The quality of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is a critical foundation for ensuring the stability of its efficacy, as well as the safety and effectiveness of its clinical use. The identification of critical quality attributes(CQAs) is one of the core components of TCM preparation quality control. This study focuses on Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets and explores their CQAs related to property and flavor from the perspective of taste receptor proteins. Three taste receptor proteins, T1R2, T1R3, and TRPV1, were selected, and a biosensor based on high-electron-mobility transistor(HEMT) was constructed to detect the interactions between Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets and taste receptor proteins. Simultaneously, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) technology was used to analyze the chemical composition of Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets. In examining the interaction strength, the results indicated that the interaction between Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets and TRPV1 protein was the strongest, followed by T1R3, with the interaction with T1R2 being relatively weaker. By combining biosensing technology with LC-MS, 16 chemical components were identified from Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets, among which six were selected as CQAs for sweetness and seven for pungency. Further validation experiments demonstrated that CQAs such as hesperidin and hesperetin had strong interactions with their corresponding taste receptor proteins. Through the combined use of multiple technological approaches, this study successfully determined the property and flavor-related CQAs of Jianwei Xiaoshi Tablets. It provides novel ideas and approach for the identification of CQAs in TCM preparations and offers comprehensive theoretical support for TCM quality control, contributing to the improvement and development of TCM preparation quality control systems.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Biosensing Techniques/methods* ; TRPV Cation Channels/chemistry* ; Tablets/chemistry* ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics* ; Quality Control ; Taste ; Humans ; Mass Spectrometry

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and mechanism of soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator sGC003F on cardiac function in mice with chronic heart failure(CHF).METHODS C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into the sham operation(sham)group,transverse aortic constriction induced CHF mouse model group,model+veliciguat(Ver,3 mg·kg-1)group(positive control)and model+sGC003F(3 and 10 mg·kg-1)group.Four weeks after modeling,drugs were ig given,once a day,for 28 d.Echocardiography was used to measure the changes in cardiac function,and the myocardial hypertrophy related indexes were calculated.The levels of serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-pro-BNP),N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide(NT-pro-ANP),soluble guanylate cyclase(sGC),cyclic guanosine monophosphate(cGMP)and inflammatory factors interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and IL-1β were detected by ELISA.The pathological changes of left heart tissue were observed with HE and Masson staining.Image was used to analyze the percentage of fibrosis in cardiac tissus stained with Masson.The activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD),content of malondialdehyde(MDA)in myocardial tissue,and level of nitric oxide(NO)in serum were detected by biochemical detection kits.The protein expression levels of p-mammalian target of rapamycin(p-mTOR),p-protein kinase B(p-Akt),TNF-α and IL-6 in cardiac tissue were detected by Western blotting.RESULTS Com-pared with the sham group,the left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFs)in the model group decreased significantly(P<0.01),the cardiac structure changed significantly,the percentage of myocardial fibrosis increased significantly(P<0.05),so were serum NT-pro-BNP and NT-pro-ANP levels(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the above indexes of the model+Ver group and the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group were significantly improved(P<0.05,P<0.01).The sGC003F 10 mg·kg-1 group had a significant improvement in LVEF,LVFs,and NT-pro-BNP(P<0.01).Compared with the sham group,the serum levels of NO,sGC and cGMP in the model group decreased significantly(P<0.05,P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the serum levels of NO,sGC and cGMP were significantly increased in the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.01),but only serum cGMP levels were significantly increased in model+Ver and model+sGC003F 10 mg·kg-1 groups(P<0.01).Compared with the sham group,the serum levels of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the serum levels of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly decreased in the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.05,P<0.01),and only the TNF-α level was significantly decreased in the model+sGC003F 10 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.01).Compared with the sham group,the SOD activity of the model group was significantly decreased(P<0.01),but the MDA content significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,SOD and MDA were significantly improved in the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.05,P<0.01),but in the model+Ver group only the SOD activity significantly increased(P<0.05).Western blotting showed that the expressions of p-mTOR,p-Akt,TNF-α and IL-6 protein in myocardial tissue of the model group were significantly higher than in the sham group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the expressions of the above proteins in the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group were significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),so were the expressions of TNF-α protein in the model+sGC003F 10 mg·kg-1 group and model+Ver group(P<0.01).CONCLUSION sGC003F can improve cardiac function,and reduce myocardial fibrosis in CHF model mice,which may be related to the inhibition of myocardial oxidative stress and inflammation,and the regulation of NO/sGC/cGMP and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways.

Endometrial injury diseases are an important factors in female infertility, reduced menstruation, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Clinical characteristics include intrauterine adhesions, a thin endometrium, and reduced endometrial receptivity. Restoring the morphology of the uterine cavity and promoting endometrial reconstruction are the main goals of treatment. At present, hormone medication and surgery are the major Western medicine treatments. Traditional Chinese Medicine has an advantage in treating endometrial injury and preventing postoperative recurrence. Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis focuses on "kidney deficiency" as the primary condition,"blood stasis" as the secondary condition, and combined with "liver depression". Therapeutic strategies aim to "replenish kidney""nourish blood""dispel blood stasis", and improve the endometrium. By means of combination of disease and syndrome, classical prescription addition and subtraction, clinical effective experience, combination of acupuncture and medicine and external treatment of Traditional Chinese Medicine can improve the effect and prognosis of patients with endometrial injury diseases. This article reviews the progress of combined Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine treatment of endometrial injury diseases to provide reference for its clinical treatment.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the regulatory effect of cannabidiol (CBD) on circadian rhythm sleep disorders following general anesthesia and explore its potential mechanism in a rat model of propofol-induced rhythm sleep disorder. METHODS: An electrode was embedded in the skull for cortical EEG recording in 24 male SD rats, which were randomized into control, propofol, CBD treatment, and diazepam treatment groups (n=6). Eight days later, a single dose of propofol (10 mg/kg) was injected via the tail vein with anesthesia maintenance for 3 h in the latter 3 groups, and daily treatment with saline, CBD or diazepam was administered via gavage; the control rats received only saline injection. A wireless system was used for collecting EEG, EMG, and body temperature data within 72 h after propofol injection. After data collection, blood samples and hypothalamic tissue samples were collected for determining serum levels of oxidative stress markers and hypothalamic expressions of the key clock proteins. RESULTS: Compared with the control rats, the rats with CBD treatment showed significantly increased sleep time at night (20:00-6:00), especially during the time period of 4:00-6:00 am. Compared with the rats in propofol group, which had prolonged SWS time and increased sleep episodes during 18:00-24:00 and sleep-wake transitions, the CBD-treated rats exhibited a significant reduction of SWS time and fewer SWS-to-active-awake transitions with increased SWS aspects and sleep-wake transitions at night (24:00-08:00). Diazepam treatment produced similar effect to CBD but with a weaker effect on sleep-wake transitions. Propofol caused significant changes in protein expressions and redox state, which were effectively reversed by CBD treatment. CONCLUSIONS CBD can improve sleep structure and circadian rhythm in rats with propofol-induced sleep disorder possibly by regulating hypothalamic expressions of the key circadian clock proteins, suggesting a new treatment option for perioperative sleep disorders.
Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Cannabidiol/therapeutic use* ; Rats ; Circadian Rhythm/drug effects* ; Propofol/adverse effects* ; Anesthesia, General/adverse effects* ; Sleep Wake Disorders/chemically induced* ; Hypothalamus/metabolism* ; Electroencephalography

Approximately 30%-40% of epilepsy patients do not respond well to adequate anti-seizure medications (ASMs), a condition known as pharmacoresistant epilepsy. The management of pharmacoresistant epilepsy remains an intractable issue in the clinic. Its early prediction is important for prevention and diagnosis. However, it still lacks effective predictors and approaches. Here, a classical model of pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was established to screen pharmacoresistant and pharmaco-responsive individuals by applying phenytoin to amygdaloid-kindled rats. Ictal electroencephalograms (EEGs) recorded before phenytoin treatment were analyzed. Based on ictal EEGs from pharmacoresistant and pharmaco-responsive rats, a convolutional neural network predictive model was constructed to predict pharmacoresistance, and achieved 78% prediction accuracy. We further found the ictal EEGs from pharmacoresistant rats have a lower gamma-band power, which was verified in seizure EEGs from pharmacoresistant TLE patients. Prospectively, therapies targeting the subiculum in those predicted as "pharmacoresistant" individual rats significantly reduced the subsequent occurrence of pharmacoresistance. These results demonstrate a new methodology to predict whether TLE individuals become resistant to ASMs in a classic pharmacoresistant TLE model. This may be of translational importance for the precise management of pharmacoresistant TLE.
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/diagnosis* ; Animals ; Drug Resistant Epilepsy/drug therapy* ; Electroencephalography/methods* ; Rats ; Anticonvulsants/pharmacology* ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Male ; Humans ; Phenytoin/pharmacology* ; Adult ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Young Adult ; Convolutional Neural Networks

Endometrial injury diseases are an important factors in female infertility, reduced menstruation, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Clinical characteristics include intrauterine adhesions, a thin endometrium, and reduced endometrial receptivity. Restoring the morphology of the uterine cavity and promoting endometrial reconstruction are the main goals of treatment. At present, hormone medication and surgery are the major Western medicine treatments. Traditional Chinese Medicine has an advantage in treating endometrial injury and preventing postoperative recurrence. Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis focuses on "kidney deficiency" as the primary condition,"blood stasis" as the secondary condition, and combined with "liver depression". Therapeutic strategies aim to "replenish kidney""nourish blood""dispel blood stasis", and improve the endometrium. By means of combination of disease and syndrome, classical prescription addition and subtraction, clinical effective experience, combination of acupuncture and medicine and external treatment of Traditional Chinese Medicine can improve the effect and prognosis of patients with endometrial injury diseases. This article reviews the progress of combined Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine treatment of endometrial injury diseases to provide reference for its clinical treatment.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and mechanism of soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator sGC003F on cardiac function in mice with chronic heart failure(CHF).METHODS C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into the sham operation(sham)group,transverse aortic constriction induced CHF mouse model group,model+veliciguat(Ver,3 mg·kg-1)group(positive control)and model+sGC003F(3 and 10 mg·kg-1)group.Four weeks after modeling,drugs were ig given,once a day,for 28 d.Echocardiography was used to measure the changes in cardiac function,and the myocardial hypertrophy related indexes were calculated.The levels of serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-pro-BNP),N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide(NT-pro-ANP),soluble guanylate cyclase(sGC),cyclic guanosine monophosphate(cGMP)and inflammatory factors interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and IL-1β were detected by ELISA.The pathological changes of left heart tissue were observed with HE and Masson staining.Image was used to analyze the percentage of fibrosis in cardiac tissus stained with Masson.The activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD),content of malondialdehyde(MDA)in myocardial tissue,and level of nitric oxide(NO)in serum were detected by biochemical detection kits.The protein expression levels of p-mammalian target of rapamycin(p-mTOR),p-protein kinase B(p-Akt),TNF-α and IL-6 in cardiac tissue were detected by Western blotting.RESULTS Com-pared with the sham group,the left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFs)in the model group decreased significantly(P<0.01),the cardiac structure changed significantly,the percentage of myocardial fibrosis increased significantly(P<0.05),so were serum NT-pro-BNP and NT-pro-ANP levels(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the above indexes of the model+Ver group and the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group were significantly improved(P<0.05,P<0.01).The sGC003F 10 mg·kg-1 group had a significant improvement in LVEF,LVFs,and NT-pro-BNP(P<0.01).Compared with the sham group,the serum levels of NO,sGC and cGMP in the model group decreased significantly(P<0.05,P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the serum levels of NO,sGC and cGMP were significantly increased in the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.01),but only serum cGMP levels were significantly increased in model+Ver and model+sGC003F 10 mg·kg-1 groups(P<0.01).Compared with the sham group,the serum levels of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the serum levels of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly decreased in the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.05,P<0.01),and only the TNF-α level was significantly decreased in the model+sGC003F 10 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.01).Compared with the sham group,the SOD activity of the model group was significantly decreased(P<0.01),but the MDA content significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,SOD and MDA were significantly improved in the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group(P<0.05,P<0.01),but in the model+Ver group only the SOD activity significantly increased(P<0.05).Western blotting showed that the expressions of p-mTOR,p-Akt,TNF-α and IL-6 protein in myocardial tissue of the model group were significantly higher than in the sham group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the expressions of the above proteins in the model+sGC003F 3 mg·kg-1 group were significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),so were the expressions of TNF-α protein in the model+sGC003F 10 mg·kg-1 group and model+Ver group(P<0.01).CONCLUSION sGC003F can improve cardiac function,and reduce myocardial fibrosis in CHF model mice,which may be related to the inhibition of myocardial oxidative stress and inflammation,and the regulation of NO/sGC/cGMP and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways.

Vascular calcification significantly increases the incidence of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality patients with chronic kidney disease(CKD), severely affecting their health and lifespan. However, the mechanisms underlying vascular calcification in CKD remain incompletely understood, and the available therapeutic agents are limited. Research has found that the transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs) from a contractile phenotype to an osteoblast-like phenotype is a key step in CKD-related vascular calcification. As research on the pathogenesis of calcification progresses, it has been demonstrated that bone morphogenetic protein(BMP) and silent information regulator(SIRT) signaling pathways can participate in the process of vascular calcification by regulating the osteogenic transdifferentiation of VSMCs. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has accumulated a wealth of valuable experience in the prevention and treatment of kidney diseases over centuries. Modern research indicates that TCM, with its multi-pathway, multi-target, and low-toxicity properties, has shown certain advantages in the prevention and treatment of CKD-related vascular calcification and in improving patients' quality of life. Therefore, in this study, we will introduce the latest research progress of TCM in preventing and treating CKD-related vascular calcification, particularly focusing on the BMP and SIRT signaling pathways, with the aim of providing ideas for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of CKD-related vascular calcification with TCM and related basic research.
Humans ; Vascular Calcification/genetics* ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Animals ; Sirtuins/genetics* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effect of ZBH2012001,a novel serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor(SNRI),in general and its ability to enhance monoaminergic transmission and suppress neuroinflammation in particular.METHODS① Male ICR mice were divided into vehicle(distilled water),duloxetine(DLX,10 or 20 mg·kg-1)and ZBH2012001(5,10 and 20 mg·kg-1)groups.One hour following ig administration,the antidepressant effect of ZBH2012001 was evaluated using the tail suspension test(TST)and forced swimming test(FST).② Radioligand binding assay was conducted to evaluate the affinity of ZBH2012001 for human serotonin transporters(hSERTs)and human norepinephrine transporters(hNETs).③ Mice were divided into vehicle(distilled water),DLX(10 or 20 mg·kg-1)and ZBH2012001(5,10 and 20 mg·kg-1)groups.One hour following drug administration,the 5-hydroxytryptophan(5-HTP)-induced head-twitch test or yohimbine-induced lethality test were performed to evaluate the effect of ZBH2012001 on the function of the 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)and norepinephrine(NE)systems.④ Mice were divided into vehicle(distilled water+0.1%acetic acid),reserpine model(distilled water+reserpine 5 mg·kg-1),DLX(DLX 20 mg·kg-1+reserpine 5 mg·kg-1)and ZBH2012001(ZBH2012001 5,10 and 20 mg·kg-1+reserpine 5 mg·kg-1)groups.One hour following drug administration,reserpine was injected intraperitoneally to establish a monoamine-depletion model.The ptosis,akinesia,and hypothermia assays were performed to evaluate the effect of ZBH2012001 on the down-regulation of the reserpine-induced monoamine system.The TST in mice was used to evaluate the effect of ZBH2012001 on reserpine-induced depressive-like behavior while high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection(HPLC-ECD)was used to measure the levels of monoamines and their metabolites in the hippocampal tissue of reserpine-induced monoamine-depletion mice.ELISA was employed to detect the contents of tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in the hippocampal tissue of reserpine-induced monoamine-depletion mice.Western blotting was used to assess the expressions of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule-1(Iba-1)and nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)in the hippocampal tissue of reserpine-induced monoamine-depletion mice.RESULTS ① Compared with the vehicle group,ZBH2012001(5,10 and 20 mg·kg-1)significantly reduced the immobility time both in the TST in mice(P<0.01,respectively),and ZBH2012001(20 mg·kg-1)and in the FST in mice(P<0.05).② ZBH2012001 competitively inhibited the binding of[3H]-imipramine to hSERTs and[3H]-nisoxetine to hNETs,with the half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)values of 84.95 and 712.90 nmol·L-1,respectively.③Com-pared with the vehicle group,ZBH2012001(10 and 20 mg·kg-1)significantly increased the head twitches induced by 5-HTP in mice(P<0.01,respectively)and increased the mortality rate in mice induced by yohimbine(P<0.05,P<0.01).④ In the reserpine-induced monoamine-depletion model in mice,compared with the vehicle group,mice in the reserpine model group exhibited ptosis,akinesia and hypothermia feature(P<0.01,respectively),significantly prolonged immobility time in the TST(P<0.01),significantly decreased the levels of NE,5-HT and dopamine(DA)(P<0.05,P<0.01),significantly increased the metabolic conversion rate of 5-HT and DA(P<0.01,respectively),significantly elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-6(P<0.05,respectively),and significantly increased expressions of Iba-1 and NF-κB(P<0.05,respectively)in the hippocampus.Compared with the model group,ZBH2012001(5,10 and 20 mg·kg-1)significantly antagonized ptosis and hypothermia behaviors induced by reserpine(P<0.01,respectively),ZBH2012001(10 and 20 mg·kg-1)significantly shortened the immobility time in reserpine-treated mice(P<0.05,P<0.01),ZBH2012001(20 mg·kg-1)significantly increased the levels of NE and 5-HT in the hippocampus of reserpine-treated mice(P<0.05,respectively),decreased the metabolic conversion rate of 5-HT(P<0.05),significantly reduced the contents of TNF-α and IL-6 in the hippocampus of reserpine-treated mice(P<0.05,respectively),ZBH2012001(5,10 and 20 mg·kg-1)significantly reduced the expression of Iba-1 protein in the hippocampus of reserpine-treated mice(P<0.01,respec-tively),and ZBH2012001(20 mg·kg-1)significantly reduced the expression of NF-κB protein in the hippocampus of reserpine-treated mice(P<0.05).CONCLUSION ZBH2012001 exerts its antidepres-sant effect through a dual mechanism involving monoamine enhancement and inflammation suppres-sion.