Rhodiola species, belonging to the family Crassulaceae, have long been used as an adaptogen, tonic, antidepressant, and antistress medicine or functional food in Asia and Europe. Due to the valuable application, the growing demand of Rhodiola species has led to a rapid decrease in resource content. This review aims to summarize the integrated research progress of seven mainstream Rhodiola species. We first outline both traditional and current use of Rhodiola for the treatment of various diseases. A detailed summary and comparison of chemical, pharmacological, toxicological, and clinical studies of various Rhodiola species highlight recent scientific advances and gaps, which gives insights into the understanding of Rhodiola application and would be helpful to improve the situation of biological resources and diversities of Rhodiola plants.

Rhodiola species are edible medicinal plants, which have been traditionally used in both Asia and Europe as an adaptogen, tonic, anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory supplement. However, whether it presents therapeutic effect...

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Curcuma, a valuable genus in the family Zingiberaceae, includes approximately 110 species. These plants are native to Southeast Asia and are extensively cultivated in India, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Peru, Australia, and the West Indies. The plants have long been used in folk medicine to treat stomach ailments, stimulate digestion, and protect the digestive organs, including the intestines, stomach, and liver. In recent years, substantial progress has been achieved in investigations regarding the chemical and pharmacological properties, as well as in clinical trials of certain Curcuma species. This review comprehensively summarizes the current knowledge on the chemistry and briefly discusses the biological activities of Curcuma species. A total of 720 compounds, including 102 diphenylalkanoids, 19 phenylpropene derivatives, 529 terpenoids, 15 flavonoids, 7 steroids, 3 alkaloids, and 44 compounds of other types isolated or identified from 32 species, have been phytochemically investigated. The biological activities of plant extracts and pure compounds are classified into 15 groups in detail, with emphasis on anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities.

As a final step of the purine metabolism process, xanthine oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of hypoxanthine and xanthine into uric acid. Our research has demonstrated that Erycibe obtusifolia has xanthine oxidase inhibitory properties. The purpose of this paper is to describe a new strategy based on a combination of multiple mass spectrometric platforms and thin-layer chromatography bioautography for effectively screening the xanthine oxidase inhibitory and antioxidant properties of E. obtusifolia. This strategy was accomplished through the following steps. (i) Separate the extract of E. obtusifolia into fractions by an autopurification system controlled by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. (ii) Determine the active fractions of E. obtusifolia by thin-layer chromatography bioautography. (iii) Identify the structure of the main active compounds with the information provided by direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry. (iv) Calculate the IC50 value of each compound against xanthine oxidase using high-performance liquid chromatography. Using the caulis of E. obtusifolia as the experimental material, seven target peaks were screened out as xanthine oxidase inhibitors or antioxidants. Our screening strategy allows for rapid analysis of small molecules with almost no sample preparation and can be completed within a week, making it a useful assay to identify unstable compounds and provide the empirical foundation for E. obtusifolia as a natural remedy for gout and oxidative-stress-related diseases.

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BackgroundThe combination of Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) and Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (RAM) has long been used as a classic herb pair for the treatment of gynecologic and gastrointestinal diseases, but the underlying mechanisms of the herb pair remain unknown. This study aims to explore the anti-inflammatory potentials of RPA–RAM herb pair and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.MethodsThe bioactive parts of RPA–RAM were extracted and screened through the inhibitory effects against nitric oxide (NO) production. The effects of optimized RPA–RAM extracts (OPAE) on inflammation-associated mediators were investigated by Western blotting, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) and immunofluorescence staining.ResultsOPAE potently suppressed the productions of NO, TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages, concentration-dependently inhibited protein level of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), dramatically downregulated mRNA expression of iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1. In addition, OPAE significantly prevented phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitory kappa Bα (IκBα) and subsequently restrained the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Pretreatment with OPAE also attenuated the LPS-induced phosphorylation of ERK, JNK and p38.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrated that OPAE suppressed inflammatory responses in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages by decreasing critical molecules involved in MAPK and NF-κB pathway, suggesting that the herb pair could be a promising therapeutic candidate for inflammation-related diseases.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13020-019-0224-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.