1.
Paeoniflorin: A neuroprotective monoterpenoid glycoside with promising anti-depressive properties.
Wang, XL, Feng, ST, Wang, YT, Chen, NH, Wang, ZZ, Zhang, Y
Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology. 2021;:153669
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression, as a prevalent and debilitating psychiatric disease, severely decreases the life quality of individuals and brings heavy burdens to the whole society. Currently, some antidepressants are applied in the treatment of severe depressive symptoms, while there are still some undesirable drawbacks. Paeoniflorin is a monoterpenoid glycoside that was firstly extracted from Paeonia lactiflora Pall, a traditional Chinese herb that is widely used in the Chinese herbal formulas for treating depression. PURPOSE This review summarized the previous pre-clinical studies of paeoniflorin in treating depression and further discussed the potential anti-depressive mechanisms for that paeoniflorin to be further explored and utilized in the treatment of depression clinically. METHODS Some electronic databases, e.g., PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, were searched from inception until April 2021. RESULTS This review summarized the effective anti-depressive properties of paeoniflorin, which is related to its functions in the upregulation of the levels of monoaminergic neurotransmitters, inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperfunction, promotion of neuroprotection, promotion of hippocampus neurogenesis, and upregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor level, inhibition of inflammatory reaction, downregulation of nitric oxide level, etc. CONCLUSION This review focused on the pre-clinical studies of paeoniflorin in depression and summarized the recent development of the anti-depressive mechanisms of paeoniflorin, which approves the role of paeoniflorin plays in anti-depression. However, more high-quality pre-clinical and clinical studies are expected to be conducted in the future.
2.
Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors suppress atrial natriuretic peptide secretion in patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes.
Wang, Y, Xu, L, Yuan, L, Li, D, Zhang, Y, Zheng, R, Liu, C, Feng, X, Li, Q, Li, Q, et al
Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association. 2016;(12):1732-1736
Abstract
AIMS: To observe changes in atrial natriuretic peptide levels after treatment with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. METHODS A total of 28 patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes and HbA1c levels of 58 -91 mmol/mol (7.5-10.5%) were randomly selected to receive sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor treatment (n = 18) or placebo (n = 10) for 24 weeks. We analysed atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, sodium and HbA1c levels were measured at baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks and blood lipid levels and insulin sensitivities at baseline and 24 weeks. RESULTS Compared with patients treated with placebo, patients who received sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor treatment exhibited lower atrial natriuretic peptide levels (36.74 vs 56.90 pg/ml in the placebo group; P < 0.05) and higher sodium levels (144.3 vs 141.4 mmol/l in the placebo group; P < 0.01) at 24 weeks, after adjusting for baseline values. HbA1c levels were lower after sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor treatment compared with placebo (51 vs 60 mmol/mol; P < 0.01). No correlation was found between atrial natriuretic peptide and HbA1c levels. Homeostatic model assessment of β-cell function values and lipid profiles were generally similar after 24 weeks of treatment with placebo or sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS This study shows the ability of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors to lower atrial natriuretic peptide levels and improve glycaemic control, which may benefit the cardiovascular system.
3.
The beneficial effect of total glucosides of paeony on psoriatic arthritis links to circulating Tregs and Th1 cell function.
Wang, YN, Zhang, Y, Wang, Y, Zhu, DX, Xu, LQ, Fang, H, Wu, W
Phytotherapy research : PTR. 2014;(3):372-81
Abstract
Total glycosides of peony (TGP) is a natural immuno-modulatory drug extracted from traditional Chinese herb peony. It has been approved by State Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, data of TGP effect on psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is still scarce. In this study, 19 patients with PsA received 12-week treatment of TGP, and clinical efficacy in joint manifestations was evaluated by DAS28 at weeks 0, 4, 8 and 12. Peripheral percentages of Tregs, Th1, Th2 and NK cells were analyzed, and serum Th1-type cytokines (IL-12, IFN-γ and TNF-α), Th2-type cytokines (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10) as well as pro-inflammatory factors (IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8) were concomitantly examined. Six patients (32%) exhibited ≥25% decrease of DAS28 (responders). Interestingly, all responders displayed a continuous decrease in Treg and Th1 numbers during TGP treatment, concomitant with significant decreases in Th1-type cytokine levels. Serum IL-6 also showed a significant decline in responders. Non-responders lacked these sequential alterations. Thus, TGP merits further consideration as a promising therapeutic option for PsA. The result indicated that recovery of Tregs and Th1 may serve as prognostic markers to assess responsiveness to TGP treatment in PsA.