A review of edible plant-derived natural compounds for the therapy of liver fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis has a high incidence worldwide and is the common pathological basis of many chronic liver diseases. Liver fibrosis is caused by the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix and concomitant collagen accumulation in livers and can lead to the development of liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer. A large number of studies have provided evidence that liver fibrosis can be blocked or even reversed by appropriate medical interventions. However, the antifibrosis drugs with ideal clinical efficacy are still insufficient. The edible plant-derived natural compounds have been reported to exert effective antifibrotic effects with few side-effects, representing a kind of promising source for the treatment of liver fibrosis. In this article, we reviewed the current progress of the natural compounds derived from dietary plants in the treatment of liver fibrosis, including phenolic compounds (capsaicin, chlorogenic acid, curcumin, ellagic acid, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, resveratrol, sinapic acid, syringic acid, vanillic acid and vitamin E), flavonoid compounds (genistein, hesperidin, hesperetin, naringenin, naringin and quercetin), sulfur-containing compounds (S-allylcysteine, ergothioneine, lipoic acid and sulforaphane) and other compounds (betaine, caffeine, cucurbitacin B, lycopene, α-mangostin, γ-mangostin, ursolic acid, vitamin C and yangonin). The pharmacological effects and related mechanisms of these compounds in in-vivo and in-vitro models of liver fibrosis are focused.

Seeing the Unseen of the Combination of Two Natural Resins, Frankincense and Myrrh: Changes in Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities.

For the treatment of diseases, especially chronic diseases, traditional natural drugs have more effective therapeutic advantages because of their multi-target and multi-channel characteristics. Among many traditional natural medicines, resins frankincense and myrrh have been proven to be effective in the treatment of inflammation and cancer. In the West, frankincense and myrrh have been used as incense in religious and cultural ceremonies since ancient times; in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, they are used mainly for the treatment of chronic diseases. The main chemical constituents of frankincense and myrrh are terpenoids and essential oils. Their common pharmacological effects are anti-inflammatory and anticancer. More interestingly, in traditional Chinese medicine, frankincense and myrrh have been combined as drug pairs in the same prescription for thousands of years, and their combination has a better therapeutic effect on diseases than a single drug. After the combination of frankincense and myrrh forms a blend, a series of changes take place in their chemical composition, such as the increase or decrease of the main active ingredients, the disappearance of native chemical components, and the emergence of new chemical components. At the same time, the pharmacological effects of the combination seem magically powerful, such as synergistic anti-inflammation, synergistic anticancer, synergistic analgesic, synergistic antibacterial, synergistic blood-activation, and so on. In this review, we summarize the latest research on the main chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of these two natural resins, along with chemical and pharmacological studies on the combination of the two.

Evaluation of a modified rat model for functional dyspepsia.

Background/Aim: The purpose of this study was to establish a modified rat model with functional dyspepsia (FD) and analyze the changes in gastrointestinal motility and brain-gut peptide levels in serum and brain-gut axis. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into control group (Con) and FD model group. FD model was established by stimulating semi-starvation rats via tail damping, provocation, and forced exercise fatigue until gastrointestinal motility disorder appeared, and then levels of motilin, leptin, cholecystokinin (CCK), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) were detected in serum by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and in duodenum, antrum, and hypothalamus by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot. Results: The results showed rates of intestinal propulsion and gastric emptying slowed down markedly compared to Con (P < 0.05), the gastrointestinal electric activity attenuated, and migrating motor complex (MMC) interrupted in the model group. The levels of leptin and VIP markedly increased, but motilin decreased as compared to the Con (P < 0.05) in serum and in the above tissues. It is interesting that the level of CCK decreased in the antrum and duodenum but increased in the hypothalamus as compared to Con (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The modified rat model meets the diagnostic criteria of FD and can be used as a method for studying FD in animals.

DRm217 attenuates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury via stabilizing plasma membrane Na+-K+-ATPase, inhibiting Na+-K+-ATPase/ROS pathway and activating PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2.

Na+-K+-ATPase has close relationship with myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. Activation of Na+-K+-ATPase with its DR region specific antibody produces cardioprotective effect. In this study, we aimed to explore whether DRm217, a proved DR region specific antibody, could protect myocardial cells against IR injury and uncover the mechanisms under it. By employing H9c2 myocardial cell and SD rat, we found that DRm217 protected cardiac cells against IR-induced cell injury and apoptosis. DRm217 produced protective effect via stabilizing Na+-K+-ATPase membrane expression and inhibiting Na+-K+-ATPase/Src/NADPH oxidase dependent ROS accumulation. PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 participated in DRm217-induced cardiomyocyte survival, but not in DRm217-related ROS reduction. Therefore, DRm217 can be used as a potential cardioprotective adjuvant in myocardial IR therapy and interference of Na+-K+-ATPase/ROS pathway will be a promising modality for clinical myocardial IR therapy.

Pingwei capsules improve gastrointestinal motility in rats with functional dyspepsia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of Pingwei capsules (PWC) in improving gastrointestinal motility in rats with functional dyspepsia (FD). METHODS: We established an FD model by stimulating semi-starvation rats via tail damping, provocation, and forced exercise fatigue. The FD model group was further divided into five groups according to the treatment received: normal saline, domperidone, low-dose PWC, mid-dose PWC, or high- dose PWC. The effect of PWC on FD rat was evaluated by measuring gastrointestinal motility. Changes of leptin and cholecystokinin (CCK) were detected through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: PWC significantly increased gastrointestinal motility in FD rats. Furthermore, PWC significantly increased CCK mRNA and protein concentrations in the duodenum and antrum, decreased leptin protein concentrations in the duodenum, antrum, and hypothalamus, and decreased CCK protein concentration in the hypothalamus. CONCLUSION: PWC improve gastrointestinal motor function in FD rats by decreasing the leptin concentration in serum and the brain-gut axis, and by increasing the CCK concentration in gastrointestinal tissue. Our findings help to elucidate the mechanism of FD and provide further insight into the pharmacokinetics of PWC.

[Current situation of neglect and its influencing factors for rural children aged 12 to 17 years old of Tujia and Miao minorities in Wuling mountainous area in 2014].

OBJECTIVE: In order to have a basic understanding of the neglect condition of rural children aged 12 to 17 years old of Tujia and Miao minorities in Wuling mountainous area as well as its causes. METHODS: According to the principle of multistage stratified cluster samplingmethod, a total of 1974 students of eight middle schoolsfrom rural areas in four counties of Tujia-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Xiangxi had been selected from November to December in 2014( 1020 students from Tujia minority and 954 students from Miao minority). In addition, by adopting themethod of "The Normal Value of Evaluation on the Neglect of Middle School Students from 12 to 17 Years Old in Rural China", the neglect rate and degree can reflect how often and how strong children in rural areas have been neglected. Also, relative factors of the neglect was analyzed by logistic multi-factor regression analysismethod. RESULTS: The total neglect rate of children in rural areas from 12 to 17 years old of Tujia and Miao minorities was 67. 83 %( 1339/1974). The proportion of male students which was 70. 42%( 631/896) was higher than the female students counterpart, which was 65. 68%( 708/1078)( χ~2= 5. 053, P <0. 05). The total neglect degree was( 54. 96 ± 10. 31), and the degree of children between 12 and 14 years old( 55. 45 ± 9. 51) was higher than that of children between 15 and 17 years old( 54. 54 ± 10. 95)( t = 1. 980, P < 0. 05). The neglect rate and degree in medication for female students were higher than male students( χ~2= 10. 233, P < 0. 01, t =2. 139, P < 0. 05), while the neglect rate and degree in education and the neglect degree in security male students had a higher rate and a more severe degree than female students( χ~2= 3. 969, t = 1. 989, t = 2. 014, P < 0. 05). In addition to the neglect of education, the neglect rate and degree of other aspects for children of Tujia and Miao minorities in rural areas had statistical significance( P < 0. 05). The neglect rate of left-behind children was higher than that of un-left-behind children in physical and medical aspects( χ~2= 6. 267, χ~2= 4. 040, P < 0. 05). As theresult of logistic multi-factor regression analysis showed, male students( OR = 1. 292, 95% CI 1. 062-1. 573), children who have less intimate relationship with parents( OR = 1. 344, 95% CI 1. 009-1. 791, OR = 1. 475, 95% CI 1. 063-2. 046), whose parents do not share a close relationship( OR = 1. 396, 95% CI 1. 042-1. 870), those without a single room( OR = 0. 577, 95% CI 0. 464-0. 719) were more likely to be neglected. CONCLUSION: Children of Tujia and Miao minorities in Wuling mountainous area are under a serious neglecting state, and the main influencing factors are whether children have single rooms, the relationship between children and parents and the relationship between parents.