Reproductive effects of prenatal exposure to nonylphenol on zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Mature female and male zebrafish were separated and exposed to nonylphenol (NP) at 0.1, 1, 10, 50, 100 and 500 mu g/L, respectively, for 3 weeks. Gonadosomatic index (GSI) in both sexes and vitellogenin (VTG) induction in males was measured as the bioindicators for the impairment to the parents. The results indicated that 50 mu g/L of NP was the non-observed effect concentration (NOEC) for GSI and VTG induction. Afterwards, the 50 mu g/L NP exposed females and males, and the control females and males were cross-wise pair-bred in the control water for one week to examine the reproductive effects. The embryonic cathepsin D (CAT D) activity, eggshell thickness, fecundity, hatching rate and malformation (vertebral column flexure) rate of offspring were determined in the four pair-bred groups. While endpoints remained unchanged in the groups with exposed males, prenatal exposure of females to 50 mu g/L of NP resulted in the impairment of reproduction in groups with exposed females including inhibition of CAT D activity (P < 0.05), decrease of eggshell thickness (by 23.6%) and elevation of malformation rate (P < 0.001). These results suggested NP could induce reproductive damage to zebrafish at NOEC for parents. The results also imply that alterations of CAT D activity and eggshell thickness may be more sensitive biomarkers to indicate the reproductive effects caused by endocrine disrupting chemicals. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights is reserved.

Two cathelicidin genes are present in both rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Further to the previous finding of the rainbow trout rtCATH_1 gene, this paper describes three more cathelicidin genes found in salmonids: two in Atlantic salmon, named asCATH_1 and asCATH_2, and one in rainbow trout, named rtCATH_2. All the three new salmonid cathelicidin genes share the common characteristics of mammalian cathelicidin genes, such as consisting of four exons and possessing a highly conserved preproregion and four invariant cysteines clustered in the C-terminal region of the cathelin-like domain. The asCATH_1 gene is homologous to the rainbow trout rtCATH_1 gene, in that it possesses three repeat motifs of TGGGGGTGGC in exon IV and two cysteine residues in the predicted mature peptide, while the asCATH_2 gene and rtCATH_2 gene are homologues of each other, with 96% nucleotide identity. Salmonid cathelicidins possess the same elastase-sensitive residue, threonine, as hagfish cathelicidins and the rabbit CAP18 molecule. The cleavage site of the four salmonid cathelicidins is within a conserved amino acid motif of QKIRTRR, which is at the beginning of the sequence encoded by exon W. Two 36-residue peptides corresponding to the core part of rtCATH_1 and rtCATH_2 were chemically synthesized and shown to exhibit potent antimicrobial activity. rtCATH_2 was expressed constitutively in gill, head kidney, intestine, skin and spleen, while the expression of rtCATH_1 was inducible in gill, head kidney, and spleen after bacterial challenge. Four cathelicidin genes have now been characterized in salmonids and two were identified in hagfish, confirming that cathelicidin genes evolved early and are likely present in all vertebrates.

Responses of antioxidant system in Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells to the toxicity of microcystin-RR

Microcystins are cyclic heptapeptide hepatoxins produced by many species of cyanobacteria. The toxic effects and mechanism of microcystins on animals have been well studied both in vivo and in vitro. It was also reported that microcystins had adverse effects on plants. However, to our knowledge, there is no information about the toxic effects and mechanism of microcystins on plant suspension cells. In this study, Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells were exposed to a range dose of microcystin-RR. Lipid peroxidation, a main manifestation of oxidative damage, was studied and a time- and dose-dependent increase in malondiadehyde was observed. In contrast, glutathione (GSH) levels in the cells decreased after 48 h treatment with 1 and 5 mg/L of microcystin-RR. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) increased significantly after 48 h exposure to I and 5 mg/L of microcystin-RR, but glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity showed no difference compared with the control. These results clearly indicate that microcystin-RR is able to cause oxidative damage in A. thaliana suspension cells. Decrease of GSH content and increases of SOD and CAT activities reveal that the antioxidant system may play an important role in eliminating or alleviating the toxicity of microcystin-RR. The possible toxicity mechanism of microcystin-RR on the A. thaliana suspension cells is also discussed in this paper. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microcystin-RR-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species and alteration of antioxidant systems in tobacco BY-2 cells

Microcystins are cyclic heptapeptide hepatoxins produced by cyanobacteria. It has been shown that microcystins have adverse effects on animals and on plants as well. Previous researches also indicated that microcystins were capable of inducing oxidative damage in animals both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, tobacco BY-2 suspension cell line was applied to examine the effects of microcystin-RR on plant cells. Cell viability and five biochemical parameters including reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxide (GPX) and peroxide dismutase (POD) were investigated when cells were exposed to 50 mg/L microcystin-RR. Results showed that microcystin-RR evoked decline of the cell viability to approximately 80% after treating for 144 h. ROS levels, POD and GPX activities of the treated cells were gradually increased with a time dependent manner. Changes of SOD and CAT activities were also detected in BY-2 cells. After 168 h recovery, ROS contents, POD, GPX and CAT activities returned to normal levels. These results suggest that the microcystin-RR can cause the increase of ROS contents in plant cells and these changes led to oxidant stress, at the same time, the plant cells would improve their antioxidant abilities to combat mirocystin-RR induced oxidative injury. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In vivo studies on toxin accumulation in liver and ultrastructural changes of hepatocytes of the phytoplanktivorous bighead carp i.p.-injected with extracted microcystins

Phytoplanktivorous bighead carp were injected i.p. with extracted microcystins (mainly MC-RR and -LR) at two doses, 200 and 500 MC-LReq. mu g kg(-1) bw, and the changes in extractable MCs in liver and in the ultrastructure of hepatocytes were studied at 1, 3, 12, 24 and 48 h after injection. Quantitative and qualitative determinations of MCs in the liver were conducted by HPLC and LC-MS, respectively. MC concentration in the liver reached the maxima at 12 It (2.89 mu g MCs g(-1) dry weight at the lower dose) or at 3 h (5.43 mu g MCs g(-1) dry weight at the higher dose) post-injection, followed by sharp declines afterwards, whereas the ultrastructural changes of hepatocytes in both dose groups suggest progressive increases in severity toward the directions of apoptosis and necrosis from I to 24 h, respectively. There were two new findings in fish: widening of intercellular spaces was among the early ultrastructural changes induced by MCs and ultrastructural recovery of hepatocytes was evident at 48 h post-injection in both dose groups. Both the present and previous studies suggest that with in vivo or in vitro exposure to microcystins, hepatocyte damage in fish tends to proceed toward the direction of apoptosis at lower MC concentrations but toward the direction of necrosis at high MC concentrations. The temporal dynamics of MCs in the liver suggest that bighead carp may have a mechanism to degrade or bind MC-LR actively after it enters the blood system. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kinetics of the oxidation of MCRR by potassium permanganate

The occurrence of the microcystins in the water bodies, especially in drinking water resources, has received considerable attentions. In situ chemical oxidation is a promising cost-effective treatment method to remove MC from water body. This research investigated the reaction kinetics of the oxidation of MCRR by permanganate. Experimental results indicate that the reaction is second order overall and first order with respect to both permanganate and MCRR, and has an activation energy of 18.9 kJ/mol. The second-order rate constant ranges from 0.154 to 0.225 l/mg/min at temperature from 15 to 30 degrees C. The MCRR degradation rates can be accelerated through increasing reaction temperature and oxidant concentration. The reaction under acid conditions was slightly faster than under alkaline conditions. The half-life of the reaction was less than 1 min, and more than 99.5% of MCRR was degraded within 10 min. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tissue distributions and seasonal dynamics of the hepatotoxic microcystins-LR and -RR in two freshwater shrimps, Palaemon modestus and Macrobrachium nipponensis, from a large shallow, eutrophic lake of the subtropical China

So far no information is available on microcystin (MC) contents in shrimps, prawns or crayfish from natural freshwaters. Tissue distributions and seasonal dynamics of the hepatotoxic MC-LR and -RR in two freshwater shrimps, Palaemon modestus and Macrobrachium nipponensis were studied monthly (during June-November, 2003) in a Chinese lake containing toxic cyanobacterial blooms. The shrimps P. modestus and M. nipponensis accumulated high MCs not only in the hepatopancreas (mean 4.29 and 0.53 mu g g(-1) DW, respectively) but also in the gonad (mean 1.17 and 0.48 mu g g-1 DW, respectively), and the crayfish Procambarus clarkii accumulated as much as 0.93 mu g g(-1) DW in the gonad. This indicates that gonads of these invertebrates are the second important target organ of MCs. P. modestus apparently accumulated more MCs in their organs than M. nipponensis, which might be a reflection of their difference in trophic niche. Eggs of the shrimps accumulated 8.4% (M. nipponensis, 0.27 mu g g(-1) DW) and 29.0% (P. modestus, 2.34 mu g g(-1) DW) of total toxin burden, indicating that MCs had been transferred into offspring from their adults. Among the shrimp muscle samples analyzed, 31% were above the provisional WHO TDI level, suggesting the risk of consuming shrimps in Lake Chaohu. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and benzo[a]pyrene on modulating vitellogenin expression in primary culture of crucian carp (Carassius auratus) hepatocytes

Vitellogenin (Vtg) is the precursor of yolk protein. Its expression and secretion are estrogen-regulated and are crucial for oocyte maturation. An in vitro xenoestrogen screening model was established by measuring Vtg induction in cultured primary hepatocytes from crucian carp. Vtg production was detected by biotin-avidin sandwich ELISA method while Vtg and cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) mRNA induction were measured by semi- quantitative PCR-primer dropping technique. Vtg and Vtg mRNA were dose-dependently induced by diethylstilbestrol (DES, 0.2-200 ng/mL) in hepatocytes of crucian carp. Co-treatment of the DES-induced hepatocytes with either 2,3,7,8-TCDD (TCDD, 0.1-4 pg/mL) or benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P, 5-1000 ng/mL) resulted in a reduction of Vtg production and an increment of CYP1A1 mRNA expression both in a dose dependent manner, indicating the anti-estrogenic effects of the compounds. However, at lower tested concentrations, TCDD (0.1, 0.2 pg/mL), B[a]P (5 ng/mL) seemed to have a potentiating effect on Vtg expression and secretion, although by their own these compounds had no observable estrogenic effect on Vtg induction. Tamoxifen (a selective estrogen receptor modulators, 1 nmol/L-1 mumol/L), and P-naphtho-flavone (beta-NF, an aryl hydrocarbon receptor inducing compounds, 2.5-1000 ng/mL) also were employed to study the possible interactions in DES-induced Vtg expression. In co-treatment of the DES-induced hepatocytes with beta-NF or tamoxifen, the decrease in Vtg production did parallel induction of CYP1A1 for beta-NF, but tamoxifen inhibited Vtg induction did not parallel induced CYP1A1 expression in all test concentrations. On the contrary, it was found that in co-treatment of the TCDD-induced hepatocytes with DES, TCDD induced CYP1A1 mRNA production was inhibited by DES also. These results implicated a possible cross talk between estrogen receptor- and aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated pathways in the hepatocytes.

Vitellogenin in rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus): identification and induction by waterborne diethylstilbestrol

Rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) is a tiny Chinese carp that has a short life cycle and is easily cultured in the laboratory. In this study, juvenile rare minnows were exposed to waterborne diethylstilbestrol (DES) at 0.05, 0.5 and 5 mug/l in laboratory aquaria. After exposure for 4, 8, 13 and 21 days, juvenile fish were collected and vitellogenin (Vtg) was measured in whole body homogenates. Native and SDS electrophoresis followed by Western blotting were performed for Vtg identification, and a non-competitive ELISA was developed. In the DES exposure groups (0.5 and 5 mug/l DES), Vtg appeared after 4 days, increased significantly after 8 days and reached a maximum on day 13. Further, a significant increase in the hepatosomatic index (HSI) was found in the 5 mug/l DES exposure group after 21 days. These results indicate that rare minnow provides a good model for assessing endocrine disruption by environmental estrogens. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of microcystins on the growth and the activity of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase of rape (Brassica napus L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Microcystins are naturally occurring hepatotoxic cyclic heptapeptides produced by some toxic freshwater cyanobacterial species. In this study, crude extract of toxic cyanobacterial blooms from Dianchi Lake in southwestern China was used to determine the effects of microcystins on rape (Brassica napus L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.). Experiments were carried out on a range of doses of the extract (equivalent to 0, 0.024, 0.12, 0.6 and 3 mug MC-LR/ml). Investigations showed that exposure to microcystins inhibited the growth and development of both rice and rape seedlings, however, microcystins had more powerful inhibition effect on rape than rice in germination percentage of seeds and seedling height. Microcystins significantly inhibited the elongation of primary roots of rape and rice seedlings. Determination of the activities of peroxidase and superoxide dismutase demonstrated that microcystin stress was manifested as an oxidative stress. Using ELISA, microcystins were examined from the extract of exposed rape and rice seedlings, indicating that consumption of edible plants exposed to microcystins via irrigation route may have health risks. Significantly different levels of recovered microcystins between exposed rice and rape seedlings Suggested that there might be different tolerant mechanisms toward microcystins. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Responses of antioxidant systems in the hepatocytes of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) to the toxicity of microcystin-LR

The freshwater, bloom-forming cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Microcystis aeruginosa produces a peptide hepatotoxin, which causes the damage of animal liver. Recently, toxic Microcystis blooms frequently occur in the eutrophic Dianchi Lake (300 km(2) and located in the South-Westem of China). Microcystin-LR from Microcystis in Dianchi was isolated and purified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and its toxicity to mouse and fish liver was studied (Li et al., 2001). In this study, six biochemical parameters (reactive oxygen species, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxide and glutathione S-transferase) were determined in common carp hepatocytes when the cells were exposed to 10 mug microcystin-LR per litre. The results showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents increased by more than one-time compared with the control after 6 h exposure to the toxin. In contrast, glutathione (GSH) levels in the hepatocytes exposed to microcystin-LR decreased by 47% compared with the control. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxide (GSH-Px) increased significantly after 6 h exposure to microcystin-LR, but glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity showed no difference from the control. These results suggested that the toxicity of microcystin-LR caused the increase of ROS contents and the depletion of GSH in hepatocytes exposed to the toxin and these changes led to oxidant shock in hepatocytes. Increases of SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities revealed that these three kinds of antioxidant enzymes might play important roles in eliminating the excessive ROS. This paper also examined the possible toxicity mechanism of microcystin-LR on the fish hepatocytes and the results were similar to those with mouse hepatocytes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The toxic effects of microcystin-LR on embryo-larval and juvenile development of loach, Misguruns mizolepis Gunthe

Microcystin-LR, a specific and potent hepatotoxin, was tested for its effects oil loach embryo-larval and juvenile development, The results of this study showed that loach embryos were more sensitive when exposed to microcystin-LR at a later than at an earlier stage of development, Juveniles were far less sensitive to MC-LR than were embryos and larvae. Mortality and developmental abnormality were proven to be dose-dependent and to be stage-specific sensitive. Among the abnormal changes noted were: pericardial edema and tubular heart, bradycardia, homeostasis, poor yolk resumption. small head, curved body and tail, and abnormal hatching, Liver and heart were the main targets of microcystin-LR toxicity. Ultrastructural analysis documented a complex set of sublethal effects of microcystin-LR on loach hepatocytes, chiefly including morphological alteration in nuclear and RER of loach liver cells. fit addition, microcystin-LR was lethal to loach juvenile in the subacute (7 days) exposure (LC50) = 593.3 mug/l). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

绵参和地榆的化学成分研究

本论文由三章组成。第一章为综述，概述了植物中环烯醚萜类化合物的研究进展；第二和第三章为实验论文，分别报道了唇形科药用植物绵参和蔷薇科药用植物地榆的化学成分研究。 第一章概述了植物中环烯醚萜类化合物的研究成果，主要包括结构类型及药理活性等方面。 第二章包括两个部分。第一部分报道了藏药绵参（Eriophyton wallichii Benth）地上部分甲醇提取物的化学成分。采用正、反相硅胶柱层析等各种分离方法，从中共分离出7个化合物，有6个化合物为首次从该植物中分离得到，分别为β-谷甾醇（1），夏至草苦素（marrubiin，2），乌苏酸（3），cimigoside（4），5-deoxyantirrhinoside（5），8-表马钱子酸葡萄糖苷（8-epiloganic acid，6）和apigenin 7-(6''-p-coumaroyl)glucoside（7）。第二部分，采用高效液相色谱－质谱联用技术对绵参地上部分的甲醇提取物进行了分析，通过标准品对照紫、外光谱分析以及多级质谱分析与文献对照鉴定了8个成分，分别是：8-epiloganic acid（Ⅰ），quercitrin 3-glucoside-7-(6''-p-coumaroyl)glucoside（Ⅱ），ajugoside(I) （Ⅲ），chrysoeriol 7-O-E-p-coumaroyl-3-O-b-D-glucoside（Ⅳ），helichrysoside（Ⅴ），生物碱（Ⅵ），apigenin 2,3-dihydrogen-7-(6''-p-coumaroyl) glucoside（Ⅶ），apigenin 7-(6''-p-coumaroyl) glucoside（Ⅷ）。 第三章报道了中药地榆根部乙醇提取物正丁醇相的化学成分，通过正、反相硅胶柱层析等各种分离方法，从中分离得到8个化合物，分别为3,4¢- O-二甲基逆没食子酸（8），3,3¢,4¢-O-三甲基逆没食子酸（9）和3,4¢-O-二甲基逆没食子酸-4-O-b-D-木糖苷（10），19a-羟基-3-O-(a-L-阿拉伯糖)乌苏酸-28-O-b-D-葡萄糖苷（11）， 3b-[(a-L-arabinopyranosyl)oxy]-urs-11,13(18)-dien-28-oic acid b-D- glucopyranosyl ester（13），3-O-a-L-arabinopyranosyl-urs-12,18(19)-dien-28-oic acid b-D-glucopyranosyl ester（14），儿茶素（15），还有一种可能是皂苷11的工作产物（12）。 This dissertation consisted of three chapters. The first chapter elaborated the progress of iridoids occurring in plants. The later two chapters respectively elaborated the chemical constituents of Eriophyton wallichii Benth. and Sanguisorba officinalis L. The first chapter is a review of the research progress of iridoids occurring in plants, which includes their structure and pharmacology. The second chapter consisted of two parts. The first part is about the chemical constituents of methanol extraction from the aerial parts of Eriophyton wallichii Benth. Seven compounds were isolated and identified. Among them, the compounds of marrubiin, ursolic acid, cimigoside, 5-deoxyantirrhinoside, 8-epiloganic acid，apigenin 7-(6''-p-coumaroyl)glucoside were firstly reported in this plant. A HPLC-MSn method was developed for rapid identification of major compounds of Eriophyton wallichii. A total of 8 peaks in the chromatograms were unequivocally determined (peaks 1, 8) or tentatively identified (peaks 2-7) based on the detailed UV and tandem mass spectra analysis. Seven components were identified as 8-epiloganic acid（Ⅰ），Quercitrin 3-glucoside-7-(6''-p-coumaroyl)glucoside（Ⅱ），ajugoside(I)（Ⅲ），Chrysoeriol 7-O-E-p-coumaroyl-3-O-b-D-glucoside（Ⅳ），helichrysoside（Ⅴ），apigenin 2,3-dihydrogen-7-(6''-p-coumaroyl) glucoside（Ⅵ），apigenin 7-(6''-p-coumaroyl) glucoside（Ⅶ）。 The third chapter elaborated the chemical constituents of methanol extraction from Sanguisorba officinalis L, eight compounds were isolated from this plant by repeat column chromatography over silica gel. These compounds were identified as 3,4′-O-dimethylellagic acid, 3,3′,4′-O-trimethylellagic acid, 3,4′-O-dimethylellagic acid-4-O-b-D-xyloside, 3b-O-a-L-arabinopyranosyl-19a- hydroxyl-urs-12-en-28-oic acid 28-b-D-glucopyranoside, 3b-[(a-L-arabinopyranosyl)oxy]-urs-11,13(18)-dien- 28-oic acid b-D-glucopyranosyl ester，3-O-a-L–arabinopyranosyl-urs-12,18(19) -dien-28-oic acid b-D-glucopyranosyl ester, catechin.

西藏胡黄连和鸡矢藤的化学成分及黄芪多糖的提取工艺研究

本论文由四部分组成，前三部分为实验论文，第四部分为文献综述。第一、二部分分别报道了中药西藏胡黄连和鸡矢藤的化学成分研究结果。从两种药用植物中共分离和鉴定了32个化学成分，其中3个为新化合物。第三部分为黄芪多糖的提取工艺研究。第四部分概述了近年来植物多糖的研究进展。 第一章为西藏胡黄连化学成分研究。通过正、反相硅胶柱层析等分离方法从药用植物西藏胡黄连（Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora Pennell）的根茎中共分离纯化出7个化合物。运用MS、1H-NMR、13C-NMR、DEPT、HSQC和HMBC等现代谱学方法，结合理化分析对这些化合物的结构进行了分析鉴定。7个化合物中有两个是酚性的葡萄糖苷类成分：西藏胡黄连酚苷D (1)、4-O-β-D-(6-O-vanilloyl glucopyranosyl) vanillic acid (6)；四个苯乙基苷类化合物：plantamajoside (2)、plantainoside D (3)、西藏胡黄连苷A (4) 和西藏胡黄连苷F (5)；一个苯基小分子化合物：香豆酸甲酯 (7)。其中化合物1和5未见文献报道，确定为新化合物；化合物3为首次从该种植物中分到。 第二章为鸡矢藤化学成分研究。从鸡矢藤（Paederia scandense (Lour) Merrill）全草中分离出25个化合物，通过理化常数和波谱数据鉴定了它们的结构。25个化合物中包括一个蒽醌类成分：茜根定-1-甲醚 (1)；两个香豆素：异东莨菪香豆素 (2)和5-羟基-8-甲氧基吡喃香豆素 (3)；两个香豆素-木脂素化合物：臭矢菜素 B (4)和臭矢菜素 D (5)；一个木脂素：异落叶松树脂醇 (6)；两个黄酮：diadzein (7)和蒙花苷 (8)；三个三萜类化合物：齐墩果酸 (9)、乌苏酸 (10)和 3-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖基乌苏烷 (11)；三个甾体及其糖苷：b-谷甾醇 (12)、胡萝卜苷 (13)和(24R)-豆甾-4-烯-3-酮 (14)；六个小分子化合物：对羟基苯甲酸 (15)，咖啡酸 (16)，香豆酸 (17)，丁烯二酸 (18)，3,5-二甲氧基-4-羟基苯甲酸(19)，咖啡酸-4-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖苷(20)；五个环烯醚萜类化合物：鸡矢藤苷 (21)，鸡矢藤酸 (22)，鸡矢藤酸甲酯 (23)，saprosmoside E (24)和paederoside B (25)。其中化合物25未见文献报道，为新化合物。化合物1～8、11、14、15～20为首次从该化合物中分离得到。同时对鸡矢藤中环烯醚萜类化合物做了高效液相-串联质谱(HPLC-MSn)分析，探讨了这类化合物的质谱裂解规律。 第三章为黄芪多糖的提取工艺研究。首先确定了黄芪多糖含量的测定方法，并进行了方法学验证；其次探讨了黄芪中黄芪多糖的提取工艺，确定以酶法-Sevag法联用来去除黄芪多糖中的蛋白质，可使其提取物中黄芪多糖总含量达到70％以上。 第四章为近年来植物多糖的研究进展。主要包括植物多糖的提取纯化、多糖的定性定量检测方法、多糖的结构分析和多糖的药理活性。 This dissertation consists of four parts. The first and second parts reports the studies on the chemical constituents of medicinal plants of Picrorhiza Scrophulariiflora and Paederia scandens. The third part is about the extract technique of Astragalan Polysaccharide (APS). The last part reviews the progress of the studies on plant polysaccharides. 　 The first chapter is about the chemical constituents of P. Scrophulariiflora which is widely used as an important medicine to treat various immune-related diseases. A new phenyl glycoside, scrophenoside D (1) and a new phenylethyl glycoside, scroside F (5), together with five known compounds, plantamajoside (2), plantainoside D (3), scroside A (4), 4-O-β-D-(6-O-vanilloylglucopyranosyl) vanillic acid (6); and methyl-p-coumarate (7) were isolated from the stems of P. scrophulariiflora. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. The second chapter is about the chemical constituents of medicinal herb of P. scandens. Twenty-five compounds were isolated and purified by normal and reversed phase silica gel column chromatography. By physicochemical properties and spectral analysis, their structures were identified as rubiadin-1-methylether (1), isoscopoletin (2), 5-hydroxyl-8-methoxyl-coumarin (3), cleomiscosin B (4), cleomiscosin D (5), isolariciresinol (6), diadzein (7), linarin (8), oleanolic acid (9), ursolic acid (10), 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyloxyl-ursane (11), b-sitosterol (12), b-daucosterol (13), (24R)-stigmast-4-ene-3-one (14), p-hydroxyl-benzoic acid (15), caffic acid (16), coumaric acid (17), trans-butenedioic acid (18), 3,5-dimethoxyl-4-hydroxylbenzoic acid (19), caffeic acid 4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (20), paederoside (21), paederosidic acid (22), paederosidic acid methyl ester (23), saprosmoside E (24), paederoside B (25). Among them, compound 25 is a new compound. Compounds 1～8、11、14、15～20 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Futhermore, we studied the HPLC-MSn analysis and investigation of fragmentation behavior of the sulfur-containing iridoid glucosides. The third chapter is about the extracting process of Astragalan Polysaccharide (APS). The method of the content determination is built. The optimum condition of extraction of polysaccharides from Radix Astragali is defined and the more effective way to remove protein is combined enzyme method with Sevag method, by which the content of polysaccharides extract can be up to 70%. The last part is a review of the research progress of the plant polysaccharides, which includes its extraction, isolation, purification, determination, structure analysis, and pharmacology.