A review of traditional Chinese medicine Curcumae Rhizoma for treatment of glioma.

Glioma is the most common primary central nervous tumor and its malignant and high recurrence rate are seriously threatening patient's life. The prognosis of glioma patients is still poor with a variety of modern treatments. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used in the adjuvant treatment or alternative medicine of glioma. Curcumae Rhizoma is one of the most commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for its anti-tumor characteristics. There are also many studies that reveals the anti-tumor effect of its active ingredients and some of which have been made into drugs and have been used in clinical practice. This review summarizes the new research progress on Curcumae Rhizoma for the treatment of glioma in recent years.

Intense Pulsed Light Attenuates Oxidative Stress in Perennial Allergic Conjunctivitis.

Objective: To assess the effects of intense pulsed light (IPL) on oxidative stress (OS) in perennial allergic conjunctivitis (PAC). Background: IPL treatment has been proven effective for dry eye disease (DED). However, we have observed that, after IPL treatment, some patients with DED combined with allergic conjunctivitis (AC), an immune response condition in which excessive OS causes and exacerbates inflammatory damage, not only show an improvement in eye dryness, but also their AC-related eye itching is relieved. The mechanism by which IPL inhibits allergic reactions is not clear. Methods: Five patients with moderate-to-severe PAC were given two IPL treatments on the periorbital skin with a 2-week interval. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores and signs of AC, including eye redness and conjunctival follicles, were assessed before the first treatment (day 1) and 2 weeks after the second treatment (day 30). Tears were also collected at the same time, and lipid oxidation (LPO) metabolite analysis was performed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to investigate the effects of IPL on OS response. Results: The average VAS score significantly decreased with treatment (30.2 for day 1, 10.6 for day 30; p < 0.001). The general signs of PAC showed no difference (p > 0.05). LPO metabolite analysis revealed that 17,18-diHETE, which is an oxidation product of eicosapentaenoic acid, and 13-OXoODE, which is an oxidation product of linoleic acid, are significantly downregulated after IPL treatment. Conclusions: The photothermal effect of IPL attenuates OS in PAC, and this seems to be one of the mechanisms by which IPL treatment improves PAC. Clinical Trial Registration number: ChiCTR1900022202.

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy to Inhibit Meibomian Gland Inflammation: Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis of Meibomian Gland Secretions.

Objective: To assess the inhibitory effects of intense pulsed light (IPL) on meibomian gland (MG) inflammation. Background: IPL treatment is effective for dry eye disease (DED) caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). However, the anti-inflammatory and regeneration stimulating effects of IPL on MGD remain unclear. Moreover, studies on inflammatory metabolites in MG secretions are lacking. Methods: Six patients with DED were administered two IPL treatments. Ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaires were used to assess DED, MGD signs, including degree of obstruction, secretion, and atrophy of the MG, tear film break-up time (TBUT) was assessed before and after treatments. To determine IPL treatment-induced changes in metabolites, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to analyze MG secretions. Results: Data were gathered before the first treatment (time A) and 2 weeks after the second treatment (time B). Average OSDI score showed a significant decrease (time A and B measurements were 44.07 and 16.65, respectively). Besides, statistically significant differences were observed in MG signs before and after treatments: degree of obstruction improved and secretions became thinner. TBUT was significantly increased to the normal range. LC-MS/MS led to the identification of 53 differential metabolites: 23 were upregulated (e.g., estradiol, coenzyme Q, and azelaic acid) and 30 were downregulated (e.g., prostaglandins, 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, and arachidonic acid). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis showed that most differential metabolites were involved in steroid hormone biosynthesis. Conclusions: Periorbital IPL treatment can improve chronic inflammation of the MG and promote its normal secretion. The steroid hormone biosynthetic pathways may be activated to participate in this anti-inflammatory effect.

Occurrence of glycosidically conjugated 1-phenylethanol and its hydrolase ß-primeverosidase in tea (Camellia sinensis) flowers.

A previous study found that 1-phenylethanol (1PE) was a major endogenous volatile compound in tea (Camellia sinensis) flowers and can be transformed to glycosically conjugated 1PE (1PE-Gly). However, occurrences of 1PE-Gly in plants remain unknown. In this study, four 1PE-Glys have been isolated from tea flowers. Three of them were determined as (R)-1PE ß-d-glucopyranoside ((R)-1PE-Glu), (S)-1PE-Glu, and (S)-1PE ß-primeveroside ((S)-1PE-Pri), respectively, on the basis of NMR, MS, LC-MS, and GC-MS evidence. The other one was identified as (R)-1PE-Pri on the basis of LC-MS and GC-MS data. Moreover, these 1PE-Glys were chemically synthesized as the authentic standards to further confirm their occurrences in tea flowers. 1PE-Glu had a higher molar concentration than 1PE-Pri in each floral stage and organ. The ratio of (R) to (S) differed between 1PE-Glu and 1PE-Pri. In addition, a 1PE-Gly hydrolase ß-primeverosidase recombinant protein produced in Escherichia coli exhibited high hydrolysis activity toward (R)-1PE-Pri. However, ß-primeverosidase transcript level was not highly expressed in the anther part, which accumulated the highest contents of 1PE-Gly and 1PE. This suggests that 1PE-Gly may not be easily hydrolyzed to liberate 1PE in tea flowers. This study provides evidence of occurrences of 1PE-Glys in plants for the first time.