Retrospective Clinical Analysis on Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 with Traditional Chinese Medicine Lianhua Qingwen / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To analyze the clinical effect of traditional Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and provide the basis for medication guides through a retrospective study in a cohort of COVID-19 confirmed patients. Method:A retrospective analysis of clinical records was conducted in COVID-19 confirmed patients at The Ninth Hospital of Wuhan and CR&WISCO General Hospital including the treatment group (21 patients, basic treatment in combination with Lianhua Qingwen granules, 1 packet/time, 3 times/day) and the control group (21 patients, basic treatment). Comparison between the two groups was made in terms of the disappearance rates of cardinal symptoms (fever, cough and weakness), duration of fever, and disappearance rates of other symptoms (muscle pain, expectoration, nasal obstruction, running nose, dry throat, pharyngalgia, shortness of breath, chest distress, dyspnea, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and diarrhea). Result:The baseline data were similar between the two groups. When compared with the control group, patients in the treatment group had the higher clinical effect, including the disappearance rate of fever (85.7% vs 57.1%, χ2=4.200, P=0.040), the disappearance rate of cough (46.7% vs 5.6%, P=0.012), the disappearance rate expectoration (64.3% vs 9.1%, P=0.012), the disappearance rate of shortness of breath (77.8% vs 0, P=0.021), and the duration of fever [(4.6±3.2) d vs (6.1±3.1) d, P=0.218]. Conclusion:Lianhua Qingwen can significantly relieve cardinal symptoms in COVID-19 confirmed patients by inhibiting fever and cough, reducing their duration, as well as improving individual symptoms. All these results provide preliminary clinical evidence for Lianhua Qingwen granules in the COVID-19 treatment.

[Steroids and aromatic derivatives from Euphorbia micractina].

From an ethanol extract of Euphorbia micractina roots, seven steroids fifteen aromatic derivatives were isolated by a combination of various chromatographic techniques, including column chromatography over macroporous resin, silica gel, and Sephadex LH-20 and reversed-phase HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis as stigamast-5-ene-3beta, 7alpha-diol(1), stigamast-5-ene-3beta,7beta-diol(2), stigmast-5-en-3beta-ol-7-one(3), stigmast-4-en-6beta-ol-3-one(4), stigmast-1, 4-dien-3-one(5), stigmast-3,6-dione(6), beta-sitosterol(7), scopoletin(8), aesculetin(9), 6-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxycoumarin(10), quercetin(11), 3,3', 4'-tri-O-methylellagic acid(12), p-hydroxyphenylethyl anisate(13), m-hydroxyphenylethyl alcohol(14), (E)-cinnamic acid(15), (E)-ferulic acid(16), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid(17), vanillic acid(18), p-hydroxybenzoic acid(19), ethyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (20), ethyl gallate(21), and methyl gallate(22). These compounds were obtained from this plant for the first time.

Study on early change features of microRNA in the peripheral blood of Sophorae tonkinensis radix et rhizoma induced liver injury rats / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study early change features of microRNA (miRNA) in the peripheral blood of Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix et Rhizoma induced liver injury rats, and to look for the miRNA biomarkers in the peripheral blood of early liver injury.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty Wistar rats were randomly divided into the control group and the Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix et Rhizoma (abbreviated as STRR) group, 30 in each group. Rats in the STRR group was administered with STRR decoction at 12 g/kg (2 mL/100 g), while equal volume of the distilled water was given to those in the control group. Rats were anesthetized on day 3, 7, 14, and 28, and 28 days after withdrawal. The serum samples were withdrawn. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), total bile (TBIL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), and albumin (ALB) were detected. The globulin (GLO) level was calculated. HE staining was performed on the liver tissue to observe the pathomorphological changes. The whole blood was collected on day 7, 14, and 28 to perform the microarray test. The differentially expressed miRNAs were screened and verified by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The ALT activity obviously increased on day 7 - 28 in the STRR group (P <0.05). The histopathological results showed the degeneration and swelling of the liver cells on day 28. In the microarray test, there were 11, 22, and 13 up regulated expressed miRNAs on day 7, 14, and 28, respectively. There were 1, 13, 2 down regulated expressed miRNAs on day 7, 14, and 28, respectively. By target gene prediction and pathway analysis of differentially expressed miRNA on day 7, 14, and 28, they involved in regulating and controlling signal transduction, cellular interaction, cytoskeleton. Differentially expressed miRNA might possibly participate in the process of liver injury. The RT-PCR result of the expression of miR-291a-5p with the peak time efficiency on day 7 showed that the expressions of miR-291a-5p in the peripheral blood and the liver tissue were basically identical.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>miR-291a-5p could early indicate the liver injury, which could be taken as one of an early marker in STRR induced liver injury.</p>

Characteristics of changes in urinary NGAL, KIM-1 and IL-18 in Phytolaccae Radix-induced renal injury in rats and significance of combined detection / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the characteristics of changes in neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalcin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) in Phytolaccae Radix-induced kidney injury in rats and the significance of the combined detection.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Wistar rats were divided into three groups: high and low dose (crude drug 40, 20 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) Phytolaccae Radix decoction groups and the control group, and orally administrated with distilled water or equal volume of Phytolaccae Radix decoction for 35 consecutive days. Their blood and urine samples were collected on day 7, 14, 21, 28, 35,42. The anatomical analysis was conducted for each group. The contents of serum total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CR) and urinary TP and ALB were detected-by means of biochemical analyzer. The concentrations of urinary NGAL, KIM-1 and IL-18 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The morphological changes of renal pathology were observed by light or electron microscopy. The curve areas of various serum or urine indexes and the combined detection were compared by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve).</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Rats were given Phytolaccae Radix decoction at the doses of 40, 20 g crude drug/kg daily for 35 consecutive days to induce kidney injury characterized by the degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cell and protein cast. The injury was partially reversible during the recovery period. Compared with the control group, the content of serum BUN, CR and urinary TP in each dose group mostly showed a downward trend. On day 21, the content of urinary ALB obviously increased till the end of administration. The contents of urinary NGAL, KIM-1 and IL-18 began increasing on day 7. Since day 14, high and low dose groups showed significant difference (P<0.01). The high dose group even showed notable changes during the recovery period. According to ROC analysis, the curve areas of NGAL, KIM-1 and IL-18 were 0.846, 0.837 and 0.863 (P <0.01), respectively, much higher than that of BUN and CR. The area of the combined detection was up to 0.947.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Urinary NGAL, IL-18 and KIM-1 could forecast and indicate the occurrence and development of renal injury to some degree, and show higher sensitivity and site specificity. The combined detection could further improve the test efficiency.</p>

[Cloning of distinguishing DNA sequences of Gastrodia elata Blume and application of them in identifying gastrodia tuber].

Gastrodia elata Bl. is a famous and costful traditional Chinese medicine. Their genomic DNA fingerprints were investigated using a modified Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA method. DNA fragments common to all or to fine populations were identified and recovered. Five DNA fragments were proven not to be reported through DNA cloning, PCR identifying, nucleotide sequencing and bioinformatics analyses and were received in and recorded by NCBI GenBank. Gastrodine contents of the Gastrodia tuber samples were determined using high performance liquid chromatography technique. The distribution of the five DNA fragments in 9 Gastrodia elata Blue populations and the correlation with gastromedicine content were studied. The results show the distribution of these DNA sequences varied greatly among the populations whereby DNA Sequence 1 was the common and distinguishing molecular marker for all the populations studied and DNA Sequence 2 may relate to higher gastrodine content. In conclusion, these DNA marker sequences can be employed to identify genuine gastrodia tubers, better varieties and optimize their selection and cultivating.