Aconitum carmichaeli Debx

Latin Name:

Aconitum carmichaeli Debx.

PinYin Name:

heifupian
Rhei Radix et Rhizoma was one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines, and the compatibility of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata was the basic herb pair applied in many Chinese traditional prescription. Rhubarb anthraquinones were the main bioactive materials of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. To elucidate the compatibility of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, the pharmacokinetics of rhubarb anthraquinones as the main marker constituents were investigated. In the present study, pharmacokinetic differences of rhubarb anthraquinones were detected after oral administration of extract of Rheum palmatum L. and compatibility with Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. After oral administration, no difference of peak time can be found for anthraquinones between rhubarb group and compatibility group. But Cmax and area under the curve of aloe-emodin, emodin and chrysophanol in compatibility group were significantly higher than that in rhubarb group. Although the Cmax of rhein in compatibility group was much lower than that in rhubarb group, the area under the curve value was similar in two groups. The clearance and t1/2 of rhubarb nthraquinone were also changed after compatibility. The change of pharmacokinetics characteristics of rhubarb anthraquinone after compatibility may be caused by the drug-drug interaction medicated by chemical reaction and cytochromes P450.
Anthers of Aconitum carmichaeli Debx. were used for callus induction. After the addition of 5 ppm 2,4-D and 1 ppm kinetin callus induction occurred over a period of 15 weeks. When calluses were subcultured on a medium containing 1 ppm 2,4-D for 12 weeks embryogenesis occurred. Mature somatic embryos developed normal shoots when transferred to basal medium inoculated with 1 ppm GA and 5 ppm BAP. Rooting occurred after the transfer of shoots to a new medium containing 0.5 ppm IAA and plantlets formed. The transplantation of these was successful and all plants matured during 5 months subsequent cultivation. The plant belonging to the genus A. carmichaeli Debx., which has been therapeutically used to treat rheumatic pain, paralysis due tostroke, rheumatoid arthritis and some other inflammations. The diterpenoid alkaloid, 3-deoxyaconitine, was previously isolated from A. carmichaeli Debx. (Pelletier et al. 1984), and its structure was established from the NMR and MS data. In our recent investigation, it was isolated from A. carmichaeli Debx., and its crystal structure was determined. The naming and the rings conforming referred to the literature (He et al., 2008). The molecular structure of the title compound is shown in Fig. 1. Six-membered rings A (C1/C2/C3/C4/C5/C11) and B (C7/C8/C9/C10/C11/C17) adopt chair conformations; six-membered heterocyclic ring E (C4/C5/C11/C17/N1/C19) adopt the same chair conformation; the five-membered rings C (C9/C10/C12/C13/C14) and F (C5/C6/C7/C17/C11) display an envelope conformation. while the six-membered ring D (C8/C9/C14/C13/C16/C15) adopt boat conformations. The crystal structure contains intermolecular O—H···O hydrogen bond between the hydroxy group and carbonyl O atom. The absolute configuration of the title compound can not confirmed by the MoKa diffraction data. But it could be determined throngh the comparion of the similar natural products for their unique and same configuration (Tashkhodjaev et al., 2009).