Modified Chaishao Liujunzi Decoction inhibits bile acid-induced gastric intestinal metaplasia: from network prediction to experimental verification.

Modified Chaishao Liujunzi Decoction (MCLD) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula that is used mainly to improve clinical symptoms, alleviate gastric mucosal inflammation, and improve gastric mucosal lesions in patients with gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). GIM is considered a precancerous gastric cancer (GC) lesion (PLGC) and exploring effective intervention measures for GIM is of great importance for the prevention of GC. The purpose of this study was to reveal the potential molecular mechanism of MCLD in improving GIM induced by bile acid (BA) using network pharmacology and experimental validation. Through network pharmacology, we speculated that MCLD could act on GIM by driving the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/PI3K/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. After that, we used deoxycholic acid (DCA) to treat GES-1 cells to simulate BA-induced GIM and observed the effects of MCLD treatment. The results indicate that MCLD can significantly inhibit DCA-induced cell proliferation and down-regulate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and intestinal-specific markers. At the same time, MCLD also negatively regulated the expression of genes and proteins of the EGFR/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Combination with EGFR agonists and inhibitors suggested that MCLD may improve GIM by inhibiting the EGFR/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which may be related to its inhibition of DCA-induced cell proliferation through this pathway. In conclusion, MCLD may improve BA-induced GIM through the EGFR/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, as predicted by network pharmacology, and is a potential Chinese medicine prescription for the treatment or reversal of GIM.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction in the Treatment of Chronic Gastritis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic gastritis (CG) is characterized by inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which can progress to atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, and dysplasia. Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction (XSLJZD), a classic traditional Chinese medicine prescription commonly used to treat digestive system diseases, is widely used to treat CG. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of XSLJZD in the treatment of CG. METHODS: Chinese and English databases were searched, and randomized controlled trials of XSLJZD for the treatment of CG were collected from the establishment of the databases to December 28, 2022. Studies were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the risk-of-bias assessment tool in the Cochrane Handbook. Data from the included studies were extracted, and a meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 15.1. Finally, funnel plots and Egger's tests were used to assess publication bias. RESULTS: Fourteen studies with a sample size of 1434 cases. XSLJZD has more advantages than conventional treatment in the treatment of CG, as it can improve the clinical cure rate, clinical efficacy rate, efficacy rate of endoscopic examination, recurrence rate, and TCM symptom scores, and is relatively safe. Funnel plots and Egger's tests indicated publication bias in the included studies. CONCLUSION: The results of the meta-analysis showed that XSLJZD has advantages in treating CG compared with conventional treatment and is relatively safe. However, owing to the limitations in the quality and quantity of the included studies, caution is recommended when generalizing and applying these results. Further high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Network Pharmacology-based Investigation of the Underlying Mechanism of Panax notoginseng Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy.

BACKGROUND: Panax notoginseng, a Chinese herbal medicine, has been widely used to treat vascular diseases. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the complications of diabetic microangiopathy. According to recent studies, the application of Panax notoginseng extract and related Chinese patent medicine preparations can significantly improve DR. However, the pharmacological mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to decipher the potential mechanism of Panax notoginseng treatment of DR using network pharmacology. METHODS: We evaluated and screened the active compounds of Panax notoginseng using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database and collected potential targets of the compounds by target fishing. A multi-source database was also used to organize targets of DR. The potential targets as the treatment of DR with Panax notoginseng were then obtained by matching the compound targets with the DR targets. Using protein-protein interaction networks and topological analysis, interactions between potential targets were identified. In addition, we also performed gene ontology-biological process and pathway enrichment analysis for the potential targets by using the Biological Information Annotation Database. RESULTS: Eight active ingredients of Panax notoginseng and 31 potential targets for the treatment of DR were identified. The screening and enrichment analysis revealed that the treatment of DR using Panax notoginseng primarily involved 28 biological processes and 10 related pathways. Further analyses indicated that angiogenesis, inflammatory reactions, and apoptosis may be the main processes involved in the treatment of DR with Panax notoginseng. In addition, we determined that the mechanism of intervention of Panax notoginseng in treating DR may involve five core targets, VEGFA, MMP-9, MMP-2, FGF2, and COX-2. CONCLUSION: Panax notoginseng may treat diabetic retinopathy through the mechanism of network pharmacological analysis. The underlying molecular mechanisms were closely related to the intervention of angiogenesis, inflammation, and apoptosis with VEGFA, MMP-9, MMP-2, FGF2, and COX-2 being possible targets.