[Data-mining-revealed Regularities of Application of Meridian Acupoints for Coronary Heart Disease in Ancient Chinese Medical Literature].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the regularities of selection of meridian acupoints for coronary heart disease (CHD) recorded in the ancient Chinese medical literature, in order to provide a reference for clinical application of meridian acupoint recipes to treat CHD nowadays. METHODS: Papers were retrieved from 1 156 ancient Chinese medical books collected in "Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine" (Fifth Edition) by using key words "Xin Tong"(cardiac pain), "Zhen Xin Tong"(true heart pain), "Jue Xin Tong"(precordial pain with cold limbs), "Xiong Bi" (obstruction of qi in the chest), "Zheng Chong"(severe palpitation), "Xin Ji"(palpitation), followed by establishment of a database. Then, the association analysis data mining technology was used to analyze the characteristics and regularities of application of meridian acupoints in the treatment of CHD. RESULTS: A total of 347 items of ancient document data were collected, containing acupoints of the 12 regular meridians, Conception Vessel and Governor Vessel, with a frequency of usage being 625 times. Among the involved meridians, the Conception Vessel was most frequently used, followed by the Pericardium Meridian. Zhongwan (CV 12) was the most frequently used acupoint, and Rangu (KI 2) and Taixi (KI 3), CV 12 and Shangwan (CV 13), and Quze (PC 3) and Daling (PC 7) were the top 3 frequently used auxiliary acupoint pairs. CONCLUSION: In ancient China, in the treatment of CHD, the main acupoints of the Conception and Pericardium Meridian, and the auxiliary acupoints i．e., five-shu points are most frequently used. PC 3 and PC 7 combination is suitable for the treatment of CHD with negative emotion.

Zinc protoporphyrin IX enhances chemotherapeutic response of hepatoma cells to cisplatin.

AIM: To investigate the effect of zinc protoporphyrin IX on the response of hepatoma cells to cisplatin and the possible mechanism involved. METHODS: Cytotoxicity was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Apoptosis was determined by a flow cytometric assay. Western blotting was used to measure protein expression. Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 activity was measured by determining the level of bilirubin generated in isolated microsomes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was monitored by flow cytometry. Caspase-3 activity was measured with a colorimetric assay kit. Mice were inoculated with 1 × 10(7) tumor cells subcutaneously into the right flanks. All mice were sacrificed 6 wk after the first treatment and tumors were weighed and measured. RESULTS: Overexpression of HO-1 in HepG2 cell line was associated with increased chemoresistance to cis-diaminedichloroplatinum (cisplatin; CDDP) compared to other cell lines in vitro. Inhibition of HO-1 expression or activity by zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP IX) markedly augmented CDDP-mediated cytotoxicity towards all liver cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, induction of HO-1 with hemin increased resistance of tumor cells to CDDP-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, cells treated with ZnPP IX plus CDDP exhibited marked production of intracellular ROS and caspase-3 activity, which paralleled the incidence of cell apoptosis, whereas hemin decreased cellular ROS and caspase-3 activity induced by CDDP. CONCLUSION: ZnPP IX increases cellular sensitivity and susceptibility of liver cancer cell lines to CDDP and this may represent a mechanism of increasing ROS.

[Nuclear factor-kappaB expression in peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes of patients with acute pancreatitis and the preventive effectiveness of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate on NF-kappaB in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of NF-kappaB in peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) of acute pancreatitis (AP) and to assess the preventive effectiveness of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) on NF-kappaB in vitro. METHODS: Nineteen patients and 16 healthy individuals as control were enrolled in this study. The expression of NF-kappaB in PMNs was determined by gel electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Routine clinical examination results and computed tomography findings of AP were recorded in all patients. RESULTS: The PMNs from the patients with AP showed higher levels of NF-kappaB activities than those from control subjects (P < 0.01), severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) group showed much higher than mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) group (P < 0.05). In vitro, PDTC could reduce the NF-kappaB activity in PMNs of patients with AP, and its effectiveness at 2 mmol/L was stronger than at 1 mmol/L (P < 0.05). The PMNs from control subjects pretreated with 2 mmol/L PDTC before stimulation with the plasma from patients with SAP showed lower levels of NF-kappaB activities than did those untreated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The NF-kappaB activation in peripheral blood PMNs participate in the course of acute pancreatitis and can be inhibited by PDTC in vitro.