Saponin constituents of Achyranthes root

Achyranthes root is a crude drug used as diuretic, tonic and remedy for blood stasis. Characteristic oleanolic acid saponins with a dicarboxylic acid moiety have been isolated as one of the representative constituents of this crude drug. This review focuses on the triterpene saponin constituents, especially those with a characteristic dicarboxylic acid moiety, of A. bidentata and A. fauriei. Several groups isolated the saponins and different names were given to one compound in some cases. The names of the compounds are sorted out and the stereochemistry of the dicarboxylic acid moieties are summarized. HPLC analysis of the composition of the saponin constituents and the effect of processing and extraction conditions on the composition are reviewed. Biological activities of the saponin constituents are also summarized.

Chloroplast genome sequencing based on genome skimming for identification of Eriobotryae Folium

Background Whole chloroplast genome (cpDNA) sequence is becoming widely used in the phylogenetic studies of plant and species identification, but in most cases the cpDNA were acquired from silica gel dried fresh leaves. So far few reports have been available to describe cpDNA acquisition from crude drugs derived from plant materials, the DNA of which usually was seriously damaged during their processing. In this study, we retrieved cpDNA from the commonly used crude drug Eriobotryae Folium (Pipaye in Chinese, which is the dried leaves of Eriobotrya japonica, PPY) using genome skimming technique. Results We successfully recovered cpDNA sequences and rDNA sequences from the crude drug PPY, and bioinformatics analysis showed a high overall consistency between the cpDNA obtained from the crude drugs and fresh samples. In the ML tree, each species formed distinct monophyletic clades based on cpDNA sequence data, while the phylogenetic relationships between Eriobotrya species were poorly resolved based on ITS and ITS2. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that both cpDNA and ITS/ITS2 are effective for identifying PPY and its counterfeits derived from distantly related species (i.e. Dillenia turbinata and Magnolia grandiflora), but cpDNA is more effective for distinguishing the counterfeits derived from the close relatives of Eriobotrya japonica, suggesting the potential of genome skimming for retrieving cpDNA from crude drugs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for their identification.

Pharmacognostical and Phytochemical Studies of Notonia grandiflora Wall

Pharmacognostic evaluation is the first and foremost step to determine the identity and to assess the quality and purity of the crude drug. Notonia grandiflora is a perennial succulent plant, widely used in traditional medicinal system without standardisation. Notonia grandiflora has reported to possess various pharmacological activities such as analgesic and antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, and antipyretic. In the present study, pharmacognostic studies of root, stem, and leaf of Notonia grandiflora is carried out in order to standardize the plant. For standardization of plant material morphological and anatomical characterization was carried out. Physico-chemical parameters viz. ash content, extractive values, heavy metal content was carried out. Transverse section of Notonia grandiflora root shows periderm, cortex xylem parenchyma showing tracheids and phloem. Stem shows epidermis covered externally by cuticle, cortex, vascular bundles and pith. Calcium oxalate crystals, leaf and branch traces were also present in the cortical region of the stem. Leaf lamina showed palisade cells and spongy parenchyma in mesophyll region and anisocytic type of stomata. Powder characters and physico-chemical parameters such as moisture content, extractive values, ash content and heavy metal analysis were performed. The results of current study could be served as a diagnostic tool for the standardization of this medicinal plant and will be helpful in characterization of the crude drug.

Modulation of circadian clock by crude drug extracts used in Japanese Kampo medicine

Circadian rhythm is an approximately 24 h endogenous biological rhythm. Chronic disruption of the circadian clock leads to an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Hence, it is important to develop circadian clock modulators. Natural organisms are a good source of several medicines currently in use. Crude drugs used in Japanese traditional Kampo medicine or folk medicines are an excellent source for drug discovery. Furthermore, identifying new functions for existing drugs, known as the drug repositioning approach, is a popular and powerful tool. In this study, we screened 137 crude drug extracts to act as circadian clock modulators in human U2OS cells stably expressing the clock reporter Bmal1-dLuc, and approximately 12% of these modulated the circadian rhythm. We further examined the effects of several crude drugs in Rat-1 fibroblasts stably expressing Per2-luc, explant culture of lung from Per2::Luciferase knockin mice, and zebrafish larvae in vivo. Notably, more than half of the major ingredients of these crude drugs were reported to target AKT and its relevant signaling pathways. As expected, analysis of the major ingredients targeting AKT signaling confirmed the circadian clock-modulating effects. Furthermore, activator and inhibitor of AKT, and triple knockdown of AKT isoforms by siRNA also modulated the circadian rhythm. This study, by employing the drug repositioning approach, shows that Kampo medicines are a useful source for the identification of underlying mechanisms of circadian clock modulators and could potentially be used in the treatment of circadian clock disruption.

PHARMACOGNOSTICAL & PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATIONS OF LEAVES OF AMARANTHUS SPINOUSUS LINN. IN CHHATTISGARH

The present study aimed at detailed pharmacognostic evaluation of the crude drug, Morpho-anatomy of the leaves of A. spinosus Linn. was studied to aid pharmacognostic and taxonomic species identification using light and con- focal microscopy, WHO suggested Physico-chemical determinations and authentic phytochemical measures. Ama- ranthus spinosus Linn. (Family Amaranthaceae), a very common Indian plant is known for its medicinal properties and is commonly known as 'spiny amaranth' or 'pig weed', ''Kate wali Chaulai (Kanatabhajii)" in 'Hindi", cultivated throughout in India, Sri Lanka and distributed throughout the tropics and warm temperate regions of Asia, it has antidiabetic, antitumor, analgesic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, bronchodilator, hepato-protec- tive, spermatogenic, anti-fertility, anti-malarial, antioxidant properties. The present study aims at developing a standardized profile of leaf, stem and root of A.spinosus which would be of immense use to identify and establish the authenticity of the plant A.spinosus Keywords: A Spinosus. Linn., kanta cholai, Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical

Verification of Thai ethnobotanical medicine “Kamlang Suea Khrong” driven by multiplex PCR and powerful TLC techniques

Kamlang Suea Khrong (KSK) crude drug, a traditional Thai medicine used for oral tonic and analgesic purposes, is obtained from three origins: the inner stem bark of Betula alnoides (BA) or the stems of Strychnos axillaris (SA) or Ziziphus attopensis (ZA). According to the previous reports, SA contains strychnine-type alkaloids that probably cause poisoning; however, only organoleptic approaches are insufficient to differentiate SA from the other plant materials. To ensure the botanical origin of KSK crude drug, powerful and reliable tools are desperately needed. Therefore, molecular and chemical identification methods, DNA barcoding and thin-layer chromatography (TLC), were investigated. Reference databases, i.e., the ITS region and phytochemical profile of the authentic plant species, were conducted. In case of molecular analysis, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on species-specific primers was applied. Regarding species-specific primers designation, the suitability of three candidate barcode regions (ITS, ITS1, and ITS2) was evaluated by genetic distance using K2P model. ITS2 presented the highest interspecific variability was verified its discrimination power by tree topology. Accordingly, ITS2 was used to create primers that successfully specified plant species of authentic samples. For chemical analysis, TLC with toluene:ethyl acetate:ammonia (1:9:0.025) and hierarchical clustering were operated to identify the authentic crude drugs. The developed multiplex PCR and TLC methods were then applied to identify five commercial KSK crude drugs (CK1-CK5). Both methods correspondingly indicated that CK1-CK2 and CK3-CK5 were originated from BA and ZA, respectively. Molecular and chemical approaches are convenient and effective identification methods that can be performed for the routine quality-control of the KSK crude drugs for consumer reliance. According to chemical analysis, the results indicated BA, SA, and ZA have distinct chemical profiles, leading to differences in pharmacological activities. Consequently, further scientific investigations are required to ensure the quality and safety of Thai ethnobotanical medicine known as KSK.