Chemical composition and immuno-stimulating properties of polysaccharide biological response modifier isolated from Radix Angelica sinensis

The traditional use, structure, and immunostimulatory activity of bioactive polysaccharides from traditional Chinese root medicines: A review

As research on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has expanded, our understanding of the role it can have in controlling the immune system has increased. Polysaccharides from medicinal plants exhibit numerous beneficial therapeutic properties, presumably owing to their modulation of innate immunity and macrophage function. Numerous studies have demonstrated the multiple ways whereby certain polysaccharides can affect the immune system. In addition to stimulating immune cells, such as T cells, B lymphocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells, polysaccharides stimulate complements and increase cytokine secretion. The biological functions of polysaccharides are directly correlated with their structures. This paper summarizes the sources, TCM uses, extraction and purification methods, structural characterization, in vitro and in vivo immune activities, and underlying molecular mechanisms of TCM root polysaccharides. Moreover, the structure-activity relationships of TCM root polysaccharides are emphasized and discussed. This review can provide a scientific basis for the research and industrial utilization of TCM root polysaccharides.

Metabolomics Reveal the Regulatory Effect of Polysaccharides from Fermented Barley Bran Extract on Lipid Accumulation in HepG2 Cells

Barley bran has potential bioactivities due to its high content of polyphenols and dietary fiber, etc. Fermentation has been considered as an effective way to promote the functional activity of food raw materials. In this study, polysaccharides from barley bran extract fermented by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum dy-1 (FBBE-PS) were analyzed, and its effects on lipid accumulation and oxidative stress in high-fat HepG2 cells induced by sodium oleate were evaluated. The results showed that the molecular weight decreased and monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides changed significantly after fermentation. In addition, 50 μg/mL FBBE-PS could reduce the triglyceride (TG) content and reaction oxygen species (ROS) level in high-fat HepG2 cells by 21.62% and 30.01%, respectively, while increasing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) represented by 64.87% and 22.93%, respectively. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that FBBE-PS could up-regulate the lipid metabolism-related genes such as ppar-α, acox-1 and cpt-1α, and oxidation-related genes such as nrf2, ho-1, nqo-1, sod1, cat, etc. The metabolomics analysis indicated that FBBE-PS could alleviate lipid deposition by inhibiting the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, which is consistent with the downregulation of scd-1 expression. It is demonstrated that fermentation can alter the properties and physiological activities of polysaccharides in barley bran, and FBBE-PS exhibited an alleviating effect on lipid deposition and oxidative stress in high-fat cells.

Integrated chemical and transcriptomic analyses unveils synthetic characteristics of different medicinal root parts of Angelica sinensis

Objective

Why are different medicinal parts including heads, bodies and tails of Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR) distinct in pharmaceutical activities? Here we explored their discrepancy in chemical constituents and transcriptome.

Methods

ASR were separated into three medicinal parts: heads (rootstocks with petiole traces of ASR), bodies (taproots of ASR) and tails (lateral roots of ASR), and chemical and transcriptomic analyses were conducted simultaneously.

Results

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint results showed that five widely used active ingredients (ferulic acid, senkyunolide H, senkyunolide A, n-butylphathlide, and ligustilide) were distributed unevenly in the three ASR medicinal parts. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) demonstrated that the heads can be differentiated from the two other root parts due to different amounts of the main components. However, the content of ferulic acid (a main quality marker) was significantly higher in tails than in the heads and bodies. The transcriptome analysis found that 25,062, 10,148 and 29,504 unigenes were specifically expressed in the heads, bodies and tails, respectively. WGCNA analysis identified 17 co-expression modules, which were constructed from the 19,198 genes in the nine samples of ASR. Additionally, we identified 28 unigenes involved in two phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (PB) pathways about ferulic acid metabolism pathways, of which 17 unigenes (60.7%) in the PB pathway were highly expressed in the tails. The expression levels of PAL, C3H, and CQT transcripts were significantly higher in the tails than in other root parts. RT-qPCR analysis confirmed that PAL, C3H, and CQT genes were predominantly expressed in the tail parts, especially PAL, whose expression was more than doubled as compared with that in other root parts.

Conclusion

Chemical and transcriptomic analyses revealed the distribution contents and pivotal transcripts of the ferulic acid biosynthesis-related pathways. The spatial gene expression pattern partially explained the discrepancy of integral medicinal activities of three medicinal root parts.

Herbal formula (Danggui Beimu Kushen Wan) for prostate disorders: a systematic review of classical literature

Background

Danggui Beimu Kushen Wan (DBKW) was initially known for difficult urination in pregnancy and has been widely used for prostate disorders in modern days. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the implications of DBKW in traditional evidence.

Methods

The Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine was searched to identify the ingredients, dosage, etiologies, pathogeneses, actions and indications related to DBKW documented in ancient books. Descriptive summary was provided to their characteristics.

Results

A total of 41 texts in 36 classic books were included. Two etiologies and 10 pathogeneses were investigated. All the identified formulas contain Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus and Sophorae Flavescentis Radix with the ratio of 1:1:1. The treatment dosage is three to 10 pills each time. The primary indication of DBKW is difficult urination with heat stagnation. Nine included texts specified that this formula could also be used for male.

Conclusion

Included classic literature has provided fundamental evidence for the management of difficult urination in female and male. Further studies should investigate its mechanisms of actions for difficult urination related conditions, such as prostate disorders.

COPD rat model is more susceptible to cold stress and PM2.5 exposure and the underlying mechanism

The purpose of this study is to verify the hypothesis that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) model rat is more susceptible to cold stress and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) exposure than the healthy rat, and explore the related mechanism. COPD rat model, established with cigarette smoke and lipopolysaccharide intratracheal instillation, were exposed to cold stress (0 °C) and PM_2.5 (0, 3.2, 12.8 mg/ml). After that, the levels of superoxide dismutase, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang-Ⅱ) in lung were measured, as well as the expression levels of lung 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). There were significant positive relationships between PM_2.5 and lung level of iNOS, TNF-α, MCP-1 and Ang-Ⅱ, lung function and pathologic damage in COPD rats. The HO-1, NF-κB and 8-OHdG were found highly expressed in COPD rat lung, particularly at the higher PM_2.5 dose of cold stress groups, while Nrf2 was found declined. Thus, COPD rats may be more susceptible to cold stress and PM_2.5 exposure. Cold stress may aggravate PM_2.5-induced toxic effects in the lung of COPD rats through increasing Ang-Ⅱ/NF-κB signaling pathway and suppressing Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Advances on Bioactive Polysaccharides from Medicinal Plants

In recent decades, the polysaccharides from the medicinal plants have attracted a lot of attention due to their significant bioactivities, such as anti-tumor activity, antioxidant activity, anticoagulant activity, antidiabetic activity, radioprotection effect, anti-viral activity, hypolipidemic and immunomodulatory activities, which make them suitable for medicinal applications. Previous studies have also shown that medicinal plant polysaccharides are non-toxic and show no side effects. Based on these encouraging observations, most researches have been focusing on the isolation and identification of polysaccharides, as well as their bioactivities. A large number of bioactive polysaccharides with different structural features and biological effects from medicinal plants have been purified and characterized. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the most recent developments in physiochemical, structural features and biological activities of bioactive polysaccharides from a number of important medicinal plants, such as polysaccharides from Astragalus membranaceus, Dendrobium plants, Bupleurum, Cactus fruits, Acanthopanax senticosus, Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, Aloe barbadensis Miller, and Dimocarpus longan Lour. Moreover, the paper has also been focused on the applications of bioactive polysaccharides for medicinal applications. Recent studies have provided evidence that polysaccharides from medicinal plants can play a vital role in bioactivities. The contents and data will serve as a useful reference material for further investigation, production, and application of these polysaccharides in functional foods and therapeutic agents.

Characterization and immunostimulating effects on murine peritoneal macrophages of a novel protein isolated from Panax quinquefolius L

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Panax quinquefolius L. has been used as a proverbial tonic in oriental countries for hundreds of years. It is used as a traditional medicinal herb to nourish vitality.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The purpose of our study was to inquiry the activation effects on murine peritoneal macrophages of a novel protein separated from the roots of Panax quinquefolius L.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In our work, a novel protein of the roots of American ginseng (AGNP) was separated and purified from the roots of Panax quinquefolius L. The characteristic was investigated with SDS-PAGE, high pressure gel filtration chromatography (HPGFC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time-of-flight mass (MALDI-TOF-MS) spectrometry method. The method of neutral red was carried out to investigate the phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages. And Griess method and colorimetry were executed to detect the level of nitric oxide and iNOS activity respectively. Tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 were analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

Our results demonstrated that the subunit molecular weight of AGNP determined by SDS-PAGE was 15kD and the content of proteins determined by Bradford assay was 2.31mg/mL. The molecular weight of the AGNP was15, 114Da both of electrophoresis and MS purity. And the result of HPGFC showed that the molecular weight of AGNP was 31,086Da, Immunological studied indicated that AGNP could conspicuously increase phagocytosis of macrophages, facilitate the nitric oxide production, Tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 production. What is more, AGNP dose-dependently stimulated NO formation through the up-regulation of iNOS activity.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, AGNP had good immunoregulatory effects supporting the traditional claims and may provide a valuable therapeutic strategy to promoting immune function and metabolism.

Polysaccharide of Danggui Buxue Tang, an Ancient Chinese Herbal Decoction, Induces Expression of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines Possibly Via Activation of NFκB Signaling in Cultured RAW 264.7 Cells

Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) is an ancient Chinese herbal decoction containing two herbs, Astragali Radix (AR) and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR): this herbal decoction serves as dietary supplement for women during menopause. DBT has been known to modulate immune responses, and its polysaccharide is proposed to be one of the active components. However, the polysaccharide-induced signaling in immune activation is not revealed. Here, we are identifying that the immune activation, triggered by DBT, could be mediated by polysaccharide. In cultured macrophages (RAW 264.7 cells), the application of polysaccharide-enriched extract of DBT significantly increased the expressions of mRNA and protein levels of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor. The induction was much stronger than the polysaccharide extract generated singly from AR, or from ASR, or from their simple mixture. The induced cytokine release in cultured macrophage was revealed to be triggered by activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling, including (i) degradation of IkBα; (ii) translocation of NF-κB p65 from cytosol to nuclei; and (iii) activation of NF-κB transcriptional elements. These results verified the possible role of DBT polysaccharide in modulating immune responses. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Angelica sinensis in China-A review of botanical profile, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and chemical analysis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels, known as Dang Gui (in Chinese), is a traditional medicinal and edible plant that has long been used for tonifying, replenishing, and invigorating blood as well as relieving pain, lubricating the intestines, and treating female irregular menstruation and amenorrhea. A. sinensis has also been used as a health product and become increasingly popular in China, Japan, and Korea.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This paper aims to provide a systemic review of traditional uses of A. sinensis and its recent advances in the fields of phytochemistry, analytical methods and toxicology. In addition, possible trends, therapeutic potentials, and perspectives for future research of this plant are also briefly discussed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An extensive review of the literature was conducted, and electronic databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Reaxys were used to assemble the data. Ethnopharmacological literature and digitalised sources of academic libraries were also systematically searched. In addition, information was obtained from local books and The Plant List (TPL, www.theplantlist.org).

RESULT

This study reviews the progress in chemical analysis of A. sinensis and its preparations. Previously and newly established methods, including spectroscopy, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultra-performance liquid chromatography(UPLC), and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis (NMR), are summarized. Moreover, identified bioactive components such as polysaccharides, ligustilide and ferulic acid were reviewed, along with analytical methods for quantitative and qualitative determination of target analytes, and fingerprinting authentication, quality evaluation of A. sinensis, and toxicology and pharmacodynamic studies. Scientific reports on crude extracts and pure compounds and formulations revealed a wide range of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory activity, antifibrotic action, antispasmodic activity, antioxidant activities, and neuroprotective action, as well as cardio- and cerebrovascular effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Within the published scientific literature are numerous reports regarding analytical methods that use various chromatographic and spectrophotometric technologies to monitor various types of components with different physicochemical properties simultaneously. This review discusses the reasonable selection of marker compounds based on high concentrations, analytical methods, and commercial availabilities with the goal of developing quick, accurate, and applicable analytical approaches for quality evaluation and establishing harmonised criteria for the analysis of A. sinensis and its finished products. Compounds isolated from A. sinensis are abundant sources of chemical diversity, from which we can discover active molecules. Thus, more studies on the pharmacological mechanisms of the predominant active compounds of A. sinensis are needed. In addition, given that A. sinensis is one of the most popular traditional herbal medicines, its main therapeutic aspects, toxicity, and adverse effects warrant further investigation in the future.

Phytochemical and pharmacological studies on Radix Angelica sinensis

The roots of Angelica sinensis (RAS), are a Chinese herbal medicine traditionally used in prescriptions for replenishing blood, treating abnormal menstruation, and other women's diseases. It has also been widely marketed as health food for women's care in Asia, and as a dietary supplement in Europe and America. RAS is well-known for its hematopoietic, antioxidant, and immunoregulatory activities. RAS also possesses anti-cancer, memory, radioprotective, and neuroprotective effects. Phytochemical investigations on this plant led to organic acids, phthalides, polysaccharides, and other metabolites. Based on recent animal studies and clinical trials, RAS has been used in the treatment of gynecologic diseases, cardio-cerebrovascular disease, nervous system diseases, and nephrotic syndrome. In this review, the recent phytochemical and pharmacological studies, drug-drug interactions, clinical applications, and toxicity of RAS are summarized.

Danggui to Angelica sinensis root: are potential benefits to European women lost in translation? A review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Danggui (Chinese Angelica root; Dong quai; Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels.) is a traditional Chinese herbal remedy with a long history of use in China, Korea and Japan. Even today it is still one of the herbs most commonly used by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners in China, as well as Europe. It is mainly used for the treatment of women's reproductive problems, such as dysmenorrhea, amenorrhoea, menopause, among others. Using Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. root as the example, this Review examines the ease with which the use of a Traditional Chinese Herbal Remedy can be transposed from one culture to another. By examining the more recent literature, a number of aspects are considered by the author to be potentially lost in translation: (i) identity and quality (phytochemistry); (ii) tradition of use and processing (smoke-drying, stir-frying, with and without wine); (iii) method of use and traditional types of Chinese herbal medicines; (iv) ethnic differences (Caucasian vs. Asian); (v) efficacy, safety and potential for western drug-herb interactions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This review is based on evaluation of the literature available in scientific journals, textbooks, electronic sources such as ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, etc., as well as other web-sites.

RESULTS

A vast amount of information concerning the use of Angelica sinensis exists in the public domain. Many aspects associated with the use of the root are deemed problematical, such as identity, processing, amount and types of constituents, tradition of use in combination with other Chinese herbs, ethnicity of users, etc. Numerous constituents have been isolated with phthalides, ferulic acid and polysaccharides showing biological activities.

CONCLUSION

In spite of the potential activities associated with the traditional use of danggui, and the many trials using the Chinese system of 'Zheng differentiation', well-designed western-style clinical trials carried out using the authenticated, chemically standardized crude drug material to confirm clinical efficacy are in short supply. However increasing research into Angelica sinensis extracts and constituents shows that many of the traditional uses are not without scientific basis.

Isolation, purification and characterisation of selenium-containing polysaccharides and proteins in selenium-enriched Radix puerariae

BACKGROUND

Selenium (Se) is an essential dietary mineral and Radix puerariae (RP) (the dried root of Pueraria lobata Willd.) is a botanical supplement widely used as a nutraceutical. Food enriched with Se provides a feasible and economic approach for production of organic Se compounds. However, little is known about Se-enriched RP and the structure of Se-containing polysaccharides and proteins derived from Se-enriched RP.

RESULTS

The organic form of Se accounted for 82.42% of total content. Purification by DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography yielded three single fractions--RP-SeP-11, RP-SeP-22 and RP-SeP-33--with Se contents of 0.9562 × 10⁻³, 0.6113 × 10⁻³ and 0.3827 × 10⁻³ g kg⁻¹, respectively. RP-SeP-11 (3.5 kDa) was made of glucose, RP-SeP-22 (19.6 kDa) was composed of xylose and glucose, and RP-SeP-33 (97.9 kDa) was made up galactose, mannose and glucose. Two Se-containing proteins were obtained with Se content of 3.175 × 10⁻³ and 4.328 × 10⁻³ g kg⁻¹, respectively. One appeared as three subunits with molecular masses of 43.0, 29.0 and 17.8 kDa while the other appeared as two subunits with molecular masses of 43.0 and 26.3 kDa.

CONCLUSION

The results provide a basis for promoting the utilisation of RP resources enriched with Se as a promising tool for the food industry and are significant for its contribution to Se biochemistry in plants.

Schisandra polysaccharide evokes immunomodulatory activity through TLR 4-mediated activation of macrophages

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Previous studies have shown that Schisandra polysaccharide (SCPP11) has robust antitumor activity in vivo. In this study, the immunomodulatory activity and mechanisms of action of SCPP11 were investigated further to reveal its mechanism of action against tumors. Results showed that SCPP11 increased the thymus and spleen indices, pinocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages, and hemolysin formation in CTX-induced immunosuppressed mice. Moreover, SCPP11 significantly increased immunoglobulin levels, cytokines levels in vivo and induced RAW264.7 cells to secrete cytokines in vitro. RAW264.7 cells pretreated with SCPP11 significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG-2 cells. In addition, SCPP11 promoted both the expression of iNOS protein and of iNOS and TNF-α mRNA. TLR-4 is a possible receptor for SCPP11-mediated macrophage activation. Therefore, the data suggest that SCPP11 exerted its antitumor activity by improving immune system functions through TLR-4-mediated up-regulation of NO and TNF-α.

Characterization and immunostimulating effects on murine peritoneal macrophages of oligosaccharide isolated from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer has been the most precious and renowned Chinese herb used in Asian countries for the treatment of various medical disorders.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this work was to investigate the activation effect on murine peritoneal macrophages of oligosaccharide from the roots of P. ginseng.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this work, the water-extracted oligosaccharide of P. ginseng was (WGOS) isolated and purified from the roots of P. ginseng by hot water extraction, ultrafiltration and gel-permeation chromatography. The monosaccharide composition and degree of polymerization (DP) of WGOS were determined by a combination of acid hydrolysis, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis. Phagocytosis of macrophages was measured by uptake of the neutral red by macrophages, nitric oxide (NO) was determined by the Griess method, inducible NO synthase (iNOS) activity was determined by colorimetric method using a reagent kit, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The reactive species detection kit was used to measure the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level.

RESULTS

WGOS was composed of glucose and the DP was ranging from 2 to 14. Immunological tests showed that treatment of WGOS significantly increased phagocytosis of macrophages, and promoted NO, TNF-α and ROS production. Furthermore, WGOS dose-dependently stimulated NO formation through the up-regulation of iNOS activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, WGOS possessed high immunopotentiating activity and could be developed as a novel immnunostimulant.

Hematopoietic and myeloprotective activities of an acidic Angelica sinensis polysaccharide on human CD34+ stem cells

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Angelica sinensis (AS) is a Chinese herbal medicine traditionally used in prescriptions for replenishing blood and treating abnormal menstruation and other women's diseases.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to separate and identify the major hematopoietic fraction from Angelica sinensis polysaccharides (ASPS), and to investigate the myeloprotective activity of the major bioactive fraction of ASPS as a possible supporting agent for cancer treatments.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The ASPS was fractionated with DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B column to obtain four fractions (F1, F2, F3 and F4). Each fraction was cultured with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNCs) to collect conditioned medium (CM). The hematopoietic ability of various MNC-CM was then evaluated by the colony-forming assay on CD34(+) cells collected by the MACS method from human umbilical cord blood (UCB). In myeloprotective experiment, Adriblastina was used to act as the myelosuppressive agent. The monosaccharide composition of ASPS was analyzed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography-pulse amperometric detector.

RESULTS

The F2 fraction, which was found to have the highest hematopoietic activity, stimulated the human peripheral blood MNCs to secret GM-CSF and IL-3. F2 could also protect the hematopoietic function of CD34(+) cells from Adriblastina. F2 occupies 19% of ASPS and contains 0.53% protein. The monosaccharide composition of F2 was arabinose (51.82%), fructose (1.65%), galactose (29.96%), glucose (4.78%) and galacturonic acid (14.80%), with molecular weight 2.5-295 kDa.

CONCLUSIONS

The bioactive fraction identified and fractionated from ASPS may be used as a health-promoting agent for anemia patients and cancer patients under chemoradiation treatment.

Isolation, purification, and immunomodulatory activity in vitro of three polysaccharides from roots of Cudrania tricuspidata

Three water-soluble polysaccharides (CTPS-1A, CTPS-2B, and CTPS-3A) were obtained from roots of Cudrania tricuspidata (Carr.) Bur. in this study. The homogeneity of polysaccharides was determined, and the average molecular weight, ultraviolet, infrared, monosaccharide composition, and methylation analyses were carried out. Immunomodulatory activity assays in vitro showed that the three polysaccharides could directly stimulate the proliferation of mouse splenocytes alone or combining with concanavalin A or lipopolysaccharide. Furthermore, their stimulating activities were higher than that of the widely clinically used lentinan at optimal concentrations. CTPS-1A and CTPS-2B also enhanced the pinocytic activity of mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Simultaneous determination of organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides residues in Angelica sinensis

Gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detector (GC-NPD) was applied to the simultaneous determination of 15 organophosphorus and 6 organonitrogen pesticides residues in Angelica sinensis. The pesticides were extracted by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) techniques, respectively. The experimental variables were optimized through orthogonal array experimental design. Cleanup of extracts was performed with column chromatography using florisil and neutral aluminum as the sorbents. The determination of pesticides in the final extracts was carried out by GC-NPD. Under optimized conditions, the average recoveries obtained from MAE and UAE are in the range of 75.1-129% and 70.6-129%, respectively, and the relative standard deviations of MAE and UAE were 3.1-10.6% and 1.0-17.8%, respectively.

Purification, characterization and immuno-modulating properties of polysaccharides isolated from Flammulina velutipes mycelium

To investigate the immuno-modulating activity of Flammulina velutipes mycelium, three different Flammulina velutipes polysaccharides (FVPs) were isolated by fractionation using gel filtration and were identified as the immunomodulators of murine peritoneal macrophages. Based on the results of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), NMR spectroscopy, methylation analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrogram (GC-MS), FVP2C was identified as glucose, galactose, mannose and fucose in molar ratio of 100: 14: 7: 4. FVP2C, molecular weight of 27.3 x 10(3) Da, was characterized as alpha-D-(1-->4)-glucan which was highly branched with alpha-D-(1-->6)-glucosyl residues, a single galactose or small amounts of mannoses and fucose at the C-6 position every twelve residues, on average, along the main chain. In the present study, it was found that three FVPs induced a significant increase in cellular nitric oxide formation, interleukin-1 production and tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion in macrophages in vitro. The immuno-modulating activity of FVP2A, FVP2B and FVP2C was dose-dependent.

The analysis of Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Danggui)

Radix Angelicae Sinensis, known as Danggui in China, is one of the most popular traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), which is contained by more than 80 composite formulae. Modern researches indicate that phthalides, organic acids and their esters, polysaccharides are main chemical components related to the bioactivities and pharmacological properties of Danggui. Some of them, such as Z-ligustilide and ferulic acid, are selected as marker compounds to evaluate the quality of Danggui frequently. Because of the diversity of chemical structures and characters of these components, analytical methods of Danggui are various, including GC-MS, HPLC-DAD-MS, TLC, CE-DAD, and so on. Besides that, the development of analytical technology makes the quality control of Danggui more effective and reliable. Quality evaluation is from single or several components' analysis to fingerprinting, or in combination. Furthermore, bioactive components screening of Danggui has also attracted much attention, which will help us evaluate the selected marker components to some extent. In this paper, the literatures about the major phytoconstituents of Danggui, quality control and bioactive components screening methods have been reviewed. Main attention is given to the different methodologies developed to perform chemical analysis, including separation, detection and identification.