Mechanism of action of Orthosiphon stamineus against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Insights from systems pharmacology and molecular docking approaches

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common complications of a metabolic syndrome caused by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver. Orthosiphon stamineus also known as Orthosiphon aristatus is a medicinal plant with possible potential beneficial effects on various metabolic disorders. This study aims to investigate the in vitro inhibitory effects of O. stamineus on hepatic fat accumulation and to further use the computational systems pharmacology approach to identify the pharmacokinetic properties of the bioactive compounds of O. stamineus and to predict their molecular mechanisms against NAFLD. Methods: The effects of an ethanolic extract of O. stamineus leaves on cytotoxicity, fat accumulation and antioxidant activity were assessed using HepG2 cells. The bioactive compounds of O. stamineus were identified using LC/MS and two bioinformatics databases, namely the Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID) and the Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for the Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM). Pathway enrichment analysis was performed on the predicted targets of the bioactive compounds to provide a systematic overview of the molecular mechanism of action, while molecular docking was used to validate the predicted targets. Results: A total of 27 bioactive compounds corresponding to 50 potential NAFLD-related targets were identified. O. stamineus exerts its anti-NAFLD effects by modulating a variety of cellular processes, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial β-oxidation, inflammatory signalling pathways, insulin signalling, and fatty acid homeostasis pathways. O. stamineus is significantly targeting many oxidative stress regulators, including JNK, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), NFKB1, PPAR, and AKT1. Molecular docking analysis confirmed the expected high affinity for the potential targets, while the in vitro assay indicates the ability of O. stamineus to inhibit hepatic fat accumulation. Conclusion: Using the computational systems pharmacology approach, the potentially beneficial effect of O. stamineus in NAFLD was indicated through the combination of multiple compounds, multiple targets, and multicellular components.     

辛味中药在治疗消渴证中的应用价值及中药五味理论现代研究的思考

辛味是中药五味学说中的重要性味之一,通常具有“发散”“行气”和“行血”的作用,且辛味中药在传统医学临床应用中占有较大比例。结合中药辛味的功效内涵及传统中医理论对消渴证的认识,阐述辛味中药与消渴证治疗之间的内在联系,总结辛味中药对“消渴三消”的治疗意义与价值。并在此基础上,对中药五味理论的现代研究趋势和发展方向进行思考,为同行研究提供参考。     

提升“湘九味”品牌价值 高质量发展湖南中药材产业

湖南省历经8年聚力打造“湘九味”中药材品牌，已逐渐形成品牌品种引领的产业链发展模式。为达成湖南省中药材产业链千亿发展目标，梳理了“湘九味”品牌培育历程，厘清并阐释了相关概念，分析了产业发展现状及问题，研判了大健康应用背景下未来的中药材产业的发展趋势，并提出相关发展建议。     

16种植物挥发油对柏子仁黄曲霉菌的抑制作用考察

目的:从16种植物(香茅、香叶、松节、山苍子、薄荷、干姜、丁香、姜黄、红花椒、肉桂、罗勒、迷迭香、青花椒、竹叶花椒、八角茴香、肉豆蔻)挥发油中筛选出对黄曲霉菌生长有较好抑制效果的植物挥发油。方法:采用平板培养法从柏子仁药材表面分离得到黄曲霉菌,利用水蒸气蒸馏法提取16种植物挥发油,采用滤纸片熏蒸后测定黄曲霉菌的菌落直径,对16种植物挥发油抑制黄曲霉菌生长的效果进行研究。结果:采用性状、显微及DNA条形码鉴定的方法从柏子仁药材上成功分离了黄曲霉菌,上述16种植物挥发油对黄曲霉菌的抑菌率分别为2. 93%,0. 05%,0. 37%,76. 07%,0. 34%,0. 15%,50. 05%,8. 51%,1. 43%,58. 20%,0. 07%,2. 60%,8. 73%,100. 00%,52. 62%,0. 07%。结论:16种植物挥发油对黄曲霉菌均有着不同程度的抑菌活性,其中竹叶花椒挥发油、山苍子挥发油、肉桂挥发油的抑菌效果较好,可为柏子仁生长储藏过程中防治黄曲霉菌的污染提供参考,并为植物挥发油作为中药仓储过程中的抑菌剂提供应用依据。     

重庆大娄山脉毛茛科珍贵药用植物及民间验方

本文介绍在第四次全国中药资源普查中对重庆大娄山脉的调查,从民间收集珍贵的中草药传统使用经验及知识。通过访问并采集相关的植物标本,整理出8种毛茛科珍贵草药——金山铜骨七、金山拐枣七、金山绿升麻、金山拐子药、金山鸡爪连、溪边飞蛾七、金山岩乌头、雪上一枝蒿,并对其基源植物、凭证标本、采集加工、单验方进行梳理。     

Academic–Industrial Collaboration: Toward the Consilience of Two Solitudes

Current major advances in drug discovery can be traced back to pioneering contributions originating from academics over a century ago. Living in a symbiotic yet noninvasive coexistence, the academic community and the pharmaceutical industry have strived, each in their own way, to develop the modern medicines that benefit humankind today. The subject is presented from a historical and personal perspective.     

天麻素生物合成的研究进展

天麻素是我国名贵中药材天麻中的一种主要活性成分，具有降血压、抗癫痫、抑制肿瘤、保护神经等多方面的药理活性。随着市场对天麻素需求的不断增长以及传统获取方法固有的问题，导致急需新的方法来解决天麻素生产实际中面临的各项困难。生物合成法是一种有别于传统获取法的新方法，已在天麻素获取上取得了较大进展和成果，故现阶段有必要从天麻素生物合成途径、植物转化法和微生物转化法3个方面，对天麻素生物合成进行系统地阐述，从而为进一步改进和完善天麻素生产方法，以满足人们对其不断增长的需求提供有价值的参考。     

A Survey of Plants Used as Wild Vegetables in Four Districts of Botswana

A survey of plants used as wild vegetables was conducted in four districts of Botswana in August and September 2005. The objective was to determine which wild plants were used as vegetables in the study area, and to document their cooking and preservation methods. Fourteen species representing seven families were mentioned as wild vegetables. In addition, six species from four families had other uses in traditional medicine. The implications of the documented processing methods on the retention of nutrients in the vegetables are discussed.     

植物抗体及其应用

20世纪80年代末科学家将抗体基因转入烟草表达,标志着植物抗体的诞生.人类既可以以植物为生物反应器异源表达和生产具有药用及商业价值的蛋白质;也可用抗体在植物体中进行免疫调节,以研究植物生理代谢机制,或增加植物抵抗病虫害的能力.本文旨对植物抗体的优越性、表达生产及其在医药学、植物抗病及代谢等领域的进展进行综述和讨论.     

中药对大鼠辐射损伤防护作用的实验研究

目的探讨中药当归、川芎、黄芪、丹参提取液对大鼠放射性骨髓损伤的防护作用.方法雄性SD大鼠60只,随机分为正常对照组、模型组、中药组,每组6只,在相同条件下饲养2周,模型组和中药组大鼠给予6.0 Gy 60Co γ射线一次性全身照射,继续饲养1周处死全部动物并取材.用骨髓细胞计数法计数骨髓有核细胞数,用Western blot法测定血管内皮生长因子（vascularendothelialgrowth factor,VEGF）、血小板衍生生长因子（ptatelet derived growth factor,PDGF）的蛋白含量.结果与正常对照组比较,模型组大鼠的骨髓有核细胞数、VEGF、PDGF蛋白含量明显减少（P＜0.01）,与模型组比较,中药组大鼠的骨髓有核细胞数、VEGF、PDGF蛋白含量明显增加（P＜0.01或P＜0.05）.结论中药当归、黄芪、川芎、丹参对大鼠放射性骨髓损伤有一定防护作用.