Cinnamomum verum J. Presl Bark Contains High Contents of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide

The global population is aging, and intervention strategies for anti-aging and the prevention of aging-related diseases have become a topic actively explored today. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) is an important molecule in the metabolic process, and its content in tissues and cells decreases with age. The supplementation of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), an important intermediate and precursor of NAD⁺, has increased NAD⁺ levels, and its safety has been demonstrated in rodents and human studies. However, the high content of NMN in natural plants has not been fully explored as herbal medicines for drug development. Here, we identified that the leaf of Cinnamomum verum J. Presl (C. verum) was the highest NMN content among the Plant Extract Library (PEL) with food experience, using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). To validate this result, the extraction and quantitative analysis of bark, leaf, root, and stem of fresh C. verum was conducted. The results revealed that the bark had the highest NMN content in C. verum (0.471 mg/100 g). Our study shed light on the prospects of developing natural plants in the context of NMN as drugs for anti-aging and prevention of aging-related diseases. The future should focus on the development and application of C. verum pharmaceutical formulations.     

Biological Risk Assessment of Three Dental Composite Materials following Gas Plasma Exposure

Gas plasma is an approved technology that generates a plethora of reactive oxygen species, which are actively applied for chronic wound healing. Its particular antimicrobial action has spurred interest in other medical fields, such as periodontitis in dentistry. Recent work has indicated the possibility of performing gas plasma-mediated biofilm removal on teeth. Teeth frequently contain restoration materials for filling cavities, e.g., resin-based composites. However, it is unknown if such materials are altered upon gas plasma exposure. To this end, we generated a new in-house workflow for three commonly used resin-based composites following gas plasma treatment and incubated the material with human HaCaT keratinocytes in vitro. Cytotoxicity was investigated by metabolic activity analysis, flow cytometry, and quantitative high-content fluorescence imaging. The inflammatory consequences were assessed using quantitative analysis of 13 different chemokines and cytokines in the culture supernatants. Hydrogen peroxide served as the control condition. A modest but significant cytotoxic effect was observed in the metabolic activity and viability after plasma treatment for all three composites. This was only partially treatment time-dependent and the composites alone affected the cells to some extent, as evident by differential secretion profiles of VEGF, for example. Gas plasma composite modification markedly elevated the secretion of IL6, IL8, IL18, and CCL2, with the latter showing the highest correlation with treatment time (Pearson’s r > 0.95). Cell culture media incubated with gas plasma-treated composite chips and added to cells thereafter could not replicate the effects, pointing to the potential that surface modifications elicited the findings. In conclusion, our data suggest that gas plasma treatment modifies composite material surfaces to a certain extent, leading to measurable but overall modest biological effects.     

我国中药出口贸易发展现状分析及对策研究

对中药出口贸易的发展现状进行了分析,从机遇与挑战方面阐述了其发展趋势,对中药实现现代化,推动国际化,知识产权保护以及如何消除贸易壁垒等方面提出了对策及建议。由于国家政府各项政策的倾斜,将进一步加快我国中药产业的发展,从现代化走向国际化。     

血液-血管耦合特性与脉搏波传播特性的关系

脉搏波既不可简单地理解为可压缩血液流体中的压力纵波,也不可简单地理解为沿固体血管传播的涨缩位移横波,而是超乎普通想象的流-固耦合和纵波-横波耦合的复杂波。从分析耦合本构关系的新途径出发,本文中提出了一个流-固耦合/纵波-横波耦合的串联模型,可为解读“位数形势”中医脉诊提供更丰富的信息。结果表明,脉搏波耦合系统的等效体积压缩模量K_s以及相应的耦合系统脉搏波传播速度c_s主要依赖于两个无量纲参数：血液-血管模量比K_b(p)/E(p)和薄壁血管径厚比D(p)/h₀,它们因人而异、因人的不同脉搏位置而异。文中定量分析了它们对c_s的影响,显示人体的K_b/E值在10³数量级,从而c_s值在10⁰～10¹ m/s数量级,以适应人体生理生化反应。由临床有创测量,证实脉搏体积横波与脉搏压力纵波是相耦合地以相同速度传播;还显示脉搏波是在其波阵面上具有氧合生化反应的“生物波”。此外,还讨论了“脉压放大”现象与非线性本构关系和与血管分叉处加载增强反射之间的关系,并讨论了Lewis关于重搏波形成的假设。

     

Origanum syriacum Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties: A Comprehensive Review

Herbal medicine has been gaining special interest as an alternative choice of treatment for several diseases, being generally accessible, cost-effective and safe, with fewer side-effects compared to chemically synthesized medicines. Over 25% of drugs worldwide are derived from plants, and surveys have shown that, when available, herbal medicine is the preferred choice of treatment. Origanum syriacum (Lamiaceae) is a widely used medicinal plant in the Middle East, both as a home and a folk remedy, and in the food and beverage industry. Origanum syriacum contains numerous phytochemical compounds, including flavonoids, phenols, essential oils, and many others. Because of its bioactive compounds, O. syriacum possesses antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiparasitic capacities. In addition, it can be beneficial in the treatment of various diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and peptic ulcers. In this review, the chemical compositions of different types of extracts and essential oils from this herb will first be specified. Then, the pharmacological uses of these extracts and essential oils in various contexts and diseases will be discussed, putting emphasis on their efficacy and safety. Finally, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of O. syriacum phytochemicals in disease treatment will be described as a basis for further investigation into the plant’s pharmacological role.     

荧光淬灭和加强理论公式合理性的热力学分析

通过荧光法在不同温度下研究了3种第三代头孢新药: 盐酸头孢吡肟、头孢匹胺和头孢唑肟钠与人血清白蛋白(HSA)和牛血清白蛋白(BSA)的作用, 分别应用荧光淬灭和荧光加强理论公式计算了它们的结合常数等, 进而分别计算了它们的热力学函数. 因对应于不同的理论公式得出的K_A值并不完全相同, 由此得到它们相应的热力学参数也有所不同. 本文对这些热力学数据的差异进行了分析比较, 结果表明: 基于荧光加强理论公式(4)获得的热力学数据显示更为合理. 因而我们建议, 即使在研究受体-底物的荧光淬灭反应时, 采用荧光加强理论公式(4)可以获得更符合实际的结果.     

藏药五脉绿绒蒿中多糖含量的测定

利用80％乙醇溶液沉淀样品中的多糖,再用碱性二阶铜试剂选择性的沉淀具有葡聚糖结构的多糖,采用苯酚-硫酸比色法进行多糖含量分析,结果表明：方法在10～200ug／ml范围呈良好的线性关系,其相关系数为0．9986,平均回收率为93．2％．本法简便、准确、重现性良好．     

The Extracts of Polygonum cuspidatum Root and Rhizome Block the Entry of SARS-CoV-2 Wild-Type and Omicron Pseudotyped Viruses via Inhibition of the S-Protein and 3CL Protease

COVID-19, resulting from infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, caused a contagious pandemic. Even with the current vaccines, there is still an urgent need to develop effective pharmacological treatments against this deadly disease. Here, we show that the water and ethanol extracts of the root and rhizome of Polygonum cuspidatum (Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix), a common Chinese herbal medicine, blocked the entry of wild-type and the omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus into fibroblasts or zebrafish larvae, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.015 to 0.04 mg/mL. The extracts were shown to inhibit various aspects of the pseudovirus entry, including the interaction between the spike protein (S-protein) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptor, and the 3CL protease activity. Out of the chemical compounds tested in this report, gallic acid, a phytochemical in P. cuspidatum, was shown to have a significant anti-viral effect. Therefore, this might be responsible, at least in part, for the anti-viral efficacy of the herbal extract. Together, our data suggest that the extracts of P. cuspidatum inhibit the entry of wild-type and the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, and so they could be considered as potent treatments against COVID-19.     

中药有效化学成分促进干细胞增殖与分化作用研究进展

本文介绍传统中医药中有效化学成分调控干细胞的增殖、分化作用的近期研究进展。     

传统医药治疗胃溃疡研究现状

作为中国传统医药的重要组成部分中医药和民族医药在抗胃溃疡疾病上都具有确切疗效.本文简要介绍了当前我国传统医药治在治疗胃溃疡疾病上的研究进展,发现与西药相比传统医药在抗胃溃疡方面具有独特优势：高治愈率、高愈合质量、较强的抗复发性等,其更具临床实际应用价值和良好发展前景.