Salvia miltiorrhiza (S. miltiorrhiza) represents a crucial component of traditional Chinese medicine, demonstrating effects on blood circulation activation and stasis removal, and has been widely utilized in asthma treatment. This study isolated a novel phenolic acid (S1) from S. miltiorrhiza and investigated its anti-asthmatic activity and underlying mechanisms for the first time. An allergic asthma (AA) model was established using ovalbumin (OVA). The mechanism of S1's effects on AA was investigated using multi-factor joint analysis, flow cytometry, and co-culture systems to facilitate clinical asthma treatment. S1 (10 or 20 mg·kg^-1) was administered daily to mice with OVA-induced AA (OVA-AA) during days 21-25. The study examined airway responsiveness, lung damage, inflammation, and levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), PGD2, interleukins (IL-4, 5, 10, 13, 17A), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), GM-CSF, CXCL1, CCL11, and mMCP-1. Additionally, mast cell (MC) activation and degranulation were explored, along with T helper type 17 (Th17)/Treg immune cells and TLR4 pathway biomarkers. The antagonistic activity of that specific antagonist of TLR4 (TAK-242) (1 µmol·L^-1), a specific TLR4 blocker, against S1 (10 µmol·L^-1) was examined in co-cultured 16HBE cells and bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) or splenic lymphocytes (SLs) induced with LPS (1 µg·mL^-1) to elucidate the TLR4 pathway's mediating role. S1 demonstrated reduced airway responsiveness, lung damage, and inflammation, with downregulation of IgE, PGD2, interleukins, TNF-α, GM-CSF, CXCL1, CCL11, and mMCP-1. It also impeded MC activation and degranulation, upregulated IL-10, and influenced Th17/Treg immune cell transformation following OVA challenge. Furthermore, S1 inhibited the TLR4 pathway in OVA-AA mice, and TLR4 antagonism enhanced S1's positive effects. Analysis using an OVA-AA mouse model demonstrated that S1 alleviates AA clinical symptoms, restores lung function, and inhibits airway response. S1's therapeutic effects occur through regulation of Th17/Treg immune cells and inflammation, attributable at least partially to the TLR4 pathway. This study provides molecular justification for S1 in AA treatment.

ObjectiveTo investigate the features of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and prescription rules in the treatment of HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB). MethodsA systematic search was performed for the articles on the TCM diagnosis and treatment of HBeAg-positive CHB, the information of TCM diagnosis and treatment in medical records were extracted, and a database was established after data standardization. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System was used to investigate the medication rule. ResultsA total of 100 articles with 135 medical records were included in this study. A total of 220 types of Chinese materia medica were used, among which Bupleurum chinense, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., and Poria cocos were frequently used. As for the meridian entry of drugs, liver meridian, spleen meridian, and stomach meridian were commonly used. The analysis showed that the core drugs for HBeAg-positive CHB were Bupleurum chinense, Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Curcumae, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Radix Glycyrrhizae, Poria cocos, Polygonum cuspidatum, Astragalus membranaceus, Herba Artemisiae Scopariae, and Hedyotis diffusa. A total of 20 core drug combinations were deduced based on complex system entropy clustering, and 10 new prescriptions were obtained using unsupervised entropy hierarchical clustering. ConclusionIn this study, literature mining and inductive analysis show that the syndromes of stagnation of liver qi and spleen deficiency and liver and gallbladder damp-heat are common syndrome types of HBeAg-positive CHB. The medicine suits and prescriptions refined in this study can be used for reference in clinical practice.

This study was aimed to distinguish Leonurus japonicus samples produced from different regions and growth environments in Sichuan by electronic nose. The sensor response value of odors of Leonurus japonicus sam-ples were obtained through electronic nose. Principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant factor analysis (DFA) were used to combine the optimum feature parameters. The results showed that the PCA distinguish index was 82, and the DFA comprehensive classification rate was 97.96% among samples from different regions. The PCA distin-guish index was 84, and the DFA comprehensive classification rate was 100% among samples from different growth environments. The distinguishment and differentiation were effective. It was concluded that electronic nose can be ap-plied to identify the origin and growth environment of Leonurus japonicus from Sichuan to provided reference for odor differentiation.

Insulin resistance and its compensatory hyperinsulinemia play a key pathogenic role in the infertility of the polycystic ovary syndrome.Numerous studies indicate that insulin sensitizing drugs can be used to enhance spontaneous ovulation and the induction ovulation in the syndrome,The aim of this review is to summarize the studies in which insulin sensitizing drugs were used to increase ovulation rate or improve fertility in women with the PCOS and to translate the information into practical guidelines for reproductive endocrinologist.