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Rubus chingii Hu ( R. chingii ), referred to as “Fu-Pen-Zi” in Chinese, has great medicinal and dietary values since ancient times. The dried fruits of R. chingii have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of kidney enuresis and urinary frequency for centuries. According to current findings, R. chingii has been reported to contain a variety of chemical constituents, mostly triterpenoids, diterpenoids, flavonoids, and organic acids. These compounds have been demonstrated to be the major bioactive components responsible for pharmacological effects such as anticomplementary, anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory functions. Therefore, this review focused on the up-to-date published data of the literature about R. chingii and comprehensively summarized its phytochemistry, pharmacology, quality control, and toxicity to provide a beneficial support to its further investigations and applications in medicines and foods.

This review summarize the available data on cytochrome P450 - related drug-drug interactions reported in the literature for the eight ARBs. Knowledge of the pharmacokinetic properties of the ARBs should allow the avoidance of the majority of drug interactions without compromising therapeutic benefits.

Metabolic study of bioactive compounds that undergo a dynamic and sequential process of metabolism is still a great challenge. Salidroside, one of the most active ingredients of Rhodiola crenulata, can be metabolized in different sites before being absorbed into the systemic blood stream. This study proposed an approach for describing the sequential biotransformation process of salidroside based on comparative analysis. In vitro incubation, in situ closed-loop and in vivo blood sampling were used to determine the relative contribution of each site to the total metabolism of salidroside. The results showed that salidroside was stable in digestive juice, and it was metabolized primarily by the liver and the intestinal flora and to a lesser extent by the gut wall. The sequential metabolism method described in this study could be a general approach to characterizing the metabolic routes in the digestive system for natural products.

Exploring the potential mechanism of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. for ameliorating Alzheimer's disease using comprehensive UHPLC-LTQ–Orbitrap based phytochemical analysis and network pharmacology approaches.

Areca catechu L. nut, a well-known toxic traditional herbal medicine, has been widely used to treat various diseases in China and many other Asian countries for centuries. However, to date the in vivo absorption and metabolism of its multiple bioactive or toxic components still remain unclear. In this study, liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze the major components and their metabolites in rat plasma and urine after oral administration of Areca catechu L. nut extract (ACNE). A total of 12 compounds, including 6 alkaloids, 3 tannins and 3 amino acids, were confirmed or tentatively identified from ACNE. In vivo, 40 constituents, including 8 prototypes and 32 metabolites were identified in rat plasma and urine samples. In summary, this study showed an insight into the metabolism of ACNE in vivo, which may provide helpful chemical information for better understanding of the toxicological and pharmacological profiles of ACNE.

Screening functional food ingredients (FFI) from medicinal and edible plants (MEP) has still remained a great challenge due to the complexity of MEP and its obscure function mechanisms. Herein, an integrated strategy based on sequential metabolites identification approach, network pharmacology, molecular docking, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis was proposed for quickly identifying the active constituents in MEP. First, the sequential biotransformation process of MEP, including intestinal absorption and metabolism, and hepatic metabolism, was investigated by oral gavage, and intestinal perfusion with venous sampling method. Then the blood samples were analyzed by UPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap HRMS. Second, the network pharmacology approach was used to explore the potential targets and possible mechanisms of the in vivo metabolites of MEP. Third, molecular docking and SPR approaches were used to verify the specific interactions between protein targets and representative ingredients. The proposed integrated strategy was successfully used to explore the heptoprotective components and the underlying molecular mechanism of Paeoniae Radix Alba (PRA). A total of 44 compounds were identified in blood samples, including 17 porotypes and 27 metabolites. The associated metabolic pathways were oxidation, methylation, sulfation, and glucuronidation. After further screening, 31 bioactive candidates and 377 related targets were obtained. In addition, the bioactive components contained in PRA may have therapeutic potentials for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The above results demonstrated the proposed strategy may provide a feasible tool for screening FFI and elaborating the complex function mechanisms of MEP.