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Postoperative adhesion (PA) is currently one of the most unpleasant complications following surgical procedures. Researchers have developed several new strategies to alleviate the formation of PA to a great extent, but so far, no single measure or treatment can meet the expectations and requirements of clinical patients needing complete PA prevention. Chinese medicine (CM) has been widely used for thousands of years based on its remarkable efficacy and indispensable advantages CM treatments are gradually being accepted by modern medicine. Therefore, this review summarizes the formating process of PA and the efficacy and action mechanism of CM treatments, including their pharmacological effects, therapeutic mechanisms and advantages in PA prevention. We aim to improve the understanding of clinicians and researchers on CM prevention in the development of PA and promote the in-depth development and industrialization process of related drugs., (© 2023. The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Obesity is a significant public health problem worldwide that is characterized by abnormal or excessive fat accumulation. Unfortunately, the application of available weight-loss drugs has been restricted because of their serious adverse effects. Browning of white adipose tissue (WAT), which refers to the transformation of white adipocytes to beige adipocytes under certain stimulations, is regarded as a new strategy to solve the obesity problem. Numerous studies have recently evidenced that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) could promote browning of WAT with multi-component and multi-target characteristics. This article summarizes natural constituents from TCM with stimulatory effects on browning of WAT in the past two decades. The active ingredients can be generally divided into polyphenols, saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids and others, such as resveratrol, quercetin, curcumin, genistein, capsaicin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), berberine, menthol, emodin and ginsenosides. Simultaneously, the chemical structures, source, model, efficacy and mechanism of these monomeric compounds are also described. And the mechanisms of these active ingredients are mainly involved in the regulation of PRDM16, PGC-1α, PPARγ, SIRT1, AMPK, β3-adrenergic receptors, TRPV1 and TRPM8 channels, FGF21 and miRNAs. The present article opens opportunities for developing novel drugs or supplements from TCM with wide acceptability to prevent obesity progression and its associated metabolic disorders., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Thrombotic events act as a critical factor that interferes with Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), and antithrombotic herbal medicine is a long-standing controversial issue. Although a dispute is involved in their clinical application, all parties unanimously agree that herbal products have been widely used in folk medicine, and their interactions with conventional drugs are of high concern. This study aims to investigate how antithrombotic herbal medicines interact with Western cardiovascular drugs on the molecular level by taking an example of the most frequently used herbal pair, Danshen-Chuanxiong (DS-CX), and to discover more scientific evidence on their potential herb-drug interactions. Network pharmacology (NP), as an analytical approach of a complex system, is used to visualize and compare target profiles of DS-CX and Western cardiovascular drugs, which can be applied to predict common herb-drug targets and to construct a solid context for discussing herb-drug interactions. These interactions are further validated by in vitro assays, while in vivo zebrafish model employed for evaluating an overall pharmacological efficacy of herbal pairs in specific combination ratios. The study finds that DS could react directly to the Western cardiovascular drug targets relevant to antithrombotic pathways (i.e., thrombin, coagulation factor Xa and cyclooxygenase-1), whereas CX could not react directly and can synergistically affect antithrombotic effects with DS in specific combination ratios. Moreover, it is indicated that DS-CX may generate wide biological functions by a complicated mechanism of "neuro-immune-metabolism/endocrine" (NIM), which can further cause multiple direct and indirect interactions with Western cardiovascular drugs. From the clinical perspective, herb-drug interactions should be given high attention, especially when multiple herbs are used simultaneously., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(LC-MS) was used to establish the chromatography fingerprint for fresh(FRAS) and dry(RAS) roots of Angelica sinensis from 10 different places. The rat model of blood deficiency was established by acetyl-phenyl-hydrazine(APH) and cyclophosphamide(CTX). Then grey relational analysis(GRA) and partial least squares regression(PLS) were used to investigate the spectrum-effect relationship between the relative contents and the data of enriching blood pharmacodynamics efficacy. The results showed that the FRAS and RAS had certain enriching blood activities(P<0.05). The contribution degree of the FRAS and RAS to enriching blood activities of each common peaks were determined by regression coefficient. Among them, 4 common peaks contributed significantly to the effect of enriching blood activities, P1(unknown), P2(unknown), P7(ferulic acid), and P11(senkyunolide A) respectively. This paper investigated the spectrum-effect relationship between enriching blood activities and LC-MS chromatography fingerprint of RAS and FRAS, and determined the effective compositions of RAS and FRAS with enriching blood activities. It lays a theoretical foundation for the comprehensive development and utilization of A. sinensis.

Ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used to establish the chromatography fingerprint for aerial parts of Angelica sinenis(AAS) from 10 different places. Acetyl-phenyl-hydrazine(APH) was used to duplicate the mouse model of blood deficiency. Then partial least squares regression was used to investigate the spectrum-effect relationship between the relative contents and the data of enriching blood pharmacodynamics efficacy. The results showed that the three groups of high, medium and low doses of AAS had certain enriching blood activities(P<0.05), and the high dose group had the best effect(P<0.01). The contribution degree of the AAS to enriching blood activities of each common peaks were determined by PLS regression coefficient. Among them, 7 common peaks, including P17(unknown), P18(unknown), P19(unknown), P28(alisol B 23-acetate or its isomer), N5(luteolin), N11(1-caffeoylquinicacid,1-O-caffeoylquinic acid) and N14(unknown), contributed significantly to the effect of enriching blood activities. This paper dealed with the investigation on the spectrum-effect relationship between enriching blood activities and LC-MS chromatography fingerprint of AAS, and determination of the effective compositions of AAS with enriching blood activities. It provided theoretical foundation for the comprehensive development and utilization of AAS.

Background: Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza, DS) and Honghua (Carthamus tinctorius, HH) are commonly used traditional Chinese medicines for activating blood and removing stasis, and DS-HH (DH) herbal pair had potential synergistic effects on promoting blood circulation. Therefore, it is essential to make clear the active components of this herbal pair for better understanding their potential synergistic effects., Purpose: To comprehensively evaluate the activity of DH herbal pair on physiological coagulation system of rats, and seek their potential active components by spectrum-effect relationship analysis., Methods: The water extracts of DH herbal pair with different proportions (DS: HH = 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 5:1, 1:5 and 1:3) were prepared. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into eight groups: blank group, model group, model + 1:1 (DH) group, model + 2:1 group, model + 3:1 group, model + 5:1 group, model + 1:5 group and model + 1:3 group. The intragastric administration was performed for eight times with 12 h intervals. SC40 semi-automatic coagulation analyzer was employed to determine coagulation indices. Meanwhile, HPLC and LC-MS were applied for chemical analyses of DH extracts. Finally, the active ingredients were screened by spectrum-effect relationship analysis and the activities of major predicted compounds were validated in vitro., Results: Different proportions of DH extracts could significantly prolong thrombin time (TT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), increase prothrombin time (PT) and decrease fibrinogen (FIB) content, reduced whole blood viscosity (WBV) and plasma viscosity (PV), decreased erythrocyte sedimentation rate blood (ESR) compared with model group. Furthermore, fifteen highly related components were screened out by the spectrum-effect relationship and LC-MS analysis, of which caffeic acid, salvianolic acid B, hydroxysafflor yellow A and lithospermate acid had significant blood-activing effect by prolong APTT and decrease FIB content at high (0.6 mM), medium (0.3 mM) and low (0.15 mM) (except lithospermate acid) concentrations in vitro., Conclusions: DH herbal pair showed strong blood-activating effect on blood stasis rat through regulating the parameters involved in haemorheology and plasma coagulation system. Four active compounds, caffeic acid, salvianolic acid B, hydroxysafflor yellow A and lithospermate acid predicted by spectrum-effect relationship analysis had good blood-activating effect. Therefore, spectrum-effect relationship analysis is an effective approach for seeking active components in herbal pairs., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: Carboxylesterases (CEs) belong to the serine hydrolase family, and are in charge of hydrolyzing chemicals with carboxylic acid ester and amide functional groups via Ser-His-Glu. Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Miq. ex Havil. is a famous traditional Chinese medicine used in managing hyperpyrexia, epilepsy, preeclampsia, and hypertension in China., Hypothesis/purpose: To discover the potential natural human carboxylesterase 2 (hCE 2) inhibitors from U. rhynchophylla., Methods: Compounds were obtained from the hooks of U. rhynchophylla by silica gel and preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by using HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectra. Their inhibitory activeties and inhibition kinetics against hCE 2 were assayed by the fluorescent probe, and potential mechanisms were also investigated by molecular docking., Results: Twenty-three compounds, including a new phenolic acid uncariarhyine A (1), eight known triterpenoids (2-9), and ten known aromatic derivatives (10, 13-16, and 19-23), were isolated from U. rhynchophylla. Compounds 1-5, 7, 9, and 15 showed significant inhibitory activities against hCE 2 with IC 50 values from 4.01  ± 0.61 µM to 18.60 ± 0.21 µM, and their inhibition kinetic analysis results revealed that compounds 1, 5, 9, and 15 were non-competitive; compounds 3 and 4 were mixed-type, and compounds 2 and 7 were uncompetitive. Molecular docking studies indicated inhibition mechanisms of compounds 1-5, 7, 9, and 15 against hCE 2., Conclusion: Our present findings highlight potential natural hCE 2 inhibitors from U. rhynchophylla., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

For lead compound discovery from natural products, hollow fiber cell fishing with chromatographic analysis is a newly developed method. In this study, an adsorbed hollow fiber-based biological fingerprinting method was firstly developed to discover potential platelet aggregation inhibitors from Danshen-Honghua decoction. Platelets were seeded on the fiber and their survival rate was tested. Results indicated that more than 92% platelets survived during the whole operation process. Ranitidine and tirofiban were used as positive and negative control respectively to verify the reliability of the presented approach. The main variables such as amount of extract and stirring time that affect the adsorbed hollow fiber-based biological fingerprinting process were optimized, and the repeatability of this method was also investigated. Finally, 12 potential active compounds in Danshen-Honghua decoction were successfully detected using the established approach and structures for nine of them were tentatively identified by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis. In addition, the in vitro platelet aggregation inhibition test was carried out for five of the nine hit compounds, and three active components, namely, lithospermic acid, salvianolic acid A, and salvianolic acid B were confirmed. These results proved that the proposed method could be an effective approach for screening platelet inhibitors from plant extracts., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is identified as a critical risk factor of dementia in patients with cerebrovascular disease. Xiaoshuan enteric-coated capsule (XSECC) is a compound Chinese medicine approved by Chinese State Food and Drug Administration for promoting brain remodeling and plasticity after stroke. The present study aimed to explore the potential of XSECC to improve cognitive function after CCH and further investigate the underlying mechanisms. CCH was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) in rats. XSECC (420 or 140 mg/kg) treatment remarkably reversed BCCAO-induced cognitive deficits. Notably, after XSECC treatment, magnetic resonance angiography combined with arterial spin labeling noninvasively demonstrated significantly improved hippocampal hemodynamics, and 18 F-FDG PET/CT showed enhanced hippocampal glucose metabolism. In addition, XSECC treatment markedly alleviated neuropathologies and improved neuroplasticity in the hippocampus. More importantly, XSECC treatment facilitated axonal remodeling by regulating the phosphorylation of axonal growth related proteins including protein kinase B (AKT), glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP2) in the hippocampus. Taken together, the present study demonstrated the beneficial role of XSECC in alleviating BCCAO-induced cognitive deficits by enhancing hippocampal glucose metabolism, hemodynamics and neuroplasticity, suggesting that XSECC could be a useful strategy in cerebral hypoperfusion state and dementia.

Background/aims: Uncaria rhynchophylla, known as "Gou-teng", is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used to extinguish wind, clear heat, arrest convulsions, and pacify the liver. Although U. rhynchophylla has a long history of being often used to treat central nervous system (CNS) diseases, its efficacy and potential mechanism are still uncertain. This study investigated neuroprotective effect and the underlying mechanism of U. rhynchophylla extract (URE) in MPP+-induced SH-SY5Y cells and MPTP-induced mice., Methods: MPP+-induced SH-SY5Y cells and MPTP-induced mice were used to established Parkinson's disease (PD) models. Quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics were used to uncover proteomics changes of URE. Western blotting was used to validate main differentially expressed proteins and test HSP90 client proteins (apoptosis-related, autophagy-related, MAPKs, PI3K, and AKT proteins). Flow cytometry and JC-1 staining assay were further used to confirm the effect of URE on MPP+-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells. Gait analysis was used to detect the behavioral changes in MPTP-induced mice. The levels of dopamine (DA) and their metabolites were examined in striatum (STR) by HPLC-EC. The positive expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was detected by immunohischemical staining and Western blotting., Results: URE dose-dependently increased the cell viability in MPP+-induced SH-SY5Y cells. Quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics results confirmed that HSP90 was an important differentially expressed protein of URE. URE inhibited the expression of HSP90, which further reversed MPP+-induced cell apoptosis and autophagy by increasing the expressions of Bcl-2, Cyclin D1, p-ERK, p-PI3K p85, PI3K p110α, p-AKT, and LC3-I and decreasing cleaved caspase 3, Bax, p-JNK, p-p38, and LC3-II. URE also markedly decreased the apoptotic ratio and elevated mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DΨm). Furthermore, URE treatment ameliorated behavioral impairments, increased the contents of DA and its metabolites and elevated the positive expressions of TH in SN and STR as well as the TH protein., Conclusions: URE possessed the neuroprotective effect in vivo and in vitro, regulated MAPK and PI3K-AKT signal pathways, and inhibited the expression of HSP90. U. rhynchophylla has potentials as therapeutic agent in PD treatment., (© 2018 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Thrombin (THR) plays a significant role in thromboembolic diseases, direct THR inhibitors are a class of important clinical anticoagulant drugs. This study established a THR in-solution based biospecific extraction combined with ultrafiltration and high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector and mass spectrometry analysis (TUA) method to screen and identify ligands for THR in Rhizoma Chuanxiong. After evaluating the reliability of the present TUA method using positive (argatroban) and negative (adenosine, tirofiban, ticagrelor) control drugs, this method was successfully applied to detect eight potential active compounds in Rhizoma Chuanxiong. Two new THR-targeted compounds isochlorogenic acid C and senkyunolide I with high THR inhibitory activity (IC50 206.48 and 197.23μM, respectively) were identified by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and enzyme inhibitory activity test finally. They were reported with direct THR inhibition activity for the first time and their ligand-THR interactions were explored by in silico molecular docking research. In addition, based on the TUA screening result, four compounds gained similar structure with the two hit compounds were also investigated as promising candidates targeting THR with high binding energy (>5.0kcal/mol). These results may prove that the proposed method could effectively screen THR inhibitors in complex mixtures., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective To observe expression levels of autophagy related 5,7,12 mRNA (Atg5, 7,12), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3-II), Beclin1, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) , protein kinase B (AKT) , mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) , IL-1 β, TNF-α, IL-4, and IL- 10 in adjuvant arthritis (AA) rats, and effects of Xinfeng Capsule (XFC) on them. Methods Totally 48 male SD rats were divided into 4 groups, i.e., the control group, the model group, the Western medicine (WM) group (leflunomide, 5. 0 mg/kg) , the Chinese medicine (CM) group (Xinfeng Capsule, 3.0 g/kg) , 12 in each group. Thirty days after medication body weight (BW) , toe swelling degree (E%) , arthritis in- dex (AI) , and pathological changes of ankle joint and ultrastructural changes were observed. mRNA ex- pressions of Atg5, 7, 12, protein expressions of LC3-L , Beclin1 , PI3K, AKT, mTOR, serum contents of IL-1 β, TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10 were detected. Results Compared with the normal group, E%, Al, IL-1 β and TNF-α increased; BW, levels of IL-4 and IL-10, mRNA expressions of Atg5 and Atg12, protein ex- pressions of LC3-ll and Beclin1 decreased (P <0.01, P <0.05), protein expressions of PI3K, AKT, mTOR increased (P<0.01) in the model group. Compared with the model group, E%, Al, mRNA expres- sions of IL-1β , TNF-α-, and Atg12, protein expressions of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR decreased (P <0.01, P<0.05), IL-4, IL-10, protein expressions of LC3-II and Beclinl increased (P <0.01, P <0.05) in the two medicated groups. Atg5 mRNA expression decreased (P <0.01) , Atg7 mRNA expression increased (P < 0.05) in the WM group. Compared with the WM group,BW, IL-4, mRNA expressions of Atg5 and Atg12, protein expressions of PI3K and mTOR increased in the CM group (P <0.01 , P <0. 05). Conclusions The level of autophagy in AA rats was decreased, leading to excessive proliferation of synovial cells, swollen joints, elevated proinflammatory factors, decreased inflammatory factors, resulting in inflamma- tory reactions of joints. XFC could improve Al, toe swelling degree, and expressions of synovium autoph- agy related genes and proteins.

Objective: To observe the effect of Xinfeng Capsule (XFC) on ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients' symptoms and signs, serum immunoglobulin levels, peripheral blood lymphocyte autophagy protein, autophagy gene, and to explore its mechanism., Methods: Totally 59 AS patients were assigned to the treatment group (39 cases) and the control group (20 cases) according to random digit table. Patients in the treatment group received XFC, 0.5 g each pill, three pills each time, 3 times per day, while those in the control group received sulfasalazine (SASP), 0.25 g per tablet, 4 tablets each time, twice per day. Three months consisted of one therapeutic course. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) were statistically calculated. Serum immunoglobulins (IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgA , SIgA, and IgM) were detected using ELISA. Changes of Beclin1, LC3-II, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were detected using Western blot. Serum autophagy related genes such as Atg1, Atg5, Atg12, Atg13, and Atg17 were detected using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The correlation between immunoglobulin subtypes and autophagy gene in AS patients using Spearman correlation., Results: Compared with before treatment, BASDAI, IgG1, lgG3, and IgA decreased (P < 0.01); PI3K, Akt, and mTOR protein expressions decreased (P < 0.01); ATG1, ATG12, ATG13, and ATG17 mRNA expressions decreased, ATG5 mRNA expression increased (P < 0.01) in the treatment group. But BASDAI, IgG1, and IgA levels decreased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); PI3K, Akt, and mTOR protein expressions decreased (P < 0.05); ATG1 and ATG13 mRNA expressions decreased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) in the control group. Compared with the control group, BASDAI, IgG1, and IgA levels decreased (P < 0.05); PI3K, Akt, mTOR protein expressions decreased (P < 0.01); ATG12 and ATG17 mRNA expression decreased, ATG5 mRNA expression increased (P < 0.01) in the XFC group. Correlation analysis showed AS patients' IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgA, SIgA, IgM had negative correlation with ATG17; IgG4 and ATG17 were positively correlated (P < 0.05, P < 0.01)., Conclusion: XFC could elevate clinical efficacy of AS patients and enhance their autophagy, which might be achieved by acting on PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal, affecting autophagy gene and autophagy protein expression, taking part in the regulation of proliferation and differentiation of lymphocyte B, and strengthen humoral immunity.

Objective: To investigate the effect of total flavonoids of Hedysarum polybotry on the proliferation, cell cycle, and expressions of p21(Ras) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) gene in erythroleukemia cell line K562., Methods: The effect of total flavonoids of Hedysarum polybotry on K562 cell line survival was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) reduction assay. The time- and dose-dependent manner was also observed. The cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed with flow cytometry (FCM). The immunocytochemistry method was applied to quantitatively analyze the effects of flavonoids of Hedysarum polybotry on changes p21(Ras) and PCNA gene expressions., Results: Flavonoids of Hedysarum polybotry (20-100 μg/mL) significantly inhibited the proliferation of K562 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. After K562 cells were cultured for 48 h, total flavonoids of Hedysarum polybotry had no significant effect on the apoptosis of K562 cells but showed significantly inhibition (P<0.01), indicating that total flavonoids of Hedysarum polybotry could induce K562 cells arrested at G(0)/G(1) and G(2)/M phases. Compared with the control group, p21(Ras) and PCNA gene expressions were decreased significantly in K562 cells treated with total flavonoids of Hedysarum polybotry (40 and 80 μg/mL, respectively) for 48 h., Conclusion: The inhibitory effect on proliferation of K562 cells was observed in the groups treated with flavonoids of Hedysarum polybotry, which might be related to cells arresting.

Objective: To compare and analyze Radix Codonopsis from 18 different localities., Methods: The HPLC was used to detect samples. MATLAB Software and the Computer Aided Similarity Evaluation was used to analyze the fingerprints. Similarity combined with principal component analysis (PCA) were used to compare and analyze Radix Condonopsis in different localities., Results: It was found that processing drugs have effect on the quality of Radix Condonopsis and there are differences in species of Radix Codonopsis., Conclusion: This method could be used to compare and analyze the samples of Radix Codonopsis sources.

A valid chromatographic fingerprint method using liquid chromatography-diode array detection-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry in negative mode (LC-DAD-APCI-MS) is proposed for studying the absorption and metabolites of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Angelica sinensis (danggui) in rabbit plasma, after the rabbit is administered with danggui oral solution (DOS). More than thirty-two common components were detected in both DOS and rabbit plasma, which shows that the components in the DOS were absorbed into the body of the rabbit. Of these, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide H, Z-6,7-epoxyligustilide, 3-butylidene-7-hydroxyphthalide, Z-ligustilide, Z-butylidenephthalide, Diels-Alder dimers of ligustilide, linolenic acid, linoleic acid and falcarindiol were tentatively identified from their MS, UV spectra and retention behavior by comparing the results with the published literature. At least ten components were found in rabbit plasma but not in DOS, indicating that these components must be metabolites of some of the components in the original extract. The results prove that the proposed method can be used to rapidly analyze multiple constituents in TCMs, and to screen for bioactive compounds by comparing and contrasting the chromatographic fingerprints of DOS and plasma samples.

Objective: To investigate the effect of Shenluotong on the expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and extracellular matrix (ECM) in Ang II-induced MCs., Method: Fibronectin (FN) and collagen type IV (Col IV) of extracellular matrix were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; the expression of TGF-beta1 mRNA were measured by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction., Result: A positive correlation between TGF-beta1 and ECM were found in the present study. FN, Col IV and TGF-beta1 mRNA were inhibited by Shenluotong significantly., Conclusion: Shenluotong can decrease the accumulation of ECM and inhibit the expression of TGF-beta1, suggesting further that shenluotong can be used to prevent and treat various glomerular diseases and delay glomerular sclerosis.

A combined approach of sub-window factor analysis and spectral correlative chromatography has been employed to analyze the constituents of essential oils of Dong quai. Essential oils are the main pharmacological active individuals of Dong quai. Some constituents in the main root of Dong quai have been identified by GC-MS with the help of sub-window factor analysis resolving two-dimensional original data into mass spectra and chromatograms. Correlative constituents in another part of the root fiber have been recognized by spectral correlative chromatography. Seventy six of 97 separated constituents in the essential oil of main root were identified and quantified, accounting for about 91.36% of the total content. Sixty seven correlative components in the essential oil of root fiber were recognized. The result proves that the combined approach is powerful enough for the analysis of complex herbal samples.