Inhibitory effects of active fraction and its main components of Shaofu Zhuyu decoction on uterus contraction

Typhaneoside-Tetrahedral Framework Nucleic Acids System: Mitochondrial Recovery and Antioxidation for Acute Kidney Injury treatment

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is not only a worldwide problem with a cruel hospital mortality rate but also an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease and a promoting factor for its progression. Despite supportive therapeutic measures, there is no effective treatment for AKI. This study employs tetrahedral framework nucleic acid (tFNA) as a vehicle and combines typhaneoside (Typ) to develop the tFNA-Typ complex (TTC) for treating AKI. With the precise targeting ability on mitochondria and renal tubule, increased antiapoptotic and antioxidative effect, and promoted mitochondria and kidney function restoration, the TTC represents a promising nanomedicine for AKI treatment. Overall, this study has developed a dual-targeted nanoparticle with enhanced therapeutic effects on AKI and could have critical clinical applications in the future.

A Botanical-Based Equine Nutraceutical Reduces Gastric Smooth Muscle Contractile Force In Vitro

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a botanical-based equine nutraceutical on contractility of gastric smooth muscle in vitro. Gastric ulcers are prevalent in performance horses and negatively impact horse welfare. Gastric hypermotility has been positively associated with the development of gastric ulceration in nonequine species, and reduction of hypermotility may be protective against their development. Stomachs from 12 pigs processed for food at a provincially inspected abattoir were collected within 1 hour of slaughter. Explants of nonglandular gastric tissue were prepared and suspended in a tissue bath, attached to a force transducer, in the presence or absence of a simulated digest extract of the nutraceutical. Tissue was stimulated to contract using increasing doses of acetylcholine. Peak and mean contractile force over 1 and 2 minutes after exposure to acetylcholine were measured. Exposure of gastric smooth muscle to the nutraceutical significantly reduced contractility of the tissue. These data provide support for the use of this nutraceutical to reduce contractility of nonglandular gastric smooth muscle and may indicate a protective effect of this nutraceutical in horses with mechanically induced gastric ulcers. Future studies are needed to clarify the role of gastric hypermotility on development of equine gastric ulcers and to determine the effect of this nutraceutical on equine gastric contractility and ulcerogenesis in vivo.

A comparison of the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea: A network meta-analysis protocol

INTRODUCTION

Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) have been commonly used in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea in East Asia. Several systematic reviews have been conducted to assess the clinical efficacy of CHM in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. However, their comparative efficacy is still unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to conduct a network meta-analysis (NMA) to systematically compare the advantages of different CHM in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The following electronic databases will be searched in this study: Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wan-fang Database. Search terms include (Chinese herbal medicine or Chinese patent medicine or medicinal plants or phytotherapy or traditional medicine or Chinese herbal drugs or plant extracts or herbal medicine or herbal extract or herb or traditional Chinese medicine) and (primary dysmenorrhea or dysmenorrhea or painful menstruation) and (randomized controlled trial). The language will be limited to Chinese and English, and the search date will be up to May 2019. The included studies must be randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with patients diagnosed with primary dysmenorrhea. CHM must be used as interventions in the experimental group. While in the control group, studies that used a different herbal medicine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or placebo will be included. The primary outcomes include clinical efficacy and visual analog scale (VAS), and the secondary outcomes include adverse events and quality of life. Four reviewers will independently extract the data and assess the qualities of the studies. Statistical analysis will be conducted with R package for each outcome.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval is not required as this NMA is based on published studies. The completed NMA will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42018095254.

Antioxidant capacity of Typha angustifolia extracts and two active flavonoids

CONTEXT

The pollen of Typha angustifolia L. (Typhaceae) has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for improving the microcirculation and promoting wound healing. Flavonoids are the main constituent in the plant, but little is known about the antioxidant activity of the principal constituent of the pollen in detail.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the antioxidant activities of ethanol and water extracts and two constituents of the pollen.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Plant material (1 g) was extracted by 95% ethanol and water (10 mL × 2, 1 h each), respectively. The extracted activities (0.8-2.6 mg/mL) were measured by DPPH and the reducing activity of ferric chloride (1.7-2.6 mg/mL). Typhaneoside and isorhamnetin-3-O-neohesperidoside (I3ON) (2.8-70 μmol/L) were investigated on the relationship between NO, MDA and SOD in HUVECs treated with 100 μg/mL of LPS for 24 h.

RESULTS

Nine compounds were identified by UPLC-MS. Ethanol extract showed IC₅₀ values in DPPH (39.51 ± 0.72) and Fe³⁺ reducing activity (82.76 ± 13.38), higher than the water extract (50.85 ± 0.74) and (106.33 ± 6.35), respectively. Typhaneoside and I3ON promoted cell proliferation at the respective concentration range of 2.8 to 70 μmol/L (p < 0.01). This two compounds decreased MDA (1.91 ± 0.10, 1.80 ± 0.34, p < 0.05) and NO levels (14.64 ± 0.08, 13.10 ± 0.88, p < 0.01), respectively, and increased SOD level (22.94 ± 2.48, 23.57 ± 2.38, p < 0.01) at the concentration of 70 μmol/L compared with LPS group.

CONCLUSIONS

The constituents from Typha angustifolia could be a novel therapeutic strategy for LPS-induced inflammation.

Wenjing decoction (herbal medicine) for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Wenjing decoction is a well-accepted traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea in East Asia, but its clinical effectiveness and risk have not been adequately assessed. In this paper, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of Wenjing decoction for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.

METHODS

Eight databases were used in our research: the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and the Wan-fang Database. The following search terms were used: (Wenjing decoction OR Wenjing formula OR Wenjing tang) AND (primary dysmenorrhea OR dysmenorrhea OR painful menstruation) AND (randomized controlled trial). No language limitation was used.

RESULTS

A total of 18 studies, including 1736 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. Wenjing decoction was shown to be significantly better than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the improvement of primary dysmenorrhea according to the clinical effective rate (RR 1.41, 95% CI 1.24-1.61), the visual analogue scale (MD -1.77, 95% CI -2.69 to -0.84), and the pain scale for dysmenorrhea (MD -1.81, 95% CI -2.41 to -1.22).

CONCLUSIONS

The results supported the clinical use of Wenjing decoction for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. However, the quality of the evidence for this finding was low due to a high risk of bias in the included studies. Therefore, well-designed randomized controlled trials are still needed to further evaluate the efficacy of Wenjing decoction for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.

Shaofu Zhuyu decoction ameliorates obesity-mediated hepatic steatosis and systemic inflammation by regulating metabolic pathways

Shaofu Zhuyu decoction (SFZYD, also known as Sobokchugeo-tang), a classical prescription drug in traditional East Asian medicine, has been used to treat blood stasis syndrome (BSS). Hepatic steatosis is the result of excess caloric intake, and its pathogenesis involves internal retention of phlegm and dampness, blood stasis, and liver Qi stagnation. To evaluate the effects of treatment with SFZYD on obesity-induced inflammation and hepatic steatosis, we fed male C57BL/6N mice a high fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks and then treated them with SFZYD by oral gavage for an additional 4 weeks. The results of histological and biochemical examinations indicated that SFZYD treatment ameliorates systemic inflammation and hepatic steatosis. A partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) scores plot of serum metabolites showed that HFD mice began to produce metabolites similar to those of normal chow (NC) mice after SFZYD administration. We noted significant alterations in the levels of twenty-seven metabolites, alterations indicating that SFZYD regulates the TCA cycle, the pentose phosphate pathway and aromatic amino acid metabolism. Increases in the levels of TCA cycle intermediate metabolites, such as 2-oxoglutaric acid, isocitric acid, and malic acid, in the serum of obese mice were significantly reversed after SFZYD treatment. In addition to inducing changes in the above metabolites, treatment with SFZYD also recovered the expression of genes related to hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction, including Ucp2, Cpt1α, and Ppargc1α, as well as the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism and inflammation, without affecting glucose uptake or insulin signaling. Taken together, these findings suggest that treatment with SFZYD ameliorated obesity-induced systemic inflammation and hepatic steatosis by regulating inflammatory cytokine and adipokine levels in the circulation and various tissues. Moreover, treatment with SFZYD also reversed alterations in the levels of metabolites of the TCA cycle, the pentose phosphate pathway and aromatic amino acid metabolism.

Effects and mechanisms of Shaofu-Zhuyu decoction and its major bioactive component for Cold - Stagnation and Blood - Stasis primary dysmenorrhea rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is used under the guidance of the theory of traditional Chinese medical sciences in clinical application. The Chinese herbal formula, Shaofu Zhuyu decoction (SFZYD), is considered as an effective prescription for treating Cold - Stagnation and Blood - Stasis (CSBS) primary dysmenorrhea. The previous studies showed the SFZYD exhibited significant anti-inflammation and analgesic effect. In this present study the metabolomics of CSBS primary dysmenorrhea diseased rats and the cytokine transcription in PHA stimulated-PBMC were investigated to explore the effects and mechanisms.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Explore a valuable insight into the effects and mechanisms of SFZYD on Cold - Stagnation and Blood - Stasis primary dysmenorrhea rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We established CSBS primary dysmenorrhea diseased rats according the clinical symptoms. A targeted tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based metabolomic platform was used to evaluate the metabolic profiling changes and the intervention effects by SFZYD. The PBMC cell was adopted to explore the mechanisms by analyzing the signaling pathway evaluated by expression of inflammatory cytokines, c-jun and c-fos and corresponding phosphorylation levels.

RESULTS

Estradiol, oxytocin, progesterone, endothelin, β-endorphin and PGF2α were restored back to the normal level after the treatment of SFZYD. Total twenty-five metabolites (10 in plasma and 15 in urine), up-regulated or down-regulated, were identified. These identified biomarkers underpinning the metabolic pathway including pentose and glucuronate interconversions, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and glycerophospholipid metabolism are disturbed in model rats. Among these metabolites, twenty one potential biomarkers were regulated after SFZYD treated. The compound of paeoniflorin, a major bioactive compound in SFZYD, was proved to regulate the MAPK signaling pathway by inhibiting the expression of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-10, IL-12, TNFα, INFγ, c-jun and c-fos in PHA stimulated-PBMC.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicated that SFZYD improved the metabolic profiling and biochemical indicators on CSBS primary dysmenorrhea rats. And the mechanisms were closely related with the regulation of the MAPK pathway by reduction in phosphorylated forms of the three MAPK (ERK1/2, p38 and JNK) and down regulation of c-jun and c-fos by paeoniflorin. The data could be provided the guidance for further research and new drug discovery.

Comparative Pharmacokinetics of three major bioactive components in rats after oral administration of Typhae Pollen-Trogopterus Feces drug pair before and after compatibility

BACKGROUND

Typhae Pollen (TP) and Trogopterus Feces (TF) are well-known traditional medicine in china which widely used for thousands of years as drug pair called Shixiao San for treatment of blood stasis syndrome, specially shown great efficacy in gynecological disease. Typhaneoside, vanillic acid and p-coumaric acid are the main bioactive components of Typhae Pollen. This study was carried out for comparing the pharmacokinetic profile of these three major bioactive components in rats after oral administration of Typhae Pollen-Trogopterus Feces (TP-TF) drug pair before and after compatibility.

METHODS

A sensitive and rapid UPLC-TQ/MS method has been developed for simultaneous quantification of the three main bioactive compounds in blood at different time points after oral administration of Typhae Pollen (TP) and the combination with Trogopterus Feces (TF).

RESULTS

There were significant differences of C(max), T(max), T(1/2) and AUC(0~t) for three bioactive compounds among the groups, for typhaneoside with the most highest plasma concentration of 370.86 ± 315.71 ng/mL and more longer T(max) in TP-TF co-decoction group (C(M)); for vanillic acid, TP-TF co-decoction group (C(M)) had a good absorption with C(max) (3870.99 ± 2527.99 ng/mL) and T(max) (1.47 ± 3.20 h); for p-coumaric acid, it had similar pharmacokinetic characteristics with vanillic acid.

CONCLUSIONS

The three bioactive components in Typhae Pollen (TP) were simultaneously determined by UPLC-TQ/MS and had a good absorption in rat plasma after the combination with Trogopterus Feces (TF).

A review of in vitro and in vivo studies on the efficacy of herbal medicines for primary dysmenorrhea

Purpose. Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a common gynecological complaint among adolescent girls and women of reproductive age. This study aims to review the findings of published articles on the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of herbal medicines for PD. Methods. In vitro and in vivo studies of herbal compounds, individual herbal extracts, or herbal formula decoctions published from their inception to April 2014 were included in this review. Results. A total of 18 studies involving herbal medicines exhibited their inhibitory effect on PD. The majority of in vitro studies investigated the inhibition of uterine contractions. In vivo studies suggest that herbal medicines exert a peripheral analgesic effect and a possible anti-inflammatory activity via the inhibition of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis. The mechanisms of herbal medicines for PD are associated with PG level reduction, suppression of cyclooxygenase-2 expression, superoxide dismutase activation and malondialdehyde reduction, nitric oxide, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and nuclear factor-kappa B reduction, stimulation of somatostatin receptor, intracellular Ca(2+) reduction, and recovery of phospholipid metabolism. Conclusions. Herbal medicines are thought to be promising sources for the development of effective therapeutic agents for PD. Further investigations on the appropriate herbal formula and their constituents are recommended.

UHPLC-MS Simultaneous Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of Three Aromatic Acids and One Monoterpene in Rat Plasma after Oral Administration of Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction

We developed a sensitive and rapid method for determination of ferulic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, and paeoniflorin in rat plasma based on ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS). The separation of the four compounds was carried out on an AcQuity UHPLC™ BEH C18 column using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water (containing 0.1% formic acid). Electrospray ionization in positive and negative ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring was used to identify and quantify active components. All calibration curves gave good linearity (r > 0.991) over the concentration range from 4.24–2875 ngmL-1 for all components. The precision of the in vivo study was evaluated by intraday and interday assays and the percentages of RSD were all within 10.6%. The recovery ranged from 60.2 to 77.9%. The method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of all three aromatic acids and one monoterpene in rat plasma. Furthermore, we compared the pharmacokinetics profile of the four compounds in normal and primary dysmenorrhea rats' plasma following oral administration of Shaofu Zhuyu decoction (SFZYD) and its ethanol supernatant extract (SFE).

Metabolomic study of biochemical changes in the plasma and urine of primary dysmenorrhea patients using UPLC-MS coupled with a pattern recognition approach

Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is characterized by painful menstrual cramps without any organic pathology and has a prevalence of up to 90% in adolescents. Recent advances in its etiology and pathogenesis are providing more speculative hypotheses focused on integral systems. Using a targeted tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based metabolomic platform, we explored the changes of metabolic profiling in plasma/urine simultaneously between PD patients and healthy controls before and after a 3-month herbal medicine (namely Shaofu Zhuyu formula concentrated-granule, SFZYFG) therapy. To detect and identify potential biomarkers associated with PD and SFZYFG treatment, we also performed a combined UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-based metabolomic profiling of the plasma/urine samples, indicating a further deviation of the patients' global metabolic profile from that of controls. The total thirty-five metabolites (nineteen in plasma and sixteen in urine), up-regulated or down-regulated (p < 0.05 or 0.01), were identified and contributed to PD progress. These promising identified biomarkers underpinning the metabolic pathway including sphingolipid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and glycerophospholipid metabolism are disturbed in PD patients, which were identified by using pathway analysis with MetPA. Twenty-four altered metabolites and fourteen biochemical indicators were restored back to the control-like level after the treatment of SFZYFG and could be potential biomarkers for monitoring therapeutic efficacy. These findings may be promising to yield a valuable insight into the pathophysiology of PD and to advance the approaches of treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of PD and related syndromes.

Trends in Scientific Publications of Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an important component of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The fast economic growth of mainland China in the past two decades has promoted the use of TCM beyond Chinese-speaking countries. Chinese researchers have published more TCM research studies in CAM-related professional journals, including the American Journal of Chinese Medicine (AJCM), the highest impact journal in Chinese medicine. The consistent increase of the impact factor of the AJCM suggests a growth in TCM popularity. This study analyzed articles published in the AJCM between 2004 and 2011. Our data show that while enthusiasm towards cardiovascular, nervous system and inflammation related research remained high, more herbal investigations and cancer studies were published. Furthermore, a reduction in TCM formulation studies was replaced by increasing botanical single constituent research. Examples of frequently cited studies, including those before 2004, are presented. These data are not only important to the scientific community for recognition of trends in TCM research, but also for providing information to TCM researchers who are targeting potentially highly cited studies.

Determination of typhaneoside in rat plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A highly sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of typhaneoside in rat plasma using rutin as internal standard. The analyte and rutin (internal standard) were extracted with methanol followed by a rapid isocratic elution with 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer/methanol (v:v, 20:80) on an C(18) column (150 mm × 2.1 mm I.D.) and subsequent analysis by mass spectrometry in the multi-reaction-monitoring mode. The precursor to product ion transitions of m/z 769.3 → 314.1 and m/z 609.2 → 300.1 were used to measure the analyte and the internal standard. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 0.01-10 μg/mL for typhaneoside in rat plasma. The lower limit of quantification was 0.01 μg/mL and the extraction recovery was larger than 90.2% for typhaneoside. The inter- and intra-day precision of the method at three concentrations was less than 6.8%. The method was firstly applied to pharmacokinetic study of typhaneoside in rats.

Effects of xiang-fu-si-wu decoction and its main components for dysmenorrhea on uterus contraction

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Xiang-fu-si-wu decoction has been widely used to treat blood stasis syndromes in gynecology diseases, such as primary dysmenorrhea in clinical practice for hundreds of years and show great efficacy. The efficient components and mechanism of action on uterus contraction were seldom reported.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study was conducted to evaluate the inhibitory effects of active fractions and its main bioactive components of xiang-fu-si-wu decoction on uterine contraction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Model of non-pregnant mice uterine contraction induced by oxytocin was used to evaluate activity. Levels of Ca(2+) and nitric oxide (NO) in primary dysmenorrheal model mice uterus were also been detected. Components in active fraction were identified and quantified by HPLC-DAD.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

It was found the active fraction of xiang-fu-si-wu decoction may become potential Ca(2+) channel blocking agents. Alkaloids like berberine were main active components in bioactive fraction of xiang-fu-si-wu decoction for dysmenorrhea on uterus contraction.