Si-Miao-Yong-An Decoction alleviates thromboangiitis obliterans by regulating miR-548j-5p/IL-17A signaling pathway

Thromboangiitis obliterans(TAO)is a rare,chronic,progressive,and segmental inflammatory disease characterized by a high rate of amputation,significantly compromising the quality of life of patients.Si-Miao-Yong-An decoction(SMYA),a tradition-al prescription,exhibits anti-inflammatory,anti-thrombotic,and various other pharmacological properties.Clinically,it was fully proved to be effective for TAO therapy,but the specific therapeutic effect of SMYA on TAO has been unknown.Thus,deep unveiling the mechanism of SMYA in TAO for identifying clinical therapeutic targets is extremely important.In this study,we observed elev-ated levels of IL-17A in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs)of TAO patients,whereas the expression of miR-548j-5p was significantly decreased.A negative correlation between the levels of miR-548j-5p and IL-17A was also demonstrated.In vitro ex-periments showed that overexpression of miR-548j-5p led to a decrease in IL-17A levels,whereas downregulation of miR-548j-5p showed the opposite effect.Using a dual luciferase assay,we confirmed that miR-548j-5p directly targets IL-17A.Furthermore,serum containing SMYA effectively decreased IL-17A levels by increasing the expression of miR-548j-5p.More importantly,the results of in vivo tests indicated that SMYA mitigated the development of TAO by inhibiting IL-17A through the upregulation of miR-548j-5p in vascular tissues.In conclusion,SMYA significantly enhances the expression of miR-548j-5p,thereby reducing the levels of the target gene IL-17A and alleviating TAO.Our research not only identifies novel targets and pathways for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of TAO but also advances the innovation in traditional Chinese medicine through the elucidation of the SMYA/miR-548j-5p/IL-17A regulatory axis in the pathogenesis of TAO.

Vacuum-compression therapy for ischemic disease of the extremities:experience with 40 patients

Objective To study the clinical effects of vacuum-compression therapy for ischemic disease of the extremities. Methods A total of 40 cases of peripheral arterial disorders,including 23 thromboangiitis obliterans (31 limbs) and 17 arteriosclerosis obliterans (23 limbs),were treated by a self-made vacuum-compression therapeutic apparatus. Results The effective rate in thromboangiitis obliterans and arteriosclerosis obliterans groups was 96.77% and 92.23%,respectively. The cuffs on the apparatus were improved to eliminate discomfort in the patients during treatment. "Rebound symptom" was observed during treatment,which had not been reported previously. Conclusion Vacuum-compression therapy has a good prospect for treating ischemia of the extremities.