Gualou-Xiebai-Banxia decoction protects against type II diabetes with acute myocardial ischemia by attenuating oxidative stress and apoptosis via PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling

Gastroprotective mechanism of modified lvdou gancao decoction on ethanol-induced gastric lesions in mice: Involvement of Nrf-2/HO-1/NF-κB signaling pathway

Modified Lvdou Gancao decoction (MLG), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been put into clinical use to treat the diseases of the digestive system for a long run, showing great faculty in gastric protection and anti-inflammatory, whereas its protective mechanisms have not been determined. The current study puts the focus on the protective effect and its possible mechanisms of MLG on ethanol-induced gastric lesions in mice. In addition to various gastric lesion parameters and histopathology analysis, the activities of a list of relevant indicators in gastric mucosa were explored including ALDH, ADH, MDA, T-SOD, GSH-Px, and MPO, and the mechanisms were clarified using RT-qPCR, ELISA Western Blot and immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that MLG treatment induced significant increment of ADH, ALDH, T-SOD, GSH-Px, NO, PGE2 and SS activities in gastric tissues, while MPO, MDA, TNF-α and IL-1β levels were on the decline, both in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast to the model group, the mRNA expression of Nrf-2 and HO-1 in the MLG treated groups showed an upward trend while the NF-κB, TNFα, IL-1β and COX2 in the MLG treated groups had a downward trend simultaneously. Furthermore, the protein levels of p65, p-p65, IκBα, p-IκBα, iNOS, COX2 and p38 were inhibited, while Nrf2, HO-1, SOD1, SOD2 and eNOS were ramped up in MLG treatment groups. Immunofluorescence intensities of Nrf2 and HO-1 in the MLG treated groups were considerably enhanced, with p65 and IκBα diminished simultaneously, exhibiting similar trends to that of qPCR and western blot. To sum up, MLG could significantly ameliorate ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions in mice, which might be put down to the activation of alcohol metabolizing enzymes, attenuation of the oxidative damage and inflammatory response to maintain the gastric mucosa. The gastroprotective effect of MLG might be achieved through the diminution of damage factors and the enhancement of defensive factors involving NF-κB/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. We further confirmed that MLG has strong potential in preventing and treating ethanol-induced gastric lesions.

Clinical Patterns of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Ischemic Heart Disease Treatment: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Background and objectives: Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) are widely prescribed to relieve ischemic heart disease (IHD); however, no cohort studies have been conducted on the use of TCMs for patients with IHD. The aim of the study was to analyze TCM prescription patterns for patients with IHD. Materials and Methods: The retrospective population-based study employed a randomly sampled cohort of 4317 subjects who visited TCM clinics. Data were obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan for the period covering 2000 to 2017. Data analysis focused on the top ten most commonly prescribed formulae and single TCMs. We also examined the most common two- and three-drug combinations of TCM in single prescriptions. Demographic characteristics included age and sex distributions. Analysis was performed on 22,441 prescriptions. Results: The majority of TCM patients were male (53.6%) and over 50 years of age (65.1%). Zhi-Gan-Cao-Tang (24.76%) was the most frequently prescribed formulae, and Danshen (28.89%) was the most frequently prescribed single TCM for the treatment of IHD. The most common two- and three-drug TCM combinations were Xue-Fu-Zhu-Yu-Tang and Danshen” (7.51%) and “Zhi-Gan-Cao-Tang, Yang-Xin-Tang, and Gua-Lou-Xie-Bai-Ban-Xia-Tang” (2.79%). Conclusions: Our results suggest that most of the frequently prescribed TCMs for IHD were Qi toning agents that deal with cardiovascular disease through the promotion of blood circulation. The widespread use of these drugs warrants large-scale, randomized clinical trials to investigate their effectiveness and safety.

Inhibition of Myocardial Cell Apoptosis Is Important Mechanism for Ginsenoside in the Limitation of Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Ischemic heart disease has a high mortality, and the recommended therapy is reperfusion. Nevertheless, the restoration of blood flow to ischemic tissue leads to further damage, namely, myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI). Apoptosis is an essential pathogenic factor in MIRI, and ginsenosides are effective in inhibiting apoptosis and alleviating MIRI. Here, we reviewed published studies on the anti-apoptotic effects of ginsenosides and their mechanisms of action in improving MIRI. Each ginsenoside can regulate multiple pathways to protect the myocardium. Overall, the involved apoptotic pathways include the death receptor signaling pathway, mitochondria signaling pathway, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, and MAPK signaling pathway. Ginsenosides, with diverse chemical structures, regulate different apoptotic pathways to relieve MIRI. Summarizing the effects and mechanisms of ginsenosides contributes to further mechanism research studies and structure–function relationship research studies, which can help the development of new drugs. Therefore, we expect that this review will highlight the importance of ginsenosides in improving MIRI via anti-apoptosis and provide references and suggestions for further research in this field.