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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of moving cupping therapy in people with colorectal cancer (CRC) experiencing chemotherapy-related side effects. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in people diagnosed with CRC who were treated for the side effects of their chemotherapy. Participants received cupping therapy 3 times a week for 10 consecutive weeks at our traditional Chinese medicine ward. Their quality of life and meridian energies were evaluated both at baseline and at 3 months after the treatment course. RESULTS: Forty-six individuals with CRC were enrolled and 34 completed the study. The average number of cycles of chemotherapy during the study was 4.5. The mean number of moving cupping treatments was 25.7. After the moving cupping treatment program, participants exhibited significant improvements in quality of life, physical function, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, sleep disturbance, and pain. CONCLUSION: For the participants in this study, moving cupping therapy relieved some chemotherapy-related side effects and improved quality of life in people with CRC.

F2CX (X = Se and Te) have two Lewis acid sites of σ-hole and π-hole located respectively in the vicinity of X and C ends, participating in the chalcogen and tetrel bonds with HCN and NH3, respectively. F2CSe forms a stronger tetrel bond, while F2CTe forms a stronger chalcogen bond. F2CX shows weaker tetrel and chalcogen bonds in the ternary system, exhibiting anticooperativity with some different features from positive one. The nature of two interactions and the origin of anticooperativity have been analyzed by means of energy decomposition, molecular electrostatic potential, and orbital interaction.

Alantolactone, a sesquiterpene lactone, possesses anti-inflammatory property. In this study, we provide evidence that it could be developed as a novel agent against human liver cancer. We observed that alantolactone treatment to HepG2, Bel-7402 and SMMC-7721 cells, human liver cancer cell lines resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth. We selected HepG2 cell line as a test model system. Alantolactone treatment of HepG2 cells resulted in a dose-dependent induction of apoptosis and arrest of cells in G2-M phase. This induction of apoptosis seems to be mediated via modulating the protein levels of Bcl-2 family and activation of caspases. Moreover, caspase-8 and Bid activation, loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and cytochrome c release suggest the existence of a cross-talk between the death receptor and the mitochondrial pathways. We also observed that alantolactone treatment of cells resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in NF- κB/p65. In addition, a significant and progressive increase in the level of p53 protein in alantolactone-treated cells was observed. Taken together, our data suggest that alantolactone could be developed as an agent against human liver cancer.

Brucine is a central agonist that can pass through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The goal of this study is to examine whether brucine is one of the substrates of the drug transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and to examine the effects of P-gp on the brucine transport at the in vitro BBB model. The P-gp ATPase assay was utilized to investigate the in vitro affinity of P-gp to brucine. Results suggested that K(m) of brucine (11.4 μmol/l) was smaller than the positive control, verapamil (16.4 μmol/l). In this study, we developed an in vitro BBB model, comprising a co-culture of primary rat brain microvessel endothelial cells and astrocytes for the transport study. The validated model was correct and available. Transendothelial electrical resistance reached (283.78 ± 18.85) Ω cm(2). The model displayed limited permeability to fluorescein sodium and [(125)I]albumin, with the apparent permeability coefficient Papp of (10.36 ± 0.86) × 10(-6) cm/s and (6.00 ± 0.78) × 10(-6)cm/s, respectively. The quantity of the bidirectional transport of brucine was determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In the absence of verapamil, the transport of brucine from basolateral compartment to apical compartment (BL-AP) was higher than from AP to BL at low, middle, and high concentrations (P

Dianthus superbus L. is commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine. We recently showed that ethyl acetate fraction (EE-DS) from ethanol extract of D. superbus exhibited the strongest antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. In this study, we examined apoptosis of HepG2 cells induced by EE-DS, and the mechanism underlying apoptosis was also investigated. Treatment of HepG2 cells with EE-DS (20–80μg/ml) for 48h led to a significant dose-dependent increase in the percentage of cells in sub-G1 phase by analysis of the content of DNA in cells, and a large number of apoptotic bodies containing nuclear fragments were observed in cells treated with 80μg/ml of EE-DS for 24h by using Hoechst 33258 staining. These data show that EE-DS can induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells. Immunoblot analysis showed that EE-DS significantly suppressed the expressions of Bcl-2 and NF-κB. Treatment of cells with EE-DS (80μg/ml) for 48h resulted in significant increase of cytochrome c in the cytosol, which indicated cytochrome c release from mitochondria. Activation of caspase-9 and -3 were also determined when the cells treated with EE-DS. The results suggest that apoptosis of HepG2 cells induced by EE-DS could be through the mitochondrial intrinsic pathway. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data showed that the composition of EE-DS is complicated. Further studies are needed to find the effective constituents of EE-DS.

A selective, simple and efficient method-ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed for determination of two toxic alkaloids, namely strychnine and brucine in mice plasma. The UPLC separation was carried out using a 1.7 μm BEH C(18) column (50 mm × 2.1 mm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol:0.1% formic acid (25:75, v/v), hence providing high efficiency, high resolution and excellent peak shape for the analytes and internal standard. The method was validated over the range of 2.48-496.4 ng/ml for strychnine and 2.64-528 ng/ml for brucine, respectively. Intra- and inter-day accuracy ranged from 95.0% to 107.9% for strychnine, 93.4% to 103.3% for brucine, and the precisions were within 13.8%. The extraction recoveries of both the two alkaloids exceed 81.9%. With a simple and minor sample preparation procedure and short run-time (3 min), the proposed method was applicable for the pharmacokinetic and toxicological analysis of strychnine and brucine in vivo.

Aim To study the chemical constituents of the roots of Valeriana officinalis L. Methods Chemical constituents were isolated by various column chromatographic techniques and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Results A new sesquiterpene, orivalerianol (4β, 10α, 15-trihydroxy-aromadrendane) ( 1 ), and a new iridoid, monovalerianester A (aglycone of kanokoside A) ( 2 ) together with eight known compounds rulepidol ( 3 ), behenic acid ( 4 ), pinoresinol ( 5 ), valerenic acid ( 6 ), β-sitosterol ( 7 ), kanokoside A ( 8 ), prinsepiol-4- O -β- D -glucoside ( 9 ) and 8-hydroxypinoresinol-4 - O -β- D -glucoside ( 10 ) were obtained from the EtOAc extract ( 1∼6 ) and n -BuOH extract ( 7∼10 ). Conclusion Compounds 1 and 2 are new natural products.