1.Discussion on the Application of Insect Drugs in Children with Tic Disorders Based on YE Tianshi's Theory of"Yang Transforms into Internal Wind"
Xinyi GUO ; Changxing LIU ; Qiong ZHAO ; Mengjie ZHAO ; Sajiyue HUANG
Traditional Chinese Drug Research & Clinical Pharmacology 2024;35(6):911-916
Tic disorder is a common neuropsychiatric disorder in children and one of the common serious chronic diseases that endanger children's health.According to YE Tianshi's theory of"yang transforms into internal wind",water fails to nourish wood(kidney yin deficiency can not nourish liver wood),spleen deficiency and liver hyperactivity,wood stagnation and intense fire cause internal wind,and leading to frenetic stirring of tendons.Insect drugs are considered to be"pathogenic wind"in terms of pathogenic factors,and the pain wanders unsteadily.They have the effects of tonifying the kidney and supplementing essence,calming the liver and suppressing wind,resolving phlegm and relieving spasm,dispelling wind and purging heat,dredging collaterals and removing blood stasis,which exert certain effects in treating children with tic disorder.Modern pharmacological studies have shown that insect drugs can treat children with tic disorders from multiple perspectives such as anti-convulsion,regulation of neurotransmitters,inhibition of neuroinflammation,and regulation of immunity.Based on the theory of"yang transforms into internal wind",this paper analyzes the application of insect drugs in the treatment of children with tic disorder,which can provide theoretical reference for the prevention and treatment of tic disorder by traditional Chinese medicine.
2.Modified Xiehuangsan Regulates Microglial Polarization and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Pathway to Treat Tic Disorders in Rats
Mengjie ZHAO ; Qiong ZHAO ; Cuiling YANG ; Hongyun ZHOU ; Xiangjuan SUN ; Xinyi GUO ; Sajiyue HUANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):10-18
ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of modified Xiehuangsan in treating tic disorders (TD) based on microglial polarization and the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)/nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway. MethodsSeventy-two Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into six groups: control, model, tiapride (0.025 g·kg-1), and low-, medium-, and high-dose (12, 24, 48 g·kg-1, respectively) modified Xiehuangsan, with 12 rats in each group. Except the control group, the other groups received intraperitoneal injection of 3,3'-iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) for 7 consecutive days for the modeling of TD. After successful modeling, the control and model groups were given normal saline via gavage, and the other groups were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage. After 28 days of continuous intervention, rat behaviors were observed, and the modified Xiehuangsan group showing the best anti-TD effect was selected for deciphering the treatment mechanism. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was conducted to observe morphological changes in the rat striatum. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression of CD16 and CD206 in the striatum. Real-time PCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-4, TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 in the striatum. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1), Fc receptor family for immunoglobulin (Ig)G type Ⅲ (CD16), mannose receptor (CD206), TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 in the striatum. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group showed increased stereotyped behaviors, locomotor activity, total movement distance, and movement speed, shortened resting time (P<0.01), and noticeable pathological changes in the striatum. Compared with the model group, the tiapride group and modified Xiehuangsan groups exhibited reduced stereotyped behavior, locomotor activity, total movement distance, and movement speed, prolonged resting time (P<0.05, P<0.01), and alleviated pathological changes in the striatum. Among the modified Xiehuangsan groups, the high-dose group had the best intervention effect and the mildest pathological changes. Therefore, the high-dose group was selected for further research. Compared with the control group, the modeling of TD increased Iba1 and CD16 expression (P<0.05, P<0.01), up-regulated the mRNA levels of IL-1β and TNF-α (P<0.05, P<0.01), down-regulated the mRNA level of IL-4 (P<0.05), up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4 and MyD88 (P<0.05, P<0.01), and up-regulated the protein level of NF-κB p65 (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, modified Xiehuangsan reduced Iba1 and CD16 expression (P<0.05, P<0.01), up-regulated the protein level of CD206 (P<0.05, P<0.01), down-regulated the mRNA levels of IL-1β and TNF-α (P<0.05), up-regulated the mRNA level of IL-4 (P<0.01), and down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionModified Xiehuangsan demonstrated a definite therapeutic effect on TD in rats. It may reduce neuroinflammation in TD rats by regulating the polarization of microglia in the striatum via the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.