Therapeutic effects of the extract of Sancao Formula, a Chinese herbal compound, on imiquimod-induced psoriasis via cysteine-rich protein 61 / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease that is prone to recurrence, and the proinflammatory factor, cysteine-rich protein 61 (Cyr61), is important in its pathophysiology. Long-term clinical practice has shown that Sancao Formula (SC), a Chinese herbal compound, is effective in the treatment of psoriasis, but the precise mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we investigate the mechanism by which SC extract alleviates imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis.@*METHODS@#The expression of Cyr61 in psoriatic lesions and normal healthy skin was detected using immunohistochemical analysis to investigate the biological role of Cyr61 in models of psoriatic inflammation. A psoriatic mouse model was established by topical application of IMQ, and the effect of topical application of SC extract was evaluated using the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and histopathological features of the skin. Next, a HaCaT cell inflammation model was established using interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and the effect of SC extract on the mRNA and protein levels of Cyr61 and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was confirmed using Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses.@*RESULTS@#Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of Cyr61 in psoriatic lesions was higher than that in normal skin samples (78.26% vs 41.18%, P < 0.05), and the number of Cyr61-positive cells in psoriatic lesions was also significantly higher than in normal skin (18.66 ± 2.51 vs 4.33 ± 1.52, P < 0.05). Treatment in mice with IMQ-induced psoriasis showed that SC extract could significantly improve the inflammatory phenotype, PASI score (10.875 ± 0.744 vs 3.875 ± 0.582, P < 0.05), and pathological features compared with those in IMQ model group; SC treatment was also associated with decreased levels of Cyr61 and ICAM-1. In the IFN-γ-induced inflammatory cell model, the mRNA and protein levels of Cyr61 and ICAM-1 were upregulated, while the SC extract downregulated the levels of Cyr61 and ICAM-1.@*CONCLUSION@#The results provide a theoretical basis for the involvement of Cyr61 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, and suggest that SC should be used to target Cyr61 for the prevention of psoriasis recurrence.

Expression of T-helper 17 cells and signal transducers in patients with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome and blood-stasis syndrome / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the levels of cytokines related to T-helper (Th) 17 cells in serum and signal transducers in the psoriatic lesions of patients with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome (BHS) and blood-stasis syndrome (BSS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty patients with psoriasis vulgaris were divided into the BHS and BSS groups according to the syndrome differentiation of Chinese medicine (CM). Ten healthy subjects were considered as the control group. Cytokine levels of interleukin (IL)-17, IL-23 and IL-6 in serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and STAT6 in the psoriatic lesions were determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blot, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Production of IL-17, IL-23 and IL-6 in the BHS group and BSS group were significantly increased compared with those in the control group (P<0.05). Levels of IL-17 and IL-23 in the BHS group were higher than those in the BSS group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, IHC positive expressions and protein expressions of STAT3 and p38-MAPK, and the STAT3 mRNA expressions in the BHS and BSS groups were significantly higher (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The protein expression of STAT3 in the BHS group was significantly higher than that in the BSS group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Cytokines in serum and signal transducers in the psoriatic lesions alter with various CM syndromes of psoriasis. The results provide scientific basis for the treatment based on syndrome differentiation of CM in treating psoriasis vulgaris.</p>

Effect of Shengji Huayu Recipe on the expression of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 in skin ulcer tissue of diabetic rats / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of Shengji Huayu Recipe (SHR)on the expression of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 in the skin ulcer tissue of diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The skin ulcer model was established in diabetic mice. Different compatibility proportions of SHR [the ratio of Shengji Recipe (SJR) to Huayu Recipe (HYR) = 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2, respectively] were used to intervene. The expression of MMP-3 protein in the skin ulcer of diabetic rats was detected by Western blot method,and TIMP-1 protein was detected by immunohistochemical assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At each time point, there was no statistical difference in the blood glucose level among groups (P > 0.05). But all of them increased significantly,when compared with those of the normal wound group (P < 0.01). As for the difference between after would area treatment and before would area treatment, better effect was obtained in the SHR No. 3 group and the normal ulcer group than in the diabetic ulcer model group (P < 0.05). Results of Western blot showed that the MMP-3 protein expression was higher in the SHR No. 2 group than in the SHR No.3 group (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical results showed that TIMP-1 protein expression was lower in the SHR No. 2 group than in the SHR No. 3 group and the diabetic ulcer model group (P < 0.05). TIMP-1 protein expression was higherin the SHR No. 3 group than in the SHR No. 2 group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Using SHR No.3 was conducive to the promotion of wound healing in early wound repair stage, and using SHR No. 2 might be conducive to inhibiting the formation of pathological scar.</p>