1.Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease by Traditional Chinese Medicine via Regulating ROS: A Review
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(12):281-288
The pathological mechanism of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is complex, and there are many hypotheses. The mainstream theory is the amyloid-beta protein (Aβ) and Tau protein phosphorylation. Oxidative stress (OS) is a bridge between other hypotheses and mechanisms and plays a key role in many hypotheses. Therefore, the treatment of OS in AD (ADOS) is beneficial in alleviating disease progression. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a kind of antioxidant and a kind of oxidation products, with Aβ and Tau protein interactions, activating microglia and astrocytes, triggering inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to the deterioration of the environment in the brain, and accelerating the development of disease. ROS, as a signal messenger inducing OS, is widely involved in the progression of AD and may be a new target for the progression of AD. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) monomers and compounds play an increasingly important role in the prevention and treatment of AD. Recent studies have found that the effective prevention and treatment of AD by TCM is closely related to the regulation of ROS. There are many studies on the mechanism of TCM in the treatment of AD via regulating ROS, but there is a lack of systematic review. By analyzing and summarizing the literature in China and abroad in recent years, this paper reviewed the generation and physiology of ROS, the mechanism of action of AD, and the prevention of AD by TCM via regulating ROS through relevant ways, so as to provide references for the research on the regulation of ROS by TCM and provide new targets and new methods for the prevention and treatment of AD.
2.Exploration on Material Basis and Molecular Mechanism of Astragali Radix Exerting the Effect of “Invigorating Qi” Through Regulating Energy Metabolism Based on Chemo-bio Informatics Methods
HOU Yehu ; QIU Lu ; JIN Xiaojie ; ZHANG Min ; LIN Jia ; LIU Wei ; WEI Benjun ; YAO Juan ; LI Yaling ; LIU Yongqi
Chinese Journal of Modern Applied Pharmacy 2023;40(14):1906-1916
OBJECTIVE To explain the material basis and biological mechanism of Astragali Radix’s “invigorating Qi” effect to regulate energy metabolism. METHODS The TCMSP database and literature search collected potential active components of Astragali Radix, the SEA database performed target prediction based on structural similarity, and the GeneCards, OMIM, and TTD databases obtained energy metabolism targets. Cytoscape software was used to construct protein-protein interaction network maps of Astragali Radix regulated energy metabolism targets, and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed. Molecular docking and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed to evaluate the target-component affinity between the whole constituents of Astragali Radix and key targets, and the effects of representative compounds of Astragali Radix on the energy metabolism of H9C2 cardiomyocytes and GES-1 gastric epithelial cells were detected, and the binding mode analysis was conducted. RESULTS Network pharmacology results showed that there were 126 potential targets of Astragali Radix regulating energy metabolism. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that Astragali Radix regulating energy metabolism might be related to gene expression of oxidation-reduction process, protein and enzyme synthesis. Among them, SIRT1 and PPARγ were key targets involved in the regulation of energy metabolism. Molecular docking and hierarchical clustering showed that Astragali Radix components had superior targeting to SIRT1 and PPARγ, and three representative compounds were selected for in vitro experimental verification in combination with molecular docking scores. Quercetin and kaempferol could promote energy metabolism in H9C2 cardiomyocytes and GES-1 gastric epithelial cells. The binding mode analysis showed that quercetin and kaempferol had preferable binding ability to SIRT1 and PPARγ. CONCLUSION In this study, the material basis and biological mechanism of Astragali Radix regulating energy metabolism are preliminarily explained by traditional Chinese medicine chemo-bio informatics methods, which provide a scientific basis for the connotation of Astragali Radix exerting the effect of stagnation and arthralgia through “invigorating Qi” in traditional Chinese medicine.