Effect of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pills () on the Immediate Blood Flow of Patients with Coronary Slow Flow.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the immediate effect and safety of Shexiang Tongxin dropping pills (, STDP) on patients with coronary slow flow (CSF), and furthermore, to explore new evidence for the use of Chinese medicine in treating ischemic chest pain. METHODS: Coronary angiography (CAG) with corrected thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count (CTFC) was applied (collected at 30 frames/s). The treatment group included 22 CSF patients, while the control group included 22 individuals with normal coronary flow. CSF patients were given 4 STDP through sublingual administration, and CAG was performed 5 min after the medication. The immediate blood flow frame count, blood pressure, and heart rate of patients before and after the use of STDP were compared. The liver and kidney functions of patients were examined before and after treatments. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in CTFC between groups (P<0.05). The average CTFC values of the vessels with slow blood flow in CSF patients were, respectively, 49.98 ± 10.01 and 40.42 ± 11.33 before and after the treatment with STDP, a 19.13% improvement. The CTFC values (frame/s) measured before and after treatment at the left anterior descending coronary artery, left circumflex artery, and right coronary artery were, respectively, 48.00 ± 13.32 and 41.80 ± 15.38, 59.00 ± 4.69 and 50.00 ± 9.04, and 51.90 ± 8.40 and 40.09 ± 10.46, giving 12.92%, 15.25%, and 22.76% improvements, respectively. The CTFC values of vessels with slow flow before treatment were significantly decreased after treatment (P<0.05). There were no apparent changes in the heart rate, blood pressure, or liver or kidney function of CSF patients after treatment with STDP (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The immediate effect of STDP in treating CSF patients was apparent. This medication could significantly improve coronary flow without affecting blood pressure or heart rate. Our findings support the potential of Chinese medicine to treat ischemic chest pain.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of the CsSnRK2 family in Camellia sinensis.

The sucrose nonfermenting 1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) genes play central roles in plant stress signal transduction. In this study, 8 SnRK2 genes were identified from the tea plant genome database and named CsSnRK2.1-8. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the CsSnRK2 genes were classifiable into three groups, similar to those of Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa and maize. The coding sequences (CDSs) of all CsSnRK2s were separated by eight introns, and their exon-intron organizations exhibited high similarity to those of other plants. The fluorescence of GFP fused with CsSnRK2.3 was detected in only the cytoplasm, while the rest of the proteins showed GFP signal in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The results of the expression patterns of the CsSnRK2 genes showed that CsSnRK2s were differentially induced by salt, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and abscisic acid (ABA) stress. Interestingly, The expression of CsSnRK2.3 was inhibited by ABA, suggesting the complicated roles of CsSnRK2s in the ABA signal transduction pathway. Some CsSnRK2 gene pairs showed significant expression change correlations under stresses, indicating that CsSnRK2s might exhibit synergistic effects of signal regulation in response to various stresses. In summary, this comprehensive analysis will facilitate further studies of the SnRK2 family of Camellia sinensis and provide useful information for the functional validation of CsSnRK2s.