Seco-nortriterpenoids from Cirsium setosum and their anti-inflammatory activity.

Five unusual seco-nortriterpenoids, 3ß-hydroxy-20,21-seco-30-nortaraxastan-20,21-dioic acid (1), 3ß-hydroxy-20,21-seco-30-nortaraxastan-20-oic-21-oate (2), 3ß-hydroxy-20-oxo-21,22-seco-30-nortaraxastan-22-oic acid (3), 3ß-hydroxy-19-oxo-20,21-seco-29,30-nortaraxastan-21-oic acid (4) and 3ß-hydroxy-19-oxo-20,21-seco-19-norlupan-21-oic acid (5) were isolated and elucidated from the anti-inflammatory activity fraction of the ethanol extract of Cirsium setosum. The structures of these compounds were established through spectroscopic methods. Preliminary biological assays showed that compounds 1-5 had significant inhibitory effect on NO production on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and compound 1 showed the strongest anti-inflammatory activity. This type of ring-opening compound is the first seco-triterpenoid structure discovered from the genus of Cirsium.

[Nature-effect transformation mechanism of mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings based on chemical composition analysis].

Starting with the relationship between mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings as food and metabolites, this study systematically compared the chemical components, screened out differential components, and quantitatively analyzed the main differential components based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and UPLC-Q-TRAP-MS combined with principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA). Moreover, the in vitro enzymatic transformation of the representative differential components was studied. The results showed that(1) 95 components were identified from mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings, among which 27 components only exist in mulberry leaves and 8 components in silkworm droppings. The main differential components were flavonoid glycosides and chlorogenic acids.(2) Nineteen components with significant difference were quantitatively analyzed, and the components with significant differences and high content were neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, and rutin.(3) The crude protease in the mid-gut of silkworm significantly metabolized neochlorogenic acid and chlorogenic acid, which may be an important reason for the efficacy change in mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings. This study lays a scientific foundation for the development, utilization, and quality control of mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings. It provides references for clarifying the possible material basis and mechanism of the pungent-cool and dispersing nature of mulberry leaves transforming into the pungent-warm and dampness-resolving nature of silkworm droppings, and offers a new idea for the study of nature-effect transformation mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.

Toxic effects of Tripterygium glycoside tablets on the reproductive system of male rats by metabolomics, cytotoxicity, and molecular docking.

BACKGROUND: Tripterygium glycoside tablets (TGT) is the most common preparation from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, which is widely used in clinical for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune diseases. However, its serious reproductive toxicity limits its application. PURPOSE: This study aimed to elucidate the toxic effects of TGT on the reproductive system of male RA rats and its potential toxic components and mechanism. METHODS: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model was established, and TGT suspension was given at low, medium, and high doses. Gonadal index, pathological changes, and the number of spermatogenic cells were used to evaluate the toxic effects of TGT on the reproductive system. Non-targeted metabolomics of testicular tissue was conducted by UHPLC-QTOF/MS. Combined with network toxicology, the key targets of TGT-induced reproductive toxicity were screened and RT-qPCR was used to validation. In vitro toxicity of 19 components of TGT was evaluated using TM3 and TM4 cell lines. Molecular docking was used to predict the interaction between toxic components and key targets. RESULTS: TGT reduced testicular and epididymis weight. Pathology analysis showed a lot of deformed and atrophic spermatogenic tubules. The number of spermatogenic cells decreased significantly (P<0.0001). A total of 58 different metabolites including platelet-activating factor (PAF), lysophosphatidylcholine (Lyso PC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), glutathione (GSH), and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) were identified by testicular metabolomics. Glycerophospholipid metabolism, ether lipid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism were key pathways responsible for the reproductive toxicity of TGT. Ten key reproductive toxicity targets were screened by network toxicology. The cytotoxicity test showed that triptolide, triptonide, celastrol, and demethylzeylasteral could significantly reduce the viability of TM3 and TM4 cells. Alkaloids had no apparent toxic effects. Molecular docking showed that the four toxic components had a good affinity with 10 key targets. All binding energies were less than -7 kcal/mol. The RT-qPCR results showed the Cyp19a1 level was significantly up-regulated. Pik3ca and Pik3cg levels were significantly down-regulated. CONCLUSION: Through testicular metabolomics, we found that TGT may cause reproductive toxicity through CYP19A1, PIK3CA, and PIK3CG three target, which was preliminarily revealed. This study laid the foundation for elucidating the toxicity mechanism of TGT and evaluating its safety and quality.

The role and mechanism of flavonoid herbal natural products in ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine that presents clinically with abdominal pain, mucopurulent stools, and posterior urgency. The lesions of UC are mainly concentrated in the rectal and colonic mucosa and submucosa. For patients with mild to moderate UC, the best pharmacological treatment includes glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, antibiotics, and biologics, but the long-term application can have serious toxic side effects. Currently, nearly 40% of UC patients are treated with herbal natural products in combination with traditional medications to reduce the incidence of toxic side effects. Flavonoid herbal natural products are the most widely distributed polyphenols in plants and fruits, which have certain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Flavonoid herbal natural products have achieved remarkable efficacy in the treatment of UC. The pharmacological mechanisms are related to anti-inflammation, promotion of mucosal healing, maintenance of intestinal immune homeostasis, and regulation of intestinal flora. In this paper, we summarize the flavonoid components of anti-ulcerative colitis and their mechanisms reported in the past 10 years, to provide a basis for rational clinical use and the development of new anti-ulcerative colitis drugs.

Investigation on the pharmacological mechanisms of Shirebi granules in treating gouty arthritis with damp-heat syndrome based on crosstalk of Wnt/β-catenin signaling / 药学学报

Gouty arthritis is a type of metabolic rheumatic disease caused by autoimmune abnormalities. Currently, the use of Western medicine in the clinical treatment of gouty arthritis has been associated with a high risk of adverse reactions. Therefore, there is a growing interest in exploring therapeutic drugs from traditional Chinese medicine as a potential alternative. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, gouty arthritis has been classified as damp-heat arthralgia syndrome. Shirebi granules has been found to have good clinical efficacy in treating gouty arthritis. However, its underlying pharmacological mechanisms remain unclear. To address this problem, the study first established the interaction network of candidate targets for Shirebi granules, which is used to treat damp-heat syndrome of gouty arthritis. Then, the key candidate targets of Shirebi granules for treating gouty arthritis with damp-heat syndrome were screened by calculating the topological features of the network nodes. Then, the functional mining of the key candidate targets revealed that the candidate targets of Shirebi granules may intervene in the biological process of inflammatory response and lipid metabolism through the crosstalk of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. To verify the effectiveness of Shirebi granules in treating gouty arthritis with damp-heat syndrome, a rat model was established. The results demonstrated that the granules significantly improved the severity of arthritis in rats with this condition, reduced joint inflammation, gait score, swelling index, increased mechanical pain threshold (P < 0.05), and reduced the content of serum inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in gouty arthritis rats with damp-heat syndrome (P < 0.01) gouty. It was also found that Shirebi granules effectively alleviated the symptoms of dampness heat syndrome such as local joint fever and dry mouth by reducing the temperature of the joints in acute gouty arthritis with damp-heat syndrome (AD) rats, increasing the threshold of heat pain, increasing water intake (P < 0.01), and inhibiting abnormal changes in the content of fatty acid oxidation related enzymes (P < 0.01). Western blot analysis showed that Shirebi granules increased the protein expression levels of Wnt and β-catenin (P < 0.01) while decreasing the protein expression of p65, p-p65 and PPARγ (P < 0.01) in rats with gouty arthritis and damp-heat syndrome. The results showed that Shirebi granules may reverse the "inflammation-immune" imbalance and lipid metabolism disorder by regulating the crosstalk of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and play a role in alleviating the severity of the disease. This study provides a methodological reference for elucidating the pharmacological mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine formulas. It also presents research ideas for the appropriate clinical use of Chinese patent medicines and the development of new clinical drugs for gouty arthritis therapy. The animal welfare and experiment procedures of this study were performed in accordance with the regulations of the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (grant No. ERCCACMS11-2302-08).

Exploring biological connotation of blood stasis syndrome of rheumatoid arthritis and establishment of improved animal models based on syndrome-symptom mapping / 药学学报

Blood stasis syndrome is one of the core clinical syndrome of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the biological connotation of this syndrome is not clear, and there is a lack of disease improved animal models that match the characteristics of this disease and syndrome. The aim of this study was to screen the candidate biomarker gene set of blood stasis syndrome of RA, reveal the biological connotation of this syndrome, and explore and evaluate the preparation method of the improved animal model based on the characteristics of "disease-syndrome-symptom". The study was approved by the ethics committee of Guang'anmen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. 2019-073-KY-01) and the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. TYLL2021[K]018), and the study subjects gave their informed consent. Animal welfare and experimental procedures followed the regulations of the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. IBTCMCACMS21-2207-01). The whole blood samples were collected clinically from RA patients with blood stasis syndrome (3 cases) or other syndromes (7 types, 3 cases/type), and healthy volunteers (4 cases), and then transcriptome sequencing, KEGG, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) analysis were performed. 126 pivotal genes were screened, and their functional annotation results were significantly enriched in "immune-inflammation" related pathways and lipid metabolism regulation (sphingolipids, ether lipid metabolism and steroid biosynthesis). Syndrome-symptom mapping of hub gene set to the TCM primary and secondary symptoms, Western phenotypic symptoms and pathological links showed that joint tingling, abnormal joint morphology, petechiae and abnormal blood circulation are representative of blood stasis syndrome of RA. The results of the improved animal model showed that the rats in the collagen-induced arthritis + adrenaline hydrochloride (CIA+Adr) 3 model group had increased blood rheology, coagulation, platelet function and endothelial function abnormalities compared with the CIA-alone model group, suggesting that the rats with blood stasis syndrome of RA may be in a state of "blood stasis". The results of the study can help to advance the objective study of the evidence of blood stasis syndrome in RA, and provide new ideas for the establishment of an animal model that reflects the clinical characteristics of the disease and syndrome.

Study on release and antioxidant activity of quercetin after loaded by hot alkali hydrolysis modified UiO-66 material / 药学学报

UiO-66 (University of Oslo 66) is a kind of promising material that can improve the release and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble bioactive compounds of traditional Chinese medicine. However, the loading of quercetin in raw UiO-66 was not ideal. In this study, UiO-66-BH (UiO-66-blend-heating) was obtained by heating UiO-66 and KOH solution following blended them. UiO-66-BH maintained the outline of octahedral structure of UiO-66 but with obvious rough and uneven pores on the surface. UiO-66-BH had good adsorption of quercetin with saturation adsorption was 138.92 mg·g-1, the adsorption process belonged to single molecular layer adsorption and was controlled by chemisorption. UiO-66-BH can control the release of quercetin in simulated gastrointestinal fluid, and the drug concentration was significantly higher than that of free quercetin after long-term release (36% vs 9%). Compared with quercetin, the ABTS (2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) ammonium salt) radical scavenging activity of UiO-66-BH@quercetin drug delivery system decreased, while the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity remained almost unchanged. The drug delivery system showed a strong antioxidant effect similar to quercetin. The findings indicated that UiO-66-BH could control release of quercetin and was expected to be used as a drug carrier material for some insoluble active components of traditional Chinese medicine such as quercetin.

Nature-effect transformation mechanism of mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings based on chemical composition analysis / 中国中药杂志

Starting with the relationship between mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings as food and metabolites, this study systematically compared the chemical components, screened out differential components, and quantitatively analyzed the main differential components based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and UPLC-Q-TRAP-MS combined with principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA). Moreover, the in vitro enzymatic transformation of the representative differential components was studied. The results showed that(1) 95 components were identified from mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings, among which 27 components only exist in mulberry leaves and 8 components in silkworm droppings. The main differential components were flavonoid glycosides and chlorogenic acids.(2) Nineteen components with significant difference were quantitatively analyzed, and the components with significant differences and high content were neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, and rutin.(3) The crude protease in the mid-gut of silkworm significantly metabolized neochlorogenic acid and chlorogenic acid, which may be an important reason for the efficacy change in mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings. This study lays a scientific foundation for the development, utilization, and quality control of mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings. It provides references for clarifying the possible material basis and mechanism of the pungent-cool and dispersing nature of mulberry leaves transforming into the pungent-warm and dampness-resolving nature of silkworm droppings, and offers a new idea for the study of nature-effect transformation mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products: Potential Approaches for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a rare, recurrent, and intractable inflammation obstruction of the stomach tract, usually accompanied by inflammation of cell proliferation and inflammation of the colon and carries a particular cause of inflammation. The clinical use of drugs in western countries affects IBD treatment, but various adverse effects and high prices limit their application. For these reasons, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is more advantageous in treating IBD. This paper reviews the mechanism and research status of TCM and natural products in IBD treatment by analyzing the relevant literature to provide a scientific and theoretical basis for IBD treatment.

Inflammatory bowel disease: an overview of Chinese herbal medicine formula-based treatment.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disease of the intestine, including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), whose etiology and pathogenesis have not been fully understood. Due to its prolonged course and chronic recurrence, IBD imposes a heavy economic burden and psychological stress on patients. Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine has unique advantages in IBD treatment because of its symptomatic treatment. However, the advantages of the Chinese Herbal Medicine Formula (CHMF) have rarely been discussed. In recent years, many scholars have conducted fundamental studies on CHMF to delay IBD from different perspectives and found that CHMF may help maintain intestinal integrity, reduce inflammation, and decrease oxidative stress, thus playing a positive role in the treatment of IBD. Therefore, this review focuses on the mechanisms associated with CHMF in IBD treatment. CHMF has apparent advantages. In addition to the exact composition and controlled quality of modern drugs, it also has multi-component and multi-target synergistic effects. CHMF has good prospects in the treatment of IBD, but its multi-agent composition and wide range of targets exacerbate the difficulty of studying its treatment of IBD. Future research on CHMF-related mechanisms is needed to achieve better efficacy.

[Varieties and standards of Corydalis medicinal plants].

Through literature research and standard retrieval, Corydalis-derived medicinal materials, the origins, and related standards were summarized. Finally, 27 medicinal materials were screened out, involving 71 species(varieties). Among them, only 11 are recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020), National Standard for Chinese Patent Drugs·Tibetan Medicine, Tibetan Medicine Standards, and other local standards, including Corydalis Bungeanae Herba and Corydalis Herba. The names and original plants of the medicinal materials are different in different standards, and the phenomena of "same medicinal material with different names" and "same name for different medicinal materials" are prominent. Most standards only include the traits, microscopic identification, and physico-chemical property identification, with unsound quality criteria. Thus, efforts should be made to strengthen the sorting of Corydalis medicinal plants, herbal textual research, and investigation of the resources and utilization. Moreover, via modern techniques, the chemical components and medicinal material basis of different original plants should be explored and sound quality standards should be established to improve the safety and quality of Corydalis-derived medicinal materials. Summarizing Corydalis medicinal plants, Corydalis-derived medicinal materials, and related standards, this study is expected to provide a reference for the standard formulation, quality evaluation, expansion of drug sources, and rational development and utilization of Corydalis resources.

Protective Effect of Cordycepin on Impairment of Endothelial Function in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The reduction of mitochondrial protein sirtuin protein 3 (SIRT3) has been reported to contribute to the development of T2DM by impacting mitochondrial respiration. Cordycepin is an adenosine derivative and is isolated from the culture filtrate of Cordyceps militaris. This study explored the protective effect of cordycepin on vascular impairment induced by T2DM and its properties and protective mechanism. In this study, a T2DM rat model was established. The endothelium-dependent relaxation of the thoracic aorta ring decreased in T2DM rats could be reversed by cordycepin. Next, mitochondrial impairment in human umbilical vein endothelial cells was detected by JC-1 staining. In vitro studies revealed that cordycepin plays a beneficial role in advanced glycation end product-induced endothelial mitochondrial impairment. Moreover, according to the cordycepin molecular docking analysis, cordycepin can bind to SIRT3. Cordycepin increased the expression and activation of SIRT3 in a dose-dependent manner. SIRT3 interruption blocked the protective effect of cordycepin on mitochondria in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Cordycepin can conclusively protect vascular function impaired by T2DM, and the mechanism may potentially be involved in SIRT3 signaling pathways.

Clinical observation on filiform-fire needling of "Biaoben acupoint combination" for 33 cases of sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 during recovery period / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of filiform-fire needling of "Biaoben acupoint combination" on the sequelae of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the recovery period.@*METHODS@#A total of 33 patients with COVID-19 during the recovery period were treated with filiform-fire needling at the acupoints of Mingmen (GV 4), Shenzhu (GV 12), Gaohuang (BL 43), Zusanli (ST 36) and Shangjuxu (ST 37), etc., once every other day, 3 times a week, and 3 times was one course of treatment and totally 2 courses of treatment were required. The TCM symptom, Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) scores, pulmonary function indexes (forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1], peak expiratory flow [PEF]) and chest CT imaging change were observed before and after treatment, and the therapeutic effect was evaluated.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the scores of TCM symptom, HAMA and HAMD were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the levels of FVC, FEV1 and PEF were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the recovery rate of 22 patients with pulmonary ventilation dysfunction was 86.4% (19/22). After treatment, the lung shadow area was smaller than that before treatment (P<0.05). The effective rate of 25 patients with lung CT abnormalities was 84.0% (21/25). After treatment, 23 cases were cured, 5 cases were markedly effective, 4 cases were effective, 1 case was ineffective, the cured and markedly effective rate was 84.8%.@*CONCLUSION@#The filiform-fire needling of "Biaoben acupoint combination" could significantly reduce the sequelae of cough, fatigue, chest tightness, etc. and mental symptoms such as anxiety and depression in patients with COVID-19 during the recovery period, and promote inflammatory exudation absorption of pulmonary lesion and improve lung ventilation function.

Varieties and standards of Corydalis medicinal plants / 中国中药杂志

Through literature research and standard retrieval, Corydalis-derived medicinal materials, the origins, and related standards were summarized. Finally, 27 medicinal materials were screened out, involving 71 species(varieties). Among them, only 11 are recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020), National Standard for Chinese Patent Drugs·Tibetan Medicine, Tibetan Medicine Standards, and other local standards, including Corydalis Bungeanae Herba and Corydalis Herba. The names and original plants of the medicinal materials are different in different standards, and the phenomena of "same medicinal material with different names" and "same name for different medicinal materials" are prominent. Most standards only include the traits, microscopic identification, and physico-chemical property identification, with unsound quality criteria. Thus, efforts should be made to strengthen the sorting of Corydalis medicinal plants, herbal textual research, and investigation of the resources and utilization. Moreover, via modern techniques, the chemical components and medicinal material basis of different original plants should be explored and sound quality standards should be established to improve the safety and quality of Corydalis-derived medicinal materials. Summarizing Corydalis medicinal plants, Corydalis-derived medicinal materials, and related standards, this study is expected to provide a reference for the standard formulation, quality evaluation, expansion of drug sources, and rational development and utilization of Corydalis resources.

Biological connotation of four traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of rheumatoid arthritis based on "disease-syndrome-symptom" association network / 中国中药杂志

The present study explored the biological connotation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndromes of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) from the "disease-syndrome-symptom" association network. RA patients with four TCM syndromes(dampness-heat obstruction, phlegm-stasis obstruction, Qi-blood deficiency, and liver and kidney deficiency), three for each type, were assigned as the RA TCM syndrome group, and three healthy volunteers as the normal control group. The differential gene sets of four syndromes were screened out through transcriptome expression profiling and bioinformatics mining. The relevant gene sets of syndrome-related clinical symptoms were collected from TCMIP v2.0(http://www.tcmip.cn/). The "disease-syndrome-symptom" association networks of four RA syndromes were established by using the intersection genes of syndrome-related differential genes and symptom-related genes, and the key network target genes of each syndrome were screened out and the corresponding biological functions were mined through topological feature calculation and enrichment analysis. The genes associated with clinical symptoms such as vasculitis, joint pain, and fever in the damp-heat obstruction syndrome ranked the top, and the key network target genes of this syndrome were most significantly enriched in the pathways related to material and energy metabolism and thermal reaction biological processes. The clinical symptom-related genes of the phlegm-stasis obstruction syndrome were most significantly enriched in the pathways related to "immunity-inflammation", nervous system regulation, and sensory response. The clinical symptoms such as hypoglycemia, hypotension, weight loss, palpitation, and arrhythmia in Qi-blood deficiency syndrome were predominant, and its key network target genes were most significantly enriched in the pathways related to the nervous system and "immunity-inflammation" response. The abnormal symptoms in the liver and kidney in the liver and kidney deficiency syndrome were commonly seen, and its key network target genes were most significantly enriched in the "immunity-inflammation" regulatory pathways, and liver and kidney development and metabolic response. In conclusion, the differences and connections of the biological basis between different TCM syndromes of RA are in line with the theoretical interpretation of TCM on the etiology and pathogenesis of RA. This study summarized the objective essence of syndromes to a certain extent from the "disease-syndrome-symptom" association network and is expected to provide a theoretical basis for the discovery of serum biomarkers of RA syndromes.

Thumb-tack needles based on "Biaoben acupoint compatibility" for sequela of COVID-19 during recovery period / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of thumb-tack needles based on "Biaoben acupoint compatibility" on sequela symptoms, mental state and pulmonary ventilation function in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during recovery period.@*METHODS@#Fifty cases of COVID-19 during recovery period were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 25 cases in each group. The patients in the observation group were treated with thumb-tack needles at Guanyuan (CV 4), Zusanli (ST 36) and Taiyuan (LU 9). The patients in the control group were treated with sham thumb-tack needles at identical acupoints as the observation group. The treatment in the two groups was given once a day, 7-day treatment was taken as a course of treatment, and totally two courses of treatment were given. The TCM symptom score, Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) score, Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) score, pulmonary function (forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in the first second [FEV1], peak expiratory flow [PEF]), the severity of pulmonary ventilation dysfunction and pulmonary imaging changes in the two groups were compared before and after treatment.@*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the total scores and each item scores of TCM symptom scale, HAMA scores and HAMD scores in the two groups were reduced after treatment (P<0.05). Except for the symptom scores of dry throat and dry stool, the total score and each item score of TCM symptom scale, HAMA score and HAMD score in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Compared before treatment, FVC, FEV1 and PEF in the two groups were increased after treatment (P<0.05), and those in the observation group were higher than the control group (P<0.05). The severity of pulmonary ventilation dysfunction in the two groups was reduced after treatment (P<0.05), and the severity in the observation group was better than that in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the lung shadow area in the two groups was decreased (P<0.05), and that in the observation group was smaller than the control group (P<0.05). The improvement of imaging change in the observation group was better than that in the control group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The thumb-tack needles based on "Biaoben acupoint compatibility" could significantly reduce the sequela symptoms, anxiety and depression in patients with COVID-19 during recovery stage, and improve the pulmonary ventilation function.

Mechanism of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum in Treatment of Osteoarthritis Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichumin in the treatment of osteoarthritis by network pharmacology. MethodThe active ingredients and the corresponding targets of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichumin were screened out by a Bioinformatics Analysis Tool of Molecular mechANism of Traditional Chinese Medicine （BATMAN-TCM）. The targets related to osteoarthritis were obtained through GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM）. The targets corresponding to the active ingredients and those related to osteoarthritis were intersected to reveal the common targets， and STRING was adopted to build a protein-protein interaction （PPI） network. DAVID was used for gene ontology （GO） annotation and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment on the anti-osteoarthritis targets of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichumin， and R x64 3.6.3 was employed to produce the advanced bubble charts of GO terms and KEGG pathways. Cytoscape 3.7.2 was used to establish the “Chinese medicinal herb-active ingredient-target-signaling pathway” network. In vitro experiments were performed to detect the viability of RAW 264.7 cells exposed to oxidative stress and the tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α level in RAW 264.7 cells with inflammation under the treatment by Cervi Cornu Pantotrichumin. ResultA total of 20 active ingredients of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum were obtained， of which ceramide， 6'-O-β-D-glucosylgentiopicroside， cerebroside， oleuropein， sphingomyelin， and cholesterol ferulate did not meet the screening conditions. Therefore， a total of 14 active ingredients were finally screened out， and 303 and 3 093 targets of active ingredients and osteoarthritis were respectively obtained. The two target sets were taken to intersect， which revealed 92 common targets. GO annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment showed that the targets were mainly involved in redox process， positive regulation of RNA polymerase Ⅱ promoter transcription， inflammatory response， protein synthesis， osteoclast differentiation， TNF signaling pathway， signaling pathways in cancer， mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway， and cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP） signaling pathway. The results of in vitro experiments showed that a certain concentration of protein in Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum significantly increased the viability of RAW 264.7 cells exposed to H2O2-induced oxidative damage （P<0.05， P<0.01） and reduced the level of TNF-α in the RAW 264.7 cells experiencing lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-induced inflammation （P<0.05）. ConclusionBased on the network pharmacology method， the mechanism of the multi-component， multi-target and multi-pathway treatment of OA by antler antler was explained， and the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of antler antler were confirmed， which provided theoretical guidance and scientific basis for further research on the treatment of OA by antler antler.

Herbal Textual Research on Astragali Radix in Famous Classical Formulas / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Through consulting the ancient herbal medicine， prescription books and medical books， combined with modern relevant literature， standards and other information， this paper made a textual research on the name， origin， producing areas， harvesting and processing methods of Astragali Radix according to different historical development periods， providing a basis for the development of famous classical formulas containing Astragali Radix. According to the textual research， the original name of Astragali Radix is Huangqi， and "Qi" originally refers to the medicinal material Zhimu. Some people began to mistake it for Huangqi in the Ming dynasty， and then gradually used Astragali Radix as a medicinal material. The mainstream basis of Astragali Radix can be determined as the dried roots of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus or A. membranaceus. In different historical periods， A. floridus， A. chrysopterus， A. emestii and other plants of Astragalus or even non-Astragalus were used as local Astragali Radix. The earliest production areas of Astragali Radix were Sichuan， Shaanxi， and Gansu， and then gradually expanded to the northeast. Since the Song dynasty， Mianqi in Shanxi province has been regarded as the genuine variety. In the Qing dynasty， besides Shanxi province， Inner Mongolia was also regarded as a genuine place. In the Republic of China， Huangqi produced in northeast China was praised highly. It is mainly produced in Shanxi， Inner Mongolia， Gansu， northeast and other provinces. The main commodity is cultivated products， and the quality of wild imitation cultivation in Datong and Xinzhou is better than other places. There are many processing methods of Huangqi recorded in the materia medica and prescription books， most of which are raw products， and honey processing is the mainstream of processed products. Based on the current situation of resource cultivation and production， 11 famous classical formulas in The Catalogue of Ancient Famous Classical Formulas （The First Batch） containing Huangqi suggested that all use A. membranaceus var. mongholicus， especially those from Datong and Xinzhou in Shanxi Province. In addition to honey processing of Qingxin Lianziyin， it is suggested to use raw products for other formulas.

Herbal Textual Research on Poria in Famous Classical Formulas / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Through consulting the ancient and modern literature， this paper makes a textual research on the name， origin， producing area， harvesting and processing of Poria， so as to provide a basis for the development of the famous classical formulas containing this medicinal material. The description of Poria and the characteristics of the attached figures in the Chinese herbal literature of the past dynasties are consistent with Poria cocos. The medicinal parts are dried sclerotia or P. cocos peel. Poria was originally produced in Taishan， Shandong province. In the Tang dynasty， along with the change of pine forest resources， producing area of Poria was transferred to Huashan area in Shaanxi province. In the Ming dynasty， the authentic producing area was transferred to Yunnan， and has continued to now. In ancient times， the processing methods of Poria were steaming， boiling， slicing， mashing and other subsequent processing after peeling. It is suggested that Poria in famous classical formulas should be sliced according to the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Herbal Textual Research on Asini Corii Colla in Famous Classical Formulas / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Through consulting the ancient and modern literature， this paper makes a textual research on the name， origin， producing area， harvesting and processing methods of Asini Corii Colla， so as to provide a basis for the development of the famous classical formulas containing the medicinal material. Before the Tang dynasty， cow leather was the main source of Asini Corii Colla， and donkey was rare as an introduced species. From the end of Tang dynasty to Song dynasty， due to the development of doctors' understanding of the properties and effects of medicines， with the increase of the number of donkeys and the limitation of the use of cow leather， the source of Asini Corii Colla changed from cow leather to donkey skin. During the Ming and Qing dynasties， the theory of medicine property was further developed， and all doctors basically agreed that black donkey skin and E-well water were two essential factors for making genuine Asini Corii Colla. Therefore， it is suggested that Asini Corii Colla should take Equus asinus as the authentic origin in the development of the famous classical formulas， attach importance to the quality of water source， take Liaocheng in Shandong province as the authentic producing area， and the processing should be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia.