Medicine-food herb: Angelica sinensis, a potential therapeutic hope for Alzheimer's disease and related complications

The Janus face of HIF-1α in ischemic stroke and the possible associated pathways

Stroke is the most devastating disease, causing paralysis and eventually death. Many clinical and experimental trials have been done in search of a new safe and efficient medicine; nevertheless, scientists have yet to discover successful remedies that are also free of adverse effects. This is owing to the variability in intensity, localization, medication routes, and each patient's immune system reaction. HIF-1α represents the modern tool employed to treat stroke diseases due to its functions: downstream genes such as glucose metabolism, angiogenesis, erythropoiesis, and cell survival. Its role can be achieved via two downstream EPO and VEGF strongly related to apoptosis and antioxidant processes. Recently, scientists paid more attention to drugs dealing with the HIF-1 pathway. This review focuses on medicines used for ischemia treatment and their potential HIF-1α pathways. Furthermore, we discussed the interaction between HIF-1α and other biological pathways such as oxidative stress; however, a spotlight has been focused on certain potential signalling contributed to the HIF-1α pathway. HIF-1α is an essential regulator of oxygen balance within cells which affects and controls the expression of thousands of genes related to sustaining homeostasis as oxygen levels fluctuate. HIF-1α's role in ischemic stroke strongly depends on the duration and severity of brain damage after onset. HIF-1α remains difficult to investigate, particularly in ischemic stroke, due to alterations in the acute and chronic phases of the disease, as well as discrepancies between the penumbra and ischemic core. This review emphasizes these contrasts and analyzes the future of this intriguing and demanding field.

Research Progress in Pharmacological Effects and Mechanisms of Angelica sinensis against Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases

Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (A. sinensis) is a medicinal and edible values substance, which could promote blood circulation and enrich blood. It possesses rich chemical components and nutrients, which have significant therapeutic effects on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is commonly used for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in the elderly, especially in improving ischemic damage to the heart and brain, protecting vascular cells, and regulating inflammatory reactions. This article reviews the main pharmacological effects and clinical research of A. sinensis on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in recent years, explores the effect of its chemical components on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by regulating the expression of functional proteins and inhibiting inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and antioxidant mechanisms. It provides a reference for further research on A. sinensis and the development of related drugs. It provides a new reference direction for the in-depth research and application of A. sinensis in the prevention, improvement, and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology to reveal the lipid-lowering mechanisms of Qizha Shuangye granules in hyperlipidemic rats

BACKGROUND

Qizha Shuangye granules (QSG) comprise six traditional Chinese herbal medicines (TCHMs), which have a long history of treating hyperlipidemia (HLP) in China. This study aimed to evaluate the potential lipid-lowering effects of QSG in an HLP rat model and investigate possible mechanisms. The HLP rat model was induced by a high-fat diet. Lipid-related indicators in serum were detected. Serum and liver metabolites were investigated using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach. A herb-compound-target-metabolite (H-C-T-M) network was further constructed to reveal the possible molecular mechanism of QSG to alleviate HLP.

RESULTS

The administration of QSG inhibited the HLP-induced changes in total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels. Additionally, QSG significantly attenuated the liver histopathological changes induced by HLP. Metabolomic analysis showed the serum and liver metabolic disorders presented in HLP rats. QSG can reverse the abnormal metabolism caused by HLP. Through network pharmacology analysis, key proteins such as androgen receptor, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α were screened out, and they were speculated to be possible therapeutic targets for QSG to treat HLP.

CONCLUSION

The present study integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology analysis to reveal the efficacy and possible mechanism of QSG in treating HLP, which provides a new reference for the research and development of QSG as a functional food. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

A comprehensive review of the classical prescription Yiguan Jian: Phytochemistry, quality control, clinical applications, pharmacology, and safety profile

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Yiguan Jian (YGJ) is a classical prescription, which employs 6 kinds of medicinal herbs including Rehmanniae Radix, Lycii Fructus, Angelicae sinensis Radix, Glehniae Radix, Ophiopogonis Radix, and Toosendan Fructus. YGJ decoction is originally prescribed in Qing Dynasty (1636 CE ∼ 1912 CE) in China, and is commonly used to treat liver diseases. There remain abundant literature investigating YGJ decoction from multiple aspects, but few reviews summarized the research and gave a precise definition, which impedes further applications and commercialization of YGJ decoction.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

The aim of this review is to provide comprehensive descriptions of YGJ decoction, tackling with issues in the research and development of YGJ decoction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The literature and clinical reports were obtained from the databases including Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science Periodical Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and SinoMed since 2000. The phytochemical characteristics, quality control, pharmaceutical forms, clinical position, pharmacological effects, and toxic events of YGJ decoction were included for analysis.

RESULT

This review firstly summarized the progress of the chemical existences of YGJ decoction and discussed the advanced methods in monitoring quality of YGJ decoction and its herbal ingredients, particularly in the form of granules. Whilst this review aims to identify the pharmacological actions and clinical impacts of YGJ decoction, the medicinal materials that could provide these benefits were observed in the remaining herbs to exert the anti-fibrotic effects, anti-inflammatory activities, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic effects, and to universally treat liver and gastric diseases. This review provided supplementary descriptions on the safety issues, especially in Glehniae Radix and Toosendan Fructus, to define the alterations between hepatoprotective activities and unclear toxics in YGJ decoction application.

CONCLUSIONS

Our comprehensively organized review discussed the chemical characteristics and the research in altering or identifying these essences. The effects of YGJ decoction on the non-clinical and clinical tests exert the good management of sophisticated diseases. In this review, current issues are discussed to inform and inspire subsequent research of YGJ decoction and other classical prescriptions.

Senkyunolide B exhibits broad-spectrum antifungal activity against plant and human pathogenic fungi via inhibiting spore germination and destroying the mature biofilm

BACKGROUND

Aspergillus infection seriously jeopardizes the health and safety of life of immunocompromised patients. The emergences of antifungal resistance highlight a demand to find new effective antifungal drugs. Angelica sinensis is a medicine-food herb and phthalides are its characteristic components. A few of the phthalides have been reported to display satisfactory antifungal activities against plant pathogenic fungi. However, the structure-activity relationships and antifungal action mechanism of phthalides remain to be further explored and elucidated.

RESULTS

The antifungal activities of five natural phthalides and four artificial analogs were investigated, and their structure-activity relationships were preliminarily elucidated in the current study. The benzene ring moiety played an essential role in their antifungal activities; the oxygen-containing substituents on the benzene ring obviously impacted their activities, the free hydroxyl was favorable to the activity. Typical phthalide senkyunolide B (SENB) exhibited broad antifungal activities against human and plant pathogenic fungi, especially, Aspergillus fumigatus. SENB affected the spore germination and hyphae growth of Aspergillus fumigatus via down-regulating phosphatidylinositol-PKC-calcineurin axis and the expression of ENG genes. Moreover, SENB disturbed the oxidation-reduction process in Aspergillus fumigatus to destroy the mature biofilms. In vivo experiments indicated SENB significantly prolonged survival and decreased fungal burden in mouse model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Phthalides could be considered as the valuable leads for the development of antifungal drug to cure plant and human disease. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Multi-level advances in databases related to systems pharmacology in traditional Chinese medicine: a 60-year review

The therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) involve intricate interactions among multiple components and targets. Currently, computational approaches play a pivotal role in simulating various pharmacological processes of TCM. The application of network analysis in TCM research has provided an effective means to explain the pharmacological mechanisms underlying the actions of herbs or formulas through the lens of biological network analysis. Along with the advances of network analysis, computational science has coalesced around the core chain of TCM research: formula-herb-component-target-phenotype-ZHENG, facilitating the accumulation and organization of the extensive TCM-related data and the establishment of relevant databases. Nonetheless, recent years have witnessed a tendency toward homogeneity in the development and application of these databases. Advancements in computational technologies, including deep learning and foundation model, have propelled the exploration and modeling of intricate systems into a new phase, potentially heralding a new era. This review aims to delves into the progress made in databases related to six key entities: formula, herb, component, target, phenotype, and ZHENG. Systematically discussions on the commonalities and disparities among various database types were presented. In addition, the review raised the issue of research bottleneck in TCM computational pharmacology and envisions the forthcoming directions of computational research within the realm of TCM.

Comparative study on Angelica sinensis after different processing with yellow rice wine in color, aromas, chemical components, and antioxidant activities

This study aimed to explore the differences in raw Angelica Sinensis (RAS), wine washing AS (WAS), and wine stir-frying AS (WSAS). The results showed there were differences among the three AS in color and aroma, and 34 aroma compounds were identified. The content determination results revealed the ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide levels of RAS decreased after processing, and those in WAS were higher than in WSAS. Furthermore, 85 representative common components and 37 unique components were tentatively identified in three AS. Finally, the free radical scavenging assay results indicated the antioxidant capacity of RAS was reduced after processing, and the antioxidant capacity of WAS was better than WSAS. Collectively, the RAS undergoes significant changes in color, aromas, components, and antioxidant ability after processing, and the different processing methods also result in significant differences between WAS and WSAS.

Rapid screening of active ingredients and action mechanisms of Ecliptae Herba for treating Alzheimer's disease by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS and "component-target-pathway" network

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease. The drugs widely used in clinic are mainly single-target drugs for symptomatic treatment, which can only alleviate symptoms to a certain extent. Ecliptae Herba (EH) is considered a potential therapeutic drug for AD due to its neuroprotective effects. Although EH has a clear anti-AD effect, the material basis and mechanism remain unclear. Therefore, we adopted an efficient analytical technique, namely ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS), combined with "component-target-pathway" network to explore the active components and potential mechanisms of EH in treating AD. Due to the high sensitivity of UPLC-Q-TOF/MS, a total of 50 components were identified in EH. Among them, 20 and 12 compounds were found in plasma and brain samples, respectively. The network pharmacology analysis revealed that apigenin, luteolin, ecliptasaponin A, chlorogenic acid, wedelolactone, and quercetin were the active components, which could affect the serotonergic synapse, calcium and cAMP signaling pathways by regulating related targets such as EGFR, PRKCA, BRAF and ERBB2. This study clarified that EH can exert anti-AD effect through multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway characteristics. Furthermore, it offers a good foundation for further in-depth research on the anti-AD effects of EH, and provides a valuable approach for the rapid screening of active components and potential mechanisms of other medicinal plants, potentially bringing changes to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders.

Effect of different cooking methods on saponin content and hematopoietic effects of Panax notoginseng-steamed chicken on mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Panax notoginseng-steamed chicken (PNSC) is a medicinal food with ethnic characteristics developed by the Miao ethnic group in the southeast of Yunnan Province, China. PNSC has been eaten for hundreds of years, and its tonic effect has been widely recognized by the people. However, its cooking conditions and scientific connotation of its effect of toning blood and supplementing deficiency are also lack of in-depth analysis.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To optimize the cooking conditions of Panax notoginseng-steamed chicken (PNSC) and to explore its anemia-improving effects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The ratio of P. notoginseng (PN) to chicken and the steaming time were systematically altered, and the PNSC cooking conditions was optimized with the response surface method. By establishing animal models of postpartum blood-deficiency anemia, acute hemorrhagic anemia and myelosuppressive anemia, the blood replenishing effect of PNSC was explored, and the blood replenishing mechanism of PNSC on myelosuppressive anemia was revealed by immunoblotting analyses and histopathological sectioning.

RESULTS

The optimal processing conditions included a ratio of chicken to P. notoginseng of 100:5 and a steaming time of 5.5 h. The amounts of P. notoginseng polysaccharides (PNPS), total protein and blood-enriching P. notoginseng saponins were 44.3 mg/g, 2.48% and 2.04%, respectively. Freeze-dried powder of P. notoginseng steamed chicken soup (FPSC) was found to promote the recovery of routine blood factors and organ indexes in the three models of anemia and to activate the JAK2-STAT5 signaling pathway, induce phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT5 and normalize the secretion of hematopoietic regulators EPO, IL-3, and TNF-α.

CONCLUSION

FPSC improves the symptoms of anemia in mice, and it plays a role in tonifying blood by activating the JAK2-STAT5 signaling pathway and altering the expression of hematopoiesis-related factors.

Potential herb‒drug interactions between anti-COVID-19 drugs and traditional Chinese medicine

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread worldwide. Effective treatments against COVID-19 remain urgently in need although vaccination significantly reduces the incidence, hospitalization, and mortality. At present, antiviral drugs including Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir (Paxlovid^TM), Remdesivir, and Molnupiravir have been authorized to treat COVID-19 and become more globally available. On the other hand, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for the treatment of epidemic diseases for a long history. Currently, various TCM formulae against COVID-19 such as Qingfei Paidu decoction, Xuanfei Baidu granule, Huashi Baidu granule, Jinhua Qinggan granule, Lianhua Qingwen capsule, and Xuebijing injection have been widely used in clinical practice in China, which may cause potential herb-drug interactions (HDIs) in patients under treatment with antiviral drugs and affect the efficacy and safety of medicines. However, information on potential HDIs between the above anti-COVID-19 drugs and TCM formulae is lacking, and thus this work seeks to summarize and highlight potential HDIs between antiviral drugs and TCM formulae against COVID-19, and especially pharmacokinetic HDIs mediated by metabolizing enzymes and/or transporters. These well-characterized HDIs could provide useful information on clinical concomitant medicine use to maximize clinical outcomes and minimize adverse and toxic effects.

Improving Chuanxiong Rhizoma quality standards using an effect-constituent index based bioassay

Chuanxiong Rhizoma is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that is used to promote blood circulation. We set out to improve Chuanxiong Rhizoma quality standards using a bioassay-based Effect-constituent Index (ECI). We performed high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis to determine the chemical constituents of 10 Chuanxiong Rhizoma samples from different locations. We then constructed a direct bioassay method to investigate each sample's antiplatelet aggregation effects. To screen for active ingredients that promote antiplatelet aggregation, we carried out Pearson correlation analyses between biopotency and compounds identified in the HPLC data. We developed an ECI of platelet aggregation inhibition using a multi-indicator synthetic evaluation method based on the integration of biopotency and active constituents. To further assess the biopotency-based Chuanxiong Rhizoma quality evaluation result accuracy, we compared the ECI with the chemical indicator' method. Eight common chemical fingerprints peaks indicated notable content variation among samples. Biological evaluation showed that all 10 samples could inhibit platelet aggregation, although they had significantly different biological potencies. Using spectrum-effect relationships, we determined that Ligustilide was the significant active constituent responsible for antiplatelet aggregation. Using correlation analysis, we found that ECI correlated with the Chuanxiong Rhizoma extract's platelet aggregation inhibitory effect. Additionally, ECI proved to be a good indicator of Chuanxiong Rhizoma quality, whereas chemical indicators failed to distinguish and predict the biopotency-based quality grade. This work indicates that ECI is a useful tool for associating sample quality with chemical markers linked to TCM clinical effects. ECI also provides a paradigm for improving the quality control of other TCMs that invigorate blood circulation.

Volatile flavour identification and odour complexity of radix Angelicae sinensis by electronic nose, integrated gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry

INTRODUCTION

Radix Angelicae sinensis (Danggui, DG) is known as one of the typical traditional Chinese medicines. DG material consists of a variety of volatile substances, polysaccharides, organic acids, ceramides, amino acids, vitamins, microelements, among others, and thus has been used for medicinal and edible purposes in a long history. The fragrance is of importance to assessing the DG material quality.

OBJECTIVES

This study was to determine volatile flavour compositions of DG materials and to reveal the odour complexity.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Electronic nose (E-nose), integrated gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry (GC-MS/O) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF-MS), combined with solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME), were mainly used to address the flavour complexity of DG materials.

RESULTS

Using the E-nose sensor responses, a total of 105 batches of DG samples cultivated in six provinces of China were categorised according to their odour differentiations, and a principal component analysis (PCA) model was established for evaluating the sample quality through a combination of Hotelling's T² and Q-residual values in a statistical quantitative sense. By the GC-MS/O and GC × GC-TOF-MS analyses, 196 volatile flavour compounds were identified, 51 odour-active areas discerned and 39 odourants determined. It was terpenes and aromatics of the flavour compounds that mainly contributed to the odour attributes of DG herb.

CONCLUSION

The SPME-GC × GC-TOF-MS method was the first time employed to analyse the volatile flavours of DG materials, and thus made a breakthrough in determining 196 flavour compounds, much more than those in any previous report. The work also made a significant step forward to link the flavour compositions and odour complexity of radix Angelicae sinensis by E-nose and GC-MS/O techniques. It not only provided a statistical PCA model that did not depend on any predetermined compositions or sensory properties for, but also a comprehensive insight into the quality evaluation of DG materials.

Sustainable extraction of ligustilide and ferulic acid from Angelicae Sinensis Radix, for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development envisions a rational use of energy and resources in all technological processes. However, in the extraction methods of compounds from medicinal plants and herbs, there is an urgent to reduce the use of organic solvents and increase the energy efficiency of these methods. Therefore, a sustainable extraction method (enzyme and ultrasonic co-assisted aqueous two-phase extraction, EUA-ATPE) of simultaneous extraction and separation of ferulic acid and ligustilide from Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR) was developed by integrating enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) with ultrasonic-assisted aqueous two-phase extraction (UAE- ATPE). The effects of different enzymes, extraction temperature, pH, ultrasonic time, liquid-to-materials ratio, etc., were optimized by single-factor experiments and central composite design (CCD). Under the optimum conditions, the highest comprehensive evaluation value (CEV) and extraction yield were obtained by EUA-ATPE. Furthermore, recovery (R), partition coefficient (K), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that enzyme and ultrasonic treatment improved mass transfer diffusion and increased the degree of cell disruption. Besides, the EUA-ATPE extracts have shown great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. Finally, compared to different extraction methods, EUA-ATPE achieved higher extraction efficiency and higher energy efficiency due to the synergistic effect between EAE and UAE-ATPE. Therefore, the EUA-ATPE provides a sustainable method for extracting bioactive compounds from medicinal plants and herbs, contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including SDG-6, SDG-7, SDG-9, SDG-12, and SDG-15.