[Construction of database of growth environment of Dao-di herbs].

The Dao-di herbs are recognized as high-quality Chinese medicines with good medicinal properties. The factors of their growth environment affects the quality of Dao-di herbs. Choosing the right place to produce,rationally planting appropriate local medicinal materials,and improving the quality and yield of authentic medicinal materials are prerequisites for ensuring the steady development of Chinese medicine industry. In this paper,a knowledge model of the relationship between organic medicinal materials and growth environment factors was constructed by integrating the dataset of environmental factors of medicinal materials,and a knowledge base was constructed to provide a decision for the study of suitable medicinal materials under different environmental conditions. Based on this,it is expected to provide a platform for further research on the relationship between the medicinal properties of medicinal herbs and environmental factors.

Identification of potential ACAT-2 selective inhibitors using pharmacophore, SVM and SVR from Chinese herbs.

Acyl-coenzyme A cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) plays an important role in maintaining cellular and organismal cholesterol homeostasis. Two types of ACAT isozymes with different functions exist in mammals, named ACAT-1 and ACAT-2. Numerous studies showed that ACAT-2 selective inhibitors are effective for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis. However, as a typical endoplasmic reticulum protein, ACAT-2 protein has not been purified and revealed, so combinatorial ligand-based methods might be the optimal strategy for discovering the ACAT-2 selective inhibitors. In this study, selective pharmacophore models of ACAT-1 inhibitors and ACAT-2 inhibitors were built, respectively. The optimal pharmacophore model for each subtype was identified and utilized as queries for the Traditional Chinese Medicine Database screening. A total of 180 potential ACAT-2 selective inhibitors were obtained, which were identified using an ACAT-2 pharmacophore and not by our ACAT-1 model. Selective SVM model and bioactive SVR model were generated for further identification of the obtained ACAT-2 inhibitors. Ten compounds were finally obtained with predicted inhibitory activities toward ACAT-2. Hydrogen bond acceptor, 2D autocorrelations, GETAWAY descriptors, and BCUT descriptors were identified as key structural features for selectivity and activity of ACAT-2 inhibitors. This study provides a reasonable ligand-based approach to discover potential ACAT-2 selective inhibitors from Chinese herbs, which could help in further screening and development of ACAT-2 selective inhibitors.

[Effect of Manual Acupuncture Intervention on Levels of 5-HTT, 5-HT1AR, NEα2R of Brain Tissues in Rats with Post-stroke Depression].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of manual acupuncture intervention on serotonin transporter (5-HTT), 5-HT 1 A receptor (5-HT1AR), norepinephrine (NE) alpha receptor 2 (NEα2R) protein of brain tissues in rats with post-stroke depression (PSD). METHODS: Forty SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, medication group and acupuncture group, with 10 rats in each. The PSD model was established by the combination of middle cerebral artery occlusion and chronic non- predictable mild stress. Rats of the medication group were treated by gavage of fluoxetine (2 mg/kg, once daily for 21 days), and those of the acupuncture group treated by manual acupuncture stimulation of "Baihui"(GV 20), "Fengfu" (GV 16), bilateral"Shenmen" (HT 7) and "Taichong" (LR 3) for 20 min, once a day for 21 days, with one day's interval between each every 7 days. The animals' neurological deficit was detected by Zea Longa's scaling, and the depression status assessed by sugar solution consumption, and the locomotor activity (crossing and rearing times in 5 min) detected by open-field tests. The contents of 5-HT, NE, acetylcholine (ACh), gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamate (Glu) of the cerebral cortex were detected using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and expression levels of 5-HTT, 5-HT1AR, NEα2R proteins of the hippocampus, raphe nuclei and locus coeruleus(LC) tissues detected using western blotting (EB), respectively. RESULTS: After modeling, the neurological deficit score was significantly increased, while the sugar solution consumption and the locomotor activities (crossi-ng and rearing times in 5 min) were notably decreased (P<0.05, P<0.001). Findings of HPLC and WB indicated that after modeling, the cerebrocortical 5-HT and NE contents and 5-HTT protein expression levels in the hippocampus, raphe nucleus and LC were obviously decreased and the cortical ACh, GABA and Glu contents as well as the expression of 5-HT1AR and NEα2R proteins in the hippocampus, raphe nucleus and LC considerably increased in the model group (P<0.01). Following acupuncture intervention and medication, the increased neurological deficit score, cortical ACh, GABA and Glu contents, and the expression le-vels of 5-HT1AR and NEα2R proteins in the hippocampus, rahpe nucleus and LC, as well as the decreased sugar solution consumption, crossing and rearing times of open field tests, cortical 5-HT and NE contents, as well as cortical 5-HT protein expression were all reversed in both acupuncture and medication groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). No significant differences were found between the acupuncture and medication groups in all the above-mentioned indexes (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture can improve the locomotor function changes in stroke rats with depression after stroke, which may be associated with its effects in suppressing the up-regulated cortical ACh, GABA, Glu contents, the expression levels of 5-HT1AR and NEα2R proteins in the hippocampus, raphe nucleus and LC, and the down-regulated 5-HT and NE contents in the cerebral cortex and 5-HTT protein expression levels in the hippocampus, raphe nucleus and LC.

[Acupuncture and drug for subcortical ischemic vascular disease complicated with depression: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the difference in the efficacy and effect mechanism of subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) complicated with depression between acupuncture and medication. METHODS: Sixty patients were randomized-into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 30 cases in each one. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied to Baihui (GV 20), Shuigou (GV 26), Fengfu (GV 16), Fengchi (GB 20) and the others, once a day, 6 times a week. The treatment of 4 weeks made one session and totally 2 sessions were required. In the medication group, nimodipine 30 mg, three times a day and fluoxetine 20 mg, once a day were prescribed for oral administration, for 8 weeks totally. Before treatment, at the end of the 4th week and at the end of the 8th week of treatment, cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) and solubility CD40 ligand (sCD40L) were determined respectively. The scores in Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) and Hamilton' s depression scale (HAMD) were evaluated in the two groups. The efficacies on cognitive function and depression symptoms were compared in the patients between the two groups. Results Compared with the outcome before treatment, mean blood flow velocity (Vm) of middle cerebral artery (MCA), anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA) was increased significantly at the end of the 4th week of treatment in the two groups (all P<0.05). At the end of the 8th week, Vm was increased much significantly (all P<0.01). The differences were not significant in comparison between the two groups (all P>0.05). Compared with the expression before treatment, sCD40L was reduced significantly after treatment in the patients of the two groups (all P<0.01), but the differ- ence was not significant between the two groups (all P>0.05). Compared with that before treatment, MoCA score was increased significantly after treatment in the two groups (all P<0.01), HAMD score was reduced sig- nificantly (all P<0.01), the differences were not significant in comparison between the two groups (all P>0.05). The total effective rate of cognitive improvement was 86.7% (26/30) in the acupuncture group and was 80.0% (24/30) in the medication group, the differences were not significant in comparison of the two groups (P>0.05). The total effective rate of the improvement in depression was 93.3% (21/30) in the acupuncture group and was 86.7% (26/30) in the medication group, the differences were not significant in comparison of the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture could significantly increases CBFV and reduces serum sCD40L expressions in the patients of SIVD complicated with depression, and significantly improves cognitive function and relieves depression symptoms. The efficacy of it is similar to that of western medication. The increase of serum sCD40L expression is possibly involved in the occurrence and development of SIVD. Reducing sCD40L expression contributes to the alleviation of damage induced by cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.

[Effect of nape cluster-acupuncture treatment on brain microcirculation in ischemic stroke rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of nape cluster-acupuncture treatment on blood microcirculation of the cerebral piamater and the whole blood viscosity in cerebral ischemia (CI) rats so as to study its mechanism underlying improvement of CI. METHODS: Eighty male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to false operation group, CI model group, medication group and acupuncture group (n = 20). CI model was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery with intraluminal suture-ball blocking method. For rats of the nape cluster-acupuncture group, acupuncture needles were inserted into "Fengfu" (GV 16), "Yamen" (GV 15), "Xia-naohu" (GV 17), "Fengchi" (GB 20), and the points of evenly divided into three parts between GV 16 and GB 20 respectively, and rotated for 1 min, then retained for 15 min, once a day, for 14 sessions. Rats of the medication group were given with intragatric perfusion of nimodipine (12 mL/kg), once daily for 14 days. The blood microcirculation of the brain was detected by using a laser Doppler flowmeter with the probe put near the surface of cerebral piamater. The whole blood viscosity was determined using a blood rheological automatic detector. RESULTS: In comparison with the false operation group, the blood flow volume of the cerebral piamater was remarkably decreased and the whole blood viscosity level significantly increased in the model group (P < 0.01). In comparison with the model group, the blood flow volume of the cerebral piamater was obviously increased and the whole blood viscosity apparently decreased in both the acupuncture and medication groups (P < 0.01). The effects of acupuncture were obviously better than those of the medication in upregulating blood flow volume and in lowering whole blood viscosity (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The nape cluster acupuncture treatment has a favorable role in improving brain microcirculation by raising blood flow volume and reducing blood viscosity in ischemic stroke rats.