Pathogenesis of Esophageal Cancer and Clinical Intervention of Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Esophageal cancer is a digestive tract malignancy with high morbidity and mortality and mainly occurs in males. The 5-year survival rate is lower than 20%. In China， the morbidity and mortality of esophageal cancer rank the first in the world， seriously threatening national health. The pathogenesis of esophageal cancer is diverse， which is generally considered as the consequence of environmental-genetic-gene interaction. In addition to genetic factors and regional characteristics， gene mutation， RNA interference， DNA damage repair， tumor microenvironment， dietary habit， chronic adverse stimulation， and inflammatory reaction are all involved in the occurrence and development of esophageal cancer. However， there is no unified and accurate conclusion. Clarifying the exact pathogenesis of esophageal cancer is of great significance for its early screening， diagnosis， prevention， treatment， and prognosis. Surgery， radiotherapy， and chemotherapy are the three effective methods for the treatment of esophageal cancer. However， due to the atypical early symptoms， most patients have missed the best operation period when diagnosed， resulting in poor clinical prognosis. Moreover， radiotherapy and chemotherapy will cause side effects such as loss of appetite， low immune function， esophagitis， pneumonia， and malnutrition， which is not conducive to the prognosis and treatment maintenance of patients. With definite efficacies on esophageal cancer， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， which is flexible and diverse in the treatment， can primarily or alternatively be involved in the treatment of esophageal cancer. TCM can eliminate postoperative complications and postoperative infections and relieve adverse gastrointestinal reactions， weakened immune function， and organ damage caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It can enhance clinical efficacy and improve the quality of life of patients. Therefore， it is necessary to systematically summarize the clear pathogenesis or risk factors of esophageal cancer and review the clinical characteristics of TCM in the prevention and treatment of esophageal cancer to facilitate the early screening， diagnosis， and treatment of esophageal cancer and promote the application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of esophageal cancer and related adverse reactions.

Effect of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress on Tumorigenesis and Development and Intervention of Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Endoplasmic reticulum （ER） is an important organelle responsible for protein， steroid， lipid and carbohydrate synthesis and calcium-dependent signal transduction in eukaryotic cells. ER homeostasis is essential for normal cell function. ER homeostasis imbalance can induce ER stress （ERS）， which participates in the occurrence and development of diseases of the digestive system， respiratory system， circulatory system， nervous system， reproductive system， and endocrine system， and affects body health. Among various diseases， cancers seriously endanger people′s health due to its high mortality rate， disability rate， and recurrence rate. Due to the survival characteristics of unlimited proliferation， tumor cells are often exposed to various internal and external stimuli such as hypoxia， ischemia， excessive proliferation， and starvation， which destroy intracellular protein balance and induce ERS to some extent for survival. ERS plays a major role in various tumors and has dual functions in the survival of tumor cells： promoting the survival of tumor cells by activating a series of adaptive responses， while inducing ERS-related apoptosis pathways， so as to promote tumor cell death and inhibit tumor growth and invasion. As multiple functions of ERS in tumors are reported， many scholars have tried to intervene in the progress of tumors from the perspective of ERS. The therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） on tumors has been widely recognized. TCM can participate in the regulation of tumors from many aspects， including ERS， chemoradiotherapy resistance， gastrointestinal adverse reactions caused by chemotherapy， postoperative recurrence and metastasis. Since there are few reports on the antitumor effect of TCM from the perspective of ERS， this paper expounds the influence of ERS on tumorigenesis and development and the progress of TCM intervention in tumor through ERS， in order to provide a new direction for tumor treatment.

Effect of fresh Phragmitis Rhizoma on airway inflammation in chronic bronchitis based on TGF-β signaling pathway / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to explore the mechanism of fresh Phragmitis Rhizoma against chronic bronchitis airway inflammation. The SD rats of SPF grade were divided into control group, model group, Guilongkechuanning group(GLKCN, 1.125 g·kg~(-1)), high-dose fresh Phragmitis Rhizoma group(LG-HD, 15 g·kg~(-1)), and low-dose fresh Phragmitis Rhizoma group(LG-LD, 7.5 g·kg~(-1)). The chronic bronchitis models of rats in other groups except the control group were induced by the modified smoking method. From the 15 th day of modeling, the rats were given corresponding agents by gavage for 20 consecutive days. After the last administration, the rats were sacrificed for sample collection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was employed to detect serum transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) and interleukin-6(IL-6) levels. The protein expression of TGF-β, IL-1β and IL-6 in lung tissue was detected by immunohistochemical method. Masson staining was performed to detect collagen fibers and muscle fibers in lung tissue, and HE staining to detect the pathological changes of lung tissue. Human bronchial epithelial(16 HBE) cells were cultured in vitro, and CCK-8(cell counting kit-8) method was used to detect the cytotoxicity of cigarette smoke extract(CSE) and fresh Phragmitis Rhizoma. After the exposure of 16 HBE cells to 3.5% CSE and appropriate concentration(800, 400 μg·mL~(-1)) of fresh Phragmitis Rhizoma for 24 h, quantitative real-time PCR was conducted to determine the mRNA levels of TGF-β and IL-1β, and Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of TGF-β and IL-6 in the cells. The rat model of chronic bronchitis induced by smoking was successfully established. Fresh Phragmitis Rhizoma reduced serum TGF-β and IL-6 levels, down-regulated the protein levels of TGF-β, IL-1β, and IL-6 in lung tissue, and alleviated pathological changes and fibrotic lesions in lung tissue. Moreover, it down-regulated the CSE-induced protein expression of TGF-β and IL-6 as well as the mRNA level of TGF-β in 16 HBE cells. These results indicated that fresh Phragmitis Rhizoma could prevent airway inflammation from chronic bronchitis and promote cell repair by inhibiting the TGF-β signaling pathway.

Exploration of Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 by Regulating Mucosal Immune System with Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Patients with low immune function are prone to novel coronavirus infection, which is consistent with the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) concept of deficiency of vital Qi and invasion of toxin. At present, it is necessary to focus on the development of antiviral drugs, but it is also urgent to study the preparation for regulating the immune system. Mucosal tissue is an important barrier of human immune system. It has an independent immune system with unique functions and structures. It is the body's first line of defense against infection, and is in direct contact with external antigens (such as food, symbiotic bacteria, viruses, etc.). In the resistance to viruses and infections, the mucosal immune system (such as respiratory mucosa, intestinal mucosa, etc.) plays an extremely important role, which can eliminate foreign pathogenic microorganisms or other foreign antigens, so that the virus does not invade the body tissue and cause damage to the body. There are more and more reports on the therapeutic effects of TCM through the mucosal immune system. This paper aims to explore the relationship between mucosal immunity and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and the intervention mechanism of TCM, so as to provide useful research methods and therapeutic ideas for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.