The protective effects of different compatibility proportions of the couplet medicines for Astragali Radix and Angelica sinensis Radix on myocardial infarction injury

A patient with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest saved from heart transplantation and amputation through a collaboration between modern and traditional Chinese medicine: A case report

INTRODUCTION

Patients with end-stage heart failure have limited options for medical treatment, and this ultimately necessitates heart transplantation. Patients undergoing heart transplant surgery are burdened with substantial costs related to finances, procedural risks, and postoperative quality of life. This report presents a case of heart failure in a patient whose limbs and heart were preserved through a collaboration between modern and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

PATIENT PRESENTATION

A 47-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and was diagnosed with 3-vessel disease and acute decompensated heart failure on October 27, 2020. After extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), the patient presented with cyanosis and gangrene in all four limbs. Cardiologists and plastic surgeons recommended heart transplantation and amputation. The patient wanted to keep his limbs and heart intact and requested to receive TCM. A TCM physician was consulted by visiting staff to provide combined care. After TCM intervention, both the ejection fraction (EF) and gangrene improved. Until now, the patient continues to receive TCM treatment, lives with preserved limbs and heart, and went through SARS-CoV2 infection smoothly in 2023.

CONCLUSION

TCM met the expectations of the patient and reduced the high medical expenses. This approach may improve the outlook and be a more economical option for patients with end-stage heart failure.

Exploration of the Active Component and Mechanisms of Shengyu Decoction Against Myelosuppression Using Network Pharmacology and in vitro Experimental Validation

Background

Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression (CIM) is a common adverse reaction with a high incidence rate that seriously affects human health. Shengyu Decoction (SYD) is often used to treat CIM. However, its pharmacodynamic basis and therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear.

Purpose

This study aimed to clarify the active components and mechanisms of SYD in CIM.

Methods

LC-QTOF/MS was used to identify the absorbable components of SYD. A series of network pharmacology methods have been applied to explore hub targets and potential mechanisms. Molecular docking was used to identify the binding ability of potential active ingredients and hub targets. Finally, in vitro experiments were performed to validate these findings.

Results

In this study, 33 absorbable prototype components were identified using LC-QTOF/MS. A total of 62 possible targets of SYD in myelosuppression were identified. KEGG pathway enrichment analyses showed that some signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt and HIF-1 may be the mechanisms by which it functions. Among them, we verified the PI3K-Akt pathway. 6 Hub proteins were screened by Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. Molecular docking results showed that four absorbable components in SYD showed good binding with six Hub targets. The effectiveness of the four predicted compounds and the mechanism were verified in vitro. It has also been shown that the active component could promote the proliferation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and block apoptosis of BMSCs, which may be related to the PI3K-Akt pathway. This result is consistent with the network pharmacology approach and molecular docking predictions.

Conclusion

Our results provided not only the candidate active component of SYD, but also a new insights into mechanism of SYD in the treatment of CIM.

Research Progress in Pharmacological Effects and Mechanisms of Angelica sinensis against Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases

Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (A. sinensis) is a medicinal and edible values substance, which could promote blood circulation and enrich blood. It possesses rich chemical components and nutrients, which have significant therapeutic effects on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is commonly used for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in the elderly, especially in improving ischemic damage to the heart and brain, protecting vascular cells, and regulating inflammatory reactions. This article reviews the main pharmacological effects and clinical research of A. sinensis on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in recent years, explores the effect of its chemical components on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by regulating the expression of functional proteins and inhibiting inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and antioxidant mechanisms. It provides a reference for further research on A. sinensis and the development of related drugs. It provides a new reference direction for the in-depth research and application of A. sinensis in the prevention, improvement, and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Improved effect of fresh ginseng paste (radix ginseng-ziziphus jujube) on hyperuricemia based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Background: Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a metabolic disease caused by reduced excretion or increased production of uric acid. This research aims to study the practical components, active targets, and potential mechanism of the "Radix ginseng (RG)-Ziziphus jujube (ZJ)" herb pair through molecular docking, network pharmacology, and animal experiments. Methods: The potential targets of "Radix ginseng (RG)-Ziziphus jujube (ZJ)" herb pair were obtained from the TCMSP database. The therapeutic targets of HUA were acquired from the GendCards, OMIM, PharmGkb, and TTD databases. Protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was constructed in the STRING 11.0 database. The David database was used for enrichment analysis. Molecular Docking was finished by the AutoDock Vina. And we employed Radix ginseng and Ziziphus jujube as raw materials, which would develop a new functional food fresh ginseng paste (FGP) after boiling. In addition, benzbromarone (Ben) (7.8 mg/kg) and allopurinol (All) (5 mg/kg) were used as positive drugs to evaluate the hyperuricemia induced by FGP (400 and 800 mg/kg) potassium oxazine (PO) (100 mg/kg) and hypoxanthine (HX) (500 mg/kg) on mice. Results: The results showed that 25 targets in the "RG-ZJ" herb pair interacted with hyperuricemia. Then protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis showed that TNF, IL-1β, and VEGFA were core genes. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and IL-17 signaling pathway were mainly involved. Meantime, animal experiments showed that FGP could improve the HUA status of mice by reducing serum UA BUN, XO, and liver XO levels (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). Furthermore, we analyzed the main ingredients of FGP by HPLC. We found that the main ingredients of FGP had solid binding activity to the core target of HUA by molecular docking. Conclusion: This study explored the active ingredients and targets of the "RG-ZJ" herb pair on HUA through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experiments. It revealed the improvement of FGP in mice with HUA.

Ferulic Acid Protects Endothelial Cells from Hypoxia-Induced Injury by Regulating MicroRNA-92a

Materials and Methods

CCK-8 (cell counting kit-8), Western blotting and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining were used to detect cell viability and apoptosis after hypoxia stimulation. The level of microRNA-92 a (miR-92 a) was detected by qRT-PCR.. Then, the assays of flow cytometry and the annexin V/PI staining kit were applied to value the impact of FA on hypoxia-induced cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis. Furthermore, the inhibitor and mimic of miR-92a were also administrated to explore the role of miR-92a in this process. Student's t-test was used to explore the differences between two groups, while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to explore the differences between more than two groups.

Results

The results showed that hypoxia stimulation significantly inhibited HUVEC viability and proliferation, such as remarkably decreasing the expression of CDK2, CDK4, and cyclin D1 in HUVECs. The results of annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis detection showed that hypoxia culture significantly induced HUVEC apoptosis, which indicated that hypoxia stimulation significantly inhibited viability and proliferation of HUVECs but caused cell apoptosis and the expression of miR-92a. Meanwhile, FA remarkably protected HUVECs from hypoxia-induced inhibition of viability and proliferation, as well as the enhancement of apoptosis and miR-92a expression. Furthermore, suppression of miR-92a enhanced the protective effects of FA on hypoxia-induced HUVECs, while activation of miR-92a reversed those effects.

Conclusion

Our study reported that FA preserved HUVECs from hypoxia-induced injury via regulating miR-92a, which facilitated the understanding of the protective capacity of FA in hypoxia-caused HUVEC injury.