The "time-response" effect of Wenyang Pingchuan Formula on miR-19a in asthmatic mice experiment.

BACKGROUND: Wenyang Pingchuan Formula (WPCF) is an empirical formula for the treatment of acute childhood asthma. However, the "time-effect" relationship of this prescription is not clear. This paper explores the relationship between Janus activated kinase signal transducer and activator of transcriptions (JAK/STAT), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and microRNA (miR-19a), and also preliminarily determines the best time-effect relationship of WPCF in reducing the airway inflammation in asthmatic mice. METHOD: 80 BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups: control (CON) group, model (MDL) group, dexamethasone (DEX) group, and WPCF group. MDL group was established through intraperitoneal injection of 10% ovalbumin (OVA) and Al(OH)3 solution and the inhalation of aerosolized 5% OVA solution. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real-time PCR and Western blot were conducted to determine the levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), contents of miR-19a mRNA and STAT6, phosphorylated signal transducers and activators of transcription 6 (p-STAT6), p65, phosphorylated p65 (p-p65), suppressors of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1), and tumor necrosis factor α-induced protein-3 (Tnfaip3) proteins after 7 and 28 days of intervention respectively. RESULTS: Significant down-regulation of IL-4 and IL-13 expression (P<0.05) and up-regulation of IFN-γ expression (P<0.05) in BALF have been observed for WPCF group compared with the MDL group. The significant down-regulation of miR-19a mRNA and STAT6, p-STAT6, p65, p-p65 proteins (P<0.05) and up-regulation of SOCS1 and Tnfaip3 proteins (P<0.05) in BALF was also observed for WPCF group compared to the MDL group. During the experiment, the weight of the mice in DEX group significantly decreased (P<0.05) compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: WPCF could restore Th1/Th2 balance. The longer the intervention time, the more effective the treatment. The down-regulation of miR-19a mRNA by activating JAK/STAT and NF-κB signal pathways may be a possible mechanism by which WPCF alleviates airway inflammation.

Effect of Prescription Tongxin on Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Peripheral Blood.

CONTEXT: Coronary heart disease (CHD) refers to a disease where coronary atherosclerosis induces stenosis or obstruction of the blood vessels. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) function to protect and repair the vascular endothelium, and their functional activity state reflects the ability of the body to repair vascular damage. In the peripheral blood of patients with CHD, the density of EPCs decreases, and the function of EPCs is low. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA)-approved prescription medicine, Tongxin, on the density and function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in peripheral blood. DESIGN: In this study, a randomized, single blind, parallel controlled clinical trial was used. The single blind subjects were subjects. SETTING: The study took place in the Cardiology and Emergency Departments at Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shanghai, China. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 48 patients with coronary heart disease at the hospital. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 24 each): a control group and an intervention group. Both groups received routine drug treatments, such as platelet inhibitors, nitrates, ß-receptor blockers, statins, angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARBs), and calcium blockers. The control group was treated with the Shexiang Baoxin Pill, while the intervention group was treated with prescription Tongxin. The course of treatment was 3 months for both groups. OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in the density and function of EPCs in the peripheral blood of the 2 groups were measured at baseline and postintervention, and the clinical efficacy of the 2 treatments was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The density of EPCs was significantly higher in both groups after 3 months of treatment, compared to the densities at baseline (P < .05). The change in density between baseline and postintervention was significantly greater for the intervention group than for the control group (P < .05). For the control group, the proliferative vitality [optical density (OD)] value of the EPCs was significantly higher than that at baseline from the fourth day of treatment (P < .05). In the intervention group, the OD value was significantly higher than that at baseline from the first day of treatment (P < .05). Furthermore, the intervention group's cells began to enter the logarithmic growth phase of increase from the fifth day of treatment, and the group's increase as significantly higher than the control group's from the fifth to the seventh dayof treatment (P < .05 for all 3 days). Moreover, the total effective rate was higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Prescription Tongxin can stimulate the release of EPCs from the bone marrow to the peripheral blood of patients with CHD, can significantly increase the proliferation of EPCs in the peripheral blood, and can improve the clinical symptoms of patients. Its curative effect was greater than that of the control treatment.

Efficacy and safety of Tongxin formula after stent implantation for acute coronary syndrome: A multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to comprehensively evaluate both the efficacy and safety profile of integrating the Tongxin formula with optimal medical therapy (OMT) for patients experiencing acute coronary syndromes subsequent to coronary stenting, over the course of one year. METHODS: We enrolled 150 patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndromes who had received stent placement within one month and exhibited a TCM syndrome characterized by Qi deficiency and blood stasis. This group comprised patients with unstable angina, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. The participants were divided equally, allocating 75 to the Tongxin formula group and 75 to a placebo-controlled group. After undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) surgery, both groups received conventional Western medical care, including dual antiplatelet therapy and lipid-lowering medications. The placebo-controlled group received a placebo, while the Tongxin formula group were administered Tongxin formula granules orally. Both study cohorts were monitored for a duration of 6 months. The primary endpoints included the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events and the rate of lumen diameter reduction post-treatment in both groups, with the Seattle Angina Scale serving as a secondary assessment tool. Safety evaluations encompassed the measurement of liver and kidney function, coagulation parameters, and other relevant indicators. RESULTS: The rate of adverse cardiovascular events in the placebo-controlled group was 42.46 % within a year of surgery, whereas it was 16.90 % in the Tongxin formula group (P < 0.05). Comparing the Tongxin formula group to the placebo-controlled group, there was a decrease in the frequency of unstable angina and readmission due to cardiovascular events (P < 0.05). Coronary angiography performed 6 months after surgery revealed that the Tongxin formula group had considerably less lumen loss than the placebo-controlled group in a number of segments, including the entire segment, within the stent, at the proximal end, and at the distal end (P < 0.05). Six months after surgery, the Seattle angina score was higher in the Tongxin formula group than in the placebo-controlled group (P < 0.05). There were no significant changes in indicators such as liver and renal function as well as coagulation indexes in both groups within the first 12 months after surgery (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Tongxin formula has been shown to lower the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events, minimize narrowing of blood vessel lumen, enhance clinical symptoms, and enhance the quality of life of patients following PCI surgery, all while maintaining a good safety profile.

[Treatment of sixty-one patients with coronary slow flow phenomenon by yiqi huoxue recipe combined Western drugs: a clinical research].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of treating patients with coronary slow flow phenomenon by Yiqi Huoxue Recipe (YHR) combined Western drugs, thus providing clinical evidence for further studies. METHODS: Totally 61 patients with coronary slow flow phenomenon were randomly assigned to the treatment group (31 cases) and the control group (30 cases). Patients in the control group were treated with basic treatment of Western medicine, while those in the treatment group were treated with basic treatment of Western medicine and YHR. The therapeutic course for all was two months. Clinical symptoms were observed, and electrocardiogram examinations taken, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were evaluated before treatment and at two months after treatment. RESULTS: Patients' clinical symptoms and electrocardiogram examinations were significantly improved in the treatment group. Its effective rate of improved symptoms was 90.32% in the treatment group, superior to that in the control group (76.67%, P < 0.05). The effective rate of electrocardiogram examinations was 87.10% in the treatment group, superior to that in the control group (73.33%, P < 0.05). But there was no statistical difference in LVEF between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: YHR combined Western drugs could improve clinical symptoms and electrocardiographic ischemia in patients with coronary slow flow phenomenon.

The cardioprotective effect of Shengmai Zhenwu decoction on patients with chronic heart failure based on the levels of soluble interleukin 1 receptor-like 1.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of Shengmai Zhenwu decoction on patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) based on the levels of soluble interleukin 1 receptor-like 1 (ST2). Methods: We included a total of 80 outpatients and inpatients with CHF who were undergoing treatment at the Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between March 2020 and March 2022. We randomly divided them into the observation group (n = 40) and the control group (n = 40). Patients in the control group received treatments as per conventional Western medicine, while those in the observation group were treated with the Shengmai Zhenwu decoction in conjunction with Western medicine for eight consecutive weeks. We then compared the pre- and post-treatment levels of ST2 and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) of the patients in the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in the pre-treatment levels of ST2 and NT-proBNP indexes between the two groups (P > 0.05), while the post-treatment comparison between the two groups in terms of ST2 and NT-proBNP levels suggested that the effect in the observation group was better, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Shengmai Zhenwu decoction was beneficial in patients with CHF, suggesting that it could be a promising and effective method for the treatment of CHF.