American Journal of Chinese Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Perioperative Acupuncture Optimizes Surgical Outcomes: Theory, Clinical Practice and Future Perspectives.","authors":"Weiliang Zhang,&nbsp;Hongguang Zhang,&nbsp;Shu-Ming Wang,&nbsp;Jingxuan Guo,&nbsp;Yan Ma,&nbsp;Yucai Li,&nbsp;Fan Su,&nbsp;Yongliang Chi","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X22500392","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X22500392","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A growing body of evidence supports the use of perioperative acupuncture as part of an enhanced postsurgical recovery protocol. Data from both clinical trials and animal studies has shown that the integration of acupuncture into perioperative patient care leads to a reduction of perioperative complications such as preoperative anxiety, intraoperative hemodynamic instability, postoperative pain, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, and postoperative nausea and vomiting in surgical patients. Despite these favorable outcomes, perioperative acupuncture has yet to be widely adopted in current anesthesia practice. This review summarized data from clinical perioperative acupuncture studies and cites recent discoveries regarding the anatomical location and characteristics of acupoint(s), acupuncture stimulation techniques, and treatment practice protocols, as well as identified the areas of deficiency in perioperative acupuncture applications. To facilitate acupuncture integration in perioperative care practice, the authors propose to establish a perioperative acupuncture registry which can be used for data mining as well as a resource for studying the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture. Through this acupuncture registry, clinical guidelines and research protocols can be established, additional large/multi-center clinical and pragmatic trials can be easily performed to determine if the integration and expansion of perioperative acupuncture practice is cost-effective.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40152042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nrf2-Dependent Protective Effect of Paeoniflorin on α-Naphthalene Isothiocyanate-Induced Hepatic Injury.","authors":"Liuliu Mao,&nbsp;Jun Chen,&nbsp;Kang Cheng,&nbsp;Zhihua Dou,&nbsp;Jonathan D Leavenworth,&nbsp;Hengyue Yang,&nbsp;Diyuan Xu,&nbsp;Lin Luo","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X22500562","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X22500562","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The pathological mechanism of cholestatic hepatic injury is associated with oxidative stress, hepatocyte inflammation, and dysregulation of hepatocyte transporters. <i>Paeonia lactiflora</i> Pall. and its compound can improve hepatic microcirculation, dilate bile duct, and promote bile flow, which is advantageous to ameliorate liver damage. Paeoniflorin (PEA), as the main efficacy component of <i>Paeonia lactiflora</i> Pall., has multiple pharmacological effects. PEA improves liver injury, but it remains obscure whether the protective action on [Formula: see text]-naphthalene isothiocyanate (ANIT)-induced cholestatic liver injury is dependent on the NF-E2 p45-related Factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway. In this study, C57BL/6 mice were administrated with 80 mg⋅kg[Formula: see text]⋅d[Formula: see text] ANIT followed by PEA (75, 150, and 300 mg⋅kg[Formula: see text]⋅d[Formula: see text]) orally for 10 days, respectively. Tissue histology and liver function were detected, including serum enzymes, gallbladder (GB) weight, phenobarbital-induced sleeping time (PEN-induced ST), hepatic uridine di-phosphoglucuronosyltransferase (UDPG-T), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH). The expressions of protein Nrf2, sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (Ntcp), and NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) were evaluated. Nrf2 plasmid or siRNA-Nrf2 transfection on LO2 cells and <i>Nrf2^-/-</i> mice were used to explore the liver protective mechanism of PEA. Compared to ANIT-treated mice, PEA decreased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), total bile acid (TBA), and phenobarbital-induced sleeping time. The bile secretion, hepatic UDPG-T, MDA, GSH, and liver histology were improved. The expressions of protein Nrf2 and Ntcp in liver tissues increased, but Nox4 decreased. After Nrf2 plasmid or small interfering RNA (siRNA)-Nrf2 transfection, the protective effects of PEA on LO2 cells were, respectively, strengthened or weakened. Moreover, PEA had no significant effects on ANIT-treated <i>Nrf2^-/-</i> mice. Our results suggest that Nrf2 is essential for PEA protective effects on ANIT-induced liver injury.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40164327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>In Silico</i> Prediction of Andrographolide Dosage Regimens for COVID-19 Treatment.","authors":"Teerachat Saeheng,&nbsp;Juntra Karbwang,&nbsp;Kesara Na-Bangchang","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X22500732","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X22500732","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Andrographolide (APE) has been used for COVID-19 treatment in various clinical settings in South-East Asia due to its benefits on reduction of viral clearance and prevention of disease progression. However, the limitation of APE clinical use is the high incidence of adverse events. The objective of this study was to find the optimal dosage regimens of APE for COVID-19 treatment. The whole-body physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models were constructed using data from the published articles and validated against clinical observations. The inhibitory effect of APE was determined for the potency of drug efficacy. For prevention of pneumonia, multiple oral doses such as 120[Formula: see text]mg for three doses, followed by 60[Formula: see text]mg three times daily for 4 consecutive days, or 200[Formula: see text]mg intravenous infusion at the rate of 20 mg/h once daily is advised in patients with mild COVID-19. For prevention of pneumonia and reduction of viral clearance time, the recommended dosage regimen is 500[Formula: see text]mg intravenous infusion at the rate of 25[Formula: see text]mg/h once daily in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. One hundred virtual populations (50 males and 50 females) were simulated for oral and intravenous infusion formulations of APE. The eligible PBPK/PD models successfully predicted optimal dosage regimens and formulations of APE for prevention of disease progression and/or reduction of viral clearance time. Additionally, APE should be co-administered with other antiviral drugs to enhance therapeutic efficacy for COVID-19 treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40644130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Falcarindiol Stimulates Apoptotic and Autophagic Cell Death to Attenuate Cell Proliferation, Cell Division, and Metastasis through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/p70S6K Pathway in Human Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas.","authors":"Kyung-Ran Park,&nbsp;Hyun Hee Leem,&nbsp;Yoon-Ju Kwon,&nbsp;Il Keun Kwon,&nbsp;Jin Tae Hong,&nbsp;Hyung-Mun Yun","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X22500112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X22500112","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) have high cancer mortality and a 5-year survival rate lower than that of most other carcinomas. New therapeutic strategies are required for the treatment and prevention against OSCCs. An approach to cancer therapy using plant-derived natural compounds has been actively in progress as a trend. Falcarindiol (FALC), or its isolated form <i>Ostericum koreanum</i> Kitagawa (<i>O. koreanum</i>), is present in many food and dietary plants, especially in carrots, and this compound has a variety of beneficial effects. However, biological activity of FALC has not been reported in OSCCs yet. This study aimed to demonstrate the antitumor effects of FALC against OSCCs, YD-10B cells. In this study, FALC was selected as a result of screening for compounds isolated from various natural products in YD-10B cells. FALC suppressed cell growth, and FALC-induced apoptotic cell death was mainly accompanied by the dephosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, mTOR, and p70S6K. The apoptotic cell death was also associated with autophagy as evidenced by the expression of Beclin-1, the conversion of LC3-II, and the formation of autophagosome. FALC-induced autophagy was accompanied by MAPKs including ERK1/2 and p38. Furthermore, FALC caused the antimetastatic effects by inhibiting the migration and invasion of YD-10B cells. Taken together, the findings suggest the potential value of FALC as a novel candidate for therapeutic strategy against OSCCs.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39832318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research Advances in Lotus Leaf as Chinese Dietary Herbal Medicine.","authors":"Haoxue Zheng,&nbsp;Lintao Han,&nbsp;Wenfeng Shi,&nbsp;Xiaoping Fang,&nbsp;Yi Hong,&nbsp;Yan Cao","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X22500616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X22500616","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lotus leaf (Heye), the dry foliage of <i>Nelumbo nucifera</i> Gaertn, has been valuable as a dietary herbal medicine for thousands of years. Phytochemical studies indicated that alkaloids and flavonoids are the main components of Heye. Polysaccharides, terpenes, and amino acids are also active ingredients. The drug properties of Heye are mild and bitter. Meridian tropism is mainly distributed in the liver, spleen, and stomach meridian. In the Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theoretical system, it is in many formulas for the therapy of various symptoms, including wasting-thirst induced by summer heat, diarrhea caused by summer heat-dampness and spleen deficiency, hematochezia, flooding and spotting, among others. Nowadays, the extracts and active components of Heye demonstrate multiple bioactivities, for instance anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, cardiovascular protective, anticancer, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, antiviral, antimicrobial, as well as hemostatic activities. This review will provide an overview of Heye serving as a typical plant with functions of both medicine and food, including its practical applications in terms of TCM and healthy diet, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, together with its toxicity. Besides, the new points and prospects of Heye in the overview are also outlined straightforwardly.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40410668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wogonin Ameliorated Obesity-Induced Lipid Metabolism Disorders and Cardiac Injury via Suppressing Pyroptosis and Deactivating IL-17 Signaling Pathway.","authors":"Cheng Zhou,&nbsp;Xiaoling Yin","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X22500653","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X22500653","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Obesity leads to structural and functional changes in the heart and has become a global burden of disease. Wogonin is a natural flavonoid which possesses cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-cancer properties. However, the effects of wogonin on obesity-induced cardiac injury remain unclear. In this study, the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice model was successfully established. Moreover, HFD induced a fat mass and cardiac injury in mice. More importantly, wogonin treatment reduced fat mass and improved cardiac function of HFD mice. Consistently, wogonin ameliorated myocardial lipid metabolism in HFD-induced obese mice by reducing triglyceride (TC), total cholesterol (TG), and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels in serum, as well as the TG and free fatty acids (FFA) levels in heart tissues. Interestingly, wogonin treatment alleviated myocardial pyroptosis in HFD-induced obese mice. Through bioinformatic analysis, the IL-17 signaling pathway was predicted to be modulated by wogonin. Results showed that wogonin deactivated the IL-17 signaling pathway in HFD mice. These findings suggested that wogonin ameliorated obesity-induced disorders of lipid metabolism and cardiac injury via suppressing pyroptosis and deactivating the IL-17 signaling pathway, which provided a novel therapeutic strategy for HFD-induced cardiac injury.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40410986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Herbal Medicines for Constipation and Phytochemical Comparison of Active Components.","authors":"Qinge Ma,&nbsp;Chong-Zhi Wang,&nbsp;Wamtinga R Sawadogo,&nbsp;Zhao-Xiang Bian,&nbsp;Chun-Su Yuan","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X2250029X","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X2250029X","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Constipation is a very common medical condition worldwide, negatively affecting patients' quality of life and healthcare system. Rhubarb, senna leaf, and aloe are three frequently used herbal medications for achieving regular bowel movement. Rhubarb is also a key ingredient in MaZiRenWan, a Chinese medicine formula used every so often for constipation in oriental countries. We reviewed and summarized the major chemical components from these three botanicals, including dianthrones, anthraquinone glycosides, free anthraquinones, and other polyphenols. The purgative actions of these constituents have been compared. Anthraquinone, especially its dianthrone compounds such as sennoside A and sennoside B, as natural stimulant laxatives, possesses significant effects to promote gastrointestinal motility and relieve functional constipation. Furthermore, the safety, reported side effects, and other benefits of anthraquinone compounds are presented. To date, many anti-constipation natural products are being used but their research is relatively limited, and thus, more investigations in this field are indeed needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40325754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"18[Formula: see text]-Glycyrrhetinic Acid Inhibits TGF-[Formula: see text]-Induced Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Targeting STAT3.","authors":"Mo Jie,&nbsp;Zhao-Qi Zhang,&nbsp;Ning Deng,&nbsp;Qiu-Meng Liu,&nbsp;Chao Wang,&nbsp;Qian-Yun Ge,&nbsp;Peng-Chen Du,&nbsp;Sha-Sha Song,&nbsp;Xue-Wu Zhang,&nbsp;Long-Xin,&nbsp;Hui-Fang Liang,&nbsp;Liang Chu,&nbsp;Lei Zhang,&nbsp;Xiao-Ping Chen,&nbsp;Jin Chen,&nbsp;Han-Hua Dong,&nbsp;Bi-Xiang Zhang","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X22500124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X22500124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>18[Formula: see text]-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is the active ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma. We previously demonstrated that GA inhibited tumor growth in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the effect of GA on transforming growth factor-[Formula: see text] (TGF-[Formula: see text]-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis were still unclear. In this study, <i>in vitro</i> transwell assays and immunofluorescence (IF) demonstrated that GA inhibited TGF-[Formula: see text]-induced migration, invasion and EMT of HCC cells. However, it had little effect on the inhibition of proliferation by TGF-[Formula: see text]. Moreover, we confirmed that GA suppressed the metastasis of HCC cells <i>in vivo</i>using an ectopic lung metastasis model. Furthermore, we found that GA inhibited TGF-[Formula: see text]-induced EMT mainly by reducing the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which played an essential role in TGF-[Formula: see text]-induced EMT and cell mobility. Mechanistically, GA inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3 by increasing the expression of Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatases 1 and 2 (SHP1 and SHP2). Therefore, we concluded that GA inhibited TGF-[Formula: see text]-induced EMT and metastasis via the SHP1&SHP2/STAT3/Snail pathway. Our data provide an attractive therapeutic target for future multimodal management of HCC.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39770068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Pharmacological Rationales and Molecular Mechanisms of <i>Ganoderma lucidum</i> Polysaccharides for the Therapeutic Applications of Multiple Diseases.","authors":"Hua Luo,&nbsp;Dechao Tan,&nbsp;Bo Peng,&nbsp;Siyuan Zhang,&nbsp;Chi Teng Vong,&nbsp;Zizhao Yang,&nbsp;Yitao Wang,&nbsp;Zhibin Lin","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X22500033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X22500033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As a versatile Chinese herb, <i>Ganoderma lucidum</i> (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst (<i>G. lucidum</i>) has been applied to treat multiple diseases in clinics and improve the quality of life of patients. Among all of its extracts, the main bioactive components are <i>G. lucidum</i> polysaccharides (GLPs), which possess many therapeutic effects, such as antitumor, immunoregulatory, anti-oxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, and antifungal effects and neuroprotection activities. This review briefly summarized the recent studies of the pharmacological rationales of GLPs and their underlying molecular signaling transmission mechanisms in treating diseases. Until now, the clear mechanisms of GLPs for treating diseases have not been reported. In this review, we used the keywords of \"<i>Ganoderma lucidum</i> polysaccharides\" and \"tumor\" to search in PubMed (years of 1992-2020), then screened and obtained 160 targets of antitumor activities in the literatures. The network pharmacology and mechanism framework were employed in this study as powerful approaches to systematically analyze the complicated potential antitumor mechanisms and targets of GLPs in cancer. We then found that there are 69 targets and 21 network pathways in \"Pathways in cancer\". Besides, we summarized the effects of GLPs and the models and methods used in the research of GLPs. In conclusion, GLPs have been studied extensively, but more in-depth research is still needed to determine the exact mechanisms and pathways. Therefore, this review might provide new insights into the vital targets and pathways for researchers to study the pharmacological mechanisms of GLPs for the treatment of diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39770069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Crocin on CCL2/CCR2 Inflammatory Pathway in Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Rats.","authors":"Yanling Sheng,&nbsp;Xiaowei Gong,&nbsp;Jing Zhao,&nbsp;Yan Liu,&nbsp;Yadong Yuan","doi":"10.1142/S0192415X22500082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X22500082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a malignant cardiopulmonary disease, in which pulmonary arterial remodeling is regarded as the prominent pathological feature. So far, the mechanism of PAH is still unclear, so its treatment remains a challenge. However, inflammation plays an important part in the occurrence and progression of PAH. It is well known that crocin has anti-inflammatory properties, so we investigated whether crocin could be a potential drug for the treatment of PAH rat models. Rats injected subcutaneously with monocrotaline (MCT) were treated with crocin via a gastric tube daily for four weeks. The results showed that crocin treatment significantly reduced the right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) in the PAH rat models. Moreover, crocin treatment reduced the proliferation of pulmonary arteriole smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). In addition, crocin treatment not only relieved inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen fiber hyperplasia in the lung and right ventricle, but also decreased the expression of the CCL2/CCR2 inflammatory pathway in the lung of PAH rat models. Furthermore, crocin treatment reduced the inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress responses. In summary, crocin may play a protective role in MCT-induced PAH rats by alleviating inflammatory response, improving pulmonary arterial remodeling, and preventing PAH. Therefore, crocin as a new treatment for PAH may be quite worthy of consideration.</p>","PeriodicalId":50814,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Chinese Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39832321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}