Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Streblus indicus.

The bark of Streblus indicus, a Dai medicine in China, has been listed in the Chinese Materia Medica as possessing hemostatic and analgesic properties. Ethnic medicine books record that its bark or leaves for the treatment of mumps and lymphoma. However, according to the literature survey, anti-inflammatory and analgesic studies available for leaves and branches of S. indicus have been seldom reported so far. The current study focuses on the metabolites of S. indicus bark and leaves responsible for anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects on the basis of bioactive-included acetic acid writhing, hot-plate, and xylene-induced ear swelling. The secretion of inflammatory mediators, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-4, and IL-10, were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory by xylene-induced in mouse ear cells. Histological examination was used to assess the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of the branches and leaves of S. indicus, and Western blot analysis determined the mechanism of the methanolic extract of branches and leaves. Different metabolites of S. indicus significantly alleviated analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, with no discernable differences among them. All metabolites decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 and increased the levels of IL-4 and IL-10. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory mechanism of the methanolic extract was related to the NF-kB signaling pathway. These results not only would account for scientific knowledge for the traditional application of S. indicus, but also provide a credible theoretical foundation for the further development of anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents.

C:N:P stoichiometric characteristics of mosses in Picea crassifolia forest in Helan Mountains, Ningxia, China.

To explore the stoichiometric characteristics of C, N and P and adaptive mechanism of mosses in mountain forest ecosystems, we set up 15 plots along the altitude gradient in Picea crassifolia forest in Helan Mountains, Ningxia. We analyzed the C:N:P stoichiometry of moss aboveground tissues and its relationship with environmental factors. The results showed the mean values of C, N and P concentration in moss aboveground tissues were 336.67, 20.31 and 0.66 mg·g-1, respectively. The mean value of aboveground tissue N:P was 33.4, indicating that the growth of mosses was limited by P. The C concentration in the aboveground tissues of mosses was positively correlated with soil total nitrogen concentration and negatively correlated with soil total phosphorus concentration. The N concentration in aboveground tissues of mosses was significantly negatively correlated with soil organic carbon and soil total nitrogen concentrations. Results of redundancy analysis showed that the interpretation rate of environmental factors on the stoichiometry was 48.5%, with canopy closure, soil total nitrogen and soil total phosphorus as the main factors. Canopy closure was the main environmental factor affecting the growth of mosses in P. crassifolia forest in Helan Mountains. High canopy closure facilitated the growth of mosses.

[Identification of key enzyme genes involved in biosynthesis pathways of lignan and lignin in Eucommia ulmoides based on transcriptome assembly].

Lignan is the main medicinal component of Eucommia ulmoides, and lignin is involved in the defense of plants against diseases and insect pests.They are synthesized from coniferyl alcohol with the help of dirigent(DIR) and peroxidase(POD), respectively.In this study, transcriptome assembly of stems and leaves of E.ulmoides was performed, yielding 112 578 unigenes.Among them, 70 459 were annotated in seven databases.A total of 59 unigenes encodes 11 key enzymes in the biosynthesis pathways of lignin and lignin, of which 11 encode POD and 8 encode DIR.A total of 13 unigenes encoding transcription factors are involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism. Compared with leaves of E.ulmoides, 7 575 unigenes were more highly expressed in stems, of which 462 were involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.Our results extend the public transcriptome dataset of E.ulmoides, which provide valuable information for the analysis of biosynthesis pathways of lignan and lignin in E.ulmoides and lay a foundation for further study on the functions and regulation mechanism of key enzymes in lignan and lignin biosynthesis pathways.

Wogonin alleviates liver injury in sepsis through Nrf2-mediated NF-κB signalling suppression.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction syndrome, and liver is a susceptible target organ in sepsis, because the activation of inflammatory pathways contributes to septic liver injury. Oxidative stress has been documented to participate in septic liver injury, because it not only directly induces oxidative genotoxicity, but also exacerbates inflammatory pathways to potentiate damage of liver. Therefore, to ameliorate oxidative stress is promising for protecting liver in sepsis. Wogonin is the compound extracted from the medicinal plant Scutellaria baicalensis Geogi and was found to exert therapeutic effects in multiple inflammatory diseases via alleviation of oxidative stress. However, whether wogonin is able to mitigate septic liver injury remains unknown. Herein, we firstly proved that wogonin treatment could improve survival of mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or caecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis, together with restoration of reduced body temperature and respiratory rate, and suppression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines in circulation. Then, we found that wogonin effectively alleviated liver injury via potentiation of the anti-oxidative capacity. To be specific, wogonin activated Nrf2 thereby promoting expressions of anti-oxidative enzymes including NQO-1, GST, HO-1, SOD1 and SOD2 in hepatocytes. Moreover, wogonin-induced Nrf2 activation could suppress NF-κB-regulated up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Ultimately, we provided in vivo evidence that wogonin activated Nrf2 signalling, potentiated anti-oxidative enzymes and inhibited NF-κB-regulated pro-inflammatory signalling. Taken together, this study demonstrates that wogonin can be the potential therapeutic agent for alleviating liver injury in sepsis by simultaneously ameliorating oxidative stress and inflammatory response through the activation of Nrf2.

Role of Acupuncture in Amblyopia Treatment.

CONTEXT: Amblyopia is an ophthalmological developmental disorder that occurs during early childhood due to disrupted binocular vision. It leads to reduced best-corrected visual acuity in one eye (seldom in both eyes) in which the visual acuity of one eye is 2 rows weaker than the other eye on a Snellen vision testing chart. Many studies have reported the outcomes of acupuncture in the treatment of amblyopia. Evidence suggests that acupuncture improves outcomes in children with amblyopia, but these studies are associated with several limitations which may affect the evaluation of the efficacy and reproducibility of studies on acupuncture. One important limitation is the lack of sham acupuncture as a control which has not been used in any clinical trial. The use of nonacupoint acupuncture is suggested as a placebo to improve the quality of evidence and comparability?

Change laws of water absorption in Chinese herbal pieces and prediction model of relative density for Chinese medicine decoction / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to explore the change laws of water absorption in Chinese herbal pieces and establish the prediction model of relative density for Chinese medicine compound decoction. Firstly, fitted equations of water absorption and decocting time was established by observing the change laws of water absorption in 36 kinds of Chinese herbal pieces in 12 groups(according to the drug-parts) with decocting time. The r value of the mineral group and other type group was 0.691 2 and 0.663 3, respectively. The r value of the remaining 10 groups was 0.802 2-0.925 4. All P values were less than 0.05(n=21). The formula of the amount of water added was optimized by combining the fitted equations with determined water absorption, and the liquid yield could be controlled in a range of 100%±10%. Secondly, it was determined that the liquid density tester could be used for the rapid determination of relative density of Chinese medicine decoction after methodological study and comparison with the pycnometer method. The linear regression equation between the corrected relative density(y) and extraction ratio(%, x) was built by measuring and analyzing the related parameters such as liquid yield, relative density and extraction ratio in 46 kinds of Chinese herbal pieces. The established equation was y=0.041 3x+1.003 7, r=0.930 9(P <0.01, n=46), with linear range of 1.94%-65.75%. Based on this, the prototype model for predicting relative density of Chinese medicine decoction was established, and the relative densities of 8 Chinese medicine decoctions were within the prediction interval of this model in verification. This study lays a foundation for database construction of Chinese medicine decoction, implementation of personalized decocting mode and rapid quality control of Chinese medicine decoction.

A rapid identification of authenticity and specifications of Chinese medicine Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus based on E-eye technology / 中国中药杂志

The quality of traditional Chinese medicine tablets is correlated with clinical efficacy and drug safety, and plays a great role in promoting the development of traditional Chinese medicine. However, the existing traditional artificial identification and modern instrument detection in terms of accuracy and timeliness have both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, how to quickly and accurately identify the quality of traditional Chinese medicine tablets has become a high-profile issue. The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility of the application of electronic eye technology in the study of rapid identification of traditional Chinese medicine quality. A total of 80 batches of samples were collected and tested by Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus for traditional empirical identification(M_1) and modern pharmacopeia(M_2). The optical data was collected from electronic eyes, and the chemical metrology was used to establish suitable discrimination models(M_3). Four authenticity and commodity specification models, namely identification analysis(DA), minimum bidirectional support vector machine(LS-SVM), partial minimum two-multiplier analysis(PLS-DA), main component analysis identification analysis(PCA-DA), were established, respectively. The accuracies of the authenticity identification models were 82.5%, 90.0%, 96.2% and 93.8%, while the accuracies of the commodity specification identification models were 89.3%, 96.0%, 90.7% and 97.3%, respectively. The models were well judged, the authenticity identification was based on the final identification model of PLS-DA, and the commodity specification was based on the final identification model of PCA-DA. There was no significant difference between its accuracy and M_1, and the time of determination was much shorter than M_2(P<0.01). Therefore, electronic-eye technology could be used for the rapid identification of the quality of Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus.

Analysis of ingredients difference between Danggui Buxue Decoction and formula granule decoction based on HPLC fingerprint evaluation / 中草药

Objective: Taking Danggui Buxue Decoction (DBD) as the research object, the differences of chemical composition types and content among traditional decoction, self-made granule decoction and marketable granule decoction were compared, in order to provide scientific basis for clinical application of Chinese medicine formul granules. Methods: The fingerprint was established by HPLC. The value of the chemical composition, the content of the index components, the area of the common peak area, and the similarity of the fingerprint were evaluated, and the different dosage forms of the decoction of DBD were investigated. The effect of chemical composition on the chemical equivalence of traditional decoction and formula granules was compared. Results: The number of chromatographic peaks ranged from 15 peaks of traditional decoction to 13 (factory A), 12 (self-made), 11 (factory B), and 9 (factory C). The content of ferulic acid in formula granules was significantly different from that in traditional decoction (P formula granule decoction of factory A > self-made formula granule decoction > formula granule decoction of factory B > formula granule decoction of factory C. Content of campanulin was in order : self-made formula granule decoction > traditional decoction > formula granule decoction of factory A > formula granule decoction of factory B > formula granule decoction of factory C. The total peak area of formula granule decoction was lower than that of traditional decoction. If the traditional decoction was 1, the others (self-made and factories A, B, C) were equivalent to 0.95, 0.66, 0.40 and 0.47, respectively. Comparing with traditional decoction, self-made formula granule decoction and formula granules from factories A and B had higher similarity (0.97, 0.96, 0.98), while that from factory C was slightly lower (0.85). The main chromatographic peaks of DBD were found to be from the single herbs and no new chemical components were found. The disappearance of ingredients in formula granule Decoction was found. Conclusion: The content of index components and the number of chromatographic peaks of traditional decoction of DBD is higher than those in the formula granule decoction. There are some differences between them. This indicates that the clinical equivalence of formula granules is not consistent with the reality of decoction, so the recommended clinical equivalence of formula granules of traditional Chinese medicine should be corrected to promote rational clinical application, which can provide scientific research ideas for the unified management of the quality of formula granules of Chinese materia medica.

Optimization of Electromagnetic Cracking Extraction Technology of Baicalin in Scutellariae Radix by Response Surface Methodology / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To optimize the extraction conditions of baicalin from Scutellariae Radix by electromagnetic pyrolysis. Method: Based on single factor experiments, taking extraction time, material size and liquid-material ratio as factors, yield of baicalin as index, extraction parameters were optimized by response surface methodology, and compared with ultrasonic method, ethanol refluxing method and decoction method. Result: The optimal extraction conditions were as follows:extraction time of 2.41 min, material size of 100 mesh, liquid-material ratio of 33 mL·g-1. Under these conditions, the yield of baicalin was 12.21%. The yields of baicalin by ethanol refluxing method, decoction method and ultrasonic method were 12.91%, 12.62% and 11.61%, respectively. The yield of baicalin by electromagnetic cracking extraction was close to several other conventional extraction methods, and the extraction time was significantly shortened. Conclusion: As a novel extraction technology of traditional Chinese medicine, electromagnetic cracking extraction has the advantages of high efficiency, energy and time saving, green environmental protection, etc. And it can provide a new method for the industrial extraction of baicalin.

Natural products berberine and curcumin exhibited better ameliorative effects on rats with non-alcohol fatty liver disease than lovastatin.

Studies have shown that satins and herbal products have potential to treat non-alcohol fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in clinic. However, no study has compared their effects, and their mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we choose lovastatin and two herbal products including berberine and curcumin to compare their effects in treating NAFLD. NAFLD model was established by high fat food, and rats were administrated with lovastatin, berberine, curcumin, berberine + curcumin at the dosage of 100, 100, 100, 50 + 50 mg/kg bw, respectively. The body weight, visceral fat gain, histological inspection and serum parameters were studied to exam the curative effects. In addition, mediators including SREBP-1c, caveolin-1, pERK, NF-κB, TNF-α, and pJNK were studied. Results showed that berberine + curcumin group exhibited lower body and fat weigh compared with lovastatin group. Biochemical assays showed that LDL-c, ALT, AST, ALP, MDA, LSP level were lower in berberine + curcumin group compared with lovastatin group. Lower expression of SREBP-1c, pERK, TNF-α, and pJNK were also observed in berberine + curcumin group. We conclude that combination of curcumin and berberine exhibited better ameliorative effects in treating NAFLD than lovastatin, and this enhanced effect is associated with oxidative stress, hepatic inflammation and lipid metabolism.

Hepatorenal protective effects of medicinal herbs in An-Gong-Niu-Huang Wan (AGNH) against cinnabar- and realgar-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory damage in mice.

An-Gong-Niu-Huang Wan (AGNH) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine prescription that contains cinnabar (HgS) and realgar (As2S2); the clinical practice of AGNH is hindered because both mercury and arsenic are hepatorenal toxic metalloids. It is noted that the cinnabar and realgar in AGNH are not used alone, but rather combined with different kinds of medicinal herbs as a formula to use. In this study, we evaluated the hepatorenal protective effects of the medicinal herbs in AGNH after co-exposure to cinnabar and realgar for 4 weeks in mice. The combination of the herbs in AGNH alleviated cinnabar and realgar-induced histopathological alterations and oxidative stress in the liver and kidneys. Furthermore, in cinnabar and realgar-treated mice, the increased expression levels of inducible enzymes (COX-2 and iNOS) and proinflammatory mediators (IL-1ß, TNF-α, PGE2 and NO) in the liver and kidneys were consistently down-regulated when medicinal herbs were combined as a formula. We also found that the herbs could reduce the inflammatory response by the inactivation of the MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and the resulting blockade of NF-κB activation. Overall, our data indicates that the herbal medicines in AGNH attenuate cinnabar and realgar-induced hepatorenal toxicity by improving antioxidant competence and suppressing inflammatory injury.

Situational analysis of of health Industry in Jiangsu province hospital of traditional Chinese medicine / 国际中医中药杂志

To study the development trend of tratiditional Chinese medicine (TCM) development for the health industry with the Jiangsu Hospital of TCM as an example.The SWOT analysis was used to analyze the advantages and disadvantages,opportunities and threats of TCM.It puts forward to play the advantage for the opportunity strategy and avoid the threat strategy,to overcome the disadvantage for the opportunity strategy and avoid the threat strategy.The thoughts and outlooks of the big health industry of TCM should be brought out.So this paper puts forward some development strategies,such as adjusting the product structure reasonably,highlighting the characteristics of Chinese medicine,taking the way of differentiated development,exploring the advantages of our own resources in depth,and paying attention to the technical exchanges among industries,forming a big health industry alliance of Chinese medicine,avoiding vicious and disorderly competition.

Black rice-derived anthocyanins inhibit HER-2-positive breast cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition-mediated metastasis in vitro by suppressing FAK signaling.

This study aimed to investigate the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling in the inhibitory effects of black rice anthocyanins (BRACs) on human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2)-positive human breast cancer cell metastasis, using the MCF-10A, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 cells. BRACs exerted an anti-metastatic effect on the HER-2-positive breast cancer cells. The effects of BRACs on the proliferation of the MDA-MB-453 cells were examined by cell counting kit-8 assay. A wound-healing assay was used to examine the effects of BRACs on the migration of the breast cancer cells. BRACs interrupted migration and invasion. BRACs decreased the migration distance of the HER-2-positive human breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-453, by 37% compared with the cells in the untreated group. They also reduced the number of invading MDA-MB-453 cells by 68%. In addition, BRACs exerted an inhibitory effect on epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Western blot analysis revealed that BRACs decreased the phosphorylation of FAK, cSrc and p130Cas. The FAK inhibitor, Y15, was also used to further evaluate the role of FAK signaling in the anti-metastatic effects of BRACs on MDA-MB-453 cells. The results of western blot analysis revealed that BRACs increased the expression of the epithelial marker, E-cadherin, and decreased the expression of the mesenchymal markers, fibronectin and vimentin, in the MDA-MB­453 cells. In addition, BRACs decreased the interaction between HER-2 and FAK, FAK and cSrc, cSrc and p130Cas, and between FAK and p130Cas. These results suggest that BRACs suppress the metastasis of HER-2-positive breast cancer in vitro, and that the cSrc/FAK/p130Cas pathway plays a vital role in this inhibitory effect.

Characteristics of Acupoints Selection in Acupuncture-moxibustion Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea Based on Data Mining / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To summarize the characteristics of acupoints selection in acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of primary dysmenorrhea (PD) based on data mining. Method Clinical literatures published in the recent 10 years related to acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of PD were collected to establish a prescription database by using Excel. The descriptive analysis, association rules analysis and clustering analysis were conducted by Python and Clementine12.0. Result A total of 74 acupoints were involved with a total frequency of 1072. The leading three meridians were Spleen Meridian (325 times), Conception Vessel (260 times) and Bladder Meridian (158 times); the leading acupoints were Sanyinjiao (SP6, 174 times), Guanyuan (CV4, 111 times), Diji (SP8, 79 times), Ciliao (BL32, 73 times) and Qihai (CV6, 67 times). The utilization of the specific acupoints accounted for 66.22% (49/74). The crossing acupoints were predominant (393 times), especially Sanyinjiao, Guanyuan and Zhongji (CV3), followed by the five-Shu points (195 times), Front-Mu points (195 times) and Yuan-Primary points (99 times). The association rules analysis showed that Guanyuan and Sanyinjiao had the most significant correlation. The clustering analysis figured out 8 core clustering groups. Conclusion The characteristics of acupoints selection revealed in this study provide ideas and references for acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of PD in clinic.

Poria Attenuates Idiosyncratic Liver Injury Induced by Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata.

The hepatotoxicity induced by Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata (PM) has aroused great concern throughout the world. Hence, it is worthwhile to perform studies on the detoxification with the combined use of medicinal herbs based on the compatibility theory of traditional Chinese medicine. In this work, the rat model of PM/LPS-induced idiosyncratic liver injury was used. The effects of Poria, Licorice, and Panax notoginseng on rats of PM/LPS-induced liver injury were investigated respectively, hoping to find the most effective herbal medicine to reduce the hepatotoxicity. According to results of biochemical and histological tests, PM could induce the idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity of rats which presented modest inflammation triggered by non-injurious dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We also found that the combined use of Poria and PM in the ratio of 1:2 could significantly ameliorate the PM/LPS-induced liver injury and systemic inflammation. Furthermore, UPLC/QTOF-MS-based metabolomics was performed to identify possible biomarkers and underlying biological pathways. Ten metabolites were expressed differentially among LPS, PM/LPS, and detoxification-treated groups in terms of PCA and OPLS-DA analysis, which could be potential biomarkers. MetaboAnalyst and pathway enrichment analysis revealed that alterations of these metabolites were primarily involved in three pathways: arginine and proline metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis and sphingolipid metabolism. This research provides systematic experimental evidences for the hepatoprotective effect of Poria against PM/LPS-induced liver injury for the first time. And these findings may help better understand the underlying mechanisms of pathophysiologic changes in PM/LPS-induced liver injury.

[The toxic and protective effects of Polygonum multiflorum on normal and liver injured rats based on the symptom-based prescription theory].

The dosage-efficacy/toxicity relationship of the 50% alcohol extracts of Polygonum multiflorum was comparatively investigated on either normal or CCl4-induced chronic liver injury rats, by determining the general condition, serum biochemical indices and liver histopathology, coupled with the factor analysis. The dosages were 10 and 20 g raw materials per kg body weight. Compared with the normal control group, the normal high dose group showed significant increases of the serum alanine transaminase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), as well the frequent incidences of inflammatory cell infiltration, hepatic sinus enlargement and fiber stripes formation in histopathological sections. Compared with the model control group, the model low dose group showed significant declines of serum ALT, aspartate transaminase (AST) and total bile acid (TBA) (P < 0.05), as well the alleviation of vacuoles of hepatocytes, but no amelioration of the inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrous tissue hyperplasia; moreover, the model high dose group showed significant degeneration declines of serum HMGB-1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-1ß (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), as well the evident alleviation of vacuoles degeneration of hepatocytes, inflammatory cells infiltration and fibrosis degree. The factor analysis showed that the low dosage treatment had almost neither injuring effect on the normal rats nor protective effect on the model rats; while the high dosage treatment showed observable injuring effect on the normal rats, expressed by the significant increases of the factor-1 (HMGB-1, TNF-α and IL-1ß as the main contributors) and factor-2 (TBIL, ALT and TBA as the main contributors) relative to the normal control group. The liver protective effect of the high dosage treatment could be observed with the significant reduction of the factor-1, indicating the effective alleviation of the expression of inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, it could illustrated the phenomenon of symptom-based prescription theory of Polygonum multiflorum on rat livers: the high dosage of the herb had either an injuring effect on normal rats, or a therapeutic effect on the rats with chronic liver injury.

Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Clinical Efficacy and Adverse Effects of Zhengqing Fengtongning Combined with Methotrexate in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Chinese medicines are gaining wider acceptance. They have been used for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for thousands of years, and the need to investigate the interaction between Chinese medicines and western medicines is widely recognized. In this study, a large number of RCTs and CCTs were analyzed to systematically assess the effects and adverse events of Zhengqing Fengtongning (ZQFTN) for RA. Eleven studies that contained 956 participants (508 in the treatment group; 448 in the control group) were included. The results showed that although ZQFTN combined with methotrexate MTX could not decrease the swollen joint count and tender joint count of RA patients better than MTX alone, the combination therapy might relieve the duration of morning stiffness (SMD: -16.06; 95% CI: -28.77 to -3.34), reduce laboratory indexes (RF: SMD: -10.84; 95% CI: -19.39 to -2.29; ESR: SMD: -7.26; 95% CI: -11.54 to -2.99; CRP: SMD: -3.66; 95% CI: -5.94 to -1.38), and improve the overall effect (RR: 1.08; CI: 1.01 to 1.16) better than monotherapy. The combination therapy was significantly better in controlling adverse drug reactions (RR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.79). Through this systematic review, we found that ZQFTN combined with MTX for the treatment of RA might have better clinical efficacy than MTX only and might be superior in terms of controlling adverse drug reactions.

[Comparison of processed and crude Polygoni Multiflori Radix induced rat liver injury and screening for sensitive indicators].

To investigate the difference of liver injury in rats gavaged with crude and processed Polygoni Multiflori Radix. The 75% ethanol extract of crude and processed Polygoni Multiflori Radix (50 g · kg(-1) crude medicine weight/body weight) were continuous oral administered to rats for 6 weeks. Serum biochemical indicators were dynamically detected, the change of liver histopathology was assessed 6 weeks later. Principal component analysis (PCA) was adopted to screen sensitive indicator of the liver damage induced by polygoni multiflori radix. Biochemical tests showed that the crude Polygoni Multiflori Radix group had significant increase of serum ALT, AST, ALP, DBIL and TBIL (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) and significant decreases of serum IBIL and TBA (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), while the processed Polygoni Multiflori Radix group showed no obvious changes, compared to the untreated normal group. Histopathologic analysis revealed that crude Polygoni Multiflori Radix group exhibited significant inflammatory cells infiltration in portal area around the blood vessels, tissue destruction and local necrosis of liver cells. There were not obvious pathological changes in processed Polygoni Multiflori Radix group. The results demonstrated that the injury effect of processed Polygoni Multiflori Radix on liver injury of rats was significantly lower than that of unprocessed, and that processing can effectively reduce the hepatotoxicity of Polygoni Multiflori Radix. Traditional transaminase liver function indicators were not sensitive for crude Polygoni Multiflori Radix induced liver damage. The serum content of DBIL and TBIL can reflect the liver damage induced by crude Polygoni Multiflori Radix early and can be sensitive indicators for clinical monitoring the usage of it.

[Treatment of Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis by Huayu Tongbi Recipe Combined Methotrexate].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Huayu Tongbi Recipe (HTR) combined methotrexate (MTX) in treating refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RRA). METHODS: Totally 167 RRA patients were assigned to the treatment group (73 cases) and the control group (94 cases) according to different therapeutic methods. Patients in the treatment group were treated with HTR combined MTX, while those in the control group were treated with leflunomide (LEF) combined MTX. Clinical signs and symptoms, RF, CRP, ESR, disease activity score 28 (DAS28), and safety indicators were compared between the two groups before treatment, at week 12 and 24 after treatment. The efficacy and safety indices were also evaluated. RESULTS: At week 12 after treatment the total effective rate was 82.2% (60/73 cases) in the treatment group and 79.8% (75/94 cases) in the control group, showing no statistical difference between the two groups (chi2 = 0.15, P > 0.05). At week 24 after treatment the total effective rate was 78.1% (57/73 cases) in the treatment group and 755% (71/94 cases) in the control group, showing no statistical difference between the two groups (chi2 = 0.15, P > 0.05). There was statistical difference in the total effective rate between week 24 and week 12 in the control group (chi2 = 0.49, P < 0.05). Clinical signs and symptoms, RF, CRP, ESR, and DAS28 were significantly improved in the two groups after 12- and 24-week treatment (P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in the improvement at week 12 after treatment between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was statistical difference in time of morning stiffness, tender joint numbers, swollen joint numbers, patient global assessment, RF, CRP, and DAS28 at week 24 after treatment between the two groups (P < 0.05). Besides, adverse reactions occurred less in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The efficacy of HTR combined MTX was equivalent to that of LEF (10 mg per day) combined MTX, but with more stable therapeutic effects and less adverse reactions.

Treatment of Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis by Huayu Tongbi Recipe Combined Methotrexate / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Huayu Tongbi Recipe (HTR) combined methotrexate (MTX) in treating refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RRA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 167 RRA patients were assigned to the treatment group (73 cases) and the control group (94 cases) according to different therapeutic methods. Patients in the treatment group were treated with HTR combined MTX, while those in the control group were treated with leflunomide (LEF) combined MTX. Clinical signs and symptoms, RF, CRP, ESR, disease activity score 28 (DAS28), and safety indicators were compared between the two groups before treatment, at week 12 and 24 after treatment. The efficacy and safety indices were also evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At week 12 after treatment the total effective rate was 82.2% (60/73 cases) in the treatment group and 79.8% (75/94 cases) in the control group, showing no statistical difference between the two groups (chi2 = 0.15, P > 0.05). At week 24 after treatment the total effective rate was 78.1% (57/73 cases) in the treatment group and 755% (71/94 cases) in the control group, showing no statistical difference between the two groups (chi2 = 0.15, P > 0.05). There was statistical difference in the total effective rate between week 24 and week 12 in the control group (chi2 = 0.49, P < 0.05). Clinical signs and symptoms, RF, CRP, ESR, and DAS28 were significantly improved in the two groups after 12- and 24-week treatment (P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in the improvement at week 12 after treatment between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was statistical difference in time of morning stiffness, tender joint numbers, swollen joint numbers, patient global assessment, RF, CRP, and DAS28 at week 24 after treatment between the two groups (P < 0.05). Besides, adverse reactions occurred less in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The efficacy of HTR combined MTX was equivalent to that of LEF (10 mg per day) combined MTX, but with more stable therapeutic effects and less adverse reactions.</p>