Effects of sulfur-fumigation on the pharmacokinetics, metabolites and analgesic activity of Radix Paeoniae Alba.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Radix Paeoniae Alba (Baishao, BS), one of the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, has many pharmacological effects including analgesic activity. Previous studies found that sulfur-fumigation, a post-harvest handling process developed to prevent mold contamination of medicinal herbs, altered the quality of BS. However, whether sulfur-fumigation affects the pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy of BS warrants further investigation.

UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS-based metabolomics survey on the toxicity of triptolide and detoxication of licorice.

Triptolide (TP) from Tripterygium wilfordii has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and anticancer activities. TP is specially used for the treatment of awkward rheumatoid arthritis, but its clinical application is confined by intense side effects. It is reported that licorice can obviously reduce the toxicity of TP, but the detailed mechanisms involved have not been comprehensively investigated.

Integrating targeted glycomics and untargeted metabolomics to investigate the processing chemistry of herbal medicines, a case study on Rehmanniae Radix.

It is well-recognized that multiple components, the majority of which are secondary metabolites and carbohydrates, collectively contribute to the therapeutic effects of herbal medicines. The chemical characterization of herbal medicines has focused extensively on secondary metabolites but has largely overlooked carbohydrates. Here, we proposed an integrated chromatographic technique based targeted glycomics and untargeted metabolomics strategy simultaneously determining carbohydrates and secondary metabolites for the overall chemical profiling of herbal medicines; this strategy was successfully exemplified in an investigation of processing chemistry of Rehmanniae Radix (RR), a Chinese medicinal herb.

[Sulfur-containing derivatives as characteristic chemical markers in control of sulfur-fumigated Moutan Cortex].

The amount of sulfur dioxide residue is currently employed by Chinese Pharmacopoeia (CP) as an index to screen sulfur-fumigated herbs, but it is unclear if this index can objectively reflect the quality of sulfur-fumigated herbs. In the present study, sulfur-containing derivatives were confirmed in sulfur-fumigated Moutan Cortex (MC) by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis, and the contents of sulfur-containing derivatives and sulfur dioxide residues were statistically analyzed both in self-made and commercially available sulfur-fumigated and non-fumigated MC as well as the samples thereof before and after eight-month storage. The amount of sulfur dioxide was significantly decreased, but that of the newly-generated sulfur-containing markers was not, after eight-month storage of the sulfur-fumigated MC samples, indicating that the amount of sulfur dioxide residue may not be positively correlated with the quality of sulfur-fumigated MC.

Gut microbiota-involved mechanisms in enhancing systemic exposure of ginsenosides by coexisting polysaccharides in ginseng decoction.

Oral decoctions of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) serve for therapeutic and prophylactic management of diseases for centuries. Small molecules and polysaccharides are the dominant chemicals co-occurred in the TCM decoction. Small molecules are well-studied by multidisciplinary elaborations, whereas the role of polysaccharides remains largely elusive.

Sulfur dioxide residue in sulfur-fumigated edible herbs: The fewer, the safer?

The residual content of sulfur dioxide is frequently regarded as the exclusive indicator in the safety evaluation of sulfur-fumigated edible herbs. To examine the feasibility of such assessment criteria, here the variations in residual sulfur dioxide content during sulfur-fumigation and the potential mechanisms involved were investigated, using Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR) as a model herb. The residual sulfur dioxide content and ten major bioactive components in sulfur-fumigated ASR samples were dynamically examined at 13 successive time points within 72 h sulfur-fumigation.