The therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction is closely related to its decocting methods. A correct understanding of the scientific connotations of decocting methods in TCM is of great significance for guiding the application of decoctions and the development of modern TCM preparations based on decoctions. The decocting process is not only a hot water extraction process of chemical components but also accompanied by complex chemical and physical changes, forming a complex multiphase system and significantly affecting the absorption and therapeutic effect of TCM. This article reviews the research progress in scientific connotations of decocting methods in TCM from the perspectives of chemical composition changes, phase state differences,absorption behavior changes, and pharmacological and toxicological changes caused by decocting. This review is expected to provide implications for studying decocting methods and their scientific interpretation, boost the innovation and development of TCM decoctions,and promote the design and development of modern TCM preparations.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Animals

It has become an industry consensus that self-assembled nanoparticles (SAN) are formed by molecular recognition of chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine during the decoction process. The insoluble components in the decoction are mostly in the form of nanoparticles, which can improve the problem of poor water solubility. However, the transfer rate of these insoluble components in the decoction is still very low, which limits the efficacy of the drug. This study aimed to refine the traditional decoction self-assembly phenomenon. The self-assembled nanoparticles were constructed by micro-precipitation method (MP-SAN), and characterized by particle size, zeta potential, stability index and morphology. The formation of MP-SAN and alterations in related physicochemical properties were evaluated using modern spectroscopic and thermal analysis techniques. The quality value transmitting pattern of lignan components within the MP-SAN was assessed via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The MP-SAN showed sphere-like structure with uniform morphology, particle size of (245.3 ± 3.2) nm, polydispersity index (PDI) of (0.13 ± 0.03), zeta potential of (-48.9 ± 5.9) mV and stability index (SI) of (86.05% ± 2.27%). Comprehensive analyses using ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and other techniques confirmed molecular recognition between the decoction and ethanol extraction, leading to electron rearrangement under the influence of non-covalent bonding. This resulted in the formation of nanoparticles possessing superior thermal stability. As determined by HPLC, the encapsulation rates of the index components in the MP-SAN were all greater than 75% (dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol: 77.00%; herpetolide A: 78.57%; herpetrione: 94.53%), and the transfer rates were all higher than 65% (dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol: 96.01%; herpetolide A: 67.86%; herpetrione: 65.55%), which were 1.34, 1.38 and 4.81 times compared with those of the traditional decoction. In summary, this study successfully constructed the MP-SAN based on micro-precipitation method to achieve high transfer rate and high encapsulation rate of insoluble components in docoction, which provides a pharmaceutics idea for the efficient utilization of pharmacodynamic substance basis of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective:To investigate the expression pattern and prognostic value of NUF2(Ndc80 kinetochore complex component)in breast cancer(BC).Methods:In the present study,the trancriptional level and survival information of NUF2 was analyzed by ONCOMINE dataset,bc-GenExMiner,Kaplan-Meier Plotter and TCGA.Results:NUF2 was highly expressed in BC com-pared with normal samples(P＜0.05).In addition,the BC patients younger than 51 years old(P＜0.0001),nodal metastasis(P=0.0168),with basal-like BC(P＜0.0001),orestrogen receptor(ER)-negative(P＜0.0001),progesterone receptor(PR)-negative(P＜0.0001),human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(HER2)-positive(P＜0.0001)and triple-negative BC(P＜0.0001)pathological clas-sification have a higher transcriptional level of NUF2.Survival analysis indicated that patients with low expression level of NUF2 have a better relapse-free survival(RFS,HR=1.63,P＜0.0001).Fur-ther anaysis revealed that the NUF2 expression was negatively related to the RFS of BC patients with ER-positive or PR-positive or HER2-negative pathological classification(HR=2.40,P=0.0015).Conclusion:NUF2 play an important role in BC and can be a potential prognostic bio-marker for ER-positive or PR-positive or HER2-negative BC patients.

The main chemical components of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus and components in serum were analyzed and identified rapidly and precisely by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS)technique in this study.The compounds were identified based on the relative molecular mass,fragmentation ions,and retention time of chromatographic peaks.A total of 36 kinds of chemical components were identified from Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus,including 28 kinds of saponins,3 kinds of amino acids,2 kinds of flavonoids,one kind of organosulfur compound,one kind of nucleoside,and one kind of hormone-lipid compound.In addition,8 kinds of compounds of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus were identified from the serum.Based on the intersection compounds of which detected in serum and screened out by TCMSP platform database,by using targeted network pharmacology and molecular docking technology,a"drug-component-target-pathway"association network was constructed.Naringenin,quercetin,macrostemonoside E and 25(R)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-22-hydroxy-5β-furostan-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside were screened as the main active constituents of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.In addition,adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK),tumor necrosis factor(TNF),vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA)and matrix metallopeptidase 9(MMP9)were the key action targets for Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.Molecular docking was performed using the main pharmacodynamic components and key action targets.The results indicated that all the four active components showed strongly bound to AMPK.This suggested that the regulation of lipid metabolism might be the key mechanism of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus in antihyperlipidemic effect.This study provided a data reference for the research on the pharmacodynamic components of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus,and provided a basis for the improvement of quality standard of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus.

Malignant tumors are major diseases that endanger human health. Due to their complex and variable microenvironment, most anti-tumor drugs cannot precisely reach the focal tissue and be released in a controlled manner. Intelligent responsive nano carriers have become a hot spot in the field of anti-tumor drug delivery systems. As an excellent nano material, mesoporous silica has the advantages of non-toxic, stable, adjustable pore volume and pore diameter, and easy functional modification on the surface. By virtue of its perceptive response to the tumor microenvironment or physiological changes, it can achieve the targeted drug release or controlled drug release of the drug delivery system in the tissue, making it an ideal carrier for intelligent response drug delivery system. In this paper, we review the design strategies and current research status of smart responsive anti-tumor drug delivery systems based on mesoporous silica, in order to provide a reference for the development of anti-tumor drug nanoformulations.

Oral mucosal drug delivery has the advantages of rapid drug absorption, no first-pass effect and good patient compliance. However, factors such as low drug dissolution, saliva carrying the drug into the gastrointestinal tract and the existence of physiological barriers in the mucosa may affect the mucosal permeation and bioavailability of the drug. Nanotechnology applied to drug oral mucosa delivery can overcome the above disadvantages and obtain efficient absorption effect. This paper describes the physiological structure of oral mucosa and the factors affecting the absorption of drugs in oral mucosa, reviews the application of nanotechnology such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, nanoemulsions, polymer nanoparticles, polymer micelles and nanohybrid suspensions in oral mucosal drug delivery and the mechanism of promoting drug absorption, summarizes the main problems of current research, and gives an outlook on the application of nano oral mucosal drug delivery system. The main problems of current research are summarized, and the prospects for the application of nano oral mucosal drug delivery systems are discussed.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of needle knife on chondrocyte autophagy and expressions of autophagy-related protein and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in rats with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and to explore the possible mechanism of needle knife for KOA. METHODS: A total of 42 SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group and a needle knife group, 14 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, the other two groups were injected with the mixture of papain and L-cysteine into the left hind knee joint to establish the KOA model. After modeling, the rats in the needle knife group were treated with needle knife at strip or nodule around the quadriceps femoris and medial and lateral collateral ligament on the affected side, once a week for 3 times (3 weeks). The changes of left knee circumference in each group were observed; the chondrocytes and ultrastructure of left knee joint were observed by HE staining and electron microscope; the mRNA and protein expressions of autophagy-related genes (Atg5, Atg12, Atg4a), Unc-51 like autophagy activated kinase 1 (ULK1), autophagy gene Beclin-1 and mTOR in left knee cartilage were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: After modeling, the left knee circumferences in the model group and the needle knife group were increased compared with those before modeling and in the normal group (P<0.05); after intervention, the left knee circumference in the needle knife group was smaller than that in the model group and after modeling (P<0.05). Compared with the normal group, the number of chondrocytes was decreased, and a few cells swelled, nuclei shrank, mitochondria swelled and autophagosomes decreased in the model group; compared with the model group, the number of chondrocytes was increased , and most cell structures returned to normal, and autophagosomes was increased. Compared with the normal group, the mRNA and protein expressions of Atg5, Atg12, Atg4a, Beclin-1 and ULK1 in the knee cartilage in the model group were decreased (P<0.05); compared with the model group, the expressions of the above indexes in the needle knife group were increased (P<0.05). Compared with the normal group, the mRNA and protein expressions of mTOR in the knee cartilage in the model group were increased (P<0.05); compared with the model group, the expressions of the above indexes in the needle knife group were decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The needle knife intervention could improve knee cartilage injury in rats with KOA, and its mechanism may be related to reducing the expression of mTOR and up-regulating the expressions of Atg5, Atg12, Atg4a, ULK1 and Beclin-1, so as to promote chondrocyte autophagy and delay the aging and degeneration of chondrocytes.
Animals ; Autophagy ; Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog/genetics* ; Beclin-1/genetics* ; Chondrocytes ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/therapy* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics*

Child ; Consensus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Respiratory System

Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics* ; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease/genetics* ; China ; Genetic Profile ; Humans ; Pedigree

BACKGROUND: Although a variety of risk factors of pneumonia after clipping or coiling of the aneurysm (post-operative pneumonia [POP]) in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) have been studied, the predictive model of POP after aSAH has still not been well established. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using admission neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict the occurrence of POP in aSAH patients. METHODS: We evaluated 711 aSAH patients who were enrolled in a prospective observational study and collected admission blood cell counts data. We analyzed available demographics and baseline variables for these patients and analyzed the correlation of these factors with POP using Cox regression. After screening out the prognosis-related factors, the predictive value of these factors for POP was further assessed. RESULTS: POP occurred in 219 patients (30.4%) in this cohort. Patients with POP had significantly higher NLR than those without (14.11 ± 8.90 vs. 8.80 ± 5.82, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that NLR remained a significant factor independently associated with POP following aSAH after adjusting for possible confounding factors, including the age, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) grade, endovascular treatment, and ventilator use. And the predictive value of NLR was significantly increased after WFNS grade was combined with NLR (NLR vs. WFNS grade × NLR, P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS Regardless of good or poor WNFS grade, patients having NLR >10 had significantly worse POP survival rate than patients having NLR ≤10. NLR at admission might be helpful as a predictor of POP in aSAH patients.
Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Neutrophils ; Pneumonia/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Treatment Outcome