Modular Characteristics and Mechanism of Action of Herbs for Endometriosis Treatment in Chinese Medicine: A Data Mining and Network Pharmacology-Based Identification

In-Silico and In-Vivo Characterization of Anti-Neuro inflammatory potential of Tetrahydrocoptisine by using LPS-Induced model in mice

Neuroinflammation can be directly linked to the imbalance in the Kynurenine-tryptophan Pathway (KP) metabolism. Under inflammatory circumstances, the KP is activated, resulting in a rise in the KP metabolite L-kynurenine (KYN) in the peripheral and central nervous systems (CNS). Increased amounts of KYN in the brain may lead to neurotoxic KYN metabolites, mostly due to breakdown by Kynurenine-3-monooxygenase (KMO). Tetrahydrocoptisine (also known as stylopine) is an alkaloid isolated from Corydalis impatiens. Molecular docking with specific proteins involved in the Neuroinflammation mechanism was studied. LPS-induced neuroinflammation to mice. After 7 days of acclimatization, the animals in groups II, III, and IV were given 5 mg/kg i.p. of the endotoxin LPS. Groups III and IV were subsequently given daily intraperitoneal doses of 18.4 mg/kg and 36.8 mg/kg of our test medication Tetrahydrocoptisine, while group II was used as a disease control. On the 15th day, all groups were assessed neuro-behaviorally. On the 16th day, the mice were slaughtered for histopathology, lipid peroxidation, and nitrite studies. The neurobehavioural assessment involving elevated plus-maze, sucrose preference test, line crossing, and actophotometer revealed that the test drug is capable of decreasing LPS-induced anxiety, depression, and anhedonia at both low and high doses respectively. The histopathological analysis indicated that the neurodegeneration is attenuated at high doses of Tetrahydrocoptisine. A test drug demonstrated potency in inhibiting Kynurenine monooxygenase (KMO) expression in the brain, leading to reduced levels of nitric oxide and lipid peroxidation compared to a control group.

Integrating data mining and network pharmacology for traditional Chinese medicine for drug discovery of diabetic peripheral neuropathy

The purpose of this study was to examine the therapeutic potential of core traditional Chinese medicine (CTCM) in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) through the use of a data-driven approach that combined network pharmacology and data mining. Important components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the targets that correspond with them were found through the examination of numerous databases and clinical prescriptions. The possible therapeutic pathways were investigated, with an emphasis on the AGE-RAGE pathway that was discovered via network pharmacology analysis. By evaluating histopathological alterations, inflammatory and apoptotic markers, microcirculation, and blood hypercoagulability in a rat model of DPN, the effectiveness of CTCM was confirmed.Through experimental validation in DPN rats, it was shown that CTCM improved histopathology, decreased inflammation and apoptosis, improved microcirculation, and corrected coagulation abnormalities in addition to alleviating neuropathic pain. These studies show the value of data-driven approaches in advancing traditional medicine research for drug development and offer a mechanistic basis for CTCM's therapeutic potential in DPN.

The mechanism of wen jing tang in the treatment of endometriosis: Insights from network pharmacology and experimental validation

Background

Endometriosis (EM) is a hormone-dependent condition marked by progressively severe secondary dysmenorrhea, significantly impacting patients' quality of life and overall health. Wen Jing Tang (WJT), a traditional Chinese medicinal formulation derived from the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber, has proven to be an effective therapeutic agent for EM. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying its efficacy remain unclear.

Objective

This study aims to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of WJT in the treatment of EM by integrating network pharmacology analysis with experimental validation.

Methods

The chemical constituents and target sites of WJT were obtained from the TCMSP database, while EM-related target genes were sourced from OMIM, TTD, GeneCards, and the DrugBank databases. A "herbs-components-targets" network was constructed using Cytoscape 3.9.1. The intersecting target genes of WJT and EM were then uploaded to the STRING database for protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis. Subsequently, the common target genes were subjected to GO and KEGG enrichment analysis via the DAVID database. Molecular docking were employed to analyze the binding affinities between the top five core components and their respective targets. Additionally, ELISA were used to quantify the serum levels of IL-6, IL-1β, E2, and P in EM model rats. The expression levels of TNF-α, HIF1A, STAT3, and EGFR mRNA and proteins in ectopic endometrial tissue were assessed using q-PCR and Western blotting.

Results

A total of 250 chemical components and 553 targets were identified in WJT, while 3491 EM-related targets were screened from multiple databases. Among these, 187 common targets between WJT and EM were found, with quercetin, kaempferol, and beta-sitosterol emerging as the core chemical components, and AKT1, IL6, TNF, and IL1B identified as the key targets. These core components demonstrated strong binding affinities to the targets. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that the shared targets were primarily involved in the HIF1 signaling pathway. Furthermore, compared to the control group, the EM model rats exhibited an increased ectopic endometrial area, disordered glandular and stromal cells, and notable inflammatory infiltration. Serum levels of IL-6, IL-1β, E2, and P were significantly elevated (P < 0.01), and the expression of TNF-α, HIF1A, STAT3, and EGFR in the ectopic endometrium was markedly increased (P < 0.01). Following WJT intervention, the ectopic endometrial area in model rats was reduced, the morphology and structure of the endometrial cells showed improvement, and serum levels of IL-6, IL-1β, E2, and P were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). WJT also inhibited the expression of HIF1 pathway-related proteins TNF-α, HIF1A, STAT3, and EGFR (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The mechanism by which WJT prevents and treats EM may involve the reduction of inflammation through the inhibition of the HIF1 signaling pathway.

Clitoria ternatea L. (Butterfly Pea) Flower Against Endometrial Pain: Integrating Preliminary In Vivo and In Vitro Experimentations Supported by Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies

Clitoria ternatea L. (CT) is a perennial herbaceous plant with deep blue flowers native to tropical Asia. This work explores the endometrial pain (EP) regulation of CT flower through a multifaceted approach. Phytochemical screening unveiled the presence of alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, glycosides, and tannins in CT flower methanolic extract (ME). In the in vitro membrane stabilizing experiment, the ME demonstrated 91.47% suppression of heat-induced hemolysis. Upon carrageenan-induced paw edema assay conducted on male Swiss albino mice at doses of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg, 65.28% and 81.89% inhibition rates, respectively, of paw edema were reported. For the same doses, upon acetic acid-induced-writhing assay, 75.6% and 76.78% inhibition rates, respectively, were observed. For network pharmacology analyses, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed for 92 overlapping gene targets of CT and EP, followed by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. Network pharmacology-based investigation identified the anti-EP activity of CT to be mostly regulated by the proteins SRC homology, ESR1, and PI3KR1. Physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, and toxicity property predictions for the compounds with stable ligand-target interactions and a molecular dynamics simulation for the highest interacting complex further validated these findings. This work affirmed the anti-EP role of CT flower against EP, suggesting a probable molecular mechanism involved.

Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy to Explore the Effect and Mechanism of Zhizhu Granule Improving Glucose-Lipid Metabolism in Rats with Metabolic Syndrome

Objective

To explore the mechanism of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Zhizhu granule (ZZG), in treating metabolic syndrome (MS) based on network pharmacology and pharmacodynamic experiment.

Materials and Methods

Network pharmacology combined with a pharmacodynamic experiment was used to elucidate the therapeutic mechanism of ZZG in MS. Serum samples were collected from rats with MS, induced by a high-sugar-fat-salt diet (HSFSD) combined with streptozotocin (STZ), to measure the levels of biochemical markers. The glucose (GLU), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were detected. The liver tissue of rats was used for histological examination and Western blot analysis.

Results

Network pharmacology analysis generated 69 drug-disease common targets and 10 hub genes closely related to ZZG against MS. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was the most potential pathway, which took part in the therapeutic mechanisms. In the animal experiments section, the therapeutic effect of ZZG on MS and the therapeutic pathway of ZZG on MS were verified. ZZG could significantly decrease the body weight, TC, TG, LDL-C and GLU levels in MS rats (all p<0.01), alleviate hepatocyte steatosis and decrease liver lipid droplet deposition. Western blot analysis indicated that compared with the model group, the expression levels of PI3K, AKT, and IRS-1 protein were significantly increased (all p<0.05), and the FOXO-1 was significantly decreased (all p<0.05) in the ZZG group.

Conclusion

ZZG can improve glucose-lipid metabolism disorder in rats with metabolic syndrome. The reported results provide experimental evidence for ZZG in the treatment of MS.

Omics-based novel strategies in the diagnosis of endometriosis

Endometriosis, an enigmatic and chronic disorder, is considered a debilitating condition despite being benign. Globally, this gynecologic disorder affects up to 10% of females of reproductive age, impacting almost 190 million individuals. A variety of genetic and environmental factors are involved in endometriosis development, hence the pathophysiology and etiology of endometriosis remain unclear. The uncertainty of the etiology of the disease and its complexity along with nonspecific symptoms have led to misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis of affected people. Biopsy and laparoscopy are referred to as the gold standard for endometriosis diagnosis. However, the invasiveness of the procedure, the unnecessary operation in disease-free women, and the dependence of the reliability of diagnosis on experience in this area are considered the most significant limitations. Therefore, continuous studies have attempted to offer a noninvasive and reliable approach. The recent advances in modern technologies have led to the generation of large-scale biological data sets, known as -omics data, resulting in the proceeding of the -omics century in biomedical sciences. Thereby, the present study critically reviews novel and noninvasive biomarkers that are based on -omics approaches from 2020 onward. The findings reveal that biomarkers identified based on genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics are potentially able to diagnose endometriosis, predict prognosis, and stage patients, and potentially, in the near future, a multi-panel of these biomarkers will generate clinical benefits.

Integration of 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, metabonomics and metagenome analysis to investigate the mechanism of Sparganium stoloniferum-Curcuma phaeocaulis in treating of endometriosis in rats

BACKGROUND

Endometriosis is a gynecological disease that causes severe chronic pelvic pain and infertility in women. The therapeutic efficacy of the traditional herbal combination of Sparganium stoloniferum-Curcuma phaeocaulis (Sangleng-Ezhu, SL-EZ) in the treatment of endometriosis has been established. However, the precise mechanism by which this treatment exerts its effects remains elusive.

METHODS

To gain further insights, UPLC-MS/MS was employed to identify the primary chemical constituents of SL-EZ in serum. Additionally, network pharmacology was utilized to analyze the active ingredients and their corresponding targets. Furthermore, the impact of SL-EZ on ectopic endometrial growth in endometrial implants was assessed using a rat model. The therapeutic mechanism of SL-EZ in rats with endometriosis was further investigated through the application of 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, metagenomic sequencing, and metabolomics.

RESULTS

The primary compounds in serum were zederone, p-coumaric acid, dehydrocostus lactone, curdione, curcumol. The growth of ectopic lesions in a rat model was effectively inhibited by SL-EZ. In comparison to the control group, the endometriotic rats exhibited a decrease in α-diversity of the gut microbiota, an increase in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, and a reduction in the abundance of Ruminococcaceae. Following SL-EZ intervention, the potential probiotic strains Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus johnsonii were able to restore the intestinal microenvironment at the species level. The altered metabolites were significantly correlated with Verrucomicrobia, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. The metabolomic analysis demonstrated significant alterations in intestinal metabolites. And SL-EZ intervention also exerted regulatory effects on various metabolic pathways in gut microbiota, including aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, monobactam biosynthesis, cyanoamino acid metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, plant secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and amino acid biosynthesis.

CONCLUSION

The identification of novel treatment formulations for endometriosis was achieved through the utilization of network pharmacology and gut microbiota analyses. Our findings revealed simultaneous alterations in the microbiota within the rat model of endometriosis. The therapeutic efficacy of SL-EZ in treating endometriosis is attributed to its ability to restore the gut microbiota and regulate metabolism. This investigation offers valuable insights into the therapeutic mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for endometriosis.

Therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms of quercetin in gynecological disorders

Quercetin is a representative flavonoid that is widely present in fruits, herbs, and vegetables. It is also an important active core component in traditional Chinese medicines. As an important flavonoid, quercetin has various properties and exerts antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective effects. The public interest in quercetin is increasing, and quercetin has been used to prevent or treat numerous of diseases, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), cancer, autoimmune diseases and chronic cardiovascular diseases, in clinical experiments and animal studies due to its powerful antioxidant properties and minimal side effects. Quercetin exerts marked pharmacological effects on gynecological disorders; however, there have been no reviews about the potential health benefits of quercetin in the context of gynecological disorders, including PCOS, premature ovary failure (POF), endometriosis (EM), ovarian cancer (OC), cervical cancer (CC) and endometrial carcinoma (EC). Thus, this review aimed to summarize the biological effects of quercetin on gynecological disorders and its mechanisms.

Therapeutic effects of Huayu Jiedu formula on endometriosis via downregulating GATA 6 expression

Background

Endometriosis (EMs) is a common chronic inflammatory disease which is characterized by multiple clinical symptoms and high recurrence rate due to the absence of effective therapies. Huayu Jiedu Formula (HYJDF), is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription with five major herbs. It has been used as traditional medicine to treat EMs for more than twenty years and exerted a good therapeutic effect. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here we aim to observe the effects of HYJDF on EMs and investigate the therapeutic mechanism.

Methods

The extract components of HYJDF were identified and quantified by an UHPLC-QE-MS method. Network pharmacology was used to obtain the core targets of HYJDF for the treatment of EMs and the specific biologic processes involved. A total of 68 EMs cases were randomly divided into control (gestrinone) and observation (HYJDF) groups. The overall effectiveness, pain scores, cyst-size changes, serum CA125 levels, quality-of-life scores, safety, and adverse events were evaluated before and after treatment. For the mechanism research, DNA methylation-chip analysis was performed to determine the differential genes. EMs mice models and human ectopic stromal cells (ESCs) were treated with HYJDF and its pharmaceutical serum, respectively. The ectopic foci was measured via H&E staining while the expressions of the target genes were verified by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. The inflammatory cytokine levels in the peritoneal fluid of mice were detected by ELISA. The proliferative potential of cells was analyzed by MTS whereas the apoptosis and cell cycle were determined through flow analysis.

Results

The total number of components detected in positive and negative ion modes was 839 and 597, respectively. Network pharmacology suggested that HYJDF treated EMs through DNA methylation. We found that HYJDF and gestrinone exerted good therapeutic effect with no obvious difference, but the HYJDF treatment group had fewer side effects. GATA 6, which was hypomethylated and abundant in endometriotic cells, potently induced inflammatory response. This finding indicated the important role of GATA 6 in EMs development. Moreover, HYJDF ameliorated inflammatory response (i.e., reduced the levels of IL-1β and PGE2 in peritoneal fluid), suppressed ESCs proliferation, and increased cell apoptosis by down-regulating GATA 6 expression.

Conclusion

We demonstrated that HYJDF has anti-inflammation activity and increased cell apoptosis through the reduction of GATA 6 expression in ectopic tissues, which showed good therapeutic effect without any obvious side effects. These findings suggest that HYJDF may be a new and efficient traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of EMs.

Combination of bioaffinity ultrafiltration-UFLC-ESI-Q/TOF-MS/MS, in silico docking and multiple complex networks to explore antitumor mechanism of topoisomerase I inhibitors from Artemisiae Scopariae Herba

BACKGROUND

Artemisiae Scopariae Herba (ASH) has been widely used as plant medicine in East Asia with remarkable antitumor activity. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.

METHODS

This study aimed to construct a multi-disciplinary approach to screen topoisomerase I (topo I) inhibitors from ASH extract, and explore the antitumor mechanisms. Bioaffinity ultrafiltration-UFLC-ESI-Q/TOF-MS/MS was used to identify chemical constitution of ASH extract as well as the topo I inhibitors, and in silico docking coupled with multiple complex networks was applied to interpret the molecular mechanisms.

RESULTS

Crude ASH extract exhibited toxicogenetic and antiproliferative activities on A549 cells. A series of 34 ingredients were identified from the extract, and 6 compounds were screened as potential topo I inhibitors. Docking results showed that the formation of hydrogen bond and π-π stacking contributed most to their binding with topo I. Interrelationships among the 6 compounds, related targets and pathways were analyzed by multiple complex networks model. These networks displayed power-law degree distribution and small-world property. Statistical analysis indicated that isorhamnetin and quercetin were main active ingredients, and that chemical carcinogenesis-reactive oxygen species was the critical pathway. Electrophoretic results showed a therapeutic effect of ASH extract on the conversion of supercoiled DNA to relaxed forms, as well as potential synergistic effect of isorhamnetin and quercetin.

CONCLUSIONS

The results improved current understanding of Artemisiae Scopariae Herba on the treatment of tumor. Moreover, the combination of multi-disciplinary methods provided a new strategy for the study of bioactive constituents in medicinal plants.

Mechanism Repositioning Based on Integrative Pharmacology: Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Safflower in Myocardial Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius. L) possesses anti-tumor, anti-thrombotic, anti-oxidative, immunoregulatory, and cardio-cerebral protective effects. It is used clinically for the treatment of cardio-cerebrovascular disease in China. This study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of action of safflower extract on myocardial ischemia–reperfusion (MIR) injury in a left anterior descending (LAD)-ligated model based on integrative pharmacology study and ultra-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight-tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS). Safflower (62.5, 125, 250 mg/kg) was administered immediately before reperfusion. Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC)/Evans blue, echocardiography, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ability, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were determined after 24 h of reperfusion. Chemical components were obtained using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to analyze mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Safflower dose-dependently reduced myocardial infarct size, improved cardiac function, decreased LDH levels, and increased SOD levels in C57/BL6 mice. A total of 11 key components and 31 hub targets were filtered based on the network analysis. Comprehensive analysis indicated that safflower alleviated inflammatory effects by downregulating the expression of NFκB1, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-18, TNFα, and MCP-1 and upregulating NFκBia, and markedly increased the expression of phosphorylated PI3K, AKT, PKC, and ERK/2, HIF1α, VEGFA, and BCL2, and decreased the level of BAX and phosphorylated p65. Safflower shows a significant cardioprotective effect by activating multiple inflammation-related signaling pathways, including the NFκB, HIF-1α, MAPK, TNF, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. These findings provide valuable insights into the clinical applications of safflower.

Mechanism of Key Ingredient of Astragalus membranaceus on Lung Adenocarcinoma via PI3K/AKT Signaling Clarified by Utilizing Network Pharmacology Approach and Experimental Validation

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the mechanism of the effect of Astragalus membranaceus (A. membranaceus) on lung adenocarcinoma at the molecular level to elucidate the specific targets according to the network pharmacology approach.

METHODS

The active components of A. membranaceus and their potential targets were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database. Lung adenocarcinoma-associated genes were acquired based on GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), PharmGKB, and Therapeutic Targets databases. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway-related genes were obtained using Reactome portal. Networks of "ingredient-target" and "ingredient-target-pathway-disease" were constructed using the Cytoscape3.6.0 software. The relationships among targets were analyzed according protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Finally, molecular docking was applied to construct the binding conformation between active ingredients and core targets. Cell counting kit 8 (CCK8) and Western blot assays were performed to determine the mechanism of the key ingredient of A. membranaceus.

RESULTS

A total of 20 active components and their 329 targets, and 7,501 lung adenocarcinoma-related genes and 130 PI3K/AKT signaling pathway-related genes were obtained. According to Venn diagram and PPI network analysis, 2 mainly active ingredients, including kaempferol and quercetin, and 6 core targets, including TP53, MAPK1, EGF, AKT1, ERBB2, and EGFR, were identified. The two important active ingredients of A. membranaceus, kaempferol and quercetin, exert the therapeutic effect in lung adenocarcinoma partly by acting on the 6 core targets (TP53, MAPK1, EGF, AKT1, ERBB2, and EGFR) of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Expressions of potential targets in lung adenocarcinoma and normal samples were analyzed by using UALCAN portal and found that ERBB2 was overexpressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and upregulation of it correlated with clinicopathological characteristics. Finally, quercetin repressed viabilities of lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting ERBB2 on PI3K/AKT signaling confirmed by CCK8 and Western blot.

CONCLUSION

Our finding unraveled that an active ingredient of A. membranaceus, quercetin, significantly inhibited the lung adenocarcinoma cells proliferation by repressing ERBB2 level and inactivating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Both selenium deficiency and excess impair male reproductive system via inducing oxidative stress-activated PI3K/AKT-mediated apoptosis and cell proliferation signaling in testis of mice

Selenium (Se) deficiency or excess impairs testicular development and spermatogenesis, while the underlying mechanisms in this regard remain unclear. This study was designed to explore the molecular biology of Se deficiency or excess in spermatogenesis in mice. Three-week-old male mice (n = 10 mice/diet) were fed with Se-deficient diet (SeD, 0.02 mg Se/kg), adequate-Se diet (SeA, 0.2 mg Se/kg), or excess-Se diet (SeE, 2.0 mg Se/kg) for 5 months. Compared with SeA, SeD reduced (P < 0.05) the body weight (10.4%) and sperm density (84.3%) but increased (P < 0.05) sperm deformity (32.8%); SeE decreased (P < 0.05) the sperm density (78.5%) and sperm motility (35.9%) of the mice. Meanwhile, both SeD and SeE increased (P < 0.05) serum FSH concentrations (10.4-25.6%) and induced testicular damage in mice in comparison with the SeA. Compared with SeA, SeD increased (P < 0.05) the 8-OHdG concentration by 25.5%; SeE increased (P < 0.05) both MDA and 8-OHdG concentrations by 118.8-180.3% in testis. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis showed that there 1325 and 858 transcripts were altered (P < 0.05) in the testis by SeD and SeE, respectively, compared with SeA. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that these differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, which is regulated by oxidative stress. Moreover, western blotting analysis revealed that SeD and SeE dysregulated PI3K-AKT-mediated apoptosis and cell proliferation signaling, including upregulating (P < 0.05) caspase 3, cleaved-caspase 3, BCL-2 and (or) P53 and downregulating (P < 0.05) PI3K, p-AKT, p-mTOR, 4E-BP1, p-4E-BP1 and (or) p-p70S6K in the testis of mice compared with SeA. Additionally, compared with SeA, both SeD and SeE increased (P < 0.05) GPX3 and SELENOO; SeD decreased (P < 0.05) GPX1, TXRND3 and SELENOW, but SeE increased (P < 0.05) production of three selenoproteins in the testis. Conclusively, both Se deficiency and excess impairs male reproductive system in mice, potentially with the induction of oxidative stress and activation of PI3K/AKT-mediated apoptosis and cell proliferation signaling in the testis.

Exploring the Core Prescription and Underlying Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Allergic Rhinitis in Children: A Real- World Study Based on an Illustrious Senior Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner

BACKGROUND

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used to treat allergic rhinitis (AR) in China, especially in children. However, due to the complicated composition rules and unclear underlying mechanisms, effective herbal prescriptions' popularization and application are limited.

PURPOSE

This study tried to detect the core prescription of herbs in treating AR in children, reveal its mechanism based on the ingredients' network, and explore the main signaling pathways.

METHODS

We screened medical records of children patients with AR who were treated by TCM in DongZhiMen Hospital from Aug 2009 to Jan 2020 and adopted a descriptive analysis method on herbal characteristics. We used association rules to mine core prescriptions and used network pharmacology to establish the ingredient-target-pathway network through online databases and TCMSP, Genecards, KEGG pathway, Excel, R-Studio, and Cytoscape software.

RESULTS

The analysis of 1,092 clinical visits highlighted that the principle of formulating prescription was as follows: 'pungent and warm herbs were used more frequently while cold-natured herbs were paid equal attention as warm-natured herbs.' The core prescription was formed by FangFeng, BaiZhi, CangErzi, and ChanTui. These herbs covered 130 underlying targets and 141 signaling pathways of AR, which mainly had an effect on signal transduction and immunoregulation.

CONCLUSION

The core prescription based on these real-world clinical records includes FangFeng, BaiZhi, CangErzi, and ChanTui. It principally acts on targets of signal transduction pathways and immune pathways.

Network pharmacology predicts combinational effect of novel herbal pair consist of Ephedrae herba and Coicis semen on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells

BACKGROUND

Herbal combinations are regarded as basic strategy in oriental medicine with various purposes. Ephedrae herba (EH) and Coicis semen (CS) are two herbal medicines used to treat obesity in many herbal prescriptions, yet the effect and significance of this herbal pair have not been evaluated.

PURPOSE

This study is to elucidate the effect of a novel herbal pair, EH-CS, on obesity and identify the key synergistic mechanism underlying it.

METHODS

We investigated the network of herbs comprising the anti-obesity herbal prescriptions. Using the tools of network pharmacology, we investigated the compound-target interactions of EH and CS in combination to predict their effects in combination. Five EH-CS samples with different EH to CS ratios were prepared to investigate their efficacies in adipocytes.

RESULTS

1-mode network analysis of herbs in prescriptions based on literature review revealed the importance of EH-CS in anti-obesity prescriptions. The herbal combination comprised of equivalent weights (1:1) of EH and CS most potently reduced mature adipocyte adiposity, although several markers of adipogenesis and lipid synthesis were more suppressed by pure EH. PTGS2 (COX-2 gene) expression, a common target of EH and CS as deduced by compound-target network analysis, was affected by EH-CS extract treatments. However, EH at high concentration (25 μg/ml) notably increased PTGS2 expression without adversely affecting cell viability. However, EH-CS combination of the same concentration markedly decreased PTGS2 gene expression.

CONCLUSION

These results show that the compounds in CS and EH act in concert to enhance the pharmacological effect of EH, but control unexpected effects of EH treatment.

Folic acid: a potential inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein

CONTEXT

Coronavirus disease 2019 is a global pandemic. Studies suggest that folic acid has antiviral effects. Molecular docking shown that folic acid can act on SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Phosphoprotein (SARS-CoV-2 N).

OBJECTIVE

To identify novel molecular therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Traditional Chinese medicine targets and virus-related genes were identified with network pharmacology and big data analysis. Folic acid was singled out by molecular docking, and its potential target SARS-CoV-2 N was identified. Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 N of folic acid was verified at the cellular level.

RESULTS

In total, 8355 drug targets were potentially involved in the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2. 113 hub genes were screened by further association analysis between targets and virus-related genes. The hub genes related compounds were analysed and folic acid was screened as a potential new drug. Moreover, molecular docking showed folic acid could target on SARS-CoV-2 N which inhibits host RNA interference (RNAi). Therefore, this study was based on RNAi to verify whether folic acid antagonises SARS-CoV-2 N. Cell-based experiments shown that RNAi decreased mCherry expression by 81.7% (p < 0.001). This effect was decreased by 8.0% in the presence of SARS-CoV-2 N, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 N inhibits RNAi. With increasing of folic acid concentration, mCherry expression decreased, indicating that folic acid antagonises the regulatory effect of SARS-CoV-2 N on host RNAi.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Folic acid may be an antagonist of SARS-CoV-2 N, but its effect on viruses unclear. In future, the mechanisms of action of folic acid against SARS-CoV-2 N should be studied.

Treatment of endometriosis with dienogest in combination with traditional Chinese medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Endometriosis is now considered to be a systemic disease rather than a disease that primarily affects the pelvis. Dienogest (DNG) has unique advantages in the treatment of endometriosis, but it also has side effects. Alternatively, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used for over 2000 years in the treatment and prevention of disease and growing numbers of Chinese scholars are experimenting with the combined use of Dienogest and TCM for endometriosis treatment.

OBJECTIVES

This review evaluated the efficacy and safety of TCM in combination with Dienogest in the treatment of endometriosis through meta-analysis.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Journal Integration Platform, and Wanfang were used in literature searches, with a deadline of May 31, 2022. Literature quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration "risk of bias" (ROB2) tool, and the "meta" package of R software v.4.1 was used for meta-analysis. Dichotomous variables and continuous variables were assessed using the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI); standard mean differences (MD) and 95% CI, respectively.

RESULTS

Twelve human randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one retrospective study, all 13 written in the Chinese language, were included in the meta-analysis (720 experiments and 719 controls). The result indicated that TCM plus Dienogest was superior to Dienogest/TCM alone in increasing the cure rates (RR = 1.3780; 95% CI, 1.1058, 1.7172; P = 0.0043), remarkable effect rate (RR = 1.3389; 95% CI, 1.1829, 1.5154; P < 0.0001), invalid rate (RR = 0.2299; 95% CI, 0.1591, 0.3322; P < 0.0001), and rate of adverse effects (RR = 0.6177; 95% CI, 0.4288, 0.8899; P = 0.0097). The same conclusion was drawn from the subgroup analysis.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that TCM combined with Dienogest is superior to Dienogest or TCM alone and can be used as a complementary treatment for endometriosis. TCMs have potential to improve clinical efficacy and reduce the side effects of Dienogest. This study was financially supported by Annual Science and Technology Steering Plan Project of Zhuzhou. PROSPERO has registered our meta-analysis as CRD42022339518 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/record_email.php).

The Prescription of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Risk of Endometriosis in Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Purpose

The systemic inflammation is believed to provide an outline of the association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and endometriosis. This retrospective cohort study aimed to explore the association of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) use with the prevention of endometriosis onset in women diagnosed with RA.

Methods

We utilized the claims data from the National Health Insurance of Taiwan from 2000 to 2009 and excluded individuals diagnosed with endometriosis before being diagnosed with RA, using age at clinical diagnosis. After selection and propensity-score matching, a total of 5992 females aged ≧20 years old and with newly diagnosed RA but without endometriosis at baseline were included, which contained 2996 CHM users and 2996 non-CHM users. All of them were followed until the end of 2013 to measure the incidence of endometriosis.

Results

During the study period, we noticed that CHM users had a substantially lower incidence of endometriosis compared to non-CHM users (2.54 vs 5.19 per 1000 person-years). Use of CHM correlated significantly with a lower endometriosis likelihood even after adjusting for potential covariates, with the adjusted hazard ratio of 0.47 (95% confidence interval, 0.35–0.65). A longer duration of CHM use was associated with a reduction in endometriosis risk, especially in those using CHM for more than 730 days. Uses of several herbal products may be associated with a lower risk of endometriosis, like Ge-Gen, Da-Huang, Huang-Qin, Ye-Jiao-Teng, Chuan-Niu-Xi, Shu-Jing-Huo-Xue-Tang, Du-Huo-Ji-Sheng-Tang, Ge-Gen-Tang, Shao-Yao-Gan-Cao-Tang, Ping-Wei-San, Gan-Lu-Yin, and Dang-Gui-Nian-Tong-Tang.

Conclusion

Taken together, adding CHM to conventional therapy may reduce the incidence of endometriosis in women with RA. The therapeutic mechanisms and safety of these natural products may be a direction for future clinical studies.

Investigation of the inhibition effect of 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloyl-β-D-glucose on gastric cancer cells based on a network pharmacology approach and experimental validation

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is ranked as the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. 1,2,3,4,6-Pentagalloyl-β-D-glucose (β-PGG) has various pharmacological activities and has been shown to suppress cancer development. However, the mechanism by which β-PGG inhibits gastric cancer has not been elucidated.

Objective

This study explored the potential targets and mechanism of β-PGG in GC using the network pharmacology approach combined with in-vitro experiments.

Methods

The PharmMapper software was used to predict the potential targets of β-PGG, and GC-related genes were identified on the GeneCards database. PPI analysis of common genes was performed using the STRING database. The potential regulatory mechanism of β-PGG in GC was explored through Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. The binding ability of key genes and target proteins was verified by molecular docking. The effects of β-PGG on genes and proteins were evaluated using the CCK-8 assay, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis assay, real-time fluorescence quantification polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting.

Results

Eight hub genes involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis were identified. Cancer-related signaling pathways were identified using the Cytoscape tool. Some of those genes were significantly enriched in the p53 signaling pathway. The CCK-8 assay showed that β-PGG inhibited the proliferation of GC cells. Cell cycle and apoptosis experiments revealed that β-PGG induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that β-PGG inhibited β-PGG cells by modulating the p53 signaling pathway.

Conclusion

In the present study, the targets and mechanism of β-PGG in gastric cancer were explored. The results indicate that β-PGG can be used to develop treatments for GC.

Huayu Sanjie Enema Liquid Relieves Pain in Endometriosis Model Rats by Inhibiting Inflammation, Peripheral Sensitization, and Pelvic Adhesion

The objective of this study is to observe the effect of relieving pain of Huayu Sanjie enema liquid (HYSJ-EL) on endometriosis model rats and to explore its mechanism of action. Of 24 female Sprague Dawley rats, six were randomly selected as the sham operation group (normal control group). The remaining rats were used to establish rat models of endometriosis through autologous endometrial transplantation combined with estrogen injection. Successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model, indomethacin (Western medicine group), and HYSJ-EL (Chinese herbs group) treatment groups. The thermal pain threshold of rats was measured, and hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe pathological changes after sampling. Serum levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, the protein and mRNA expression levels of transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the endometrium and endometriotic lesions were measured using Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR assays, respectively. Compared to the model group, the heat pain threshold of rats in the HYSJ-EL group was significantly increased (P < 0.01), and the serum levels of PGE2, IL-6, MIP-2, PAI-1, and TGF-β were significantly decreased (P < 0.01), as well as the expression of TRPV1 and TNF-α protein and mRNA in the tissue of the ectopic lesion was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). These results indicate that the Huayu Sanjie enema liquid exerts analgesic effects on endometriosis by inhibiting inflammation, peripheral nerve sensitization, and pelvic adhesion.

Clinical efficacy of turtle shell decocted pills for endometriosis and their influence on cellular immunity

OBJECTIVE

To explore the therapeutic efficacy of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system combined with turtle shell decocted pills for endometriosis and their effect on cellular immune function.

METHODS

Clinical data of 118 patients with endometriosis admitted to Taizhou First People's Hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were assigned into a single-drug group (n=68) and a combined traditional Chinese medicine group (n=50) according to treatment methods. The single-drug group was treated with the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system, and the combined traditional Chinese medicine group was treated with additional turtle shell decocted pills for three cycles for a total of 12 weeks. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was adopted to measure the concentration of Th1 cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ) and Th2 cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10), and the protein level of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). The levels of serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol (E2) were compared between the two groups. The response rate of treatment, the control rate of blood pressure and the incidence of adverse reactions were recorded in both groups.

RESULTS

The response rate of treatment in the combined traditional Chinese medicine group was higher than that in the single-drug group (P<0.05). Compared to before treatment, the TNF-α and IFN-γ increased in both groups after treatment, and the expressions were higher in the combined traditional Chinese medicine group than in the single-drug group (all P<0.05). After treatment, the levels of IL-6, IL-10, PD-1, and PD-L1 decreased, and the decreases in the combined traditional Chinese medicine group were greater than those in the single-drug group (all P<0.05). Serum LH, FSH and E2 levels before and after the treatment in the two groups were not statistically different (all P>0.05). The incidence of treatment-related adverse reactions between the two groups of patients was also not statistically different (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Turtle shell decocted pills can increase the clinical efficacy of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system in the treatment of endometriosis, reduce levels of PD-1, and PD-L1 and improve cellular immune function. The pills do not affect the secretion of ovarian hormones or increase adverse reactions.

A network pharmacology approach to explore active compounds and pharmacological mechanisms of a patented Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of endometriosis

Objective

Endometriosis is a common benign disease in women of reproductive age. Qu’s formula (QUF) is a patented Chinese herbal medicine for treating endometriosis that has been proven to be effective in treating and preventing the recurrence of endometriosis. This study is aimed to discover its molecular mechanism and to explore the potential drug targets.

Methods

A QUF target and endometriosis-related gene set was identified by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM) databases and five disease-gene databases. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed, and a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was established to discover the potential mechanism. MalaCards was searched for targets and signaling pathways related to endometriosis, and the search results were also used to identify the key factors in QUF. Molecular docking was performed to visualize the interactions between the effective molecules and proteins encoded by critical genes. Cell experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to further validate the therapeutic effects of the active compounds in QUF on endometriosis.

Results

A compound-target network with 117 nodes (94 genes and 23 active compounds) and 224 edges was generated. The results of GO and KEGG analyses indicated that QUF could act by regulating the immune response, apoptosis and proliferation, oxidative stress, and angiogenesis. VEGFA, CXCL8, CCL2, IL1B and PTGS2 were selected for molecular docking analysis from two critical subnetworks with high correlation scores in MalaCards, and the active compounds of QUF had binding potential and high affinity for them. The mRNA expression levels of CCL2, IL1B and PTGS2 significantly decreased after treatment with quercetin. MD simulations showed that the combinations of quercetin and these proteins were relatively stable.

Conclusion

The network pharmacological strategy integrates molecular docking to unravel the molecular mechanism by which QUF protects against endometriosis. Our findings not only confirm the clinical effectiveness of QUF but also provide a foundation for further experimental study.

Application of High-Throughput Sequencing on the Chinese Herbal Medicine for the Data-Mining of the Bioactive Compounds

The Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) has been used worldwide in clinic to treat the vast majority of human diseases, and the healing effect is remarkable. However, the functional components and the corresponding pharmacological mechanism of the herbs are unclear. As one of the main means, the high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies have been employed to discover and parse the active ingredients of CHM. Moreover, a tremendous amount of effort is made to uncover the pharmacodynamic genes associated with the synthesis of active substances. Here, based on the genome-assembly and the downstream bioinformatics analysis, we present a comprehensive summary of the application of HTS on CHM for the synthesis pathways of active ingredients from two aspects: active ingredient properties and disease classification, which are important for pharmacological, herb molecular breeding, and synthetic biology studies.

Verification of the Potential Targets of the Herbal Prescription Sochehwan for Drug Repurposing Processes as Deduced by Network Pharmacology

Network pharmacology (NP) is a useful, emerging means of understanding the complex pharmacological mechanisms of traditional herbal medicines. Sochehwan (SCH) is a candidate herbal prescription for drug repurposing as it has been suggested to have beneficial effects on metabolic syndrome. In this study, NP was adopted to complement the shortcomings of literature-based drug repurposing strategies in traditional herbal medicine. We conducted in vitro studies to confirm the effects of SCH on potential pharmacological targets identified by NP analysis. Herbal compounds and molecular targets of SCH were explored and screened from a traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) and an oriental medicine advanced searching integrated system (OASIS). Forty-seven key targets selected from a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were analyzed with gene ontology (GO) term enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis to identify relevant categories. The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways were presented as significant signaling pathways with lowest p-values by NP analysis, which were downregulated by SCH treatment. The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was identified as a core key target by NP analysis, and its phosphorylation ratio was confirmed to be significantly suppressed by SCH. In conclusion, the NP-based approach used for target prediction and experimental data obtained from Raw 264.7 cells strongly suggested that SCH can attenuate inflammatory status by modulating the phosphorylation status of STAT3.

Network pharmacology study on the mechanism of the Chinese medicine Radix Isatidis (Banlangen) for COVID-19

Radix Isatidis (Banlangen) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of different diseases and prevention of many body disorders. Besides, it also plays a pivotal role in novel coronavirus pneumonia, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, few researchers know its active ingredients and mechanism of action for COVID-19. To find whether Banlangen has a pharmacological effect on COVID-19. In this research, we systematically analyze Banlangen and COVID-19 through network pharmacology technology. A total of 33 active ingredients in Banlangen, 92 targets of the active ingredients, and 259 appropriate targets of COVID-19 were obtained, with 11 common targets. The analysis of the biological process of gene ontology and the enrichment of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes signaling pathway suggests that Banlangen participated in the biological processes of protein phosphatase binding, tetrapyrrole binding, the apoptotic process involving cysteine-type endopeptidase activity, etc. The COVID-19 may be treated by regulating advanced glycation end products/a receptor for advanced glycation end products signaling pathway, interleukin-17 signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway, sphingolipid signaling pathway, and p53 signaling pathway. Banlangen has a potential pharmacological effect on COVID-19, which has the value of further exploration in the following experiment and clinical application.

Evaluation of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine for the reproductive and pregnancy outcomes in women with endometriosis: A nationwide population-based study

OBJECTIVE

Patients with endometriosis may seek traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to help them conceive. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of TCM on reproductive and pregnancy outcomes in patients with endometriosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The patients with endometriosis taken from the National Health Insurance (NHI) research database between 2000 and 2012 were divided into two cohorts based on the use of TCM treatment. The two cohorts were matched by age and comorbidities and followed up until a new diagnosis of infertility, ectopic pregnancy, or miscarriage. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the hazard ratio (HR) of reproductive and pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 5244 patients with endometriosis were analyzed, including 1748 TCM users and 3496 matched control subjects. The proportion of infertility was higher in TCM users than in non-TCM users (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13-1.60). However, there was no significant difference in the proportion of ectopic pregnancies between TCM users and non-TCM users (adjusted HR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.60-1.13). There was no significant difference in the proportion of miscarriages between TCM users and non-TCM users (adjusted HR: 1.23, 95% CI: 0.95-1.61).

CONCLUSION

TCM treatment showed insignificant efficacy in decreasing the risk of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage in patients with endometriosis.

An Overview on the Conservative Management of Endometriosis from a Naturopathic Perspective: Phytochemicals and Medicinal Plants

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating disease, which affects millions of young women worldwide. Although medicine has incontestably evolved in the last years, there is no common ground regarding the early and accurate diagnosis of this condition, its pathogenic mechanisms, and curative treatment. Even though the spontaneous resolution of endometriosis is sometimes possible, recent reports suggested that it can be a progressive condition. It can associate chronic pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, infertility, or malignant degenerescence. Conventional treatments could produce many side effects, and despite treatment, the symptoms may reappear. In recent years, experimental evidence suggested that plant-based medicine could exert beneficial effects on endometriosis and endometriosis-related symptoms. This study aims to highlight the pharmaceutical activity of phytochemicals and medicinal plants against endometriosis and to provide a source of information regarding the alternative treatment of this condition. Methods: For this review, we performed a research using PubMed, GoogleScholar, and CrossRef databases. We selected the articles published between January 2000 and July 2020, written in English. Results: We found 17 medicinal plants and 13 phytochemicals, which have demonstrated their beneficial effects against endometriosis. Several of their biological activities consist of antiangiogenic, anti-inflammatory effects, and oxidative-stress reduction. Conclusion: Medicinal herbs and their bioactive compounds exhibit antiangiogenic, antioxidant, sedative and pain-alleviating properties and the effects recorded until now encourage their use for the conservative management of endometriosis.

Medicine in motion: Opportunities, challenges and data analytics-based solutions for traditional medicine integration into western medical practice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Traditional pharmacopeias have been developed by multiple cultures and evaluated for efficacy and safety through both historical/empirical iteration and more recently through controlled studies using Western scientific paradigms and an increasing emphasis on data science methodologies for network pharmacology. Traditional medicines represent likely sources of relatively inexpensive drugs for symptomatic management as well as potential libraries of new therapeutic approaches. Leveraging this potential requires hard evidence for efficacy that separates science from pseudoscience.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a review of non-Western medical systems and developed case studies that illustrate the epistemological and practical translative barriers that hamper their transition to integration with Western approaches. We developed a new data analytics approach, in silico convergence analysis, to deconvolve modes of action, and potentially predict desirable components of TM-derived formulations based on computational consensus analysis across cultures and medical systems.

RESULTS

Abstraction, simplification and altered dose and delivery modalities were identified as factors that influence actual and perceived efficacy once a medicine is moved from a non-Western to Western setting. Case studies on these factors highlighted issues with translation between non-Western and Western epistemologies, including those where epistemological and medicinal systems drive markets that can be epicenters for zoonoses such as the novel Coronavirus. The proposed novel data science approach demonstrated the ability to identify and predict desirable medicinal components for a test indication, pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Relegation of traditional therapies to the relatively unregulated nutraceutical industry may lead healthcare providers and patients to underestimate the therapeutic potential of these medicines. We suggest three areas of emphasis for this field: First, vertical integration and embedding of traditional medicines into healthcare systems would subject them to appropriate regulation and evidence-based practice, as viable integrative implementation mode. Second, we offer a new Bradford-Hill-like framework for setting research priorities and evaluating efficacy, with the goal of rescuing potentially valuable therapies from the nutraceutical market and discrediting those that are pseudoscience. Third, data analytics pipelines offer new capacity to generate new types of TMS-inspired medicines that are rationally-designed based on integrated knowledge across cultures, and also provide an evaluative framework against which to test claims of fidelity and efficacy to TMS made for nutraceuticals.

Ameliorative Effects of Quercetin and Metformin and Their Combination Against Experimental Endometriosis in Rats

Endometriosis, as the leading cause of infertility, is attributed to oxidative stress, inflammation, and autophagy dysregulation. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of quercetin and metformin, alone or in combination, on the ectopic and eutopic endometrial tissues in a rat model of endometriosis. We divided 60 female rats into 6 groups, including SH, Endo, Endo + Oil, Endo + Q, Endo + M, and Endo + Q + M. The last five groups underwent a surgery, so that we could induce endometriosis, and after 4 weeks, daily treatment began, lasting for a month. Subsequently, the size and histoarchitecture of the endometrial implants, serum levels of 17β-estradiol, progesterone and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and markers of oxidative stress and autophagy were assessed utilizing ELISA and gene expression analysis. Our results shed light to the fact that serum TNF-α and 17β-estradiol levels significantly increased in endometriosis rats. Moreover, NADPH: quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) enzyme activity and gene expression levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and autophagy markers significantly decreased; meanwhile, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) gene expression increased in the ectopic endometrial tissues, as compared with eutopic ones. Surprisingly, our results demonstrated that the treatment in which we applied the combination of quercetin and metformin significantly reversed these changes and had a pronounced effect on the endometrial implant size and gene expression levels of mTOR and autophagy markers in ectopic endometrium. The findings of the present study suggest that quercetin, metformin, and their combination were of potential therapeutic effects on the rat model of endometriosis.

Toxic Animal-Based Medicinal Materials Can Be Effective in Treating Endometriosis: A Scoping Review

Animal toxins and venoms have recently been developed as cancer treatments possessing tumor cell growth-inhibitory, antiangiogenesis, and proapoptotic effects. Endometriosis is a common benign gynecological disorder in reproductive-age women, and no definite treatment for this disorder is without severe side effects. As endometriosis and malignant tumors share similar characteristics (progressive, invasive, estrogen-dependent growth, and recurrence), animal toxins and venoms are thought to be effective against endometriosis. The objective of this study was to outline studies using toxic animal-based medicinal materials (TMM) as endometriosis treatment and to explore its clinical applicability. Preclinical and clinical studies using TMM were searched for in four databases from inception to October 2020. A total of 20 studies of TMM on endometriosis were included. In eight clinical studies, herbal medicines containing TMM were effective in relieving symptoms of endometriosis, with no side effects. In twelve experimental studies, the main therapeutic mechanisms of TMM against endometriosis were proapoptotic, antiangiogenesis, estrogen level-reducing, and possible anti-inflammatory effects. TMM are thus considered promising sources for the development of an effective treatment method for endometriosis. Further studies are needed to clarify the therapeutic mechanism of TMM against endometriosis and to provide sufficient grounds for clinical application.

Molecular Targets and Associated Signaling Pathways of Jingshu Granules in Ovarian Cysts Based on Systemic Pharmacological Analysis

Background

More than a third of women could develop ovarian cysts during their lifetime. Jingshu granules are used for the treatment of gynecological disease of primary dysmenorrhea. However, the molecular mechanisms of Jingshu granules in ovarian cysts are still unreported. We aimed to find the active ingredients, molecular targets, and potential signaling pathways of Jingshu granules in ovarian cysts by using the systemic pharmacological analysis.

Methods

Firstly, the effect of Jingshu granules on female hormones and reproductive organs of young female rats was evaluated. Secondly, candidate pharmaceutical ingredients of Jingshu granules were retrieved from the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology (TCMSP) database and analysis platform. Potential protein targets for the active ingredients in Jingshu granules were then identified according to the oral bioavailability and drug-likeness indices. Thirdly, ovarian cyst-related gene targets were screened based on different databases. Finally, enrichment analysis was used to analyze the potential biological function of intersection targets between Jingshu granules and ovarian cysts.

Results

In young female rats, Jingshu granules reduced the secretion of estradiol, progesterone, and prolactin and could affect the development of the uterus. This suggested that Jingshu granules played roles in hormone secretion and reproduction. From the TCMSP, a total of 1021 pharmaceutical ingredients of Jingshu granules were retrieved. After further screening, a total of 166 active ingredients and 159 protein targets of Jingshu granules were identified. In addition, 4488 gene targets of ovarian cysts were screened out. After taking the intersection, a total of 110 intersection targets were identified between potential protein targets of Jingshu granules and gene targets of ovarian cysts. In the functional analysis of 110 intersection targets, 8 signaling pathways including progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation (MAPK8 and CDK1 involved), GnRH signaling pathway (JUN involved), T cell receptor signaling pathway and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway (MAPK1 involved), NOD-like receptor signaling pathway (TNF, IL6, and IL1B involved), p53 signaling pathway (CDK2 and CDK4 involved), VEGF signaling pathway (MAPK14 involved), and PPAR signaling pathway (PPARG involved) were obtained.

Conclusion

Our study revealed that Jingshu granules could function in patients with ovarian cysts through a number of molecular targets and signaling pathways. Our study may provide a new field into the mechanisms of Jingshu granules in ovarian cysts, from the molecular to the signaling pathway level.

Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy for the Investigation of the Anti-Obesity Effects of an Ethanolic Extract of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim

Network pharmacology is considered as the next paradigm in drug discovery. In an era when obesity has become global epidemic, network pharmacology becomes an ideal tool to discover novel herbal-based therapeutics with effective anti-obesity effects. Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim (ZBM) is a medicinal herb. The mature pericarp of ZBM is used for disease treatments and as spice for cooking. Here, we used the network pharmacology approach to investigate whether ZBM possesses anti-obesity effects and reveal the underlying mechanism of action. We first built up drug–ingredient–gene symbol–disease network and protein–protein interaction network of the ZBM-related obesity targets, followed by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses. The results highlight apoptosis as a promising signaling pathway that mediates the anti-obesity effects of ZBM. Molecular docking also reveals quercetin, a compound in ZBM has the highest degree of connections in the compound-target network and has direct bindings with the apoptotic markers. Furthermore, the apoptotic effects of ZBM are further validated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and in the high-fat diet–induced obesity mouse model. These findings not only suggest ZBM can be developed as potential anti-obesity therapeutics but also demonstrate the application of network pharmacology for the discovery of herbal-based therapeutics for disease treatments.

Investigation of Inhibition Effect of Gossypol-Acetic Acid on Gastric Cancer Cells Based on a Network Pharmacology Approach and Experimental Validation

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the major public health problems worldwide with high morbidity and mortality. Nowadays, traditional medicine may hold promise for the treatment of cancers. Gossypol-acetic acid (GAA) is a male contraceptive agent that shows anti-tumor effects on multiple types of cancers. However, whether GAA would inhibit the progression of GC remained unclear.

Methods

The potential targets of GAA were predicted by the Pharmmapper software and GC-related genes were obtained from the GeneCard database. The “GC-targets-GAA” network was constructed using the Cytoscape software. The PPI analysis of intersection genes was performed using the String software. The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed using the DAVID software to explore the potential mechanism underlying the regulatory role of GAA in GC. The MTS test, plate cloning test, cell cycle and apoptosis assays were used to verify the function of GAA in GC.

Results

Ten hub genes related to cell cycle progression and apoptosis were identified. Many cancer-related signaling pathways were visualized by the Cytoscape software. Among them, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was the highest-ranked pathway. The MTS test and plate cloning test showed that GAA inhibited the proliferation of GC cells. The cell cycle and apoptosis assays showed that GAA induced G1 phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in GC cells.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated the anti-tumor effect of GAA on GC through multiple targets and signaling pathways. These results provided a theoretical basis for further investigation of GAA in preclinical and clinical studies, and suggested the potential use of GAA as a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of GC.