Molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology and experimental test / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to explore the molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cell experiment. The active components and targets of Ganoderma were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), and gastric cancer-related targets from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM). The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the common targets was constructed with STRING, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the common genes based on Bioconductor and R language. The medicinal-disease-component-target network and medicinal-disease-component-target-pathway network were established by Cytoscape. Molecular docking was performed between β-sitosterol(the key component in Ganoderma) and the top 15 targets in the PPI network. Cell experiment was performed to verify the findings. A total of 14 active components and 28 targets of Ganoderma were retrieved, and the medicinal and the disease shared 25 targets, including caspase-3(CASP3), caspase-8(CASP8), caspase-9(CASP9), and B-cell lymphoma-2(BCL2). The common targets involved 72 signaling pathways and apoptosis and p53 signaling pathway may play a crucial role in the effect of Ganoderma against gastric cancer. β-sitosterol had strong binding activity to the top 15 targets in the PPI network. The in vitro cell experiment demonstrated that β-sitosterol inhibited gastric cancer AGS cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the S phase, which might be related to the regulation of the p53 pathway. This study shows the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics of Ganoderma against gastric cancer, which lays a scientific basis for further research on the molecular mechanism.

Research progress on mechanisms of bidirectional regulation of acupuncture / 中国针灸

Bidirectional regulation is one of the key function of acupuncture. The stimulator, mediator and receptor are the basis while the specificity of acupoints and the multi-target regulation of receptors receiving stimulation signals are the essential link of the bidirectional regulation of acupuncture. The possible mechanisms of bidirectional regulation of acupuncture are discussed in 4 aspects, i.e. homeostasis mechanism, stress reaction, central adaptive regulation and autonomic nerve regulation. Knowing the limitations of bidirectional regulation and exploring suitable researchmethods are proposed to be the key points in future researches.

Effects of acupuncture plus spinal manipulations on physical functioning and biochemical indicators in patients with ankylosing spondylitis / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the effects of acupuncture plus spinal manipulations on the physical functioning and levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: A total of 128 AS cases were allocated into a control group and an observation group using random number table method, with 64 cases in each group. Patients in both groups took sulfasalazine and meloxicam. Patients in the observation group received additional acupuncture plus spinal manipulations. The efficacy, Bath AS functional index (BASFI), Bath AS disease activity index (BASDAI), and the levels of ALP, ESR, CRP and OPG were compared between the two groups after eight weeks of treatment. Results: After treatment, the symptom scores of traditional Chinese medicine in both groups were decreased (all P<0.05), and these scores in the observation group were significantly lower than in the control group (all P<0.05); the VAS, BASFI and BASDAI scores in both groups were decreased (all P<0.05), and these scores in the observation group were significantly lower than in the control group (all P<0.05); and the ALP, ESR, CRP and OPG levels in both groups were decreased (all P<0.05), and these levels in the observation group were significantly lower than in the control group (all P<0.05). The total efficacy rate was 92.2％ in the observation group, versus 78.1％ in the control group, presenting a statistical significance (P<0.05). Conclusion: Conventional medication combined with acupuncture and spinal manipulations can improve clinical symptoms, accelerate the recovery of physical functioning, and reduce the ALP, ESR, CRP and OPG levels.