Research Progress on Anti-atherosclerosis Mechanism of Mongolian Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Atherosclerosis is one of the most common diseases that threaten human health. How to effectively inhibit atherosclerosis， extend the survival time and improve the quality of life has become one of the most urgent issues to be solved clinically. Mongolian medicine， with a long history of managing human diseases， is an important part in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and has distinct ethnic characteristics. It has been gradually formed and developed by absorbing some theories of Tibetan medicine， Indian medicine and relevant knowledge of TCM. Mongolian medicine has many advantages， including but not limited to， low toxicity and diverse structure. However， the action mechanism of Mongolian medicine in preventing and managing atherosclerosis has yet to be fully clarified， which has been a major obstacle for further promotion and application of Mongolian medicine in clinical settings. In this review， the up-to-date research findings on Mongolian medicine were collected， analyzed and summarized， and the anti-atherogenic action mechanism of Mongolian medicine were reviewed from the aspects of anti-inflammatory， lipid-lowering， anti-oxidative stress， vascular endothelial cell protection， and inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration.

Advances in study on chemical components, stability, and quality evaluation of sinapinoids and glucosinolates in Sinapis Semen / 中草药

Sinapinoids and glucosinolates are the main chemical components in Sinapis Semen. Sinapinoids have significant biological activities, such as anti-oxidant, anti-androgen, lowering the blood pressure, and so on. Glucosinolates and their degradation products are known for its biological functions such as fungicidal, bactericidal, and in the treatment of cancer and cough. The latest progress on the chemical components, stability, and quality evaluation of sinapinoids and glucosinolates in Sinapis Semen is reviewed, which could provide some scientific guidance for the quality control and exploration of Sinapis Semen and its related products.

Chemical mechanisms involved in slow fire processing and pulverization of Brassica juncea / 中国中药杂志

This article dealed with the effects of processing method and duration on the major bioactive components (sinigrin and sinapine thiocyanate) in Brassica juncea. The contents of sinigrin and sinapine thiocyanate in decoctions of raw and processed B. juncea were determined and compared by high performance liquid chromatography on a Alltima C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) at 35 degrees C with the acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid as the mobile phrase in gradient elution. The detection wavelength of sinigrin and sinapine thiocyanate was set at 227 nm and 326 nm, and the flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1). It was found that with the extended processing duration, the contents of sinigrin and sinapine thiocyanate first increased and then decreased: i.e., 0-2 minutes they increased gradually (for sinigrin, by 9.65% in processed products and 356. 10% in powder; for sinapine thiocyanate, by 12.82% in processed products and 3.41% in powder), and achieved their highest content at 2 min; then, decreased during the next 5 minutes (for sinigrin, by 80.35% in processed products and 82.09% in powder; for sinapine thiocyanate, by 14.29% in processed products and 17.54% in powder), suggesting that processing duration could significantly affect the contents of bioactive components in B. juncea, enzymatic hydrolysis of sinigrin when the seed is crushed in the present of moisture may be responsible for the content change. It is recommended that the slow fire should be the best processing method and the raw seed could be used directly in the water extracts related industrial production.

Role of the IGF-1/PI3K pathway and the molecular mechanism of Fuzhenghuayu therapy in a spontaneous recovery rat model of liver fibrosis / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the role of IGF-1/PI3K pathway and investigate the molecular mechanism of Fuzhenghuayu (FZHY) therapy in a spontaneous recovery rat model of liver fibrosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The liver fibrosis model was induced in male Wistar rats by administering 8 weeks of twice weekly CCL4 intraperitoneal injections without (untreated model) or with once daily FZHY (treated model). Normal, untreated rats served as the control group. At weeks 4, 6 and 8 (fibrosis) and 10, 12 and 14 (spontaneous recovery) after modeling initiation, effects on protein (a-SMA, IGF-1, PI3K) and mRNA (IGF-1, PI3K) expression levels were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR, respectively. Serum markers of liver function (alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) and liver cell damage (alkaline hydrolysis, HYP) were measured. Histology was performed to assess the degree of inflammation and fibrosis (Ishak scoring system).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the untreated model group, progression of liver fibrosis (weeks 4, 6 and 8) was accompanied by gradual increases in inflammation, necrosis, serum ALT and AST, and hepatic expression of a-SMA protein and IGF-1 and PI3K protein and mRNA; however, during the spontaneous recovery period (weeks 10, 12 and 14) the IGF-1 and PI3K protein and mRNA levels rapidly decreased and the HYP level, Ishak score, and a-SMA hepatic expression also decreased. The FZHY-treated model group showed significantly lower fibrosis-related up-regulation of IGF-1 and PI3K protein and mRNA expression, HYP level, Ishak score, and a-SMA hepatic expression at each time point (vs. untreated model group).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The IGF-1/PI3K pathway may contribute to progression of liver fibrosis. The mechanism by which FZHY prevents liver fibrosis in a rat model may involve blocking of the IGF/PI3K pathway and inhibiting HSC activation.</p>

Correlation between birth defects and dietary nutrition status in a high incidence area of China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association between birth defects and dietary nutrient intake in a high risk area of China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A dietary survey was performed and serum folic acid was measured in women whose pregnancy was affected by neural tube defects (NTDs) or unaffected by any birth defects (BDs) in Zhongyang and Jiaokou Counties in Shanxi Province of China.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The local average consumption of foods including dark green vegetables, fruits, fat and meat, and nutrient intake (e.g., energy, protein, retinol, riboflavin, vitamin E, and selenium) were lower than the national average level. In women of childbearing age, these regions, the intake of nutrients was much lower than the recommended nutrient intake (9%-77%). The case-control dietary nutrition study of women whose pregnancy was affected by BDs (including NTDs and congenital heart defects) demonstrated that, in early pregnancy, adequate nutrition (i.e., eating meat, fresh vegetables, fruit more than once a week) was a protective factor, while eating germinated potatoes was a risk factor. The geometrical mean (p5-p95) of serum folic acid in women with NTD birth defects was 9.6 nmol/L (3.6, 23.03), which was significantly lower than that in normal women (14.03 nmol/L).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Women of childbearing age in the two counties of Shanxi Province, China, have a marked insufficient intake of some nutrients, especially folic acid, zinc, vitamins A and B12. This nutrient deficiency may be an important risk factor for the high prevalence of birth defects in these regions. Therefore, adequate dietary nutrition in early pregnancy can prevent BDs.</p>