Physochlainae Radix: A Review of Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Q-marker Prediction, and Future Directions.

BACKGROUND: Upon the release of the selection results of "Qin Medicine," numerous Chinese herbal medicines and proprietary Chinese medicines have regained attention. Physochlainae Radix (Huashanshen), a herbal medicine named after Mount Hua, the prominent peak in the Qinling Mountains, has garnered particular interest. Despite this, the impact of Physochlainae Radix and Qin medicines as a whole remains significantly overshadowed by the renown of Mount Hua. METHODS: Search on Using "Physochlainae Radix" as the keyword; searches were conducted across China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, WIP Database, PubMed, Web of Science, and the National Library of China databases. RESULTS: This study presents an overview of Physochlainae Radix by reviewing its history, chemical composition, preparation methods, planting and cultivation practices, concoctions, alkaloid detection, contraindications for use, resource recycling, and predicting quality markers. CONCLUSION: To facilitate the further application and development of Physochlainae Radix, this study also addresses the challenges in the development of Qin medicines and proposes potential solutions.

Platycarya strobilacea Sieb. et Zucc.: a review of its traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology.

OBJECTIVES: Platycarya strobilacea Sieb. et Zucc. is the dry infructescence of P. strobilacea, a Juglandaceae plant and is a traditional Chinese medicine with great development potential and utilization value. This study summarizes the research progress on the traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, extraction methods, pharmacology and toxicology of Platycarya strobilacea Sieb. et Zucc., and provides potential therapeutic uses and drug development prospects for this plant. KEY FINDINGS: Phytochemical studies showed that this plant mainly contains volatile constituents, phenols, terpenoids and a carbohydrate. The pharmacological activity of Platycarya strobilacea Sieb. et Zucc. includes antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, anti-tumour effects and antioxidant effects. This plant is especially effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis. SUMMARY: In this review, the phytochemistry and pharmacological effects of Platycarya strobilacea Sieb. et Zucc. are described in detail, which will have guiding significance for the future development of this drug.

Protective effects of Re-yan-ning mixture on Streptococcus pneumonia in rats based on network pharmacology.

CONTEXT: Re-yan-ning mixture (RYNM) is a new national drug approved by China's State Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of colds, simple pneumonia and acute bronchitis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the mechanism of action of RYNM in the treatment of bacterial pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the network pharmacology approach, the multiple components, component candidate targets and multiple therapeutic targets of RYNM were screened and functionally enriched. Also, we established a rat Streptococcus pneumonia model to verify the results of network pharmacology enrichment analysis. Forty male SPF Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups of 10 rats: control (normal saline), model (normal saline), levofloxacin-intervened and RYNM-intervened groups. IL-10, NOS2, COX-1, IL-6, TNF-α and NF-κB in serum and BALF were detected by ELISA. Western blot detected IL-17, IL-6, TNF-α, COX-2 and Bcl-2. RESULTS: The network pharmacology approach successfully identified 48 bioactive components in RYNM, and 65 potential targets and 138 signal pathways involved in the treatment of Streptococcus pneumonia with RYNM. The in vivo experiments indicated that model group has visible inflammation and lesions while RYNM and levofloxacin groups have not. The RYNM exhibited its therapeutic effects on Streptococcus pneumonia mainly via the regulation of cell proliferation and survival through the IL-6/IL-10/IL-17, Bax/Bcl-2, COX-1/COX-2, NF-κB and TNF-α signalling pathways. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated the protective effects of RYNM on Streptococcus pneumonia, providing a potential mechanism for the treatment of bacterial pneumonia with RYNM.

The therapeutic efficacy of Huashi Baidu Formula combined with antiviral drugs in the treatment of COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new acute respiratory infectious disease that has become a major global public health event. In China, the combination of Huashi Baidu Formula (HBF) and antiviral drugs is used in the clinical treatment of severe patients with new coronary pneumonia, but there is still a lack of evidence-based medical evaluation. METHODS: We search for research in PubMed/MEDLINE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, VIP Database, Cochrane Library, Embase, China Biomedical Database (CBM), and Chinese Science Citation Database (CSCD). For "Huashi Baidu Formula" and "COVID-19," we screened suitable articles without language restrictions on keywords, and recorded and analyzed the screened literature with RevMan 5.3 and STATA 14.2 software. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis will evaluate the efficacy and safety of HBF combined with antiviral drugs in the treatment of COVID-19, and provide the rationality of clinical drug application. CONCLUSION: Our findings will provide references for clinical diagnosis and treatment and guidance programs for COVID-19. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202080098.