OBJECTIVETo establish a characterization system of traditional Chinese medicinal properties in line with modern scientific cognition regularity, in order to reveal properties of traditional Chinese medicines distributed along liver meridian and relations of effects of medicinal properties.

METHODBy collecting data about traditional Chinese medicinal properties recorded in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (2005 Edition), literature and data about pharmacological effects of traditional Chinese medicines recorded in the Chinese Materia Medica, by using the method of association rules, the authors dug pharmacological effect rules corresponds to relevant medicinal property combinations, with the medicinal property combination of traditional Chinese medicines distributed along liver meridian as the target.

RESULTIt was found that either obvious different pharmacological effects or identical pharmacological characteristics existed in traditional Chinese medicines distributed along liver meridian.

CONCLUSIONWith the aim to explore the correlations between traditional Chinese medicine medicinal properties and pharmacological effects, the authors linked the traditional Chinese medicine theory with modern research achievements, in order to provide the ideas and methods for interpreting mechanisms of medicinal properties.

Databases, Factual ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Liver ; drug effects ; Liver Diseases ; drug therapy ; Meridians

Start to explore the theory conditions around the theme why to build the modern basic theory of tradi-tional chinese medicine and what kind of theory we want to establish . On the basis of making clear the related concepts such as theory, knowledge, scientific theory and scientific knowledge, discuss the theoretical development pathways and evaluation criteria, compare the development mode of Chinese and Western medicine, providing a refer-ence for evaluation and future development of the modern basic theory of traditional chinese medicine. According to Carl G. Hempel's bridge principle, summarize the five bridge principles and a logic protection principle of the research and foundation of the modern basic theory of traditional chinese medicine, and explain its role and signifi-cance. Put forward a theoretical framework of the modern basic theory of traditional chinese medicine Three levels and five grades like a tree structure, demonstrate the scientific connotation of 11 principles and concepts under the frame. Analyze and demonstrate its scientific rationality according to the role and evaluation criteria of scientific theory mentioned above, clearing direction for future development.

At present, studies on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) properties are mostly restricted to a single or two kinds of medicinal properties, but deviated from the holism of the theoretical system of TCMs. In this paper, the characteristics of pharmacological effects of different property combinations of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian were take as the study objective. The data of properties of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian was collected from the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (2005). The data of pharmacological effects of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian was collected from all of literatures recorded in Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CNKI) since 1980, Science of Chinese Materia Medica (Yan Zhenghua, People's Medical Publishing House, 2006) and Clinical Science of Chinese Materia Medica (Gao Xuemin, Zhong Gansheng, Hebei Science and Technology Publishing House, 2005). The corresponding pharmacological effects of property combinations of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian was mined by the method of association rules. The results of the association rules were consistent with the empirical knowledge, and showed that different medicinal property combinations had respective pharmacological characteristics, including differences and similarities in pharmacological effects of different medicinal property combinations. Medicinal property combinations with identical four properties or five tastes showed similar pharmacological effects; whereas medicinal property combinations with different four properties or five tastes showed differentiated pharmacological effects. However, medicinal property combinations with different four properties or five tastes could also show similar pharmacological effects. In this study, the medicinal property theory and the pharmacological effects of TCMs were combined to reveal the main characteristics and regularity of pharmacological effects of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian and provide a new way of thinking and method for revealing the mechanism action of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian and discovering the pharmacological effects of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian.
Databases, Factual ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Meridians ; Stomach ; drug effects ; Stomach Diseases ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo study topiramate's new functions according to the medicinal property combinations, in order to apply the traditional Chinese medicinal theory in discovering new purposes of old drugs.

METHODAccording to New Traditional Chinese Medicinal Families--Chemical Traditional Chinese Medicines, the authors found out topiramate's property. Then based on the therapeutic principle of diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy and lung cancer, as well as the relations of efficacies and medicinal property combinations, they summarized the corresponding medicinal property combination modes, compared topiramate's medicinal property combination mode with corresponding medicinal property combination modes of these diseases, and predict topiramate's new functions.

RESULTAccording to the comparison, the corresponding medicinal property combinations were consistent with topiramate's medicinal property combinations as evidenced by corresponding literatures, whereas other medicinal property combinations were not.

CONCLUSIONBased on medicinal property combination modes, the authors screened topiramate's new functions according to e of TCM clinical experience, discovered topiramate's therapeutic effects on diabetes, hypertension and lung cancer in addition to epilepsy, and explore new drug function according to medicinal property combination modes, which could help greatly shorten the new drug R&D period.

Diabetes Mellitus ; drug therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Fructose ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy

The prescription combinations of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) focuses on the taste and channel tropism, the Qi movement, as well as the compatibility according to multiple combination principles and medicinal property and flavor combination of several traditional Chinese medicines. With the in-depth study on the prescription compatibility, researchers have realized that the medicinal property theory is the core of TCM combinations. However, there is no definite method for combinations based on medicinal properties. In this paper, the authors put forward an method for designing prescription combinations based on bipartite graph and the greedy algorithm. With the medicinal property combinations of Siweilurong Pills for example, the authors proved this method could provide ideas for quickly choosing herbal medicines for prescription combinations, and discussed the prospect of this method in substituting previous and endangered herbal medicines and banned medicinal materials.
Algorithms ; Drug Combinations ; Drug Prescriptions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytotherapy

In order to explore reasonable artificial cultivation pattern of Thesium chinense, the biological characteristics and nutrients change in the process of winter dormancy of T. chinense was studied. The phenological period of T. chinense was observed by using fixed-point notation and the starch grains changes were determined dynamically by PAS-vanadium iron hematoxylin staixjing method. Soluble sugar and starch content were measured by anthrone-sulfuric acid method and amylase activity was determined by DN'S method. The results showed that the normal life cycle of T. chinense was two years. T. chinense was growing by seed in the first year, but growing by the root neck bud in the second year. During the process of dormancy, starch and soluble sugar could mutual transformation in different periods. T. chinense had sufficient carbohydrate to maintain growth and also a lot of small molecules to improve their ability to fight against adversity.
Plant Dormancy ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Santalaceae ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Seasons ; Starch ; analysis ; metabolism

To reveal the variation of polysaccharides and alcohol-soluble extract contents of Dendrobium officinale, the polysaccharides and alcohol-soluble extracts contents of three D. officinale strains were determined by phenol-sulfuric acid method and hot-dip method, respectively. The results showed that the contents of polysaccharides and alcohol-soluble extracts and their total content were significantly different among D. officinale samples collected in different periods, and the variations were closely related to the phenology of D. officinale. Additionally, the quality variation of polysaccharides was closely related to the flowering of D. officinale, while the alcohol-soluble extracts was closely associated to the formation and germination of buds. According to the dynamic variation of these two compounds, it is more reasonable to harvest D. officinale at biennials pre-bloom than at specific harvesting month considering polysaccharides content. It is better to harvest before the germination of buds considering alcohol-soluble extracts. While with regards to both polysaccharides and alcohol-soluble extract, it is better to harvest this plant at the period from the sprouting to pre-bloom next year.
Dendrobium ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; isolation & purification ; Polysaccharides ; isolation & purification

ObjectiveTo identify serum specific protein biomarkers for the early diagnosis of lymphoma patients by using surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS)protein chip array.MethodsSELDI-TOF-MS technique and weak cation exchanger (WCX2)protein chip were used to detect the serum proteomic patterns of 96 patients with lymphoma (86 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 10 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma)and 30 normal control.The serum level of LDH were measured by biochemical methods,the serum level of β2-MG and CA125 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).ResultsFour protein peaks pattern mass/charge ratio (M/Z) 6880,8564,8692 and 13751 were decreased in lymphoma patients,and they could be used to distinguish lymphoma from healthy people and other malignant tumors.Their sensitivity and specificity were 82.29 ％ and 80.00 ％,78.13 ％ and 73.30 ％,75.00 ％ and 80.00 ％,71.88 ％ and 83.30 ％ respectively in lymphoma patients.When it was used to early diagnosing lymphoma in stage Ⅰ or Ⅱ,the sensitivity of four protein peaks pattern (M/Z 6880,8564,8692 and 13 751) were 77.55 ％,71.43 ％,71.43 ％ and 67.35 ％respectively and the specificity of all four protein peaks pattern were 100.00 ％.Four protein peaks pattern sensitivity were higher than LDH,CA125 and β2-MG respectively.ConclusionApplication of SELDI-TOF-MS can be of great potential for the early diagnosis of lymphoma patients.

AIM:To investigate the effects of DL-3-n-butylphthalidle (NBP) on angiogenesis of human um-bilical vein endothelial cells ( HUVECs) and the role of vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF)/VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2)-Notch1/Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4) signaling pathway in this process. METHODS:The serum-free medium and anoxic tank were used to simulate the conditions of hypoxia and ischemia ( H/I). HUVECs were divided into control group, H/I group, H/I+NBPhigh group and H/I+NBPlow group. The HUVECs in control group were conventionally cul-tured, and those in H/I group were cultured under H/I intervention. The HUVECs in H/I+NBPhigh group were treated with NBP at 20 μmol/L under H/I intervention. The HUVECs in H/I+NBPlow group were treated with NBP at 5 μmol/L under H/I intervention. The cell viability of each group was measured by CCK-8 assay. The migration ability of the HUVECs in each group was detected by cell scratch test. The vessel formation ability of the HUVECs was examined by in vitro angiogenesis assay. The expression of VEGFR2, Notch1 and Dll4 at mRNA and protein levels was determined by qPCR and Western blot, and the expression of VEGF was determined by qPCR and ELISA. RESULTS:NBP increased the viability of HUVECs, and promoted the migration ability and the formation of blood vessels in vitro under H/I interven-tion. These effects of NBP at high dose were more significant than those at low dose. NBP increased the expression of VEGF, VEGFR2, Notch1 and Dll4 at mRNA and protein levels (P<0.05). CONCLUSION:NBP promotes HUVECs to form blood vessels under H/I intervention. The mechanism may be related to the activation of VEGF/VEGFR2-Notch1/Dll4 signaling pathway.

Objective To investigated the effects of combined arsenic trioxide(ATO) and resveratrol(Res)on the viability of NB4 human leukemia cells. Methods NB4 human leukemia cell was used in this experiment.Cells were cultured in ATO (0,0.1875,0.3750,0.7500, 1.1250, 1.5000,2.2500,3.0000,5.0000 μmol/L) and Res (0, 1.5625,3.1250,6.2500, 12.5000, 18.7500,25.0000,37.5000,50.0000 μmol/L). Cell viabilities were measured by MTT in different treatment groups. Half inhibitory concentration(IC50) was calculated. The ratio of concentration of ATO and Res 1.5∶ 18,1.5∶ 25,1.5∶ 35 was added to cells, and the combination index(CI) was calculated. The level of ROS in control, ATO( 1.5000 μmol/L), Res(25.0000 μmol/L) and ATO(0.9000 μmol/L) + Res( 12.5000μmol/L) groups was measured by chemiluminescence assay. Results ①ATO( ≥0.7500 μmol/L) reduced the viability of NB4 cells in a concentration-dependent manner(P ＜ 0.05 ), and IC50 was (1.78 ± 0.11 )μmol/L. ②)Res (≥18.7500 μ mol/L) dose-dependently decreased the viability of NB4 cells (P ＜ 0.05 ), and IC50 was ( 18.71 ±0.18)μ mol/L. ③Combination of ATO and Res showed an antagonistic effect on NB4 cells viability. ④The ROS in Res group( 1670.55 ± 13.97) was significantly lower than that in control group(2345.88 ± 14.48,P ＜ 0.05). The ROS in ATO group (3092.42 ± 94.84) was significantly higher than that in control group(P ＜ 0.05). The ROS in ATO + Res group (1860.27 ± 15.99) was significantly lower than that in ATO group(P ＜ 0.05). Conclusions NB4 cell survival rate can be decreased by ATO and Res. The combination of arsenic trioxide and Res presents an antagonistic effect on NB4 cell viability, in part by reducing intracellular ROS formation.