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The disposal of residues while manufacturing Chinese medicine has always been an issue that concerns pharmaceutical factories. Phanerochaete chrysosporium was inoculated into the residues of Magnolia officinalis for solid-phase fermentation to enzymatically hydrolyze the lignin in the residues and thus to improve the efficiency of removal of the copper ions from residues for the utilization of residues from Chinese medicine. With the increase in activities of lignin-degrading enzymes, especially during the fermentation days 6 to 9, the removal rate of copper ions using M. officinalis residues increased dramatically. The rate of removal reached the maximum on the 14th day and was 3.15 times higher than the initial value. The rate of adsorption of copper ions on the fermentation-modified M. officinalis residues followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorption isotherms were consistent with the Freundlich models. The adsorption enthalpy was positive, indicating that it was endothermic and elevation in temperature was favorable to this adsorption process. The adsorption free energy was negative, implying the spontaneity of the process. The copper ions adsorbed could be effectively recovered using 0.2 M hydrochloric acid solution. After five successive cycles of adsorption-regeneration, the fermentation-modified M. officinalis residues exhibited a stable adsorption capacity and greater reusability. The M. officinalis residues fermented with P. chrysosporium are low-cost and environmentally friendly copper ions adsorbent, and this preparation technique realizes the optimum utilization of Chinese medicine residues.

In this study, we introduce a method to formulate Ginkgolide B lipid microemulsion (GB-LM). We have assessed its general characteristics and pharmacokinetics in animals. Soybean oil (10.0%) and oleic acid (2.4%) were chosen as the oil phase, refined egg yolk lecithin (PC98T) (1.8%) as the surfactant, and glycerol (2.25%) as the co-surfactant. The optimized formulation process resulted in particles with average diameter of 185.9 ± 52.5 nm and the zeta potential of −19.8 ± 1.3 mV. The GB-LM remained steady for three months at room temperature. Giving each dose of 4 mg/kg to rats through the vein, a clearance rate of CL (L/h): 2.594 and C max (ng/mL) was achieved: 353.8 through pharmacokinetic analysis and statistical analysis. The AUC of GB-LM was about 1.57-fold higher than that of the products available in the market. In addition, brain tissue distribution studies show that after 0.5 h administration of GB, the concentration of GB in brain tissue can reach its maximum, and then significantly decrease after 2 hours. Therefore, the improved formulation of GB-LM shows encouraging results compared with present products in several features.

Cr(VI) is one of the most common environmental pollutants. The non-biodegradable Cr(VI) in aqueous solution accumulates along the food chain and damages the health of plant, animal, and human. In this study, solid-state fermentation technology was used to treat Caulis lonicerae residue to improve its adsorption capacity for Cr(VI). Caulis lonicerae can be used to extract the active ingredients such as organic acids, flavonoids, and triterpenoid saponins that have various effects including anti-oxidation and immune boosting. However, there is no proper treatment for large amount of residue left after extraction. The Phanerochaete chrysosporium was inoculated into the residue for solid-state fermentation, and the adsorption capacity of C. lonicerae residue before (CLr) and after fermentation (FCLr) regarding Cr(VI) adsorption was compared. In the range of 40–120 mg/L Cr(VI), the adsorption capacity of FCLr was significantly higher than that of CLr. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results exhibited a rougher surface of FCLr. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results revealed that the structure of FCLr was affected by the combination of Cr(VI), and the multiple functional groups interacted with Cr(VI) (such as –OH, C–H, C = O, C–O–C, and C–O). The adsorption capacity could reach 48.91 mg/g and the Cr(VI) removal percentage may reach 98.07% for FCLr increased by 28.24% through fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]