Screening test for anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of traditional Chinese herbal medicines

AIM

To evaluate the anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) activity of 50 traditional Chinese herbal medicines in order to provide the primary evidence for their use in clinical practice.

METHODS

A susceptibility test of water extract from 50 selected traditional Chinese herbal medicines for in vitro H. pylori Sydney strain 1 was performed with broth dilution method. Anti-H. pylori activity of the selected Chinese herbal medicines was evaluated according to their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).

RESULTS

The water extract from Rhizoma Coptidis, Radix Scutellariae and Radix isatidis could significantly inhibit the H. pylori activity with their MIC less than 7.8 mg/mL, suggesting that traditional Chinese herbal medicines have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects and can thus be used in treatment of H. pylori infection.

CONCLUSION

Rhizoma Coptidis, Radix Scutellariae and Radix isatidis are the potential sources for the synthesis of new drugs against H. pylori.

Levels and Health Risk of Pesticide Residues in Chinese Herbal Medicines

In the present study, 168 pesticides in 1,017 samples of 10 Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) were simultaneously determined by high-performance liquid (HPLC-MS/MS) and gas (GC-MS/MS) chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 89.2% of the samples encompassed one or multiple pesticide residues, and the residue concentrations in 60.5% of samples were less than 0.02 mg kg⁻¹, revealing the relatively low residue levels. The hazard quotient and hazard index methods were used to estimate the health risk for consumers. For a more accurate risk assessment, the exposure frequency and exposure duration of CHMs were involved into the exposure assessment, which was obtained from a questionnaire data of 20,917 volunteers. The results of chronic, acute, and cumulative risk assessment indicated that consumption of CHMs is unlikely to pose a health risk to consumers. Ranking the risk of detected pesticides revealed that phorate, BHC, triazophos, methidathion, terbufos, and omethoate posed the highest risk. Our results also showed that pollution of the aboveground medicinal part was more serious. Although exposure to pesticides in tested CHMs was below dangerous levels, more strict controlled management should be carried out for banned pesticides due to the high detection rate and illegal use in the actual planting practice.

Chinese herbal medicines compared with N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Protocol for a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a major public health problem worldwide. There is no curative treatment for IPF except lung transplantation. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are widely used in the treatment of IPF in China. However, their effectiveness and safety are still obscure and deserve further investigation. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy and safety of CHMs in treating IPF compared with N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

METHODS

This review summarizes and meta-analyzes randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CHMs for the treatment of IPF. RCTs compare either CHMs alone or in combination with NAC or conventional medicine treatment (CMT) vs NAC alone or in combination with CMT have been included. The following electronic databases have been searched: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, CBM, VIP, and WANFANG DATA. The methodologic quality of RCTs has been assessed using the Cochrane risk assessment tool. All trials included are analyzed according to the criteria of the Cochrane Handbook. Review Manager 5.3, R-3.5.1 software, and GRADE pro GDT web solution are used for data synthesis and analysis.

RESULTS

This review evaluates the effects of CHMs on acute exacerbation, mortality, the quality of life, 6-minute walking test distance, lung function (total lung capacity, diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide, and forced vital capacity), partial pressure of oxygen in blood (PaO2), and safety in patients with IPF.

CONCLUSION

This review provides clear evidence to assess the effectiveness and safety of CHMs for IPF.

The Role of Chinese Herbal Therapy in Methamphetamine Abuse and its Induced Psychiatric Symptoms

Repeated intake of methamphetamine (METH) leads to drug addiction, the inability to control intake, and strong drug cravings. It is also likely to cause psychiatric impairments, such as cognitive impairment, depression, and anxiety. Because the specific neurobiological mechanisms involved are complex and have not been fully and systematically elucidated, there is no established pharmacotherapy for METH abuse. Studies have found that a variety of Chinese herbal medicines have significant therapeutic effects on neuropsychiatric symptoms and have the advantage of multitarget comprehensive treatment. We conducted a systematic review, from neurobiological mechanisms to candidate Chinese herbal medicines, hoping to provide new perspectives and ideas for the prevention and treatment of METH abuse.

Chinese herbal medicines for mild cognitive impairment: A protocol for meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

BACKGROUND

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as a common neurodegenerative aging disease representing an intermediate stage between normal cognitive functioning and dementia, poses an excessive burden on health care. The clinical benefit of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) for MCI remains inconclusive. This study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy and acceptability of CHMs through meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA).

METHODS

We applied extensive strategies on preliminary literature screening to identify relevant randomized controlled trials which meticulously compare any of CHMs interventions with placebo groups as monotherapy for MCI. The primary outcome of this study is the change of global cognitive function, and the secondary outcomes include assessments of activities of daily living, mood, and adverse events. Data synthesis, risk of bias assessment, sensitivity and subgroup analyses, and TSA will be conducted with application of Review Manager, Stata, and TSA software. The quality of the evidence will be evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation instrument. INPLASY registration number: INPLASY202190006 (https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2021-9-0006/).

RESULTS

This study will confirm the clinical efficacy and safety of CHMs when used in the treatment of patients with MCI.

CONCLUSION

This study will provide reliable evidence and references for the selection of CHMs in therapy and future clinical research of MCI.

Chinese herbal medicines for the treatment of cough in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive disease with unknown etiology and hidden onset, which causes major health problems worldwide. Cough is a typical manifestation of IPF, which is usually characterized by cough without phlegm, and seriously affects the quality of life (QOL) of patients. At present, the treatment of IPF is mainly focused on prolonging survival time and improving lung function, such as pirfenidone, nintedanib, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), but lack of effective measures to improve the QOL. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) is widely used in the clinical treatment of IPF. The adjuvant treatment of CHMs can effectively reduce the clinical symptoms of patients. Therefore, we designed this study to evaluate the role of CHMs in the treatment of cough in IPF.

METHOD

This systematic review and meta-analysis will extract all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to the treatment of IPF from the following electronic database without date or language restrictions: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, CNKI, VIP, CBM, and Wanfang database. The primary outcomes will be cough frequency and QOL, while secondary outcomes will include safety events. The methodologic quality of RCTs will be assessed using the Cochrane risk assessment tool. The I test will be used to identify the extent of heterogeneity, and funnel plot analysis will be used to test the publication deviation (the number of studies included >10). We will use RevMan5.3 software for data synthesis and analysis.

RESULT

This review evaluates the efficacy and safety of CHMs in combination therapy on cough frequency, the quality of life, adverse reactions and safety incidents in patients with IPF.

CONCLUSION

This study protocol will be used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CHMs in combination with conventional therapy in treatment of cough in IPF.

OSF REGISTRATION DOI

10.17605/OSF.IO/JKQYV.

Mechanisms of Chinese Herbal Medicines for Diabetic Nephropathy Fibrosis Treatment

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus that is one of the main causes of end-stage renal disease, causing considerable health problems as well as significant financial burden worldwide. The pathological features of DN include loss of normal nephrons, massive fibroblast and myofibroblast hyperplasia, accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins, thickening of the basement membrane, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Renal fibrosis is a final and critical pathological change in DN. Although progress has been made in understanding the pathogenesis of DN fibrosis, current conventional treatment strategies may not be completely effective in preventing the disease’s progression. Traditionally, Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) composed of natural ingredients have been used for symptomatic relief of DN. Increasing numbers of studies have confirmed that CHMs can exert a renoprotective effect in DN, and antifibrosis has been identified as a key mechanism. In this review, we summarize the antifibrotic efficacy of CHM preparations, single herbal medicines, and their bioactive compounds based on their effects on diminishing the inflammatory response and oxidative stress, regulating transforming growth factor, preventing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and modulating microRNAs. We intend to provide patients of DN with therapeutic interventions that are complementary to existing options.