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A sesquiterpene natural substance called artemisinin was discovered in Artemisia annua. One of its derivatives， artesunate （ART）， has the properties of economy， immediate effect， low toxicity， and good tolerance. Since it has a quick and powerful killing effect on plasmodium in the erythrocyte phase and can quickly handle clinical seizure and symptoms， it is currently mostly utilized to treat cerebral malaria and other severe instances of malaria. In addition， it has antitumor， antivirus， anti-hepatic fibrosis， anti-inflammatory， antibacterial， hepatocyte protection， immunological modulation， and other pharmacological properties and can inhibit cell proliferation， induce cell apoptosis， and reduce the incidence of sepsis. In many countries， artemisinin-based combination therapies （ACTs）， such as artemether-benflumetol， artesunate-amodiaquine， and artemether-lumefantrine， are the first-line treatments for malaria. Recent research on artesunate by Chinese and international scholars has revealed that compared with monotherapy， artesunate combination therapy offers more benefits in terms of improving pharmacological effects， shortening the duration of medicine， and minimizing adverse effects. Through systematic retrieval of Web of Science Core Collection and integration through CiteSpace （6.2.1） software， this article reviewed the mechanism of artesunate combined with other medications with regard to antimalarial， antitumor， antibacterial， and antiviral features in the previous five years， so as to provide some theoretical basis for rational development and utilization of ART and new drug research and development.
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Terpine-4-ol is abundant in nature. As a cyclic monoterpenoid compound， terpine-4-ol is distributed in a variety of natural plants. It is the main component and the key active substance in many traditional Chinese essential oils， such as Melaleuca alba essential oil and coral ginger essential oil. Terpine-4-ol has anti-microbial， anti-tumor， insecticidal， anti-inflammatory， and other effects. It can treat cancer， as well as oral and cardiovascular diseases with great safety. In terms of antibacterial activity， terpine-4-ol can destroy bacterial cell walls， improve membrane permeability， and regulate bacterial migration， reproduction， and other related genes to inhibit bacterial activity. In terms of antifungal activity， terpine-4-ol can bind with ergosterol in fungal cell walls to cause fungal death. In terms of insecticidal activity， terpine-4-ol can inhibit Na+ and K+-ATPase activity and cause the death of the insect. In terms of anticancer activity， terpine-4-ol can regulate the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in cancer cells， so as to control the apoptosis of cancer cells. In this paper， the pharmacological activity and action mechanism of terpine-4-ol were reviewed to provide a reference for further research and utilization of terpine-4-ol.
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Brain edema belongs to the category of "stroke" and "true headache", while Traditional Chinese Medicine mostly understands its core disease mechanisms from the perspectives of stasis, deficiency, and heat, and mostly treats the disease by using warming yang to induce diuresis and eliminating stasis to remove water. Wuling Powder has been lauded as the "first party to typhoid and relieving diuresis", which is used to cure clearing damp and promoting diuresis and warming yang and transforming qi, and has been clinically used in the treatment of brain edema caused by various causes such as head trauma, intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, and intracranial space occupying, all with remarkable efficacy. Wuling Powder improves cellular energy supply, scavenges excess oxygen radicals and calcium ions in brain tissue, and reduces the damage to brain tissue caused by vascular inflammatory factors and regulates aquaporins and vascular endothelial growth factor, thereby achieving therapeutic effects.
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Immune checkpoints (ICs) are immunosuppressive molecules expressed on immune cells, which can regulate immune cells' activation. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) which can block the interaction of immune checkpoints and their ligands, improve the cytotoxic effect of the immune system on tumor cells. Immunotherapy such as employing ICIs has gradually become a conventional therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. However, the low response rate and the emergence of drug resistance have seriously affected the clinical efficacy of ICIs. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are electronic reduction products of active oxygen, as well as natural by-products of cell metabolism, which can be used as regulators of intercellular signals. Tumor microenvironment (TME) is often in the state of oxidative stress (OS), which is the imbalance between oxidative system and antioxidant system. ROS can affect the interaction with its ligands by regulating the expression and activity of immune checkpoints in TME, thus affecting the anti-tumor effect of immune cells. Accumulating studies have shown that ROS could regulate tumor immune checkpoints through several pathways. Due to different types and stages of tumor, it would be clinical beneficial to understand the mechanistic link of ROS on tumor immune checkpoint, and choose appropriate ROS regulators combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors to maximize anti-tumor effects. This article reviews the common metabolic sources and characteristics of ROS, the regulatory effect and mechanism of ROS on tumor immune checkpoints and its therapeutic application.
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Background Manganese (Mn) is one of the environmental factors of Parkinson's disease (PD), and long-term exposure to Mn can cause nerve damage. It is important to explore the common mechanism of neurotoxic effects of Mn and neurodegenerative diseases (NDD), especially PD, for early diagnosis of the disease. Objective To comprehensively analyze the core messenger RNA (mRNA)-microRNAs (miRNAs) co-expressed in frontal cortex of NDD patients and neuronal cells exposed to Mn via bioinformatics, and to reveal the potential common mechanism between Mn-induced neurotoxicity and NDD, especially PD. Methods Difference of the mRNAs from frontal cortex of NDD patients (GSE150696) and human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells exposed to Mn were analyzed by R software; Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was performed on the overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The miRNAs were predicted using the miRNet database, mRNA-miRNA interactions were identified by the starBase and miRTarBase databases, and mRNA-miRNA regulatory networks were constructed with Cytoscape software. The core miRNAs associated with PD (GSE77667) were incorporated into Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and the mRNA-miRNA regulatory network was comparatively analyzed. Results A total of 34 overlapping DEGs were identified in the frontal cortical of NDD patients and the neuronal cells exposed to Mn, mainly enriched in interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling pathway, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway, and primary immunodeficiency. Based on the results of database prediction, 52 miRNAs with 71 pairs of interaction relationships were finally included to construct the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network. Six core miRNAs were screened by WGCNA: hsa-let-7i-5p, hsa-mir-155-5p, hsa-mir-219-2-3p, hsa-mir-221-3p, hsa-mir-485-3p, and hsa-mir-509-3-5p, among which hsa-let-7i-5p interacted with the target gene FBXW2 and hsa-mir-155-5p interacted with the target gene CCL2. The results of the KEGG analysis indicated that CCL2 was closely related to the IL-17 signaling pathway. Conclusion There are similar molecular regulatory mechanisms involved in the neurotoxicity of Mn and NDD, and the IL-17 signaling pathway may play a role in Mn-related NDD through CCL2 and hsa-mir-155-5p.
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Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic and progressive arterial disease. It is an important cause of the occurrence and development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. With the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), TCM has many advantages in the therapy of AS, with less adverse reactions. Studies have shown that TCM can resist AS, and the mechanism mainly belongs to regulating lipid metabolism, anti-lipid peroxidation, anti-inflammation, anticoagulation, and protecting the structure and function of vascular endothelial cells. The mechanism of TCM for AS is warranted to be studied systematically, and the chemical components need to be further clarified.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) alone or combined with western medicine has obvious clinical therapeutic effects on chronic atrophic gastritis, especially in improving symptoms and reversing lesions, based on the basic pathogenesis of chronic atrophic gastritis with deficiency in origin and excess in superficiality. The therapeutic methods include invigorating spleen, activating blood circulation and detoxification. The main mechanism is to inhibit cell proliferation, induce apoptosis, change the micro-environment, reduce the degree of inflammation, repair damaged mucosa and improve immune function.
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Zedoary tumeric (Curcumae Rhizoma, Ezhu in Chinese) has a long history of application and has great potential in the treatment of liver cancer. The antiliver cancer effect of zedoary tumeric depends on the combined action of multiple pharmacodynamic substances. In order to clarify the specific mechanism of zedoary tumeric against liver cancer, this paper first analyzes the mechanism of its single pharmacodynamic substance against liver cancer, and then verifies the joint anti liver cancer mechanism of its “pharmacodynamic group”. By searching the research on the antihepatoma effect of active components of zedoary tumeric in recent years, we found that pharmacodynamic substances, including curcumol, zedoarondiol, curcumenol, curzerenone, curdione, curcumin, germacrone, β-elemene, can act on multi-target and multi-channel to play an antihepatoma role. For example, curcumin can regulate miR, GLO1, CD133, VEGF, YAP, LIN28B, GPR81, HCAR-1, P53 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR, HSP70/TLR4 and NF-κB. Wnt/TGF/EMT, Nrf2/Keap1, JAK/STAT and other pathways play an antihepatoma role. Network pharmacological analysis showed that the core targets of the “pharmacodynamic group” for anti-life cancer are AKT1, EGFR, MAPK8, etc, and the core pathways are neuroactive live receiver interaction, nitrogen metabolism, HIF-1 signaling pathway, etc. At the same time, by comparing and analyzing the relationship between the specific mechanisms of pharmacodynamic substance and “pharmacodynamic group”, it is found that they have great reference significance in target, pathway, biological function, determination of core pharmacodynamic components, formation of core target protein interaction, in-depth research of single pharmacodynamic substance, increasing curative effect and so on. By analyzing the internal mechanism of zedoary tumeric pharmacodynamic substance and “pharmacodynamic group” in the treatment of liver cancer, this paper intends to provide some ideas and references for the deeper pharmacological research of zedoary tumeric and the relationship between pharmacodynamic substance and “pharmacodynamic group”.
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Alzheimer's disease（AD） is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease with clinical manifestations such as memory impairment， aphasia， impaired visuospatial skills， executive function impairment， and personality changes. AD has brought a heavy burden to the family and society due to its unrevealed pathogenesis and the lack of therapeutic approaches. Saponins， a group of oligoglycosides whose aglycones are triterpenes or spirosteroids， are divided into triterpene saponins and steroidal saponins， which have a variety of biological activities. At present， there is no systematic review on the anti-AD effect of saponins. According to the literature published in recent years， the authors summarized the studies of saponins in improving AD based on animal experiments. The results indicated that saponins enhanced learning ability and improved cognitive impairment by inhibiting amyloid β-protein （Aβ） cascade activity， suppressing microtubule-associated protein （tau） hyperphosphorylation， inhibiting neuronal oxidative stress， inhibiting inflammatory factors， regulating apoptosis， inhibiting cholinergic neuronal degeneration， promoting mitochondrial autophagy， regulating intestinal flora， and enhancing energy metabolism， which in turn improved the pathological state of AD animal models. The therapeutic effects of different saponins on AD are different. The present study discussed the effect of different aglycones and sugar chains on the anti-AD activity based on saponins and anti-AD effect to provide new ideas and a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of saponins.
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The morbidity and mortality of cancer have been on the rise， making it atop the list of human health threats. It has been a conundrum of global magnitude. As the side effects of chemotherapeutics seriously affect the life quality of cancer patients， it is urgent to find effective anti-cancer drugs with small toxic and side effects. In recent years， the anti-cancer effects of traditional Chinese medicine have attracted the interest of scholars. Owing to the improvement of medical research， an increasing number of anti-cancer components with small toxic and side effects have been extracted from traditional Chinese medicine. Rutin， a unique flavonoid in Chinese medicinals and many plants， proves to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer， colon cancer， lung cancer， and prostate cancer cells. In addition， rutin alone or in combination with other therapeutic drugs can regulate a variety of signaling pathways and signal mediators of inflammation， apoptosis， autophagy， and angiogenesis， thereby suppressing tumor progression. Moreover， it can also alleviate the drug resistance of tumors and the side effect of chemotherapeutics. Nevertheless， it is limited by the low bioavailability and low solubility， to which nano delivery system turns to be a solution. At the moment， the anti-cancer potential of rutin and the molecular targets of it against various cancers have not been summarized and comprehensively analyzed. Therefore， the authors retrieved articles on the anti-cancer effects of rutin in recent years， summed up the mechanisms and molecular targets， and discussed relevant drug delivery systems and the safety， aiming at laying a theoretical foundation for further development and application of the flavonoid.
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Seborrheic alopecia is a chronic dermatological disease caused by multiple factors. It occurs frequently in young and middle-aged men aged 20-30 years. The main clinical manifestations are greasy hair， itching， excessive dandruff， receding hairline， sparse hair on the top of the head， and progressive hair loss in the frontotemporal area. Seborrheic alopecia is not fatal， but it affects the appearance of patients， seriously harming their self-esteem and bringing great psychological distress to them. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway widely exists in multicellular eukaryotes and is a basic growth regulatory pathway which regulates cell proliferation and differentiation， maintains stem cells activity and organ homeostasis， and affects cell migration. At present， it has been reported in China and abroad that Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is closely related to the occurrence and development of seborrheic alopecia and the action mechanism of drugs. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has multi-component， multi-target， and multi-pathway advantages， and it can promote the formation of hair follicle laminae， the proliferation and differentiation of hair follicle stem cells， and the periodic changes in hair follicles by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway， thereby alleviating seborrheic alopecia. This article reviewed the relationship of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and its key target protein factors with seborrheic alopecia to clarify the important role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in seborrheic alopecia. At the same time， the TCM that targeted the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to relieve seborrheic alopecia were summarized， so as to provide reference for the treatment of seborrheic alopecia and further development of new drugs.
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Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological disease in clinic， with primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea is usually not accompanied by organic lesions in genital organs， which is mainly related to the increase of prostaglandin content in endometrium during menstruation. Secondary dysmenorrhea is accompanied by organic lesions of reproductive organs， often associated with local lesions of reproductive organs， but also with patients' mental factors and neuroendocrine factors.The incidence of dysmenorrhea is as high as 73.8%， and there is no radical cure method， which has a great impact on the life， work and learning of patients. Chinese medicine essential oil widely exists in aromatic Chinese medicine， with antibacterial， antioxidant and anticancer activities. It can regulate neuroendocrine function， anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects， and improve mood by regulating the levels of prostaglandins， oxytocin and other hormones in the body and regulating the emotions of patients， there by alleviating dysmenorrhea to a certain extent. In recent years， many scholars have made more in-depth research on Chinese medicine essential oil in alleviating dysmenorrhea， but there is a lack of comprehensive collation of such studies. In this regard， the author has systematically sorted out the generation and classification of dysmenorrhea， the mechanism of action of essential oil of traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate dysmenorrhea and the application of essential oil of traditional Chinese medicine in the field of dysmenorrhea by consulting relevant literature in Chinese and foreign languages in recent years， so as to provide reference for the treatment of dysmenorrhea.
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ObjectiveTo predict the molecular mechanism of resveratrol against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） based on network pharmacology and molecular docking and verify the results on the liver cell model induced by PM2.5 exposure. MethodThe targets of resveratrol were screened out from Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP）， PubChem， DrugBank， and SwissTargetPrediction， and the potential targets of NAFLD were retrieved from Comparative Toxicogenomics Database （CTD）， DisGeNET， GeneCards， and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM）. Then the common targets were obtained. STRING 11.5 was used to construct the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network of the common targets. Cytoscape 3.8.2 was used to plot the “target-pathway” network， and the core modules and key targets were selected. Metascape was adopted for Gene Ontology （GO） and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） enrichment analyses of common targets. SYBYL-X 2.0 was used for molecular docking of resveratrol to key targets. Finally，cell apoptosis and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins were detected by flow cytometry and Western blot in the PM2.5-exposed human liver cell line （HepG2）. ResultA total of 115 common targets of resveratrol and NAFLD were obtained. The key targets included tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-3（Caspase-3）. As revealed by KEGG enrichment analysis， 174 signaling pathways， represented by the apoptosis and TNF signaling pathways， were obtained. Molecular docking results showed that resveratrol had strong binding activities to Bcl-2 and Caspase-3. Furthermore，the results of flow cytometry and Western blot demonstrated that resveratrol inhibited cell apoptosis of PM2.5-exposed HepG2 cells by regulating the protein expression of Bcl-2 and Caspase-3. ConclusionResveratrol can treat NAFLD in a multi-pathway and multi-target way. It mainly inhibits liver cell apoptosis by affecting the expression of Bcl-2 and Caspase-3， which provides a theoretical basis for the follow-up research on the anti-NAFLD mechanism of resveratrol.
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ObjectiveTo screen out the main targets and related signaling pathways of the herbal pair Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix in treating breast cancer based on network pharmacology and verify their action mechanism in in vitro experiments. MethodThe main chemical components and related targets of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP）， and the target genes related to breast cancer from GeneCards. Following the screening of the common targets of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix and breast cancer using Venn， the Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix-breast cancer network and protein-protein interaction （PPI） network were constructed. The effective targets were then subjected to gene ontology （GO） and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis. The resulting outcomes were then verified by cell counting kit （CCK）-8 assay， flow cytometry， and Western blot. ResultThe screening yielded seven effective components and 61 targets of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix， among which 55 targets were involved in breast cancer. The GO analysis revealed 832 entries， which were mainly enriched in the biological processes. According to KEGG pathway enrichment analysis， 85 signaling pathways were obtained， including tumor suppressor p53， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt）. It was verified in in vitro experiments that the alcohol extract of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix inhibited the proliferation of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and induced their apoptosis. Compared with the blank control group and the dimethyl sulfoxide （DMSO， 0.1% solvent） group， the medication groups exhibited obviously decreased absorbance in MDA-MB-231 cells （P<0.01） and increased apoptosis rate （P<0.01）. The results of Western blot demonstrated that compared with the blank control group and the DMSO group， each medication significantly reduced the phosphorylated （p）-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt in cells （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe ethanol extract of Cremastrae Pseudobulbus-Rhapontici Radix effectively inhibits the proliferation of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and induces their apoptosis， which may be related to the inhibition of the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
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Dachaihu Decoction is a classical Chinese herbal prescription that is effective in harmonizing lesser yang and purging internal accumulated heat. At present, it has been widely used in clinical practice, and the resulting outcomes are satisfactory. However, its quality indicators and action mechanism are still not clear. Therefore, this paper explored the efficacy markers of Dachaihu Decoction and its action mechanism based on literature mining, molecular biology, and network pharmacology, so as to better control its quality and ensure its clinical efficacy. The efficacy markers of Dachaihu Decoction were predicted and analyzed according to the "five principles" for Q-markers of Chinese herbs. Then the anti-inflammatory activity of the efficacy markers of Dachaihu Decoction was evaluated with Griess reagent after the establishment of RAW264.7 cell inflammation model in vitro with lipopolysaccharide(LPS). The potential targets of efficacy markers were predicted by Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), ChEMBL, and SwissTargetPrediction, followed by the construction of the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the efficacy markers of Dachaihu Decoction. Topological, GO, and KEGG enrichment analysis was carried out to construct the "key target-signaling pathway-biological process" network, thus elucidating the action mechanism of the efficacy markers of Dachaihu Decoction. Saikosaponin B_2, baicalin, baicalein, wogonoside, neohesperidin, naringin, hesperidin, and paeoniflorin were considered as the potential efficacy markers of Dachaihu Decoction. The anti-inflammatory activity evaluation showed that the potential efficacy markers effectively inhibited the release of NO, exhibiting good anti-inflammatory activities. As demonstrated by network pharmacology, the efficacy markers of Dachaihu Decoction regulated the inflammatory response by acting on MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways, the carbohydrate metabolism by HIF-1 and PI3 K-AKT signaling pathways, and the lipid metabolism by AMPK and PI3 K-AKT signaling pathways. This study discovered the efficacy markers of Dachaihu Decoction based on literature mining combined with molecular biological experiments and explored its action mechanism at the molecular level based on network pharmacology, which would provide reference for the quality control of Dachaihu Decoction and scientific basis for its clinical application.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Molecular Docking Simulation , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
Microbial ecosystem comprises a complex community in which bacteria interact with each other. The potential roles of the intestinal microbiome play in human health have gained considerable attention. The imbalance of gut microbial community has been looked to multiple chronic diseases. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are leading causes of morbidity worldwide and are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Recent advances have provided scientific evidence that CVD may also be attributed to gut microbiome. In this review, we highlight the complex interplay between microbes, their metabolites, and the potential influence on the generation and development of CVDs. The therapeutic potential of using intestinal microbiomes to treat CVD is also discussed. It is quite possible that gut microbes may be used for clinical treatments of CVD in the near future.
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The articles regarding needle-embedding treatment for hemifacial spasm published before September 30, 2019 were searched from SinoMed, Wanfang, CNKI, VIP and PubMed database, and were analyzed and summarized from treatment methods, acupoint selection, stage differentiation and action mechanism. As a result, 45 Chinese articles were obtained. The needle-embedding treatment was divided into intradermal needling and acupoint thread-embedding; the top five acupoints were Sibai (ST 2), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6) and spasm trigger points. The basic research of needle-embedding treatment for hemifacial spasm is weak, and the literature regarding stage differentiation is insufficient, which are in need of further study.
Subject(s)
Humans , Acupuncture Points , Acupuncture Therapy , Hemifacial Spasm/therapy , Meridians , NeedlesABSTRACT
@#The occurrence and development of ophthalmic diseases are closely related to the abnormality of cellular regulation and ocular tissue function, in which the relevant signaling pathways play an important role in the regulation of physiological functions. The Rho/ROCK signaling pathway is involved in a variety of cellular events, including cytoskeletal reorganization, cell adhesion, cell proliferation and angiogenesis, and also plays a significant role in cell cycle progression, cell differentiation and apoptosis. Studies have shown that the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway is widely distributed in ocular tissues, and its aberrant activation can affect the normal physiological function of ocular tissues, demonstrating it is closely related to the occurrence and development of ophthalmic diseases. This paper briefly reviews the role of Rho/ROCK signaling pathway in the occurrence and development of ophthalmic diseases, providing new insights into the clinical treatment of ophthalmic diseases.
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The extrarenal effects of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation are closely related to the regulation of blood pressure. The activation ability of MR varied with age and gender in blood pressure regulation. MR of different types of cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension by increasing the expressions of osteogenic transcription factors, epithelial sodium channels, fibrotic substances and fibrogenic factors, change of vascular L-type calcium channels, aggravation of inflammation and oxidative stress, etc., leading to arterial elasticity weakened, myocardial fibrosis, and water sodium retention. Cell-specific MR block provides a theoretical basis for the development of targeted drugs for treatment of hypertension in the future. The effect of cell-specific MR on the regulation of blood pressure has been reviewed in present paper.
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BACKGROUND: Salvia miltiorrhiza has been widely used in the treatment of osteoporosis in recent years, but its mechanism in human body is not clear. OBJECTIVE: To screen the main active components of Salvia miltiorrhiza and their corresponding targets by the method of network pharmacology, to construct the active components-action target-disease network of traditional Chinese medicine, and to explore the mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the treatment of osteoporosis. METHODS: Firstly, the main active components and related targets of Salvia miltiorrhiza were selected based on the characteristics of pharmacokinetics in the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), and then the known therapeutic targets of osteoporosis were screened from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) and GeneCards database. The Salvia miltiorrhiza target and osteoporosis target were intersected to obtain the common target of traditional Chinese medicine and disease. The traditional Chinese medicine-active ingredient-target-disease regulation network was topologically constructed by using Cytoscape software, and the protein-protein interaction network and bar graph of traditional Chinese medicine-disease target were constructed by using String database to screen the core targets. Finally, the traditional Chinese medicine-disease target was analyzed by GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 65 active ingredients of Salvia miltiorrhiza, 932 related targets, 3 264 disease targets, and 74 Chinese medicine-disease interaction targets were obtained through screening. The analysis based on network pharmacology indicated that the potential active ingredients of Salvia miltiorrhiza in treating osteoporosis mainly include luteolin, tanshinone IIa, cryptotanshinone, etc. These components can activate target proteins such as AKT1, interleukin-6, vascular endothelial growth factor A, and MAPK1 to activate PI3K-Akt, interleukin-17, hypoxia-inducible factor-1, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications. These activated signaling pathways can directly or indirectly participate in cell differentiation and apoptosis, metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response in the treatment of osteoporosis. The role of Salvia miltiorrhiza can be further confirmed by its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-system effects on osteoporosis. However, the above conclusions and specific mechanism of action need to be further studied.