Study on Quality Standard of Processed Curcuma Longa Radix

Synergistic mechanism of stir-baked curcumae radix with vinegar in dysmenorrhea rats based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS metabolomics

Curcumae Radix (i.e. Huangsiyujin: HSYJ), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been widely used in clinical practice for many years to treat depression and primary dysmenorrhea. Modern pharmacological researches have demonstrated its anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, and dysmenorrhea relief effects. According to the processing theory of TCM, it is believed that stir-baked HSYJ with vinegar may enhance the ability to disperse stagnant hepatoqi and alleviate pain. However, whether the vinegar concoction of HSYJ can enhance the therapeutic effect on the Qi stagnation due to liver depression (LDQS) type of dysmenorrhea and what its mechanism has not been well explained. Based on the processing drugs theory of "stir-baked with vinegar into liver", a metabolomic approach was used to investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of stir-baked HSYJ with vinegar to enhance the treatment of dysmenorrhea in rats. By establishing a rat model of dysmenorrhea of the "LDQS" type, observation of hemorheology, uterine pathological sections, COX-2 and OTR protein expression and other indicators; analysis of urinary metabolic changes in rats by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS technique, to compare the differential biomarkers and metabolic pathways in the treatment of dysmenorrhea due to "liver stagnation and qi stagnation" before and after stir-baked HSYJ with vinegar. Stir-baked HSYJ with vinegar significantly inhibited the writhing response of rats, improved hemorheology, repaired damaged diseased uterus and inhibited high expression of COX-2 and OTR proteins in uterus; 68 differential metabolites were screened from the urine of rats, compared with the raw HSYJ, the levels of 14 metabolites were significantly changed in stir-baked HSYJ with vinegar, involving the pathways of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan metabolism, cysteine and methionine metabolism, aspartate and glutamate metabolism. The potentiating effect of stir-baked HSYJ with vinegar may be related to the regulation of multiple amino acid metabolic pathways.

Sources, morphology, phytochemistry, pharmacology of Curcumae Longae Rhizoma, Curcumae Radix, and Curcumae Rhizoma: a review of the literature

Curcumae Longae Rhizoma (turmeric), Curcumae Radix and Curcumae Rhizoma are derived from the Curcuma species, and have gradually become three of the most commonly used medicinal herbs in China due to their different origins, processing methods and medicinal part. These three herbs have certain similarities in morphology, chemical composition, and pharmacological effects. All three of these herbs contain curcuminoids and volatile oil compounds, which exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties, although modern clinical applications have their own requirements. At present, there is no systematic guidelines for the clinical application of these three of Curcuma species; consequently, there is a high risk of unwanted phenomena associated with the mixing and indiscriminate use of these herbs. In this review, we focus predominantly on morphology, chemical composition, and the pharmacological activity of these three Curcuma herbs and summarize the current status of research in this field. Our goal is to provide a better understanding of clinical value of these Curcuma species so that we can provide reference guidelines for their further development, utilization and rational clinical application.

Characterization and intrinsic quality correlation of raw and vinegar-processed Curcumae Radix

Among the existing criteria, the traits of Curcumae Radix (CW) rely on traditional empirical identification, and the correlation between extrinsic traits and intrinsic components hasn't been systematically studied. In this study, a spectrophotometer, HS-GC-MS, and fast GC e-nose, combined with chemometrics were used to correlate the trait characteristics and intrinsic qualities of CW and vinegar-processed CW (VCW). The overall color of VCW was dark, red, and yellow, but the powder color was similar and difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. The exclusive discriminatory functional equations were established for the characterization between the two. 31 odor components were identified by fast GC e-nose. After vinegar preparation, 3 odor components disappeared and 8 odor components were generated. In addition, there were significant differences between the common components. 27 volatile components were identified by HS-GC-MS, 21 of which were terpenoids. Meanwhile, the difference discrimination models could be used for the rapid and accurate identification of CW and VCW. Through the comprehensive analysis of the color-odor-component, it was speculated that curzerene, germacrene D, and germacrone were potential chemical markers. The quality evaluation model based on the color-odor-composition of trait characteristics combined with internal components provided a basis for rapid identification and quality control of CW and VCW.

Quality Consistency of Herbal Products: Chemical Evaluation

The widespread utility of herbal products has been rising considerably worldwide, including both developed and developing countries, leading to the rapid growth of their availability in the United States and globally. This substantial increase in consumption of herbal products has witnessed the emergence of adverse effects upon oral administration of certain of these products, and thus has raised safety concerns. The adverse effects caused by the consumption of certain botanical medicines occur primarily as a result of the poor quality of plant raw materials or the finished products, which inherently may affect safety and/or efficacy. The poor quality of some herbal products can be attributed to a lack of proper quality assurance and quality control. A high demand for herbal products that surpasses production, combined with a desire for maximizing profits, along with a lack of rigorous quality control within some manufacturing facilities have led to the emergence of quality inconsistencies. The underlying causes for this involve the misidentification of plant species, or their substitution, adulteration, or contamination with harmful ingredients. Analytical assessments have revealed there to be frequent and significant compositional variations between marketed herbal products. The inconsistency of the quality of herbal products can be ascribed essentially to the inconsistency of the botanical raw material quality used to manufacture the products. Thus, the quality assurance and the quality control of the botanical raw materials is may contribute significantly to improving the quality and consistency of the quality of the end products. The current chapter focuses on the chemical evaluation of quality and consistency of herbal products, including botanical dietary supplements. Different techniques, instruments, applications, and methods used in identifying, quantifying, and generating chemical fingerprints and chemical profiles of the ingredients of the herbal products will be described. The strengths and weaknesses of the various techniques available will be addressed. Limitations of the other approaches including morphological or microscopic analysis and DNA-based analysis will be presented.

Study on Quality Standards and Hepatoprotective Effect of Curcuma phaeocaulis Radix

Curcuma phaeocaulis Radix (Lüsiyujin) is a mainstream variety of Curcumae Radix cultivated in Sichuan for more than 900 years, but its broader utility is limited by a lack of quality control and pharmacodynamic research. We used the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, 2015 edition, to guide the determination of germacrone and furanodienone content in extracts. We established an animal model of Qi stagnation and blood stasis in a clinical context. Pathological changes in liver function indexes were evaluated to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of Lüsiyujin. In 20 extraction batches of Lüsiyujin, ethanol extracts yielded 9.22%-15.01%, average 12.03%. The germacrone content was 0.003%-0.011% (average 0.0069%), and the furanodienone content was 0.090%-0.478% (average 0.201%). Compared with the control group, the model rats exhibited functional liver damage. Serum markers of liver function varied after treatment with Lüsiyujin, but significant effects were observed with alanine aminotransferase and total bile acid. This study demonstrates a simple method of quality control for Lüsiyujin. The study also demonstrated that Lüsiyujin inhibits hepatocyte damage and regulates the excretion and secretion of hepatic bile. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of quality standards, clinical application, and resource development for the utilisation of Lüsiyujin.