Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, continues to be a global concern. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) are an important element of the fight against COVID-19 in China. The combined application of TCMs and conventional medicines in the treatment of COVID-19 has achieved beneficial results, including the resolution of symptoms, prevention of disease progression, and reduced mortality. In this review, we summarize and discuss the current applications of TCMs with respect to COVID-19, as well as update the preclinical and clinical research, including chemical analysis, molecular mechanisms, quality control, drug development, and studies of clinical efficacy. The expectation is that a better understanding of the roles of TCMs against COVID-19 will improve the response to COVID-19, both in China and globally.

Moringa oleifera Lam. (Shigru) (Moringaceae family) is a traditional medicine used for control of diabetes, obesity, asthma, and cardiac, liver, gastrointestinal, infective, and brain disorders, such as depression and Alzheimer's disease. In Ayurvedic literature, Shigru is among few drugs having Balya (nourishing) as well as Medohara (antiobesity) property. This review focuses on valid connections between the properties documented in ancient literature and current pharmacological knowledge of Moringa, including pharmacological actions, phytochemistry, botanical description, and how Moringa can tackle malnutrition in India, especially Chhattisgarh. All information about M. oleifera was obtained from electronic scientific databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, and Indian Traditional Books (Ancient Ayurveda literatures, The Wealth of India, and The Ayurvedic Formulary of India), postgraduate/doctoral thesis, and googling the keyword M. oleifera. M. oleifera have anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, gastroprotective, wound-healing properties and it can potentially tackle malnutrition. This review describes the key information related to botanical description of M. oleifera, phytochemistry, pharmacological actions, clinical studies, toxicological studies, better utilization as food therapeutics, and ethnobotanical and evidence-based comparative review of M. oleifera. M. oleifera can effectively tackle malnutrition in India, especially Chhattisgarh. The authors emphasize the need for future in-depth ethnopharmacological lead-based research and clinical studies to expand M. oleifera pharmacological activities, clinical efficacy, and safety.

Acupuncture has been used to treat ischemic stroke, and mounting evidence demonstrates the neuroprotective and autophagy-mediated actions of electroacupuncture (EA). This review summarizes the evidence that EA affects different stages of autophagy, its neuroprotective action, and effects of different acupoints in treating ischemic stroke. Systematic searches were conducted on English and Chinese databases (MEDLINE, Elsevier, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure). Studies published up until February 2021 were considered for inclusion, and a final of fifty articles were included in this review. There is evidence that acupuncture promotes neuroprotection by modulating autophagy, and the treatment effectiveness is related to the acupoint selection and timing of treatment administration.

The plant is a rich repository of useful secondary metabolites with profound medicinal potential. Saponins, one type of bioactive compound, are amphitheatric glycosides with one and more hydrophilic sugar and hydrophobic steroidal and terpenoid part. The former is known as steroidal saponin, and the latter is called terpenoid saponins. Steroidal saponin is mostly distributed among monocotyledon families such as Asparagaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Smilacaceae, and Liliaceae. Even though it is unusual, it could also be detected to some extent by dicotyledonous angiosperms, such as Plantaginaceae, Zygophyllaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, and Solanaceae. It exhibits diverse pharmacological ability including antimicrobic, anti-inflammatory, cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitory, antiadipogenic, bactericide, cardioprotective, antitumor, antidiabetic, cytotoxic activity, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective. Steroidal saponin timosaponin AIII from Anemarrhena asphodeloides has been found to possess antitumor activity. Diosgenin, another steroidal sapogenin, has the potential of preventing neurological diseases by affecting different signaling pathways, increasing bone formation, and increasing antithrombotic activity. Spicatoside A from Liriope platyphylla possesses anti-inflammatory, antiasthma, and antiosteoclastogenic activities. TTB2 from Trillium tschonoskii exhibits anticancer potential. The cell cycle arrest and ROS-dependent autophagy are induced by polyphyllin I. These diverse biological activities of steroidal saponins are attributed to the variability of their structural features. Analysis of steroidal saponins in plant materials mainly utilizes classically and advances thin layer chromatography (TLC) on normal and reverses-phase (high-performance thin-layer chromatography, densitometric TLC), gas chromatography, LC, UPLC, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), supercritical fluid chromatography, and HPLC coupled to ultraviolet detector and diode array detector. HPLC coupled with MS and Nuclear magnetic resonance is used for online identification of separated saponins. The present review aims to furnish a comprehensive account of the recent advances in analytical methods of determination and medicinal applications of steroidal saponins.

L-tyrosine, an aromatic amino acid, is an important upstream precursor for the synthesis of a series of valuable natural products such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. In recent years, regulation of the L-tyrosine metabolic pathway has been devoted to enhancing the production of L-tyrosine and the derived bioactive compounds in microorganisms, usually by increasing the supply of precursors, blocking competitive routes, and modulating the transport system. Here, we reviewed the strategies to promote L-tyrosine production in microbial hosts and the common strategies to produce bioactive compounds in engineered Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to better understand and utilize the L-tyrosine metabolic pathway for microbial overproduction of diverse valuable aromatic compounds in the future.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a reliable approach to simultaneously quantify 11 markers and explore the quality variation in honey-processed licorice. Materials and Methods: A high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 11 markers (nine flavonoids and two triterpenoid saponins) in honey-processed licorice. The changes to the 11 markers in honey-processed licorice were investigated using an orthogonal design with three input factors. Results: The established method was precise, accurate, and sensitive enough for the simultaneous quantitative evaluation of 11 markers in honey-processed licorice. Intuitive analysis and variance analysis revealed that (1) the soaking time of crude licorice, stir-frying temperature, and stir-frying time remarkably influenced the content of liquiritin apioside, signifying the decomposition of liquiritin apioside to liquiritin or transformation of liquiritin apioside to isoliquiritin apioside, (2) stir-frying temperature significantly influenced licorice-saponin G2, (3) stir-frying temperature was the most important factor of the three input factors, (4) in terms of composition, honey fried licorice had significant effects on two components, namely liquiritin apioside and licorice-saponin G2. Conclusions: Honey processing influenced the content of the 11 licorice analytes differently. This paper highlights the first report on how the quality of honey-processed licorice varies under different processing conditions and suggests the optimal levels of the investigated three factors as A2B2C3 according to the degrees of influence of these factors on the 11 components. Specifically, the soaking time of crude licorice with honey solution, stir-frying temperature, and stir-frying time were 40 min, 100°C, and 20 min, respectively.

Objective: The objective of this study is to systematically review and analyze the efficacy of acupuncture for pain caused by primary liver cancer (PLC). Materials and Methods: We searched databases, including PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Database (VIP), Wanfang, and SinoMed/Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), and retrieved randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used acupuncture as the primary intervention to treat pain caused by PLC. Two investigators then screened the articles, extracted and pooled data, and evaluated the risk of bias of the included articles according to the Cochrane Handbook. RevMan5.3 was used for the meta-analysis of eligible RCTs. Results: A total of 145 articles were retrieved; after screening, 8 RCTs involving 496 patients were eventually included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that acupuncture effectively improved cancer pain and was superior to Western medicine. Moreover, acupuncture was fast-acting for pain relief, prolonged the relief, and prevented relapse. Its adverse reaction rate was also significantly lower than that of Western medicine. No significant difference was observed in Visual Analog Scale score between acupuncture and Western medicine. Conclusion: Acupuncture relieves pain caused by liver cancer and can be used as an adjunct and alternative therapy for drug treatment. The existing research evidence is not yet objective or comprehensive, and more rigorous clinical trials are needed to validate the results.

Traditional Vietnamese Medicine has its own development based on the local endemic herbs, but it also inherits from Traditional Chinese Medicine using Chinese herbal medicines. Throughout the history of cultural exchange between two countries, the adoption of Chinese Danggui, Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels., has been made by Vietnamese traditional medicine practitioners for a long time. However, the acclimatization has never been successful. Japanese Danggui, or Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa, is recently being acclimatized and cultivated in several Vietnamese regions. Despite the huge climate change between the two countries, the herb adapted exquisitely well to the humid tropical climate. However, so far, there are no studies that have evaluated the effect of acclimatization on the overall quality of this medicinal herb. The aim of our study is screening secondary metabolites of this acclimatized herb for new natural compound(s), if any. The analysis of flavonoid fraction from this herb led to the identification of two known compounds which previously have not been isolated from this species elsewhere. This detection showed that the herb has reacted to the new environment.

Background: The root of Tripterygium wilfordii (Tripterygii radix), a natural powerful traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for various diseases treatment, has been used for centuries in the Asian countries as anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) agent, antioxidant agent, and anti-inflammatory agent. Its combination with other herbs in treating RA has been explored. The anti-RA effect of T. wilfordii for cancer treatment has been supported by some evidence. Aims and Objectives: To investigate the anticancer mechanism of T. wilfordii, bioinformatics databases were used to identify its active ingredients. Materials and Methods: Target proteins associated with cancer were determined using a network pharmacology analysis platform, and 25 key active compounds and 55 key targets of T. wilfordii were identified in our study. A common potential mechanism of T. wilfordii involvement in cancer was disclosed by in-depth network analysis of diseases, functions, and pathways. Finally, the analysis results of the TCM-disease target protein interaction network revealed 5 potential targets; subsequently, a total of 30 targets (these 5 targets, as well as 25 previously identified compounds) were subjected to molecular docking. Results: Our results showed that the therapeutic effect of T. wilfordii in cancer is characterized by multiple components, targets, and pathways. The regulation of signaling pathways such as Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus infection, colorectal cancer, small-cell lung cancer, and prostate cancer may be the important pharmacodynamic basis of anticancer therapy. Conclusion: Triptonoditerpenic acid inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in SW480 cells. The mechanism may be related to the downregulation of Bcl-2 expression, upregulation of Bax mRNA expression, and expression inhibition of PTGS2.

Objective: The objective of the study is to combine network pharmacology with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to screen for quality markers (Q-markers) of Inulae Flos and predict mechanism on anti-hepatitis. Materials and Methods: Active ingredient library of Inulae Flos is structured using databases and the literature. “Compound-target-pathway” network on anti-hepatitis and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network are constructed using network pharmacology. Next, chromatographic fingerprints of Inulae Flos in 7 origins are obtained through HPLC, and chemometric analysis is implemented to identify chemical markers, which is combined with network pharmacology to identify Q-markers and detect content. Results: 1,6-O, O-Diacetylbritannilactone, Ivangustin, and Inulanolide A are key ingredients of Inulae Flos to interact with 82 potential targets related to anti-hepatitis. Furthermore, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, and transcription factor AP-1 are the core targets in the PPI network. Chromatographic fingerprints of the Inulae Flos define 20 common peaks and identify 8 peaks using reference substances. Through partial least square discriminant analysis, 7 compounds including caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and 1,6-O, O-Diacetylbritannilactone were main chemical markers for variability. 1,6-O, O-Diacetylbritannilactone is both a key ingredient and exclusive chemical marker. Therefore, 1,6-O, O-diacetylbritannilactone is a Q-marker of Inulae Flos, and the average content is 1.82 mg/g. Conclusion: 1,6-O, O-diacetylbritannilactone is determined to be a Q-marker of Inulae Flos.

Shanghanlun is a classic work in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which systematically discusses diagnosis and treatment ideas based on syndrome differentiation and records a large number of highly practical prescriptions. When Shanghanlun was introduced into Japan along with the communication between China and Japan in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it had a profound influence on the development of Kampo medicine in Japan. By sorting out the works related to Shanghanlun in the medical history literature of Kampo medicine before the Meiji Restoration, this paper discusses the relationship between Shanghanlun and the Koho school of Kampo medicine, as well as the influence of the thought “formula corresponding to pattern identification,” originating from the Koho school, on the development of modern Kampo medicine. The study of Shanghanlun by Kampo medicine nowadays not only attaches great importance to clinical practicality but also has theoretical discussions. It is expected that future medical exchanges between China and Japan will complement each other from the perspectives of both sides and promote the theoretical and clinical development of TCM.

Objective: Haliotidis, the dried muscle of abalone, has long been used as a marine traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) due to its high medicinal and nutritive values, whereas few reports contributed to its quality control. This study aimed to establish the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints of Haliotidis. Materials and Methods: The HPLC fingerprints of Haliotidis, the manufacturing products of dried muscle of abalone, were analyzed by reverse-phase HPLC, using a YMC HPLC C₁₈ column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm). The gradient elution mode was applied with mobile phase starting from 5% acetonitrile and 0.1% phosphoric acid aqueous solution to 100% acetonitrile in 70 min at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was set at 190 nm. Results: Through compared the HPLC fingerprint chromatograms of 14 batches of Haliotidis, 25 peaks were assigned as the characteristic common peaks, of which one index component L-phenylalanine was identified by comparison with its standard substance. The established HPLC fingerprint analysis method of Haliotidis was validated with good precision, repeatability, and stability. Based on the above study, a reference HPLC fingerprint chromatogram of Haliotidis was proposed. Conclusions: It is the first time to establish the HPLC fingerprint chromatogram of TCM Haliotidis, which could contribute to the establishment of its quality control system.