Planta medica
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Equitable sharing of the benefits of biodiversity is one of the main objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Yet understanding of the CBD rules and principles on access and benefit sharing, as well as how they apply to biodiversity-based research and development remains limited. ⋯ These rules--known as the Nagoya Protocol--provide clarification on several important issues, including the applicability of access and benefit sharing to research on biochemical compounds and processes. As a result, the Nagoya Protocol constitutes an important opportunity for institutions, organizations, and companies committed to ethical practices regarding biodiversity.
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In this study, we provide new evidence that orientin from bamboo leaves (Phyllostachys nigra) protect H9c2 cardiomyocytes against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. A previous work has identified that orientin could protect myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion injury. Mitochondria are both critical determinants of cardioprotection and crucial targets of cardioprotective signaling. ⋯ Further investigation of cellular mechanisms revealed that these effects were associated with inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, repolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ(m)), suppression of mitochondrial cytochrome C release, enhancement of the Bcl-2 level, and inhibition of Bax and Smac/DIABLO levels. Furthermore, these beneficial effects of orientin were blocked by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor wortmannin, and orientin could enhance Akt phosphorylation. In summary, we demonstrate that orientin protects H9c2 cardiomytocytes against I/R-induced apoptosis by modulating the mPTP opening, and this role of orientin may involve the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
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The gum resin of Commiphora wightii [(Hook. ex Stocks) Engl.] is an ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of arthritis, inflammation, obesity, lipid disorders, and cardiovascular diseases and is known as guggul. Morphologically, it is not easy to distinguish guggul from closely related gum resins of other plants. Reliability of the commercially available guggul is critical due to the high risk of adulteration. ⋯ This discovery highlighted the common malpractices in the trade of medicinal raw material in the developing world. The structures of the compounds were deduced by the spectroscopic technique and chemical methods, as well as by comparison with the reported data. The structure of 20(S),21-epoxy-3-oxocholest-4-ene (1) was also unambiguously deduced by single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique.
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The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of osthole on the insulin resistance (IR) in high-fat and high-sucrose-induced fatty liver rats and to investigate its potential mechanisms. The rat model was established by orally feeding high-fat and high-sucrose emulsion by gavage for 9 weeks. The experimental rats were treated with osthole 5 and 10 mg/kg, lipanthyl 30 mg/kg, and rosiglitazone 4 mg/kg after oral high-fat and high-sucrose emulsion for 6 weeks and were sacrificed 4 weeks after administration. ⋯ Moreover, the histological evaluation of liver specimens demonstrated that the steatosis and inflammation in liver in osthole-treated groups were improved, especially in the 10 mg/kg group (p < 0.05). Importantly, the levels of FBG, FINS, and HOMA-IR in the osthole 10 mg/kg group were decreased (p < 0.01), while the level of serum adiponectin in the osthole-treated groups, like PPAR α agonist lipanthyl and PPAR γ agonist rosiglitazone, was increased (p < 0.05). These results revealed that osthole could improve the IR induced by high-fat and high-sucrose emulsion in fatty liver rats, and its mechanism might be associated with increment of adiponectin release via activation of PPAR α/ γ pathway.
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Processing of Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) is a pharmaceutical technique to fulfill the different requirements of therapy, dispensing and making preparations according to traditional Chinese medicine theory. The aims of processing are to enhance the efficacy and/or reduce the toxicity of crude drugs. Those processed products are named as decoction pieces, which are used in clinics. ⋯ Standardization of processing methods for Chinese herbs is as important as authentication to maintain their quality and ensure their safe use. The objective of this paper is to review the literature covering the current situation and problems of CMM processing as well as recent progress in research in this area. A summary of the most urgent work needed is proposed.