ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Citrus grandis 'Tomentosa,' a fruit epicarp of C. grandis 'Tomentosa' or C. grandis (L.) Osbeck is widely used in health food and medicine. Based on our survey results, there are also rich essential oils with bioactivities in leaves, but the chemical compounds in this part and relevant pharmacological activities have never been studied systematically. Therefore, this study was to preliminarily decipher the pharmacological activities and mechanisms of the essential oil in leaves of C. grandis 'Tomentosa' by an integrated network pharmacology approach. METHODS: Essential oil compositions from leaves ofC. grandis 'Tomentosa' were identified using GC-MS/MS. And then, the targets of these oil compositions were predicted and screened from TCMSP, SwissTargetPrediction, STITCH and SEA databases. STRING database was used to construct the protein-protein interaction networks, and the eligible protein targets were input into WebGestalt 2019 to carry out GO enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Based on the potential targets, disease enrichment information was obtained by TTD databases. Cytoscape software was used to construct the component-target-disease network diagrams. RESULTS: Finally, 61 essential oil chemical components were identified by GC-MS/MS, which correspond to 679 potential targets. Biological function analysis showed 12, 19, and 12 GO entries related to biological processes, cell components and molecular functions, respectively. 43 KEGG pathways were identified, of which the most significant categories were terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, TNF signaling pathway and leishmaniasis. The component-target-disease network diagram revealed that the essential oil compositions in leaves of C. grandis 'Tomentosa' could treat tumors, immune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and respiratory diseases, which were highly related to CHRM1, PTGS2, CASP3, MAP2K1 and CDC25B. CONCLUSION: This study may provide new insight into C. grandis 'Tomentosa' or C. grandis (L.) Osbeck and may provide useful information for future utilization and development.
Subject(s)
Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Oils, Volatile , Tandem Mass Spectrometry , Oils, Volatile/pharmacology , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Network Pharmacology , Plant Leaves/chemistry , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis , Molecular Docking SimulationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: As the pathological mechanisms of AD are complex, increasing evidence have demonstrated Chinese Medicine with multi-ingredients and multi-targets may be more suitable for the treatment of diseases with complex pathogenesis. Therefore, the study was to preliminarily decipher the bioactive compounds and potential mechanisms of Qiong Yu Gao (QYG) for AD prevention and treatment by an integrated network pharmacology approach. METHODS: Putative ingredients of QYG and significant genes of AD were retrieved from public database after screening. Then QYG ingredients target proteins/genes were obtained by target fishing. Compound-target-disease network was constructed using Cytoscape to decipher the mechanism of QYG for AD. KEGG pathway and GO enrichment analysis were performed to investigate the molecular mechanisms and pathways related to QYG for AD treatments. RESULTS: Finally, 70 compounds and 511 relative drug targets were collected. In which, 17 representative direct targets were found. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that the adenylate cyclase-inhibiting G-protein coupled acetylcholine receptor signaling pathway was the key biological processes and were regulated simultaneously by the 17 direct targets. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis found that three signaling pathways were closely related to AD prevention and treatment by QYG, including PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, regulation of actin cytoskeleton pathway and insulin resistance pathway. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that QYG exerted the effect of preventing and treating AD by regulating multi-targets with multi-components. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that a network pharmacology-based approach was useful for elucidation of the interrelationship between complex diseases and interventions of Chinese herbal medicines.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hair loss is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy, and can cause persistent negative emotions, further affecting therapeutic effects and reducing the quality of life. However, there are no clinically safe and effective methods to solve the problem at present. Our previous clinical and animal studies showed that a medicinal and edible decoction, YH0618, could significantly promote hair growth in cancer patients after chemotherapy, without interfering with the anti-tumor effects of chemotherapy. Besides, the theory of Chinese Medicine believes that the "Essence of the kidney is reflected on the hair". Therefore, this study will further explore the efficacy of YH0618 granule on chemotherapy-induced hair loss in patients with breast cancer by a randomized, double-blind, multi-center clinical trial and elucidate the potential mechanism from the aspect of kidney deficiency or renal dysfunction. METHODS/DESIGN: Eligible breast cancer patients who will start chemotherapy will be randomly divided into group A (YH0618 granule) and group B (placebo). The chemotherapeutic agents contain taxanes or/and anthracyclines, and the chemotherapy regimen will be for at least six cycles with a cycle every 3 weeks. Subjects assigned to group A will receive YH0618 granules twice a day (6 g each time), 6 days a week, mixed with 300 ml warm water from the first to the fourth chemotherapy cycle. Subjects in group B will receive the placebo granule in the same manner. The primary outcome is the time point of occurrence of hair loss reaching grade II as assessed by the WHO Toxicity Grading Scale, and objective indices of hair quality and hair-follicle growth recorded by a hair and scalp detector before the fifth chemotherapy cycle. Secondary outcomes include changes of facial color and thumbnail color, grading of thumbnails ridging, assessment of quality life, level of fatigue, routine blood test results, hepatic and renal function, and certain medical indicators which can reflect kidney deficiency in Chinese Medicine. DISCUSSION: This research is of great significance for the treatment of cancer and improving the quality of life of cancer patients. The study may provide the most direct evidence for meeting clinical needs and lay a solid scientific foundation for later product development. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ID: ChiCTR1800020107. Registered on 14 December 2018.
Subject(s)
Alopecia/drug therapy , Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage , Glycine max/chemistry , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Alopecia/chemically induced , Anthracyclines/adverse effects , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Double-Blind Method , Female , Glycyrrhiza/chemistry , Humans , Middle Aged , Multicenter Studies as Topic , Quality of Life , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Taxoids/adverse effects , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Compound Valeriana jatamansi Jones is a formula for treating anxiety-related diseases in the clinic, which is composed of Valeriana jatamansi Rhizoma et Radix, Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Albiziae Cortex and Junci Medulla. The purpose of this study was to explore the anxiolytic properties of this compound in mice. METHODS: Male ICR mice were treated with compound Valerianae Jatamansi Jones (1.2 g/kg, 2.4 g/kg, 4.8 g/kg), saline, diazepam (2 mg/kg) orally for 10 days and then exposed to elevated maze-plus (EPM) and light-dark box (LDB). The effects of the compound on spontaneous activity were evaluated by locomotor activity test. We further investigated the mechanism of action underlying the anxiolytic-like effect of compound by pre-treating animals with antagonists of benzodiazepine (flumazenil, 3mg/kg) prior to evaluation using EPM and LDB. RESULTS: Compound Valerianae Jatamansi Jones (2.4, 4.8 g/kg, p.o.) significantly increased entries (P<0.05) into and time spent (P<0.05) on the open arms of the EPM, and number of transitions (P<0.05) and time spent (P<0.05) in the light compartment of the LDB. However, the anxiolytic-like effects of compound were significantly reduced by pre-treatment with flumazenil (P>0.05). In addition, compound Valerianae Jatamansi Jones treatment didn't affect the spontaneous activity in mice (P> 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study supports the hypothesis that compound Valeriana jatamansi Jones exert anxiolytic action but no sedative effects in mice and that this effect might be mediated by benzodiazepine receptors.