Medicine
-
Modern medical practice has confirmed the efficacy of Mahuang Fuzi Xixin Decoction (MHFZXXD) in treating elderly bronchial asthma, but its specific mechanisms of action remain to be clarified. Therefore, this study utilizes network pharmacology, molecular docking techniques, and molecular dynamics simulations to explore the key active components, core target genes, and potential mechanisms of MHFZXXD in the treatment of elderly bronchial asthma. Active components and related targets of MHFZXXD were identified through the retrieval and screening of the TCMSP, Swiss Targets Prediction, and Uniprot databases. ⋯ Molecular docking and dynamics simulations show that the core targets bind stably with the key active components. Overall, MHFZXXD may reduce inflammatory responses and improve hypoxic conditions and apoptosis during the progression of elderly bronchial asthma through multiple active components, targets, and signaling pathways, thereby delaying the malignant progression of the disease. This provides relevant evidence and experimental data for clinical treatment and further research.
-
Observational Study
Relationship between albumin and rheumatoid arthritis: Evidence from NHANES and Mendelian randomization.
With the rising incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the increasing percentage of serum RF negativity, more and more accurate methods are urgently needed for the early diagnosis and prevention of RA, among which serum albumin (ALB) is closely related to the development of RA, and it is expected to become a new auxiliary diagnostic means, but its relationship with RA is not clear, so the present study aimed to investigate the Causal relationship. In this study, we used a generalized linear model and smoothed curve fitting to comprehensively evaluate the relationship between ALB and RA through the data of ALB and RA in the NHANES database, in addition, we further used inverse variance weighted (IVW) in Mendelian randomization (MR) in conjunction with the other 4 methods to further validate and clarify the causal relationship. The results were also examined for heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy to assess whether the results were robust. ⋯ In further MR analysis, IVW: ALB on RA, OR = 0.70 [95% 0.52-0.93], P = .013; RA on ALB, OR = 0.95 [95% CI = 0.93-0.98], P < .001. The results of the MR analyses were in agreement with those of NHANES, which did not share a common genetic locus in co-localization analysis. There is a significant relationship between ALB and RA, and the reduction of ALB may be one of the risk factors for RA, as well as one of the outcomes in the development of RA.
-
Zhengxintai Formula (ZXT) has shown good effects in the clinical treatment of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD). However, its potential molecular mechanism for treating coronary heart disease is still unknown. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systematic Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform and literature reviews were used to determine the active components and targets of the 6 herbs used in ZXT. ⋯ Gene ontology analysis yielded 734 biological process entries, 84 cellular component entries, and 122 molecular function entries. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis revealed the key pathways such as "Fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis," "Lipid and atherosclerosis", and "PI3K-Akt signaling pathway." The molecular docking results showed good binding between each screened core target and the core components. ZXT fulfills its role in the treatment of CHD through the core components and core targets that have been screened out, but the exact process still needs to be further investigated.
-
Observational Study
Integrated network pharmacology and transcriptomics to reveal the mechanism of Passiflora against depressive disorder: An observational study.
Relevant studies have pointed out that Passiflora could relieve depressive disorder (DD) related symptoms, such as anxiety and insomnia, but its mechanism in DD has not been reported. In this study, DD-related transcriptome data was extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Subsequently, 50 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened by "limma," and the enrichment analysis of these DEGs revealed that they were associated with neuro-inflammatory-related signaling pathways, including IL-17, TNF, NF-kappa B, etc signaling pathways. ⋯ The potential mechanism of antidepressant effect of DD associated with neuro-inflammatory responses and neurotransmitter function. These might related to the synergistic activity of its key active ingredients with TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, etc, which work with EGR1 and THBS1 to regulate IL-17, NF-kappa B, TNF, etc signaling pathways. These findings might help to deepen the understanding of the mechanism of Passiflora in clinical treatment of DD.
-
As important components in the tumor microenvironment, interleukin-8 (IL-8) and integrin β3 play a key role in the progression and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to determine the expression of IL-8 and integrin β3 and their prognostic value in patients with HCC after hepatectomy. We investigated the expression of IL-8 and integrin β3, their clinical significance, as well as their correlation in the cancer tissue of 130 patients with HCC using immunohistochemistry. ⋯ The results indicated that macrovascular invasion, advanced TNM stage, and integrin β3 expression were independent unfavorable prognostic factors in HCC after hepatectomy. Integrin β3 expression was proved to be an independent unfavorable prognostic factor in HCC after hepatectomy. Targeting integrin β3 might be a potential therapeutic approach in preventing tumor progression in HCC.