Huang Luqi

Allometry: a Perspective for Research on Dao-di Herbs

As an important concept in modern ecology, allometry is the differential growth of parts or metrics of an organism and refers to the numerical relationship between growth and allocation. Plant allometry has a close relationship with phenotypic plasticity. The application of allometric relation in plant research includes response to different habitats, reproductive strategy, intraspecific and interspecific competition, and so on. It could be useful to introduce the allometry into the practice of choosing suitable habitat, accumulation of medicinal parts biomass and chemical constituents, as well as scientific cultivation and management on Dao-di herbs.

WITHDRAWN: Anti-arthritic effect of pilose antler peptide on adjuvant-induced rheumatoid arthritis in rats

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雷公藤 MCT 基因RNAi对雷公藤萜类活性成分生物合成的影响

MCT是萜类生物合成MEP途径上重要的关键酶，本研究利用Gateway克隆重组技术构建TwMCT基因的RNAi表达载体，得到了大小为484 bp的载体片段。通过基因枪技术将TwMCT RNAi载体转入到雷公藤悬浮细胞。采用UPLC测定雷公藤萜类活性成分的含量，结果显示细胞中雷公藤甲素和雷公藤红素的含量相对于对照组pK7GWIWG2D分别下降了23.4%和42.8%。同时利用qRT-PCR检测TwMCT基因及萜类合成途径上主要基因的表达量，结果表明，相对于对照组pK7GWIWG2D，TwMCT表达量下降了29.2%，TwDXR、TwGGPS、TwHMGR和TwHMGS的相对表达量分别下降了36.3%、31.3%、62.2%和29.1%，但TwDXS的表达量上调了114.2%，而TwFPS没有显著性变化。本研究在体内验证了干扰TwMCT的表达对雷公藤萜类活性成分雷公藤甲素和雷公藤红素的积累有显著抑制作用，为进一步探究MCT基因对雷公藤萜类成分生物合成的调控机制奠定基础。

Archaeological research on the origin and technology of “Qidian” in Ming Dynasty

“Qidian”, “Qiai”, “Qishe”, and “Qigui” were regarded as the “Four Treasures of Kichow” in Li Shizhen’s hometown. From the Tang Dynasty onwards, “Qidian” had been a tribute for the central authority. “Qidian” has been highly praised in the poetry and prose of the Tang and Song dynasties. The Qi Chun county annals records that the craftsman Ye Caihua’s bamboo weaving skill was exceptional in Qichun, and his classic “Shuangfeng Chaoyang” Zhudian won the Golden award in the Panama world fair in 1915. However, “Qidian” had disappeared and the manufacturing process had also been lost. In 1974, a valuable “Qidian” sample was unearthed in Liu Jiaju’s tomb, Wangyao Village, Qizhou town, Qichun County, Hubei Province. The tomb dated back to 1516–1558 (the Ming dynasty). The front of the “Qidian” sample is yellow brown, and its back is yellowish white; it is about 183u2005cm long and 65u2005cm wide. Features of “Qidian” as light as cotton and soft like cloth, it can be folded at will, which indicates that its toughness is very good. Based on the existing research of the flexibility and uses of bamboos in Flora Hubeiensisi , we speculate that “Qidian” originated from Phyllostachys , Neosinocalamus or Bambusa . The “Qidian” sample and many bamboo species from Qichun were used to manufacture bamboo charcoal and were examined by means of scanning the ultrastructure with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). A total of 12 genera were recorded in Flora Hubeiensisi , these include Bambusa , Brachystachyum , Chimonobambusa , Fargesia , Indocalamus , Lingnania , Phyllostachys , Pleioblastus , Pseudosasa , Qiongzhuea , Sinarundinaria , and Sinocalamus . Based on its description of bamboos in Bamboo culm anatomy of China , pits of different genera showed significant differences. Pits were arranged alternately in Bambusa, Lingnania , and Sinocalamus , while pits were arranged stepwise in Brachystachyum and Qiongzhuea . However, the pits were arranged alternately, took on a ladder shape, or faced in the opposite direction in Chimonobambusa , Indocalamus , Phyllostachys , Pleioblastus , Pseudosasa , and Sinarundinaria . “Qidian” has been hypothesised to originate from Phyllostachys or Pleioblastus according to arrangement of pits. The experimental results showed that some pits were longitudinally extended in “Qidian” and Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliver, pits of other bamboo samples were ladder-shaped or alternately arranged in patterns. Therefore, we speculate that “Qidian” originates from Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliver. and its related species. The investigation of ancient poetry indicated the characteristics of the unearthed “Qidian” relics were in accordance with this description. The processing technology of “Qidian” has been discussed on the basis of section analysis. Based on the comparison of the ultrastructural features of “Qidian” and Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliver, which were observed through the scanning electron microscope, it can be concluded that “Qidian” can be extracted from the ground tissues in the outer side of Phyllostachys heteroclada Oliver. As one of the four treasures of Qizhou, “Qidian” is a typical part of China’s material and cultural heritage. It has obvious cultural characteristics and profound academic value. The archaeological research on the origin and production technology of “Qidian” in the Ming dynasty provides a basis for the cultural restoration of the cultural relic of “Qidian” in Qichun.

Dual evidence for herbalism studies: Herbal textual research and Bencao archaeology

Chinese Materia Medica is one of the most complete traditional pharmaceutical systems in the world, and in recent years, herbalism studies have successfully focused on collating and studying the herbal literature and textual research. These studies have mainly relied on the compilation of historical documents. More than 1000 types of ancient herbal books have been recorded, and over 400 of these are still accessible. Textual studies have been receiving increased attention from herbalists recently compared to that during the past generations, especially after the introduction of modern plant taxonomy, which had made textual research increasing easier. Through extensive literature studies, medical practitioners have been able to better identify medicinal plants and evaluate their properties. Scientific herbal textual research can determine the origin and compositions of herbal medicines, based on historical facts, and unveil ancient drug production processes and the clinical applications of traditional Chinese medicines, which will provide a referential basis to the scientific and medical community. However, conclusions derived solely based on reviewing ancient literature are sometimes controversial. It is also important to obtain evidence to support these conclusions. Detailed herbal textual research of traditional Chinese medicine would include medicinal properties and characteristics of the plants or drugs, their sources and distribution, cultivation techniques, processing methods, resistance, efficacy, and use in ethnic medicine, which can facilitate objective evaluation of the quality of the traditional Chinese medicines. Traditional Chinese medicine provides equal importance to tradition and innovation, thereby not considering inheritance to be imitation but innovation. Modern archaeology has contributed to the discovery of a variety of important medicine-related sites and relics. Many scholars have come to realize the importance of such cultural relics in terms of the history of medicine, pharmacology, and herbalism. To study ancient drug development, drugs and drug-related artifacts must be recovered from archaeological sites. Bencao archaeology is an important branch of archaeology that involves the development of research on herbs, including both herbalism and archaeology. In order to ensure the progress of Chinese Materia Medica research, researchers should keep pace with time, actively incorporate the achievements of archaeology, and even participate in archaeological research, to promote its development. The limitations of archaeology can be overcome by extensive literature research. Therefore, by including both indirect and direct historical evidence, simultaneous application of literature research and Bencao archaeology can be considered as dual evidence for herbalism research. The two components are complementary in promoting the preservation and development of traditional Chinese medicine. This paper details the development, methods used, and limitations of literature textual research. It is considered that the Bencao archaeology is the base for the development of textual literature research.

Molecular mechanism of seed dormancy release induced by fluridone compared with cod stratification in Notopterygium incisum

BackgroundNotopterygium incisum is an important Chinese medicinal plant. Its mature seeds have underdeveloped embryos and are physiological dormant. We found the seeds with full developed embryos can germinate after treated by fluridone (FL), an inhibitor of abscisic acid (ABA). In order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying seed dormancy release by FL, we compared the transcriptomic changes in dormancy release induced by two different methods, FL and cold stratification (CS) in N. incisum. We further analyzed the gene expression patterns involved in seed germination and dormancy using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR.ResultsRNA-sequence analysis revealed more dramatic changes in the transcriptomes of FL than those in CS, particularly for genes involved in the biosynthesis and regulation of gibberellins (GAs) and ABA. The down-regulation of ABA biosynthesis genes and the dramatic up-regulation of NiCYP707As, an ABA catabolic gene, contributed to the reduced ABA levels in FL. The increased GA3 levels in CS-treated seeds were due to the up-regulation of NiGA3OX. Both NiABI5 (a positive ABA regulator) and NiGAI (a negative regulator of GA) were down-regulated in FL and CS. The upregulation of strigolactones (SLs; the metabolites with the same precursor as ABA) biosynthesis and regulatory genes in both FL- and CS-treated seeds indicates that SLs contribute positively to seed dormancy release in N. incisum.ConclusionsOur results indicated that FL- and CS-seed dormancy release possibly depends on two totally different mechanisms: alleviation of the effects of ABA and potentiation of the effects of GA, respectively. However, NiABI5 and NiGAI probably function as common factors integrating the effects of ABA and GA on seed dormancy release.

Protective effect of electroacupuncture on neurons autophagy in perfusion period of cerebral ischemia

Electroacupuncture (EA) is an important treatment method in Chinese traditional medicine. The main purpose of the investigation was to explore whether EA could improve cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (CI/R) via neurons autophagy. 4-vessel occlusion (4-VO) was applied to establish cerebral ischemia model and reperfusion 12h, 24h and 48h respectively were conduct 3h later. TTC staining was applied to assess cerebral infarction area and the concentrations of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, SOD and MDA were detected by commercial kits. The expressions of autophagy-related protein LC3, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Beclin1 were measured by Western blot. EA treatment was given at BaiHui, MingMen and ZuSanLiXue. The obtained results from TTC showed that the severity of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion was improved with EA treatment. Oxidative and inflammatory damages were also alleviated with EA intervention. Meanwhile, western blot analysis revealed the decreased levels of LC3 and Beclin1 in EA rats, as well as the elevated level of mTOR. Besides, our previous study found that EA can enhance mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activity, reduce mitochondrial damage and inhibit neuronal apoptosis further. Thus, it is assumed that 4-VO-induced cerebral ischemia/reperfusion might be alleviated by EA through inhibiting neurons excessive autophagy in reperfusion period.