Yaxin Qi, Meng Wang, Lijuan Chai, Min Zhang, Sitong Jia, Nuttapong Wichai, Lin Wang, Yujing Wang, Jixiang Song, Han Zhang, Yi Wang, Peng Zhang, Lin Miao
{"title":"Wei Chang An pill alleviates 2,4,6-trinitro-benzenesulfonic acid-induced ulcerative colitis by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition process","authors":"Yaxin Qi, Meng Wang, Lijuan Chai, Min Zhang, Sitong Jia, Nuttapong Wichai, Lin Wang, Yujing Wang, Jixiang Song, Han Zhang, Yi Wang, Peng Zhang, Lin Miao","doi":"10.1097/HM9.0000000000000064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/HM9.0000000000000064","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effect and mechanism of Wei Chang An pill (WCA) on ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: A 2,4,6-trinitro-benzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced UC model was established, and WCA was administered orally for 1 week. Body weight, colon length, disease activity index (DAI) score, and colon mucosa damage index (CMDI) score were recorded. Cytokine expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated THP-1 cells was evaluated to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of WCA and its active ingredients. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were performed to detect the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers E-cadherin and vimentin in rat UC and WCA groups, and in Caco-2 cells stimulated with conditioned medium (CM) from THP-1 cells, with or without LPS or WCA. Results: WCA significantly inhibited body weight loss, decreased DAI and CMDI scores, blocked colon length shortening, and improved histological damage in UC rats. Furthermore, both myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities and cytokine expression in UC tissues were significantly suppressed by WCA as well. In THP-1 cells, the mRNA expression of interferon-inducible protein (IP)-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and NF-κB inhibitor α (IκBα) was significantly suppressed by WCA and its active ingredients. E-cadherin expression in UC rats and CM-stimulated Caco-2 cells was downregulated and vimentin expression was upregulated, whereas both were blocked when administered with WCA. Conclusions: Our data showed that WCA alleviated UC progression by inhibiting inflammation-induced EMT progression. Graphical abstract: http://links.lww.com/AHM/A56","PeriodicalId":93856,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture and herbal medicine","volume":"280 1","pages":"107 - 115"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86384449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lanqing Li, Haiying Xu, Linghang Qu, Maryam Nisar, Muhammad Farrukh Nisar, Xianqiong Liu, K. Xu
{"title":"Water extracts of Polygonum Multiflorum Thunb. and its active component emodin relieves osteoarthritis by regulating cholesterol metabolism and suppressing chondrocyte inflammation","authors":"Lanqing Li, Haiying Xu, Linghang Qu, Maryam Nisar, Muhammad Farrukh Nisar, Xianqiong Liu, K. Xu","doi":"10.1097/HM9.0000000000000061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/HM9.0000000000000061","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. (PMT) is a widely used traditional Chinese herbal medicine with a variety of pharmacological effects. This study investigates the chemical composition of a water extract of PMT and its potential as a therapy for osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: The components of the aqueous extract of PMT were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses of a gene expression dataset downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were performed using Limma in R language. Differential chondrocyte metabolites were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) before and after treatment. Results: The water extract of PMT showed good ability in improving OA, and the content of the active ingredient emodin increased significantly after processing. Analysis of the GEO database further demonstrated a strong association between OA and metabolic pathways. Emodin promotes chondrocyte proliferation and significantly reduces the number of inflammatory factors. The metabolomic results showed that emodin affected five metabolic pathways related mainly to primary bile acid biosynthesis, steroid biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. Conclusions: This study revealed the pharmacological effects of PMT and emodin as the main active components, thereby providing a scientific basis for the treatment of OA. Graphical abstract: http://links.lww.com/AHM/A51","PeriodicalId":93856,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture and herbal medicine","volume":"1 1","pages":"96 - 106"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79883760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Aberrant parasympathetic responses in acupuncture therapy for restoring immune homeostasis","authors":"Jing Liu, S. Dong, Shenbin Liu","doi":"10.1097/hm9.0000000000000060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/hm9.0000000000000060","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":93856,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture and herbal medicine","volume":"93 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79219644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Wrist-ankle acupuncture has a positive effect on chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Meihua Pan, Y. Lan, Zhifu Wang","doi":"10.1097/HM9.0000000000000059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/HM9.0000000000000059","url":null,"abstract":"An increasing number of practitioners are using acupuncture methods such as wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) to treat pain. We aimed systematically to evaluate the effects of WAA on cancer pain, primary pain, chronic musculoskeletal pain and pathological neuralgia pain. Nine electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on WAA from inception of the data base to July 31, 2022. RCTs within the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. Outcomes included pain score, clinical efficacy (overall efficiency), and occurrence of adverse events. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration criteria and meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4.1 software to determine the effect of WAA intervention and statistical significance was set a P < 0.05. A total of 19 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis including 1,380 participants, consisting of 673 who had received WAA alone or in combination with other treatments (WAA group, WG) and 707 who did not receive WAA (control group, CG). Subgroup analyses were performed according to different chronic pain types and occurrence of adverse events of WAA versus oral or non-oral drug therapy. The WG had better analgesic effects on various types of chronic pain than CG (P < 0.00001) and clinical efficacy (P < 0.00001). Additionally, WAA was shown to be safer than oral medication (P = 0.09). Therefore, WAA has good analgesic efficacy for several types of common chronic pain alone and in combination with other therapies, and it is safer than oral medication. However, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed in the future to support this evidence. Graphical abstract: http://links.lww.com/AHM/A48","PeriodicalId":93856,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture and herbal medicine","volume":"78 1","pages":"7 - 19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72985802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Significance of pleasant touch and state-of-the-art neuroscience technologies in acupuncture research","authors":"Kun Liu, B. Zhu","doi":"10.1097/HM9.0000000000000058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/HM9.0000000000000058","url":null,"abstract":"An article entitled “Molecular and neural basis of pleasant touch sensation” was published in the top journal Science last year. This research describes the neural circuit of pleasant touch from the skin to the spinal cord [1] . Acupuncture and other somatic stimulation therapies also induce comfortable and enjoyable experiences. In the former studies, the mechanisms of these experiences in the brain are discussed. The paper published in Science gave us a novel perspective on the neural circuit of pleasant touch sensation from the skin to the spinal cord. In the following four sections, we would like to give our thoughts about how the paper would affect acupuncture research.","PeriodicalId":93856,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture and herbal medicine","volume":"3 1","pages":"55 - 58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74681528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tao Li, Mingfen Zhao, Mingjun Zhu, Shi-xiang Zhang, Jiarong He, He Pan, M. Shao, Zhen Wang, Yu-bing Fu, Ning Li, Long Zhao, Xinyao Jin, Fengwen Yang, Wentai Pang
{"title":"Xuanfei Baidu decoction, a Chinese herbal medicine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a randomized clinical trial","authors":"Tao Li, Mingfen Zhao, Mingjun Zhu, Shi-xiang Zhang, Jiarong He, He Pan, M. Shao, Zhen Wang, Yu-bing Fu, Ning Li, Long Zhao, Xinyao Jin, Fengwen Yang, Wentai Pang","doi":"10.1097/HM9.0000000000000056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/HM9.0000000000000056","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Xuanfei Baidu decoction for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Patients with COVID-19 were enrolled, and eligible patients were randomly allocated to three groups: group A (Xuanfei Baidu decoction combined with conventional treatment), group B (Ganlu Xiaodu decoction combined with conventional treatment), and group C (conventional treatment only). The duration of treatment was 14 days. The primary outcomes were the duration of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid testing from positive to negative and hospitalization days. The secondary outcome was the rate of symptom resolution. The safety outcome was drug-related adverse events. Results: In total, 103 patients with ordinary-type COVID-19 were included and randomly allocated to groups A (34 cases), B (35 cases), and C (34 cases). Duration for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing from positive to negative was shortest in group A [(9.88 ± 3.62) days], followed by groups C [(11.20 ± 2.93) days] and B [(12.69 ± 4.11) days]; differences between the three groups were statistically significant (P = 0.010). The number of hospitalization days was the least in group A [(14.00 ± 6.55) days], followed by groups B [(15.40 ± 4.02) days] and C [(16.38 ± 5.73) days], and differences between groups were statistically significant (P = 0.019). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of symptom resolution between groups (P > 0.05). No deaths or serious adverse events occurred in either of the groups. Conclusion: Considering the treatment of ordinary-type COVID-19, Xuanfei Baidu decoction can shorten the duration from a positive to negative SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test, as well as the duration of hospitalization. Moreover, there were no Xuanfei Baidu decoction-induced adverse reactions. Graphical abstract: http://links.lww.com/AHM/A44.","PeriodicalId":93856,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture and herbal medicine","volume":"26 1","pages":"207 - 212"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83531132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yiqi Yan, Rui Han, Yaolei Ma, Patrick Kwabena Oduro, Wei Lei
{"title":"Plant adaptive agents: promising therapeutic molecules in the treatment of post-viral fatigue","authors":"Yiqi Yan, Rui Han, Yaolei Ma, Patrick Kwabena Oduro, Wei Lei","doi":"10.1097/HM9.0000000000000057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/HM9.0000000000000057","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China has been effectively controlled by implementing national prevention and control measures. However, a large number of recovered patients are plagued by fatigue, whether acute or chronic, and other fatigue-related syndromes that severely affect their quality of life. Post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS) is a widespread chronic neurological disease with no definite etiological factor(s), definitive diagnostic test, or approved pharmacological treatment, therapy, or cure. In this study, we performed a bibliometric analysis and the results suggested that neuroinflammation played a role in the development of PVFS. Therefore, we briefly analyzed the mechanisms underlying the development of neuroinflammation in patients with COVID-19. To identify effective drugs to alleviate PVSF, we summarized four traditional herbal phytoadaptations and discussed their molecular mechanisms in improving neurological fatigue. Our study showed that ginseng, Acanthopanax, Rhodiola, and Schisandra played beneficial roles in alleviating PVSF. Graphical abstract: http://links.lww.com/AHM/A45.","PeriodicalId":93856,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture and herbal medicine","volume":"235 1","pages":"20 - 27"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79701445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tsukasa Fueki, Itsuki Nose, Yan Liu, Koichi Tanaka, T. Namiki, T. Makino
{"title":"α-starch and glycyrrhizin denature the acrid raphides of Pinellia tuber in traditional processing","authors":"Tsukasa Fueki, Itsuki Nose, Yan Liu, Koichi Tanaka, T. Namiki, T. Makino","doi":"10.1097/HM9.0000000000000053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/HM9.0000000000000053","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: Pinellia tuber, the dried tuber of Pinellia ternata, causes severe acrid irritation in the mouth and throat when swallowed in its raw form. Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, this acridity is reduced by heating or processing using ginger, licorice, alum, or lime. Although these detoxification methods have been known since ancient times, only little is known about the mechanisms by which they detoxify Pinellia tubers. In the present study, we aimed to reveal the effectiveness of α-starch, and glycyrrhizin in licorice for the detoxification of Pinellia tubers. Methods: Previously, we found that intact raphides of raw Pinellia tuber have a lipophilic character, and denaturation of the raphides reduced their lipophilicity and acridity. Accordingly, we developed a raphide denaturation assay (RDA) to quantify the degree of denaturation of raphides by measuring the absorbance of the petroleum ether (PE) layer comprising the raphides. The effect of α-starch or the decoction of licorice (the root and stolon of Glycyrrhiza uralensis) on raphide denaturation was then determined using this assay. Results: The treatment of raphides with α-starch markedly enhanced heat denaturation of the raphides. Licorice decoction, glycyrrhizin, and glycyrrhetinic acid significantly denatured raphides in a calcium-dependent manner at high pH. Glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid are also attached to the denatured raphides. Conclusions: α-starch in Pinellia tubers contributes to detoxification by heating. In the traditional processing method for Pinellia tubers using licorice and lime, glycyrrhizin in licorice and calcium ions play important roles in denaturing raphides. Graphical abstract: http://links.lww.com/AHM/A42.","PeriodicalId":93856,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture and herbal medicine","volume":"52 1","pages":"38 - 45"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88109881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The role of phytoandrogens for benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment","authors":"Yaoxin Wu, Nuttapong Wichai, Xiao-hui Yang, Yaxuan Ma, Tongchuan Suo, Lin Miao","doi":"10.1097/HM9.0000000000000055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/HM9.0000000000000055","url":null,"abstract":"Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological condition in aging men. High levels of androgens, including testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), are closely associated with BPH occurrence and development. Currently, the main clinical drugs used for BPH treatment are 5α-reductase inhibitors and α-receptor blockers, both of which aim to decrease abnormal androgenic signaling while having several unignored side effects. Recently, various natural herbs, such as tonifying yang traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), have been found to have androgenic activities, some of which are also effective for BPH treatment. Here, we review the androgenic activities of phytoandrogens, together with their therapeutic effects in BPH, and summarize the mechanisms involved, providing evidence that such herbs serve as selective androgen receptor modulators. Graphical abstract: http://links.lww.com/AHM/A46","PeriodicalId":93856,"journal":{"name":"Acupuncture and herbal medicine","volume":"26 1","pages":"28 - 37"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73002501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}