Discrimination of three Ephedra species and their geographical origins based on multi-element fingerprinting by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.[Pubmed: 29980710]

Discrimination of species and geographical origins of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is essential to prevent adulteration and inferior problems. We studied Ephedra sinica Stapf, Ephedra intermedia Schrenk et C.A.Mey. and Ephedra przewalskii Bge. to investigate the relationship between inorganic element content and these three species and their geographical origins. 38 elemental fingerprints from six major Ephedra-producing regions, namely, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Sinkiang, were determined to evaluate the importance of inorganic elements to three species and their geographical origins. The contents of 15 elements, namely, N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Na, Cl, Sr, Cu, Zn, B, and Mo, of Ephedra samples were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. Elemental contents were used as chemical indicators to classify species and origins of Ephedra samples using a radar plot and multivariate data analysis, including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and discriminant analysis (DA). Ephedra samples from different species and geographical origins could be differentiated. This study showed that inorganic elemental fingerprint combined with multivariate statistical analysis is a promising tool for distinguishing three Ephedra species and their geographical origins, and this strategy might be an effective method for authenticity discrimination of TCM.

The polyherbal drug GGEx18 from Laminaria japonica, Rheum palmatum, and Ephedra sinica inhibits hepatic steatosis and fibroinflammtion in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.[Pubmed: 29958960]

The herbal composition Gyeongshingangjeehwan 18 (GGEx18), composed of Rheum palmatum L. (Polygonaceae), Laminaria japonica Aresch (Laminariaceae), and Ephedra sinica Stapf (Ephedraceae), is used as an antiobesity drug in Korean clinics. The constituents of GGEx18 have traditionally been reported to inhibit obesity and related metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia.

[Current research situation of nephrotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicine].[Pubmed: 29600603]

To provide the basis for the future research on the nephrotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicine through systematic and comprehensive summary of all the Chinese herbal medicines which may lead to nephrotoxicity. Foreign resources included PubMed and Cochrane library， and domestic research resources was China Food and Drug Administration(CDFA) Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Center database. The databases were searched from establishment to January 1， 2017. There was no limitation on research type. 28 English studies were found， including 97 Chinese herbs or prescriptions with the risk of nephrotoxicity. The following six Chinese herbal medicines with the risk of nephrotoxicity had a large number of studies： aristolochic acid(5 studies)， Tripterygium wilfordii(4 studies)， Erycibe obtusifolia(2 studies)， Rheum palmatum(2 studies)， Ephedra sinica(2 studies)， and Atractylodes lances(2 studies). The remaining 91 Chinese medicines were reported with risk of nephrotoxicity in only 1 study respectively. CDFA reported 16 Chinese herbal medicines with the risk of nephrotoxicity， including Ganmaoqing Pian(capsule)， Zhenju Jiangya Pian， T. wilfordii preparation， Vc-Yinqiao Pian， Chuanhuning injection， Shuanghuanglian injection， Qingkailing injection， Lianbizhi injection， herbal decoction containing Aristolochiae Radix， Guanxin Suhe Wan， Shugan Liqi Wan， Ershiwuwei Songshi Wan， herbal decoction containing Aristolochia Fangchi， herbal granules containing root of Kaempfer Dutchmanspipe， Ganmaotong(tablets)， and Longdan Xiegan Wan. Currently， in addition to aristolochic acids， the most reported Chinese herbal medicine with the risk of nephrotoxicity is T. wilfordii preparation.

[Transcriptome characterization of Ephedra sinica with 454 ESTs].[Pubmed: 28933082]

Using the latest 454 GS FLX platform and Titanium regent, a substantial expressed sequence tag (ESTs) dataset of Ephedra sinica was produced, and the profile of gene expression and function gene of which were investigated. A total of 48 389 reads with an average length of 373 bp were generated. These 454 reads were assembled into 18 801 unigenes, which were all 454 sequencing identified. A total number of 10 531 unigenes(56.0%) were annotated using BLAST searches (E-value≤1×10⁻⁵) against the Nr, Nt, TAIR, SwissProt and KEGG databases. With respect to genes related to ephedrine biosynthesis, 19 unigenes(encoding 9 enzymes) were found. A total of 97 putative genes encoding cytochrome P450s were also discovered. Data presented in this study will provide an important resource for the scientific community that is interested in the functional genomics and secondary metabolism of E. sinica.

Polysaccharide from Ephedra sinica Stapf inhibits inflammation expression by regulating Factor-β1/Smad2 signaling.[Pubmed: 28830773]

Mahuang, a famous traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used for the treatment of common cold and inflammatory diseases in China. We investigated the protective effects of polysaccharide from Ephedra sinica Stapf (ESP-B4) against airway and pulmonary inflammation. Animal model was made in SD rats via intratracheal instillation of Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on day1 and 14 and inhalation of Cigarette Smoke (CS) for 4 weeks. ESP-B4 was administered by oral gavage for 2 weeks. We studied the number of inflammatory cells in serum, production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 and MMP-9 in lung homogenization buffer, and the expression of TGF-β1, P-Smad2 and P-Smad3 in lung tissue. In vitro, model was made in A549 cells with LPS and cigarette smoke extract. We investigated the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8, and the expression of TGF-β1, P-Smad2, P-Smad3 and Smad7. Our results revealed that ESP-B4 lowered the recruitment of inflammatory cells; and decreased the production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 and MMP-9, significantly reduced the expression of TGF-β1, P-Smad2 and P-Smad3, increased the expression of Smad7. These results indicated that ESP-B4 reduced airway and pulmonary inflammation by regulating inflammatory cytokines and the TGF-β1/Smad2 pathway, thus providing a potential treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).