| As an important part of TCM theory, the drug property theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is considered as an important basis of clinical application of Chinese medicine; besides, it is the obvious symbol of TCM which makes it different from botanical drug and natural medicine. The drug property theory of TCM is a concise summary of the TCM’s multi-effects, which are concluded from the effects of TCM on human bodies as well as the practical efficacies on clinical diseases. However, in quite a long historical period, due to the evolution of epistemology and methodology, some of the medicinal properties were confused, especially for the understanding of some medicinal with single nature and flavour and controversies have been exited for all generations among physicians. At present, for medicinal with single nature and flavor, history records can’t distinguish the contribution from which conclusion of the nature and flavor, and it is hard for domestic researchers to deeply clarify the relationship between the nature and flavor, as well as the fine composition of nature and flavor of medicines. It is still difficult work and great challenge for the researchers in TCM how to not only explain the science connotation in nature and flavor of TCM, but also keep and develop the special advantages of TCM.Radix Phytolaccae is the dry root of Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. and Phytolacca americana L. in Phytolaccaceae family. According to Chinese pharmacopoeia, it is recorded as bitter in flavor and cold in nature, being toxic. It can deport water and reduce swelling, smoothen secretion, detoxicate and remove stasis. Clinically, it is used for the treatment of water swelling, difficulty in urination and defecation, furunkeln and hautgeschwueren. Through TCM literature search, we found, there are many difference in the description of Phytolacca acinosa’s property from TCM classics and Chinese pharmacopoeia. In general, the flavor of Phytolacca acinosa are mainly pungent and bitter, and its nature are mainly cold and common. Considering the completion date of these classics, we found ancient doctors thought Phytolacca acinosa as pungent and sour, however, doctors from Qing dynasty considered Phytolacca acinosa as bitter; in addition, the evolving time of Phytolacca acinosa’s nature is appropriately equal to that of flavor. So in our study, Phytolacca acinosa were planned to investigate the nature and flavor in order to solve the problem on the recognition on the nature and flavor and effectiveness etc. In the meantime, it is would provide the evidence to resolvability and combinability the nature and flavor and reveal the existence of-one flavor and one nature , also verify the hypothesis "one medicine has X flavor and Y nature (Y<X)" for TCM, in order to provide prophase research foundation in revealing the scientific connotation of medicinal property (gas), and it would be the new mode and platform for Traditional Chinese Medicine modern study to clarify the scientific connotation and contact, to build the new style for the nature and flavor of TCM. At the same time it is ready for discovering and developing innovative drugs to treat major or complicated disease.Therefore, we carried out the work as the following:1. Reference review. We understood the nature and flavor of TCM and the denomination, breed variety, development of metropolis and the evolution process of Phytolacca acinosa by lots of literature domestic and abroad. We also comprehended the nature and flavor theory and the current situation in the chemical composition, pharmacologic action, clinical application of Phytolacca acinosa and summarized about the nature and flavor theory of TCM and the published study of Phytolacca acinosa. The roots of Phytolacca acinosa collected in Henan province was chosen as the object in this study.2. The research on nature and flavor of Phytolacca acinosa. We clarified the development and the connotation of nature and flavor of Phytolacca acinosa by studying on the record in herb contribution from successive dynasties, combined with the evolution process. From the record-pungent in Shen nong ben cao jing to bitter in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, it experienced the process "pungent" to "pungent and sour" to "pungent and bitter" to "bitter". The standardization principle was from -on the basis of real flavor, combined with five elements, theory of Visceral Manifestation, three grades of medicines and effectiveness to on basis of pharmacal effectiveness which was responsible for different connotation during different periods of Plantain Seed. In essence this that people have changed for the understanding of the drug efficacy, happen along with the traditional Chinese medicine efficacy changes. From modern perspective, this is a natural and reasonable.3. The resolvability research on the nature and flavor material foundation of Phytolacca acinosa. We adopted the technology of hot water extraction, alcohol sedimentation, macroporous adsorptive resins to establish the split method of nature and flavor material foundation of Phytolacca acinosa, and five compositions obtained were fatty oils composition, polysaccharide composition, saponin composition, phenolic acid composition and tanin composition, respectively. The characteristic of this method was holo-composition which was detached uncross in each composition and maintained the architype of chemical composition as far as possible.4. The pharmacologic research on the nature and flavor detached composition on the basis of effectiveness. In the nature and flavor is highly generalization and concise of traditional Chinese medicine as the breakthrough point, through textual research and modern literature research, we use the traditional Chinese way of thinking and induce deduction method, and draw support from modern statistical methods, and establish correlation of nature and flavor, efficacy and pharmacological indexes, and establish the estimated method by means of the core of nature and flavor and the effectiveness evaluation system by the pharmacology indicatrix (diuresis, purgative, anti-inflammation, immunoregulation action, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-tumor effect and so on) to evaluate biological effect of five split compositions. The results indicated that the effects of diuresis and purgative were based on polysaccharide composition and fatty oil composition, the effects of anti-inflammation, immunoregulation were based on saponin composition, and the effects of anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-tumor were based on phenolic acid composition and tanin composition.In this part, five points following were discovered for the first time.(1) In the diuretic study, we found for the first time that polysaccharides and fatty oils had obvious diuretic effects.(2) In the purgative study, we found for the first time that polysaccharides and fatty oils had diuretic effects, whereas polysaccharides presented the very significant effects.(3) In the anti-bacterial study, we found for the first time that phenolic acids and tanins presented the significant effects.(4) In the anti-viral study, we found for the first time that phenolic acids and tanins presented the significant effects.(5) In the anti-tumor study, we found for the first time that phenolic acids and tanins presented the significant effects.5. The ascription research on the nature and flavor of Phytolacca acinosa. The ascription research on the nature and flavor of Phytolacca acinosa from the angles of Traditional medicine and Modern medicine were carried out by adopting mathematics method combined literature research. The results indicated that the compositions with "bitter", "pungent" and "sour" were split. The effects of diuretic and purgative effects were based on bitter flavor, the effects of anti-inflammation and immunoregulation effects were based on pungent flavor, and the effects of anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-tumor effects were based on sour flavor. The material foundation of "bitter" was polysaccharide composition and fatty oils composition; the material foundation of "pungent" was saponin composition; the material foundation of "sour" was phenolic acid composition and tanin composition. We elucidated the nature and flavor could be detached initially, revealed the exist of "one flavor one nature" objectively, and verified the hypothesis "one medicine has X flavor and Y nature (Y<X), the material basis of TCM would be detachable and combined".6. The chemical composition research on the nature and flavor detached constituent of Phytolacca acinosa. The polysaccharides of Phytolacca acinosa were isolated and purified by using ion exchange and gel filtration column chromatography, such as weak cation exchange resin and weak anion exchange resin by series connection (Amberlite FPA90-Cl-+Amberlite IRC-84), ion-exchange sepharose gel (DEAE-Sepharose FF), ion-exchange cellulose (Cellulose DEAE-52), and high-resolution propylene sephadex gel Sephacryl S-400 HR. Chemical structure of Phytolacca acinosa polysaccharides were analysed and featured by sugar composition analysis, partial acid hydrolysis, Smith degradation, periodate oxidation, methylation analysis, IR and other chemical and spectroscopic methods.There are 7 new high molecular weight and acid heteropolysaccharides were isolated from Phytolacca acinosa.7. The therapy effect of saponin compositions of Phytolacca acinosa on ulcer colitis mice. The effect of saponin compositions of Phytolacca acinosa were evaluated by DSS-induced acute colitis mice. The result revealed that saponin compositions of Phytolacca acinosa could alleviate the weight loss, DAI increase; in addition, it could also decrease the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in clone. We also found saponin compositions of Phytolacca acinosa could suppress the expression of NF-κB, which also lead to the decrease of COX-2 and iNOS expression, to exert the therapy effect.The innovation and feature of the research:According to the basic theory and the hypothesis of "one medicine has X tastes and Y natures (Y<X)" of the Traditional Chinese Medicine, its function substances and pharmacologic of the nature and flavor by the idea of resolvability, pharmaceutical chemistry, philology, mathematical statistics and combinability for nature and flavor in TCM. We examined Plantain Seed’s nature and flavor, its function substances and pharmacologic of the nature and flavor by the idea of resolvability and combinability for nature and flavor in TCM. The important results found in this study not only could help to solve some problems about the recognition to the nature and flavor and effective function of Phytolacca acinosa, and guide its clinical application and its new products research, but also could provide scientific evidences to the exist of one flavor and one nature of TCM and the hypothesis of "one medicine has X tastes and Y natures (Y≤X), the material basis of TCM would be detachable and combined" of the Traditional Chinese Medicine. Above works contribute to the solution of the great Chinese traditional medicine research theory, may set up in the new mode of study medicinal flavour, enrich theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s nature and flavor, and offer important references to develop and research new clinical drugs, and has important guiding significance to the development of new drug of TCM. The work in this paper had important scientific significance and application value. |
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