JinQi Jiangtang (JQJT) tablets, a Chinese patent medicine approved by the State Food and Drug Administration, are composed of Coptidis Rhizoma, Astragali Radix, and Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, and have a significant effect on diabetes. Coptidis Rhizoma is monarch drug in the prescription. The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the pharmacokinetics of multiple ingredients from JQJT tablets and Coptidis Rhizoma extract (CRE) following oral administration in rats. Five alkaloids: coptisine chloride, epiberberine chloride, berberine chloride, jatrorrhizine chloride, and palmatine chloride, were simultaneously determined in rat plasma using established and validated ultra-high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Significant pharmacokinetic differences were observed for the five alkaloids after a single administration of CRE and JQJT tablets. Compared with CRE, the C_max values of palmatine chloride and jatrorrhizine chloride were decreased significantly, the AUC_0–t values of four alkaloids (all except jatrorrhizine chloride) were notably decreased, and the mean residence times of all five alkaloids were significantly decreased after administration of JQJT tablets. The results indicated that the absorption characteristics of the five alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma would be influenced by the compatibility of Astragali Radix or Lonicerae Japonicae Flos from JQJT tablets, such that absorption was inhibited and elimination was accelerated. In conclusion, the developed strategy was suitable for the comparison of five alkaloids from JinQi Jiangtang tablets and its monarch drug, which could be valuable for compatibility studies of traditional Chinese medicines.

The purpose of this research was to extract and separate the compounds from frankincense, and then evaluate their anti-inflammatory effects. The isolated compound was a representative tetracyclic triterpenes of glycine structure according to ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectra, which is β-elemonic acid (β-EA). We determined the content of six different localities of frankincense; the average content of β-EA was 41.96 mg/g. The toxic effects of β-EA administration (400, 200, 100 mg/kg) for four weeks in Kunming (KM) mice were observed. Compared with the control group, the body weight of mice, the visceral coefficients and serum indicators in the β-EA groups showed no systematic variations. The anti-inflammatory effects of β-EA were evaluated in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells, xylene-induced induced ear inflammation in mice, carrageenin-induced paw edema in mice, and cotton pellet induced granuloma formation in rats. β-EA inhibited overproduction of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNF R1), Eotaxin-2, Interleukin 10 (IL-10) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) in the RAW264.7 cells. Intragastric administration with β-EA (300, 200, and 100 mg/kg in mice, and 210, 140, and 70 mg/kg in rats) all produced distinct anti-inflammatory effects in vivo in a dose-dependent manner. Following treatment with β-EA (300 mg/kg, i.g.), the NO level in mice ears and PGE2 in mice paws both decreased (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our study indicates that β-EA could be a potential anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

PARP1 is a hot target, and its inhibitors have been approved for cancer therapy. However, some undesirable properties restrict the application of PARP1 inhibitors, including drug resistance, side e... Graphical abstract

Background: Panax Japonicus (PJ) is a widely used Chinese herbal medicine, functional food and tonic. However, its origin has a great influence on the quality of PJ, and with the increasing demand for PJ, fake and inferior products, such as Panax Stipuleanatus (PS), often appear. The identification of the origin and authenticity of PJ is critical for ensuring the quality, safety and effectiveness of drugs. Objective: Proposing a strategy to identify the origin, authenticity, and quality of PJ using HPLC fingerprints, chemometrics, and network pharmacology. Method: The chromatographic fingerprint method was established to analyze the origin and authenticity of PJ. Multiple chemometric methods were performed to analyze the fingerprints, including a Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Counter Propagation Artificial Neural Network (CP-ANN). Finally, the network pharmacology method was used to construct the "active ingredient-target" network, predict and assist in analyzing potential Qmarkers in PJ. Result: Ward’s method was used for the HCA. The results showed that PJ samples from different origins had significant regional differences and could be accurately distinguished from PS. The PCA classification results are consistent with the HCA classification results, further illustrating the model's accuracy. The CP-ANN model can analyze and predict PJ and PS and accurately obtain PJ and PS chemical markers to identify PJ and PS correctly. The network pharmacology of PJ was constructed, and three PJ Q-markers, namely, ginsenoside Ro, ginsenoside Rb1, and chikusetsu saponin Ⅳa, were identified, which lays a foundation for the establishment of PJ quality standards. Conclusion: This research provides a feasible platform for the quality evaluation of PJ in the future.

Physalis alkekengi L. var. franchetii (PALF) is a traditional Chinese medicine, which is well known for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and expectorant properties. Its fruits and fruiting calyxes are used as dietary supplements and traditional herbs in China. However, the quality of calyxes is uneven, and it is prone to getting moldy or moth-eaten during storage. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints and multivariate chemometric methods were combined to evaluate quality, and three representative compounds were chosen as the quality markers (Q-markers). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) provided a clear discrimination of PALF samples. Through further verification by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), backpropagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN), machine learning, and combination with the determination of the content, biology, and pharmacology effect judgment, galuteolin, rutin, and physalin O could be used as Q-markers that their contents affect the quality of PALF grade evaluation. A simple method was established to rapidly assess the quality of PALF that is important for its clinical application and storage and provide a reference for evaluating the quality of materials used in Chinese medicine.

Centipeda minima (L.) A. Br. et Aschers, known as Ebushicao (EBSC) in Chinese, has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for dispelling wind, clearing orifices, detoxification, and swelling. Although the traditional use of EBSC involves the whole plant, during harvesting and processing, separation of the stems, leaves, flowers, and roots often occurs. However, there are few studies on its medicinal parts. A strategy combining high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting and multivariate classification techniques are here proposed for the comparison of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of EBSC. The roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of EBSC samples were analyzed and compared based on HPLC fingerprints combined with chemometrics, including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN). Chemical markers were screened using PLS-DA, and the contents of representative ingredients were determined by an HPLC method. The HCA and PCA provided clear discrimination of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. Moreover, the PLS-DA model and BP-ANN were established to verify the classification results and showed a greater ability to predict new samples. Four representative chemical markers were screened out, and the content of these markers in flowers and leaves was higher than that in stems and roots, and the difference was significant. Combining HPLC fingerprinting and multicomponent chemical pattern recognition technology can be used to distinguish different parts of EBSC. The results indicated that brevilin A, quercetin, rutin, and chlorogenic acid, the important active components of EBSC, were mainly present in the leaves and flowers. This is of great significance for the differentiation and identification of the different medicinal parts of EBSC, as well as for the effectiveness of drug usage in clinical practice. HP LC was used to quickly obtain chemical for fingerprint analysis. HCA, P CA, P LS-DA were used to visualize the discrimination of roots, stems, leaves and flowers of EBSC. P LS-DA model was established to verify the classification results and obtained the chemical marker. BP-ANN model was used to further improve the discrimination accuracy.