1.Pharmacological Effects and Mechanisms of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Its Active Components in Treating Depression: A Review
Ziyang HUANG ; Zhiyi WANG ; Zibo LI ; Erping XU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):288-296
Depression is a common mental disorder in clinical practice, and it falls under the category of depression syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In TCM, Qi depression is considered as the root cause of all depression syndromes. Qi depression can lead to blood stasis, which is a key cause of diseases due to depression syndrome. Therefore, treating stasis is an important therapeutic approach for depression syndrome. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, a representative herbal medicine for activating blood and removing stasis, is effective in activating blood, removing stasis, dredging meridians, and alleviating pain. Currently, it is primarily used in clinical practice to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as neurasthenia, coronary heart disease, insomnia, and palpitations. The active components of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma are complex and exhibit a variety of pharmacological effects. These components include water-soluble salvianolic acids and lipid-soluble tanshinones. Modern pharmacological studies have proven that Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and its active components possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-fibrosis, and neuroprotective properties. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and its active components in treating depression. This paper systematically reviews the antidepressant mechanisms of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and its main active components from the regulation of monoamine neurotransmitters, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, neurotrophic factors, and neuroinflammation. In addition, this paper summarizes the clinical applications of the prescriptions containing Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in the treatment of depression, providing new insights for further research on the pharmacological mechanisms of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in treating depression.
2.Mechanism of Mitochondrial Autophagy and Intervention of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Renal Fibrosis: A Review
Shuqi MIN ; Chenghua ZHANG ; Qiwang HE ; Xinyue ZHANG ; Zhiyi LI ; Meifeng ZHU ; Shenju WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(11):314-321
With the main pathological features of glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis, renal fibrosis is a key pathological process causing chronic kidney disease to progress to end-stage disease. As a cellular autophagic process, mitochondrial autophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining mitochondrial mass and functional stability. Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered to be one of the key factors driving the progression of fibrosis. Phosphatase and tension protein homologue (PTEN) induce various signalling pathways such as putative kinase 1/parkin, Nip3-like protein X/Bcl-2 interacting protein 3, and FUN14 structural domain-containing protein 1 to activate mitochondrial autophagy to participate in the regulation of fibrogenic factors, amelioration of oxidative stress, and inhibition of inflammatory response and apoptosis, which in turn effectively slows down the progression of renal fibrosis. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine monomers and compound preparations, including phenolics, terpenoids, ketones, and alkaloids, can regulate mitochondrial autophagy-related signalling pathways and achieve significant clinical efficacy in intervening in the progression of renal fibrosis for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. This paper summarized the mechanism of mitochondrial autophagy and the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine intervention in renal fibrosis to provide new ideas for the study of the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in treating renal fibrosis.
3.Mechanism of Mitochondrial Autophagy and Intervention of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Renal Fibrosis: A Review
Shuqi MIN ; Chenghua ZHANG ; Qiwang HE ; Xinyue ZHANG ; Zhiyi LI ; Meifeng ZHU ; Shenju WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(11):314-321
With the main pathological features of glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis, renal fibrosis is a key pathological process causing chronic kidney disease to progress to end-stage disease. As a cellular autophagic process, mitochondrial autophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining mitochondrial mass and functional stability. Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered to be one of the key factors driving the progression of fibrosis. Phosphatase and tension protein homologue (PTEN) induce various signalling pathways such as putative kinase 1/parkin, Nip3-like protein X/Bcl-2 interacting protein 3, and FUN14 structural domain-containing protein 1 to activate mitochondrial autophagy to participate in the regulation of fibrogenic factors, amelioration of oxidative stress, and inhibition of inflammatory response and apoptosis, which in turn effectively slows down the progression of renal fibrosis. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine monomers and compound preparations, including phenolics, terpenoids, ketones, and alkaloids, can regulate mitochondrial autophagy-related signalling pathways and achieve significant clinical efficacy in intervening in the progression of renal fibrosis for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. This paper summarized the mechanism of mitochondrial autophagy and the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine intervention in renal fibrosis to provide new ideas for the study of the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in treating renal fibrosis.
4.Evaluation of surgical efficacy in patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in Gansu Province from 2006 to 2023
Xixi CHENG ; Yu FENG ; Xu WANG ; Zhiyi WANG ; Jiaxi LEI ; Mingzhe JIANG ; Guobing YANG ; Xiaojuan ZHANG ; Shijie YANG ; Liying WANG
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2025;37(3):247-254
Objective To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy for surgical treatments among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in Gansu Province from 2006 to 2023, so as to provide insights into optimization of the diagnosis and treatment strategies against hepatic cystic echinococcosis. Methods The demographic and clinical data of all echinococcosis cases included in central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control and undergoing surgical treatments in Gansu Province from 2006 to 2023 were captured. Hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients with complete medical records and follow-up data were included in the study, and patients’ characteristics, including hospital where patients received diagnosis and treatment, methods of case identification, year of surgery, classification of lesions, number of lesions, size of lesions, course of disease, surgical methods, and post-surgical follow-up data. The cure and recurrence of hepatic cystic echinococcosis were evaluated according to the Guidelines for Management of Echinococcosis Patients in the Central Government Fiscal Transfer Payment Program, and the cure and recurrent rates were calculated. Results Data were collected from 1 686 surgical patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1 222 hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients undergoing surgical treatments were included during the period from 2006 to 2022, including 1 166 cured patients (95.42%) and 88 patients with postsurgical recurrence (7.20%), and the cure rate of surgical treatments appeared a tendency towards a rise among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis from 2008 to 2022 (χ2trend = 19.39, P < 0.05). The cure rates of hepatic cystic echinococcosis were 100% (177/177), 94.81% (128/135) and 94.62% (861/910) among patients detected through regular physical examinations, screened by the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control, and those who passively sought healthcare services, respectively (χ2 = 9.95, P < 0.05). The cure rates of hepatic cystic echinococcosis were 95.96% (1 046/1 090) among patients with a disease course of 2 years and less and 90.90% (120/132) among patients with a disease course of over 2 years (χ2 = 6.87, P < 0.05), and there were significant differences in the cure rates among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in terms of number of lesions (χ2 = 24.44, P < 0.05) and surgical methods (P < 0.05). The cure rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients was significantly higher following initiation of the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control (96.06%, 1 096/1 141) than before the program (86.42%, 70/81) (χ2 = 16.06, P < 0.05), and the cure rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients was significantly higher in designated hospitals (96.48%, 741/768) than in non-designated hospitals (93.37%, 366/392) (χ2 = 5.78, P < 0.05). The median follow-up period was 4 (interquartile range, 7) years among 1 222 hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients undergoing surgical treatments. The recurrent rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis appeared a tendency towards a decline from 2008 to 2022 (χ2trend = 36.86, P < 0.05), with a reduction from 23.08% (9/39) in 2008 to 1.85% (1/54) in 2021, and the post-surgical recurrence rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis was lower following initiation of the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control (5.87%, 67 / 1 141) than before the program (25.93%, 21/81) (χ2 = 45.51, P < 0.05). In addition, the post-surgical recurrence rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis was higher in non-designated hospitals (10.46%, 41/392) than in designated hospitals (5.60%, 43/768) (χ2 = 9.12, P < 0.05), and there was a significant difference in the post-surgical recurrence rate among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in terms of surgical methods (P < 0.05), with the highest recurrence rate (11.54%) seen among patients undergoing percutaneous fine-needle aspiration of cyst fluids-based surgical procedures (P < 0.05). Conclusion Since the initiation of the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control in Gansu Province in 2006, an increase in the surgical cure rate and a reduction in the recurrence of hepatic cystic echinococcosis had been found among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis, indicating a high overall therapeutic efficacy.
5.Role of podoplanin in hepatic stellate cell activation and liver fibrosis
Zhiyi WANG ; Guangyue YANG ; Wei ZHANG ; Yaqiong PU ; Xin ZHAO ; Wenting MA ; Xuling LIU ; Liu WU ; Le TAO ; Cheng LIU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(3):533-538
ObjectiveTo investigate the role and mechanism of podoplanin (PDPN) in hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and liver fibrosis. MethodsLiver biopsy samples were collected from 75 patients with chronic hepatitis B who attended Department of Infectious Diseases, Putuo Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, for the first time from September 2019 to June 2022, and RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to measure the expression of PDPN in liver tissue of patients in different stages of liver fibrosis. A total of 12 male C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into control group and model group. The mice in the model group were given intraperitoneal injection of 10% CCl4, and those in the control group were injected with an equal volume of olive oil, for 6 weeks. HE staining and Sirius Red staining were used to observe liver histopathological changes; primary mouse liver cells were separated to measure the mRNA expression of PDPN in various types of cells; primary mouse HSCs were treated with PDPN protein, followed by treatment with the NF-κB inhibitor BAY11-708, to measure the expression of inflammatory factors in HSCs induced by PDPN. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups; a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate data correlation. ResultsAs for the liver biopsy samples, there was a relatively low mRNA expression level of PDPN in normal liver, and there was a significant increase in the mRNA expression level of PDPN in liver tissue of stage S3 or S4 fibrosis (all P<0.001). Immunohistochemical staining showed that PDPN was mainly expressed in the fibrous septum and the hepatic sinusoid, and the PDPN-positive area in S4 liver tissue was significantly higher than that in S0 liver tissue (t=8.892, P=0.001). In normal mice, PDPN was mainly expressed in the hepatic sinusoid, and there was a significant increase in the expression of PDPN in CCl4 model mice (t=0.95, P<0.001), mainly in the fibrous septum. RT-PCR showed a significant increase in the mRNA expression of PDPN in the CCl4 model mice (t=11.25, P=0.002). Compared with hepatocytes, HSCs, Kupffer cells, and bile duct endothelial cells, hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells showed a significantly high expression level of PDPN (F=20.56, P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the primary mouse HSCs treated by PDPN protein for 15 minutes showed significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the inflammation-related factors TNFα, CCL3, CXCL1, and CXCR1 (all P<0.05), and there were significant reductions in the levels of these indicators after treatment with BAY11-7082 (all P<0.05). ConclusionThere is an increase in the expression of PDPN mainly in hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells during liver fibrosis, and PDPN regulates HSC activation and promotes the progression of liver fibrosis via the NF-κB signaling pathway.
6.Therapeutic effect of Xiayuxue decoction on a mouse model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease induced by high-fat diet and its mechanism
Linqi HOU ; Zhiyi WANG ; Xin ZHAO ; Jie ZHANG ; Wenting MA ; Xuling LIU ; Wei ZHANG ; Le TAO ; Cheng LIU ; Liu WU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(4):712-719
ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Xiayuxue decoction in inhibiting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by high-fat diet in mice by regulating nucleotide binding oligomerization domain like receptor containing pyrin domain protein 6 (NLRP6). MethodsA total of 15 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into low-fat diet (LFD) group, high-fat diet (HFD) group, and Xiayuxue decoction-HFD group (XYXD group), with 5 mice in each group. Liver function parameters (alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST]) and blood lipid metabolic indicators (triglycerides [TG] and total cholesterol [TC]) were measured; HE staining and oil red O staining were performed for liver tissue to observe histomorpholoty and lipid droplet deposition; quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the expression levels of inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interleukin-1β [IL-1β], interleukin-18 [IL-18], and NLRP6) in liver tissue; Western blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of NLRP6, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and NF-κB p65; immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression of NLRP6 and CD68. Mouse Raw264.7 cells were treated with palmitic acid (PA), lipopolysaccharide, and serum containing Xiayuxue decoction to observe inflammation. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the LFD group, the HFD group had significant increases in the serum levels of ALT, AST, TC, and TG (all P<0.05). Liver histopathological examination showed that the HFD group had marked hepatic steatosis and a signficant increase in NAS score (P<0.05), and quantitative real-time PCR showed significant increases in the inflammatory factors such as IL1β and IL-18 and a significant reduction in the expression of NLRP6 (all P<0.05). Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of NLRP6 showed a similar trend as that of the macrophage marker CD68. Western blot showed that after the downregulation of NLRP6 expression, there was a significant increase in phosphorylated NF-κB p65 (P<0.05). Compared with the HFD group, Xiayuxue decoction effectively improved liver inflammation, upregulated the expression of NLRP6, and downregulated phosphorylated NF-κB p65 in HFD mice (all P<0.05). After Raw264.7 cells were treated with PA, NLRP6 was downregulated to promote the progression of inflammation (P<0.05), and treatment with Xiayuxue decoction could upregulate NLRP6 and inhibit inflammation NF-κB (P<0.05). ConclusionXiayuxue decoction can effectively improve hepatic steatosis and liver inflammation in a mouse model of NAFLD, possibly by regulating NLRP6/NF-κB to alleviate macrophage activation.
7.Research Progress in the Clinicopathology of Ocular Accessory Lymphoma
Zhiyi QI ; Xinghua WANG ; Zixuan SU
Acta Medicinae Universitatis Scientiae et Technologiae Huazhong 2024;53(1):123-128
Ocular adnexal lymphoma is a common orbital malignant tumor.The incidence of ocular adnexal lymphoma is in-creasing rapidly each year,and the clinical manifestations and imaging characteristics of the disease are not specific.Therefore,the diagnosis of the disease relies on pathological tissue analysis.Accurate diagnosis of ocular adnexal lymphoma relies on mor-phology,immunohistochemistry,molecular and cytogenetics.With in-depth research on the disease,it has been found that the clinical prognosis of this tumor is characterized by high recurrence.This article mainly explains the correlation between high dis-ease recurrence rate and histopathological characteristics.
8.The effect of different concentrations of ropivacaine ultrasound-guided transverse abdominis plane block on postoperative pain and stress response in patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy
Min ZHOU ; Renji LIU ; Zhiyi WANG ; Maohua ZHANG
Journal of Chinese Physician 2024;26(1):93-97
Objective:To explore the effects of different concentrations of ropivacaine ultrasound-guided transverse abdominis plane block on postoperative pain and stress response in patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.Methods:A prospective study was conducted on 120 obese patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy at the Puren Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology from July 2020 to July 2022. According to the random number table method, all patients were divided into a control group, a low concentration group, and a high concentration group, with 40 cases in each group. All three groups underwent ultrasound-guided transverse abdominis plane block after general anesthesia induction. The control group was injected with physiological saline, while the low concentration group and high concentration group were injected with 0.25% and 0.50% ropivacaine, respectively. Stress response indicators before and after surgery in three groups [adrenaline (E), cortisol (Cor), free thyroxine (FT4), and C-reactive protein (CRP)], hemodynamic indicators [mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR)], glucose and lipid metabolism indicators [fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2-hour PBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG)] and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score were compared before and after surgery. Results:On the 1st day after surgery, the levels of E, Cor, FT4, CRP, FBG, 2-hour PBG, HbA 1c, TC, and TG in the high concentration group were lower than those in the control group and low concentration group (all P<0.05); 15 minutes after anesthesia and 2 hours after surgery, the MAP and HR of the high concentration group were higher than those of the control group and the low concentration group (all P<0.05); At 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery, the VAS score of the high concentration group was lower than that of the control group and the low concentration group (all P<0.05); There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of airway reactions during anesthesia induction among the three groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:In laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, administering 0.50% concentration of ropivacaine ultrasound-guided plane block of the transverse abdominis muscle has a strong postoperative analgesic effect, which can improve E, Cor, FT4, and CRP levels, and is worthy of clinical application.
9.Moxibustion for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis:An Overview of Systematic Reviews
Zhiyi WANG ; Yutong FEI ; Shumeng REN ; Leqi LYU ; Hanwei LUN ; Minjing LUO ; Yicheng GAO ; Ruyu XIA
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;31(3):56-63
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion for knee osteoarthritis and the methodological quality of systematic reviews(SRs).Methods SRs of moxibustion for knee osteoarthritis were retrieved from CNKI,VIP,Wanfang Data,SinoMed,PubMed,Cochrane Library,Embase and Web of Science was conducted from the establishment of the databases to February 10,2022.AMSTAR 2 was used to assess the methodological quality of SRs.The randomized controlled trials(RCTs)included in these SRs were screened and summarized according to inclusion standard.RevMan 5.4 software was used for Meta-analysis,and GRADE approach was used to assess the certainty of evidence.Results A total of 15 SRs were included.The evaluation results of the AMSTAR 2 showed that the methodological quality was very low for 14 SRs,and low for other 1 SR.A total of 36 RCTs were included.Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs),the moxibustion group had better effects on improvement of WOMAC scores[mean difference(MD)=-5.95;95%confidence interval(CI):-9.25 to-2.65;low quality],relieving pain[MD=-1.26;95%CI:-2.19 to-0.32;very low quality],and improving effective rate[risk ratio(RR)=1.16;95%CI:1.11 to 1.22;low quality].In the moxibustion group,some patients experienced blisters,and most healed in 3 days.Conclusion Moxibustion has advantages in pain reduction and improving effective rate compared with routine Western therapy for knee osteoarthritis.However,well-designed high-quality RCTs are needed for further verification.
10.Prognostic significance of lactate dehydrogenase in salvage intensity-modulated radiotherapy for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma before treatment
Zhiyi DENG ; Yijing YE ; Dingbo LI ; Xianhai ZENG ; Zaixing WANG
Chinese Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 2024;31(1):1-6
OBJECTIVE To investigate the prognostic value of pre-treatment serum lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)levels in patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)treated with salvage intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT)and to determine its association with rT staging.METHODS The records of 97 patients with locally relapsed and non-metastatic NPC who received salvage IMRT treatment in our center from January 2018 to April 2022 were collected,including 51 patients who died,18 patients with distant metastases,30 patients with local failure,and 67 patients with prognostic adverse events(death,distant tumors/local metastases).Clinical data,local failure-free survival(LFFS),distant metastasis-free survival(DMFS)and overall survival(OS)were obtained from all patients,and the relationship between LDH and the prognosis of salvage IMRT therapy in NPC patients was analyzed.RESULTS The serum LDH level before salvage IMRT was significantly higher in the death[221.25(178.24,339.13)U/L vs.124.82(79.0,159.50)U/L,Z=-5.122],local failure[230.75(170.89,394.50)U/L vs.157.85(91.78,216.95)U/L,Z=-3.442],distant metastasis[261.62(153.55,465.50)U/L vs.168.98(101.75,237.75)U/L,Z=-2.478]and poor prognosis group[220.05(167.20,506.16)U/L vs.93.45(69.95,154.35)U/L,Z=-6.018],and all P<0.05.Serum LDH levels were divided into dichotomous variables according to median values(≥177.50 U/L vs.<177.50 U/L),the Cox univariate model found that the hazard ratios of LDH affecting LFFS,DMFS,OS and toxic-related death(TRD)were 3.759(1.660-8.558),4.217(1.383-12.861),3.226(1.715-6.069),3.363(1.750-6.463),P<0.05.LDH remained an independent prognostic factor for LFFS,DMFS,OS,and TRD in multivariate regression analysis(P<0.05).Compared with patients with LDH<177.50 U/L,more patients in the LDH≥177.50 U/L group had local progression-related death,and the no LFFS stage,no DMFS stage and OS were shorter in the LDH≥177.50 U/L group(log rank=11.624,7.559,14.758),P<0.05.In predicting overall survival,adding LDH to the rT stage is preferable to the rT stage alone.CONCLUSION LDH is an important factor in predicting LFFS,DMFS,OS,and TRD after saving IMRT in patients with locally relapsed,non-metastatic NPC,and the value of LDH combined with rT staging in predicting overall survival is high.

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