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Food-medicines are a significant component for traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese cuisine culture, and the Healthy China initiative. Herein, we summarized the opportunities, development status, problems, and countermeasures for the food-medicine industry in China by using literature analysis, data mining, and expert consultation. Our research indicates that food-medicines have potential values in preventing and treating chronic diseases as well as delaying aging, and they are expected to become a daily material basis for disease prevention. Moreover, food-medicines are crucial for promoting the domestic and international economic cycles and supporting rural revitalization. Furthermore, we suggest that China should (1) increase its investment in research on foodmedicines to protect people’s health; (2) improve the regulation system to strengthen supervision and establish regulation and quality standards systems that accord with Chinese conditions; and (3) enhance international communication and trade to facilitate the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of a global community of health for all.

Background With the rapid progression of aging in China, the challenge of multimorbidity has become a significant concern for both public health and clinical practice. Nocturnal sleep status, including sleep duration and quality, is crucial for regulating body metabolism and physiological functions in the elderly. However, current research on the relationship between nocturnal sleep status and multimorbidity was limited to specific regions or the middle-aged population. The association between nocturnal sleep status and prevalence of multimorbidity among community-dwelling older adults remains ambiguous. Objective To investigate the association between nocturnal sleep status and prevalence of multimorbidity among community-dwelling older adults. Methods In April 2023, a total of 11 917 community-dwelling older adults from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity and Happy Family Study (CLHLS-HF, wave 2018) were selected as the participants. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to explore the association of sleep duration and sleep quality with the prevalence of multimorbidity, represented by odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Additionally, restrictive cubic splines (RCS) based on Logistic regression analysis were utilized to analyze the dose-response relationship between sleep duration and prevalence of multimorbidity. Results Of the 11 917 community-dwelling older adults, with an average age of (84.4±11.4) years ranged from 65.0 to 117.0 years, 6 477 were females (54.35%) and 5 440 were males (45.65%). Multivariate Logistic regression results after adjusting for covariates such as gender, age, region, and years of education, indicated that compared to those with 6-8 h of nocturnal sleep duration, older adults with shorter sleep duration (

Abstract Background Medicinal plant is a main source of cancer drug development. Some of the cycloartane triterpenoids isolated from the aerial part of Cimicifuga dahurica showed cytotoxicity in several cancer cell lines. It is of great interest to examine the antiproliferative activity and mechanisms of total triterpenoid glycosides of C. dahurica and therefore might eventually be useful in the prevention or treatment of Hepatoma. Methods The total glycosides from the aerial part (TGA) was extracted and its cytotoxicity was evaluated in HepG2 cells and primary cultured normal mouse hepatocytes by an MTT assay. Morphology observation, Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, cell cycle analysis and western blot were used to further elucidate the cytotoxic mechanism of TGA. Implanted mouse H22 hepatoma model was used to demonstrate the tumor growth inhibitory activity of TGA in vivo. Results The IC50 values of TGA in HepG2 and primary cultured normal mouse hepatocytes were 21 and 105 μg/ml, respectively. TGA induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest at lower concentration (25 μg/ml), and triggered G2/M arrest and apoptosis at higher concentrations (50 and 100 μg/ml respectively). An increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was implicated in TGA-induced apoptosis. In addition, TGA inhibited the growth of the implanted mouse H22 tumor in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion TGA may potentially find use as a new therapy for the treatment of hepatoma.

Nitrogen fertilizer is the most frequently used fertilizer in the cultivation of medicinal plants, and has a significant contribution to their yields and quality. Yet, there is biased and excessive N application in medicinal crops. This study aims to quantitatively analyze the recommended N application concentrations for diverse medicinal species and disentangle the intricate relationships between soil fertility, N application rate (NAR), and the quality/yield of medicinal crops. We first characterized 179 medicinal species and 7 classes of phytometabolites therein, including terpenoids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, phenolics, alkaloids, etc., reported during the past three decades from the phylogenetic and spatial perspectives. The relationships between soil fertility, NAR, and medicinal crops were then subjected to statistical analyses. The pharmaco-phylogenetic and geographic distributions of NAR suggest that the impact of ecological/environmental factors on the N demand of medicinal plants was much greater than that of genetic endowments. We found that different medicinal species were distinct in N demand, which is related to soil fertility levels in different production areas. The NAR reported by China, 215.6 ± 18.6 kg/ha, was higher than that of other countries (152.2 ± 20.3 kg/ha; p = 0.023). Moderate N application generally increases the yield and phytometabolite content of medicinal crops, but excessive N application has the opposite effect. It is necessary to plan N concentration and formula fertilization on a case-by-case basis and with reference to empirical research. Our results provide baseline information and references for the rational application of N fertilizer in the precision agriculture of medicinal crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huangqin tea (HQT), a Non-Camellia Tea derived from the aerial parts of Scutellaria baicalensis, is widely used in the north of China. The intervention effects of HQT on intestinal inflammation and tumors have been found recently, but the active ingredient and mechanism of action remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the interactions between the potential flavonoid active components and gut microbiota through culture experiments in vitro combined with HPLC-UV, UPLC-QTOF-MS, and 16S rDNA sequencing technology. The results showed that the HQT total flavonoids were mainly composed of isocarthamidin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, carthamidin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, scutellarin, and others, which interact closely with gut microbiota. After 48 h, the primary flavonoid glycosides transformed into corresponding aglycones with varying degrees of deglycosylation. The composition of the intestinal microbiota was changed significantly. The beneficial bacteria, such as Enterococcus and Parabacteroides, were promoted, while the harmful bacteria, such as Shigella, were inhibited. The functional prediction results have indicated notable regulatory effects exerted by total flavonoids and scutellarin on various pathways, including purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, among others, to play a role in the intervention of inflammation and tumor-related diseases. These findings provided valuable insights for further in-depth research and investigation of the active ingredients, metabolic processes, and mechanisms of HQT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background: Our previous study has shown that Coreopsis tinctoria increases insulin sensitivity and regulates hepatic metabolism in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance rats. However, it is unclear whether or [...]