[Research progress in pathogenesis and traditional Chinese medicines treatment of ischemic stroke-related headache].

Headache is a common clinical complication of ischemic stroke. As a precursor of stroke, headache occurs repeatedly in the convalescent period of ischemic stroke, leading to secondary stroke and seriously hindering patients' rehabilitation. Currently, it is believed that the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke-related headache is associated with the abnormal release of vasoactive substances, high platelet aggregation, and stimulation of intracranial pain-sensitive structures. The active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) with the effects of activating blood to resolve stasis and clearing heat to release exterior can protect brain tissue and relieve headache by reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines, alleviating antioxidant stress, inhibiting neuronal apoptosis and so on. This paper introduces the research progress in the potential mechanism and TCM treatment of ischemic stroke-related headache, aiming to provide reference for further research and drug development of this complication.

Pseudolaric acid B induces apoptosis associated with the mitochondrial and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways in triple­negative breast cancer.

Pseudolaric acid B (PAB), a diterpene acid isolated from the root bark of Pseudolarix kaempferi, has been shown to exert strong antitumor properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying the proposed antitumor properties of PAB in the triple­negative breast cancer cells, MDA­MB­231. The cell processes evaluated included cell proliferation by Cell Counting Kit­8 assay, colony formation and EdU assay, apoptosis by Annexin V­FITC/PI apoptosis assay, cell migration by Transwell migration assay and invasion by Transwell invasion assay. PAB significantly inhibited the proliferation of MDA­MB­231 cells through a mechanism that was considered to be associated with cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. There was decreased protein expression levels of CDK1 and cyclin B1 and increased protein expression levels of p53 and p21. However, there were no well­defined inhibitory effects on the normal breast cell line MCF10A. PAB also triggered apoptosis in a concentration­dependent manner through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. It caused collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, accumulation of reactive oxygen species and release of cytochrome c, as well as upregulation of cleaved caspase­3, cleaved caspase­9, cleaved PARP and Bax, and downregulation of Bcl­2 and Bcl­xl. The migration and invasion ability of MDA­MB­231 cells were inhibited by decreasing the expression levels of the epithelial­mesenchymal transition­related markers N­cadherin and vimentin and increasing the expression of E­cadherin. Moreover, the expression levels of PI3K (p110ß), phosphorylated (p)­AKT (ser473) and p­mTOR (ser2448) were downregulated and LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, could interact additively with PAB to induce apoptosis of MDA­MB­231 cells. Overall, the present results demonstrated that PAB induced apoptosis via mitochondrial apoptosis and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in triple­negative breast cancer. It also inhibited cellular proliferation, migration and invasion, suggesting that PAB may be a useful phytomedicine for the treatment of triple­negative breast cancer.

Effect of mindfulness on anxiety and depression in insomnia patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: As a common clinical symptom, insomnia has a high incidence of combined mental illness and it is also a risk factor for the development of depression, anxiety and suicide. As a new concept in the field of health in recent years, mindfulness therapy can improve insomnia, anxiety and depression, which is a new way to solve such diseases. Objective: This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of mindfulness compared with conventional treatment on scores of the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) in people with insomnia and anxiety-depressive symptoms. Methods: Articles published before October 2022 were searched from seven databases and included in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate mindfulness therapy. The assessment tool of Cochrane bias risk was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the literature. The main outcome indicators were HAMD and HAMA scores, and the secondary outcome indicators were SDS and SAS scores. Results: Ten randomized controlled trials including 1,058 subjects were systematically evaluated and meta-analyzed in this study. In the main outcome indicators, there was a significant difference between mindfulness therapy and conventional treatment in reducing HAMD score (MD: -3.67, 95% CI: -5.22-2.11, p < 0.01) and HAMA score (MD: -3.23, 95% CI: -3.90-2.57, p < 0.01). In the secondary outcome indicators, mindfulness therapy also showed a significant difference in reducing SDS scores (MD: -6.49, 95% CI: -6.86-6.11, p < 0.01) and SAS scores (MD: -7.97, 95% CI: -9.68-6.27, p < 0.01) compared with conventional treatment. Conclusion: For the people with insomnia, anxiety and depression, the use of conventional treatment with the addition of 4-12 weeks of mindfulness treatment can significantly improve anxiety and depression symptoms of patients. This is a new diagnosis and treatment idea recommended for insomniacs with or without anxiety and depression symptoms. Due to the methodological defects in the included study and the limited sample size of this paper, more well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed for verification.

Effect of Massa Medicata Fermentata on the intestinal flora of rats with functional dyspepsia.

BACKGROUND: Massa Medicata Fermentata (MMF) is one of the most commonly used traditional fermented Chinese medicines. MMF is widely used for the treatment of digestive diseases such as dyspepsia and flatulence in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, the therapeutic mechanism of MMF is not well understood. METHOD: In this study, SD rats received 0.1% iodoacetamide either alone or in combination with water platform sleep deprivation to induce functional dyspepsia and were administered MMF (1 or 3 g/kg/d, ig), mosapride citrate (Mosa., 2 mg/kg/d, ig) or saline for 21 days. After treatment, the sucrose preferences and gastric emptying rates of the rats were assessed; HE staining was used to detect the pathological changes in the rat duodenum; ELISA kits were used to detect motilin (MTL) in the rat duodenum and the serum contents of Interferon-λ (IFN-λ), Interleukin 6 (IL-6), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α). An approach based on 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was utilized to explore the intestinal microflora in the colon contents of rats and the metabolism of the microflora to assess the potential mechanisms of MMF in ameliorating functional dyspepsia (FD). In addition, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to detect changes in short fatty acids (SCFAs) in the colon contents of rats. RESULTS: MMF reduced the serum levels of TNF-α, and IFN-λ, improved the morphology of duodenal intestinal villi and ameliorated intestinal mucosal lamina propria injury in FD rats, and the sucrose preference increased and the gastric emptying rate decreased in FD rats. MMF alleviated intestinal microflora disturbance and exerted a regulatory effect on Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes, reduced total SCAFs, Butyric Acid, Propionic acid-2-methyl, Butanoic Acid-3-methyl, and Hexanoic acid. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that the effect of MMF on the intestinal flora and its metabolites may provide a new treatment strategy for FD.

Quality marker prediction in Trillium tschonoskii based on UHPLC-MS chemical characterisation and network pharmacology.

INTRODUCTION: As a folk herbal medicine, Trillium tschonoskii has been used for thousands of years. However, due to the complexity of the chemical constituents of this herb, few investigations have acquired a comprehensive understanding of its quality markers. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to characterise the chemical composition of T. tschonoskii and identify its potential quality markers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic analytical method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) was used to characterise the constituents of T. tschonoskii. Multivariate statistical analysis was performed to investigate the chemical differences between different tissues, as well as the relationship between chemical compositions and habitats. The potential quality markers were predicted via network pharmacology and molecular docking, then confirmed by cellular assays. RESULTS: A total of 77 compounds were co-isolated and identified, and among them, 26 were discovered from the genus Trillium for the first time. Ten batches of roots/rhizomes were explicitly clustered into five groups according to the climate types of the habitats, and the clusters of the fruits and roots/rhizomes from the same plants were independent due to the significant difference in chemical composition. Diosgenin had a good docking affinity with the relevant targets within the IL-17 pathway and cytokine pathway and could significantly inhibit TNF-α expression in hypoxic brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to establish the chemical composition profile of T. tschonoskii by UHPLC-MS systematically, and diosgenin was confirmed to be a potential quality marker of T. tschonoskii for the treatment of headaches.

Moderate selenium mitigates hand grip strength impairment associated with elevated blood cadmium and lead levels in middle-aged and elderly individuals: insights from NHANES 2011-2014.

Background: Selenium (Se) has been reported to have an antagonistic effect on heavy metals in animals. Nevertheless, there is a lack of epidemiological research examining whether Se can mitigate the adverse effects of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) on hand grip strength (HGS) in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Methods: This study used data from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). HGS measurements were conducted by trained examiners with a dynamometer. Concentrations of Se, Cd, and Pb in blood were determined via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We employed linear regression, restricted cubic splines, and quantile g-computation (qgcomp) to assess individual and combined associations between heavy metals and HGS. The study also explored the potential influence of Se on these associations. Results: In both individual metal and multi-metal models adjusted for confounders, general linear regression showed Se's positive association with HGS, while Cd and Pb inversely related to it. At varying Se-Cd and Se-Pb concentrations, high Se relative to low Se can attenuate Cd and Pb's HGS impact. An inverted U-shaped correlation exists between Se and both maximum and combined HGS, with Se's benefit plateauing beyond approximately 200 µg/L. Stratified analysis by Se quartiles reveals Cd and Pb's adverse HGS effects diminishing as Se levels increase. Qgcomp regression analysis detected Se alleviating HGS damage from combined Cd and Pb exposure. Subsequent subgroup analyses identified the sensitivity of women, the elderly, and those at risk of diabetes to HGS impairment caused by heavy metals, with moderate Se supplementation beneficial in mitigating this effect. In the population at risk for diabetes, the protective role of Se against heavy metal toxicity-induced HGS reduction is inhibited, suggesting that diabetic individuals should particularly avoid heavy metal-induced handgrip impairment. Conclusion: Blood Cd and Pb levels are negatively correlated with HGS. Se can mitigate this negative impact, but its effectiveness plateaus beyond 200 µg/L. Women, the elderly, and those at risk of diabetes are more vulnerable to HGS damage from heavy metals. While Se supplementation can help, its protective effect is limited in high diabetes risk groups.

Efficacy of acupuncture for hypertension in the elderly: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Hypertension has now developed into a major public health problem worldwide. Under the existing antihypertensive drug treatment paradigm, problems such as decreasing drug resistance and increasing drug side effects can occur for elderly patients. Acupuncture, a core technique in the non-pharmacological treatment of Chinese medicine, plays an important role in the treatment of elevated blood pressure. Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effect of acupuncture alone or in combination with antihypertensive drugs on the efficiency of reducing blood pressure and controlling blood pressure in elderly patients with hypertension. Methods: Articles of randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for hypertension in the elderly published before November 2022 were searched in 7 databases. The methodological quality of the literature was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. The primary outcome was the efficiency rate of blood pressure reduction, and the secondary outcome was the change in blood pressure after treatment. Results: This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled trials with a total of 1,466 subjects. Among the primary outcome-efficiency rate, acupuncture-only treatment (RR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.03-1.20, P < 0.01) and acupuncture combined with antihypertensive drug treatment (RR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.06-1.31, P < 0.01) were significantly different compared with drugs-only treatment. Among the secondary outcomes, SBP (MD: -4.85, 95% CI: -10.39 to -0.69, P = 0.09) and DBP (MD: -1.45, 95% CI: -5.35 to 2.45, P = 0.47) show no significant difference between acupuncture-only treatment and drug-only treatment. Compared to drugs-only treatment, acupuncture plus drugs has more significant efficiency in lowering SBP (MD: -9.81, 95% CI: -13.56 to -6.06, P < 0.01) and DBP (MD: -7.04, 95% CI: -10.83 to -3.24, P < 0.01). Conclusion: For elderly patients with hypertension, acupuncture-only treatment has the same efficiency and antihypertensive effect compared to drug therapy and acupuncture plus drugs outperforms drugs-only treatment. If the patients receive therapy with less frequency per week and longer duration, there will be a more obvious antihypertensive effect. Due to the methodological defects in the included study and the limited sample size of this paper, more well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed for verification. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022376407, PROSPERO (CRD42022376407).

Market survey on the traditional medicine of the Lijiang area in Yunnan Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Traditional markets are important trading places for medicinal plants, and researchers performing market surveys often engage in ethnobotanical research to record the herbal plants used locally and any related traditional knowledge. However, information on market-traded medicinal plants from traditional markets in the Lijiang area of Yunnan is not well documented. This research is an ethnobotanical survey focusing on medicinal plants traded in the traditional markets of the Lijiang area and contributes to the understanding of medicinal plants and related information used by the Naxi people. METHODS: Ethnobotanical surveys were performed for two years (2019-2020). Three traditional markets in the Lijiang area were investigated. The methods we used included literature research, participatory surveys and group discussions. The collected voucher specimens were identified using the botanical taxonomy method and were deposited in the herbarium. The data were analysed through the informant consensus factor and use frequency (UF). These medicinal plants were compared with the Information System of Chinese Rare and Endangered Plants from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Those results were in turn compared with the Dongba Sutras and Yulong Ben Cao. RESULTS: A total of 277 species from 97 families were recorded, with Asteraceae providing the maximum numbers of medicinal plants. Among them, 248 species (89%) were wild plants and 266 species (92.39%) were from the local area. Root (40.43%) was the most common medicinal part. A total of 267 species (96.04%) had a UF value above 0.5. Eighty-three investigated human ailments were grouped into 16 categories. Diseases of the digestive system (166 mentions) were most frequently mentioned in this study. There were 19 species of nationally protected plants in China, including 2 species of first-level nationally protected plants and 17 species of second-level nationally protected plants. A total of 31 species of these medicinal plants can be found in the Dongba Sutra or Yulong Ben Cao. CONCLUSION: We surveyed the herbal medicine in the markets covering the Lijiang area, analysing and revealing the resource composition and current market situations. The medicinal plants used by the Naxi people are diverse and are used to treat a wide spectrum of body disorders. There are many wild medicinal plants, and to ensure sustainable development, their natural protection should be strengthened. Knowledge of the medicinal plants recorded in Naxi medical classics has ethnobotanical value and should be further developed.

[Strategies for efficacy and function positioning of new resources of Chinese materia medica].

Chinese materia medica( CMM) serves as an important cornerstone for the development of traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) culture and industry due to its unique ecological,medical,economic,scientific and technological,and cultural values. The supply shortage and unstable quality of some CMM resources have hindered the development of TCM. Ensuring the sustainable use of CMM resources has become essential for the development of TCM in China. Enriching CMM resources is the key to ensuring the sustainable utilization of TCM resources in China,which can be achieved via expanding the medicinal parts,developing the substitutes,seeking for analogues,exploring the ethnic and folk medicines,or introducing foreign medicinal materials. CMM efficacy or function positioning plays a very important role in the transformation of new CMM resources. The strategies and methods for efficacy or function positioning of new CMM resources,including analogy,plant genetic relationship exploration,medicinal property deduction,ethnobotanical investigation,text mining,network pharmacology,and structure-activity relationship exploration,were systematically proposed in this study based on CMM theory,textual research,and modern methodologies. This paper is expected to provide a theoretical reference for the continuous enrichment and development of CMM resources and the high-quality development of TCM culture and industry.

A unique understanding of traditional medicine of pomegranate, Punica granatum L. and its current research status.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Pomegranate, Punica granatum L., has been used in traditional medicine in China and several regions of the world including Ayurveda, Islamic, and Persian for the treatment of atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and several types of cancer, as well as for peptic ulcer and oral diseases for hundreds of years. Presently, pomegranate is treated as both a "medicine food homology" herbal medicine and a healthy food supplemental product. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this work is to develop an overview of pomegranate in the context of the status of its traditional medicine theories, the spread along the Silk Road, ethnopharmacological uses, chemical compositions, pharmacological activities, toxicology, and the involved pathways. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Information on P. granatum L. was acquired from published materials, including monographs on medicinal plants, ancient and modern recorded classical texts; and pharmacopoeias and electronic databases (PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Google Scholar, CNKI, and Wanfang Data). RESULTS: Pomegranate has been used in many traditional medical systems throughout history. It is widely cultivated in Central Asia and spread throughout China along the Silk Road. Many phytochemicals, such as tannins, organic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and volatile oils have been identified from different parts of pomegranate, these compounds have a wide range of activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-oncogenic properties, as well as conferring resistance to cerebrovascular disease. Furthermore, A summary of the four promising pharmacological pathways is provided. CONCLUSIONS: The traditional uses, chemical compositions, pharmacological activities, and signaling pathways of pomegranate are summarized comprehensively in the review. It can be treated as a guidance for the future clinical and basic research. The information provided in this review will be very useful for further studies to develop novel therapeutic directions for application of pomegranate.

Identification and Comparison of Tannins in Gall of Rhus chinensis Mill. and Gall of Quercus infectoria Oliv. by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Mass Spectrometry.

Gall of Rhus chinensis Mill. (Chinese galls) and gall of Quercus infectoria Oliv. (Turkish galls) have similar applications and chemical compositions, and their extracts have been widely used for industrial production and for medicinal applications. In this study, high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) methods were established for profiling the components of Chinese galls and Turkish galls. Compounds representing 96.56 and 99.15% of the total peak area of Chinese galls and Turkish galls were identified. The results identified that the ellagic acid, galloyl-HHDP-glucose and pedunculagin act as the identifying markers for the comparison of Chinese galls and Turkish galls in HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The peak area of tetragalloyl-glucoside, heptagalloyl-glucoside and pentagalloyl-glucoside can be used to distinguish these two phytomedicines. This work provides a reference for the study of the chemical composition of Chinese galls and Turkish galls, which not only introduce a simple and reliable method to prevent the adulteration or misuse of Chinese galls and Turkish galls but also lay the foundations for clarifying the material basis of their similar pharmacological action.

An endophytic fungus from Trichoderma harzianum SWUKD3.1610 that produces nigranoic acid and its analogues.

The objective of this study was to determine whether endophytic fungi, isolated from Kadsura angustifolia produce nigranoic acid and its highly oxygenated derivatives. From the 426 endophytic fungi screened, Trichoderma harzianum SWUKD3.1610 was detected to have a component with the same TLC R f value and HPLC retention time as authentic nigranoic acid. This component was further confirmed as nigranoic acid by investigating the chemical composition of the fungal extracts. Besides (1), one new triterpenoid, 7ß- schinalactone C (2), and two known minor compounds were isolated and characterized by HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic methods. Our study indicates that endophytic fungus may play an important role in increasing the quality of the crude drugs from Chinese medicinal plant K. angustifolia. This study is the first to isolate, characterize, and identify schitriterpenes-producing Trichoderma spp.

QUASIMODO 3 (QUA3) is a putative homogalacturonan methyltransferase regulating cell wall biosynthesis in Arabidopsis suspension-cultured cells.

Pectins are complex polysaccharides that are essential components of the plant cell wall. In this study, a novel putative Arabidopsis S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferase, termed QUASIMODO 3 (QUA3, At4g00740), has been characterized and it was demonstrated that it is a Golgi-localized, type II integral membrane protein that functions in methylesterification of the pectin homogalacturonan (HG). Although transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings with overexpression, or knock-down, of QUA3 do not show altered phenotypes or changes in pectin methylation, this enzyme is highly expressed and abundant in Arabidopsis suspension-cultured cells. In contrast, in cells subjected to QUA3 RNA interference (RNAi) knock-down there is less pectin methylation as well as altered composition and assembly of cell wall polysaccharides. Taken together, these observations point to a Golgi-localized QUA3 playing an essential role in controlling pectin methylation and cell wall biosynthesis in Arabidopsis suspension cell cultures.