Relationship between content of pharmacological components and grade of Japanese Angelica radixes

Efficient fertilization in the cultivation of Angelica acutiloba (Siebold & Zucc.) Kitag. in Hokkaido: Effect of amount of supplied nitrogen on growth, yield, and quality of A. acutiloba

Angelica acutiloba (Siebold & Zucc.) Kitag., the source plant of the crude drug Angelicae acutilobae radix, is traditionally cultivated in western regions of Japan. Since A. acutiloba is now also grown in Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of the country, the cultivation method, especially the quantity of fertilizer, needs to be adapted because of the cooler climate and shorter growing period. In this study, we compared plant growth and harvest yield of A. acutiloba cultivated with different amounts of nitrogen (N) fertilizer. When plants were fertilized with 24 kg N/10 a, the aerial part was lush, and the diameter at the top of the root was about 1.3 times thicker than that in plants treated with 12 kg N/10 a. On the other hand, the weight of the harvested root grown with 24 kg N/10 a was slightly, although not significantly, less than that in plants grown with 12 kg N/10 a. In addition, we found that the content of (Z)-ligustilide, a major essential oil contained in A. acutiloba root, is affected by nitrogen application. Interestingly, it increased with increasing amounts of supplied nitrogen. However, the importance of Angelicae acutilobae radix as the crude drug is not limited to its (Z)-ligustilide content, and there are also other crucial quality features, such as having thick lateral roots, which were generated in this study with a moderate nitrogen application. We conclude that about 12 kg N/10 a is the optimal amount of nitrogen for healthy growth of A. acutiloba in Hokkaido.

Studies on cultivation of Angelica acutiloba using paper pot (Part 2): effect of difference in taproot base diameter of seedlings on growth after planting and quality of toki produced from paper pot seedlings

By using Angelica acutiloba seedlings produced by short-period raising in paper pot (PP), we investigated the effect of taproot base diameter on the growth after planting and evaluated the quality of toki (, Angelicae Acutilobae Radix) produced from PP-grown seedlings (PT). In this study, PP-grown seedlings of seven classes which are sorted difference taproot base diameter (P1-P7) were transplanted. As a result, the survival rates were not less than 90% for P6 (taproot base diameter: 10.0-12.7 cm) and P7 (taproot base diameter: 12.8-17.3 cm), and the bolting rates were 20.5% and 24.1% for P6 and P7, respectively. The traditionally grown seedling (TS) showed the highest available harvest rate of 82.3%, followed by P6 (71.8%) and P7 (69.0%). P7 showed the highest fresh weight and dry weight per 1a (100 m²), followed by P6 and TS. However, PP-grown seedlings are prone to bolting, and it is expected the yield can be increased by preventing bolting. In addition, PT satisfied the regulations of JP17 in terms of, for example, dilute ethanol-soluble extract content, total ash content, and acid-insoluble ash content. It was also found that PT has a higher proportion of lateral roots with respect to the total weight than toki produced from traditionally grown seedlings (TT). The total (Z)-ligustilide contents were 0.07% in PT and 0.12% in TT. It was revealed that it is possible to produce toki that satisfies JP17 regulations; moreover, the period required for toki production was shortened by 6 months with PP-grown seedlings.

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.

A valid approach in refractory glossodynia: a single-institution 5-year experience treating with Japanese traditional herbal (kampo) medicine

Glossodynia is often refractory to conventional medicine, and there is only limited evidence to guide clinicians in its management. Patients with refractory glossodynia are often introduced to Japanese traditional herbal (Kampo) medicine experts under such circumstances because Kampo medicine has become known in Japan to be effective in treating a wide variety of symptoms refractory to conventional medicine. Herein, we report our single-institution 5-year experience treating patients with Kampo medicine for primary glossodynia that was refractory to conventional medicine. We found that 69.2% of patients reported a beneficial effect of Kampo medicine on glossodynia, and the average onset of improvement was 8.0 ± 7.7 weeks after starting Kampo treatment. The top two frequently used Kampo medicines for glossodynia were seinetsuhokito and mibakuekkito among high responders who showed a decrease of severity by 50% or more. The top four most overlapped herbs among effective Kampo medicines for glossodynia were Glycyrrhiza Root, Ginseng Root, Hoelen, and Atractylodes (lancea) Rhizome, which compose an essential Kampo prescription called shikunshito. Although more research is required to further clarify the effectiveness of Kampo medicine, it has valid efficacy even in cases of glossodynia that remain incurable by conventional treatments.

Current metabolomics: practical applications

The field of metabolomics continues to grow rapidly over the last decade and has been proven to be a powerful technology in predicting and explaining complex phenotypes in diverse biological systems. Metabolomics complements other omics, such as transcriptomics and proteomics and since it is a 'downstream' result of gene expression, changes in the metabolome is considered to best reflect the activities of the cell at a functional level. Thus far, metabolomics might be the sole technology capable of detecting complex, biologically essential changes. As one of the omics technology, metabolomics has exciting applications in varied fields, including medical science, synthetic biology, medicine, and predictive modeling of plant, animal and microbial systems. In addition, integrated applications with genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics provide greater understanding of global system biology. In this review, we discuss recent applications of metabolomics in microbiology, plant, animal, food, and medical science.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry based metabolic profiling for the identification of discrimination markers of Angelicae Radix and its application to gas chromatography-flame ionization detector system

Gas chromatography (GC)-based metabolomics technologies were applied for quality control of Angelicae Radix, an herbal medicine commonly used in Japan and China. Since Angelica roots are priced and graded differently based on their species and cultivation area, there is a need for a simple and reproducible method to discriminate Angelica roots. Here, we used GC-MS profiling data to construct a discrimination method for species and cultivation area of A. Radix. Seventy-six primary metabolites were identified. The quality factors of A. Radix were successfully classified using metabolic profiling and the orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) technique. Sorbitol and a glucose/4-aminobutyric acid combination were chosen as bio-markers from S-plot of OPLS-DA. Application of these selected bio-markers to a more practical and cost-efficient system, namely gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) system were also assessed. As a result, the same separations of sorbitol, glucose and 4-aminobutyric acid in box plots were obtained from GC-FID data. Our results demonstrate that GC-based metabolic markers can be readily applied for the establishment of a practical quality control method for A. Radix.

Systems Biology in a Commercial Quality Study of the Japanese Angelica Radix: Toward an Understanding of Traditional Medicinal Plants

The commercial quality of Japanese Angelica radices — Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa (Yamato-toki) and A. acutiloba Kitagawa var. sugiyama Hikino (Hokkai-toki) — used in Kampo traditional herbal medicines, was studied by use of omics technologies. Complementary and alternative medical providers have observed in their clinical experience that differences in radix commercial quality reflect the differences in pharmacological responses; however, there has been little scientific examination of this phenomenon. The approach of omics, including metabolomics, transcriptomics, genomics, and informatics revealed a distinction between the radix-quality grades based on their metabolites, gene expression in human subjects, and plant genome sequences. Systems biology, constructing a network of omics data used to analyze this complex system, is expected to be a powerful tool for enhancing the study of radix quality and furthering a comprehensive understanding of all medicinal plants.