Huoxue Qianyang Qutan Recipe Protects against Early Renal Damage Induced by Obesity-Related Hypertension via the SIRT1/NF-κB/IL-6 Pathway: Integrating Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation-Based Strategy.

Obesity is recognized as not only a major contributing factor to cardiovascular diseases but also an independent risk factor for end-stage renal disease. Previous studies have found that Huoxue Qianyang Qutan Recipe (HQQR) could reduce urinary microalbumin in patients with obesity-related hypertension (OBH). However, the renal protective activity of HQQR in OBH and its molecular targets involved remains ambiguous. In this work, we investigate the mechanism of HQQR against OBH-induced early renal damage using integrating network pharmacology and experimental validation-based strategy. First, via network pharmacology, IL-6 is identified as one of the key targets of HQQR against early renal damage in hypertension, and inhibition of inflammation is a crucial process. Second, in in vivo experiments, HQQR can lower blood pressure, lose weight, and restore metabolic abnormalities in OBH rats, which could be associated with the effects on protecting early renal damage. Finally, in the mechanism, HQQR increases SIRT1 mRNA and protein expression consistent with reduction of NF-κB acetylation and suppressed the p65-mediated inflammatory signaling pathway. As a result, HQQR robustly inhibits OBH-induced renal inflammation by reducing IL-6 mRNA and protein levels in the renal tissue and the release of IL-6 in serum of OBH rats. This study aims to provide a multimethod (network pharmacology-animal experiment) and multilevel (component-target-pathway) strategy for the prevention and treatment of OBH-induced target organ damage by traditional Chinese medicine.

Neuropsychological features in post-stroke cognitive impairment with no dementia patients with different Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate neuropsychological features of post-stroke cognitive impairment with no dementia (PSCIND) patients with different Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes. METHODS: We recruited 50 patients with PSCIND between April 2012 and March 2013. Patients were divided into different groups according to TCM classifications. Patients were assessed using neuropsychological tests, including cognitive screening (mini-mental state examination), memory testing (auditory verbal learning test), executive/attention [shape trails test, stroop color-word test (SCWT), reading the mind in the eyes test, the digit ordering test-A (DOT-A), and symbol digit modalities test], language (action naming test, Boston naming test, famous face test, similarity test, and verbal fluency test), and visuospatial functioning [complex figure test (CFT)]. RESULTS: We found no significant differences between patients with and without a diagnosis of turbid phlegm blocking the upper orifices on neuropsychological test performance. Patients diagnosed with upper hyperactivity of liver Yang syndrome scored significantly lower on the SCWT-C executive test and the CFT-delayed recall memory test. Patients with excess syndrome scored significantly lower on the SCWT-C executive test, and significantly higher on the DOT-A executive test. CONCLUSION: Neuropsychological characteristics differ between PSCIND patients with different TCM classifications.