Xiaofei Shang

Lonicera japonica Thunb.: ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine.

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Caprifoliaceae), a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, was known as Jin Yin Hua (Chinese: ), Ren Dong and Japanese honeysuckle. It was taken to treat the exopathogenic wind-heat, epidemic febrile diseases, sores, carbuncles and some infectious diseases. At the same time, Lonicera japonica could be used as healthy food, cosmetics, ornamental groundcover, and so on. Aim of the review The present paper reviewed the ethnopharmacology, the biological activities, toxicology and phytochemistry of Lonicera japonica. Materials and methods Information on Lonicera japonica was gathered via the Internet (using Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Elsevier, ACS, Medline Plus, CNKI and Web of Science) and libraries. Additionally, information also was obtained from some local books and brilliant scholars on ethnopharmacology. Results More than 140 chemical compounds have been isolated, and the main compositions are essential oils, organic acids and flavones, etc. Lonicera japonica and its active principles possess wide pharmacological actions, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidative and hepatoprotective activities. Conclusions As an important traditional Chinese medicine, further studies on Lonicera japonica can lead to the development of new drugs and therapeutics for various diseases, and how to utilize it better should be paid more attentions.

Leonurus japonicus Houtt.: Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Leonurus japonicus Houtt. (Labiatae), commonly called Chinese motherwort ([Symbol: see text]), is an herbaceous flowering plant native to Asia. For thousands of years in China, the aerial part of Leonurus japonicus has been used to treat menoxenia, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, lochia, edema of the body, oliguresis, sores, ulcerations and other diseases in women. Now, Leonurus japonicus is listed in the Pharmacopoeia of the Peoples Republic of China. The present paper reviewed the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, biological actions and toxicology of Leonurus japonicus. MATERIALS AND METHODS Information on Leonurus japonicus was gathered via the Internet (using Elsevier, ACS, Medline Plus, CNKI, VIP, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Baidu Scholar) and libraries. RESULTS Approximately 140 chemical compounds have been isolated from Leonurus japonicus, and the major components have been determined to be alkaloids, diterpenes and flavones. Among these active compounds, the effects of leonurine and stachydrine have been widely investigated. The primary active components in Leonurus japonicus possess wide pharmacological actions, such as effects on the uterus as well as cardioprotective, anti-oxidative, neuroprotective and anti-cancer activities. CONCLUSIONS Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that Leonurus japonicus has marked bioactivities, especially on the uterus and as a cardioprotective agent. These activities are related to its traditional use and provide prospects for the development of novel drugs, therapeutics and health care products for women. However, the toxicity of Leonurus japonicus will require further study, and the nomenclature for Leonurus japonicus will require additional clarification.

Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of Phlomis umbrosa Turcz extract

Phlomis umbrosa Turcz has been used as the traditional medicine for thousands of years in China. In this paper, the acetic acid-induced writhing test, the hot plate test, the carrageenan-induced paw edema test, the xylene-induced ear swelling test, and the acetic acid-induced Evans blue leakage and leukocyte infiltration test were used to investigate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous extract of this plant (25, 50 and 100mg/kg i.p.). Good dose-dependent effects were obtained in most of these tests, except in the hot plate test and the acetic acid-induced Evans blue leakage test. TLC and HPLC analyses showed iridoid glucosides were the main compositions of this extract. These findings suggested that the aqueous extract of P. umbrosa has significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities.

Acaricidal activity of extracts from Adonis coerulea Maxim. against Psoroptes cuniculi in vitro and in vivo.

The acaricidal activity of Adonis coerulea extracts was investigated against Psoroptes cuniculi. The aqueous, methanol, acetic ether and petroleum ether extracts all showed marked acaricidal activity in vitro. Especially, the acetic ether extract possessed strong toxicity against mites in vitro with LT50 values 0.743 h, 2.730 h, 5.919 h and 22.536 h at concentrations of 500, 250, 125 and 62.5 mg/ml, respectively. At the same time, the acetic ether extract showed the best effectiveness topically to infested rabbits in vivo. After three times treatment, at the day 20, rabbits treated with A. coerulea extract were observed only small scabs or secretions in ear canal, but no mites. These findings suggested that as a potential insecticide, A. coerulea should be studied further to develop active components or a new acaricidal drug.

Ethno-veterinary survey of medicinal plants in Ruoergai region, Sichuan province, China.

AIM OF STUDY In this study we aimed to survey and investigate the medicinal plants which are used to treat the veterinary diseases in Ruoergai region, Sichuan province, China. Meanwhile, the important medicinal plants were collected and identified for the further study. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty folk veterinary practitioners from 8 township animal husbandry and veterinary stations in Ruoergai region were investigated and interviewed. The important local medicinal materials, including plants, animals and mineral drugs, were collected by scientific methods and identified by the pharmacognosist of Lanzhou University, China. RESULTS According to the investigation, only 20 folk veterinary practitioners still used 129 species of traditional medicine to treat the livestock`s diseases. In these medicine, 93 species were native and Ranunculaceae (12, 12.90%), Compositae (11, 11.83%), Papaveraceae (7, 7.53%) were the predominant families. At the same time, herbs (36.56%) are the most widely used part of plant, and respiratory diseases (21.02%) and gastrointestinal diseases (19.89%) were the main animals diseases in this region. CONCLUSION Ethno-veterinary medicine made an extraordinary contribution to the sound development of animal husbandry in Ruoergai. But the inherit, protect and development should be paid more attentions in the future, and the species which have not been studied should be developed priority to find biological activities and new bioactive compounds further.

Microwave-assisted extraction of three bioactive alkaloids from Peganum harmala L. and their acaricidal activity against Psoroptes cuniculi in vitro.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Peganum harmala L. is a perennial herbaceous, glabrous plant that grows in semi-arid conditions, steppe areas and sandy soils. It is used to treat fever, diarrhoea, subcutaneous tumours, arthralgia, rheumatism, cough, amnesia and parasitic diseases in folk medicines. In this paper, we aimed to develop a simpler and faster method for the extraction of three alkaloids from Peganum harmala L. than other conventional methods by optimizing the parameters of a microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method, and to investigate the acaricidal activities of three compounds against Psoroptes cuniculi. MATERIALS AND METHODS After optimizing the operating parameters with the single factor experiment and a Box-Behnken design combined with a response-surface methodology, a MAE method was developed for extracting the alkaloids from the seeds, and a high-performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify these compounds. An in vitro experiments were used to study the acaricidal activities. RESULTS The optimal conditions of MAE method were as follows: liquid-to-solid ratio 31.3:1mL/g, ethanol concentration 75.5%, extraction time 10.1min, temperature 80.7°C, and microwave power 600W. Compared to the heat reflux extraction (HRE, 60min) and the ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE, 30min) methods, MAE method require the shortest time (10min) and obtain the highest yield of three compounds (61.9mg/g). Meanwhile, the LT50 values for the vasicine (1.25 and 2.5mg/mL), harmaline (1.25 and 2.5mg/mL), harmine (1.25 and 2.5mg/mL) and MAE extract (100mg/mL) against Psoroptes cuniculi were 12.188h, 9.791h, 11.994h, 10.095h, 11.293h, 9.273h and 17.322h, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The MAE method developed exhibited the highest extraction yield within the shortest time and thus could be used to extract the active compounds from Peganum harmala L. on an industrial basis. As the active compounds of Peganum harmala L., vasicine, harmalin and harmine presented the marked acaricidal activities against Psoroptes cuniculi, and could be widely applied for the treatments of acariasis in animals.

Acaricidal activity of oregano oil and its major component, carvacrol, thymol and p-cymene against Psoroptes cuniculi in vitro and in vivo.

Oregano oil possesses marked antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and is widely applied in animal husbandry. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the acaricidal activities of oregano oil and its major component, carvacrol, thymol and p-cymene against Psoroptes cuniculi in vitro and in vivo. The results revealed that oregano oil exhibited significant acaricidal effects against P. cuniculi that were dose- and time-dependent response. In in vitro test, concentrations of 0.05% and 0.02% (v/v) killed all of the mites within 1h and 6h, respectively. Moreover, 0.1mg/ml (w/v) carvacrol, 0.2mg/ml (w/v) thymol and 1% p-cymene (v/v) also possessed marked acaricidal activities, and compared with the control group, elicited mean mortalities of 84.00%, 96.00% and 66% at 24h, respectively. The median lethal times (LT50) against P. cuniculi of the concentrations of 0.02%, 0.01% and 0.005% (v/v) of oregano oil, thymol, carvacrol and p-cymene were 2.171h, 11.396h, 26.102h, and 4.424h, 8.957h and 15.201h, respectively. Meanwhile, twenty naturaly infested rabbits were used to four homogeneity groups: negative control (without treatment), positive control (treated with ivermectin), group treated with 1% of oregano oil and other group with 5% of oregano oil. All the treatments were topically. After the treatment of 1% and 5% oregano oil, the P. cuniculi were completely eliminated in the rabbits, and at the end of the test (day 20), the rabbits of all treatment groups exhibited favorable mental and physical statuses. These results indicated that oregano oil could be widely applied as a potential acaricidal agent in the treatment of animal acariasis in the future.

The toxicity and the acaricidal mechanism against Psoroptes cuniculi of the methanol extract of Adonis coerulea Maxim

SCOPE Adonis coerulea Maxim. is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows in scrub, grassy slope areas, and as traditional medicine it has been used to treat animal acariasis for thousands of years. In this paper, we aimed to study the acute toxicity and cytotoxicity of the methanol extract of A. coerulea (MEAC) in vivo and in vitro for supporting the clinic uses. The acaricidal activity and the mechanism of action against Psoroptes cuniculi were investigated. RESULTS The results showed that isoorientin, luteolin and apigenin were the primary compounds in MEAC. The toxicity test showed that median lethal dose (LD50) and the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of MEAC were estimated to be more than 5000mg/kg in mice in vivo and more than 50mg/ml against RAW 264.7 and GM00637 cells in the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2- yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test. After culturing with MEAC, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malonyldialdehyde (MDA), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Na+-K+-ATPase of mites were evaluated. Compared with the control group, SOD activity of MEAC-treated group of mites was inhibited, and CAT activity was activated at the preliminary phase but was gradually inhibited over the period of incubation. MDA content reached a peak at 6h and then gradually decreased. However, GST activity in the mites was activated in a dose- and time-dependent manner. AChE and Na+-K+-ATPase activities related to neural conduction, vital functions and the transmembrane ion gradient of the mites were inhibited. CONCLUSION MEAC is safe in the given doses in both the in vitro and the in vivo tests, can be applied in the clinic and it had good acaricidal activity. The extension of the incubation time in the mites led to dynamic disequilibrium between the production and clearing of superoxide anions, a disruption of the energy metabolism and the transmembrane ion gradient, and the inhibition of motor function. These factors may have resulted in mite death.

Acaricidal activities of the essential oil from Rhododendron nivale Hook. f. and its main compund, δ-cadinene against Psoroptes cuniculi

In this paper, the acaricidal activities of Rhododendron nivale Hook. f. and its main compound, δ-cadinene were investigated, and the chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed. The results showed that among aqueous, 70% ethanols, acetic ether, chloroform, petroleum ether and essential oil extracts from the shoots and leaves, the essential oil showed the best in vitro acaricidal activity against adult P. cuniculi, which occurred in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The median lethal time (LT50) values of four concentrations (33.33-4.17mg/ml) of the essential oil ranged from 1.476 to 25.900h, respectively. After the treatment of P. cuniculi with the essential oil and ivermectin, infected rabbits were free of scabs or secretions in the ear canal by day 20. Then, the percent yield of essential oil from the leaves and shoots was 2.45% (w/w), which includes 50 compounds. The primary component identified was terpenes, and among of compounds identified from the essential oil of R. nivale the highest relative content was δ-cadinene, which also presented the marked acaricidal activity against Psoroptes cuniculi in vitro. These findings provide evidence for the use of acaricides as a traditional medicine and indicate that the essential oil and δ-cadinene could be used to control mites in livestock.

Comparative proteomics analysis provide novel insight into laminitis in Chinese Holstein cows

BackgroundLaminitis is considered as the most important cause of hoof lameness in dairy cows, which causes abundant economic losses in husbandry. Through intense efforts in past decades, the etiology of laminitis is preliminarily considered to be subacute ruminal acidosis; however, the pathogenesis of laminitis needs further research. The differentially expressed proteins (DEP) were detected in plasma of healthy cows and clinical laminitis cows by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.ResultsNineteen protein spots were differentially expressed, and 16 kinds of proteins were identified after peptide mass fingerprint search and bioinformatics analysis. Of these, 12 proteins were differentially up-regulated and 4 down-regulated. Overall, these differential proteins were involved in carbohydrate metabolism, lipids metabolism, molecular transport, immune regulation, inflammatory response, oxidative stress and so on.ConclusionsThe DEPs were closely related to the occurrence and development of laminitis and the lipid metabolic disturbance may be a new pathway to cause laminitis in dairy cows. The results provide the theory foundation for further revealing the mechanism of laminitis and screening the early diagnostic proteins and therapeutic target.