ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the regulatory effect of Siwu paste on the bone marrow hematopoietic function of aplastic anemia （AA） model rats. Method:SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group， model group， positive drug （Fufang E'jiao Jiang 10.8 g·kg<sup>-1</sup>） group， high-dose Siwu paste （22.68 g·kg<sup>-1</sup>） group and low-dose Siwu paste （5.67 g·kg<sup>-1</sup>） group. Acetophenazine （APH） combined with cyclophosphamide （CTX） injection was used to establish the aplastic anemia rat model. The administration groups were given the corresponding drugs （<italic>ig</italic>） for 15 consecutive days. The levels of white blood cells （WBC）， red blood cells （RBC）， hemoglobin （HGB）， hematocrit （HCT） and platelets （PLT） in peripheral blood cells of rats were detected， thymus and spleen indexes were calculated and compared. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the levels of interleukin-3 （IL-3） and interleukin-6 （IL-6） in rat serum. The pathological changes of bone marrow were observed by hematoxylin eosin （HE） staining. Western blot and Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） methods were used to detect Toll receptor 4 （TLR4） and nuclear transcription factor-<italic>κ</italic>B （NF-<italic>κ</italic>B） protein and gene expression in rat femoral bone marrow cells. Result:Compared with the normal control group， the WBC， RBC， HGB， HCT and PLT levels of the model group were significantly reduced， the thymus index was significantly decreased， the spleen index was significantly increased， the serum IL-3 level was significantly decreased， and the IL-6 level was significantly increased. The number of neutrophils and megakaryocytes in the femoral bone marrow was reduced， and the medullary cavity was filled with edema fibrofatty tissue. The expressions of TLR4 and NF-<italic>κ</italic>B protein and mRNA in bone marrow cells were significantly increased （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Compared with the model group， the levels of WBC， RBC， HCT and PLT in peripheral blood cells of rats in the high-dose Siwu paste group increased， the thymus index increased， the spleen index decreased， the IL-3 level was significantly increased， the IL-6 level was significantly decreased， the pathological morphology of femoral bone marrow was slightly improved， and the expressions of TLR4 and NF-<italic>κ</italic>B protein and mRNA in bone marrow cells decreased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. Conclusion:Siwu paste may improve the bone marrow hematopoietic function of rats with aplastic anemia by regulating the expression of the bone marrow inflammation signal pathway TLR4/NF-<italic>κ</italic>B.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the potential mechanism of Bianketong tablet （BKT） in the treatment of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome （C-IBS） based on network pharmacology and bioinformatics. Method:The BKT-meridian network was constructed for analyzing the combined effect of the nine Chinese herbs in BKT. The active components and targets of BKT were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP） and then screened according to the oral bioavailability （OB） and drug likeness （DL） criteria. Following the acquisition of C-IBS target set from GeneCards， Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM）， Drugbank and DisGeNet， the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed. Cytoscape 3.7.2 was utilized for network visualization. The screened key targets were subjected to gene ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） enrichment analysis using DAVID platform. The C-IBS mouse model was established via intragastric administration of ice water， and the key targets of BKT against C-IBS were verified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and immunohistochemistry. Result:The large intestinal meridian was the main site where BKT acted. There were 70 potential active components in BKT， which acted on 227 intersection targets. Through T helper cell 17（Th17） differentiation， Toll-like receptor （TLR）， tumor necrosis factor and other signaling pathways， BKT participated in inflammatory response， immune regulation， intestinal nerve regulation， hormonal regulation， and oxidative stress response， thus exerting the therapeutic effects against C-IBS. As reveled by <italic>in vivo</italic> experiments， BKT significantly improved the small intestinal propulsion rate， up-regulated the expression of vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP） in serum and colon tissue of C-IBS mice， and down-regulated the expression of nuclear transcription factor-<italic>κ</italic>B （NF-<italic>κ</italic>B）， interleukin（IL）-6， and TLR2 in serum and colon tissue， which confirmed the reliability of integration analysis. Conclusion:BKT inhibits C-IBS via multiple components， multiple targets， and multiple pathways. This study has provided ideas for further clinical research and experimental verification of BKT in the treatment of C-IBS.
ABSTRACT
Integrated pharmacological approach was used to predict the target genes and signal pathways of Xiaoer Fupi granules in the treatment of functional dyspepsia(FD), and the possible mechanism was discussed. The disease target information was collected by the DISEASES and UniProt databases, integrated pharmacological platform of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM-IP) was used to predict chemical composition, target, protein gene ontology(GO) function and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) pathway, and the networks of candidate target and TCMs-chemical components-core targets-key pathways were constructed. A total of 2 882 potential targets and 96 candidate target pathways were predicted, and β-1,4-galactosyltransferase(β-1,4-GalT) subtypes(B4GALT4, B4GALT2, B4GALT1) and phosphorylated protein kinase C subtype D(PRKCD), adenylate cyclase 2(ADCY2) and other targets were predicted. Some pathways were enriched, such as nervous system, endocrine system, thyroid hormone signaling pathway, long-term depression and other pathways related to FD. It was predicted that Xiaoer Fupi granules for treating FD by regulating gastrointestinal hormones, anti-depression, and regulating nerves and endocrine system. This study provides a basis for the precise clinical application and positioning of Xiaoer Fupi granules, and helps to clarify the mechanism of this drug.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the influence of the polluted SY River on children's growth and sex hormones, and provide scientific data for assessment of the polluted status of the SY River.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The study areas were selected randomly from the SY River Basin. Lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), phthalates (DEP, DBP, DMP, DEHP), and bisphenol A (BPA) were measured both in the river water and in the drinking water. School children were selected by cluster sampling (n=154). Physical development indexes (height, weight, bust-circumference, and skinfold thickness) and sex hormones [testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2)] were measured for all the children.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The contents of Pb and Hg exceeded Class V standards of surface water quality in each section of the river and other indicators exceeded Class III. Compared to the control area, the concentrations of Pb, Hg, As, BPA, DEP, and DBP in the drinking water were significantly higher than in the polluted area (P<0.05). Children from the control area had significantly lower E2 and T than children from the polluted area (P<0.05). Among anthropometric results, only skinfold thickness had statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05), while the other indexes showed no significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The drinking water has been polluted by the SY River and affected serum sex hormone levels of children living in the polluted area.</p>