Determination of element contents in herbal drugs: Chemometric approach

The elemental content of 23 commercial herbal drugs was evaluated and multivariate analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were performed with aim to know the relationship among the elements in the herbal drugs. Among the 13 elements investigated K (8096.97), Na (581.53), Cu (2.06); Mg (678.4); Fe (476.93), Al (321.5), Co (0.22); Zn (4.46), Ni (0.56); Mn (25.77); Pb (13.33); and Cr (13.18) mg/kg dry weight, respectively, were found at high concentrations in Eclipta prostrata; Adhatoda vasica; Phyllanthus amarus; Hybanthus enneaspermus; Cardiospermum halicacabum; Acacia nilotica; and Denolix elata. Interestingly, the toxic element Cd was below detectable level in all the samples and Cr, Pb and Ni were lower than the permissible limit as prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This study clearly shows that PCA and HCA procedures appear useful tools for the differentiation and classification of herbal drugs using the profile of elements.     

中药材提取物复配液对鸡蛋的保鲜研究

以鸡蛋失水率和鸡蛋内容物细菌总数为响应值,采用Box-Behnken Design设计分析和优化中草药提取物、聚乙烯醇与单甘脂不同水平对鸡蛋新鲜度的影响。结果表明保鲜液最佳配比为:中草药提取物0.45 g/m L、聚乙烯醇10.68 g/m L、单甘脂2.05 g/m L。验证实验表明,鸡蛋经保鲜液处理后在25℃、相对湿度60%条件下贮藏30 d后失水率为5.84%,细菌总数为4.54 lgcfu/g,哈夫单位为55.1,保鲜效果显著优于对照组。      

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of curcuminoids in herbal medicines derived from Curcuma species

A validated and sensitive HPLC–UV–MS method was developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of curcuminoids in eight herbal medicines derived from four Curcuma species. The samples were separated on a YMC ODS-A C₁₈ column with a gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid. Curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin showed good linearity (r > 0.9998) in the concentration ranges of 4.88–625, 4.29–550 and 3.98–510 μg/mL, respectively. The results suggested that the contents of three major curcuminoids in different herbal medicines varied significantly. Curcuminoids were only detected in Jianghuang, HuangsiYujin, and PengEzhu. Amongst them, Jianghuang contained the highest amounts of curcuminoids (40.36 mg/g), which were almost 20 times higher than HuangsiYujin (1.94 mg/g) and 400 times higher than PengEzhu (0.098 mg/g). Furthermore, amongst the Jianghuang samples collected from different areas, samples from Sichuan Province contained remarkably higher amounts of curcuminoids (22.21–40.36 mg/g) than other cultivation regions.     

六种藏药对食用油脂抗氧化作用的初步研究

通过在日常食用的菜籽油、酥油、猪油、花生油、大豆油中添加中藏药藓生马先蒿、斑唇马先蒿、益母草、珠牙蓼、蜜花香薷和白苞筋骨草的乙醇提取物,以VC、VE为对照,利用Na2S2O3-I2滴定法,测定不同时间油脂POV的方法,初步研究了中藏药对常用食用油脂的抗氧化作用。结果发现6种藏药乙醇提取物对所选5种油脂均有一定的抗氧化效果。     

三种藏药对食用油脂抗氧化性的初步研究

研究了唐古特雪莲、乳白香青、小米草乙醇提取物的抗氧化活性。采用烘箱高温诱导油脂发生过氧化反应,利用Na2S2O3-I2滴定法,测定不同时间油脂的POV作为评价抗氧化性能的依据,初步研究了3种藏药对常用食用油脂的抗氧化作用。结果表明,3种藏药乙醇提取物对所选的5种食用油脂均有一定的抗氧化效果。     

3种藏药乙醇提取物对食用油脂抗氧化性的研究

在日常食用的菜籽油、酥油、猪油、花生油、大豆油中添加播娘蒿、红花岩黄芪和繁缕3种藏药的乙醇提取物,以Vc为对照,测定不同时期油脂的过氧化值,以研究3种藏药乙醇提取物对食用油脂的抗氧化作用.结果表明,3种藏药的乙醇提取物均有一定的抗氧化作用.     

Detection of estrogenic activity in herbal teas by in vitro reporter assays

Herbal teas have become popular as alternatives to caffeinated beverages during past two decades. However, toxicological studies of herbal teas have been limited and the safety of herbal teas thus remains unknown. We focused on the estrogenic activities of herbal teas since some of their ingredients are similar to those used in herbal remedies for menopause relief and therefore contain phytoestrogens. To investigate the potential estrogenic activity of extracts prepared from herbal tea mixtures commercially available and to provide useful information for the safety assessment of those products, we initially screened the estrogenic activity in extracts of 15 different herbal teas by an assay using recombinant yeast cells expressing the human estrogen receptor (YES). A distinct estrogenic activity was thus detected in the ethanolic extracts from four herbal tea mixtures. Licorice root was specified as a ingredient responsible for the estrogenic activity in those extracts. In contrast, the aqueous extracts of all herbal tea mixtures we tested exhibited distinct estrogenic activity in YES, thus suggesting the existence of various ingredients that contain estrogenic constituents extractable with water. Among them, the extract of peppermint tea exhibited the highest estrogenic activity. The estrogenic activity in extracts of herbal tea mixtures and specified ingredients were thereafter confirmed by a reporter assay system using transiently transfected HEK293 cells.     

The determination of total germanium in real food samples including Chinese herbal remedies using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy

This paper outlines the development of a method for the determination of total germanium in foodstuffs utilising graphite furnace atomic absorption. It was found that by varying the drying times interferences could be minimised. Metals including calcium, cobalt, copper, magnesium, nickel, lead and zinc were tested for potential interferences. It was found experimentally that none of the listed metals interfered with this method. The optimal furnace conditions were determined to be; drying for 80 s (85 °C for 30 s, 95 °C for 40 s and 120 °C for 10 s), ashing at 700 °C for 8 s and atomisation at 2600 °C for 3.3 s followed by a tube clean for 2 s at 2800 °C and a lamp current of 5 mA for analysis at 265.2 nm. The method was found to have a linear range of 3.3–125 μg/l with a limit of detection and a characteristic mass of 0.051 and 0.053 ng germanium, respectively. The samples chosen for analysis include vegetables, fruit juices, Chinese herbal remedies and over the counter formulations. It was found that the aloe vera tablet, ginseng tablet and ginger tablet contained 20.83, 5.48 and 9.96 μg/g. Other foods found to contain germanium were potato, garlic and carrot, having 1.85, 2.79 and 0.60 μg/g of germanium. The food found to contain the highest concentration of germanium was Soya mince having 9.39 μg/g.     

Mineral content of some herbs and herbal teas by infusion and decoction

Sage (Salvia fruticosa L.), anise (Pimpinella anisum L.), Hawthorn (Crataegus orientalis), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), mountain tea (Sideritis spp), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), lime flower (Tilia cordata), nettle (Urtica dioica L.), thyme (Thymbra spicata), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), rosehip (Rosa canina L.), mentha (Mentha piperita L.), balm (Melissa officinalis L.), tea (Camelia sinensis L.) (Black and green), sena leaf (Casia angustifolia), camomile (Matricaria chamomilla), tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.), cinnamon (Cinnamomum casia) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) were used as plant material in this study. Decoction was applied to R. canina, A. dracunculus and C. casia, and infusion was applied to other plant materials. Ten, 15 and 20 min were used as a time parameter for both infusion and decection. Inductive coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AEs) has been used for the determination of the elements in all infusions, decoctions and plant material.     

淡竹叶天然保健饮料的研制

利用不同浓度、不同温度的乙醇将淡竹叶、甘草中的有效成分分别提取出来，经浓缩精制后，配以其它辅料，制成纯天然饮料。     

一种簕菜凉茶的研制及抗氧化活性研究

以恩平簕菜为主要原料,用总黄酮含量为主要质控指标,采用单因素和正交试验考察簕菜凉茶的生产配方;并研究其清除ABTS自由基和DPPH自由基的抗氧化能力。结果表明：簕菜浸提工艺为料液比1:12g/mL、浸提次数3次、浸提时间180min;凉茶最优配方为：簕菜汁24%,陈皮汁4.25%,甘蔗汁15%,VC含量为0.18%,柠檬酸含量为0.02%,液体麦芽糖醇含量为2.0%,β-CD环糊精为0.6%。本品口感好、抗氧化作用好,具有广泛的市场应用前景。     

Comparison of NO-scavenging and NO-suppressing activities of different herbal teas with those of green tea

Oxidative stress caused by the production of excess nitric oxide (NO) during infection or inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including cancer, diabetes and renal disease. Accordingly, the scavenging of NO radical or/and suppression of NO production by mitogen-activated cells may be promising indicators in screening healthy food. In this work, the NO-scavenging and NO-suppressing activities of different herbal teas were determined and compared with those of green tea. All of the tested herbal teas revealed NO-scavenging and NO-suppressing activities. The NO-scavenging activity of herbal teas can be ranked by the IC₅₀, the concentration of the tested herbal tea required to quench 50% of NO radicals released by sodium nitroprusside. The activities follow the order: green tea > rosemary, sweet osmanthus, rose and lavender > jasmine, lemongrass and daisy. The NO-suppressing activity was evaluated, based on the suppressing effect of herbal teas on the production of NO by LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Experimental results indicated that green tea and rosemary had IC₅₀ values of less than 500 μg/ml, and were proven to be good NO-suppressors, whereas lavender, sweet osmanthus, lemongrass, rose, daisy and jasmine had IC₅₀ values that exceeded 500 μg/ml, and were classified as rather poor NO-suppressors. In conclusion, consumption of herbal teas promotes the NO-scavenging and NO-suppressing activities of the diet, even though their activities are weaker than that of green tea.     

Antioxidative and anti-hydrogen peroxide activities of various herbal teas

Herbal teas, i.e., extracts of herbs, are popular because of their fragrance and antioxidative activity. Since the antioxidative activity comes mainly from polyphenols, total polyphenol concentrations and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activities in herbal teas were measured and compared. Levels of H₂O₂ in the teas were also examined, since the production of H₂O₂ in beverages such as coffee and green tea, has been reported. Only a small amount of H₂O₂ was detected in the herbal teas just after their preparation with hot water. However, H₂O₂ was gradually produced during incubation at 25 °C after extraction with hot water, especially when the teas were incubated in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4. To examine the anti-H₂O₂ activity of herbal teas, various teas were added to a catechin-enriched green tea, which produce much H₂O₂, and they were incubated at 25 °C for one day. Addition of hibiscus and thorn apple tea decreased the production of H₂O₂ in the catechin-enriched green tea, possibly because of a lowering of the pH of the mixture.     

Identification and characterisation of coumarins from the roots of Angelica dahurica and their inhibitory effects against cholinesterase

The current research was the first to investigate coumarins and their cholinesterase inhibitory activities from Angelica dahurica roots. The ethanol extract of this species (100 μg/ml) possessed inhibitory effects against human acetylcholinesterase (hAChE) and butylcholinesterase (BChE) with IC₅₀ values of 26.40 and 14.71 μg/ml, respectively. To evaluate the compounds responsible for these activities, the ethanol extract was chromatographed, which yielded ten coumarins, including isoimperatorin (1), imperatorin (2), senbyakangelicol (3), oxypeucedanin (4), byakangelicol (5), t-OMe-oxypeucedanin hydrate (6), t-OMe-byakangelicin (7), angelol H (8), byakangelicin (9), and oxypeucedanin hydrate (10). Among them, coumarin 5, 7, and 9 showed potent inhibition with IC₅₀s of 46.3, 39.0, and 55.4 μM (hAChE) as well as 45.2, 25.6, and 42.4 μM (BChE), respectively. Moreover, their inhibition modes against two cholinesterases exhibited noncompetitive. The individual coumarin contents were remarkable differences, especially, oxypeucedanin (4) was the most predominant compound (8710.9 μg/g), representing approximately 55.0% of the total content.     

微波消解-电感耦合等离子体质谱法同时测定 药食两用中药材中的15种元素

目的建立电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法同时测定药食两用中药材中镁、铝、铬、锰、铁、钴、镍、铜、锌、砷、镉、钡、汞、铅和铀15种元素的含量。方法以硝酸:盐酸(V:V=4:1)为消解试剂,采用微波消解法进行样品前处理,在线加入内标并开启碰撞反应池。对该方法的检出限、线性范围、精密度和回收率进行考察,并对10种药食两用中药材中15种元素进行同时测定。结果 15种元素线性关系良好,相关系数均大于0.999,检出限为0.003~1.998 mg/kg,方法重复性相对偏差均小于19.1%,回收率在79.35%~112.96%范围之间。结论该方法快速、灵敏,可同时准确测定药食两用中药材中多元素。     

Antioxidant capacity of herbal infusions and tea extracts: A comparison of ORAC-fluorescein and ORAC-pyrogallol red methodologies

Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values have been obtained for a series of teas and herbal infusions employing 2,2′-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) as free radical source, and fluorescein and pyrogallol red as target molecules. The amounts of phenols in the extracts were evaluated by Folin’s methodology. ORAC values are extremely dependent upon the employed target molecule. Even more, relative ORAC values measured for different infusions depend upon the employed methodology. For example, ORAC-fluorescein value of Aloysia citriodora is larger than that of green tea, while if pyrogallol red is employed as target molecule green tea appears as nearly nine times more efficient. Similarly, for extracts with comparable amounts of phenols, herbal infusions are more efficient than teas by ORAC-fluorescein, while opposite conclusions are obtained if ORAC-pyrogallol red values are considered. Extreme care must then be taken for conclusions obtained from ORAC values estimated by employing a single target molecule.     

三种中药材多糖抗氧化性研究

用超声波法提取红芪、黄芪、板蓝根中多糖,从还原能力、抗脂质体氧化和对羟基自由基的清除效果对提取物的抗氧化能力进行了研究。结果表明:红芪、黄芪、板蓝根中多糖得率为:93.402%、84.053%、58.664%;其多糖具有较强的还原能力,对脂质体氧化、羟基自由基均有抑制作用或清除作用。还原能力,抗脂质体氧化能力,羟基自由基的清除能力与提取物中有效成分有关。3种药材提取物均是优良的天然抗氧化剂和自由基清除剂。     

20种川产道地药材对番茄灰霉菌的抑制作用研究

通过使用无水乙醇、乙酸乙酯、丙酮、三氯甲烷、石油醚和水6种溶剂对20种具有抑菌潜力的川产道地药材活性物质进行提取,以番茄灰霉病菌为供试菌,采用菌丝生长速率法研究其抑菌效果,通过系统研究川产道地药材提取物抑菌效果,在扩充中药材抑菌实验理论数据的基础上,为进一步研发中药杀菌剂提供基础参考。结果表明,在供试浓度为0.1g/mL条件下,乙醇提取物中黄柏、川射干、花椒、黄连、石菖蒲、大黄、川乌抑菌率为100%;乙酸乙酯提取物中川射干、黄连、桔梗、石菖蒲、使君子、川乌抑菌率为100%;三氯甲烷提取物中续断、金银花抑菌率为100%;丙酮提取物中石菖蒲抑菌率为100%;石油醚和水提液抑菌率均小于80%。      

黔产首乌、玄参中重金属含量特征

选择贵州产块根类药材何首乌、玄参为研究对象,对其块根、茎、叶重金属含量特征进行分析,并对贵州不同产地何首乌块根、茎中重金属含量进行比较。结果表明:何首乌块根中5种重金属(Cu、Cr、Cd、As和Pb)含量均低于茎、叶中含量,玄参块根中除了Cu以外,其余重金属含量远低于茎、叶中的含量。玄参各部位Cd以及叶中Pb含量超出外经贸绿色行业标准WM/T 2—2004《药用植物及制剂》限量指标要求。何首乌、玄参不同部位对Cr、Cd的富集一致,Cr表现为叶茎块根,Cd表现为茎叶块根,玄参块根中Cd含量远大于何首乌块根中含量,说明玄参块根比何首乌块根更容易富集Cd。施秉何首乌茎中Cu、Cr、Cd、As和Pb含量均高于都匀何首乌茎中含量,块根中除了As、Pb含量低于都匀何首乌块根外,其余重金属含量高于都匀何首乌块根含量。     

紫穗槐蜂蜜对小鼠急性酒精性胃溃疡的预防作用

为研究紫穗槐蜂蜜对小鼠急性酒精性胃溃疡的预防作用,本实验采用紫穗槐蜂蜜对小鼠连续灌胃10?d,随后通过灌胃体积分数65％的乙醇溶液诱导小鼠急性酒精性胃溃疡损伤.通过观察小鼠胃组织病理结构、测定溃疡指数,分析紫穗槐蜂蜜对小鼠胃组织的保护作用;通过测定氧化应激和炎症因子相关生化指标,评价紫穗槐蜂蜜对急性酒精性胃溃疡小鼠胃组...