Ginsenoside Rg3 protects heart against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction by activating AMPK mediated autophagy.

BACKGROUND: Panax ginseng is a well-known medicinal herb that is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating various diseases. Ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) is thought to be one of the most important active ingredients of Panax ginseng. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of Rg3 has been elusive. METHODS: In the mouse heart injury model induced by isoproterenol (ISO), we used brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and caspase-3 ELISA kits to test myocardium injury. To test whether Rg3 protects myocardial injury through AMPK mediated autophagy, we used specific AMPK inhibitor in combination with Rg3. NLRP3 inflammasome related molecules such as NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 were measured by western-blot following Rg3 treatment. RESULTS: We found that Rg3 significantly reduced ISO induced myocardial injury indicated by the downregulation of serum BNP and LDH. In addition, we showed that the improvement of myocardial injury by Rg3 was associated with enhanced expression of autophagy related protein and activation of AMPK downstream signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that inhibition of AMPK significantly reversed the myocardial protective effect of Rg3, which is associated with a decrease of Rg3 induced autophagy. These together suggested that Rg3 may improve myocardial injury during MI through AMPK mediated autophagy. Our study also provides important translational evidence for using Rg3 in treating myocardial infarction (MI).

Cardioprotective effect of taurine and ß-alanine against cardiac disease in myocardial ischemia and reperfusion-induced rats

BACKGROUND: The present study analyzed the synergistic protective effect of ß-alanine and taurine against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion. Myocardial infarct size, lipid peroxidation, and levels of glutathione peroxidase (Gpx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, and the mRNA and protein expression of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator 3 of transcription (STAT3) were determined. The molecular docking was carried out by using AutoDock 4.2.1. RESULTS: Combined treatment with ß-alanine and taurine reduced myocardial infarct size, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory marker, ROS levels, and apoptosis and increased Gpx, SOD activity, GSH, and catalase activity. Furthermore, combined treatment significantly reduced JAK2 and STAT3 mRNA and protein expression compared with the control. The small molecule was docked over the SH2 domain of a STAT3, and binding mode was determined to investigate the inhibitory potential of ß-alanine and taurine. ß-Alanine bound to SH2 domain with ΔG of -7.34 kcal/mol and KI of 1.91 µM. Taurine bound to SH2 domain with ΔG of -7.38 kcal/mol and KI of 1.95 µM. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that the combined supplementation of ß-alanine and taurine should be further investigated as an effective therapeutic approach in achieving cardioprotection in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion.

Angiogenesis and Hepatic Fibrosis: Western and Chinese Medicine Therapies on the Road.

Hepatic fibrosis is a common feature of almost all chronic liver diseases. Formation of new vessels (angiogenesis) is a process strictly related to the progressive fibrogenesis which leads to cirrhosis and liver cancer. This review mainly concerns the relationship between angiogenesis and hepatic fibrosis, by considering the mechanism of angiogenesis, cells in angiogenesis, anti-angiogenic and Chinese medicine therapies.

Shenyi Capsule () plus Chemotherapy versus Chemotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review of Overlapping Meta-Analyses.

OBJECTIVE: To assist decision-makers interpret and choose among conflfl icting meta-analyses, as well as to offer treatment recommendations based on current best evidence by performing a systematic review of overlapping meta-analyses regarding Shenyi Capsule (, SC) plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A literature search was conducted to select systematic reviews comparing SC plus chemotherapy with chemotherapy for NSCLC. Meta-analyses only composed of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met the inclusion criteria. Two authors individually estimated the quality of meta-analysis and extracted data. The Jadad decision algorithm was applied to guarantee which meta-analysis provided the best original evidence. RESULTS: A total of 5 meta-analyses were included. All the studies composed of RCTs or quasi-RCTs and were regarded as level-II evidence. The scores of the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews ranged from 3 to 6 (median 4). A high-quality meta-analysis with more RCTs was chosen, which suggested that SC plus chemotherapy could increase incidence of short-term efficacy, improve the quality of life and survival rate in comparison to chemotherapy. However, there was no statistically significant difference between SC plus chemotherapy and chemotherapy regarding chemotherapy-induced side effect, such as liver and kidney function obstacle, leukopenia, hemoglobin decrement and gastrointestinal adverse reaction. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the best available evidence, treatment effect of SC plus chemotherapy was better than chemotherapy and did not increase side effects. Therefore, SC plus chemotherapy may be superior to chemotherapy for treating NSCLC. However, due to some limitations, SC plus chemotherapy should be cautiously considered, and further high-quality meta-analyses are needed.

The herb medicine formula "Yang Wei Kang Liu" improves the survival of late stage gastric cancer patients and induces the apoptosis of human gastric cancer cell line through Fas/Fas ligand and Bax/Bcl-2 pathways.

The herb medicine formula "Yang Wei Kang Liu" (YWKLF) has been used to inhibit the metastasis of human gastric cancer to prolong patient survival. In this study, we evaluated the effect of combination of chemotherapy with YWKLF on the survival of stage IV gastric cancer patients and the potential mechanisms of YWKLF by focusing on its capacity to activate apoptotic pathways in human gastric cancer cell line MGC-803. We found that combination of chemotherapy with oral administration of YWKLF significantly increased the survival of stage IV gastric cancer patients. In an approach of "serum pharmacology" in which sera were collected from rabbits orally administered with YWKLF and examined for their anti-tumor cell activity in vitro, we observed that sera from rabbits administered with YWKLF induced the apoptosis of MGC-803 cells by causing the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, increasing the expression of Fas protein and Bax mRNA, as well as down-regulating Fas-L mRNA. Our results suggest that activation of major pro-apoptotic pathways may account for the anti-gastric cancer activity of YWKLF, which may provide a basis for isolation and identification of more highly effective anti-cancer components.

[Effects of Jianpi Yishen Recipe on recurrence, metastasis and life span of mice transplanted with proventriculus squamous carcinoma after tumorectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Jianpi Yishen Recipe (JPYSR), a compound Chinese herbal medicine, on recurrence, metastasis and life span of mice transplanted with proventriculus squamous carcinoma cells after tumorectomy. METHODS: JPYSR was orally administered to 615 mice transplanted with proventriculus squamous carcinoma cells in the palma of left hind limb after tumorectomy. The local tumor recurrence, lung metastasis and life span of the mice were evaluated and compared with those of the 5-FU-treated mice and untreated mice. RESULTS: The pulmonary metastasis rate was 94.4% and the recurrence rate was 94.44% in untreated group. The pulmonary metastasis rate was 68.4%, the inhibition rate of pulmonary metastasis was 27.5%, the recurrence rate was 78.95%, and the inhibition rate of tumor recurrence was 65.35% in JPYSR-treated group. The average and median life spans were obviously prolonged in JPYSR-treated group, as compared with those in untreated group. The life-prolonging rate was 100%. CONCLUSION: JPYSR can effectively inhibit the local recurrence and pulmonary metastasis of the transplanted proventriculus squamous carcinoma in mice after tumorectomy, and prolong the life span.