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.

Study advances in regulation effect of Tripterygium wilfordii and its extracts on innate immune system in rheumatoid arthritis cases / 中国中药杂志

Rheumatoid arthritis( RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic and aggressive polyarthritis. The innate immunity mechanism plays a key role in the pathogenesis of RA. Tripterygium wilfordii and its extracts have regulatory effects on innate immune cells including macrophages,dendritic cells,neutrophils,mast cells,NK cells,NKT cells,etc.,as well as a variety of innate immune molecules including cytokines,adhesion molecules,patterns recognition receptor( PRR) and the complement molecules,showing a regulatory effect in the pathogenesis of RA innate immunity. In this paper,the recent domestic and foreign researches on the pathogenesis of RA with innate immunity involved were reviewed and the research status of T. wilfordii and its extracts on the regulation of innate immunity involved in RA was summarized.

Advance in studies on pharmacokinetics of baicalin / 中国中药杂志

Scutellariae baicalensis is one of the most important traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, mainly distributed in Shandong and Hebei provinces. It has significant pharmacological effects such as antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory and antioxidation. Baicalin is one of its main effective components. However, baicalin's low bioavailability has restricted its clinical application. In recent decades, extensive studies have been carried out on the metabolism of baicalin at home and abroad. In order to provide scientific references for baicalin's further studies, this paper would not only review the advances in pharmacokinetics research of baicalin and Chinese herbal preparations containing baicalin, but also make a summary on research status of baicalin.

Determination of aflatoxins in fruit traditional Chinese medicines by rapid-resolution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To develope a method for determination of four aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2) in fruit traditional Chinese medicines by rapid-resolution liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization triple quadruple tandem mass spectrometry. METHODS: After being extracted with 70% methanol and purified by immunoaffinity columns, the four aflatoxins were separated on a Shim-pack XR-ODS column using gradient elution with the mobile phase of CH3CN-CH3OH-H2O mixtures monitored under MRM mode in ESI positive scan. RESULTS: There was a good linear relationship over the range of 0.102 1-10.21 ng · mL-1 for AFB1, 0.061 2-7.65 ng · mL-1 for AFB2, 0.193-9.65 ng · mL-1 for AFG1, 0.121-7.55 ng · mL-1 for AFG2 (r > 0.999 8), respectively. The average recoveries ranged from 77.0%-102.4%. CONCLUSION: This method provides a simple and feasible way to determine aflatoxins.

The beneficial effect of Gingko biloba extract on myocardial impairment in diabetic rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>AIM</b>To study the protective effect of Gingko biloba extract (EGb) against myocardial impairment in diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Morphology of effect of EGb on myocardium in diabetic rats was observed under light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Activity of super oxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS), inductive nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and content of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) were detected biochemically in myocardial homogenate.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>It was manifestation as vascular degeneration and local lysis of myocardial fiber under LM and swelling of mitochondria, shorten of mitochondrial crest, lysis of myofibril under TEM, the activity of SOD decreased and the activity of NOS, iNOS, the content of NO, MDA increased, but the morphological changes became slight in EGb treatment group. Activity of SOD increased while activity of NOS, iNOS and content of MDA, NO decreased in EGb treatment group compared with diabetic group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EGb can protect diabetic myocardium and anti-lipid peroxidation and decrease of NO level may be involved in it.</p>