Chinese Expert's Perspectives on Andrological Diseases Responding Specifically to Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

In recent years， the incidence rate of andrological diseases has shown a significant growth trend. Considering the unavailability of a perfect theoretical system for andrology in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） and the complex pathogenesis despite of the limited types of andrological diseases， it is necessary to improve the clinical efficacy of andrological diseases so as to satisfy the needs of patients. Therefore， the China Association of Chinese Medicine （CACM） organized the andrologists of TCM and western medicine and the outstanding young clinicians to discuss the andrological diseases responding specifically to TCM or integrated TCM and western medicine， such as chronic prostatitis， male infertility， benign prostatic hyperplasia， erectile dysfunction， and premature ejaculation， determine their diagnostic criteria in western medicine， and standardize the specifications for TCM diagnosis and treatment based on syndrome differentiation， thus formulating recognized and integrated diagnosis and treatment protocols. Apart from proposing suggestions on the treatment of such andrological diseases with TCM and western medicine， the experts have also figured out the andrological diseases responding specifically to TCM， the optimal intervention time of TCM and western medicine， and the suitable measures including surgery. The resulting consensus helps to better guide the formulation of accurate， personalized， and optimized treatment plans in clinical practice and improve the diagnosis and treatment effects of andrological diseases by giving full play to the advantages of TCM， which will in turn contribute to further innovation and development of TCM.

Obstetric Diseases Responding Specifically to Traditional Chinese Medicine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

In recent years， with the change in life style， social environment， and national childbearing policy， the proportion of high-risk pregnant women has increased significantly， triggering the spectrum of obstetric diseases to constantly change， which has brought new challenges to the diagnosis and treatment of obstetrics. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has been proved effective in dealing with a variety of obstetric diseases， and various treatment methods are available， which can serve as alternative means for solving refractory obstetric diseases. However， most obstetric clinicians are currently less aware of the therapeutic effects of TCM， which has significantly hindered its participation in clinical treatment. Therefore， the China Association of Chinese Medicine （CACM） organized the outstanding young obstetricians of TCM and western medicine to discuss 15 obstetric diseases responding specifically to TCM or integrated TCM and western medicine， including hyperemesis gravidarum， threatened abortion， ectopic gestation， cough during pregnancy， pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome， maternal-fetal ABO incompatibility， postpartum hypogalactia， residual pregnancy tissue in uterine cavity， puerperal infection， pantalgia after childbirth， hematoma/undesirable healing after caesarean section， postpartum urinary retention， ileus after cesarean section， pelvic floor dysfunction， and postnatal depression. The suggestions for their treatment with TCM or integrated TCM and western medicine were also proposed， aiming to provide patients with effective and personalized treatments in clinical practice and improve the diagnosis and treatment effects of obstetric diseases， thus benefiting the public. At the same time， more obstetrical clinicians are expected to understand the therapeutic effects and advantages of TCM and draw on the strengths of both TCM and western， thereby promoting the establishment of an obstetric diagnosis and treatment system with Chinese characteristics.

Mechanism of Wenshen Yangxue Prescription Improving Endometrial Receptivity of Aged Female Mice by Regulating PI3K/Akt/FoxO3A Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the effective components， targets， and possible mechanisms of Wenshen Yangxue prescription in improving endometrial receptivity of aged female mice based on network pharmacology and experimental verification. Method:Based on Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechANism of Traditional Chinese Medicine （BATMAN-TCM） and Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine， the components and targets of Wenshen Yangxue prescription were retrieved， and the targets of ovulatory dysfunctional infertility were collected from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM） and GeneCards with "anovulatory sterility" and "anovulatory infertility" as keywords. The protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed based on STRING and the core targets of Wenshen Yangxue prescription against ovulatory dysfunctional infertility were screened by Cytoscape， followed by Gene Ontology （GO） term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment of the core targets in DAVID database. Then， the "medicinal-component-target-pathway" network was established and the core targets were verified by animal experiment. Result:A total of 253 components and 326 targets of Wenshen Yangxue prescription， 819 disease targets， and 74 common targets were screened out. The common targets were mainly involved in the biological processes such as positive regulation of nitric oxide biosynthetic process， positive regulation of cell proliferation， response to estradiol， aging， response to oxidative stress， and angiogenesis. The GO term of response to oxidative stress and five of the top 20 KEGG pathways were analyzed. According to the "medicinal-component-target-biological process/pathway" network， 41 chemical components in 20 medicinals participated in hypoxia inducible factor-1 （HIF-1） signaling pathway， tumor necrosis factor （TNF） signaling pathway， forkhead box O （FOXO） signaling pathway， Toll-like receptor （TLR） signal pathway， and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway by affecting 35 targets. The results of animal experiment showed that the prescription could increase the expression of PI3K， phosphorylated PI3K （p-PI3K）， Akt， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， forkhead box O3A （FoxO3A）， and phosphorylated FoxO3A （p-FoxO3A） in uterus of aged female ICR mice. Conclusion:Wenshen Yangxue prescription interferes with oxidative stress and PI3K/Akt/FoxO3A signaling pathway by influencing Akt1， dual oxidase 2 （DUOX2）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， heme oxygenase-1 （HMOX1）， myeloperoxidase （MPO）， and other targets， thereby improving endometrial receptivity of aged female mice.

Effects of Panax quinquefolium saponin on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine threonine kinase pathway of neonatal rat myocardial cells subjected to hypoxia / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of Panax Quinquefolium Saponin (PQS) on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine threonine kinase (PI3K/Akt) pathway of neonatal rat myocardial cells subjected to hypoxia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Neonatal rat myocardial cells were cultured in vitro. After the myocardial cell injury was induced by hypoxia, the cells were randomized into 5 groups: the normal group, the model group, the positive control group (Ciclosporin A, 2 µ mol/L), the low-dose PQS group (PQSL, 25mg/L), and the high-dose PQS group (PQSH, 50 mg/L). Morphology and behavior of myocardial cells were observed under an inverted microscope. Apoptosis rate and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage rate of myocardial cells were determined by colorimetry. Mitochondrial transmembrane potential was assessed using a fluorexon laser. Phospho-glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β and phospho-Akt as well as cytochrome C were determined by Western blot</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>LDH leakage in the Ciclosporin A group, PQSH group and PQSL group reduced progressively compared with the model group (P<0.05). Akt and GSK-3β was strongly phosphorylated after treatment with Ciclosporin A and PQS compared with the model group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group (16.41±1.74; 35.28±6.30), both the integrated optical density of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) and the mitochondrial transmembrane potential significantly increased in the PQSH group (42.74±2.12; 71.36±6.54) and the PQSL group (39.58±1.49; 66.99±5.45; P<0.05, P<0.01). However, the protein of cytochrome C outside the mitochondrion decreased in the PQSH group (273.66±14.61) and the PQSL group (259.62±17.31) compared with the model group (502.41±17.76; P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Through activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway and inhibition of the MPTP, PQS might protect the heart against ischemia injury and apoptosis of myocardial cells.</p>

The estrogen-like protective effect of ginsenoside Rb3 on oxidative stress and dysfunction of endothelial cells induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein / 药学学报

Ginsenoside Rb3 (GRb3) is one of the main components in plasma of Panax quinquefolius Saponin of stem and leaf (PQS), which can be into human plasma. Previous studies have found PQS has estrogen-like vascular protective effects. In the present study, we investigated the estrogen-like protective effect of GRb3 on oxidative stress and dysfunction of endothelial cells induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein. The activities of SOD, NOS and the contents of MDA in the cell lysate were examined by enzyme method or spectrophotometry. The NO and ET-1 concentrations in the cell culture supernatant were measured by ELISA method. The iNOS and eNOS mRNA expression were measured by real time RT-PCR, while the phosphorylation levels of Akt was measured by Western blotting. The results showed that GRb3 could enhance the activity of SOD, reduce the content of MDA, increase the level of NOS, NO, ET-1 and iNOS mRNA expression while decrease the eNOS mRNA expression and the phosphorylation level of Akt. These effects were blocked by estrogen receptor antagonist ICI182780. GRb3 can play a role in protecting vascular endothelial cells by estrogen receptors, the protective mechanism is similar to 17-β estrodiol.

Influence of high blood glucose fluctuation on endothelial function of type 2 diabetes mellitus rats and effects of Panax Quinquefolius Saponin of stem and leaf / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the influence of high blood glucose fluctuation on the endothelial function of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats and the effects of Panax Quinquefolius Saponin (PQS) of stem and leaf.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The T2DM model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of a small dose of streptozotocin (STZ, 35 mg/kg) plus high fat and high caloric laboratory chow. Then, diabetic rats were divided into steady high blood glucose (SHG) group and fluctuant high blood glucose (FHG) group according to fasting blood glucose coefficient of variation (FBG-CV), and then, the FHG group rats were divided into 4 groups according to the level of FBG-CV and fasting blood glucose: PQS 30 mg/(kg·d) group, PQS 60 mg/(kg·d) group, metformin hydrochloride control (MHC) group, and FHG control group, 10 in each group. Meanwhile, 10 rats without any treatment were used as normal control (NOR) group. Eight weeks later, the aortic arteries histology, plasma hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and serum nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In comparison with the NOR group, the level of plasma HGF and serum NO, ET-1 and TNF-α, and sICAM-1 in SHG and FHG control groups were all significantly increased (P<0.01); in comparison with the SHG group, plasma HGF and serum NO, ET-1, TNF-α, and sICAM-1 in FHG group were all significantly increased further (P<0.01 or P<0.05); meanwhile, in comparison with the FHG control group, the level of plasma HGF and serum NO, ET-1, TNF-α, and sICAM-1 in PQS and MHC groups were all decreased significantly (P<0.01). However, comparison of the aortic arteries histology among groups showed no significant differences either before or after treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Blood glucose fluctuation could facilitate the development of vascular endothelial dysfunction in T2DM rats, while PQS could improve the endothelial function of T2DM rats with high blood glucose fluctuation, which may be related to its effects of relieving vessel stress, decreasing vasoconstrictor ET-1 production, preventing compensated increase of NO, and reducing inflammatory reaction.</p>

Correlation between Fc γ R III a and aortic atherosclerotic plaque destabilization in ApoE knockout mice and intervention effects of effective components of chuanxiong rhizome and red peony root / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the correlation between Fc γ RIII A (CD16A) and aortic atherosclerotic plaque destabilization in apoE knockout (apoE KO) mice and the intervention effects of effective components of chuanxiong rhizome and red peony root.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eight 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were selected as the control group. Forty 8-week-old male apoE KO mice were randomly divided into the model group, apoE KO + intraperitoneal injection immunoglobulin group (IVIG), apoE KO + simvastatin group (Sm), apoE KO + high dosage of xiongshao capsule (XSC) group (XSCH), and apoE KO + low dosage of XSC group (XSCL), 8 mice in each group. Mice in the control group were put on a normal diet, and others were fed with a high-fat diet. After 10-week different interventions, monocyte CD16 expression was detected by flow cytometry, aortic matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) mRNA expression was detected using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α level was detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, monocyte CD16 expression, aortic MMP-9 mRNA expression, and serum TNF-α level in the model group increased obviously (P<0.01). Injections of apoE KO mice with intraperitoneal immunoglobulin during a 5-day period significantly reduced the monocyte CD16 expression, aortic MMP-9 mRNA expression, and serum TNF-α level (P<0.01 or 0.05) over a 10-week period of high-fat diet. Indices above in the Sm group, XSCH group, and XSCL group decreased in a different degree. Of them, the aortic MMP-9 mRNA expression in XSCH group was lower than that in Sm group (P<0.05) and the monocyte CD16 expression and serum TNF-α level showed no significant difference between XSCH group and Sm group (P>0.05). Correlation analyses suggested positive correlation between monocyte CD16 expression and aortic MMP-9 mRNA expression or serum TNF-α level in IVIG group, XSCH group, and XSCL group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>FcγR III A mediates systemic inflammation in the progression of coronary heart disease with blood stasis syndrome. XSC could stabilize atherosclerotic plaque by suppressing inflammation and its target was relative with FcγRIII A.</p>