Antinociceptive activity and chemical composition of Wei-Chang-An-Wan extracts

Wei Chang An pill regulates gastrointestinal motility in a bidirectional manner

CONTEXT

Wei Chang An (WCA) is a commercial prescription developed for the coordination of gastrointestinal movement.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of WCA in the regulation of diarrhoea and constipation in rats.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The diarrhoea and constipation models were prepared by gavage of Folium senna and diphenoxylate hydrochloride. Rats were randomized equally (n = 6) into the normal group given saline daily, the positive group given Pinaverium Bromide (13.5 mg/kg) or Sennoside A (0.1 mg/kg) and three WCA-treated groups (22, 44, and 88 mg/kg) by gavage daily for 7 consecutive days. The effects of WCA were assessed by a series of faecal symptoms and histopathology. Gastrointestinal parameters were determined by ELISA. The effect of WCA on gastrointestinal tissues was evaluated by strip assay. Expression of ROCK-1 and MLCK was measured by RT-PCR and Western blotting.

RESULTS

Data from Bristol stool form scale, diarrhoea index, visceral sensitivity, defaecation time, and intestinal propulsive rate showed that WCA protected rats against diarrhoea and constipation (p < 0.01). The up-regulation of Substance P and 5-hydroxytryptamine in diarrhoea rats and down-regulation of Substance P and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in constipation rats were inhibited by WCA (p < 0.05). WCA stimulated the gastrointestinal strip contractions but inhibited ACh-induced contractions (p < 0.01). The decreased ROCK-1 and MLCK expression in diarrhoea rats and increased in constipation rats were suppressed by WCA (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

WCA has both antidiarrhea and anti-constipation effects, suggesting its bidirectional role in gastrointestinal modulation, and providing evidence of WCA for irritable bowel syndrome treatment.

Based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, Systematic Network Pharmacology, and Molecular Docking to Explore the Potential Mechanism of Fructus Aurantii for Major Depression Disorder

Background

Major Depression Disorder (MDD) is a common mental disease that has become one of the world's major medical diseases. Currently, the Fructus Aurantii (FA) has been widely used to treat depression. However, the active substance ingredients and potential mechanisms of the shell antidepression have not yet been clarified.

Method

First, we used ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight tandem mass (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) technology to identify the chemical composition of the FA. Then, it is predicted for active ingredients, pharmaceutical disease target screening by DiscoveryStudio 2016 (DS), Metascape, and other databases, PPI network diagram, and FC core pathway. Finally, the system network pharmacology results are verified by molecular contact verification.

Results

Forty-six compounds in FA were identified, and twelve active ingredients were determined. Various database information, PPI network analysis of 41 intersections, and 20 core targets including DRD2, MTOR, FASP3, and PIK3P1 were integrated. Finally, the MDD treatment is indicated by molecular docking, and the most relevant potential signal pathway is the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

Therapeutic effects of traditional Thai herbal blood and wind tonic formulations for treatment of menopausal symptoms

INTRODUCTION

Traditional Thai herbal medicine formulations have been used as alternative therapies for menopausal symptoms due to concerns from adverse effects associated with hormone therapy. This study aimed to demonstrate the effects of traditional Thai herbal blood and wind tonic formulations used by a traditional Thai medicine doctor, Mr. Somporn Chanwanitsakul, in postmenopausal women.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A pilot clinical study was conducted on thirty-five postmenopausal women, referring to Tambon Thung Tam Sao Health Promotion Hospital, Hat Yai, Songkhla, from October 2019 to March 2020. The participants consumed combined Thai herbal formulations including blood tonic and wind tonic thrice daily for four weeks. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, end of treatment (4 weeks), and follow-up (8 weeks). Pre- and post-treatment measures included menopause rating scale, sleep quality, and quality of life questionnaire. All data were analyzed using SPSS software at the significance level of 0.05.

RESULTS

Therapeutic effects of Thai herbal medicine formulations on menopausal symptoms intensity were assessed by modified Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Severity of women's total menopausal symptoms decreased significantly (p < 0.05) at end of treatment and follow-up. Analysis of changes in specific symptoms indicated significantly less moderate headache, mild hot flashes, sweating, emotional instability, irritability, anxiety, sleep problem, lethargy, back pain, joint pain, muscular discomfort, dry skin, dryness of vagina, boring sex, and frequent urination (MRS score 0). In addition, subjective analysis of sleep quality using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) data revealed significant post-treatment improvements in subjective sleep quality and daytime dysfunction over the last month (PSQI score 0). Furthermore, subjective analysis of quality of life using World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief showed significant post-treatment improvement in psychological health (score 23).

CONCLUSION

The findings demonstrate that Thai herbal medicine formulations used by a traditional Thai medicine doctor, Mr. Somporn Chanwanitsakul, are effective for treating menopausal symptoms and improve sleep quality and quality of life in postmenopausal women.

Potential Metabolic Drug-Drug Interaction of Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) Evaluating by Its Effect on 3 CYP450

Aim:Fructus aurantii (FA) is widely used in clinic as an expectorant and digestant herb in traditional Chinese medicine and proven to have a variety of pharmacological functions. FA is close to grapefruit either by botanical taxonomy or by their same components (flavonoids, etc.) and grapefruit has been proven to cause drug-drug interaction when co-administrated with CYP3A4 substrates. Besides, FA contains many compounds, such as flavonoids, which have been reported to impact the expressions of CYP450. However, the effect of FA on CYP450, whose change may affect drug safety and clinical efficacy attributed to drug-drug interaction, still remains unknown. Methods: The protein, mRNA expression and enzyme activity of CYP1A2, CYP3A4, and CYP2E1 in rat were determined by Western Blotting, RT-PCR method, the cocktail method, respectively, after orally administration of FA in succession for 7 days. CYP1A2, CYP3A4, and CYP2E1 mRNA expression were investigated in HepG2 cells following FA-medicated serum incubation for 24 h. Results: In rat, compared to the control group, CYP1A2, CYP3A4 protein, and mRNA expression were significantly induced consistent with the corresponding CYP activities; the protein expression of CYP2E1 was significantly upregulated, while the corresponding mRNA expression and enzyme activity showed no significant change. In HepG2 cells, compared to the control group, the mRNA expression of CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 was up-regulated statistically while CYP2E1 mRNA expression was not significantly induced or inhibited. Conclusion: FA may be a potential slight inducer of CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 and is unlikely to impact CYP2E1 until clinical researches are conducted.

Gastrointestinal effect of methanol extract of Radix Aucklandiae and selected active substances on the transit activity of rat isolated intestinal strips

CONTEXT

Radix Aucklandiae, the dry rhizome of Aucklandia lappa Decne (Asteraceae), enjoyed traditional popularity for its antidiarrheal effects. Although there are many investigations on its chemical constituents and pharmacologic actions, few studies explaining its activity and mechanism in gastrointestinal disorders are available.

OBJECTIVE

In this paper, we focused on the effects of the methanol extract of R. Aucklandiae (RA ext) on gastrointestinal tract, so as to assess some of the possible mechanisms involved in the clinical treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In vivo, in neostigmine-induced mice and normal mice, after intragastric administration, RA ext (100, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg) was studied on gastrointestinal transit including gastric emptying and small intestinal motility. Meanwhile, in vitro, the effect of it (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 mg/mL) on the isolated tissue preparations of rat jejunum was also investigated, as well as costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone which were the main constituents.

RESULTS

In vivo, the gastric emptying increased and intestinal transit decreased after the administration of RA ext in normal mice. However, RA ext inhibited the gastric emptying and the intestinal transit throughout the concentrations in neostigmine-induced mice. In vitro, RA ext caused inhibitory effect on the spontaneous contraction of rat-isolated jejunum in a dose-dependent manner ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 mg/mL, and it also relaxed the acetylcholine chloride (Ach, 10(-5) M), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, 200 μM)-induced, and K(+) (60 mM)-induced contractions. RA ext shifted the Ca(2+) concentration-response curves to right, similar to that caused by verapamil (0.025 mM). The Ca(2+) concentration-response curves were shifted by costunolide (CO) (5.4, 8.1, and 10.8 μg/mL), dehydrocostuslactone (DE) (4.6, 6.9, and 9.2 μg/mL), costunolide-dehydrocostuslactone (CO-DE) (5.4-4.6, 8.1-6.9, and 10.8-9.2 μg/mL) to the right, similar to that caused by verapamil (0.01 mM).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

These results indicate that RA ext played a spasmolytic role in gastrointestinal motility, which is probably mediated through the inhibition of muscarinic receptors, 5-HT receptors, and calcium influx. The presence of cholinergic and calcium antagonist constituents may be the compatibility of CO and DE. All these results provide a pharmacological basis for its clinical use in the gastrointestinal tract.

Bidirectional effects of methanol extract of Wei-Chang-An pill on gastrointestinal transit and the spasmolytic activity on isolated rat jejunum

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Wei-Chang-An pill (WCA pill), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used for treating various gastrointestinal diseases for several decades. Despite the popular medicinal use of WCA pill, less data was available to its activity and mechanism in gastrointestinal disorders. To examine the effects of the methanol extract of WCA pill (ME) on gastrointestinal tract so as to assess some of the possible mechanisms involved in the clinical treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

ME was studied on gastrointestinal transit in vivo including gastric emptying and small intestinal motility in normal and neostigmine-induced mice, as well as on the isolated tissue preparations of rat jejunum in vitro.

RESULTS

In vivo, the gastric emptying decreased and intestinal transit increased after administration of ME in normal mice. However, administration of ME accelerated the intestinal transit ranging from 0.01 to 0.8 mg/mL and reduced it at the concentration of 1.6 and 3.2 mg/mL, while the gastric emptying was inhibited throughout the concentrations in neostigmine-induced mice. in vitro, ME caused inhibitory effect on the spontaneous contraction of rat-isolated jejunum in dose-dependent manner ranging from 0.01 to 6 mg/mL and also relaxed the acetylcholine chloride (Ach, 10(-6) M)-induced and K+ (60 mM)-induced contractions. ME shifted the Ca2+ concentration-response curves to right, similar to that caused by verapamil (0.025 mM).

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicated that ME might play a bidirectional role in gastrointestinal transit modulation and the effects on isolated tissue are probably mediated through calcium influx and muscarinic receptors, which provides pharmacological basis for the clinical use of WCA pill in gastrointestinal tract disorders.

Anti-diarrhoeal activity of methanol extract of Santalum album L. in mice and gastrointestinal effect on the contraction of isolated jejunum in rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Santalum album L., namely Sandalwood, honored as "Green Gold", is a traditional Chinese herb which has the effects of anti-diarrhoeal and antibacterial activity. But there is limit scientific study on its activity and mechanism in gastrointestinal disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

in vivo, after intragastric administration, the methanol extract of Sandalwood (SE) (200, 400 and 800 mg/kg) were studied in castor oil-induced diarrhoea mice. By the test of small intestinal hyperfunction induced by neostigmine, SE was studied on gastrointestinal transit including gastric emptying and small intestinal motility. Meanwhile, in vitro, the effects of SE (0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 mg/mL) on the isolated tissue preparations of rat jejunum were also investigated. The rat jejunum strips were pre-contracted with acetylcholine (Ach; 10(-6)M), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, 200 μM) or potassium chloride (KCl; 60 mM) and tested in the presence of SE. In addition, the possible myogenic effect was analyzed in the pretreatment of the jejunum preparations with SE or verapamil in Ca(2+)-free high-K(+) (60 mM) solution containing EDTA.

RESULTS

At doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg, SE showed significant anti-diarrhoeal activity against castor oil-induced diarrhoea as compared with the control. At the same doses, it also inhibited the gastric emptying and small intestinal motility in the mice of which small intestinal hyperfunction induced by neostigmine. It caused inhibitory effects on the spontaneous contraction of rat-isolated jejunum in dose-dependent manner ranging from 0.02 to 0.4 mg/mL, and it also relaxed the Ach-induced, 5-HT-induced and K(+)-induced contractions. SE shifted the Ca(2+) concentration-response curves to right, similar to that caused by verapamil (0.025 mM).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicated that SE played a spasmolytic role in gastrointestinal motility which was probably mediated through inhibition of muscarinic receptors, 5-HT receptors and calcium influx. All these results provide pharmacological basis for its clinical use in gastrointestinal tract.