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A network pharmacology-based investigation on the bioactive ingredients and molecular mechanisms of Gelsemium elegans Benth against colorectal cancer.
Que, W, Chen, M, Yang, L, Zhang, B, Zhao, Z, Liu, M, Cheng, Y, Qiu, H
BMC complementary medicine and therapies. 2021;(1):99
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Gelsemium elegans Benth (GEB) is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used for treatment for gastrointestinal cancer, including CRC. However, the underlying active ingredients and mechanism remain unknown. This study aims to explore the active components and the functional mechanisms of GEB in treating CRC by network pharmacology-based approaches. METHODS Candidate compounds of GEB were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine@Taiwan, Traditional Chinese Medicines Integrated Database, Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and published literature. Potentially active targets of compounds in GEB were retrieved from SwissTargetPrediction databases. Keywords "colorectal cancer", "rectal cancer" and "colon cancer" were used as keywords to search for related targets of CRC from the GeneCards database, then the overlapped targets of compounds and CRC were further intersected with CRC related genes from the TCGA database. The Cytoscape was applied to construct a graph of visualized compound-target and pathway networks. Protein-protein interaction networks were constructed by using STRING database. The DAVID tool was applied to carry out Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathway enrichment analysis of final targets. Molecular docking was employed to validate the interaction between compounds and targets. AutoDockTools was used to construct docking grid box for each target. Docking and molecular dynamics simulation were performed by Autodock Vina and Gromacs software, respectively. RESULTS Fifty-three bioactive compounds were successfully identified, corresponding to 136 targets that were screened out for the treatment of CRC. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that GEB exerted its pharmacological effects against CRC via modulating multiple pathways, such as pathways in cancer, cell cycle, and colorectal cancer. Molecular docking analysis showed that the representative compounds had good affinity with the key targets. Molecular dynamics simulation indicated that the best hit molecules formed a stable protein-ligand complex. CONCLUSION This network pharmacology study revealed the multiple ingredients, targets, and pathways synergistically involved in the anti-CRC effect of GEB, which will enhance our understanding of the potential molecular mechanism of GEB in treatment for CRC and lay a foundation for further experimental research.
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Efficacy and safety of Zhibitai in treating coronary heart disease patients with hyperlipemia: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.
Chen, M, Li, Y, Men, L, Zhang, Z, Zhong, X, Yang, S, Luan, J
Medicine. 2020;(36):e21991
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Abstract
To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of Zhibitai, as a kind of natural lipid-lowering Chinese medicine, in treating coronary heart disease patients with hyperlipemia METHODS : A systematic literature search for articles up to July 2020 will be performed in following electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals Database Database, Chinese Biomedical Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System, and Wanfang Database. Inclusion criteria are randomized controlled trials of Zhibitai applied on coronary heart disease patients with hyperlipemia. The primary outcome measures will be serum lipid levels (including total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and acute cardiovascular events. The secondary outcome measures will be inflammatory factors (high sensitive C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, etc), safety index (liver function, renal function, etc), and adverse events. RevMan 5.3 software will be used for data synthesis, sensitivity analysis, meta-regression, subgroup analysis, and risk of bias assessment. A funnel plot will be developed to evaluate reporting bias and Egger tests will be used to assess funnel plot symmetries. We will use the grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation system to assess the quality of evidence.Trial registration number PROSPERO CRD42018103341.
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Evaluation of HuoXueHuaYu therapy for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial.
Cai, Y, Liang, Q, Chen, W, Chen, M, Chen, R, Zhang, Y, Xiao, Y, Chen, L
BMC complementary and alternative medicine. 2019;(1):178
Abstract
BACKGROUND To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of HuoXueHuaYu (HXHY) therapy in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS We performed comprehensive searches on Embase, Pubmed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang databases up to June 2017 for randomized controlled trials using HXHY in the treatment of NAFLD compared with conventional treatment. RESULTS This meta-analysis included 13 studies involving 1429 patients which 775 patients belonged to HXHY group and 654 patients belonged to conventional treatment group. The results of meta-analysis showed that HXHY can significantly improve B ultrasonic level (OR = 2.33; 95% CI:1.60, 3.40; P < 0.00001) of NAFLD compared with conventional treatment. As to lipids, HXHY was tested to be better on reduction of total cholesterol (TC) (MD = -0.38, 95% CI: - 0.48, - 0.29; P < 0.00001) and triglyceride (TG) (MD = -0.31; 95% CI: - 0.37, - 0.24; P < 0.00001) than conventional treatment. HXHY also had a greater beneficial effect on liver function in reducing alanine transaminase (ALT) (MD = -1.69; 95% CI: - 2.24, - 1.14; P < 0.00001) and aspartate transaminase (AST) (MD = -22.53; 95% CI: - 33.16, - 11.90; P < 0.00001) compared with conventional treatment. HXHY can also significantly improve the effective rate (OR = 3.55; 95% CI:2.65, 4.76; P < 0.00001) compared with conventional treatment. No serious adverse reactions were reported. CONCLUSIONS HXHY seems to be an effective and safe therapy for NAFLD. It is suggested that further study of HXHY in the treatment of NAFLD requires trials with rigorous design, multicenter, large-scale and high-quality worldwide.
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Meta-Analysis of Oxaliplatin-Based Chemotherapy Combined With Traditional Medicines for Colorectal Cancer: Contributions of Specific Plants to Tumor Response.
Chen, M, May, BH, Zhou, IW, Xue, CC, Zhang, AL
Integrative cancer therapies. 2016;(1):40-59
Abstract
This meta-analysis evaluates the clinical evidence for the addition of traditional medicines (TMs) to oxaliplatin-based regimens for colorectal cancer (CRC) in terms of tumor response rate (TRR). Eight electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy combined with TMs compared to the same oxaliplatin-based regimen. Data on TRR from 42 randomized controlled trials were analyzed using Review Manager 5.1. Studies were conducted in China or Japan. Publication bias was not evident. The meta-analyses suggest that the combination of the TMs with oxaliplatin-based regimens increased TRR in the palliative treatment of CRC (risk ratio [RR] 1.31 [1.20-1.42], I(2) = 0%). Benefits were evident for both injection products (RR 1.36 [1.18-1.57], I(2) = 0%) and orally administered TMs (RR 1.27 [1.15-1.41], I(2) = 0%). Further sensitivity analysis of specific plant-based TMs found that Paeonia, Curcuma, and Sophora produced consistently higher contributions to the RR results. Compounds in each of these TMs have shown growth-inhibitory effects in CRC cell-line studies. Specific combinations of TMs appeared to produce higher contributions to TRR than the TMs individually. Notable among these was the combination of Hedyotis, Astragalus, and Scutellaria.
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Fighting fire with fire: poisonous Chinese herbal medicine for cancer therapy.
Wang, S, Wu, X, Tan, M, Gong, J, Tan, W, Bian, B, Chen, M, Wang, Y
Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2012;(1):33-45
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Following the known principle of "fighting fire with fire", poisonous Chinese herbal medicine (PCHM) has been historically used in cancer therapies by skilled Chinese practitioners for thousands of years. In fact, most of the marketed natural anti-cancer compounds (e.g., camptothecin derivatives, vinca alkaloids, etc.) are often known in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and recorded as poisonous herbs as well. Inspired by the encouraging precedents, significant researches into the potential of novel anticancer drugs from other PCHM-derived natural products have been ongoing for several years and PCHM is increasingly being recognized as a gathering place for promising anti-cancer drugs. The present review aimed at giving a rational understanding of the toxicity of PCHM and, especially, providing the most recent developments on PCHM-derived anti-cancer compounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS Information on the toxicity and safety control of PCHM, as well as PCHM-derived anti-cancer compounds, was gathered from the articles, books and monographs published in the past 20 years. RESULTS Based on an objective introduction to the CHM toxicity, we clarified the general misconceptions about the safety of CHM and summarized the traditional experiences in dealing with the toxicity. Several PCHM-derived compounds, namely gambogic acid, triptolide, arsenic trioxide, and cantharidin, were selected as representatives, and their traditional usage and mechanism of anti-cancer actions were discussed. CONCLUSIONS Natural products derived from PCHM are of extreme importance in devising new drugs and providing unique ideas for the war against cancer. To fully exploit the potential of PCHM in cancer therapy, more attentions are advocated to be focused on their safety evaluation and mechanism exploration.
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Is oral administration of Chinese herbal medicine effective and safe as an adjunctive therapy for managing diabetic foot ulcers? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Chen, M, Zheng, H, Yin, LP, Xie, CG
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.). 2010;(8):889-98
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) as an adjunctive method to standard therapy for patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). METHODS Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CHM to treat DFU were searched in the following electronic databases: MEDLINE; EMBASE; Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM); Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); Allied & Complementary Medicine Resources (AMED); and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Two (2) researchers independently assessed the quality and validity of included trials and extracted outcome data for synthesis. RESULTS Six (6) trials were included for analysis. Compared to using standard therapy alone, CHM combined with standard therapy significantly increased the number of patients whose ulcers healed (risk ratio [RR], 0.62, [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.39-0.97]) and number of patients with at least a 30% reduction in the ulcer area (RR, 0.81 [95%CI, 0.71-0.92]). In addition, the two therapies combined significantly decreased the number of patients without any improvement (RR, 0.34 [95%CI, 0.21-0.53]). However, with respect to blood flow volume in the dorsal artery of the foot, no significant difference between the two therapies was observed (standardized mean difference, 1.71 [95% CI -1.25-4.67]), but the result favored the CHM combined with standard therapy group. Only 2 of 6 trials reported adverse events, which included nausea, epigastric pain, and dry mouth. CONCLUSIONS CHM may be effective and safe as an adjunctive therapy for treating DFU. However, a firm conclusion could not be reached because of the poor quality of the included trials. Further trials with higher quality are justified.
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[Effect of lixu jieyu recipe in treating 75 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome].
Zhang, ZX, Wu, LL, Chen, M
Zhongguo Zhong xi yi jie he za zhi Zhongguo Zhongxiyi jiehe zazhi = Chinese journal of integrated traditional and Western medicine. 2009;(6):501-5
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effective Chinese medicine treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). METHODS Seventy-five CFS patients meeting the inclusive criteria were enrolled from March 2007 to April 2008 and randomized into two groups. The 40 patients in the treated group were orally treated with Lixu Jieyu Recipe (LJR, consisted of milkvetch root 30 g, kudzuvine root 30 g, asiabell root 15 g, red sage root 10 g, aizoon stonecrop 15 g, epimeddium herb 10 g, curcuma root 10 g, and grassleaved sweetflag rhizome 10 g, made into 200 mL of decoction), for 100 mL twice a day. The 35 patients in the control group were treated with vitamin B tablets (10 mg twice a day), adenosine triphsphate (ATP, 20 mg, thrice a day) and Oryzanol tablets (20 mg thrice a day). The laboratory indicators including serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE), blood immune cells, as T-cells (Th and Ts), B-cells, natural killer cells, as well as CD4/CD8 ratio were measured before and after 3-month treatment. RESULTS After treatment the difference in scores of fatigue symptoms between the two groups was significant (P < 0.01), the scores of various SCL-90 factors and the total score significantly reduced in the treated group after treatment (P < 0.01). Levels of the immunoglobulins measured before treatment were in an equilibrium state, they all were unchanged after treatment in both groups (P > 0.05), and showed no significant difference between groups either before or after treatment. As for the immune cells, significant increase of the lowered Th, Ts cells, and decrease of CD4/CD8 ratio were found in both groups after treatment (P < 0.05), but the improvement was more significant in the treated group, so the difference between groups in these indices after treatment also showed statistical significance (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION LJR shows superiority in treating CFS.