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Introduction: The molecular basis of in vivo metabolism of selected representatives of phenylethanoids in the presence of ethanol has not been fully elucidated.

Introduction:Rhodiola rosea (RR) and Rhodiola kirilowii (RK) are well known for their influence on central nervous system, however their impact on the development of alcohol tolerance has not yet been proven.

Rhodiola kirilowii is a widely used Tibetan medicine. Here, we report the complete sequence of the chloroplast genome of R. kirilowii. The genome was 150,896 bp in length with 131 genes comprising 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes and 1 pseudogene, with 20 of them occurring in double copies. Phylogenomic analysis suggested that R. kirilowii forms a clade with R. rosea, R. yunnanensis, R. fastigiata and R. crenulata in Rhodiola genus.

Rhodiola kirilowii , a member of Crassulaceae family, grows wildly in Asiatic mountains and is also cultivated in some European countries. Its underground parts traditionally are used for enhance physical and mental performance of the body. In our previous papers we reported immuno- and angio-modulatory effects of aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of radix and rhizome of this plant in mice. In the present work we evaluated the effect of Rhodiola kirilowii water- (RKW) or hydro- alcoholic (RKW-A) extracts and epigallocatechin (one of the polyphenols present in these extracts) given to mice, during pregnancy and nursing period, on the number and localization of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in spleens of adult progeny mice. Previously, we observed several abnormalities in functionality of spleen cells collected from these mice. No differences in CD4+ T cells localisation or numbers were found between all tested mice groups. In contrast, CD8+ T cells localisation and staining were altered in progeny of water or alcohol extract-fed mice. CD8+ T cells were found not only in the PALS but also in the B cell follicle and in the red pulp. Furthermore, CD8+ T cells from T cell zones in the progeny of extract-fed mice showed much intensive staining for CD8 antigen and significantly higher numbers per area in comparison to control mice.

Angiogenesis plays an important role in many physiological processes, among them the formation of tissues and organs during embryogenesis. A lot of medicinal plants exhibit angiomodulatory properties. This creates the need for a thorough check of whether the plant extracts that we would like to give to pregnant women in order to increase their resistance to bacterial or viral infection will have negative effects on angiogenesis, and consequently on fetal development. This paper seeks to investigate the effect of serum of pregnant and nursing Balb/c mice that received aqueous (RKW) or hydro-alcoholic (RKW-A) R. kirilowii extracts (20 mg/kg), or epigallocatechin (0.2 mg/kg), on the in vitro proliferation and migration of mouse endothelial cell line HECa10. Of the 15 identified polyphenols in the extracts by HPLC, 8 were present in the sera. Chemical analysis revealed higher salidroside, kaempferol, chlorogenic acid, bFGF and VEGF concentration in RKW-A sera than in the sera of RKW group of mice. RKW-A and EGC sera did not affect migration of endothelial cells, however we noted some increase of migrating cells after RKW-sera treatment. RKW and EGC sera did not affect proliferation of endothelial cells. Sera of mothers from RKW-A group impaired the proliferation of endothelial cells in comparison to other groups. These data allow us to assume that Rhodiola kirilowii hydro-alcoholic extract (RKW-A) is potentially able to modulate pre- and post- natal angiogenesis what might influence the development of organs in progeny. Sera of RKW mothers have not harm the proliferation of endothelial cells, despite they also contain antiangiogenic catechins and salidroside. This suggests the existence in RKW-A extract and in RKW-A sera of some other, as yet unidentified substances influencing endothelial cells proliferation.

Rhodiola kirilowii is a precious Tibetan drug and an extremely endangered plant. In recent years, the number of individuals of R. kirilowii has decreased sharply. Here, we determined and analyzed the complete chloroplast genome of R. kirilowii. The cpDNA was 150,905 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,864 bp each separated by a large and small single copy (LSC and SSC) regions of 82,131 bp and 17,046 bp, respectively. The genome contained 84 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 36 tRNA genes. The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome was 37.8%, whereas the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions were 35.8, 31.7 and 42.9%, respectively. A maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Rhodiola sacra and Rhodiola crenulata were clustered into one clade with strong support values, indicating their closer relationship.

Antibiotics treatment during pregnancy and lactation is problematic. The alternative to the antibiotic treatment is the use of plant-derived supplements, which stimulate immune system to prevent and eliminate bacterial infection. Here, we evaluated the effect of long-term use of Rhodiola kirilowii on the health of mouse mothers. Pregnant mice were fed daily, for whole pregnancy and for 28 days after giving birth, with Rhodiola kirilowii water (RKW) or hydroalcoholic extract (RKW-A) (at 20 mg of extracts/kg). The control group received sterile water. There was no significant change in the total body weight and selected organs weight and in the status of macroscopically evaluated liver, spleen, kidney, brain, and eyes, between the Rhodiola kirilowii groups and the control group. There was also no change in hematological parameters and components of adaptive immunity (level of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, CD335+ cells). Mice fed with RKW extracts exhibited lower percentage of oxidative burst in the granulocytes. In contrast, the supplementation with RKW-A extract caused increase in the percentage of granulocytes in the blood and the percentage of monocytes with oxidative burst. Other studied components of innate immunity were unaffected. Minor effect on the innate immunity and lack of side effects on hematological parameters and components of immunological system of mouse mothers indicates that both water and 50% hydroalcoholic extracts of Rhodiola kirilowii (in concentration 20 mg/kg per day) could be used as an immunostimulators during pregnancy and nursing. However, to fully assess the effects of Rhodiola kirilowii extracts on the mother and offspring health, further studies in mouse and large animal models and clinical studies in humans are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous researches have been carried out on plants of the Rhodiola species, especially Rhodiola kirilowii (Regel) Maxim. and Rhodiola rosea. Various compounds have been reported to be isolated from R. kirilowii and R. rosea, including cyanogenic glycosides, monoterpene alcohols and their glycosides, aryl glycosides, phenylethanoids, phenylpropanoids and their glycosides (salidroside and rosavins respectively), as well as flavonoids, flavonlignans, proanthocyanidins and gallic acid derivatives and the latter have free radical scavenging capacity. The benefits claimed for Rhodiola include adapogenic, neuroprotective, anti-depresive anti-tumour and cardioprotective activities. Currently, the adaptogenic activity of Rhodiola compounds are properties evaluated mainly in human clinical trials. The mechanism of the action of Rhodiola extracts include affecting the levels of cortisol and NO by interactions with glucocorticoid receptors directly or via the c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) pathway. However, the natural populations of R. rosea in Poland are threatened; therefore, the cultivation of R. rosea and alternative species R. kirilowii might be a possible solution for producing these kinds of plants in Poland in sufficient quantities and quality for pharmaceutical purposes. Lack of proven interaction with other drugs and no confirmed adverse effects during clinical trials encourages further investigation. These herb preparations ought to be studied extensively to establish their position as potential drugs for a variety of diseases.

In previous work we described the decline in the number of splenocytes of mice which during pregnancy and lactation were fed Rhodiola kirilowii. In this work we present the size of individual subpopulations of splenic lymphocytes in these mice. Experiments were performed on adult inbred female Balb/c mice, 8-9 weeks old, 20-22 g b.m., mated with adult males from the same strain. Females, from when the copulatory plug was noted up to the28TH day after delivery, were supplemented daily with lyophilized aqueous (RKW ) or 50% hydro-ethanolic (RKW -A) extract (20 mg/kg b.m.) dissolved in distilled water. Then, mice were euthanized, spleens dissected, cells counted and the total numbers of CD 3+, CD 19+, CD 4+, CD 8+ and CD 335+ splenic lymphocytes were evaluated by cytometry. The number of CD 3+ lymphocytes per 1 g of splenic tissue was higher in RKW -A than in RKW spleens and did not differ from the control. The number of CD 3+ lymphocytes in RKW spleens was lower than in the controls. The number of CD 19+ and CD 4+ cells was lower in both experimental groups than in the controls. The number of CD 335+(NK ) cells was lower in RKW spleens than in the control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Plants of Rhodiola genus are medicinal herbs that have a number of therapeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity. The present study aimed to determine whether the use Rhodiola kirilowii as an immunostimulant during pregnancy has an adverse effect on the development of the offspring immune system. Following mating, pregnant mice were placed in three groups that were fed during pregnancy and lactation with R. kirilowii aqueous extract (RKW; 20 mg/kg), R. kirilowii 50% hydro-alcoholic extract (RKW-A; 20 mg/kg) or water (control group), receiving water. Following birth, offspring were given six weeks to develop prior to evaluation of their immune system. Morphometric and morphological examination of the spleen did not reveal any abnormalities or differences between the experimental and control groups. However, both RKW and RKW-A splenic lymphocytes presented a diminished proliferative response to concanavalin A. RKW spleen lymphocytes demonstrated increased metabolic activity following phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation, which was associated with a higher percentage of cluster of differentiation 4 positive spleen cells and lower interleukin-17a (IL-17a) serum concentration. The RKW-A group exhibited a diminished proliferative response of spleen lymphocytes to PHA and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and increased serum concentrations of IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). The progeny of mice fed with RKW-A extract demonstrated a significantly lower level of anti-SRBC antibody following immunization compared with progeny of the control (P=0.0305) and RKW (P=0.0331) groups. In conclusion, caution is recommended in the use of RKW and RKW-A extracts as immunostimulants in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous researches have been carried out on plants of the Rhodiola species, especially Rhodiola kirilowii (Regel) Maxim. and Rhodiola rosea. Various compounds have been reported to be isolated from R. kirilowii and R. rosea, including cyanogenic glycosides, monoterpene alcohols and their glycosides, aryl glycosides, phenylethanoids, phenylpropanoids and their glycosides (salidroside and rosavins respectively), as well as flavonoids, flavonlignans, proanthocyanidins and gallic acid derivatives and the latter have free radical scavenging capacity. The benefits claimed for Rhodiola include adapogenic, neuroprotective, anti-depresive anti-tumour and cardioprotective activities. Currently, the adaptogenic activity of Rhodiola compounds are properties evaluated mainly in human clinical trials. The mechanism of the action of Rhodiola extracts include affecting the levels of cortisol and NO by interactions with glucocorticoid receptors directly or via the c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) pathway. However, the natural populations of R. rosea in Poland are threatened; therefore, the cultivation of R. rosea and alternative species R. kirilowii might be a possible solution for producing these kinds of plants in Poland in sufficient quantities and quality for pharmaceutical purposes. Lack of proven interaction with other drugs and no confirmed adverse effects during clinical trials encourages further investigation. These herb preparations ought to be studied extensively to establish their position as potential drugs for a variety of diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants belonging to the Rhodiola genus, originating from Asia, are traditionally used as tonic, adaptogen, antidepressant and anti-inflammatory drugs. These plants have also potent immunomodulatory properties and in some situations possibly could be used instead of standard antibiotic therapy (e.g. during pregnancy or lactation). The aim of our present study was to establish whether aqueous (RKW) or hydro-alcoholic (RKW -A) extracts from roots and rhizomes of Rhodiola kirilowii given to pregnant mice influence the course of pregnancy and the number of progeny. Performed HP LC analysis showed that the RKW -A extract had a generally higher concentration of all identified polyphenols. The highest differences were observed for (+)-catechin, p-coumaric acid and naringenin. Everyday addition of the RKW or RKW -A extract did not change the length of pregnancy. At the same time, both RKW and RKW -A extracts significantly increased the number of mated females without offspring but only in the RKW -A group we noticed a few neonatal deaths in the first 5 days after delivery. The results reported in the present study do not encourage to the use of R. kirilowii hydro-alcoholic extracts supplementation during pregnancy and lactation, however the possibility of limited dietary intake of R. kirilowii water extract should be thoroughly examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-transformed wild type (NTWT) and hairy root cultures of Rhodiola kirilowii were grown in medium supplemented with 2.5 mM cinnamyl alcohol as a precursor and/or sucrose (1 %) on the day of inoculation or on the 14th day of culture. Rosarin, rosavin, and rosin were produced by NTWT root culture but only rosarin and rosavin by hairy roots. Approximately 80 and 95 % of the glycosides were released into the medium for NTWT and hairy root cultures, respectively. The highest rosavin yield, 505 ± 106 mg/l, was in hairy root culture when cinnamyl alcohol was applied on the day of inoculation with the addition of sucrose on the 14th day of culture. For rosin production, supplementation with cinnamyl alcohol alone on day 14 was more favourable with the highest amount 74 ± 10 mg/l in NTWT root culture. Only traces of rosarin were detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study is to develop a method for large-scale separating and purifying salidroside from rhodiola kirilowii roots and for preparing injectable medicinal ingredient. Crude extract of salidroside was prepared by water-ethanol system, and purified by column chromatography of macroporous resins. Static adsorption and desorption studies were performed on six kinds of macroporous resins, and SP825 resin was chosen, followed by optimizing process parameters. The optimum sample volume, feed concentration, ratio of diameter to height, and feeding flow rate were 1.5 bed volumes (BV), 15 mg/mL, 1:10 and 1 BV/h, respectively. Dynamic desorption was performed consecutively with 8 BV of distilled water, 3 BV of 5% ethanol and 8 BV of 10% ethanol at a flow rate of 2 BV/h. After three cycles in separating 3.5 tons of rhodiola kirilowii roots, salidroside purity was increased from 3.4% in the crude extract to 93.6% in purified salidroside product. This study provides a novel method to separate salidroside for injectable use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhodiola kirilowii is a widely used Tibetan medicine. Here, we report the complete sequence of the chloroplast genome of R. kirilowii. The genome was 150,896 bp in length with 131 genes comprising 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes and 1 pseudogene, with 20 of them occurring in double copies. Phylogenomic analysis suggested that R. kirilowii forms a clade with R. rosea, R. yunnanensis, R. fastigiata and R. crenulata in Rhodiola genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhodiola kirilowii is a precious Tibetan drug and an extremely endangered plant. In recent years, the number of individuals of R. kirilowii has decreased sharply. Here, we determined and analyzed the complete chloroplast genome of R. kirilowii. The cpDNA was 150,905 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,864 bp each separated by a large and small single copy (LSC and SSC) regions of 82,131 bp and 17,046 bp, respectively. The genome contained 84 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 36 tRNA genes. The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome was 37.8%, whereas the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC, and IR regions were 35.8, 31.7 and 42.9%, respectively. A maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Rhodiola sacra and Rhodiola crenulata were clustered into one clade with strong support values, indicating their closer relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method has been developed for simultaneous assay of two bioactive components (p-tyrosol and salidroside) in Rhodiola crenulata and Rhodiola kirilowii for the first time. Those analytes were successfully separated within 15 min using 50 mmol L-1 (pH 9.62) borate containing 30% methanol as running buffer. Regression equations revealed linear relationships (correlation coefficients 0.9998–0.9999) between peak area and concentration of the two analytes. The relative standard deviations (RSD) of the migration times and the peak areas of two constituents ranged from 0.51 to 0.57% and from 0.65 to 1.17%, respectively, intra-day, and from 4.91 to 6.93% and from 3.51 to 5.33%, respectively, inter-day. The recoveries of two constituents ranged from 96.24 to 103.15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation aims to better understand the resource status of Rhodiola kirilowii, analysis the suitable habitat of wild Rh. kirilowii and protect the wild resources of Rh. Kirilowii, promoting the sustainable utilization of Rh. kirilowii resources. In this paper, we investigated the wild resources of Rh. kirilowii in 16 counties of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan by means of investigation and sampling investigation combined with interview. The results showed that the population densities of wild Rh. kirilowii in 4 provinces were very different and the reserve of wild resources decreased gradually in many areas. According to the survey results, the current total reserve of Rh. kirilowii in four provinces was about 1 100 t. The reserve of wild Rh. kirilowii in Sichuan province was the largest. Simultaneously, the Rh. kirilowii had a certain ecological value. We found that a sand control base with planting Rh. kirilowii was set up in Hongyuan County of Sichuan Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. The investigation provides a scientific basis for the development and sustainable utilization of Rh. kirilowii resources., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)