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Abstract Background Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) posits that Chinese medicinal materials can only be clinically used after being processed and prepared into decoction pieces. Schisandra Chinensis Fructus (derived from the dried and mature fruits of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill.) has been used as a traditional antiasthmatic, kidney strengthening, and hepatoprotective agent for 2000 years. The results of previous research show that decoction pieces of wine-steamed Schisandra chinensis (WSC) are more effective than raw decoction pieces of Schisandra chinensis (RSC) for treating cough and asthma. Steaming with wine was demonstrated to promote the dissolution of ingredients. However, the relationship between the changes in the components of the decoction pieces of WSC and the therapeutic effect remains unclear. Methods The efficacies of decoctions of RSC and WSC were compared using allergic asthma rats. The potential bioactive components in the serum of the WSC treatment group and the changes in the chemical composition of the RSC decoction pieces before and after wine steaming were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC H-CLASS XEVO TQD) to speculate quality markers (Q-markers) related to the efficacy of WSC, which were subsequently verified based on a zebrafish inflammation model. Results Steaming RSC decoction pieces with wine was found to promote improvement of allergic asthma. Reverse tracing of 22 components detected in the serum of the high dose group of WSC (WSC-H) resulted in 12 ingredients being finally designated as potential effective components. Among these ingredients, 5 components, Schisandrin, Schisandrol B, Schisandrin A, Schisandrin B, and Gomisin D, had higher dissolution rates than RSC after steaming with wine. Validation by an inflammatory zebrafish model showed that these 5 ingredients had a dose-dependent effect and were therefore Q-markers for WSC in the treatment of allergic asthma. Conclusion In this study, changes in the components of decoction pieces of RSC and WSC and Q-markers related to WSC efficacy were identified, providing valuable information for expanding the application of WSC and establishing a specific quality standard for WSC.

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) posits that Chinese medicinal materials can only be clinically used after being processed and prepared into decoction pieces. Schisandra Chinensis Fructus (derived from the dried and mature fruits of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill.) has been used as a traditional antiasthmatic, kidney strengthening, and hepatoprotective agent for 2000 years. The results of previous research show that decoction pieces of wine-steamed Schisandra chinensis (WSC) are more effective than raw decoction pieces of Schisandra chinensis (RSC) for treating cough and asthma. Steaming with wine was demonstrated to promote the dissolution of ingredients. However, the relationship between the changes in the components of the decoction pieces of WSC and the therapeutic effect remains unclear. Methods: The efficacies of decoctions of RSC and WSC were compared using allergic asthma rats. The potential bioactive components in the serum of the WSC treatment group and the changes in the chemical composition of the RSC decoction pieces before and after wine steaming were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC H-CLASS XEVO TQD) to speculate quality markers (Q-markers) related to the efficacy of WSC, which were subsequently verified based on a zebrafish inflammation model. Results: Steaming RSC decoction pieces with wine was found to promote improvement of allergic asthma. Reverse tracing of 22 components detected in the serum of the high dose group of WSC (WSC-H) resulted in 12 ingredients being finally designated as potential effective components. Among these ingredients, 5 components, Schisandrin, Schisandrol B, Schisandrin A, Schisandrin B, and Gomisin D, had higher dissolution rates than RSC after steaming with wine. Validation by an inflammatory zebrafish model showed that these 5 ingredients had a dose-dependent effect and were therefore Q-markers for WSC in the treatment of allergic asthma. Conclusion: In this study, changes in the components of decoction pieces of RSC and WSC and Q-markers related to WSC efficacy were identified, providing valuable information for expanding the application of WSC and establishing a specific quality standard for WSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the prescription patterns of different dosage forms of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their effects on immune-inflammatory indices. Methods: Clinical data were collected from patients with RA in 4 hospitals (3 Class A comprehensive hospitals and 1 Class B comprehensive hospital) in Anhui Province, China, from August 2012 to June 2018 via the electronic medical record gathering system. Following extraction of prescription information, each prescribed herb was quantified and standardized according to the knowledge base to establish a database of RA treatment formulae. The medical records were divided into the granules group and decoction pieces group. Core herbs and their combination patterns were obtained from the two groups of cases using Liquorice software. Changes in immune-inflammatory and hepatic and renal function indices were compared between the two groups using SPSS 23.0 software. The Aprior module of SPSS Clementine 11.1 software was applied to analyse the correlation between CHMs and improvement in indices. Finally, the ORACLE 10 g tool was used to evaluate the random walk model of the immune-inflammatory indices between the two groups. Results: (1) We retrospectively analysed 35,898 prescriptions for 6,829 patients with RA who received CHM treatment. There were 3,816 patients in the granules group and 3,013 in the decoction pieces group. (2) The core herbs were Pi (Spleen)-strengthening and dampness-resolving drugs, blood-activating and stasis-resolving drugs, wind/dampness-dispelling drugs and heat-clearing and detoxifying drugs. (3) Both dosage forms could improve immune-inflammatory indices in RA patients, with similar efficacy and no influence on hepatic or renal function. (4) Herba Siegesbeckiae and Oldenlandia had a stronger association with immune-inflammatory indices in the two groups. (5) The immune-inflammatory indices showed obvious improvement after treatment with granules and decoction pieces of CHMs, and there were long range correlations between the comprehensive evaluation indices and interventions. Conclusions: The principal CHM treatment methods for RA in four hospitals in Anhui Province are strengthening Pi and resolving dampness, activating blood and resolving stasis, dispelling wind/dampness and clearing heat. Granules and decoction pieces of CHMs have similar efficacy in improving immune-inflammatory indices in RA patients and could be used as treatment options for RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farfarae Flos is a frequently used traditional herbal medicine, with outstanding antitussive, anti-asthmatic and expectorant effects. The current quality standard cannot effectively evaluate the quality of decoction pieces, or reflect the quality difference between medicinal parts and impurities. Herein, a simple, rapid, and accurate ultra high-performance liquid-chromatography diode-array (UHPLC-DAD) method was established for the simultaneous determination of 14 components in Farfarae Flos within 15 minutes. Different parts of the plant (flower bud, corolla, pedicel and stem) of 20 batches of decoction pieces were determined by the established method. Chemometrics was applied to assess the proposed method and analyze the quantitative results. Principal component analysis showed that the phenolic acids, flavonoids and terpenoids were effective quality control markers for Farfarae Flos. The quality of traditional medicinal part (flower bud) was significantly different from that of impurities (pedicel and stem). ANOVA showed that the content of phenolic acids in the pedicel and stem was significantly higher than that in the flower bud, while the content of flavonoids in the pedicel and stem was significantly lower than that in the flower bud. This study provides an efficient and low-cost methodology with adequate sensitivity for the quality control of Farfarae Flos decoction pieces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Processing (Paozhi) represents a unique Chinese pharmaceutic technique to facilitate the use of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) for a specific clinical need in the guidance of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory. Traditionally, most CHMs require a proper processing to meet the needs of specific clinical syndromes before being prescribed by TCM practitioners. During processing, significant changes in chemical profiles occur, which inevitably influence the associated pharmacological properties of a CHM. However, although processing is formed in a long-term practice, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear for most CHMs. The deepening understanding of the mechanism of processing would provide scientific basis for standardization of processing. This review introduced the role of processing in TCM and several typical methods of processing. We also summarized the up-to-date efforts on the mechanistic study of CHM processing. The processing mechanisms mainly include the following aspects: (i) directly reducing contents of toxic constituents; (ii) structural transformation of constituents; (iii) improving solubility of constituents; (iv) physically changing the existing form of constituents; (v) and influence by excipients. These progress may give new insights into future researches.

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Processing (Paozhi) represents a unique Chinese pharmaceutic technique to facilitate the use of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) for a specific clinical need in the guidance of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory. Traditionally, most CHMs require a proper processing to meet the needs of specific clinical syndromes before being prescribed by TCM practitioners. During processing, significant changes in chemical profiles occur, which inevitably influence the associated pharmacological properties of a CHM. However, although processing is formed in a long-term practice, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear for most CHMs. The deepening understanding of the mechanism of processing would provide scientific basis for standardization of processing. This review introduced the role of processing in TCM and several typical methods of processing. We also summarized the up-to-date efforts on the mechanistic study of CHM processing. The processing mechanisms mainly include the following aspects: (i) directly reducing contents of toxic constituents; (ii) structural transformation of constituents; (iii) improving solubility of constituents; (iv) physically changing the existing form of constituents; (v) and influence by excipients. These progress may give new insights into future researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA barcodes have been increasingly used in authentication of medicinal plants, while their wide application in materia medica is limited in their accuracy due to incomplete sampling of species and absence of identification for materia medica. In this study, 95 leaf accessions of 23 species (including one variety) and materia medica of three Pharmacopoeia-recorded species of Angelica in China were collected to evaluate the effectiveness of four DNA barcodes ( rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA and ITS). Our results showed that ITS provided the best discriminatory power by resolving 17 species as monophyletic lineages without shared alleles and exhibited the largest barcoding gap among the four single barcodes. The phylogenetic analysis of ITS showed that Levisticum officinale and Angelica sinensis were sister taxa, which indicates that L. officinale should be considered as a species of Angelica. The combination of ITS + rbcL + matK + trnH-psbA performed slight better discriminatory power than ITS, recovering 23 species without shared alleles and 19 species as monophyletic clades in ML tree. Authentication of materia medica using ITS revealed that the decoction pieces of A. sinensis and A. biserrata were partially adulterated with those of L. officinale, and the temperature around 80 °C processing A. dahurica decoction pieces obviously reduced the efficiency of PCR and sequencing. The examination of two cultivated varieties of A. dahurica from different localities indicated that the four DNA barcodes are inefficient for discriminating geographical authenticity of conspecific materia medica. This study provides an empirical paradigm in identification of medicinal plants and their materia medica using DNA barcodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study established specific chromatograms and a method for determining multiple primary components in Yinqiao Powder decoctions and compared the change rules of chemical composition in powder and piece decocting processes of Yinqiao Powder to provide a scientific basis for the modern research of preparations of Yinqiao Powder. Powder and piece decoctions of Yinqiao Powder were prepared. The specific chromatograms were determined and the content of 17 primary components was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), including adoxosidic acid, neochlorogenic acid, forsythoside E, loganic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, sweroside, forsythoside Ⅰ, forsythoside H, forsythoside A, isochlorogenic acid B, E-aldosecologanin, hesperidin, phillyrin, arctiin, liquiritigenin, and dipotassium glycyrrhizinate. The effect of decocting time on the chemical composition in powder and piece decoctions of Yinqiao Powder was investigated. As a result, the specific chromatogram similarities of powder decoctions of Yinqiao Powder with different decocting time were high, which indicated that their chemical compositions were similar, while the similarities of piece decoctions were low, suggesting similar chemical compositions with big differences. In powder decoctions, the concentrations of neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, forsytherin H, and isochlorogenic acid B increased with the prolongation of decocting time, and those of adoxosidic acid, forsythoside E, forsythoside Ⅰ, E-aldosecologanin, phillyrin, dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, loganic acid, arctiin, sweroside, and liquiritigenin increased firstly and tended to be stable, while those of forsythoside A, chlorogenic acid, and hesperidin increased firstly and then decreased. In piece decoctions, the concentration of chlorogenic acid increased firstly and then decreased with the prolongation of decocting time, while those of the remaining 16 components showed an upward trend. The concentrations of adoxosidic acid, forsythoside E, forsythoside Ⅰ, E-aldosecologanin, phillyrin, dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, forsythoside A, forsythoside H, and chlorogenic acid in powder decoctions were higher than those in piece decoctions. The concentrations of hesperidin, loganic acid, phillyrin, sweroside, liquiritigenin, neochlorogenic acid, and cryptochlorogenic acid in powder decoctions were higher than those in piece decoctions within 40 min of decocting. The concentration of isochlorogenic acid B in powder decoctions was lower than that in piece decoction 10 min after decocting. The results showed that the decocting time and particle size of raw medicinal materials had certain effects on the content of chemical components in decoctions of Yinqiao Powder. Compared with the piece decocting, the powder decocting could achieve faster resolution of chemical components and higher concentrations, which confirmed the scientific evidence of the traditional powder decocting method of Yinqiao Powder. For the piece decocting of prescriptions of Yinqiao Powder, extraction time should be prolonged and extraction times should be increased to achieve the same effect as the powder decocting.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and evaluate the quality of radix salviae miltiorrhizae decoction pieces in current market. METHODS: According to Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 Version, 1 Chapter), 70 batches of radix salviae miltiorrhizae decoction pieces were determined in terms of characteristics,identification,examination and tanshinone ⅡAcontents, etc.RESULTS: The contents of tanshinone ⅡAcould not meet the national standards of radix salviae miltiorrhizae among 72.00% of decoction pieces in current market. And the contents of tanshinoneⅡA were out of quality specifications among 82.00% of purple radix salviae miltiorrhizae. CONCLUSIONS: In the process of drug circulation and use, radix salviae miltiorrhizae are mostly used in the form of decoction pieces for patients. Therefore, it is necessary to revise the quality specifications of radix salviae miltiorrhizae decoction pieces without delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background According to market investigation, two kinds of Polygoni Multiflori Radix decoction pieces with different specifications are commercially available: irregular thick slices (0.7-1.3 cm) and length-wise into thin slices (0.11-0.2 cm). The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of various samples of Polygoni Multiflori Radix decoction pieces and its dregs. Results A simple and reliable high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for determination the contents of 2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D- glucopyranoside (THSG), emodin and physcion, which were considered to be potent active ingredients. The results showed that the contents of THSG, emodin and physcion varied in samples of different diameters and thicknesses. The results also indicated the dregs of Polygoni Multiflori Radix still contained a considerable amount of THSG, emodin and physcion. Conclusion The various commercial specifications of Polygoni Multiflori Radix sold in the markets did not correlate with their prices, and the dregs of Polygoni Multiflori Radix can be further utilized.

Rhei Radix et Rhizoma is a kind of commonly used Chinese medicinal materials. Due to the overharvesting, the wild resource is endangering. Large market demand caused severely adulterant of commercial Rhei Radix et Rhizoma medicinal materials and decoction pieces. This manuscript reviewed the advances of the original species authentication in the industrial chain of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma during the latest decade, including characteristics and microscopic features, phytochemical analysis on anthraquinones, and molecular authentication based on DNA barcoding. Accordingly, an original species authentication route for the industrial chain of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma was summarized:(1)the identification of seeds and seedlings by DNA barcoding;(2) the selection of high variable sites based on the chloroplast genome;(3)biomonitoring of the Rhei Radix et Rhizoma medicinal materials and decoction pieces by two-dimensional DNA barcode;(4)traceability of Chinese patent medicines by third-generation sequencing. In conclusion, the combination of molecular identification and traditional identification methods provides a new idea for the identification of the original species of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma in the industrial chain and a essential guidance for the research of drug safety and efficacy of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma.

To establish a quality constant evaluation system of Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces,in order to provide reference for regulating the market circulation of this decoction pieces. A total of 18 batches of Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces were collected from different pharmaceutical factories,and the morphological parameters of each sample were tested. The content of alisol B 23-acetate in Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces was determined by HPLC in the 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia,and the parameters such as quality constant and relative quality constant were calculated. The quality constant range of 18 batches of Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces was 0. 390-2. 076. If 18 batches of Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces were divided into 3 grades,taking 80% of the maximum quality constant as first grade,50% to 80% as second grade,and the rest as third grade,then the quality constant of firstgrade samples was ≥1. 66,the quality constant of second-grade samples was ≥1. 04 and <1. 66,and the quality constant of third-grade samples was <1. 04. The established quality constant evaluation method is objective and feasible,which can be used to classify the grade of Alismatis Rhizoma decoction pieces and provide a reference method to control the quality of this decoction pieces.

To investigate the microbial contamination in Chinese herbal decoction pieces with different functional types by studying the total aerobic microbial count (TAMC), and total yeast and mould count (TYMC) in 40 samples of 8 types of root decoction pieces; further evaluate the contamination load of bile-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, and identify the Gram-negative bacteria by using biochemical identification system for Gram-negative bacteria. Our results showed that the TAMC value was more than 1 000 CFU•g⁻¹ in 85% (34/40) samples, and was more than 100 CFU•g⁻¹ in 30% (12/40) samples; the contamination of bile-resistant Gram-negative bacteria was detected in 45% (18/40) of the samples. The bile-resistant Gram-negative bacteria load of seven batches of samples was N>1 000 MPN•g⁻¹. Sixteen bacterium strains including Serratia plymouthensis, Cedecea neteri, Escherichia vulneris, Klebsiella oxytoca, Enterobacter amnigenus, E. cloacae, E. sakazakii, Proteus penneri and E. gergoviae were obtained and identified. E. cloacae was the predominant bacterium that was isolated from Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, while E. amnigenus, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was the typical bacterium of Ophiopogonis Radix and Codonopsis Radix, respectively. All these suggested that the contamination of bile-resistant Gram-negative bacteria was severe for the root decoction pieces in Wuhan city. Microbial species have certain selection specificity for medicinal ingredients, so the type and limit of control bacteria for detection should be formulated according to the pollution type and quantity of bile-resistant Gram-negative bacteria., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Chinese herbal decoction pieces are the basic approaches for clinical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), reflecting the features and advantages of TCM. In order to investigate the clinical application status and features of Chinese herbal decoction pieces, the questionnaire on application of commonly used Chinese herbal decoction pieces was designed in this study for analysis of the application situations of Chinese herbal decoction pieces from 56 medical institutions in 10 provinces. The results showed 549 varieties of Chinese herbs and 801 varieties of decoction pieces were used on clinic. They can be classified into 19 categories according to their effects. The varieties of Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), Huangqi (Astragali Radix), Dihuang (Rehmanniae Radix), Chuanxiong (Chuanxiong Rhizoma), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephale Rhizima), Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), Danggui (Angelicae Sinenses Radix), Baishao (Paeoniae Radix Alba) and Maidong (Ophiopogonis Radix) were most common ones; the application of Chinese herbal decoction pieces from different medical institutions was differentiated from areas to areas. The survey results reflected the general situation about application of decoction pieces, providing the basic data for recording and completing Chinese herbal decoction pieces in essential drug system, with certain reference significance for the production of Chinese medicinal materials and the allocation of the varieties of Chinese herbal decoction pieces., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)