Network pharmacology-based analysis on the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effect of Curcumae Radix

As a traditional Chinese medicine,Curcumae Radix(CR)has exhibited anti-hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)activity.However,the underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear.In the present study,network pharmacology was utilized to reveal the mechanism of the effects of CR in HCC.The analysis of the network results showed that the active components of CR,including curcumin,naringenin,sitosterol,demethoxycurcumin,andβ-elemene,were closely related to the screened hub-targets,such as AKT1,TP53,MAPK8,MAPK1,JUN,STAT3,VEGFA,MAPK3,IL6,TNF,CCND1,EP300,EGFR,and ESR1.GO and KEGG analyses revealed that these targets were associated with pathways in cancer,proteoglycans in cancer,PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications,MAPK signaling pathway,hepatitis B,hepatitis C,and other biological processes.The candidate active components of CR(curcumin and naringenin)prominently exhibited their antitumor effects by regulating PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,MAPK signaling pathway,hepatitis B and hepatitis C.This study successfully predicted,explained,and confirmed the multi-component,multi-target,and multi-channel characteristics of CR,which not only gave novel insights into the pharmacological and biological molecular mechanism of CR applying to HCC disease,but also provided a feasible method for discovering potential activated compounds from Chinese herbs.

Network Pharmacology-Based and Pharmacological Evaluation of the Effects of Curcumae Radixon Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the network pharmacology of curcumae radix(CR, Yujin) and explore the mechanism of CR in the treatment of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury(CIRI). Materials and Methods: Network analysis and pharmacological evaluation were performed to explore the protective role of CR to treat CIRI. The potential target genes of the active components and CIRI were identified using SwissTarget Prediction, Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechANism of Traditional Chinese Medicine, GeneCards, and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man. Furthermore, network analysis was performed using Cytoscape software.Gene ontology analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis were performed using the R software. In vivo experiments were performed using the water extract of CR(WECR) on PC12 cells induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation(H/R) to simulate ischemia/reperfusion injury. Results: The results exhibited that 21 active compounds identified in CR were associated with 73 targets of CIRI. Functional analysis showed that multiple pathways, including response to stress, regulation of apoptotic process, and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 signaling pathway, were significantly enriched. In addition, STAT3, IL4, HIFIA, and CTNNB1 were predicted to be the most important genes among the 36 hub genes. Furthermore, WECR treatment significantly improved PC12 cell injury and decreased apoptosis levels in cells induced by H/R, with malondialdehyde contents reduced and superoxide dismutase or glutathione peroxidase levels increased. Conclusions: Network analysis and pharmacological evaluation of CR could provide valuable directions for further research on CR and improve comprehension of CIRI.

Comparative analysis of essential oils found in Rhizomes Curcumae and Radix Curcumae by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A comparison of the volatile compounds in Rhizomes Curcumae （Ezhu） and Radix Curcumae （Yujin） was undertaken using gas chromatography mass spectrometi-y （GC-MS）. Ultrasonic extraction and GC-MS methods were developed for the simultaneous determination of five sesquiterpenes, namely, α-pinene, β-elemene, curcumol, germacrone and curdione, in Ezhu and Yunjin. Good linearity （r〉0.999） and high inter-day precision were observed over the investigated concentration ranges. The validated method was successfully used for the simultaneous determination of five sesquiterpenes in Ezhu and Yujin. The quantitative method can be effectively used to evaluate and monitor the quality of Chinese curcuma in clinical use.

STUDY OF THE MECHANISM OF ARTEMISINE CAPILLARIES AND RADIX CURCUMAE PREVENTING GALLSTONE FORMATION INDUCED BY HIGH CHOLESTEROL DIET IN GUINEA PIGS

To study the effect of chinese herbal medicine preventing gallstone formation, morphology of livers and gallbladders as well as conjugated bile acids of the bile. 58 female guinea pigs were randomly divided into three groups. The control group was fed on normal diet; the lithogenous groups was high cholesterol diet (HCD) and the antilithic group was high cholesterol and the chinese herbal medicine capsule (13 5 g/kg). 8 weeks later the guinea pigs were killed. Liver and gallbladder were removed for light and electroscope observation. Gallbladder bile were withdrawn and gallbladder were collected. The minute construction of gallstones were observed by scanning electron microscope and gallstone components were quantified by Fourier Transform Infrand Spectros Copy (FT IR). The morphology of liver and gallbladder were observed by light microscope and transmission electron microscope. Conjugated bile acid of biles were determined by Thin layer Chromatograph. The effect of chinese herbal medicine preventing gallstone formation, morphololgy of livers and gallbladders as well as conjugated bile acids of the bile were also observed. We measured conjugated bile acids in all groups and found that decreased in lithogenic group and increased notably in antilithic group (P<0 01) . The gallstone formation rate was 100% when the animals were fed on HCD in lithogenic group. The rate decreased to 5 3% when the animals were fed on HCD and Chinese herbal medicine capsule inantilithic group. It indicates that changes in diet is an important factor in the process of gallstone formation and the chinese herbal medicine can prevent gallstone formation effectively.