In Silico Study of Anti-Insomnia Mechanism for Suanzaoren Prescription

Usage Patterns of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Patients with Bipolar Disorder: A Population-Based Study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND

Patients with bipolar disorder (BD) receive traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for clinical needs unmet with psychotropic medications. However, the clinical characteristics of practices and outcomes of TCM in BD are not fully understood. This cohort study investigated the clinical characteristics, principal diagnoses, TCM interventions, and TCM prescriptions in patients with BD.

METHODS

Data for a total of 12,113 patients with BD between 1996 and 2013 were withdrawn from Taiwan's longitudinal health insurance database 2000 (LHID 2000). The chi-square test was used for categorical variables, and the independent t-test was used for continuous variables. A p-value less than 0.05 indicated significance.

RESULTS

One thousand three hundred nineteen patients who visited TCM clinics after the diagnosis of BD were in the TCM group, while those who never visited TCM were in the non-TCM group (n = 1053). Compared to the non-TCM group, patients in the TCM group had younger average age, a higher percentage of female individuals, more comorbidities of anxiety and alcohol use disorders, and higher mood stabilizer usage rates. The TCM group exhibited pain-related indications, including joint pain, myalgia, myositis, headache, and sleep disturbances. Corydalis yanhusuo and Shu-Jing-Huo-Xue-Tang were the most useful single herbs and herbal formulae.

CONCLUSIONS

Physicians need to be aware of the use of TCM in patients with BD.

Biomedical Analytics of Four Chinese Medicinals in Treatment of Insomnia Based on Network Pharmacology

Aim. Our aim is to recommend the appropriate Chinese medicinals in clinical treatment of insomnia, which are suānzăorén (Semen Ziziphi Spinosae), chuānxiōng (Rhizoma Chuanxiong), fúlíng (Poria), and báisháo (Radix Paeoniae Alba). Method. Based on network pharmacology, the active molecules and mechanism of these four Chinese medicinals treating insomnia were sought and analyzed. The components of the four Chinese medicinals with potential activity were collected and screened. Moreover, the recollected human disease-related targets were correlated through Cytoscape 3.8.2, and the network diagram of drug component disease targets was drawn. Based on the human protein-protein interaction database, the above network diagram was imported to establish the protein-protein interaction (PPI) and composite target pathway (C-T-P) networks. After selecting important information, the pathway analysis was carried out to show the biological process, core target, and core pathway of insomnia treatment. Result. In this study, 44 active components and 81 drug-disease common targets were obtained; 307 key targets were found in the PPI network; a core cluster composed of 14 nodes and 50 functional associations was found. Conclusion. In summary, the four Chinese medicinals’ effective components and main mechanism of in the treatment of insomnia may be related to their participation in the regulation of endocrine. Compared with the existing network pharmacological analysis results of SuānZăoRénTāng (Sour Jujube Decoction), which is commonly used in insomnia, they have similar effects on the immune system and HPA axis, while the focus of the four Chinese medicinals is mainly on endocrine regulation, and SuānZăoRénTāng (Sour Jujube Decoction) is mainly on anti-inflammatory effect.

Efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture combined with Suanzaoren decoction for insomnia following stroke: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Insomnia is a common but frequently overlooked sleep disorder after stroke, and there are limited effective therapies for insomnia following stroke. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), including acupuncture and the Chinese herbal medication (CHM) Suanzaoren decoction (SZRD), has been reported as an alternative option for insomnia relief after stroke in China for thousands of years. Here, this study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) in combination with SZRD in the treatment of insomnia following stroke.

METHODS

A total of 240 patients with post-stroke insomnia will be included and randomized into four groups: the EA group, SZRD group, EA & SZRD group, and sham group. The same acupoints (GV20, GV24, HT7, and SP6) will be used in the EA group, EA & SZRD group, and sham group, and these patients will receive the EA treatment or sham manipulation every other day for 4 consecutive weeks. SZRD treatments will be given to participants in the SZRD group and EA & SZRD group twice a day for 4 consecutive weeks. The primary outcome measures include Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores and polysomnography. Secondary outcome measures include the Insomnia Severity Index, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, brain magnetic resonance imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and nocturnal melatonin concentrations. The primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline (before treatment), during the 2nd and 4th weeks of the intervention, and at the 8th and 12th weeks of follow-up. Safety assessments will be evaluated at baseline and during the 4th week of the intervention.

DISCUSSION

This study will contribute to assessing whether the combination of these two therapies is more beneficial for post-stroke insomnia than their independent use, and the results of this clinical trial will improve our understanding of the possible mechanisms underlying the effects of combination therapies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trials Register ChiCTR2000031413 . Registered on March 30, 2020.

Medicinal seeds Ziziphus spinosa for insomnia: A randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over, feasibility clinical trial

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the feasibility of implementing a clinical trial protocol of the herbal seeds Ziziphus spinosa (ZS) for people with insomnia.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, cross-over feasibility trial in Melbourne, Australia.

INTERVENTIONS

After two-week run-in participants were randomized to either ZS (encapsulated granules; 2 g daily) or placebo for four weeks. After four-weeks wash-out, participants swapped to the other treatment for four weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Sleep quality assessed by the Insomnia Severity Index and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Quality of life, mood, functional impairment and sleep parameters were also assessed.

RESULTS

Twelve participants were randomized and completed both periods of cross-over (six in each sequence). Feasibility endpoints were acceptable. Improvements for sleep quality measured on the PSQI were statistically significant during the ZS treatment periods compared to placebo (t = -2.276, df = 10, 95 % CI -3.3 to -0.04, p = 0.046). There was no evidence of any significant carryover effects. However, there were period effects. Other outcomes showed no statistically significant difference between the treatments. Subjective sleep parameters measured on sleep diaries showed improvements after ZS in terms of total sleep time, sleep efficiency and sleep onset latency, but not after placebo. ZS was well tolerated with only minor adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

ZS is an acceptable and well-tolerated herbal candidate for the treatment of insomnia. The feasibility objectives of this study were achieved and ZS improved both subjective sleep quality and quantity compared to placebo. ZS should be explored in future clinical trials.

Data Mining and Systematic Pharmacology to Reveal the Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Recurrent Respiratory Tract Infections' Treatment

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was widely used in the treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) in East Asia, but its mechanism was not clear because of its complex prescription rules. This research prospectively collected 100 prescriptions of RRTI children treated with TCM. The characteristics of TCM in prescriptions were described and analyzed, and the rules of prescriptions were analyzed by hierarchical clustering and association rules. The results showed that the principle of RRTI was to pay equal attention to cold and mild, and six new meaningful prescriptions were obtained. Among them, the new prescription composed of Astragali Radix (Huangqi), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Baizhu), Saposhnikoviae Radix (Fangfeng), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Danggui), and Paeoniae Radix Rubra (Chishao) was an important method to treat RRTI. In order to explore the mechanism of the new prescription, the research obtained the action target of each herb of the core prescription on Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCMIP v2.0. The target genes were enriched by Metascape, and 93 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were obtained. According to the classification and statistics of KEGG type, it was found that the new prescription mainly intervened in the metabolic pathway dominated by amino acid metabolism. In addition, there were also many interventions in the nervous system-, endocrine system-, and digestive system-related pathways. This study summarized the prescription rule of TCM in the treatment of RRTI, analyzed the mechanism of supplementing deficiency, and provided a new idea for the treatment of RRTI.

Self-Microemulsifying Drug Delivery System for Improved Oral Delivery and Hypnotic Efficacy of Ferulic Acid

Purpose

Ferulic acid (FA) is a natural compound which is used to treat insomnia. However, its use is limited because of its poor oral bioavailability caused by extremely rapid elimination. The current study aimed to develop a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) to improve the oral delivery of FA and to enhance its hypnotic efficacy.

Methods

FA-SMEDDS was prepared, and its morphology and storage stability were characterized. The formulation was also subjected to pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies in rats. The hypnotic efficacy of FA-SMEDDS was evaluated in p-chlorophenylalanine-induced insomnia mice.

Results

FA-loaded SMEDDS exhibited a small droplet size (15.24 nm) and good stability. Oral administration of FA-SMEDDS yielded relative bioavailability of 185.96%. In the kidney, SMEDDS decreased the distribution percentage of FA from 76.1% to 59.4% and significantly reduced its metabolic conversion, indicating a reduction in renal elimination. Interestingly, FA-SMEDDS showed a higher distribution in the brain and enhanced serotonin levels in the brain, which extended the sleep time by 2-fold in insomnia mice.

Conclusion

This is the first study to show that FA-loaded SMEDDS decreased renal elimination, enhanced oral bioavailability, increased brain distribution, and improved hypnotic efficacy. Thus, we have demonstrated that SMEDDS is a promising carrier which can be employed to improve the oral delivery of FA and facilitate product development for the therapy of insomnia.

Jianpi Huayu Decoction Attenuates the Immunosuppressive Status of H22 Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Bearing Mice: By Targeting Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells

Tumor-induced immunosuppressive microenvironment in which myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) plays an important role, remains an obstacle for effective oncotherapy currently. Inducing MDSCs into maturation was confirmed as an effective method to reduce the tumor-bearing host's immunosuppression. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) possess characteristics of alleviating immunosuppression of cancer patients and low toxicity. Jianpi Huayu Decoction (JHD) was an experienced formula of TCM for oncotherapy based on TCM theory and clinical practice. We previously observed that JHD attenuated the expression of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in tumor. IL-10 and TGF-β were found to be cytokines positively related to immunosuppression induced by MDSCs. Here, our study was designed to further investigate the regulation of JHD on the immune system in the H₂₂ liver-cancer mouse model. Mainly, flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of immune cells, to analyze the apoptosis, differentiation and reactive oxygen species of MDSCs. We found that JHD significantly reduced the destruction of spleen structure, reduced the proportion of regulatory T cells (Treg) and T helper 17 cells (Th17), and increased the proportion of cytotoxic T lymphotes (CTL), Dendritic cells (DC) and CD11b⁺Gr-1⁺cells in spleen, but with no significant change of T helper 1 cells (Th1), T helper 2 cells (Th2) and macrophages. In vitro experiments showed that apoptosis of MDSCs was decreased as the time of JHD stimulation increased, which partly explained the increase of CD11b⁺Gr-1⁺cells in the spleen. Meanwhile, JHD could promote the differentiation of MDSCs into macrophages and dendritic cells, attenuate expression of ROS in MDSCs and reduce its inhibition on the proliferation of CD4⁺ T cells, in vitro. Therefore, that the proportion of CD11b⁺Gr-1⁺ cells increased in the spleen of tumor-bearing hosts may not be villainy after treatment, when these drugs suppress the immunosuppressive ability of CD11b⁺Gr-1⁺ cells and promote it mature to replenish dendritic cell, at the same time. Generally, JHD may be a complementary and alternative drug for attenuating the immunosuppressive status induced by hepatocellular carcinoma, possibly by promoting differentiation and inhibiting the immunosuppressive activity of MDSCs.