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The aim of this study was to determine the inhibitory action of alantolactone, a gradient of traditional Chinese medicine Inulae Radix (Tu-Mu-Xiang), on herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). African green monkey kidney cells (Vero cells) were infected with HSV-1 and the protective effects of alantolactone on Vero cells were examined. At concentrations of 10(-6), 10(-7), and 10(-8) g/mL, alantolactone did not have a marked harmful effect on the viability of Vero cells according to an MTT assay. Based on the cytopathic effect (CPE) and MTT assays, alantolactone at these concentrations exhibited antiviral action and protected cells from being damaged by HSV-1. Results indicated that alantolactone had potent anti-HSV-1 action and provided evidence for use of Inulae Radix in the treatment of HSV-1 infection.

In order to illuminate the effective compounds in Tibetan medicine kandrakari, chemical composition of dry stems of Rubus amabilis were studied by means of various chromatographic techniques, leading to the isolation of 11 compounds. On the basis of spectroscopic data, their structures were elucidated as 1,8-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyxanthone (1), 1-hydroxy-3,7,8-trimethoxyxanthone (2), 1,8-dihydroxy-3,5-dim ethoxyxanthone (3), kaempfero-3-O-(6"-trans-p-coumaroyl) -beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), quercetin (5), kaempferol (6), hyperoside (7), luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucopy ranoside (8), apigenin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9), isovitexin-7-O-glucoside (10), and procyanidin B4 (11). Compounds 1-3 were isolated from the Rubus genus for the first time,and compounds 1-6, 10-11 were isolated from R. amabilis for the first time.

Rubus amabilis, Rubus niveus Thunb., and Rubus sachalinensis are three Rubus species that are alternatively found in Manubzhithang, a Tibetan medicine, in different areas of China. The current study analyzed HPLC/UV chromatograms and it compared compounds of these three Rubus species in contrast to reference substances such as 2,6-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenol-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, procyanidin B4, and isovitexin-7-O-glucoside. The three Rubus species produced similar peaks in chromatograms. The antioxidant activity of the three Rubus species was determined using an assay for DPPH free radical scavenging activity. Results indicated that the three Rubus species extracts had almost the same level of free radical scavenging activity. Thus, findings indicated the rationality of substituting these species for one another as an ingredient in Manubzhithang.

"RenqingMangjue" pill (RMP), as an effective prescription of Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM), has been widely used in treating digestive diseases and ulcerative colitis for over a thousand years. In certain classical Tibetan Medicine, heavy metal may add as an active ingredient, but it may cause contamination unintentionally in some cases. Therefore, the toxicity and adverse effects of TTM became to draw public attention. In this study, 48 male Wistar rats were orally administrated with different dosages of RMP once a day for 15 consecutive days, then half of the rats were euthanized on the 15th day and the remaining were euthanized on the 30th day. Plasma, kidney and liver samples were acquired to 1H NMR metabolomics analysis. Histopathology and ICP-MS were applied to support the metabolomics findings. The metabolic signature of plasma from RMP-administrated rats exhibited increasing levels of glucose, betaine, and creatine, together with decreasing levels of lipids, 3-hydroxybutate, pyruvate, citrate, valine, leucine, isoleucine, glutamate, and glutamine. The metabolomics analysis results of liver showed that after RMP administration, the concentrations of valine, leucine, proline, tyrosine, and tryptophan elevated, while glucose, sarcosine and 3-hydroxybutyrate decreased. The levels of metabolites in kidney, such as, leucine, valine, isoleucine and tyrosine, were increased, while taurine, glutamate, and glutamine decreased. The study provides several potential biomarkers for the toxicity mechanism research of RMP and shows that RMP may cause injury in kidney and liver and disturbance of several pathways, such as energy metabolism, oxidative stress, glucose and amino acids metabolism.

As a form of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM), traditional Tibetan medicine has developed into a mainstay of medical care in Tibet and has spread from there to China and then to the rest of the world. Thus far, research on traditional Tibetan medicine has focused on the study of the plant and animal sources of traditional medicines, study of the histology of those plants and animals, chemical analysis of traditional medicines, pharmacological study of those medicines, and evaluation of the clinical efficacy of those medicines. A number of papers on traditional Tibetan medicines have been published, providing some evidence of the efficacy of traditional Tibetan medicine. However, many traditional Tibetan medicines have unknown active ingredients, hampering the establishment of drug quality standards, the development of new medicines, commercial production of medicines, and market availability of those medicines. Traditional Tibetan medicine must take several steps to modernize and spread to the rest of the world: the pharmacodynamics of traditional Tibetan medicines need to be determined, the clinical efficacy of those medicines needs to be verified, criteria to evaluate the efficacy of those medicines need to be established in order to guide their clinical use, and efficacious medicines need to be acknowledged by the pharmaceutical market. The components of traditional Tibetan medicine should be studied, traditional Tibetan medicines should be screened for their active ingredients, and techniques should be devised to prepare and manufacture those medicines.

As a form of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM), traditional Tibetan medicine has developed into a mainstay of medical care in Tibet and has spread from there to China and then to the rest of the world. Thus far, research on traditional Tibetan medicine has focused on the study of the plant and animal sources of traditional medicines, study of the histology of those plants and animals, chemical analysis of traditional medicines, pharmacological study of those medicines, and evaluation of the clinical efficacy of those medicines. A number of papers on traditional Tibetan medicines have been published, providing some evidence of the efficacy of traditional Tibetan medicine. However, many traditional Tibetan medicines have unknown active ingredients, hampering the establishment of drug quality standards, the development of new medicines, commercial production of medicines, and market availability of those medicines. Traditional Tibetan medicine must take several steps to modernize and spread to the rest of the world: the pharmacodynamics of traditional Tibetan medicines need to be determined, the clinical efficacy of those medicines needs to be verified, criteria to evaluate the efficacy of those medicines need to be established in order to guide their clinical use, and efficacious medicines need to be acknowledged by the pharmaceutical market. The components of traditional Tibetan medicine should be studied, traditional Tibetan medicines should be screened for their active ingredients, and techniques should be devised to prepare and manufacture those medicines.