The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Review
Dragon's Blood from Dracaena Worldwide: Species, Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology.
Dragon's blood (DB) refers mainly to the crimson resin of many Dracaena spp. DB has been used by different traditional medicine systems worldwide, including Arabic medicine, African medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Thai medicine, etc. DB are mainly used to heal wounds, kill pain, stop bleeding, and cure various diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery and ulcers for over 1000 years. 11 Dracaena spp. and 3 subspecies are reported to be able to produce red resin. ⋯ No apparent side effects or toxicity have been reported. DB are restricted from being exploited due to limited resources and unclear resin formation mechanism. It is necessary to expand the cultivation of Dracaena spp. and fully understand the mechanism underlying the resin formation process to develop an effective induction method for the sustainable utilization of DB.
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, commonly characterized by abdominal pain or abdominal discomfort. These symptoms can substantially reduce the quality of life and work productivity of the patients. The exact pathogenesis of IBS remains unclear, as it has become apparent that multiple pathways are activated in the condition, including inflammation, immunology, neurology and psychology. ⋯ This paper summarizes and discusses the possible mechanisms associated with acupuncture on the pathophysiology of IBS, including gastrointestinal (GI) motility, visceral hypersensitivity, the immune system, neurotransmitters, and the brain-gut axis. The results fromin vivo and clinical studies have been included. In addition, the effects of acupuncture on gut microbiota in IBS are included and any contradictory findings are deliberated.
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Neuraminidase, also known as sialidase, is ubiquitous in animals and microorganisms. It is predominantly distributed in the cell membrane, cytoplasmic vesicles, and lysosomes. Neuraminidase generally recognizes the sialic acid glycosidic bonds at the ends of glycoproteins or glycolipids and enzymatically removes sialic acid. ⋯ We also summarize inhibitors from Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) in inhibiting virus neuraminidase or human Neu1. Many Chinese herbs and Chinese herb preparations, such as Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Scutellariae Radix, Yupingfeng San, and Huanglian Jiedu Decoction, have neuraminidase inhibitory activity. We hope to highlight the emerging role of Neu1 in humans and potentially titillate interest for further studies in this area.
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Review
How Chinese Herbal Medicine Prevents Epidemics: From Ancient Pestilences to COVID-19 Pandemic.
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic calls for effective control and prevention. Chinese medicine (CM) has developed systematic theories and approaches for infectious disease prevention over 2000 years. Here, we review and analyze Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) used in infectious disease prevention from ancient pestilences to modern epidemics and pandemics to share cumulative preventive medical experience. ⋯ Thus, taking CHM expelling damp toxins and tonifying Qi are the main methods for SARS and COVID-19 prevention. CHM with different approaches have been widely used in infectious disease prevention from ancient times to the present. Multiple CM prevention methods may provide new perspectives for future pandemics.
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Gliomas are the mostly observed form of primary brain tumor, and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) shows the highest incidence. The survival rate of GBM is fairly poor; thus, discovery of effective treatment options is required. Among several suggested targets for therapy, the Axl/IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway has gained recent interest because of its important role within cancer microenvironment. ⋯ In addition, gene expression, protein expression, and half-life of synthesized Axl protein were all suppressed by quercetin. By applying shRNA for knockdown of Axl, we could confirm that the role of Axl was crucial in the apoptotic effect of quercetin on GBM cells. In conclusion, we suggest quercetin as a potential anticancer agent, which may improve cancer microenvironment of GBM via the Axl/IL-6/STAT3 pathway.