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Objective:To explore the effective components， targets， and possible mechanisms of Wenshen Yangxue prescription in improving endometrial receptivity of aged female mice based on network pharmacology and experimental verification. Method:Based on Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechANism of Traditional Chinese Medicine （BATMAN-TCM） and Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine， the components and targets of Wenshen Yangxue prescription were retrieved， and the targets of ovulatory dysfunctional infertility were collected from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM） and GeneCards with "anovulatory sterility" and "anovulatory infertility" as keywords. The protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed based on STRING and the core targets of Wenshen Yangxue prescription against ovulatory dysfunctional infertility were screened by Cytoscape， followed by Gene Ontology （GO） term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment of the core targets in DAVID database. Then， the "medicinal-component-target-pathway" network was established and the core targets were verified by animal experiment. Result:A total of 253 components and 326 targets of Wenshen Yangxue prescription， 819 disease targets， and 74 common targets were screened out. The common targets were mainly involved in the biological processes such as positive regulation of nitric oxide biosynthetic process， positive regulation of cell proliferation， response to estradiol， aging， response to oxidative stress， and angiogenesis. The GO term of response to oxidative stress and five of the top 20 KEGG pathways were analyzed. According to the "medicinal-component-target-biological process/pathway" network， 41 chemical components in 20 medicinals participated in hypoxia inducible factor-1 （HIF-1） signaling pathway， tumor necrosis factor （TNF） signaling pathway， forkhead box O （FOXO） signaling pathway， Toll-like receptor （TLR） signal pathway， and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway by affecting 35 targets. The results of animal experiment showed that the prescription could increase the expression of PI3K， phosphorylated PI3K （p-PI3K）， Akt， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， forkhead box O3A （FoxO3A）， and phosphorylated FoxO3A （p-FoxO3A） in uterus of aged female ICR mice. Conclusion:Wenshen Yangxue prescription interferes with oxidative stress and PI3K/Akt/FoxO3A signaling pathway by influencing Akt1， dual oxidase 2 （DUOX2）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， heme oxygenase-1 （HMOX1）， myeloperoxidase （MPO）， and other targets， thereby improving endometrial receptivity of aged female mice.
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Objective::To study the pharmacokinetics of sinapic acid from stir-fried Raphani Semen in normal rats and the correlation between pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) in asthma rats. Method::Normal rats received 4.5, 9, 18 g·kg-1 of stir-fried Raphani Semen by oral administration, respectively. Blood was taken from ophthalmic venous plexus at different time points according to the experimental design, the plasma concentration of sinapic acid was analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS, and data analysis was performed using DAS 3.2.8 software to obtain the pharmacokinetic parameters. Rat asthma model was established by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin with aluminum hydroxide, and treated with ethanol extract of stir-fried Raphani Semen (low and high doses of 4.5, 9 g·kg-1). After treatment for 3 weeks, taking blood at different time points, plasma and serum were separated. UHPLC-MS/MS was established for the determination of plasma concentration of sinapic acid, contents of interleukin-5 (IL-5), immunoglobuin E (IgE), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum at different time points were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), DAS 3.2.8 software was used for PK-PD model fitting and data analysis. Result::After normal rats were administrated with low, medium and high doses of stir-fried Raphani Semen, the peak concentration (Cmax) of sinapic acid in plasma were (29.35±10.32), (62.70±27.47), (137.33±40.95) μg·L-1, its area under the curve (AUC0-t) were (92.83±27.16), (240.74±75.09), (633.95±195.88) μg·L-1·h, its peak time (Tmax) were (2.58±0.80), (3.00±0), (5.50±1.23) h, respectively. Compared with the low dose group, AUC0-t and mean retention time (MRT0-t) were all increased in the medium and high dose groups, showing statistical differences (P<0.05, P<0.01). The linear relationship of AUC0-t in sinapic acid was good within the dose range of 4.5-18 g·kg-1. After treating with ethanol extract of stir-fried Raphani Semen for 0.083, 0.167 h, compared with the model group of asthmatic rats, serum levels of IL-5, IgE, TNF-α of the medication groups were decreased to different degrees (P<0.05, P<0.01). Cmax of sinapic acid in the low and high dose groups were (58.43±29.94), (61.16±18.79) μg·L-1, its AUC0-t were (188.75±37.07), (247.90±36.89) μg·L-1·h, respectively. AUC0-t, apparent volume of distribution (Vz/F) and clearance rate (CLz/F) all increased significantly with the increase of dose. The best pharmacokinetic model of sinapic acid was fitted as a one-compartment model for extravascular administration, PK-PD model may be applicable to indirect connection model. Conclusion::The plasma concentration of sinapic acid is correlated with contents of IL-5, IgE and TNF-α, dosage and functional state (pathological or physiological state) can affect the pharmacokinetic behavior of sinapic acid from stir-fried Raphani Semen in rats, and it has a certain correlation with the anti-asthmatic effect.
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Objective:To predict the potential molecular mechanism of Yangxue Antai Fang in treating prethrombolic state of recurrent spontaneous abortion （RSA-PTS）. Method:The chemical constituents and drug targets of Yangxue Antai Fang were collected by Integrated Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCMIP V2.0）. RSA-PTS disease target information was collected by TCMIP V2.0 and improved by Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM） database. The interaction of these targets was analyzed and key target network was constructed. Gene ontology （GO） function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis were further performed. Finally， Cytoscape 3.5.1 was used to build up a multidimensional network of TCM-ingredient-target-pathway. The levels of absorption， distribution， metabolism， excretion and toxicity （ADMET） of the main components in the network were analyzed. Result:A total of 310 chemical constituents and 975 targets were collected from 8 TCMs in Yangxue Antai Fang. A total of 143 targets of RSA-PTS were obtained. A total of 243 core targets were obtained by the interrelationship analysis of drug and disease targets. The analysis of the top 100 core targets showed that these targets might participate in treating RSA-PTS by affecting biological processes related to thrombosis， such as blood coagulation， platelet activation， positive regulation of angiogenesis and so on. Pathway analysis showed that these targets were mainly concentrated in complement and coagulation cascades， platelet activation， estrogen signaling pathway， thyroid hormone signaling pathway， etc. Multidimensional network analysis in combination with ADMET level showed that 14 components （leonurine， paeonol， vanillin， and so on） may play a therapeutic role in RSA-PTS by affecting coagulation factors Ⅱ （F2）， plasminogen （PLG） and estrogen receptor 1 （ESR1） proteins involved in complement and coagulation cascades， platelet activation， thyroid hormone signaling pathway and others. Conclusion:The main chemical constituents in Yangxue Antai Fang may improve RSA-PTS by regulating complement and coagulation cascades， blood coagulation， platelet activation and other biological processes.
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Quality marker(Q-marker) is a new concept and pattern for quality control of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),which will lead the development direction for quality control of TCM.Among them,how to characterize the overall quality attribute of TCM and its biological effect,is a critical scientific problem in the study of Q-marker.In this paper,integrated pharmacology is utilized to screen out and confirm the Q-marker from the complex system of TCM,so as to solve the critical scientific problem.System biology in vivo is firstly applied to establish the correlation of chemical fingerprints of TCM,their metabolic fingerprints,network targets,biological effects and efficacy of TCM,which is used to preliminary screen out Q-marker of TCM.Following that,a pharmacological method in vitro,including intestinal absorption in vitro coupled with bioactivity assessment,is employed to simultaneously determine the absorbed doses of TCM and evaluate their biological activity.Furthermore,data mining is utilized to establish the exact quantitative mathematic model between Q-marker of TCM and bioactivity.Meanwhile,two representative examples,including Yuanhu Zhitong tablets,Xinsuning capsules,are introduced to identify Q-marker of TCM and establish their quality standards related with bioactivity,which will be beneficial to improve the level of quality control of TCM and ensure the effectiveness and safety of clinical applications.
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We investigated the therapeutic effect of Albizia julibrissin total saponins on mice infected with Trichinella spiralis.Thirty-six ICR mice infected with Trichinella spiralis were randomly divided into 6 groups (each mouse infected with 300 T.spiralis),6 mice in each.Group Ⅰ:infected non-treated group (intestinal phase);group Ⅱ..received Albizia julibrissin total saponins group (intestinal phase);group Ⅲ:received albendazole group (intestinal phase);group Ⅳ:infected nontreated group (muscular phase);group Ⅴ:received Albizia julibrissin total saponins group (muscular phase);group Ⅵ:received albendazole group (muscular phase).Mice of Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ group were administered on the second days post-infection(dpi) and continued for 3 days.Mice in these groups were sacrificed 7th dpi and adult worms recovered from the small intestine were counted.Mice of Ⅳ,Ⅴ,Ⅵ group were administered on the 7th dpi and continued for 14 d.The mice were sacrificed on 40th dpi,and the muscle larvae were counted.HE staining counts muscle larvae and the expression of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α and COX-2 in the diaphragm were detected by immunohistochemistry.Results showed that the number of adult worms and larva in groups received Albizia julibrissin total saponins and albendazole were significantly lower than that of infected non-treated group (P＜0.01).The worms reduction rate was 70.34％ and 80.02％ respectively,and the larva were 65.60％ and 90.66％ respectively.Results of HE staining showed the number of encysted larval and the expression of inflammatory cell were significantly reduced.The expression of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α and COX-2 was decreased in drug-treated groups.In conclusion,the total saponins of Albizia julibrissin showed adequate efficacy on Trichinella spiralis adults and encapsulated larva.Although the effect is slightly inferior to albendazole,as traditional Chinese medicine extract,it is less toxic.
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To observe the protective effect of scutellarin ethyl ester on focal cerebral ischemia injury induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats(MCAOR), and explore its mechanism. Totally 84 male SD rats were randomly divided into seven groups： sham-operated group, model group,positive drug group(niomdipine,12 mg•kg⁻¹), Brevisapin tablets group(48 mg•kg⁻¹), and high, middle and low-dose scutellarin ethyl ester groups(100, 50, 25 mg•kg⁻¹). The MCAOR model was prepared by using thread embolism method to observe the neurological function of rats, the area of cerebral infarction was measured with TTC, and the levels of MDA, SOD and NO in serum were detected with semiautomatic biochemistry analyzer.Ox-LDL and TNF-α cell injury models was established by treating HUVECs with 200 mg•L⁻¹ ox-LDL and 100 μg•L⁻¹ TNF-α,and the levels of MDA, SOD, NO, ET, 6-keto-PGF1α,TXB2, IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, ICAM-1 and PECAM-1 in the cell supernatant were determined. The results showed that scutellarin ethyl ester could effectively improve the neurological function of MCAOR rats, and significantly reduce the area of cerebral infarction. Compared with the model group, activities of SOD and NO in serum increased, while content of MDA decreased. In the cell supernatant, activities of SOD, 6-keto-PGF1α and NO increased, content of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, ICAM-1, PECAM-1, TXB2, ET and MDA decreased, which indicated that scutellarin ethyl ester has a certain protective effect on focal cerebral ischemia injury induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats, and its mechanism may be related to antioxidative stress, improvement of endothelial function and reduction in inflammatory reaction.
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To estabish ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous determination of quercetin(QCT), isorhamnetin(ISR), kaempferol(KMF), ginkgolide A(GA), ginkgolide B(GB), ginkgolide C(GC) and bilobalide(BB) in rat plasma and investigate the pharmacokinetic process of seven compounds after oral administration of Yindan Xinnaotong Ruanjiaonang, The results indicated that all calibrations curves showed good linearity (r≥0.997 1). RSD of intra-day and inter-day precisions were all within 11%. The matrix effects and extraction recovery were in the range of 93.28%-103.6% and 72.43%-95.77% respectively. The peak concentration (Cmax) of QCT, ISR, KMF, GA, GB, GC and BB were (45.02±11.28), (49.90±13.82), (27.85±8.38), (76.31±18.19), (76.54±15.43), (35.35±10.28), (48.70±12.34) μg•L⁻¹, respectively. The peak time (tmax) of seven constituents were (0.33±0.11), (0.50±0.23), (0.33±0.14), (0.75±0.29), (1.0±0.35), (1.5±0.23), (0.75±0.50) h, respectively. UPLC-MS/MS method established in this research was proved to be so rapid and sensitive that it can be applied to the pharmacokinetic study of seven bioactive constituents in Yindan Xinnaotong Ruanjiaonang.