Growth rings were used to determine the root age of medicinal Paeonia lactiflora from four producing areas, and their corresponding paeoniflorin content were measured based on the identification of ages. Different P. lactiflora root samples of different ages were collected from the four major growing areas in China: Bozhou, Anhui Province; Pan'an, Zhejiang Province; Zhongjiang, Sichuan Province...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disabling autoimmune disease with characteristics of chronic, progressive inflammatory joint synovial damage, which mainly encroaches upon the synovium of the joint. The use of traditional medicine to treat RA slows the development of RA to a certain extent; however, it often has numerous side-effects. Therefore, the focus of RA research is the identificat...

Paeonia lactiflora Pall is one of the most well-known herbs in China, Korea, and Japan for more than 1,200 years. Paeoniflorin, the major bioactive component of peony root, has recently been reported to have anticolitic activity. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear. The present study was to explore the possible mechanism of paeoniflorin in attenuating dextran sulfate sodium (...

Paeoniflorin and 8-debenzoylpaeoniflorin were isolated from the dried root of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (Ranunculaceae). They produced a significant blood sugar lowering effect in streptozotocin-treated rats and had a maximum effect at 25 min after treatment. This hypoglycemic action was also observed in normoglycemic rats only at 1 mg/kg. The antihyperglycemic activity of 8-debenzoylpaeoniflori...

To investigate the protective effects of acteoside against apoptosis induced by X-ray radiation in human skin fibroblasts (HSFs), the cells were divided into the following groups: Control group; X-ray radiation group; acteoside group, in which the confluent cells were preincubated with 50 μg/ml acteoside for 2 h followed by radiation; and positive control group, in which the cells were preincub...

Long-term treatment with high-dose Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) has resulted in depression in 30-50% of the patients. Paeoniflorin may ameliorate the IFN-α-induced depression; however, the underlying mechanism is less studied. Here, we investigated the prophylactic antidepressant and anti-neuroinflammatory effects of paeoniflorin on the behaviors and specific emotion-related regions of the brain in...

Shaoyao-Gancao (Paeoniae Radix Alba and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) is a traditional Chinese drug pair widely used in decoctions for relieving pains, especially abdominal pain. We aimed to determine the intestinal absorption and interaction of three active compounds (glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritin, and paeoniflorin) in this drug pair. We investigated the transport of these compounds across in...

A method is developed for the analysis of allantoin, gallic acid, dihydromelittoside, loganin, paeoniflorin, benzoylpaeoniflorin, and paeonol in Liuwei Dihuang tablets by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV-mass spectrometry (MS)-MS. Gradient elution with methanol-acetonitrile-water-formic acid solvent system is employed in the HPLC-electrospray ionization-MS study. The positive-io...

Background. Shaoyao-Gancao Decoction (SGD), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription, has been widely used to treat adenomyosis, dysmenorrhea, abdominal pain, and inflammation in Asia. However, the mechanism underlying the effectiveness of SGD in the treatment of adenomyosis still remains elusive. The present study aimed to investigate the bioactivity of SGD and its underlying mol...

BACKGROUND Pain, the most common reasons for physician consultation, is a major symptom in many medical conditions that can significantly interfere with a person's life quality and general functioning. Almost all painkillers have its untoward effects. Therefore, seeking for a safe medication for pain relieve is notable nowadays. Paeonia lactiflora is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. P...