ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Qinggan Zishen prescription on metabolic disorders in obesity-related hypertension （OBH） patients and analyze the potential pharmacological mechanism based on network pharmacology. MethodA total of 85 eligible OBH patients who were treated in the outpatient or wards of Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese medicine from September 2018 to January 2020 were selected and randomized into the observation group （45 cases） and control group （40 cases）. All patients were treated with western medicine during a four-week introduction period， and then the observation group was treated with Qinggan Zishen prescription on the basis of western medicine. The study lasted 6 months， and indicators， such as triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， glycosylated hemoglobin （HbA1c）， fasting blood glucose （FBG）， fasting insulin （FINS）， waist circumference （W）， hip circumference （H） were detected and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance （HOMA-IR），body mass index （BMI）， waist-hip ratio （WHR） were calculated before and after intervention. At the same time， the regulation network of the Qinggan Zishen prescription was visualized and the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed. The core targets of the network were obtained for Gene Ontology （GO） term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis. ResultAfter intervention for 6 months， the levels of W， H， WHR， FINS， and HOMA-IR in the observation group were reduced as compared with those in the control group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. According to network pharmacology， the main components of Qinggan Zishen prescription in treating OBH were luteolin， quercetin， and berberine and the key targets were amyloid precursor protein （APP）， vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA）， and estrogen receptor 1 （ESR1）. Moreover， the key biological pathway was advanced glycation end product （AGE）/advanced glycation end product receptor （RAGE） signaling pathway. ConclusionQinggan Zishen prescription can improve the metabolic disorder of OBH patients through multiple components， multiple targets， and multiple pathways， which provides new mindset for follow-up studies.
ABSTRACT
Hypoxia is one of the most important characteristics of malignant tumor microenvironment, and its degree is closely related to the development and prognosis of the tumor. Hypoxia promotes neovascularization in tumor microenvironment, which leads to changes of energy metabolism and the formation of drug tolerance in tumor. Studies in recent years have shown that TCM can interfere with the occurrence and development of hypoxia tumor microenvironment in certain aspects, thus inhibiting tumor growth. This article summarized recent studies on the etiology, pathogenesis, and TCM intervention for the occurrence and development of hypoxia tumor microenvironment in terms of spleen deficiency, blood stasis, and phlegm retention, and provided a reference for clinical intervention of tumors and research and development of new drugs.
ABSTRACT
The Dioscorea hypoglauca rhizome and D. spongiosa rhizome in "China Pharmacopoeia" are often used as Bixie in clinically, with the function of removing dampness, clearing away turbidness and dispelling wind to remove pain, and has been widely used in stranguria marked by chyluria, joint stiffness and rheumatic arthralgia. It has obvious curative effect and broad application prospect. However, in recent years the progress of research is slow for its miscellaneous sources, chaotic varieties and lack of relevant quality assessment. The previous research on Bixie is mainly reflected in the chemical compositions, mainly including steroids, diarylheptanoids and lignans and so on. Among them, steroidal saponins are the main components and the main effective substances for their pharmacological activities. Recent studies have shown that Bixie and its main components have significant effects in anti-trioxypurine, anti-inflammation, analgesia and anti-osteoporosis, and have made great progress, providing an experimental basis for the research and development of clinical drugs. But the specific substance and specific mechanism of its pharmacological action are not clear, and need further exploration. By consulting the relevant literature at home and abroad, the author has summarized the chemical constituents, quality evaluation, pharmacological action of Bixie, hoping to provide a reference for further research, development and utilization of Bixie.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Chronic liver diseases are a major burden in China. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) can be used as an indicator of hepatocyte damage. In this study, we determined the prevalence and etiologies of elevated ALT in an adult population in Jilin, China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 4072 individuals aged between 18 and 79 years were first interviewed, and then underwent ultrasonography and blood tests.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The prevalence of elevated ALT was 17.53%. The most noticeable risk factor for ALT elevation was non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (accounting for 10.79%), metabolic syndrome (16.25%), or both (20.31%). The development of NAFLD occurred mostly in female peasants and small businessmen with increased income, age, fasting plasma glucose, body mass index, triglyceridemia, and low-density lipoprotein and decreased education level, high-density lipoprotein. Elevated ALT frequently occurred in low education level, male peasants and small businessmen with increased income, body mass index and triglyceride who had NAFLD and/or metabolic syndrome. However, elevated ALT with infection of hepatitis B or C virus was not associated with metabolic disorders, but rather with gender, occupation and increased age.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results from the current study demonstrate that elevated ALT is fairly high in the Northeast population (17.53%) and that the cause of its elevation is mostly due to NAFLD and metabolic syndrome.</p>