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PubMed2003

In vitro analysis of the properties of Beiqishen tea.

OBJECTIVE: Chinese Beiqishen tea was studied in an in vitro test system. METHODS: Phytochemical screening, trace element analysis, and the analysis of antioxidant properties were carried out. Characteristic constituents were determined by chromatographic (capillary gas chromatography and GCQ Ion Trap mass spectrometry) and spectrometric (ultraviolet and UV-VIS) methods. Element concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Antioxidant capacity was studied by spectrophotometric and luminometric techniques using a Berthold Lumat 9501 luminometer. Hydrogen-donating activity, reducing power, and total scavenger capacity were measured. RESULTS: Total polyphenol content was 20.77 +/- 0.52 g/100 g of drug; total flavonoid content was 0.485 +/- 0.036 g/100 g of drug; and tannin content was 9.063 +/- 0.782 g/100 g of drug. Caffeine content was 1.08 mg/100 g of drug. Essential oils were identified by gas chromatography: (+)-limonene (21%), p-cymene (1.7%), estragol (3.2%), beta-ocimene (1.4%), and thymol (2.6%). Metallic ion analysis showed significantly high concentrations of Al, As, Ba, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Ti in the drug. Antioxidant and scavenger properties were identified as a function of concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The tea infusion contained some non-desirable trace elements and caffeine in addition to polyphenols and tannins in high concentrations. Therefore, the consumption of this tea may involve risks.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed2006

Chemical and biological assessment of a chinese herbal decoction containing Radix Astragali and Radix Angelicae Sinensis: Determination of drug ratio in having optimized properties.

Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a Chinese medicinal decoction that is commonly used as a dietary supplement in treating woman with menopausal irregularity, contains two herbs: Radix Astragali (Huangqi) and Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Danggui). The ratio of Radix Astragali and Radix Angelicae Sinensis used in DBT should be 5:1 as described in China in 1247 A.D.; however, the rationale of this formula has not been given. Here, the chemical and biological properties of DBT, prepared from different ratios of the drugs, were determined. Significantly, higher amounts of Radix Astragali-derived astragaloside IV, calycosin, and formononetin and Radix Angelicae Sinensis-derived ferulic acid were found in DBT with Radix Astragali and Radix Angelicae Sinensis in a 5:1 ratio. By using the biological effects of DBT in stimulating osteoblast proliferation, estrogen promoter activation, and anti-platelet aggregation activity, the drug ratio of 5:1 produced the best effects. In addition, the use of ethanol-treated Radix Angelicae Sinensis enhanced the efficacy of DBT, and the treatment further increased the solubilities of chemical constituents. By analyzing the correlation of chemical and biological results, several chemicals showed positive correlation with DBT-induced bioactivities. The current results support the ancient formulation of DBT, and the identified chemicals could serve as markers for quality control of DBT.

Angelica sinensis↗
PubMed2001

Levamisole and/or Chinese medicinal herbs can modulate the serum level of squamous cell carcinoma associated antigen in patients with erosive oral lichen planus.

The serum levels of squamous cell carcinoma associated antigen (SCCA) were determined by a microparticle enzyme immunoassay in a group of patients with stage I oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), major or minor type erosive oral lichen planus (EOLP), recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), Behçet's disease (BD), oral leukoplakia (OL), or oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), and in normal control subjects. About 97% of the normal control subjects and the patients with minor type EOLP, RAS, BD, OL or OSF had a serum level of SCCA within the normal limit of 1.2 ng/ml. However, 6 of the 12 (50%) patients with stage I OSCC and 14 of the 31 (45.2%) patients with major type EOLP had a serum level of SCCA greater than 1.2 ng/ml. The mean serum level of SCCA in stage I OSCC patients (1.38+/-1.16 ng/ml) or in major type EOLP patients (1.32+/-1.23 ng/ml) was significantly higher than that in normal control subjects (P<0.001) and that in the patients with minor type EOLP (P<0.001), RAS (P<0.001), BD (P<0.05), OL (P<0.05), or OSF (P<0.05). Either major or minor type EOLP patients could obtain a significant mean reduction of the serum SCCA level of 0.34-0.63 ng/ml after treatment with levamisole and/or Chinese medicinal herbs for 1-30 months. Combination therapy with levamisole plus Chinese medicinal herbs could achieve a shorter duration of treatment to get complete remission than the single therapy with either levamisole only or Chinese medicinal herbs only. We conclude that levamisole and/or Chinese medicinal herbs can modulate the serum SCCA level in EOLP patients. SCCA may be a useful marker in evaluating therapeutic effects and in monitoring the disease status of EOLP. For EOLP patients, the combination therapy is superior to the single therapy of levamisole or of Chinese medicinal herbs.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed2002

Serum interleukin-6 level is a useful marker in evaluating therapeutic effects of levamisole and Chinese medicinal herbs on patients with oral lichen planus.

BACKGROUND: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a T cell-mediated inflammatory disease. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that has effects on cellular and humoral immunities. Previous studies have shown that keratinocytes and tissue-infiltrating mononuclear cells from OLP lesions can secrete IL-6. In some OLP patients, the high serum IL-6 levels are reduced after treatment, suggesting that IL-6 may be a useful marker in evaluating therapeutic effects and in monitoring the disease status of OLP. METHODS: In this study, we used a solid phase, two-site sequential chemiluminescent immunometric assay to determine the baseline serum levels of IL-6 in a group of 180 patients with erosive OLP (EOLP), nonerosive OLP (NEOLP), erythema multiforme (EM), traumatic ulcers (TU), oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), pemphigus vulgaris (PV), or Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and in 77 normal control subjects. Some OLP patients were treated with levamisole plus Chinese medicinal herbs or levamisole only for 0.5-5.5 months and their serum IL-6 levels were measured after treatment. RESULTS: We found that approximately 99% of the normal control subjects and the patients with EM, TU, or OSF had a normal serum IL-6 level less than 5.0 pg/ml. However, 15% (22/149) OLP patients, 15% (20/136) EOLP patients, 20% (5/25) major type EOLP patients, 14% (15/111) minor type EOLP patients, 15% (2/13) NEOLP patients, 14% (1/7) EM patients, 43% (3/7) PV patients, and 100% (6/6) SS patients had a serum IL-6 level greater than 5.0 pg/ml. The mean serum IL-6 level in patients with OLP (3.4 +/- 3.1 pg/ml, P < 0.001), EOLP (3.4 +/- 3.2 pg/ml, P < 0.001), major type EOLP (4.9 +/- 3.5 pg/ml, P < 0.001), minor type EOLP (3.0 +/- 3.0 pg/ml, P < 0.01), or NEOLP (4.2 +/- 1.5 pg/ml, P < 0.001) was significantly higher than that in normal control subjects (2.0 +/- 1.5 pg/ml). A significant difference in the mean serum IL-6 level was also found between major type and minor type EOLP patients (P < 0.01). The mean reduction of serum IL-6 level in OLP patients treated with levamisole plus Chinese medicinal herbs was significantly higher (7.4 +/- 4.7 pg/ml) than that in OLP patients treated with levamisole only (3.8 +/- 2.3 pg/ml, P < 0.05), suggesting that the combination therapy was superior to levamisole only. CONCLUSION: We conclude that levamisole and levamisole plus Chinese medicinal herbs can modulate the serum IL-6 level in OLP patients. IL-6 may be a useful marker in evaluating therapeutic effects and in monitoring the disease status of OLP.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed2006

A Chinese herbal decoction, Danggui Buxue Tang, prepared from Radix Astragali and Radix Angelicae Sinensis stimulates the immune responses.

Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a Chinese medicinal decoction that is used commonly for treating women's ailments, contains Radix Astragali and Radix Angelicae Sinensis. The ratio of Radix Astragali and Radix Angelicae Sinensis used in DBT should be 5 : 1 as described in China in 1247 A.D. In order to verify the efficacy of this ancient formulation in stimulating the immune responses, DBT prepared from different drug ratios was applied onto cultured T-lymphocytes and macrophages. In cultured T-lymphocytes, DBT induced markedly cell proliferation, secretion of interleukin-2 and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase. In addition, the phagocytosis of cultured macrophages was increased by DBT treatment. The immunomodulatory effects of DBT were revealed to be the strongest in the extract derived from the drug ratio of 5 : 1. The current results verified that the ancient formulation of DBT has been optimized in stimulating immune responses.

Angelica sinensis↗
PubMed2004

Molecular discrimination of medicinal Astragali radix by RAPD analysis.

The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis has been applied for estimating genetic diversity in plant populations or cultivars. To discriminate geographical origin among Astragali radix populations, RAPD analysis was carried out using 20 mer-random primers. The similarity coefficient between the DNA of Astragali radix plants analyzed was 0.527. Although the coefficients of similarity were high, primer 7, 8 and 10 gave distinguishable bands between Korean and Chinese Astragali radix. We obtained the specific RAPD markers to discriminate between Korean and Chinese Astragali radix at a DNA level. These results suggest that this method is able to discriminate the concerned Astragali radix geographical origin species. Also, this is the first report on the genetic diversity in geographical origin among Astragali radix populations using RAPD analysis. Broader application of this approach to authenticate other morphologically similar medicinal materials is rationalized.

Astragalus propinquus↗
PubMed2006

Cloning and identification of opa22, a new gene involved in nodule formation by Mesorhizobium huakuii.

Using Tn5-sacB insertion mutagenesis, 3000 mutants were obtained from Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R. Eight nodulation-defective mutants were screened by plant nodulation experiments. The DNA sequences of the contiguous region from the Tn5 insertion site were determined by thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR. A new gene was cloned and designated opa22, as judged from its structural and functional homology. Sequence analysis indicated that opa22 was composed of 774 nucleotides and encoded a protein of 257 amino acids. RPS-BLAST analysis of the Opa22 protein showed a sequence similarity (88.9%) to the opacity protein and related to surface antigens of the bacterial outer membrane, which can mediate various pathogen-host cell interactions and promote invasion. Our results from root hair curling experiments suggested that expression of the opa22 gene might occur at the stage of infection thread formation and nodule development. The complement stain HK24 was able to restore the nodule forming ability of the mutant.

Alphaproteobacteria↗
PubMed2006

Effects of astragaloside IV on pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome in vitro.

AIM: To investigate the diverse pharmacological actions of astragaloside IV from the perspective of metabolic syndrome, and to investigate the effect of the drug on the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Adipogenesis was used as an indicator of the effect of astragaloside IV on preadipocyte differentiation, and was measured by using an oil red O assay. Glucose uptake was determined by measuring the transport of [2-(3)H]-deoxyglucose into the cells. The concentrations of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) and aP2 mRNA were determined by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Apoptosis and viability loss of endothelial cells were detected by using flow cytometry and the WST-1 assay, respectively. Intracellular free Ca2+ was labeled with Fluo-3 AM and measured by using a laser scanning confocal microscope. RESULTS: Astragaloside IV can significantly potentiate insulin-induced preadipocyte differentiation at concentrations of 3, 10, and 30 microg/mL, improve high glucose-induced insulin resistance in adipocytes at a concentration of 30 microg/mL, and prevent tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced apoptosis and viability loss at concentrations of 10 and 30 microg/mL, and 30 microg/mL, respectively, in endothelial cells. Furthermore, we found that these effects were partly due to the promotion of PPARgamma expression and to the inhibition of abnormal TNF-alpha-induced intracellular free Ca(2+) accumulation in endothelial cells. CONCLUSION: The diverse pharmacological actions of astragaloside IV can all be linked to metabolic syndrome pathogenesis. Our study provides a new insight into the mechanism by which astragaloside IV exerts its effect.

Adipocytes↗
PubMed2006

Calcium channel blocking activity of calycosin, a major active component of Astragali Radix, on rat aorta.

AIM: To investigate the vasoactivity of calycosin, a major active component of Astragali Radix. METHODS: Experiments were performed on isolated rat thoracic aortic rings pre-contracted with phenylephrine (PHE) or KCl. RESULTS: Calycosin produced a concentration-dependent relaxation on the tissue pre-contracted using PHE with 4.46+/-0.13 of pD(2) and 95.85%+/-2.67% of E(max); or using KCl with 4.27+/-0.05 of pD2 and 99.06%+/-2.15% of Emax, and displaced downwards the concentration-response curves of aortic rings to PHE or KCl. The relaxant effect of calycosin on denuded endothelium aortic rings was the same as on intact endothelium aortic rings, and its vasorelaxant effect was not influenced by L-NAME or indomethacin. In Ca(2+)-free solution, calycosin (30 micromol/L) did not have an effect on PHE (1 micromol/L)-induced aortic ring contraction. The effects of calycosin and nifedipine where somewhat different; calycosin decreased aortic ring contractions induced by the two agonists, but nifedipine displayed a more potent inhibitory effect on KCl-induced contractions than on PHE-induced contractions, and the vascular relaxing effects of calycosin and nifidipine were additive on PHE-induced contraction but not KCl-induced. CONCLUSION: Calycosin is a vasorelaxant. Its action is endothelium-independent and is unrelated to intracellular Ca(2+) release. It is a noncompetitive Ca(2+) channel blocker. The effect of calycosin on Ca(2+) channel blockade may be different from that of dihydropyridines. This study demonstrated a novel pharmacological activity of calycosin, and supplied a theoretic foundation for Astragali Radix application.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Absorption and metabolism of Astragali radix decoction: in silico, in vitro, and a case study in vivo.

To profile absorption of Astragali Radix decoction and identify its orally absorbable constituents and their metabolites, four complementary in silico, in vitro, and in vivo methods, i.e., a computational chemistry prediction method, a Caco-2 cell monolayer model experiment, an improved rat everted gut sac experiment, and a healthy human volunteer experiment, were used. According to the in silico computation result, 26 compounds of Astragali Radix could be regarded as orally available compounds, including 12 flavonoids. In the in vitro and in vivo experiments, 21 compounds were tentatively identified by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ion trap tandem mass spectrometry data, which involved calycosin, formononetin, (6aR,11aR)-3-hydroxy-9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan, 7,2'-dihydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxyisoflavan, calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside, formononetin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside, 7,2'-dihydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxyisoflavan-7-O-beta-D-glucoside-6''-O-malonate, (6aR,11aR)-3-hydroxy-9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan-3-O-beta-D-glucoside, and phase II metabolites calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucuronide, formononetin-7-O-beta-D-glucuronide, (6aR,11aR)-3-hydroxy-9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan-3-O-beta-D-glucuronide, 7,2'-dihydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxyisoflavan-7-O-beta-D-glucuronide, and calycosin sulfate. Calycosin and formononetin were proved absorbable by four methods; (6aR,11aR)-3-hydroxy-9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan and 7,2'-dihydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxyisoflavan were proved absorbable by three methods; formononetin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside and (6aR,11aR)-3-hydroxy-9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan-3-O-beta-D-glucoside were proved absorbable by two methods. The existence of calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucuronide, formononetin-7-O-beta-D-glucuronide, (6aR,11aR)-3-hydroxy-9,10-dimethoxypterocarpan-3-O-beta-D-glucuronide, 7,2'-dihydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxyisoflavan-7-O-beta-D-glucuronide, and calycosin sulfate was proved by two or three methods. We found that besides isoflavones, pterocarpans and isoflavans also could be metabolized by the intestine during absorption, and the major metabolites were glucuronides. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the flavonoids in Astragali Radix decoction, including isoflavones, pterocarpans, and isoflavans, could be absorbed and metabolized by the intestine. These absorbable compounds, which were reported to have various bioactivities related to the curative effects of Astragali Radix decoction, could be regarded as an important component of the effective constituents of Astragali Radix decoction.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Homoploid hybrid speciation in an extreme habitat.

According to theory, homoploid hybrid speciation, which is hybrid speciation without a change in chromosome number, is facilitated by adaptation to a novel or extreme habitat. Using molecular and ecological data, we found that the alpine-adapted butterflies in the genus Lycaeides are the product of hybrid speciation. The alpine populations possess a mosaic genome derived from both L. melissa and L. idas and are differentiated from and younger than their putative parental species. As predicted, adaptive traits may allow for persistence in the environmentally extreme alpine habitat and reproductively isolate these populations from their parental species.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2004

Immunomodulatory effect of Astragali Radix extract on murine TH1/TH2 cell lineage development.

Astragali Radix (AR), is a popular herbal medicine used to treat allergic diseases in Korea, Japan and China. Our study examined the effect of an AR ethanol extract on both in vitro and in vivo murine CD4 T cells' differentiation into Th1 and Th2 subsets. CD4 T cells from Balb/c mice were activated with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 mAb in the presence of AR for 2 d. AR treated cells showed an elevated level of IL-4 but a reduced level of IFN-gamma secretion. In addition, in vitro Th1/Th2 polarization experiments revealed that AR enhanced the levels of IL-4 in Th2 cells but reduced the levels of IFN-gamma in Th1 cells. To elucidate the effects of AR in Th1/Th2 lineage development during the in vivo condition, AR was administrated orally to BALB/c mice. The results demonstrated that AR administration significantly increased IL-4 production in both the serum and supernatant of splenocyte culture, while IFN-gamma secretion was diminished upon in vivo activation with anti-CD3 antibody. Our data clearly indicates that AR selectively alters Th1/Th2 cytokine secretion patterns and provides the pharmacological basis for AR's clinical applications.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Reduction of noise-stress-induced physiological damage by radices of Astragali and Rhodiolae: glycogen, lactic acid and cholesterol contents in liver of the rat.

Noise is one of the factors that induces critical stress in animals. The contents of glycogen, lactic acid and cholesterol in the liver of noise-stressed rats were analyzed in order to investigate the alleviation of noise-stress-induced physiological damages by traditional medicine using Astragali and Rhodiolae radices. More than 95 dB noise ranging from 2 to 4 kHz reduced the contents of these compounds in the liver of rats not injected with the extract of Astragali or Rhodiolae, but did not change the contents in the liver of rats injected with the Astragali or Rhodiolae extract. These results show that noise induced stress in the rats via a decrease in contents of these compounds in the liver and that Astragali or Rhodiolae maintained the contents of these compounds in the liver of the noise-stressed rats. The results indicate that Astragali or Rhodiolae improved the ability for rats to resist noise stress.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Resistance imparted by traditional Chinese medicines to the acute change of glutamic pyruvic transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and creatine kinase activities in rat blood caused by noise.

The activities of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and creatine kinase (CK) in rats injected or not with the Chinese medicines, Astragali, Rhodiolae and Ligusticum, were determined after noise exposure. Noise at 95 and 105 dB significantly increased the activities of GPT, ALP and CK, and showed a dependence on the exposure time. The injection of each medicine significantly suppressed the increased enzyme activities by 95 and 105 dB noise.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed2002

Conditioning taste aversions to locoweed (Oxytropis sericea) in horses.

Locoweed (Oxytropis sericea) is a serious poisoning problem for horses grazing on infested rangelands in the western United States. Our objectives were to determine 1) whether lithium chloride or apomorphine would condition aversions to palatable foods, and at what doses, and 2) whether horses could be averted to fresh locoweed in a pen and grazing situation. Apomorphine was not an acceptable aversive agent because at the dose required to condition an aversion (> or = 0.17 mg/kg BW), apomorphine induced unacceptable behavioral effects. Lithium chloride given via stomach tube at 190 mg/kg BW conditioned strong and persistent aversions to palatable feeds with minor signs of distress. Pen and grazing tests were conducted in Colorado to determine if horses could be averted to fresh locoweed. Pen tests indicated that most horses (5/6) were completely averted from locoweed. Treated horses ate 34 g of fresh locoweed compared to 135 g for controls (P < 0.01) during three pen tests when offered 150 g per test. One horse (T) in the treatment group ate locoweed each time it was offered in the pen, but ate no locoweed while grazing. In the grazing trial, control horses averaged 8.6% of bites of locoweed (P < 0.01) during the grazing portion of the study, whereas treated horses averaged <0.5%. One treated horse (S) accounted for all consumption; he consumed 15% of his bites as locoweed in a grazing bout on d 2 of the field study. Thereafter, he was dosed a second time with lithium chloride and ate no locoweed in the subsequent 5 d. Three of six horses required two pairings of lithium chloride with fresh locoweed to condition a complete aversion. The results of this study indicate that horses can be averted from locoweed using lithium chloride as an aversive agent, and this may provide a management tool to reduce the risk of intoxication for horses grazing locoweed-infested rangeland.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

[A preliminary report on solid-state fermentation of Ganoderma lucidum with Radix Astragali containing medium].

OBJECTIVE: To test the practicability of the solid-state fermentation for medicinal fungi by fermenting Ganoderma lucidum with Radix Astragali containing medium. METHODS: Ganoderma lucidum was fermented in ordinary medium, drug-containing medium (containing Radix Astragali) and selenium-rich drug-containing medium respectively. The polysaccharide contents of fermentation products from the three kinds of culture media were tested at different time, and the changes were compared. RESULTS: The polysaccharide contents of fermentation products from the three kinds of culture media were 4.65%, 3.76% and 4.50% respectively and their relative standard deviation were 1.61%, 1.99% and 1.86% respectively. By observing the changes of the contents of polysaccharide, protein and total saponin in fermentation products from the drug-containing medium at different time, it was found that the 28th fermentation day was the time when secondary metabolism was most active, and it should be the fermented terminal point. CONCLUSION: The fermentative combination of Ganoderma lucidum and Radix Astragali is practicable.

Astragalus propinquus↗