With the increasing demands for drug quality and safety, the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmaceutical industry is in urgent need of transformation and upgrading. This paper provides an overview of the current application and prospects of artificial intelligence (AI) in the TCM pharmaceutical field. It delves into the specific applications and advantages of AI in various stages such as the selection and harvesting of TCM materials, processing, extraction and purification, formulation, and quality control. The paper points out new directions for the application and development of AI in the TCM pharmaceutical industry, offering a new perspective and approach for the intelligent upgrade of the TCM industry. The aim is to promote the industry's transition toward intelligence and high-quality development, with the hope of providing valuable insights and references for the innovation and upgrade of the entire TCM industry.

Background: Asarum heterotropoides, a prominent medicinal plant in China, is well known for producing an abundance of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, which constitute the primary components of its essential oil and serve as the principal active compounds of the species. However, the biosynthetic pathways for these terpenoids remain largely unelucidated. Methods: Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis, in vitro enzyme assay, subcellular localization experiment and molecular docking were used to characterize the function of terpene synthase from A. heterotropoides. Results: In this study, we isolated and characterized two monoterpene synthases and one sesquiterpene synthase from A. heterotropoides. These enzymes exhibit promiscuous activities, accepting geranyl pyrophosphate and farnesyl pyrophosphate as substrates to yield a variety of monoterpene and sesquiterpene products in in vitro enzymatic assays. All three enzymes possess a conserved RRx8W motif, a hallmark typically associated with TPS-b and TPS-d monoterpene synthases involved in cyclic monoterpene formation. However, these two monoterpene synthases yield linear instead of cyclic products. The sesquiterpene synthase (AhTPS3) is a second example of TPS-a terpene synthase harboring such motif. Conclusions: Our findings significantly expand our understanding of terpene biosynthesis, especially the role of RRx8W motif.

Objective: Growth retardation in adolescents caused by nutritional deficiency requires effective intervention. A novel dietary supplement containing bamboo shoot extract, amino acids, and calcium citrate (Kidtal + Ca, KDTCa) was evaluated for its growth-promoting effects. Methods: After acclimatization, sixty-three 3-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a normal control group and model groups. Growth retardation was induced in the modeling groups through calcium-deficient feeding, followed by administration of KDTCa, bamboo shoot extract and amino acids (Kidtal), or calcium citrate (CC). After 6 weeks of intragastric administration, the mechanical properties, microstructure, and growth plate development of bone were evaluated using three-point bending, micro-CT, and H&E staining, respectively. Bone calcium/phosphorus distribution and fecal calcium apparent absorption rate were measured by ICP-MS. Results: All inter-group differences were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and checked using the Tuckey test. KDTCa treatment dose-dependently enhanced bone development in calcium-deficient rats. Compared to the model group, H-KDTCa significantly restored naso-anal length (p < 0.05) and body weight (p < 0.01). KDTCa supplementation significantly restored calcium and phosphorus levels in blood and bone. Three-point bending experiments showed that the stiffness and bending energy were increased by 142.58% and 384.7%. In bone microarchitecture, both bone mineral density (BMD) and microstructural parameters were significantly improved. These findings were consistent with the increased long bone length (p < 0.05) and decreased serum BALP/TRACP levels (p < 0.001). Dose-dependent IGF-1 elevation (p < 0.01) potentially mediated growth plate elongation by 35.34%. Notably, KDTCa increased calcium apparent absorption by 6.1% versus calcium-only supplementation at equal intake. Conclusions: KDTCa improves bone microstructure and strength, restores bone metabolism, and enhances growth plate height via promoting IGF-1 secretion to facilitate bone development. Further studies are needed to determine whether the components and calcium in Kidtal have a synergistic effect.