Background: Sepsis is one of the most serious complications and a leading cause of death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In general, it is the result of an unregulated inflammatory cascade such as a postinfection “cytokine storm.” The conventional treatment mainly relies on glucocorticoids, of which curative effects are not ideal, as they come with significant side effects. It is critical to seek or develop other effective therapeutics in dealing cytokine storm to fight COVID-19 with sepsis. Aims and Objectives: Raise awareness of the significance applying anti-inflammatory acupuncture in dealing COVID-19 patients with sepsis and provide an appropriate acupuncture protocol that can be easily integrated into existing medical guideline. Materials and Methods: Current evidences from animal experiments and clinical trials about acupuncture in treating infectious sepsis are reviewed, and a detailed discussion on advantages of anti-inflammatory acupuncture is followed, then the rationality on the point selection and stimulation parameters of acupuncture is analyzed to propose an appropriate acupuncture protocol. Results: Current experiments have shown that acupuncture can play a significant role to improve inflammation reaction and reduce mortality in infectious animal and patients with sepsis and its mechanisms are mainly achieved by stimulating the vagus-cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways. Applying acupuncture in treating COVID-19 patients with sepsis has four aspects of advantages. Moreover, a simple and convenient clinical acupuncture protocol including point selection and appropriate stimulation parameters is proposed. Conclusion: Acupuncture, especially electroacupuncture, has shown potentials in effectively treating infectious sepsis of animal models and critically ill patients in small sample studies by stimulating the nervous system, but has been largely overlooked in the clinic so far. It is advised that acupuncture should be integrated into the existing medical guidelines in dealing with COVID-19 complicated with sepsis.

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Objective: Kigelia africana, a tropical tree, which has long been used in African traditional medicine. The objective of the current study has been identifying the constituents of K. africana and verifying its utilities in traditional medicine. Materials and Methods: The methanol extract of K. africana fruits was subjected to chromatographic fractionation utilizing different techniques. The methanol extract together with the isolated compounds were tested for their bioactivities in a series of cell-based assays. Results: The current work led to isolation and characterization of nine constituents including iridoid glycosides, phenylpropanoid derivatives, and a eucommiol derivative. The hexanes extract caused inhibition of the opportunistic yeast; Cryptococcus neoformans Pinh. The chloroform extract exhibited substantial antileishmanial activity of Leishmania donovani. Verminoside (1) showed weak inhibition of the CB1, CB2, and Kappa opioid receptors. Compound 4 exhibited weak inhibition of the Kappa and Mu opioid receptors. The hexanes and the chloroform extracts of K. africana exhibited inhibitory activity against the pathogenic parasite Trypanosoma brucei. The ethyl acetate extract showed the same activity. Conclusions: This is the first report on the isolation of coniferyl 4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7), a eucommiol derivative (crescentin IV) (6), and 6-feruloylcatalpol (4) from the genus Kigelia. It is also the first report on the separation of ajugol (2), catalpol (3), and specioside (5) from the fruits of K. africana. Revision of the ¹H and ¹³C-NMR spectra of 6-feruloylcatalop (4) and 6-p-hydroxycinnamoylcatalpol (5, specioside) is described. Further, the results of the in vitro assays corroborate the traditional utility of this plant in medicine.

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Herbal medicines, including traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), have been used in Eastern countries for treating diseases such as cancer for thousands of years. With the growing knowledge of tumorigenesis and cancer therapy, some natural compounds have been developed as clinical anticancer drugs. In addition, many compounds and TCMs have been characterized as complementary and alternative treatments, with synergetic effects on enhancing the efficacy or reducing the side effects of the therapeutics. In this review, we summarized the recent studies focusing on the combination of natural compounds or TCM decoction with chemotherapeutics. The detailed mechanisms of action of the combinations and the application of analytical methods on TCM development are also discussed.

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The objective of this study is to summarize the pharmacological effects and the mechanisms of action of Xiao Chai Hu Tang (XCHT, Minor Bupleurum Decoction) on liver diseases, so as to give relevant researchers a valuable insight and benefit patients with hepatopathy. PubMed was used to search for and collect scientific publications related to XCHT and liver diseases from 1986 to 2016. The available scientific results or evidence were read, classified, and analyzed. XCHT showed clinical efficacy in patients with hepatic diseases including hepatitis, hepatic fibrosis, and hepatoma. The mechanisms involved the production of cytokines, the regulation of immune function, the suppression of lipid peroxidation, etc., XCHT might work on the metabolism of some medications such as tolbutamide by the regulation of gastric emptying and intragastric pH. XCHT exhibited a very low toxicity profile, such as interstitial pneumonia due to duration of medication, patients' age, and drug combination. XCHT has been a eutherapeutic supplemental remedy for liver diseases. However, many mechanisms of action and effects of XCHT on new types of liver diseases still remain unclear, so more and more animal experiments and human clinical trials are needed to obtain enough proofs for the clinical use of XCHT in new types of hepatosis such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and autoimmune liver disease.

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A Japanese herbal (Kampo, [INSIDE:1]) medicine, [INSIDE:2] (juzentaihoto/Shi-Quan-Da-Bu-Tang), is one of the nourishing agents, a so-called “[INSIDE:3] (Hozai/Bu-Ji),” that is used for improving disturbance and imbalances in the homeostatic condition of the body. This formulation is orally administered to patients in various weakened states, including postsurgery patients and patients with chronic illness, where it can alleviate general symptoms such as extreme fatigue, pale complexion, loss of appetite, dry or scaly skin, night sweating, and dryness of the mouth. Recently, juzentaihoto/Shi-Quan-Da-Bu-Tang has been shown to have a variety of biological activities, including activation of natural killer cells and macrophages, cytokine induction, antibody production, antitumor effects in combination with surgical excision or other drugs, and protection against the adverse effects of anticancer drugs and radiation, including immunosuppression and bone marrow toxicity. This article focuses on the antitumor and antimetastatic properties of some Kampo medicines and mainly describes the effects of juzentaihoto and its related formulations on tumor development, progression, and metastasis in vivo. We also discuss the inhibitory mechanism of action and the importance of the prescription and constituent crude drugs in determining the efficacy.

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Objective: Anorexia is the long-term decreased sensation of appetite. Besides the pharmacotherapy, in China, massage therapy is also used by many traditional Chinese medicine physicians to treat anorexia in children. This paper conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of massage therapy for the treatment of anorexia in children. Methods: Seven databases were used in our research as follows: Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), and the Wan-fang Database. Search terms were as follows: (Massage OR tuina OR manipulation) AND (infant OR baby OR child OR pediatrics) AND (anorexia OR anorexias OR anorexia nervosas) AND (randomized controlled trial [RCTs]). Results: A total of 30 studies, including 2991 patients (1545 in the intervention group and 1446 in the control group), were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that the relative risk was 1.31 regarding clinical effective rate with 95% confidence intervals from 1.24 to 1.38. Conclusions: Massage therapy was significantly better than pharmacotherapy in treating anorexia in children. However, the quality of evidence for this finding was low due to high risk of bias of the included studies. Thus, well-designed RCTs are still needed to further evaluate the efficacy of massage therapy.

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Background: Edible bird nest (EBN) is a natural food product rich in glycoprotein such as sialic acid, which has been reported to improve brain functions. The EBN is widely consumed due to its higher nutritional contents and antioxidant status; however, an interaction of EBN on brain cell metabolic activity and viability are still unclear. Objective: The objectives of this study were to identify the effect of sialic acid from EBN on the cell viability and to determine the appropriate concentration of sialic acid on cognitive performance in mice. Materials and Methods: The viability of pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma cell lines were tested using the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. For in vivo study, 7-week-old female BALB/c mice were randomly assigned into four treatment groups and were treated with sialic acid for 21 days. At day 22, all mice were tested on cognitive performance by Y-maze test. Results: Treatment concentration of sialic acid extract and sialic acid standard at 60 μg/mL (0.6 ppm) increased cell viability and showed no cytotoxicity effects in pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma cell lines. In addition, an administration of higher dose of sialic acid at 0.6 ppm in animals improved Y-maze test performance, which they showed significantly higher number of entries and time spent in the novel arm. Conclusion: Thus, the current study shows that the sialic acid extract at 0.6 ppm improved brain cognitive performance in mice associated with an increased viability of pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma cell lines.

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Radix achyranthis bidentatae (RAB), a member of the Amaranthaceae family, has been widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for 1000s of years. Increasing interest in RAB-derived medicinal has led to the discovery of additional triterpenoid saponins, phytoecdysones, polysaccharides, and many other compounds, as well as investigations into their pharmacology. A large number of pharmacological studies have shown RAB and its active components possess a range of pharmacological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-fertility, anti-senile, and anti-inflammatory effects. This review is an up-to-date summary and synthesis of the uses of RAB from phytochemical and pharmacological perspectives.

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Objective: Xin-Ke-Shu (XKS), a patent drug, used to treat coronary artery diseases in China for many years. Previous research indicates that XKS has similar therapeutic effect as atorvastatin (AS) against atherosclerotic in rabbits. However, biochemical assays demonstrate that XKS could have a different therapeutic mechanism from AS. The aim of this study is to explore the mechanism of XKS therapeutic effect, especially those different from AS. Materials and Methods:¹H nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabonomics were applied to profile the low-molecular-weight polar metabolites in the plasma of rabbits fed a high cholesterol diet. Results: Seven of the eleven pathological biomarkers related to atherosclerosis in rabbits were mediated by XKS treatment, namely low-density lipoprotein/very-low-density lipoprotein (LDL/VLDL), lactate, citrate, phosphatidylcholine, glutamine, creatinine, and methionine, as well as two characteristic metabolites of pyruvate and α-glucose. These metabolites involved lipid, energy, and amino acid metabolism, and all could be considered XKS treatment targets. However, AS only affected the metabolic disorders associated with LDL/VLDL and phosphatidylcholine, which is mainly target lipid metabolism. Conclusions: This study indicates that the anti-atherosclerosis effects of AS mainly involve reducing blood–lipid levels, but those of XKS involve a multitargeted activity.

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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a distinct medical system that deals with the life–health–disease–environment relationship using holistic, dynamic, and dialectical thinking. However, reductionism has often restricted the conventional studies on TCM, and these studies did not investigate the central concepts of TCM theory about the multiple relationships among life, health, disease, and environment. Complex network analysis describes a wide variety of complex systems in the real world, and it has the potential to bridge the gap between TCM and modern science owing to the holism of TCM theory. This article summarizes the current research involving TCM network analysis and highlights the computational tools and analysis methods involved in this research. Finally, to inspire a new approach, the article discussed the potential problems underlying the application of TCM network analysis.

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Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) could be attractive therapeutic targets for promoting adult neurogenesis, brain plasticity, and repair in stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, raising great potentials for regeneration therapy. In adult ischemic brains, NSCs have limited capacities of growth, differentiation, and generating new neurons for repairing the damaged central nervous system. However, the spontaneous brain repair seems to be insufficient to recover neurological deficits in most stroke cases. To overcome those problems, pharmacological manipulations targeting on endogenous NSCs or transplanted stem cells could be a promoting strategy for regeneration therapy. Chinese herbal medicine has great potentials for developing novel therapeutic strategies for adult neurogenesis and brain repair in poststroke treatment. Chinese herbal medicine has a long history for poststroke treatment. Recent studies create great opportunity for drug discovery for promoting neurogenesis and improving the recovery of neurological functions in poststroke treatment. Many active compounds or extracts from medicinal herbs have shown promising effects on regulating proliferation, self-renewal and differentiation of NSCs, and promoting neural network formation as well as neurological functional recovery with in vitro and in vivo experimental evidence. Therefore, targeting neural stem/progenitor cells can be an important opportunity for the studies of Traditional Chinese Medicine in regeneration medicine. Due to the complex interactions of herbal ingredients in network regulation, huge challenge remains to be resolved for further study.

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The traditional Chinese medicine, Xihuang pills (XHP), has long been used for the management of cancers, both to limit tumor cells proliferation and dissemination, and to protect nontumor cells from damages induced by conventional therapeutic agents. XHP is made from two plant extracts (from Boswellia carteri and Commiphora myrrha) and two animal-derived products (from Moschus moschiferus and Calculus bovis). Recent advances into the mechanism of action of XHP and its clinical efficacy are reviewed here to highlight its potential to treat breast and colon cancers in particular. The immunoregulatory effects of XHP are underlined. Similar traditional medicinal preparations containing Boswellia and Commiphora are discussed, as well as the activities of the major natural products found in XHP including abietic acid, acetyl-keto-boswellic acid, and muscone. Pharmacological and clinical studies of XHP and similar medicinal preparations, such as the Korean medicine HangAmDan-B, are encouraged.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to predict the active compounds, therapy targets, and diseases of Bu-Shen-Jian-Pi formula (BSJPF) through the system pharmacology-based approach. Methods: Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and TCM Database@Taiwan Databases were used to obtain Chinese herbal medicine compounds. Oral bioavailability (OB) and drug-likeness (DL) based on the TCMSP database were used to screen the active compounds of BSJPF and related diseases. Therapy targets were defined according to the DrugBank database. The compounds-targets-disease network was constructed by Cytoscape and function and signaling pathways were also analyzed. Results: A total of 143 of 2106 compounds in BSJPF were screened out (OB ≥30%, DL index ≥0.18). Two hundred and sixty-five targets were found and 334 diseases were enriched. The diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, inflammation, and asthma were most closely correlated with the formula. BSJPF, Liu-Wei-Di-Huang decoction (LWDHD), and Si-Jun-Zi decoction (SJZD) could regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis; LWDHD also regulated biological processes and cellular processes and regulated stress on chemical stimuli and SJZD focused on the regulation of anabolic reaction. All had enriched the signaling pathways in cancer, nonsmall cell lung cancer, and thyroid cancer pathways. There were more pathways in both BSJPF and LWDHD, mainly including cancer, colorectal cancer pathways, toll-like receptors, T-cell receptors and P53 signaling pathways, and apoptosis. LWDHD was also involved in Wnt, natural killer cell cytotoxicity, and lymphocyte migration signaling pathways. SJZD had no separate pathways. In the tumor-related pathways, targets were more concentrated in the PI3K/Akt pathway and the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. Conclusions: BSJPF owns multiple targets and pathways to treat various diseases under the guidance of “treating different diseases with the same method.”

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The objectives of this study are to conduct a comprehensive literature search and bibliometric analysis to identify the breadth and volume of pharmacological and clinical studies on pine pollen (Pinus pollen) and to identify the potential effects and the use of pine pollen. Three Chinese electronic databases and two English electronic databases were searched for pharmacological and clinical studies on pine pollen. Data were extracted and analyzed and included publication year, authors, study type, pharmacological research topics or clinical diseases/conditions, usage and type of preparation, authors' conclusions, and adverse effects. Of 239 publications identified, 180 were pharmacological studies, 37 were clinical trials, and 22 were reviews. Numbers of publications increased particularly from 2004 onward. The top 10 most frequent topics in pharmacological studies were immune regulation, antisenility, antioxidation, liver protection, inhibiting prostate hyperplasia, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, lowering blood glucose, lowering blood lipids, antifatigue, and improving intestinal function. The top 10 most frequent clinical diseases treated or where pine pollen was used as an adjuvant were bedsores, diaper dermatitis, hyperlipidemia, oral mucositis, eczema, hyperplasia of prostate, hypertension, prostatitis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and radiodermatitis. Eight trials reported no adverse events associated with pine pollen, one reported mild gastrointestinal reactions, but symptoms disappeared without special management. There have been an increasing number of publications on pine pollen during the past 20 years. Pharmacological studies have shown many potential benefits, and clinical studies have indicated some positive effects when it is either used as a single herb or as an adjuvant to treat disease. Its use as a topical agent, especially for skin diseases, was notable.

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Criteria for diagnosing nephropathy and urothelial neoplasms induced by botanicals containing aristolochic acids (AAs) are well established. Highlights of recent research on AAs include mechanisms of AA intrarenal transport and metabolism and vigorous debate on whether AAs may also cause liver cancers. Many other botanicals may also cause renal injury, but a generalized framework for diagnosing botanical-induced kidney injury (BIKI) is lacking. Based on what we have learnt about the wide spectrum of phenotypes of BIKI attributed to AAs and a recently published standardized phenotypic framework of drug-induced kidney disease, we propose that BIKI may be categorized into six phenotypes (acute kidney injury, tubular dysfunction, glomerular disorders, nephrolithiasis, chronic kidney disease, and neoplasms) and four mechanistic types (A, predictable; B, idiosyncratic; C, chronic; and D, delayed). We call for international cooperation assembling a task force to develop, refine, and regularly appraise an online BIKI database, documenting botanical use, phenotypes, mechanisms, and levels of evidence. Once established, such a database may be linked with electronic patient records and pharmacovigilance channels to generate alerts, guide clinical decision-making, direct future research, and support evidence-based regulation of herbal medicines and education of healthcare professionals and the public. Finally, to prevent BIKI, we propose that a proactive approach integrating the triad of botanicals, users, and stakeholders will be needed.

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Turmeric, derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae), is one of the most popular herbal medicines. Its main bioactive constituents include curcuminoids, sesquiterpenes, and terpecurcumins. It exhibits antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral activities. With the rapid development of analytical technologies, remarkable progress has been made in studies of turmeric. This review article summarizes research advances in chemical analysis and quality control of turmeric from 2009 to 2018.

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The clinical efficacy of acupuncture-moxibustion (AM) mainly depends on acupoints, but the relationship between the acupoints and AM remains unclear. Improving clinical efficacy and clarifying the mechanisms of AM is critical. We found that the specificity and sensitivity of acupoints, the skill of operation, and reasonable amount of stimulation can significantly improve the efficacy of AM. In addition, some studies have shown that Neural-Endocrine-Immune network and metabolites are involved in this process, clarifying the therapeutic mechanism of acupoints. Therefore, how to effectively use acupoints to improve the clinical efficacy of AM is one of the key issues in need of an urgent solution. In summary, this article reviewed the Chinese and English databases on the clinical efficacy and underlying mechanisms of acupoints to clarify the relationship between acupoints and AM efficacy and ultimately improve clinical efficacy through effective and rational use of acupoints.

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Objective: Depression is one of the prevalent and prominent complex psychiatric diseases, and the number of depressed patients has been on the rise globally during the recent decades. Xiaoyaosan, as a famous Chinese herbal formula, has been widely used in depression patients for a long time. However, the therapeutic mechanisms remain uncertain because of the difficulty of depression pathophysiology and the lack of bioinformatic approach to understand the molecular connection. Materials and Methods: In this thesis, we applied a network pharmacology approach to explain the potential mechanisms between Xiaoyaosan and depression involved in oral bioavailability screening, drug-likeness assessment, caco-2 permeability, blood–brain barrier target recognition, and network analysis. Results: Sixty-six active compounds in Xiaoyaosan formula with favorable pharmacokinetic profiles are predicted as active compounds for antidepression treatment. Network analyses showed that these 66 compounds target 40 depression-associated proteins including especially HTR2A, NR 3C1, monoamine oxidase inhibitor B, XDH, and CNR2. These proteins are mainly involved in the neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, serotonergic synapse, cAMP signaling pathways, and calcium signaling pathways. Conclusion: The integrated network pharmacology method can provide a new approach for understanding the pathogenesis of depression and uncovering the molecular mechanisms of Xiaoyansan, which will also facilitate the application of traditional Chinese herbs in modern medicine.

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Objective: To investigate the network pharmacology of Shexiang Baoxin pill (SBP) and systematically analyze the mechanisms of SBP. Methods: In this study, we excavated all the targets of 26 constituents of SBP which were identified in rat plasma though literature mining and target calculation (reverse docking and similarity search) and analyzed the multiple pharmacology actions of SBP comprehensively through a network pharmacology approach. Results: In the end, a total of 330 Homo sapiens targets were identified for 26 blood constituents of SBP. Moreover, the pathway enrichment analysis found that these targets mapped into 171 KEGG pathways and 31 of which were more enriched. Among these identified pathways, 3 pathways were selected for analyzing the mechanisms of SBP for treating coronary heart disease. Conclusion: This study systematically illustrated the mechanisms of the SBP by analyzing the corresponding “drug-target-pathway-disease” interaction network.

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Kidney-yang deficiency syndrome (KYDS) is a diagnostic pattern in the traditional Chinese medicine. Studies have shown that KYDS is related to the functional disorder of hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-target gland axes. The standard procedure used to mimic KYDS is the injection of a high dose of exogenous glucocorticoid (hydrocortisone and corticosterone). Such a model showed symptoms such as exhaustion, body twists, cold limbs, lying crowded together, decreased rectal temperature, sexual dysfunction, decreased reaction speed, reduced spontaneous activity, hair loss, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Moreover, the model manifested an imbalance in mutual control among the hormones of the pituitary-target gland axes, including adrenocorticotrophic hormone, CORT, CRH, thyroid-stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, T, E₂, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and 17-OHCS.

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Background: The Qing'e formula (QEF) is a well-known traditional Chinese prescription that has been clinically employed for treatment of bone disease for hundreds of years. Objective: The present study aims to observe the effects of different compatibilities of QEF on the scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment in the mouse, and further to explore its action mechanisms and compatibility rationality. Materials and Methods: The learning and memory alterations in the mouse were evaluated using the step-down test and Morris water maze (MWM) test; the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the hippocampus were measured using colorimetric method or immunohistochemistry. Results: The results showed that different compatibilities of QEF significantly prolonged latency in the step-down test, shortened escape latency in the navigation test, increased the percentage of residence time, and the percentage of swimming distance in the target quadrant in the probe trial session. In addition, our results also found that different compatibilities of QEF remarkably inhibited AChE activity and increased BDNF expression in the hippocampus of mice. What's more, the group after being treated with whole recipe (QF) showed the highest level of improvement. Conclusions: These findings not only suggest that QEF may effectively ameliorate cognitive deficits through inhibiting AChE activity and increasing BDNF expression in the hippocampus but also elucidate the rationality of QEF.

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Objective: To investigate the network pharmacology of anti-tumor Chinese medicinal formulae and explain the synergistic mechanism of various active ingredients of Chinese medicinal formulae. Methods: We collected the anti-tumor Chinese medicinal formulae and chose several single herbs with the top frequency for further study. The chemical constituents of these herbs were downloaded from databases CNPC and Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology and were analyzed to set up the anti-tumor material basis. The genes regulated by these constituents were retrieved in Traditional Chinese Medicine integrated database and Comparative Toxicogenomics database. Results: We collected 65 anti-tumor Chinese medicinal formulae, and 4 single herbs were selected, including Licorice, Radix astragali, Panax ginseng, and Radix scutellariae, which consist of 172, 70, 293, and 92 known constituents, respectively. The constituent–gene network, protein–protein interaction network, gene–pathway enrichment network, and gene–disease network were constructed. Moreover, molecular docking was employed to clarify the interactions between active constituents and key drug targets (PTG2, epidermal growth factor receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, estrogen receptor 1, mammalian target of rapamycin, AKT1, mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 [MAPK1], peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha, and MAPK8). Most of the constituents could act on multiple targets, whose structures mainly belong to alkaloids, flavonoids, and their glycosides, organic acids, or dianthrone, and their representative chemical constituents include narcissus glycosides, rutin, dauricine, scutellarin, baicalin, isoschaftoside, and leucovorin. Conclusion: The network mechanism of the effective constituents from traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) for anti-tumor therapy was partially uncovered by using statistical methods, network pharmacology methods, and molecular docking methods. This study will provide important information for new drug design with multiple targets for anti-tumor therapy.

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Background: Artemisinin dimer oxime – dimer molecule synthesized from artemisinin possesses high bioavailability and marked in vitro anticancer activities against solid tumor-derived cell lines, endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenic processes. Numerous murine models have been developed to study human cancer. The most widely used models are the human tumor xenograft mouse model. Materials and Methods: In this study, human tumor cells (NCI-H640, 1 × 10⁷ in 100 μL) are implanted subcutaneously, or 1 × 10⁷ in 50 μL in the thoracic cavity, in athymic nude mice (nu/nu). The implanted cells were allowed to grow for 10 days before initiation of drug treatment (dimer oxime and topotecan, ip). Tumor volume and thoracic/body weight ratio were recorded. Results: We successfully established subcutaneous and thoracic xenografts with human nonsmall cell lung cancer cell line xenografts in athymic nude mice in only 10 days. Using these models, we attempted treatment of xenografts with topotecan – a known anticancer drug and artemisinin dimer oxime or combination of these two drugs. Combination therapy showed a significant reduction in tumor volume and tumor/body weight. Treatments with combination of topotecan and dimer oxime resulted in the reduced mortality rates in comparison with untreated mice. Conclusions: Xenograft tumor models are useful for preclinical screening of new pharmacophores. From this preliminary study, it appears that combination of dimer oxime and topotecan may be used as chemotherapeutic agents against nonsmall cell lung cancer. Further studies are needed to evaluate other combination treatment regimens as well as the mechanism(s) of action.

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Objective: Our aim was to investigate the correlation between free fatty acid (FFA) spectrum, blood stasis (BS) score, and macroangiopathy in type 2 diabetic patients with or without BS, as well as the possible relationship between BS and lipotoxicity. Methods: A total of 50 type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with or without BS were enrolled from June to December 2014 in Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Hospital, with 25 patients allocated to each of two groups. Basic information, BS score, blood glucose, blood lipids, etc., were measured for each patient. In addition, we tested the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and IL-18 with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The macroangiopathy status of patients in the two groups was examined by color ultrasound and all factors related to BS scores were analyzed. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to explore the difference in the serum FFA spectra between the two different groups. In addition, the relationship between FFA spectra, BS scores, and macroangiopathy was analyzed. Results: BS scores, total cholesterol (TC), total triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-18, carotid and femoral artery plaque, carotid intima-media thickness, carotid plaque area, and femoral artery plaque area were all significantly increased in T2D patients with BS syndrome (P < 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between age, duration of diabetes, carotid intima-media thickness, carotid plaque area, femoral artery plaque area, and BS score (P < 0.05). A total of 21 fatty acids were found in the serum, and total FFA (TFFA), saturated fatty acid (SFA), lauric acid (C12:0), palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), arachidonic acid (C20:4n6), behenic acid (C22:0), and lignoceric acid (C24:0) scores were all found to contribute to the difference between FFA spectrums of the two groups; of the fatty acids, C12:0, C16:0, C18:0, C22:0, TFFA, and SFA positively correlated with BS scores as evaluated by Pearson's or Spearman's correlation analysis (P < 0.05). Only SFA entered the regression equation in the multiple linear regression analysis. C12:0, C16:0, C18:0, C20:4n6, TFFA, and SFA were positively correlated with carotid plaque area, whereas linoleic acid (C18:3n3), Cis-5, 8, 11, 14, and 17-eicosapentaenoic acids (C20:5n3) were negatively correlated (P < 0.05). C16:0 was positively correlated with the femoral artery plaque area and C18:3n3, cis-4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19-docosahexaenoic acids (C22:6) and nervonic acid were negatively correlated (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Serum FFA spectra were significantly different between T2D patients with BS and those without, and long-chain SFA made the greatest contribution. Serum FFA spectra were correlated with BS scores and diabetic macroangiopathy, which means that lipotoxicity and BS are correlated in T2D.

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