[Study on chemical constituents of Cinnamomi Ramulus].

The chemical constituents of Cinnamomi Ramulus were investigated in this study. Twenty-two compounds were isolated by silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 gel column chromatographies and preparative HPLC and their structures were identified by various spectral analyses as dihydrorosavin(1), rosavin(2), 1-phenyl-propane-1,2,3-triol(3), patchoulol(4), graphostromane B(5),(+)-lyoniresinol-3 a-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(6),(-)-lyoniresinol-3 a-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(7), cinnacaside(8), subaveniumin A(9), 3-phenyl-2-propenyl-6-O-L-arabinopyranosyl-β-glucopyranoside(10), 2-phenylethyl-β-vicianoside(11), cinnacasol(12), [(2R,3S,4S,5R,6R)-6-(benzyloxy)-3,4,5-trihydroxytetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-yl] methyl hydrogen sulfate(13), coniferyl aldehyde(14),(2R,3R)-5,7-dimethoxy-3',4'-methylenedioxyflavan-3-ol(15), cinnacassin L(16), E-cinnamic alcohol(17),(E)-3-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-propen-1-ol(18), 2-hydroxyphenylpropanol(19), cinnamomulactone(20),(+)-syringaresinol(21) and cinnamomumolide(22), respectively. Among them, 1 is a new compound and 3-7, 9-11, 13, 15, 18 and 19 were isolated from the plant for the first time.

Research advances in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease with polysaccharides from traditional Chinese medicine.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of patients' memory and their cognitive abilities and the mechanism is not completely clear. Although a variety of drugs have been approved for the AD treatment, substances which can prevent and cure AD are still in great need. The effect of polysaccharides from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on anti-AD has gained great progress and attained more and more attention in recent years.

Chemical Structure and Immunomodulating Activities of an α-Glucan Purified from Lobelia chinensis Lour.

A neutral α-glucan, named BP1, with a molecular mass of approximately 9.45 kDa, was isolated from Lobelia chinensis by hot-water extraction, a Q-Sepharose Fast Flow column and Superdex-75 column chromatography. Its chemical structure was characterized by monosaccharide analysis, methylation analysis and analysis of its FT-IR, high performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) and 1D/2D-NMR spectra data.

[Protection of Grateloupia filicina polysaccharide against hepatotoxicity induced by Dioscorea bulbifera L].

The present study was designed to observe the protection of Grateloupia filicina polysaccharide (GFP) against hepatotoxicity induced by Dioscorea bulbifera L in mice and its underlying mechanism. GFP was intragastrically (ig) given to mice at various doses. After 6 days, the mice were treated with ethyl acetate extract of Dioscorea bulbifera L (EF, ig).

Metabolic markers and microecological characteristics of tongue coating in patients with chronic gastritis.

Background: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), tongue diagnosis has been an important diagnostic method for the last 3000 years. Tongue diagnosis is a non-invasive, simple and valuable diagnostic tool. TCM treats the tongue coating on a very sensitive scale that reflects physiological and pathological changes in the organs, especially the spleen and stomach.

Glucan HBP-A increase type II collagen expression of chondrocytes in vitro and tissue engineered cartilage in vivo.

Objective: Although chondroprotective activities have been documented for polysaccharides, the potential target of different polysaccharide may differ. The study was aimed to explore the effect of glucan HBP-A in chondrocyte monolayer culture and chondrocytes-alginate hydrogel constructs in vivo, especially on the expression of type II collagen.

Methods: Chondrocytes isolated from rabbit articular cartilage were cultured and verified by immunocytochemical staining of type II collagen.

A new triterpenoid tetrasaccharide from the root of Scrophularia ningpoensis.

A new oleanane-type triterpenoid glycoside, 3beta-O-(f-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1-->4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 -->3)]-beta-D-fucopyranosyl-11, 13(18) diene-olean-23alpha, 28 diol (1), along with three known phenylethyl glycosides (2-4), was isolated from the root of traditional Chinese medicine Scrophularia ningpoensis. Among them, compounds 2 and 3 were obtained from Scrophularia genus for the first time. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic method including 1D, 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS.

Application of metabolomics in traditional chinese medicine differentiation of deficiency and excess syndromes in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Metabolic profiling is widely used as a probe in diagnosing diseases. In this study, the metabolic profiling of urinary carbohydrates was investigated using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and multivariate statistical analysis. The kernel-based orthogonal projections to latent structures (K-OPLS) model were established and validated to distinguish between subjects with and without diabetes mellitus (DM).

[Structural characterization of a glucan isolated from Gastrodia elata].

Objective: To study a glucan (GB II) isolated from Gastrodia elata.

Methods: The glucan was obtained with water extraction, alcohol precipitate, DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow column and Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography; sugar composition analysis, IR and NMR were used to determine the structural feature.

Results: The molecular weight of the glucan was 4 300 dalton estimated by HPGPC; it contained 27 glucose residues, which mainly composed of alpha-D-(1-->4)-glucose with little glucuronic acid and branch O-6 points.

Steroidal sapogenins and glycosides from the rhizomes of Dioscorea bulbifera.

Four new steroidal sapogenins (1-4), named diosbulbisins A-D, two new spirostane glycosides, diosbulbisides A (5) and B (6), one new cholestane glycoside, diosbulbiside C (7), and the known compounds 8-10 were isolated from rhizomes of Dioscorea bulbifera. Their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR techniques, HRFTMS, and chemical methods. The unusual furospirostanol sapogenin skeletons, as found in compounds 3 and 4, are reported in the family Dioscoreaceae for the first time.

Sulfated beta-glucan derived from oat bran with potent anti-HIV activity.

China is a major producer of oats; the annual harvested area of 350,000 ha yields approximately 465,000 tons, giving an average yield of 1.33 tons/ha. The bran is not used for animal feed as it is of poor digestibility and low nutritive content and is considered a waste byproduct.

[Studies on chemical constituents from root of Actinidia macrosperma].

Objective: To study the chemical constituents of root of Actinidia macrosperma.

Method: Chromatographic methods were used to isolate compounds from A. macrosperma and spectroscopic methods were used to identify the structures of the isolated compounds.

[Advances in research of chemical constituents and pharmacological activites of Ephedra].

The collected information is an attempt to cover the more recent developments in the phytochemistry and pharmacology of this genus. During the past years, alkaloids, flavonoids, volatile oils, organic acids, polysaccharides, tannins and phenolic constituents have been isolated from Ephedra. Pharmacological studies are described according to hypoglycemic effects, anticoagulated blood properties, depressurization, immunosuppressive activity, antioxidation and antivirus activity and so on.

Structural characterization of a glucan isolated from Hedyotis diffusa Willd.

Objective: To isolate a homogeneous polysaccharide RP from RDP (a crude polysaccharide from Dioscorea opposita Thunb.), and study its preliminary com-position and structure.

Methods: RP was obtained with water extraction, alcohol sedimentation, CTAB deprotein, cellulose column and SephadexG-100 column.

[Extraction, isolation and structure identification of polysaccharide in root of Salvia miltiorrhiza].

Objective: To study the polysaccharide of Salvia miltiorrhiza.

Method: The root was extracted by water and purified preliminarily by alcohol precipitation. The obtained crude polysaccharide purified by ion exchange resin DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow then bleached with H2O2 and dialysed.

Grateloupia longifolia polysaccharide inhibits angiogenesis by downregulating tissue factor expression in HMEC-1 endothelial cells.

1. The antiangiogenic and antitumor properties of Grateloupia longifolia polysaccharide (GLP), a new type of polysaccharide isolated from the marine alga, were investigated with several in vitro and in vivo models. Possible mechanisms underlying its antiangiogenic activity were also assessed.

[Effect of Angelica sinensis polysaccharides on lymphocyte proliferation and induction of IFN-gamma].

Aim: To study the effect of Angelica sinsensis polysaccharides on lymphocyte proliferation and induction of IFN-gamma.

Methods: Angelica sinensis polysaccharides(AP) were separated into AP-I, AP-II, AP-III and AP-IV by alcohol deposition with different concentration. The radioactivities of [3H]-TdR uptake by lymphocyte were used to determine the ability of lymphocyte.

[Structural features of a neutral heteropolysaccharide CPB-4 from Cynanchum paniculatum].

Objective: To study the chemical features of CPB-4, a heteropolysaccharide obtained from Cynanchum paniculatum.

Method: Sugar composition analysis, methylation analysis, partial hydrolysis and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance were used to determine the sugar composition, linkages, main chain, branch chains and branching points.

Result: CPB-4 is composed of L-arabinose, L-xylose, L-rhamnose and D-galactose in closely molar ratios of 0.

Preparation and Structural Analysis of Sulfated Derivatives of Lentinan.

A series of sulfated derivatives of lentinan were prepared by the modified Wolfrom method. Sulfates content analysis indicated that the proportion of sulfate substitution depended on the reaction time and the ratio of chlorsulfonic acid and pyridine in the ester reagent. Methylation analysis by Needs method and Hakomori method was proved not to be suitable for the structural analysis of sulfated lentinan.

Structure of a New Glucan from Cynanchum panilatum (Bunge) Kitagawa.

A polysaccharide was purified from a traditional Chinese drug, "Xu-Chang-Qing" (Cynanchum panilatum (Bunge) Kitagawa), and its molecular weight was estimated to be 1.5x10(4) by HPLC method. Its specific rotation [alpha](D) was 151.