Caizhixuan hair tonic regulates both apoptosis and the PI3K/Akt pathway to treat androgenetic alopecia.

PURPOSE: Caizhixuan hair tonic (CZX) is a topical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, its active compounds and underlying mechanism for treating AGA are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of CZX on hair growth promotion in AGA mice and to explore the active components and mechanism. METHODS: Testosterone propionate was administered subcutaneously to mice to establish an AGA mouse model. The therapeutic effects of CZX on AGA were evaluated by observing skin colour changes, hair growth time, and average hair length; calculating the hair growth score; and performing skin histopathological analysis. Following that, CZX chemical components were analysed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Network pharmacology was used to predict the major effects and possible mechanisms of CZX for the treatment of AGA. Furthermore, RT-qPCR and Western blotting were performed to assess the expression of key genes and proteins involved in PI3K/Akt and apoptosis pathways in order to validate CZX's predicted mechanism in AGA. RESULTS: CZX promoted hair growth and improved the pathological morphology of hair follicles in the skin. In UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis, 69 components from CZX were isolated. Based on network pharmacology, CZX alleviated AGA by regulating PI3K/Akt and apoptosis pathways. According to RT-qPCR and Western blotting, CZX upregulated the expressions of PI3K, Akt, and Bcl-2, while downregulating that of Bax and caspase-3. CONCLUSIONS: CZX promotes hair growth to treat AGA by regulating the PI3K/Akt and apoptosis pathways.

Induction of mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis in T24 cells by a selenium (Se)-containing polysaccharide from Ginkgo biloba L. leaves.

In the present study, a selenium (Se)-containing polysaccharide (Se-GBLP) was isolated and purified from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba L. Se-GBLP was further evaluated for its antitumor activity against human bladder cancer T24 cells together with the possible mechanism of action. Our results showed that treatment of T24 cells with Se-GBLP (50, 100 and 200µg/ml) for 48h significantly inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in a dose- dependent manner. This Se-GBLP-induced apoptosis is associated with an increased protein expression of pro-apoptotic Bax, decreased expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and cleavage of caspase-9, caspase-3 and PARP, suggesting that Se-GBLP-induced apoptosis occurs through the mitochondria-dependent pathway. Se-GBLP therefore merits further investigation as a promising preventive and/or therapeutic agent against human bladder cancer.

[Comparison of clinical efficacy between Huorongbushen and indomethacin in patients with oligospermia or asthenospermia].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety between Huorongbushen and indomethacin in patients with oligospermia or asthenospermia. METHODS: 86 patients with oligoasthenospermia were received at our clinic of andrology. They were randomly divided into group A and B. The patients in group A received Huorongbushen 48 g daily for 3 months, and the other patients in group B were given indomethacin 50 mg daily for 3 months. The sperm parameters of the patients were analyzed by computer-assisted sperm analysis system before and after treatment. RESULTS: Patients of group A were significantly improved in sperm concentration, forward sperm motility, total sperm motility, straight line velocity and average path velocity. Patients of group B remained unimproved in sperm concentration and were significantly improved in other sperm parameters. The patients in group A reported a significantly higher sperm concentration than that in group B. There was no significant difference between group A and B in other sperm parameters. CONCLUSION: Compared with indomethacin, Huorongbushen is efficacious for oligoasthenospermia with lower side effects.