Atractylodis Rhizoma: A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and quality control

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance Atractylodis Rhizoma (AR), mainly includes Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. ( A. lancea ) and Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz. ( A. chinensis ) is widely used in East Asia as a diuretic and stomachic drug, for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, digestive disorders, night blindness, and influenza as it contains a variety of sesquiterpenoids and other components of medicinal importance. Aim of the review A systematic summary on the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and quality control of AR was presented to explore the future therapeutic potential and scientific potential of this plant. Materials and methods A review of the literature was performed by consulting scientific databases including Google Scholar, Web of Science, Baidu Scholar, Springer, PubMed, ScienceDirect, CNKI, etc. Plant taxonomy was confirmed to the database “The Plant List”. Results Over 200 chemical compounds have been isolated from AR, notably sesquiterpenoids and alkynes. Various pharmacological activities have been demonstrated, especially improving gastrointestinal function and thus allowed to assert most of the traditional uses of AR. Conclusions The researches on AR are extensive, but gaps still remain. The molecular mechanism, structure-activity relationship, potential synergistic and antagonistic effects of these components need to be further elucidated. It is suggested that further studies should be carried out in the aspects of comprehensive evaluation of the quality of medicinal materials, understanding of the “effective forms” and “additive effects” of the pharmacodynamic substances based on the same pharmacophore of TCM, and its long-term toxicity in vivo and clinical efficacy.

A Review of the Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Application, Quality Control, Processing, Toxicology, and Pharmacokinetics of the Dried Rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala

“…Most studies were conducted on the constituents of Baizhu and focused on the constituents of volatile oil and lactones. Compounds with similar structures are likely to exert the same pharmacological effects on the same target, and this phenomenon may provide experimental evidence for the concept of "effective forms" and the hypothesis of "additive effect" (Zhang et al, 2021). The main quality control methods for Baizhu are shown in Supplementary Table S13.…”

Early stem growth mutation alters metabolic flux changes enhance sesquiterpenoids biosynthesis in Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC.

“…A proper shading rate can increase plant growth, photosynthesis, biomass, and antioxidant enzyme activity (Tang et al 2015 ). During the growth period, droughts and floods could have negative impacts on growth and active components, while appropriate drought and flood stress in the late fruit stage could promote rhizome development and volatile oil accumulation (Zhang et al 2021 ). Appropriate biological stress in A. lancea could result in the accumulation of secondary metabolites, without affecting normal growth.…”

Atractylodin Produces Antinociceptive Effect through a Long-Lasting TRPA1 Channel Activation

“…Atractylodin (ATR) is a polyethylene alkyne, a bioactive component of the dried rhizomes of Atractylodes lancea De Candolle (AL) ( Figure 1 A,B). AL has been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for the treatment of digestive diseases [ 1 ]. AL and ATR have been reported to improve intestinal inflammation and delayed intestinal motility in animal models of digestive disorders [ 2 , 3 ].…”