Zhijing powder manages blood pressure by regulating PI3K/AKT signal pathway in hypertensive rats.

Background: Zhijing Powder (ZJP) is a traditional Chinese medicine containing two kinds of Chinese medicine. Those studies analyze the molecular mechanism of ZJP in treating hypertension through network pharmacology, combined with animal experiments. Methods: First, the effective ingredients and potential targets of the drug were obtained through drug databases, while the targets of disease obtained through disease target databases. The potential targets, cellular bioanalysis and signaling pathways were found in some platforms by analyzing collected targets. Further experiments were conducted to verify the effect and mechanism of drugs on cold and high salt in an induced-hypertension rat model. Results: There are 17 effective components of centipedes and 10 of scorpions, with 464 drug targets obtained after screening. A total of 1263 hypertension targets were obtained after screening and integration, resulting in a protein-protein interaction network (PPI) with 145 points and 1310 edges. Gene ontology (GO) analysis shows that blood circulation regulation and activation of G protein-coupled receptors are mainly biological processes. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis shows that neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, calcium signaling pathways, PI3K-AKT signaling pathways are the most abundant gene-enriched pathway. Animal experiments indicated that ZJP can reduce blood pressure (BP), affect expression of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, and improve oxidative stress in the body. Conclusion: ZJP ameliorates oxidative stress and reduces BP in hypertensive rats caused by cold stimuli and high salt, revealing its effect on the expression of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in the rat aorta.

Revealing the Inhibitory Effect of Ginseng on Mitochondrial Respiration through Synaptosomal Proteomics.

Ginseng, the active ingredients of which are ginsenosides, is the most popular herbal medicine and has potential merit in the treatment of cerebral disorders. To better understand the function of Ginseng in the cerebral system, we examined changes in the protein expression profiles of synaptosomes extracted from the cerebral cortical and hippocampal tissues of rats administered a high or low dose of Ginseng for 2 weeks. More than 5000 proteins belonging to synaptosomes were simultaneously identified and quantitated by an approach combining tandem mass tags with 2D liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Regarding differentially expressed proteins, downregulated proteins were much more highly induced than upregulators in the cerebral cortical and hippocampal synaptosomes, regardless of the dose of Ginseng. Bioinformatic analysis indicated the majority of the altered proteins to be located in the mitochondria, directly or indirectly affecting mitochondrial oxidative respiration. Further functional experiments using the substrate-uncoupler inhibitor titration approach confirmed that three representative ginsenosides were able to inhibit oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. Our results demonstrate that Ginseng can regulate the function of mitochondria and alter the energy metabolism of cells, which may be useful for the treatment of central nervous disorders.

[Effect of Acupoint Application Therapy of Summer Treatment for Winter Diseases on Nerve-Endocrine-Immune Network System in Patient with Non-Acute Attack Asthma].

Objective To observe the effect of acupoint application therapy in summer to treat winter diseases (abbreviated as AATSTWD) on nerve-endocrine-immune network system in patients with non-acute attack asthma, and to study possible mechanisms. Methods Fifty healthy volunteers were re- cruited as the normal control group and 50 patients with non-acute attack asthma were recruited as the asthma group. Patients in the normal control group received no intervention. Those in the control group were treated with acupoint application therapy on hot days (applied on the first day of three dog days, 3 times in total). Blood samples were tested before treatment and after 3 times of application. The contents of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) , interleukin-4 (IL-4) , plasma substance P (SP) , and vasoactive intes- tinal peptide (VIP) were detected using radioimmunoassay. Contents of immunoglobulin A and G (IgA, IgG) were tested by immunoturbidimetry. Content of interferon-y (INF-y) were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results Compared with the normal control group, serum contents of IgA, igG, IFN-y, and plasma VIP decreased, contents of IgE, IL-4, and SP significantly increased in the asthma group before treatment (P <0. 05). Compared with before treatment in the same group, serum contents of IgA, IgG, VIP, and IFN-y increased, and contents of IgE, IL-4, and SP decreased in the asthma group after treatment (P <0. 05). Conclusion Acupoint application therapy in summer to treat winter diseases method could prevent and treat bronchial asthma possibly through improving immune function, control- ling the release of cytokines , and regulating neurotransmitters.