Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verifications to Discover Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi's Effects on Joint Inflammation, Destruction, and Pain in Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, characterized by joint pain and a decline in physiological function. Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SB) is potentially effective against osteoarthritis because of its wide range of anti-inflammatory pharmacological activities. This study aimed to identify the mode of action of SB against osteoarthritis using network pharmacology prediction and experimental verification. Networks were constructed to key compounds, hub targets, and pathways essential for SB's effectiveness against osteoarthritis. Additionally, in vivo and in vitro tests were performed, including investigations on weight bearing in hind limbs, the acetic acid-induced writhing response, lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, and serum cytokine responses. We identified 15 active compounds and 14 hub targets, supporting the anti-osteoarthritis effects of SB. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis indicated that fluid shear stress, atherosclerosis, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt signaling, and cellular senescence pathways were important. SB showed substantial anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and joint tissue-protective effects against osteoarthritis. Our study shows that SB has the potential value to be further investigated as a candidate material for the treatment of osteoarthritis in the future.

Investigating the Anti-Inflammatory, Analgesic, and Chondroprotective Effects of Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino in Osteoarthritis: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an age-related disease characterized by inflammation, pain, articular cartilage damage, synovitis, and irreversible disability. Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino (GP), a herbal medicine traditionally used in East Asia for its anti-inflammatory properties, was investigated for its potential to modulate OA pathology and symptoms. This study evaluated GP's efficacy in inhibiting pain, functional decline, and cartilage destruction in monosodium iodoacetate-induced OA and acetic acid-induced writhing models. Additionally, the effects of GP on OA-related inflammatory targets were assessed via mRNA and protein expression in rat knee cartilage and lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 cells. The GP group demonstrated significant pain relief, functional improvement, and cartilage protection. Notably, GP inhibited key inflammatory mediators, including interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-3 and MMP-13, cyclooxygenase-2, and prostaglandin E receptor 2, surpassing the effects of active controls. These findings suggest that GP is a promising candidate for disease-modifying OA drugs and warrants further comprehensive studies.

Anti-inflammatory effect of bee venom in phthalic anhydride-induced atopic dermatitis animal model.

Globally, many people have been affected with atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin disease. AD is associated with multiple factors such as genetic, inflammatory, and immune factors. Bee venom (BV) is now widely used for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases. However, its effect on 5% phthalic anhydride (PA)-induced AD has not been reported yet. We investigated the anti-inflammatory and anti-AD effects of BV in a PA-induced animal model of AD. Balb/c mice were treated with topical application of 5% PA to the dorsal skin and ears for induction of AD. After 24 h, BV was applied on the back and ear skin of the mice three times a week for 4 weeks. BV treatment significantly reduced the PA-induced AD clinical score, back and ear epidermal thickness, as well as IgE level and infiltration of immune cells in the skin tissues compared to those of control mice. The levels of inflammatory cytokines in the serum were significantly decreased in BV-treated group compared to PA-treated group. In addition, BV inhibited the expression of iNOS and COX-2 as well as the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF-Ò¡B induced by PA in the skin tissues. We also found that BV abrogated the lipopolysaccharide or TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced NO production, expression of iNOS and COX-2, as well as MAPK and NF-Ò¡B signaling pathway in RAW 264.7 and HaCaT cells. These results suggest that BV may be a potential therapeutic macromolecule for the treatment of AD.

Inhibitory effect of snake venom toxin on NF-κB activity prevents human cervical cancer cell growth via increase of death receptor 3 and 5 expression.

We previously found that snake venom toxin inhibits nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activity in several cancer cells. NF-κB is implicated in cancer cell growth and chemoresistance. In our present study, we investigated whether snake venom toxin (SVT) inhibits NF-κB, thereby preventing human cervical cancer cell growth (Ca Ski and C33A). SVT (0-12 µg/ml) inhibited the growth of cervical cancer cells by the induction of apoptotic cell death. These inhibitory effects were associated with the inhibition of NF-κB activity. However, SVT dose dependently increased the expression of death receptors (DRs): DR3, DR5 and DR downstream pro-apoptotic proteins. Exploration of NF-κB inhibitor (Phenylarsine oxide, 0.1 µM) synergistically further increased SVT-induced DR3 and DR5 expressions accompanied with further inhibition of cancer cells growth. Moreover, deletion of DR3 and DR5 by small interfering RNA significantly abolished SVT-induced cell growth inhibitory effects, as well as NF-κB inactivation. Using TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand resistance cancer cells (A549 and MCF-7), we also found that SVT enhanced the susceptibility of chemoresistance of these cancer cells through down-regulation of NF-κB, but up-regulation of DR3 and DR5. In vivo study also showed that SVT (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) inhibited tumor growth accompanied with inactivation of NF-κB. Thus, our present study indicates that SVT could be applicable as an anticancer agent for cervical cancer, or as an adjuvant agent for chemoresistant cancer cells.

Bee venom ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced memory loss by preventing NF-kappaB pathway.

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of beta-amyloid and neuroinflammation trigger Alzheimer's disease. We previously found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) caused neuroinflammation with concomitant accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides leading to memory loss. A variety of anti-inflammatory compounds inhibiting nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) activation have showed efficacy to hinder neuroinflammation and amyloidogenesis. We also found that bee venom (BV) inhibits NF-κB. METHODS: A mouse model of LPS-induced memory loss used administration of BV (0.8 and 1.6 µg/kg/day, i.p.) to ICR mice for 7 days before injection of LPS (2.5 mg/kg/day, i.p.). Memory loss was assessed using a Morris water maze test and passive avoidance test. For in vitro study, we treated BV (0.5, 1, and 2 µg/mL) to astrocytes and microglial BV-2 cells with LPS (1 µg/mL). RESULTS: We found that BV inhibited LPS-induced memory loss determined by behavioral tests as well as cell death. BV also inhibited LPS-induced increases in the level of beta-amyloid (Aß), ß-and γ-secretases activities, NF-κB and its DNA-binding activity and expression of APP, and BACE1 and neuroinflammation proteins (COX-2, iNOS, GFAP and IBA-1) in the brain and cultured cells. In addition, pull-down assay and molecular modeling showed that BV binds to NF-κB. CONCLUSIONS: BV attenuates LPS-induced amyloidogenesis, neuroinflammation, and therefore memory loss via inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway. Thus, BV could be useful for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Pain Relief, Functional Recovery, and Chondroprotective Effects of Angelica gigas Nakai in Osteoarthritis Due to Its Anti-Inflammatory Property: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study.

Osteoarthritis (OA), characterized by chronic pain and joint degradation, is a progressive joint disease primarily induced by age-related systemic inflammation. Angelica gigas Nakai (AG), a medicinal plant widely used in East Asia, exhibits promising results for such conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of AG as a drug candidate for modulating the multifaceted pathology of OA based on its anti-inflammatory properties. We evaluated the efficacy of AG in pain relief, functional improvement, and cartilage erosion delay using monosodium iodoacetate-induced OA rats and acetic acid-induced writhing mice, along with its anti-inflammatory effects on multiple targets in the serum and cartilage of in vivo models and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In vivo experiments demonstrated significant analgesic and chondroprotective effects of AG, along with functional recovery, in model animals compared with the active controls. AG dose-dependently modulated inflammatory OA pathology-related targets, including interleukin-1ß, tumor necrosis factor-α, matrix metalloproteinase-13, and cyclooxygenase-2, both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, AG could be a potential drug candidate for modulating the multifaceted pathology of OA. Nevertheless, further comprehensive investigations, involving a broader range of compounds, pathologies, and mechanisms, are warranted to validate these findings.

Moxibustion for treating knee osteoarthritis: study protocol of a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of knee osteoarthritis, which is a major cause of disability among the elderly, is typically selected from multidisciplinary options, including complementary and alternative medicine. Moxibustion has been used in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in Korea to reduce pain and improve physical activity. However, there is no sufficient evidence of its effectiveness, and it cannot therefore be widely recommended for treating knee osteoarthritis. We designed a randomised controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, cost-effectiveness, and qualitative characteristics of moxibustion treatment of knee osteoarthritis compared to usual care. METHODS/DESIGNS: This is a protocol for a multicentre, pragmatic, randomised, assessor-blinded, controlled, parallel-group study. A total of 212 participants will be assigned to the moxibustion group (n = 106) and the usual care group (n = 106) at 4 clinical research centres. The participants assigned to the moxibustion group will receive moxibustion treatment of the affected knee(s) at 6 standard acupuncture points (ST36, ST35, ST34, SP9, Ex-LE04, and SP10) 3 times per week for 4 weeks (a total of 12 sessions). Participants in the usual care group will not receive moxibustion treatment during the study period. Follow-up will be performed on the 5th and 13th weeks after random allocation. Both groups will be allowed to use any type of treatment, including surgery, conventional medication, physical treatment, acupuncture, herbal medicine, over-the-counter drugs, and other active treatments. Educational material that explains knee osteoarthritis, the current management options, and self-exercise will be provided to each group. The global scale of the Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (K-WOMAC) will be the primary outcome measurement used in this study. Other subscales (pain, stiffness, and function) of the K-WOMAC, the Short-Form 36v2 Health Survey, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Physical Function test, Patient Global Assessment, and the Pain Numerical Rating Scale will be used as outcome variables to evaluate the effectiveness of moxibustion. Safety will be assessed at every visit. In addition, an economic evaluation and a qualitative study will be conducted as a mixed-methods approach. DISCUSSION: This trial may contribute to developing evidence for the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion for treating knee osteoarthritis. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: KCT0000130.

Herbal medicine for external use in acute gouty arthritis: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute gouty arthritis is accompanied by severe pain during an acute attack. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines acting directly on the affected area of acute gouty arthritis for external use. METHODS: An envelope search was performed using 4 electronic databases (CNKI, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane), resulting in 27 clinical studies from inception to February 2023. Randomized controlled trials on external use herbal medicines for acute gouty arthritis were considered. The assessed outcomes were total effective rate, uric acid level, pain score, and inflammatory factor levels such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein. Quality assessment and meta-analysis of the included randomized controlled trials were also performed. RESULTS: Twenty-seven randomized controlled trials with a total of 1951 participants were included in the meta-analysis. All assessed outcomes including pain, inflammation, and uric acid levels, indicated that the treatment effects in the external use herbal medicine group were significantly better than those of the western medicine control group. Of the 10 studies mentioning side effects, no side effects were reported in 4, and in the remaining 6, the incidence of complications in the intervention group was much lower than that in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that external use herbal medicines may be a safe and effective alternative for treatment of pain and symptoms of acute gouty arthritis. However, owing to the heterogeneity of interventions, outcomes, and regional bias, further high-quality clinical trials on this topic are needed to confirm the level of evidence.

Stem of Sorbus commixta Hedl. Extract Inhibits Cartilage Degradation and Arthritic Pain in Experimental Model via Anti-Inflammatory Activity.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widespread joint disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Conventional treatments for OA, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids, have a risk of various adverse events, including liver, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and kidney disease, which are unsatisfactory in their effectiveness. In this study, Sorbus commixta Hedl. Stem extracts (SCE) were evaluated in animal models as potential inhibitors for the progression of OA. Sorbus commixta Hedl., which was found to have substantial anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in earlier investigations, has shown potential as a candidate for OA treatment. To mimic human OA symptoms, male rats were injected using sodium iodoacetate (MIA) in their knee joints. SCE significantly reduced MIA-induced weight-bearing loss in rats after the MIA injection and alleviated cartilage degradation and subchondral bone injury caused by MIA. In addition, SCE administration reduced levels of TNF-α and IL-1ß such as pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum, as well as the levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as MMP-1, -3, -8 and -13 in the joint cartilage. SCE significantly inhibited the writhing responses in acetic acid-administered mice and was used to quantify pain. In lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7, SCE suppressed NO production and reduced the expression of TNF-α, PGE2, IL-6, IL-1ß, MMP1, MMP3, MMP8, and MMP-13. Our study showed that SCE alleviated inflammation and cartilage degradation in arthritis through its anti-inflammatory activities on multiple targets.

Network analysis, in vivo, and in vitro experiments identified the mechanisms by which Piper longum L. [Piperaceae] alleviates cartilage destruction, joint inflammation, and arthritic pain.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by irreversible joint destruction, pain, and dysfunction. Piper longum L. [Piperaceae] (PL) is an East Asian herbal medicine with reported anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, anti-stress, and anti-osteoporotic effects. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of PL in inhibiting pain and progressive joint destruction in OA based on its anti-inflammatory activity, and to explore its potential mechanisms using in vivo and in vitro models of OA. We predicted the potential hub targets and signaling pathways of PL through network analysis and molecular docking. Network analysis results showed that the possible hub targets of PL against OA were F2R, F3, MMP1, MMP2, MMP9, and PTGS2. The molecular docking results predicted strong binding affinities for the core compounds in PL: piperlongumine, piperlonguminine, and piperine. In vitro experiments showed that PL inhibited the expression of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory factors, such as F2R, F3, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17A, MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9, MMP-13, NOS2, PTGS2, PGE2, and TNF-ß. These mechanisms and effects were dose-dependent in vivo models. Furthermore, PL inhibited cartilage degradation in an OA-induced rat model. Thus, this study demonstrated that multiple components of PL may inhibit the multilayered pathology of OA by acting on multiple targets and pathways. These findings highlight the potential of PL as a disease-modifying OA drug candidate, which warrants further investigation.

Snake venom toxin from Vipera lebetina turanica sensitizes cancer cells to TRAIL through ROS- and JNK-mediated upregulation of death receptors and downregulation of survival proteins.

We investigated whether snake venom toxin (SVT) from Vipera lebetina turanica enhances the apoptosis ability of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in cancer cells. TRAIL inhibited HCT116 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner; however, this reduction did not occur in TRAIL resistant HT-29, A549 and HepG2 cells with an even higher dose of TRAIL. SVT, but not TRAIL enhanced expression of cell death receptor (DR) in TRAIL resistant cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. A combination of SVT with TRAIL significantly inhibited cell growth of TRAIL resistant HT-29, A549 and HepG2 cells. Consistent with cell growth inhibition, the expression of TRAIL receptors; DR4 and DR5 was significantly increased as well as apoptosis related proteins such as cleaved caspase-3, -8, -9 and Bax. However, the expression of survival proteins (e.g., cFLIP, survivin, XIAP and Bcl2) was suppressed by the combination treatment of SVT and TRAIL. Depletion of DR4 or DR5 by small interfering RNA significantly reversed the cell growth inhibitory and apoptosis blocking effects of SVT in HCT116 and HT-29 cells. Pretreatment with the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125 and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger N-acetylcysteine reduced the SVT and TRAIL-induced upregulation of DR4 and DR5 expression, expression of the apoptosis related protein such as caspase-3 and-9, as well as cell growth inhibitory effects. The collective results suggest that SVT facilitates TRAIL-induced apoptosis in cancer cells through up-regulation of the TRAIL receptors; DR4 and DR5 via ROS/JNK pathway signals.

Anti-cancer effect of bee venom toxin and melittin in ovarian cancer cells through induction of death receptors and inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

We investigated whether bee venom and melittin, a major component of bee venom, inhibit cell growth through enhancement of death receptor expressions in the human ovarian cancer cells, SKOV3 and PA-1. Bee venom (1-5 µg/ml) and melittin (0.5-2 µg/ml) inhibited the growth of SKOV3 and PA-1 ovarian cancer cells by the induction of apoptotic cell death in a dose dependent manner. Consistent with apoptotic cell death, expression of death receptor (DR) 3 and DR6 was increased in both cancer cells, but expression of DR4 was increased only in PA-1 cells. Expression of DR downstream pro-apoptotic proteins including caspase-3, 8, and Bax was concomitantly increased, but the phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 and the expression of Bcl-2 were inhibited by treatment with bee venom and melittin in SKOV3 and PA-1 cells. Expression of cleaved caspase-3 was increased in SKOV3, but cleaved caspase-8 was increased in PA-1 cells. Moreover, deletion of DR3, DR4, and DR6 by small interfering RNA significantly reversed bee venom and melittin-induced cell growth inhibitory effect as well as down regulation of STAT3 by bee venom and melittin in SKOV3 and PA-1 ovarian cancer cell. These results suggest that bee venom and melittin induce apoptotic cell death in ovarian cancer cells through enhancement of DR3, DR4, and DR6 expression and inhibition of STAT3 pathway.

Snake venom toxin from Vipera lebetina turanica induces apoptosis of colon cancer cells via upregulation of ROS- and JNK-mediated death receptor expression.

BACKGROUND: Abundant research suggested that the cancer cells avoid destruction by the immune system through down-regulation or mutation of death receptors. Therefore, it is very important that finding the agents that increase the death receptors of cancer cells. In this study, we demonstrated that the snake venom toxin from Vipera lebetina turanica induce the apoptosis of colon cancer cells through reactive oxygen species (ROS) and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) dependent death receptor (DR4 and DR5) expression. METHODS: We used cell viability assays, DAPI/TUNEL assays, as well as western blot for detection of apoptosis related proteins and DRs to demonstrate that snake venom toxin-induced apoptosis is DR4 and DR5 dependent. We carried out transient siRNA knockdowns of DR4 and DR5 in colon cancer cells. RESULTS: We showed that snake venom toxin inhibited growth of colon cancer cells through induction of apoptosis. We also showed that the expression of DR4 and DR5 was increased by treatment of snake venom toxin. Moreover, knockdown of DR4 or DR5 reversed the effect of snake venom toxin. Snake venom toxin also induced JNK phosphorylation and ROS generation, however, pretreatment of JNK inhibitor and ROS scavenger reversed the inhibitory effect of snake venom toxin on cancer cell proliferation, and reduced the snake venom toxin-induced upregulation of DR4 and DR5 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that snake venom toxin could inhibit human colon cancer cell growth, and these effects may be related to ROS and JNK mediated activation of death receptor (DR4 and DR5) signals.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Efficacy and Safety of Fire Needling and Warm Needling on Acute Gout.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of heat stimuli (e.g., fire needling, warm needling) in acupuncture for acute gout. Methods: Four international online databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure) were searched to identify randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) that used fire needling and warm needling for acute gout. The methodological quality of the RCTs was evaluated using the Cochrane risk-of-bias (RoB) tool. Thirteen RCTs (840 patients) were included and analyzed. Three evaluation tools (total effective rate, uric acid level, and pain score) were mainly used. Comparisons were made between Western medicine (WM) and i) fire needling or warm needling treatment alone, ii) fire needling and bloodletting combination treatment, iii) combination of fire needling, bloodletting, and herbal medicine, iv) warm needling (concurrently). Heat stimuli in acupuncture alone or in combination treatment were more effective in terms of the total efficacy rates, uric acid levels, and pain scores than WM alone. Results: In all the evaluation tools, the treatment effects in the fire needling alone or warm needling alone treatment group and the fire needling and bloodletting combination intervention group were significantly better than those in the WM control group. The warm needling and WM combination intervention groups also experienced significantly better treatment effects in terms of total efficacy rates and uric acid levels. Only the pain scores in the fire needling, bloodletting, and herbal medicine combination groups demonstrated significant improvement. Only four studies mentioned adverse reactions one reported loss of appetite; three studies reported none. According to the Cochrane RoB tool, most studies showed either high or uncertain RoB. Conclusion: Heat stimuli during acupuncture could be effective for acute gout. However, as the included studies were regionally biased, more high-quality studies are needed to confirm the level of evidence.

Oral administration of East Asian herbal medicine for rheumatoid arthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, and painful joint disease. The aim of this review is to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral administration East Asian herbal medicine monotherapy for inflammatory pain of RA, and to explore core herb material information based on collected data. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search will be conducted in 11 electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature, Excerpta Medica database, Korean Studies Information Service System, Research Information Service System Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korea Citation Index, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang data, citation information by NII for randomized controlled trials from their inception until October 13, 2021. Statistical analysis will be performed in the software R version 4.1.1. and R studio program using the default settings of the "meta" and "metafor" package. When heterogeneity in studies is detected, the cause will be identified through subgroup analysis. Methodological quality will be assessed independently using the revised tool for risk of bias in randomized trials (Rob 2.0). RESULTS: This study will provide more comprehensive and specific evidence of East Asian herbal medicine monotherapy for RA pain management. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this review, it is expected that the efficacy and safety of East Asian herbal medicine for inflammatory pain of RA may be confirmed. In addition, it will be possible to derivation of a core herb material information related to this research topic through additional data mining. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: There are no ethical issues as there are no primary data collected by directly recruiting subjects. The results of this review will be reported in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021273643.

Anti-cancer effect of bee venom in prostate cancer cells through activation of caspase pathway via inactivation of NF-κB.

BACKGROUND: Bee venom has been used as a traditional medicine to treat arthritis, rheumatism, back pain, cancerous tumors, and skin diseases. However, the effects of bee venom on the prostate cancer and their action mechanisms have not been reported yet. METHODS: To determine the effect of bee venom and its major component, melittin on the prostate cancer cells, apoptosis is analyzed by tunnel assay and apoptotic gene expression. For xenograft studies, bee venom was administrated intraperitoneally twice per week for 4 weeks, and the tumor growth was measured and the tumor were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. To investigate whether bee venom and melittin can inactivate nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), we assessed NF-κB activity in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Bee venom (1-10 µg/ml) and melittin (0.5-2.5 µg/ml) inhibited cancer cell growth through induction of apoptotic cell death in LNCaP, DU145, and PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. These effects were mediated by the suppression of constitutively activated NF-κB. Bee venom and melittin decreased anti-apoptotic proteins but induced pro-apoptotic proteins. However, pan caspase inhibitor abolished bee venom and melittin-induced apoptotic cell death and NF-κB inactivation. Bee venom (3-6 mg/kg) administration to nude mice implanted with PC-3 cells resulted in inhibition of tumor growth and activity of NF-κB accompanied with apoptotic cell death. Therefore, these results indicated that bee venom and melittin could inhibit prostate cancer in in vitro and in vivo, and these effects may be related to NF-κB/caspase signal mediated induction of apoptotic cell death.

External application of herbal medicine for gout: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Gout affects a significant portion of the population worldwide annually. Numerous studies have been reported mainly in East Asia, explaining the use of traditional herbal decoctions for gout treatment. Our systematic review will be conducted to critically evaluate the evidence for the safety and effectiveness of external applications of herbal medicines on gout. METHODS: Two independent researchers will perform electronic literature searches, study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. To identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving various external applications of herbal medicine for gout, a search will be carried out using the following 7 electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, KoreaMed, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean Studies Information Service System, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Each electronic database will be searched for articles published from their inception to the present date. Studies will be selected based on predefined criteria and summarized data regarding study participants, interventions, control groups, outcome measures, side effects, and risk of bias. There are no restrictions on publication status or language. Studies that evaluated any type of external application of herbal medicines will be eligible for inclusion, and the primary outcome will be the blood uric acid level. The methodological quality of the included RCTs will be assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. RESULTS: The present study will evaluate effectiveness and safety of external application of herbal medicines for gout. CONCLUSION: Our findings will establish evidence for the external application of herbal medicines for gout and will be informative for patients with gout, clinicians, policymakers, and researchers.The results of this systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated electronically and in print. This review will be updated to inform and guide healthcare practices.

A Meta-Analysis of Treatment Effects on Viral Pneumonia Using TCM Injections Specified in the Clinical Guideline for COVID-19 in China.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to analyze the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injections specified in the clinical guideline for COVID-19 by conducting a meta-analysis of viral pneumonia data. METHODS: TCM injections data on viral pneumonia were collected until July 31, 2021. CNKI, PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane electronic database were used to collect the clinical data. "COVID-19," "Viral pneumonia," "Tanreqing," "Xiyanping," "Reduning," "Xingnaojing," "Xuebijing," "Shenmai," "Shengmai," and "Shenfu" were used as keywords. All data collected were mainly about TCM injections and viral pneumonia. Furthermore, studies that included results such as the total effective rate, cough disappearance time, antipyretic time, lung rhomboid disappearance time, and adverse drug reaction were collected for the meta-analysis to identify the efficacy of TCM injections. However, data unrelated to TCM injections specified in the clinical guidelines for COVID-19 or viral pneumonia were excluded. The quality of included RCTs was assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, and Review Manager 5.3 software was used to conduct the meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 18 studies with 1540 patients were included in this study. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the total effective rate OR = 4.61 (95% CI 2.92, 7.25, p = 1.00/ I2 = 0%); the cough disappearance time SMD -1.23 (-1.37, -1.09, p < 0.00001/ I2 = 94%); the antipyretic time SMD -1.26 (-1.40, -1.11, p < 0.00001/ I2=94%); lung rhomboid disappearance time SMD -1.17 (-1.33, -1.02, p < 0.00001/ I2 = 89%); and adverse drug reaction was OR 0.36 (95% CI 0.20, 0.64, p = 0.21/ I2 = 30%). From the results, the treatment group (TCM injection) showed better efficacy than the control group (Western medication). CONCLUSION: Xiyanping, Reduning, and Tanreqing injections may yield benefits as COVID-19 treatments. However, clinical trials on TCM injections for the treatment of COVID-19 are still lacking. More high-quality clinical trials are still required.

Acupuncture to treat asymptomatic hyperuricemia: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia (HUA) plays an important role in metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease. HUA without resulting gout is referred to as asymptomatic HUA. The purpose of the present systematic review protocol is to provide methods to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture-based treatment for asymptomatic HUA. METHODS: To identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving acupuncture-based treatment for asymptomatic HUA, a search will be carried out using the following eight electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Korea Med, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean Studies Information Service System, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Japanese Institutional Repositories Online. Manual search and email contact with the author will also be conducted if necessary. Studies will be selected based on predefined criteria and summarized data regarding study participants, interventions, control groups, outcome measures, side effects, and risk of bias. No language restrictions will be imposed. Studies that evaluated any type of acupuncture will be eligible for inclusion, and the primary outcome will be the blood uric acid level. The methodological quality of the included RCTs will be assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. RESULTS: The present study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture to treat HUA. CONCLUSION: Our findings will establish the evidence for acupuncture-based treatment of HUA and will be informative for patients with HUA, clinicians, policy makers, and researchers. REGISTRATION NUMBER: reviewregistry1054.

Efficacy of Alpinumisoflavone Isolated from Maclura tricuspidata Fruit in Tumor Necrosis Factor-α-Induced Damage of Human Dermal Fibroblasts.

The skin is an important organ in the human body that protects the body from environmentally hazardous substances. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause inflammatory reactions and degradation of the extracellular matrix leading to skin aging and various cutaneous lesions. This study evaluated the potential of isoflavones isolated from Maclura tricuspidata fruit to prevent TNF-α-induced skin inflammation in normal human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). It focused on alpinumisoflavone (AIF) that suppressed the accumulation of ROS and nitric oxide (NO) in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-treated HDFs. AIF inhibited the TNF-α-induced increase in matrix metalloproteinase-1, decreased procollagen I α1, and suppressed pro-inflammatory mediators and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including NO synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and IL-8 that trigger inflammatory responses. AIF inhibited nuclear factor-κB and activating protein 1 mitogen-activated protein kinases that were increased by TNF-α stimulation. These results suggest that AIF may protect skin from aging and various cutaneous lesions.