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The genus Adonis L. (Ranunculaceae), native to Europe and Asia, comprises 32 annual or perennial herbaceous species. Due to their cardiac-enhancing effects, Adonis spp. have long been used in European and Chinese folk medicine. These plants have been widely investigated since the late 19th century, when the cardiovascular activity of Adonis vernalis L. was noted in Europe. The present paper provides a review of the phytochemistry, biological activities and toxicology in order to highlight the future prospects of the genus. More than 120 chemical compounds have been isolated, with the most important components being cardiac glycosides as well as flavones, carotenoids, coumarins and other structural types. Plants of the genus, especially A. vernalis L. and A. amurensis Regel & Radde, their extracts and their active constituents possess broad pharmacological properties, including cardiovascular, antiangiogenic, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and acaricidal activities, and exhibit both diuretic effects and effects on the central nervous system. However, most plants within the 32 species have not been comprehensively studied, and further clinical evaluation of their cardiovascular activity and toxicity should be conducted after addressing the problem of the rapidly decreasing resources. This review provides new insight into the genus and lays a solid foundation for further development of Adonis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dihuang powder (DHP) has been used in the traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of diarrhea in some regions of China. But up to now, the anti-diarrheal activity of DHP haven’t been performed with modern pharmacological technology. This study aims to investigate the quality control, the potential toxicity and anti-diarrheal activity of Dihuang powder in mice. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) were used to detect five active compounds in DHP for quality control, and the acute toxicity and sub-acute toxicity for 28-day oral administration of DHP were then evaluated. The anti-diarrheal activity was investigated using mouse model. Results showed that the levels of quercetin and berberine in DHP were 0.054 and 0.632 mg/g, respectively, and atractylodin, matrine, and patehouli aleohal were also detected in DHP. At the given doses, DHP was safe in terms of acute and sub-acute toxicity. Meanwhile, DHP exhibited strong anti-diarrheal effects as well as decreased gastrointestinal motility and the secretions induced by Sennae and castor oil in a dose-dependent manner. It could decrease the content of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the small intestine, and improve the histopathological changes of small intestine and large intestine induced by Sennae. The antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities in vivo also were presented. Based on all of the results, we thought that DHP has anti-diarrheal activity, and could be used to treat diarrhea as well as alleviate the pain and inflammation induced by diarrhea. This study provides a theoretical basis for the clinical use of DHP and may assist in the development of new drugs for the treatment of diarrhea. The mechanism of the anti-diarrheal activity should be investigated in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcoptic and psoroptic mange threaten the health of both animals and humans worldwide and result in enormous socioeconomic loss. Discovery of new lead compounds is a major goal for controlling this kind of disease. However, the methodological shortcomings of acaricidal tests against Sarcoptes and Psoroptes mites for screening active compounds in vitro troubles colleagues and should be given more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usnic acid, a major active compound in lichens, was first isolated in 1884. Since then, usnic acid and its sodium salt (sodium usnic acid) have been used in medicine, perfumery, cosmetics, and other industries due to its extensive biological activities. However, its acaricidal activity has not been studied. In this paper, we investigated the acaricidal activity of usnic acid and sodium usnic acid against Psoroptes cuniculi in vitro. After evaluating the acaricidal activity and toxicity of usnic acid and sodium usnic acid in vitro, the results showed that at doses of 250, 125, and 62.5 mg/ml, usnic acid and sodium usnic acid can kill mites with 91.67, 85.00, and 55.00 % and 100, 100, and 60.00 % mortality after treatment 24 h. The LT values were 4.208, 8.249, and 16.950 h and 3.712, 7.339, and 15.773 h for usnic acid and sodium usnic acid, respectively. Sodium usnic acid has a higher acaricidal activity than usnic acid, which may be related to the difference in their structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgroud: Rhododendron przewalskii Maxim. is an evergreen shrub that is used as a traditional medicine in China. However, the modern pharmacology and the chemical components of this plant has not been studied. In this paper, we aimed to investigate the antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and underlying mechanism of its aqueous and ethanol extracts, and analyze their chemical composition and active compounds of R. przewalskii. Methods: The antifungal activity was determined in vitro , and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and underlying mechanism of its aqueous and ethanol extracts were evaluated in vitro and in RAW 264.7 cells. The chemical composition were analyzed using UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS, and the contents of six compounds were determined via HPLC. Results: Both extracts of R. przewalskii showed promising anti-inflammatory activity in vitro ; decreased the production of four inflammatory cytokines, namely, nitric oxide, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF- ɑ , in RAW 264.7 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide; and exhibited weak cytotoxicity. The extracts significantly scavenged DPPH radicals, superoxide radicals and hydroxyl radicals to exert antioxidant effects in vitro. The two extracts also exhibited cellular antioxidant activity by increasing superoxide dismutase and CAT activities and decreasing malondialdehyde content in RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS. However, the antifungal activity of the two extracts was weak. Nine flavonoids were identified by UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS. Of these, six compounds were analyzed quantitatively, including avicularin, quercetin, azaleatin, astragalin and kaempferol, and five compounds (myricetin 3-O-galactoside, paeoniflorin, astragalin, azaleatin and kaempferol) were found in this species for the first time. These compounds demonstrated antioxidant activities that were similar to those of the R. przewalskii extracts and were thought to be the active compounds in the extracts. Conclusion: R. przewalskii extracts presented promising anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The extracts contained amounts of valuable flavonoids (8.98 mg/g fresh material) that were likely the active compounds in the extract contributing to the potential antioxidant activity. These results highlight the potential of R. przewalskii as a source of natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents for the pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental flow chart for finding the active compounds and AChE inhibitor of the methanol extract of Adonis coerulea Maxim against Psoroptes cuniculi. • AChE is a potential target of A. coerulea against Psoroptes cuniculi. • Silibinin, quercetin and corilagin presented the inhibitory effects against AChE. • Compounds were identified from A. coerulea and contributs the acaricidal activity. • A sensitive and sustainability methods was developed for active compound detection. Adonis coerulea Maxim. presents acaricidal activity in vitr o and in vivo, and inhibits AChE and other enzymes activities. However, the active compounds against Psoroptes cuniculi were still unclear. AChE, a common acaricidal and insecticidal target, plays a key role in neural conduction of mites. In this study, using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology, AChE was used as a target to capture the compounds from A. coerulea methanol extract (MEAC). After calculating the affinity with molecular docking, the inhibitory effect of compounds against AChE was studied. Results showed that 27 compounds were captured by AChE and identified from MEAC by LC–MS/MS. Among of these compounds, eight compounds presented the high affinity with AChE and high scores in molecular docking assay, especially for silibinin (-12.19 kcal/mol) and vitexin (-11.72 kcal/mol). Further studies showed that although these compounds have the weak cytotoxicity against C6/36 cells, silibinin, quercetin and corilagin could inhibit AChE activity with IC 50 values of 40.11 μg/mL, 46.15 μg/mL and 50.98 μg/mL, respectively. These results indicated that silibinin, quercetin and corilagin may be responsible for AChE inhibition which contributes to the acaricidal properties of A coerulea. This study lays the foundation for developing sensitive and sustainability methods for active compound detection from plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim of study: In this study we aimed to survey and investigate the medicinal plants which are used to treat the veterinary diseases in Ruoergai region, Sichuan province, China. Meanwhile, the important medicinal plants were collected and identified for the further study. Materials and methods: Twenty folk veterinary practitioners from 8 township animal husbandry and veterinary stations in Ruoergai region were investigated and interviewed. The important local medicinal materials, including plants, animals and mineral drugs, were collected by scientific methods and identified by the pharmacognosist of Lanzhou University, China. Results: According to the investigation, only 20 folk veterinary practitioners still used 129 species of traditional medicine to treat the livestock`s diseases. In these medicine, 93 species were native and Ranunculaceae (12, 12.90%), Compositae (11, 11.83%), Papaveraceae (7, 7.53%) were the predominant families. At the same time, herbs (36.56%) are the most widely used part of plant, and respiratory diseases (21.02%) and gastrointestinal diseases (19.89%) were the main animal’s diseases in this region. Conclusion: Ethno-veterinary medicine made an extraordinary contribution to the sound development of animal husbandry in Ruoergai. But the inherit, protect and development should be paid more attentions in the future, and the species which have not been studied should be developed priority to find biological activities and new bioactive compounds further. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Scope Adonis coerulea Maxim. is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows in scrub, grassy slope areas, and as traditional medicine it has been used to treat animal acariasis for thousands of years. In this paper, we aimed to study the acute toxicity and cytotoxicity of the methanol extract of A. coerulea (MEAC) in vivo and in vitro for supporting the clinic uses. The acaricidal activity and the mechanism of action against Psoroptes cuniculi were investigated. Results The results showed that isoorientin, luteolin and apigenin were the primary compounds in MEAC. The toxicity test showed that median lethal dose (LD 50 ) and the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of MEAC were estimated to be more than 5000 mg/kg in mice in vivo and more than 50 mg/ml against RAW 264.7 and GM00637 cells in the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2- yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test. After culturing with MEAC, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malonyldialdehyde (MDA), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Na + -K + -ATPase of mites were evaluated. Compared with the control group, SOD activity of MEAC-treated group of mites was inhibited, and CAT activity was activated at the preliminary phase but was gradually inhibited over the period of incubation. MDA content reached a peak at 6 h and then gradually decreased. However, GST activity in the mites was activated in a dose- and time-dependent manner. AChE and Na + -K + -ATPase activities related to neural conduction, vital functions and the transmembrane ion gradient of the mites were inhibited. Conclusion MEAC is safe in the given doses in both the in vitro and the in vivo tests, can be applied in the clinic and it had good acaricidal activity. The extension of the incubation time in the mites led to dynamic disequilibrium between the production and clearing of superoxide anions, a disruption of the energy metabolism and the transmembrane ion gradient, and the inhibition of motor function. These factors may have resulted in mite death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Peganum harmala L. is a perennial herbaceous, glabrous plant that grows in semi-arid conditions, steppe areas and sandy soils. It is used to treat fever, diarrhoea, subcutaneous tumours, arthralgia, rheumatism, cough, amnesia and parasitic diseases in folk medicines. In this paper, we aimed to develop a simpler and faster method for the extraction of three alkaloids from Peganum harmala L. than other conventional methods by optimizing the parameters of a microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method, and to investigate the acaricidal activities of three compounds against Psoroptes cuniculi . Materials and methods After optimizing the operating parameters with the single factor experiment and a Box-Behnken design combined with a response-surface methodology, a MAE method was developed for extracting the alkaloids from the seeds, and a high-performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify these compounds. An in vitro experiments were used to study the acaricidal activities. Results The optimal conditions of MAE method were as follows: liquid-to-solid ratio 31.3:1 mL/g, ethanol concentration 75.5%, extraction time 10.1 min, temperature 80.7 °C, and microwave power 600 W. Compared to the heat reflux extraction (HRE, 60 min) and the ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE, 30 min) methods, MAE method require the shortest time (10 min) and obtain the highest yield of three compounds (61.9 mg/g). Meanwhile, the LT 50 values for the vasicine (1.25 and 2.5 mg/mL), harmaline (1.25 and 2.5 mg/mL), harmine (1.25 and 2.5 mg/mL) and MAE extract (100 mg/mL) against Psoroptes cuniculi were 12.188 h, 9.791 h, 11.994 h, 10.095 h, 11.293 h, 9.273 h and 17.322 h, respectively. Conclusions The MAE method developed exhibited the highest extraction yield within the shortest time and thus could be used to extract the active compounds from Peganum harmala L. on an industrial basis. As the active compounds of Peganum harmala L., vasicine, harmalin and harmine presented the marked acaricidal activities against Psoroptes cuniculi, and could be widely applied for the treatments of acariasis in animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oregano oil possesses marked antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and is widely applied in animal husbandry. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the acaricidal activities of oregano oil and its major component, carvacrol, thymol and p-cymene against Psoroptes cuniculi in vitro and in vivo. The results revealed that oregano oil exhibited significant acaricidal effects against P. cuniculi that were dose- and time-dependent response. In in vitro test, concentrations of 0.05% and 0.02% (v/v) killed all of the mites within 1 h and 6 h, respectively. Moreover, 0.1 mg/ml (w/v) carvacrol, 0.2 mg/ml (w/v) thymol and 1% p-cymene (v/v) also possessed marked acaricidal activities, and compared with the control group, elicited mean mortalities of 84.00%, 96.00% and 66% at 24 h, respectively. The median lethal times (LT 50 ) against P. cuniculi of the concentrations of 0.02%, 0.01% and 0.005% (v/v) of oregano oil, thymol, carvacrol and p-cymene were 2.171 h, 11.396 h, 26.102 h, and 4.424 h, 8.957 h and 15.201 h, respectively. Meanwhile, twenty naturaly infested rabbits were used to four homogeneity groups: negative control (without treatment), positive control (treated with ivermectin), group treated with 1% of oregano oil and other group with 5% of oregano oil. All the treatments were topically. After the treatment of 1% and 5% oregano oil, the P. cuniculi were completely eliminated in the rabbits, and at the end of the test (day 20), the rabbits of all treatment groups exhibited favorable mental and physical statuses. These results indicated that oregano oil could be widely applied as a potential acaricidal agent in the treatment of animal acariasis in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Caprifoliaceae), a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, was known as Jin Yin Hua (Chinese: ▪), Ren Dong and Japanese honeysuckle. It was taken to treat the exopathogenic wind-heat, epidemic febrile diseases, sores, carbuncles and some infectious diseases. At the same time, Lonicera japonica could be used as healthy food, cosmetics, ornamental groundcover, and so on. Aim of the review: The present paper reviewed the ethnopharmacology, the biological activities, toxicology and phytochemistry of Lonicera japonica. Materials and methods: Information on Lonicera japonica was gathered via the Internet (using Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Elsevier, ACS, Medline Plus, CNKI and Web of Science) and libraries. Additionally, information also was obtained from some local books and brilliant scholars on ethnopharmacology. Results: More than 140 chemical compounds have been isolated, and the main compositions are essential oils, organic acids and flavones, etc. Lonicera japonica and its active principles possess wide pharmacological actions, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidative and hepatoprotective activities. Conclusions: As an important traditional Chinese medicine, further studies on Lonicera japonica can lead to the development of new drugs and therapeutics for various diseases, and how to utilize it better should be paid more attentions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Phlomis umbrosa Turcz has been used as the traditional medicine for thousands of years in China. In this paper, the acetic acid-induced writhing test, the hot plate test, the carrageenan-induced paw edema test, the xylene-induced ear swelling test, and the acetic acid-induced Evans blue leakage and leukocyte infiltration test were used to investigate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous extract of this plant (25, 50 and 100mg/kg i.p.). Good dose-dependent effects were obtained in most of these tests, except in the hot plate test and the acetic acid-induced Evans blue leakage test. TLC and HPLC analyses showed iridoid glucosides were the main compositions of this extract. These findings suggested that the aqueous extract of P. umbrosa has significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]