Objective:To explore the current situation, hot spots and trends of research on the prevention and treatment of diabetes peripheral neuropathy with TCM; To provide reference for scientific research and clinical practice.Methods:Literature related to the prevention and treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy with TCM was retrieved from CNKI and Web of Science from the establishment of the databases to December 31, 2021. CiteSpace 6.1.3 software was used to visualize the knowledge map of the number of articles, journals, authors, institutions, keyword clustering, and keyword emergence.Results:A total of 793 core articles were included, including 692 in CNKI and 101 in Web of Science. The research on the TCM prevention and treatment of diabetes peripheral neuropathy was on the rise. Liu Tonghua (Beijing University of Chinese Medicine) wrote most Chinese articles, while Liang Xiaochun (Peking Union Medical College Hospital) wrote more English articles. The research institutions were mainly medical colleges and universities and their affiliated hospitals. Current research hotspots and future development trends mainly included the following aspects: TCM compounds, acupuncture therapy, oxidative stress, nerve conduction velocity, expression of related pathogenic genes, randomized controlled experiments, data mining, systematic evaluation, etc.Conclusion:At present, the research on the TCM prevention and treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy at home and abroad has gradually entered a stable development stage and has a certain research scale. However, it is necessary to strengthen the cooperation and communication between research teams and institutions and promote sustainable clinical efficacy evaluation and basic research development.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Qingrun prescription（QRP）-containing serum on improving insulin resistance in HepG2 cells and its potential mechanisms. MethodsAn insulin resistance model was established in HepG2 cells with 1×10^-6 mol·L^-1 insulin. Branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase （BCKDH） gene silencing was achieved using siRNA， and the cells were divided into 8 groups： normal group， model group （1×10^-6 mol·L^-1 insulin）， metformin group （1 mmol·L^-1 metformin）， high-， medium-， and low-dose QRP groups （20%， 10%， and 5% QRP-containing serum， respectively）， QRP + siRNA-silenced BCKDH （si-BCKDH） group （10% QRP-containing serum + si-BCKDH）， and QRP + si-NC group （10% QRP-containing serum + si-NC）. Glucose levels in the supernatant were measured with a glucose assay kit， while glycogen content was assessed using a glycogen assay kit. Levels of branched-chain amino acids （BCAAs） and branched-chain keto acids （BCKAs） were determined using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （UHPLC-MS/MS）. mRNA transcription and protein expression levels of BCKDH， dishevelled， Egl-10， and pleckstrin （DEP） domain-containing mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）-interacting protein （DEPTOR）， mTOR， and ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 （S6K1） were detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot. ResultsCompared to the normal group， the model group exhibited significantly decreased glucose consumption and glycogen content， increased levels of BCAAs and BCKAs， downregulated expression of BCKDH and DEPTOR， and upregulated mTOR and S6K1 expression （P<0.01）. In comparison to the model group， QRP treatment at all doses significantly enhanced glucose consumption and glycogen content while reducing BCAAs and BCKAs levels （P<0.01）. The high- and medium-dose QRP groups demonstrated significant upregulation of BCKDH mRNA transcription and protein expression， as well as DEPTOR mRNA transcription. Moreover， the DEPTOR protein expression level was significantly increased in high-， medium-， and low-dose QRP groups， while mTOR and S6K1 mRNA and protein expression levels were markedly downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared to the QRP + si-NC group， the QRP + si-BCKDH group exhibited increased BCAAs and BCKAs levels， significantly decreased BCKDH mRNA transcription and protein expression， downregulated DEPTOR mRNA and protein expression， and upregulated mTOR and S6K1 mRNA and protein expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionQRP may improve insulin resistance by reprogramming BCAAs metabolism. This effect involves upregulating BCKDH， reducing BCAAs and BCKAs levels， and suppressing the mTOR pathway activation.