Advances in Basic Studies on Antitumor Effect and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms of Sinomenine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Tumors are new organisms formed by uncontrollable cell proliferation of local tissues driven by various oncogenic factors. The cause of tumors is unknown with life-threating outcome. Tumors can be classified into benign tumors， borderline tumors， and malignant tumors according to their pathological properties. Among them， malignant tumor is commonly known as cancer， with no specific medicines or reliable cure means， so this is a hot spot and difficult point in current medical research. In ancient literatures， there are many records about the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine in treating tumor， and modern pharmacological researches have shown that more and more active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） have gradually highlighted their inhibitory effect on various types of tumor. Caulis sinomenii has been used for treatment of rheumatic diseases in TCM for a long history. Sinomenine is a major bioactive alkaloid presented in C. sinomenii， which has demonstrated a wide range of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammation， immunosuppression， analgesia and sedation， and due to its slightly soluble in water， it is commonly used in clinic in the form of hydrochloride， with its commercial name of Zhengqing Fengtongning. Recent studies show that sinomenine alone or combined with chemoradiotherapy can inhibit growth of several tumors significantly or in a synergistic way， so it is termed as an inhibitor of tumors. Anti-tumor effect of sinomenine involve inhibition of tumor cell proliferation， induction of tumor cell apoptosis， blockade of tumor cell cycle， suppression of tumor invasion and metastasis， induction of autophagy of tumor cells， and reversal of multidrug resistance of tumor cells. Upon combination with nanomaterials， it can enhance efficiency and reduce toxicity. Here we summarized and reviewed recent advances on basic anti-tumor research of sinomenine， and then made a classification and description according to its in vivo and in vitro pharmacological action and mechanism of action， so as to elucidate the great potential of sinomenine as a promising anti-tumor drug， and provide reference for further research on its anti-tumor mechanism.

Research on active compounds of Maxingyigan Decoction for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 based on network pharmacology and molecular docking / 中草药

Objective: To explore the active compounds of Maxingyigan Decoction for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: The chemical constituents and action targets of Ephedra sinica, Armeniacae Semen Amarum, Coicis Semen, and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in Maxingyigan Decoction were retrieved from TCMSP. The database of UniProt and GeneCards were used to query the target genes that corresponding to the active compounds, and then a compound-target (gene) network was constructed by Cytoscape 3.6.1. GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG enrichment analysis were performed through WebGestalt database to predict its mechanism of action. The main active ingredients were docked with SARS-CoV-2 3CL hydrolase and angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2). Results: The compound-target network contained 126 compounds and 266 corresponding targets. The key targets genes included PTGS2, ESR1, PCP4, PPARG, HSP90AA1, NCOA2, etc. GO function enrichment analysis found that 522 GO items were affected by Maxingyigan Decoction, including 12 biological process items, 20 cell composition items, and 17 molecular function items. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that 168 signal pathways were enriched, involving interferon-γ signaling pathway, MAP kinase cascade, T cell activation, chemokines and cytokine signaling pathway-mediated inflammation pathways, etc. The molecular docking results showed that core compounds such as luteolin and quercetin had similar affinity with the recommended drugs used to treat COVID-19. Conclusion: The active compounds in Maxingyigan Decoction may have a therapeutic effect on COVID-19 through binding with 3CL hydrolase and ACE2 to act on targets such as PTGS2, ESR1, PCP4, PPARG, HSP90AA1 and NCOA2 so as to regulate multiple signal pathways.

Association analysis on effective components in Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription / 中草药

To analyze the intervention of the effective components of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription for the disease networks of blood stasis syndrome of kidney deficiency. According to the literature research on the traditional efficacy, active ingredients, and modern pharmacology of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription, the complex network analysis was performed by using cytoscape, and the structure of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription was also validated. The results showed that the effective constituents of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription were psoralen, epimedium glycosides, lycium barbarum polysaccharides, total flavonoids of Rhizoma Drynariae, oleanolic acid, fennelin, and inocosterone. Moreover, four basic elements of Sovereign-Minister-Assistant-Guide (Jun-Chen-Zuo-Shi) of the effective components of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription were summarized effectively. There have a greater correlation between tonifying kidney and activating blood function of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription and modern pharmacology, such as raising estrogen levels and increasing the degree of bone mineral density. The effective ingredients in Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription in line with the prescription structure of Sovereign-Minister-Assistant-Guide in the single herb medicine. The active ingredients of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription can interact with multiple signaling pathways through multi-channel and multi-target such as Wnt/β-catenin, ERK/MAEK/NF-kB and so on, in order to exert the effect of tonifying kidney and activating blood and strengthening bone.