Comparative study on the effects of total ginkgo flavonol glycosides and total ginkgolides on neurofunctional recovery in mice with subacute stroke / 药学学报

As a Ginkgo biloba extract preparation, shuxuening injection has a unique advantage in the prevention and treatment of acute and subacute stroke, but its main active ingredient is still unclear. Using a subacute model of stroke in mice constructed earlier, we further explored the contribution and mechanism of the two main components of total ginkgo flavonol glycosides and total ginkgolides in facilitating the neurofunctional recovery in stroke-induced mice. The pharmacodynamics was mainly evaluated by neurobehavioral changes, cerebral infarction volume, blood-brain barrier permeability and brain edema. The pathway and targets were predicted by transcriptome and network pharmacology. Finally, the mechanism was verified at the mRNA and protein levels. The results showed that the beneficial effect of total ginkgolides was greater than that of total ginkgo flavonol glycosides in both the pharmacodynamics and the regulatory mechanism of granulocyte adhesion and diapedesis involving granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), macrophage-1 antigen (MAC-1) and E-selectin. These findings suggest that shuxuening injection may improve the prognosis for mice with subacute stroke by down-regulating G-CSF-mediated granulocyte adhesion and diapedesis pathway mainly through the total ginkgolide components. This finding is expected to provide reference for optimizing prescription and searching for natural drugs for targeting the treatment of ischemic stroke prognosis. The animal experiments in this study followed the regulations of Animal Ethics Committee of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

New effect of G-protein coupled receptors on blood pressure regulation / 中国中药杂志

Hypertension is a clinical syndrome characterized by elevated systemic arterial blood pressure, which may be accompanied by functional or organic damage of heart, brain, kidney and other organs. The pathogenesis and development of hypertension are affected by genetic, environmental, epigenetic, intestinal microbiota and other factors. They are the result of multiple factors that promote the change of blood pressure level and vascular resistance. G protein coupled receptors(GPCRs) are the largest and most diverse superfamily of transmembrane receptors that transmit signals across cell membranes and mediate a large number of cellular responses required by human physiology. A variety of GPCRs are involved in the control of blood pressure and the maintenance of normal function of cardiovascular system. Hypertension contributes to the damages of heart, brain, kidney, intestine and other organs. Many GPCRs are expressed in various organs to regulate blood pressure. Although many GPCRs have been used as therapeutic targets for hypertension, their efficacy has not been fully studied. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the role of GPCRs in blood pressure regulation and its distribution in target organs. The relationship between GPCRs related to intestinal microorganisms and blood pressure is emphasized. It is proposed that traditional Chinese medicine may be a new way to treat hypertension by regulating the related GPCRs via intestinal microbial metabolites.

Exploring molecular mechanisms of anti-platelet adhesion of Chinese medicine for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis by activity screen and network analysis / 药学学报

Platelet adhesion is a key process in thrombosis. Anti-platelet adhesion effect of some Chinese medicines for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis (PBCRBS) has been reported, but their relative efficacies as a whole and specific targets remained unclear. This paper combined activity screening, drug compatibility analysis, pathway clustering, target prediction, and molecular docking to explore the mechanism of anti-platelet adhesion by PBCRBS Chinese medicine. Screening the activity of anti-platelet adhesion of 58 commercially available PBCRBS Chinese patent medicines showed that about 50.0% significantly inhibit ADP-induced platelet adhesion in vitro, and about 96.6% significantly inhibit thrombin-induced platelet adhesion in vitro. The animal experiment involved was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Tianjin International Biomedical Research Institute. Combined with the auxiliary platform for TCM (V2.0) inheritance showed that the compatibility of Danshen-Chuanxiong was used most frequently among the top 20 active proprietary Chinese patent medicines. IPA network analysis revealed that IL-1, APP and CCL2 might be the key targets for anti-platelet adhesion function of Danshen-Chuanxiong against atherosclerosis, neuroinflammation and chemokine signaling pathways as the main mechanisms. Molecular docking analysis confirmed the interaction between one of the active compounds shared by Danshen and Chuanxiong, i.e. chlorogenic acid, with its target CCL2. This study provides TCM theory guidance and experimental support for targeting platelet adhesion in anti-thrombosis therapy by Chinese medicine for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.