Wuzi-Yanzong-Wan (WZYZW), a classical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription containing Fructus Lych, Semen Cuscutae (fried), Fructus Rubi, Fructus Schisandrae chinensis (steamed) and Semen Plantaginis (fried with salt), is widely used to treat impotence, sterility, spermatorrhea, premature ejaculation, lumbago and post-micturation dribble. However, the chemical profile of WZYZW has not been established yet. In this work, a rapid and sensitive method for systematically screening and identifying the chemical constituents of WZYZW in both positive and negative ion modes using Ultra-Performance LC coupled with ESI-linear ion trap-Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) has been developed. Based on the chromatographic and spectrometric data, and referring to the literature, we could tentatively identify 106 compounds, including organic acids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids and terpenoids. Fourteen ingredients from Fructus Lych were identified, while 10 ingredients were from Semen Cuscutae (fried), 33 ingredients were from Fructus Rubi, 37 ingredients were from Fructus Schisandrae chinensis (steamed), and 20 ingredients were from Semen Plantaginis (fried with salt). The results may provide essential data for further quality control, pharmacological research and clinical evaluation of WZYZW. Furthermore, this study indicates the developed approach based on UPLC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS is suitable for characterizing the chemical profiles of TCM prescriptions. This is the first report to provide a comprehensive analysis of the chemical constituents of WZYZW.

As a classical traditional Chinese medicine, Wuzi-Yanzong-Wan (WZYZW) has been widely applied for several centuries to treat non-obstructive oligoasthenozoospermia (NOA), although its pharmacological mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, both plasma and urine metabolomics profiling was first analysed to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of WZYZW in NOA rats induced by removal of the unilateral testicle. Then, 106 identified compounds comprising WZYZW (our previous work), for which putative targets were discovered using systems pharmacology, were systematically analysed via mRNA microarrays to validate their putative targets. Finally, metabolomics-tested WZYZW-regulated metabolites were connected with validated targets using Spearman correlation analysis to further confirm the targets from a biological perspective. The results suggested that WZYZW plays key roles in modulating the concentrations of 18 metabolites in the metabolism of amino acids, lipids and so on, normalizing the metabolic phenotype and regulating metabolic disorders. Moreover, 27 targets of WZYZW (23 compounds) against NOA were validated, and metabolomics-tested metabolites were also found to be significantly related to these identified targets, suggesting that these targets and compounds are worthy of further research. This work offers the first systematic investigation of the efficacy of WZYZW against NOA and illustrates a practicable approach for explaining the molecular mechanisms of multicomponent drugs.

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Background: Explosive lower limb power, a critical determinant of success in volleyball, is a prime candidate for focused research. Consequently, nutritional supplements are commonly employed to gain an ergogenic edge. Despite this widespread practice, a comprehensive and evidence-based ranking of supplements for improving this key attribute is lacking, leaving athletes and practitioners without targeted evidence to guide decisions. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and Embase were searched from inception to 1 August 2025. We included RCTs in volleyball athletes (≥14 years) with ≥1-week interventions and relevant explosive lower limb performance outcomes. A Bayesian NMA estimated effects with 95% credible intervals (CrIs) and SUCRA; certainty was appraised with CINeMA. Results: A total of 35 RCTs (n = 838 volleyball athletes) examining 13 different supplements were included. The results indicated that β-alanine was associated with the greatest improvement in vertical jump (MD 4.6; 95% CrI 1.2–7.8), followed by creatine (MD 3.7; 0.57–6.9) and caffeine (MD 2.1; 0.06–4.1). It also appeared to be the most promising method for substantially increasing lower limb peak power (SMD 1.1; 0.21–2.0). No statistically significant improvement was found in lower limb mean power, and no serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Among volleyball athletes, β-alanine appeared most promising effective supplement for enhancing key components of explosive lower limb performance, specifically vertical jump height and peak power. Creatine and caffeine are also effective for improving vertical jump height. However, these findings are based on low-to-moderate certainty of evidence; they should be interpreted with caution and regarded as preliminary. Supplement strategies should be individualized by age and competitive level; further, high-quality, standardized randomized controlled trials are warranted to validate these initial observations.

Rising ambient temperatures and the increasing frequency of training and competition in hot climates have made heat stress a major challenge in football. Under such conditions, players experience greater cardiovascular and thermoregulatory strain, faster glycogen use, higher perceived exertion, and progressive impairment in repeated high-intensity actions and decision-making. These responses have intensified interest in nutritional strategies that might complement heat acclimation, hydration/electrolyte planning, cooling practices, and recovery management. This narrative review critically synthesizes current evidence on nutritional interventions that may be relevant to football performed in the heat, with emphasis on hydration and electrolyte replacement, carbohydrate–protein strategies, taurine, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), creatine, menthol, antioxidant- and nitrate-related approaches, and selected multi-ingredient products. Across the available literature, hydration/electrolyte planning and carbohydrate–protein feeding remain the practical foundation, menthol appears most consistently useful for perceptual cooling, creatine seems safe and potentially helpful for repeated-sprint support, and taurine is promising but still supported by relatively few trials. By contrast, evidence for BCAAs, antioxidants, nitrates, and caffeine as stand-alone heat strategies, as well as for many compound supplements, remains inconsistent, context-specific, or too indirect for strong football-specific endorsement. Overall, the evidence base remains heterogeneous in study quality, protocol design, exercise mode, and sport specificity. A substantial proportion of the available data is derived from cycling, endurance, or laboratory heat-exercise models rather than football-specific trials. Accordingly, any practical recommendation should be interpreted cautiously and embedded within broader heat-management strategies. Future work should prioritize ecologically valid randomized controlled trials in football or football-like intermittent protocols, with transparent reporting of dose, timing, perceptual outcomes, and match-relevant performance measures.