A Network-Based Approach to Explore the Mechanism and Bioactive Compounds of Erzhi Pill against Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease

A review of botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and applications of the herb with the homology of medicine and food: Ligustrum lucidum W.T. Aiton

Ligustrum lucidum W.T. Aiton is an outstanding herb with the homology of medicine and food. Its ripe fruits are traditionally used as an important tonic for kidneys and liver in China. Ligustrum lucidum W.T. Aiton is rich in nutritional components and a variety of bioactive ingredients. A total of 206 compounds have been isolated and identified, they mainly include flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, iridoid glycosides, and triterpenoids. These compounds exert anti-osteoporosis, anti-tumor, liver protective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. Ligustrum lucidum W.T. Aiton has been traditionally used to treat many complex diseases, including osteoporotic bone pain, rheumatic bone, cancer, related aging symptoms, and so on. In the 2020 Edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia, there are more than 100 prescriptions containing L. lucidum W.T. Aiton. Among them, some classical preparations including Er Zhi Wan and Zhenqi fuzheng formula, are used in the treatment of various cancers with good therapeutic effects. Additionally, L. lucidum W.T. Aiton has also many excellent applications for functional food, ornamental plants, bioindicator of air pollution, algicidal agents, and feed additives. Ligustrum lucidum W.T. Aiton has rich plant resources. However, the application potential of it has not been fully exploited. We hope that this paper provides a theoretical basis for the high-value and high-connotation development of L. lucidum W.T. Aiton in the future.

Chinese medicine in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease based on network pharmacology: a review

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinicopathological syndrome characterized by abnormalities in hepatic fat deposition, the incidence of which has been increasing year by year in recent years. It has become the largest chronic liver disease globally and one of the important causes of cirrhosis and even primary liver cancer formation. The pathogenesis of NAFLD has not yet been fully clarified. Modern medicine lacks targeted clinical treatment protocols for NAFLD, and most drugs lack efficacy and have high side effects. In contrast, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has significant advantages in the treatment and prevention of NAFLD, which have been widely recognized by scholars around the world. In recent years, through the establishment of a "medicine-disease-target-pathway" network relationship, network pharmacology can explore the molecular basis of the role of medicines in disease prevention and treatment from various perspectives, predicting the pharmacological mechanism of the corresponding medicines. This approach is compatible with the holistic view and treatment based on pattern differentiation of TCM and has been widely used in TCM research. In this paper, by searching relevant databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase, we reviewed and analyzed the relevant signaling pathways and specific mechanisms of action of single Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine combinations, and Chinese patent medicine for the treatment of NAFLD in recent years. These related studies fully demonstrated the therapeutic characteristics of TCM with multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways, which provided strong support for the exact efficacy of TCM exerted in the clinic. In conclusion, we believe that network pharmacology is more in line with the TCM mindset of treating diseases, but with some limitations. In the future, we should eliminate the potential risks of false positives and false negatives, clarify the interconnectivity between components, targets, and diseases, and conduct deeper clinical or experimental studies.

Network pharmacology and experimental evaluation strategies to decipher the underlying pharmacological mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine CFF-1 against prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common malignancy in elderly men. We have applied Traditional Chinese Medicine CFF-1 in clinical treatments for PCa for several years. Here, we aimed to identify the underlying mechanism of CFF-1 on PCa using network pharmacology and experimental validation. Active ingredients, potential targets of CFF-1 were acquired from the public databases. Subsequently, protein-protein interaction (PPI) and the herbs-active ingredients-target network was constructed. A prognostic model for PCa was also constructed based on key targets. In vitro experiments using PCa cell lines CWR22Rv1 and PC-3 were carried out to validate the potential mechanism of CFF-1 on PCa. A total of 112 bioactive compounds and 359 key targets were screened from public databases. PPI and herbs-active ingredients-target network analysis determined 12 genes as the main targets of CFF-1 on PCa. Molecular docking studies indicated that the primary active ingredients of CFF-1 possess strong binding affinity to the top five hub targets. DNMT3B, RXRB and HPRT1 were found to be involved in immune regulation of PCa. In vitro, CFF-1 was found to inhibit PCa cell proliferation, migration, invasion and induce apoptosis via PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, TNF, EGFR-TKI resistance and PD-1 checkpoint signaling pathways. This study comprehensively elucidates the underlying molecular mechanism of CFF-1 against PCa, offering a strong rationale for clinical application of CFF-1 in PCa treatment.

Luteolin as a potential hepatoprotective drug: Molecular mechanisms and treatment strategies

Luteolin is a flavonoid widely present in various traditional Chinese medicines. In recent years, luteolin has received more attention due to its impressive liver protective effect, such as metabolic associated fatty liver disease, hepatic fibrosis and hepatoma. This article summarizes the pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and toxicity of luteolin against liver diseases, and provides prospect. The results indicate that luteolin improves liver lesions through various mechanisms, including inhibiting inflammatory factors, reducing oxidative stress, regulating lipid balance, slowing down excessive aggregation of extracellular matrix, inducing apoptosis and autophagy of liver cancer cells. Pharmacokinetics research manifested that due to metabolic effects, the bioavailability of luteolin is relatively low. It is worth noting that appropriate modification, new delivery systems, and derivatives can enhance its bioavailability. Although many studies have shown that the toxicity of luteolin is minimal, strict toxicity experiments are still needed to evaluate its safety and promote its reasonable development. In addition, this study also discussed the clinical applications related to luteolin, indicating that it is a key component of commonly used liver protective drugs in clinical practice. In view of its excellent pharmacological effects, luteolin is expected to become a potential drug for the treatment of various liver diseases.

Natural Compounds with Aldose Reductase (AR) Inhibition: A Class of Medicative Agents for Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver disease (FLD), which includes both non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD), is a worldwide health concern. The etiology of ALD is long-term alcohol consumption, while NAFLD is defined as an abnormal amount of lipid present in liver cells, which is not caused by alcohol intake and has recently been identified as a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome (such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and obesity). Inflammation, oxidative stress, and lipid metabolic dysregulation are all known to play a role in FLD progression. Alternative and natural therapies are desperately needed to treat this disease since existing pharmaceuticals are mostly ineffective. The aldose reductase (AR)/polyol pathway has recently been shown to play a role in developing FLD by contributing to inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and fat accumulation. Herein, we review the effects of plantderived compounds capable of inhibiting AR in FLD models. Natural AR inhibitors have been found to improve FLD in part by suppressing inflammation, oxidative stress, and steatosis via the regulation of several critical pathways, including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathway, cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) pathway, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, etc. This review revealed that natural compounds with AR inhibitory effects are a promising class of therapeutic agents for FLD.

Integrative pharmacology reveals the mechanisms of Erzhi Pill, a traditional Chinese formulation, against diabetic cardiomyopathy

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Erzhi Pill (EZP) is a traditional Chinese prescription that has marked effects in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy. However, its underlying pharmacological mechanisms in the treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), remain to be elucidated.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to apply an integrative pharmacological strategy to systematically evaluate the pharmacological effects and molecular mechanisms of EZP, and provide a solid theoretical basis for the clinical application of EZP in the treatment of DCM.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, the potential targets and key pathways of EZP were predicted and validated using network pharmacology and molecular docking, respectively. Changes in cardiac metabolites and major metabolic pathways in rat heart samples were examined using ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics. Finally, biochemical analysis was conducted to detect the protein expression levels of key pathways.

RESULTS

We found that EZP decreased fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in the serum, and alleviated the morphological abnormalities of the heart tissue in diabetic rats. Furthermore, EZP effectively restored superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 activity levels, as well as the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2, and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) in the heart tissue. Network pharmacology prediction results indicated that the mechanism of EZP in treating DCM was closely related to apoptosis, oxidative stress, and the HIF-1, PI3K-Akt, and FoxO signaling pathways. In addition, ¹H-NMR metabolomics confirmed that EZP primarily regulated both energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism, including the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, ketone bodies metabolism, glutamine and glutamate metabolism, glycine metabolism, and purine metabolism. Finally, immunohistochemistry results indicated that EZP reduced the expression levels of p-AMPK, p-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-FoxO3a proteins, in the heart tissue of DCM rats.

CONCLUSION

The results confirmed that the overall therapeutic effect of EZP in the DCM rat model is exerted via inhibition of oxidative stress and apoptosis, alongside the regulation of energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism, as well as the AMPK and PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a signaling pathways. This study provides an experimental basis for the use of EZP in DCM treatment.

Intestinal Microbiota and Liver Diseases: Insights into Therapeutic Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Liver disease is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, for which inflammation, alcohol use, lipid metabolic disorders, disturbance to bile acid metabolism, and endotoxins are common risk factors. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with its "holistic approach" is widely used throughout the world as a complementary, alternative therapy, due to its clinical efficacy and reduced side effects compared with conventional medicines. However, due to a lack of reliable scientific evidence, the role of TCM in the prevention and treatment of liver disease remains unclear. Over recent years, with the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing, 16S rRNA detection, and bioinformatics methodology, it has been gradually recognized that the regulation of intestinal microbiota by TCM can play a substantial role in the treatment of liver disease. To better understand how TCM regulates the intestinal microbiota and suppresses liver disease, we have reviewed and analyzed the results of existing studies and summarized the relationship and risk factors between intestinal microbiota and liver disease. The present review summarizes the related mechanisms by which TCM affects the composition and metabolites of the intestinal microbiome.