Phenols and Organic Acids Constituents in Water Decoction of Curcumae Rhizoma-Sparganii Rhizoma Herbal Pair and Single Herb / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate constituents containing phenolic hydroxyl or carboxylic acid （excluding diarylheptanoids） from Curcumae Rhizoma and Sparganii Rhizoma herbal pair and single herb. Method:Multiple chromatographic separation techniques， including silica gel，MCI gel and Sephadex LH-20 gel， were employed to isolate and purify the compounds. Their structures were identified by means of the nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR），mass spectrometry （MS） and physicochemical properties. Constituents were quickly analyzed by UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MSn，and scanned in positive and negative ion modes. Result:These compounds were determined as trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid（1），vanillic acid（2），protocatechuic acid（3），fumalic acid（4），succinic acid（5），succinic acid monomethyl ester（6），docosanoic acid（7），azelaic acid（8） and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde（9）. Forty compounds were speculated by comparing mass spectrometry data，retention times of some compounds and reference materials，including 14 phenols and 26 organic acids. Among the compounds of herbal pair，8 phenols and 22 organic acids in Sparganii Rhizoma as well as 11 phenols and 13 organic acids in Curcumae Rhizoma were identified. Cleavage pathways of main compounds were described. Conclusion:There are abundant phenols and organic acids in Curcumae Rhizoma and Sparganii Rhizoma herbal pair and single herb. The results enrich pharmacodynamic material basis of Curcumae Rhizoma and Sparganii Rhizoma herbal pair.

Screening of type II 5α-reductase inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicine based on molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation technology / 中草药

Objective: To screen the potential type II 5α-reductase inhibitors from active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) based on molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation technology. Methods: The molecular docking was used to screen 26 monomer compositions from TCM. Based on the docking results, MD was performed to evaluate the binding strength of compounds with protein. The binding free energy of the system was calculated using the MM/PBSA method. The in vitro micro-reaction system was used to investigate biological activity. Results: The binding energies of 26 monomer compositions from TCM to type II 5-alpha Reductase were different. Among them, ligustroflavone, safflower yellow and hinokiflavone have low binding energies to type II 5-alpha reductase, and their binding abilities were strong. The molecular dynamics simulation results are consistent with the docking results (binding capacity: ligustroflavone-protein > safflower yellow-protein > hinokiflavone-protein). The three components ligustroflavone, safflower yellow and hinokiflavone have a certain inhibitory activity on type II 5α-reductase with the IC50 value of (42.12 ± 3.83), (69.06 ± 6.35), and (191.28 ± 5.90) μmol/L, respectively. Conclusion: Among the screened 26 monomer compositions, ligustroflavone, safflower yellow and hinokiflavone have the potential to be used in the study of treatment and prevention of androgen-dependent diseases, which provides a reference for further exploration and discovery of type II 5α-reductase inhibitors.

Effect of electroacupuncture on expressions of acetylcholine and mucin 5AC in the lungs of rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expressions of acetylcholine (ACh) and mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) in the lungs of rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),and explore the mechanism of EA in treating COPD.Methods:Thirty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a control group,a COPD group,and an EA group,with 10 rats in each group.The control group was a group of normal rats.The COPD rat model was induced by cigarette smoke combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).The COPD rats were treated with EA at bilateral Feishu (BL 13) and Zusanli (ST 36) in the EA group,30 min each time,once a day,successively for 14 d.The lung function was tested.The contents of ACh and MUC5AC in lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Pearson method was used to analyze the correlation between pulmonary function and the content of MUC5AC in lungs.The mRNA and protein expressions of MUC5AC in lung tissues were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot (WB),respectively.The immune response of MUC5AC was observed by immunohistochemistry.Results:Eight rats were left in each group,and the other two died.Compared with the control group,the total airway resistance (Raw) increased significantly and dynamic compliance (Cdyn) decreased significantly in the COPD group (P＜0.01);compared with the COPD group,the Raw level declined significantly and Cdyn increased significantly in the EA group (P＜0.01).The contents of ACh and MUC5AC in the lungs and BALF were remarkably higher in the COPD group compared with those in the control group (P＜0.01,P＜0.001);compared with the COPD group,the contents of ACh and MUC5AC were significantly lower in the EA group (P＜0.05,P＜0.001).There was a negative correlation between MUC5AC content and lung function (P＜0.001).The mRNA and protein expressions of MUC5AC in the lungs were significantly higher in the COPD group than in the control group (P＜0.001);compared with the COPD group,the expressions were significantly lower in the EA group (P＜0.01).Compared with the control group,the immune response of MUC5AC in the airway epithelium significantly increased in the COPD group (P＜0.001);the immune response of MUC5AC was significantly lower in the EA group compared with that in the COPD group (P＜0.001).Conclusion:EA treatment can improve the lung function of COPD rats,which may be related to its effect in the down-regulation of ACh and MUC5AC contents in the lungs as well as the inhibition of mucus hypersecretion.

Clinical study of western medicine combined with Chinese medicine based on syndrome differentiation in the patients with polarized hypertension / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects and safety of Western medicine combined with Chinese medicine (CM) based on syndrome differentiation in the treatment of elderly polarized hypertension (PHPT), or isolated systolic hypertension with low diastolic blood pressure (DBP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 125 elderly patients with PHPT were randomly assigned to two groups: 59 in the control group treated by Western medicine and 66 in the intervention group treated by Western medicine combined with CM treatment. Based on syndrome differentiation, the patients in the intervention group were further divided into subgroups of yang-qi deficiency and yin-qi deficiency. All subjects were treated with Western medicine of Amlodipine Besylate Tablets and Irbesartan Tablets (or Irbesartan and Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets), to decrease their systolic blood pressure (SBP) slowly to 125-135 mm Hg in 2-6 weeks. In the intervention group, Shiyiwei Shenqi Capsule was given additionally to the subgroup of yang-qi deficiency at the dosage of 3-5 capsules, thrice a day, while Dengzhan Shengmai Capsule was given additionally to the subgroup of yin-qi deficiency at the dosage of 2 capsules, 2-3 times per day. For all subjects, SBP, pulse pressure (PP), and DBP were measured before treatment and at the terminal of a 6-week treatment. For subjects in the intervention group, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was also recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After a 6-week treatment, the SBP in the two groups and the PP in the intervention group decreased significantly compared to those before treatment (P<0.05), while the PP in the control group showed no significant difference between prior and post-treatment (P>0.05). After treatment, the DBP in the control group decreased (P>0.05), while the DBP and LVEF in the intervention group showed an increase tendency although it had no statistical significance (P>0.05). When subjects in the intervention group were classified further by the course of disease, the DBP and LVEF of subjects whose course of disease were less than 2 years, increased significantly after treatment (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Western medicine combined with CM treatment based on syndrome differentiation was safer and more effective than Western medicine alone in the treatment of elderly PHPT, because it not only reduced SBP but also improved DBP, which might lower the incidence of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.</p>

Clinical study of strengthening pi and nourishing shen therapy combined with Western medicine on patients with glucocorticoid resistant myasthenia gravis / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of strengthening Pi and nourishing Shen therapy (SPNST) in treating patients with glucocorticoid resistant myasthenia gravis (GR-MG).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-seven patients with MG were enrolled, who were relapse cases after treated by cholinesterase inhibitor with systemic glucocorticoid treatment and showed resistance to glucocorticoid. All were treated by Western medicines, methylprednisolone (MP) and pyridostigmine bromide (PSB), together with Chinese medicine (CM) given according to their syndrome types, namely, for the 15 patients of Pi-Shen qi-yin deficiency type, Buzhong Yiqi Pill and Liuwei Dihuang Pill, and for the 12 patients of Pi-Shen yang-deficiency type, Buzhong Yiqi Pill and Zishen Yutai Pill. The dosages of medicines were reduced gradually in MP-PSB-CM order along with the progressing of the therapy in 4 stages (symptom curing, choline receptor restoration, immune regulation, and functional strengthening). Muscle strength and overall state of patients were re-examined before and after each of the 4 stages.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 1-year treatment, the therapeutic effect in 9 patients was judged as completely remitted; in 7 as remitted with continuous medication; in 5, 1 and 3 as significantly improved, moderately improved and unchanged respectively, while 2 patients died.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Integrative medicine shows definite effects in treating GR-MG, and it is worthy of further studying.</p>