Researching the molecular mechanisms of Taohong Siwu Decoction in the treatment of varicocele-associated male infertility using network pharmacology and molecular docking: A review.

Taohong Siwu Decoction (THSWD) was widely used for the treatment of varicocele-associated male infertility. However, the pharmacological mechanism of action is not completely clear. Therefore, network pharmacology and molecular docking were performed to explore potential mechanism of THSWD in the treatment of varicocele-associated male infertility. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP), Swiss Target Prediction, and GeneCards were used to retrieve candidate compounds, action targets, and disease-related targets. The construction of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and the screening of core genes were completed by the STRING and Cytoscape 3.9.1, respectively. The DAVID was used to obtain results of gene ontology function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. The Mcule analysis platform was used to perform molecular docking. There were a total of 53 candidate compounds and 782 relevant targets in THSWD. There were 45 common targets between THSWD, varicocele, and male infertility, and 23 core genes were found in the PPI network. Biological processes involved response to hypoxia, regulation of blood pressure, cellular response to hypoxia, and regulation of the nitric oxide biosynthetic process. Furthermore, the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the common targets mainly regulated the disease of varicocele-associated male infertility through the HIF-1 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Relaxin signaling pathway, and TNF signaling pathway. Finally, the molecular docking showed that luteolin, quercetin, and kaempferol had good intercalation with major targets. As predicted by network pharmacology, THSWD regulated varicocele-associated male infertility through multiple compounds and targets, and its mechanism was closely related to inflammatory response, reactive oxygen species damage, and function of blood vessels.

Influence of micronization on improving phytoestrogenic effects of wheat bran.

The influence of micronization on improving the phytoestrogenic effects of wheat bran was studied. Wheat bran samples were prepared by ball milling, and an animal experiment was carried out by feeding 8-month-old female rats wheat bran. The effect of wheat bran samples on serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) levels of female 8-month-old rats was investigated. The wheat bran with a median diameter of 392.1 µm was micronized to 91.1 and 9.7 µm in median diameter by dry milling and wet milling for 5 hours, respectively. Microscopic observation and X-ray diffraction revealed more potential damage from wet milling than dry milling on the crystal structure of wheat bran granules. Almost all particles were dissolved and there was no obvious crystal peak in the 5-hour wet-milled wheat bran. The serum E2 and P levels of the 8-month-old rats fed wet-milled bran were increased significantly, 2.2 times higher than that of the same aged control group. The experimental results indicated that wet milling could destroy the crystal structure of wheat bran granules and improve the phytoestrogenic effects of wheat bran.