What are the applications of microorganisms in the field of traditional Chinese medicine?

Application of microorganisms in traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine is a treasure of the Chinese nation. For thousands of years, Chinese medicine has made great contributions to the health of our people, forming a systematic theory of Chinese medicine and a large number of prescriptions. As a natural medicine, traditional Chinese medicine is gradually attracting the attention of the world. Microorganisms are tiny organisms that are invisible or unclear to the naked eye, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, some small protozoa, microalgae and so on. Although they are small, they are closely related to human life. The utilization of microorganisms is widely involved in health, food, medicine, industry and agriculture, environmental protection and many other fields. Microorganisms are widely used in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. Microorganisms can be used in traditional Chinese medicine fermentation and processing.

Keywords: microbial traditional Chinese medicine fermentation technology to ferment traditional Chinese medicine

China is the birthplace of traditional Chinese medicine. For thousands of years, Chinese medicine has made great contributions to the health of our people, and gradually accumulated, forming a systematic theory of Chinese medicine and a large number of prescriptions. Traditional Chinese medicine industry is one of the few industries with comparative advantages in China. In the field of natural science, Chinese medicine has the most strength, advantages and stamina. It is a treasure of the Chinese nation and an important part of traditional medicine in the world, and plays an important role in preventing and treating diseases. People and researchers all over the world are concerned about it. At present, all countries are looking for effective medicine sources from natural products such as traditional Chinese medicine.

Microorganisms are tiny organisms that are invisible or unclear to the naked eye, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, some small protozoa, microalgae and so on. Although they are small, they are closely related to human life. Covers a variety of beneficial and harmful, covering health, food, medicine, industry and agriculture, environmental protection and other fields. Microbiology is one of the rapidly developing disciplines in life science, which plays an increasingly important role and becomes an important tool for all disciplines. In the process of medical modernization, microorganisms have played an increasingly important role. Making full use of the achievements of modern microbiology can better promote the modernization of drugs and open up new fields for the development of microbiology.

1 Microbiology theory promotes the development of traditional Chinese medicine related to microbiology.

The biological research of traditional microbial Chinese medicine has deepened the application and product development of traditional microbial Chinese medicine, especially the research of pure cultures of various Chinese medicines replacing the original medicinal materials, such as the cultivation of various medicinal bacteria such as Ganoderma lucidum and Hericium erinaceus, which has played a very important role in protecting the environment, protecting resources and meeting people's drug demand. The study on pure culture of isolated fungi from Cordyceps sinensis, represented by Jinshuibao, has achieved great economic and social benefits, and set off a research upsurge of entomogenous fungi such as Paecilomyces hepiali, polychaetes hepiali and Cordyceps militaris. We also have a deeper understanding of some traditional Chinese medicines formed by the interaction between microorganisms and plants. For example, the formation of Dracaena is closely related to fungi, which is a plant antitoxin produced by Dracaena against microbial infection; Some effective components in Bombyx Batryticatus are formed by the interaction of microorganisms, silkworms and mulberry leaves. The biological research of gastrodia elata, poria cocos and other traditional Chinese medicines has promoted the development of these traditional Chinese medicine cultivation techniques.

The forms of traditional Chinese medicine related to microorganisms can be divided into the following situations: 1) Large medicinal fungi formed by saprophytic lifestyle, such as Ganoderma lucidum, Hericium erinaceus, auricularia auricula and Lentinus edodes. These fungi can basically be cultured artificially. 2) Natural microorganisms ferment Chinese herbal medicines, such as Massa Medicata Fermentata and Monascus, mainly yeast and filamentous fungi. 3) Traditional Chinese medicines formed by plants and microorganisms, such as Gastrodia elata, are the living bodies of Armillaria mellea and Gastrodia elata, and Gastrodia elata relies on Armillaria mellea to provide nutrition; Polyporus umbellatus is also a living body formed by Armillaria invades the sclerotium of Polyporus umbellatus, and Armillaria provides nutrition. 4) Insect-bacteria complex formed by parasitic fungi infecting living insects is essentially the pathogen of insects. Such as Cordyceps sinensis, Bombyx Batryticatus, Cordyceps militaris, etc. 5) Plant antitoxin, such as Sanguis Draxonis and Aquilaria Resinatum. Plants are formed when they are infected by microorganisms.

2.5 Advantages of Fermented Chinese Medicine

Experiments show that fermented Chinese medicine is different from Chinese medicine extracted by decocting, boiling, boiling, burning, steaming and soaking: (1) Chinese medicine fermentation is a biotransformation process at normal temperature and pressure, which protects the effective components of Chinese medicine to the maximum extent, such as volatile oil and heat-sensitive vitamins, such as mint and angelica. (2) The effective components in traditional Chinese medicine are not destroyed and fully utilized, such as protein, amino acids, vitamins and trace elements. The results showed that the fermented Chinese medicine contained 18 kinds of amino acids, a lot of linolenic acid, polypeptide small molecule active protein, more than 20 kinds of vitamins and trace elements. (3) Key points of fermenting traditional Chinese medicine

Small dosage, faster and more complete absorption and better curative effect. If the traumatic injury is treated clinically, if the bones and muscles are not broken, 1 ~ 2 times, 98% can be cured; 98% of hemorrhoids are cured at one time. Experiments by the Institute for Drug Inspection of the Central Ministry of Health have proved that the efficacy of fermented Chinese medicine is 4 ~ 28 times that of water-extracted ordinary Chinese medicine. (4) At present, one of the main reasons why many traditional Chinese medicines can't enter the international market is that heavy metals exceed the standard, and the heavy metals contained in fermented traditional Chinese medicines will not produce toxicity, for example, cinnabar will not release mercury. (5) Fermentation is environmentally friendly and can be reused. Traditional Chinese medicine residues are usually discarded after extracting effective components, which pollutes the environment. After repeated fermentation, about 95% of Chinese medicine residue (fiber) is utilized, and most of it is converted into monosaccharide (glucose) after cellulase hydrolysis and multi-enzyme decomposition and metabolism, which can be utilized by the body. Unused cellulose can moisten the intestines to relieve constipation and play the role of intestinal scavenger. Some constipation patients accidentally solved the constipation problem after taking fermented Chinese medicine [5].

2.6 Key technologies in traditional Chinese medicine fermentation technology

At present, the research of traditional Chinese medicine fermentation technology is still in its infancy, and the fermentation of single medicinal materials and traditional compound fermentation are rarely carried out, and few new fermented drugs are put into production. At the same time, the fermentation technology of traditional Chinese medicine also faces some problems, such as the fuzziness of its own system, the complexity of Chinese medicine components, the fuzziness of Chinese medicine fermentation mechanism, the diversity of microbial growth characteristics and how to implement the guidance of Chinese medicine theory in the fermentation process of traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, the correct grasp of the key technologies of traditional Chinese medicine fermentation is related to its development direction and prospect. The author believes that the following aspects need further study in the future.

2.5. 1 fermentation mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine: At present, the mechanism of microbial fermentation of traditional Chinese medicine has been based on certain evidence and inference, but due to the complexity of chemical components of traditional Chinese medicine and the fuzziness of action mechanism, the interaction between effective components and some ineffective components of traditional Chinese medicine and the special microbial matrix environment remains to be studied; According to the specific traditional Chinese medicine and compound prescription, the fermentation mechanism is clarified and the scientific connotation of fermented traditional Chinese medicine is revealed. The characteristics and mechanism of its fermentation system still need further study.

2.5.2 Fermentation technology of traditional Chinese medicine: Strengthen the systematic research of single traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese medicine extract, traditional Chinese medicine compound fermentation technology and microbial culture, carry out separation and identification and related pharmacological experiments, clarify the nature and change process of microorganisms, establish a unified general method and technical system applicable to most traditional Chinese medicine fermentation, and provide new ways and methods for realizing modernization, scientificity and internationalization of fermented traditional Chinese medicine.

2.5.3 excellent strain breeding technology: strain breeding is the key and foundation of traditional Chinese medicine fermentation. Therefore, the breeding and evaluation of fermentation strains should be increased, so that more excellent strains can act on traditional Chinese medicine to the maximum extent, thus laying the foundation for developing more valuable fermented traditional Chinese medicine products.

2.5.4 Modern compound microbial fermentation technology: Multi-strain fermentation has stronger biotransformation ability than single-strain fermentation, but it is also a difficult point in fermentation research. Traditional Chinese medicine fermentation is mostly the result of natural fermentation of mixed strains in nature, because people didn't know the relationship between microorganisms and fermentation at that time, so it was difficult to control the fermentation process artificially. How to apply the relevant technologies of modern microbial engineering to the multi-strain fermentation of traditional Chinese medicine, improve the controllability and stability of fermentation production, and improve the effectiveness and safety of fermented traditional Chinese medicine is another key technology in the research of modern fermented traditional Chinese medicine.

2.5.5 Screening model and multi-dimensional evaluation system of fermented traditional Chinese medicine: Traditional Chinese medicine has the characteristics of variety diversity, complexity of chemical composition and multi-directional efficacy, and traditional Chinese medicine compound has the characteristics of integrity, systematicness, complexity and non-additivity. Therefore, how to follow the guidance of Chinese medicine theory in the fermentation process, what evaluation index and evaluation model to choose after fermentation, and establish the screening model and multi-dimensional evaluation system of fermented Chinese medicine are another technical difficulty in the research of fermented Chinese medicine [7].

Application of microorganisms in the formation of secondary metabolites of Chinese herbal medicine in tissue culture

Using tissue culture to produce effective components of traditional Chinese medicine is an important means to solve the shortage of traditional Chinese medicine resources and one of the important contents of modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. In tissue culture, using Agrobacterium rhizogenes to induce hairy roots of tissue culture products and hairy roots to form secondary metabolites has become a common method to produce secondary metabolites in tissue culture of traditional Chinese medicine. Up to now, more than 80 hairy root clones have been established, many of which are medicinal plants. The research of Yosh ikawa et al. shows that hairy roots of ginseng can be cultured without exogenous hormones, and ginsenoside can reach 0.95% of dry weight, while naturally cultured roots only account for 0.4%, so hairy roots of ginseng can completely replace natural ginseng for medicinal purposes. After 20 days, the biomass of five clones of Taxus brevifolia cultivated by Huang Zunxi increased by 9 times, and the taxol content was 1.3 ~ 8.0 times that of callus.

In the interaction between plants and microorganisms, fungi can induce the accumulation of specific secondary products in plants and make plants resistant to these pathogenic microorganisms. Salvia miltiorrhiza is an important medicinal plant, and the production of tanshinone and other secondary metabolites from hairy roots and transformed cells of Salvia miltiorrhiza has become a research hotspot. Verticillium dahliae, elicitor V44 and yeast extracts induced hairy roots and transformed cells, respectively, and peroxidase activity increased significantly, which was beneficial to the accumulation of secondary metabolites [1].

Application of endophytic fungi in medicinal plants in cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine and development of new resources of traditional Chinese medicine

Endophytes mainly refer to a kind of microorganisms that exist in healthy plant tissues at a certain stage of life history and do not form obvious infection. Endophytes can promote the growth and development of the host, enhance the resistance to adverse environment, and even promote the formation of some metabolites of the host plant. In-depth study of endophytic bacteria in traditional Chinese medicine may play an important role in the study of active components and cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine. Endophytic fungi are closely related to the formation of some active components in host plants. For the same species in different places, the endophytic fungi are different, which may be one of the reasons for the formation of authentic Chinese medicine.

Three endophytic fungi of Lentinus edodes, Lentinus edodes and Lentinus edodes can promote the growth of endangered medicinal plants Dendrobium candidum and Anoectochilus roxburghii. After inoculation with three endophytic fungi, the growth of Dendrobium candidum seedlings was 3 ~ 5 times higher than that of the control, and Dendrobium candidum and Lentinus edodes also promoted the proliferation of Dendrobium candidum protocorms. The number of lateral buds and lateral roots of Anoectochilus roxburghii seedlings inoculated with three fungi was significantly higher than that of the control. 20% fungal mycelium and 10 mg/L ethyl acetate extract of fermentation broth were added to the culture medium of plant test-tube seedlings respectively. The results showed that the mycelium of three kinds of bacteria and ethyl acetate extract of Lentinus edodes could significantly improve the proliferation rate of Dendrobium candidum protocorm. The mycelium of Dendrobium nobile can significantly promote the growth and lateral bud proliferation of Anoectochilus roxburghii. The ethyl acetate extracts of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus ostreatus can significantly promote the number of lateral buds and growth of Anoectochilus roxburghii, respectively, indicating that the growth promotion of three endophytic fungi on Dendrobium candidum and Anoectochilus roxburghii is related to the metabolites secreted inside and outside the mycelium.

Mycorrhiza is the life of plants and fungi, and it is a common phenomenon in plants. Mycorrhizal fungi can promote the absorption of mineral nutrients and water by mycorrhizal plants, and improve the disease resistance and stress resistance of host plants by stimulating or increasing the production of secondary metabolites, such as antibiotics, phytochemicals, phenolic compounds, phenylpropanoid metabolizing enzymes, lignin, peroxidase and hydrolase. This experiment was carried out by inoculating leek with VA mycorrhizal fungus Myxomycetes osseointegrata. The results showed that the plant height, fresh weight, dry weight and chlorophyll content of inoculated plants were higher than those of uninoculated plants, and the cold resistance was enhanced. However, the application of mycorrhizal technology in the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine has not attracted enough attention, and few documents have been reported [1].

prospect

China has a long history of important use, and the application of microorganisms in Chinese medicine industry also has a long history. Microbial fermentation has incomparable advantages in the processing of traditional Chinese medicine, which can provide new means for the research of developing new drugs, improving drug efficacy and reducing drug side effects, and open up new research space for the development of traditional Chinese medicine. The research on the fermentation of traditional Chinese medicine also has mature practical conditions and should be one of the contents of the modernization research of traditional Chinese medicine in China in order to better serve mankind. The components contained in fermented traditional Chinese medicine are extremely complex, and it is difficult to separate and purify them. In the future, we should strengthen the research on purification conditions, scientifically optimize and improve the purification level. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the research and development of new dosage forms and develop suitable dosage forms for different indications.

Fermented traditional Chinese medicine is the perfect combination of modern biotechnology and traditional Chinese medicine research, which will certainly open up a new road for the research and development of new Chinese medicine, expand a broader development space, and occupy an increasingly important position in the research and development of new Chinese medicine. Fermented Chinese medicine is also conducive to promoting the modernization and internationalization of Chinese medicine, improving the international competitiveness of Chinese medicine industry, and making new contributions to Chinese medicine going global and benefiting all mankind.

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