As a traditional Chinese medicine, Valeriana jatamansi has a long history of application in China. It is widely distributed and commonly adopted by many ethnic groups. In particular, its roots have a wide range of medicinal value. With the increasingly more attention on it from domestic and foreign researchers, there have been more and more studies on its pharmacological activity and mechanism. This essay summarizes domestic and foreign reports on its pharmacological activity and mechanism.
Animals ; Anti-Infective Agents ; pharmacology ; Antihypertensive Agents ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Central Nervous System Depressants ; pharmacology ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; drug effects ; Humans ; Plant Extracts ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; Valerian

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; prevention & control ; Female ; Glutathione ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paclitaxel ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

AIMTo evaluate the hypersensitivity reaction of the blank paclitaxel microemulsion and study the O/W paclitaxel microemulsion's pharmacokinetics in rats.

METHODSAn alternative paclitaxel microemulsion was prepared with small particle size. The hypersensitivity reaction of the blank microemulsion was investigated in guinea pigs. In pharmacokinetic study, 5 rats were given i.v. Taxol or paclitaxel microemulsion. Blood samples were collected at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 h and the concentration of paclitaxel in plasma was determined by HPLC method. The data obtained were processed using 3P87 program.

RESULTSThe mean size of the microemulsion is 17.2 nm. The preparation of blank microemulsion did not show any hypersensitivity, while the injection of commercial product showed significant hypersensitivity. The concentration-time curve of paclitaxel microemulsion and commercial injection (Taxol) fitted a two-compartment model. The K10, K12, K21 and AUC of paclitaxel microemulsion were 0.571.h-1, 1.441.h-1, 3.081.h-1 and 34.98 mg.h.L-1. Those of commercial injection were 1.291.h-1, 1.271.h-1, 0.511.h-1 and 21.85 mg.h.L-1.

CONCLUSIONThe blank paclitaxel preparation of micoemulsion reduced the hypersensitivity in guinea pigs compared with the blank commercial injection. The paclitaxel microemulsion has relatively longer circulating time in rats.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; pharmacokinetics ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; etiology ; Emulsions ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Injections, Intravenous ; Male ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; pharmacokinetics ; Rats

Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; adverse effects ; Extravasation of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Materials ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy ; methods ; Vinblastine ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives

OBJECTIVES: To study the characteristics of vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and the factors influencing the development of VIPN. METHODS: The children with ALL, aged 1-18 years, who were treated with CCCG-ALL2015 or CCCG-ALL2020 regimen in the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from January 2018 to February 2022 were enrolled as subjects. According to the influence of age on risk, the children were divided into 1-10 years group with 91 children and >10 years group with 29 children. VIPN was graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (5th edition), and the incidence rate, severity, and type of VIPN were compared between different groups. RESULTS: A total of 120 children were enrolled in this study, among whom 56 (46.7%) developed VIPN. The >10 years group had a significantly higher incidence rate of VIPN than the 1-10 years group (69% vs 40%, P<0.05). Among the 56 children with VIPN, 12 (21%) had grade 3 VIPN or above, and 44 (79%) had grade 2 VIPN. There were 77 cases of autonomic nerve symptoms (59.7%), 42 cases of peripheral nerve injury (32.5%), and 10 cases of cranial nerve injury (7.8%). There were no significant differences in the severity and type of VIPN between the groups with different ages, sexes, degrees of risk, or treatment regimens (P>0.05). The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that age is the influencing factor for the occurrence of VIPN (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a relatively high incidence rate of VIPN in children with ALL, with the highest incidence rate of autonomic nervous symptoms. The incidence of VIP in children over 10 years old is relatively high.
Child ; Humans ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/adverse effects* ; Cohort Studies ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/diagnosis* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy* ; Vincristine/adverse effects* ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Adolescent

BACKGROUNDPaclitaxel, as a first line anti-neoplastic compound, frequently produces long-term pain after tumors have been treated. Clinical manifestations are varied and non-specific. Pathology of the nervous system during the development of the neuropathic pain is unclear. Thus, early diagnosis and treatment is often unsatisfying for patients. This study aimed to promote considerate understanding of the structural alteration of sensory nerves.

METHODSAll rats were simply randomized into 3 groups: paclitaxel group, vehicle group and saline group. An established rat model of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (2 mg/kg) was chosen for our research, behavior tests were operated during the procedure of 56 days. All rats were sampled on days 0, 3, 7, 28 and 56. The hind paw plantar skin, sciatic nerves, dorsal root ganglion and attached fibers, and lumbar spinal cord were processed for light and electron microscopy. The differences among 3 groups were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTSWe affirmed that paclitaxel-induced mechano-allodynia and mechano-hyperalgesia occured after a 3-7-day delay, and this pain peaked at day 28 and persisted to day 56. Paclitaxel and vehicle treatment both evoked thermal-hyperalgesia. Paclitaxel-induced axonal and myelin sheath degeneration was evident. At days 3 and 7, significant increases in atypical mitochondria in both myelinated axons and C-fibers of paclitaxel-treated nerves indicated that injured mitochondria correlated to specific paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain, and the abnormity sustained till day 56. Microtubule was unaffected in myelinated axons or C-fibers in paclitaxel- or vehicle-treated rats. Significant increase of G ratio was evident with paclitaxel injection at days 7 and 28.

CONCLUSIONOur research suggests a causal role for axonal degeneration, abnormalities in axonal mitochondria, and structural modification of axonal microtubules in paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain, and the abnormal mitochondria could be connected to the chronic neuropathic pain.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; adverse effects ; Axons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Microtubules ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Mitochondria ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Neuralgia ; chemically induced ; Paclitaxel ; adverse effects ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

We encountered a patient with cystoid macular edema (CME) secondary to paclitaxel use. A 57-year-old man presented with gradual decreased bilateral vision. His chemotherapeutic regimen consisted of bevacizumab, paclitaxel (175 mg/m2 for 5 months), and carboplatin. Optical coherence tomography imaging revealed bilateral CME greater than 500 microm. However, one year later, visual acuity was improved, best-corrected Snellen visual acuity was 40 / 80 in each eye, and CME was spontaneously improved. Our study confirmed that macular edema associated with paclitaxel use shows spontaneous resolution and improvement of visual acuity after a change of chemotherapeutic regimen.
Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/*adverse effects ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy ; Macular Edema/*chemically induced ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paclitaxel/*adverse effects ; Remission, Spontaneous ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVETo investigate the toxicity attenuation and efficacy potentiation effects of Sijunzi decoction (SJZD) on bladder carcinoma treated by chemotherapy in mice.

METHODST739 mice were randomly divided into 8 groups after subcutaneous inoculation of bladder carcinoma cells, the control group (A); two mitomycin C (MMC) group, treated with MMC of routine dosage (B) and low-dosage (C) respectively; three SJZD groups, treated with SJZD of high (D), medium (E) and low-dosage (F) respectively; and two combined treatment groups, treated with SJZD of high-dosage + MMC of routine dosage(G) and SJZD of high-dosage + MMC of low-dosage(H). The medication was begun at 24 hrs after inoculation. The tumor inhibitory rate, activity of peritoneal macrophages after 14 days of treatment and change of peripheral white blood cells after 7 days of treatment were determined and the survival time of mice was observed.

RESULTSThe survival time of mice in Group D was significantly higher than that in Group A (P < 0.05), while those in Group E and F showed insignificant difference as compared with those in Group A (P > 0.05). The highest tumor inhibitory rate was shown in Group B, but the survival time in that group showed no significant difference as compared to those in Group A (P > 0.05). The longest survival time (32.7 +/- 1.3 days) was shown in Group H, which was obviously different to that in other groups (P < 0.05). And the leukocyte counts and macrophage activity in Group H were better than those in Group B, C and G (P < 0.05), except that the tumor inhibitory rate was significantly lower than that in Group B, C and G (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCombined chemotherapy of SJZD with low dosage MMC has definite effect in inhibiting tumor growth in mice with bladder carcinoma, displaying special effects of toxicity attenuation and efficacy potentiation.

Animals ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Mitomycin ; adverse effects ; Phytotherapy ; Random Allocation ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; drug therapy

BACKGROUNDGambogic acid is a pure active compound isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant gamboge (Garcinia morella Desv.). Based on the preliminary results of a phase I study, this phase IIa study compared the efficacy and safety of different dosage schedules of gambogic acid in patients with advanced malignant tumors.

METHODSPatients with advanced or metastases cancer who had not received any effective routine conventional treatment or who had failed to respond to the existing conventional treatment were randomly assigned to receive either 45 mg/m(2) gambogic acid intravenously from Days 1 to 5 of a 2-week cycle (Group A), or 45 mg/m(2) every other day for a total of five times during a 2-week cycle (Group B). The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR).

RESULTSTwenty-one patients assigned to Group A and 26 to Group B were included in the final analysis. The ORRs were 14.3% in Group A and 0% in Group B. It was not possible to analyze the significant difference because one of the values was zero. The disease control rates (DCRs) were 76.2% in Group A and 61.5% in Group B (P = 0.0456). The observed adverse reactions were mostly Grades I and II, and occurred in most patients after administration of the trial drug. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two arms.

CONCLUSIONSThe preliminary results of this phase IIa exploratory study suggest that gambogic acid has a favorable safety profile when administered at 45 mg/m(2). The DCR was greater in patients receiving gambogic acid on Days 1 - 5 of a 2-week cycle, but the incidence of adverse reactions was similar irrespective of the administration schedule.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Injections ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Xanthones ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects

Anemia, Aplastic ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; therapeutic use ; Cyclosporine ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sarcoma, Kaposi ; epidemiology ; Skin Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Vincristine ; therapeutic use