<br>• A DLLME/HPLC-FLD method for triterpenic acid determination was developed. • DLLME was firstly used for preconcentration of triterpenic acids in medicinal herbs. • This method was sensitive and selective for triterpenic acid analysis. • A new derivatization reagent for triterpenic acid has been synthesized.<br>A novel analytical method was developed for simultaneous determination of six triterpenic acids using ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (UA-DLLME) follow by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. Six triterpenic acids (ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, maslinic acid, betulonic acid and corosolic acid) were extracted by UA-DLLME using chloroform and acetone as the extraction and disperser solvents, respectively. After the extraction and nitrogen flushing, the extracts were rapidly derivatized with 2-(12,13-dihydro-7H-dibenzo[a,g]carbazol-7-yl)ethyl4-methylbenzenesulfonate. The main experimental parameters affecting extraction efficiency and derivatization yield were investigated and optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) combined with Box-Behnken design (BBD). The limits of detection (LODs) and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 0.95-1.36 ng mL−1 and 3.17-4.55 ng mL−1, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, the method has been successfully applied for the analysis of triterpenic acids in six different traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.
• Extracts from <b>Lycium ruthenicum</b> Murr. fruit were obtained by UAE. • Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of obtained extracts were simultaneously optimized by RSM. • Optimum parameters: time 30 min, power 100 W, solvent-sample ratio 40 mL/g, ethanol 33%. • The extracts contained phenolic acids, identified and quantified by HPLC.<br><b>Lycium ruthenicum</b> Murr. (LR) is a functional food that plays an important role in anti-oxidation due to its high level of phenolic compounds. This study aims to optimize ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of obtained extracts from LR using response surface methodology (RSM). A four-factor-three-level Box-Behnken design (BBD) was employed to discuss the following extracting parameters: extraction time (<b>X</b> 1), ultrasonic power (<b>X</b> 2), solvent to sample ratio (<b>X</b> 3) and solvent concentration (<b>X</b> 4). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results revealed that the solvent to sample ratio had a significant influence on all responses, while the extraction time had no statistically significant effect on phenolic compounds. The optimum values of the combination of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities were obtained for <b>X</b> 1 = 30 min, <b>X</b> 2 = 100 W, <b>X</b> 3 = 40 mL/g, and <b>X</b> 4 = 33% (v/v). Five phenolic acids, including chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, <b>p</b>-coumaric acid and ferulic acid, were analyzed by HPLC. Our results indicated that optimization extraction is vital for the quantification of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in LR, which may be contributed to large-scale industrial applications and future pharmacological activities research.
Lycium ruthenicum Murr. (LR) is a functional food that plays an important role in anti-oxidation due to its high level of phenolic compounds. This study aims to optimize ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of obtained extracts from LR using response surface methodology (RSM). A four-factor-three-level Box-Behnken design (BBD) was employed to discuss the following extracting parameters: extraction time (X1), ultrasonic power (X2), solvent to sample ratio (X3) and solvent concentration (X4). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results revealed that the solvent to sample ratio had a significant influence on all responses, while the extraction time had no statistically significant effect on phenolic compounds. The optimum values of the combination of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities were obtained for X1=30min, X2=100W, X3=40mL/g, and X4=33% (v/v). Five phenolic acids, including chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid, were analyzed by HPLC. Our results indicated that optimization extraction is vital for the quantification of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in LR, which may be contributed to large-scale industrial applications and future pharmacological activities research.
• In situ derivatization-UADLLME was firstly reported for NTs in rat brain microdialysates. • Lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl chloride was firstly used as derivatization reagent. • The method was simple, rapid, green, efficient, sensitive and low matrix effect. • This method was successfully applied for Parkinson’s rat brain microdialysates.<br>Simultaneous monitoring of several neurotransmitters (NTs) linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD) has important scientific significance for PD related pathology, pharmacology and drug screening. A new simple, fast and sensitive analytical method, based on in situ derivatization-ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (in situ DUADLLME) in a single step, has been proposed for the quantitative determination of catecholamines and their biosynthesis precursors and metabolites in rat brain microdialysates. The method involved the rapid injection of the mixture of low toxic bromobenzene (extractant) and acetonitrile (dispersant), which containing commercial Lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl chloride (LRSC) as derivatization reagent, into the aqueous phase of sample and buffer, and the following in situ DUADLLME procedure. After centrifugation, 50 μL of the sedimented phase (bromobenzene) was directly injected for ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) detection in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. This interesting combination brought the advantages of speediness, simpleness, low matrix effects and high sensitivity in an effective way. Parameters of in situ DUADLLME and UHPLC-MS/MS conditions were all optimized in detail. The optimum conditions of in situ DUADLLME were found to be 30 μL of microdialysates, 150 μL of acetonitrile containing LRSC, 50 μL of bromobenzene and 800 μL of NaHCO3-Na2CO3 buffer (pH 10.5) for 3.0 min at 37 °C. Under the optimized conditions, good linearity was observed with LODs (S/N > 3) and LOQs (S/N > 10) of LRSC derivatized-NTs in the range of 0.002-0.004 and 0.007-0.015 nmol/L, respectively. It also brought good precision (3.2-12.8%, peak area CVs%), accuracy (94.2-108.6%), recovery (94.5-105.5%) and stability (3.8-8.1%, peak area CVs%) results. Moreover, LRSC derivatization significantly improved chromatographic resolution and MS detection sensitivity of NTs when compared with the reported studies through the introduction of a permanent charged moiety from LRSC into NTs. Taken together, this in situ DUADLLME method was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of six NTs in biological samples.
<p>The Mirror on the Keypoints of the Profound Meaning: the Great Supporting Teaching of the Oral Transmission (snyan brgyud kyi rgyab chos chen mo zab don gnad kyi me long) is contained in the Seminal Heart in Four Parts (Snying thig ya bzhi) is a collection that was compiled and partly composed by Longchen Rapjam Drimé Özer (1308-1364). This collection of profound Dzokchen teachings consists of the (1) The Seminal Heart of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro snying thig), (2) The Seminal Quintessence of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro yang tig) (3) The Seminal Heart of Vimalamitra (Bi ma snying thig), (4) The Seminal Quintessence of the Spiritual Teacher (Bla ma yang tig), and (5) The Profound Seminal Quintessence (Zab mo yang tig). This edition was reproduced from the original xylograph belonging to the late Kathog Ontrul.</p>
<p>A Commentary on the Mirror that Clarifies the Essence (Snying po gsal ba'i me long zhes bya ba'i khrid) is contained in the Seminal Heart in Four Parts (Snying thig ya bzhi) which is a collection compiled and partly composed by Longchen Rapjam Drimé Özer (1308-1364). This collection of profound Dzokchen teachings consists of the (1) The Seminal Heart of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro snying thig), (2) The Seminal Quintessence of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro yang tig) (3) The Seminal Heart of Vimalamitra (Bi ma snying thig), (4) The Seminal Quintessence of the Spiritual Teacher (Bla ma yang tig), and (5) The Profound Seminal Quintessence (Zab mo yang tig). This edition was reproduced from the original xylograph belonging to the late Kathog Ontrul.</p>
<p>The Seminal Heart in Four Parts (Snying thig ya bzhi) is a collection that was compiled and partly composed by Longchen Rapjam Drimé Özer (1308-1364). This collection of profound Dzokchen teachings consists of the (1) The Seminal Heart of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro snying thig), (2) The Seminal Quintessence of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro yang tig), (3) The Seminal Heart of Vimalamitra (Bi ma snying thig), (4) The Seminal Quintessence of the Spiritual Teacher (Bla ma yang tig), and (5) The Profound Seminal Quintessence (Zab mo yang tig). This edition was reproduced from the original xylograph belonging to the late Kathog Ontrul.</p>
The Seminal Heart in Four Parts (Snying thig ya bzhi) is a collection that was compiled and partly composed by Longchen Rapjam Drimé Özer (1308-1364). This collection of profound Dzokchen teachings consists of the (1) The Seminal Heart of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro snying thig), (2) The Seminal Quintessence of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro yang tig), (3) The Seminal Heart of Vimalamitra (Bi ma snying thig), (4) The Seminal Quintessence of the Spiritual Teacher (Bla ma yang tig), and (5) The Profound Seminal Quintessence (Zab mo yang tig). This edition was reproduced from the original xylograph belonging to the late Kathog Ontrul.
<p>The Seminal Heart in Four Parts (Snying thig ya bzhi) is a collection that was compiled and partly composed by Longchen Rapjam Drimé Özer (1308-1364). This collection of profound Dzokchen teachings consists of the (1) The Seminal Heart of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro snying thig), (2) The Seminal Quintessence of the Ḍakiṇī (Mkha’ ‘gro yang tig) (3) The Seminal Heart of Vimalamitra (Bi ma snying thig), (4) The Seminal Quintessence of the Spiritual Teacher (Bla ma yang tig), and (5) The Profound Seminal Quintessence (Zab mo yang tig). This edition was reproduced from the original xylograph belonging to the late Kathog Ontrul.</p>
The authors advocate that every primary grade program needs a carefully planned social-emotional component. All children--those who enter first or second grade with an ability to control their emotions and make friends and those for whom these skills are more difficult--benefit from intentional teaching in this area. Some school systems adopt a schoolwide approach to social-emotional learning, while others use a particular approach across a grade level. Three programs that may be implemented at grade level and also lend themselves to schoolwide use are: (1) Responsive Classroom; (2) Second Step: A Violence Prevention Curriculum; and (3) Interplay Solutions. In addition to using one or more of these programs, some school systems and some teachers develop their own activities for building a social-emotional curriculum. In this article, the authors describe these programs and a teacher-created activity and indicate how three Massachusetts school systems have implemented or been impacted by them. The authors conclude that programs like these help teachers move away from a fragmented and reactive approach to children's social-emotional well-being to a proactive approach and a shared responsibility for children's social-emotional health.
<i>Gentiana straminea</i> is the famous Tibetan folk medicine thought to cure various diseases. Historically, the Qinghai-Tibetan region has been considered as the geo-authentic production area of “Mahua Jiao,” where large quantities of the medicine are grown. However, there is still little known about the phytochemical constituent spatial variation of this species. In order to find the differences between the main phytochemical constituents of <i>G. straminea</i> and to provide comprehensive information for quality evaluation, four main bioactive compounds (loganic acid, swertiamarin, gentiopicroside and sweroside) were analysed in 26 populations grown in areas with elevations ranging from 2320 to 4720 m across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that the four phytochemical constitutes’ concentrations varied greatly in the spatial profiling of the Qinghai-Tibetan region. Throughout the range of distribution of this species, no altitudinal, latitudinal or longitudinal trends have proven to be significant in any of the four constitutes’ concentrations or their summation. Furthermore, hierarchical clustering analysis and statistical tests showed that four populations (Liu0609-18, Liu0609-15, Liu2006-13-9 and Liu0609-22) had total constitute contents that were higher than other populations. The spatial profiling of the four phytochemical constituents suggests that the geo-authentic producing area of this species exists at a few regions within the Qinghai province, which could be attributed to specific environmental or genetic factors.
A new stable isotope labeling (SIL) reagent pair, 10-methyl-acridone-2-sulfonohydrazide (MASH) and its deuterated counterpart d3-MASH was synthesized and successfully applied to the analysis of perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) in serum samples. The limits of detection (LODs) were in the range of 0.07-0.42μg/L, and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) were in the range of 0.25-1.38μg/L. Besides ionization enhancing effect, MASH also showed excellent fluorescence property. Therefore, the mass spectrometer operation cost was greatly lowered by carrying out parameter optimization experiments on HPLC which is easier to operate and maintain. The SIL strategy was confirmed to be effective in reducing matrix effect. The developed multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) condition of PFCAs was also suitable for other carboxylic acid due to the introduction of MASH which is more prone to fragmentation than the analytes. With the MRM conditions obtained from PFCAs, fatty acids were also found in serum samples. This feature made the proposed method show powerful potential in the identification of acidic compounds in complex samples in the absence of corresponding standard.
Context: Standardized myrtol, an essential oil containing primarily cineole, limonene and α-pinene, has been used for treating nasosinusitis, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Objective: To investigate the effects of standardized myrtol in a model of acute lung injury (ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS).Materials and methods: Male BALB/c mice were treated with standardized myrtol for 1.5 h prior to exposure of atomized LPS. Six hours after LPS challenge, lung injury was determined by the neutrophil recruitment, cytokine levels and total protein concentration in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the lung tissue. Additionally, pathological changes and NF-κB activation in the lung were examined by haematoxylin and eosin staining and western blot, respectively.Results: In LPS-challenged mice, standardized myrtol at a dose of 1200 mg/kg significantly inhibited the neutrophile counts (from 820.97 ± 142.44 to 280.42 ± 65.45, 103/mL), protein concentration (from 0.331 ± 0.02 to 0.183 ± 0.01, mg/mL) and inflammatory cytokines level (TNF-α: from 6072.70 ± 748.40 to 2317.70 ± 500.14, ng/mL; IL-6: from 1184.85 ± 143.58 to 509.57 ± 133.03, ng/mL) in BALF. Standardized myrtol also attenuated LPS-induced MPO activity (from 0.82 ± 0.04 to 0.48 ± 0.06, U/g) and pathological changes (lung injury score: from 11.67 ± 0.33 to 7.83 ± 0.79) in the lung. Further study demonstrated that standardized myrtol prevented LPS-induced NF-κB activation in lung tissues.Discussion and conclusion: Together, these data suggest that standardized myrtol has the potential to protect against LPS-induced airway inflammation in a model of ALI.
To evaluate the efficacy and safety associated with anti-hypoxia effect and establish the quality standard for Brassicea Radix extract, the investigations of acute toxicity and subacute toxicity were carried out to preliminarily appraise the toxicity, and the models of normal pressure hypoxia, acute cerebral ischemia and sodium nitrite poisoning in mice were used to evaluate the effect of enhancing anoxia endurance. Then according to the methods described in the Appendix of Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition), the sulfuric acid-phenol method was applied to determine the content of polysaccharide, and the water, ash and insoluble matter in water inspections were carried out and the control medicinal herb was identified with the samples by qualitative TLC. The results indicated that ① the toxic effects (LD₅₀) of mice was 56.73 g•kg⁻¹ by oral administration of Brassicea Radix extract, while Dm and Dn were respective 86.80 g•kg•d⁻¹ and 35.55 g•kg•d⁻¹;②the determined effective dosage of Brassicea Radix extract which could enhance anoxia endurance was 0.388 g•kg⁻¹•d⁻¹; ③ the methods of TLC and the content of polysaccharide were established. The method of quality control has been recorded in Sichuan Province Standard for Tibetan Medicine, which is reliable, accurate and simple, with good reproducibility. Meanwhile, given the prominent effect on anti-hypoxia and good safety, it provided important basis for clinic safe and effective usage and the development of health products.
Recent studies on chemical constituents of Dali and their pharmacological activities were reviewed. Dali, a Tibetan medicine, consists of two Tibetan plants: Rhododendron anthopogoniodes Maxim. and R. primulaeflorum Bur. et Franch. Dali mainly contains essential oils, flavonoids and triterpenoids. The pharmacological activities of Dali are widely proved in eliminating phlegm, relieve cough and anti-asthmatic activities. As a clinical drug, it is also used for treatment of chronic bronchitis and coronary artery disease.
Graphical abstract Highlights • The anti-hyperuricemia effects and active components of the traditional Tibetan medicine formula TFTS were investigated. • Total 106 compontents were identified or characterized in TFTS by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. • It was summarized the diagnostic ion and neutral loss patterns of MS/MS cracking of tannic compounds. Abstract TongFengTangSan (TFTS), a traditional Tibetan medicine comprising of Tinospora sinensis (TS), Terminalia chebula Retz (TC) and Trogopterori faeces (TF), is used to treat joint diseases like gout, gout arthritis, swelling, pain etc. Despite the significant therapeutic effects of TFTS, its pharmacological components have not been analyzed so far. Therefore, the chemical composition of the effective part of TFTS was analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The results show that the ethanol extract (EE) of TFTS was more effective in reducing the serum uric acid (SUA) and XOD (Serum and Liver) levels in a hyperuricemic rats model compared to the TFTS raw powder (RP). UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS identified a total of 106 compounds in the positive and negative ion mode, of which 87 were from TC, 13 from TS and 6 from TF. In addition, 106 compounds contained 57 tannins, 6 triterpenoids, 10 alkaloids, 7 flavonoids, 22 organic acids and 4 phenylpropanoids. The preliminary results indicate that the EE of TFTS includes the active anti hyperuricemic substances. The present study first investigated the efficacy and the active components of TFTS in hyperuricemic treatment, and further summarized the diagnostic ion and neutral loss patterns of MS/MS cracking of tannic compounds. These findings lay the foundation for the further study and clinical application of TFTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
With the application of artificial fertilizers and pesticides, the quality of the artificial medicinal plants has been found to be in a marked decline. The present paper focuses on the separation of endophytes from wild <i>Angelica sinensis</i> and the effects of endophytes on the growth of <i>A. sinensis</i> and synthesis of secondary metabolites. In this study, the endophytes, namely actinomycetes, fungi, and bacteria, were isolated. Z-ligustilide and ferulic acid were analyzed by HPLC. Our results confirmed that the contents of Z-ligustilide and ferulic acid showed an obvious increase on adding the endophytic fungi, but the additions of the endophytic actinomycetes and bacteria had shown inhibiting effects. Compared with the control group, the contents of Z-ligustilide and ferulic acid in the fungi group increased by 4.12- and 6.53-fold, respectively. This work demonstrates the fact that endophytic fungi can enhance the growth of plants and the production of natural products in <i>A. sinensis.</i>
Zuotai (gTso thal) is a typical representative of Tibetan medicines containing heavy metals, but there is still lack of modem safety evaluation data so far. In this study, acute toxicity test, sub-acute toxicity test, one-time administration mercury distribution experiment, long-term mercury accumulative toxicity experiment and preliminary study on clinical safety of Compound Dangzuo were conducted in the hope of obtain the medicinal safety data of Zuotai. In the acute toxicity test, half of KM mice given the lethal dose of Zuotai were not died or poisoned, and LD50 was not found. The maximum tolerated dose of Zuotai was 80 g x kg(-1). In the subacute toxicity test, Zuotai could reduce ALT, AST, Crea levels in serums under low dose (13.34 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and medium dose (53.36 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), with significant difference under low dose, and increase the levels of ALT, AST, MDA, Crea in serums under high dose (2 000 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)); besides, the levels of BUN and GSH in serums reduced with the increase in dose of Zuotai, indicating a significant dose-effect relationship. In the one-time administration distribution experiment, the content of mercury in rat kidney, liver and lung increased after the one-time administration with Zuotai, with a significant dose-dependent relationship in kidney. In the long-term mercury accumulative toxicity experiment, KM mice were administered with equivalent doses of Zuotai for 4.5 months and then stopped drug administration for 1.5 months. Since the 2.5th month, they showed significant mercury accumulation in kidney, which gradually reduced after drug withdrawal, without significant change in mercury content in liver, spleen and brain and ALT, AST, TBIL, BUN and Crea in serum. At the 4.5th month after drug administration, KM mice showed slight structural changes in kidney, liver and spleen tissues, and gradually recovered to normal after drug withdrawal. Besides, no significant difference in weight gain was found between the Zuotai group and the control group. According to the findings of the clinical safety study of Dangzuo, after subjects administered Dangzuo under clinical dose for one month, their serum biochemical indicators, blood routine indicators and urine routine indicators showed no significant adverse change. This study proved that traditional Tibetan medicine Zuotai was slightly toxic, with a better safety in clinical combined administration and no adverse effects on bodies under the clinical dose and clinical medication cycle. However, long-term high-dose administration of Zuotai may have a certain effect on kidney.;
The effective, energy-saving and green subcritical fluid extraction (SFE) technology was applied to obtain the oil from <i>Lycium ruthenicum</i> seeds (LRSO). The optimal conditions of extraction parameters were found using response surface methodology with Box-Behnken experimental design. The maximum extraction yield of 21.20% was achieved at raw material particle size of 0.60 mm, extraction pressure of 0.63 MPa, temperature of 50 °C and time of 48 min. Other traditional extraction technologies were comparatively used. The physicochemical property of LRSO was analysed and the chemical compositions indicated that they were rich in unsaturated fatty acid, β-carotene, tocopherols and total phenolics. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of LRSO was evaluated by scavenging activity of three kinds of radicals (DPPH·, ·OH and O₂⁻·) and lipid peroxidation <i>in vitro</i>. And its results showed the oil had the potential to be a novel antioxidant agent for using in the field of food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.<br>Lycium ruthenicum seeds oil (LRSO) was obtained by subcritical fluid extraction (SFE), and the process of SFE was optimized using response surface methodology. LRSO was evaluated by determination of physicochemical property, lipophilic compositions and antioxidant activity. The study revealed the possibility of LRSO as a potential source of valuable product for commercial ventures (food, pharmaceuticals or cosmetics).
<br>Display Omitted<br>• A new protocol of synchronous determination of phenolic acids (PAs) was proposed by RP-HPLC-UV with double-wavelength. • The validated results demonstrated that the proposed method was feasible to determine PAs in plant samples. • The protocol was applied for analysis PAs in <b>Caragana korshinskii</b> Kom. which was mainly rich in chlorogenic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid. • Total content of PAs in leaves was the highest compared with that of flowers and bark.<br>The utilization of <b>Caragana korshinskii</b> Kom. (CK) is currently concentrated on its ecological and fuel functions. Little attention has been devoted to the analysis of their phenolic acid (PA) components. To obtain more data for further utilization of CK, a new analysis protocol was tested to determine PAs synchronously by RP-HPLC-UV with double-wavelength (280 nm and 320 nm) detection. Specifically, separation of PA components was performed on a Hypersil Gold C18 reverse phase column with gradient elution. A four-factor-three-level Box-Behnken design was implemented for optimization of PA extraction. The results demonstrated that CK were rich primarily in chlorogenic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid. The total content of PAs in CK leaves was the highest compared with its other parts. The distribution of total flavonoid content of CK was leaves > flowers > bark, while that of the total phenolic content of CK was flowers > leaves > bark.
In clinical practice at Tibetan area of China, Traditional Tibetan Medicine formula Wuwei-Ganlu-Yaoyu-Keli (WGYK) is commonly added in warm water of bath therapy to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, its mechanism of action is not well interpreted yet. In this paper, we first verify WGYK's anti-RA effect by an animal experiment. Then, based on gene expression data from microarray experiments, we apply approaches of network pharmacology to further reveal the mechanism of action for WGYK to treat RA by analyzing protein-protein interactions and pathways. This study may facilitate our understanding of anti-RA effect of WGYK from perspective of network pharmacology.
In clinical practice at Tibetan area of China, Traditional Tibetan Medicine formula Wuwei-Ganlu-Yaoyu-Keli (WGYK) is commonly added in warm water of bath therapy to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, its mechanism of action is not well interpreted yet. In this paper, we first verify WGYK's anti-RA effect by an animal experiment. Then, based on gene expression data from microarray experiments, we apply approaches of network pharmacology to further reveal the mechanism of action for WGYK to treat RA by analyzing protein-protein interactions and pathways. This study may facilitate our understanding of anti-RA effect of WGYK from perspective of network pharmacology.
The scientific discovery of novel training paradigms has yielded better understanding of basic mechanisms underlying cortical plasticity, learning and development. This study is a first step in evaluating Tai Chi (TC), the Chinese slow-motion meditative exercise, as a training paradigm that, while not engaging in direct tactile stimulus training, elicits enhanced tactile acuity in long-term practitioners. The rationale for this study comes from the fact that, unlike previously studied direct-touch tactile training paradigms, TC practitioners focus specific mental attention on the body’s extremities including the fingertips and hands as they perform their slow routine. To determine whether TC is associated with enhanced tactile acuity, experienced adult TC practitioners were recruited and compared to age–gender matched controls. A blinded assessor used a validated method (Van Boven et al. in Neurology 54(12): 2230–2236, 2000) to compare TC practitioners’ and controls’ ability to discriminate between two different orientations (parallel and horizontal) across different grating widths at the fingertip. Study results showed that TC practitioners’ tactile spatial acuity was superior to that of the matched controls (P < 0.04). There was a trend showing TC may have an enhanced effect on older practitioners (P < 0.066), suggesting that TC may slow age related decline in this measure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate a long-term attentional practice’s effects on a perceptual measure. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine whether TC initiates or is merely correlated with perceptual changes and whether it elicits long-term plasticity in primary sensory cortical maps. Further studies should also assess whether related somatosensory attentional practices (such as Yoga, mindfulness meditation and Qigong) achieve similar effects.
Zotero Collections:
Mindfulness, or being fully present and attentive to the moment, not only improves the way doctors engage with patients but also mitigates the stresses of clinical practice.
Zotero Collections:
Pages |