The adulteration by synthetic therapeutic substances of traditional Chinese medicines has been reported on various occasions and has been a public health concern in Taiwan over the past several years. A large-scale effort was initiated in 1992 to screen traditional Chinese medicines that were suspected of adulteration with synthetic therapeutic substances. The term "adulteration" refers to traditional Chinese medicines that are tested and found to contain chemical substances not prescribed or labeled as part of the intended use. A total of 2,609 samples were collected by eight major general hospitals in Taiwan. Samples were collected through physicians' referrals during patients visits. The samples were analyzed by hospital pharmacists following the established standard procedures in comparison to references by thin-layer chromatography. An average of 23.7% (n = 618) of the samples collected from the eight hospitals were adulterated. Four samples with either a rheumatoid or an antiinflammatory indication contained six different kinds of adulterants. More than half (52.8%) of the adulterated traditional Chinese medicines contained two or more adulterants. The sources of adulterated samples and their claimed indications, as well as the most frequently detected synthetic therapeutic substances, are presented in this report. The controversies regarding the combination of synthetic therapeutic substances and traditional Chinese medicines without adequate labeling should be resolved through regulatory actions for better safety of drug use.

Rhodiola is a genus of medicinal plants that originated in Asia and Europe and are used traditionally as adaptogens, antidepressants, and anti-inflammatory remedies. Rhodiola plants are rich in polyphenols, and salidroside and tyrosol are the primary bioactive marker compounds in the standardized extracts of Rhodiola rosea. This review article summarizes the bioactivities, including adaptogenic, antifatigue, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antinoception, and anticancer activities, and the modulation of immune function of Rhodiola plants and its two constituents, as well as their potential to prevent cardiovascular, neuronal, liver, and skin disorders.

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In this study, we investigated whether the protective effects of Neonauclea reticulata water extract against ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation in human skin fibroblast cell cultures (Hs68) are governed by its ability to protect against oxidative stress and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). We found that Neonauclea reticulata extract exhibited DPPH scavenging activity and inhibited AAPH-induced haemolysis of erythrocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We also found that pretreatment of fibroblasts with Neonauclea reticulata water extract resulted in markedly lower levels of MMP-1, -3, and -9 expressions. Furthermore, our results indicate that Neonauclea reticulata extract inhibits the expression of MMPs by inhibiting ERK, JNK, and p38 phosphorylation. Our results also demonstrate that treatment with Neonauclea reticulata extract protects against UVB-induced depletion of collagen. In addition, Neonauclea reticulata extract did not have a cytotoxic effect. These findings indicate that the antioxidant activity of Neonauclea reticulata extract resulted in inhibition of MMP-1, -3, and -9 expressions and in increased levels of collagen activity. Our results suggest that Neonauclea reticulata extract can protect against photoaging.

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is one of the most important extrinsic factors contributing to skin photodamage. After UV irradiation, a series of signal transductions in the skin will be activated, leading to inflammatory response and photoaged skin. In this study, fisetin, a flavonol that exists in fruits and vegetables, was investigated for its photoprotective effects. The results revealed that 5-25 μM fisetin inhibits cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, MMP-3, MMP-9 expression induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation in human skin fibroblasts. In addition, fisetin suppressed UVB-induced collagen degradation. With regard to its effect on upper-stream signal transduction, we found that fisetin reduced the expression of ultraviolet (UV)-induced ERK, JNK, and p38 phosphorylation in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) pathway. Furthermore, fisetin reduced inhibitor κB (IκB) degradation and increased the amount of p65, which is a major subunit of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), in cytoplasm. It also suppressed NF-κB translocated to the nucleus and inhibited cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) Ser-133 phosphorylation level in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/CREB (PI3K/AKT/CREB) pathway. Finally, fisetin inhibited UV-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and nitric oxide (NO) generation. The mentioned effects and mechanisms suggest that fisetin can be used in the development of photoprotective agents.