Xin Niu

Preparation and evaluation of andrographolide-loaded microemulsion

Andrographolide has a low aqueous solubility and oral bioavailability, which limits its clinical application. Reform the dosage forms of andrographolide to improve its aqueous solubility and oral bioavailability. The formulation, characterisation, stability, anti-inflammatory effect, pharmacokinetics and oral toxicity of andrographolide-loaded microemulsion, were studied. An formulation of O/W microemulsion consisting of an oil phase of isopropyl myristate, a surfactant phase of Tween 80, a co-surfactant of alcohol, and water was found to be ideal, with mean droplet size of 15.9 nm, a high capacity of solubilisation for andrographolide (8.02 mg mL−1). Such an andrographolide-loaded microemulsion is stable by monitoring the time, temperature and gravity-dependent change, and has a much better anti-inflammatory effect and a higher biological availability than andrographolide tablets. Besides, it also shows a very low acute oral toxicity. The andrographolide-loaded microemulsion is a promising dosage form of andrographolide.

Whole Chinese angelica microemulsion: its preparation and in vivo and in vitro evaluations.

Abstract Context: The difference between the chemical polarities of the two categories of active chemical constituents in Chinese angelica volatile oil (CAVO) and Chinese angelica water extract (CAWE) greatly limit the development and clinical application of Chinese angelica preparation. Object: The aim of this study is to design and prepare a “whole Chinese angelica” microemulsion (WCAM) that contains both CAVO and CAWE and at the same time to evaluate it in vivo and in vitro. Materials and methods: CAVO and CAWE extracted from Chinese angelica were used as the oil and aqueous phases, respectively, to prepare the WCAM; its physicochemical property was observed, and its drug potency and oral bioavailability were evaluated. Results: The formula of the WCAM was optimized as Tween-80:ethanol:CAVO:CAWE = 3:3:1:40. The droplet size of the WCAM was 72.64 nm and the WCAM was proved to be physicochemically stable when it was kept at 0 °C, 4 °C, 25 °C and 40 °C for 3 months. The WCAM could markedly prolong blood clotting time, decrease whole blood viscosity and whole blood reduced viscosity at different shear rates, and improve hemorheological parameters. The results of the pharmacokinetic evaluation show that the AUC0–7 of the WCAM was 4510.66 and was about 4.41-fold compared to that of danggui concentrated pills (an existing Chinese angelica pharmaceutical preparation). Conclusion: It can be concluded, that the WCAM is a promising Chinese angelica preparation that has great prospects in the treatment of dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation.

A new biocompatible microemulsion increases extraction yield and bioavailability of Andrographis paniculata

The purpose of this study was to design and prepare a biocompatible microemulsion of Andrographis paniculata (BMAP) containing both fat-soluble and water-soluble constituents. We determined the contents of active constituents of BMAP and evaluated its bioavailability. The biocompatible microemulsion (BM), containing lecithin and bile salts, was optimized in the present study, showing a good physical stability. The mean droplet size was 19.12 nm, and the average polydispersity index (PDI) was 0.153. The contents of andrographolide and dehydroandrographolide in BMAP, as determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), were higher than that in ethanol extraction. The pharmacokinetic results of BMAP showed that the AUC0-7 and AUC0→∞ values of BMAP were 2.267 and 27.156 μg·mL(-1)·h(-1), respectively, and were about 1.41-fold and 6.30-fold greater than that of ethanol extraction, respectively. These results demonstrated that the bioavailability of and rographolide extracted by BMAP was significantly higher than that extracted by ethanol. In conclusion, the BMAP preparation displayed ann improved dose form for future clinical applications.

A Quantitative Investigation of Pulse and Tongue Features in Post-Stroke Depressive Patients and Healthy Volunteers: An Observational Pilot Study

Background: Depression is among the most common neuropsychiatric complications after stroke, having a negative impact on ones quality of life. A number of therapeutic modalities have been used for post-stroke depression (PSD) including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, a lack of objectivity in TCM hampers further improvement in diagnosis and research, since TCM diagnosis is mainly based on subjective judgment of clinicians. In this study, a modern TCM diagnostic device was used to conduct an objective study of pulse and tongue features in PSD patients and healthy individuals. Methods: A total of 67 volunteers participated. Pulse and tongue information of each participant was acquired and analyzed by the TCM Four Diagnosis Auxiliary Apparatus. Quantitative data were gathered and compared between the PSD group and the healthy group. Results: Higher rates of weak, slow, slippery, and string pulse were observed in the PSD group (p < 0.01), whereas normal pulse (p < 0.01) was detected in the healthy group. In the tongue analysis, higher rates of purple tongue (p < 0.01) with yellow fur (p < 0.01) and pale-pink tongue (p = 0.023) with white fur (p < 0.01) were observed in the PSD and the healthy groups, respectively. Abnormal tongue features (old, soft, thin, enlarged, thorny, and cracked) were detected (p < 0.05) in the PSD group. Conclusions: Objective and quantitative data of PSD patients and healthy individuals may help providing valuable clinical information for PSD research and establish quantitative TCM diagnostic standards for pulse and tongue diagnosis in clinical practice and research.

Design and application of pulse information acquisition and analysis system with dynamic recognition in traditional Chinese medicine.

BACKGROUND To design the pulse information which includes the parameter of pulse-position, pulse-number, pulse-shape and pulse-force acquisition and analysis system with function of dynamic recognition, and research the digitalization and visualization of some common cardiovascular mechanism of single pulse. METHODS To use some flexible sensors to catch the radial artery pressure pulse wave and utilize the high frequency B mode ultrasound scanning technology to synchronously obtain the information of radial extension and axial movement, by the way of dynamic images, then the gathered information was analyzed and processed together with ECG. Finally, the pulse information acquisition and analysis system was established which has the features of visualization and dynamic recognition, and it was applied to serve for ten healthy adults. RESULTS The new system overcome the disadvantage of one-dimensional pulse information acquisition and process method which was common used in current research area of pulse diagnosis in traditional Chinese Medicine, initiated a new way of pulse diagnosis which has the new features of dynamic recognition, two-dimensional information acquisition, multiplex signals combination and deep data mining. CONCLUSIONS The newly developed system could translate the pulse signals into digital, visual and measurable motion information of vessel.

Editorial Board / Contents / Imprint / Contents of Forthcoming Issues

Service 333 Latest Publications You Should Not Miss Heusser, P. (Herdecke) 336 Buchbesprechungen Gesellschaftsmitteilungen 341 Schweizerische Medizinische Gesellschaft für Phytotherapie (SMGP) 343 News/Ticker 348 Meetings and Conferences 288 Imprint Einen Ausblick auf den Inhalt der kommenden Hefte finden Sie auf Seite 352. Forthcoming papers are listed on page 352.