The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements has increased tremendously over the past three decades with not less than 80% of people worldwide relying on them for some part of primary health care. Although therapies involving these agents have shown promising potential with the efficacy of a good number of herbal products clearly established, many of them remain untested and their use are either poorly monitored or not even monitored at all. The consequence of this is an inadequate knowledge of their mode of action, potential adverse reactions, contraindications and interactions with existing orthodox pharmaceuticals and functional foods to promote both safe and rational use of these agents. Since safety continues to be a major issue with the use of herbal remedies, it becomes imperative, therefore, that relevant regulatory authorities put in place appropriate measures to protect public health by ensuring that all herbal medicines are safe and of suitable quality. This review discusses toxicity related-issues and major safety concerns arising from the use of herbal medicinal products and also highlights some important challenges associated with effective monitoring of their safety.

/pdf/the-growing-use-of-herbal-medicines-issues-relating-to-1ckeueyb3l.pdf

The growing use of herbal medicines: issues relating to adverse reactions and challenges in monitoring safety

https://chemistry.mdma.ch/hiveboard/rhodium/pdf/archive/merbst/quinoline1999.pdf

Quinoline, quinazoline and acridone alkaloids

F. Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is planted in the forest to enhance the natural ginseng resources, which have an immense medicinal and economic value. The morphology of the cultivated plants becomes similar to that of wild growing ginseng (W. Ginseng) over the years. So far, there have been no studies highlighting the physiological or functional changes in F. Ginseng and its wild counterparts. In the present study, we used proteomic technologies (2DE and iTRAQ) coupled to mass spectrometry to compare W. Ginseng and F. Ginseng at various growth stages. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on protein abundance revealed that the protein expression profile of 25-year-old F. Ginseng was more like W. Ginseng than less 20-year-old F. Ginseng. We identified 192 differentially expressed protein spots in F. Ginseng. These protein spots increased with increase in growth years of F. Ginseng and were associated with proteins involved in energy metabolism, ginsenosides biosynthesis, and stress response. The mRNA, physiological, and metabolic analysis showed that the external morphology, protein expression profile, and ginsenoside synthesis ability of the F. Ginseng increased just like that of W. Ginseng with the increase in age. Our study represents the first characterization of the proteome of F. Ginseng during development and provides new insights into the metabolism and accumulation of ginsenosides.

/pdf/proteomic-analyses-provide-novel-insights-into-plant-growth-209q1fqbwa.pdf

Proteomic Analyses Provide Novel Insights into Plant Growth and Ginsenoside Biosynthesis in Forest Cultivated Panax ginseng (F.Ginseng)

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673699064570.pdf

Herb-drug interactions

Epidemiological studies have revealed that a diet rich in plant-derived foods has a protective effect on human health. Identifying bioactive dietary constituents is an active area of scientific investigation that may lead to new drug discovery. Kaempferol (3,5,7-trihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one) is a flavonoid found in many edible plants (e.g. tea, broccoli, cabbage, kale, beans, endive, leek, tomato, strawberries and grapes) and in plants or botanical products commonly used in traditional medicine (e.g. Ginkgo biloba, Tilia spp, Equisetum spp, Moringa oleifera, Sophora japonica and propolis). Some epidemiological studies have found a positive association between the consumption of foods containing kaempferol and a reduced risk of developing several disorders such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Numerous preclinical studies have shown that kaempferol and some glycosides of kaempferol have a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, anti-osteoporotic, estrogenic/antiestrogenic, anxiolytic, analgesic and antiallergic activities. In this article, the distribution of kaempferol in the plant kingdom and its pharmacological properties are reviewed. The pharmacokinetics (e.g. oral bioavailability, metabolism, plasma levels) and safety of kaempferol are also analyzed. This information may help understand the health benefits of kaempferol-containing plants and may contribute to develop this flavonoid as a possible agent for the prevention and treatment of some diseases.

A review on the dietary flavonoid kaempferol.

A DNA microarray for detecting processed medicinal Dendrobium species (Herba Dendrobii) was constructed by incorporating the ITS1-5.85-ITS2 sequences of 16 Dendrobium species on a glass slide. Using fluorescence-labeled ITS2 sequences as probes, distinctive signals were obtained for the five medicinal Dendrobium species listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The established microarray was able to detect the presence of D. nobile in a Chinese medicinal formulation containing nine herbal components.

DNA microarray for identification of the herb of dendrobium species from Chinese medicinal formulations.

A new monoepoxylignan, dysosmarol (1), along with eight known compounds, podophyllotoxin (2), 4'-demethylpodophyllotoxin (3), deoxypodophyllotoxin (4), 4'-demethyldeoxypodophyllotoxin (5), diphyllin (6), kaempferol, quercetin, and beta-sitosterol, were isolated from the roots of Dysosma versipellis. The structure of 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Aryltetralin lignans 2-4 showed the most potent inhibitory activities against the growth of androgen-sensitive (LNCaP) and androgen-independent (PC-3) human prostate cancer cell lines, with IC50 values in the ranges 0.030-0.056 and 0.032-0.082 microM, respectively. A quantitative HPLC analysis showed that compound 2 occurred at the highest concentration in the plant (37.21 mg/g) followed by compound 4 (5.01 mg/g) and compound 3 (2.75 mg/g). Furthermore, D. versipellis roots contain a similar content of compound 2 as compared with the rhizomes and roots of Podophyllum hexandrum, a commercial source of the lignan. Thus, cultivation of D. versipellis in suitable locations may serve as an alternative source for podophyllotoxin (2) production.

Lignans from Dysosma versipellis with inhibitory effects on prostate cancer cell lines.

Schefflera heptaphylla (L.) Frodin is a principal ingredient of an herbal tea formulation widely used for the treatment of common cold in southern China. An extract of the long leafstalk of the compound leaf of S. heptaphylla exhibited the most potent antiviral activity against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Further antiviral-guided fractionation and isolation of the leafstalk extract of S. heptaphylla led to obtain two highly active pure triterpenoids, namely 3alpha-hydroxylup-20(29)-ene-23,28-dioic acid and 3-epi-betulinic acid 3-O-sulfate, together with an inactive saponin, 3alpha-hydroxylup-20(29)-ene-23,28-dioic acid 28-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-beta-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-d-glucopyranoside. An antiviral assay using a cytopathic effect (CPE) reduction method showed that the two triterpenoids possessed broader antiviral activity against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with a similar 50% inhibition concentration (IC(50)) value of 6.25 microg/mL, influenza A (H1N1) virus with IC(50) values of 25 and 31.3 microg/mL, Coxsackie B3 (Cox B3) virus with IC(50) values of 12.5 and 20 microg/mL and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) with IC(50) values of 18.8 and 25 microg/mL, respectively, whereas the saponin did not have antiviral activity against these four viruses at a concentration of 100 microg/mL.

Antiviral triterpenoids from the medicinal plant Schefflera heptaphylla

Phytochemical investigation of the ethanol extract of the leaves of Ligustrum robustum, monitored by a bioassay involving the hemolysis of red blood cells induced by 2,2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride, led to the isolation of three new glycosides, ligurobustosides M (1), N (2), and O (3), along with 10 known ones, osmanthuside B (4), osmanthuside B6 (5), acteoside (6), ligupurpuroside A (7), ligupurpuroside B (8), ligurobustoside C (9), ligurobustoside E (10), ligurobustoside I (11), cosmosiin (12), and rhoifolin (13) The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods Seven of the glycosides showed stronger antioxidant effects than the standard, trolox

Paul Pui-Hay But

Papers

DNA microarray for identification of the herb of dendrobium species from Chinese medicinal formulations.

Lignans from Dysosma versipellis with inhibitory effects on prostate cancer cell lines.

Antiviral triterpenoids from the medicinal plant Schefflera heptaphylla

Antioxidative glycosides from the leaves of Ligustrum robustum

Antitussive effects of Stemona tuberosa with different chemical profiles.