The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Artemisinin (ART) and its derivatives, collectively referred to as artemisinins (ARTs), have been approved for the treatment of malaria for decades. ARTs are converted into dihydroartemisinin (DHA), the only active form, which is reductive in vivo. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the neuroprotective potential of ARTs and the underlying mechanisms on several of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, particularly considering their potential application in those associated with cognitive and motor impairments including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ⋯ ARTs can also inhibit ferroptosis, activate the Akt/Bcl-2, AMPK, or ERK/CREB pathways to reduce oxidative stress, and maintain mitochondrial homeostasis, protecting neurons from oxidative stress injury. More importantly, ARTs structurally combine with and suppress [Formula: see text]-Amyloid (A[Formula: see text]-induced neurotoxicity, reduce P-tau, and maintain O-GlcNAcylation/Phosphorylation balance, leading to relieved pathological changes in neurodegenerative diseases. Collectively, these natural properties endow ARTs with unique potential for application in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Due to their complex pathological mechanisms, neurodegenerative diseases have brought great challenges to drug development and clinical treatment. Studies have shown that many traditional Chinese medicines have neuroprotective pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation properties and have certain effects on improving the symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases and delaying disease progression. ⋯ This paper focuses on the neuroprotective effects of six common flavonoids: quercetin, rutin, luteolin, kaempferol, baicalein, and puerarin. It then systematically reviews their characteristics, mechanisms, and key signaling pathways, summarizes the common characteristics and laws of their neuroprotective effects, and discusses the significance of strengthening the research on the neuroprotective effects of these compounds, aiming to provide reference for more research and drug development of these substances as neuroprotective drugs.
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Recent studies have witnessed the incorporation of herbal medicine into the management of Disorders of Gut-Brain Interactions (DGBIs), reflecting a paradigm shift toward holistic healing modalities. However, there still exists a substantial gap in comprehending the utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), particularly beyond the confines of China. This study endeavors to bridge this knowledge gap by meticulously identifying existing guidelines, critically reviewing TCM practices, and crafting contemporary treatment recommendations. ⋯ The findings provide IBS patients with enhanced treatment choices while offering clinical physicians more specific treatment regimens. This research is the first to conduct a comprehensive study that combines guidelines with real clinical practices in the realm of TCM IBS treatment. This serves as a foundation for providing more personalized treatment options and improving the quality of life for patients.
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Isoliquiritigen (ISL), a constituent of licorice, has been shown to possess antitumorigenic effects in diverse cancer types. In this study, we observed that ISL suppressed breast tumor development significantly more effectively in immunocompetent mice than in immunocompromised ones. In exploring the cause of such a discrepancy, we detected robust tumor infiltration of CD8[Formula: see text] T lymphocytes in mice treated with ISL, not seen in tumors derived from vehicle-treated mice. ⋯ We found evidence that ISL reduced the level of PD-L1 by simultaneously intercepting the ERK and Src signaling pathways. In agreement with clinical finding that PD-L1 antibodies enhance efficacy of taxane-based therapy, we showed that ISL improved the tumoricidal effects of paclitaxel in an orthopedic murine breast tumor model. This study demonstrates that ISL-led tumor suppression acts through the augmentation of host antitumor immunity.
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Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in female patients. There is a significant lack of therapeutic strategies for BC, particularly triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Honokiol (HNK), a lignin extracted from the Magnolia genus plant, has demonstrated numerous pharmacological effects. ⋯ Importantly, survival analysis based on TCGA database showed high miR-148a-5p expression was correlated with a better prognosis for BC patients. Inhibition of miR-148a-5p by inhibitor not only increased cell viability but also attenuated apoptosis induced by HNK. Finally, a strong synergistic effect between HNK and paclitaxel was observed in vitro. In conclusion, our study validated the antitumor efficacy of HNK against human BC cells and elucidated its underlying mechanism through high-throughput sequencing, thereby providing compelling evidence for further exploration of the potential clinical application of HNK towards the treatment of BC.