Yinning Tablet, a hospitalized preparation of Chinese herbal formula for hyperthyroidism, ameliorates thyroid hormone-induced liver injury in rats: Regulation of mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signals

[Qualitative and quantitative analyses of Tripterygium hypoglaucum in Yinning Tablets, a compound traditional Chinese herbal preparation]

OBJECTIVE

To conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses of Tripterygium hypoglaucum in Yinning Tablets, a compound preparation of traditional Chinese herbal medicine.

METHODS

Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was used for qualitative analysis of Tripterygium hypoglaucum in Yining Tablets and the analytical protocols were optimized. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to quantitatively analyze the content of triptolide (the main active ingredient of Tripterygium hypoglaucum) in Yinning Tablets.

RESULTS

The results of TLC analysis showed that the test sample of Yinning Tablets and the positive control samples both produced clear, well separated spots without obvious interference in the blank samples. Assessment of the influences of the thin-layer plates from different manufacturers, temperature and humidity on the test results demonstrated good durability of the test. HPLC analysis of triptolide showed a good linear relationship within the concentration range of 1-100 μg/mL (regression equation: A=22.219C-19.165, r=0.9999); the contents of triptolide in 3 batches of Yinning tablets were 0.34, 0.34, and 0.28 μg per tablet, all within the range of 0.28-0.34 μg per tablet. It was finally determined that each Yinning tablet should not contain more than 0.6 μg of triptolide.

CONCLUSION

TLC and HPLC are simple, accurate, durable and specific for qualitative and quantitative analyses of Tripterygium hypoglaucum in Yinning Tablets.

Targeting Thyroid Hormone/Thyroid Hormone Receptor Axis: An Attractive Therapy Strategy in Liver Diseases

Thyroid hormone/thyroid hormone receptor (TH/TR) axis is characterized by TH with the assistance of plasma membrane transporters to combine with TR and mediate biological activities. Growing evidence suggests that TH/TR participates in plenty of hepatic metabolism. Thus, this review focuses on the role of the TH/TR axis in the liver diseases. To be specific, the TH/TR axis may improve metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and liver injury while exacerbating the progression of acute liver failure and alcoholic liver disease. Also, the TH/TR axis has paradoxical roles in hepatocellular carcinoma. The TH/TR axis may be a prospecting target to cure hepatic diseases.

The effects of thyroid dysfunction on DNA damage and apoptosis in liver and heart tissues of rats

OBJECTIVES

Thyroid hormones affect many enzymes, organs, and systems. They also play a role in complex biological events including development and growth. The main objective of this study was to analyze the effects of thyroid dysfunction on DNA damage and apoptosis in liver and heart tissues as well as the treatment of these disorders.

METHODS

Thirty-eight Wistar-albino male rats were randomly divided into five groups: 1. Control group (n=6): The rats were sacrificed without any application and liver and heart samples were collected. 2. Hypothyroidism group (n=8): Prophyltiouracil (PTU)-10 mg/kg/day was applied to induce hypothyroidism by intraperitoneal route for two weeks. 3. Hypothyroidism + Thyroxine group (n=8): After one week of PTU application (10 mg/kg/day), a high dose of l-thyroxine (1.5 mg/kg/day) was applied by intraperitoneal route for one week. 4. Hyperthyroidism group (n=8): l-thyroxine (0.3 mg/kg/day) was applied intraperitoneally to induce hyperthyroidism for two weeks. 5. Hyperthyroidism + PTU group (n=8): After one week of high dose l-thyroxine application, PTU (10 mg/kg/day) was applied for one week.

RESULTS

Liver and heart tissues were collected to evaluate 8-hydroxy-2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), caspase-8 and caspase-9 levels. Hypothyroidism caused DNA damage in the liver, while hyperthyroidism caused DNA damage in the heart tissue. Hyperthyroidism also led to a significant increase in levels of caspase-8 and caspase-9 in liver tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the study show that DNA damage and caspase levels in the heart and liver are affected differently in experimental hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

A novel and comprehensive strategy for quality control in complex Chinese medicine formula using UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS and UHPLC-MS/MS combined with network pharmacology analysis: Take Tangshen formula as an example

The quality control of Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) is a key concern on the modernization and globalization. However, it is still a difficult task due to its multi-component, multi-target, multi-pathways. This study aims to provide a novel and comprehensive strategy for quality control in complex Chinese medicines (CHM) formulas by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS and UHPLC-MS/MS combined with network pharmacology analysis. Tangshen formula (TSF) was used as an example for complex CHM formulas. The UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS was firstly applied to identify or tentatively assign 85 compounds in TSF. Subsequently, key active compounds for TSF treating diabetic nephropathy (DN) were chose by chemical-target-pathways network in network pharmacology. The results showed that 13 key bioactive compounds against DN including naringin, daidzein, genistein, formononetin, chlorogenic acid, aloe-emodin, nobiletin, tangeritin, ginsenoside Rg1, hesperetin, hesperidin, rhein, and limonin with three high topological features in chemical-target-pathways network were selected as Q-markers for quality control of TSF. Finally, the UHPLC-MS/MS was performed to simultaneously determine the concentrations of 13 Q-markers. And their concentrations were ranged from 11.57 to 3 788 µg·g^-1. It suggested that many key bioactive compounds not only have high contents but also have wide range contents for the quality of complex CHM formulas. This study should be helpful to guide the selection of the Q-markers and provide new strategy for quality control of complex CHM formulas.