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Background: Ventricular remodeling after acute anterior wall ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (AAMI) is an important factor in occurrence of heart failure which additionally results in poor prognosis. Therefore, the treatment of ventricular remodeling needs to be further optimized. Compound Danshen Dripping Pills (CDDP), a traditional Chinese medicine, exerts a protective effect on microcirculatory disturbance caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury and attenuates ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction., Objective: This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CDDP in improving ventricular remodeling and cardiac function after AAMI on a larger scale., Methods: This study is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. The total of 268 patients with AAMI after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) will be randomly assigned 1:1 to the CDDP group (n=134) and control group (n=134) with a follow-up of 48 weeks. Both groups will be treated with standard therapy of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), with the CDDP group administrating 20 tablets of CDDP before pPCI and 10 tablets 3 times daily after pPCI, and the control group treated with a placebo simultaneously. The primary endpoint is 48-week echocardiographic outcomes including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), and left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI). The secondary endpoint includes the change in N terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level, arrhythmias, and cardiovascular events (death, cardiac arrest, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, rehospitalization due to heart failure or angina pectoris, deterioration of cardiac function, and stroke). Investigators and patients are both blinded to the allocated treatment., Discussion: This prospective study will investigate the efficacy and safety of CDDP in improving ventricular remodeling and cardiac function in patients undergoing pPCI for a first AAMI. Patients in the CDDP group will be compared with those in the control group. If certified to be effective, CDDP treatment in AAMI will probably be advised on a larger scale. (Trial registration No. NCT05000411)., (© 2023. The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

There are 200-500 species of Potentilla(Rosaceae) worldwide, among which 90 species are widely distributed in China and have a long history of ethnic medicinal use. According to our statistics, a total of 367 compounds have been isolated and identified from plants of this genus, including terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, and phenylpropanoids. The medicinal materials made from these plants mainly have antioxidative, blood sugar-lowering, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, cardiovascular system-protecting, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective activities. This study systematically reviews the research progress on chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Potentilla plants to provide a basis for further research and clinical application.

This study aims to investigate the inhibitory effect of Pien Tze Huang(PZH) on enterovirus 71(EV71). To be speci-fic, chemiluminescence method was adopted to evaluate the toxicity of PZH to African green monkey kidney(Vero) cells and human rhabdomyosarcoma(RD) cells, and cytopathic effect(CPE) method to assess the inhibition on EV71-GFP reporter virus and EV71 C4 wild-type virus. The results showed that PZH had low cytotoxicity to Vero cells and RD cells, with the half-maximal cytotoxic concentration(CC_(50)) of about 0.691 3-0.879 2 mg·mL~(-1) for the two. In addition, PZH can effectively inhibit the replication of EV71 within the non-cytotoxic concentration range, and dose-dependently alleviate the cytopathic changes caused by virus infection, with the half-maximal effective concentration(EC_(50)) of 0.009 2-0.106 3 mg·mL~(-1). On the basis of the above results, the green fluorescent protein(GFP), indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA), and median tissue culture infective dose(TCID_(50)) were employed to assess and verify the anti-EV71-GFP and anti-EV71 C4 activity of PZH. The results demonstrated that PZH can dose-dependently lower the expression of GFP by EV71-GFP and structural protein VP-1 by EV71 C4 and decrease the production of progeny infectious viruses. The EC_(50) of PZH for EV71-GFP and EV71 C4 was about 0.006 0-0.006 2 mg·mL~(-1) and 0.006 6-0.025 6 mg·mL~(-1), respectively. This study suggested that PZH may exert antiviral activity by acting on EV71 and interfering with the expression of VP-1. At the moment, there is still a lack of specific anti-EV71 drugs. This study proposed a new idea for the symptomatic treatment of EV71 infections such as hand-foot-mouth disease and verified an effective drug for the treatment of EV71 infections.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP) and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine(BATMAN-TCM) were searched for the effective components and targets of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction. The relevant targets for endometriosis(EMT) and dysmenorrhea were retrieved from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database(CTD), Therapeutic Target Database(TTD), GeneCards, and DisGeNET with the terms of "endometriosis" and "dysmenorrhea". Cytoscape 3.8.0 was employed to construct the drug-active component-therapeutic target network. A protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was established by STRING 11.0. Analyze Network, the plug-in in the Cytoscape 3.8.0, was used to calculate the topological parameters of the nodes and screen out the critical proteins in the network. The potential therapeutic targets were imported into RStudio and subjected to Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analyses with clusterProfiler package. Finally, the AutoDock Vina(Vina) platform was used for molecular docking to predict the binding degree of the main active components of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction to key targets. As revealed by the screening results, 136 active components and 380 targets of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction were obtained. Additionally, there were 1 627 targets related to EMT and 142 targets related to dysmenorrhea with 107 common targets, and 42 potential therapeutic targets of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction for the treatment of EMT-induced dysmenorrhea. The targets such as interleukin 6(IL6) and prostaglandi-nendoperoxide synthase-2(PTGS2) were pivotal in the biological network of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction intervention in EMT-induced dysmenorrhea, which involved multiple signaling pathways, including inflammation, hormones, and those promoted cell proliferation [e.g., mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase(PI3 K)-protein kinase B(AKT)]. The results of molecular docking showed that the active components of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction had good binding capacities to key targets such as IL6 and PTGS2. The findings of this study demonstrated that Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction could treat EMT-induced dysmenorrhea through multiple targets and multiple pathways, which could provide new ideas for investigating the underlying mechanism of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of EMT-induced dysmenorrhea.

Chronic heart failure is a common and fatal disease triggered by loss of normal cardiac function. Yiqi Fumai Lyophilized Injection is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, especially chronic heart failure. In this study, a model of chronic heart failure in mice was established with permanent coronary artery ligation followed by Yiqi Fumai Lyophilized Injection intervention for 14 days. Then, the endogenous metabolites of mice plasma and urine samples were screened through nontargeted metabolomics techniques. The results indicated that Yiqi Fumai Lyophilized Injection treatment changed the metabolic pattern of chronic heart failure and regulated valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, histidine metabolism and arginine biosynthesis, etc. Finally, the cardioprotective mechanism of Yiqi Fumai Lyophilized Injection was further verified in the mouse model of chronic heart failure and angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibroblasts based on metabolomics. The results showed that Yiqi Fumai Lyophilized Injection could inhibit myocardial fibrosis to improve chronic heart failure. This study firstly elucidated the metabolic network and pathways regulated by Yiqi Fumai Lyophilized Injection, which might facilitate the realization of the clinically accurate application of Yiqi Fumai Lyophilized Injection in the treatment of chronic heart failure., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

PingTang No.5 capsule (PT5), a modified Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula of Zexie Decoction, is used to treat patients with lipid metabolism disorders in our hospital. The present study was designed to investigate the mechanisms of PT5 in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). PT5 information including ingredients, pharmacological properties, and potential targets was obtained from TCM databases. The candidate targets of PT5 were predicted by network pharmacological analysis, and the possible pathway and mechanism were obtained from DAVID database, followed by experimental validation in NAFLD mice model treated with PT5. Total 328 compounds were selected using the threshold oral bioactivity (OB) > 30% or drug-likeness (DL) > 0.1 of pharmacology characteristic, and 1033 candidate targets obtained to construct the network analysis. The 113 targets were selected from the intersection between candidate targets of PT5 and NAFLD relative gene. These targets were evaluated in diabetic complications, cancer, Hepatitis B, Fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, and TNF signaling pathway. TNF-α was the important factor in protein interaction analysis of STRING and involved in the lipid regulation and oxidative stress in NAFLD. When administrated to the NAFLD mice, PT5 reduced weight, blood fatty acids, decreased the adipocyte size, and improved the metabolism. Besides, the molecular verification of lipid metabolism increased and oxidative stress reduced that interpreted the mechanism of PT5 preventing liver cell from lipid accumulation and injury of NAFLD. These results presented PT5 have the potential therapy as an alternative treatment for NAFLD., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

The screening of marker compound is of great significance to the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). One approach which combines fingerprint and biological evaluation has developed rapidly. Multi-wavelength fusion fingerprints and antioxidant activity screening are integrated in this study to evaluate the quality of NAODESHENG. Characteristic multiwavelength fusion fingerprints of 14 batches of samples were generated at five different wavelengths and evaluated by quantitative fingerprinting with ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). In the quantitative fingerprinting method, 21 components in NAODESHENG were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by external standard method. The antioxidant activities of these 21 components was determined by pre-column antioxidant activity test. Multivariate statistical methods such as hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis(PCA) was used to reduce the dimensions and variables from a large number of original data to screening marker compound with bioactivity. Based on the above results, it is suggested that 3'-Methoxy Puerarin and 11 other components should be used as the quality marker of NAODESHENG. This study demonstrates the feasibility of multi-wavelength fusion fingerprinting combined with antioxidant activity analysis, which associates quality control with bioactivity, providing a reliable and efficient method for quantitative assessment of TCM quality consistency., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To provide the ancient literary evidence support for the clinical application and development of classical prescription based on systematical collection and analysis of the ancient Chinese medical literature containing Jinshui Liujun Jian, including its origin and development. Bibliometric analysis was used and information of Jinshui Liujun Jian in ancient Chinese medical literature was then collected for statistical analysis of formula compositions, main indications, dosage, preparation methods, etc. A total of 151 valid items of data were obtained from 48 ancient Chinese medicine books. Jinshui Liujun Jian was first recorded in Jingyue Quanshu written by ZHANG Jiebin. This prescription consisted of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Pinelliae Rhizome, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Poria and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizome Praeparata cum Melle, and it was mainly used to treat the deficiency of lung and kidney, edema and excess production of phlegm, or Yin deficiency in the old, insufficient blood-qi, wind-cold evil, cough and disgusting, asthma and excessive phlegm. Doctors in later dynasties mostly followed the prescription compositions, dosages and indications in Jingyue Quanshu, and extended the clinical application of this prescription.

Plant growth regulator is a kind of synthetic pesticide with similar physiological activity to plant hormones. It has been widely used in grain, vegetables, fruits, flowers and other crops, and become an important technical guarantee for high yield, stable yield, high quality and efficient production of crops. In recent years, plant growth regulator is widely used in Chinese herbal medicine production for regulating the growth and development and increasing production of traditional. However the crop is different from general Chinese medicinal materials, the use of plant growth regulator should not only consider the effect of Chinese herbal medicine production, and also pay special attention to the influence of Chinese traditional medicine efficacy and safety. This paper reviewed the application of plant growth regulator in the traditional Chinese medicine, the impact on the quality and safety of Chinese medicinal materials, as well as plant growth regulator of residue limits standards and testing technology, so as to the scientific use of plant growth regulator, to promote Chinese standardization planting, provide the scientific basis to protect the safety of herbal medicine. At present, the indiscriminate use and abuse of plant growth regulators such as Zhuanggenling and bulking element are common in the production of Chinese crude drugs, which has led to a significant decline in the quality of some Chinese crude drugs, and resulted in the dual residual harm to the Chinese crude drugs and the cultivation environment, causing serious safety risks to human health. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the registration management, use norms and limit standards of plant growth regulators in traditional Chinese medicinal materials, and strengthen the supervision and regulations on the use of fertilizer instead of medicine to avoid pesticide registration and other disorders, so as to provide a basis for the quality and safety monitoring of traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Simultaneously, it is encouraged to reduction or non-application of plant growth regulators in the production of Chinese medicinal materials, especially for traditional Chinese medicine which contains a variety of active ingredients. Therefore, it is actively advocated to cultivate Chinese medicinal materials through organic or ecological method.

Gelsemium elegans Benth. ( G. elegans ), a traditional Chinese medicine, has great potential as an effective growth promoter in animals, however, the mechanism of its actin remains unclear. Here, we evaluated the protective effects of koumine extract from G. elegans against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction in IPEC-J2 cells through alleviation of inflammation and oxidative stress. MTT and LDH assays revealed that koumine significantly reduced LPS cytotoxicity. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and cell monolayer permeability assays showed that koumine treatment attenuated the LPS-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction with no particularly different effects in tight junction proteins such as ZO-1, claudin-1, and occludin. LPS-triggered inflammatory response was also suppressed by koumine, as evidenced by the downregulated inflammatory factors, including TNF- α , IL-6, IL-1 β , NO, iNOS, and COX-2, which was closely connected with the inhibition of NF- κ B pathway for the decrease of phosphorylation of I κ B α and NF- κ B and nuclear translocation of p-p65. Amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA induced by LPS was also reduced by koumine through activation of Nrf2 pathway, and increased in the levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 degradation of keap-1 to promote anti-oxidants, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). To summarize, koumine-reduced the oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction triggered by LPS through regulation of the Nrf2/NF- κ B signaling pathway and preventing intestinal barrier dysfunction.

To cope with the " six major scientific problems" and the " five major technical challenges" of intelligent manufacturing and lean production of Chinese medicine( CM),we systematically proposed strategies,methods and the engineering theory of intelligent and lean manufacturing for CM by integrating the holistic view of traditional Chinese medicine and the concepts inspired from international advanced pharmaceutical technology. Moreover,the translational research of the theory and methods was successfully applied to six CMs such as Xuesaitong Injection. Several intelligent production lines were designed and built on the basis of the theory and methods,which greatly accelerated the digitalization,networking,and intelligence manufacture for CM. As a conclusion,the theory and applications provide technical demonstration for technical upgrading and high-quality development of CM industry.

The multicomponent pharmacokinetic study of herbal medicine is a great challenge due to the low plasma concentrations, large range of concentration scales, lack of authentic standards and uncertain interactions of the components. The aim of this work was to explore the in vivo pharmacokinetics of herbal medicine independently of authentic standards using an integrated analytical strategy. First, ion pairs of multiple components were tuned and selected, and then major parameters were optimized for derivative multiple reaction monitoring (DeMRM) by LC-MS/MS, which was combined with characterization of the chemical profiles of the herbal medicine by LC-QqTOF/MS. Second, different concentrations of herbal extracts were employed instead of authentic standards to construct calibration curves for the semiquantitative determination of multiple components in plasma. Taking Gelsemium elegans as an example, in addition to the fully validated and sufficient methodological results, a total of 27 alkaloid components, major bioactive constituents of Gelsemium elegans, were simultaneously monitored in pig plasma. The concentration-time profiles and pharmacokinetic properties of these 27 components were characterized. The absolute quantification of three components was compared with the results obtained using authentic standards, and the method showed very similar analytical characteristics, such as linearity, precision, accuracy, and the values of the pharmacokinetic parameters T max , Vd, Cl and MRT. This analytical strategy was found to be capable of assessing herbal pharmacokinetics independently of specific authentic compounds for each component. This study was the first attempt to systematically reveal the in vivo pharmacokinetics of Gelsemium elegans. This strategy and methodology will find widespread use in the quantitative pharmacokinetic analysis of multiple components independently of standards for herbal medicine, among other applications., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Zhibai Dihuang Granule (ZDG), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) made from eight Chinese herbs, has been classically used to treat Yin-deficiency-heat (YDH) syndrome. ZDG is well known with the therapeutic efficacy of nourishing Yin and decreasing internal heat in clinic, but the mechanism of ZDG's therapeutic effect is still not clear., Materials and Methods: High doses of triiodothyronine (T3) were given intraperitoneally to induce Hyperthyroid YDH syndrome in SD rats. The animals were then treated with ZDG for one week. The iTRAQ-coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (2D LC-MS/MS) technique was used to screen the differentially expressed serum proteins between ZDG treated rats and YDH syndrome rats. The differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by bioinformatics method and were verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)., Results: A total of 55 differentially expressed proteins were identified, including 23 up-regulated proteins (>1.25 fold, p < 0.05) and 32 down-regulated proteins (<0.80 fold, p < 0.05). Among the differentially expressed proteins, 26 proteins returned to normal after ZDG treatment. Bioinformatics analysis showed that these proteins were mainly involved in immune response, including regulation of immune system process, complement activation, and humoral immune response mediated by circulating immunoglobulin. ELISA revealed significantly increased levels of Zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (Azgp1), L-selectin, C-reactive protein (Crp), Plasminogen (Plg), Kininogen 1 (Kng1), and significantly decreased levels of Mannose binding lectin 2 (Mbl2) and Complement C1qb chain (C1qb) in ZDG treated rats compared with YDH syndrome rats. Bioinformatics analyses indicated that Azgp1 participated in antigen processing and presentation, Crp, C1qb, and Mbl2 were involved in complement activation, while L-selectin, Plg, and Kng1 were involved in regulating the inflammatory response., Conclusions: Our study provides experimental evidence to understand the therapeutic mechanism of ZDG in YDH syndrome. The results suggested that ZDG may regulate the complement activation and inflammatory response, and promote the ability to recognize antigens to alleviate YDH syndrome., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

An efficient method combined with fingerprint and chemometric analyses was developed to evaluate the quality of the traditional Chinese medicine plant Penthorum chinense Pursh. Nine samples were collected from different regions during different harvest periods, and 17 components in the form of extracts were simultaneously examined to assess quality by using high-performance liquid chromatography. The hepatoprotective effects of components were investigated by assessing the inhibition of SMMC-7721 cell growth. The results indicated that the quality control method was accurate, stable, and reliable, and the hierarchical heat-map cluster and the principle component analyses confirmed that the classification of all nine samples was consistent. Quercetin and ellagitannins including pinocembrin-7-O-[3''-O-galloyl-4'',6''-hexahydroxydiphenoyl]-β-glucose (PGHG), thonningianin A, thonningianin B, and other flavonoids were abundant in the extracts, and significantly contributed to the hepatoprotective effects.

To establish an on-line monitoring method for extraction process of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, the formula medicinal material of Yiqi Fumai lyophilized injection by combining near infrared spectroscopy with multi-variable data analysis technology. The multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) model was established based on 5 normal batches in production and 2 test batches were monitored by PC scores, DModX and Hotelling T2 control charts. The results showed that MSPC model had a good monitoring ability for the extraction process. The application of the MSPC model to actual production process could effectively achieve on-line monitoring for extraction process of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, and can reflect the change of material properties in the production process in real time. This established process monitoring method could provide reference for the application of process analysis technology in the process quality control of traditional Chinese medicine injections., 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.)

Objectives: To investigate the resistance and virulence profiles of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) and its treatment by Chinese medicine (CM) Fuzheng Qingre Lishi Formula (, FQLF)., Methods: UPEC strains were isolated from recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) patients. Patient sensitivities to 17 antibiotics were tested by the disk diffusion method. Virulence genes were screened by plolymerase chain reaction. A mouse model was constructed using a multi-drug resistant and virulent UPEC strain and treated with FQLF or the antibiotic imipenem. The treatment efficacy was evaluated by bacterial clearance from urine and the urinary organs., Results: A total of 90 UPEC strains were collected, and 94.4% of the isolates were resistant to at least 1 antibiotic. Approximately 66.7% of the UPEC strains were multi-drug resistant. More than one virulence gene was found in 85.6% of the isolates. The extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL)-positive strains were more resistant than the negative ones. The virulence gene number was positively correlated with the resistance number (P<0.05). A mouse model was successfully constructed using UPEC10. Treatment with either FQLF or antibiotics significantly cleared bacteria from the mouse urine after 14 days. In the untreated control, the bacteria lasted for 28 days. FQLF treatment of the UTI mouse model greatly reduced the bacterial number in the kidney and bladder, but could not completely clear the bacteria., Conclusions: Multi-drug resistance is common among UPEC isolates, and the resistance is positively related with virulence. FQLF could treat UPEC UTIs, but could not completely clear the bacteria from the host.

Objective To observe the prevention of Fangshuan Capsule (FC) on percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) induced myocardial damage and vascular endothelial injury in patients with un- stable angina pectoris (UAP). Methods Totally 100 UAP patients undergoing PCI were assigned to the control group and the treatment group by random digit table, 50 in each group. All patients received routine Western medicine therapy. Those in the treatment group additionally took FC, 6 pills each time, three times per day for at least 2 days before PCI operation. The therapeutic course for each group was 2 weeks. The clinical therapeutic effect was observed in the two groups. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) , changes of myocardial oxygen consumption ( HR x SBP, kPa/min) were compared. The levels of serum troponin I (cTn 1), creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB) , myoglobin (MYO) , endothelin (ET), and nitric oxide (NO) were measured before PCI, and 6, 12, 24 h, 3 and 7 days after PCI. Results The markedly effective rate of Chinese medical syndromes was 54% (17/50) and the total effective rate was 94% (47/50) in the treatment group, obviously higher than those of the control group [26% (13/50) and 88% (44/50) ; P <0. 01]. Compared with before treatment in the same group, HR, SBP, myocardial oxygen consumption, and plasma ET level were reduced, plasma NO level was elevated in two groups after treatment (P <0.05, P <0. 01). cTnl concentration increased at 6, 12, 24 h, and day 3 (P <0. 05, P <0. 01 ) ; CK-MB concentration was elevated at 6, 12, and 24 h (P <0. 05, P <0. 01) ; MYO concentration increased at 6 and 12 h (P < 0. 01) in the control group after treatment. cTnl concentration increased at 12 and 24 h (P <0. 05, P <0. 01); CK-MB concentration was elevated at 6 and 12 h (P <0. 05) ; MYO concentration increased at 6 h (P <0. 01) in the treatment group after treatment. Compared with the control group at the same time point, HR, myocardial oxygen consumption, and plasma ET level decreased (P <0. 05); cTnl decreased at 6, 12, and 24 h (P <0. 05); CK-MB concentration decreased at 12 h (P <0. 05); MYO concentration decreased at 6 and 12 h (P <0. 05) in the treatment group after treatment. Conclusion FC could effectively improve scores of Chinese medical syndromes after PCI surgery, reduce myocardial oxygen consumption, attenuate myocar- dial damage and vascular endothelial injury in UAP patients after PCI.

Currently, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been considered as an efficient tool for achieving process analytical technology(PAT) in the manufacture of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products. In this article, the NIRS based process analytical system for the production of salvianolic acid for injection was introduced. The design of the process analytical system was described in detail, including the selection of monitored processes and testing mode, and potential risks that should be avoided. Moreover, the development of relative technologies was also presented, which contained the establishment of the monitoring methods for the elution of polyamide resin and macroporous resin chromatography processes, as well as the rapid analysis method for finished products. Based on author's experience of research and work, several issues in the application of NIRS to the process monitoring and control in TCM production were then raised, and some potential solutions were also discussed. The issues include building the technical team for process analytical system, the design of the process analytical system in the manufacture of TCM products, standardization of the NIRS-based analytical methods, and improving the management of process analytical system. Finally, the prospect for the application of NIRS in the TCM industry was put forward., 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.)

Ding-Zhi-Xiao-Wan (DZXW) is a traditional Chinese medicine widely used for treating depression. To clarify the bioactive constituents of DZXW, a new rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS(E)) method was established in this study, with the whole extract of the formula separated into multiple components to facilitate the analytical process. In total, 97 compounds were detected and 88 were identified in DZXW. Based on their exact masses, fragmentation characteristics, and retention times, 85 of the 88 compounds were confirmed either conclusively or tentatively, and three potentially novel compounds were identified. In addition, following a three-day oral administration of DZXW, 60 and 28 compounds were observed in the plasma of normal and depressive rats, respectively. Finally, by combining our data with pharmacological information, 10 compounds were predicted as the likely bioactive constituents of DZXW as an antidepressant agent. Our approach provided a rapid method for characterising the chemical constituents of DZXW, and we were the first to screen for bioactive indexes in the plasma of depressive rats. Furthermore, our results provide useful chemical information that could be employed for further study of the pharmacodynamic material basis of DZXW's antidepressant effects., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Reactive oxygen species are damaging to cardiomyocytes. H9c2 cardiomyocytes are commonly used to study the cellular mechanisms and signal transduction in cardiomyocytes, and to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of drugs following oxidative damage. The present study developed a robust, automated high throughput screening (HTS) assay to identify cardioprotective agents from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) library using a H2O2‑induced oxidative damage model in H9c2 cells. Using this HTS format, several hits were identified as cardioprotective by detecting changes to cell viability using the cell counting kit (CCK)‑8 assay. Two TCM extracts, KY‑0520 and KY‑0538, were further investigated. The results of the present study demonstrated that treatment of oxidatively damaged cells with KY‑0520 or KY‑0538 markedly increased the cell viability and superoxide dismutase activity, decreased lactate dehydrogenase activity and malondialdehyde levels, and inhibited early growth response‑1 (Egr‑1) protein expression. The present study also demonstrated that KY‑0520 or KY‑0538 treatment protected H9c2 cells from H2O2‑induced apoptosis by altering the Bcl-2/Bax protein expression ratio, and decreasing the levels of cleaved caspase‑3. In addition, KY‑0520 and KY‑0538 reduced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38‑MAPK proteins, and inhibited the translocation of Egr‑1 from the cytoplasm to nucleus in H2O2-treated H9c2 cells. These findings suggested that oxidatively damaged H9c2 cells can be used for the identification of cardioprotective agents that reduce oxidative stress by measuring cell viabilities using CCK‑8 in an HTS format. The underlying mechanism of the cardioprotective activities of KY‑0520 and KY‑0538 may be attributed to their antioxidative activity, regulation of Egr‑1 and apoptosis‑associated proteins, and the inhibition of ERK1/2, p38-MAPK and Egr-1 signaling pathways.

YinHuang drop pill (YHDP) is a new preparation, derived from the traditional YinHuang (YH) decoction. Since drop pills are one of the newly developed forms of Chinese patent drugs, not much research has been done regarding the quality and efficacy. This study aims to establish a comprehensive quantitative analysis of the chemical profile of YHDP. ultra high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was used to identify 34 non-sugar small molecules including 15 flavonoids, 9 phenolic acids, 5 saponins, 1 iridoid, and 4 iridoid glycosides in YHDP samples, and 26 of them were quantitatively determined. Sugar composition of YHDP in terms of fructose, glucose and sucrose was examined via a high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector on an amide column (HPLC-NH2P-ELSD). Macromolecules were examined by high performance gel permeation chromatography coupled with ELSD (HPGPC-ELSD). The content of the drop pill's skeleton component PEG-4000 was also quantified via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with charged aerosol detector (UHPLC-CAD). The results showed that up to 73% (w/w) of YHDP could be quantitatively determined. Small molecules accounted for approximately 5%, PEG-4000 represented 68%, while no sugars or macromolecules were found. Furthermore, YHDP showed no significant differences in terms of daily dosage, compared to YinHuang granules and YinHuang oral liquid; however, it has a higher small molecules content compared to YinHuang lozenge., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper summarized the recent 30 years research progress of the chemical constituents from Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix. The chemical constituents from Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix mainly consist of coumarins, polyene-polyacetylenes, sesquiterpenes, phenolic acids, while steroids and flavonoids were less reported. All constituents were confirmed and corrected through SciFinder. We also checked the Chinese name and English name and listed the CAS number of each compound. It can provide some guidelines for the research, development and utilization of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix in the future. Whether there is columbianin in the Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix need to be further researched.

After studying the discipline of chemical components distribution in peony root, it was found that the content distribution of albiflorin, paeoniflorin, benzoylpaeoniflorin and paeonol was inhomogeneous in different parts of peony root, as same as in different roots belonging to a same plant. Therefore, in order to minimize the effects of different qualities of materials on experimental result, the content changing percentages of four chemical components was chosen as indicators to study processing method of Paeoniae Radix Alba. The processing technique of Paeoniae Radix Alba was put peony roots in the boiled water for at most ten minutes, and cut them into 2-3 mm slices after peeling the root bark, finally dry them in a oven under 55 degrees C, which was similar to the traditional processing method used in Bozhou. And the peeling, boiling and drying methods would affect the contents of albiflorin, paeoniflorin, benzoylpaeoniflorin and paeonol on several levels.

Zebrafish has unique advantages over other animal models in the aspect of drug screens for active ingredients and gains more and more attentions in drug research and development recently. Thus, this article reviews the recent advance of zebrafish-based drug screens in Chinese traditional medicine (TCM) effective part research, monomer drug screening, activity evaluation of natural products, discovery of new uses for old drugs, and toxicity assessment in early-phase drug discovery.

Triple reuptake inhibitors that block dopamine transporters (DATs), norepinephrine transporters (NETs), and serotonin transporters (SERTs) are being developed as a new class of antidepressants that might have better efficacy and fewer side effects than traditional antidepressants. In this study, we performed in vitro binding and uptake assays as well as in vivo behavioural tests to assess the pharmacological properties and antidepressant-like efficacy of Yuanzhi-1. In vitro, Yuanzhi-1 had a high affinity for SERTs, NETs, and DATs prepared from rat brain tissue (Ki=3.95, 4.52 and 0.87nM, respectively) and recombinant cells (Ki=2.87, 6.86 and 1.03nM, respectively). Moreover, Yuanzhi-1 potently inhibited the uptake of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) into rat brain synaptosomes (Ki=2.12, 4.85 and 1.08nM, respectively) and recombinant cells (Ki=1.65, 5.32 and 0.68nM, respectively). In vivo, Yuanzhi-1 decreased immobility in a dose-dependent manner, which was shown among rats via the forced-swim test (FST) and mice via the tail-suspension test (TST). The results observed in the behavioural tests did not appear to result from the stimulation of locomotor activity. Repeated Yuanzhi-1 treatment (2.5, 5 or 10mg/kg) significantly reversed depression-like behaviours in chronically stressed rats, including reduced sucrose preference, decreased locomotor activity, and prolonged time to begin eating. Furthermore, in vivo microdialysis studies showed that 5- and 10-mg/kg administrations of Yuanzhi-1 significantly increased the extracellular concentrations of 5-HT, NE and DA in the frontal cortices of freely moving rats. Therefore, Yuanzhi-1 might represent a novel triple reuptake inhibitor and possess antidepressant-like activity., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.)

Objective: An UPLC method was developed to evaluate the quality of Paeoniae Radix by simultaneously determining four components, paeoniflorin, albiflorin, benzoylpaeoniflorin and paeonol in Paeoniae Radix Alba decoction pieces., Method: The UPLC chromatographic column was ACQUITY UPLC® HSS T3. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.05% phosphoric acid water with gradient elution. The column temperature was 30 °C and detection wavelength was 230 nm with a flow rate of 0.4 mL · min(-1). A linear model was obtained through principal component analysis (PCA), and PCA scores were used to evaluate the quality of Radix Paeoniae Alba decoction pieces comprehensively., Result: Paeoniflorin, albiflorin, benzoylpaeoniflorin and paeonol could be well separated from other components, and the results of specificity, precision, repeatability, linearity, recovery rate and stability reached the standards, respectively. The content of paeoniflorin in 9 batches of Paeoniae Radix Alba decoction pieces was below the standard given by Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition). Using the comprehensive scoring method with principal component analysis, the results showed that the samples from Zhejiang province have better quality than those from Anhui and Shandong provinces., Conclusion: The method established in this study can effectively determine the content of paeoniflorin, albiflorin, benzoylpaeoniflorin and paeonol, which could be used for quality control of Paeoniae Radix Alba.

Objective: To study the influence of different drying methods on the quality of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus and thus provide useful reference for its proper drying methods., Method: Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus was processed by eight drying methods including vacuum freeze drying, natural drying in the shade, drying in the sun, oven drying and vacuum drying under different temperature. The contents of the functional ingredients includes chisandrin, gomisin D, gomisin J, schisandrol B, angeloylgomisin H, angeloylgomisin Q, gomisin G, schisantherin A, deoxyschisandrin, schisandrin B, schisandrin C, 5-HMF, total aids and total sugars. The main components change after drying were analyzed by HPLC, ultraviolet spectrophotometry and potentiometric titration. Principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out by SPSS software to evaluate the quality of different processed products from Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus., Result: All these results are in accordance with the requirements of Chinese Pharmacopoeia published in 2010, the contents of schisandrin and total eleven lignans were the highest using vacuum drying, and 5-HMF were the lower, oven drying made little difference but with lower schisandrin and higher 5-HMF as the heat increased., Conclusion: Different drying methods have significant influence on the quality of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus. Oven drying under 5°C should be adopted to substitute drying in the sun according to the China Pharmacopoeia published in 2010 for Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus by comprehensive analysis of the cost, content and practicality.

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) targeted treatment has been a standard therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but it is not tolerated well by all patients. In China, some studies have reported that traditional Chinese medicinal herbs (TCMHs) may increase efficacy and reduce toxicity when combined with EGFR-TKI, but outside of China few studies of this kind have been attempted., Objective: This study is intended to systematically review the existing clinical evidence on TCMHs combined with EGFR-TKI for treatment of advanced NSCLC., Search Strategy: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, the Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), the China BioMedical Literature (CBM), and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and web site of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the World Conference of Lung Cancer (WCLC) were searched; the search included all documents published in English or Chinese before October 2013., Inclusion Criteria: We selected randomized controlled trials based on specific criteria, the most important of which was that a TCMH plus EGFR-TKI treatment group was compared with an EGFR-TKI control group in patients with advanced NSCLC., Data Extraction and Analysis: The modified Jadad scale was used to assess the quality of studies. For each included study, patient characteristics, treatment details, therapeutic approach and clinical outcomes were collected on a standardized form. When disagreements on study inclusion or data extracted from a study emerged, the consensus of all coauthors provided the resolution. The clinical outcome metrics consisted of objective response rate (ORR; complete response + partial response divided by the total number of patients), disease control rate (DCR; complete response + partial response + no change divided by the total number of patients), survival rate, improved or stabilized Karnofsky performance status (KPS), and severe toxicity. RevMan 5.0 software was used for data syntheses and analyses. Risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated; if the hypothesis of homogeneity was not rejected (P>0.1, I(2)<50%), the fixed-effect model was used to calculate the summary RR and the 95% CI. Otherwise, a random-effect model was used., Results: In this review, 19 studies were included based on the selection criteria. Of them, 13 studies were of high quality and 6 studies were of low quality, according to the modified Jadad scale. When the TCMH plus EGFR-TKI treatment groups were compared with the EGFR-TKI control groups the meta-analysis demonstrated a statistically significant higher ORR (RR 1.34; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.57; P=0.000 2), DCR (RR 1.18; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.27; P<0.000 1), one-year survival rate (RR 1.21; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.44; P=0.04), 2-year survival rate (RR 1.91; 95% CI 1.26 to 2.89; P=0.002) and improved or stable KPS (RR 1.38; 95% CI 1.26 to 1.51; P<0.000 01). Severe toxicity for rash was decreased (RR 0.55; 95% CI 0.32 to 0.94; P=0.03), as were nausea and vomiting (RR 0.17; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.72; P=0.02) and diarrhea (RR 0.46; 95% CI 0.24 to 0.89; P=0.02). Sensitivity analysis indicated that findings of the meta-analysis were robust to study quality. In the funnel plot analysis, asymmetry was observed, and publication bias was indicated by Egger's test (P=0.03)., Conclusion: TCMH intervention can increase efficacy and reduce toxicity when combined with EGFR-TKI for advanced NSCLC, although this result requires further verification by more well designed studies.

The ginsenoside-Ro is sensitive to be hydrolyzed in an alkaline medium. This paper investigated the hydrolysis kinetics of ginsenoside-Ro under different pH and temperature values. The results showed ginsenoside-Ro in alkaline solution followed pseudo-first-order reaction. Hydrolysis kinetics of ginsenoside-Ro has not been reported previously. The hydrolysis rate was independent of initial concentration. On the basis of UFLC-MS/MS, NMR, as well as chemical evidence,the structure of hydrolyzate was assigned as 3-O- [beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl- (1 --> 2) -beta-D-glucopyranosyl] -oleanolic acid.

Today, herb medicines have become the major source for discovery of novel agents in countermining diseases. However, many of them are largely under-explored in pharmacology due to the limitation of current experimental approaches. Therefore, we proposed a computational framework in this study for network understanding of herb pharmacology via rapid identification of putative ingredient-target interactions in human structural proteome level. A marketing anti-cancer herb medicine in China, Yadanzi (Brucea javanica), was chosen for mechanistic study. Total 7,119 ingredient-target interactions were identified for thirteen Yadanzi active ingredients. Among them, about 29.5% were estimated to have better binding affinity than their corresponding marketing drug-target interactions. Further Bioinformatics analyses suggest that simultaneous manipulation of multiple proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway and the phosphorylation process of anti-apoptosis may largely answer for Yadanzi against non-small cell lung cancers. In summary, our strategy provides an efficient however economic solution for systematic understanding of herbs' power.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ding-Zhi-Xiao-Wan (DZ, also known as Kai-Xin-San) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of emotional disease. Previously, we have found that in a variety of animal models of depression (such as tail suspension model, model of chronic fatigue and forced swimming model) DZ demonstrated significant antidepressant behavior and promoted the production of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). However, the mechanisms of 5-HT regulation are still unclear. Therefore, the current study is designed to further investigate the antidepressant effect of DZ by observing its influence on 5-HT synthesis, metabolism, transport and other key links, so as to clarify the molecular mechanism of its 5-HT regulation., Materials and Methods: Solitary rising combined with the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CMS) was used to establish the rat model of depression. The rats were given DZ for 3 weeks, the behavior change and the following items in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were detected simultaneously: 5-HT, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), monoamine oxidase (MAO) and 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) were observed., Results: Our results showed that treatment with the DZ significantly improved the behavior and simultaneously increased the 5-HT level in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex tissues and hippocampus extracellular of depressive rats. In future studies revealed that DZ could significantly increase the protein and mRNA expression of the key enzymes TPH during the 5-HT synthesis process in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of the depressed rats, and suppress the expression of 5-HTT protein and mRNA at the same time. But it had no effects on MAO-A and MAO-B activities., Conclusion: We believe that antidepressant effect of DZ is caused by the increase of 5-HT synthesis and reduction of 5-HT re-uptake, and eventually increase the content of 5-HT in the brain and the synaptic gaps., (© 2013 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

Objective: To observe the therapeutic efficacy of Shenfu Injection (SFI) on patients with severe sepsis and its effects on serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10)., Methods: Sixty-eight patients with severe sepsis were randomly assigned to the SFI group (36 cases, treated by SFI + routine therapy) and the control group (32 cases, treated by routine therapy). The acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score and Marshall score were observed before treatment, 3 and 7days after treatment. The therapeutic efficacy was assessed, and the 28th-day mortality rates were compared. The serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were determined by enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay (ELISA) before and after treatment. C-reactive protein (CRP) was determined by immunoturbidimetric assay., Results: There was no significant difference in the APACHE II score, Marshall score, IL-6, IL-10, or CRP between the two groups before treatment (P>0.05). APACHE II score and Marshall score of all patients decreased after treatment, with more obvious decrease shown in the SFI group (P<0.05). The mortality rate in the SFI group and the control group was 25.0% (9/36) and 37.5% (12/32) respectively, with no significant difference shown between the two groups (P>0.05). The serum levels of IL-6 and CRP obviously decreased after 7 days of treatment (P<0.05). But more decrement was shown in the SFI group, showing significant difference when compared with the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the serum IL-10 level between the two groups before and after treatment (P>0.05)., Conclusion: SFI could lower the serum IL-6 level, regulate the equilibrium of proinflammatory factors and anti-inflammatory cytokines in severe sepsis patients, thus playing a role in improving the therapeutic efficacy.

Fructus Akebiae is a traditional Chinese herbal extract that has been used for the treatment of depressive disorders in China. Previous studies demonstrated that Fructus Akebiae extracts (FAE) displayed a potent antidepressant-like activity in animal behavior tests and found that the specific active ingredient from the extracts of Fructus Akebiae is hederagenin. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here we provide evidences that FAE enhances the signaling of central monoamines via inhibition of the reuptake of the extracellular monoamines including serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA). In rat brain membrane preparations and HEK293 cells transfected with human serotonin transporter (SERT), NE transporter (NET) and DA transporter (DAT), we found that FAE displayed marked affinity to rat and cloned human monoamine transporters in ex vivo and in vitro experiments, using competitive radio ligand binding assay. In uptake assays using rat synaptosomes and transfected cells, FAE was found to significantly inhibit all three monoamine transporters in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with a comparable or better potency to their corresponding specific inhibitors. In contrast, FAE (10 μM), showed no significant affinity to a variety array of receptors tested from CNS. In support of our uptake data, in vivo microdialysis studies showed that administration of FAE (12.6, 25, 50 mg/kg) significantly increased extracellular concentrations of 5-HT, NE and DA in frontal cortex of freely moving rats. Taken together, our current study showed for the first time that FAE is a novel triple inhibitor of monoamine transporters, which may be one the mechanisms of its antidepressant activity., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the prevention of Danhong Injection (DHI) on contrast-induced renal impairment after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods: Eighty patients receiving PCI were randomly assigned to the control group and the treatment group, 40 in each. All patients used loperamide injection as the contrast media, and received routine medicines such as enteric coated aspirin and Betaloc, as well as routine rehydration therapy. As for patients in the treatment group, 20 mL DHI was intravenously dripped by adding in 250 mL 0.9% sodium chloride injection from 2 -3 days before PCI to 3 days after PCI, once daily. The levels of serum creatinine (SCr), cystatin C (CysC), urine micro-albumin (mAlb), and beta2-microglobulin (beta2-MG) were measured before PCI, and 24, 48, 72 h after PCI. The occurrence of radio contrast-induced nephropathy (RCIN) of the two groups was observed., Results: The serum SCr and CysC levels of the two groups reached the peak 24 h after PCI (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). But they respectively restored to the pre-PCI levels at 48 and 72 h after PCI in the treatment group. In the control group the serum SCr level basically restored to the pre-PCI level at 72 h after PCI. The urinary mAlb and beta2-MG levels of the two groups reached the peak at 24 and 48 h after PCI (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and basically restored to the pre-PCI level at 72 h after PCI. But they did not restore in the control group (P < 0.05). Seven patients suffered from RCIN in the two groups, of them 5 (12.5%) in the control group and 2 (5.0%) in the treatment group, with no statistical difference (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: DHI could effectively prevent contrast-induced renal impairment and shorten the recovery time of renal impairment. It was worth further studies.

Objective: To study the analgesic effect of shentong zhuyu decoction (SZD) and its effect on the expression of the spinal cord glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)., Methods: One hundred C3H/HeNCrlVr male mice were randomly divided into the normal group (n=8), the sham operation group (n=30), the model group (n=30), the Chinese medicine (CM) group 1 (n=8), the CM group 2 (n=8), the CM group 3 (n=8), and the vehicle group (n=8). 0.1 g crude drug of SZD/0.4 mL, 0.3 g crude drug of SZD/0.4 mL, 0.9 g crude drug of SZD/0.4 mL, and 0.4 mL normal saline were respectively given by gastrogavage to mice in CM 1, 2, 3 groups and the vehicle group, once daily for seven days starting from Day 14. The paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWTL), as the behavior indicator, was assessed in mice using radiant thermal stimulator. The lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord was taken after the behavioral test on Day 21. GFAP mRNA and protein expressions were detected using real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot., Results: Compared with the normal group (Day 0) (PWTL: 15.91 +/- 1.65 s) and the sham operation group (PWTL: Day 4: 13.33 +/- 1.44 s; Day 7: 11.28 +/- 0.61 s; Day 10: 15.47 +/- 2.46 s; Day 14: 15.69 +/- 1.98 s; Day 21: 15.69 +/- 1.68 s), the PWTL value in the model group (Day 4: 13.24 +/- 1.02 s; Day 7: 11.30 +/- 1.09 s; Day 10: 9.12 +/- 0.54 s; Day 14: 7.79 +/- 0.77 s; Day 21: 6.36 +/- 0.59 s) progressively decreased (P < 0.05) as time went by, while the spinal cord GFAP mRNA and protein expressions gradually increased. Compared with the normal group (Day 0) and the sham operation group (Day 14), the PWTL value in the CM groups and the vehicle group obviously decreased on Day 14 (P < 0.05). The PWTL value was not significantly different among the model group, CM groups, and the vehicle group on Day 14 (P > 0.05). On Day 21 the PWTL value of CM group 2 and 3 increased and the spinal cord GFAP mRNA and protein expression levels decreased when compared with the model group and the vehicle group (P < 0.05). But no significant difference in the PWTL value or GFAP expression levels was shown among the CM 1 group, the vehicle group, and the model group (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: SZD had analgesic effect. Inhibition of the proliferation and activation of the spinal cord astrocytes might be one of its mechanisms.

Constituents of the fruits of Rubus corchorifolius were investigated. A new compound, namely rubusin A (1), along with three known compounds, was isolated and characterized. Among them, the new compound exhibited significant activity against kidney deficiency, and quercetin and kaempferol were isolated from the fruits of R. corchorifolius for the first time.

Two new oleanolic acid saponins, namely celosin C (1) and celosin D (2), were isolated from the ethanol extract of Semen celosiae. Their structures were identified as celosin C (1) and celosin D (2) by spectroscopic and chemical analyses. The hepatoprotective activity of 1 and 2 with oral dose 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 mg/kg, respectively, were investigated by carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The results indicate that they have significant hepatoprotective effects (p<0.01)., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

One new limonoid, toonaciliatone A (1), and one new tirucallane-type triterpenoid, toonaciliatine A (4), along with three known compounds, methyl-3beta-acetoxy-1-oxomelic-14(15)-enate (2), perforin A (3), and cholest-14-ene-3,7,24,25-tetrol-21,23-epoxy-21-methoxy-4,4,8-trimethyl-3-(3-methyl-2-butenoate) (5), were isolated from the leaves of Toona ciliata. The structures of the new compounds were established by spectroscopic methods.

Background: The lowering of cholesterol concentrations in individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease improves clinical outcome. Xuezhikang has a marked impact on lipids., Methods: In this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial, a total of 2704 hypertensive patients with previous myocardial infarction (MI) were assigned either to placebo (n = 1341) or to Xuezhikang (0.6 g twice daily, n = 1363) for an average of 4.5 years. The primary end-point was recurrent coronary events; the secondary end-point was all-cause mortality and other clinical events, including adverse effects., Results: There were no differences between the Xuezhikang and placebo group in base-line characteristics. However, Xuezhikang treatment reduced the incidence of coronary events by 43.0% (P = 0.02), deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) by 30.0% (P < 0.01), and all-cause mortality by 35.8% (P = 0.001)., Conclusions: This study, for the first time, demonstrated that long-term Xuezhikang therapy resulted in significant reduction in cardiovascular events and death in Chinese hypertensive patients with previous MI in a safe manner.

Several previous trials from Western population studies have showed that statins may help reduce blood pressure (BP). However, randomized clinical data is limited. Xuezhikang, a partially extract of red yeast rice, contains a family of naturally occurring statins, and has a marked impact on lipids, but it is unknown whether Xuezhikang has any effect on BP during long-term follow-up in the Chinese population. This is a post-hoc subgroup analysis of a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel group clinical trial, Chinese Coronary Secondary Prevention Study (CCSPS). A total of 2704 hypertensive patients with previous myocardial infarction (MI) were assigned either to placebo (n = 1341) or to Xuezhikang (n = 1363) daily for an average of 4.5 years. The primary outcome was the unadjusted changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) from baseline to 6 months. We also assessed systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse pressure. Analysis of covariance was used to calculate the adjusted effects of treatment on changes in these outcomes at 6, 12, 24, and 48 months post-randomization, after controlling for potential confounders. This analysis included 2704/4870 (55.5%) hypertensive patients for whom BP was measured at baseline and at least one follow-up visit after randomization. Median duration of the follow-up was 4.5 years (54 months), and 25 patients (0.92%) were lost to the last follow-up because of adverse effects. The results showed that the unadjusted and adjusted changes in MAP, SBP, DBP, or pulse pressure from baseline were not significantly different for Xuezhikang or placebo recipients at 6, 12, 24, and 48 months after randomization. In this post-hoc subgroup analysis, we failed to demonstrate any significant reducing effects of Xuezhikang on BP in Chinese hypertensive patients with previous MI, suggesting that further prospective study on the effects of statins on BP would be needed, especially in high-risk patients.

Objective: To observe the immunomodulatory effects of codonopsis, atractylodes macrocephala, tuceahoe, broiled licorice and sijunzi decoction on D-galactose-induced aging mice., Methods: The models of aging mice were induced by D-galactose, the garlands and splenic lymphocyte transformation test (MTT) were used to determine the ability of erythrocytes immune and lymphocytes conversion; The content of maleic dialdehyde (MDA), activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione pemfidase (GSH-Px) in serum were detected., Results: Sijunzi decoction and its disassembled prescription codonopsis could significantly increase the ability of T lymphocyte transformation (P<0.05); Atractylodes macrocephala and sijunzi decoction could significantly enhance C(3b) garlands ratio (P<0.05) and decrease IC garlands ratio (P<0.05) on D-galactose-induced aging mice. Sijunzi decoction significantly increased the activity of SOD and GSH-Px (P<0.01), and decreased the content of MDA in serum (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Sijunzi decoction and its disassembled prescription codonopsis, atractylodes macrocephala can improve the immunomodulatory effects on D-galactose-induced aging mice; but tuceahoe and broiled licorice have no obvious effects.

Yiqifumai is a traditional Chinese medicine compound preparation used for the treatment of various vascular diseases in China. However, little is known regarding its role in microcirculation. The present study investigated the effect of pretreatment of yiqifumai on rat mesentery microcirculatory disturbance induced by LPS. Male Wistar rats were continuously infused with LPS (5 mg kg(-1) h(-1)). The parameters evaluated included diameter of and red blood cell velocity in venules, leukocyte adhesion to venular wall, dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR) fluorescence in the venular walls, fluorescein isothiocyanate-albumin leakage, and mast cell degranulation, which were observed by an inverted intravital microscope. CD11b/CD18 expression on neutrophils was examined using flow cytometry. In some rats, yiqifumai (5, 30, or 80 mg kg(-1)) was given in one shot 10 min before LPS infusion. After infusion of LPS, the number of leukocytes adherent to venular wall, the intensity of DHR fluorescence in the venular walls, albumin leakage from venules, and degranulated mast cells were significantly increased, whereas the red blood cell velocity in venule was decreased. Pretreatment with high-dose yiqifumai (80 mg kg(-1)) significantly reduced the number of adherent leukocytes, the intensity of DHR fluorescence, degranulation of mast cell, albumin leakage, and the expression of CD11b/CD18, whereas the yiqifumai of medium dose (30 mg kg(-1)) only inhibited leukocyte adhesion to the venular wall. The results suggested that pretreatment with yiqifumai attenuated microcirculatory disturbance induced by LPS. This effect may be associated with yiqifumai's inhibition effect on reactive oxygen species production, leukocyte adhesion, and mast cell degranulation.

Coronary heart disease, hypertension, and dyslipidemia are highly prevalent and commonly coexist in people who are middle-aged and older. Previous data suggested that lowering cholesterol concentrations in individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease improved clinical outcomes. Xuezhikang, a partial extract of red yeast rice containing statin, has a marked impact on lipids. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the impact of Xuezhikang on reducing cardiovascular events and mortality in elderly Chinese hypertensive patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI) enrolled in the Chinese Coronary Secondary Prevention Study. In this randomized trial, 1530 elderly hypertensive patients (> or = 65-years-old) with previous MI were assigned either to placebo (n = 758) or to Xuezhikang (n = 772) daily for an average of 4.5 years. The primary endpoint was recurrent coronary events; the secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality and other clinical events, including adverse effects. There were 68 cases of coronary events (8.8%) detected in the Xuezhikang group and 108 cases (14.3%) in the placebo group (38.2% risk reduction by Xuezhikang therapy). Death from coronary heart disease (CHD) totaled 49 cases in the Xuezhikang group (6.4%) and 68 cases in the placebo group (9.0%), indicating that Xuezhikang significantly decreased the risk of CHD death by 29.2%. Our study demonstrated that Xuezhikang therapy could effectively and safely reduce cardiovascular events and all-cause death in Chinese elderly hypertensive patients with previous MI. This finding may have an important implication for the treatment of elderly hypertensive patients with CHD.

Seven known and six new tetranortriterpenoids, cineracipadesins A-F (1-6), were isolated from the leaves of Cipadessa cinerascens. Compound 1 has a mexicanolide-type structural skeleton with a rare 9alpha,11alpha-epoxide ring; compound 2 has a methyl angolensate-type structure with 9,11-dihydroxy groups, representing the first example of a precursor of a trijugin-type limonoid; and 3 is the first reported methyl angolensate-type limonoid with a ketone group at ring C. Their structures were determined with extensive spectroscopic analysis. X-ray crystallography confirmed the structure of 1. The ability of compounds 1-7 to inhibit the growth of the P-388 murine leukemia cell line was evaluated.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate if the aqueous extract of the Chinese medicine Danggui-Shaoyao-San (DSS) can increase the plasma level of melatonin and enhance the function of the pineal gland of naturally aged rats., Methods: The rats were treated with DSS at doses of 3ml or same volume of distilled water by oral administration at 11 p.m. for three weeks. The plasma level of melatonin were measured by radioimmunoassay. The function of pineal gland were measured through three parameters: pineal beta adrenergic receptor binding investigated by [3H]DHA binding; pineal expression of NAT mRNA detected by real-time RT-PCR; phosphorylation of CREB (P-CREB) and total level of CREB (T-CREB) measured by western blot analysis., Results: DSS significantly increased melatonin level at night after oral administration for 3 weeks. By measurement of pineal [3H]DHA binding, it was found DSS improved the beta-adrenergic receptors binding in pineals. The stimulatory effect of DSS on the expression of NAT mRNA in the old rat pineal gland has been demonstrated in this study. Western blot analysis showed that DSS significantly increased phosphorylation of CREB., Conclusions: Our results indicate that a downstream pathway for DSS induction of melatonin synthesis in the rat pineal gland acts via cyclic AMP-dependent cascade and transcription mechanism.

Recently, animal fatty acid synthase (FASN) is reported as a potential therapeutic target for obesity and cancer. Considerable interest has been developed in searching for novel inhibitors of this enzyme. An extract from Pangdahai has been found to inhibit FASN in both reversible and irreversible manners, with an IC(50) of 3.5 microg/ml and an apparent inactivation rate constant of k(obs) of 2.2 x 10(-3)/min. The kinetic study showed that the Pangdahai extract inhibited the overall FASN reaction uncompetitively with acetyl-CoA, but it presented in a mixed manner both with NADPH and with malonyl-CoA. Its major reacting site on this enzyme, as compared between two IC(50) values, is not in the beta-ketoacyl reduction domain. A weight reducing experiment in rats showed that the extract significantly reduced the adipose and food intake, but in view of statistics (P < 0.05), a correlation between the reductions in the adipose and in the food consumption and the inhibition of hepatic FASN could not be established. Three known flavonoid compounds were isolated from the extract and the structure-activity relationship was discussed.

Platelet and leucocyte activity are important in the acute development of thrombosis and in the pathogenesis of ischaemic vascular disease. Dan Shen Di Wan (DS, Cardiotonic Pill or Dantonic(R) Pill) is one of the most commonly used Chinese herbal formulations for treating patients with atherosclerotic disease in China and several Asian countries. We studied the effect of DS on platelet and leucocyte function and compared the effects with conventional antiplatelet agents, cangrelor (ADP P2Y(12) receptor antagonist) and aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid, ASA). Measurements were made by platelet aggregation (%) and activation (CD62P %), platelet-monocyte conjugate formation (P/M, CD42a median fluorescence, mf), platelet-neutrophil conjugate formation (P/N, mf), and leucocyte activation (CD11b median fluorescence on monocytes and neutrophils, mf) in response to 3.3 micromol/L adenosine diphosphate (ADP), 1.0 micromol/L platelet activating factor (PAF), 5.0 micromol/L adrenaline and 0.5 microg/mL collagen. We also evaluated the effect of its main component, water soluble extract of salvia miltiorrhiza (SME) on intracellular calcium mobilization in platelets triggered by 10 micromol/L ADP, 10 micromol/L PAF, 2 microg/mL collagen and 15 micromol/L thrombin receptor activating peptide (TRAP). Overall DS showed inhibition of platelet aggregation, platelet activation, platelet-leucocyte conjugate formation and leucocyte activation in response to all the agonists apart from adrenaline (all p < 0.01). DS showed inhibition of platelet aggregation and leucocyte activation equivalent to cangrelor 100 nmol/L and ASA 100 micromol/L. SME dose-dependently inhibited intracellular calcium mobilization in platelets following stimulation with all the platelet agonists with maximum effective at 0.36 mg/mL (all p < 0.01). When used at 0.18 mg/mL its inhibitory effect was equivalent to cangrelor and ASA. We conclude that DS is a potential inhibitor of both platelet and leucocyte activation.

Baicalin, one kind of Chinese herbal medicine with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant property, has been commonly used as a clinical medicine. However, little has been known about the effects of Baicalin on ultraviolet (UV) induced photo-aging and photo-carcinogenesis. The photoproduct is critical to the initial event of UV-induced photo-carcinogenesis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether Baicalin, in immortalized human keratinocyte HaCaT cells, could inhibit ultraviolet-B (UVB) induced skin damage and its possible underlying mechanisms, such as inhibiting UVB-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs), down-regulating the expression of regulatory proteins which are related to cell apoptosis and DNA damage/repair. Our study revealed that Baicalin treatment could inhibit the UVB-induced cytotoxicity, apoptosis and CPD level. It also decreased the mRNA expression of apoptosis-regulatory genes (p53-p21 and c-fos), the protein levels of p53, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and repair protein A (RPA), and the secretion of cytokines [interleukin(IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha)]. These results suggested that Baicalin may have an inhibitory effect on the UVB-induced photo-damage by blocking the relevant cytokine secretion and expression of p53-p21, c-fos, PCNA and RPA genes.

Objective: To explore the clinical curative effect and safety of Jiedu Tongluo Lishi decoction on treating active rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Method: 106 cases of RA in active period were randomly divided into the integrated Chinese and western medicine group (n=54) and western medicine contrast group (n=52). The former group were treated by Jiedu Tongluo Lishi decoction combined with SASP, the latter by MTX combined with SASP. The arthritis morning stiffness time, ache indexes, tumidness indexes, function indexes, hands grip, 20-m walking time and experimental indexes including ESR, RF, CRP, C3, immune globin of both groups were observed and compared., Result: The obviously clinical effective ratio and the total clinical effective ratio in the former group were 77.78% and 90.74% respectively, which are better than those in the latter group (59.62% and 71.15% respectively) (P < 0.01). The arthritis morning stiffness time, ache indexes, tumidness indexes, function indexes, hands grip and 20-m walking time in both groups were obviously released after treatment (P < 0.01). The clinical release in the former group was better than that in the latter group (P < 0.05). ESR, RF and CRP in both groups were markedly improved (P < 0.05). The improvement of ESR, RF, CRP, C3 and IgA in the former group were better than those in the latter group (P < 0.05). The side effect includes gastroenteric tract reaction, decrease of leucocyte, abnormity of liver function, tetter and catamenia maladjustment. The occurent ratio in the former group was 7.41%, which was obviously lower than that in the latter group (15.38%) (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: The compositively clinical curative effect of Jiedu Tongluo Lishi decoction combined with MTX on treating RA is obviously better than that of western medicine only such as MTX and SASP, with less side effect and higher safety, which is worth applying in clinics extensively.