Ethno-pharmacological investigation of Schisandraceae plants in China / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate and arrange the ethno-pharmacological information of Schisandraceae plants in China.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The information was obtained by literature search, specimen inspection, field resource investigation and samples collection.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Twenty-six Schisandraece plants (inlcuding 4 varieties) have been used as folk medicines in different regions of China, the identical medicinal parts of different species in one genus show the similar usage, action and indications, and different medicinal parts with different administrated ways show different action and indications.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results provide reliable information for resource development and comprehensive utilization of Schisandraece plant resource in China.</p>

Metabonomic phenotype of "formula corresponding to pattern types" based on "qi and yin deficiency pattern" of myocardial ischemia rat model / 药学学报

In order to explore the scientific connotation of "Fangzhengduiying (formula corresponding to pattern types)", "Qiyinliangxuzheng (Qi and Yin deficiency pattern)" of myocardial ischemia rat model and GC-TOF/MS based metabonomic method were used for comparing the effects of Sheng-mai injection, Salvia injection and propranolol in the present study. After data processing and pattern recognition, Sheng-mai injection showed better efficacy than the other two drugs in accordance with not only visual observation from PLS-DA scores plots but also the number of abnormal endogenous compounds restored to the normal level. Further studies showed that Sheng-mai injection could normalize the level of plasma endothelin-1, the index related to cardiovascular diseases and sleep disorders, which verified the results of metabonomics. Finally, the regulated metabolites and related metabolic pathways were analyzed, and it was supposed that the effects of Sheng-mai injection involved in the alternation of energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acids metabolism, and so on. These findings provided scientific evidence to Shengmai "Fang" used for "Qi and Yin deficiency pattern" correspondingly, indicating that metabonomics has great potential in traditional Chinese medical research, which provides a novel approach and way to modernization of traditional Chinese medicine.

Effective components against HIV-1 replicative enzymes isolated from plants / 药学学报

Plant active components characterized of many different structures and activities on multiple targets, have made them to be the important sources of inhibitors on HIV-1. For finding leading compounds with new structure against HIV-1, three key HIV-1 replicative enzymes (reverse transcriptase, protease and integrase) were used as screening models. The in vitro activities of 45 plant derived components isolated from Schisandraceae, Rutaceae and Ranunculaceae were reported. Within twelve triterpene components isolated, eight compounds were found to inhibit HIV-1 protease, in these eight active compounds, kadsuranic acid A (7) and nigranoic acid (8), inhibited both HIV-1 protease and integrase; Among fifteen lignans, meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (15) and kadsurarin (16) were active on HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, and 4, 4-di(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenly)-2, 3-dimethylbutanol (13) active on HIV-1 integrase. All of the six alkaloids, seven flavones, and five others compounds were not active or only with low activities against HIV-1 replicative enzymes. Further studies of the triterpene components showing strong inhibitory activities on HIV-1 were warranted.

Effects of combined Chinese drugs and chemotherapy in treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and side effects of combined Chinese drugs and chemotherapy in treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-three patients with stage III B and IV NSCLC hospitalized from October 2001 to October 2008 were enrolled and assigned to two groups using a randomizing digital table, with 33 patients in the treatment group and 30 in the control group. They were all treated with the Navelbine and Cisplatin (NP) chemotherapy, but to the treatment group the Chinese drugs Shengmai Injection () by intravenous dripping and Gujin Granule () by oral intake were given additionally. The main observation indexes were response rate (RR), median survival time, 1-year survival rate and median time to progression (TTP); secondary observation indexes were side effects and cycles of chemotherapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Altogether, 61 patients (33 from the treatment group and 28 from the control group) completed the observation and were assessable. RR was 48.5% (16/33) in the treatment group and 32.2% (9/28) in the control group, and the median survival time were 13 months and 9 months, respectively; the difference between the two groups was significant (P=0.0373 and P=0.014 respectively). However, the differences between groups were insignificant in terms of 1-year survival rate [51.5% (17/33) vs 46.4% (13/28), P=0.4042], median TTP (5.95 months vs 4.64 months, P=0.3242), grade III or IV bone marrow inhibition occurrence rate [33.3% (11/33) vs 39.3% (11/28), P=0.3500], and mean cycles of chemotherapy applied (2.94+/-0.94 cycles vs 2.75+/-0.75 cycles, P=0.4100).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combined Chinese drugs and chemotherapy can enhance the short-term therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of NSCLC and prolong patients' median survival time, but show no evident impact on TTP.</p>

Clinical study on effect of Shenmai Injection in treating congestive heart failure / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the therapeutic effect of Shenmai Injection (SI) in treating congestive heart failure (CHF).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The changes in cAMP, cGMP, serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT, a specific marker reflecting myocardial injury), creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) were simultaneously monitored in 62 chronic CHF patients, distributed in the two groups, the routine treatment group and the routine treatment + SI group, by randomized grouping method, and the therapeutic effect of the two groups was compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The plasma cAMP/cGMP ratio increased in early stage and decreased in late stage of the course of CHF. The serum cTnT level was progressively increased along with heart function deterioration. After treated with SI for 2 weeks, the CHF patients' hemodynamics got stable and heart function obviously improved. No serious adverse reaction was found in the therapeutic course.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The level of serum cTnT might be taken as a reliable biochemical parameter to predict the prognosis of CHF patients. SI is an effective and safe agent in treating CHF.</p>