Short-Term Effects of Combining Moxibustion Therapy and Gua sha on Post-Multiple Cerebral Infarction Rehabilitation.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of combined moxibustion therapy and Gua sha on enhancing functional independence, reducing fall risk, and alleviating pain in patients undergoing post-rehabilitation for multiple cerebral infarctions. Methods: In a prospective clinical trial, 67 patients diagnosed with multiple cerebral infarctions (age range: 40 to 93 years) were enrolled. Baseline health characteristics included a median hospital stay of 10 days, prevalent medical conditions such as hypertension (64.18%), and various comorbidities like spondylosis (17.91%) and heart disease (14.93%). Patients received moxibustion treatment daily for 20-30 minutes on specific acupoints of the upper and lower extremities. Additionally, Gua sha therapy targeting the the head, back, chest, abdomen, and selected acupoints was administered twice a week with an interval of 3 to 4 days. Assessments included Barthel Index (BI) for functional independence, Morse Fall Scale (MFS) for fall risk, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain intensity before and after the intervention. Results: After one week of rehabilitation, significant improvements were observed in the patient's functional independence, as indicated by a median BI score of 100 (IQR: 95-100), compared to the pre-rehabilitation median score of 95 (IQR: 90-100). The MFS score also showed a significant decrease after rehabilitation, with a median score of 35 (IQR: 35-45) compared to the pre-rehabilitation median score of 45 (IQR: 35-45). Additionally, pain intensity significantly decreased, with a median VAS score of 0 (range: 0-2) after rehabilitation, compared to the pre-rehabilitation median score of 0 (range: 0-3). Conclusion: Combined moxibustion therapy and Gua sha demonstrated positive effects on functional independence, fall risk reduction, and pain alleviation in post-rehabilitation for multiple cerebral infarctions. These findings suggest the potential of moxibustion and Gua sha as complementary interventions in stroke rehabilitation. The observed improvements in functional independence, fall risk, and pain underscore the potential benefits of these therapies for patients with multiple cerebral infarctions. Further exploration could delve into long-term effects, larger-scale trials, and mechanistic studies to elucidate the underlying pathways of efficacy.

Buccal acupuncture combined with ultrasound-guided dry needle-evoked inactivation of trigger points to treat cervical and shoulder girdle myofascial pain syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common disease with easy persistence and recurrence. In clinical practice, although many methods have been adopted to prevent and treat MPS, the control of MPS is still not satisfactory. OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety and effectiveness of buccal acupuncture, inactivation of trigger points (MTrPs), and their combination in the treatment of MPS. METHODS: Two hundred MPS patients in the pain clinic were randomly divided into four groups (n= 50) to receive oral drugs (Group A), oral drugs + buccal needle (Group B), oral drugs + MTrP inactivation (Group C), or oral drugs + buccal needle + MTrP inactivation (Group D). RESULTS: The visual analogue scale (VAS) and cervical range of motion (ROM) of Group D were significantly lower than those of the other three groups, and the pressure pain threshold (PPT) value of labelled MTrPs was significantly higher than those of the other three groups (P< 0.05). The excellent rate and total effective rate of Group D were significantly higher than those of the other three groups. Group C had the highest pain score and the lowest acceptance score. The results showed that buccal acupuncture combined with ultrasound-guided dry needle-evoked inactivation of MTrPs can significantly reduce the VAS score of MPS patients, improve the range of motion of the cervical spine, and improve patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a highly accepted and satisfactory treatment for MPS, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Heat shock cognate 70 protein like-2 protein in camphor pollen is one of the major culprits of asthma.

AIMS: In recent decades, Cinnamomum camphora have gradually become the main street trees in Shanghai. This study aims to investigate the allergenicity of camphor pollen. MAIN METHODS: A total of 194 serum samples from patients with respiratory allergy were collected and analyzed. Through protein profile identification and bioinformatics analysis, we hypothesized that heat shock cognate protein 2-like protein (HSC70L2) is the major potential allergenic protein in camphor pollen. Recombinant HSC70L2 (rHSC70L2) was expressed and purified, and a mouse model of camphor pollen allergy was established by subcutaneous injection of total camphor pollen protein extract (CPPE) and rHSC70L2. KEY FINDINGS: Specific IgE was found in the serum of 5 patients in response to camphor pollen and three positive bands were identified by Western blotting. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Immune dot blot and Western blot experiments confirmed that CPPE and rHSC70L2 can cause allergies in mice. Moreover, rHSC70L2 induces polarization of peripheral blood CD4+ T cells to Th2 cells in patients with respiratory allergies and mice with camphor pollen allergy. Finally, we predicted the T cell epitope of the HSC70L2 protein, and through the mouse spleen T cell stimulation experiment, we found that the 295EGIDFYSTITRARFE309 peptide induced T cells differentiation to Th2 and macrophages differentiation to the alternatively activated (M2) state. Moreover, 295EGIDFYSTITRARFE309 peptide increased the serum IgE levels in mice. SIGNIFICANCE: The identification of HSC70L2 protein can provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for allergies caused by camphor pollen.

Centranthera grandiflore alleviates alcohol-induced oxidative stress and cell apoptosis.

Alcohol liver disease (ALD) has become a global threat to human health. It is associated with a wide range of liver diseases including alcohol fatty liver, steatosis, fibrosis and cirrhosis, and finally leads to liver cancer and even death. Centranthera grandiflora is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb commonly used to treat ALD, but no research about its mechanism is available. This study evaluated the hepatoprotective effect and mechanism of C. grandiflora against alcohol-induced liver injury in mice. We found that the ethanol extracts of C. grandiflora (CgW) alleviated the alcohol-induced liver injury, enhanced the levels of antioxidant enzymes, and reduced the amount of lipid peroxides. CgW also affected cell apoptosis by inhibiting the activity of Bax, cleaved-caspase 3 and cleaved-caspase 9, and increasing the activity of Bcl-2. In conclusion, the results showed that CgW can effectively improve ALD through alleviating oxidative stress and inhibiting cell apoptosis for the first time. This study suggested that C. grandiflora is a promising herbal medicine for ALD treatment.

Yu-Ping-Feng Formula Ameliorates Alveolar-Capillary Barrier Injury Induced by Exhausted-Exercise via Regulation of Cytoskeleton.

Background: Yu-ping-feng powder (YPF) is a compound traditional Chinese medicine extensively used in China for respiratory diseases. However, the role of YPF in alveolar-capillary barrier dysfunction remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the effect and potential mechanism of YPF on alveolar-capillary barrier injury induced by exhausted exercise. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish an exhausted-exercise model by using a motorized rodent treadmill. YPF at doses of 2.18 g/kg was administrated by gavage before exercise training for 10 consecutive days. Food intake-weight/body weight, blood gas analysis, lung water percent content, BALF protein concentration, morphological observation, quantitative proteomics, real-time PCR, and Western blot were performed. A rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell line (PMVEC) subjected to hypoxia was applied for assessing the related mechanism. Results: YPF attenuated the decrease of food intake weight/body weight, improved lung swelling and hemorrhage, alleviated the increase of lung water percent content and BALF protein concentration, and inhibited the impairment of lung morphology. In addition, YPF increased the expression of claudin 3, claudin 18, occludin, VE-cadherin, and ß-catenin, attenuated the epithelial and endothelial hyperpermeability in vivo and/or in vitro, and the stress fiber formation in PMVECs after hypoxia. Quantitative proteomics discovered that the effect of YPF implicated the Siah2-ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway, Gng12-PAK1-MLCK, and RhoA/ROCK, which was further confirmed by Western blot. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD032737. Conclusion: YPF ameliorated alveolar-capillary barrier injury induced by exhausted exercise, which is accounted for at least partly by the regulation of cytoskeleton.

Hyperoside protects cardiomyocytes against hypoxia­induced injury via upregulation of microRNA­138.

Following hypoxia, cardiomyocytes are susceptible to damage, against which microRNA (miR)­138 may act protectively. Hyperoside (Hyp) is a Chinese herbal medicine with multiple biological functions that serve an important role in cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of Hyp in hypoxic cardiomyocytes and its effect on miR­138. A hypoxia model was established in both H9C2 cells and C57BL/6 mice, which were stimulated by Hyp. The expression levels of miR­138 were increased in the hypoxic myocardium in the presence of Hyp at concentrations of >50 µmol/l in vivo and >50 mg/kg in vitro. Using Cell Counting Kit­8 and 5­ethynyl­2'­deoxyuridine assays, it was observed that Hyp improved hypoxia­induced impairment of cell proliferation. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry and a TUNEL assay. The number of apoptotic cells in the Hyp group was lower than that in the control group. As markers of myocardial injury, the levels of lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase­myocardial band isoenzyme and malondialdehyde were decreased in the Hyp group compared with the control group, whereas the levels of superoxide dismutase were increased. A marked decrease in the levels of cleaved caspase­3 and cleaved poly(ADP) ribose polymerase and a marked increase in expression levels of Bcl­2 were observed in the presence of Hyp. However, miR­138 inhibition by antagomir attenuated the protective effects of Hyp. Furthermore, Hyp treatment was associated with marked downregulation of mixed lineage kinase 3 and lipocalin­2, but not pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1, in hypoxic H9C2 cells. These findings demonstrated that Hyp may be beneficial for myocardial cell survival and may alleviate hypoxic injury via upregulation of miR­138, thereby representing a promising potential strategy for clinical cardioprotection.

[Quality evaluation of different Berberidis Cortex species based on ~1H-NMR metabolomics and anti-diabetic activity].

To evaluate the quality differences of four mainstream species of Berberidis Cortex,~1H-NMR metabolomics was applied to detect its primary and secondary metabolites, and the partial least squares discriminant analysis and analysis of variance were integrated to screen differential metabolites between species. Furthermore, diabetic rat model was established by high fat diet and streptozotocin to assess differences in antidiabetic activities among the four species. Sixteen compounds were simultaneously detected and identified, including alkaloids, organic acids, carbohydrates and amino acids. Interspecific difference markers were revealed as magnoflorine, jateorhi-zine, bufotenidine and saccharose for the first time. Berberis vernae and B. kansuensis presented superior activities on reducing blood glucose level, improving insulin resistance, increasing insulin sensibility and anti-inflammation. B. dictyophylla showed moderate antidiabe-tic effect, while B. diaphana rendered inferior antidiabetic capacity. Based on the contents of four differential markers and the results of antidiabetic activity evaluation, the quality of four Berberidis Cortex species was ranked as B.vernae≈B.kansuensis>B. dictyophylla>B. diaphana. These results provided references for species collation, quality standard establishment and exploitation of Berberidis Cortex. The antidiabetic activities of B. vernae and B. kansuensis as well as their mechanisms of action merit further study in the future.

Anti-Diabetic Effects of Berberis kansuensis Extract on Type 2 Diabetic Rats Revealed by 1 H-NMR-Based Metabolomics and Biochemistry Analysis.

The dried stem bark of Berberis kansuensis C.K.Schneid. (Berberidaceae) was widely used to treat diabetes in traditional Tibetan medicine system. However, its anti-diabetic mechanisms have not been elucidated. In this study, 1 H-NMR-based metabolomics combined with biochemistry assay was applied to investigate the anti-diabetic activities as well as underlying mechanisms of B. kansuensis extract on type 2 diabetic rats. The results showed that after 30 days treatment with B. kansuensis extract, the levels of FBG, GSP, INS, TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 were significantly decreased in B. kansuensis group compared with the model group. Besides, a total of 28 metabolites were identified in rat serum by 1 H-NMR-based metabolomics method, 16 of which were significantly different in the normal group compared with the model group, and eight of them were significantly reversed after B. kansuensis intervention. Further analysis of metabolic pathways indicated that therapeutic effect of B. kansuensis might be predominantly related to their ability to improve glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, citric acid cycle, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism and choline metabolism. The results of both metabolomics and biochemical analysis indicated that B. kansuensis extract has a potential anti-diabetic effect on type 2 diabetic rats. Its therapeutic effect may be based on the ability of anti-inflammation, alleviating insulin resistance and restoring several disturbed metabolic pathways.

Effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy combined with auricular acupuncture on cancer pain: A four-parallel arm randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cancer pain affects the quality of life of cancer patients; therefore, various methods exist for alleviating the adverse effects caused by cancer pain. Nonpharmacological intervention is regarded as an important means of auxiliary therapy for drug treatment, with acupuncture receiving the most attention; However, there are numerous types of acupuncture therapies, including acupuncture, wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) and auricular acupuncture (AA). Previous studies have demonstrated that all types of acupuncture therapy can alleviate cancer pain. However, the effects and pathways of different acupuncture treatments are not similar, and it is unknown whether single therapy or combination therapy has better analgesic effects. This study aimed to examine the effect of WAA therapy combined with AA on cancer pain. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. METHOD: A total of 160 patients were selected and randomly divided into groups A, B, C and D, with 40 patients in each group. Group A received conventional analgesia alone, with opioids administered based on the World Health Organization (WHO) 3-tiered "cancer pain ladder". Group B received WAA, in addition to the treatment received by group A. Group C received AA, in addition to the treatment received by group A. Group D received WAA combined with AA, in addition to the treatment received by group A. Analgesic effects and analgesic drug use before and 3, 5 and 7 days after treatment were observed in each group. RESULT: A total of 159 patients were included in the analysis. The verbal rating scale (VRS) and numeric rating scale (NRS) scores for patients who received mono-acupuncture therapy and combination therapy for 1 week were significantly different from those of the control group. Combination therapy had a stronger effect on the VRS score and a faster onset time, based on the NRS score, and the patients who received combination therapy had reduced analgesic drug use. CONCLUSION: WAA combined with AA can more quickly reduce pain symptoms with more lasting analgesic effects and can effectively reduce analgesic drug use.

Active Ingredients and Anti-Arthritic Mechanisms of Ba-Wei-Long-Zuan Granule Revealed by 1 H-NMR-Based Metabolomics Combined with Network Pharmacology Analysis.

Ba-Wei-Long-Zuan granule (BWLZ) is a traditional herbal preparation. It has been widely used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, its active ingredients and mechanisms of action are still unclear. The present study aims to reveal the active compounds and anti-arthritic mechanisms of BWLZ against collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) by using 1 H-NMR-based metabolomics, molecular docking and network pharmacology methods. After 30 days of administration, BWLZ could effectively improve the metabolic disorders in CIA rats. The anti-arthritic effect of BWLZ was related to its restoration of 16 disturbed serum metabolites. Molecular docking and network analysis showed that 20 compounds present in BWLZ could act on multiple targets. Among them, coclaurine and hesperidin showed the highest hit rates for target proteins related to both metabolic regulation and RA, indicating that these two compounds might be potential active ingredients of BWLZ. Moreover, pathway enrichment analysis suggested that the anti-arthritic mechanisms of BWLZ might be attributed to its network regulation of several biological processes, such as steroid hormone biosynthesis, mTOR signaling pathway, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, and synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies. These results provide further evidence for the anti-arthritic properties of BWLZ and are beneficial for its quality control and clinical application. The potential targets and biological processes found in this study may provide valuable information for further studying the molecular mechanisms of BWLZ against RA. In addition, our work provides new insights for revealing the active ingredients and regulatory mechanisms of complex herbal preparations.

[Effects of gut microbiota on five absorbed components of Berberis kansuensis in rat serum by HPLC-QqQ-MS].

To elucidate the absorption and metabolism of alkaloids in Berberis kansuensis in vivo, a high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(HPLC-QqQ-MS) method was developed to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the absorption components in rat serum in multiple-reaction monitoring mode. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile with a gradient elution mode. In addition, to investigate the effects of gut microbiota on five absorbed components of B. kansuensis in rat serum, diabetic rat and pseudo germ-free diabetic rat models were established, and partial least squares discriminant analysis and One-way ANOVA were used to study the content differences of five components among different groups. In this study, a HPLC-QqQ-MS method for quantitative analysis of five components in rat serum after oral administration of B. kansuensis was established for the first time. It was found that there were differences in the five constituents in rat serum between different groups. By comparing the normal group with the diabetic model group, we found that the absorption and metabolism capacities of berberine and magnoflorine were different under the health and pathological conditions. It was also found that the serum levels of berberine, magnoflorine and jatrorrhizine in pseudo germ-free diabetic rats were significantly lower than those in diabetic rats, indicating that gut microbiota plays an important role in the metabolism of alkaloids of B. kansuensis in vivo. These results provide a good reference for clarifying the active ingredients of B. kansuensis in the treatment of diabetes.

Research Progress in Mechanism of Chinese Medicine Against Non-small Cell Lung Cancer / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide， and about 1.6 million people die of it each year. In China， the incidence and mortality of lung cancer rank the first， as evidenced by the fact that about 780 000 people suffering from lung cancer every year， and the 5-year survival rate is less than 20%. In addition， 85% of patients with lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）， and 70% of lung cancer patients are found to have advanced cancer or tumor metastasis. The therapies of lung cancer include surgical resection， radiotherapy， chemotherapy， targeted therapy and immunotherapy. However， these therapies have certain limitations， severe toxic and side effects， and high costs. Therefore， it is urgent to find drugs with appropriate price and reliable efficacy. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） is the treasure of China， with more than 5 000 years of practical experience. In ancient books， there are records of therapies for lung amassment and pneumothorax， and modern studies have proved that there are many advantages， such as multiple targets， slight side effect， wide sources and reliable effects， and it is often used as an auxiliary treatment for lung cancer. The clear mechanism of TCM against lung cancer remains to be solved. The studies on the effect of TCM against NSCLC mainly start at the effective ingredients of TCM and end at the efficacy， and explore the "process"—mechanism. At present， the mechanism of TCM against NSCLC includes inducing apoptosis and autophagy of tumor cells， inhibiting the growth， proliferation， metastasis and invasion of tumor cells， which rises to molecular and genetic level. Based on the above mechanism， aiming at the effect target and pathway， this paper summarizes the literatures of the mechanism of TCM against non-small cell lung cancer in recent years， and sorted out some anti-lung cancer TCM about property， flavor and meridian-tropism on the basis of previous studies， in order to provide ideas for scholars to study the mechanism and clinical application of TCM in resisting lung cancer， and references for the studies of the correlation between the lung cancer as well as property， flavor and meridian-tropism.

Co-Delivery of Curcumin and Paclitaxel by "Core-Shell" Targeting Amphiphilic Copolymer to Reverse Resistance in the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is a common malignancy in the female reproductive system with a high mortality rate. The most important reason is multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer chemotherapy. To reduce side effects, reverse resistance and improve efficacy for the treatment of ovarian cancer, a "core-shell" polymeric nanoparticle-mediated curcumin and paclitaxel co-delivery platform was designed. METHODS: Nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed the successful grafting of polyethylenimine (PEI) and stearic acid (SA) (PEI-SA), which is designed as a mother core for transport carrier. Then, PEI-SA was modified with hyaluronic acid (HA) and physicochemical properties were examined. To understand the regulatory mechanism of resistance and measure the anti-tumor efficacy of the treatments, cytotoxicity assay, cellular uptake, P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression and migration experiment of ovarian cancer cells were performed. In addition, adverse reactions of nanoformulation to the reproductive system were examined. RESULTS: HA-modified drug-loaded PEI-SA had a narrow size of about 189 nm in diameters, and the particle size was suitable for endocytosis. The nanocarrier could target specifically to CD44 receptor on the ovarian cancer cell membrane. Co-delivery of curcumin and paclitaxel by the nanocarriers exerts synergistic anti-ovarian cancer effects on chemosensitive human ovarian cancer cells (SKOV3) and multi-drug resistant variant (SKOV3-TR30) in vitro, and it also shows a good anti-tumor effect in ovarian tumor-bearing nude mice. The mechanism of reversing drug resistance may be that the nanoparticles inhibit the efflux of P-gp, inhibit the migration of tumor cells, and curcumin synergistically reverses the resistance of PTX to increase antitumor activity. It is worth noting that the treatment did not cause significant toxicity to the uterus and ovaries with the observation of macroscopic and microscopic. CONCLUSION: This special structure of targeting nanoparticles co-delivery with the curcumin and paclitaxel can increase the anti-tumor efficacy without increasing the adverse reactions as a promising strategy for therapy ovarian cancer.

Anti-inflammatory evaluation and structure-activity relationships of diterpenoids isolated from Euphorbia hylonoma.

A phytochemical investigation to obtain chemical components with potential anti-inflammatory activity from E. hylonoma led to the isolation of nine new ent-isopimarane diterpenoids (1 and 3-10), a new ent-rosane diterpenoid (11), along with eight known ones (2 and 12-18) using various chromatographic techniques. Compounds 3, 4, 5, and 10 were rare examples of the epoxy-ent-isopimarane. The structures of these new compounds were confirmed by extensive spectroscopic data, crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and electronic circular dichroism. And the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide production induced by lipopolysaccharide in RAW 264.7 cells. The results showed that compounds 2 and 12 exhibited noteworthy inhibitory effects against NO production with IC50 values of 7.12 and 12.73 µM, respectively, which were better than positive control (IC50 = 41.41 µM). The possible mechanism that compounds 2 and 12 could inhibit NO production was investigated by the Western blotting experiments.

[Research on contents of anthraquinones,dianthrones and tannins in Rheum tanguticum on PCA and CA].

Anthraquinones,dianthrones and tannins are the main active ingredients of Rheum tanguticum. In this study the three components were determined by HPLC,and the results were analyzed by multiple comparisons,principal components analysis(PCA)and correspondence analysis(CA). The results showed that the contents of components in different growing areas and types(wild and cultivated) reached a significant level(P<0. 05). Baiyu county,Xiaojin county and Ruoergai county had obvious advantages in the accumulation of catechin hydrate,rhien and sensenoside A respectively. The principal component was different in two growing type and the wild environment was conducive to combined anthraquinones accumulation. For active components,normalized planting was better than retail cultivating. Therefore,the effect on the accumulation of chemical components in Rh. tangusticum,should be taken into full account in the selection of the cultural base of Rh. tanguticum. The standardized cultivating is superior to retail cultivating in terms of the accumulation of active ingredients,and standardized planting is inferior to the wild.

Clinical Research on Prevention and Treatment of Respiratory Tract Complications With Acupoint Application After Operation Under General Anesthesia.

There are various respiratory tract complications in patients undergoing general anesthesia, with postoperative sore throat (POST) being the most commonly seen. Although measures have been taken to prevent and treat POST in clinical practice, the control of POST is still not satisfactory. In this study, 880 ASA patients with grade I to II general anesthesia were randomly assigned into control group and experimental group. After patients entered into the operating room, the plasters were applied to the designated points (Tianzhu, Lianquan, Dazhui, etc), and the clinical efficacy of acupoint application in prevention and treatment of respiratory tract complications after general anesthesia was observed. The results showed that patients starting using acupoint application before operation could significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative respiratory tract complications, and the effects lasted for up to 24 hours. In this study, acupoint application was used, providing a simple, safe, efficient, and durable approach to prevent and treat respiratory tract complications after operation under general anesthesia.

Curcumin Reverses 5-Fluorouracil Resistance by Promoting Human Colon Cancer HCT-8/5-FU Cell Apoptosis and Down-regulating Heat Shock Protein 27 and P-Glycoprotein.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential mechanisms that curcumin reverses 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) multidrug resistance (MDR). METHODS: Cell growth and the inhibitory rate of curcumin (2-25 µg/mL) and/or 5-FU (0.05-1000 µg/mL) on human colon cancer HCT-8 and HCT-8/5-FU (5-FU-resistant cell line) were determined using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle after 5-FU and/or curcumin treatment were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The expression of the multidrug resistance related factors p-glycoprotein (P-gp) and heat shock protein 27 (HSP-27) genes and proteins were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting (WB), respectively. RESULTS: The inhibitory rate of curcumin or 5-FU on HCT-8 and HCT-8/5-FU cells proliferation at exponential phase were in a dosedependent manner, HCT-8 cell line was more sensitive to curcumin or 5-FU when compared the inhibitory rate of HCT-8/5-FU. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of combination 5-FU and curcumin (4.0 µg/mL) in HCT-8/5-FU was calculated as 179.26 µg/mL, with reversal fold of 1.85. Another IC50 of combination 5-FU and curcumin (5.5 µg/mL) in HCT-8/5-FU was calculated as 89.25 µg/mL, with reversal fold of 3.71. Synergistic effect of 5-FU and curcumin on HCT-8 and HCT-8/5-FU cells were found. The cell cycle analysis performed by FCM showed that HCT-8 and HCT-8/5-FU cells mostly accumulated at G0/G1 phase, which suggested a synergistic effect of curcumin and 5-FU to induce apoptosis. FCM analysis found that the percentage of apoptosis of cells treated with curcumin, 5-FU and their combination were significantly increased compared to the control group (P<0.05), and the percentage of apoptosis of the combination groups were slightly higher than other groups (P<0.05). The mRNA levels of P-gp (0.28±0.02) and HSP-27 (0.28±0.09) in HCT-8/5-FU cells treated with combination drugs were lower than cells treated with 5-FU alone (P-gp, 0.48±0.07, P=0.009; HSP-27, 0.57±0.10, P=0.007). The protein levels of P-gp (0.25±0.06) and HSP-27 (0.09±0.02) in HCT-8/5-FU cells treated with combination drugs were decreased when compared to 5-FU alone (P-gp, 0.46±0.02, P=0.005; HSP-27, 0.43±0.01, P=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Curcumin can inhibit the proliferation of human colon cancer cells. Curcumin has the ability of reversal effects on the multidrug resistance of human colon cancer cells lines HCT-8/5-FU. Down-regulation of P-gp and HSP-27 may be the mechanism of curcumin reversing the drug resistance of HCT-8/5-FU to 5-FU.

Mechanism study of the transmission of moxibustion heat in human acupoint tissues / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective:To discuss the topical action characteristics of the biological transmission of moxibustion heat via temperature collection and numerical modeling.Methods:Temperature of moxibustion was measured at multiple points at a distance of 3 cm to obtain the moxibustion temperature field nephograms by the high-accuracy temperature measure array.Finite element analysis was used to imitate the three-dimensional dynamic distribution of temperature in acupoint tissues.Results:Through numerical analysis,the one-dimensional,two-dimensional and three-dimensional distributions of temperature in human acupoint tissues at 5 min of moxibustion were established.The result showed that moxibustion heat mainly transmitted from the surface of the tissue to the internal,and the influence of moxibustion heat decreased with the depth of the tissue.The analysis of the nephograms of acupoint tissue temperature at 5,10,15 and 20 min of moxibustion showed that with the increase of the moxibustion time,the temperature in acupoint tissues constantly rose,and the transmission depth of moxibustion heat also further expanded inside acupoint.Conclusion:By establishing the three-dimensional dynamic model of heat transmission inside acupoint tissues with the biological parameters of human tissues and the temperature values obtained,this study used finite element analysis software ANSYS 14.0 and discovered the rules in the transmission of heat in body tissues during moxibustion,and the features in moxibustion heat transmission (from the proximal to the distant) and heat penetration (from the surface to the internal).This study provides theoretical and experimental support for the application of moxibustion in clinical practice.