Identifying the molecular targets of Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) in ox-LDL induced macrophage-derived foam cells based on the integration of metabolomics and network pharmacology

The identification of network targets is one of the core issues used to reveal the molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is also the grand challenge of modernization of TCM. In this study, a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed based on the integration of network pharmacology and metabolomics, which was used as an effective approach to elucidate the relationship between disease pathway proteins and the targets of active small-molecule compounds. The intermolecular transfer process of the drug effect of active compounds in Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) was revealed and visualized using the PPI network. Our study indicates that PTGS2 was the most important disease protein regulated by the active compounds in SM. Furthermore, the drug targets that can be linked to PTGS2 were regarded as direct targets and the direct targets of the active compounds were identified, respectively. Western blot and co-immuno precipitation (Co-IP) were used to verify the results of the network analysis and reveal the intermolecular transfer process of the effect of Tan IIA. Biological validation revealed that Tan IIA-EDN1-PTGS2-anandamide was a major intervention way of Tan IIA on early atherosclerosis (AS). This work provides a new perspective for the discovery of drug targets and the specific approaches regulated by the active compounds in SM on disease pathway proteins, which is beneficial for understanding the mechanism of action of bioactive compounds and expanding their clinical applications.

The discovery of drug targets and the specific regulatory manner of active compounds based on a PPI network.

Quantitative Identification of Compound-Dependent On-Modules and Differential Allosteric Modules From Homologous Ischemic Networks

Module‐based methods have made much progress in deconstructing biological networks. However, it is a great challenge to quantitatively compare the topological structural variations of modules (allosteric modules [AMs]) under different situations. A total of 23, 42, and 15 coexpression modules were identified in baicalin (BA), jasminoidin (JA), and ursodeoxycholic acid (UA) in a global anti‐ischemic mice network, respectively. Then, we integrated the methods of module‐based consensus ratio (MCR) and modified Z_summary module statistic to validate 12 BA, 22 JA, and 8 UA on‐modules based on comparing with vehicle. The MCRs for pairwise comparisons were 1.55% (BA vs. JA), 1.45% (BA vs. UA), and 1.27% (JA vs. UA), respectively. Five conserved allosteric modules (CAMs) and 17 unique allosteric modules (UAMs) were identified among these groups. In conclusion, module‐centric analysis may provide us a unique approach to understand multiple pharmacological mechanisms associated with differential phenotypes in the era of modular pharmacology.

Garlic for hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

In the past decade, garlic has become one of the most popular complementary therapies for blood pressure (BP) control used by hypertensive patients. Numerous clinical studies have focused on the BP-lowering effect of garlic, but results have been inconsistent. Overall, there is a dearth of information available to guide the clinical community on the efficacy of garlic in hypertensive patients.

AIM

To systematically review the medical literature to investigate the current evidence of garlic for the treatment of hypertension.

METHODS

PubMed, the Cochrane Library and EMBASE were searched for appropriate articles from their respective inceptions until August 2014. Randomized, placebo-controlled trials comparing garlic vs. a placebo in patients with hypertension were considered. Papers were independently reviewed by two reviewers and were analyzed using Cochrane software Revman 5.2.

RESULTS

A total of seven randomized, placebo-controlled trials were identified. Compared with the placebo, this meta-analysis revealed a significant lowering effect of garlic on both systolic BP (WMD: -6.71 mmHg; 95% CI: -12.44 to -0.99; P = 0.02) and diastolic BP (WMD: -4.79 mmHg; 95% CI: -6.60 to -2.99; P < 0.00001). No serious adverse events were reported in any of the trials.

CONCLUSION

The present review suggests that garlic is an effective and safe approach for hypertension. However, more rigorously designed randomized controlled trials focusing on primary endpoints with long-term follow-up are still warranted before garlic can be recommended to treat hypertensive patients.

Polymorphism of the melatonin receptor genes and its relationship with seasonal reproduction in the Gulin Ma goat breed

Melatonin is thought to be the main molecule that transmits the signal of seasonal change to the neuroendocrine system in seasonal breeding species. Melatonin exerts its effects through specific melatonin receptors, MTNR1A and MTNR1B. In the present study, six native goat breeds in China and one introduced goat breed were analysed to investigate the relationship between the genetic polymorphism of receptor genes and seasonal reproduction. Sequencing results showed that there were five polymorphic mutations in the MTNR1A gene and two in the MTNR1B gene. In the MTNR1A gene, genotypes AA, AB and BB for 424C>T and genotypes CC, CD and DD for 589C>A were observed in these goat breeds. In all six native goat breeds, only genotype AA was detected. In the MTNR1B gene, genotypes EE, EF and FF for 1179G>A and genotypes GG, GH and HH for 1529A>G were detected. However, in Gulin Ma goats, the genotypes EE and HH were not found. Moreover, the base of G at position 1179 and A at position 1529 were linked (By Arlequin ver 3.1, Zoological Institute, Berne, Switzerland, http://cmpg.unibe.ch/software/arlequin3,D' = 0.7496, r(2)  = 0.4421, χ(2)  = 489.8679, p = 0.000). Among these mutations, no amino acid change was found in MTNR1A, while both of the mutations in MTNR1B gene caused amino acid changes of R222H and S339G, respectively. The structural analysis showed that the R222H mutation occurred in the first amino acid residue of the third cytoplasmic loop, and the S339G mutation was located in the carboxyl terminus of the protein. In terms of seasonal breeding, all the genotypes we detected showed a similar kidding frequency distribution trend with a higher frequency in May-August than in January-April and in September-December. This suggests that the relationship between the polymorphisms in the MTNR1A and MTNR1B genes and seasonal breeding could not be established.

Polymorphisms of the cocaine-amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) gene and their association with reproductive traits in Chinese goats

Polymorphisms of the CART gene were investigated by PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis in 540 samples from 10 goat breeds. Ten novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms as well as three microsatellites were detected; a mutation, 77T → C, led to an amino acid change (Leu → Ser). Associations between polymorphic loci and reproductive traits were analyzed in Chuandong White, Guizhou White and Gulin Ma breeds. Mutation at position 524 had no significant effect on litter size in these three goat breeds. The polymorphism 539C → A differed significantly among the three breeds (P < 0.05); C(7)T(8)/C(9)T(8) at 939 was associated with larger litter size (P < 0.05) than genotypes C(7)T(8)/C(7)T(8) and C(7)T(8)/C(8)T(8). No significant association of birth weight was found with gene variation (524C → T, 539C → A and 939 CnTn). These findings could be valuable for marker-assisted selection for goat breeding.

Determining the absolute efficiency of a delay line microchannel-plate detector using molecular dissociation

We present a method to measure the absolute detection efficiency of a delay-line microchannel-plate detector using the breakup of diatomic molecular ions. This method provides the absolute total detection efficiency, as well as the individual efficiency for each signal of the detector. The method is based on the fact that molecular breakup always yields two hits on the detector, but due to finite detection efficiency some of these events are recorded as single particles while others are detected in pairs. We demonstrate the method by evaluating the detection efficiency for both timing and position signals of a delay-line detector using laser-induced dissociation of molecular ions. In addition, the detection efficiency as a function of position has been determined by dividing the detector into sectors.

Above threshold Coulomb explosion of molecules in intense laser pulses

We have measured and explained a new mechanism of molecular ionization near the appearance intensity that produces a sequence of peaks in the nuclear kinetic energy spectrum separated by the photon energy. Our interpretation is based on an internally consistent model for the nuclear motion during an intense laser pulse. Within this model, the same concepts and language can be used for both dissociation and ionization, leading to a more unified understanding of the dynamics.

Dissociation and ionization of H+2 by ultrashort intense laser pulses probed by coincidence 3D momentum imaging

Laser-induced dissociation and ionization of H(+)(2) were simultaneously measured using coincidence 3D momentum imaging, allowing direct separation of the two processes, even where the fragment kinetic energy is the same for both processes. The results for 45 and 135 fs 790 nm pulses with an intensity of approximately 2.5 x 10(14) W/cm(2) differ from each other much more than one would expect from previous measurements with longer pulses. Ionization was negligible for the longer pulse and was strongly aligned along the laser polarization for the shorter pulse, but showed no structure in its kinetic energy distribution. In addition, the ionization to dissociation ratio was found to be much smaller than theoretically predicted for H(+)(2).

High-resolution ultraviolet spectroscopy of p-fluorostyrene-water: Evidence for a σ-type hydrogen-bonded dimer

Ab initio calculations predict four stable conformational structures of the singly hydrated cluster of p-fluorostyrene: two out of plane with pi- and two in plane with sigma-type intermolecular hydrogen bonding between p-fluorostyrene and water. We employed mass-selective resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization high-resolution (70-MHz FWHM laser bandwidth) spectroscopy to partially resolve the rotational structure of the 0(0) (0) origin band of the S(1) <--S(0) electronic transition. A computer-aided fit based on genetic algorithms was used to analyze the experimental high-resolution spectrum and to determine the observed conformational structure. The good agreement between the experimental and the simulated spectra of the 0(0) (0) band and the assignment of the other prominent bands as inter- and intramolecular vibrational progressions clearly demonstrates that the anti in-plane conformer is the most abundant one in the molecular beam. The existence of the sigma-type hydrogen bond between p-fluorostyrene and water manifests that the electron attracting effect of fluorine dominates over the releasing mesomeric effect of the vinyl group and thus a pi-type hydrogen bonding with the aromatic ring is not favored in this case.

Fragmentation and conformation study of ephedrine by low- and high-resolution mass selective UV spectroscopy

The neurotransmitter molecule, ephedrine, has been studied by mass-selective low- and high-resolution UV resonance enhanced two-photon ionization spectroscopy. Under all experimental conditions we observed an efficient fragmentation upon ionization. The detected vibronic peaks in the spectrum are classified according to the efficiency of the fragmentation, which leads to the conclusion that there exist three different species in the molecular beam: ephedrine-water cluster and two distinct conformers. The two-color two-photon ionization experiment with a decreased energy of the second photon leads to an upper limit of 8.3 eV for the ionization energy of ephedrine. The high-resolution (70 MHz) spectrum of the strongest vibronic peak in the spectrum measured at the fragment (m/z=58) mass channel displays a pronounced and rich rotational structure. Its analysis by the use of a specially designed computer-aided rotational fit process yields accurate rotational constants for the S(0) and S(1) states and the transition moment ratio, providing information on the respective conformational structure.

Pharmacokinetics of anastrozole in Chinese male volunteers

AIM

To compare pharmacokinetics of domestic and imported tablets of anastrozole.

METHODS

Twenty male Chinese volunteers were enrolled in a randomized crossover study with a single oral dose of 1 mg of the two formulations respectively. The anastrozole in plasma was measured by gas chromatography with electron-captured detector. Area under the drug concentration-time curve was evaluated by variance analysis and two one-side t-test.

RESULTS

A two-compartment model was adopted in anastrozole plasma concentration-time data analysis. The paramaters such as Cmax, Tmax, T1/2beta, and AUC(0-infinity) were (10 +/- 3) and (10.2 +/- 2.5) microg/L, (1.2 +/- 0.5) and (1.3 +/- 0.4) h, (42 +/- 14) and (41 +/- 26) h, (443 +/- 141) and (429 +/- 121) microg . h . L-1, respectively, and there were no significant differences between the two formulations.

CONCLUSION

Domestic and imported anastrozole were of bioequivalence. The relative bioavailability of the domestic tablet was 100 % +/- 9 %.

[Therapeutic effect of kangke injection on viral myocarditis and its anticoxsackie virus mechanism]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy of Kangke Injection in treating viral myocarditis.

METHODS

Kangke Injection is the effective ingredient extracted from Radix Sophora flavescens (RSF). Seventy-six cases of virus myocarditis suffering from the continuous positive Coxsackie B virus ribose nucleic acid-polymerase chain reaction (CBVRNA-PCR) in blood, their peak value in blood was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and compared with 50 cases treated by glucose-insulin-potassium chloride (GIK).

RESULTS

The clearance rate of CBVRNA-PCR and RSF was dose-dependent. The effective rate of RSF on palpitation, chest distress, dispnea was 96.02%, and that of arrhythmia was 100%, all of them were better than those of control. After RSF therapy, the parameters of heart function of ejection fraction (EF), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and cardiac index (CI) elevated significantly (P < 0.01), left ventricular mass (LVM) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were decreased statistically significantly, while after 5 month therapy, the anti-Coxsackie group B virus neutralizing antibodies of RSF group was returned to normal titer, natural killer (NK) cell activity elevated, P < 0.01.

CONCLUSION

RSF was an effective substance for regressing the "Pathologic status" of viral myocarditis.