Disease relevance of Rhizome

• Herbal medicine Rhei rhizome prevents liver fibrosis in rat liver cirrhosis induced by a choline-deficient L-amino acid-defined diet [1].
• (turmeric) rhizome constituents against sortase A, a bacterial surface protein anchoring transpeptidase, from Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538p was evaluated [2].
• In addition to the above, more recent data reviewed here suggest that the polyphenolic compound curcumin and related non-toxic antioxidants from the rhizome of the spice plant Curcuma longa have a favorable effect on experimental mouse tumorigenesis as well as on inflammatory processes such as psoriasis and ethanol-caused hepatic injury [3].
• Our own research has focused on the effects of diet supplementation with an antioxidant-rich hydroalcoholic extract of the curcuma rhizome on key risk factors of atherogenesis and related cardiovascular disease [3].

High impact information on Rhizome

• We recently isolated a cDNA encoding a multidrug-resistance protein (MDR)-type ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter (Cjmdr1) from berberine-producing cultured C. japonica cells, which is highly expressed in the rhizome [4].
• Curcumin, derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L. and having both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, inhibits chemically induced carcinogenesis in the skin, forestomach, and colon when it is administered during initiation and/or postinitiation stages [5].
• We found that emodin (3-methyl-1,6,8-trihydroxyanthraquinone), an active component from the rhizome of Rheum palmatum, significantly inhibited epidermal growth factor (EGF)- induced migration in various human cancer cell lines [6].
• Aloe-emodin (1,8-dihydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)-anthraquinone) is one of the active constituents from the root and rhizome of Rheum palmatum [7].
• A cysteine protease from ginger rhizome (GP-II) cleaves peptides and proteins with proline at the P(2) position [8].

Biological context of Rhizome

• Sucrose stimulated nitrogen fixation and sulphate reduction significantly in the root and rhizome compartments of both macrophytes, but not in the bulk sediment [9].
• The ginger proteases (GP-I and GP-II), isolated from the ginger rhizome Zingiber officinale, have an unusual substrate specificity preference for cleaving peptides with a proline residue at the P2 position [10].
• Butylidenephthalide (Bdph), an antispasmodic compound originally isolated from the rhizome of Ligusticum chuaxiong, has a selective anti-anginal effect without changing blood pressure [11].
• The methanolic extract from the rhizome of Hedychium coronarium was found to inhibit the increase in vascular permeability induced by acetic acid in mice and nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated mouse peritoneal macrophages [12].
• Biotransformation of the sesquiterpene alcohol hinesol (1) with spasmolytic activity, which was prepared from the rhizome of Atractylodes lancea, was carried out by Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus cellulosae IFO 4040 [13].

Anatomical context of Rhizome

• 3,5-Nonadiyne isolated from the rhizome of Cachrys ferulacea inhibits endogenous nitric oxide release by rat peritoneal macrophages [14].
• Characterization of polysaccharides having activity on the reticuloendothelial system from the rhizome of Curcuma longa [15].
• Phenolic compounds from Gastrodia rhizome and relaxant effects of related compounds on isolated smooth muscle preparation [16].
• We found that the methanol extracts of Ginseng (root of P. ginseng), Notoginseng (root of P. notoginseng) and Ye-Sanchi in Chinese (rhizome of a relative to P. vietnamensis) increased neurite outgrowth in SK-N-SH cells [17].
• The present study reports cytoprotective and antioxidant activity of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Rhodiola imbricata rhizome on tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tert-BHP) induced cytotoxicity in U-937 human macrophages [18].

Associations of Rhizome with chemical compounds

• Curcumin, contained in the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa Linn, is a naturally occurring phytochemical that has been used widely in India and Indonesia for the treatment of inflammation [19].
• Molecular cloning of the mitogenic mannose/maltose-specific rhizome lectin from Calystegia sepium [20].
• We also found that rosolic acid, a constituent isolated from the rhizome of Plantago asiatica L. dramatically increased HO-1 in a concentration- and time-dependent manner [21].
• The present study was undertaken to explore the suppressive efficacy of zerumbone (ZER), a sesquiterpenoid present in the rhizome of Zingiber zerumbet Smith that is used as a condiment in Southeast Asian countries and known to be a potent suppressant of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in cell culture systems [22].
• In total, 31 gingerol-related compounds were identified from the methanolic crude extracts of fresh ginger rhizome in this study [23].

Gene context of Rhizome

• Genes from the APETALA3 and PISTILLATA lineages are expressed in developing vascular bundles of the tuberous rhizome, flowering stem and flower Primordia of Eranthis hyemalis [24].
• Transcription analysis of B-class genes in Eranthis hyemalis using reverse transcribed in situ PCR revealed that both AP3 and PI are expressed in developing vascular bundles in the tuberous rhizome, flowering stem and floral primordia [24].
• These results imply that the traditional use of C. zedoaria rhizome as anti-inflammatory drug may be explained at least in part, by the inhibition of TNF-alpha production [25].
• The weight of a single rhizome reached a plateau at the end of May, whilst the content of the major ingredients peaked in the middle of April [26].
• Curcumin, a phenolic compound from the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer activities [27].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Rhizome

• Quantitative determination of allantoin in Dioscorea rhizome and an Oriental pharmaceutical preparation, hachimi-gan, by high-performance liquid chromatography [28].
• Characterization of gingerol-related compounds in ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry [23].
• RESULTS: The methanol extract of ginger rhizome inhibited the growth of all 19 strains in vitro with a minimum inhibitory concentration range of 6.25-50 micrograms/ml [29].
• Mangiferin (MF) isolated from Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge rhizome, was tested for antidiabetic activity in KK-Ay mice, an animal model of type-2 diabetes [30].
• Pinellia ternata lectin (PTL) extracted from the fresh juice of rhizome of pinellia ternata used as a traditional Chinese medicine facilitated the quantal release of acetylcholine (ACh) in the mouse motor nerve terminals and formed cation channels in artificial lipid bilayer [31].

References