Efficacy and safety of Zuojin Pill for chronic gastritis: Protocol for a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Integrated serum pharmacochemistry and investigation of the anti-gastric ulcer effect of Zuojin pill in rats induced by ethanol

CONTEXT

Zuojin Pill (ZJP) has been used to treat gastrointestinal problems in China for hundreds of years.

OBJECTIVE

To discover more potential active ingredients and evaluate the gastroprotective mechanisms of ZJP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An approach involving UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS and serum pharmacochemistry was established to screen the multiple chemical constituents of ZJP. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into six groups: normal control, ulcer control, omeprazole (30 mg/kg), and three ZJP groups (1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 g/kg). After oral treatment with ZJP or omeprazole for 7 days, all groups except the normal control group were orally administered 5 mL/kg ethanol to induce gastric ulceration. Histopathological assessment of gastric tissue was performed by haematoxylin and eosin staining. Antioxidant parameters and inflammatory mediators were determined using ELISA Kit and immunohistochemical analysis.

RESULTS

Ninety components were identified in ZJP. Among them, 23 prototypes were found in rat serum after oral administration of ZJP. The ulcer inhibition was over 90.0% for all the ZJP groups. Compared with the ulcer control rats, ZJP (4.0 g/kg) enhanced the antioxidant capacity of gastric tissue: superoxide dismutase (1.33-fold), catalase (2.61-fold), glutathione (2.14-fold), and reduced the malondialdehyde level (0.48-fold). Simultaneously, the ZJP meaningfully lowered the content of tumour necrosis factor-α (0.76-fold), interleukin-6 (0.66-fold), myeloperoxidase (0.21-fold), and nuclear factor kappa B (p65) (0.62-fold).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

This study showed ZJP could mitigate ethanol-induced rat gastric ulcers, which might benefit from the synergistic actions of multiple ingredients. The findings could support the quality control and clinical trials of ZJP.

Network Pharmacology-Based Exploration of the Mechanism of Action of Shugan Hewei Recipe in the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease with Anxiety and Depression

The Shugan Hewei recipe (SHR) is a well-recognized traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription that has been shown to significantly improve chest pain, acid regurgitation, and the mood of GERD. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, the active compounds and targets of SHR were predicted using network pharmacology. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were utilized to explore the therapeutic mechanism of SHR. Combined with the drug target obtained from network pharmacology, the therapeutic effect and mechanism of SHR were observed. SHR’s main active compounds included quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolin. The core targets of SHR and GERD were TGF-β1, IL-1β, IL-4, CXCL10, MAPK1, MAPK3, CXCL8, IL-10, IL-2, and FOS, involving virus infection, inflammatory response, and body immunity. The core targets of SHR during the treatment of mental disorders were GABRA1, GABRA2, GABRA3, GABRA5, and GABRA6, involving synaptic transmission and transmembrane movement. Animal experiments revealed that SHR could repair the lower esophageal mucosa, mediate inflammatory factors, and GABA receptors and improve the behavior of rats. Overall, our results substantiate that SHR has huge prospects for widespread application in treating GERD subjects with anxiety and depression.

A Web-Based Pharmacological Approach to the Mechanism of Action of Rhizoma Phragmitis and Rhizoma Curcumae in the Treatment of Chronic Atrophic Gastritis

Objective. To analyze and test the effect of Rhizoma phragmitis and Rhizoma curcumae on the network pharmacology of MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) and TNF (tumor necrosis factor) signaling channels and inflammatory factor target gene regulation in successful modeling of chronic atrophic gastritis rats. Methods. Rats with chronic atrophic gastritis that were modeled successfully were randomly divided into control and study groups and were treated with conventional western medicine or Rhizoma phragmitis and Rhizoma curcumae, respectively. The pharmacological mechanism of action and efficacy were evaluated. Results. The treatment efficiency was 76.32% and 97.37% in the control and study group, respectively. After treatment, the serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the study group were lower than those in the control group and the serum epidermal growth factor (EGF) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the study group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05); the pain behavioral scores in the study group were lower than those in the control group, and the free acid quantity and total acid quantity in the study group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05); the serum MTL index in the study group was higher than that in the control group, and the serum gastrin (GAS) and pepsinogen I (PG I) indices in the study group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05); the number of 24-hour reflux in the study group was less than that in the control group (P < 0.05), and the longest reflux time in the study group was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Based on the network pharmacological results, Rhizoma phragmitis and Rhizoma curcumae will modulate MAPK, TNF signaling circuits, and inflammatory factor target genes in the chronic atrophic gastritis rat model. This treatment protocol is efficient and beneficial to enhance the gastric function of the chronic atrophic gastritis rat model, while it can alleviate the inflammatory response and significantly reduce the number and duration of reflux, which is a safe and reliable treatment modality.

Effects of Zuojin Pill (Rhizoma Coptidis and Fructus Evodiae preparation) on the pharmacokinetics and side effects of venlafaxine in humans

Venlafaxine (VEN), a first-line antidepressant, and Zuojin Pill (ZJP), a common herbal medicine consisting of Rhizoma Coptidis and Fructus Evodiae, are high likely co-administered in China. ZJP could significantly inhibit VEN pharmacokinetics in vitro and in rats through suppression of CYP2D6 activity. To date, however, no clinical study has demonstrated the clinical relevance. Here, the VEN pharmacokinetics at a single dose of VEN with or without co-administration of ZJP was compared. ZJP had a weak HDI on the pharmacokinetics of VEN. The geometric means of C_max and AUC_0-∞ of VEN increased by 36.7% and 34.6%, respectively, and the corresponding 90% CIs of geometric mean ratios (GMRs) exceed outside bioequivalent range of 0.80-1.25. However, the corresponding 90% CIs of GMRs of these parameters for ODV were within the range. Since ODV exposure (AUC), approximately 3.4-fold higher than that of VEN, hardly changed, the systemic exposure of VEN active moiety (VEN + ODV) with ZJP increased slightly (≤ 8.5%) compared with that of VEN alone. In addition, the incidence of VEN-related side effects, especially gastrointestinal relevance, were significantly reduced with ZJP. Therefore, rational concomitant use of VEN and ZJP might have low risk of HDI and be promising in clinical practice.

Metabolomic Study of Zuojin Pill in Relieving 1-Methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine-Induced Chronic Atrophic Gastritis

The classic prescription Zuojin Pill (ZJP) shows a good therapeutic effect on chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG); it is of great significance to clarify its specific mechanism. Therefore, we explore the mechanism of ZJP on MNNG-induced CAG by integrating approaches. First of all, through the pathological changes of gastric tissue and the expression level of PGI and PGI/II in serum, the expression of inflammation-related factors was determined by RT-PCR to determine the efficacy. Then, UPLC-Q-TOF/MS was used for plasma and urine metabolomic analysis to screen the specific potential biomarkers and metabolic pathway of ZJP in ameliorating CAG and to explore its possible mechanism. ZJP significantly ameliorate the pathological injury of gastric tissue, increase levels of PGI and PGI/II, and reduce the expression level of proinflammatory factors. Through metabolomic analysis, 9 potential metabolic differences were identified and 6 related metabolic pathways were enriched. These findings indicate for the first time the potential mechanism of ZJP in improving CAG induced by MNNG and are of great significance to the clinical development and application of ZJP-related drugs.