[Multi-target neuroprotective effect of Xixian Tongshuan Preparation against cerebral ischemia injury].

In this paper, Xixian Tongshuan Preparation was used as the research object, and all the chemical components of the 13 traditional Chinese medicines were collected. The target finding technique was used to obtain the key targets of the neuroprotective effect of Xixian Tongshuan Preparation, including 5 glutamate receptors, TGFR-1 and VEGFR-2. Molecular docking technology was used to screen out the potential active components of the above targets and to analyze their mechanism of action. It was found that single component, such as neo-complanatoside and neo-carthamin, in Xixian Tongshuan Preparation could simultaneously act on different targets. The chemical constituents in Ligusticum chuanxiong, Angelica sinensis, Carthamus tinctorius, and Panax pseudo-ginseng could simultaneously act on different neuroprotective-related targets, which reflected the application of multi-components to multi-targets. Point and multiple sites played a key role in protecting neurons against cerebral ischemic injury. This study explains the multi-target mechanism of anti-cerebral ischemic injury in neuroprotection at the molecular level, and provides a certain direction for the clinical application and experimental research of Xixian Tongshuan Preparation.

[Anti-inflammatory mechanism of Xixian Tongshuan Preparation based on molecular simulation methods].

Inflammatory response is caused by exogenous and endogenous stimuli,resulting in a non-specific resistance reaction.After acute ischemic cerebral infarction,inflammatory factors gather and adhere in the ischemic area of leukocyte infiltration,and the released inflammatory factors causes the injury cascade,aggravate the brain tissue damage and the symptoms of neurological deficits,and hinder the repair of brain neurons and the recovery of nerve function. In this paper,the key targets in the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway were studied. The Hiphop pharmacophore model of s PLA2-ⅡA and COX-2 inhibitors was built. According tothe two previously constructed 5-LOX and LTA4 H target inhibitors,the pharmacophore model was used to initially screen out the composition database of all of 13 traditional Chinese medicines in Xixian Tongshuan Preparation. The molecular matching study was carried out by selecting the matching value greater than 0. 6,and the component with the CDOCKER score greater than 80% of the original ligand score was used as the potential active inhibitor of the target. Considering the pharmacophore matching value,the molecular docking score and the interaction between the components and the target,one Chuanxiong component and one safflower component were selected as potential inhibitors of s PLA2-ⅡA; two Chuanxiong components,two Panax notoginseng,one safflower component,one angelica component,one valerian component were taken as a potential inhibitor of COX-2; two Gentiana components,one safflower component,one valerian component,one P. notoginseng component and one Angelica component were taken as potential inhibitors of 5-LOX; and two Gentiana components,two Chuanxiong components,and two safflower components were taken as potential inhibitors of LTA4 H. This study screened out the potential inhibitors of the four targets in a high-efficiency and low-cost manner,and explained that Xixian Tongshuan Preparation showed an effect in the treatment of inflammatory responses caused by ischemic stroke by acting both LOX pathway and COX pathway in the metabolic pathway.

[Anti-platelet aggregation mechanism of Xixian Tongshuan Preparation based on molecular simulation methods].

The thrombus is a deposit that is formed on the surface of the endovascular or at the site of repair,and known as the main complication of cardiovascular disease and the cause of death. At the same time,thrombus is mainly treated by the following three ways: anticoagulation,anti-platelet aggregation and thrombolysis. In this study,the chemical constituents of seven traditional Chinese medicines in the Xixian Tongshuan Preparation were collected to construct a component database. Subsequently,the pharmacophore were used to screen out the component database,and molecular docking was used to screen out the results of pharmacophore for explaining the material basis and mechanism that Xixian Tongshuan Preparation exerts anti-thrombotic activity by inhibiting platelet aggregation. First of all,P2 Y12,GPⅡb/Ⅲa and PAR1 were selected as study vectors,the optimal models of inhibitors were obtained respectively through verification and evaluation of the pharmacophore models. Afterwards,the component database was screened out by the optimal pharmacophore models of PAR1,P2 Y12 and GP Ⅱ b/Ⅲ a,and the molecular docking method was used to further refine the screening results. The screening results indicated that the anti-platelet aggregation effect of Xixian Tongshuan Preparation was correlated with the inhibition of P2 Y12,PAR1 and GPⅡb/Ⅲa expressions with saffower yellower,hirudin and candidin and notoginseng triterpenes,folinic acid,respectively. The material basis and mechanism of anti-platelet aggregation of Xixian Tongshuan Preparation provided a theoretical basis for the clinical use of the preparation and the lead compounds for the development of anti-platelet aggregation drugs.

[Lipid regulation mechanism and dosage form selection of Xixian Tongshuan Preparation based on molecular simulation methods].

Atherosclerosis is the main cause of stroke, and dyslipidemia is the most important risk factor for atherosclerosis. In this paper, pharmacophore and molecular docking models of eight key lipid-lowering targets, namely NPC1 L1, HMG-CoA reductase, SQS, MTP, CETP, PPARα, LXRα and LXRß, were used to screen out the small molecular database of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), which was made up of ingredients of thirteen Chinese herbal medicines contained in Xixian Tongshuan Preparation. The screening results indicated that the preparation could showed an effect in regulating lipid on target NPC1 L1, HMG-CoA reductase, LXRß and SQS through four groups of potential active compounds, namely prupersin A in peach kernel and suffruticoside A in gastrodiaelata, limocitrin-ß-D-glucoside in Ligusticum chuanxiong, 2'-(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-sweroside in Pinellia ternate and quercitrin in Panax notoginseng, 4-tert-butyl-2-[(5-tert-butyl-2-hydroxy-phenyl)methoxy-methyl]-6-(hydroxymethyl)phenol in Gastrodia elata. Moreover, the properties and extraction process of the most potentialactive compounds were consistent with the preparation process of Xixian Tongshuan Capsules, which indicated that the capsule had more advantages than the pill in the existing two dosage forms of Xixian Tongshuan Preparation. This study analyzed the pharmacodynamic basis and mechanism of Xixian Tongshuan Capsules in regulating lipid for treating stroke, and provided evidence for its further research and clinical application.

Carnosol as a Nrf2 Activator Improves Endothelial Barrier Function Through Antioxidative Mechanisms.

Oxidative stress is the main pathogenesis of diabetic microangiopathy, which can cause microvascular endothelial cell damage and destroy vascular barrier. In this study, it is found that carnosol protects human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC) through antioxidative mechanisms. First, we measured the antioxidant activity of carnosol. We showed that carnosol pretreatment suppressed tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced cell viability, affected the production of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS), and increased the produce of nitric oxide (NO). Additionally, carnosol promotes the protein expression of vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) to keep the integrity of intercellular junctions, which indicated that it protected microvascular barrier in oxidative stress. Meanwhile, we investigated that carnosol can interrupt Nrf2-Keap1 protein-protein interaction and stimulated antioxidant-responsive element (ARE)-driven luciferase activity in vitro. Mechanistically, we showed that carnosol promotes the expression of heme oxygenase 1(HO-1) and nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2(Nrf2). It can also promote the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Collectively, our data support the notion that carnosol is a protective agent in HMVECs and has the potential for therapeutic use in the treatments of microvascular endothelial cell injury.