An R2R3-MYB FtMYB11 from Tartary buckwheat has contrasting effects on abiotic tolerance in Arabidopsis.

R2R3-MYB transcription factors play important roles in response to abiotic stresses in planta, such as salt, drought, and osmotic stress. However, the role of FtMYB11 in Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) in drought and osmotic tolerance has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we found that FtMYB11 was markedly induced by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), salinity, and mannitol. Further, FtMYB11-overexpressing Arabidopsis showed hypersensitivity to ABA-mediated seed germination and seedling establishment through regulating transcripts of AtCBF1, AtDREB2A, and AtRD20, compared with wild type, indicating that FtMYB11 plays a positive role in ABA signaling. In contrast, transgenic lines overexpressing FtMYB11 were sensitive to mannitol and NaCl treatments, suggesting that FtMYB11 plays a negative role in osmotic tolerance. Intriguingly, the transcripts of ABA biosynthetic enzyme genes were significantly elevated in plants overexpressing FtMYB11 after exposure to osmotic stresses, such as AtABA3 and AtNCED3. In addition, flavonoid biosynthesis genes were also upregulated in transgenic Arabidopsis under ABA, salt, and drought treatments, including AtC4H, AtF3H, AtANS, AtFLS, and At4CL. The drought tolerance assay showed that plants overexpressing FtMYB11 displayed greater tolerance to water deficit through regulating MDA and proline content. Taken together, FtMYB11 has opposite roles in response to abiotic stresses, but it may mediate flavonoid biosynthesis through regulation of related enzyme genes.

Study on swelling, compression property and degradation stability of PVA composite hydrogels for artificial nucleus pulposus.

Artificial nucleus pulposus (ANP) replacement as an alternative to the treatment of cervical spondylosis aims to relieve pain and restore the normal cervical motion. In this study, the PVA/PVP and PVA/Pectin composite hydrogels (CH)s with different concentrations were prepared by the freezing-thawing process, and their performances were tested. The effect of different concentrations on both kinds of PVA CHs were evaluated and analysed. The results demonstrated that both kinds of CHs had good swelling property (¿190%), compressive stress-strain characteristic response and stable performance, and they were not easy to degrade (¡9%). The elastic modulus of the PVA/PVP CH was close to that of nucleus pulposus prosthesis, and the weight loss ratio of the PVA/PVP CH was lower than that of PVA/Pectin CH under load condition. Further, the experimental results showed that the PVA/PVP CH with 15 wt% solute and 1 wt% PVP content had the best comprehensive performance, which may provide significant advantages for use in future clinical application in replacing nucleus pulposus.

Plastome comparison and phylogenomics of Fagopyrum (Polygonaceae): insights into sequence differences between Fagopyrum and its related taxa.

BACKGROUND: Fagopyrum (Polygonaceae) is a small plant lineage comprised of more than fifteen economically and medicinally important species. However, the phylogenetic relationships of the genus are not well explored, and the characteristics of Fagopyrum chloroplast genomes (plastomes) remain poorly understood so far. It restricts the comprehension of species diversity in Fagopyrum. Therefore, a comparative plastome analysis and comprehensive phylogenomic analyses are required to reveal the taxonomic relationship among species of Fagopyrum. RESULTS: In the current study, 12 plastomes were sequenced and assembled from eight species and two varieties of Fagopyrum. In the comparative analysis and phylogenetic analysis, eight previously published plastomes of Fagopyrum were also included. A total of 49 plastomes of other genera in Polygonaceae were retrieved from GenBank and used for comparative analysis with Fagopyrum. The variation of the Fagopyrum plastomes is mainly reflected in the size and boundaries of inverted repeat/single copy (IR/SC) regions. Fagopyrum is a relatively basal taxon in the phylogenomic framework of Polygonaceae comprising a relatively smaller plastome size (158,768-159,985 bp) than another genus of Polygonaceae (158,851-170,232 bp). A few genera of Polygonaceae have nested distribution of the IR/SC boundary variations. Although most species of Fagopyrum show the same IRb/SC boundary with species of Polygonaceae, only a few species show different IRa/SC boundaries. The phylogenomic analyses of Fagopyrum supported the cymosum and urophyllum groups and resolved the systematic position of subclades within the urophyllum group. Moreover, the repeat sequence types and numbers were found different between groups of Fagopyrum. The plastome sequence identity showed significant differences between intra-group and inter-group. CONCLUSIONS: The deletions of intergenic regions cause a short length of Fagopyrum plastomes, which may be the main reason for plastome size diversity in Polygonaceae species. The phylogenomic reconstruction combined with the characteristics comparison of plastomes supports grouping within Fagopyrum. The outcome of these genome resources may facilitate the taxonomy, germplasm resources identification as well as plant breeding of Fagopyrum.

Deciphering potential pharmacological mechanisms of Danhong injection to treat chronic stable angina based on drug response-related modules and genes.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Danhong injection (DHI), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injection that has been widely used to treat coronary heart disease and angina pectoris. However, its underlying pharmacological mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Not all patients benefit from DHI to the same extent. We attempted to explore the characteristics of potential therapeutic targets in different responsive populations. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to reveal the potential molecular mechanisms of DHI in treating chronic stable angina and identify potential therapeutic targets for DHI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on a previous phase IV clinical trial of DHI in treating chronic stable angina, drug response modules were identified through structural entropy and similarity. Drug response-related genes were screened out based on the correlations between drug response module/module-related genes and clinical features and were assessed using a random forest model. Further validation was conducted using a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) model. RESULTS: Seven DHI-related response modules were identified. Eight drug response-related genes were screened out, and principal component analysis showed that DHI responders were distinguished from responders in the control group based on their expression values. The combination of the two most important genes, SHC4 and PIP5K1P1, discriminated between responders and nonresponders with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.714; however, no significant difference was found in the AUC between the combination and a single gene. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that middle-dose DHI treatment significantly decreased SHC4 mRNA expression compared with that in the H/R group (P = 0.026), a finding consistent with our previous analysis of differentially expressed genes. CONCLUSIONS: DHI comprehensively exerted a therapeutic effect by acting on multiple response modules related to angina pectoris and drug response-related genes. Our findings indicate that the dimensionality reduction strategy based on the target network-drug response module-therapeutic targets can contribute to revealing the mechanism of action of TCM compounds and guiding precise clinical medication.

Phytochemical wedelolactone reverses obesity by prompting adipose browning through SIRT1/AMPK/ PPARα pathway via targeting nicotinamide N-methyltransferase.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is the cause of multiple metabolic disorders, and its incidence has been rapidly increasing worldwide. It develops when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure (EE). Wedelolactone (WDL) is a naturally isolated compound from Eclipta prostrata L. and possesses many pharmacological activities. However, little is known about the effect of WDL on obesity and EE. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of WDL on obesity and EE in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and its underlying mechanism. METHODS: Obese mice were induced by high fat diet. The effects of WDL on obese mice were assessed by examining body weight, fat mass, EE, glucose tolerance, and hepatic and kidney injury. 3T3-L1 cells were differentiated into mature adipocytes and incubated with WDL in vitro. Immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and real-time PCR were used to assess adipose browning. The inhibitory efficiency of WDL on nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) was evaluated using a fluorescence assay. RESULTS: WDL reduced fat mass, suppressed body weight gain, and improved obesity-related metabolic disorders in DIO mice. WDL treatment promoted adipose browning and enhanced EE in both DIO mice and 3T3-L1 cells. These effects were eliminated in AMPK antagonized or PPARα knockdown cells and in PPARα-/- mice. Furthermore, we identified the target of WDL to be NNMT, an appealing target for regulating energy metabolism. WDL inhibited NNMT with an extremely low IC50 of 0.03 µM. Inhibition of NNMT and activation of SIRT1/AMPK/PPARα explains how WDL reverses obesity by prompting adipose browning. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate the novel effects of WDL in promoting adipose browning, enhancing EE and attenuating obesity and uncover the underlying mechanism, which includes inhibition of NNMT and subsequently activation of SIRT1/AMPK/PPARα in response to WDL. WDL could be further developed as a therapeutic agent for treating obesity and related metabolic diseases.

Realgar (α-As4S4) Treats Myelodysplastic Syndromes through Reducing DNA Hypermethylation / 中国结合医学杂志

DNA hypermethylation is an epigenetic modification that plays a critical role in the oncogenesis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Aberrant DNA methylation represses the transcription of promotors of tumor suppressor genes, inducing gene silencing. Realgar (α-As4S4) is a traditional medicine used for the treatment of various diseases in the ancient time. Realgar was reported to have efficacy for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). It has been demonstrated that realgar could efficiently reduce DNA hypermethylation of MDS. This review discusses the mechanisms of realgar on inhibiting DNA hypermethylation of MDS, as well as the species and metabolisms of arsenic in vivo.

Characterization of abscisic acid (ABA) receptors and analysis of genes that regulate rutin biosynthesis in response to ABA in Fagopyrum tataricum.

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn.) is a nutritional crop, which has high rutin, and is good for health. Until now, plant genetic engineering is insufficient for Tartary buckwheat. Abscisic acid (ABA), as one of phytohormones, is involved in the regulation of plant growth and development, and responses to diverse environmental challenges. Although ABA receptors have been well characterized in Arabidopsis, it is little understood in Tartary buckwheat. In this study, we identified 12 ABA receptors, designated as FtRCAR1 through FtRCAR12 in Tartary buckwheat. FtRCARs are divided into three subfamily. Based on the similarity, we could predict that FtRCARs comprise of the monomeric (FtRCAR1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11 and 12) and the dimeric (FtRCAR2, 7 and 8) state in solution. The analysis of the transcript pattern indicated that most of FtRCARs were significantly variable among the root, stem, leaf, flower and seed, while FtRCAR4 transcript was undetectable under in all tissues. The transcript levels of FtRCARs under ABA treatment indicated that most FtRCARs transcripts were depressed, indicating a possible feedback regulation of ABA signaling. The analysis of rutin biosynthesis related-genes indicated that ABA up-graduated CHS, CHI, F3'H, F3H and FLS transcript levels, while transcripts of 4CL and PAL were down-regulated. In addition, the transcription factors that mediated the rutin biosynthesis related-genes were also regulated by exogenous ABA. Thus, the identification and the characterization of FtRCARs would enable us to further understand the role of ABA signal in Tartary buckwheat.

[Multi-dimensional mining and analysis of core prescriptions in launched Chinese patent medicine for treatment of influenza].

Through the multi-dimensional mining and analysis of launched anti-influenza proprietary Chinese medicines,this paper explores the study of the prescriptions and pharmacodynamics of traditional Chinese medicines for influenza. We established a standardized database by collecting and excavating the launched Chinese patent medicines that clearly describe the treatment of influenza. Frequency analysis and association rules were used to analyze the frequency of Chinese patent medicines for the treatment of influenza in the aspects of dosage form,category and prescription drugs. The network module partitioning method was used to excavate the core drug combination for influenza. The relationship between functional nouns was used to construct a network of functional terminology and analyze the relationship between its main functions. The pharmacological characteristics quantitative method was used to analyze the pharmacological characteristics of three heat-clearing and detoxifying type Chinese patent medicines for influenza. This article shows the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation ideas and medication rules for influenza treatment in many aspects and from multiple perspectives,so as to provide a certain reference for the clinical application of proprietary Chinese medicines for influenza and the development of new influenza drugs.

Moringa oleifera seed extract protects against brain damage in both the acute and delayed stages of ischemic stroke.

The extract of Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) seeds exerts various pharmacological effects. Our previous study demonstrated that M. oleifera seed extract (MSE) alleviates scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment in mice. In the present study, we investigate the neuropharmacological properties of 70% ethanolic MSE in the acute and delayed stages of ischemic stroke. MSE may be effective for the prevention and/or treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The most effective dose was 500 mg/kg, and the therapeutic window seemed to be within 4 h after reperfusion. Additionally, we found that MSE treatment improved animal survival, reversed spatial cognitive impairment and promoted hippocampal neurogenesis and neuroplasticity as well as the cholinergic neurotransmission system during the recovery stages of ischemic stroke. Our findings verified that MSE has neuroprotective effects in both the acute and chronic stages of ischemic stroke. The relevant mechanism of protection may occur by promoting hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity as well as improving cholinergic function. These findings suggest that M. oleifera seed extract may be a promising neuroprotective agent for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

[Core prescription excavation of launched Chinese patent medicines for treating different syndromes of angina pectoris].

To analyze the medication features and regularity of prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicines in treating patients with coronary heart disease angina pectoris based on the launched Chinese patent medicines. In the article,we collected all of the launched Chinese patent medicines for treating coronary heart disease and angina pectoris from the Chinese patent medicine value assessment information database,and set up a medical record normalized database,then carried out the classification of syndromes. The medication features and prescription rules for angina pectoris were analyzed by frequency statistics and association rules(IBM SPSS Modeler 14. 1 Premiums software,Apriori algorithm). Finally,a total of 170 prescriptions were selected,and 197 Chinese herbs were included,involving to totally 11 syndrome types,in which blood stasis syndrome,Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome,Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome,Qi-Yin deficiency and blood stasis syndrome were the main syndrome types. The frequency of single-herb medicines for the four main syndrome types,the combination of commonly used medicines,and the core prescriptions were summarized. After comparing the core prescriptions of the four syndrome types,we could analyze the medication features and prescription rules. In conclusion,the therapeutic principle is blood-activating and stasis-dissolving,and consideration was also given to promoting Qi,invigorating Qi and resuscitation and invigorating Qi-Yin. The main medicines include Danshen(Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) and Chuan-xiong(Chuanxiong Rhizoma). According to different types of syndromes,Chinese herbal medicines are added,such as Jiangxiang(Dalbergiae Odoriferae Lignum), Chishao(Paeoniaeradix Rubra), Sanqi(Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma), Honghua(Carthami Flos),Bingpian(Borneolum Syntheticum),Renshen(Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma). Frequency statistics and association rules are combined to explore the medication features and core prescriptions,which provide ideas for the treatment of angina pectoris and the development of new drugs.

Core prescription excavation of launched Chinese patent medicines for treating different syndromes of angina pectoris / 中国中药杂志

To analyze the medication features and regularity of prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicines in treating patients with coronary heart disease angina pectoris based on the launched Chinese patent medicines. In the article,we collected all of the launched Chinese patent medicines for treating coronary heart disease and angina pectoris from the Chinese patent medicine value assessment information database,and set up a medical record normalized database,then carried out the classification of syndromes. The medication features and prescription rules for angina pectoris were analyzed by frequency statistics and association rules(IBM SPSS Modeler 14. 1 Premiums software,Apriori algorithm). Finally,a total of 170 prescriptions were selected,and 197 Chinese herbs were included,involving to totally 11 syndrome types,in which blood stasis syndrome,Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome,Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome,Qi-Yin deficiency and blood stasis syndrome were the main syndrome types. The frequency of single-herb medicines for the four main syndrome types,the combination of commonly used medicines,and the core prescriptions were summarized. After comparing the core prescriptions of the four syndrome types,we could analyze the medication features and prescription rules. In conclusion,the therapeutic principle is blood-activating and stasis-dissolving,and consideration was also given to promoting Qi,invigorating Qi and resuscitation and invigorating Qi-Yin. The main medicines include Danshen(Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) and Chuan-xiong(Chuanxiong Rhizoma). According to different types of syndromes,Chinese herbal medicines are added,such as Jiangxiang(Dalbergiae Odoriferae Lignum), Chishao(Paeoniaeradix Rubra), Sanqi(Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma), Honghua(Carthami Flos),Bingpian(Borneolum Syntheticum),Renshen(Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma). Frequency statistics and association rules are combined to explore the medication features and core prescriptions,which provide ideas for the treatment of angina pectoris and the development of new drugs.

Wedelolactone, a plant coumarin, prevents vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and injury-induced neointimal hyperplasia through Akt and AMPK signaling.

Wedelolactone (WDL) is a natural compound derived from Chinese herbal medicine Eclipta prostrate L, and has been reported to exhibit various effects potentially beneficial for human health. However, the possible preventive effects of WDL toward vascular remodeling and mechanisms involved have not been investigated to date. In this study, we investigated the effects of WDL on proliferation induced by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in primary rat aortic smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and on neointimal hyperplasia resulted from balloon injury in rats. WDL exhibited strong inhibitory effects against PDGF-induced VSMC proliferation. Cell cycle analysis revealed that WDL induced G0/G1 arrest and prevented cell cycle from entering S phase. Immunoblot analysis suggested that the cell cycle arrest induced by WDL was through Akt suppression and adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation, with a subsequent cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 induction and cyclin D1 inhibition. We also observed that WDL notably reduced neointima-to-media area ratio of balloon-injured rat common carotid arteries (CCAs) in comparison with those untreated balloon-injured CCAs. The regulation of WDL on protein expressions of Akt, AMPK and cyclin D1 in vivo were also consistent with that in vitro. Taken together, our results suggest WDL exhibits potential preventive effects toward vascular remodeling and neointimal hyperplasia through the reduction of VSMC proliferation via inhibition of Akt and activation of AMPK.

Effect of Eclipta prostrata on lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemic animals.

Eclipta prostrata (Linn.) Linn. is a traditional Chinese medicine and has previously been reported to have hypolipidemic effects. However, its mechanism of action is not well understood. This study was conducted to identify the active fraction of Eclipta, its toxicity, its effect on hyperlipidemia, and its mechanism of action. The ethanol extract (EP) of Eclipta and fractions EPF1-EPF4, obtained by eluting with different concentrations of ethanol from a HPD-450 macroporous resin column chromatography of the EP, were screened in hyperlipidemic mice for lipid-lowering activity, and EPF3 was the most active fraction. The LD50 of EPF3 was undetectable because no mice died with administration of EPF3 at 10.4 g/kg. Then, 48 male hamsters were used and randomly assigned to normal chow diet, high-fat diet, high-fat diet with Xuezhikang (positive control) or EPF3 (75, 150 and 250 mg/kg) groups. We evaluated the effects of EPF3 on body weight gain, liver weight gain, serum lipid concentration, antioxidant enzyme activity, and the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemic hamsters. The results showed that EPF3 significantly decreased body-weight gain and liver-weight gain and reduced the serum lipid levels in hyperlipidemic hamsters. EPF3 also increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes; up-regulated the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), lecithin-cholesterol transferase (LCAT) and scavenger receptor class B type Ι receptor (SR-BI); and down-regulated the mRNA expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) in the liver. These results indicate that EPF3 ameliorates hyperlipidemia, in part, by reducing oxidative stress and modulating the transcription of genes involved in lipid metabolism.

Mechanism of "treating heart and brain with same methods" based on data science / 中国中药杂志

The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory of "treating heart and brain diseases with same methods (Nao Xin Tong Zhi: NXTZ)" has great significance to the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It has been proven effective by a great deal of clinical researches. However, the underlying mechanism for this theory is still unclear. To provide insights into the potential mechanism of "NXTZ", this study attempts to deeply investigate the mechanism from two representative cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebral apoplexy. First, various data resources were integrated to obtain different types of biomedical entities including drugs, targets, pathways and diseases. Then, three different approaches including text mining, biological network and enrichment analysis were utilized to recognize the potential common features between CHD and cerebral apoplexy, and the corresponding functions of drugs which could treat both diseases, thus unveiling the mechanism of NXTZ.

Study on action mechanism of adjuvant therapeutic effect compound Ejiao slurry in treating cancers based on network pharmacology / 中国中药杂志

Recently, compound Ejiao slurry (FFEJJ) had been applied to treat cancer patients in clinic, with obvious curative effect. In this study, data and literatures were collected from the TCM chemical component database to establish the chemical component database of FFEJJ. Afterwards, MetaDrug software was used to predict the targets of FFEJJ and obtain the compound-target network. Next, the compound-target network was compared and analyzed to obtain the "compound-target-tumor target" heterogeneous network. Besides, further analysis was made on gene functions and metabolic pathway. The results indicated that FFEJJ could directly resist tumors by regulating cancer cell differentiation, growth, proliferation and apoptosis, and show an adjuvant therapeutic effect by enriching the blood and increasing the immunity.

Research progress on high altitude retinopathy and application of Traditional Chinese Medicine / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

High altitude retinopathy ( HAR ) refers to the body which can't adapt to the hypobaric hypoxia environment at high altitude leading to retinal diseases, which typically manifested as retinal hemorrhages, optic disc edema and cotton wool spots. With the development of high altitude medicine, HAR become a hot topic of eye research in recent years. New researches show a significantly higher incidence of HAR, and HAR has a close contact with acute mountain sickness, high altitude cerebral edema and high altitude pulmonary edema. A further study in pathogenesis and prevention measures of HAR will promote the prevention of altitude sickness. Traditional Chinese Medicine has achieved good effects in the prevention of altitude sickness, but the effect and mechanism of herbs on HAR has not been reported. Through read and summarize the relevant literatures and reports, the author will give an overview of the research advances on HAR's pathogenesis and application of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Analysis on Composition Principles of Prescriptions Containing Lonicerae Japonicae Flos from National Standard for Chinese Patent Drugs / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To analyze the composition principles of Chinese patent drugs containing Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (Jinyinhua) in National Standard for Chinese Patent Drugs (NSCPD) enacted by Ministry of Public Health of China by using Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System (TCMISS), and provide reference for its clinical application and development. Methods Based on TCMISS (V2.0), with methods of association rules and improved mutual information method, we analyzed the composition patterns and rules of single drugs and drug combinations. Results Through analyzing on the 201 patent drugs, 21 core drug combinations and 19 diseases that Jinyinhua commonly used were mined, from which influenza, and sore and ulcer were chosen to further analysis, including core drugs and drug combination rules, syndrome etc, disclosing the composition principles of Jinyinhua used in different diseases. Conclusion Patent drugs containing Jinyinhua collected from NSCPD mainly could clear heat and remove toxicity, and the composition principles reflect the compitable characteristics of Jinyinhua in treating different diseases, which are in accordence with clinical application of multiple-efficacy drugs.

Molecular mechanism research on simultaneous therapy of brain and heart based on data mining and network analysis / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The theory of treating heart and brain simultaneously is from the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, and there aren't enough explanations for this theory from the perspective of molecular mechanism. As one successful case of this theory, the Chinese medicine formula--Buchang Naoxintong can achieve the goal of treating coronary heart disease and stroke at the same time. To illustrate the mechanism of the theory of treating heart and brain simultaneously, it is necessary to find out the molecular mechanism of this formula.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Using the network analysis method, together with two data mining methods-clustering and apriori algorithm, the frequent gene combinations interfered by the chemicals of the formula based on the protein-protein interaction networks related with coronary heart disease and stroke disease were figured out respectively. To find out the molecular mechanism of the theory of treating heart and brain simultaneously, the results got from two diseases were compared and analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Based on comparing two results from these two different diseases, the mechanism of the theory of treating heart and brain simultaneously was explained from molecular level by finding out key genes targeted by the components of this formula for both diseases and some particular genes interfered by the components for each disease. In addition, genes interfered indirectly by the chemicals for different diseases were found out based on the protein-protein interaction network.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It can help to explain the molecular mechanism of the theory by our methods. By finding out the molecular mechanism of this theory, it can promote the progress of combination of Chinese traditional and Western medicine.</p>

Analysis on composition principles of Chinese patent drugs containing ginseng / 中国中药杂志

Use traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system (TCMISS) to analyze the composition principles of Chinese patent drugs containing Renshen (Panax ginseng) in national standard for Chinese patent drugs (NSCPD) enacted by Ministry of Public Health of China. Via analyzing the regularity of prescriptions containing Ginseng which are recorded in NSCPD, to identify composition pattern and rule. Tweenty four drugs are used more than 50 times, in which, drugs that tonify qi and nourish flood have the highest frequency, and then medicines of liver and kidney tonifying, yin enriching and yang warming follow. Then 45 commonly used core combinations are analyzed via data mining methods such as association rules, improved mutual information method, etc. Meantime, three diseases, namely, palpitation, amnesia and chest discomfort are chosen from the 24 diseases that Ginseng most frequently used to make deeper analysis, which reflect the composition principle of Chinese patent drugs containing Ginseng. Therefore, TCMISS is an important tool in composition principle exploring of herbal formulae and meanwhile, the comparative analysis method contributes a lot to the exploration as well.

Ginsenoside Re: pharmacological effects on cardiovascular system.

Ginsenosides are the bioactive constituents of ginseng, a key herb in traditional Chinese medicine. As a single component of ginseng, ginsenoside Re (G-Re) belongs to the panaxatriol group. Many reports demonstrated that G-Re possesses the multifaceted beneficial pharmacological effects on cardiovascular system. G-Re has negative effect on cardiac contractility and autorhythmicity. It causes alternations in cardiac electrophysiological properties, which may account for its antiarrhythmic effect. In addition, G-Re also exerts antiischemic effect and induces angiogenic regeneration. In this review, we first outline the chemistry and the pharmacological effects of G-Re on the cardiovascular system.