BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine最新文献

Background: Obesity and its associated health conditions, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), are worldwide health problems. It has been shown that insulin resistance is associated with increased hepatic lipid and causes hepatic steatosis through a myriad of mechanisms, including inflammatory signaling.

Methods: Helminthostachys zeylanica (HZ) is used widely as a common herbal medicine to relieve fever symptoms and inflammatory diseases in Asia. In the present study, we evaluated whether HZ has therapeutic effects on obesity, NAFLD and insulin resistance. The protective effects of HZ extract were examined using free fatty acid-induced steatosis in human HuS-E/2 cells and a high-fat diet-induced NAFLD in mice.

Results: The major components of the HZ extract are ugonins J and K, confirmed by HPLC. Incubation of human hepatocytes, HuS-E/2 cells, with palmitate markedly increased lipid accumulation and treatment with the HZ extract significantly decreased lipid deposition and facilitated AMPK and ACC activation. After 12 weeks of a high-fat diet with HZ extract treatment, the HFD mice were protected from hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia. HZ extract prevented body weight gain, adipose tissue expansion and adipocyte hypertrophy in the HFD mice. In addition, fat accumulation was reduced in mice livers. Moreover, the insulin sensitivity-associated index, which evaluates insulin function, was also significantly restored.

Conclusions: These results suggest that HZ has a promising pharmacological effect on high-fat diet-induced obesity, hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, which may have the potential for clinical application.

Background: ChondroT, a new herbal medication, consists of Angelica grosseserrata Maxim., Lonicera japonica Thunb., Angelica gigas Nakai, Clematis terniflora var. manshurica (Rupr.) Ohwi, and Phellodendron amurense Rupr. (6:4:4:4:3). Our previous studies have shown that ChondroT exhibits significant anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we aimed to assess the toxicological safety assessment of ChondroT.

Methods: This study was designed to assess the safety of ChondroT after repeated oral administration. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with ChondroT at oral doses of 0, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg for 13 weeks. Mortality, clinical signs, body weight changes, food consumption, ophthalmological findings, urinalysis, hematological and blood-chemical parameters, necropsy findings, organ weights, and histological markers were recorded throughout the study period. Rats were also monitored for an additional 4 weeks to determine the recovery time.

Results: No death occurred and no significant changes in food consumption, ophthalmologic findings, and urinalysis were found. Although there were alterations in clinical signs, body weights, hematological parameters, blood-chemical parameters, necropsy findings, organ weights, and histological markers, they were not considered to be toxicologically significant.

Conclusions: The results suggest that the no-observed adverse effects level (NOAEL) was 2000 mg/kg/day for the test substance. ChondroT, a new complex herbal medication composed of five plants, can therefore be used safely at the NOAEL.

Background: Marsdenia tenacissima extract (MTE) is a phytochemical widely used as complementary therapy in cancer care. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the anticancer and detoxification effects of MTE, as an adjuvant therapy to chemotherapy, for treating gastric cancer.

Methods: Ten databases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing oral or injectable MTE plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for treating gastric cancer up to May 1, 2019. In meta-analyses, proportional odds ratios (PORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled for the ordinal outcomes using the generalized linear model, and risk ratios (RRs) with 95% CIs were pooled for dichotomous outcomes using the Mantel-Haenszel method.

Results: Seventeen RCTs with 1329 individuals were included, with a moderate to high risk of selection and performance bias. Compared to chemotherapy alone, MTE adjuvant therapy significantly improved the response to anticancer treatment (POR 2.01, 95% CI 1.60-2.53) and patients' performance status (POR 3.15, 95% CI 2.22-4.48) and reduce the incidences of chemotherapy-induced leukopenia (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.56-0.78), thrombocytopenia (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.48-0.86), anemia (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.72-1.10), nausea/vomiting (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.69-0.91), hepatic injury (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61-0.96), and peripheral neurotoxicity (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.59-1.01). However, MTE did not significantly alleviate anemia, diarrhea, constipation, kidney injury, and oral mucosal lesions after chemotherapy. Incidence of nausea/vomiting was lower in patients receiving oral MTE than those receiving injectable MTE (RR 0.47 vs. 0.82, interaction P = 0.04). Heterogeneity was generally low among these outcomes. Three out of five RCTs that reported survival data supported the effects of MTE for prolonging progression-free and/or overall survival. No studies reported safety outcomes of MTE.

Conclusions: The current evidence with limitations of risk of selection and performance bias suggests that MTE, as an adjuvant therapy to chemotherapy, is effective for inhibiting cancer growth and reducing incidences of multiple chemotherapy side effects. Oral MTE may be a better choice. Uncertainty remains regarding the effects of MTE on survival endpoints and the subgroup differences between acute and chronic use of MTE and between different chemotherapy regimens.

Background: The edible fruit Annona cherimola has previously shown many nutritional and medicinal properties. The current study evaluates the anti-cancer and anti-proliferative properties of Annona cherimola ethanolic leaf extract (AELE) on Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) cell lines cultured in vitro (Monomac-1 and KG-1).

Methods: The anti-proliferative effect of A. cherimola ethanolic leaf extract was evaluated via cell viability assay. Its pro-apoptotic effect was assessed through Cell Death ELISA and dual Annexin V/PI staining. To further investigate the molecular mechanism by which the extract promoted apoptosis and inhibited the proliferation of the AML cells used, apoptotic protein expression was determined through western blots. Extract composition was elucidated by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

Results: Our results showed that the treatment with A. cherimola ethanolic leaf extract exhibited an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of both cancer cell lines used in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with no toxic effects on normal mononuclear cells (MNCs) isolated from human bone marrow. This effect was mediated by DNA fragmentation and apoptosis, as revealed by Cell Death ELISA and dual Annexin V/PI staining. Western blot analysis revealed a Bax/Bcl2 dependent mechanism of apoptosis, as well as PARP cleavage, confirming the apoptotic results observed previously. These effects may be attributed to the presence of terpenes which constitute a large component of the leafy extract, as revealed via GC-MS.

Conclusion: All the data presented in our study show that the terpene-rich A. cherimola ethanolic leaf extract exhibits an anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effect on the AML cell lines used.

Background: The body responds to overnutrition by converting stem cells to adipocytes. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown polyphenols and other natural compounds to be anti-adipogenic, presumably due in part to their antioxidant properties. Purpurin is a highly antioxidative anthraquinone and previous studies on anthraquinones have reported numerous biological activities in cells and animals. Anthraquinones have also been used to stimulate osteoblast differentiation, an inversely-related process to that of adipocyte differentiation. We propose that due to its high antioxidative properties, purpurin administration might attenuate adipogenesis in cells and in mice.

Methods: Our study will test the effect purpurin has on adipogenesis using both in vitro and in vivo models. The in vitro model consists of tracking with various biomarkers, the differentiation of pre-adipocyte to adipocytes in cell culture. The compound will then be tested in mice fed a high-fat diet. Murine 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells were stimulated to differentiate in the presence or absence of purpurin. The following cellular parameters were measured: intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), membrane potential of the mitochondria, ATP production, activation of AMPK (adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase), insulin-induced lipid accumulation, triglyceride accumulation, and expression of PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ) and C/EBPα (CCAAT enhancer binding protein α). In vivo, mice were fed high fat diets supplemented with various levels of purpurin. Data collected from the animals included anthropometric data, glucose tolerance test results, and postmortem plasma glucose, lipid levels, and organ examinations.

Results: The administration of purpurin at 50 and 100 μM in 3T3-L1 cells, and at 40 and 80 mg/kg in mice proved to be a sensitive range: the lower concentrations affected several measured parameters, whereas at the higher doses purpurin consistently mitigated biomarkers associated with adipogenesis, and weight gain in mice. Purpurin appears to be an effective antiadipogenic compound.

Conclusion: The anthraquinone purpurin has potent in vitro anti-adipogenic effects in cells and in vivo anti-obesity effects in mice consuming a high-fat diet. Differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells was dose-dependently inhibited by purpurin, apparently by AMPK activation. Mice on a high-fat diet experienced a dose-dependent reduction in induced weight gain of up to 55%.

Background: Lingguizhugan decoction (LGZG), an ancient Chinese herbal formula, has been used to treat cardiovascular diseases in eastern Asia. We investigated whether LGZG has protective activity and the mechanism underlying its effect in an animal model of heart failure (HF).

Methods: A rat model of HF was established by administering eight intraperitoneal injections of doxorubicin (DOX) (cumulative dose of 16 mg/kg) over a 4-week period. Subsequently, LGZG at 5, 10, and 15 mL/kg/d was administered to the rats intragastrically once daily for 4 weeks. The body weight, heart weight index (HWI), heart weight/tibia length ratio (HW/TL), and serum BNP level were investigated to assess the effect of LGZG on HF. Echocardiography was performed to investigate cardiac function, and H&E staining to visualize myocardial morphology. Myocardial ultrastructure and T-tubule-sarcoplasmic reticulum (TT-SR) junctions were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The JP-2 protein level was determined by Western blotting. The mRNA level of CACNA1S and RyR2 and the microRNA-24 (miR-24) level were assayed by quantitative RT-PCR.

Results: Four weeks after DOX treatment, rats developed cardiac damage and exhibited a significantly increased BNP level compared with the control rats (169.6 ± 29.6 pg/mL versus 80.1 ± 9.8 pg/mL, P < 0.001). Conversely, LGZG, especially at the highest dose, markedly reduced the BNP level (93.8 ± 17.9 pg/mL, P < 0.001). Rats treated with DOX developed cardiac dysfunction, characterized by a strong decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction compared with the control (58.5 ± 8.7% versus 88.7 ± 4.0%; P < 0.001). Digoxin and LGZG improved cardiac dysfunction (79.6 ± 6.1%, 69.2 ± 2.5%, respectively) and preserved the left ventricular ejection fraction (77.9 ± 5.1, and 80.5 ± 4.9, respectively, P < 0.01). LGZG also improved the LVEDD, LVESD, and FS and eliminated ventricular hypertrophy, as indicated by decreased HWI and HW/TL ratio. LGZG attenuated morphological abnormalities and mitochondrial damage in the myocardium. In addition, a high dose of LGZG significantly downregulated the expression of miR-24 compared with that in DOX-treated rats (fold change 1.4 versus 3.4, P < 0.001), but upregulated the expression of JP-2 and antagonized DOX-induced T-tubule TT-SR microstructural remodeling. These activities improved periodic Ca²⁺ transients and cell contraction, which may underly the beneficial effect of LGZG on HF.

Conclusions: LGZG exerted beneficial effects on DOX-induced HF in rats, which were mediated in part by improved TT-SR microstructural remodeling.

Background: To assess the efficacy and safety of oral Guanxinshutong (GXST) capsules in Chinese patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) in a prospective, multicenter, double-Blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial (clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02280850).

Methods: Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to the GXST or placebo group. Current standard antianginal treatment except for nitrate drugs was continued in both groups, who received an additional 4-week treatment of GXST capsule or placebo. Primary endpoint was the change from baseline in angina attack frequency after the 4-week treatment. Secondary endpoints included the reduction of nitroglycerin dose, score of Seatntle Agina Questionnaire, exercise tolerance test defined as time to onset of chest pain and ST-segment depression at least 1 mm greater than the resting one.

Results: A total of 300 SAP patients from 12 centers in China were enrolled between January 2013 and October 2015, and they were randomly divided into the GXST group and the placebo group (150 patients in each group). Of whom, 287 patients completed the study (143 patients in the GXST group, 144 patients in the placebo group). The baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable. After 4-week treatment with GXST capsules, the number of angina attacks and the consumption of short-acting nitrates were significantly reduced. In addition, the quality of life of patients were also substantially improved in the GXST group. No significant differences in the time of onset of angina and 1-mm ST segment depression were noted between the two groups. 7 patients (4.1%) in the GXST group and 3 patients (2.1%) in the placebo group reported at least one adverse event, respectively.

Conclusions: GXST capsules are beneficial for the treatment of SAP patients.

Background: Infertility and gonadal dysfunction are well known side-effects by cancer treatment in males. In particularly, chemotherapy and radiotherapy induced testicular damage, resulting in prolonged azoospermia. However, information regarding therapeutics to treat spermatogenesis disturbance after cancer treatment is scarce. Recently, we demonstrated that Goshajinkigan, a traditional Japanese medicine, can completely rescue severe busulfan-induced aspermatogenesis in mice. In this study, we aimed to detect the effects of Goshajinkigan on aspermatogenesis after irradiation.

Methods: This is animal research about the effects of traditional Japanese medicine on infertility after cancer treatment. C57BL/6 J male mice received total body irradiation (TBI: a single dose of 6Gy) at 4 weeks of age and after 60 days were reared a Goshajinkigan (TJ107)-containing or TJ107-free control diet from day 60 to day 120. Then, two untreated females were mated with a single male from each experimental group. On day 60, 120 and 150, respectively, the sets of testes and epididymis of the mice in each group after deep anesthetization were removed for histological and cytological examinations.

Results: Histological and histopathological data showed that 6Gy TBI treatment decreased the fertility rate (4/10) in the control diet group; in contrast, in the TJ107-diet group, the fertility rate was 10/10 (p < 0.05 vs. 6Gy group). Supplementation with TJ107 was found to rescue the disrupted inter-Sertoli tight junctions via the normalization of claudin11, occludin, and ZO-1 expression and reduce serum anti-germ cell autoantibodies.

Conclusions: These findings show the therapeutic effect on TBI-induced aspermatogenesis and the recovering disrupted gonadal functions by supplementation with TJ107.

Background: Moringa oleifera Lam. is a commonly used plant in herbal medicine and has various reported bioactivities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer and antidiabetes. It is rich in nutrients and polyphenols. The plant also has been traditionally used for alleviating allergic conditions. This study was aimed to examine the anti-allergic activity of M. oleifera extracts and its isolated compounds.

Method: M. oleifera leaves, seeds and pods were extracted with 80% of ethanol. Individual compounds were isolated using a column chromatographic technique and elucidated based on the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESIMS) spectral data. The anti-allergic activity of the extracts, isolated compounds and ketotifen fumarate as a positive control was evaluated using rat basophilic leukaemia (RBL-2H3) cells for early and late phases of allergic reactions. The early phase was determined based on the inhibition of beta-hexosaminidase and histamine release; while the late phase was based on the inhibition of interleukin (IL-4) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) release.

Results: Two new compounds; ethyl-(E)-undec-6-enoate (1) and 3,5,6-trihydroxy-2-(2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one (2) together with six known compounds; quercetin (3), kaempferol (4), β-sitosterol-3-O-glucoside (5), oleic acid (6), glucomoringin (7), 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde (8) and stigmasterol (9) were isolated from M. oleifera extracts. All extracts and the isolated compounds inhibited mast cell degranulation by inhibiting beta-hexosaminidase and histamine release, as well as the release of IL-4 and TNF-α at varying levels compared with ketotifen fumarate.

Conclusion: The study suggested that M. oleifera and its isolated compounds potentially have an anti-allergic activity by inhibiting both early and late phases of allergic reactions.

Background: No previous study has investigated the association between oolong tea consumption and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we aim to elucidate the association between oolong tea consumption and ESCC and its joint effects with a novel composite index.

Methods: In a hospital-based case-control study, 646 cases of ESCC patients and 646 sex and age matched controls were recruited. A composite index was calculated to evaluate the role of demographic characteristics and life exposure factors in ESCC. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate the point estimates between oolong tea consumption and risk of ESCC.

Results: No statistically significant association was found between oolong tea consumption and ESCC (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 0.94-2.05). However, drinking hot oolong tea associated with increased risk of ESCC (OR = 1.60, 95% Cl: 1.06-2.41). Furthermore, drinking hot oolong tea increased ESCC risk in the high-risk group (composite index> 0.55) (OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.93-5.11), but not in the low-risk group (composite index≤0.55) (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.74-1.83). Drinking warm oolong tea did not influence the risk of ESCC.

Conclusions: No association between oolong tea consumption and risk of ESCC were found, however, drinking hot oolong tea significantly increased the risk of ESCC, especially in high-risk populations.