Exploration of the Mechanism about Couplet Medicine of Bupleurum falcatum-Scutellaria baicalensis Intervening in Podocyte Lesion Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To predict the pot ential target and mechanism of Xintong Changluo Method carrier-Compund Shensu Ⅱ couplet medicine of Bupleurum falcatum-Scutellaria baicalensis intervening in podocyte lesion ，and to provide reference for the development of sequential clinical and basic research of Xintong Changluo Method in the prevention and treatment of podocyte lesion. METHODS ：Based on TCMSP database ，chemical components and target protein of B. falcatum and S. baicalensis were retrieved，and Cytoscape 3.2.1 software was used to draw a “TCM-component-target”network. The targets related to podocyte lesion were searched from OMIM database ，DrugBank database and Digsee online text ，and the intersection genes of above targets and“B. falcatum -S. baicalensis ”target were obtained by Venny 2.1.0 online mapping tool. The protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed by STRING database ，and the core targets were obtained by topology analysis of the network by using CytoNCA plug-in Cytospace 3.2.1 software. With the help of DAVID database ，the fu nction of Gene Ontology （GO）was annotated and KEGG pathway was enriched ；and the enrichment results were visualized through OmicShare Tools online mapping platform. RESULTS ：Based on retrieval results of TCMSP database，44 active components were obtained ，involving 13 com of B. falcatum and 32 of S. baicalensis ； stigmasterol is common component of B. falcatum and S. baicalensis Quercetin，kaempferol and wogonin were the compounds withmain potential targets. T he target proteins wi th high node degree were prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2（PTGS2），PTGS1， nuclear receptor coactivator 2 and heat shock protein 90α，which were associated with 37，30，25 and 25 active components respectively. Twenty genes were obtained from the interaction between “B. falcatum -S. baicalensis ”and podocyte lesion related targets，including PTGS2，VEGFA，MMP9，TNF and IL6. PPI network diagram of the above intersection genes contained 20 nodes and 110 lines，with MMP9，VEGFA，IL6 and other genes at the core. The results of GO analysis showed that a total of 154 biological information items were obtained （P＜0.05），including 139 biological process items ，8 cell composition items and 7 molecular function items. Among them ，biological processes mainly involved in the positive regulation of NO biosynthesis process ， inflammatory response ，immune response. Cell composition mainly involved in extracellular space ，extracellular region ，external side of plasma membrane ，etc.，and molecular function mainly involved in protein binding ，cytokine activity ，growth factor activity，etc. At the same time ，47 KEGG pathways were obtained （P＜0.05），mainly including cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction，rheumatoid arthritis ，malaria，cancer signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS ：The active components of Compund Shensu Ⅱ couplet medicine of “B. falcatum -S. baicalensis ”may act on MMP9，VEGFA，IL6，TNF and other targets through cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction ，rheumatoid arthritis ，malaria，cancer signal pathway ，so as to play its intervention effect on podocyte lesion.

Study on the Mechanism of Couplet Medicine of Cuscutae Semen-Lycii Fructus in the Treatment of Premature Ovarian Failure Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To investi gate the potential mechanism of couplet medicine of Cuscutae Semen-Lycii Fructus in the treatment of premature ovarian failure. METHODS ：Main active components and related targets of couplet medicine of Cuscutae Semen-Lycii Fructus in the treatment of premature ovarian failure were obtained from TCMSP ，GeneCards and OMIM database. The intersection genes between them were screened using Venn online tool. Cytoscape 3.7.0 software was adopted to establish the active ingredients-target network and the PPI network. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis on intersection genes were carried out by DAVID database. Finally ，an active component-target-key pathway network was constructed. RESULTS ：Totally 42 active components ，231 and 1 913 targets for active components and disease were obtained from couplet medicine of Cuscutae Semen-Lycii Fructus. The components with high node degree included quercetin ，kaempferol，β-sitosterol，isorhamnetin，glycitein， stigmasterol and sesamin ，etc. There were 149 intersection genes between the active component targets and premature ovarian failure targets. PPI network contained 149 nodes and 2 970 edges，with an average node degree of 39.9 and an average medium of 0.005 4. The results of GO analysis showed that molecule function of the above-mentioned genes mainly involved protein binding ， enzyme binding ，etc. Biological process mainly included that positive regulatio n of transcription from RNA polymerase Ⅱ promoter，positive regulation of transcription DNA-templated ， Cell components mainly included nucleus ，cytoplasm，etc. Signaling pathway mainly involved cancer signaling pathway ， hepatitis B signling pathway ，PI3K/AKT signaling pathway ， MAPK signaling pathway ， etc. The results of active 617693370@qq.com component-target-key pathway network showed that active components of Cuscutae Semen and Lycii Fructus were flavonoids and alcohols ；key target included AKT 1，TP53， VEGFA，IL6，TNF，etc. Signaling pathway mainly involved cancer signaling pathway ，hepatitis B signaling pathway ，PI3K/AKT signaling pathway ，MAPK signaling pathway ，etc. CONCLUSIONS ：Through PI 3K/AKT signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway，the active components of couplet medicine of Cuscutae Semen-Lycii Fructus may act on AKT 1，TP53 and other targets ， and then play a therapeutic role on premature ovarian failure. The Potential active components stigmasterol ，sesamin and potential targets IL 6，TNF were found.

Optimization of Composition Proportion of Compound Ginseng Immune-enhancing Formula and Study of Its Immunomodulatory Activity and Acute Toxicity on Mice / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To optimi ze the optimal composition proportion of 4 ingredients （Panax ginseng ，Astragalus membranaceus，Polygonatum sibiricum ，Lycium chinensis ）in Compound ginseng immune-enhancing formula （CGIF），and to study immune activity and acute toxicity of the extracts with the optimal ratio. METHODS ：The cell activity test was used to screen the crude drug concentration range of 4 ingredients. After treated with different crude drug concentrations of each medicinal material，using the contents of NO ，IL-6 and TNF-α as indexes，uniform design was used to determine the optimal ratio of each ingredient in CGIF. Totally 240 mice were taken and randomly divided into 4 batches，with 60 mice in each batch. Each batch of mice was randomly divided into blank group （normal saline ），model group （normal saline ），positive drug group [levamisole ，4 mg/（kg·d）]，and optimal proportion extract of CGIF low-dose ，medium-dose and high-dose groups [ 0.952 8，1.905 6，3.811 2 g/（kg·d）]，with 10 mice in each group ；they were given medicine intragastrically ，qd，for consecutive 30 d. Except for blank group，mice in the other groups were intraperitoneally injected with cyclophosphamide [ 40 mg/（kg·d）] on the 24th day after first administration，qd，for consecutive 3 d to induce immunocompromised model. The immune activity of the optimal proportion extract was evaluated by determining visceral coefficients ，spleen lymphocyte transformation capacity ，serum contents of hemolysin，IL-2，IgM，IgG and IgA ，phagocytosis function of peritoneal macrophages. Another 20 mice were collected and given the optimal proportion extract 20 mL/kg intragastrically ，twice；acute toxicity of the formula was investigated with oral maximum tolerated dose （MTD）. RESULTS ：The optimal ratio of CGIF was that crude drug mass ratio of P. ginseng ， membranaceus，P. sibiricum ，L. chinensis was 1 ∶ 2 ∶ 2 ∶ 4. The immunological activity experiment showed that theoptimal proportion extract can significantly improve visceral indexes of mice ， spleen lymphocyte proliferation ability serum contents of hemolysin ，IL-2，IgM，IgG and IgA as well as macrophage phagocy tosis ability （P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01）. The acute toxicity test indicated that oral MTD was over 15 g/kg，which was non-toxic. CONCLUSIONS ：The optimal proportion extract of CGIF can significantly enhance the immune function of mice and are non-toxic.

Network Pharmacology Study on the Mechanism of Couplet Medicine of Tripterygium hypoglaucum -Spatholobus suberectus in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To study the mechanism of couplet medicine of Tripterygium hypoglaucum-Spatholobus suberectus in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis （RA）. METHODS： The RA targets were retrieved and obtained by therapeutic target database （TTD）， DrugBank and DisGeNET databases， and the protein protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed to screen its key targets. Using oral bioavailability（OB）≥30％， drug like（DL）≥0.18 and drug half-life （HL） ≥4 h as index， active components were obtained from couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus by using TCM systematic pharmacological analysis platform （TCMSP） and TCM integrated database （TCMID）， and the targets were predicted. The active component-target network of couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus was constructed. Systems Dock Web Site online platform and Genomics platform were used to screen the active component and common targets of RA of couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus； KEGG signaling pathways of common targets were analyzed by using Cluego plug-in unit of Cytoscape 3.2.1 software. RESULTS： Totally 1 956 RA targets were retrieved， involving 11 key targets [such as IL-6， TNF， VEGFA]. The couplet medicine contained 30 active components （including luteolin， erythroxanthin， β-sitosterol and triptolide） and 229 targets. There were 37 common targets for couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus and RA （including MMP2， TNF， VEGFA）. KEGG signaling way involved cell apoptosis， IL-17 signaling pathway， Th17 cell differentiation pathway and TNF signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS： The couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus may play a role in the treatment of RA by acting on cell apoptosis， IL-17 signaling pathway and other signaling pathways through MMP2， TNF， and VEGFA target. The results of this study can provide a reference for further study on the mechanism of the effects of couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus on RA.

Research on the Functional Mechanism of Couplet Medicine of “Bupleuri Radix- Atractylodis macrocephalea Rhizoma”on Mammary Hyperplasia Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To screen the active component， target and pathway of couplet medicine of “Bupleuri Radix- Atractylodis macrocephalea Rhizoma”， and to comprehensively explore its potential mechanism. METHODS： Based on the method of network pharmacology， main active componets and potential targets of  couplet medicine of “Bupleuri Radix-A. macrocephalea Rhizoma” were retrieved from TCMSP， DRAR-CPI， Genecards and OMIM database. The active component-potential target network and interaction network of potential targets were established by Cytoscape 3.6.0 software. Five potential core targets were screened， and its affinity with active components were validated with molecule docking method. GO classified enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of potential targets were carried out to obtain key pathway so as to construct active component-potential target-key pathway network. RESULTS： Totally 17 active components and 47 active component-potential targets were obtained from couplet medicine of “Bupleuri Radix-A. macrocephalea Rhizoma”. Five core targets were obtained， including AKT1， PRKCA， PRKCE， HRas， and PIK3CA. Five signaling pathways were involved， including MAPK pathway， PI3K/AKT pathway， RAS pathway， Estrogen pathway， BMP pathway. CONCLUSIONS： The couplet medicine of “Bupleuri Radix-A. macrocephalea Rhizoma” not only act on multiple targets through multiple components for mammary hyperplasia， but also play a complex network regulation role through the interaction between potential targets.

Study on the Mechanism of Prunus persica -Carthamus tinctorius Couplet Medicine in the Treatment of Osteonecrosis of the Femeral Head Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To study the mechanism of Prunus persica-Carthamus tinctorius couplet medicine in the treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head （ONFH）. METHODS： The network pharmacology was adopted. The active components of P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine and ONFH target were screened through TCM systematic pharmacological analysis platform target （TCMSP）， DRAR-CPI， hnuman gene database （GeneCards） and online medelian inheritance in man （OMIM） using oral availability of compounds （OB）＞30％ and drug like （DL）＞0.18 as standard. Network topology attribute analysis software Cytoscape 3.6.0 was utilized to construct the active components-ONFH targets network. Target protein interaction network was established on the basis of STRING database， and top 5 target proteins in the list of connectivity were screened， and molecular docking server was used to predict the combination activity of active components from P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine. The biological processes of target gene ontology （GO） and metabolic pathways in Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） were enriched and analyzed by DAVID. RESULTS： A total of 44 active components were screened from P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine， including baicalin， quercetin， etc.， and 78 targets related to ONFH including VEGF， VEGI， CRP， etc. Through analysis of molecular docking server， binding activity of active components of P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine to target protein was strong. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that biological process of P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine for ONFH was related with negative regulation of apoptosis process and positive regulation of nuclear factor-κB transcription factor， mainly through regulating secretory glycoprotein signaling pathway， melanogenesis signaling pathway， VEGF signaling pathway， signaling pathway of basal cell carcinoma， adenosine-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS： This study preliminarily validates the major targets and pathways of P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine for ONFH， which lay a foundation for further study on their pharmacological action.

Study on Anti-inflammatory Mechanism of Couplet Medicine of Notopterygium incisum -Angelica pubescens Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To predict the anti-inflammatory active components and mechanism of couplet medicine of Notopterygium incisum-Angelica pubescens. METHODS： According to the principle of oral bioavailability≥30％ and drug- likeness≥0.18， active components of N. incisum and A. pubescens were screened； TCMSP was used to predict and screen the potential target of them. Using “Anti-inflammatory” as keyword， inflammatory related target genes were retrieved from human gene database Genecards. Common target was screened by mapping the target genes of active ingredients from couplet medicine of N. incisum-A. pubescens. The active ingredient-target network was established by using Cytoscape 3.5.1 software. The screened targets were used to construct the target protein interaction （PPI） network on the STRING V 10.5 platform. Its anti-inflammatory mechanism was studied by KEGG signaling pathway and GO biological enrichment analysis. RESULTS： Totally 15 active components such as coumarin， beta-sitosterol， ammidin， nodakenin were selected from couplet medicine of N. incisum-A. pubescens. Acting on 49 targets such as transcription factor AP-1， PI3-kinase subunit gamma， estrogen receptor， they mainly involved 19 signaling pathways such as hepatitis B and cell apoptosis， and were involved in 47 biological processes such as regulating inflammatory response and prostaglandin biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS： The anti-inflammatory mechanism of active components of couplet medicine of N. incisum-A. pubescens on multi-target， multi-channel and multi-biological processes is predicted， and it points out the direction for further anti-inflammatory mechanism study.

Study on the Mechanism of “Astragalus membranaceus -Draba nemorosa ”Couplet Medicine for Heart Failure Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To explore potential mechanism of “Astragalus membranaceus-Draba nemorosa” couplet medicine for heart failure. METHODS： By network pharmacology， based on drug-like and oral bioavailability， the active components of “A. membranaceus-D. nemorosa” for chronic heart failure were screened and the targets of treating chronic heart failure were predicted by using TCMSP，GeneCards database， OMIM database and DRAR-CPI. The active component-chronic heart failure target network was established by Cytoscape 3.6.0 software. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed by utilizing STRING database. Then top 5 targets in the list of connectivity were screened and performed a molecular docking in molecular docking server. Finally， GO bioprocess analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed in DAVID database. RESULTS： The study predicted 28 active components in total， including 20 A. membranaceus and 12 D. nemorosa， such as kaempferol and quercetin， there were four components in common. Totally 92 target gene of active components were obtained， including heat shock protein 90α （HSP90AA1）， tyrosine protein kinase SRC gene， etc. Results of GO bioprocess analysis showed an association with mitochondrial electron transport， mitochondrial intima， cytoplasmic sol， extracellular body， mitochondrial matrix and drug response. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed a link with MAPK signal pathway， TGF signal pathway， PI3K signal pathway， cAMP signal pathway， protein kinase B signal pathway， EPK1 signal pathway and NF-κB signal pathway. CONCLUSIONS： “A. membranaceus-D. nemorosa” couplet medicine exerts therapeutic effects on heart failure from multiple targets as HSP90AA1， SRC and mitochondrial electron transport and MAPK signaling pathway. The study can provide reference for further researches on its material basis and mechanism.

Prescription Rules for the Prescriptions Containing Coptis chinensis-Zingber ojjicinale Couplet Medicine Based on TCM Inheritance Support Platform / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To provide a theoretical basis for the development of the following products of Coptis chinensis- Zingiber ojjicinale couplet medicine （“Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale” for short） prescription. METHODS： The prescriptions containing Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale were collected from the Dictionary of TCM Prescription and input into TCM inheritance support platform software （V2.5） to establish the database. The frequency of major diseases and compatibility medicinal materials were analyzed statistically. The core combination of medicinal materials in the prescriptions containing Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale were analyzed statistically with association rule Apriori algorithm （support degrees were 15％， 20％， 25％， confidence was 0.90）. Top 2 main diseases in the list of frequency， compatibility medicinal materials for dispelling internal cold and medicine for clearing heat with highest compatibility frequency were selected and analyzed in respect of prescription rules. RESULTS： A total of 492 prescriptions containing Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale were screened， 9 kinds of major diseases （frequency≥15）， such as dysentery， diarrhea， accumulation， fullness. There were 21 commonly used compatibility medicinal materials （frequency≥55）， including Angelica sinensis-Panax ginseng， Magnolia officinalis， Aconitum carmichaelii， Scutellaria baicalensis， etc. There were 19 commonly used medicinal materials combinations， including Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale-Panax ginseng， Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale- Magnolia officinalis， Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale-Angelica sinensis. There are 5 kinds of core medicinal materials commonly used in treating dysentery with Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale，and 9 kinds of core medicinal materials for treating dysentery. There are 8 kinds of core medicinal materials in Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale compatible with medicine for dispelling internal cold Aconitum carmichaelii prescription.and 7 core medicinal materials in compatible with medicine for clearing heat Scutellaria baicalensis prescription. CONCLUSIONS： The major diseases treated with prescriptions containing Coptis chinensis-Zingiber ojjicinale are mainly digestive tract diseases. It can treat different diseases being compatible with different medicinal materials， this study aslo can provide theoretical basis for the development of subsequent products.

Transform of Medicinal Properties of Coptis chinensis-Cinnamomum cassia Couplet Medicines before and after Mixing Based on Cold/hot Plate Differentiating Technology / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To explore the transform of the medicinal properties of Coptis chinensis-Cinnamomum cassia couplet medicines before and after mixing. METHODS:Mice were randomly divided into normal group,weak constitution (induced by food restriction and swimming) group,weak constitution+C. chinensis group,weak constitution+C. cassia group,weak constitu-tion+couplet medicine group,prosperous constitution (induced by high protein diet) group,prosperous constitution+C. chinensis group,prosperous constitution+C. cassia group and prosperous constitution+couplet medicine group,with 10 mice in each group. After modeling,each group was given relevant medicine intragastrically by 20 g(crude drug)/(kg·d),and normal group was giv-en equivalent volume of normal saline intragastrically for consecutive 7 days. The proportion of rats remained in high-temperature ar-eas was recorded. Organ index,biochemical index(Na+/K+-ATPase,Ca2+/Mg2+-ATPase),total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC),SOD activity,the serum content of noradrenalin and dopamine were detected. RESULTS:Compared with normal group,proportion of mice in high-temperature area increased in weak constitution group,while liver index,spleen index,renal index,biochemical in-dex activity or content decreased(P<0.05);the change of above index in prosperous constitution group were opposite to weak con-stitution group;above index had statistical significance except for the proportion of mice in high-temperature area(P<0.05). Com-pared with weak constitution/prosperous constitution group,the proportion of mice remained in high-temperature area and liver in-dex increased in weak constitution/prosperous constitution+C. chinensis group,while biochemical index activity or content de-creased(P<0.05);the change of above index in weak constitution/prosperous constitution+C. cassia group were opposite to C. chi-nensis group,spleen index and renal index increased(P<0.05);the proportion of rats remained in high-temperature area increased in weak constitution/prosperous constitution couplet medicine group,and biochemical index activity or content decreased,among which total antioxidant activity decreased significantly(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:The couplet medicine manifests the“cold na-ture”after C. chinensis and C. cassia equally paired,because“hot nature”degree of C. cassia is lower than“cold nature”of C. chi-nensis.

Application and prospect of "couplet medicine" techniques in preservation of Chinese medicinal materials / 中国中药杂志

Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs) are easily to be contaminated by all kinds of molds to produce various mycotoxins due to their internal factors and the external environmental conditions during the growth, harvesting, processing, and especially storage processes. This will not only affect the quality of CMMs, resulting in enormous financial loss, but also influence the safety and effectiveness of CMMs, posing potential threats to human health. With the increase in awareness of "traditional Chinese medicine health" idea, more and more attention has been paid on how to prevent and control these CMMs from being mouldy to guarantee their safety. Some physical and chemical techniques have been restricted for protecting CMMs due to their own disadvantages. As a green, safe and economic strategy for the preservation of CMMs, "couplet medicine" technique based on the principle of "protecting CMM with another CMM" has been developed: two kinds of CMMs are stored together and fight against each other to prevent mildew metamorphism, exhibiting no obvious changes in color, smell and quality. Nowadays, certain application results have been obtained for the "antagonistic storage" method based on the above mode and principle. In this paper, we would review and discuss the mechanism, practical application and the problems of "couplet medicine" technique, and provide scientific evidences for developing safe and effective tools to protect CMMs from being mouldy.