Chinese Medicine Meets Conventional Medicine in Targeting COVID-19 Pathophysiology, Complications and Comorbidities / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate how the National Health Commission of China (NHCC)-recommended Chinese medicines (CMs) modulate the major maladjustments of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), particularly the clinically observed complications and comorbidities.@*METHODS@#By focusing on the potent targets in common with the conventional medicines, we investigated the mechanisms of 11 NHCC-recommended CMs in the modulation of the major COVID-19 pathophysiology (hyperinflammations, viral replication), complications (pain, headache) and comorbidities (hypertension, obesity, diabetes). The constituent herbs of these CMs and their chemical ingredients were from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Information Database. The experimentally-determined targets and the activity values of the chemical ingredients of these CMs were from the Natural Product Activity and Species Source Database. The approved and clinical trial drugs against these targets were searched from the Therapeutic Target Database and DrugBank Database. Pathways of the targets was obtained from Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and additional literature search.@*RESULTS@#Overall, 9 CMs modulated 6 targets discovered by the COVID-19 target discovery studies, 8 and 11 CMs modulated 8 and 6 targets of the approved or clinical trial drugs for the treatment of the major COVID-19 complications and comorbidities, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The coordinated actions of each NHCC-recommended CM against a few targets of the major COVID-19 pathophysiology, complications and comorbidities, partly have common mechanisms with the conventional medicines.

Multi-substituted N-phenyl-2, 2-dichloroacetamide analogues as anti-cancer drugs: design, synthesis and biological evaluation / 药学学报

Our earlier research has shown that mono-substituted N-phenyl-2, 2-dichloroacetamide exhibited much higher anti-cancer activity than the lead compound sodium dichloroacetate (DCA). In this paper, a variety of multi-substituted N-phenyl-2, 2-dichloroacetamides were synthesized and biologically evaluated. The results showed that 3, 5-disubstituted N-phenyl-2, 2-dichloroacetamide analogues had satisfactory potency. Among them, N-(3, 5-diiodophenyl)-2, 2-dichloroacetamide had an IC50 of 2.84 micromol x L(-1) against non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 and could induce cancer cell apoptosis.

Phosphorylated modification of genistein and their interaction with lysozyme / 药学学报

A series of genistein's phosphates were synthesized through a simplified Atherton-Todd reaction and the structures of the phosphates were determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and NMR. In case of monophosporyl derivatives, NMR spectra show that substitutions occur at the 7-position of genistein but not at its 4' and 5-position. Moreover, the non-covalent complexes of lysozyme with the four new genistein phosphates were detected by ESI-MS.

Synthesis of phenyloxyisobutyric acid derivatives and their antidiabetic activity in vitro / 药学学报

<p><b>AIM</b>To design and synthesize new phenyloxyisobutyric acid analogues as antidiabetic compounds.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eight new target compounds were synthesized by combination of lipophilic moieties and acidic moiety with nucleophilic replacement or Mitsunobu condensation. The eight compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR and MS.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In vitro insulin-sensitizing activity (3T3-L1 adipocyte) demonstrated, that the cultured glucose concentration of up-clear solution detected with GOD-POD assay were 5.942, 6.339, 6.226 and 6.512 mmol x L(-1), respectively, when rosiglitazone, pioglitazone, compounds A and B were added to the insulin-resistant system.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In vitro insulin-sensitizing activity of target compound A is in between that of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, and activity of target compound B is slightly less than that of pioglitazone.</p>

Determination of SARS-CoV by simplified nested fluorescent RT-PCR / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a simple rapid and sensitive nested RT-PCR method for detection of SARS coronavirus RNA by designing the specific primers for SARS and optimizing the parameters for PCR.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Primers and fluorescent probes were designed according to the sequences of SARS coronavirus genes available from GenBank. The optimization of the parameters for PCR was performed in PE 7700 thermal cycle. The 36 serum samples and 40 mouthwash of SARS patients and 80 samples of healthy people were tested.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positive rate of patient serum and mouthwash was 33.6%, (12/36) and 67.5%, (27/40), respectively, while the positive rate of healthy people was zero (0/160).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The simple nested RT-PCR method was a rapid, efficient and sensitive one for SARS early diagnosis.</p>

Coxsackie virus B types were discriminated by RT-PCR / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To develop a method for detection of coxsackie B virus type 1-6 by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A pair of primers were designed to amplify all types of coxsackie B virus 1-6 efficiently. The PCR product was hybridized in micro-wells in which 6 type specific oligonucleotide probes had been coated respectively, colorimetric detection was performed to discriminate the types of coxsackie B virus.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>This method was shown to be concordant with the IgM ELISA, 71.7% of anti-coxsackie B positive cases could be detected by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The RT-PCR method can type coxsackie B virus efficiently and provides a tool for clinical diagnosis and epidemiological investigation.</p>