ABSTRACT
Neuropathic pain(NP) has similar phenotypes but different sequential neuroinflammatory mechanisms in the pathological process. It is of great significance to inhibit the initiation of neuroinflammation, which has become a new direction of NP treatment and drug development in recent years. Mongolian drug Naru-3 is clinically effective in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, sciatica, and other NPs in a short time, but its pharmacodynamic characteristics and mechanism of analgesia are still unclear. In this study, a spinal nerve ligation(SNL) model simulating clinical peripheral nerve injury was established and the efficacy and mechanism of Naru-3 in the treatment of NPs was discussed by means of behavioral detection, side effect evaluation, network analysis, and experimental verification. Pharmacodynamic results showed that Naru-3 increased the basic pain sensitivity threshold(mechanical hyperalgesia and thermal radiation hyperalgesia) in the initiation of SNL in animals and relieved spontaneous pain, however, there was no significant effect on the basic pain sensitivity threshold and motor coordination function of normal animals under physiological and pathological conditions. Meanwhile, the results of primary screening of target tissues showed that Naru-3 inhibited the second phase of injury-induced nociceptive response of formalin test in mice and reduced the expression of inflammatory factors in the spinal cord. Network analysis discovered that Naru-3 had synergy in the treatment of NP, and its mechanism was associated with core targets such as matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP9) and interleukin-1β(IL-1β). The experiment further took the dorsal root ganglion(DRG) and the stage of patho-logical spinal cord as the research objects, focusing on the core targets of inducing microglial neuroinflammation. By means of Western blot, immunofluorescence, agonists, antagonists, behavior, etc., the mechanism of Naru-3 in exerting NP analgesia may be related to the negative regulation of the MMP9/IL-1β signaling pathway-mediated microglia p38/IL-1β inflammatory loop in the activation phase. The relevant research enriches the biological connotation of Naru-3 in the treatment of NP and provides references for clinical rational drug use.
Subject(s)
Rats , Mice , Animals , Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/metabolism , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Neuroinflammatory Diseases , Interleukin-1beta/metabolism , Spinal Cord/metabolism , Signal Transduction , Hyperalgesia/metabolism , Neuralgia/metabolismABSTRACT
From the medical history of traditional Eastern Asian and Tibetan medicine, the origin and development of moxibustion seems to be closely related to Mongolia. To explore the current clinical practice of moxibustion in Mongolia, we visited a teaching hospital, the Traditional Medical Science, Technology and Production Corporation of Mongolia, in February 2014. Many types of moxibustion are found to be used, and various modalities and methods are practiced based on the principles of traditional Mongolian medicine. In particular, Mongolian drug moxibustion, which uses small butter-warmed bags packed with powdered aromatic herbs instead of moxa cones, is a unique moxibustion technique not found in other countries. In this paper, we introduce the clinical practice of moxibustion, specifically Mongolian drug moxibustion in Mongolia.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the effects of Polygonatum odoratum on body based on metabonomics. Methods: The ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) and principle component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were used to evaluate the changes of endogenous substances in rats after intragastric administration of Polygonatum odoratum. Results: Significant differences between the control group and administration group were observed in PCA and OPLS-DA model. Five potential biomarkers between control group and administration group were identified. The relative content of Alpha-Tocotrienol, PC(14:1(9Z)/14:1(9Z)), Stearic acid, Theasapogenol A, Docosahexaenoic acid increased. Conclusion: The biomarkers had many beneficial activities, so the Mongolian medicine Polygonatum odoratum had the function of health care. Key words: Mongolian drug; Polygonatum odoratum; Biomarkers; UPLC-MS