20 封面專題 • COVER STORY 澳大新語 • 2024 UMAGAZINE 30 targeted treatments based on Chinese medicine polysaccharides, with promising applications in the repair of skin and its appendages.’ Discovering Chemical Defence Systems of Plants UM researchers are also investigating how active ingredients in Chinese medicinal plants inhibit pathogen invasion, with the aim of developing more stable and effective plant-based pesticides to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides. In recent years, a team led by Wan Jianbo, professor in SKL-QRCM and ICMS, in collaboration with experts from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Southwest Forestry University, made a breakthrough. They have discovered that Panax notoginseng (a type of ginseng and a key ingredient in Yunnan Baiyao) has a two-component chemical defence system mediated by specific enzymes, which helps protect the plant from pathogens. Prof Wan explains that plants produce a series of secondary metabolites when exposed to various environmental stresses, and this chemical defence mechanism is essential for their survival. His research team found that the defence system in Panax notoginseng consists of a specific enzyme (β-glucosidase) and a class of protopanaxadiol-type saponins. When the plant is infected by pathogenic fungi, enzymes released by these fungi disrupt the integrity of chloroplasts (organelles in plant cells responsible for photosynthesis), thereby activating the plant’s defence system. The β-glucosidase enzyme then selectively hydrolyses the glycosides in the saponin molecules, producing a potent active substance to combat the pathogens. ‘We have also identified similar two-component defence systems in other medicinal Panax species, such as Asian ginseng and American ginseng,’ adds Prof Wan. ‘This discovery provides insights for developing plant-based pesticides, which can help reduce the excessive use of chemical pesticides in the cultivation of medicinal ginseng and support sustainable practices in Chinese herbal medicine production.’ Speeding Up Drug Screening With Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence enables scientists to analyse vast amounts of data, including combinations of traditional Chinese medicine formulas, pharmacological 萬建波教授 Prof Wan Jianbo 人參屬植物中雙元素防禦反應示意圖 A schematic diagram of the two-component chemical defence system in Panax species
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