The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Cross-sectional studies on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM-CSs) have become the most published type of TCM observational study; however, the research scope of current TCM-CSs is unknown. A scoping review of the literature was performed. A descriptive approach to summarize the core study characteristics was prepared, along with structured tables and figures to identify salient points of similarities and differences noted across studies. ⋯ The number of TCM-CSs is increasing. Research topics are diverse; however, the reporting quality is unsatisfactory. In particular, TCM-CSs need greater transparency and standardization.
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As a genus of the Asteraceae, Inula is widely distributed all over the world, and several of them are being used in traditional medicines. A number of metabolites were isolated from Inula species, and some of these have shown to possess ranges of pharmacological activities. The genus Inula contains abundant sesquiterpenoids, such as eudesmanes, xanthanes, and sesquiterpenoid dimers and trimers. ⋯ Since 2010, more than 300 new secondary metabolites, including several known natural products that were isolated for the first time from the genus Inula. Most of them exhibited potential bioactivities in various diseases. The review aimed to summarize the advance of recent researches (2010-2020) on phytochemical constituents, biosynthesis, and pharmacological properties of the genus Inula for providing a scientific basis and supporting its application and exploitation for new drug development.
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Over a millennia, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat various diseases in China. In recent years, more and more Chinese materia medica (CMM) have been studied in scientific research projects, applied in clinical practice, and their extracts have even appeared in some health products. However, the toxicity of some CMM is often overlooked, including hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, etc. ⋯ The rational application of toxic CMM and their components in clinical practice was also exemplified in this review. While the pharmacological effects of TCMs have been emphasized, the scientific attenuation and rational application of toxic components should be concerned. We hope this review can provide a reference for future related research.
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The role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) remains controversial, and its active components and potential targets are still unclear. This study mainly aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of TCM in mCRC treatment through meta-analysis and explore the effective components and potential targets based on the network pharmacology method. We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, CBM, WanFang, and CNKI database for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the treatment of mCRC patients with and without TCM. ⋯ Finally, the C-T network showed 120 herb and disease co-target genes, and the most important top 10 active components were: Quercetin, Luteolin, Wogonin, Kaempferol, Nobiletin, Baicalein, Licochalcone A, Naringenin, Isorhamnetin, and Acacetin. The first 20 hub genes were extracted: CDKN1A, CDK1, CDK2, E2F1, CDK4, PCNA, RB1, CCNA2, MAPK3, CCND1, CCNB1, JUN, MAPK1, RELA, FOS, MAPK8, STAT3, MAPK14, NR3C1, and MYC. Thus, effective Chinese herb components may inhibit the mCRC by targeting multiple biological processes of the above hub genes.
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A novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 is causing the severe acute pneumonia (COVID-19) and rapid spread nationally and internationally, resulting in a major global health emergency. Chinese governments and scientists have implemented a series of rigorous measures and scientific research to prevent and control the SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, there is still no specific antiviral drug or vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. ⋯ An emerging strategy of systems pharmacology has been proposed to be a promising method to interpret drug action in complex biological systems and quickly screen out the bioactive compounds from TCM to treat treatment of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, in this study, the epidemiology, TCM therapy, and the systems pharmacology-based method for TCM are reviewed for COVID-19 to provide a perspective for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further efforts should be made to reduce disease burden and improve the ability to design antiviral drugs and vaccines, which will benefit the health care system, economic development and even social stability.