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Natural Product Compounds from Plants in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published in Namrita Lall, Medicinal Plants for Cosmetics, Health and Diseases, 2022
Priya Darshani, Md TanjimAlam, Prem P. Tripathi, V.S. Pragadheesh
KCHO-1, an herbal combination of 30% ethanol and extract of nine herbs (Curcumalonga, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, Gastrodia elata Blume, Chaenomeles sinensis (Dum. Cours.) Koehne, Polygala tenuifolia Willd., Paeonia japonica (Makino) Miyabe & H. Takeda, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Atractylodes japonica Koidz. ex Kitam and processed Aconitum carmichaelii Debeaux) was administered in the ALS mice model. The results demonstrated improved motor function and delayed onset of the disease. KCHO-1 reduced the oxidative stress in activated microglia and the spinal cord of hSOD1G93a Tg transgenic mice model (Kook et al., 2017). PYM50018 (Myogane), a saponin-type natural product–derived small molecule, has demonstrated neuroprotective activity in several clinical models and is currently in phase I of a clinical trial for the treatment of ALS (Dunkel et al., 2012).
Phytochemicals: Some Basics
Published in Scott Mendelson, Herbal Treatment of Major Depression, 2019
Carbohydrates themselves have not generally been seen as possessing significant pharmacological effects. There have been reports of various carbohydrates affecting glucose metabolism, though often through simple mechanisms, such as inhibiting gastrointestinal α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities to slow glucose absorption and improve its metabolism. There are exceptions. The oriental medicinal herb, fuzi, or Aconitum carmichaeli, has for centuries been used to treat chronic wounds, poor circulation, spasms, and mood disorders.1 It had been assumed that active principles of the plant were aconitine and other constituent alkaloids. In the West, fuzi is known as monkshood or wolf’s bane, which throughout the ages even expert herbalists have hesitated to use due to the high toxicity of its alkaloids. Four of its polysaccharides were found to reduce serum glucose in both normal and alloxan-induced diabetic mice. These effects were seen after intraperitoneal injection that bypassed the gastrointestinal system, thus eliminating trivial mechanisms of action.2 Another polysaccharide isolated from fuzi has recently been reported to have antidepressant-like effects in mice. It not only showed antidepressant-like effects in behavioral assays, but it also restored levels of BDNF and stimulated neurogenesis in the hippocampus.3
TCM safety and regulations
Published in Raymond Cooper, Chun-Tao Che, Daniel Kam-Wah Mok, Charmaine Wing-Yee Tsang, Chinese and Botanical Medicines, 2017
Raymond Cooper, Chun-Tao Che, Daniel Kam-Wah Mok, Charmaine Wing-Yee Tsang
Despite the toxicity of Aconitum plants, they have been used as traditional medicines for long periods. In the Chinese Pharmacopeia of 2015, the root tubers of two plant species, Aconitum kusnezoffii and Aconitum carmichaeli, are included. The root of Aconitum kusnezoffii is known as Caowu in Chinese. The other main root of Aconitum carmichaeli is known as Chuanwu in Chinese, which means the plant is grown in Sichuan Province while the lateral root or the side root is known as Fuzi. In fact, many ancient Chinese medicine formulas include Fuzi. Some Chinese practitioners even consider Fuzi as the Four pillars of Chinese herbs or Chief of the Herbs, suggesting the unique therapeutic effects of Fuzi in helping the body to store the yang qi and restoring the energy of the patients. Depending on the dosage of Fuzi, the herb can be used to supplement fire, assist the yang and warm the meridian, dispel the cold and dampness, and relieve pain.
The in vivo pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion investigation of mesaconine in rats and its in vitro intestinal absorption study using UPLC-MS/MS
Published in Xenobiotica, 2019
Xiuxiu Liu, Minghai Tang, Taohong Liu, Chunyan Wang, Qiaoxin Tang, Yaxin Xiao, Ruixin Yang, Ruobing Chao
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a clinical syndrome with the pathological manifestations of the left ventricular diastolic and/or systolic dysfunction caused by various cardiac diseases (Chinese Society of Cardiology and Editorial board of Chinese Journal of Cardiology, 2014). Signs and symptoms commonly include shortness of breath, excessive tiredness, leg swelling and exercise limitation (Maeder et al., 2010). Approximately 1–2% of adult populations in developed countries suffer from CHF, in which prevalence has increased to ≥ 10% among persons aged ≥70 years (Juillière et al., 2013). At present, the commonly used clinical medicines for the treatment of CHF are furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, captopril, metoprolol, telmisartan and digoxin. Some traditional Chinese medicines, such as “Sini Decoction” (Miao et al., 2015; Zhao et al., 2009), “Shenfu Decoction/Injection” (Song et al., 2012; Wei et al., 2015) and “Qili Qiangxin Capsules” (Li et al., 2013), were also used for treatment of CHF in China. In these traditional formulas, the lateral roots of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. (“Fuzi” in Chinese) is a commonly used ingredient.
Efficacy and tolerability of Guizhi-Shaoyao-Zhimu decoction in gout patients: a systematic review and Meta-analysis
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2020
Qing Zhang, Ruolan Li, Jia Liu, Wei Peng, Wenxiang Fan, Yongxiang Gao, Wei Jin, Chunjie Wu
Guizhi-Shaoyao-Zhimu decoction (GSZD), a famous Chinese prescription first recorded in the Outline of the Golden Chamber, is composed of nine herbal medicines, including twigs of Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J. Presl (Lauraceae), the radix of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (Paeoniaceae), the rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge (Liliaceae), the radix and rhizome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC. (Leguminosae), the whole plant of Ephedra sinica Stapf (Ephedraceae), the rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae), the rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (Asteraceae), the radix of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk. (Umbelliferae) and the processed lateralis radix of Aconitum carmichaeli Debeaux (Ranunculaceae) (Figure 1). In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), GSZD is has been widely used in the clinic for treating ‘arthromyodynia’, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, and other joint diseases (Guo et al. 2016; Daily et al. 2017) for thousands of years. Nowadays, accumulating clinical evidence has indicated GSZD can significantly ameliorate the clinical symptoms of gout and can significantly improve pathological changes in the joints of gout patients; thus, GSZD is considered as an important alternative choice for clinical treatment of gout in TCM (Shi 2012; Wen 2012; Qu et al. 2015; Xie and Chen 2018). Furthermore, animal experimental results also demonstrated that GSZD can significantly alleviate the pathological changes of synovial tissues in sodium urate induced gout rats by decrease of inflammatory cytokines though down-regulating Toll-MyD88 and NF-κB (Li et al. 2013; Fang et al. 2016; Wang et al. 2016).
Nephrotoxicity induced by natural compounds from herbal medicines – a challenge for clinical application
Published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2022
Jinqiu Rao, Ting Peng, Na Li, Yuan Wang, Caiqin Yan, Kai Wang, Feng Qiu
The purpose of HMs processing is aim to eliminate or reduce the toxicity, intensity, or side effects of drugs. Xanthium fructus, crotons fructus, abrin and ricin can be used after being processed by frying, because in the process of frying, high temperature makes the irreversible degeneration of toxic proteins, leading to volatilization of toxic volatile oil (Jackson et al. 2006; Song 2013; Shan 2019). Additionally, Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. need to be boiled for more than two hours, so that the diester-type alkaloids can be hydrolyzed into less toxic products (Wong et al. 2019). Alkaloids from Aconitum were not only the main medicinal but also toxic components of Fuzi. Modern pharmaceutical research suggests that during the processing (stir-fried and steamed), the toxic components are hydrolyzed and their structures were changed to form a single ester type of alkaloid, so as to reduce the toxicity and facilitate oral administration (Yang, Dai, et al. 2019; Zhang and Zhao 2019). The processed products of rhubarb (raw, cooked, alcohol-processed and charcoal-processed) were widely used in modern clinical practice in China. After being treated with wine or vinegar, the glycosidic bonds of anthraquinone components in rhubarb were broken at high temperatures, as well as a large number of free anthraquinones (especially emodin and chrysophanol) were produced. As a result, the toxicity, laxative and gastrointestinal irritation of rhubarb were greatly reduced (Zhu et al. 2016). Besides, frying and roasting are the most commonly used methods for reducing toxicity and increasing the efficiency of HMs containing AAs. Vinegar roasting can reduce the trace aristolochic acid salt in processed products, which is easy to decoct into AAs for removing AAs or making AAs unable to decoct (Wang et al. 2005).