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With the change in environmental pollution and lifestyle， the incidence and mortality of cancer are increasing year by year， which is a serious threat to human life and health. Autophagy is a process in which eukaryotic cells use lysosomes to degrade cytoplasmic proteins and damaged organelles under the regulation of autophagy-related genes. It plays a dynamic inhibiting or promoting role in the occurrence and development of cancer and is involved in the regulation of tumor formation， proliferation， metastasis， and response to anticancer therapy. With the deepening of the research on the mechanism of cancer， a variety of cancer treatment methods have been established， such as chemotherapy， radiotherapy， surgery， immunotherapy， and gene therapy. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of autophagy has been shown to enhance the lethal effect of various anticancer treatments on tumor cells， suggesting that inhibition of autophagy is an effective sensitization strategy in cancer therapy. Meanwhile， over-stimulation of autophagy may also provide a new method for the treatment of drug-resistant cancer cells with high apoptotic thresholds. As a treasure of Chinese culture， traditional Chinese medicine plays an important role in the adjuvant treatment of cancer with its advantages of multi-target， multi-pathway， and small side effects. In recent years， many positive results have been achieved in the study of natural autophagy regulatory factors of traditional Chinese medicine in cancer， and they have been widely verified in different autophagy regulatory models. This article outlines the mechanism of autophagy， summarizes the dual regulatory role of autophagy in tumor biology， and collects relevant studies published in the databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI） and Wanfang Data for nearly 10 years that affect the role of tumorigenesis and development by regulating autophagy. The article also collates autophagy rules of tumor cells induced by traditional Chinese medicine and its active ingredients， so as to provide a certain reference for the research on the development and application of anti-tumor drugs.
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Fibrosis refers to the disorder of repair response after tissue damage， which is mainly characterized by the increase of fibrous connective tissue and the decrease of parenchymal cells in organs. Progressive fibrosis can lead to the destruction of tissue structure and organ failure. Ferroptosis is a new type of programmed cell death， which is caused by the accumulation of iron dependent lipid peroxides and regulated by iron metabolism， iron autophagy， amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism. Ferroptosis plays an important role in the pathological process of fibrosis， participating in many pathological processes such as organ parenchymal cell injury， macrophage inflammation， oxidative stress and myofibroblast transformation. Studies have shown that ferroptosis occurs in myofibroblasts during extracellular matrix deposition in the fibrous cascade reaction， and the targeted regulation of ferroptosis can effectively reduce chronic organ injury and tissue fibrosis. It has been confirmed that a variety of traditional Chinese medicine and its active components can regulate the ferroptosis parenchyma cells of organs and play an anti-fibrosis effect， showing a good research prospect. This article summarizes the role of ferroptosis in the pathological process of liver， lung， kidney and heart fibrosis and the intervention of related Chinese medicine， in order to provide a new target for Chinese medicine to prevent and treat fibrosis.
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There is still a lack of effective strategies for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer, and a deep understanding of its pathogenesis may help to develop new treatment methods. Due to the abnormal changes of lipid metabolism in the development and progression of liver cancer, such process is closely associated with the "phlegm-turbidity" theory in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Starting from the changes of lipid metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma microenvironment, this article discusses the association of the abnormal changes of lipid metabolism in tumor cells and immune cells with the "phlegm-turbidity" theory and the clinical efficacy of phlegm-eliminating therapies in clinical practice. Since the "phlegm-turbidity" theory in TCM plays an important role in the pathogenesis and pathological changes of liver cancer, the analysis of its theoretical connotation helps to clarify pathological mechanism, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the role of TCM in the prevention and treatment of liver cancer.
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Objective To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types and elements in liver cirrhosis patients with dysplastic nodules (DN), and to provide a basis for exploring the connotation and pattern of TCM syndrome types of DN in liver cirrhosis. Methods A total of 138 patients who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from March 2013 to January 2021 and were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and DN were enrolled. General data such as age of onset and sex were collected, as well as the data on etiology, TCM syndrome types, and Child-Pugh class for liver function, and the distribution characteristics of TCM syndrome types and elements were summarized. The chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results The liver and the spleen were the main syndrome elements of disease location in liver cirrhosis patients with DN, accounting for 97.83% and 94.93%, respectively, followed by the kidney (23.91%); Qi deficiency and Qi stagnation were the main syndrome elements reflecting the nature of disease, accounting for 73.91% and 58.70%, respectively, followed by dampness (34.78%). The main TCM syndrome types included stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency, damp-heat internal excess syndrome, blood stasis and toxin accumulation syndrome, and water-dampness retention syndrome, among which stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency was more common and accounted for 58.70% ( P 0.05). There was a significant difference in Child-Pugh class between the liver cirrhosis DN patients with different TCM syndrome types ( χ 2 =34.320, P < 0.05), and Child-Pugh class A was more common in the patients with stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency (59.8%), while Child-Pugh class C was more common in the patients with damp-heat internal excess syndrome (39.1%). Conclusion This article summarizes the distribution characteristics of common TCM syndrome types and elements of DN in liver cirrhosis, which provides a reference for the syndrome differentiation-based TCM treatment of DN in liver cirrhosis.
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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been renamed as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, and systemic metabolic dysfunction has become one of the concerns of this disease. NAFLD is a metabolic disease based on dyslipidemia in the liver, which is closely associated with adipose tissue. Hepatokines and adipokines secreted by the liver and adipose tissue play an important role in regulating liver lipid metabolism. This article summarizes the hepatokines and adipokines that can promote or inhibit lipid metabolism, focusing on the mechanism of lipid metabolism mediated by hepatokines and adipokines in NAFLD, so as to provides ideas and a theoretical basis for clinical prevention and treatment.
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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has gradually become a prominent cause affecting human liver health, and the development and progression of NAFLD are associated with metabolic dysfunction, with glucose and lipid metabolism disorder as the key link in this process. Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5) is one of the main receptors of bile acid and is extensively expressed in the body, and glucose and lipid metabolism mediated by TGR5 plays an important role in the human body. This article summarizes the role and mechanism of TGR5 in glucose and lipid metabolism and the research findings of the treatment of NAFLD based on TGR5, in order to provide a reference for basic and clinical research.
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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease in which a large amount of fat accumulates in hepatocytes due to lipid metabolism disorders. Conventional anti-inflammatory and transaminase-lowering treatment regimens often have an unsatisfactory therapeutic effect, and restoring the normal biosynthesis and metabolism of lipids is the key to the treatment of NAFLD. Studies have shown that brown adipose tissue can improve metabolic diseases by enhancing insulin sensitivity and regulating lipid metabolism, and the treatment of NAFLD by promoting white fat browning has attracted wide attention in the medical field. This article reviews the mechanism of white fat browning in improving NAFLD and summarizes the hepatokines that can promote white fat browning, so as to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of NAFLD.
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Objective To investigate the effect of Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pyroptosis of RAW264.7 cells and its mechanism. Methods An in vitro cell model of LPS-induced activated RAW264.7 was established and divided into blank group, model group, high-, middle-, and low-dose Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription groups, and control group. The corresponding drug-containing serum intervention was performed for 24 hours. A scanning electron microscope was used to observe cell morphology, and immunofluorescence assay was used to perform quantitative localization of GSDMD-N. Results The cells in the blank group were round and regular in shape with smooth surface, and those in the control group were swollen, with folds on the surface and gaps in the capsule, which were consistent with the morphology of cell pyroptosis. The cells in the control group had bubbles on the surface with obvious pseudopodia and pores in cell membrane, and those in the high-dose group were not swollen and had a rough surface with pseudopodia, with no obvious pores in cell membrane. The cells in the low- and middle-dose groups were swollen and had a rough surface of cell membrane with pores and pseudopodia. Immunofluorescence assay showed that compared with the blank group, the model group had a significant increase in the positive staining intensity of GSDMD-N, and compared with the model group, the control group and the Traditional Chinese medicine group had a reduction in the positive staining intensity of GSDMD-N. Conclusion Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription can improve the pyroptosis of macrophages and reduce the expression of GSDMD-N.
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Objective To investigate the association of five noninvasive diagnostic methods for liver cirrhosis, i.e., liver stiffness measurement (LSM) on FibroScan, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-to-platelet ratio (GPR), and red blood cell distribution width-to-platelet ratio (RPR), with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 327 patients who were diagnosed with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis in The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to January 2020, and based on their TCM syndrome type, they were divided into liver depression and spleen deficiency group with 160 patients, liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome group with 84 patients, liver-kidney Yin deficiency group with 13 patients, spleen-kidney Yang deficiency group with 5 patients, and blood stasis obstructing the collaterals group with 65 patients. Related data were collected, including clinical data, routine blood test results, liver function, LSM, and color Doppler ultrasound findings of liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas. TCM syndrome differentiation was performed, and the models of APRI, FIB-4, GPR, and RPR were established. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t -test was used for further comparison between two groups; the multiple independent samples Kruskal-Wallis H rank sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the one- way Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA (k-sample) was used for multiple comparison; the binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between TCM syndrome types and non-invasive diagnosis of liver cirrhosis; the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic capability of five noninvasive methods for predicting TCM syndrome type in compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. Results The logistic regression analysis showed that in the liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome group, aspartate aminotransferase OR =1.981, 95% CI : 1.8225-2.139, P < 0.05), and LSM ( OR =2.002, 95% CI : 1.840-2.160, P < 0.05) were influencing factors for compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis; in the liver depression and spleen deficiency group, portal vein width ( OR =4.402, 95% CI : 4.050-4.754, P < 0.05), LSM ( OR =3.901, 95% CI : 3.589-4.213, P < 0.05), APRI ( OR =1.891, 95% CI : 1.740-2.042, P < 0.05), and FIB-4 ( OR =1.845, 95% CI : 1.697-1.993, P < 0.05) were influencing factors for compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis; in the blood stasis obstructing the collaterals group, LSM ( OR =2.465, 95% CI : 2.268-2.662, P < 0.05), APRI ( OR =1.298, 95% CI : 1.194-1.402, P < 0.05), and FIB-4 ( OR =1.849, 95% CI : 1.701-1.997, P < 0.05) were influencing factors for compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. The ROC curve analysis showed that LSM and RPR had a significantly better diagnostic value than the other methods in evaluating liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome, and LSM and FIB-4 had a significantly better diagnostic value than the other methods in evaluating liver depression and spleen deficiency; all five noninvasive diagnostic methods had a good value in evaluating the syndrome of blood stasis obstructing the collaterals. Conclusion The five noninvasive diagnostic methods have their own advantages in evaluating different syndrome types, which provide a reference for the diagnosis of TCM syndrome types in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis.
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Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUC) can inhibit the replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and effectively treat chronic hepatitis B (CHB), but they cannot completely eradicate HBV and cannot prevent the progression to hepatitis B cirrhosis and liver cancer in the context of a low viral load. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used in the treatment of CHB. This article elaborates on the application and mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in inhibiting HBV replication, reducing the content of HBeAg, and delaying the progression to hepatitis B cirrhosis, and it is proposed that traditional Chinese medicine can improve the therapeutic effect of NUC in the treatment of CHB.
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Objective To investigate the effect of Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription on the ultrastructure of hepatocyte mitochondria in a rat model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Methods A total of 48 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into blank group, model group, Yishanfu group, and Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription group, with 12 rats in each group. The rats in the model group and the drug groups were administered and modeled since week 2; the rats in the blank group were given normal diet, and those in the other three groups were given high-fat diet. Based on dose conversion between human and animal, the equivalent dose of Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription was 1.26 g/100 g body weight, and the equivalent dose of polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules (Yishanfu) was 0.014 18 g/100 g body weight. The rats in the model group were given 0.9% sodium chloride by gavage, those in the Yishanfu group were given polyene phosphatidylcholine suspension by gavage, and those in the traditional Chinese medicine group were given the granules of Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription by gavage, once a day for 10 consecutive weeks. A transmission electron microscope was used to observe liver ultrastructure and perform a quantitative analysis. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups; for further pairwise comparison, the least significant difference t -test was used for data with homogeneity of variance, and the Dunnett's T3 was used for data with heterogeneity of variance. Results The model group had a large number of lipid droplets accumulated in hepatocytes, changes in mitochondrial morphology and structure, and reductions in the number of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. The Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription group had a significant reduction in lipid droplets in hepatocytes and significant increases in the number of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum compared with the model group, with intact mitochondrial membrane and structure. The Yishanfu group had a reduction in lipid droplets in hepatocytes, an increase in the number of mitochondria, and a reduction in the number of endoplasmic reticulum, with relatively intact mitochondrial membrane and structure. The quantitative analysis showed that compared with the blank group, the model group had a significant increase in the area of lipid droplets and a significant reduction in mitochondria, with a significant difference in mitochondrial density between the two groups (all P < 0.01); after drug intervention, the Yishanfu group had a significant reduction in the area of lipid droplets and a significant increase in the number of mitochondria, with a significant difference in mitochondrial density between the Yishanfu group and the model group (all P < 0.01); compared with the Yishanfu group, the traditional Chinese medicine group had a significantly greater reduction in the area of lipid droplets and a significant increase in the number of mitochondria, with a significant difference in mitochondrial density between the two groups (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription can improve lipid accumulation, increase mitochondrial density, and protect mitochondrial structure and function, with a better clinical effect than Yishanfu.
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OBJECTIVE To establish the fingerprint of Huatan qushi huoxue decoction （HQHD），and to explore the effects of processing and decoction methods on its components. METHODS Using salvianolic acid B as reference ，HPLC fingerprints of 10 batches of single and mixed decoction of crude drugs ，single and mixed decoction of processed products （original formula referred to 8 ingredients were crude drugs ；processed formula referred to processed products of Alisma orientale ，Salvia miltiorrhiza ， Curcumae Radix and Bupleuri Radix ，and crude drugs of other ingredients ；single decoction referred to the mixing of each ingredient after being decocted separately ；mixed decoction refers to decocting after mixing all ingredients ）were stablished by Similarity Evaluation System of Chromatographic Fingerprints of Traditional Chinese Medicine （2012 edition）. The similarity evaluation，common peak identification and attribution ，chemical pattern recognition analysis were also carried out. RESULTS There were 37 common peaks in each fingerprint of 10 batches of single and mixed decoction of crude drugs ，single and mixed decoction of processed ，the similarities with control fingerprint were higher than or close to 0.950. Nine common peaks were identified，i.e. rutin （peak 12），hesperidin（peak 13），salvianolic acid B （peak 16），quercetin（peak 20），silybin（peak 22）， luteolin（peak 23），autrantio-obtusin（peak 29），23-acetylalismol C （peak 34），saikosaponin b 2（peak 35）；decoction pieces of 8 ingredients all contributed to the fingerprints of HQHD. Principal component analysis （PCA）showed that the 4 kinds of HQHD samples were grouped into one category ，respectively. The clustering result of partial least squares-discriminant analysis was consistent with that of PCA. Corresponding components of peak 1，15，17，18 and 36，salvianolic acid B and luteolin m ay be the differential markers of the quality for mixed decoction samples of crude drugs and processed products ； corresponding components of peak 1，7，17-19，salvianolic acid B and hesperidin may be the differential markers of the quality for single decoction samples of crude drugs and processed products；corresponding components of peak 1，17-19，36， salvianolic acid B and luteolin may be the differential markers of the quality for single decoction and mixed decoction samples of crude drugs ；corresponding components of peak 7，17-19，21， hesperidin，salvianolic acid B ，rutin，luteolin and autrantio-obtusin may be the differential markers of the quality for single decoction and mixed decoction samples of processed products. CONCLUSIONS The established fingerprint of HQHD is stable and reliable. The quality differential components of different decoction samples are luteolin ，hesperidin，etc. The quality differential components of samples processed or not are rutin ，hesperidin，autrantio-obtusin，etc.
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Ferroptosis is a type of iron-dependent cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, and its mechanism is associated with iron homeostasis imbalance, lipid peroxidation, and slC7A11-GSH-GPX4 antioxidant system. Ferroptosis plays a key role in the development and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and inhibition of ferroptosis can almost completely inhibit the development of NASH. This article reviews the research advances in the mechanism of ferroptosis and its role in NAFLD/NASH and proposes the research strategies and technical means for ferroptosis, so as to provide a reference for research on the mechanism of NAFLD/NASH.
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Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is one of the most lethal malignancies. Although gemcitabine (GEM) is a standard treatment for PAAD, resistance limits its application and therapy. Secoemestrin C (Sec C) is a natural compound from the endophytic fungus Emericella, and its anticancer activity has not been investigated since it was isolated. Our research is the first to indicate that Sec C is a broad-spectrum anticancer agent and could exhibit potently similar anticancer activity both in GEM-resistant and GEM-sensitive PAAD cells. Interestingly, Sec C exerted a rapid growth-inhibiting effect (80% death at 6 h), which might be beneficial for patients who need rapid tumor shrinkage before surgery. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) reverse assays show that Sec C sulfates cysteines to disrupt disulfide-bonds formation in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteins to cause protein misfolding, leading to ER stress and disorder of lipid biosynthesis. Microarray data and subsequent assays show that ER stress-mediated ER-associated degradation (ERAD) ubiquitinates and downregulates YAP to enhance ER stress via destruction complex (YAP-Axin-GSK-βTrCP), which also elucidates a unique degrading style for YAP. Potent anticancer activity in GEM-resistant cells and low toxicity make Sec C a promising anti-PAAD candidate.
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Objective To investigate the application value of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) of hepatocyte steatosis measured by FibroScan in the diagnosis and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for related data of 364 patients with NAFLD who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to December 2019, including basic information (age, sex, and body mass index [BMI]), CAP measured by FibroScan, ultrasound findings of the liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas, liver function parameters, and blood lipid parameters. TCM syndrome differentiation was performed based on the information obtained by four diagnostic methods, and then the patients were divided into liver depression and spleen deficiency group, damp turbidity and stagnation group, damp-heat accumulation group, intermingled phlegm and blood stasis group, and spleen-kidney deficiency group. The association of CAP, color Doppler ultrasound findings, liver function parameters, blood lipid parameters, and BMI with TCM syndrome was analyzed. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t -test was used for further comparison between two groups; the Kruskal-Wallis H rank sum test with multiple sets of independent samples was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups and further comparison between two groups. The chi-square test or Kruskal-Wallis H rank sum test was used for comparison of categorical data between multiple groups and further comparison between two groups. A Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between CAP and ultrasound grading. Results Among the 364 patients with NAFLD, 169 had the syndrome of liver depression and spleen deficiency, 71 had the syndrome of damp turbidity and stagnation, 60 had the syndrome of damp-heat accumulation, 41 had the syndrome of intermingled phlegm and blood stasis, and 23 had the syndrome of spleen-kidney deficiency. There was a significant difference in CAP value between the different syndrome types ( F =14.839, P < 0.001), and further comparison between two groups showed that the spleen-kidney deficiency group and the intermingled phlegm and blood stasis group had a significantly higher CAP value than the liver depression and spleen deficiency group, the damp turbidity and stagnation group, and the damp-heat accumulation group (all P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in ultrasound grading between the different syndrome types ( χ 2 =22.947, P < 0.001); the liver depression and spleen deficiency group mainly had a mild grade (40.2%), the damp turbidity and stagnation group and the damp-heat accumulation group mainly had a moderate grade (53.5% and 53.3%, respectively), and the intermingled phlegm and blood stasis group and the spleen-kidney deficiency group mainly had a severe grade (68.3% and 43.5%, respectively). CAP was positively correlated with the severity of fatty liver ( r =0.431, P < 0.001). The spleen-kidney deficiency group and the intermingled phlegm and blood stasis group had significantly higher levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, and BMI than the other three groups (all P < 0.001). Conclusion Association is observed between CAP and the TCM syndrome types of NAFLD, and patients with the syndrome of spleen-kidney deficiency and the syndrome of intermingled phlegm and blood stasis have a higher CAP value than those with the other syndrome types. CAP has similar efficiency to color Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of NAFLD.
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MicroRNA(miRNA) affect various biological processes such as cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis by inhibiting the translation of target genes after transcription and are widely involved in the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses in organisms. Autoimmune liver diseases are a group of chronic inflammatory diseases of the hepatobiliary system mediated by abnormal immunity, and abnormal immune inflammatory response of liver tissue with the involvement of miRNA is closely associated with the development and progression of autoimmune liver diseases. This article reviews the current research advances in miRNA in autoimmune liver diseases.
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Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is currently one of the most important liver diseases worldwide, and its incidence rate is increasing year by year. This article summarizes the current research status of medical treatment of MAFLD, including lifestyle changes and individualized drug treatment. Lifestyle changes include diet management, exercise intervention, biological clock adjustment, and psychological intervention, and individualized drug treatment includes insulin sensitizer, vitamin E, weight-loss and lipid-lowering drugs, liver-protecting and transaminase-lowering drugs, and traditional Chinese medicine treatment. At the same time, multidisciplinary treatment is the trend of clinical treatment of MAFLD.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the association of gene mutations in the pre-C, C, and basic core promoter (BCP) regions of hepatitis B virus (HBV) with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of CHB patients who were diagnosed and treated at the outpatient service and ward of Spleen, Stomach, and Hepatobiliary Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, from November 2014 to June 2018. Related clinical data were collected and recorded, including general information, HBV serological markers, HBV gene mutations, and information obtained by four TCM diagnostic methods. Syndrome differentiation and typing were performed for each patient with reference to the criteria for TCM syndrome differentiation of viral hepatitis, and the association of gene mutation in the pre-C, C, and BCP regions of HBV with TCM syndrome types was analyzed. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple or two groups. ResultsA total of 235 patients with CHB were enrolled, among whom 101 had internal retention of damp-heat, 88 had stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency, 17 had blood stasis obstructing the collaterals, 19 had liver-kidney Yin deficiency, and 10 had spleen-kidney Yang deficiency. There were significant differences in sex, age, and course of disease between the patients with different TCM syndrome types (χ2=17.389, H=173.280, H=86.520, all P＜0.01), and there was a significant difference in age between the CHB patients with gene mutations in the pre-C, C and BCP regions of HBV (H=30.150, P＜0.001). There was a significant difference in the distribution of TCM syndrome types between the CHB patients with gene mutations in the pre-C, C and BCP regions of HBV (χ2=58.117, P＜0.001), and internal retention of damp-heat and stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency were major TCM syndrome types accounting for 80.43%. The patients with internal retention of damp-heat tended to have A1762T and G1764A mutations, and those with stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency tended to have G1896A, A1762T, and G1764A mutations; G1764A mutation was often observed in the patients with blood stasis obstructing the collaterals or liver-kidney Yin deficiency, and I97L mutation was often observed in the patients with spleen-kidney Yang deficiency. ConclusionGene mutations in the pre-C, C, and BCP regions of HBV are associated with TCM syndrome types in CHB patients, and internal retention of damp-heat and stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency are the most common TCM syndrome types. I97L mutation is often observed in patients with spleen-kidney Yang deficiency.
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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently the leading cause of abnormal liver biochemical parameters, but the mechanism of its development and progression remains unclear and there is a lack of effective treatment methods. This article reviews that lipotoxicity drives the transformation of NAFLD to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and liver cirrhosis by triggering the three pathological responses in the liver, i.e., endoplasmic reticulum stress, cell death, and inflammation. It is believed that lipotoxicity is an important factor that promotes the progression of NAFLD to inflammation and fibrosis, which provides a new method for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD.
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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most important liver diseases worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine has a significant effect in the treatment of NAFLD, possibly by improving lipid metabolism, reducing liver inflammation, regulating intestinal flora, improving innate immunity, and reducing liver fibrosis. This article summarizes the current data on the mechanism of action of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of NALFD, so as to provide a reference for clinical application.