The potential of Chinese herbal medicines in treating anxiety disorders

In recent years,there has not been much progress in developing anxiolytic drugs.Amongst the barriers are the lack of clarity on the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders,low product conversion rates for developing drugs targeting the receptors,and species variability.Some scientists have focused on natural medicines,especially herbal medicines in traditional Chinese medicine.New drugs with excellent anxiolytic activity are hoped to be found in herbal medicines with anxiolytic effects.This mini-review summarised three Chinese herbal medicines with anxiolytic effects and anxiolytic herbal formulas used in the traditional Chinese medicine clinic.Several key issues that block the development of new anxiolytic drugs are also discussed.We hope to provide some ideas for researching and developing new anxiolytic drugs and studying anxiolytic components in traditional Chinese medicine.

Analysis of Adverse Reactions in the Treatment of COVID-19 with Three Chinese Patent Medicines and Three Herbal Formulas

Objective To explore the rules and characteristics of the adverse drug reactions(ADRs)of three Chinese patent medicines and three herbal formulas for the treatment of COVID-19,and to provide a reference for clinical safe medication.Methods The cases and ADR reports of the three Chinese patent medicines and three herbal formulas in PubMed,Web of Science,Springer Link,CNKI,Wanfang and VIP database were retrieved from December 2019 to May 2021.Then we extracted and analyzed the effective information included in the literature.Results and Conclusion According to the pre-developed retrieval plan,a total of 136 documents were obtained,and a total of 6 documents met the inclusion criteria finally.553 patients used three Chinese patent medicines and three herbal formulas,and there were 133 cases of adverse reactions.The adverse reactions of patients taking the three Chinese patent medicines and three herbal formulas can all be explained under the theory of traditional Chinese medicine,and the adverse reactions can be eliminated by adding or subtracting the flavor of the medicine or stopping the medicine.

Efficacy and safety of oral Chinese herbal medicine combined with nucleoside antiviral drugs against recurrent genital herpes:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:To compare the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine combined with nucleoside antiviral drugs and nucleoside antiviral drugs alone in treating recurrent genital herpes.Methods:PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database,China National Knowledge Internet,VIP Database,and Wanfang Data were searched from inception to April 2021.Randomized controlled trials on the efficacy and safety of oral Chinese herbal medicine combined with nucleoside antiviral drugs for recurrent genital herpes were collected.All included trials were independently assessed by two reviewers with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool,and a meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4.Results:Compared with the use of nucleoside antiviral drugs alone,combination therapy with oral Chinese herbal medicine plus nucleoside antiviral drugs effectively reduced the herpes recurrence rate after the end of treatment(3 months:P=0.0002;6 months:P<0.00001;1 year:P<0.00001)and the number of recurrences each year(P<0.00001),improved the recurrent Genital Herpes Quality of Life Questionnaire score(P<0.00001),and regulated the levels of interferon-γ,interleukin-2,tumor necrosis factor-α,and T lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood,and the difference was statistically significant.Different subgroups reported mixed results with respect to the efficacy in the short term.The incidence of adverse reactions and the time of symptom disappearance between the two groups were not significantly different.Conclusion:Chinese herbal medicine combined with nucleoside antiviral drugs can effectively reduce the recurrence rate of recurrent genital herpes,improve the patient’s quality of life and enhance the body’s immunity.Considering the possible risk of publication bias,more high-quality randomized controlled trials are still needed to verify the conclusions of this article.

Regulating effect of Chinese herbal medicine on the peritoneal lymphatic stomata in enhancing ascites absorption of experimental hepatofibrotic mice

AIM: To observe the regulatory effect of Chinese herbal medicine on peritoneal lymphatic stomata and its significance in treating ascites in liver fibrosis model mice. METHODS: Two Chinese herbal composite prescriptions were used separately to treat the carbon tetrachloride-induced mouse model of liver fibrosis. The histo-pathologic changes of the liver sections (HE and VG stainings) were observed. The peritoneal lymphatic stomata was detected by scanning electron microscopy and computer image processing. The changes of urinary volume and sodium ion concentration were measured. RESULTS: In the model group, lots of fibrous tissue formed in liver and extended into the hepatic lobules to separate them incompletely. In the treated and prevention groups, the histo-pathologic changes of liver was rather milder, only showed much less fibrous tissue proliferation in the hepatic lobules. The peritoneal lymphatic stomata enlarged with increased density in the experimental groups (diameter: PA, 3.07 +/- 0.69 microm; PB, 2.82 +/- 0.37 microm; TA, 3.25 +/- 0.82 microm and TB, 2.82 +/- 0.56 microm; density: PA, 7.11 +/- 1.90 stomata.1000 microm(-2); PB, 8.76 +/- 1.45 stomata.1000 microm(-2); TA, 6.55 +/- 1.44 stomata.1000 microm(-2)and TB, 8.76+/-1.79 stomata.1000 microm(-2)), as compared with the model group (diameter: 2.00+/-0.52 microm density: 4.45+/-1.05 stomata.1000 microm(-2)). After treatment, the urinary volume and sodium ion excretion increased in the experimental groups (PA, 231.28+/-41.09 mmol.L(-1); PB, 171.69 +/- 27.48 mmol.L(-1) and TA, 231.44 +/- 34.12 mmol.L(-1)), which were significantly different with those in the model group (129.33 +/- 36.75 mmol.L(-1)). CONCLUSION: Chinese herbal medicine has marked effects in alleviating liver fibrosis, regulating peritoneal lymphatic stomata, improving the drainage of ascites from peritoneal cavity and causing increase of urinary volume and sodium ion excretion to reduce the water and sodium retention, and thus have favorable therapeutic effect in treating ascites.

Application of Computer-Aided Drug Design to Traditional Chinese Medicine

Computer-aided drug design (CADD) is an interdisciplinary subject, playing a pivotal role during new drug research and development, especially the discovery and optimization of lead compounds. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) modernization is the only way of TCM development and also an effective approach to the development of new drugs and the discovery of potential drug targets (PDTs). Discovery and validation of PTDs has become the “bottle-neck” restricted new drug research and development and is urgently solved. Innovative drug research is of great significance and bright prospects. This paper mainly discusses the “druggability” and specificity of PTDs, the “druglikeness” of drug candidates, the methods and technologies of the discovery and validation of PTDs and their application. It is very important to achieve the invention and innovation strategy “from gene to drug”. In virtue of modern high-new technology, especially CADD, combined with TCM theory, research and develop TCM and initiate an innovating way fitting our country progress. This paper mainly discusses CADD and their application to drug research, especially TCM modernization.

Inhibition effect of Chinese herbal medicine on transcription of hepatitis C virus structural gene in vitro

AIM: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Chinese herbal medicine on the transcription of hepatitis C virus (HCV) structural gene in Hela D cells.METHODS: Hela cell line was transfected with recombinant pBK-CMV-HCV containing HCV structural gene by Lipofectamine. RT-nested-PCR and Western blot assay were used to testify the HCV gene expression in Hela cells. The Hela cells expressing HCV structural protein were named Hela D cells. Prescriptions of Xiao chaihu Decoction (XCHD),Fufang Huangqi (FFHQ) and Bingganling (BGL) wererespectively added to Hela D cells in various concentrations. Semi-quantitative RT-nested-PCR product analysis was performed according to the fluorescent density between HCV DNA band and GAPDH DNA band in gel electrophoresisafter screened. RESULTS: Recombinant pBK-CMV-HCV could correctly express the HCV structural gene in Hela D cells. After coculture of Hela D cells with three prescriptional different concentrations for 48 h respectively, the transcription of HCVgene decreased with increasing of the concentration of each prescription. The lightness ratio of HCV product bands to GAPDH product bands was 0.24, 0.10 and 0.12 in Hela D cells incubated with 0.1 g/mL of XCHD, FFHQand BGL respectively and the lightness ratio HCV product bands to GAPDH product bands was 0.75, 0.67 and 0.61respectively in the control cells. CONCLUSION: The prescriptions of XCHD, FFHQ and BGL partly inhibit the transcription of HCV structural gene inHela D cells.

Effects of Chinese Herbal Medicine Additives on Growth,Immunity and Antioxidation of Chickens

Chinese herbal medicine additives can not only directly improve the growth performance of chickens,but also indirectly affect the growth of chickens by enhancing the antioxidant capacity,immunity and disease resistance of the body,and eliminating diseases and adverse factors,thereby improving the growth performance of chickens.In the context of the current national prohibition of adding antibiotics to feed,the research and application of Chinese herbal medicine additives are of practical significance to eliminate the long-term use of antibiotics as chicken feed additives and reduce the threat to the environment and human health.For this reason,the research related to the substitution of Chinese herbal medicine for antibiotics is made a brief introduction to provide a reference in research and production practice.

Predicting the nephrotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines based on a Bayesian network model

Objective:Based on a Bayesian network model(BNM),we constructed and evaluated a predictive model of Chinese herbal medicines(CHMs)nephrotoxicity,explored its influencing factors,and provided a reference for the prevention and control of nephrotoxicity.Methods:We searched for CHMs with nephrotoxicity through academic journals and academic works,screened non-nephrotoxic CHMs,and then tested the correlation between nephrotoxic and non-nephrotoxic CHMs and their four properties,five flavours,and channel tropism.The screened variables were used to construct the Bayesian network model(BNM),predict important factors affecting the nephrotoxicity of Chinese herbal medicines(CHMs),draw the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of the model,and calculate the area under the curve(AUC)to evaluate the forecasting effect of the model.Results:Medicinal property theory(four properties and five flavours)are important factors affecting the nephrotoxicity of CHMs.Nephrotoxic and non-nephrotoxic CHMs are related to their four propertiesand five flavours(P<0.05).BNM showed that sweetness and flatness wereimportant protective factors for nephrotoxicity of CHMs;the prediction accuracy was 77.92%,the AUC result of the model ROC curve was 0.661(95%CI:0.620-0.701),and the best sensitivity(0.736)and specificity(0.571)were obtained at 0.65.Discussion:Modern mathematical statistics and modeling methods have certain reference significance and application value for the prediction of CHMs nephrotoxicity and toxicology research.

An improved association-mining research for exploring Chinese herbal property theory: based on data of the Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica

Knowledge Discovery in Databases is gaining attention and raising new hopes for traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） researchers. It is a useful tool in understanding and deciphering TCM theories. Aiming for a better understanding of Chinese herbal property theory （CHPT）, this paper performed an improved association rule learning to analyze semistructured text in the book entitled Shennong＇s Classic of Materia Medica. The text was firstly annotated and transformed to well-structured multidimensional data. Subsequently, an Apriori algorithm was employed for producing association rules after the sensitivity analysis of parameters. From the confirmed 120 resulting rules that described the intrinsic relationships between herbal property （qi, flavor and their combinations） and herbal efficacy, two novel fundamental principles underlying CHPT were acquired and further elucidated： （1） the many-to-one mapping of herbal efficacy to herbal property; （2） the nonrandom overlap between the related efficacy of qi and flavor. This work provided an innovative knowledge about CHPT, which would be helpful for its modern research.

Recent advances in network pharmacology applications in Chinese herbal medicine

Network pharmacology is a new discipline based on the theory of systems biology and network analysis of biological systems to design the drugs.It comprehensively observes the intervention and influence of drugs on the disease network,and reveals the mystery of multi-molecular drugs synergistically acting on disease.These concepts reflect the ideas of multi-component,multi-target and system regulation,and have many similarities with the research ideas of traditional Chinese medicine,which focuses on syndrome differentiation and treatment,emphasizes the overall understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis.Network pharmacology can be used to predict and identify the target and active component of traditional herbal medicine,to clarify the mechanism of action,to scientifically explain the rules of the prescription,to explore the rules of real-world prescription,to discover new indications and new active compounds,and to study drug relocation,etc.The applications of network pharmacology in traditional herbal medicine were systematically summarized to demonstrate the significant value in these areas.

Integrating traditional Chinese (herbal) medicines into risk based regulation-With focus on non-clinical requirements to demonstrate safety

Within the public health sector of Hong Kong(China),there is a consensus around the important role of traditional Chinese medicines.For Hong Kong(China)to play a bridging role to bring Chinese medicines to the global market requires a concerted effort from the government,academic institutes and industries.The release of the final version of the European Medicines Agencies guidance document,which details the acceptance of minimum requirements to nonclinical package in bibliographical applications,grants the opportunity for well-established and traditional herbal medicines to demonstrate an‘acceptable safe’status for registration in the European Union.It is anticipated that this minimum nonclinical package can be applied to demonstrate the safe use of many traditional Chinese medicines regardless of their eligibility to be registered under the simplified procedure within the European Union.This paper conceptualizes an integration of a simplified evaluation route for eligible proprietary Chinese medicines(pCm)with long history of use into the existing drug regulatory framework in Hong Kong(China).Such integration utilizing the minimum nonclinical package,based on bibliographical data or expert report,as proof of evidence to demonstrate safety for pCm with long history of use requires less demand in scientific resources.With Hong Kong(China)conducting‘first hand’review for eligible pCm,it provides an option for overseas and local pharmaceutical companies to register their products in Hong Kong(China)without the need to rely on issuance of Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product from other countries.This could bring eligible pCm with long history of use to reach international risk-based standard and to be marketed globally as‘medicines’to reach their full therapeutic potential.An important process to positioning Hong Kong(China)to compete with other countries in promoting importation and exportation of pCm to better serve the global health.

A REVIEW ON TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE IN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Multiple sclerosis(MS),a diseaseaffecting the central nervous system,ischaracterized by patches of demyelinationand sclerosis of gliosis desseminatedthroughout the white matter of brain andspinal cord.In 1968,Charcot firstdescribed its clinical and pathologicalcharacteristics.Its incidence is very high,especially in Europe and America.Thereis no epidemic data of this

Treating Principles and Methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treatment of Peripheral Vascular Diseases

Peripheral vascular disease embraces a variety of conditions such as thromboangiitis obliterans, Raynaud's disease, thrombophlebitis, aorto-arteritis, obliterate atherosclerosis, varix or phlebothrombosis of the lower limb. Although the affected blood vessel may be arterial or venous one and caused either by inflammation or degenerate changes, they share common symptoms and signs, such as blood stasis, ischemia, thrombosis, ecchymosis, swelling, constriction or obliteration of blood vessels due to circulatory impairment. Since they share common characteristics, the treating principles and methods will be discussed as follows.

Nano-formulated delivery of active ingredients from traditional Chinese herbal medicines for cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy has garnered promise in tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis through establishing durable and memorable immunological activity. However, low response rates, adverse side effects, and high costs compromise the additional benefits for patients treated with current chemical and biological agents. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are a potential treasure trove of natural medicines and are gaining momentum in cancer immunomodulation with multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics. The active ingredient extracted from CHMs benefit generalized patients through modulating immune response mechanisms. Additionally, the introduction of nanotechnology has greatly improved the pharmacological qualities of active ingredients through increasing the hydrophilicity, stability, permeability, and targeting characteristics, further enhancing anti-cancer immunity. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of active ingredients for cancer immunomodulation, highlight nano-formulated deliveries of active ingredients for cancer immunotherapy, and provide insights into the future applications in the emerging field of nano-formulated active ingredients of CHMs.

Development of Chinese herbal medicine for sensorineural hearing loss

According to the World Health Organization’s world report on hearing,nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide will suffer from hearing loss by 2050,which may contribute to a severe impact on individual life quality and national economies.Sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL)occurs commonly as a result of noise exposure,aging,and ototoxic drugs,and is pathologically characterized by the impairment of mechanosensory hair cells of the inner ear,which is mainly triggered by reactive oxygen species accumulation,inflammation,and mitochondrial dysfunction.Though recent advances have been made in understanding the ability of cochlear repair and regeneration,there are still no effective therapeutic drugs for SNHL.Chinese herbal medicine which is widely distributed and easily accessible in China has demonstrated a unique curative effect against SNHL with higher safety and lower cost compared with Western medicine.Herein we present trends in research for Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of SNHL,and elucidate their molecular mechanisms of action,to pave the way for further research and development of novel effective drugs in this field.

CLINICAL ANALYSIS ON THE TREATMENT OF HIV/AIDS BY TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

From Jan.1991 to Dec.1995,we treatedwith TCM nearly one thousand confirmedHIV/AIDS patients in Muhimbili MedicalCenter,Tanzania.Of them,437 cases withcomplete data have been summarized

ADVANCES IN TREATMENT OF DIABETIC NEUROPATHY BY TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is the most commonly seen complication in diabetes mellitus (DM), and can occur in its early stage. With the prolongation of the course of the disease, the incidence of DN can reach 90％. The lesion can involve any location of neural system, it can occur

Effect of Chinese Medicines on the Subretinal Fluid Absorption after Operation for Retinal Detachment

Purpose:To determine the effects of traditional Chinese medicines on subretinal fluld absorption after Operation for retinal detachment.Mehods:Among100eyes with operations fo retinal detachment without drainage of fluid,there were 50eyes in traditional Chinese medicine treatment group and 50eyes in the control group.and there were no significant difference between the two groups in age,myopia and retinal detachment area.We observed the time for the absorption of subretinal fluid and visual acuity improvement aftr the opera-tions for retinal detachment.Results;he result showed that the average time for the absorption of subretinal fluid was14.5days in the traditional Chinese medicine treatment group,21.7days in the control group and the visual acuity was better in the former than in the latter.Conclusions:The taditional Chinese medicine treatment could increase the ab-sorption of subretional fluid,the mechanisms of which may be that Chinese medicines regulated and impved the general blood circulation and local eye blood criculation and the function of blood-retinal barrier so that they increase the out-ward osmotic suction forces of the pigment epithelium.

Chinese herbal medicine for seborrheic dermatitis complicated by allergy to topical agent: A case report

Seborrheic dermatitis is a common inflammatory dermatosis.Conventional medical treatments include corticosteroids,calcineurin inhibitors,and other therapeutic modalities.However,the use of the conventional medicine sometimes is limited by adverse effects,such as allergic reaction.We report the case of a 13-year-old girl with seborrheic dermatitis,who was allergic to topical agents and was cured successfully with Chinese herbal medicine.Her Chinese medical syndrome pattern was diagnosed as wind-heat invading the skin and herbs with wind-dispelling and heat-clearing properties were prescribed.Chinese herbal medicine is an alternative modality that can be considered for seborrheic dermatitis,in particular for cases complicated by adverse reactions from conventional topical agents.

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE IN TREATMENT OF BRONCHITIS AND BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

According to the onset, acute or chronic, and the disease course, long or short, bronchitis can be divided into acute and chronic bronchitis, with their common main symptoms of cough, expectoration and oppression in the chest, and basically they belong to the category of 'cough' in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).