Historical Evolution and Modern Research Progress of Processing of Scutellariae Radix / 中国实验方剂学杂志

By consulting ancient herbal books and modern literature， this paper systematically sorted out and researched the processing history， relevant processing norms in recent years， modern processing technology， chemical composition changes of processed products and their pharmacological mechanism of Scutellariae Radix， in order to provide a basis for the further development of Scutellariae Radix decoction pieces. According to the textual research of ancient books， there were many kinds of processing auxiliary materials of Scutellariae Radix， such as wine， vinegar， salt， honey， pig bile and so on， among which the wine processing was the most diverse and detailed， and the processed products such as raw products， stir-fried products， wine-processed products， fried charcoal products were still in use. The modern processing techniques of Scutellariae Radix mainly focus on the processing aspects of softening and slicing， wine processing and charcoal frying， and the research methods are relatively unified. At present， it is found that the changed chemical constituents of Scutellariae Radix after processing are flavonoids， polysaccharides， volatile oils and trace elements， etc. Pharmacological effects of processed products are hemostasis， antibacterial， anti-inflammatory， antioxidant， analgesic and antipyretic， treatment of lung diseases， treatment of colitis， etc. However， in the studies of Scutellariae Radix processing， there is a lack of research on the structural changes of chemical components caused by processing and a comprehensive comparative study on the pharmacological effects of various processed products. Based on this， it is suggested to carry out systematic research on the processing technology to processing mechanism， further explore the relationship between the change rule of material basis and pharmacological action before and after processing of Scutellariae Radix， and deepen the exploration of molecular mechanism and clinical application of processed products of Scutellariae Radix， in order to clarify the scientific connotation of the processing mechanism of Scutellariae Radix， and lay a foundation for the subsequent expansion of the application of Scutellariae Radix decoction pieces and the formulation of processing standards.

Research on Material Basis of Homologous and Heterogeneous Effect of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus and Aurantii Fructus Based on Total Statistical Moment Analysis and Molecular Connectivity Index / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the material basis of homologous and heterogeneous effect of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus（AFI） and Aurantii Fructus（AF） based on the total statistical moment analysis and molecular connectivity index（MCI）. MethodRelevant literature at home and abroad and Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform（TCMSP） were consulted to establish the chemical composition database of AFI and AF， and set up their fingerprints by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography（UPLC）， and the total statistical moments and similarity parameters of the fingerprint were calculated. According to MCI， all components of AFI and AF were divided into different component groups， the average values of 0-8th order（0χ-8χ） MCI of the common component groups of AFI and AF were calculated. ResultThe values of total zero-order moment（AUCT） of AFI and AF were （10.57±2.45）×106， （5.09±0.89）×106 μV·s， the values of total first-order moment（MCRTT） were （11.57±1.58）， （12.10±1.29） min， the values of total second-order moments（VCRTT） were（24.49±2.30）， （26.49±2.54） min2， respectively. It showed that qualitative and quantitative parameters of AFI and AF were significantly different. The components with high similarity such as neohesperidin， hesperidin and narirutin were screened as the common potential pharmacodynamic components of AFI and AF. The non-common components of AFI， such as alysifolinone and imperatorin， and the non-common components of AF， such as neoeriocitrin and isosakuranin， with high similarity were screened out as potential heterogeneous components of AFI and AF. The composition groups of AFI and AF were classified into six categories， and the similarities between the composition groups of AFI and AF and the total constituents were 0.872-0.979 and 0.918-0.997， the average values of 0χ-8χ MCI of alkaloids in AFI and AF were 3.65 and 3.14， the average values of 0χ-8χ MCI of flavonoids were 8.47 and 8.47， the average values of 0χ-8χ MCI of volatile oils were 2.71 and 3.48， respectively. It showed that there were some differences in MCI of chemical constituents（groups） between AFI and AF. ConclusionThe chemical constituents（groups） of AFI and AF not only differ in content and species， but also in structural characteristics and structure-activity relationship， which can provide a basis for further explaining the scientific connotation of homologous and heterogeneous effect of AFI and AF.

Pharmacodynamic Substances and Action Mechanisms of Chaihu Shugansan in Antidepressant Treatment： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Depression is a kind of complex mental illness， which is mainly treated by western medicine at present， but the effect of western antidepressant drugs is not good due to the combined influence of side effects and individual differences of patients. Depression is a "stagnation syndrome" in traditional Chinese medicine， and its treatment principle is to disperse stagnated liver Qi for relieving Qi stagnation. The classic traditional Chinese medicine formula Chaihu Shugansan （CHSGS） has a long history of treating depression and demonstrates significant therapeutic efficacy. Clinically， the addition and subtraction of CHSGS is flexible， but the properties of the active ingredients are vague， and the mechanism and function are unclear. In order to elucidate the pharmacodynamic basis and antidepressant mechanism of CHSGS， this article reviews the pharmacodynamic material basis of CHSGS， clinical research and antidepressant mechanism research progress. Clinically， CHSGS can treat various types of depression such as primary depression， post-stroke depression， and postpartum depression. This article summarizes 32 main ingredients of CHSGS， among which albiflorin， ferulic acid， naringin， hesperidin， saikosaponin a， glycyrrhetinic acid， tangeretin， meranzin hydrate， nobiletin and glycyrrhizic acid are the quality markers （Q-markers） for the antidepressant effect of CHSGS. The antidepressant mechanism of CHSGS is complex， including regulating monoamine neurotransmitters， hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal （HPA） axis， neurotrophic factors， inflammatory response， cell damage-related pathways， oxidative stress， etc. This article helps to deeply understand the pharmacodynamic basis and mechanism of CHSGS in treating depression， and provides a theoretical basis for the clinical application of CHSGS in treating depression and the development of antidepressant drugs.

Biological Basis of Premature Ejaculation Based on Theory of "Brain-heart-kidney-semen Chamber" Axis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

The theory of "brain-heart-kidney-semen chamber" axis is proposed based on the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine， the modern physiological characteristics of men's diseases， and clinical practice. According to this theory， dysfunctions of the brain， heart， kidney， and semen chamber are the core mechanisms for the occurrence of premature ejaculation， and the loss of control of the opening and closing of the seminal orifices due to the dysfunction of the semen chamber is the final link in the occurrence of premature ejaculation. The treatment of premature ejaculation based on the theory of "brain-heart-kidney-essence chamber" axis highlights the overall regulation of the Zang-fu organs involved in the disease， while focusing on the simultaneous treatment of the mind and body. By exploring the biological basis of the "brain-heart-kidney-essence chamber" axis and premature ejaculation， we propose that the biological basis of premature ejaculation and the axis is mainly related to the function decline of the local brain area， neuromodulation malfunction， central neurotransmitter imbalance， endocrine disorders， and enhanced sensory afferents of the penis. This study aims at providing a new approach for the prevention and treatment of premature ejaculation by traditional Chinese medicine and a scientific basis for the development of more effective therapeutic methods.

Moral Schema Based on the Integration of the Mechanism of Moral Injury / 中国医学伦理学

Moral injury is a kind of trauma symptom caused by the impact of external immoral events on the internal moral value system of individuals or groups. Its origin lies in the deviation between individual’s internal moral schema and external moral situation. As a collection of moral consciousness units with value orientation in the regular activities of individuals in the moral environment, moral schema is composed of periphery and core. Moral schema realizes the domination of moral ego by supervising individual’s speech and behavior, exercising moderate control over individuals based on moral practice, and examining individual behavior with self-guilt as the tool of judgment. Moral schema is selective about what happened and acts as a filter for trauma events. Based on this, individuals can interpret or be subverted by moral events, thus playing a preventive role in moral injury.

Research progress in quality studies and antiviral effect of Qingyan Dropping Pills / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Qingyan Dropping Pills have the effects of relieving wind and heat, detoxifying, and promoting the pharynx. It is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicines to treat acute and chronic pharyngitis, as well as sore throats and dry throats caused by surgery. Recently, many studies have shown that Qingyan Dropping Pills have certain effects on bacteriostasis, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral activities. As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic enters the post-epidemic era, the regular use of drugs for COVID-19 pandemic symptoms has become a new trend. Therefore, there is a good market prospect to explore and develop Chinese patent medicines with antiviral effects. A preliminary study on the herbal formula and material basis of Qingyan Dropping Pills revealed that they have potential for antiviral applications. In this paper, the research on the quality study and antiviral effect of Qingyan Dropping Pills was reviewed, and the research direction of its secondary development was discussed to provide ideas and references for the new use of old traditional Chinese medicines.

Research progress on the material basis and pharmacological effects of Pien Tze Huang / 药学学报

The medicinal history of Pien Tze Huang is long, and it is the only "double top secret" variety of technology and formula at present. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, detumescence and pain, cooling blood and removing blood stasis. At present, researchers have analyzed and identified some compounds in Pien Tze Huang and its precious medicinal materials, such as Panax notoginseng, calculus bovis, snake gall and musk, and conducted activity screening, pharmacokinetics and pharmacological related studies on these chemical components. It was found that Pien Tze Huang had a significant effect on the treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis, ulcer, colon cancer, liver cancer and other diseases. The purpose of this paper is to systematically discuss the research achievements of researchers in recent years on the material basis, pharmacological effects and clinical application of Pien Tze Huang, with a view to providing ideas for the further research of Pien Tze Huang.

Exploring the material basis of genipin-induced hepatotoxicity in vitro / 药学学报

The current study explored the hepatotoxicity among closed-ring genipin, open-ring tautomer of genipin and gardenia blue that generated from genipin and amino acid reaction using HepaRG cells to identify the material basis of genipin-induced hepatotoxicity in vitro. The effects of temperature, pH value and different kinds of amino acids on the chemical structure tautomerism between closed-ring and open-ring tautomer of genipin and the production of gardenia blue were investigated firstly, which aimed to explicit the conditions that could distinguish the closed-ring genipin and its open-ring tautomer, and the conditions generating gardenia blue, which were applied to prepare different kinds of gardenia blue; the CCK-8 kit was employed to analyze the hepatotoxicity of closed-ring genipin, open-ring tautomer of genipin and gardenia blue. From the results, it was found that, the structure transformation from close-ring to open-ring of genipin could be inhibited under the condition with acid environment; being essential groups to generate gardenia blue, the primary amino group and the open-ring tautomer of genipin reacting to generate the dihydropyridine ring was probably the key structure of gardenia blue; the structure characteristics existed apparent distinction at the reactive temperature of 37 ℃ and 80 ℃; compared to the culture condition with pH = 7.4, the concentration of genipin with close-ring in culture medium was significantly increased at pH = 5, but the cell viability did not decreased; the cell toxicity of gardenia blue was apparently lower than open-ring tautomer of genipin, and even some kinds of gardenia blue showed growth promoting effect on HepaRG cells. Here, it was suggested potentially that open-ring tautomer of genipin be the important material basis to induce hepatotoxicity, which could provide a cue and lay a foundation for the elucidation of the underlying mechanism of genipin-induced hepatotoxicity.

Study on "Spectrum-material-effect" relationship of Compound Muji Granules against liver tumor based on microfluidic chip / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the material basis of anti-tumor effect of Compound Muji Granules. Methods The anti-tumor pharmacodynamics of Compound Muji Granules in vitro was studied by microfluidic chip technology. The fingerprint of Compound Muji Granules was established by HPLC. The "Spectrum-Material-Effect" of Compound Muji Granules was analyzed by grey correlation analysis,partial least squares regression analysis and network pharmacology approach. Results Seven batches of Compound Muji Granules with different extraction methods were successfully established. The results of grey correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between Compound Muji Granules and 7 of the 14 components with pharmacodynamic correlation coefficient >0.80. The contribution of anti liver tumor was peak number 48(luteolin)>6(gallic acid)>19(chlorogenic acid)>59(quercetin)>67(kaempferol)>65(naringin)>38(ellagic acid),in that order. Conclusions Through the establishment of "Spectrum-Material-Effect" research method,it is clear that the above seven active monomers may be the anti-tumor material basis of Compound Muji Granules.

Study on biological basis of primary dysmenorrhea based in different progressive stages based on untargeted metabolomics / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore its potential biological basis and the endogenous metabolic characteristics of urine during the formation of primary dysmenorrhea via untargeted urine metabolomics. Methods Twenty SD rats were randomly divided into control group and model group. The primary dysmenorrhea model was reproduced by estradiol benzoate combined with oxytocin, and the contrrol group took food and water freely. The differential metabolites and core metabolic pathways were found by multivariable pattern recognition method combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The receiver operating characteristic ( ROC ) curve was drawn by metaboanalyst 5.0 platform to evaluate the clinical diagnostic efficacy of core metabolites. Results A total of 46 metabolites with significant differences, such as hippuric acid, phenylacetaldehyde, prostaglandin G2, 6-hydroxy-5-methoxyindole glucuronide, were screened, mainly involving phenylalanine metabolism, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, and arachidonic acid metabolism. ROC curve showed that the area under the curve of four core biomarkers was greater than 0.7. Conclusions Different metabolic maps are presented in different progressive stages of primary dysmenorrhea, mainly involving the disorders of fatty acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism. Meanwhile, the extracted characteristic bi¬omarkers have high diagnostic value for the evaluation of primary dysmenorrhea.

Traditional Chinese medicines for non-small cell lung cancer: Therapies and mechanisms / 中草药·英文版

The most common subtype of lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which has a poor prognosis and seriously threatens the health of human beings. The multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment model has gradually become the mainstream of NSCLC treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can be used effectively either as an adjunctive therapy or alone throughout the NSCLC therapy, which has a significant impact on survival, quality of life, and reduction of toxicity. Therefore, this paper reviewed the theoretical basis, the latest clinical application, and combined treatment mechanisms in order to explore the advantage stage of TCM treatment and the synergistic therapeutic mechanisms.

Medicinal evolution and modern research progress on Mume Fructus / 中国中药杂志

Prunus mume is an edible and medicinal material, and Mume Fructus is its processed product, which was first recorded in Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica(Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing). It is an effective drug for stopping diarrhea with astringents and promoting fluid production to quiet ascaris. By consulting the ancient herbal works of the past dynasties, modern codes, and other rela-ted literature, this paper sorted out the medicinal evolution of Mume Fructus, examined the ancient efficacy of Mume Fructus and the main indications, and summarized the inclusion of Mume Fructus in national and provincial standards. It is recorded in the ancient herbal works of the past dynasties that Mume Fructus can be processed by various methods such as roasting, stir-frying or micro-frying, stir-frying with charcoal, single steaming, steaming with wine, and steaming after soaking in wine or vinegar, and prepared into pills, powders, and ointments, which are used in the treatment of fatigue, diabetes, malaria, dysentery, ascariasis, and other diseases. Mume Fructus has been included in nine editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia and 19 provincial and municipal preparation specifications. The processing method of Mume Fructus is determined, namely, clean P. mume should be softened by moistening in water or steaming and pitted. By reviewing the effects of processing on its chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and its modern clinical application, this paper identified the following issues. The ancient application methods of Mume Fructus are diverse but less commonly used in modern times, there is a lack of standardized research on the processing, and the research on the changes caused by the difference in Mume Fructus before and after processing is not deep. Therefore, it is necessary to further investigate the change pattern of its chemical composition before and after processing and its correlation between its medicinal activity to standardize the processing technology and provide a solid basis for the use of Mume Fructus in parts and its quality control.

Mechanism of tonifying kidney and activating blood therapy for premature ovarian failure:a review / 中国中药杂志

Healthy birth and child development are the prerequisite for improving the overall quality of the population. However, premature ovarian failure(POF) threatens the reproductive health of women. The incidence of this disease has been on the rise, and it tends to occur in the young. The causes are complex, involving genetics, autoimmune, infectious and iatrogenic factors, but most of the causes remain unclear. At the moment, hormone replacement therapy and assisted reproductive technology are the main clinical approaches. According to traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), kidney deficiency and blood stasis are one of the major causes of POF, and TCM with the effects of tonifying kidney and activating blood has a definite effect. Through clinical trials, TCM prescriptions for POF have excellent therapeutic effect as a result of multi-target regulation and slight toxicity. In particular, they have no obvious side effects. A large number of studies have shown that the kidney-tonifying and blood-activating TCM can regulate the neuroendocrine function of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, improve ovarian hemodynamics and microcirculation, reduce the apoptosis of granulosa cells, alleviate oxidative stress injury, and modulate immunologic balance. The mechanism is that it regulates the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt), vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), transforming growth factor(TGF)-β/Smads, nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/antioxidant response element(ARE), and nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB) signaling pathways. This article summarized the pathological mechanisms of tonifying kidney and activating blood TCM in the prevention and treatment of POF and explored the biological basis of its multi-pathway and multi-target characteristics in the treatment of this disease. As a result, this study is expected to serve as a reference for the treatment of POF with the tonifying kidney and activating blood therapy.

Separation, characterization and anti-psoriasis effect of self-assembled nanoparticles from Shaoyao Gancao Decoction / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to separate and characterize self-assembled nanoparticles(SAN) from Shaoyao Gancao Decoction(SGD) and determine the content of active compounds. Further, we aimed to observe the therapeutic effect of SGD-SAN on imiquimod-induced psoriasis in mice. The separation of SGD was performed by dialysis, and the separation process was optimized by single factor experiment. The SGD-SAN isolated under the optimal process was characterized, and the content of gallic acid, albiflorin, paeoniflorin, liquiritin, isoliquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin, and glycyrrhizic acid in each part of SGD was determined by HPLC. In the animal experiment, mice were assigned into a normal group, a model group, a methotrexate group(0.001 g·kg~(-1)), and SGD, SGD sediment, SGD dialysate, and SGD-SAN groups of different doses(1, 2, and 4 g·kg~(-1)) respectively. The psoriasis grade of mice was evaluated based on the pathological changes of skin lesions, the content of inflammatory cytokines, organ index and other indicators. The results showed that SAN obtained by centrifugation at 13 000 r·min~(-1) for 30 min was stable after dialysis for 4 times, which were uniform spherical nanoparticles with the particle size of(164.43±1.34) nm, the polydispersity index of(0.28±0.05), and the Zeta potential of(-12.35±0.80) mV. The active compound content accounted for more than 70% of SGD. Compared with the model group, SAN and SGD decreased the skin lesion score, spleen index, and inflammatory cytokine levels(P<0.05 or P<0.01) and alleviated the skin thickening and infiltration of inflammatory cells. However, the sediment group and the dialysate group had no obvious effect. SGD showed a good therapeutic effect on imiquimod-induced psoriasis in mice, and SAN demonstrated the effect equivalent to SGD in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, we conclude that the SAN formed during decocting is the main active form of SGD, which can lower the levels of inflammatory cytokines, promote the normal differentiation of keratinocytes, and reduce the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the treatment of psoriasis lesions in mice.

Research on material basis and mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine based on intestinal metabolomics / 药学学报

The pharmacodynamic substance of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an important basis for its mechanism and quality control, and also a key scientific issue for the inheritance and development of TCM. However, the complex characteristics of multi-component, multi-target and integrity of TCM, as well as the limitations of modern scientific research technical methods, have brought great challenges to the research. The interactions between Chinese medicine and intestinal flora provide us with a new idea. Based on the effective role of TCM and the hypothesis of correlation between intestinal flora and disease, the research on the material basis and mechanism of action of TCM based on intestinal metabolomics mostly explored the relationship between microflora and host phenotype, gradually deepening, and finally focused on the relationship between intestinal strains and molecular levels. This paper summarized the research ideas and key technologies of this model, in order to provide reference for the application of this model.

Correlation Analysis Between Material Basis and Color Characteristics of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Decoction Pieces During Ancient Classical Nine-time Repeating Steaming and Sun-drying Processing / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo analyze the dynamic changes of the main chemical components and color characteristics of Polygoni Multiflori Radix（PMR） during the process of ancient classical nine-time repeating steaming and sun-drying， and to explore the correlation between the changes. MethodHigh performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） was used to determine the contents of gallic acid， stilbene glycoside， emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside， physcion-8-O-β-D-glucoside， emodin and physcion in PMR during the process of nine-time repeating steaming and sun-drying， and electronic eye technology was used to objectively characterize the color of PMR during the process. Partial least squares（PLS） was used to analyze the correlation between the content of main components and the color characteristics. ResultDuring the nine-time repeating steaming and sun-drying process of PMR， the content of gallic acid gradually increased with the increase of steaming and sun-drying times， and the contents of other components showed fluctuating changes， with an overall decreasing trend in the contents of stilbene glycoside， emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside and physcion-8-O-β-D-glucoside， and an overall increasing trend in the contents of emodin and physcion. The results of electronic eye analysis showed that the color of PMR became dark， red and blue in the process of nine-time repeating steaming and sun-drying. The results of hierarchical cluster analysis（HCA） and principal component analysis（PCA） of the contents of six main components and the colors showed that the samples steamed and sun-dried for one to four times could be grouped into one category， the other five categories of samples could be grouped into another category. Gallic acid and stilbene glycoside were significantly correlated with the color indexes of PMR during the process of nine-time repeating steaming and sun-drying. ConclusionThe general changes of material basis and color characteristics of PMR during the process of ancient classical nine-time repeating steaming and sun-drying have certain rules， and the establishment of the correlation model between color and index components can realize the judgment and quality evaluation of processing degree of PMR decoction pieces.

Analysis of rehabilitation effects of cochlear implantation in elderly patients with prelingual deafness / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective:The auditory and speech rehabilitation effects were assessed by the Categories of Auditory Performance（CAP） and the speech intelligibility rating scale（SIR） after cochlear implantation（CI） in prelingually elderly patients by telephone follow-up or face-to-face conversation. Methods:The clinical data of the prelingually deaf patients who underwent unilateral CI in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Shanxi People's Hospital, from December 2016 to December 2021 were collected. Thirty-eight patients were divided into Group A（SIR 1, 17 cases）, Group B（SIR 2, 10 cases） and Group C（SIR 3, 11 cases） according to the preoperative SIR Score. Nineteen patients with post-lingual hearing impairment were selected as the control group（Group D, 19 cases）. The effects of hearing and speech rehabilitation were evaluated using CAP and SIR Scores before surgery, 6 months after startup, and 1 year after startup. Results:There were no significant differences in CAP scores among the three groups of patients with prelingually deaf patients at 6 months and 1 year after startup（P>0.05）, but there were significant differences between group A and group D at 6 months and 1 year after startup（P<0.05）; the SIR Score of group A had statistical difference before surgery and 6 months after startup（P<0.05）, group B had statistical difference before surgery and 1 year after startup（P<0.05）, and group C and D had no statistical difference before surgery and 6 months and 1 year after startup, respectively（P>0.05）. Conclusion:For the prelingually deaf elderly patients, hearing will develop rapidly 6 months after startup, and the effect of postoperative auditory rehabilitation was positively correlated with the preoperative speech ability. In the aspect of speech, the prelingually dear elderly patients who have poor preoperative speech ability could benefit more from CI early after surgery. CI is not contraindicated in prelingually deaf elderly patients, even those with poor preoperative speech function.

Network pharmacology approaches for research of Traditional Chinese Medicines / 中国天然药物

Pharmacodynamics material basis and effective mechanisms are the two main issues to decipher the mechnisms of action of Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) for the treatment of diseases. TCMs, in "multi-component, multi-target, multi-pathway" paradigm, show satisfactory clinical results in complex diseases. New ideas and methods are urgently needed to explain the complex interactions between TCMs and diseases. Network pharmacology (NP) provides a novel paradigm to uncover and visualize the underlying interaction networks of TCMs against multifactorial diseases. The development and application of NP has promoted the safety, efficacy, and mechanism investigations of TCMs, which then reinforces the credibility and popularity of TCMs. The current organ-centricity of medicine and the "one disease-one target-one drug" dogma obstruct the understanding of complex diseases and the development of effective drugs. Therefore, more attentions should be paid to shift from "phenotype and symptom" to "endotype and cause" in understanding and redefining current diseases. In the past two decades, with the advent of advanced and intelligent technologies (such as metabolomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, single-cell omics, and artificial intelligence), NP has been improved and deeply implemented, and presented its great value and potential as the next drug-discovery paradigm. NP is developed to cure causal mechanisms instead of treating symptoms. This review briefly summarizes the recent research progress on NP application in TCMs for efficacy research, mechanism elucidation, target prediction, safety evaluation, drug repurposing, and drug design.

Qianjin Wenwu decoction suppresses renal interstitial fibrosis by enhancing the degradation of extracellular matrix in mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction / 中国天然药物

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Qianjin Wenwu decoction (QWD), a well-known traditional Korean medicine, has been used for the treatment of DKD, with satisfactory therapeutic effects. This study was designed to investigate the active components and mechanisms of action of QWD in the treatment of DKD. The results demonstrated that a total of 13 active components in five types were found in QWD, including flavonoids, flavonoid glycosides, phenylpropionic acids, saponins, coumarins, and lignins. Two key proteins, TGF-β1 and TIMP-1, were identified as the target proteins through molecular docking. Furthermore, QWD significantly suppressed Scr and BUN levels which increased after unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) and Masson staining results demonstrated that QWD significantly alleviated renal interstitial fibrosis in UUO mice. We also found that QWD promoted ECM degradation by regulating MMP-9/TIMP-1 homeostasis to improve renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and interfere with the expression and activity of TGF- β1 in DKD treatment. These findings explain the underlying mechanism of QWD for the treatment of DKD, and also provide methodological reference for investigating the mechanism of traditional medicine in the treatment of DKD.

Historical Evolution and Modern Research Progress of Processing of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma / 中国实验方剂学杂志

By reviewing the relevant literature of ancient herbal works and modern codices， this paper sorted out the historical evolution and developmental venation of processing of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma. On this basis， the modern research of processed products of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma was used as the breakthrough point to analyze the literature in terms of processing technology， chemical composition changes and changes in pharmacological effects before and after processing. According to the research status of processing of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma， some existing problems were analyzed in this paper， such as not many ancient processing methods used in modern time， lack of standardized research on processing technology. And saponins， polysaccharides， amino acids， flavonoids and other chemical components in Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma may change to different degrees before and after processing， which was the main reason for the difference of efficacy before and after processing. However， the current research on the pharmacological effects of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma mainly focuses on raw products， resulting in a lack of in-depth research on the transformation mechanism of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in processing difference， and the scientific connotation of "Shengxiao Shubu" has not been clearly elaborated， which is not conducive to the standardized clinical use of drugs. Therefore， it is necessary to further analyze the material basis of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and its processed products， and to explore the change rule of chemical components before and after processing and its correlation with pharmacodynamic activity， so as to clarify the processing mechanism for providing scientific basis for its standardized processing， quality control and clinical rational use.