Jiawei Kongsheng Zhenzhong Pill: marker compounds, absorption into the serum (rat), and Q-markers identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS.

Background: The Jiawei Kongsheng Zhenzhong pill (JKZP), a Chinese herbal prescription comprised of eight Chinese crude drugs, has been historically employed to treat neurological and psychological disorders. Nevertheless, the ambiguous material basis severely hindered its progress and application. Purpose: The current study aimed to establish a rapid analytical method for identifying the chemical components of the JKZP aqueous extract and the components absorbed into the rat serum to investigate the quality markers (Q-markers) responsible for the neuroprotective effects of JKZP. Methods: The qualitative detection of the chemical components, prototype components, and metabolites of the aqueous extracts of JKZP, as well as the serum samples of rats that were administered the drug, was performed using the ultra-performance liquid chromatography- quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) technology. This analysis combined information from literature reports and database comparisons. Moreover, the study was conducted to anticipate the potential Q-markers for the neuroprotective effects of JKZP based on the "five principles" of Q-marker determination. Results: A total of 67 compounds and 111 serum components (comprising 33 prototypes and 78 metabolites) were detected and identified. Combining the principles of quality transmission and traceability, compound compatibility environment, component specificity, effectiveness, and measurability, the study predicted that five key compounds, namely, senkyunolide H, danshensu, echinacoside, loganin, and 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose, may serve as potential pharmacological bases for the neuroprotective effects of JKZP. Conclusion: To summarize, the UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technique can be employed to rapidly and accurately identify compounds in JKZP. Five active compounds have been predicted to be the Q-markers for the neuroprotective effects of JKZP. This discovery serves as a reference for improving quality, advancing further research and development, and utilizing Chinese herbal prescriptions.

Exploration the mechanism of Shenling Baizhu San in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, network pharmacology and in vitro experimental verification.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Shenling Baizhu San (SLBZS) is a formula of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that enhances the functions of the qi, spleen, and lung. According to the theory of TCM, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often caused by lung qi deficiency, and SLBZS is often used in the treatment of COPD and has achieved remarkable results. However, the active components of SLBZS absorbed in serum and the underlying mechanism of SLBZS in treating COPD remain unclear and require further studies. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of this study is to investigate the active components of SLBZS in rat serum, as well as the crucial targets and signaling pathways involved in the therapeutic effects of SLBZS for COPD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, the absorption components and metabolites of SLBZS in rat serum were identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). Second, potential targets of SLBZS for the treatment of COPD were acquired from publicly accessible online sources. Cytoscape (v3.7.0) software was used to construct a component-target-pathway network and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of potential targets was performed using the Metascape database. The binding status of the active components in SLBZS to the potential targets was assessed with molecular docking technology. Finally, a cell model of COPD was successfully developed for experimental validation In vitro. RESULTS: A total of 108 active components were identified, including 30 prototype components and 78 metabolites. A total of 292 potential targets for the treatment of COPD were identified, including TNF, IL-6, TLR9, RELA, and others. The KEGG pathway included inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels, necroptosis, and the NF-κB signaling pathway, among others. The In vitro experiments showed that SLBZS-containing serum had the ability to decrease the levels of inflammatory factors and cell death. Additionally, it was observed that SLBZS-containing serum could control the expression levels of TLR9, MyD88, TRAF6, NF-κB, and IκBα at the mRNA and protein levels. These findings suggested that SLBZS-containing serum was likely to be involved in the regulation of the TLR9/NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanism of action of SLBZS on COPD was preliminarily elucidated using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, network pharmacology, and In vitro experiments. The primary active components and potential targets of SLBZS were identified, providing a scientific foundation for further research.

[Research progress on Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction and predictive analysis of quality markers].

Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction is a classic prescription in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and is known for its effects of tonifying Qi, warming the meridians, and promoting blood circulation to alleviate obstruction. It is primarily used to treat conditions characterized by Qi stagnation, Yang deficiency, and obstruction, and it exhibits pharmacological effects such as immune regulation, anti-inflammation, analgesia, protection of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, itch relief, reduction of frostbite symptoms, antioxidative stress, promotion of cell apoptosis, and kidney protection. In modern clinical practice, it is commonly used to treat acute myocardial infarction, sequelae of cerebral infarction, cervical spondylosis, frozen shoulder, lower limb arteriosclerosis, lower limb vascular disorders, peripheral neuropathy in diabetes, and lupus nephritis. Recent research has focused on the chemical components, pharmacological effects, and clinical applications of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction. Based on the "five principles" of quality markers(Q-markers) in TCM, this study predicted and analyzed the Q-markers of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction. It suggested that astragaloside Ⅳ, formononetin, kaempferol, quercetin, cinnamic acid, cinnamaldehyde, 6-gingerol, paeoniflorin, albiflorin, and gallic acid could serve as Q-markers for Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction. The findings of this study can provide references for quality control of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction and the development of new Chinese medicinal formulations.

Research on Xiaoyao Powder in the treatment of depression based on epigenetics and quality markers.

Depression has become one of the most common public health issues around the world, and the incidence has been increasing in recent years. A large amount of clinical investigations have proven that the treatment of depression is difficult. The prognosis is poor, and the fatality rate is high. At present, western medicine is the preferred treatment for depression, but it often causes adverse clinical reactions such as dry mouth, blurred vision, and memory loss, etc. The herbal compound Xiaoyao Powder is a traditional medicine for soothing the liver and relieving depression, strengthening the spleen, and nourishing the blood. It can reduce adverse reactions. It is effective in treating depression. In this study, we elucidate the function of Xiaoyao Powder in anti-depression from the perspective of clinical application and pharmacological mechanisms such as regulating epigenetic and chemical quality markers to provide empirical and experimental theoretical results that contribute to developing future depression therapy with Xiaoyao Powder.

[Research progress of Shenling Baizhu San and predictive analysis on its quality markers].

Shenling Baizhu San is a classic prescription for replenishing Qi to invigorate the spleen and dispelling dampness to check diarrhea, which mainly treats the syndrome of spleen deficiency and heavy dampness. With the pharmacological effects of regulating immune system, improving lung function and gastrointestinal function, and resisting oxygen, tumor, and inflammation, Shenling Baizhu San is commonly used in modern clinical practice to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchial asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, chronic diarrhea, and diabetic, etc. This paper summarized the chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and clinical application of Shenling Baizhu San in recent years, and predictively analyzed the quality markers of Shenling Baizhu San according to the "five principles" of Q-marker. The Q-markers of Shenling Baizhu San involved ginsenoside Rg_1, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb_1, pachymic acid, dehydrotumulosic acid, batatasin Ⅰ, batatasin Ⅲ, diosgenin, liensinine, neferine, luteolin, quercetin, glycerol trioleate, ß-sitosterol, platycodin D, glycyrrhizic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid, liquiritin, pipecolinic acid, atractylenolide Ⅰ, atractylenolide Ⅲ, and bornyl acetate, which provided references for the quality control and follow-up research of Shenling Baizhu San.

Brief Relaxation Practice Induces Significantly More Prefrontal Cortex Activation during Arithmetic Tasks Comparing to Viewing Greenery Images as Revealed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS).

BACKGROUND: There is little understanding on how brief relaxation practice and viewing greenery images would affect brain responses during cognitive tasks. In the present study, we examined the variation in brain activation of the prefrontal cortex during arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images, brief relaxation practice, and control task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). METHOD: This randomized controlled study examined the activation patterns of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in three groups of research participants who were exposed to viewing greenery images (n = 10), brief relaxation practice (n = 10), and control task (n = 11). The activation pattern of the PFC was measured pre- and post-intervention using a portable fNIRS device and reported as mean total oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO µm). Primary outcome of the study is the difference in HbO µm between post- and pre-intervention readings during a cognitive task that required the research participants to perform arithmetic calculation. RESULTS: In terms of intervention-related differences, there was significant difference in average HbO µm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after brief relaxation practice (p < 0.05). There were significant increases in average HbO µm in the right frontopolar cortex (p = 0.029), the left frontopolar cortex (p = 0.01), and the left orbitofrontal cortex (p = 0.033) during arithmetic tasks after brief relaxation practice. In contrast, there were no significant differences in average HbO µm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images (p > 0.05) and the control task (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our preliminary findings show that brief relaxation practice but not viewing greenery images led to significant frontal lobe activation during arithmetic tasks. The present study demonstrated, for the first time, that there was an increase in activation in neuroanatomical areas including the combined effort of allocation of attentional resources, exploration, and memory performance after the brief relaxation practice. Our findings suggest the possibility that the right frontopolar cortex, the left frontopolar cortex, and the left orbitofrontal cortex may be specifically associated with the benefits of brief relaxation on the brain.