环球快讯

罗马尼亚重视草药研究与开发 100多名从事草药研究的学者和医生参加了日前在罗皮亚特拉—尼亚姆茨市举行的罗马尼亚第六届全国草药研讨会。 近年来,罗马尼亚的草药研究有很大发展。目前,被称为“绿色药店”的草药店已遍及首都布加勒斯特的主要路段。罗马尼亚最大的草药加工厂“普拉发尔”在全国各地设有分厂。每年除从民间收购大量     

中医药在墨西哥

拉丁美洲是目前发展中国家市场对外开放程度最高的地区之一。我国在拉美的主要贸易伙伴有：巴西、阿根廷、巴拿马、智利、秘鲁、墨西哥、古巴、乌拉圭、厄瓜多尔、委内瑞拉。墨西哥是北美西南草药资源非常丰富的国家之一，史书记载的草药就有6，000余种，其中约25％是墨西哥特有的草药。墨西哥还是蜂蜜出口大国，但近年来蜂蜜出口逐年下降，其主要原因是受非洲蜂入侵的影响。     

西非的草药

非洲大学联合会、非洲统一组织科技委员会和世界卫生组织一直鼓励采用草药治疗。然而,能否对草药进行科学分析呢?草药在两个方面不易为科学方法所证实。其一是它们的生理作用不能用常规的临床试验方法来评价;其二是草药制剂含有不只一种组分,单独给予其中某一组分时,其作用可能和原制剂不同。目前,在一些常规药典中列出了许多植物有效成分,它们单独都是有效的,这表明上述第二个问题可能不及第一个严重。     

英国NICE有关VTE、MM、青光眼和高眼压的用药指南

非洲草药药典即将出版。药典对52种非洲地区最重要植物的使用、质量及安全性进行了详细说明。非洲药典是5所非洲和欧洲高等院校及17名科学家历经五年的研究成果。     

药物开发中与草药相互作用药物的鉴定

迄今为止,几种临床上重要的药物已被鉴定与常用的草药相互作用。这些药物包括华法林、咪达唑仑、地高辛、阿米替林、茚地那韦、环孢素A、他克莫司、伊立替康。重要的是这些药物大多治疗指数极窄,大部分是细胞色素P450(CYP)和(或)P糖-蛋白(P-gp)的底物。由于药物-草药相互作用能显著地影响药物的循环浓度,改变临床结果,因此与常用的草药相互作用的药物的鉴定在药物开发中具重要的意义。计算机模拟、体外、动物和人体研究经常用于鉴定药物和草药的相互作用。建议将药物-草药和草药-CYP相互作用研究纳入药物开发中。     

某区常用岭南中草药报道

目的初步整理了云城区常用岭南中草药的品种。方法岭南中草药市场调查与品种鉴定。结果报道了云城区61种常用岭南中草药的品种、学名和功效。结论为云城区的岭南中草药资源开发和利用提供资料。     

浅析岭南中草药在祖国传统医药文化中的地位和作用

以广东省为例,分析其自然状况、道地药材、民间草药、民族药及外来药资源;浅析岭南中草药在祖国传统医药文化中的作用及地位．旨在为岭南中草药的研究和开发利用提供新的资料。     

天然抗焦虑药卡瓦胡椒的研究进展

目前草药疗法已在世界各国比较流行。欧亚许多国家用多种草药制成补充物投入市场,并进行了大量研究;据统计,在美国大约有500万人服用各种草药制成的补充物。胡椒科植物卡瓦胡椒具有抗焦虑、镇静催眠、局部麻醉、抗惊厥等作用,且未观察到药物依赖性等优点而在欧洲和美国临床应用。1990年,德国联邦卫生局批准卡瓦胡椒治疗焦虑症。本文介绍卡瓦胡椒的化学成分、临床前药理学研究、临床研究和药物耐受性及不良反应等研究进展。     

桂枝茯苓丸对自发高血压大鼠内皮功能的影响

鬼针草 Bidebs pilosa L.是非洲广泛应用的传统草药。民间应用及药理实验均显示其有抗高血压活性。作者评价了该植物叶的水和二氯甲烷提取物对大鼠大量喂饲果糖引起的高血压及代谢异常是否具防治作用。该植物鲜叶晒干粉碎后用蒸馏水浸泡24h,过滤、冻干得水提物。叶风干、粉碎后加甲醇-二氯甲烷(1∶1)浸渍,过滤,滤液减压除去溶媒后再用二氯甲烷提取,得二氯甲烷     

芹菜素抗肿瘤机制的研究进展

芹菜素是一种天然的黄酮类化合物,广泛存在于多种水果、蔬菜和草药中,具有抗肿瘤、抗氧化、抗炎等多种生物学作用。芹菜素在抗肿瘤方面效果显著,可抑制肿瘤细胞增殖、诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡、抑制肿瘤侵袭和转移、干扰肿瘤细胞的信号转导、逆转细胞耐药性,提高化疗药物敏感性和抗氧化作用等。本文综述了芹菜素主要的生物学作用及抗肿瘤作用机制,并展望了芹菜素的应用开发前景。     

Commercialized non-Camellia tea: traditional function and molecular identification

Non-Camellia tea is a part of the colorful Chinese tea culture, and is also widely used as beverage and medicine in folk for disease prevention and treatment. In this study, 37 samples were collected, including 33 kinds of non-Camellia teas and 4 kinds of teas (Camellia). Traditional functions of non-Camellia teas were investigated. Furthermore, non-Camellia teas of original plants were characterized and identified by molecular methods. Four candidate regions (rbcL, matK, ITS2, psbA-trnH) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction. In addition, DNA barcodes were used for the first time to discriminate the commercial non-Camellia tea and their adulterants, and to evaluate their safety. This study showed that BLASTN and the relevant phylogenetic tree are efficient tools for identification of the commercial non-Camellia tea and their adulterants. However, some sequences from original plants have not been found and there is a limitation of sequence number of original plants in GenBank. Submitting more original plant sequences to the GenBank will be helpful for evaluating the safety of non-Camellia teas.KEY WORDS: Non-Camellia tea, Traditional function, Molecular identification, BLASTN, Phylogenetic tree     

Concentrations and solubility of selected trace metals in leaf and bagged black teas commercialized in Poland

The objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of heavy metals in bagged and leaf black teas of the same brand and evaluate the percentage transfer of metals to tea infusion to assess the consumer exposure. Ten leaf black teas and 10 bagged black teas of the same brand available in Poland were analyzed for Zn, Mn, Cd, Pb, Ni, Co, Cr, Al, and Fe concentrations both in dry material and their infusion. The bagged teas contained higher amounts of Pb, Mn, Fe, Ni, Al, and Cr compared with leaf teas of the same brand, whereas the infusions of bagged tea contained higher levels of Mn, Ni, Al, and Cr compared with leaf tea infusions. Generally, the most abundant trace metals in both types of tea were Al and Mn. There was a wide variation in percentage transfer of elements from the dry tea materials to the infusions. The solubility of Ni and Mn was the highest, whereas Fe was insoluble and only a small portion of this metal content may leach into infusion. With respect to the acceptable daily intake of metals, the infusions of both bagged and leaf teas analyzed were found to be safe for human consumption.     

DNA barcode and identification of the varieties and provenances of Taiwan's domestic and imported made teas using ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 sequences

The major aim of made tea identification is to identify the variety and provenance of the tea plant. The present experiment used 113 tea plants [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] housed at the Tea Research and Extension Substation, from which 113 internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) fragments, 104 trnL intron, and 98 trnL-trnF intergenic sequence region DNA sequences were successfully sequenced. The similarity of the ITS2 nucleotide sequences between tea plants housed at the Tea Research and Extension Substation was 0.379–0.994. In this polymerase chain reaction-amplified noncoding region, no varieties possessed identical sequences. Compared with the trnL intron and trnL-trnF intergenic sequence fragments of chloroplast cpDNA, the proportion of ITS2 nucleotide sequence variation was large and is more suitable for establishing a DNA barcode database to identify tea plant varieties. After establishing the database, 30 imported teas and 35 domestic made teas were used in this model system to explore the feasibility of using ITS2 sequences to identify the varieties and provenances of made teas. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using ITS2 sequences with the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean, which indicated that the same variety of tea plant is likely to be successfully categorized into one cluster, but contamination from other tea plants was also detected. This result provides molecular evidence that the similarity between important tea varieties in Taiwan remains high. We suggest a direct, wide collection of made tea and original samples of tea plants to establish an ITS2 sequence molecular barcode identification database to identify the varieties and provenances of tea plants. The DNA barcode comparison method can satisfy the need for a rapid, low-cost, frontline differentiation of the large amount of made teas from Taiwan and abroad, and can provide molecular evidence of their varieties and provenances.     

DNA barcode and identification of the varieties and provenances of Taiwan’s domestic and imported made teas using ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 sequences

The major aim of made tea identification is to identify the variety and provenance of the tea plant. The present experiment used 113 tea plants [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] housed at the Tea Research and Extension Substation, from which 113 internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) fragments, 104 trnL intron, and 98 trnL-trnF intergenic sequence region DNA sequences were successfully sequenced. The similarity of the ITS2 nucleotide sequences between tea plants housed at the Tea Research and Extension Substation was 0.379–0.994. In this polymerase chain reaction-amplified noncoding region, no varieties possessed identical sequences. Compared with the trnL intron and trnL-trnF intergenic sequence fragments of chloroplast cpDNA, the proportion of ITS2 nucleotide sequence variation was large and is more suitable for establishing a DNA barcode database to identify tea plant varieties. After establishing the database, 30 imported teas and 35 domestic made teas were used in this model system to explore the feasibility of using ITS2 sequences to identify the varieties and provenances of made teas. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using ITS2 sequences with the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean, which indicated that the same variety of tea plant is likely to be successfully categorized into one cluster, but contamination from other tea plants was also detected. This result provides molecular evidence that the similarity between important tea varieties in Taiwan remains high. We suggest a direct, wide collection of made tea and original samples of tea plants to establish an ITS2 sequence molecular barcode identification database to identify the varieties and provenances of tea plants. The DNA barcode comparison method can satisfy the need for a rapid, low-cost, frontline differentiation of the large amount of made teas from Taiwan and abroad, and can provide molecular evidence of their varieties and provenances.     

Effects of continuous ingestion of herbal teas on intestinal CYP3A in the rat

Tenryocha, rooibos, and guava teas are widely consumed as herbal beverages, especially as a therapy against pollen allergy. To investigate the possible herbal tea-drug interaction the effect of continuous ingestion of these teas on cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A were studied. Rats (n = 6) were allowed free access to either tea (experimental groups) or water (control) for two weeks. Midazolam (MDZ) (20 mg/kg) was orally administered and the serum concentration was determined. The area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC(0-infinity)) and the maximum serum concentrations (C(max)) of MDZ were reduced by more than 60% after the treatment of tenryocha and rooibos tea (P<0.05). Intestinal MDZ 1'- and 4-hydroxylation activities mediated by CYP3A were increased in tenryocha and rooibos tea-treated group by 50% compared to the control group, although the results were not statistically significant. Furthermore, the Western blot analysis showed that CYP3A content was significantly increased in the intestine after the treatment of these teas (P<0.05). Hepatic MDZ hydroxylation and CYP3A content were slightly increased by these teas. The results suggested that two weeks ingestion of tenryocha and rooibos tea reduced serum concentration of MDZ by the induction of intestinal CYP3A. The possible interaction between tenryocha or rooibos tea and medicines mediated by CYP3A was suggested.     

Fluoride levels in various black tea,herbal and fruit infusions consumed in Turkey

The fluoride contents were determined by ion-selective electrode in 26 black tea samples originally produced in Turkey, Sri Lanka, India and Kenya, and in 14 herbal and seven fruit infusions originated from Turkey. Fluoride content in black tea infusions ranged from 0.57 to 3.72 mg/L after 5 min of brewing. Higher fluoride levels were found in black teas originated from Turkey when compared with teas originated from Sri Lanka. Moreover higher fluoride levels were determined in black tea bags compared with granular and stick-shaped black teas. However, herbal and fruit infusions were characterized by low values of fluoride (0.02–0.04 mg/L) after 5 min of brewing and increasing brewing time to 10 min caused only slight increases in some infusions. As a result, consuming tea infusions prepared from some black tea available in Turkish market, especially black tea bags, in large quantities may lead to exposion to a high amount of fluoride which may cause dental fluorosis. Although fruit and herbal infusions are safer to consume their fluoride contents are too low for caries prevention. In countries such as Turkey where tea is traditionally consumed, the fluoride concentration and daily safety precautions should be indicated on tea products.     

Relative content of gallic acid over 5-galloylquinic acid as an index for the baking intensity of oolong teas

Phenolic compounds in a series of old oolong teas prepared by baking annually were monitored and compared. The results showed that the relative content of gallic acid over 5-galloylquinic acid was subsequently elevated during this preparatory process. To reveal the effect was mainly resulted from baking or aging, two sets of oolong teas were collected and examined; one set was generated from fresh oolong tea via continually daily baking and the other set was composed of aged oolong teas with no or light baking in the storage period. The relative content of gallic acid over 5-galloylquinic acid was observed to be subsequently elevated when oolong tea was continually baked at 90, 100, 110, and 120 °C for 8 h day after day. In contrast, the relative contents of gallic acid over 5-galloylquinic acid in aged oolong teas with no or light baking were found to be similar to or slightly higher than that in fresh oolong tea. The results suggest that the relative content of gallic acid over 5-galloylquinic acid seems to be a suitable index for the baking intensity of oolong tea in different preparations.     

Catechins are not major components responsible for the beneficial effect of Camellia sinensis on the ovarian δ-ALA-D activity inhibited by cadmium

Cadmium has been associated with a wide spectrum of deleterious effects on the reproductive tissues, including ovary. This investigation evaluated the protective role of Camellia sinensis (green, white and red teas) in the cadmium-induced inhibition of ovarian δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase (δ-ALA-D) activity in vitro and ex vivo. This study demonstrated that green and white teas restored the cow ovary δ-ALA-D activity inhibited by cadmium whereas red tea had no effect in vitro. In addition, green tea was able to restore enzyme activity inhibited after acute cadmium exposure in mice ovary. Teas infusions composition was assessed by HPLC in a quantitative assay for catechins, purine alkaloids and gallic acid as well as total polyphenol content. The greatest effect of green tea observed in vitro as well as the protective role presented in the ex vivo study could be attributed to the major content of phenols, but not catechins. In fact, catechins were not able to restore enzyme activity inhibited by cadmium, demonstrating that these compounds are not major components responsible for the beneficial effect of green tea observed in this study. This study demonstrated the helpful effect of green tea infusion in ameliorating a marker protein of cadmium intoxication in ovarian tissue.     

几种绿茶中槲皮素的含量测定及比较

目的：探讨几种绿茶中槲皮素的含量。方法：建立高效液相色谱（HPLC）法分别测定市售龙井、碧螺春、毛峰、毛尖茶叶中槲皮素的含量。结果：高效液相色谱测定系统可以分离得到龙井、碧螺春、毛峰、毛尖茶中的槲皮素,其中龙井的槲皮素含量最高。实验的精密度与重现性好。结论：通过对几种绿茶中槲皮素含量的测定和比较,得出较优者。为人体膳食调节提供理论依据,并为茶叶深加工提供信息。     

The distribution of minerals and flavonoids in the tea plant (Camellia sinensis)

Camellia sinensis is a plant growing in India, Sri Lanka, Java, Japan and its properties were known 4000 years ago. Since then, traditional Chinese medicine has recommended this plant for headaches, body aches and pains, digestion, depression, detoxification, as an energiser and, in general, to prolong life. Tea contains volatile oils, vitamins, minerals, purines, polyphenols, particularly carechins. We have analysed ten commercial teas from various countries to determine their mineral composition and we have analysed a green tea, an Oolong tea and a White tea to determine their polyphenols and flavonoids content. Our study shows that the variation of mineral composition, polyphenols and flavonoids are linked to different origins of the plant. For the determination of phenols compounds and flavonoids we used an HPLC apparatus and for mineral analysis an atomic absorption apparatus.