China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Examples of TCM formulas used in Chinese medicine
Published in Raymond Cooper, Chun-Tao Che, Daniel Kam-Wah Mok, Charmaine Wing-Yee Tsang, Chinese and Botanical Medicines, 2017
Raymond Cooper, Chun-Tao Che, Daniel Kam-Wah Mok, Charmaine Wing-Yee Tsang
This formula is given to those who lack qi, who are fatigued and pale, with poor appetite, and a tendency toward loose stools. Causes of such problems involve the weakened central qi, in the stomach-spleen region, due to stress, anxiety, irregular and poor eating habits, and exposure to extreme weather. The formula aims to improve the function of the spleen. Ginseng and licorice are the two ingredients to enliven the spleen; they help to transform food into qi, then transport the essences to the spleen and help the spleen to transport the fluids. The use of the atractylodes is similar to that of Ginseng and licorice for tonifying the spleen and stomach, and it has an additional role to help dry excess fluids that generally make the spleen perform sluggishly. Poria has the same function too in removing excess fluids which impair the yang qi of the spleen to function normally and efficiently.
Intestinal epithelial damage due to herbal compounds – an in vitro study
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2023
Susan M. Britza, Ian F. Musgrave, Rachael Farrington, Roger W. Byard
Stock solutions of hepatotoxic coumarin, and purported CYP3A4 inhibitors astragaloside IV (AST-IV) and atractylenolide I (ATR-I) were prepared using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). AST-IV and ATR-I are phytochemicals common in many herbal medicines, including Astragalus propinquus Schischk and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, and have previously been identified as potential significant CYP3A4 inhibitors (Lau et al.2013, Zhong et al.2013, Song et al.2014). In a previous case of fatal suspected herbal interaction, AST-IV and ATR-I were each identified as significant contributors (Gilbert et al.2014). Phytochemicals were dissolved in 100 µl of DMSO, then 900 µl 10% DMSO was added to make a 10 mM stock solution. Chemicals were further diluted in 10% DMSO for working solutions, with final DMSO concentrations of less than 2%. Medium was aspirated from plates following 48 hours of incubation, and 100 µl of serum-free medium substituted. Phytochemicals were added at increasing concentrations ranging from 0–1000 µM for coumarin, and 0–300 µM for AST-IV and ATR-I, with 10% DMSO control. Plates were returned to be incubated for a further 48 hours. The phytochemical solutions were stored at 0–4 °C until further use.
What dominates the changeable pharmacokinetics of natural sesquiterpene lactones and diterpene lactones: a review focusing on absorption and metabolism
Published in Drug Metabolism Reviews, 2021
Ziwei Yu, Ziqiang Chen, Qijuan Li, Ke Yang, Zecheng Huang, Wenjun Wang, Siyu Zhao, Huiling Hu
The most representative STLs containing a lactone functionality with an endocyclic double bond are atractylenolide I, II and III. Compared with atractylenolide II, atractylenolide I and III only have an extra double bond or hydroxyl at position 8 and (or) 9 position. But their PK are quite different (Hu et al. 2019). For instance, the half-life of atractylenolide I and II are 1.08 and 0.44 h after orally taking Atractylodis extract in rats, respectively (Gao et al. 2018). Similarity, after administration of Bai-zhu-shao-yao powder to ulcerative colitis rats, atractylenolide III can be convert into hydrogenated products. But for atractylenolide II, it shows a dihydroxylation reaction (Cai et al. 2019). The cause may be that the reactivity of this functionality is relatively weak and easily disturbed compared with α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone. For STLs and DTLs containing the lactone with an endocyclic double bond, subtle differences can trigger diverse metabolic pathways. For this lactone part in atractylenolides, the α-methyl is the most reactive site, which is prone to be monohydroxylated. Methylation as well as the followed cysteine and cysteinyl-glycine conjugation can also be identified here, but not in common. Different atractylenolides have their own characteristic metabolic reactions, but most of them are concentrated in the saturated 6-member ring containing a methylene (Li et al. 2013; Li and Yang 2013; Jiang et al. 2019). This may provide a new explanation for their differences in PK.
Chang-wei-qing, a Chinese herbal formula, ameliorates colitis-associated tumour development via inhibiting NF-κB and STAT3 signalling pathway
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2019
Guangsheng Wan, Manli Xie, Xinyan Zhang, Meiying Li
In this study, we systematically investigated the potential beneficial effects of the Chinese herbal formula, CWQ, on CAC development, and attempted to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms in detail. Several essential ingredients of CWQ were found to possess antitumour activities in traditional Chinese medicine. Both in vitro and in vivo investigations showed Astragalus membranaceus with evident immune enhancing effects and anti-inflammation actions. Research demonstrated that largehead atractylodes rhizome improved the functions of gastrointestine and suppressed tumour progression. Similarly, Radix Codonopsis was often included into the formulas to treat asthma and tumours. CWQ was widely prescribed for the treatment of digestive system malignancies, and impressive clinical efficacy was noticed in suppressing post-surgery recurrence and metastasis, alleviating toxic and side effects of chemotherapies, surmounting drug resistance and prolonging overall survival. To this purpose, we first established the CAC mouse model following the well-established protocol. The successful establishment of CAC was histologically confirmed by colitis score and pathological evaluation. We noticed that 100% incidence of colon tumour was achieved by our method, which was constant regardless of Bif, low dose or high dose CWQ treatments. The tumourigenesis was intimately associated with shortening of total colon length, which was significantly improved by either Bif or high dose CWQ. Consistently, both tumour number and average tumour size were remarkably inhibited in response to high dose CWQ. Our data for the first time demonstrated the comparable antitumour activities of CWQ with Bif in CAC mouse model. Notably, the colitis scoring results suggested that CWQ tremendously ameliorated the inflammatory response in the CAC model mice.