1.Clinical Advantages of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treatment of Childhood Simple Obesity: Insights from Expert Consensus
Qi ZHANG ; Yingke LIU ; Xiaoxiao ZHANG ; Guichen NI ; Heyin XIAO ; Junhong WANG ; Liqun WU ; Zhanfeng YAN ; Kundi WANG ; Jiajia CHEN ; Hong ZHENG ; Xinying GAO ; Liya WEI ; Qiang HE ; Qian ZHAO ; Huimin SU ; Zhaolan LIU ; Dafeng LONG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(6):238-245
Childhood simple obesity has become a significant public health issue in China. Modern medicine primarily relies on lifestyle interventions and often suffers from poor long-term compliance, while pharmacological options are limited and associated with potential adverse effects. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history in the prevention and management of this condition, demonstrating eight distinct advantages, including systematic theoretical foundation, diversified therapeutic approaches, definite therapeutic efficacy, high safety profile, good patient compliance, comprehensive intervention strategies, emphasis on prevention, and stepwise treatment protocols. Additionally, TCM is characterized by six distinctive features: the use of natural medicinal substances, non-invasive external therapies, integration of medicinal dietetics, simple exercise regimens, precise syndrome differentiation, and diverse dosage forms. By combining internal and external treatments, TCM facilitates individualized regimen adjustment and holistic regulation, demonstrating remarkable effects in improving obesity-related metabolic indicators, regulating constitutional imbalance, and promoting healthy behaviors. However, challenges remain, such as inconsistent operational standards, insufficient high-quality clinical evidence, and a gap between basic research and clinical application. Future efforts should focus on accelerating the standardization of TCM diagnosis and treatment, conducting multicenter randomized controlled trials, and fostering interdisciplinary integration, so as to enhance the scientific validity and international recognition of TCM in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.
2.Research on safeguarding the autonomy of artificial intelligence applications for pregnant and postpartum women’s health data
Deshun LI ; Jiahui LIU ; Yan HONG ; Jingxi CHEN
Chinese Medical Ethics 2026;39(3):314-319
From the patient’s perspective, taking the control right of artificial intelligence (AI) in the analysis of pregnant and postpartum women’s health data as the entry point, this paper constructed a patient-centered governance framework for AI medical data control. It defined the different stages and scenarios of applications related to the health data analysis of pregnant and postpartum women, conducted a comparative analysis that combines existing ethical issues concerning AI data control in the medical field, and discussed autonomy issues in health management scenarios from three dimensions, namely, voluntariness, purposiveness, and steadfastness. Based on these discussions, this paper highlighted the reflection on autonomy under the behavioral research paradigm. Starting from the basic actions such as provision, deletion, analysis, triggering, presentation, revision, and response, it regarded technical behaviors as a form of instrumental communication and emphasized ensuring patients’ ample opportunities to participate in interactive links such as “information provision and adoption” “analysis and judgment” “presentation and summarization,” and “feedback and revision.” This will lay a foundation for expanding the existing discussion on medical AI autonomy to the ethical category of information usage.
3.Impact of social capital, adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms on suicidal behavior among vocational high school students
YU Bin, YAN Jingyan, CHEN Xinguang, GUO Yan, LI Fang, YAN Hong, XIAO Chenchang
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(4):506-511
Objective:
To explore the nonlinear dynamic effects of social capital, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depressive symptoms on suicidal behavior among vocational high school students, so as to provide theoretical basis and practical references for formulating suicide prevention strategies.
Methods:
A convenience sampling method was employed to include 668 students from a vocational high school from Wuhan in March 2023. Social capital was used as the asymmetry variable, while ACEs and depressive symptoms were used as bifurcation variables, a cusp catastrophe model was constructed to analyze the nonlinear changes in suicidal behavior among vocational high school students, and its fit was compared with linear and Logistic regression models.
Results:
Among students in the health vocational high school in Wuhan, only suicidal ideation accounted for 8.5%, only suicide attempt for 18.6%, neither accounted for 31.9%, and both for 41.0%. Gender, left behind experience, family economic status, parental parenting styles, depressive symptoms, social capital, and ACEs were all related factors influencing suicidal behavior among vocational high school students ( χ 2/H=19.03, 13.33, 21.11, 46.70, 144.38, 24.61, 118.77, all P <0.05). Violin plots showed a bimodal distribution of suicidal behavior, indicating nonlinear variation characteristics. The cusp catastrophe model results showed that social capital was negatively correlated with suicidal behavior, but the relationship was bifurcated by ACEs ( α social capital = -0.006 , β ACEs =0.075) and depressive symptoms ( α social capital =-0.013, β depressive =0.028) (all P <0.05). When both ACEs and depressive symptoms coexisted, the impact of ACEs was stronger ( β ACEs =0.077, β depressive =0.014) (both P <0.05). The cusp catastrophe model fitted ( R 2=0.886, 0.881, 0.882) better than the linear ( R 2=0.258, 0.219, 0.258) and Logistic regression models ( R 2= 0.242, 0.211 , 0.176). Gender stratified analysis results showed that bifurcation effect of ACEs was stronger in males than in females( β boys =0.224, β girls =0.086); in females, both ACEs and depressive symptoms had a bifurcation effect, with the former showing a stronger effect ( β ACEs =0.062, β depressive =0.015) (all P <0.05).
Conclusions
Suicidal behavior among vocational high school students exhibits nonlinear characteristics. Improving social capital to reducing ACEs and depressive symptoms may contribute to decreasing adolescent suicidal behaviors.
4.Research progress on the intervention of sarcopenia with traditional Chinese medicine based on the AMPK signaling pathway
Wenyu FAN ; Bairong HUANG ; Congmin HONG ; Yan CHEN ; Jiayin WANG ; Jing GAO ; Xiaodong FENG
China Pharmacy 2026;37(9):1229-1235
arcopenia is a systemic skeletal muscle disorder characterized by a decrease in skeletal muscle mass and progressive decline in function, with multiple signaling pathways involved in its occurrence and development. Among them, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway, as a key pathway regulating cellular energy homeostasis, plays an important role in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism and functional maintenance by improving abnormalities in glucose and lipid metabolism, balancing skeletal muscle protein synthesis and degradation, improving mitochondrial function, promoting autophagy, and inhibiting inflammatory responses and oxidative stress. This article reviews the research progress on how various traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) monomers, including polyphenols, flavonoids, and terpenoids; various traditional Chinese medicine extracts, such as those from Lycium barbarum , Asini Corii Colla, and Panax quinquefolium , and TCM compounds, such as Guiqi zhuangjin decoction, Jianpi qiangji granules, and Qigu capsules, intervene in sarcopenia by regulating the AMPK signaling pathway to promote muscle protein synthesis, inhibit protein degradation, improve mitochondrial function, and alleviate inflammation and oxidative stress. Additionally, their molecular mechanisms are explored. The aim is to deeply elucidate the basis of TCM in the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia and to provide theoretical support for the development of related innovative drugs.
5.Pathological changes and macrophage polarization in the liver and spleen of mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis
Xiaoyu QIN ; Yuchun CAI ; Yang HONG ; Fanna WEI ; Yahong HU ; Yumeng CAI ; Yuan HU ; Ting ZHANG ; Xiaojin MO ; Bin XU ; Yan LU ; Jiahui SUN ; Yan ZHOU ; Zelin ZHU ; Muxin CHEN
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2026;38(2):169-183
Objective To investigate the temporal changes in pathological damage and macrophage polarization in liver and spleen tissues of mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and to preliminarily unravel the peripheral immune responses during the early stage of A. cantonensis infection. Methods Forty female BALB/c mice at ages of 6 to 8 weeks were randomly divided into four groups, including the control group and 7-, 14-, and 21-day infection groups, with 10 mice in each group. Each mouse in the infection groups was inoculated with 30 third-stage (L3) larvae of A. cantonensis by oral gavage, and five mice were randomly selected from each infection group on days 7, 14, and 21 post-infection, while mice in the control group were given the same volume of physiological saline and five mice were randomly selected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. Mouse liver and spleen tissues were sampled. The histopathological changes of mouse liver and spleen tissues were observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and the percentage of positive staining area and the co-localization positive rates of the macrophage surface antigens F4/80, CD86, and CD206 were quantified in mouse liver and spleen tissues using immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining. In addition, five mice were collected from each infection group on days 7, 14, and 21 post-infection, and five mice were collected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. Mouse liver and spleen tissues were sampled for detection of macrophage markers CD86 and CD206 and macrophage phenotyping using flow cytometry, and the expression of M1 macrophage markers, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (Nos2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and M2 markers, including arginase 1 (Arg1), mannose receptor C-type 1 (Mrc1) and chitinase-like protein 3 (Chil3) was quantified in mouse liver and spleen tissues using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay. Results Proliferative lesions of the hepatocyte were observed in mouse liver tissues and the follicular structures of the mouse spleen white pulp were disrupted 21 days post-infection with A. cantonensis. Immunohistochemical staining showed that there were significant differences in the percentages of F4/80, CD86 and CD206 positive staining areas in the liver and spleen tissues among the four groups of mice (F = 242.40, 197.14, 183.19, 157.65, 242.35 and 146.24; all P values < 0.001), and the percentages of positive staining in the liver and spleen tissues of mice in the 14-day infection group [(4.45 ± 0.51)%, (3.74 ± 0.67)%, (8.32 ± 0.72)%, (16.56 ± 1.14)%, (11.62 ± 0.52)%, and (8.29 ± 0.72)%, respectively] and the 21-day infection group [(3.70 ± 0.11)%, (3.22 ± 0.43)%, (11.53 ± 1.03)%, (12.59 ± 1.05)%, (9.02 ± 0.83)%, and (11.67 ± 1.10)%, respectively] were higher than in the control group [(0.35 ± 0.16)%, (0.40 ± 0.02)%, (0.93 ± 0.05)%, (2.78 ± 0.26)%, (2.33 ± 0.20)%, and (1.85 ± 0.20)%, respectively] (all P values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed significant differences in the positive rates of F4/80 co-localization with CD86 and CD206 in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 24.42, 25.28, 54.51 and 130.55; all P values < 0.001). Flow cytometry detected significant differences in the proportions of CD86+ and CD206+ macrophages in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 67.98, 18.41, 29.77, 172.80; all P values < 0.001), and the proportions of CD206+ macrophages in the liver and spleen of the 21-day infection group were significantly higher than those in the control group [(9.25 ± 2.55)% vs (3.83 ± 0.72)%, and (4.22 ± 0.56)% vs (0.47 ± 0.18)%, respectively] (both P values < 0.05). In addition, RT-qPCR assay quantified significant differences in the relative mRNA expression of M1 macrophage markers (IL-1β, TNF-α and Nos2) and M2 macrophage markers (Arg1, Chil3 and Mrc1) in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 41.30, 31.82, 199.33, 19.96, 62.01, 119.76, 23.67, 95.90, 72.27, 82.59, 123.41 and 29.75; all P values < 0.05). Conclusions A. cantonensis infection may cause progressive pathological damage in mouse liver and spleen tissues, accompanied by dynamic temporal changes in macrophage polarization. M1 macrophage polarization predominates at the early stage of A. cantonensis infection and shifts towards M2 polarization at the later stages, suggesting that M2 polarization may participate in immune regulation at late stages of A. cantonensis infection by suppressing excessive inflammatory responses and promoting tissue repair.
6.Differences in deltamethrin resistance and kdr gene mutation in Culex tritaeniorhynchus population in and outside the Yellow Sea wetland
Xiao-er ZHANG ; Zhi-ming WU ; Ye TIAN ; Qian CUI ; Yu-qian JI ; Huan WANG ; Shu-juan YANG ; Yi-chao ZHAO ; Yu WANG ; Hua-yu YIN ; Yu DING ; Guo-jin YAN ; Min-sen ZHAO ; Shou-gang ZHANG ; Bing-dong SONG ; Hong-na CHEN ; Jian GAO ; Wei-fang YANG ; Yu-fu ZHANG ; Hui LIU ; Hong-liang CHU
Acta Parasitologica et Medica Entomologica Sinica 2026;33(2):101-107
Objective To gain insights into the biological characteristics of different populations of Culex tritaeniorhynchus within and around the Yellow Sea wetland from the perspective of the occurrence of resistance, we investigated the levels of resistance to deltamethrin and kdr gene mutation in the wetland and its peripheral areas. Methods Specimens were collected from Cx. tritaeniorhynchus populations at two monitoring sites in the Rare Bird National Nature Reserve and Tiaozi Ni Wetland Scenic Area, and also from two populations in Yancheng City and the Liuhe District of Nanjing, and the resistance of these mosquitoes to deltamethrin was determined using the CDC biotest bottle method. For each concentration of deltamethrin assessed, a random subset of exposed specimens was selected for amplification of the kdr gene fragment, followed by Sanger sequencing to identify and analyze resistance-associated mutations. Results The LC50 levels of deltamethrin among mosquitoes from the four populations in Luhe, Yancheng, the Rare Bird National Nature Reserve and the Tiaozi Ni Wetland Scenic Area were 2.048 5, 7.798 2, 3.473 3, and 17.695 5 mg/mL, respectively, with corresponding concentrations of deltamethrin ranging from 0.005 to 5.000,0.050 to 50.000,0.050 to 25.000 and 0.050 to 50.000 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the ranges of the KT50 values were 11.76-107.43, 67.05-216.30,29.77-107.43 and 28.40-329.51 min; the 1-h knockdown rates were 34.58%-99.15%, 9.52%-43.80%, 55.09%-73.01%, and 10.09%-68.07%; and the 24-h mortality rates were 12.15%-67.52%,9.52%-79.56%,13.17%-82.21%, and 11.01%-78.99%, respectively. With respect to kdr gene mutation, we assayed a total of 63,70,59, and 57 mosquitoes for the four populations, for which we detected L1014F mutation frequencies of 14.29%, 35.00%, 20.34%, and 31.58%, respectively, with a majority of these mutations being heterozygous for resistance. In addition, five adult mosquitoes were identified has having synonymous mutations at site 1011[i. e. , AAT(asparagine)mutation to AAC(asparagine)]. Conclusions Our findings revealed the clear resistance of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus to deltamethrin in the Yancheng region of the Yellow Sea wetland, and the resistance phenotype and kdr frequency of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus in the wetland environment were comparable to those of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus in the wetland environment, thereby indicating that the resistance of different populations of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus was homogeneous under the pressure of different insecticide selection within and around the wetland. However, the underlying mechanisms need to be further studied.
7.The first record of Anopheles messeae (Diptera: Culicidae) parasitized by water mites in China
Xue-ru CHEN ; Wen-zhen YAO ; Yu-hao LI ; Gui-chang LI ; Tao MENG ; Qun-ling FENG ; Xin-hui LIU ; Li-hong QIAO ; Xiang-ting WU ; Xue-feng ZHANG ; Cheng-lin LI ; Xue-cheng DONG ; Da-wei WANG ; Xiao-yan SI ; Yu-hong GUO
Acta Parasitologica et Medica Entomologica Sinica 2026;33(1):53-57
Objective This study reports on the obligatory parasitism of water mites Arrenurus sp. on Anopheles messeae at the Manzhouli Port, Inner Mongolia, China. Methods Duing July 2024, a survey on the mosquito diversity was conducted at the Manzhouli Port. Captured mosquitoes and their ectoparasites were identified to species level. Results A total of 1840 adult mosquitoes were collected, representing species from three genera: Culex(Cx. modestus, Cx. pipiens pallens), Aedes(Ae. dorsalis, Ae. flavidorsalis, Ae. flavescens), and Anopheles (An. messeae). Among all the mosqutioes specimens,3 out of 150 captured An. messeae were found to carry ectoparasitic mites, with number of 2,4,27 mites separately. Morphological and molecular identification reached the same result as water mites(Hydrachnidiae, Hydracrina). COI gene sequence showed 94% similarity with the closest species Arrenurus truncatellus. Conlusions Literature review suggests water mites are host-specific parasitism of mosquito species and herein with the first record of Arrenurus sp. parasiting on An. Messeae in the most high-latitude region globally.
8.Study on anti-depression effect of Suanzaoren Decoction based on liver metabolomics.
Jing LI ; Ya-Nan TONG ; Hong-Tao WANG ; Shao-Hua ZHAO ; Wei-Yan CHEN ; Zhi-Wei LI ; Min-Yan LIU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(1):19-31
To explore the anti-depression effect of Suanzaoren Decoction(SZRD), the regulatory effects on endogenous metabolites in the liver of rats with depression induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) were analyzed by using LC-MS metabolomics. The rats were randomly divided into normal control group, model group, low-dose SZRD group, high-dose SZRD group, and positive drug group. The CUMS depression model was replicated by applying a variety of stimuli, such as fasting and water deprivation, ice water swimming, hot water swimming, day and night reversal, tail clamping, and restraint for rats. Modeling and treatment were conducted for 56 days. The behavioral indexes of rats in each group, including body weight, open field test, sucrose preference test, and tail suspension test, were observed. Plasma samples and liver tissue samples were collected, and the contents of 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), dopamine(DA), and norepinephrine(NE) in plasma were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Meanwhile, the regulatory effects of SZRD on the liver metabolic profile of CUMS model rats were analyzed by the LC-MS metabolomics method. The results show that SZRD can significantly improve the depression-like behavior of CUMS model rats and increase the neurotransmitter levels of 5-HT, DA, and NE in plasma. A total of 24 different metabolites in the rats' liver are identified using the LC-MS metabolomics method, and SZRD can reverse 13 of these metabolites. Metabolic pathway analysis indicates that nine metabolic pathways are found to be significantly associated with depression, and in the low-dose SZRD group, four pathways can be regulated, including pentose phosphate pathway, purine metabolism, inositol phosphate metabolism, and sphingolipid metabolism. In the high-dose SZRD group, two metabolic pathways can be regulated, including sphingolipid metabolism and glycerol glycerophospholipid metabolism. Sphingolipid metabolism is a metabolic pathway that can be regulated by SZRD at different doses, so it is speculated that it may be the primary pathway through which SZRD can alleviate metabolic disturbances in the liver of CUMS model rats.
Animals
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Rats
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
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Metabolomics
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Depression/metabolism*
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Male
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Liver/drug effects*
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Antidepressive Agents/administration & dosage*
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Serotonin/blood*
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Humans
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Disease Models, Animal
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Behavior, Animal/drug effects*
9.One-year seedling cultivation technology and seed germination-promoting mechanism by warm water soaking of Polygonatum kingianum var. grandifolium.
Ke FU ; Jian-Qing ZHOU ; Zhi-Wei FAN ; Mei-Sen YANG ; Ya-Qun CHENG ; Yan ZHU ; Yan SHI ; Jin-Ping SI ; Dong-Hong CHEN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(4):1022-1030
Polygonati Rhizoma demonstrates significant potential for addressing both chronic and hidden hunger. The supply of high-quality seedlings is a primary factor influencing the development of the Polygonati Rhizoma industry. Warm water soaking is often used in agriculture to promote the rapid germination of seeds, while its application and molecular mechanism in Polygonati Rhizoma have not been reported. To rapidly obtain high-quality seedlings, this study treated Polygonatum kingianum var. grandifolium seeds with sand storage at low temperatures, warm water soaking, and cultivation temperature gradients. The results showed that the culture at 25 ℃ or sand storage at 4 ℃ for 2 months rapidly broke the seed dormancy of P. kingianum var. grandifolium, while the culture at 20 ℃ or sand storage at 4 ℃ for 1 month failed to break the seed dormancy. Soaking seeds in 60 ℃ warm water further increased the germination rate, germination potential, and germination index. Specifically, the seeds soaked at 60 ℃ and cultured at 25 ℃ without sand storage treatment(Aa25) achieved a germination rate of 78. 67%±1. 53% on day 42 and 83. 40%±4. 63% on day 77. The seeds pretreated with sand storage at 4 ℃ for 2 months, soaked in 60 ℃ water, and then cultured at 25 ℃ achieved a germination rate comparable to that of Aa25 on day 77. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that warm water soaking might promote germination by triggering reactive oxygen species( ROS), inducing the expression of heat shock factors( HSFs) and heat shock proteins( HSPs), which accelerated DNA replication, transcript maturation, translation, and processing, thereby facilitating the accumulation and turnover of genetic materials. According to the results of indoor controlled experiments and field practices, maintaining a germination and seedling cultivation environment at approximately 25 ℃ was crucial for the one-year seedling cultivation of P. kingianum var. grandifolium.
Germination
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Seedlings/genetics*
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Water/metabolism*
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Seeds/metabolism*
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Polygonatum/genetics*
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Temperature
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Plant Proteins/genetics*
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Plant Dormancy
10.Antipyretic effects of ethanol extracts of Arisaematis Rhizoma fermented with bile from different sources.
Run ZOU ; Fa-Zhi SU ; En-Lin ZHU ; Chen-Xi BAI ; Yan-Ping SUN ; Hai-Xue KUANG ; Qiu-Hong WANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(7):1781-1791
This study aims to investigate the antipyretic effects and mechanisms of ethanol extracts from Arisaematis Rhizoma fermented with bile from different sources on a rat model of fever induced by a dry-yeast suspension. The rat model of fever was established by subcutaneous injection of 20% dry-yeast suspension into the rat back. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6) in the serum, as well as prostaglandin E_2(PGE_2) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP) in the hypothalamus, were determined by ELISA. Metabolomics analysis was then performed on serum and hypothalamus samples based on UPLC-Q-TOF MS to explore the potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways. The results showed that the body temperatures of rats significantly rose 4 h after modeling. After oral administration of high-dose ethanol extracts of Arisaematis Rhizoma fermented with bovine bile(NCH) and porcine bile(ZCH), the body temperatures of rats declined(P<0.05), and the NCH group showed better antipyretic effect than the ZCH group. Additionally, compared with the model group, the NCH and ZCH groups showed lowered levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, PGE_2, and cAMP(P<0.01). The results of serum and hypothalamus metabolomics analysis indicated that both NCH and ZCH exerted antipyretic effects by regulating phenylalanine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Collectively, both NCH and ZCH can play an obvious antipyretic role in the rat model of dry yeast-induced fever, and the underlying mechanism might be closely associated with inhibiting inflammation and regulating metabolic disorders. Moreover, NCH demonstrates better antipyretic effect.
Animals
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Rats
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Male
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Fermentation
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Rhizome/metabolism*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*
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Bile/chemistry*
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Antipyretics/chemistry*
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Fever/metabolism*
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Cattle
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Swine
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Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism*
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Ethanol/chemistry*
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Interleukin-6/blood*
;
Interleukin-1beta/blood*


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