Sorting and Elaborating on the Combination Theory of Herb Pairs / 中医杂志

@#As the smallest combination unit of Chinese medicinals， herbal pairs serve as the bridge between medicinals and formulas， whose combination theory reflects the basic characteristics of Chinese medicinals combination and the core essence of prescription composition. Simultaneously， as a key combination of medicinals in clinical treatment of diseases， syndromes， and symptoms， herbal pairs are the main form of clinical medication in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） as well as the characteristic advantage of treating diseases. This article summarized that “mutual complement of medicinals of same or antagonism flavor and nature” theory is the theoretical origin， and efficacy-enhancement and toxicity-attenuation is the core purpose of the combination of herbal pairs. The property theory of Chinese medicinals and the thought of differentiation and treatment are the main basis of the combination of herbal pairs， and pertinence and flexibility are the key points in clinical application. All mentioned above are expected to provide theoretical guidance for the clinical use and modern research of herbal pairs.

Effect of Medicinal and Edible Herbs in Colorectal Cancer Patients During Chemotherapy / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Malignant tumors are a major health problem in current society. With the improvement of people's living standards and the changes in diet structure， the development trend of gastrointestinal tumors in China is gradually similar to that in developed countries. The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer （CRC） remain high in China. Although targeted therapy and immunotherapy have greatly improved the prognosis of patients in recent years， chemotherapy is still the main means in clinical practice. However， the adverse reactions of chemotherapy often seriously affect the quality of life of patients， and even lead to treatment interruption， thereby affecting the efficacy. Oral Chinese medicine shows unique advantages in enhancing efficiency and reducing toxicity in CRC patients during chemotherapy， but its poor drug experience not only makes it difficult for patients to take it consistently but also affects the popularization of Chinese medicine at this stage. Medicinal and edible herbs （MEHs） are an important part of Chinese medicine and they are mild， delicious， convenient， affordable， nutritious， and safe. Therefore， they may be more suitable for patients with CRC chemotherapy to adhere to treatment. However， their efficacy is often criticized by clinical practitioners. They are only used in the food and health products industry， and their role as Chinese medicines has not been fully utilized. This paper summarized the common traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes and treatment methods during CRC chemotherapy， sorted out the nature， flavor， meridian tropism， and efficacy of MEHs， and reviewed the modern pharmacological research results of MEHs by the method of literature statistics. This study finds that the nature， flavor， meridian tropism， and efficacy of MEHs are in good agreement with the common TCM syndromes and treatment methods during CRC chemotherapy. Moreover， many MEHs have the effects of resisting CRC and alleviating the adverse reactions of chemotherapy. Furthermore， the effectiveness and superior efficacy of MEHs in CRC chemotherapy are initially demonstrated from the theoretical level， but high-quality clinical evidence is still needed to support it. The present study discussed the efficiency-enhancing and toxicity-reducing effects and application advantages of MEHs in CRC patients during chemotherapy to provide references for the clinical promotion of MEHs.

Sorting and Elaborating on the Combination Theory of Herb Pairs / 中医杂志

As the smallest combination unit of Chinese medicinals， herbal pairs serve as the bridge between medicinals and formulas， whose combination theory reflects the basic characteristics of Chinese medicinals combination and the core essence of prescription composition. Simultaneously， as a key combination of medicinals in clinical treatment of diseases， syndromes， and symptoms， herbal pairs are the main form of clinical medication in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） as well as the characteristic advantage of treating diseases. This article summarized that “mutual complement of medicinals of same or antagonism flavor and nature” theory is the theoretical origin， and efficacy-enhancement and toxicity-attenuation is the core purpose of the combination of herbal pairs. The property theory of Chinese medicinals and the thought of differentiation and treatment are the main basis of the combination of herbal pairs， and pertinence and flexibility are the key points in clinical application. All mentioned above are expected to provide theoretical guidance for the clinical use and modern research of herbal pairs.

Exploring Synergistic Mechanism of Vinegar-processed Olibanum in Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis Based on Bile Acid-regulated "Gut-liver" Crosstalk / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the synergistic mechanism of vinegar-processed Olibanum on ulcerative colitis（UC） via the bile acids regulating "gut-liver" crosstalk. MethodRats were randomly divided into normal group， model group， Olibanum group and vinegar-processed Olibanum group. UC model of rats was induced by intracolonic instillation of 2，4，6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid（TNBS）. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry（UPLC-QQQ-MS） was used to perform the qualitative analysis of 30 bile acids in the colon of rats. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to detect changes in the expression of farnesoid X receptor（FXR）， fibroblast growth factor 15（FGF15） and FGF receptor 4（FGFR4） in "gut-liver" crosstalk at mRNA and protein levels. And with the help of HcoEpiC cell model intervened by conjugated bile acids， simulating the UC state， and according to the different modes of intervention， they were divided into the blank group， conjugated bile acid group， Olibanum group， vinegar-processed Olibanum group and 3-O-acetyl-9，11-dehydro-β-boswellic acid（ADHBA） group. The effect of Olibanum before and after processing with vinegar and the main differential component ADHBA on the mRNA expression of FXR and FGF19 were explored by Real-time PCR. ResultCompared with the normal group， the levels of conjugated bile acids in the model group increased significantly（P<0.01）， and the mRNA and protein expressions of "gut-liver" crosstalk factors FXR， FGF15 and FGFR4 decreased significantly（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the content of conjugated bile acids in the Olibanum group and vinegar-processed Olibanum group was significantly decreased（P<0.01）， the mRNA and protein expressions of FXR， FGF15 and FGFR4 were significantly elevated（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and vinegar-processed Olibanum exhibited superior effects than Olibanum. In cellular experiments， a significant decrease in mRNA expression of FXR and FGF19 was observed in the conjugated bile acid group when compared with the blank group（P<0.01）. Compared with the conjugated bile acid group， the mRNA expressions of FXR and FGF19 were significantly higher in the Olibanum， vinegar-processed Olibanum and ADHBA groups（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the effect of vinegar-processed Olibanum was more favorable. ConclusionVinegar-processed Olibanum may enhance the ameliorating effect on UC by enhancing the down-regulation of conjugated bile acids in the colon and the up-regulation of FXR-FGF15/19-FGFR4 "gut-liver" crosstalk pathway， and ADHBA may be the main material basis for the synergy.

A Study of Dose-Adjusted EPOCH Chemotherapy in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Background: Worldwide, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) represents the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), accounting for 30%-40% of all newly diagnosed cases. The response rate to currently available chemotherapy in DLBCL is much unsatisfactory. Dose-adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin (DA-EPOCH) was developed in an effort to improve outcome in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. To assess the efficacy and safety of DA-EPOCH chemotherapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.Material & Methods:This quasi experimental study was conducted in the department of Hematology, DMCH, from January 2016 to December 2017. 20 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphomas were treated with etoposide, vincristine, and doxorubicin for 96 hours with bolus doses of cyclophosphamide and oral prednisone (DA-EPOCH chemotherapy). The doses of etoposide, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide were adjusted to achieve a nadir absolute neutrophil count below 0.5× 109/L. Cycles were repeated after 21 days. After 3rd and 6th cycle patients were evaluated for interim analysis and response evaluation respectively. Evaluation was done in aspect of clinical parameter (lymph node size, physical complaint), laboratory parameter (CBC) and radiological imaging (CT scan of chest and abdomen). The median age of the patient was 46.5 years (range, 25-62 years); 20% were older than 50 years; and 25% were at high-intermediate risk according to International Prognostic Index (IPI) criteria. The statistical analyses were done by appropriate methods.Results:There was a complete response in 73.7% of patients and partial response 10.5% of patients, which were evidenced by significant reduction of size of the lymph nodes after chemotherapy. The mean Serum LDH was also significantly lower after chemotherapy in comparison to before chemotherapy in those patients who achieved complete or partial response. Moreover, size of the liver and spleen were significantly lower after chemotherapy in response group patients who had either hepatomegaly or splenomegaly or both. Doses were escalated in 12.50% cycles and toxicity levels were acceptable.Conclusion:DA-EPOCH chemotherapy is an effective regimen for treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients.

Effects of increasing efficacy and decreasing toxicity of ginkgo flavone aglycone on doxorubicin in the treatment of liver cancer / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of increasing efficacy and decreasing toxicity of ginkgo flavone aglycone （GA） on doxorubicin （DOX）in the treatment of liver cancer. METHODS A tumor bearing model was established by inoculating liver cancer cell H 22 into the right axillary skin of ICR mice. The successfully modeled mice were randomly divided into model control group，DOX group （2.5 mg/kg，once every other day ，via tail vein ），GA group （30 mg/kg，once a day ，gavage）and GA+DOX group（the usage was the same as single drug groups ），with 6 mice in each group. The administration cycle was 15 days. The general growth of mice in each group were observed ，body weight and tumor weight were measured ，and the inhibition rate of tumor was calculated. Jin’s formula was used to evaluate the effect of combined medication （Q）. The serum level of alpha-fetal protein（AFP），the pathological changes of tumor tissue ，cell apoptosis and the expression of platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1（CD31）were detected in each group. The cardiac index，serum levels of B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP）and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-pro BNP ），pathological changes of heart and myocardial fibrosis degree were also detected. RESULTS The percentage of body weight change （except for GA group ） and tumor weights of DOX group，GA group and GA + DOX group were all decreased significantly，compared with model control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01），while tumor weight of GA+DOX gro up was significantly lower than DOX group （P＜0.01）. Inhibitory rates of tumor in 3 administration groups were 54.29％，42.50％ and 89.29％ respectively，and Q of two-drug combination was 1.21. The tumor tissues of mice in each administration group were necrotic to varying degrees ；the serum level of AFP and the expression of CD31 in tumor tissue were decreased significantly ，compared with model control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）；the percentage of necrosis area of tumor tissue and the positive rate of apoptosis （except for single drug groups ）were significantly increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01），while positive rate of apoptosis in GA+DOX group was significantly higher than DOX group （P＜0.05）. Cardiac index of mice in DOX group was significantly lower than model control group （P＜0.01）；serum levels of BNP and NT-pro BNP in DOX group and GA+ DOX group were significantly higher than model control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）；pathological changes of heart and the degree of myocardial fibrosis in GA+DOX group were lower than DOX group. CONCLUSIONS GA combined with DOX show synergistic antitumor effect. GA can strengthen the apoptosis promoting effect of DOX ，and can help to reduce the cardiotoxicity of DOX.

Twenty years in the 21st century: research approaches and techniques in modern system biology for mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing / 中国中药杂志

Clarifying the mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing is pivotal to the modernization of Chinese medicine. Research on Chinese medicinal processing gives priority to the mechanisms of the processing in enhancing efficacy, reducing toxicity, and repurposing medicinals. During the past 20 years, scholars have carried out in-depth studies on the mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing via modern system biology. They mainly focused on the changes of medicinal properties and efficacy caused by processing using techniques of modern pharmacology and molecular biology, spectrum-efficacy correlation, and biophoton emission. However, these techniques fail to reflect the holistic view of traditional Chinese medicine. With the introduction of system biology, multi-omics techno-logies(genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) have surged, which have been applied to the research on the mec-hanisms of Chinese medicinal processing. These multi-omics technologies have advantages in the research on holism. This study aims to summarize the research techniques and approaches in system biology for mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing in the past 20 years and analyze the limitations and advantages of them. It is concluded that the multi-omics techniques of system biology can reconstruct the mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing. This study provides a new direction for further research on the mechanisms of Chinese medicinal processing.

Research Progress on Compatibility Mechanism of Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Herb pair， a common form of compounding in Chinese medicinal prescriptions， reflects the experience of pharmacists in clinical medication in the past. It is characterized by simple composition while has the basic characteristics of Chinese medicine compounding. The combination of two medicinal herbs can enhance effect or reduce toxicity. Coptidis Rhizoma （CR） has the effects of clearing heat， drying dampness， purging fire， and removing toxin. Euodiae Fructus （EF） is acrid， bitter， and hot-natured， which can not only warm the Yang Qi in spleen and stomach to dissipate cold and relieve pain， but also descend stomach Qi and prevent vomiting. Furthermore， it can warm the liver and kidney. CR and EF form a typical cold-heat herb pair， which oppose and yet also complement each other. Specifically， their cold and heat natures interact with each other to clear liver fire， harmonize stomach for descending adverse Qi， relieve depression， and dissipate mass. CR clears the intestine and stops dysentery， while EF warms the middle and promotes the circulation of Qi. The combination of them can thus clear heat， dry dampness， and relieve pain. Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that CR-EF has not only significant efficacy against digestive system diseases but also good anti-cancer， anti-inflammatory， anti-ulcer， and lipid-lowering activities. Therefore， the article summarized the effect enhancement and toxicity reduction of the herb pair at the levels of cellular molecule， isolated organ， and whole animal， and clarified the mechanism of its pharmacological action. It will provide a theoretical basis for further development and clinical use of the herb pair.

CRISPR-Cas9: A method for establishing rat models of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognized CRISPR-Cas9, a super-selective and precise gene editing tool. CRISPR-Cas9 has an obvious advantage in editing multiple genes in the same cell, and presents great potential in disease treatment and animal model construction. In recent years, CRISPR-Cas9 has been used to establish a series of rat models of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), such as

Progress in application of Bletilla striata polysaccharide in novel drug delivery systems and biomaterials / 中国中药杂志

As the main active ingredient of the orchidaceous herb Bletilla striata, B. striata polysaccharide(BSP) has pharmacological activities such as promoting coagulation, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, promoting wound healing, anti-tumor, and immunomodulation, and is biodegradable and non-toxic. Additionally, it has the material properties of suspension thickening, film-forming adhesion, coating and solubilizing, targeting and slow releasing, effect-enhancing and toxicity-reducing, etc., playing the role of unification of medicines and excipients. Therefore, BSP has a wide application prospect in the fields of drug delivery system and trauma repair. This paper reviews the research progress of BSP application in new drug delivery systems and biomaterials based on the related li-terature in recent years, with the aim of providing reference for the further research and application of BSP.

Research Progress on Organic-inorganic Hybrid Nanocarriers of Active Ingredients from Chinese Materia Medica / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Nanocarriers for delivering active ingredients from Chinese materia medica play an important role in improving their solubility, membrane permeability and in vivo biological behavior, enhancing the therapeutic efficiency and reducing side effects. They are promising for extensive research and application. As novel nanocarriers, organic-inorganic hybrid nanocarriers composed of organic materials or carriers and inorganic parts possess the dual advantages of organic carriers and inorganic carriers. They may exert desirable action in drug delivery. In addition, they have been designed to improve the stability and biocompatibility, further increase the therapeutic efficiency and reduce side effects. They have also been investigated to achieve multi-functionality. In this paper, the research and application of organic-inorganic hybrid nanocarriers delivering active ingredients from Chinese materia medica were summarized and analyzed. The development and application prospect of organic-inorganic hybrid nanocarriers are prospected. The aim of this review is to provide a reference for the investigation of new drug delivery system for delivering active ingredients from Chinese materia medica efficiently and safely.

Structural simplification: an efficient strategy in lead optimization

The trend toward designing large hydrophobic molecules for lead optimization is often associated with poor drug-likeness and high attrition rates in drug discovery and development. Structural simplification is a powerful strategy for improving the efficiency and success rate of drug design by avoiding "molecular obesity". The structural simplification of large or complex lead compounds by truncating unnecessary groups can not only improve their synthetic accessibility but also improve their pharmacokinetic profiles, reduce side effects and so on. This review will summarize the application of structural simplification in lead optimization. Numerous case studies, particularly those involving successful examples leading to marketed drugs or drug-like candidates, will be introduced and analyzed to illustrate the design strategies and guidelines for structural simplification.

Research Strategy of Mechanism of Efficacy Enhancing and Toxicity Reducing of Antibiotics Combined with Chinese Medicine for Infectious Diseases / 中国实验方剂学杂志

The decreased efficacy and severe side effects of antibiotics, as well the increase of multidrug resistant pathogens are seriously threatening human health. It has become an urgent task for the whole world to actively respond to threats and establish effective prevention and control plans. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history with exact curative effect in the treatment of infectious diseases. It not only inhibits pathogens and eliminates endotoxin, but also has therapeutic effect on inflammation, immune abnormality and overall disorder caused by infection. Antibiotics mainly inhibit the pathogen itself, while the combination of TCM and antibiotics is complementary with each other and is considered as a feasible solution to the challenges. Some clinical observations have shown that TCM has potentiality of enhancing antibiotics efficiency and reducing toxicity. Exploring its mechanism is the necessary measure to optimize and popularize treatment regimen. Firstly, multi-level and multi-dimensional systematic pharmacology network analysis methods are used to predict the mechanism of TCM combined with antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases, so as to provide the evidence for further empirical research and selection of test indicators. Then by following the principle of corresponding drug use in specific TCM syndromes, the antibiotics and TCM are individually and jointly applied to treat patients with specific syndrome conditions of infectious diseases. Besides routine and comprehensive evaluation of synergistic and attenuated effect of the combined drug use, multi-omics technique is also used to find the subtle effects of these two drugs at a molecular level. The sensitive and stable clinical biomarkers of synergism and attenuation of combined drug use are determined by using biomolecular network analysis technology. Finally, taking these biomarkers as clues, the biotransformation process and regulation mechanism of the biomarkers are traced back in animal models of infectious diseases and cell level, and all of these are clinically verified. As a result, the mechanism of efficacy enhancing and toxicity reducing of combined drug use can be revealed, providing basis for the promotion and application of such combined drug use.

Research progress on traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer / 中草药

The incidence of prostate cancer is increasing, and inevitably progresses to castration-resistant prostate cancer. Although the treatment is constantly updated, the prognosis is still not optimistic. Because of its unique advantages of effect-enhancing and toxicity-reducing, improving quality of life, and prolonging survival time, Chinese medicine has occupied a very important position in the treatment of castration resistant prostate cancer. This article summarizes the clinical and basic research of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer, and provides reference for clinical treatment and basic research.

Study on efficacy-enhancing and toxicity-reducing of different rhubarb processed products combined with atorvastatin / 中草药

Objective: To explore the effect of different processed products of rhubarb combined with atorvastatin (ATS) on the efficacy-enhancing and toxicity-reducing. Methods: L02 cells were used to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of raw rhubarb, wine-fried rhubarb and wine-steamed rhubarb in clinical application combined with ATS, and the extracts of the processed products with the best liver protection were screened out. The effective lipid-lowering dose range of the extract of the processed product was determined by HepG2 cell experiments; Finally, based on the model of hyperlipidemia in SD rats, the lipid-lowering and hepatoprotective effects of the optimal extract and ATS were generally evaluated by measuring the blood lipid and transaminase levels and related oxidative stress parameters, detecting the histopathological section of the liver. Results: The alcohol extract of wine-fried rhubarb in the three processed artillery products significantly improved the survival rate of L02 cells, and had the best protection effect on L02 cells induced by ATS. At the same time, the wine-fried rhubarb ethanol extract also effectively reduced the content of TC and TG in HepG2 hepatic steatosis cells. The liver-protection ratio and lipid-lowering ratio (mass ratio) of ATS to wine-fried rhubarb ethanol extract were 1:6.7-1:9.0 and 1:35.8-1:71.6. The wine-fried rhubarb ethanol extract and ATS reduced the blood lipid level and lipid content in the liver of hyperlipidemia rats; The serum levels of ALT and AST were significantly decreased, the SOD activity in the liver was significantly enhanced, and the MDA content was significantly reduced; And high-dose wine-fried rhubarb ethanol extract and ATS combination group significantly inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration and bile duct hyperplasia. Conclusion: The combination of wine-fried rhubarb ethanol extract and ATS can significantly improve the liver function damage caused by ATS, enhance the effect of lipid-lowering therapy on hyperlipidemic rats, and play a role in reducing toxicity and increasing efficiency.

Spectrum and Toxicity Relationships between Multi-Wavelength HPLC Fingerprints and Acute Toxicity of Different Extracts of Aconitum sinomontanum Nakai / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE To establish the HPLC multiple wavelength chromatographic fingerprints (MWCF) of different extracts of Aconitum sinomontanum Nakai (ASN) to clarify the attribution of the fingerprint peaks and their contribution to the acute toxicity. METHODS The experimental drugs (extracts of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, alcohol and water) were obtained by means of systematic solvent extraction from the 95% ethanol extract of ASN. The HPLC MWCF of different extracts of ASN were established by mean fingerprint method (MFM). The acute toxicity of different extracts in mice were carried out by measuring the median lethal dose (LD50) and maximum dose. The relationship between spectrum and toxicity was established by gray relational analysis. RESULTS The MWCF of different extracts of ASN were established. The acute toxicity of ASN was caused not only by lappacontine (LAP) and ranaconitine, the contribution of other diterpenoid alkaloids should not be neglected, and the contribution of different peaks to toxicity was ranked as (51, 38, 37, 35, 20) 3439323133. CONCLUSION The MWCF developed by MFM can maximally retain the fingerprint peaks, achieve fingerprint information maximization, and effectively improve fingerprint signal quality, thus providing a reference for the comprehensive quality evaluation of ASN. The relationship between the MWCF of different extracts and the acute toxicity is paralleled to some extent. And this will lay a foundation for the research of the toxicity mechanism of ASN.

Research progress on traditional Chinese medicine on treatment of bone metastasis of prostate cancer / 中草药

The incidence of prostate cancer in China is increasing visibly, and bone metastasis is easy to occur in the late stage of that, which seriously affects the quality of life of the patients. Modern medicine has made rapid progress in the treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, hormone therapy and radionuclide therapy for bone metastasis of prostate cancer, accompanied by some various side effects yet. The synergistic actions of effect-enhancing and toxicity-reducing, multi-targets and multi-effects from Chinese medicinal materials combined with chemical medicines have attracted more and more attention in the medical field, which display some advantages in improving the life quality of patients, relieving the clinical symptoms and prolonging the survival period. As a special medical means in China, the unique theory and drug use of traditional Chinese medicine have brought new dawn to the treatment of bone metastasis of prostate cancer.

Effect of Semen Euphorbiae and Semen Euphorbiae Pulveratun extracts on intestinal flora in rats / 中草药

Objective To study the effect of Semen Euphorbiae and Semen Euphorbiae Pulveratun on the microflora in rats gastrointestinal from the aspect of the intestinal microecology, so as to provide reference for further revealing mechanism of the attenuation after processing of Semen Euphorbiae. Methods Rats were fed with high, medium and low dose of Semen Euphorbiae and Semen Euphorbiae Pulveratun, and the plate-counter method was used to examine the four types of intestinal flora in the feces of rats which are Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus. Results After intragastric administration, the rat had the alteration of intestinal flora, and the degree of alteration of intestinal flora in the Semen Euphorbiae Pulveratun group was lower than the group of Semen Euphorbiae. In the low doses of group, the number of Enterococci and Escherichia coli was decreased. Conclusion Semen Euphorbiae and Semen Euphorbiae Pulveratun could affect the intestinal microbial diversity and the balance of intestinal flora. The effect of Semen Euphorbiae Pulveratun on four kinds of intestinal flora was weakened, and the degree of intestinal flora disturbance was reduced, which was consistent with the results of alleviation of the effect of Semen Euphorbiae Pulveratun. It was suggested that the intervention effect of Semen Euphorbiae on intestinal microflora could be clarified from the perspective of intestinal microecology, which could reveal possible correlation between Semen Euphorbiae Pulveratun and the changes of intestinal flora.

Regulation of drug metabolism and toxicity by multiple factors of genetics, epigenetics, lncRNAs, gut microbiota, and diseases: a meeting report of the 21International Symposium on Microsomes and Drug Oxidations (MDO)

Variations in drug metabolism may alter drug efficacy and cause toxicity; better understanding of the mechanisms and risks shall help to practice precision medicine. At the 21International Symposium on Microsomes and Drug Oxidations held in Davis, California, USA, in October 2-6, 2016, a number of speakers reported some new findings and ongoing studies on the regulation mechanisms behind variable drug metabolism and toxicity, and discussed potential implications to personalized medications. A considerably insightful overview was provided on genetic and epigenetic regulation of gene expression involved in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) and drug response. Altered drug metabolism and disposition as well as molecular mechanisms among diseased and special populations were presented. In addition, the roles of gut microbiota in drug metabolism and toxicology as well as long non-coding RNAs in liver functions and diseases were discussed. These findings may offer new insights into improved understanding of ADME regulatory mechanisms and advance drug metabolism research.

Research progress in interaction between chemical components of Glycyrrhizae Radix and cytochrome P450 enzyme / 中草药

Glycyrrhizae Radix is the dry roots or rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, G. inflate, and G. glabra, which was used in clinical therapy combined with other drugs. In this paper, we summarized the recent studies in domestic and overseas on the interaction between the components of Glycyrrhizae Radix and the cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP), including, 1) the CYP enzymes involved the metabolism of the chemical components of Glycyrrhizae Radix; 2) the inhibition and induction of chemical components of Glycyrrhizae Radix on the activity of CYP enzyme; 3) the progress in the study on the potential herbal-drug interactions in clinical use of Glycyrrhizae Radix preparations. Further studies on the interactions between the chemical components in Glycyrrhizae Radix and the main drug metabolic enzymes have the great significance for guiding the efficacy enhancing, detoxification, and compatibility of Chinese materia medica, which is very important to avoid the clinical herb-drug interactions.