Anti-cervical cancer effects of Compound Yangshe granule through the PI3K/AKT pathway based on network pharmacology

Exploring the therapeutic potential of tonic Chinese herbal medicine for gynecological disorders: An updated review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Gynecological disorders have the characteristics of high incidence and recurrence rate, which sorely affects female's health. Since ancient times, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), especially tonic medicine (TM), has been used to deal with gynecological disorders and has unique advantages in effectiveness and safety.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

In this article, we aim to summarize the research progress of TMs in-vivo and in-vitro, including their formulas, single herbs, and compounds, for gynecological disorders treatment in recent years, and to offer a reference for further research on the treatment of gynecological disorders and their clinical application in the treatment of TMs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Relevant information on the therapeutic potential of TMs against gynecological disorders was collected from several scientific databases including Web of Science, PubMed, CNKI, Google Scholar and other literature sources.

RESULTS

So far, there are 46 different formulas, 3 single herbs, and 24 compounds used in the treatment of various gynecological disorders such as premature ovarian failure, endometriosis breast cancer, and so on. Many experimental results have shown that TMs can regulate apoptosis, invasion, migration, oxidative stress, and the immune system. In addition, the effect of TMs in gynecological disorders treatment may be due to the regulation of VEGF, PI3K-AKT, MAPK, NF-κB, and other signaling pathways. Apparently, TMs play an active role in the treatment of gynecological disorders by regulating these signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

TMs have a curative effect on the prevention and treatment of gynecological disorders. It could relieve and treat gynecological disorders through a variety of pathways. Therefore, the appropriate TM treatment program makes it more possible to treat gynecological disorders.

The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Management of Cervical Cancer

Globally, cervical cancer poses a substantial public health challenge, with low and middle-income countries bearing the highest burden [Rajkhowa, P., D.S. Patil, S.M. Dsouza, P. Narayanan and H. Brand. Evidence on factors influencing HPV vaccine implementation in South Asia: a scoping review. Glob. Public Health 18: 2288269, 2023]. The incidence rate ranks second highest among female malignant tumors in China, following only breast cancer. The prognosis of advanced cervical cancer is extremely poor, with a 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate of only 15%, and the treatment of advanced recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer remains a huge challenge. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can significantly enhance sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs, strengthen antitumor effects, and notably improve adverse reactions associated with cancer such as fatigue and bone marrow suppression. In recent years, the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicines, such as the Guizhi-Fuling-decoction, the compound Yangshe granule, Huangqi, and Ginseng, herbal monomers (e.g., Ginsenoside Rh2, Tanshinone IIA, and Tetrandrine), and the related extracts and compound formulations, have received extensive attention for the treatment of cervical cancer. This paper reviews the research progress of TCM in cervical cancer. In addition, we reported a case of an advanced cervical cancer patient with multiple abdominal and pelvic metastasis who initially received chemotherapy, was then treated with TCM alone, and subsequently survived for 22 years. The model of whole-process management with TCM can enable more cancer patients to obtain longer survival periods.

Therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms of quercetin in gynecological disorders

Quercetin is a representative flavonoid that is widely present in fruits, herbs, and vegetables. It is also an important active core component in traditional Chinese medicines. As an important flavonoid, quercetin has various properties and exerts antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective effects. The public interest in quercetin is increasing, and quercetin has been used to prevent or treat numerous of diseases, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), cancer, autoimmune diseases and chronic cardiovascular diseases, in clinical experiments and animal studies due to its powerful antioxidant properties and minimal side effects. Quercetin exerts marked pharmacological effects on gynecological disorders; however, there have been no reviews about the potential health benefits of quercetin in the context of gynecological disorders, including PCOS, premature ovary failure (POF), endometriosis (EM), ovarian cancer (OC), cervical cancer (CC) and endometrial carcinoma (EC). Thus, this review aimed to summarize the biological effects of quercetin on gynecological disorders and its mechanisms.

Network pharmacology and metabolomics elucidate the underlying mechanisms of Venenum Bufonis in the treatment of colorectal cancer

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Venenum Bufonis (VBF), a traditional Chinese medicine derived from the dried secretions of the Chinese toad, in treating colorectal cancer (CRC). The comprehensive roles of VBF in CRC through systems biology and metabolomics approaches have been rarely investigated.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

The study sought to uncover the potential underlying mechanisms of VBF's anti-cancer effects by investigating the impact of VBF on cellular metabolic balance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An integrative approach combining biological network analysis, molecular docking and multi-dose metabolomics was used to predict the effects and mechanisms of VBF in CRC treatment. The prediction was verified by cell viability assay, EdU assay and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

The results of the study indicate that VBF presents anti-CRC effects and impacts cellular metabolic balance through its impact on cell cycle-regulating proteins, such as MTOR, CDK1, and TOP2A. The results of the multi-dose metabolomics analysis suggest a dose-dependent reduction of metabolites related to DNA synthesis after VBF treatment, while the EdU and flow cytometry results indicate that VBF inhibits cell proliferation and arrests the cell cycle at the S and G2/M phases.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that VBF disrupts purine and pyrimidine pathways in CRC cancer cells, leading to cell cycle arrest. This proposed workflow integrating molecular docking, multi-dose metabolomics, and biological validation, which contented EdU assay, cell cycle assay, provides a valuable framework for future similar studies.

A comparative analysis of phyto-components on EGFR binding, viability, and migration in HPV positive ME180 and HPV negative C33A cervical cancer cells

A need for effective implementation of cervical cancer (CC) even in developed countries insist the urge for developing an effective drug molecule to treat CC. Previously, we showed an inverse correlation between survival of CC patients and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) levels. Newer tyrosine kinase inhibitors to treat CC are being constantly pursued. In this context, the proposed study is an attempt to perform a comparative analysis using 20 phyto-components to determine the effective lead molecule. Molecular docking was utilized to determine the comparative efficacy of 20 phyto-components in binding to EGFR. It was then validated by cell viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis, migration, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2) in human papilloma virus (HPV) positive and HPV negative CC cells using top nine phyto-components based on computational screening. Computational analysis identified nine phyto-components out of which five compounds were effective in reducing the survival, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis, migration, and MMP-2 secretion. EGCG, plumbagin, quercetin, emodin, and naringenin were identified as effective molecules in attenuating CC survival, proliferation, and migration.

Molecular mechanism of Hedyotis Diffusae Herba in the treatment of lupus nephritis based on network pharmacology

Aims: To determine the bioactive components of Hedyotis Diffusae Herba (HDH) and the targets in treating lupus nephritis (LN), and so as to elucidate the protective mechanism of HDH against LN. Methods and results: An aggregate of 147 drug targets and 162 LN targets were obtained from online databases, with 23 overlapped targets being determined as potential therapeutic targets of HDH against LN. Through centrality analysis, TNF, VEGFA and JUN were screened as core targets. And the bindings of TNF with stigmasterol, TNF with quercetin, and VEGFA with quercetin were further validated by molecular docking. By conducting Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses for drug targets, disease targets and the shared targets, TNF signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway and HIF-1 signaling pathway, etc., were found in all these three lists, indicating the potential mechanism of HDH in the treatment of LN. Conclusion: HDH may ameliorate the renal injury in LN by targeting multi-targets and multi-pathways, including TNF signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway and so on, which provided novel insights into further researches of the drug discovery in LN.