Estrogen-Like Effect of Bazi Bushen Capsule in Ovariectomized Rats.

This study aims to show the estrogen-like effect of Bazi Bushen capsule (BZBS), a Chinese herbal compound, in ovariectomized mice. Female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into six groups: a sham-operated group, a model group (OVX), a progynova group, and BZBS groups (1, 2, and 4 d/kg/d). An ovariectomy was performed on all rats except those in the sham-operated group. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanning, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detection were performed after 4 months of BZBS treatment. As a result, compared with the OVX group, rats treated with BZBS showed an increased number and area of trabecular bone and bone marrow cells, and a decreased number of adipose cells. The bone volume, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness of the right tibia in the medication groups increased and the trabecular space decreased. The 17ß-estradiol and serum calcium levels in the medication groups were elevated, but the levels of serum phosphorus, sclerostin, ß-CTX, and TRACP-5b were decreased. In the medication groups, the RANKL and sclerostin levels were decreased, while the osteoprotegerin (OPG) level was increased. In conclusion, this protocol systematically evaluated the therapeutic effects and potential molecular mechanisms of Chinese herbal compounds in ovariectomized rats with a variety of techniques.

Tongxinluo promotes endothelium-dependent arteriogenesis to attenuate diabetic peripheral arterial disease.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has become one of the leading causes of disa-bility and death in diabetic patients. Restoring blood supply to the hindlimbs, especially by promoting arteriogenesis, is currently the most effective strategy, in which endothelial cells play an important role. Tongxinluo (TXL) has been widely used for the treatment of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases and extended for diabetes-related vascular disease. AIM: To investigate the effect of TXL on diabetic PAD and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: An animal model of diabetic PAD was established by ligating the femoral artery of db/db mice. Laser Doppler imaging and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) were performed to assess the recovery of blood flow and arteriogenesis. Endothelial cell function related to arteriogenesis and cellular pyroptosis was assessed using histopathology, Western blot analysis, enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction assays. In vitro, human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were pretreated with TXL for 4 h, followed by incubation in high glucose and hypoxia conditions to induce cell injury. Then, indicators of HUVEC pyroptosis and function, HUVEC-VSMC interactions and the migration of VSMCs were measured. RESULTS: Laser Doppler imaging and micro-CT showed that TXL restored blood flow to the hindlimbs and enhanced arteriogenesis. TXL also inhibited endothelial cell pyroptosis via the reactive oxygen species/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling pathway. In addition, TXL restored endothelial cell functions, including maintaining the balance of vasodilation, acting as a barrier to reduce inflammation, and enhancing endothelial-smooth muscle cell interactions through the Jagged-1/Notch-1/ephrin-B2 signaling pathway. Similar results were observed in vitro. CONCLUSION: TXL has a pro-arteriogenic effect in the treatment of diabetic PAD, and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of endothelial cell pyroptosis, restoration of endothelial cell function and promotion of endothelial cell-smooth muscle cell interactions.

Dose of sucrose affects the efficacy of Qiweibaizhu powder on antibiotic-associated diarrhea: Association with intestinal mucosal microbiota, short-chain fatty acids, IL-17, and MUC2.

Introduction: Due to the poor taste of Qiweibaizhu powder (QWBZP), patients have difficulty taking medicine, which leads to poor compliance and limits clinical use to a certain extent. In the trend of restricting sugar intake, sweeteners have gained massive popularity, among which sucrose is a commonly used sweetener in preparations. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different sucrose dose addition with antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) by intervened QWBZP on intestinal mucosal microbiota. Methods: Thirty specific-pathogen-free (SPF) Kunming (KM) male mice were randomly divided into normal group (N), natural recovery group (M), QWBZP group (Q), low dose sucrose group (LQ), medium dose sucrose group (MQ), and high dose sucrose group (HQ). Subsequently, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and GC-MS techniques were used to analyze the intestinal mucosal microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFAs) in intestinal contents, respectively, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine mucin 2 (MUC2) and interleukin 17 (IL-17). Results: Compared with the Q group, the results showed that with the increase of sucrose dose, the intestinal microbial structure of mice was significantly altered, and the intestinal microbial diversity was elevated, with the poor restoration of the intestinal biological barrier, decreased content of SCFAs, high expression of inflammatory factor IL-17 and decreased content of mucosal protective factor MUC2. In conclusion, we found that the addition of sucrose had an effect on the efficacy of the AAD intervented by QWBZP, which was less effective than QWBZP, showing a certain dose-response relationship. In this experiment, it was concluded that the addition of sucrose might also further lead to intestinal inflammation and the disruption of the intestinal mucosal barrier, and the production of metabolites SCFAs. Discussion: The addition of sucrose might also further lead to intestinal inflammation and the disruption of the intestinal mucosal barrier, and the production of metabolites SCFAs. However, these findings still need to be verified in a more extensive study. The effect of adding the sweetener sucrose on the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine in treating diseases also still needs more research.

A case report of effective treatment of diabetic foot with the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine.

Diabetic foot has become one of the leading causes of disability and death in diabetic patients. Restoring blood supply to the lower limbs, especially by increasing collateral vessels, is currently the most effective strategy. We report a 70-year-old female patient diagnosed with diabetic foot who was treated with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Western medicine treatment includes blood glucose control, lipid regulation, plaque stabilization, antiplatelet coagulation and anti-inflammation. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment is based on the principles of promoting blood circulation and relieving pain, benefiting Qi and activating blood circulation, including oral Chinese medicine Tongxinluo and electro-acupuncture treatment. The vascular morphology of the patient's lower limbs and the levels of glucolipid metabolism were evaluated before and after treatment. The results showed that after treatment, the patient had increased blood flow in the lower limbs, reduced plaque in the femoral arteries, and improved levels of glucolipid metabolism.

The Effect of Qiweibaizhu Powder Crude Polysaccharide on Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea Mice Is Associated With Restoring Intestinal Mucosal Bacteria.

Background: Qiweibaizhu powder (QWBZP) has been shown to be effective in treating antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). Previous research has reported that plant polysaccharides can promote the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria and inhibit the multiplication of pathogenic bacteria, thus effectively treating diarrhea. Here, we investigated the effect of QWBZP crude polysaccharide on the diversity of intestinal mucosal bacteria and their community structure composition in mice with AAD, and the aim of this study was to provide the scientific basis for the efficacy of QWBZP crude polysaccharide on diarrhea. Materials and Methods: Eighteen Kunming (KM) mice were randomly divided into the normal (mn) group, the model (mm) group, and the QWBZP crude polysaccharide treatment (ma) group, with six mice in each group. An AAD model was constructed using a mixed antibiotic solution and treated with gavage crude polysaccharide solution of QWBZP. The intestinal mucosa was extracted from the jejunum to the ileum of mice, and the metagenome was extracted and then analyzed using MiSeq sequencing to characterize the intestinal mucosal bacteria in mice. Results: The spleen and thymus indices of each group of mice had no significant differences. The Chao1 and ACE indices of the mn and mm groups were similar, the Simpson index was the largest and the Shannon index was the smallest in the mm group, and there was no significant difference in the diversity indices of all three groups. In the PCA and PCoA, the mn and ma group samples were both relatively concentrated with a high similarity of community structure. In contrast, the samples in the mm group were more scattered and farther away from the samples in the mn and ma groups, i.e., the community structure similarity within and between the groups was low. Compared with the mm group, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Lactobacillus, and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio in the ma group was decreased, while that of Enterococcus continued to increase. In the LEfSe analysis, there were significant differences in the characteristic bacteria in the mn, mm, and ma groups. Conclusion: The single crude polysaccharide component is not very effective in treating AAD, so the clinical efficacy of the QWBZP crude polysaccharide is subject to further investigation.

Jinlida granules ameliorate the high-fat-diet induced liver injury in mice by antagonising hepatocytes pyroptosis.

CONTEXT: Jinlida (JLD) as a traditional Chinese medicine formula has been used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and studies have shown its anti-obesity effect. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effects of JLD in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups and fed a low-diet diet (LFD), high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD + JLD (3.8 g/kg) for 16 weeks, respectively. The free fatty acids-induced lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells were used to evaluate the anti-pyroptotic effects of JLD. The pharmacological effects of JLD on NAFL were investigated by pathological examination, intraperitoneal glucose and insulin tolerance tests, western blotting, and quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: In vivo studies showed that JLD ameliorated HFD-induced liver injury, significantly decreased body weight and enhanced insulin sensitivity and improved glucose tolerance. Furthermore, JLD suppressed both the mRNA expression of caspase-1 (1.58 vs. 2.90), IL-1ß (0.93 vs. 3.44) and IL-18 (1.34 vs. 1.60) and protein expression of NLRP3 (2.04 vs. 5.71), pro-caspase-1 (2.68 vs. 4.92) and IL-1ß (1.61 vs. 2.60). In vitro, JLD inhibited the formation of lipid droplets induced by 2 mM FFA (IC50 = 2.727 mM), reduced the protein expression of NLRP3 (0.74 vs. 2.27), caspase-1 (0.57 vs. 2.68), p20 (1.67 vs. 3.33), and IL-1ß (1.44 vs. 2.41), and lowered the ratio of p-IKB-α/IKB-α (0.47 vs. 2.19). CONCLUSION: JLD has a protective effect against NAFLD, which may be related to its anti-pyroptosis, suggesting that JLD has the potential as a novel agent in the treatment of NAFLD.