Volume 1 Issue 1
Authors: Yanhong Zhang; Sufang Gao; Huizhen Wang; Cuiyun Zeng; Jia Hou
Abstract: Radix Codonopsis (RC) was a well-known Chinese traditional medicine. In clinical practice, RC was usually used to cure poor appetite, fatigue, psychoneurosis, inflammatory diseases, etc. Recently, many studies focused on its antitumor, antioxidant, anti-ulter, and antibacterial properties. This paper was a review of the phyto-chemical and pharmacological properties of RC. Moreover, the application prospect of RC was also discussed.
Keywords: Radix Codonopsis (RC); Chinese Traditional Medicine; Clinical Practice; Phytochemistry; Pharmacology
Authors: Daixi Li; Baolin Liu
Abstract: Liposomes as a kind of targeting medicine carrier are investigated by scientists all over the world. However, the instability of liposomes often limits their application. In order to probe the rationale at the molecular level for such instability, the adsorption of dodecylphosphocholine liposomes on the polypropylene surface was researched by using molecular simulation. Two types of polypropylene surfaces and a 65-dodecylphosphocholine liposome were constructed. One surface composed of horizontal polypropylene molecules (each containing 40 propylene units) was used to represent a perfectly crystallized surface. And the other surface composed of vertical polypropylene molecules (each contained 10 propylene units) was used to represent an amorphous surface. The above systems were both performed for 10ns by using the Gromacs software in order to investigate the stability of solvated liposome in polymer containers. The simulation results show that the dodecylphosphocholine liposome is instable on the polypropylene surface no matter which kind of surface it is. In summary, the liposome of dodecylphosphocholine should not be preserved in such kind of polymer containers.
Keywords: Liposome; Structural Stability; Polypropylene; Molecular Simulation; Intermolecular Interaction
Authors: Bonald Cavalcante Figueiredo; Leifa Fan; Herta Stutz Dalla Santa; Ana Lúcia Tararthuch; Hermênio Cavalcante Lima Filho; Rosália Rubel
Abstract: Despite of their corroborated medicinal qualities, there is little information on toxic effects caused by Ganoderma lucidum (Ling Zhi or Reishi), a mushroom extensively used by traditional Chinese medicine as a promoter of health and longevity. Therefore, this work had as objective to evaluate the effect a diet supplemented with G. lucidum mycelium on kidney and intestinal functions in mice. Approach: G. lucidum was cultured by solid-state fermentation and used for chow formulation. Groups of mice (20 per group) were fed during fourteen weeks with G100 and G50 diets formulated with 84% and 42% of the G. lucidum mycelium, respectively. A control group received a regular diet without mycelium. Results: G. lucidum supplemented feed raised considerably the water intake and proved to have a potent diuretic effect. No remarkable physical-chemical alterations were detected in the animals’ urine. The plasma levels of urea and creatinine remained within the normal range. Blood, fat and leukocytes were not detected in stools. Glucose plasma concentration decreased 8.2% and 10.0% in mice when fed with G100 and G50 diets, respectively, but without statistical significance (p > 0.05 versus control). Conclusion: The long-term intake of G. lucidum did not cause detectable renal or intestinal injuries. The high urinary flow suggested a possible diuretic effect, which could be related to G. lucidum hypotensor activity. Also the slight glucose levels reductions indicated a possible hypoglicemic effect. However, complementary studies are necessary to clarify the relationship efficacy and safety.
Keywords: Ling Zhi; Reishi; Medicinal Mushroom; Renal Function
Authors: R.P. Tewari; S.S. Narvi; Poushpi Dwivedi
Abstract: With the growing importance of medical implants, devices, and sensors to improve the quality of life of patients, there comes a major impediment of microbial infections associated with these biomaterials, despite sterilization and aseptic procedures. We have employed natural herbal route for the synthesis of a self-sterilizing novel nanocomposite biomaterial as a preventive measure; eliminating conventional methods which give rise to, physiologically and environmentally hazardous by-products, extreme heat, as well as call for potentially toxic chemicals. Fresh rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa (Turmeric) was involved in the preparation of silver nanoparticles for the purpose. The formation of silver nanoparticles and the fabrication of biopolymer based nanocomposite material, Ag/Chitosan-g-poly acrylamide hydrogel, were investigated through several characterization techniques. Anti-microbial analysis was also done.
Keywords: Chitosan; Nanoparticles; Curcuma Longa; Biomaterial; Implant Related Infection
Authors: Chia-Wei Liao; An-Rong Lee; Wen-Liang Chang; Chen-Wen Yao; Wen-Hsin Huang
Abstract: Annual global pandemic and/or epidemic influenza threats continually threaten human beings. Despite annual vaccination and the use of four approved antiviral agents (amantadine, rimantadine, zanamivir, and oseltamivir) to control viral infectivity of influenza viruses, there is still a limited effectiveness and suffering of severe drug side effects as well as the emergence of drug-resistant variants after treatments that prompt the needs of new agents to be developed to treat flu. Some Chinese medicines have been shown potential treatment for influenza. In this study, the direct acylation of dimethoxyphenol with substituted cinnamoyl chlorides by fries reaction and cyclization affords a practical route as standard manipulations for the synthesis of novel flavonoids related to baicalein/oroxyllin-A, which functionalized on the A- and/or B-ring with good overall yields. All the flavonoids in this study were screened with anti-influenza activity against influenza virus (H1N1-Tamiflu resistant and H3N2)-infected in MDCK cell line. Our results showed that most of the synthetic products possessed significant activity. Among them, 4a, 4c, 5c were more potent than that of ribavirin (a positive control) against H1N1-Tamiflu resistant virus. The most potent compound was 4a that displayed an effectively anti-H1N1-Tamiflu resistant viral activity at 2.9 μM and a selectivity index > 103.4. Compound 4c and 5c also exhibited a good inhibitory activity in 5.2 and 5.4 μM, respectively, against H1N1-Tamiflu resistant virus and the corresponding selectivity index > 57.7 and 8.0, respectively. Moreover, in the screening test against H3N2 virus, some synthetic compounds in this study displayed more potent inhibitory activity than against H1N1-Tamiflu resistant virus. Among them, compounds 3a, 5a, 7c, 10 and 11 exhibited a good inhibitory action in 5.5, 6.2, 4.5 4.0 and 6.1 μM against H3N2 virus, and the corresponding selectivity index > 54.4, > 48.3, 4.0, 32.4 and > 49.2, respectively. Those findings in this study provide somewhat important chemical structural features of flavonoids relating their ability after SAR analysis to control the replication of influenza virus and would provide basis to expedite the design and development of chemical compounds with higher potency and lower toxicity to serve as potential NA inhibitors for influenza treatment.
Keywords: Baicalein; Flavonoids; Anti-influenza Virus; Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 Virus; H3N2 Virus
Authors: Zoran Stevic; Ljubica Konstantinovic; Dubravka Nikolovski
Abstract: Many studies show that the electrical conductivity of the skin increases along the acupuncture points and meridians. The optical features of the acupuncture points and meridians have been thermo visually monitored using the moxibustion or electrotherapy. It has been found that the heat transfer path follows the line that matches the coresponding acupuncture meridian. The goal of work was to diagnosticate the thermal zones on the female patient’s lower extremities, so as to objectivize therapeutic effect measurement at one acupuncture point by monitoring the thermal changes of the heat zones during the laser therapy.The digital thermovisual camera Wohler IK 21 has been used to thermo visually monitor a 63 year old fe¬male patient who suffered the pain propagation from the sacrum into both legs. The Snap View Pro v.2.1. soft¬ware package was used for the image processing. The pulse Physiomed laser brand in IR range, wavelenght 785 nm, with 60 mW power has been used. The acupuncture point on the stomach acupuncture meridian was stimulated using ST-36 (Zusanli), left-sided, total duration of 3 min, frequency 10—5000 Hz, total energy delivered of 3 J/cm2. Thermovisual data recording has been done before the therapy, during the therapy after 1.5 min, right after therapy and then 4min, 5min and 6min after therapy ending. On the upper legs, before the therapy, a heat activity in the liver meridian on the right limb along the cold fields at the gallbladder meridian can be noticed, corresponding to the EMG finding, and the hot fields on the left limb beneath ST-31 (Futu) and ST-33 (Yinshi). On the right upper leg before the therapy a cold field in the SP-6 (Sanyinjiao) region on the spleen meridian and to the left along the spleen meridian can be noticed. After the therapy at the ST-36 (Zusanli) acupuncture point which is placed on the stomach meridian, already after 1.5 min of the therapy an activity increase in the stomach meridian can be seen, but also in the spleen meridian on the left extremity, where the laser stimulated point is placed. At the other limb there is an activity increase in the stomach meridian. After 3min of therapy the activity along the whole canal enhances, while on the other limb the cold field’s temperature increases in the SP-6 (Sanyinjiao) region. After 6min the activity in the laser stimulated region decreases, while this activity in the lower part of the meridian is still increased.The obtained results demonstrate that laseropuncture in IR spectrum shows the existance of the ?light channel” in the body that correspond to the acupuncture meridians.
Keywords: Acupuncture; Thermography; Laser Therapy; Heat Transfer