Curcumol: a review of its pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, drug delivery systems, structure-activity relationships, and potential applications.

Curcumol (Cur), a guaiane-type sesquiterpenoid hemiketal, is an important and representative bioactive component extracted from the essential oil of the rhizomes of Curcumae rhizoma which is also known as "Ezhu" in traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, Cur has received considerable attention from the research community due to its favorable pharmacological activities, including anti-cancer, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-convulsant, and other activities, and has also exerted therapeutic effect on various cancers, liver diseases, inflammatory diseases, and infectious diseases. Pharmacokinetic studies have shown that Cur is rapidly distributed in almost all organs of rats after intragastric administration with high concentrations in the small intestine and colon. Several studies focusing on structure-activity relationship (SAR) of Cur have shown that some Cur derivatives, chemically modified at C-8 or C-14, exhibited more potent anti-cancer activity and lower toxicity than Cur itself. This review aims to comprehensively summarize the latest advances in the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of Cur in the last decade with a focus on its anti-cancer and hepatoprotective potentials, as well as the research progress in drug delivery system and potential applications of Cur to date, to provide researchers with the latest information, to highlighted the limitations of relevant research at the current stage and the aspects that should be addressed in future research. Our results indicate that Cur and its derivatives could serve as potential novel agents for the treatment of a variety of diseases, particularly cancer and liver diseases.

Multifunctional SERS chip mediated by black phosphorus@gold-silver nanocomposites inserted in bilayer membrane for in-situ detection and degradation of hazardous materials.

Self-cleaning surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates dependent on versatile two-dimensional semiconductors offer an efficient channel for the sensitive monitoring and timely degradation of hazardous molecules. Herein, a kind of sophisticated SERS-active nanocomposites was developed by incorporating Au-Ag nanoparticles onto black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets via photo-induced self-reduction. Combining the substantial electromagnetic "hot spots" triggered by bimetallic plasma coupling effect and the efficient charge transfer from BP to probe molecules, the proposed nanocomposites featured attractive SERS enhancement, facilitating a limit of detection down to 4.5 × 10-10 M. Attributed to the remarkable restriction of electron-hole recombination stemming from "Schottky contact", the photocatalytic activity of BP was prominently boosted, demonstrating a complete degradation time as short as 65 min. Furthermore, the disgusting instability of BP was considerably hindered by inserting the nanocomposites into various bilayer matrices with diverse hardness and viscosity inspired by cling film principle. Moreover, a significantly elevated collection rate high to 93.1% for in-situ detection was also achieved by the as-manufactured flexible SERS chips based on tape. This study illustrates a clear perspective for the development of versatile BP-based SERS chips which might facilitate sensitive analysis and treatment of perilous contaminants in complicated real-life scenarios.

Reusable dual-functional SERS sensor based on gold nanoflowers-modified red phosphorus nanoplates for ultrasensitive immunoassay and degradation of CA19-9.

It is tremendously desirable for the timely and effective detection of cancer to facilitate the ultra-highly sensitive monitoring of tumor marker in clinical serum sample. In this study, an electromagnetic and chemical synergistically enabled recyclable immunoassay based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was proposed by realizing the anisotropic growth of sea-urchin-like gold nanoflowers (Au NFs) on two-dimensional red phosphorus (RP) nanoplates. Besides the achieved enhancement factor as high as 2.24 × 106, it was found that the photocatalytic and SERS activities were kept at a high level for the hybrid substrate of RP/Au NFs throughout 7 cycles of immunoassay. In combination with a non-metallic immunoprobe, the limit of detection was drove to 7.41 × 10-5 IU·mL-1 for cancer antigen 19-9. The comparative experiments of nonspecific monitoring verified the promising selectivity of this strategy. Considering the intriguing features of high sensitivity, recyclability, and specificity, the proposed multifunctional RP/Au NFs exhibited its superior role in the early detection of cancer and can be adapted for point-of-care diagnosis.

A hydrophilic-hydrophobic graphitic carbon nitride@silver hybrid substrate for recyclable surface-enhanced Raman scattering-based detection without the coffee-ring effect.

There is growing interest in developing a multifunctional surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate to deal with the challenge in the pretreatment-free detection and degradation of hazardous organic pollutants in water. Herein, a hydrophilic-hydrophobic graphitic carbon nitride@silver (g-C3N4@Ag) hybrid substrate was exploited as a potential candidate for the recyclable detection of dye molecules. Such a sophisticated substrate not only showed a significant SERS activity with a high enhancement factor of 3.21 × 106 triggered by the significantly aggregated Ag nanoparticles, but also possessed an outstanding self-cleaning property via visible-light irradiation. Furthermore, the effective weakening of the coffee-ring effect was also facilitated by the hydrophilic-hydrophobic structure, resulting in excellent uniformity and reproducibility. Ultimately, the applicability of the developed recyclable SERS substrate in the monitoring of trace malachite green was demonstrated. It is expected that the innovative SERS substrate has great potential for application in highly sensitive, stable, and recyclable on-site analysis, especially for organic pollutant treatment and environmental protection.

[Research on network pharmacology of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma combined with Curcumae Radix in treating epilepsy].

The chemical constituents and action targets of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma and Curcumae Radix were screened by network pharmacological method,and the mechanism of the combination of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma and Curcumae Radix in the treatment of epilepsy was analyzed. All chemical constituents of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma and Curcumae Radix were retrieved by TCMSP,and their action targets were screened. Component target PPI network was constructed. Epilepsy-related genes were retrieved from PharmGkb database,and PPI networks of disease targets were drawn by Cytoscape software. Cytoscape software was used to merge the network,screen the core network,and further analyze the gene GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment,which was verified by experimental research. One hundred and five chemical constituents of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma and 222 chemical constituents of Curcumae Radix were retrieved. Nineteen compounds were selected as candidate compounds according to OB and DL values. Among them,4 chemical constituents of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma and 15 chemical constituents of Curcumae Radix were found. A total of 88 target proteins were retrieved by retrieving TCMSP data,and PPI network was constructed. Through PharmGkb database,29 epilepsy-related genes were retrieved and disease target network was established. Cytoscape software and plug-ins were used for network merging and core network screening,and 69 genes were screened out. Through GO function analysis and KEGG pathway analysis,the mechanism of anti-epilepsy is related to prolactin signaling pathway,HTLV-Ⅰ infection signaling pathway,MAPK signaling pathway and herpes simplex infection signaling pathway. Further experimental verification showed that the serum prolactin level in epileptic rats was significantly increased. The neurons in hippocampal CA1 area degenerated,necrotized and lost 24 hours after epileptic seizure,and some neuron interstitial edema occurred. The possible mechanism of compatibility of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma and Curcumae Radix is related to serum prolactin level,MAPK signaling pathway,HTLV-Ⅰ infection and herpes simplex infection. The analysis may be related to viral encephalitis caused by HTLV-Ⅰ virus and herpes simplex infection,which damages nerve cells and causes seizures.

[Optimal extraction of puerarin from Pueraria lobata based on central composite design and response surface methodology].

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the parameters of extraction technology for Puerarin from Pueraria lobata by Central Composite Design-Response Surface Methodology. METHODS: Used the ratio of dosage liquid and extraction time as the examination factor,the content of puerarin for the extraction percentage as the index. The multielement linear model and the polynomial model were used to describe the mathematics relation with response surface. RESULTS: The optimal extraction technology was as follows: ratio of herb-to-solvant was 1: 8.88 (W/V) and extraction time was 150 min. The coefficient correlation was 0.9977 and closed to the predicted value. CONCLUSION: The results are accordant with model predictions. The technology can be used as the extraction process of puerarin from Pueraria lobata.

Cochrane systematic reviews of Chinese herbal medicines: an overview.

OBJECTIVES: our study had two objectives: a) to systematically identify all existing systematic reviews of Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) published in Cochrane Library; b) to assess the methodological quality of included reviews. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a systematic search of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR, Issue 5, 2010) to identify all reviews of CHM. A total of fifty-eight reviews were eligible for our study. Twenty-one of the included reviews had at least one Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner as its co-author. 7 reviews didn't include any primary study, the remaining reviews (n = 51) included a median of 9 studies and 936 participants. 50% of reviews were last assessed as up-to-date prior to 2008. The questions addressed by 39 reviews were broad in scope, in which 9 reviews combined studies with different herbal medicines. For OQAQ, the mean of overall quality score (item 10) was 5.05 (95% CI; 4.58-5.52). All reviews assessed the methodological quality of primary studies, 16% of included primary studies used adequate sequence generation and 7% used adequate allocation concealment. Of the 51 nonempty reviews, 23 reviews were reported as being inconclusive, while 27 concluded that there might be benefit of CHM, which was limited by the poor quality or inadequate quantity of included studies. 58 reviews reported searching a median of seven electronic databases, while 10 reviews did not search any Chinese database. CONCLUSIONS: Now CDSR has included large numbers of CHM reviews, our study identified some areas which could be improved, such as almost half of included reviews did not have the participation of TCM practitioners and were not up-to-date according to Cochrane criteria, some reviews pooled the results of different herbal medicines and ignored the searching of Chinese databases.

Adverse drug reactions of Shenmai injection: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with Shenmai injection and possible contributing factors. METHODS: We searched all clinical studies and ADR reports of Shenmai injection from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, the Data Bank of Chinese Scientific Journals (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical (CBM) database. We collected relevant information such as gender, age, allergic history, and diseases treated in ADR cases; types, occurrence times, and severity of ADRs; and menstruum and compatibility of Shenmai injection. RESULTS: Of the 1828 clinical studies of Shenmai injection, 146 (7.99%) mentioned 576 ADR cases; 181 ADR reports mentioned 246 ADR cases. The most commonly affected age group was 40 to 69 (57.32%). In 36 (14.63%) cases, patients were described as having an allergic history. The diseases treated in ADR cases were principally heart failure and coronary artery heart disease. Thirty-eight (15.45%) of the 246 ADR cases in ADR reports described anaphylactic shock, while the most common ADR reported in clinical studies was headache/dizziness. Of the 822 total reported ADR cases, 99 (12.04%) were class III, and 637 (77.50%) were class IV, and there were no fatalities. The menstruum of most Shenmai injections was 5% glucose. Incompatible drugs were given in 68 ADR cases. In ADR cases, the most common dosage of Shenmai injection was 40 to 60 ml; 215 (80.90%) ADR cases occurred in first time medication, mainly in the first 30 minutes after injection. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence shows that Shenmai injection had lower ADR occurrence, but some potential factors such as irrational compatibility, dosages may lead to a high risk of ADR. In future, clinicians should follow indications or functions to promote rational use of Chinese Medicine Injections .

[Study on clinical effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion on acute Bell's facial paralysis: randomized controlled clinical observation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the adverse effects of acupuncture on the prognosis, and effectiveness of acupuncture combined with far infrared ray in the patient of acute Bell's facial paralysis within 48 h. METHODS: Clinically randomized controlled trial was used, and the patients were divided into 3 groups: group A (early acupuncture group), group B (acupuncture combined with far infrared ray) and group C (acupuncture after 7 days). The facial nerve functional classification at the attack, 7 days after the attack and after treatment, the clinically cured rate of following-up of 6 months, and the average cured time, the cured time of complete facial paralysis were observed in the 3 groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among the 3 groups in the facial nerve functional classification 7 days after the attack, the clinically cured rate of following-up of 6 months and the average cured time (P > 0.05), but the cured time of complete facial paralysis in the group A and the group B were shorter than that in the group C (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The patient of acute Bell's facial paralysis can be treated with acupuncture and moxibustion, and traditional moxibustion can be replaced by far infrared way.

Acupuncture treatment for 15 cases of post-traumatic coma.

In order to observe the effects of acupuncture combined with point-injection therapy on post-traumatic coma, 30 such cases were randomly divided into the following two groups. The patients in the control group were simply treated with the basic neural medical treatment; while patients in the treatment group were treated by acupuncture and point-injection therapy in addition to the above treatment. Comparisons were made between the two groups in the therapeutic effects by GCS evaluations as well as in the changes of main symptoms. The results showed that the GCS value in the treatment group was higher than that of the control group, but with no statistical significance (P>0.05). However, the main symptoms of the patients in treatment group, such as aphasia, hemiplegia, and injuries of cranial nerves (including injuries of the facial, oculomotor and abducent nerves) were obviously improved, showing significant differences as compared with the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion can be made that acupuncture combined with point-injection has the consciousness-inducing effect for post-traumatic coma, and shows good effects for the cranial nerve injuries and aphasia.