Study on the antipruritic mechanism of Zanthoxylum bungeanum and Zanthoxylum schinifolium volatile oil on chronic eczema based on H1R and PAR-2 mediated GRPR pathway

Objective: To observe the antipruritic effect and mechanism of the volatile oil of Zanthoxylum bungeanum and Zanthoxylum schinifolium on chronic eczema to provide data support for clinical application and new drug development of Zanthoxylum bungeanum and Zanthoxylum schinifolium. Methods: The model of chronic eczema was established by using 2-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), and the composition and content of volatile oil in Zanthoxylum schinifolium and Zanthoxylum bungeanum was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antipruritic effect by (EASI) score of eczema area and severity index and scratching times was then evaluated. Then, the contents of histamine, gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and immunoglobulin E (IgE) in serum of rats was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The tissue morphology was observed by HE staining. The expressions of H1R, PAR-2, TRPV1, TRPA1, and GRPR was then detected by immunohistochem-istry, Western blot, and QRT-PCR.Results: The results revealed that there were differences in the composition of volatile oil between Zanthoxylum bungeanum and Zanthoxylum schinifolium. Compared to the model group, the medium-dose group of Zanthoxylum bungeanum and Zanthoxylum schinifolium group significantly increased the difference of EASI score and scratching times, significantly decreased the concentrations of IL-4, IgE, GRP, and histamine, and significantly decreased the expression levels of H1R, PAR-2, TRPV1, and GRPR. The degree of inhibition on the patho-logical manifestations of chronic eczema was evident. There was no significant difference in antipruritic effect between the two groups. The expression of TRPA1 was inconsistent at the protein and gene level, which needs to be further researched (AU)

Chinese Herbal Medicines Prevent and Treat Atopic Dermatitis by Improving Skin Barrier： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic， refractory and inflammatory skin disease with the clinical manifestations of severe pruritus and recurrent attacks. It has a high incidence and is closely correlated with other allergic， autoimmune or infectious diseases， which can cause a variety of secondary diseases and mental and psychological disorders， seriously affecting the life quality of patients. Chinese herbal medicines have been used for the prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis for thousands of years， and many Chinese herbal medicines （including compound prescriptions） effective for this disease have been recorded. These medicines generally have little adverse reactions and the treated patients have low recurrence rate of atopic dermatitis. According to the evidence of modern medicine， the onset of atopic dermatitis is related to the impairment of skin barrier function， abnormal immune response， and abnormal differentiation of mast cells， antigen-presenting cells， and eosinophils. Additionally， it is associated with mental， endocrine， metabolic and other factors. The defect of skin barrier function and the dysfunction of immune system are the main pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. In recent years， scientists have achieved certain progress in improving skin barrier function with Chinese herbal medicines. This paper systematically summarizes the studies about the application of Chinese herbal medicines in regulating the expression of epidermal proteins， epidermal lipids， aquaporins， tight junction proteins， and antimicrobial peptides in recent 10 years， aiming to clarify the pathological mechanism and provide reference for the clinical research and application of Chinese herbal medicines in the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Pathogenesis of Vitiligo and Its Prevention and Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Vitiligo is a common pigmentary disorder characterized by localized or generalized depigmentation of the skin， resulting in milky white or light pink patches with smooth surface but no rashes.Modern medicine believes that it is closely related to immune function， oxidative stress， autoimmune destruction of melanocytes， heredity， and neurochemical factors， but the specific pathogenesis is still unclear.Due to the easy diagnosis but hard management and the high recurrence rate， vitiligo has seriously affected the quality of life and mental health of patients.At present， it is mainly treated with glucocorticoids， immunomodulators， vitamin D3 derivatives， and antioxidants in western medicine， and the resulting short-term outcomes are satisfactory.However， a series of side effects may be caused by the long-term use.Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a long history of dealing with vitiligo.Guided by the rich experience accumulated in daily practice， it exerts the preventive and therapeutic effects against vitiligo via multiple components， multiple targets， and multiple pathways， without inducing obvious adverse reactions， which has made it widely concerned by many doctors and scholars.As the research concerning the prevention and treatment of vitiligo with TCM intensifies， more and more single Chinese medicinals， Chinese medicinal monomers， and compound prescriptions have been proved to play a therapeutic role via multiple mechanisms.After reviewing the articles on the alleviation of vitiligo with TCM published in the past five years and retrieved from the literature databases， this paper summarized the efficacy of TCM in regulating immune dysfunction， improving oxidative stress injury， protecting melanocyte function， adjusting mitochondrial structure and function， and controlling the alteration of intestinal micro-flora and abnormal microRNA （miRNA） expression， so as to clarify the pathogenesis of vitiligo and provide theoretical and scientific basis for the in-depth study and clinical application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of vitiligo.

Comparative study on effects between electroacupuncture and acupuncture for spastic paralysis after stroke / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the differences of therapeutic effect of spastic paralysis after stroke between electroacupuncture and acupuncture and explore the mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-four cases were randomly divided into an electroacupuncture group (n = 33) and an acupuncture group (n = 31). Both groups were treated with Bobath facilitation techniques and medicine treatments. Quchi (LI 11), Hegu (LI 4), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), et al. on the affected side were selected in each group. The needle was retained for 30 min, and the manipulation was applied for 1 min in the acupuncture group, and electroacupuncture was added in the electroacupuncture group. Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS) was adopted to assess the whole function status after sroke, and the contents of glutamate (Glu) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in serum and clinical efficacy were observed in the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The SIAS score increased after treatment as compared with that before treatment in either group (both P < 0.01), and the electroacupuncture group was superior to the acupuncture group (P < 0.01); the content of Glu in blood serum and ratio of Glu/GABA reduced, while the content of GABA in serum increased after treatment as compared with those before treatment in either group (all P < 0.01), but the improvement of above indices were much more apparently in the electroacupuncture group as compared with those in the acupuncture group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05); the total effective rate of 90.9% (30/33) in the electroacupuncture group was superior to that of 83.9% (26/31) in the acupuncture group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Electroacupuncture can improve therapeutic effect of spastic paralysis after stroke, it's mechanism may be ralated to ajusting the contents of Glu and GABA in serum.</p>