A novel colorimetric indicator film based on watermelon peel pectin and anthocyanins from purple cabbage for monitoring mutton freshness.

Novel films based on watermelon peel pectin (WMP) incorporated with purple cabbage extract (PCE) were developed for monitoring the freshness of mutton. The FTIR result showed that WMP and PCE interacted through hydrogen bonds. Low PCE content (≤1.5%) could be well dispersed in the film matrix, resulting in an enhancement in light transmittance, mechanical properties, barrier properties, and thermal stability. Excessive addition of PCE destroyed the compact structure of the film and decreased the comprehensive properties. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of WMP/PCE films were proportional to the amount of incorporated PCE. Moreover, the color of the film deepened as the PCE content increased. The film had excellent color stability and pH response properties. The WMP/PCE1.5 film color varied from mauve to baby blue according to the quality of mutton (fresh to spoiled). Our results suggested that the WMP/PCE film might have great potential for monitoring the freshness of mutton.

Study on the Multitarget Mechanism and Active Compounds of Essential Oil from Artemisia argyi Treating Pressure Injuries Based on Network Pharmacology.

In order to comprehensively explore multitarget mechanism and key active compounds of Artemisia argyi essential oil (AAEO) in the treatment of pressure injuries (PIs), we analyzed the biological functions and pathways involved in the intersection targets of AAEO and PIs based on network pharmacology, and the affinity of AAEO active compounds and core targets was verified by molecular docking finally. In our study, we first screened 54 effective components according to the relative content and biological activity. In total, 103 targets related to active compounds of AAEO and 2760 targets associated with PIs were obtained, respectively, and 50 key targets were overlapped by Venny 2.1.0. The construction of key targets-compounds network was achieved by the STRING database and Cytoscape 3.7.2 software. GO analysis from Matespace shows that GO results are mainly enriched in biological processes, including adrenergic receptor activity, neurotransmitter clearance, and neurotransmitter metabolic process. KEGG analysis by the David and Kobas website shows that the key targets can achieve the treatment on PIs through a pathway in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, human immunodeficiency virus 1 infection, MAPK signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway, etc. In addition, molecular docking results from the CB-Dock server indicated that active compounds of AAEO had good activity docking with the first 10 key targets. In conclusion, the potential targets and regulatory molecular mechanisms of AAEO in the treatment of PIs were analyzed by network pharmacology and molecular docking. AAEO can cure PIs through the synergistic effect of multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway, providing a theoretical basis and new direction for further study.

New anti-pulmonary fibrosis prenylflavonoid glycosides from Epimedium koreanum / 中国天然药物

Four new prenylflavonoid glycosides, namely koreanoside H-K (1-4), together with eleven known ones (5-15) were isolated from the leaves of Epimedium koreanum Nakai. Their structures were elucidated by 1D NMR, 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, IR and UV. The identification of the sugar moieties was carried out by means of acid hydrolysis and HPLC analysis of their derivatives. It is worth noting that compound 3 and compound 4 were elucidated to contain fucose and quinovose moieties, which were two extremely rare sugar units from the genus Epimedium. The anti-pulmonary fibrosis activity of the new compounds was evaluated using A549 cell line. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 showed significant anti-pulmonary fibrosis activities.

Evaluation on review quality management and progress and suggestions of reform in traditional Chinese medicine review / 中国中药杂志

Efficient management and evaluation is the primary responsibility of drug regulatory authorities in various countries, whose management services are mainly delivered in accordance with the Good Review Practices(GRPs) and ISO 9001 quality management system. In 2015, Opinions on Reforming the Evaluation and Approval System of Drugs and Medical Devices included the perfection of quality control review system as the content of reform in drug review and approval. On this basis, the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) review authority has shortened the review time, strengthened the communication, offered technical guidelines, designed the review template with guiding significance, and carried out diversified training and performance evaluation, to continuously strengthen the standardization of TCM review and approval and effectively guarantee the scientificity and consistency of new TCMs. However, the current quality management system for TCM review is not yet mature. It is recommended to employ ISO 9001 quality management system to manage the review work, utilize the GRP for better management of the archive files in the review process, and use quality evaluation indicators to improve the review quality management, thereby further perfecting the TCM review management system.

Free carnitine levels in peripheral blood of healthy pregnant women in third trimester and their relationship with maternal and fetal cardiac function and structure / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the levels of periphreal blood free carnitine and amino acids in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and their association with maternal, fetal, and neonatal cardiac function and structure.Methods:This prospective descriptive study included healthy singleton pregnancies who underwent routine obstetric examination and delivered in two district maternal and child health hospitals (one in the urban and one in the suburb an area) in Beijing from June 2017 to February 2018. All recruiters had serology Down's syndrome screening test at (18±1) gestational weeks. Besides measurement of amino acids and free carnitine levels in whole blood and urine samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, all cases underwent maternal and fetal echocardiography at (35±1) weeks of gestation. And neonatal echocardiography was performed after delivery to assess the heart function and structure. Antenatal factors were also collected, including maternal education background, age at first marriage and conception, gravidity, and folic acid supplement in early pregnancy. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Kappa test. Results:A total of 493 mother-neonate dyads were enrolled in this study. Blood free carnitine levels in the healthy pregnant women in the third trimester ranged from 5.09 to 59.17 μmol/L (reference value: 10.00-50.00 μmol/L) with an average value of (13.03±3.87) μmol/L. None was found with structural abnormalities by cardiac ultrasound, showing an average left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and end systolic diameter (LVESD) of (45.70±3.08) mm and (29.17±3.12) mm, respectively, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of all cases were over 55%. No cardiac malformation was detected by the third-trimester fetal echocardiography. The average birth weight of the 493 newborns was (3 340±313) g. Those whose birth weight <2 500 g and >4 000 g were accounted for 1.0% (5 cases) and 3.0% (15 cases) with the average maternal blood free carnitine level of (13.25±2.17) μmol/L (10.46-19.21 μmol/L) and (12.64±2.50) μmol/L (8.78-17.73 μmol/L) ( t=0.42, P>0.05). The average LVEDD and LVESD of the 493 newborns were (17.21±1.27) mm and (11.03±1.30) mm, respectively. For the 64 newborns (13.0%) whose LVEF<60%, the maternal blood free carnitine level was (12.93±2.78) μmol/L (7.34-22.13 μmol/L), showing no statistical difference ( t=-0.29, P>0.05) with those 59 neonates (12.0%) whose LVEF over 75% and maternal carnitine level of (13.09±3.24) μmol/L (8.66-27.49 μmol/L). All cases were divided into four groups based on the quartiles of maternal blood free carnitine level and no significant difference in maternal or neonatal LVEDD or LVEF was observed among these groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Blood free carnitine concentration in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester is at the lower limit of normal range, and no significant effect on maternal cardiac function and fetal cardiac structure is seen. However, the effect of low maternal carnitine level in the third trimester on children's myocardial function and whether carnitine should be supplemented in the third trimester are worthy of further investigation with larger sample size.

Common issues in safety analysis of clinical trail reports for new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Clinical trail report is a summary of the process and results of clinical trail, an important basis to support the effectiveness and safety evaluation of drug marketing and an important technical data required for drug registration. Safety analysis is the main part and the most common issue of clinical trial report. In this article, it is summarized and analyzed the common problems found in the safety analysis part of the clinical trial report of new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in combination with the clinical professional evaluation of the application for marketing license of innovative TCM. The common problems in writing the safety aspects of clinical trail reports were summarized and analyzed, including the omissions of adverse events and laboratory test results, the failure to provide a detailed list of laboratory test outliers, the lack of professional depth in the analysis of the causal relationship between adverse events and TCM. In view of the common problems, it is suggested that the drug use degree, adverse events and adverse reactions, as well as laboratory examination should be considered. Check the three dimensions for necessary medical analysis, collation and summary and continuously improve the quality of safety analysis in clinical trial reports.

Communication in process of R&D and registration of new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

In recent years, the National Medical Products Administration has established a communication system for the process of drug R&D and registration. In this paper, the reform policies on establishing the communication system for drug evaluation in recent years were summarized, and the channels, processes, methods and types of communication were also collected. In addition, the communication status of new drugs of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) was summarized according to the whole process of R&D, including summary of clinical practice, Investigational New Drug Applications, period of clinical trials, New Drug Applications, and post-marketing researches. Meanwhile, the current problems such as ineffective, inefficient, repeated or even no communication were analyzed, and relevant suggestions were proposed accordingly in order to provide reference for better communication on R&D and registration of new drugs of TCM.

PSORI-CM02 ameliorates psoriasis in vivo and in vitro by inducing autophagy via inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease that affects an estimated 3% of the world's population. PSORI-CM02 is an empirically developed Chinese medicine formula optimised from Yin Xie Ling, summarised by national medical master Guo-Wei Xuan, that has been used for decades to treat psoriasis in the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine. However, its anti-psoriatic mechanisms are still poorly understood. In this study, we explored the effects of PSORI-CM02 on autophagy and the underlying mechanisms in TNF-α-stimulated HaCaT cells and in a mouse model of imiquimod-induced psoriasis. METHODS: Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Apoptosis was detected by annexin V-FITC/PI double-staining and caspase-3 assays. Autophagy was detected by electron microscopy, RT-PCR and western blotting. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was analysed by western blotting and immunochemical analysis. RESULTS: PSORI-CM02 induced autophagy and thus inhibited the proliferation of HaCaT cells via suppression of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In mice with IMQ-induced psoriasis, PSORI-CM02 relieved psoriasis symptoms, induced autophagy and inhibited the phosphorylation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in the skin. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that PSORI-CM02 treats psoriasis by inducing autophagy via inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Clinical, biochemical and genetic spectrum of 70 patients with ACAD9 deficiency: is riboflavin supplementation effective?

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase family member 9 (ACAD9) is essential for the assembly of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I. Disease causing biallelic variants in ACAD9 have been reported in individuals presenting with lactic acidosis and cardiomyopathy. RESULTS: We describe the genetic, clinical and biochemical findings in a cohort of 70 patients, of whom 29 previously unpublished. We found 34 known and 18 previously unreported variants in ACAD9. No patients harbored biallelic loss of function mutations, indicating that this combination is unlikely to be compatible with life. Causal pathogenic variants were distributed throughout the entire gene, and there was no obvious genotype-phenotype correlation. Most of the patients presented in the first year of life. For this subgroup the survival was poor (50% not surviving the first 2 years) comparing to patients with a later presentation (more than 90% surviving 10 years). The most common clinical findings were cardiomyopathy (85%), muscular weakness (75%) and exercise intolerance (72%). Interestingly, severe intellectual deficits were only reported in one patient and severe developmental delays in four patients. More than 70% of the patients were able to perform the same activities of daily living when compared to peers. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that riboflavin treatment improves complex I activity in the majority of patient-derived fibroblasts tested. This effect was also reported for most of the treated patients and is mirrored in the survival data. In the patient group with disease-onset below 1 year of age, we observed a statistically-significant better survival for patients treated with riboflavin.

A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study of the Effects of Tongxinluo Capsules in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients with High On-Treatment Platelet Reactivity / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>Background</b>High platelet reactivity (HPR) during clopidogrel treatment predicts postpercutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) ischemic events strongly and independently. Tongxinluo capsules (TCs) are a traditional Chinese medicine formulation used as antiplatelet treatment. However, its efficacy against HPR is not known. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of TCs in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with HPR.</p><p><b>Methods</b>This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study prospectively analyzed 136 ACS patients with HPR who underwent PCI. The patients were enrolled from November 2013 to May 2014 and randomized to receive placebo or TCs in addition to standard dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel. The primary end points were the prevalence of HPR at 30 days and the mean change in P2Yreaction units (PRUs) between baseline and 30 days. Survival curves were constructed with Kaplan-Meier estimates and compared by log-rank tests between the two groups.</p><p><b>Results</b>Both groups had a significantly reduced prevalence of HPR at 30 days versus baseline, but the TC group, compared with the placebo group, had greater reduction (15.8% vs. 24.8%, P = 0.013), especially among patients with one cytochrome P450 2C19 loss of function (LOF) allele (χ= 2.931, P = 0.047). The TC group also had a lower prevalence of HPR (33.3% vs. 54.2%, t = 5.284, P = 0.022) and superior performance in light transmittance aggregometry and higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), but the composite prevalence of ischemic events did not differ significantly (χ= 1.587, P = 0.208).</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>In addition to standard DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel, TCs further reduce PRU and hsCRP levels, especially in patients carrying only one LOF allele. The data suggest that TCs could be used in combination therapy for ACS patients with HPR undergoing PCI.</p>

Identification of Non-Electrophilic Nrf2 Activators from Approved Drugs.

Oxidative damage can lead to a wide range of diseases. Nrf2 is an important transcription factor that regulates many of the cytoprotective enzymes involved in the oxidative stress response. Therefore, targeting the regulation of Nrf2 activation is one logical and effective strategy to prevent or lower the risk of oxidative stress-related diseases. Until now, most research has focused on electrophilic indirect Nrf2 activators, but the risk of 'off-target' effects may be associated with these activators. To find novel small non-electrophilic modulators of Nrf2, we started from chemical agents derived from a connectivity map (cMap) and identified 22 non-electrophilic potential Nrf2-activating drugs through a drug repositioning tactic. By determining the expression changes of antioxidant genes in MCF7 cells that were treated with the potential Nrf2 activators using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) (qRT-PCR), astemizole was found to have a greater scale of upregulating antioxidant genes NQO1, HO-1, and GCLM than the positive control d,l-sulforaphane, although the testing concentration was lower than that of the control. Astemizole is a good potential redox regulator and deserves more pharmacodynamic experimentation to test and verify its feasibility for use as an Nrf2 activator.

Toxicity and property of basic Uighur materia medica: a review / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

Uihgur medicine is not only an important component of medicine for ethnic minorities in China,but an vital supplement to modern medicine.With the development of modern science,in recent years good progerss has been made in basic sciences and applied research of Uighur medicine.According to the property of Uighur materia medica,medicine can be divided into hot,cold,wet,dry,dry-hot,wet-hot,wet-cold,and dry-cold types,and according to strength of medicinal properties,this medicine is divided into four classes.Most of the drugs of levels 3 and 4 are credited with toxicity.This article summarizes the property and toxicity of medicines of levels 3 and 4 which are includel in Pharmaceutical Standards-Uighur Medicine (1998) edited by the former State Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China.

Relationship between pre-clinical toxicity and efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Based on the different category of syndromes between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and Western medicine, the relationship between the efficacy and non-clinical toxicity of the TCM was analyzed. If TCM preparations have the same pharmacological targets to treat disease with modern medicine or the Chinese herbal preparations treat the diseases with its toxicity, their toxicity often exhibits the amplification and extension of activity; on the other hand, if TCM preparations have overlapped pharmacological targets but not completely the same with modern medicine, or if they have totally different pharmacological targets, the toxicity of TCM could not be inferred by pharmacological activity. With the great progress in extraction and separation technique for active parts of TCM as well as the application of some novel technique and excipients, some toxicity may be from the reactions unrelated with the pharmacological activity. In conclusion, better design and quality control could be obtained by understanding the relationship between pharmacological and toxicological study for the investigation of new traditional medicine.

Epidemiologic characteristics,risk factors and safety evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine induced liver injury / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

There have been increasing reports on liver injury induced by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and natural medicine in recent years. The risk of liver injury induced by TCMs has attracted more attention at home and abroad. In this paper,epidemiologic characteristics,risk factors,clinical features of TCMs induced liver injury were discussed. The myth about research and safety evaluation of TCMs induced liver injury was analyzed. Based on the property of TCMs and characteristics of their clinical use,this paper proposed the priorities of basic and clinical safety evaluation of TCMs induced liver toxicity. It is hoped that this study may provide reference for scientific evaluation of liver toxicity of TCMs.

Consideration on non-clinical safety evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

Safety,efficacy and quality control are the three essential elements for drugs,including traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). Currently,rapid development of life sciences,medicine and phar?macy provides new prospects for TCM. Considering the long history of TCM application,modern phar? macology and toxicology, global standards and expectations on the safety of TCM, how to evaluate the safety of TCM scientifically has become a key to the research and development of TCM. This review aims to discuss current technical requirements of non-clinical safety study of TCM as well as the challenges.

Key principles of nonclinical safety evaluation for pediatric drugs and characteristics of traditional Chinese materia medica evaluation / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

In current research and development of new drugs,the demand for toxicological study using neonatal and juvenile animals is becoming increasingly urgent. In this paper,we discussed the characteristics,importance and necessity of nonclinical safety evaluation for pediatric drugs,considerations for research design,selection of animal species and age,route and duration of drug administration and evaluation indexes. In addition,the characteristics of nonclinical safety evaluation of new traditional Chinese materia medica used for children were analyzed. It is hoped that these studies will not only provide support and reference for nonclinical safety evaluation of pediatric drugs but help accumulate material in formulating relevant guidelines.

Circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines in patients with psoriasis vulgaris of different Chinese medicine syndromes / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether the serum levels of inflammation-related cytokines might be different between the healthy individuals and the psoriatic patients diagnosed of three varied Chinese medicine (CM) syndromes [blood-stasis syndrome (BSS), blood-dryness syndrome (BDS) and wind-heat syndrome (WHS)].</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 62 psoriatic patients were recruited and assigned to 3 groups according to their CM syndromes, including 27 patients of BSS, 21 of BDS and 14 of WHS. Another 20 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects were enrolled into the control group. Serum concentrations of multiple cytokines, including monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), soluble CD4O ligand (SCD40L), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), epidermal growth factor (EGF), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-17 (IL-17), interferon γ inducible protein-10 (IP-10) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), were measured by a multiplexed flow cytometric assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The circulating levels of MIP-1α, TNF-α, IL-8, and IP-10 were significantly increased in the psoriatic patients compared with the healthy controls (P<0.01). Male and female patients tended to have higher serum levels of MCP-1 and IP-10, respectively (P<0.05). Interestingly, compared with the control group, 6 out of the 9 cytokines (MCP-1, MIP-1α, TNF-α, EGF, IL-8 and IP-10) were substantially increased in the BSS group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), whereas only MIP-1α and IL-8 levels were elevated in the BDS group (P<0.05 or P<0.01) concurrent with lowered concentrations of SCD40L and IL-17 (P<0.05). In the WHS group, MIP-1α was the only cytokine whose level was evidently increased (P<0.01), in contrast to IL-17 which was decreased as compared with the control (P<0.05). The psoriatic patients overall owned higher levels of MIP-1α and IL-8 in the circulation which were comparable among the 3 groups of CM syndromes (P<0.01). In contrast, TNF-α level of the BSS group was the highest among the three (P<0.01), followed by the BDS and the WHS groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The expression profiles of cytokines in the circulation might not be necessarily identical for psoriatic patients with different CM syndromes. Accordingly, the serum concentrations of certain cytokines could potentially be used as the ancillary indices for the clinical classification of psoriatic CM syndromes.</p>

Synergy Effect of Effective Substances Group and Mechanism of Qi-Zhi Wei-Tong Granules in Promoting Gastrointestinal Dynamic Effect / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

This article was aimed to study the synergy effect of effective substances group and mechanisms of Qi-Zhi Wei-Tong (QZWT) Granules in promoting gastrointestinal dynamic effect in order to explore its mechanism. Rats were divided into 16 groups. Different component compatibility was given to promote the gastrointestinal dynamic ef-fect. The traditional semi-solid paste carbon propelling analysis method was used to observe gastrointestinal motility changes of rats after medication. After intragastric administration, changes of NO, cGMP and Ca2+content in gastroin-testinal tissues were observed. The results showed that fructus aurantii flavonoids and Cyperi flavonoids had the most prominent effect in promoting gastrointestinal motility in QZWT Granules (P< 0.01), which were followed by Cyperus oil and limonene (P< 0.05). Two-way interactions indicated that the combination of fructus aurantii flavonoids and limonene had prominently promoting action in gastrointestinal motility, which was followed by the combination of fructus aurantii flavonoids and Cyperus oil, Cyperi flavonoids and Cyperus oil, limonene and Cyperus oil. Each effec-tive component can reduce the NO and cGMP content in gastrointestinal tissues, and increase the Ca2+ content. It was concluded that the study defined the correlation and synergy between effective components and promoting effect of gastrointestinal motility. Mechanism of the effective component to promote gastrointestinal dynamic might be relat-ed to the reducing of NO and cGMP content in gastrointestinal tissues and increasing of Ca2+ content. This study also provided a theoretical basis for further research on quality control, compatibility and spectrum-effect correlation of gastrointestinal motility promotion medications.

Regulation effects of liuwei dihuang pill, jingui shenqi pill, jiangu erxian pill containing serums on adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation-related genes expressions in the differentiation process of preadipocytes to osteoblasts / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of Chinese medical recipes for invigorating Shen on rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)-derived preadipocytes' differentiation to osteoblasts.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The BMSCs were cultured using whole bone marrow adherence wall method. The BMSCs were induced to preadipocytes by classic chemical method. The osteogenic differentiation process of preadipocytes was intervened by Liuwei Dihuang Pill (LDP), Jingui Shenqi Pill (JSP), or Jiangu Erxian Pill (JEP)-containing serums (with the concentRation of 10%, on behalf of tonifying Shen yin, tonifying Shen yang, and tonifying Shen essence). Reverse transcription-real time fluorescent quantitative-PCR (RT real time qPCR) was used to detect RUNX2, ALP, BGP, BMP2, BMP4, SPP1, and IGF1 mRNA expressions of osteogenic differentiation-related genes, mRNA expressions of LPL, FABP4, and PPARgamma of adipogenic differentiation-related genes on the 6th, the 12th, and the 18th day.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>As for the osteogenic differentiation-related gene, when compared with the control group, there was no statistical difference in the gene expression level in the experimental groups on the 6th day (2.0 > Ratio > 0.5). On the 12th day, the mRNA expressions of IGF1 and Runx2 increased more significantly in the JSP group, with their relative quantification (Ratio) being 2.97 and 1.81 respectively. On the 18th day the IGF1 mRNA expression significantly increased, being the Ratio value of 3.74, 12.60, and 8.35, respectively, in the LDP group, the JSP group, and the JEP group. The SPP1 mRNA expression also significantly increased, with the Ratio value of 2.94, 3.18, and 2.62, respectively, in the LDP group, the JSP group, and the JEP group. As for adipogenic differentiation-related genes, on the 6th day, when compared with the control group, FABP4 mRNA expression significantly decreased in the LDP group and the JSP group (with the Ratio value of 0.47 and 0.40 respectively). The expression levels of other genes were all down-regulated, but not significantly. On the 12th day and 18th day, there was no statistical change in the adipogenic differentiation-related genes expressions (2.0 > Ratio > 0.5).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Up-regulation of osteogenic differentiation-related genes expression occurred in later time, while down-regulation of adipogenic differentiation-related genes expression occurred in earlier time after treatment by Chinese medical recipes for invigorating Shen. In general, above data indicated that tonifying Shen yang was more effective in promoting osteogenic differentiation and inhibiting adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs.</p>

Effect of Sanqi Oral Liquid on the expressions of CD4⁺, CD8⁺ and CD68⁺ cells in 5/6 nephrectomized rats with chronic renal failure / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicine Sanqi Oral Liquid, composed of Astragalus membranaceus and Panpax notoginseng, in alleviating renal injury by observing its effect on the expressions of CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD68(+) cells in 5/6 nephrectomized rats with chronic renal failure.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 102 SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: three treatment groups were administrated with high, medium and low dosage of Sanqi Oral Liquid respectively by gavage; a normal group, a 5/6 nephrectomized model group, and a group treated with coated aldehyde oxygenstarch were used as controls. Following oral administration of Sanqi Oral Liquid for 12 weeks, the general condition and renal pathological changes were observed, and the renal function, platelet count (PLT) and the expressions of CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD68(+) cells were determined for each group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were proliferation of mesangial matrix, renaltubularnecrosis and obvious tubulointerstitial fibrosis in the model group, and they were much milder in the treatment groups. Compared with the model group, the amounts of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr) and PLT in the treatment groups decreased (P<0.05 for all); and in the group administrated of medium dosage of Sanqi Oral Liquid, the expression of CD4(+) cells was up-regulated and those of CD8(+) and CD68(+) cells were down-regulated (P<0.05 for all), leading to an increased ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+)(P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sanqi Oral Liquid has a significant effect on regulating lymphocyte subsets, reducing the infiltration of macrophages in renal tissues and alleviating tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and this may be one of mechanisms of Sanqi Oral Liquid in delaying the progression of chronic kidney diseases.</p>