Yu-Ping-Feng-San alleviates inflammation in atopic dermatitis mice by TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Yu-Ping-Feng-San (YPF) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula that has therapeutic effects on allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and asthma. However, its potential efficacy and mechanism in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) has not been extensively illustrated. AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and possible mechanisms of YPF in AD pathogenesis. METHODS: Network pharmacology and GEO data mining were adopted to firstly identify the potential mechanisms of YPF on AD. Then DNCB induced-AD murine model was established to test the efficacy of YPF and verify its effects on inflammatory cytokines and NF-κB pathway. In addition, molecular docking was performed to detect the binding affinity of YPF's active components with NF-κB pathway related molecules. RESULTS: Network pharmacology and human data mining suggested that YPF may act on the NF-κB pathway in AD pathogenesis. With DNCB mice model, we found that YPF significantly improved AD symptoms, reduced SCORAD scores, and alleviated skin tissue inflammation in mice. At the same time, the expression of inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, sPLA2-IIA and IL-6, was down-regulated. Moreover, YPF suppressed TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway in situ in a dose-dependent manner. Molecular docking further confirmed that seven compounds in YPF had exceptional binding properties with TNF-α, IL-6 and TLR4. CONCLUSION: YPF may help the recovery of AD by inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway, which provides novel insights for the treatment of AD by YPF.

Traditional Chinese medicine for psoriasis vulgaris: A Protocol of a prospective, multicenter cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of psoriasis vulgaris is increasing worldwide. Chronic recurrence of the disease, as well as accompanying cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and depression has affected the physical and mental health of these patients. Psoriasis vulgaris is a difficult and major disease in the dermatology field. Short-term curative effects using conventional therapy for psoriasis vulgaris has made major strides. However, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment has long-term curative advantages for psoriasis vulgaris but lacks the scientific and clinical evidence for its use. This study intends to demonstrate and provide scientific and clinical evidence for the use of TCM to delay the recurrence of psoriasis vulgaris. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This will be a prospective, multicenter cohort study. We intend to recruit 1521 psoriasis vulgaris patients from 14 hospitals in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. Treatment will be based on the diagnosis specifications and clinical practice guidelines of TCM and conventional therapy. During inclusion and the subsequent follow-up period, doctors through electronic case reports will collect different therapeutic TCM regimens and conventional therapy that were administered. Information on life condition, skin lesions at each visit, World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments, Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Zung Self-assessment of Depression, laboratory examinations, incidence of new rash and recurrence during the remission and recurrence stages will be recorded. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The clinical trial protocol for this study was approved by the ethics committee of the Beijing hospital of TCM affiliated to capital medical university (Ethics number: 2019BL02-010-02). We will publish and present our results at national and international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals specialized in dermatology. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This protocol has been registered in clinicaltrials. gov (ChiCTR1900021629).

Chinese herbal Pulian ointment in treating psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome: a multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. We aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal Pulian ointment in treating psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome. METHODS: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Participants with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome were blinded and randomized to receive Pulian ointment or placebo ointment twice daily for 4 weeks, with follow-up 8 weeks after treatment. Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores, severity of each symptom and area of skin lesion and quality of life were assessed at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. Adverse events were recorded during the study. SAS 9.4 software and SPSS 17.0 software was applied for data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 300 participants with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome were assessed for eligibility, and 294 were randomly assigned to the Pulian ointment and placebo group from six study centers. Full analysis set (FAS): after 4 weeks of treatment, there were significant differences between groups in PASI score and the separate score of skin lesion area, favoring Pulian ointment group (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed in scores of scaling, erythema and induration/thickness (P > 0.05). Per protocol set (PPS): There was no statistically significant difference in PASI score and separate score of each symptom and area of skin lesion between two groups (P > 0.05). Quality of life measured by Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) improved after treatment in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). After being followed up for 8 weeks, the total relapse rates of the Pulian Ointment group and placebo group were 5.88 and 8.45%, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant between the two groups (P > 0.05). No adverse event was observed in both groups throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: Pulian Ointment seems effective and well tolerated in improving the PASI score and separate score of skin lesion area for patients with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome. Further research could build on the current study to explore whether other preparation forms and greater intervention intensity are necessary for better therapeutic effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chictr.org.cn Identifier ChiCTR-TRC-12002054 .

Development of sample preparation method for auxin analysis in plants by vacuum microwave-assisted extraction combined with molecularly imprinted clean-up procedure.

A novel sample preparation method for auxin analysis in plant samples was developed by vacuum microwave-assisted extraction (VMAE) followed by molecularly imprinted clean-up procedure. The method was based on two steps. In the first one, conventional solvent extraction was replaced by VMAE for extraction of auxins from plant tissues. This step provided efficient extraction of 3-indole acetic acid (IAA) from plant with dramatically decreased extraction time, furthermore prevented auxins from degradation by creating a reduced oxygen environment under vacuum condition. In the second step, the raw extract of VMAE was further subjected to a clean-up procedure by magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) beads. Owing to the high molecular recognition ability of the magnetic MIP beads for IAA and 3-indole-butyric acid (IBA), the two target auxins in plants can be selectively enriched and the interfering substance can be eliminated by dealing with a magnetic separation procedure. Both the VMAE and the molecularly imprinted clean-up conditions were investigated. The proposed sample preparation method was coupled with high-performance liquid chromatogram and fluorescence detection for determination of IAA and IBA in peas and rice. The detection limits obtained for IAA and IBA were 0.47 and 1.6 ng/mL and the relative standard deviation were 2.3% and 2.1%, respectively. The IAA contents in pea seeds, pea embryo, pea roots and rice seeds were determined. The recoveries were ranged from 70.0% to 85.6%. The proposed method was also applied to investigate the developmental profiles of IAA concentration in pea seeds and rice seeds during seed germination.