A UPLC-Q-TOF/MS and network pharmacology method to explore the mechanism of Anhua fuzhuan tea intervention in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

The possible mechanism by which the active components of Anhua fuzhuan tea act on FAM in NAFLD lesions was investigated. 83 components of Anhua fuzhuan tea were analysed by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Luteolin-7-rutinoside and other compounds were first discovered in fuzhuan tea. According to the TCMSP database and the Molinspiration website tool to predict and review the literature reports, 78 compounds were identified in fuzhuan tea with possible biological activities. The PharmMapper, Swiss target prediction, and SuperPred databases were used to predict the action targets of biologically active compounds. The GeneCards, CTD, and OMIM databases were mined for NAFLD and FAM genes. Then, a fuzhuan Tea-NAFLD-FAM Venn diagram was constructed. Using the STRING database and CytoHubba program of Cytoscape software, protein interaction analysis was performed, and 16 key genes, including PPARG, were screened. GO function and KEGG enrichment analyses of the screened key genes showed that Anhua fuzhuan tea may regulate FAM in the process of NAFLD through the AMPK signalling pathway, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease pathway, etc. After constructing an active ingredient-key target-pathway map with Cytoscape software, combined with literature reports and BioGPS database analysis, we believe that among the 16 key genes, SREBF1, FASN, ACADM, HMGCR, and FABP1 have potential in the treatment of NAFLD. Animal experiments confirmed the effect of Anhua fuzhuan tea in improving NAFLD and confirmed that this tea can interfere with the gene expression of the above five targets by the AMPK/PPAR pathway, providing support for Anhua fuzhuan tea interfering with FAM in NAFLD lesions.

Efficacy and safety of Zaoren Anshen capsules in the treatment of insomnia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Zaoren Anshen capsules (ZRAS) have been widely used to treat patients with insomnia. However, the efficacy and safety of ZRAS for insomnia treatment is not entirely clear. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the effect of ZRAS for the treatment of insomnia by a systematic meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WanFang databases and performed a manual search to retrieve relevant articles (available through January 2019) describing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ZRAS for the treatment of insomnia. The quality of the selected articles was assessed with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. A meta-analysis of the selected articles was performed with RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of 13 articles including 1175 patients were included in the study. Overall, our results showed that ZRAS was slightly higher than that of the conventional Western medicine for insomnia in terms of clinical efficacy rate; but there was no statistical difference between the 2 groups (relative risk [RR] = 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.97, 1.09], P = .34). However, it should be noted that ZRAS treatment causes far fewer adverse reaction than treatment with conventional Western medicine (RR = 0.20, 95% CI = [0.14, 0.28], P < .00001). CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that ZRAS is an effective and safe treatment for insomnia, especially in adverse reaction. However, multi-regional and well-designed RCTs studies are needed in the future to validate the results.

[Effects of feixianping on serum interleukin-6 and oxygen partial pressure in pulmonary fibrosis rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of feixianping (FXP) in improving hypoxemia and on serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) in experimental rats with pulmonary fibrosis (PF). METHODS: Two hundred and forty healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, 48 in each group, i.e. the normal control group (A), the model group (B), the prednisone group (C) and the two FXP groups of high (21.6 mg x kg(-1)) and low (10.8 mg x kg(-1)) dosage (D and E). PF model rats were established by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin, excepting those in Group A, to which normal saline was administered. The corresponding treatment to various groups started from the 1st day after modeling. Rats were sacrificed in batch at 4 time points, i.e., the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th day, their arterial blood was collected for determination of blood partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and serum IL-6 content. RESULTS: Serum IL-6 content in Group B at all the time points was higher than that in other groups at the same time points (P<0.01). In the FXP treated groups (D and E), levels of IL-6 at the 7th, 14th and 28th day showed no significant difference from those in Group A and C. Since the 14th day, FXP showed its effect in improving hypoxemia in experimental rats which could basically keep in accordance with the effect of prednisone. CONCLUSION: FXP can ameliorate hypoxemia and reduce the level of serum IL-6 in experimental PF rats.