[Production and quality control of original herbal materials of Danhong Injection]

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for residents in China. Danhong Injection(DHI) decoction piece is prepared from Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos, with the function of promoting the blood circulation, removing the blood stasis, relaxing the sinews and dredging the collaterals. In recent years, about 100 million bottles of DHI have been sold. Consequently, its safety and effectiveness are very important to a large number of patients. Raw materials are the source and foundation for production of traditional Chinese medicine injections. In this article, we reviewed the identification of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos, resource distribution, cultivation, quality control, and detection of xenobiotic pollutants, in order to guide the production of high-quality, stable, and pollution-free raw materials. This will be a benefit in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of DHI and reducing the incidence of adverse reactions from the raw materials. By comparing the similarities and differences between the quality standards of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Carthami Flos and DHI, we provided some comments for improving the quality standards and post-marketing reevaluation of DHI, and provided some theoretical supports for the production of high-quality herbal raw materials.

Therapeutic Potential of Hydroxysafflor Yellow A on Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases

The incidence rate of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs) is increasing worldwide, causing an increasingly serious public health burden. The pursuit of new promising treatment options is thus becoming a pressing issue. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is one of the main active quinochalcone C-glycosides in the florets of Carthamus tinctorius L., a medical and edible dual-purpose plant. HSYA has attracted much interest for its pharmacological actions in treating and/or managing CCVDs, such as myocardial and cerebral ischemia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, vascular dementia, and traumatic brain injury, in massive preclinical studies. In this review, we briefly summarized the mode and mechanism of action of HSYA on CCVDs based on these preclinical studies. The therapeutic effects of HSYA against CCVDs were presumed to reside mostly in its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective roles by acting on complex signaling pathways.

[Nature-effect relationship research of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos based on nature combination]

Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos are commonly traditional Chinese medicines with invigorating blood circulation and eliminating blood stasis,but they are different in effects due to differences in five tastes and four properties. In this study,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos are selected as research vectors to obtain the active ingredients and targets through TCMD,TCMSP database and Ch EMBL database. The protein interaction information of the target is used to obtain from STRING online database,then imported into Cytoscape software to plot the protein interaction network and perform GO enrichment analysis.The results show that the heart-liver protein interaction network,involving blood circulation and hepatic lipid metabolism,thereby exerting the effect of activating blood circulation. The cold-bitter protein interaction network involves the biological process of vasoconstriction,thereby exerting cooling blood and the efficacy of eliminating phlegm. The warm-pungent protein interaction network involves blood coagulation,lipid metabolism and other biological processes to play the role of phlegm pain. Through analysis,it is found that the relationship between pharmacological efficacy and medicinal properties has a certain degree of specificity,which facilitates the subsequent scientific and systematic study of medicinal properties on the basis of this study.

[Network pharmacology-based study on mechanisms of Danhong Injection in treatment of aspirin resistance]

This paper aims to discuss the potential targets,pathways and possible mechanisms of Danhong Injection in treatment of aspirin resistance by using network pharmacology concept and network analysis technique. Active ingredients and potential targets of Danhong Injection were collected from TCMSP database and the ingredients were further screened based on their topological characteristics. The active ingredients with nodal degree of freedom≥9 were selected as the main active ingredients. Targets related to aspirin resistance were collected from Genecards database. Drug-active ingredient-target-disease network was constructed by using Cytoscape3. 7. 0,and Funrich 3. 1. 3 software was used for gene enrichment analysis. Sixty main active ingredients were screened out from 110 active ingredients of Danhong Injection,including 51 ingredients in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and 11 ingredients in Carthami Flos,2 of which were both in Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Carthami Flos. In addition,159 potential targets were collected. The results of gene enrichment analysis showed that Danhong Injection could improve aspirin resistance mainly through21 pathways involving coagulation process,inflammatory response and metabolism. This study revealed the effects of Danhong Injection for improving aspirin resistance in multi-component,multi-target and multi-pathway means mainly through regulation in coagulation process,inflammatory response and metabolism,providing more abundant information and basis for subsequent research and experimental work.

Preclinical evaluations on the efficacy of a topical Chinese herbal formula for swelling control and pain relief

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Patients suffering from musculoskeletal pain and swellings occupy many hospital beds and demand many rehabilitation facilities. Chinese Medicine is offering many alternatives to ameliorate pain and swelling. However, evidence-based scientific publications supporting their efficacy on pain relief are inadequate. The in vitro and in vivo efficacy of a topical use Chinese herbal bath formula (HB) on anti-inflammation and swelling control was studied.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The therapeutic mechanisms of HB were studied in vitro via anti-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic assays on RAW264.7 and HUVEC cells, respectively. Fibroblast proliferation was also studied with Hs27 cells. The in vivo angiogenic effect of HB was also studied using zebrafish model, while its efficacy of in vivo anti-Inflammation and swelling control were investigated using rat paw edema model. The affected paw was treated by immersing it in the HB or distilled water as control. The sensation of pain, change in paw thickness and inflammation marker in serum were analyzed.

RESULTS

In the anti-inflammation assay, HB significantly inhibited nitrite release from RAW264.7 by 47.6% at 800 μg/ml. In the pro-angiogenic assays, it reduced wound area in HUVEC by 8.2% and increased tube formation of HUVEC by 11.5% at 300 μg/ml. HB also stimulated Hs27 proliferation up to 23.5% at 1200 μg/ml. It showed in vivo pro-angiogenic effect by increasing the mean sprout number in the embryos of zebrafish by 2.4 folds. The in vivo therapeutic effects of HB on edema was illustrated by the significant longer thermal withdrawal latency and thinner paw thickness compared with control. After 14 days of treatment, HB also reduced the IL-6 concentration in the serum of rat by 20.9% significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that HB is effective for swelling control and pain relief from edema due to its anti-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic properties.

Pro-angiogenic effects of Carthami Flos whole extract in human microvascular endothelial cells in vitro and in zebrafish in vivo

AIM

Carthami Flos (CF) is a Chinese herb traditionally used for cardiovascular disease and bone injury in China with pharmacological effects on improving blood circulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the angiogenic potential of CF whole extract (extracted by boiling with water, followed by ethanol) and the underlying mechanisms in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) in vitro and in transgenic TG(fli1:EGFP)(y1)/+(AB) zebrafish with transgenic endothelial cells expressing EGFP (Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein) in vivo.

METHODS

Effects of CF whole extract on cell proliferation, migration and tube formation in HMEC-1 cells in vitro were detected by MTT assay, wound healing assay and tube formation assay. Its angiogenic effect in zebrafish was investigated by monitoring the sprout number in the sub-intestinal vessel (SIV), and the underlying mechanisms were tested by quantitative real-time PCR.

RESULTS

CF whole extract increased cell proliferation, migration and tube formation in vitro in HMEC-1 cells. Its angiogenic effect was also confirmed in vivo in zebrafish by increasing the sprout number in the SIV. As determined by quantitative real-time PCR, CF whole extract up-regulated the expression of angiogenesis-related genes in zebrafish, including angiogenic and its associated growth factors and receptors (e.g. IGF1, CTGF, NRP2, and VEGFR3), transcription factor (e.g. HIF1A), matrix degradation and endothelial cell migration-related factors (e.g. MMP2, MMP9, TIMP2, PLG and PLAU), cell adhesion molecules (e.g. ITGAV, ITGB3, beta-catenin and PECAM1), tubule formation factors (e.g. ANGPT1, TIE-2, PDGFR-B, CDH5, S1PR1, FGF2, Shh, and TGFRB1), and blood vessel maturation/formation factor (e.g. Ephrin B2).

CONCLUSIONS

CF whole extract increased angiogenesis in HMEC-1 cells in vitro and in zebrafish in vivo with multiple mechanisms.

Carthami Flos suppresses neutrophilic lung inflammation in mice, for which nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-1 is required

Carthami Flos (CF) is used in traditional Asian medicine to treat blood stagnation and its associated diseases in patients. While the underlying mechanism for this effect remains unknown, CF has been reported to activate Nrf2, a transcription factor that is critical in protecting from various inflammatory lung diseases including acute lung injury (ALI). Here, we examined whether CF has a therapeutic effect on lung inflammation and assessed the impact of Nrf2 on the effect of CF using an ALI mouse model. Treatment of bone marrow derived macrophages with standardized aqueous extract of CF (AECF) activated Nrf2, resulting in the expression of Nrf2 dependent genes including GCLC, NQO-1 and HO-1. While intranasal LPS treatment of wild type mice resulted in neutrophilic infiltration and a concomitant expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes in the lung, the hallmarks of ALI, an intratracheal spraying of AECF to the lung 2h after LPS treatment suppressed the inflammatory response. By contrast, similar treatment in nrf2(-/-) mice with AECF failed to attenuate the inflammatory response. Thus, our results show that AECF attenuated neutrophilic lung inflammation in mice, which required Nrf2. Since AECF administration abrogates lung inflammation after LPS treatment, we propose CF as a potential therapeutics in the management of ALI.

Chemotherapeutic activities of Carthami Flos and its reversal effect on multidrug resistance in cancer cells

Multidrug-resistance (MDR) represents a major cause of failure in cancer chemotherapy. The need for a reduction in MDR by natural-product-based drugs of low toxicity led to the current investigation of applying medicinal herbs in future cancer adjuvant therapy. Carthami Flos (CF), the dried flower of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), is one of the most popular traditional Chinese medicinal herbs used to alleviate pain, increase circulation, and reduce blood-stasis syndrome. The drug resistance index of the total extract of CF in MDR KB-V1 cells and its synergistic effects with other chemotherapeutic agents were studied. SRB cell viability assays were used to quantify growth inhibition after exposure to single drug and in combinations with other chemotherapeutic agents using the median effect principle. The combination indexes were then calculated according to the classic isobologram equation. The results revealed that CF showed a drug resistance index of 0.096. In combination with other chemotherapeutic agents, it enhanced their chemo-sensitivities by 2.8 to 4.0 folds and gave a general synergism in cytotoxic effect. These results indicate that CF could be a potential alternative adjuvant antitumour herbal medicine representing a promising approach to the treatment of some malignant and MDR cancers in the future.