A nucleotide signature for the identification of Pinelliae Rhizoma (Banxia) and its products

Untargeted Metabolomics Based on Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole Orbitrap High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Differential Metabolite Analysis of Pinelliae Rhizoma and Its Adulterants

The present study investigates the chemical composition variances among Pinelliae Rhizoma, a widely used Chinese herbal medicine, and its common adulterants including Typhonium flagelliforme, Arisaema erubescens, and Pinellia pedatisecta. Utilizing the non-targeted metabolomics technique of employing UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS, this research aims to comprehensively delineate the metabolic profiles of Pinelliae Rhizoma and its adulterants. Multivariate statistical methods including PCA and OPLS-DA are employed for the identification of differential metabolites. Volcano plot analysis is utilized to discern upregulated and downregulated compounds. KEGG pathway analysis is conducted to elucidate the differences in metabolic pathways associated with these compounds, and significant pathway enrichment analysis is performed. A total of 769 compounds are identified through metabolomics analysis, with alkaloids being predominant, followed by lipids and lipid molecules. Significant differential metabolites were screened out based on VIP > 1 and p-value < 0.05 criteria, followed by KEGG enrichment analysis of these differential metabolites. Differential metabolites between Pinelliae Rhizoma and Typhonium flagelliforme, as well as between Pinelliae Rhizoma and Pinellia pedatisecta, are significantly enriched in the biosynthesis of amino acids and protein digestion and absorption pathways. Differential metabolites between Pinelliae Rhizoma and Arisaema erubescens are mainly enriched in tyrosine metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism pathways. These findings aim to provide valuable data support and theoretical references for further research on the pharmacological substances, resource development and utilization, and quality control of Pinelliae Rhizoma.

DNA barcoding of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix (Qiang-huo) and identification of adulteration in its medicinal services

Safety concerns, stemming from the presence of complex and unpredictable adulterants, permeate the entire industrial chain of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). The Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix (NReR) from the Apiaceae family, commonly known as "Qiang-huo", is a widely used herbal medicine. The recent surge in its demand has given rise to a proliferation of counterfeit and substituted products in the market. Traditional identification presents inherent limitations, while DNA mini-barcoding, reliant on sequencing a short-standardized region, has received considerable attention as a new potential means to identify processed medicinal materials. In this study, we constructed a comprehensive Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) matrix encompassing genuine NReR and their commonly found adulterants for the first time. Leveraging this matrix, we conducted a thorough assessment of the genetic profiles and sources of NReR available in the Chinese herbal medicine market. Following established DNA barcoding protocols, the intra-specific genetic divergences within NReR species were found to be lower than the inter-specific genetic divergences from other species. Among the 120 samples that were successfully amplified, ITS2 exhibits an outstanding species-level identification efficiency of 100% when evaluated using both the BLASTN and neighbor-joining (NJ) tree methods. We concluded that ITS2 is a mini-barcode that has shown its potential and may become a universal mini-barcode for the quality control of "Qiang-huo", thereby ensuring the safety of clinical medication.

The molecular mechanism of "Dahuang-Shengjiang-Banxia decoction" in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease was verified based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Background

Explore the molecular mechanism of Dahuang-Shengjiang-Banxia Decoction (DSBD) in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology.

Method

The effective ingredients and targets of the DSBD were taken from the TCMSP database, while the disease targets were obtained via GeneCards, OMIM, DrugBank, TTD, and DisGeNET. Cytoscape 3.9.1 was used to create a drug-ingredient-target network diagram. STRING databases are also used to analyze the Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network of intersecting targets. The core targets was obtained by the intersection of the differential genes screened from the intersection target and GEO, and the core targets was enriched by Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto gene and genome (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). CIBERSORTx was used for immunoinfiltration analysis, and then the core targets was analyzed by Nephroseq V5 and KIT for clinical correlation analysis and single-cell sequencing. Lastly, AutoDock Vina was used for molecular docking of both the core targets and the top active elements.

Results

A total of 177 DSBD and 2906 DKD targets were screened. Six core targets were identified by screening, which were IL1B, MMP9, EGF, VEGFA, HIF1A, and PTGS2. The top 6 active ingredients are 6-gingerol, baicalin, oleic acid, β-sitosterol, linolenic acid, and aloe emodin. The core targets has good docking activity with the active ingredient.

Conclusion

DSBD may exert its therapeutic effect on DKD through multicomponent, multipath, and multi-target analyses. It is possible that VEGFA is a key target in therapy, and that the VEGF/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway plays a key role in therapy.

Existing status and future advancements of adulteration detection techniques in herbal products

BACKGROUND

Herbal products have been commonly used all over the world for centuries. Its products have gained remarkable acceptance as therapeutic agents for a variety of disorders. However, following recent research disclosing discrepancies between labeling and actual components of herbal products, there is growing concern about the efficacy, quality and safety of the products. The admixture and adulteration of herbal medicinal products pose a risk of serious health compromise and the well-being of the consumers. To prevent adulteration in raw ingredients and final herbal products, it is necessary to use approaches to assess both genomes as well as metabolomics of the products; this offers quality assurance in terms of product identification and purity. The combinations of molecular and analytical methods are inevitable for thorough verification and quality control of herbal medicine.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This review discusses the combination of DNA barcoding, DNA metabarcoding, mass spectroscopy as well as HPLC for the authentication of herbal medicine and determination of the level of adulteration. It also discusses the roles of PCR and real-time PCR techniques in validating and ensuring the quality, purity and identity of the herbal products.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, each technique has its own pros and cons, but the cumulative of both the chemical and molecular methods is proven to be the best strategy for adulteration detection. Moreover, CRISPR diagnosis tools equipped with multiplexing techniques may be implemented for screening adulteration from herbal drugs, this will play a crucial role in herbal product authentication in the future.

Chinese Herbal Medicine Combined With Liuzijue Exercise in Physiological Rehabilitation After Video-assisted Lung Lobectomy for Cancer: A Prospective Propensity Score Matching Study

OBJECTIVE

To observe the clinical efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine combined with Liuzijue exercise on the physiological symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in postoperative patients with early-stage lung cancer.

METHODS

One hundred and eighty-three lung cancer patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) were categorize into either a traditional Chinese medicine treatment group (CM) or a control group (non-traditional Chinese medicine treatment, NC), among whom 73 underwent Chinese herbal medicine and Liuzijue therapy, while 110 underwent no comprehensive treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. The propensity score matching (PSM) method with a 1:2 ratio was used to balance the baseline characteristics and evaluate the efficacy of CM in improving postoperative symptoms and QoL.

RESULTS

Cough, dyspnea, chest pain, and fatigue were the most common clinical symptoms after VATS. Except for chest pain, they were all correlated with the scope of operation (P < .05). After PSM, 165 patients were identified in the matched cohort, and the covariates of gender, age, operative site, and scope of operation were balanced between the 2 groups (P > .05). In the domain of global health status, the improvement in QoL in CM was greater than that in NC (6.06 ± 15.83 vs -1.06 ± 14.68, P = .005). In terms of symptoms, improvements in cough (1.69 ± 3.15 vs 0.38 ± 2.63, P = .006), dyspnea during climbing stairs (-10.30 ± 16.82 vs -1.82 ± 17.97, P = .004), and pain (-0.76 ± 1.32 vs -0.08 ± 1.31, P = .002) in CM were better than in NC.

CONCLUSION

Comprehensive treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can provide therapeutic benefits in physiological rehabilitation after VATS for cancer.

Comprehensive analysis using DNA metabarcoding, SCAR marker based PCR assay, and HPLC unveils the adulteration in Brahmi herbal products

BACKGROUND

Brahmi is one of the important nootropic botanicals, widely sold in the market, with the name "Brahmi'' being used to describe both Bacopa monnieri and Centella asiatica species. The Brahmi herbal products market is expanding; hence, economically motivated adulteration is highly prevalent.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This study aimed to develop DNA-based methods, including SCAR marker-based PCR and metabarcoding, to authenticate Brahmi herbal products and compare these methods with HPLC. These methods have been validated using mock controls (in-house blended formulations). All targeted plant species in mock controls were detected successfully with all three methods, whereas, in market samples, only 22.2%, 55.6%, and 50.0% were found positive for Brahmi by PCR assay, DNA metabarcoding, and HPLC, respectively. Metabarcoding can detect the presence of non-labeled plants together with targeted species, which is an advantage over PCR assay or HPLC.

CONCLUSION

SCAR marker-based PCR is a rapid and cost-effective method for detecting the presence of B. monnieri and C. asiatica. However, in this study, the success rate of PCR amplification was relatively low because the primers targeted either RAPD or ITS-based SCAR markers. HPLC assay, although an alternative, was unable to detect the presence of other botanicals, just like the SCAR marker-based PCR assay. On the other hand, metabarcoding can be utilized to identify the target plants, even in very small quantities, while also providing simulated identification of other botanicals. This study successfully addressed the need for quality control of Brahmi herbal products and provided the first-time report of DNA metabarcoding for such products.