Authentication and quality control of Cordyceps sinensis, a traditional Chinese medicine known as winter-worm summer-grass

Cheung, Jerry KH,Li, Shao P,Tsim, Karl WK Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2005 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.5 No.4

Cordyceps, one of the most valued traditional Chinese medicines, consists of the dried fungus Cordyceps sinensis growing on the larva of caterpillar. It is also known as 'winter-worm and summer-grass' because of its appearance during different seasons. The parasitic complex of the fungus and the caterpillar is found in soil of a prairie at an elevation of 3,500 to 5,000 meters in northwestern part of China. According to Chinese medicinal theory, Cordyceps is used to replenish the kidney and soothe the lung, and indeed many clinical applications have been reported. The natural Cordyceps is rare and expensive on the local market, and therefore, several mycelial strains have been isolated from natural Cordyceps and manufactured in large quantities by fermentation technology, and they are commonly sold as health food products in Orient. The adulterants of Cordyceps are commonly found on the market, and therefore the authentication of these products has to be defined. Having the urgent need from current market, different chemical markers such as nucleoside, ergosterol, mannitol and polysaccharide are being used for quality control of Cordyceps. Unfortunately, these markers are far from optimization, and therefore extensive works are needed to define the pharmacological efficiency of these markers.

Ginsenosides attenuate bioenergetics and morphology of mitochondria in cultured PC12 cells under the insult of amyloid beta-peptide

Kenneth Kin Leung Kwan,Huang Yun,Tina Ting Xia Dong,Karl Wah Keung Tsim 고려인삼학회 2021 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.45 No.4

Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the significant reasons for Alzheimer"s disease (AD). Ginsenosides, natural molecules extracted from Panax ginseng, have been demonstrated to exert essential neuroprotective functions, which can ascribe to its anti-oxidative effect, enhancing central metabolism and improving mitochondrial function. However, a comprehensive analysis of cellular mitochondrial bioenergetics after ginsenoside treatment under Aβ-oxidative stress is missing. Methods: The antioxidant activities of ginsenoside Rb₁, Rd, Re, Rg₁ were compared by measuring the cell survival and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. Next, the protective effects of ginsenosides of mitochondrial bioenergetics were examined by measuring oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in PC12 cells under Aβ-oxidative stress with an extracellular flux analyzer. Meanwhile, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and mitochondrial dynamics were evaluated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results: Ginsenoside Rg₁ possessed the strongest anti-oxidative property, and which therefore provided the best protective function to PC12 cells under the Ab oxidative stress by increasing ATP production to 3 folds, spare capacity to 2 folds, maximal respiration to 2 folds and non-mitochondrial respiration to 1.5 folds, as compared to Aβ cell model. Furthermore, ginsenoside Rg1 enhanced MMP and mitochondrial interconnectivity, and simultaneously reduced mitochondrial circularity. Conclusion: In the present study, these results demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg₁ could be the best natural compound, as compared with other ginsenosides, by modulating the OCR of cultured PC12 cells during oxidative phosphorylation, in regulating MMP and in improving mitochondria dynamics under Aβ-induced oxidative stress.

Ginseng extracts modulate mitochondrial bioenergetics of live cardiomyoblasts: a functional comparison of different extraction solvents

Huang, Yun,Kwan, Kenneth Kin Leung,Leung, Ka Wing,Yao, Ping,Wang, Huaiyou,Dong, Tina Tingxia,Tsim, Karl Wah Keung The Korean Society of Ginseng 2019 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.43 No.4

Background: The root of Panax ginseng, a member of Araliaceae family, has been used as herbal medicine and functional food in Asia for thousands of years. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng is the most widely used "Qi-invigorating" herbs, which provides tonic and preventive effects by resisting oxidative stress, influencing energy metabolism, and improving mitochondrial function. Very few reports have systematically measured cell mitochondrial bioenergetics after ginseng treatment. Methods: Here, H9C2 cell line, a rat cardiomyoblast, was treated with ginseng extracts having extracted using solvents of different polarity, i.e., water, 50% ethanol, and 90% ethanol, and subsequently, the oxygen consumption rate in healthy and tert-butyl hydroperoxideetreated live cultures was determined by Seahorse extracellular flux analyzer. Results: The 90% ethanol extracts of ginseng possessed the strongest antioxidative and tonic activities to mitochondrial respiration and therefore provided the best protective effects to H9C2 cardiomyocytes. By increasing the spare respiratory capacity of stressed H9C2 cells up to three-folds of that of healthy cells, the 90% ethanol extracts of ginseng greatly improved the tolerance of myocardial cells to oxidative damage. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the low polarity extracts of ginseng could be the best extract, as compared with others, in regulating the oxygen consumption rate of cultured cardiomyocytes during mitochondrial respiration.

Ginseng extracts modulate mitochondrial bioenergetics of live cardiomyoblasts: a functional comparison of different extraction solvents

Yun Huang,Kenneth Kin Leung Kwan,Ka Wing Leung,Ping Yao,HuaiyouWang,Tina Tingxia Dong,Karl Wah Keung Tsim 고려인삼학회 2019 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.43 No.4

Background: The root of Panax ginseng, a member of Araliaceae family, has been used as herbal medicineand functional food in Asia for thousands of years. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng isthe most widely used “Qi-invigorating” herbs, which provides tonic and preventive effects by resistingoxidative stress, influencing energy metabolism, and improving mitochondrial function. Very few reportshave systematically measured cell mitochondrial bioenergetics after ginseng treatment. Methods: Here, H9C2 cell line, a rat cardiomyoblast, was treated with ginseng extracts having extractedusing solvents of different polarity, i.e., water, 50% ethanol, and 90% ethanol, and subsequently, theoxygen consumption rate in healthy and tert-butyl hydroperoxideetreated live cultures was determinedby Seahorse extracellular flux analyzer. Results: The 90% ethanol extracts of ginseng possessed the strongest antioxidative and tonic activities tomitochondrial respiration and therefore provided the best protective effects to H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Byincreasing the spare respiratory capacity of stressed H9C2 cells up to three-folds of that of healthy cells,the 90% ethanol extracts of ginseng greatly improved the tolerance of myocardial cells to oxidativedamage. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the low polarity extracts of ginseng could be the bestextract, as compared with others, in regulating the oxygen consumption rate of cultured cardiomyocytesduring mitochondrial respiration.

Species identification of Dyers woad leaf by DNA sequence of 5S-rRNA spacer domain and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis

Zhao, K.J.,Dong, T.T.X.,Wong, Y.C.,Tu, P.F.,Tsim, K.W.K. Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2005 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.5 No.2

Dyers woad leaf (Daqingye) is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used as anti-pyretic, anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent against infectious diseases. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2005) records that Dyers woad leaf should be derived from the leaves of Isatis indigotica Fort., but the leaves of Polygonum tinctorium Ait., Baphicacanthus cusia (Nees) Bremek. and Clerodendron cyrtophyllum Turcz. have also been used as substitutes of Dyers woad leaf in different regions of China. The leaf morphologies of these four species show a close resemblance, and based on their morphological appearance, it is difficult to identify them. Here, molecular genetic methods were developed as a target to identify different members of Dyers woad leaf. The 5S-rRNA spacer domain was amplified by polymerase chain reaction from genomic DNAs isolated from I. indigotica, P. tinctorium, B. cusia and C. cyrtophyllum, and the nucleotide sequences showed a great diversity. In addition, random amplification of polymorphic DNA analysis was also used to distinguish the members of Dyers woad leaf. These molecular methods could be used as a tool in authentic identification of Dyers woad leaf.

Regions in China identification and quality control of radix Codonopsis by chemical fingerprint: Evaluation of lobetyolin from different cultivated

Chou, Gui X,Gao, Qiu T,Li, Jun,Duan, Ran,Cheung, Anna WH,Chu, Glanice KY,Jiang, Zhi Y,Dong, Tina TX,Tsim, Karl WK Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2006 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.6 No.4

By using high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection, a simple and accurate chromatographic fingerprint method was developed for the identification of Radix Codonopsis (roots of Codonopsis) from different sources. Eighteen herbs of Codonopsis at different habitats in China, including roots from Codonopsis pilosula, Codonopsis pilosula var. modesta and Codonopsis tangshen were analyzed by the fingerprint. The amount of lobetyolin was calibrated, which was found to be more consistent in roots of Codonopsis pilosula as compared to that of Codonopsis pilosula var. modesta and Codonopsis tangshen. Having the fingerprint results, hierarchical clustering analyses were performed to classify the eighteen herbs into three groups: Codonopsis pilosula, Codonopsis pilosula var. modesta and Codonopsis tangshen. This clustering analysis agrees very well with the pharmacognostic identification result, and which could be used as a tool in the quality control of Radix Codonopsis.

Alkaloids of Linderae Radix suppressed the lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of cytokines in cultured macrophage RAW 264.7 cells

David Jiyao Chou,Kelly Yinching Lam,Jianping Chen,Ping Yao,Tina Tingxia Dong,Aizhen Xiong,Guixin Chou,Zhengtao Wang,Karl Wah-Keung Tsim 셀메드 세포교정의약학회 2014 셀메드 (CellMed) Vol.4 No.4

Linderae Radix, the dry roots of Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm, has long been used as traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of inflammatory diseases. The total alkaloids are believed to be the active components responsible for anti-inflammation of Linderae Radix. Here, the total alkaloids of Linderae Radix were extracted and isolated, including 12 isoquinoline alkaloids and 1 furan sesquiterpene. Within the alkaloids, norisoboldine, boldine, linderaline, isoboldine, reticuline, N-methyllaurotetanine, norjuziphine were found to be the major ingredients. In lipopolysaccharide-treated macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, application of Linderae Radix extract, or total alkaloids, suppressed the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1β and interleukin-6. Out of the 12 alkaloids, norisoboldine, boldine, and isoboldine were tested in lipopolysaccharide-treated macrophages, and norisoboldine was the strongest alkaloid in suppressing the cytokine expressions. The current studies suggested that the identification of alkaloids from Linderae Radix could provide a plausible explanation for herbal therapeutic functions.

The Efficacy of Herbal Supplement Danggui Buxue Tang for Relieving Menopausal Symptoms

( Eliza L. Y. Wong ),( Annie W. L. Cheung ),( C. J. Haines ),( C. C. Wang ),( Chun-kwok Wong ),( Karl W. K. Tsim ),( William K. F. Cheng ),( Ping-chung Leung ) 대한폐경학회 2022 대한폐경학회지 Vol.28 No.1

Objectives: This study aimed to further explore the efficacy and safety of Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a simple herbal formula, for improving the quality of life of women suffering from menopausal symptoms. Methods: A third clinical trial to determine the clinical efficacy of high-dose DBT for a period of 12 weeks was carried out. The standard Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) assessment chart was used for the evaluation. Safety was defined as an absence of direct estrogenic effects, serum inflammatory cytokines. Notably, interleukin IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor TNF-α, known to be directly related to estrogenic reactions in menopause studies, were monitored. Results: The third clinical trial indicated an overall improvement in the four domains of MENQOL, offering further proof of the efficacy of DBT demonstrated in the two previous trials. The serial checks of the three cytokines related to estrogen activities did not show either upward or downward trends. The haphazard behavior reactions of the three cytokines offered indirect indications that DBT improved the MENQOL independently from estrogen activities. Conclusions: The three clinical trials using DBT to relieve menopausal syndrome have offered solid evidence for its efficacy. The uncertainty regarding whether the “phytoestrogen” contained in DBT had bioactivities similar to estrogen was alleviated through the confirmation that no strict estrogenic bioactivities were observed. The issue of safety was further clarified via laboratory platform studies on DBT, which not only showed the lack of similarity with estrogen actions but also confirmed the value of combining the two herbs in the classic formula.