Reduced MLH3 Expression in the Syndrome of Gan-Shen Yin Deficiency in Patients with Different Diseases

Impact of different processing methods of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. on kidney-yin deficiency: a study based on pharmacodynamics and metabolomics research

This study aimed to explore the pharmacodynamics and mechanisms of different processing methods of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. (LLA) in addressing kidney-yin deficiency (KYD). Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into eight groups based on their weight. The KYD model was established by intragastric administration of levothyroxine sodium. Each group was administered the corresponding treatment for 15 consecutive days. The general condition of the rats during the treatment period was observed. In addition, the levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), and the ratio of cAMP to cGMP in the serum of rats from different groups were measured. Serum samples were analyzed using the ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-Orbitrap Fusion MS technique for metabolomics analysis. Compared with the model group, the general condition of the rats in the wine-steamed L. lucidum group (WL) and salt-steamed L. lucidum group (SSL) groups showed significant improvement. The serum levels of cAMP, cGMP, and the cAMP-to-cGMP ratio tended to return to normal. Metabolic analysis identified 38 relevant biomarkers and revealed 3 major metabolic pathways: phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis; phenylalanine metabolism; and sphingolipid metabolism. The different processing methods of LLA demonstrated therapeutic effects on KYD in rats, likely related to the restoration of disturbed metabolism by adjusting the levels of endogenous metabolites in the kidney. The SSL demonstrated significantly superior effects compared with the other four types of LLA processed products.

Research progress on Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes of diabetes mellitus

With the improvement of people's living standard and the changes of environment, the incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is on the rise day by day, while clinical treatment mainly aims at lowering blood glucose, instead of fundamental prevention and treatment. What's worse, the measures of prevention and treatment of DM complications remain inadequate. Both Chinese and modern medicine have advantages and disadvantages in treating DM, therefore, it would be a worthy attempt to break through the bottleneck of DM treatment by combining the advantages of both, and explore the new measures to prevent and deal with DM from the perspective of the combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome and modern medicine. In this paper, modern research methods and possible indicators of TCM syndromes of DM were expounded from clinical and basic research aspects, aiming to find specific biomarkers of TCM syndromes, and providing experimental supports for the diagnosis and treatment of DM and the verification of TCM theory.

Pattern identification of lung cancer patients based on body constitution questionnaires (BCQ) and glycoproteomics for precision medicine

BACKGROUND

The patient's pattern identification has been used for personalized medicine in traditional Korean medicine (TKM) and aims for patient-specific therapy by Korean medical doctors. The pattern identification in this trial will be diagnosed from body constitution questionnaire (BCQ) with a more objective diagnosis of it but this method still needs a more concrete scientific basis. Glycoproteins are well-known to be associated with diseases (especially cancers) so glycoproteomics can be applied to differentiate pattern identification types of lung cancer patients. Thus, for the first time proteomics approach will be applied to the pattern identification by comparing BCQ assessment in order to establish a scientific basis with clinical proteomics for precision medicine.

METHODS

This observational trial will at first diagnose the pattern identification types of lung cancer patients with BCQ assessment and then elucidate their relationships with proteomics. Blood samples will be collected before surgery along with clinical information of participants. The patients' pattern identification in TKM will be diagnosed from BCQ assessment. Then, lung cancer patients will be divided and pooled into 3 lung cancer entire (LCE) groups according to their pattern identification types (Xu, Stasis, or Gentleness). Three lung cancer representative (LCR) groups will be selected and pooled from each LCE group by selecting those with the same control factors. The 3 LCE groups and the 3 LCR groups from lung cancer patients will be independently analyzed through the glycoproteomics approach based on the patients' pattern identification. Glycoproteins from the 6 groups will be identified through proteomics approach and then categorized for analysis.

DISCUSSION

This study intends to diagnose pattern identification of patients in TKM with BCQ assessment and proteomics approach. The identification of the glycoproteins in each group will lead to the scientific foundation of personalized medicine in TKM according to patients' pattern identification for lung cancer therapy. We intend to(1) diagnose the pattern identification types of lung cancer patients with BCQ under the framework of TKM;(2) evaluate BCQ assessment with glycoproteomics approach for precision medicine.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03384680. Registered 27 December 2017. Retrospectively registered.

Broad range metabolomics coupled with network analysis for explaining possible mechanisms of Er-Zhi-Wan in treating liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome of Traditional Chinese medicine

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Er-Zhi-Wan (EZW), a famous traditional Chinese formulation, is used to prevent, or to treat, various liver and kidney diseases for its actions of replenishing liver and kidney. However, the mechanisms of treating Liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome (LKYDS) of EZW have not been comprehensively investigated.

AIM OF THE STUDY

In this study, a broad range metabolomics strategy coupled with network analysis was established to investigate possible mechanisms of EZW in treating LKYDS.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

The rat models of LKYDS were established using the mixture of thyroxine and reserpine, and the changes of biochemical indices in serum and histopathology were detected to explore the effects of EZW. Next, a broad range metabolomics strategy based on RPLC-Q-TOF/MS and HILIC-Q-TOF/MS has been developed to find the possible significant metabolites in the serum and urine of LKYDS rats. Then, network analysis was applied to visualize the relationships between identified serum and urine metabolites and in detail to find hub metabolites, which might be responsible for the effect of EZW on rats of LKYDS. Furthermore, the shortest path of "disease gene-pathway protein-metabolite" was built to investigate the possible intervention path of EZW from the systematic perspective.

RESULTS

Five hub metabolites, namely, arachidonic acid, L-arginine, testosterone, taurine and oxoglutaric acid, were screened out and could be adjusted to recover by EZW. After that, the shortest path starting from disease genes and ending in metabolites were identified and disclosed, and the genes of aging such as CAV1 and ACO1 were selected to explain the pathological mechanism of LKYDS.

CONCLUSION

Broad range metabolomics coupled with network analysis could provide another perspective on systematically investigating the molecular mechanism of EZW in treating LKYDS at metabolomics level. In addition, EZW might prevent the pathological process of LKYDS through regulating the disturbed metabolic pathway and the aging genes such as CAV1 and ACO1, which may be potential targets for EZW in the treatment of LKYDS.