Analysis and verification of the effect of Yi Qi Yang Yin decoction on rheumatoid arthritis / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

AIM: Yi Qi Yang Yin Decoction (YQYY) has been used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and achieved good results in clinical applications, but the mechanism still needs to be explored. The purpose was to investigate the mechanism of YQYY in rats with collagen-induced arthritis. METHODS: The possible treatment target and signaling pathway were predicted by bioinformatics and network pharmacology analysis. Elisa,quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western Blot were used to verify the mechanism of YQYY in treating RA. RESULTS: FABP4, MMP9 and PTGS2 were the most common predicational therapeutic targets. The results of pathology and CT showed that YQYY could improve ankle swelling, synovitis and bone erosion in CIA rats. Compared with the model group, YQYY or YQYY+MTX can significantly reduce the secretion of CRP, TNF-α, IL-1β and FABP4 in serum of CIA rats (P<0.05 or P<0.01), meanwhile, reduce the mRNA of FABP4, IKKα and p65 in synovial tissue (P<0.01), PPARγ was increased (P<0.01). YQYY could significantly reduce the expression of FABP4, IKKα and pp65 proteins in synovium, and suppress the activate of NF - κB signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: FABP4, MMP9 and PTGS2 may be the targets of YQYY decoction for RA treatment. YQYY can relieve joint symptoms in CIA rats, and regulate inflammation by inhibiting FABP4 / PPARγ/NF - κB signaling pathway, playing a role in the treatment of RA. The effect of YQYY combined with MTX was more prominent. This provided experimental evidence for the efficacy of YQYY decoction in clinical practice.

Complement System and Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy / 中国医科大学学报

Although immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN) is considered as an immune-mediated inflammatory disease,the pathogenesis and mechanisms associated with its progression have not been completely understood.To date,the potential pathogenesis of IgAN is thought to be a possible increase of galactose-deficient IgA1,followed by binding to antiglycan antibodies to form immune complexes,which are deposited in the glomerular mesangium and lead to the activation of complement pathways and initiation of immune-mediated inflammation.Activation of alternative and lectin complement pathways,complement components,and complement regulatory proteins play important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of IgAN.Complement components and complement regulatory factors in the renal tissue,urine,and serum samples are considered to be useful predictive biomarkers to evaluate the activation of the complement system and determine the prognosis of IgAN.The application of novel techniques such as the genome-wide association study would promote further research to determine the role and mechanisms of action of the complement system,whereby it could be used as a new therapeutic target for the management of IgAN.