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Jiangfangbaoxin (JFBX) has been used to attenuate essential hypertension (EH) for over 20 years. Here, we aimed to examine the blood composition and toxicological effects of JFBX using 40 and 10 male age-matched spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and Wistar-Kyoto, respectively. After 12 weeks of intervention, blood pressure and left ventricular hypertrophy were measured. Subsequently, their organs were harvested for pathological examination. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromate- graphy with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to explore the components of JFBX in blood. Low and high-doses of JFBX attenuated both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the SHRs. The high- and low-dose JFBX groups showed significantly reduced endothelin-1 and increased nitric oxide levels. The myocardial tissue levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 in the JFBX-high-dose group were significantly decreased. Furthermore, superoxide dismutase and malonaldehyde levels significantly increased and decreased, respectively. The toxicological results showed that JFBX did not cause particularly severe side effects when administered after 12 weeks. In total, 87 precursor compounds, including alkaloids, iridoid glycosides, flavonoids, siterpenoids, volatile components, and organic phenols/acids, were detected in the blood. JFBX attenuated EH. No serious organ damage was observed after 12 weeks of oral administration., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was conducted in compliance with the ARRIVE guidelines. The experimental protocols and treatments were approved by the Ethics Committee of Wuxi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. All methods were performed in accordance with the Jiangsu Province Laboratory Animal Care and Use Guidelines., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Zhishi Xiebai Guizhi Decoction (ZSXBGZD) is a traditional herbal manuscript used to treat cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. The decoction has demonstrated its capability to protect arteries and resist atherosclerosis. Its mechanisms for anti-atherosclerosis effect, nevertheless, remain unknown., Aims of the Study: The goal of the present study is to explore the effectiveness of ZSXBGZD acting on atherosclerosis and its key components based on experimental verification and network pharmacology analysis., Materials and Methods: The ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and databases were used to identify chemical components in ZSXBGZD. Network pharmacological analysis and molecular docking were implemented in order to reveal the possible therapeutic targets of ZSXBGZD. To form the model of atherosclerosis, we gave Apolipoprotein E knocked out mice a high-fat diet. H&E staining was performed to observe the effects of ZSXBGZD on atherosclerosis. Immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to investigate whether ZSXBGZD could affect autophagy, apoptosis, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway and other related mechanisms., Results: In total, 30 core compounds were screened through intersecting UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and the databases. The anti-atherosclerotic effect of ZSXBGZD might relate to the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway via network pharmacology analysis. ZSXBGZD could inhibit apoptosis, activate autophagy and ease inflammation by modifying AGE-RAGE signaling pathway to reduce the area of atherosclerotic plaque., Conclusion: ZSXBGZD could treat atherosclerosis by regulating autophagy and apoptosis via adjusting the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions are widely believed to exert therapeutic benefits via a multiple-component and multiple-target mode. The systemic profiling of their in vitro chemicalome and in vivo metabolome is of great importance for further understanding their clinical value. Herein, an integrated strategy using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry was proposed to profile the chemicalome and metabolome of Chai-Gui Decoction. Particularly, an approach combined mass defect filter, characteristic product ion filter, and neutral loss filter was adopted to identify metabolites in plasma, urine, bile, and feces by MetabolitePilot. Consequently, a total of 174 constituents were identified or tentatively characterized and 70 metabolites that related to 21 representative structural components were matched in rat biofluids. Among them, 19 prototypes and 7 metabolites that contributed to flavonoids, monoterpenes, and phenylpropanoids were detected distribution in brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung or spleen. This study provided a generally applicable approach to comprehensive investigation on chemicalome and metabolome of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, and offered reasonable guidelines for further screening of quality control indicators of Chai-Gui Decoction., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the effects of Shenqi Yangxin decoction (SQYXD) on heart function in a rat model of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its potential mechanisms., Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal (10 rats) and DCM (150 rats) groups. DCM was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of adriamycin. Then, DCM baseline group was randomly selected sixteen DCM rats. The remaining DCM rats were randomly divided into DCM control, perindopril, metoprolol, and SQYXD groups. Cardiac function and histological analysis plus biochemical measurement of serum levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and inflammatory factors were measured. The mRNA and protein expression levels of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4), receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), and nuclear factor-¦ÊB (NF-¦ÊB) were determined. Myocardial metabolism imaging was performed on the normal, SQYXD and DCM control groups to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments., Results: Rats in the DCM control group exhibited dilated left ventricular diameter, impaired cardiac function, disorganized sarcomere, impaired glucose metabolism, increased heart weight index, and increased levels of BNP, which were improved by treatment with SQYXD. In addition, hearts from rats in the DCM baseline group exhibited significantly higher levels of HMGB1, TLR-4, RAGE, NF-κB, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, compared with the normal group. Interestingly, the mRNA level of HMGB1 in the DCM baseline group was positively correlated with that of TLR-4, RAGE, NF-κB, BNP, and LVEDD, but negatively correlated with LVEF. SQYXD inhibited the upregulation of HMGB1 expression and its downstream inflammatory factors., Conclusion: Shenqi Yangxin decoction effectively reduced the dilated left ventricular diameter and improved heart function in dilated cardiomyopathy. The mechanisms underlying the action on DCM involve regulating the gene and protein expression of HMGB1 and its inflammatory signal pathways in the DCM rat model.

Objective: To evaluate the effect and safety of Kuanxiong Aerosol (, KA) on patients with angina pectoris., Methods: Block randomization was performed to randomly allocate 750 patients into KA (376 cases) and control groups (374 cases). During an angina attack, the KA group received 3 consecutive sublingual sprays of KA (0.6 mL per spray). The control group received 1 sublingual nitroglycerin tablet (NT, 0.5 mg/tablet). Log-rank tests and Kaplan-Meier estimations were used to estimate the angina remission rates at 6 time-points after treatment (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and >5 min). Logistic regression analysis was performed to observe the factors inflfluencing the rate of effective angina remission, and the remission rates and incidences of adverse reactions were compared for different Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) classes of angina., Results: The 5-min remission rates in the KA and control groups were not signifificantly different (94.41% vs. 90.64%, P>0.05). The angina CCS class signifificantly inflfluenced the rate of remission (95% confidence interval = 0.483-0.740, P<0.01). In the CCS subgroup analysis, the 3-and 5-min remission rates for KA and NT were similar in the CCSII and III subgroups (P>0.05), while they were signifificantly better for KA in the CCSI and II subgroups (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Furthermore, the incidence of adverse reactions was signifificantly lower in the KA group than in the control group for the CCSII and III subgroups (9.29% vs. 26.22%, 10.13% vs. 20.88%, P<0.05 or P<0.01)., Conclusions: KA is not inferior to NT in the remission of angina. Furthermore, in CCSII and III patients, KA is superior to NT, with a lower incidence of adverse reactions. (Registration No. ChiCTRIPR-15007204).

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) remains a major health problem worldwide. Several clinical trials have shown the superiority of the Traditional Chinese Medicine in delaying or reversing the development and progression of DM. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Jinlida (JLD) granule, a Chinese herbal recipe, in the treatment of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and its effect on the prevention of DM., Methods: Sixty-five IGT patients were randomized to receive one bag of JLD granules three times daily (JLD group, n = 34) or no drug intervention (control group, n = 31) for 12 weeks. Oral glucose tolerance test, glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), body mass index, blood lipids levels, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance calculated using homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR) of all the patients were observed and compared before and after the treatment., Results: Sixty-one participants completed the trial (32 in JLD group and 29 in the control group). There were statistically significant decreases in HbA1c (P < 0.001), 2-h plasma glucose (P < 0.001), and HOMA-IR (P = 0.029) in JLD group compared with the control group after 12 weeks of treatment. After 12 weeks of treatment, two (6.9%) patients returned to normal blood glucose, and five (17.2%) patients turned into DM in control group, while in the JLD group, 14 (43.8%) returned to normal blood glucose and 2 (6.2%) turned into DM. There was a significant difference in the number of subjects who had normal glucose at the end of the study between two groups (P = 0.001)., Conclusions: JLD granule effectively improved glucose control, increased the conversion of IGT to normal glucose, and improved the insulin resistance in patients with IGT. This Chinese herbal medicine may have a clinical value for IGT.

Chinese patent medicines for orthopedics are among the hotspot and difficulty in the rational medication of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), because they mostly contain toxic medicinal herbs and oriented to special patients. According to the hospital pharmacy practices and the therapeutic theories of TCM, this paper focused on a novel model of rational drug use of Chinese patent medicine for orthopedics based on the principles of ″syndrome-dosage-toxicity differentiation″. We also proposed relevant specifications for guiding their clinical use. Firstly, we proposed a list of the primary clinical application characteristics for rational drug use of orthopedic TCMs, including the syndromes of patient, the dosage of medicine and the toxic ingredients in medicine. Secondly, a database was established for recording the package inserts of all of the 81 orthopedic patent medicines in our hospital, and 2 000 retrospective recipes were analyzed for looking for the high-frequency medicines and common irrational factors. Then clinical case reports involving the adverse reactions and side effects of related drugs were searched from CNKI, VIP and WanFang databases. Then the key information for rational application of each medicine was extracted from these resources and some survey questionnaires. Finally, we established a guide named instructions for clinical use of orthopedic Chinese patient medicines (ICUOCPM) after the discusstion with experts. According to the effect after the practice in hospital for 2 months, the proposed principles of ″syndrome-dosage-toxicity differentiation″ in this paper were believed to be the core elements and the most important clinical monitoring points in TCM for orthopedic patents. It would provide innovative ideas, theoretical guarantee and data support for the development of TCM clinical pharmacy., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

Objective: To observe the effect of Liandouqingmai recipe (Chinese herbal medicine compound preparation) on the quality of life (QOL) and inflammatory reaction of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD)., Methods: A total of 101 CHD patients were randomized into two groups: treatment group (n = 45) receiving standard treatment for CHD plus Liandouqingmai recipe, and control group (n = 56) receiving standard treatment only. The control group contained 16 normal healthy subjects. Changes in hs-C-reactive protein (CRP), peripheral blood leucocytes (PBL), and interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 levels were measured. The Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) was used to determine patient QOL before and after treatment for 2 weeks., Results: Before treatment, SAQ scores [physical limitation (PL), angina stability (AS), angina frequency (AF), treatment satisfaction (TS), and disease perception (DP)] were not statistically different between groups. After treatment, AS and DP levels of controls were significantly increased compared with the other groups, while PL,AS, AF, TS, and DP levels of the treatment group were significantly increased compared with controls. Treatment group SAQ scores (PL, AS, AF, TS, and DP) were significantly higher than for controls. CHD patient IL-6 and IL-10 levels were significantly higher than controls. Before treatment, mean levels of IL-6, hs-CRP and PBL of the two groups were not statistically different. After treatment, mean levels of IL-6, IL-10, hs-CRP and PBL of the two groups were significantly decreased compared with their before treatment values, and levels of IL-6, hs-CRP, and PBL of the treatment group were lower than controls. Although mean IL-10 levels of both groups decreased, there was no significant difference in between-group and in-roup comparisons before and after treatment. Mean levels of IL-6 and IL-10 in the normal group were lower than in CHD patients. SAQ scores of QOL were negatively associated with the inflammatory index (IL-6/IL-10), and there was a significant negative association of IL-10 with AS (r = - 0.15, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Inflammatory reactions in CHD patients are related to angina status. Coadministration of CHD standard treatment and Liandouqingmai recipe increased patient SAQ scores by decreasing IL-6, IL-10, hs-CRP, and PBL levels in CHD patients, which might inhibit endothelial inflammation to improve patient QOL.

Objective: To evaluate the anginal attack-relieving efficacy and safety of Kuanxiong Aerosol (KA) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD)., Methods: A total of 780 patients confirmatively diagnosed as CHD angina from November 2011 to December 2012 in 13 medical centers in the mainland area were assigned to 2 groups by blocked randomization, the treatment group (376 cases) and the control group (374 cases). When the angina attacked, patients in the treatment group received sublingual spray three times, 0.6 mL each time, while those in the control group sublingually dissolved Nitroglycerin Tablet (NT), 0.5 mg each tablet. The effective rate of angina relief, efficacy of electrocardiogram (ECG), and the incidence of adverse reactions were observed., Results: The 3 min and 5 min remission rates of angina attack were 53.72% (202/376) and 94.41% (355/376) in the treatment group, and 47.86% (179/374) and 90.64% (339/374) in the control group. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of the difference between the 2 groups of 3 min and 5 min remission rates of angina attacks were [(-1.84%, 12.32%) and (-1.33%, 6.85%) respectively, P > 0.05]. The total improvement rates of ST-T changes in the treatment group and the control group after treatment were 74.07% and 73.13% respectively (P > 0.05). The adverse reaction rate was 9.31 (35/376 cases) in the treatment group and 22.46% (84/374 cases) in the control group (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: KA was not inferior to NT in relieving anginal attacks and improving ischemic ECG changes, and had obviously less adverse reaction.

Objective: To observe the effects of Liandouqingmai Recipe on life quality and vascular endothelial injury in patients with coronary heart disease., Methods: Capitalized 101 patients with coronary heart disease were randomly divided into a treatment group (n = 45) treated with Liandouqingmai Recipe and a standard treatment group (control group, n = 56). A normal group of 16 healthy persons was additionally set up. Changes in ET-1 and NO levels were measured and Seatle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) was adopted in studying life quality before and after treatment for two weeks. The data were analyzed with SPSS 16.0 statistic software., Results: The average level of ET-1 in the normal group was lower and NO higher than that of patients with coronary heart disease. There was no significant difference in the average level of ET-1 and NO and in the scores of SAQ [physical limitation (PL), apngina stability (AS), apngina frequency (AF), treatment satisfaction (TS) and disease perception (DP)] between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). But after treatment, the scores of SAQ (PL, AS, AF, TS, DP) and NO level were higher than those in the control group, and ET-1 average level in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group. The negative relations between PL and ET-1 and between AF and ET-1 were found in this study., Conclusion: Liandouqingmai Recipe can raise scores of SAQ and NO level and decline ET level in patients with coronary heart disease on the basis of convertional standard treatment, thus improving vascular endothelial function and life quality. Life quality is related to vascular endothelial function.

Objective: To study the changes of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation rate, and evaluate the effects of Maixuekang Capsule (MC) on the platelet aggregation rate, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and the long-term prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome under percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods: Totally 236 inpatients with acute coronary syndrome under PCI, who successively received PCI from July 2008 to June 2010, were randomly assigned to the routine treatment group (RTT, 120 cases) and the MC treatment group (MKT, 116 cases). Besides routine medication, patients in the MKT group additionally took MC, 12 capsules daily for 12 successive months. The ADP-induced platelet aggregation rate and hs-CRP concentration were determined before PCI, 12 h and 30 days after PCI. In the meantime, the incidence of adverse cardio-/cerebrovascular events was recorded during the twelve-month clinical follow-up. Results Compared with before PCI, ADP-induced platelet aggregation rate and the serum hs-CRP concentration were significantly higher 12 h after PCI (P < 0.05). They were significantly reduced after 30-day treatment of MC, showing statistical difference when compared with those in the RTT group (P < 0.05). In the 12-month follow-up, the incidence of adverse cardio-/cerebrovascular events was significantly lower in the MKT group than in the RTT group (6.9% vs 12.5%, P < 0.01)., Conclusions: ADP-induced platelet aggregation function was significantly elevated after PCI, which was a predictive factor of poor coronary events. MC improved the long-term prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome possibly through inhibiting the platelet aggregation rate and the hs-CRP concentration.

This paper reviewed the retrieved literature published in the last 10 years, regarding the mechanism of Radix Astragalus in treating heart failure, in aspects of myocardial contraction improvement, cardiac muscle cell protection, neuro-endocrinal system regulation, relative cytokine regulation, and left ventricular remodeling inhibition, etc.

Objective: To observe effects of Liandou Qingmai Recipe (see text) on endothelin-1 (ET-1), nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 levels in patients with coronary heart disease., Methods: Total 101 cases with coronary heart disease were randomly divided into a treatment group (n = 45) treated by Liandou Qingmai Recipe and a standard treatment group (control group, n = 56), with a normal group of 16 health persons set up. Changes of ET-1, NO, IL-6 and IL-10 levels were measured before treatment and after treatment for two weeks. And the data were analyzed by SPSS 16.0 statistic software., Results: Before treatment, the levels of ET-1, IL-6 and IL-10 levels were significantly higher and NO was significantly lower in the patients with coronary heart disease than those in the normal group (90.7 +/- 12.7 ng/L vs 41.8 +/- 13.5 ng/L, 9.17 +/- 0.18 ng/L vs 1.10 +/- 0.08 ng/L, 1.94 +/- 0.26 ng/L vs 1.09 +/- 0.06 ng/L, and 92.2 +/- 17.7 micromol/L vs 124.5 +/- 27.2 micromol/L; all P < 0.05), with no significant differences in the levels of ET-1, NO, IL-6 and IL-10 between the treatment group and the control group (P > 0.05); After treatment, ET-1 and IL-6 significantly decreased in the treatment group and the control group, and NO increased in the treatment group; And IL-6 level was significantly lower and NO level was higher in the treatment group than those in the control group (4.48 +/- 1.22 ng/L vs 5.13 +/- 1.85 ng/L, 117.4 +/- 22.3 micromol/L vs 92.4 +/- 17.1 micromol/L; both P < 0.05); There was a positive correlation between IL-6 and IL-10, and a negative correlation between NO and IL-10 (r = 0.142, r = -0.152; both P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Liandou Qingmai Recipe can decline IL-6, IL-10 and ET-1 levels, and raise NO level in patients with coronary heart disease on the basis of standard treatment, so as to inhibit endothelial inflammatory response, improve vascular endothelial function, with stronger anti-AS action; And vascular endothelial lesion is related with inflammatory response.

Radix Astragali, a Chinese herbal medicine possessing important cardiovascular pharmacologic effects, is widely applied for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) in clinical practice. This paper summarizes briefly the researches in the last 10 years on its chemical compositions, effective ingredients for improving cardiac function, dose-effect relationship in treating CHF, and adverse reactions that occurred in clinical practice.

Objective: To investigate molecular mechanisms underlying in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease by Pulsatilla decoction., Methods: Wistar male rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, model + positive control group (mesalazine), traditional Chinese medicine treatment group, in addition, the Chinese medical treatment group was divided into middle and high dose group ( n = 8). Intragastric administration was used in the positive control group and traditional Chinese medicine treatment group. The expression of Smad7 and p-Smad3 in the colons were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot., Results: Compared with the model group, positive medicine and traditional Chinese medicine group, especially high-dose group, could effectively inhibit the expression of Smad7, while enhancing the p-Smad3 expression., Conclusion: The activation of TGF-beta1/Smad3 signaling pathway may be the molecular mechanism underlying in the anti-inflammatory effect of inflammatory bowel disease by Pulsatilla decoction.

Objective: To explore the dose-effect relationship of Astragalus granule (AG) on improving the quality of life (QOL) of the patients with chronic heart failure (CHF)., Methods: Ninety CHF patients of Fei ()-qi-deficiency and/or Xin ()-Shen () yang-deficiency syndromes were equally randomized divided with a random number table into three groups; they received the high (7.5 g), moderate (4.5 g), and low dosage (2.25 g) of AG orally taken twice a day, respectively, and 4 mg of perindopril tablet once a day for 30 successive days. The heart function grade, patients' left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and walking distance in 6 min (6mWD) were measured before and after treatment, and the patients' QOL was scored by the Minnesota Questionnaire for QOL evaluation in the patients with CHF at the same time., Results: The heart function grades of all the three groups after treatment were improved compared with those before treatment, but the improvements in high-dose group and moderate dose group were better than that in the low dose group (P<0.05). LVEFs were increased significantly in all the three groups, but the improvements in the high-dose group (59.42%±7.50%) and moderate dose group (61.98%±6.82%) were better than that in the low dose group (51.45%±6.80%, P<0.01); the 6mWDs in the all groups were also significantly increased (P<0.01), up to 419.80±36.23 m, 387.15±34.13 m, and 317.69±39.97 m, respectively; and Minnesota scores in them were lowered to 29.59±4.69 scores, 35.74±5.89 scores, and 42.78±6.06 scores, respectively; comparisons in aspects on 6mWD and Minnesota score showed that the effectiveness with high dose is the most effective, moderate dose as the second, and low dose as the lowest (P<0.01)., Conclusions: AG was sufficient to display an optimal effect on improving heart contraction at the moderate dose. In aspects of improving the QOL of CHF patients, the effectiveness of AG showed a dose-dependent trend. It should be applied discriminatively depending on the actual condition of patients and the aim of treatment in clinic.

Objective: To compare the lipid lowering effects of Zhikang Granule (ZKG) and simvastatin., Methods: Forty-five out-patients with hyperlipemia who met the entry criteria were enrolled and randomized into two groups in the ratio of 2: 1, 30 patients in the ZKG group and 15 patients in the simvastatin group. The lipid lowering effects and safety of treatment during the 24-week therapeutic period, as well as the influence of treatment on plasma high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) level in patients were observed., Results: No significant difference between the two groups was observed in serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) at the 4th, 8th, 12th and 24th week (P > 0.05). However, as compared with baseline, significant reduction of TC and LDL-C in both groups was shown at all the observing time points (P < 0.01), while the changes in TG and HDL-C were insignificant (P > 0.05). The control rates of LDL-C and TC in the ZKG group and the simvastatin group were 86.7% (26/30) versus 100% (15/15) at the 4th week, 80.0% (24/30) versus 100% (15/15) at the 8th week, 53.3% (16/30) versus 60.0% (9/15) at the 12th week, and 90.0% (27/30) versus 93.3% (14/15) at the 24th week, respectively, all showed insignificant difference between groups. No statistical differences were found between groups in levels of plasma transaminase, creatinine, uric acid and hs-CRP (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: ZKG has a definite effect in lowering LDL-C and TC, and it is safe in long-term administration.

Objective: To explore the effects of Astragalus on cardiac function and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) level in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF)., Methods: Forty-five patients of Xin-qi deficiency or Xin-yang deficiency types were assigned to the Chinese medicine (CM) group and the Western medicine (WM) group by a randomizing digital table. Standard treatment for correcting heart failure, including digoxin, diuretics, etc. was administered to both groups, but to the CM group oral medication of Astragalus granule was given additionally at the dosage of 2.25 g twice a day, the treatment for both was continued for two weeks. NYHA cardiac functional grading, serum TNF-alpha level, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and walk distance in 6 min (WD) were measured before and after treatment, and a correlation analysis was carried out., Results: After therapy, the level of TNF-alpha in the two groups decreased (P < 0.05) and it was lower in the CM group [(54.77 +/- 9.34) microg/L] than in the WM group [(62.10 +/- 9.94) microg/L] (P < 0.05); LVEF in the two groups increased (P < 0.05) and it was higher in the CM group [(64.45 +/- 12.47)%] than that in the WM group [(56.03 +/- 13.33)%] (P < 0.05); both groups' WD increased (P < 0.05) and it was longer in the CM group [(446.97 +/- 68.82) m] than in the WM group [(345.40 +/- 63.62) m] (P < 0.05); the improvement of cardiac functional grading in the CM group was outstriper than the WM group (P < 0.05). The improvement in cardiac function was negatively correlated with TNF-alpha level., Conclusion: Astragalus can alleviate the calcium overload-induced myocardial damage and improve both systolic and diastolic functions of heart in patients with CHF.

Objective: To observe the intervention effects of Liandou Qingmai Recipe (LQR) on atherogenic indices of plasma (AIP) and high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD)., Methods: Sixty-eight CHD patients were randomly assigned to two groups, 35 patients in the treatment group and 33 in the control group, all were treated by the regular CHD treatment, but to patients in the treatment group, LQR was given additionally. AIP value was calculated before and after treatment through measuring plasma levels of triglyceride (TG), high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C and LDL-C). Besides, the levels of hs-CRP and peripheral blood leucocyte (PBL) were observed as well., Results: No significant difference existed between groups in all the detected parameters before treatment (P > 0.05). After treatment, levels of LDL-C, HDL-C, hs-CRP and PBL lowered significantly in the control group, but the changes of AIP and TG were insignificant (P > 0.05); while in the treatment group, all the parameters lowered significantly, with the levels of AIP, TG, hs-CRP and PBL significantly lower than those in the control group respectively (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: LQR can decrease levels of AlP and hs-CRP in CHD patients, amplify the diameters of LDL-C granule, and further lower hs-CRP and PLB levels, showing anti-atherosclerosis and anti-inflammation effects.

Hypertension is one of the common cardiovascular diseases, and the role of endothelial dysfunction in pathogenesis and development of hypertension was paid more and more attention to increasingly. The laboratory and clinical studies on the improvement of vascular endothelial function by Chinese herbal medicine in hypertensive patients were reviewed in this paper.