Simultaneous determination of eight major steroids from Polyporus umbellatus by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detections.

Biomed Chromatogr. 2009 Jul 1; Zhao YY, Cheng XL, Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Lin RC, Sun WJPolyporus umbellatus is a widely used diuretic herbal medicine. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-APCI-MS) method was developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of steroids, as well as for the quality control of Polyporus umbellatus. The selectivity, reproducibility and sensitivity were compared with HPLC with photodiode array detection and evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). Selective ion monitoring in positive mode was used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of eight major components and beta-ecdysterone was used as the internal standard. Limits of detection and quantification fell in the ranges 7-21 and 18-63 ng/mL for the eight analytes with an injection of 10 microL samples, and all calibration curves showed good linear regression (r(2) > 0.9919) within the test range. The quantitative results demonstrated that samples from different localities showed different qualities. Advantages, in comparison with conventional HPLC-diode array detection and HPLC-ELSD, are that reliable identification of target compounds could be achieved by accurate mass measurements along with characteristic retention time, and the great enhancement in selectivity and sensitivity allows identification and quantification of low levels of constituents in complex Polyporus umbellatus matrixes. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A systematic review of the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines used in the treatment of obesity.

World J Gastroenterol. 2009 Jul 7; 15(25): 3073-3085Hasani-Ranjbar S, Nayebi N, Larijani B, Abdollahi MThis review focuses on the efficacy and safety of effective herbal medicines in the management of obesity in humans and animals. PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and IranMedex databases were searched up to December 30, 2008. The search terms were "obesity" and ("herbal medicine" or "plant", "plant medicinal" or "medicine traditional") without narrowing or limiting search elements. All of the human and animal studies on the effects of herbs with the key outcome of change in anthropometric measures such as body weight and waist-hip circumference, body fat, amount of food intake, and appetite were included. In vitro studies, reviews, and letters to editors were excluded. Of the publications identified in the initial database, 915 results were identified and reviewed, and a total of 77 studies were included (19 human and 58 animal studies). Studies with Cissus quadrangularis (CQ), Sambucus nigra, Asparagus officinalis, Garcinia atroviridis, ephedra and caffeine, Slimax (extract of several plants including Zingiber officinale and Bofutsushosan) showed a significant decrease in body weight. In 41 animal studies, significant weight loss or inhibition of weight gain was found. No significant adverse effects or mortality were observed except in studies with supplements containing ephedra, caffeine and Bofutsushosan. In conclusion, compounds containing ephedra, CQ, ginseng, bitter melon, and zingiber were found to be effective in the management of obesity. Attention to these natural compounds would open a new approach for novel therapeutic and more effective agents.

Herbal Supplement Use and Blood Lead Levels of United States Adults.

J Gen Intern Med. 2009 Jul 3; Buettner C, Mukamal KJ, Gardiner P, Davis RB, Phillips RS, Mittleman MABACKGROUND: Some herbal supplements may contain lead. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether use of specific herbal dietary supplements during the last 30 days is associated with blood lead levels in US men and women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. STUDY POPULATION: NHANES participants from 1999-2004, a representative sample of the civilian non-institutionalized US population. MEASUREMENTS: Lead was measured in blood. Associations between lead and self-reported supplement use were estimated using multivariable regression weighted to account for NHANES sampling. Herbal supplements investigated were those previously reported to contain high heavy metal content: Ayurvedic or traditional Chinese medicine herbs, echinacea, ginkgo, ginseng, St. John's wort, and "other" herbs (specifically, kava, valerian, black cohosh, bee pollen, and nettle). MAIN RESULTS: Among 6,712 women >/=20 years, those using herbal supplements had lead levels that were 10% higher than non-users (95% CI 3%-17%, p = 0.005). Women using Ayurvedic or traditional Chinese medicine herbs, St. John's wort, and "other" herbs had lead levels 24% (95% CI 5%-45%, p = 0.01), 23% (95% CI 4%-46%), p = 0.02), and 21% (95% CI 2%-44%, p = 0.03) higher, respectively, than non-users. No significant associations were observed between herb use and lead levels among men (n = 6,095). Among reproductive-aged women (16-45 years), herbal supplement users had lead levels 20% higher than non-users (95% CI 5%-34%, p = 0.008). In contrast, garlic and other dietary supplements were not associated with higher lead levels. CONCLUSION: Use of specific herbal supplements is associated with higher blood lead levels among women. Our data suggest testing guidelines for herbal supplements and regulations limiting lead in supplements are needed.

Anti-tumor effect of Liqi, a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, in tumor bearing mice.

BMC Complement Altern Med. 2009 Jul 1; 9(1): 20Ji DB, Ye J, Jiang YM, Qian BWABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Liqi, an herbal preparation used in traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to treat cancer in China for centuries. We investigated the anti-tumor effects of liqi and their mechanisms in mice that had been xenografted with tumors. METHODS: Sarcoma 180 tumor, Lewis lung carcinoma, and SGC-7901 cells were implanted in BALB/c mice, C57BL/6 mice, and BALB/c nude mice, respectively. Liqi was administered to subgroups of these mice. The tumor weight and size were measured. Cell cycle assay and T lymphocyte subsets were determined by flow cytometry. The activity of NK cells and TNF was tested using cytotoxicity assay on YAC-1 cells and L929 cells, respectively, and the activity of IL-2 was tested with an IL-2-dependent CTLL-2 cell proliferation assay. Platelet aggregation was monitored by measuring electric impedance, and the levels of thromboxane A2 (TXA2) and prostacyclin (PGI2) in blood were measured by 125I-TXB2 and 125I-Keto-PGF1alpha radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: The results showed that liqi inhibited tumor growth in tumor-implanted mice and arrested the cell proliferation in the G0/G1 phase and reduced the portion of cells in S and G2/M phase for SGC-7901 cells. Liqi increased the activity of NK cells and TNF-alpha, stimulated IL-2 production and activity, and regulated T lymphocyte subpopulations. Liqi inhibited the Lewis lung carcinoma metastasis by inhibiting platelet aggregation and normalizing the balance between TXA2 and PGI2. CONCLUSIONS: All these findings demonstrated that liqi has an anti-tumor effect in vivo. The mechanism may be related to immune regulation and anticoagulation effects.