Sterculia diversifolia stem bark and leaves extracts were tested using comet assay protocol while enzyme inhibition activity of crude extract and various fractions of both stem bark and leaves were evaluated using acetyl cholinesterase, lipoxygenase, β-glucu...     

In vitro assessment of antioxidant,neuroprotective, anti-urease and anti-tyrosinase capacities of Tamarix africana leaves extracts

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the chemical profile of methanolic crude extract and its fractions(Ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous) using liquid chromatographymass spectrometry(LC-MS) analysis, to evaluate their biological and pharmacological properties: antioxidant(1, 1-diphenyl-2-pycrylhydrazyl(DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic)(ABTS·+), galvinoxyle free radical scavenging, reducing power, phenanthroline and β carotene-linoleic acid bleaching assays), enzymes inhibitory ...     

Comparative evaluation of polysaccharides isolated from Astragalus,oyster mushroom,and yacon as in-hibitors of α-glucosidase

The incidence of diabetes has increased considerably, and become the third serious chronic disease following cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Though acarbose, metformin, and 1-deoxynojirimycin have good efficacy for clinical application as hypoglycemic drugs, their expensive costs and some degree of side effects have limited their clinical application. Recently, increasing attention has concentrated on the polysaccharides from natural plant and animal sources for diabetes. In order to illustrate the pharmaceutical activity of polysaccharides as natural hypoglycemic agents, polysaccharides isolated from Astragalus, oyster mushroom, and Yacon were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase. Polysaccharides were extracted and purified from Astragalus, Oyster mushroom, and Yacon with hot water at 90 °C for 3 h, respectively. The total sugar content of the polysaccharide was determined by the phenol-sulfuric acid method. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was measured by the glucose oxidase method. The results exhibited that the inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase were in decreasing order, Astragalus 〉 oyster mushroom 〉 Yacon. The α-glucosidase inhibition percentage of Astragalus polysaccharide and oyster mushroom polysaccharide were over 40% at the polysaccharide concentration of 0.4 mg·mL^-1. The IC50 of Astragalus polysaccharide and oyster mushroom polysaccharide were 0.28 and 0.424 mg·mL^-1, respectively. The information obtained from this work is beneficial for the use polysaccharides as a dietary supplement for health foods and therapeutics for diabetes.     

Synthesis,characterization, and anti-cancer activity of emodin-Mn（Ⅱ） metal complex

To synthesize and characterize a novel metal complex of Mn （Ⅱ） with emodin, and evaluate its anti-cancer activity. The elemental analyses, IR, UV-vis, atomic absorption spectroscopy, TG-DSC, ^1H NMR, and ^13C NMR data were used to characterize the structure of the complex. The cytotoxicity of the complex against the human cancer cell lines HepG2, HeLa, MCF-7, B16, and MDA-MB-231 was tested by the MTT assay and flow cytometry. Emodin was coordinated with Mn（Ⅱ） through the 9-C=O and 1-OH, and the general formula of the complex was Mn（Ⅱ） （emodin）2.2H/O. In studies of the cytotoxicity, the complex exhibited significant activity, and the IC50 values of the complex against five cancer cell lines improved approximately three-fold compared with those of emodin. The complex could induce cell morphological changes, decrease the percentage of viability, and induce G0/G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. The coordination of emodin with Mn（Ⅱ） can improve its anticancer activity, and the complex Mn（Ⅱ） （emodin）2.2H2O could be studied further as a promising anticancer drug.     

Synergistic effect of α-mangostin on antibacterial activity of tetracycline,erythromycin, and clindamycin against acne involved bacteria

Objective: To evaluate the synergistic effect of α-mangostin with tetracycline, erythromycin, and clindamycin against bacteria involved in acne production.Methods: A broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) of α-mangostin and a range of antibiotics. Synergistic effects on antibacterial activity were determined based on their own MIC, and then using a checkerboard method and a time-kill assay at 37 °C for24 h.Results: α-Mangostin exhibited antibacterial activity against Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and S. pyogenes with MIC values of 0.78, 3.13, 0.78, and 6.25 μg/m L, respectively. The results of the checkerboard assay showed that α-mangostin produced synergistic effects with tetracycline, erythromycin, and clindamycin against all tested bacteria, with a fractional inhibitory concentration index(FICI) between 0.09 and 0.32. Moreover, time-kill curve data indicated that α-mangostin increased the antibacterial activity of tetracycline, erythromycin, and clindamycin.Conclusion: These findings suggested that α-mangostin may be used to enhance the antibacterial activity of some antibiotics against bacteria involved in acne production.     

The metabolism of constituents of Huangqin- Tang decoction,a traditional Chinese medicinal preparation,in conventional, germ-free and gnotobiote mice

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＩｎｔｅｓｔｉｎａｌｂａｃｔｅｒｉａｐｌａｙａｎｅｓｓｅｎｔｉａｌｒｏｌｅｉｎｔｈｅｍｅｔａｂｏｌｉｓｍｏｆｍａｎｙｇｌｙｃｏｓｉｄｅｓｉｎｖａｒｉｏｕｓｍｅｄｉｃｉｎａｌｈｅｒｂｓｔｏｔｈｅｉｒａｇｌｙｃｏｎｅｓ[1] .Ｓｏｍｅｇｌｙｃｏｓｉｄｅｓｏｆｈｅｒｂｓａｒｅｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒｅｄｔｏｂｅｍａｉｎｃｏｍｐｏ ｎｅｎｔｓｉｎｍａｎｉｆｅｓｔａｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅｉｒｍｅｄｉｃｉｎｅｅｆｆｅｃｔｓ[2 ] .Ｉｎｐｒｅｖｉｏｕｓｐａｐｅｒ ,ｕｓｉｎｇａｎＨＰＬＣｍｅｔｈｏｄｅｓ ｔａｂｌｉｓｈｅｄｉｎｏｕｒｌａｂｏｒａｔｏｒｙ ,1 5ｃｈｅｍｉｃａｌｃｏｍｐｏｎｅｎｔｓｉｎｃｌｕｄｉｎｇｔｈｅｏｒｉｇｉｎａｌｃｏｍｐｏｕｎｄｓｉｎｔｈｅｔｒａ ｄｉｔｉｏｎａｌＣｈｉｎｅｓｅｍｅｄｉｃｉｎａｌｐｒｅｐａｒａｔｉｏｎＨｕａｎｇｑｉｎ ＴａｎｇａｎｄｔｈｅｉｒｍｅｔａｂｏｌｉｔｅｓｂｙＨＩＢｗｅｒｅｓｉ ｍｕｌｔａｎｅｏｕｓｌｙｉｄｅｎｔｉｆｉｅｄａｎｄｄｅｔｅｒｍｉｎｅｄ .ＴｈｅｒｅｓｕｌｔｓｓｈｏｗｅｄｔｈａｔｔｈｅｇｌｙｃｏｓｉｄｅｓｏｆＨｕａｎｇｑｉｎ ＴａｎｇＢＧ ,ＷＧ...     

Efficacy of phospholipid complex of flavonoids from persimmon leaves on atherosclerosis,and possible mechanism

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of phospholipid complex of flavonoids from persimmon leaves(PLF-PC) on atherosclerosis, and to study its mechanism behind the action. METHODS: To clarify the constituents of the flavonoids from persimmon leaves(PLF), an ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry method was established. To enhance the anti-atherosclerotic effect of PLF, a newly emerging approach based on the combination of phospholipid complexation te...     

Sesquiterpene lactones of Aucklandia lappa: Pharmacology,pharmacokinetics, toxicity,and structure–activity relationship

The medicinal part of Aucklandia lappa(Asteraceae) is its dried root,which is one of the commonly used Chinese medicinal materials.Here we reviewed sesquiterpene lactones isolated from A.lappa over the past ten years in the following aspects of pharmacological activities,pharmacokinetics,toxicology,structure-activity relationship.Pharmacological activities consist of anti-cancer,anti-inflammatory activity,anti-immunity activity,anti-oxidant activity,antimicrobial activity,spasmolytic activity and so on.The extractive,showing similar pharmacokinetics parameters,may exert their various biological activities by the interaction of their α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone moiety with the thiol groups of biomacromolecules through Michael-addition.However,the poor aqueous solubility,non-selective binding as a Michael acceptor at undesired targets limited clinical translation of this class.In order to evaluate the potential effect of the extractive applied in clinical trial,the present review outlines information on pharmacological activities,pharmacokinetics,toxicology,and structure-activity relationship,as well as the future research directions of the extractive for further development and utilization of A.lappa.     

A Combination of Electroacupuncture,Massage and Radiation by TDP for Treatment of Facial Paralysis

Inordertoenhancethetherapeuticeffect,shortenthetimecourseforcuringfacialparalysis,theauthorappliedacombinedtherapywithelectroacupuncture(EA),massageplusradiationbyTDPtotreat21patients.Ofthetotal,6casesweremaleand15femalerangingfrom13to73yearsofage.Thetherapeuticprocedureswereasfollows:firstlyEAwasappliedatDicang(ST4)andJiache(ST6)ontheaffectedsideandbilateralHegu(LI4)pointswithconstantandmi1dstimulation,sec-ondly,theorbicularmusclesofeyeswerestimulatedbymassageandsimultaneouslywithsubjec…     

Parsley： a review of ethnopharmacology,phytochemistry and bio- logical activities

OBJECTIVE： To summarize comprehensive informa- tion concerning ethnomedicinal uses, phytochem- istry, and pharmacological activities of parsley. METHODS： Databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were searched for studies focusing on the ethnomedicinal use, phytochemical compounds and biological and pharmacological activities of parsley. Data were col- lected from 1966 to 2013. The search terms were： ＂Parsley＂ or ＂Petroselinum crispum＂ or ＂Petroseli-num hortence＂. RESULTS： Parsley has been used as carminative, gastro tonic, diuretic, antiseptic of urinary tract, an- ti-urolithiasis, anti-dote and anti-inflammatory and for the treatment of amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, gastrointestinal disorder, hypertension, cardiac dis- ease, urinary disease, otitis, sniffle, diabetes and al- so various dermal disease in traditional and folklore medicines. Phenolic compounds and flavonoids particularly apigenin, apiin and 6-Acetylapiin, es- sential oil mainly myristicin and apiol, and also cou- marins are the active compounds identified in Petroselinum crispum. Wide range of pharmacolog- ical activity including antioxidant, hepatoprotec- tive, brain protective, anti-diabetic, analgesic, spas- molytic, immunosuppressant, anti-platelet, gastro- protective, cytoprotective, laxative, estrogenic, di- uretic, hypotensive, antibacterial and antifungal ac- tivities have been exhibited for this plant in mod- ern medicine. CONCLUSION： It is expectant that this study result- ed in improvement the tendencies toward Petrose- linum crispum as a useful and important medicinal plant with wide range of proven medicinal activity.     

Phytochemical, antioxidant and anti-α-glucosidase activity evaluations of Bergenia cordifolia

The antioxidant, anti-α-glucosidase and anticholinesterase activity of the leaves and rhizomatous extract of Bergenia cordifolia were investigated. The rhizomes extract that showed a higher degree of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging and anti-α-glucosidase activity than reference compounds (rutin and acarbose respectively) were subjected to phytochemical analysis. The study revealed that previously unknown minor constituents from the plant, (+)-catechin 3-O-gallate, (+)-catechin 3,5-di-O-gallate and 1,2,4,6-tetra-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranoside, were the radical scavenging and anti-α-glucosidase principles. These compounds as well as the crude extracts were weak acetylcholienesterase inhibitors, suggesting a higher degree of selectivity against α-glucosidase enzyme. In comparison with the minor constituents, the previously known major constituents of the plant, bergenin and arbutin, were poor radical scavengers and enzyme inhibitors.     

Inhibition of pancreatic lipase, α-glucosidase, α-amylase,and hypolipidemic effects of the total flavonoids from Nelumbo nucifera leaves

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. leaves have been used as medicinal herbs in the past 1300 years, specifically utilized to cure hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and obesity. It has been recorded in the most famous medicinal book in China for more than 400 years. The present study aims to identify the potential therapeutic activities of the flavonoids isolated from Nelumbo nucifera leaves.

Materials and methods

Nelumbo nucifera leaf flavonoids (NLF) were tested for the inhibition of lipase, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase activities in vitro. A single dose of NLF was administered by oral gavage in mice for acute toxicity. Wistar rats with high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia and two other animal models were used to evaluate the hypolipidemic effects of NLF.

Results

Our in vitro biochemistry tests revealed that the NLF showed high inhibitory activity against porcine pancreatic lipase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase with IC₅₀ values of 0.38±0.022, 2.20±0.18, and 1.86±0.018 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the NLF significantly lowered the lipid components, such as the total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and malondialdehyde, in various established in vivo systems and raised the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Moreover, the NLF alleviated high-fat diet-induced lipid accumulation in the liver.

Conclusions

The results demonstrate that NLFs can effectively ameliorate hyperlipidemia and inhibit the key enzymes related to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Our findings may provide new pharmacological basis for the treatment of hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and obesity using NLFs.     

Pharmacological investigation and spectral characterization of bioactive compounds from crude extracts of sting ray, Dasyatis jenkinsii （Annandale, 1909）

AIM： Dasyatis jenkinsii is used traditionaily to treat inflammatory complaints and arthritis by the fisherman community and local population. The present study was designed to scientifically investigate the traditional practice through the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and organ toxicity studies and characterization of bioactive compounds of crude extracts of D. jenkinsii. METHOD： Solvent extract of homogenized fresh fish was prepared using petroleum ether and diethyl ether. The chemical and spectral analyses of extracts were carried out using FT-IR and GC-MS. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activi- ties were assessed by hot plate, tail clip, and carrageenan induced rat paw edema methods. The organ toxicity of each extract was assessed on brain, liver, and kidney of mice. RESULTS： The IR spectrum indicated the presence of aromatic and aliphatic compounds. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 1-（4-carboxy）phenylnona-2, 5-diene and 3-hydroxymono-glyceryl hy- drogen phthalate in the petroleum ether extract and carboxyl serine, dihydrotryptophan, and indolyl carboxylic acid in the di- ethyl ether extract. Both extracts showed significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in all the methods tested. The vital organs of the test animals were not affected by the crude extracts significantly. CONCLUSIONS： The presence of biologically active compounds in the crude extracts with analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties justifies the traditional knowledge and paves the way for isolation of these compounds for further experimentation.     

Treatment of Hypertension by Using Needles, Magnetic Plaques and Lymph Drainage ]

Hypertension is characterized by the increase of the blood pressure of the arterial system. Itsmanifestations include headache, dizziness, flushed face, insomnia, palpitations, shortness ofbreath, poor memory, etc.. In severe cases, stroke may occur. It is classified into primary or es-sential and secondary types. The primary hypertension may cause a disorder of the central nervoussystem. Secondary hypertension refers to hypertension occurring secondary to organic problemssuch as nephric, car…