[Mechanism of astragaloside â £ combined with Panax notoginseng saponins in regulating angiogenesis to treat cerebral ischemia based on network pharmacology and experimental verification].

Network pharmacology and animal and cell experiments were employed to explore the mechanism of astragaloside Ⅳ(AST Ⅳ) combined with Panax notoginseng saponins(PNS) in regulating angiogenesis to treat cerebral ischemia. The method of network pharmacology was used to predict the possible mechanisms of AST Ⅳ and PNS in treating cerebral ischemia by mediating angiogenesis. In vivo experiment: SD rats were randomized into sham, model, and AST Ⅳ(10 mg·kg~(-1)) + PNS(25 mg·kg~(-1)) groups, and the model of cerebral ischemia was established with middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) method. AST Ⅳ and PNS were administered by gavage twice a day. the Longa method was employed to measure the neurological deficits. The brain tissue was stained with hematoxylin-eosin(HE) to reveal the pathological damage. Immunohistochemical assay was employed to measure the expression of von Willebrand factor(vWF), and immunofluorescence assay to measure the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA). Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2(VEGFR2), VEGFA, phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(p-PI3K), and phosphorylated protein kinase B(p-AKT) in the brain tissue. In vitro experiment: the primary generation of rat brain microvascular endothelial cells(rBEMCs) was cultured and identified. The third-generation rBMECs were assigned into control, model, AST Ⅳ(50 µmol·L~(-1)) + PNS(30 µmol·L~(-1)), LY294002(PI3K/AKT signaling pathway inhibitor), 740Y-P(PI3K/AKT signaling pathway agonist), AST Ⅳ + PNS + LY294002, and AST Ⅳ + PNS + 740Y-P groups. Oxygen glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation(OGD/R) was employed to establish the cell model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. The cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) and scratch assay were employed to examine the survival and migration of rBEMCs, respectively. Matrigel was used to evaluate the tube formation from rBEMCs. The Transwell assay was employed to examine endothelial cell permeability. Western blot was employed to determine the expression of VEGFR2, VEGFA, p-PI3K, and p-AKT in rBEMCs. The results of network pharmacology analysis showed that AST Ⅳ and PNS regulated 21 targets including VEGFA and AKT1 of angiogenesis in cerebral infarction. Most of these 21 targets were involved in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. The in vivo experiments showed that compared with the model group, AST Ⅳ + PNS reduced the neurological deficit score(P<0.05) and the cell damage rate in the brain tissue(P<0.05), promoted the expression of vWF and VEGFA(P<0.01) and angiogenesis, and up-regulated the expression of proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway(P<0.05, P<0.01). The in vitro experiments showed that compared with the model group, the AST Ⅳ + PNS, 740Y-P, AST Ⅳ + PNS + LY294002, and AST Ⅳ + PNS + 740Y-P improved the survival of rBEMCs after OGD/R, enhanced the migration of rBEMCs, increased the tubes formed by rBEMCs, up-regulated the expression of proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway, and reduced endothelial cell permeability(P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the LY294002 group, the AST Ⅳ + PNS + LY294002 group showed increased survival rate, migration rate, and number of tubes, up-regulated expression of proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway, and decreased endothelial cell permeability(P<0.05,P<0.01). Compared with the AST Ⅳ + PNS and 740Y-P groups, the AST Ⅳ + PNS + 740Y-P group presented increased survival rate, migration rate, and number of tubes and up-regulated expression of proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway, and reduced endothelial cell permeability(P<0.01). This study indicates that AST Ⅳ and PNS can promote angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Treatment of Cerebral Ischemia-reperfusion Injury by Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury （CIRI） is a complex cascade reaction process in which the blood flow and oxygen supply of brain tissue in the infarcted area recover after cerebral ischemia， resulting in secondary injury of ischemic brain tissue. At present， thrombolysis as soon as possible and restoration of cerebral blood supply are still the only strategies for the treatment of stroke， but a considerable number of patients' symptoms will be more serious after reperfusion， making patients face adverse outcomes such as neurological function injury and even death and seriously affecting the quality of life and safety of patients. Therefore， an in-depth exploration of the mechanism and treatment strategy of CIRI has important clinical significance. The phosphatidylinositol 3- kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway is one of the classic anti-apoptosis/reproductive-promoting signal transduction pathways， which is responsible for cell proliferation， growth， and differentiation. It is the key cascade signaling pathway of CIRI， located at the core site in many mechanisms such as mitochondrial disorder， apoptosis， autophagy， oxidative stress， and inflammation. It is closely related to the occurrence and development of CIRI. Traditional Chinese medicine has been used in the clinical treatment of stroke and its complications for thousands of years， and the clinical effect of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of CIRI has been affirmed by a large number of research results in recent years. It is further clarified that the monomers， active components， and their compound prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine can directly or indirectly regulate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by virtue of the biological advantages of multi-targets， multi-components， and multi-pathways and play an overall protective role in CIRI. By analyzing the related research progress of traditional Chinese medicine in China and abroad in recent years， the authors summarized the role and mechanism of regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the prevention and treatment of CIRI， so as to provide further theoretical basis for the study of the mechanism of clinical prevention and treatment of CIRI.

Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma Powder Treats Dyslipidemia via PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma powder in treating dyslipidemia by regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway. MethodSixty patients with dyslipidemia （syndrome of combined phlegm and stasis） treated in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from May 2021 to June 2022 were selected in this study and randomized into two groups according to the randomized， double-blind control principle. The control group was treated with Xuezhikang capsules + Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma powder placebo and the observation group with Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma powder + Xuezhikang capsules placebo for 6 weeks. The clinical efficacy， traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， and liver and kidney function indicators were evaluated at weeks 0， 3， and 6. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to determine the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， kinase insert domain receptor （KDR）， epidermal growth factor （EGF）， and epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） in the peripheral serum. Quantitative Real-time PCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of KDR， EGFR， PI3K， and Akt in the mononuclear cells of the peripheral blood. ResultThe observation group （83.33%） showed the total effective rate comparable to that of the control group （89.66%） and no adverse reactions. Compared with before treatment， the patients in the observation group showed decreased TCM syndrome score and serum levels total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） and after being treated for 3 and 6 weeks （P<0.05）， the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） showed an upward trend, but the difference was not statistically significant. After treatment， the two groups showed no significant differences. Compared with that before treatment, the mRNA expression of PI3K, Akt and EGFR in peripheral blood mononuclear cell and the expression of EGF, VEGF and KDR in serum of the observation group showed a downward trend with time, in which the mRNA expression of PI3K, Akt, VEGF and KDR decreased more significantly (P<0.05)，The expression levels of KDR mRNA and serum EGFR show a trend of first increasing and then decreasing.Compared with the control group after treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in mRNA expression of PI3K, Akt, EGFR, and KDR, as well as serum levels of EGF, EGFR, VEGF, and KDR between the two groups of patients at the same time point. ConclusionNotoginseng Radix et Rhizoma powder is safe and effective in correcting dyslipidemia. It may inhibit the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by down-regulating the expression of VEGF/KDR to lower the blood lipid level.

Effect and Mechanism of Zuojinwan on DSS-induced Ulcerative Colitis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the effect and mechanism of Zuojinwan （ZJW） in the treatment of ulcerative colitis （UC） through network pharmacology and experimental validation. MethodUsing network pharmacology and molecular docking， the active components and potential mechanism of ZJW in treating UC were preliminarily identified. Forty-eight male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a normal group， a model group， a sulfasalazine group （300 mg·kg-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose ZJW groups （1.82， 3.64， 7.28 g·kg-1）. The UC model was induced by dextran sulfate sodium （DSS）， and oral administration of drugs began on the third day of modeling， lasting for 7 days. The general condition of mice was observed daily， and the disease activity index （DAI） was evaluated. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe histopathological changes in colon tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to measure the levels of tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α， interleukin （IL）-6， and IL-10 in mouse serum. The molecular mechanism was validated using Western blot. ResultNetwork pharmacology predicted that the phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway might be a key pathway in the regulation of UC by ZJW. Molecular docking results showed good binding ability between the key components of ZJW and core targets. Animal experiment results showed that compared with the normal group， the model group had shortened colon length （P<0.01）， increased DAI scores， spleen index， colon tissue pathology scores， and levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased PI3K， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， and B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）-associated X protein （Bax） expression in colon tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and decreased serum IL-10 levels and colon tissue Bcl-2 protein expression （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the ZJW groups showed significant improvement in UC symptoms， relieved colon tissue pathological damage， downregulated levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 in serum （P<0.01）， inhibited expression of PI3K， p-Akt， and Bax proteins in colon tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and increased serum IL-10 levels and colon tissue Bcl-2 protein expression （P<0.01）， with the high-dose group showing the best effect. ConclusionZJW effectively alleviates DSS-induced UC， and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and regulation of apoptosis-related protein expression.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Monomers in Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy by Regulating PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Diabetes retinopathy （DR） is an important cause that threatens the visual health of adults. There are some treatment methods of western medicine with definite efficacy， such as anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and laser photocoagulation， but they have many adverse reactions such as intraocular infection and visual field damage. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） therapies are safe and effective， which can complement western medicine. Phosphatidylinositol3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway regulates a range of processes including glucose metabolism， cell proliferation， and cell transcription and apoptosis， which is closely related to the occurrence and development of DR. Numerous studies have shown that TCM monomers can participate in maintaining the integrity of blood-retinal barrier and inhibiting retinal neovascularization and neurodegeneration in many aspects such as inhibiting oxidative stress and alleviating inflammatory reaction by regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway， so as to delay the progress of DR. Therefore， this study reviewed PI3K/Akt pathway and its relationship with DR， as well as the TCM monomers in interfering with DR based on PI3K/Akt pathway to provide some ideas for the prevention and treatment of DR in integrated TCM and western medicine.

Mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles afford neuroprotection by modulating PI3K/AKT pathway and calcium oscillations.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are widely recognized as potential effectors in neuroprotective therapy. The protective properties of MSC were considered to be associated with the secretion of extracellular vesicles (MSC-EV). We explored the effects of MSC-EV in vivo on models of traumatic and hypoxia-ischemia (HI) brain injury. Neuroprotective mechanisms triggered by MSC-EV were also studied in vitro using a primary neuroglial culture. Intranasal administration of MSC-EV reduced the volume of traumatic brain damage, correlating with a recovery of sensorimotor functions. Neonatal HI-induced brain damage was mitigated by the MSC-EV administration. This therapy also promoted the recovery of sensorimotor functions, implying enhanced neuroplasticity, and MSC-EV-induced growth of neurites in vitro supports this. In the in vitro ischemic model, MSC-EV prevented cell calcium (Ca2+) overload and subsequent cell death. In mixed neuroglial culture, MSC-EV induced inositol trisphosphate (IP3) receptor-related Ca2+ oscillations in astrocytes were associated with resistance to calcium overload not only in astrocytes but also in co-cultured neurons, demonstrating intercellular positive crosstalk between neural cells. This implies that phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/AKT signaling is one of the main pathways in MSC-EV-mediated protection of neural cells exposed to ischemic challenge. Components of this pathway were identified among the most enriched categories in the MSC-EV proteome.

Shenbai Jiedu Prescription Inhibits Proliferation of Colorectal Cancer Cells by Regulating PTEN/PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo study the mechanism of Shenbai Jiedu prescription inhibiting the proliferation of HCT116 colorectal cancer （CRC） cells by regulating the phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten （PTEN）/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/ protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway. MethodShenbai Jiedu prescription was extracted by water extraction and alcohol precipitation to prepare freeze-dried powder. HCT116 cells were cultured in vitro， and treated with different concentrations of Shenbai Jiedu prescription （2， 4， 8， 16 g·L-1）. The inhibitory effect of Shenbai Jiedu prescription on the proliferation of HCT116 cells was tested by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT）. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of PTEN， PI3K， Akt， glycogen synthase kinase-3β （GSK-3β）， c-Myc， survivin and Cyclin D1. Western blot was employed to measure the protein expression levels of PTEN， phosphorylated PTEN （p-PTEN）， PI3K， Akt， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， GSK-3β， phosphorylated GSK-3β （p-GSK-3β）， c-Myc， survivin and Cyclin D1， β-catenin nuclear import was explored by immunofluorescence assay. ResultCompared with the control group， Shenbai Jiedu prescription inhibited the proliferation of HCT116 cells in a dose-dependent manner （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group， the mRNA expression levels of PTEN and GSK-3β were up-regulated whereas those of PI3K， Akt， c-Myc， survivin and CyclinD1 were down-regulated after treatment with Shenbai Jiedu prescription （P<0.01）. The protein expression levels of PTEN， p-PTEN and GSK-3β were up-regulated whereas those of PI3K， Akt， p-Akt， GSK-3β， p-GSK-3β， c-Myc， survivin and CyclinD1 were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Immunofluorescence assay showed that Shenbai Jiedu prescription suppressed β-catenin nuclear import in HCT116 cells. ConclusionShenbai Jiedu prescription inhibited the proliferation of HCT116 cells via the mechanism of regulating the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Effect of Wumeiwan-medicated Serum on Proliferation， Invasion， Migration， Apoptosis of Pancreatic Cancer Cells Based on PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Wumeiwan-medicated serum on the proliferation， invasion， migration， and apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer SW1990 cells and explore the underlying mechanism. MethodThe Wumeiwan-medicated serum was prepared and the pancreatic cancer SW1990 cell line was cultured in vitro. The optimal time of Wumeiwan-medicated serum was selected for subsequent experiments by cell counting kit-8（CCK-8）. SW1990 cells were divided into a control group and low- （2%）， medium- （4%）， and high-dose （8%） Wumeiwan-medicated serum groups. The colony-forming， migration， and invasion abilities were detected by clonogenic assay， wound healing assay， and transwell migration assay. Flow cytometry was used to detect the effect of Wumeiwan-medicated serum on the apoptosis of pancreatic cancer SW1900 cells. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins， such as B-cell lymphoma-2（Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， cytochrome C （Cyt C）， cleaved cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-3 （cleaved Caspase-3）， cleaved cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-9 （cleaved Caspase-9）， as well as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase（PI3K）， phosphorylated PI3K（p-PI3K）， protein kinase B （Akt）， and phosphorylated Akt（p-Akt）in PI3K/Akt pathway in SW1990 cells. ResultCompared with blank group， Wumeiwan groups showed decreased absorbance （A） 72 h after drug intervention （P<0.01）. Compared with the low-dose group， the medium- and high-dose groups showed decreased A （P<0.01）. Compared with the medium-dose group， the high-dose group showed decreased A （P<0.01）. It indicates that Wumeiwan can inhibit SW1990 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner after 72 h， and the optimal action time is 72 h. Compared with the blank group， the Wumeiwan groups showed weakened invasion of SW1990 cells （P<0.01）， reduced colony-forming and migration abilities （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner， and increased total apoptosis rates （P<0.01）. The inducing effect of Wumeiwan on apoptosis increased with the increase in dosage. Compared with the blank group， the Wumeiwan groups showed decreased protein expression of Bcl-2 （P<0.01）， increased protein expression of cleaved Caspase-3， cleaved Caspase-9， Cyt C， and Bax （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a certain dose-effect relationship， reduced protein expression of p-PI3K and p-Akt （P<0.05， P<0.01） with the increase in dosage， and declining p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt （P<0.05， P<0.01） with the increase in dosage. ConclusionWumeiwan-medicated serum can significantly inhibit the malignant biological behaviors of pancreatic cancer SW1990 cells and induce apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and down-regulation of protein phosphorylation level in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Mechanism of Dendrobium huoshanense in Treatment of Gastric Ulcer： Based on Network Pharmacology and in Vivo Experiment / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Dendrobium huoshanense in the treatment of gastric ulcer （GU） based on network pharmacology and in vivo experiment. MethodThe active components of D. huoshanense were searched from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP） and literature， and the targets of the components were screened from TCMSP and SwissTargetPrediction. GU-related genes were retrieved from GeneCards， Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM）， and DisGeNET. Thereby， the common targets of the disease and the medicinal were yielded and the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed， followed by Gene Ontology （GO） term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment. According to the predicted results， hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， immunohistochemistry， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， Western blot， and real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to validate the effects of D. huoshanense on acetic acid-induced GU in rats. ResultA total of 63 active components of D. huoshanense and 37 target genes of D. huoshanense for the treatment of GU were screened out. PPI network analysis yielded several possible core anti-GU targets of D. huoshanense. They influenced the development of GU by acting on signaling pathways such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）， hypoxia inducible factor-1 （HIF-1）， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， and nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， and various biological processes. The in vivo experiment showed that D. huoshanense significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and TNF-α in the serum of model rats （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased gastric blood flow （GBF） at the ulcer margin， raised the expression of epidermal growth factor （EGF） and epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） at the ulcer margin （P<0.01）， significantly down-regulated protein and mRNA expression of PI3K and Akt， and up-regulated protein and mRNA expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten （PTEN） in the gastric tissues of GU rats （P<0.01）. ConclusionThrough regulating EGFR/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， D. huoshanense can inhibit tissue inflammation， increase gastric microcirculatory blood flow at the ulcer margin， and promote cell proliferation and repair of damaged gastric mucosa.

Monomer Components of Chinese Herbal Medicines Regulate PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway to Inhibit Bladder Cancer： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Bladder cancer is the most prevalent malignant tumor in the urinary tract in China. Western medical treatments， including long-term regular endoscopy， intravesical chemotherapy， immunotherapy， and radical cystectomy， are effective， whereas the high recurrence rate still plagues both doctors and patients. Among the classical signaling pathways involved in the formation and progression of bladder cancer， the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway is a key one. Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that Chinese herbal medicines and their monomer components can alleviate the discomfort， prolong the survival， and improve the quality of life of the patients undergoing tumor treatment. The relevant literature in the past decade has revealed that flavonoids， terpenoids， polysaccharides， gambogic acids， bibenzyls， and alkaloids from Chinese herbal medicines regulate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to play a role in the proliferation， apoptosis， invasion， migration， drug resistance， and autophagy of bladder cancer cells， thereby exerting the activity against bladder cancer. Although some targets and the potential mechanisms of the monomer components in the treatment of bladder cancer have been clarified， the research on the monomer components is limited to in vitro cellular experiments and animal experiments. Researchers face the great challenge in the application of the monomer components from Chinese herbal medicines into clinical practice. We summarized the recent studies about the regulatory effects of monomer components from Chinese herbal medicines on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in bladder cancer， aiming to give insights into the research on the drug therapy of bladder cancer and the underlying mechanism.

Monomer Components of Chinese Herbal Medicines Regulate PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway to Inhibit Bladder Cancer： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Bladder cancer is the most prevalent malignant tumor in the urinary tract in China. Western medical treatments， including long-term regular endoscopy， intravesical chemotherapy， immunotherapy， and radical cystectomy， are effective， whereas the high recurrence rate still plagues both doctors and patients. Among the classical signaling pathways involved in the formation and progression of bladder cancer， the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway is a key one. Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that Chinese herbal medicines and their monomer components can alleviate the discomfort， prolong the survival， and improve the quality of life of the patients undergoing tumor treatment. The relevant literature in the past decade has revealed that flavonoids， terpenoids， polysaccharides， gambogic acids， bibenzyls， and alkaloids from Chinese herbal medicines regulate the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to play a role in the proliferation， apoptosis， invasion， migration， drug resistance， and autophagy of bladder cancer cells， thereby exerting the activity against bladder cancer. Although some targets and the potential mechanisms of the monomer components in the treatment of bladder cancer have been clarified， the research on the monomer components is limited to in vitro cellular experiments and animal experiments. Researchers face the great challenge in the application of the monomer components from Chinese herbal medicines into clinical practice. We summarized the recent studies about the regulatory effects of monomer components from Chinese herbal medicines on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in bladder cancer， aiming to give insights into the research on the drug therapy of bladder cancer and the underlying mechanism.

Antidepressant Effect of n-Butyl Alcohol Extracts from Xiaoyaosan via IGF-1Rβ/PI3K/Akt Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the intervention effect of <italic>n</italic>-butyl alcohol extracts from Xiaoyaosan against depression-like behavior induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress （CUMS） in model mice and the role of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor <italic>β</italic> （IGF-1R<italic>β</italic>）/phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway in such intervention. Method:The effective dose of n-butyl alcohol extracts from Xiaoyaosan was preliminarily determined in model mice with behavioral despair. Then the male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the blank group， model group， fluoxetine group， Xiaoyaosan group， and the low- （20 g·kg^-1） and high-dose （40 g·kg^-1） <italic>n</italic>-butyl alcohol extract groups. The mice in all groups except for the blank group were exposed to CUMS for inducing the depression-like behavior， which was judged by the sucrose preference test （SPT）. The successfully modeled mice in the medication groups were intragastrically administered with the corresponding drugs， whereas those in the blank and model groups were treated with an equal volume of solvent for five successive weeks. Following the SPT， tail suspension test （TST）， and novelty suppressed feeding test （NSFT） at the end of the fifth week， the insulin-like growth factor-1 （IGF-1） levels in mouse serum and hippocampus were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The average optical density （<italic>IA</italic>） of Nissl bodies in mouse hippocampal CA3 region was detected by toluidine blue staining. The 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine （Brdu） and doublecortin （DCX） expression in the dentate gyrus （DG） was assayed using immunofluorescence method. The protein expression levels of IGF-1R<italic>β</italic>， PI3K， phosphorylated-PI3K （p-PI3K）， Akt， p-Akt， cysteine aspartic acid-specific protease 3 （Caspase-3）， and cleaved Caspase-3 in the hippocampus were determined by Western blot. Result:The results of forced swimming test and TST showed that n-butyl alcohol extracts from Xiaoyaosan at 9.1 and 40 g·kg^-1 both significantly shortened the immobility time of mice （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， indicating that the effective dose ranged from 9.1-40 g·kg^-1. Compared with the model control， the n-butyl alcohol extracts from Xiaoyaosan at 20 and 40 g·kg^-1 significantly increased the sucrose preference percentage （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， shortened the immobility time in TST （<italic>P</italic><0.01） and the feeding latency in NSFT （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， reversed the down-regulated IGF-1 content in mouse serum and hippocampus （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， increased the AOD of Nissl bodies in the hippocampal CA3 region （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， promoted the expression of Brdu and DCX in DG （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， and down-regulated the protein expression levels of IGF-1R<italic>β</italic> （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， p-PI3K/PI3K （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， p-Akt/Akt （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， and cleaved Caspase-3/Caspase-3 in the hippocampus of CUMS mice. Conclusion:The n-butyl alcohol extracts from Xiaoyaosan are equivalent to Xiaoyaosan in inhibiting expression. They alleviate the depression-like behavior in CUMS mice， induce the production of Nissl bodies in hippocampal CA3 region， enhance neuronal proliferation and differentiation in DG， and facilitate neurogenesis. All these may be related to the inhibition of over-activated IGF-1R<italic>β</italic>/PI3K/Akt pathway and the reduction of neuronal apoptosis.

Study Progress of Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine Monomer in Intervening Ovarian Cancer by Regulating PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Ovarian cancer is a kind of malignant tumor in female reproductive system with a high incidence. This disease is insidious at its early stage and the symptoms are not typical. Most of the patients have reached advanced stage by the time of diagnosis， seriously threating women's life and health. Many signaling pathways are involved in the formation and development of ovarian cancer， among which the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase（PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt） signaling pathway is one of the key regulatory pathways. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has obtained wide attention in treatment of tumors due to its advantages of high safety and less adverse reactions， and more and more attention has been paid to the study of TCM monomers. Molecular biology studies have shown that TCM monomers can play a role against tumor by regulating multiple targets. By reviewing the literature and searching several databases， we found that TCM monomer can play an important role in the growth， proliferation， invasion and migration， apoptosis， autophagy and reversal of drug resistance of ovarian cancer cells by regulating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. According to the existing studies， TCM monomers have a certain effect on ovarian cancer， but there are still many problems. Although the mechanisms of some TCM monomers have been clarified in the treatment of ovarian cancer， such TCM monomers are only limited to the tumor-bearing nude mice in vivo and experimental studies on in vitro cells， and further studies are needed in the future. In addition， in the future researches， ovarian cancer syndrome differentiation and targeted therapy can be linked to the TCM flavors， efficacy and indications to further develop the advantages of TCM. Based on the current research situation at home and abroad， this paper summarized the research progress of targeted intervention of TCM monomers in ovarian cancer by regulating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， in order to provide reference for further research of TCM monomers， and provide important ideas for the development of targeted treatment of ovarian cancer with TCM.

Effect of Ranae Oviductus on Follicular Development Based on PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of Ranae Oviductus (RO) on ovarian follicular development， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway， and pregnancy function in rats, and the estrogen-like mechanism of OR. Method:Seventy female Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group， a progynova+ luteohormone group (1 mg·kg^-1+40 mg·kg^-1), a clomiphene group (10 mg·kg^-1), and high-dose(400 mg·kg^-1) and low-dose(200 mg·kg^-1) RO groups. Rats were administered correspondingly by gavage for eight weeks. After seven weeks of intragastric administration, the estrus cycle of all rats was measured. After eight weeks of intragastric administration， four rats from each group were selected to give birth. For other rats, blood was collected on the day of estrus， and the serum levels of estradiol (E₂)，progesterone (P)， testosterone (T)， follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)， and luteotropic hormone (LH) were detected. Uterus and ovaries were extracted and weighed to calculate organ index. One ovary was made into pathological sections, and the follicles at different developmental stages and corpus luteum were counted. Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）and Western blot were performed on the other ovary to detect mRNA and protein changes in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Forty female Kunming mice were randomly divided into a normal group and RO groups (400 mg·kg^-1) with 14 days， 28 days， and 56 days of intervention. Mice in the RO groups were raised with male mice in cages after intragastric administration of OR for 14， 28， and 56 days， respectively. After 18 days, the number of intrauterine fetuses on both sides and the number of stunted fetuses were counted. Result:After eight weeks of intragastric administration of OR， the rats showed decreased uterine index (<italic>P</italic><0.05)， declining serum LH (<italic>P</italic><0.05)， reduced luteum (<italic>P</italic><0.01)， dwindled primary follicles (<italic>P</italic><0.05)， and increased rate of follicle atresia (<italic>P</italic><0.01). Additionally， more luteal or interstitial glands degenerated into interstitial structures in the ovarian cortex in a short time. The mRNA expression levels of PI3K and Akt in the ovary were elevated (<italic>P</italic><0.01)， while the mRNA expression levels of mTOR and PTEN were reduced (<italic>P</italic><0.01). The phosphorylation level of Akt protein showed a downward trend without significant difference. For the rats， the number of fetuses was decreased (<italic>P</italic><0.05). The pregnancy rate of mice was decreased to varying degrees after administration of RO for different durations， with the lowest in the 14 day RO group， as low as 30%. After 28 days of intragastric administration of RO， the difference in left and right uterine pregnancy increased (<italic>P</italic><0.05). Conclusion:Long-term administration of RO can lead to premature ovarian failure by over-stimulating the ovary， which is similar to clomiphene. Short-term administration can result in decreased pregnancy rate， excessive ovulation on one side， and inhibition of ovulation on the other side. The influence on follicles needs further exploration.

Effect of Baihutang Regulating IRS-1/PI3K/Akt Signal Pathway on Blood Glucose, Blood Lipid Metabolism and Vascular Remodeling in Type 2 Diabetic Rats / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To study the effect of Baihutang on blood glucose， blood lipid metabolism and vascular remodeling in type 2 diabetic rats and its regulation on insulin receptor substrate-1（IRS-1）/ phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase（PI3K）/ protein kinase B（Akt） signal pathway. Method:The 90 rats were randomly divided into normal group， model group， Baihutang low， middle and high dose groups and metformin group， with 15 rats in each group. Except for normal group， the other rats were injected intraperitoneally with streptozotocin to establish the model of type 2 diabetes. The rats in the low， middle and high dose groups were given Baihutang formula granules of 5， 10， 20 g·kg-1 respectively according to their body weight. The positive control group was given metformin （100 mg·kg-1） by intragastric administration， while those in the control group and model group were given the same amount of normal saline once a day for 12 weeks. The levels of fasting blood glucose， glycosylated hemoglobin， serum tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）， interleukin-6（IL-6）， interleukin-1 β（IL-1β）， total cholesterol（TC）， triglyceride（TG） and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol（LDL-C） were measured after administration. The levels of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1C （SREBP1C）， acetyl CoA carboxylase （ACC）， fatty acid synthase gene （FASN） and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1A （CPT1A）， acylcoa oxidase 1（ACOX1）， recombinant human acylcoa dehydrogenase （ACADM） mRNA in liver of rats were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）， Western blot was used to detect the protein levels of IRS-1， PI3K and Akt in liver of rats. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used for histopathological examination of rat thoracic aortic vessels. The migration ability of vascular smooth muscle cells in rat thoracic aorta was detected by scratch test. Result:Compared with the normal group， the fasting blood glucose， glycosylated hemoglobin， serum TNF-α， IL-6，IL-1β， TC，TG and LDL-C levels， liver lipid synthesis gene mRNA level and vascular smooth muscle cell migration ability of thoracic aorta in model group were significantly higher than those in normal group （P<0.05）， while fatty acid oxidation gene mRNA level and IRS-1，PI3K，Akt protein level in liver were significantly decreased in model group （P<0.05）. The vascular wall thickness of thoracic aorta increased significantly in rats （P<0.05）. Compared with model group， the levels of fasting blood glucose， glycosylated hemoglobin， serum TNF-α，IL-6， IL-1β， TC， TG and LDL-C， the level of lipid synthesis gene mRNA in liver and the migration ability of vascular smooth muscle cells in thoracic aorta of rats in all Baihutang groups were significantly lower than those in model group （P<0.05）. The mRNA level of fatty acid oxidation gene and the protein levels of IRS-1， PI3K and Akt in liver were significantly increased（P<0.05）， and the histopathology of thoracic aorta was significantly improved and the vascular wall thickness decreased significantly（P<0.05）. Conclusion:Baihutang can reduce the levels of blood glucose， blood lipid and serum inflammatory factors in type 2 diabetic rats， regulate the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism in liver， and improve the histopathology and vascular remodeling of thoracic aorta. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of IRS-1/PI3K/Akt signal pathway.

Effect of PI3K/Akt Signal Pathway Crosstalk in Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury and Prevention and Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury （MIRI） was originated from the ischemic injury to myocardial cells due to some factors， and the injury will be aggravated after the blood supply recovery. MIRI will cause reperfusion arrhythmia， myocardial stagnation， microcirculation disorders or blood loss reflow， and become a key issue to be solved in the clinical treatment. Therefore， it is of important clinical significance to explore how to improve MIRI. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway has been regarded to be an important cascade signaling pathway to prevent MIRI， which is cross-talked in such mechanisms as oxidative stress， calcium overload， autophagy， inflammation， endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. This pathway is at the core site and closely related to the severity of MIRI. Meanwhile， traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） has its unique advantages in the prevention and treatment of MIRI， including multiple targets， multiple pathways， fewer toxic and side effect， as well as TCM characteristics of syndrome differentiation treatment and overall concept. A great number of studies have confirmed that this pathway is a common mechanism of action for most TCM compounds， TCM monomers and extracts. In this paper， we clarify the effect of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway crosstalk on the myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury， with the focus on the relationship between the key targets of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and MIRI. It will give great insights to the intricate relationship between them and promote the future development of new drugs targeting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Finally， we also summarized the existing findings of TCM on PI3K/Akt pathway， which provides a reference for the treatment and drug development of MIRI.