Discovery and application of traditional Chinese medicine efficacy markers based on systematic traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

The quality marker(Q-marker) of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is a new concept of TCM quality control proposed in recent years. It is a hot issue in the research of modern Chinese medicine. The TCM efficacy is a high-level summary of the TCM therapeutic effect under the guidance of TCM theory. On this basis, it is of considerable significance to explore the TCM efficacy marker for the TCM modernization. However, the traditional research strategy based on the single herb and decoction piece in macro TCM level, or the drug research strategy based on the biological effect of the targets, is quite different from the characteristics of multiple components of TCM, as well as the weak and low-selective effect of Chinese medicine ingredients on targets. Therefore, how to select representative ingredients to characterize the TCM overall efficacy is a problematic point in establishing TCM efficacy markers. In this paper, the concept and method of Q-marker were introduced into the study of Chinese medicine efficacy. The research method for systematic TCM was used to systematically discuss the connotation of TCM efficacy markers, the principles of discovery and determination, common research ideas and techniques by taking the representative research results as an example. This study provides new ideas for the research and discovery of TCM efficacy markers.

Study on components efficacy of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma based on systematic traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

This paper aimed to establish efficacy systems of tanshinones and salvianolic acids, two representative substances in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma by using literature mining and biological network construction, based on systematic traditional Chinese medicine theory. The systematic study on the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine was carried out from the basic unit, the structure and relationship between the basic units, the boundary of the research object and the function of the system, so as to explain the overall efficacy of the two kinds of components at the molecular level. Firstly, we collected the elements of the efficacy systems of these two kinds of components by literature mining, and defined their boundaries based on biological processes. After that, the structure of the efficacy systems was clarified according to the relationship in the KEGG database. Finally, the function of the efficacy systems was analyzed from the level of pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy, revealing the scientific connotation of traditional Chinese medicine efficacy system. The results showed that there were 201 targets(elements), 12 target sets(boundary), and 12 pathway networks(structure) in salvianolic acids' efficacy system. Meanwhile, there were 189 targets(elements), 11 target sets(boundary), and 11 pathway networks(structure) in tanshinones' efficacy system. The results suggested that the functions of salvia-nolic acids' and tanshinones' efficacy systems were different in pharmacology and pharmacodynamics from aspects of elements, boundary, relationship and structure, but they were same in functional level as both of them could promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, clear away heart-fire, relieve restlessness, and soothe the nerves. Based on systematic traditional Chinese medicine, we constructed the efficacy system of two representative components in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in this paper, elucidated the overall efficacy and builded the bridge between reductionism and holism in traditional Chinese medicine.

Study on efficacy markers of heat-clearing and detoxifying effect of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos based on systematic traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos has a long history of heat-clearing and detoxifying effect. The description of its efficacy in Chinese Pharmacopoeia of past dynasties is relatively stable, and it is an excellent carrier for the study of efficacy markers. Guided by the theory of systematic traditional Chinese medicine, heat-clearing and detoxifying effect efficacy system of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos was taken as an example in this study to clarify the elements(active ingredients) of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos in heat-clearing and detoxifying efficacy system, determine the boundary(signal pathway), establish the structure(system dynamics model), identify the system functions corresponding to pharmacology, efficacy and effects(heat-clearing and detoxifying effect), and explore the application of system dynamics model in the discovery of efficacy markers of traditional Chinese medicine. In this paper, the dynamic models of interleukin 1(IL-1) and interleukin 6(IL-6) in vivo were established to predict the expression of related factors in IL-1 and IL-6 signaling pathways of different components and their combinations in Lonicerae Japonicae Flos by dynamic network, so as to find the effective markers of heat-clearing and detoxification of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. The results showed that the lower the concentration of chlorogenic acid, the higher the inhibition rate of Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK) at downstream of IL-1 by the combination of chlorogenic acid and linalool; the higher the concentration of luteolin in IL-6 pathway, the higher the inhibition rate of C-reactive protein(CRP) at downstream of IL-6 by the combination of chlorogenic acid and luteolin. It revealed that the potential efficacy markers of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos in heat-clearing and detoxifying effect based on IL-1 signaling pathway were chlorogenic acid and linalool, and the potential efficacy markers of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos in heat-clearing and detoxifying effect based on IL-6 signaling pathway were chlorogenic acid and luteolin. This study provided methodological guidance for the discovery of efficacy markers of traditional Chinese medicine.

Nature-effect relationship research of traditional Chinese medicine for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis based on nature combination / 中国中药杂志

The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine is the therapeutic effect of the drug on the body. The nature of traditional Chinese medicine is a further generalization of the effect of efficacy,and there is an intrinsic relationship between efficacy and nature of traditional Chinese medicine. In this study,the nature-effect relationship is found on the whole level,through the research mode of " nature combination-targets of traditional Chinese medicine-modules of protein interaction network-efficiency". The results showed that the warm-pungent-liver protein interaction network mainly participated in lipid catabolic process,blood coagulation,platelet activation,heme oxidation,platelet degranulation,apoptotic process,acute inflammatory response to exert the effect of anti-tumor,antithrombotic,anti-myocardial ischemia and anti-inflammatory.

Expression of ERK1/2 MAPK signaling transduction pathway in esophageal cancers in Kazakh patients / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression variation and significance of ERK1/2 MAPK signaling transduction pathway in the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Kazakh patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression level of p-ERK1/2 after serum starvation and treatment with U0126 inhibitor was detected in esophageal cancer cell line EC9706 by Western blot assay. The mRNA level of total ERK1/2 (t-ERK1/2) and expression level of t-ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 proteins of 25 pairs of ESCC and adjacent normal esophageal mucosal tissues of Kazakh patients were examined and identified by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. The expression of p-ERK1/2 protein was verified by immunohistochemistry in 126 paraffin-embeded specimens, including 19 normal esophageal mucosa, 55 esophageal carcinomas in situ and 52 invasive carcinomas.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>ERK1/2 MAPK signaling transduction pathway was in an active status in the EC9706 cells. The expression level of p-ERK1/2 in Ec9706 cells reached a peak at 10 min after transient serum stimulation, and p-ERK1/2 expression was totally restrained after the treatment with 50 µmol/L U0126. In the 25 pairs of ESCC and adjacent normal mucosa, the t-ERK1 mRNA level was 1.92 ± 3.49 in the ESCC tissues and 3.67 ± 7.47 in the adjacent normal mucosa. The t-ERK1 mRNA level in ESCC tissues was significantly lower than that in adjacent normal mucosa (P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference of t-ERK2 mRNA level between them(P > 0.05). The expression levels of p-ERK1 and p-ERK2 proteins were 0.87 ± 0.14 and 0.79 ± 0.10 in the ESCC tissues, and 1.10 ± 0.13 and 1.32 ± 0.12 in the adjacent normal mucosae. p-ERK1/2 protein in the ESCC tissues was significantly lower than that in the adjacent normal tissue (P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference between their t-ERK1/2 protein levels (P > 0.05). In the 126 cases of paraffin-embeded specimens, positive expressions of both p-ERK1 and p-ERK2 in esophageal cancer tissues were 7.7% (4/52), significantly lower than those in adjacent normal mucosa (31.6%, 6/19) and carcinoma in situ (85.5%, 47/55, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ERK1/2 MAPK signaling pathway is in an active status in esophageal cancer and adjacent normal mucosa. Our results imply that the activation of p-ERK1/2 MAPK signaling transduction pathway plays a role in the early pathogenesis of ESCC in Kazakh patients.</p>

Epidemiological features of chronic and Alzheimer's diseases in the community-based elderly living in cities and couties in Hebei province / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To understand the epidemiological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD)in the community-based elderly living in cities and counties in Hebei province.Methods Under the stratified random sampling method,Mini Mental State Examination(MMSE)was used to evaluate senile dementia and Activity of Daily Living Scale(ADL)and to evaluate the daily lives of the elderly.Related dementia standard on the diagnose of AD and its subtypes was used.Statistically,data was analyzed through SPSS 13.0 software.Results The overall prevalence was 64.84%(2355/3632) on chronic diseases in those elderly who were over 60 years of age while AD appeared to be high and increased with age.The prevalence rate of dementia was 7.24%(263/3632),in which AD accounted for 4.87%(177/3632).Rates for other chronic diseases were as follows:hypertension (32.35%),diabetes(11.37%),chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(9.25%),coronary heart disease(8.84%)and stroke(7.16%).The prevalence of AD increased with age and was related to the low degree of education having.Conclusion Elderly living in the communities of Hebei province showed high prevalent rates of chronic diseases including AD,which had become the major kind of diseases related to old age.