China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica, the 1st in the field of TCM, is supervised by China Association for Science and Technology and sponsored by Institute of Chinese Pharmaceutical Association. The journal is China's earliest comprehensive core journal of traditional Chinese medicine, and always maintains the circulation top in the professional areas. The journal publishes the latest research and progress of traditional Chinese medicine and takes a leading position in numbers of articles published, downloads and citations among all journals in this discipline.
Its scope covers new achievements, technologies, methods, experiences and concepts resulting from the research on Chinese materia medica pursuant to Chinese medical and pharmaceutical theories, traditional experiences, and modern science and technology, including medicinal resources and identification, cultivation, processing, preparation, chemistry, pharmacology, theory of Chinese pharmacy and clinical practice, bencaological study.
The journal is included in CA, JST and CSCD.
Honorary Editor-in-Chief Xiao Peigen Editor-in-Chief Wang Yongyan
Associate Editors Zhang Boli, Hu Zhibi, Yao Xinsheng, Li Lianda, Li Dapeng, Yang Baofeng, Zhou Chaofan, Huang Luqi, Chen Shilin, Li He.
Executive Editorial Board Cai Shaoqing, Chen Shilin
To investigate the effects of Liu Tea extracts (LTE) on proliferation, apoptosis and drug sensitivity of drug-resistant gastric cancer cell BGC823/5-FU. MTT assay was used to analyze effect of LTE on cell growth and sensitivity chemotherapeutic drugs, and synergistic effect of the combination of LTE with 5-FU on BGC823/5-FU cells. Combination index (CI) was calculated by CompuSyn. Cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry (FCM). Protein expressions of P-gp, Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 (17KD) were detected by Western blot at different concentrations of LTE in BGC823/5-FU cells (100, 200, and 400 mg·L−1). The results showed that LTE had an inhibitory effect on growth of BGC823 /5-FU cell in a dose-time-dependent manner and significantly reduced IC50 of 5-FU, CDDP, PTX and ADM to BGC823/5-FU cells (P < 0.05), indicating it could reverse tolerance of drug resistant cells to chemotherapeutic drugs, with reversion multiples of 2.35, 1.68, 1.96, and 0.52. The combination of LTE with 5-FU had positive synergistic effect on the BGC-823 cell line. FCM assay suggested that LTE could induce BGC823 /5-FU apoptosis. The apoptosis rate was up to 46.2% when the cells were treated with 800 mg·L−1 LTE for 24 h (P < 0.01). According to the protein detection results, with the increase in concentration of LTE, the protein expression of Bcl-2 was gradually decreased (P < 0.01), the expression of Bax and Caspase-3 were extremely increased (P < 0.01), with statistical significance in difference (P < 0.01) but no difference in the expression of P-gp between experiment group and control group. LTE can inhibit the growth of drug-resistant human gastric cancer cell BGC823/5-FU and reverse its chemotherapeutic tolerance to some extent. Inhibition of antiapoptotic proteins, activation of proapoptotic proteins and induction of apoptosis of resistant cells may be its main mechanisms.
To reveal the protective and anti-apoptotic effect of compound Ginkgo biloba granules on oxidative stress injury of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Negative control group, H2O2 model group and 4 drug pretreatment groups (80, 160, 320, 640 mg·L−1) were established. The cell proliferation, morphological changes in each group after oxidative stress injury was detected by MTT assay and through microscope observation respectively. The content of LDH, MDA, SOD and NO and SOD activity in supernatant were detected to judge the protective effect of the drugs on endothelial cells. The protective effect on HUVEC apoptosis was analyzed by Caspase-3 activity test and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. Western blot was used to observe the expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2 and Bax. Results showed that 1,200 μmol·L−1 H2O2 can induce oxidative stress injury in endothelial cells and reduce the cell survival rate; cell proliferation inhibition degree is positively correlated with the effect time of H2O2. Besides, 80, 160, 320 and 640 mg·L−1 compound Ginkgo biloba granules can protect HUVEC from oxidative stress injury, recover the normal proliferation level of cells, improve their state, prohibit cell apoptosis, and can up-regulate and down-regulate the expression level of Bcl-2 and Bax respectively. In conclusion, compound G. biloba granules can protect HUVEC from the oxidative stress injury induced by H2O2, its mechanism may be correlated with inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in HUVEC.
The ITS2 barcode was used to identify Tibetan medicine "Dida", and to secure its quality and safety in medication. A total of 13 species, 151 experimental samples for the study from the Tibetan Plateau, including Gentianaceae Swertia, Halenia, Gentianopsis, Comastoma, Lomatogonium ITS2 sequences were amplified, and purified PCR products were sequenced. Sequence assembly and consensus sequence generation were performed using the CodonCode Aligner V3.7.1. The Kimura 2-Parameter (K2P) distances were calculated using MEGA 6.0. The neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic trees were constructed. There are 31 haplotypes among 231 bp after alignment of all ITS2 sequence haplotypes, and the average G + C content of 61.40%. The NJ tree strongly supported that every species clustered into their own clade and high identification success rate, except that Swertia bifolia and Swertia wolfangiana could not be distinguished from each other based on the sequence divergences. DNA barcoding could be used as a fast and accurate identification method to distinguish Tibetan medicine "Dida" to ensure its safe use.
To evaluate the effect of different fractions of Taohong Siwu decoction on ADP-induced platelet aggregation and thrombin activity, and to explore the bioactive constituents, ADP-induced platelet aggregation rate in rabbits was determined by using the method of turbidity method. A bioassay called thrombin time was developed for determining anti-thrombin activities. UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS method was used to qualitatively analyze the chemical constituents of different parts. Alcohol precipitation deposition fraction, alcohol precipitation supernatant fraction and 20% to 30% alcohol elution fraction could significantly inhibit ADP-induced platelet aggregation. Alcohol precipitation supernatant fraction, water insoluble fraction and 40% to 70% alcohol elution fraction could significantly inhibit thrombin activity. The main components of alcohol precipitation deposition fraction, alcohol precipitation supernatant fraction and 20% to 40% alcohol elution fraction were analyzed and identified as aromatic acids, glycosides and phthalides. The bioactive constituents of Taohong Siwu decoction for inhibiting ADP-induced platelet aggregation and thrombin activity include aromatic acids, glycosides and phthalides. This experiment provides scientific basis to further explore the bioactive constituents and mechanism of Taohong Siwu decoction in treating blood stasis syndrome.
To differentiate three medicinal Hippophae species of seabuckthorn, a combined genetic and chemical identification method was established in this study. ITS2 and psbA-trnH were tested for identification of 3 species of seabuckthorn. Detection of the kimura 2-parameter (K2P) distance, the neighbor-joining (NJ) tree and the barcoding gap were used to assess the identification efficiency. 1H-NMR based metabolic method was applied to acquire the profile of metabolites. PCA was used to analysis the metabolite data. The results indicated that DNA barcode combined 1H-NMR based metabolic method is a powerful tool for the identification of three medicinal Hippophae species of seabuckthorn. The finding demonstrated that different genetic variation and chemical constituents existed among three medicinal Hippophae species of seabuckthorn. The combined identification method will improve the reliability of species discrimination and could be applicable to much other ethnic medicine which has various origins in China.
To compare the quality control indexes and chemical constituents of crude and wine-processed Dipsacus asper. According to Chinese Pharmacopoeia (Edition 2015), water content, total ash, acid-insoluble ash and water soluble extract of different processed products were detected. UPLC-Q-TOF/MS approach was established to compare the content of major constituents in crude and wine-processed D. asper. Moreover, the linearity, precision, stability, repeatability and recovery of the approach were well studied. The results of water content, total ash, acid-insoluble ash and water-soluble extract of crude and wine-processed D. asper were all in line with the requirements of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (Edition 2015). Meanwhile, 20 main chemical constituents were identified by using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. After wine-processing, the content of asperosaponin VI, acetylate analogues and caffeic acid was significantly increased, while the content of other phenolic constituents such as dicaffeoylquinic acid were decreased significantly, which may be the main reason for different clinical efficacy of crude and wine-processed D. asper.
To explore the effect of total flavones from hawthorn leaf on (TFHL) on the expression of COX-2/Nrf2 in the liver tissues of rats with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and discuss its anti-NASH mechanism. Thirty-two SD rats were randomly divided into the normal group, model group, TFHL high-dose group and low-dose group, 8 in each group. High-fat diet was given to the rats for 12 weeks to establish the NASH models, and the high– and low–dose groups were administered with TFHL at the dosage of 250, 125 mg·kg–1·d–1 respectively. Steatosis and the inflammatory changes of the liver tissues in rats were observed by HE staining; total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) level was detected by colorimetry; the level of 8-OHdG and the protein expressions of COX-2, Nrf2 and HO-1 in the liver tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry; and the mRNA expressions of COX-2, Nrf2 and HO-1 in liver tissues were detected by real-time PCR. Compared with the normal group, the liver steatosis, ballooning degeneration for inflammation degree and NAFLD activity scores (NAS) were significantly increased in model group, while T-AOC was decreased, DNA damage marker 8-OHdG level was increased, and the mRNA and protein expressions of COX-2, Nrf2 and HO-1 were significantly increased. After the administration of high- and low-dose of TFHL, the inflammation degree of the liver tissues and NAS were significantly decreased, 8-OHdG level and COX-2 mRNA and protein expressions were decreased, and the mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO–1 were significantly increased when compared with the model group. COX-2/Nrf2 pathway was involved in the development and progression of NASH induced by high-fat diet. TFHL could prevent the development of NASH by promoting the expression of Nrf2/HO-1, regulating and inhibiting the over expression of COX-2, and further attenuating the cell injury and hepatic inflammation caused by oxidation reaction.
