World Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine

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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.

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.

Objective: The present study aims to optimize the extraction conditions of polysaccharides and flavonoids from a polyherbal preparation consisting of three kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs, Codonopsis pilosula, Crataegus pinnatifida, and Lycium barbarum, and evaluation of its immunomodulatory activity in immunosuppressed mice. Materials and Methods: An orthogonal design (L₉ [3]⁴) was constructed to achieve the optimal extraction conditions. The immunomodulatory action of the polyherbal preparation was studied at three doses of 10, 20, and 40 mL/kg/day orally by measuring splenocyte proliferation in mice model of cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression. Results: The chosen parameters, including the ratio of solvent-to-raw material, duration of extraction, and extraction times, were the fundamental variables that influenced the extract yields. The highest yield of total polysaccharides content was 54.3 mg/mL when the ratio of solvent-to-raw material, duration of extraction, and number of extractions were 12:1, 1.5 h, and 3, respectively. The maximum extraction yield of the flavonoids was 3.5 mg/mL when the ratio of solvent-to-raw material was 12:1, the extraction time was 2 h, and the number of extractions was 3. The prescription screening showed that the impact of the polyherbal preparation on the splenocyte proliferation capacity was more pronounced than its disassembled components. Oral administration of the polyherbal preparation could significantly increase the concanavalin A-stimulated mouse spleen cells proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: These findings suggested that the polyherbal preparation possesses potential for augmenting the immune activity due to the polysaccharide and flavonoid content in these herbal medicines.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of the total flavonoids of Clerodendrum bungei (TFCB) on the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of A549 lung cancer cells through the Wnt signaling pathway. Materials and Methods: A549 cells were transfected with a β-catenin overexpression plasmid and the empty vector pcDNA3.1. The A549 cells were divided into six groups: normal A549 cell group, normal A549 cells with TFCB group, vector control group, vector with TFCB group, β-catenin overexpression group, and β-catenin with TFCB group. We used the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay to detect cell proliferation, a scratch test was used to observe cell migration, and a transwell experiment was employed to evaluate cell invasion. Proteins related to the Wnt pathway were detected with Western blot analysis, including β-catenin, GSK-3 β, P-GSK-3 β, c-Myc, and CyclinD1. Results: The proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of A549 cells were significantly enhanced after being transfected with the β-catenin overexpression plasmid (P < 0.05 or 0.01), accompanied by increased expression of β-catenin, C-Myc, CyclinD1 and reduced expression of Gsk-3 β and P-GSK-3 β. Treatment of cells with TFCB resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; downregulated expression of β-catenin, C-Myc, and CyclinD1; and upregulated expression of GSK-3 β and P-GSK-3 β, especially in the β-catenin overexpression group. Conclusion: TFCB has the potential to inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by prohibiting the overexpression of β-catenin and regulating its downstream factors.

Objective: To elucidate the protective effect of Gan Shen Fu Fang (GSFF) on liver endothelial cells in common bile duct-ligated (CBDL) rats. Materials and Methods: Cirrhosis was induced by common bile duct ligation. The rats were divided into three groups: sham group, CBDL group, and GSFF group. After 2 weeks of ligation, rats in the GSFF group were administered GSFF. After 4 weeks, the hydroxyproline (Hyp) content of liver tissues was spectrophotometrically determined. The histological changes were evaluated by H and E and Masson staining. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to observe the ultrastructural changes in the liver, especially in the liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs). Results: Hyp synthesis was significantly inhibited by GSFF, which agreed with the results from H and E and Masson staining for liver fibrosis. The TEM observations of CBDL rats revealed reduced hepatocyte microvilli and deposited fibrous tissue underneath LSECs. SEM confirmed the TEM findings and showed that the fenestrae of LSECs decreased and even disappeared in CBDL rats. The morphological results indicated hepatic sinusoid capillarization. GSFF promoted the restoration of fenestrae and reversed hepatic sinusoid capillarization. Conclusion: GSFF can inhibit Hyp synthesis, restore the fenestrae of LSECs, and reverse hepatic sinusoid capillarization in CBDL rats. These results provide a basis for future detailed investigations of the mechanism of action of GSFF in LSECs.

Background: The “Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines for Chinese Medicine Internal Common Diseases” issued by the Chinese Institute of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers many methods for the treatment of aplastic anemia (AA). However, there is a lack of corresponding evidence. Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of TCM in the treatment of AA, and provide evidence for the development of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AA using TCM. Methods: Data of randomized or semi-randomized control trials of AA treatments with TCM were retrieved, and the selected literature was scored using the Jadad scale. The data were extracted, and RevMan 5.2.6 software was used for the meta-analysis. Results: Two studies on the treatment of AA using Liuwei Dihuang pills combined with compound Zaofan pill were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the efficacy between Liuwei Dihuang pills combined with compound Zaofan pill and androgen in the treatment of AA (P = 0.65). However, there were less adverse reactions, including liver damage and the hirsutism of women, with the former than the latter (P < 0.05). Other studies on the treatment of AA with TCM did not include reports from clinical trials. Conclusion: TCM had a certain curative effect when used to treat AA. However, the quality of the literature is generally low, and the sample size is small, which makes the validation of the results poor. Further high-quality studies are needed to provide high-level evidence.

Online since 28^th Sep 2017.