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Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills (QSYQ) is a compound of Chinese medicine, which has been used to treat coronary heart disease and cardiac dysfunction. Its natural components include astragaloside IV, flavonoids, danshensu, protocatechualdehyde, salvianolic acid B, salvianolic acid A, ginsenosides Rg1, ginsenosides Rb1, and essential oils, etc. It exerts effects of nourishing qi and promoting blood circulation to relieve pain. In this review, the bioactive components of QSYQ and its effects for treating cardiovascular diseases and possible mechanism were summarized, providing references for further study and clinical application of QSYQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To systematically evaluate the efficacy of Shengmai San in patients with cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified by searching China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase Databases from the inceptions until December 2020. The Cochrane Handbook was used to evaluate the risk of bias in the included studies. Data analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. Results: Totally 19 RCTs with 2,331 participants were included in this review. Results showed that in improving arrhythmia (13 RCTs, n=1,877, RR=0.37, 95%CI 0.25 to 0.52, P<0.00001), the treatment group was superior to the control group. In terms of reducing left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD, 2 RCTs, n=128, MD=−0.79, 95%CI −0.93 to −0.65, P<0.00001) and left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVESD, 2 RCTs, n=128, MD=−0.58, 95%CI −0.82 to −0.35, P<0.00001), the treatment group was also better than the control group. In reducing myocardial enzymes such as creatine kinase (CK) [(3 RCTs, n=256, SMD=−0.80, 95%CI −1.16 to −0.44, P<0.0001), (2 RCTs, n=126, SMD=−0.62, 95%CI −0.98 to −0.26, P=0.0007)], the treatment group was superior to the control group. Conclusion: Shengmai San has a positive effect on the treatment of cardiotoxicity from anthracyclines. However, in the future, it is still necessary to conduct high-quality RCTs to verify its efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BuShenKangShuai tablet (BSKS) is a Chinese herbal compound, which has been used to treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular diseases in clinic for over four decades. This study intends to explore whether BSKS administration can alleviates hepatic steatosis via improving liver adiponectin resistance in ApoE-/- mice. ApoE-/- mice were fed with western-type diet for 6 weeks and then were administrated with BSKS or atorvastatin for 6 weeks by gavage, and then blood and liver were collected for analysis. The results showed that BSKS attenuated hepatic steatosis, decreased blood lipids, and increased the serum level of adiponectin. We also found that adiponectin resistance in the liver was improved by BSKS, while the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB p65 was inhibited, followed by the suppression of proinflammatory mediators of TNF-α. Our data provided evidence that BSKS was able to alleviate hepatic steatosis in vivo. The underlying mechanism of BSKS was focused on improving liver adiponectin resistance, thereby regulating dyslipidemia and inhibiting inflammatory signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bushenkangshuai tablet (BSKS) is a Chinese herbal compound which has been used for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in China for decades. This study intends to explore the molecular mechanism of BSKS against atherosclerosis in ApoE−/− mice. ApoE−/− mice were fed with western-type diet for 6 weeks and then were given BSKS for 6 weeks. The results showed that BSKS attenuated the size of the atherosclerotic lesion, reduced visceral adipose content, and decreased blood lipids. We also found that BSKS promoted the expression of adiponectin and its receptors, inhibited the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-kappa B, decreased the levels of interleukin-1 beta, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and increased the levels of interleukin-10 and adiponectin. Our data provided evidence that BSKS exerted an antiatherosclerotic effect by lowering blood lipids and inhibiting inflammatory response via TLR4 and NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry-based metabonomic approach, combined with pattern recognition methods including PCA, PLS-DA, RF and heatmap, has been developed to characterize the global serum metabolic profile associated with ionizing radiation (IR). As the VIP-value threshold cutoff of the metabolites was set to 2, metabolites above this threshold were filtered out as potential target biomarkers. Nineteen distinct potential biomarkers in rat plasma were identified. To further elucidate the pathophysiology of IR, related metabolic pathways have been studied. It was found that IR was closely related to disturbed fatty acid metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, purine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, phospholipid catabolism, tryptophan metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and bile acid metabolism. With the presented metabonomic method, we systematically analyzed the protective effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hong Shan Capsule ( HSC). The results demonstrated that HSC administration could provide satisfactory effects on IR through partially regulating the perturbed metabolic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Citropten markedly alleviated DSS-induced acute and recurrent colitis. • Citropten dramatically decreased the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in colon tissues and effectively suppressed the proportion of Th17 cells in spleen. • Citropten significantly inhibited the activation of NF-κB and JAK/STAT3 signaling pathways. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, which is characterized by inflammation, with many symptoms including diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloody stool, and weight loss. It is difficult to completely cure and promising therapeutic drug candidates are urgently needed. Citropten, a coumarin-like compound found in traditional Chinese medicine such as Finger Citron Fruit, notopterygium root and citrus peel, has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells, protect against depression and suppress the production of inflammatory mediators. In this study, we demonstrated that citropten could alleviate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute and recurrent colitis in mice, with significant improvement in body weight loss, disease activity index, shortened colon length and histological changes. Moreover, citropten dramatically decreased the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in colon tissues and effectively suppressed the proportion of Th17 cells in spleen. Mechanism investigations revealed that citropten significantly inhibited the activation of NF-κB and JAK/STAT3 signaling pathways, thus leading to decreased inflammation, Th17 cells and alleviative colitis. These findings provide novel insights into the anti-colitis effect of citropten, which may be a promising drug candidate for treatment of IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Si-Miao-Yong-An (Trade name: Mai-Luo-Ning), a Chinese herbal formulation comprising Flos Lonicerae Japonicae, Radix Scrophulariae Ningpoensis, Radix Angelicae Sinensis and Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis, has been used in treating ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases for many years. Clinical and experimental studies have shown that Si-Miao-Yong-An can inhibit the inflammatory response and antagonize the blood clotting process. Aim of the study: To investigate the effect of Si-Miao-Yong-An on atherosclerotic plaque stability in rabbit model. Materials and methods: Seventy male rabbits were divided into four groups. Rabbits in the normal group were fed with normal diet, while rabbits in model group and drug treatment groups were fed with high cholesterol diet, underwent BSA-induced immunologic injury and balloon-induced mechanical injury. After atherosclerotic rabbits were treated with simvastatin or Si-Miao-Yong-An for 16 weeks, blood and aorta in four groups were collected for analysis. Results: Si-Miao-Yong-An reduced the level of triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in blood after treatment for 16 weeks. Compared with model group, Si-Miao-Yong-An decreased the content of many inflammatory cytokines in blood and plaque. Morphological analysis of abdominal aorta showed that Si-Miao-Yong-An increased fibrous cap thickness and smooth muscle cells, reduced lipid core area and macrophages, and contributed to inhibit matrix degradation and inflammatory response. Conclusion: In this study, we provided evidence for that Si-Miao-Yong-An could promote the stability of atherosclerotic plaque in the rabbit model, indicating that this medicine was a reasonable drug treating cardiovascular diseases in clinical. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Si-Miao-Yong-An decoction (SMYAD) is a renowned traditional Chinese medicinal formula. SMYAD was originally recorded in the "Shi Shi Mi Lu", which was edited by medical scientist Chen Shi'duo during the Qing Dynasty. SMYAD has been traditionally used to treat thromboangiitis obliterans. At present, it is mainly used in clinical applications and research of cardiovascular diseases. To explore the effects of SMYAD on the pathological changes of atherosclerosis (AS) and the differentiation of monocytes, macrophages, and regulatory T (Treg) cells in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE−/−) mice. Eight C57BL/6J mice, which were fed with normal diet for 16 weeks, were used as control group. Forty ApoE−/− mice were randomly divided into model group, atorvastatin group, SMYAD low-dose (SMYAD-LD) group, SMYAD medium-dose (SMYAD-MD) group, and SMYAD high-dose (SMYAD-HD) group. ApoE−/− mice were fed with western diet (WD) for 8 weeks, and the drugs were continuously administered for 8 weeks. The levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured by the esterase method. Morphological changes of the aortic sinus in mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, the lipid infiltration of the aorta and aortic sinus were observed by oil red O staining, and the spleen index was calculated. The proportion of Ly6Chigh and Ly6Clow monocyte subsets, macrophages, and their M1 phenotype, as well as Treg cells in spleen were measured by flow cytometry. The expressions of cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), scavenger receptor A1 (SRA1), lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1), F4/80, and fork head frame protein 3 (FOXP3) in aortic sinus were assessed by immunohistochemical staining. The serum levels of oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-18, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and IL-10 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Compared with the model group, the level of serum TC and LDL-C decreased in the SMYAD group, the pathological changes of aortic sinus decreased, and lipid infiltration of aorta and aortic sinus also decreased. These decreases were accompanied by a significant downregulation of CD36, SRA1, and LOX-1. Furthermore, the proportions of Ly6Chigh pro-inflammatory monocyte subsets, macrophages, and their M1 phenotypes in spleen decreased significantly, while the proportion of Treg cells increased. In addition, while the expression of F4/80 decreased, the expression of FOXP3 increased in the aorta sinus. The levels of serum pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-18 decreased. SMYAD can improve the pathological changes associated with AS and can inhibit lipid deposition in ApoE−/− mice induced by WD diet. The likely mechanism is the inhibition of the differentiation and recruitment of monocytes and macrophages, the promotion of the differentiation and recruitment of Treg cells, as well as the reduction of the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors. [Display omitted] • The traditional Chinese Si-Miao-Yong-An decoction (SMYAD) was investigated. • SMYAD reduces foam cell formation by reducing CD36, SRA1, and LOX-1 expressions. • SMYAD diminishes the differentiation of monocytes into M1-type macrophages. • SMYAD reduces both the differentiation and recruitment of Treg cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]