Ethnopharmacological Relevance. Dendrobii Officinalis Caulis, the stems of Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo, as a tonic herb in Chinese materia medica and health food in folk, has been utilized for the treatment of yin‐deficiency diseases for decades. Methods. Information for analysis of Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo was obtained from libraries and Internet scientific databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Wiley InterScience, Ingenta, Embase, CNKI, and PubChem. Results. Over the past decades, about 190 compounds have been isolated from Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo. Its wide modern pharmacological actions in hepatoprotective effect, anticancer effect, hypoglycemic effect, antifatigue effect, gastric ulcer protective effect, and so on were reported. This may mainly attribute to the major and bioactive components: polysaccharides. However, other small molecule components require further study. Conclusions. Due to the lack of systematic data of Dendrobium officinale, it is important to explore its ingredient‐function relationships with modern pharmacology. Recently, studies on the chemical constituents of Dendrobium officinale concentrated in crude polysaccharides and its structure‐activity relationships remain scant. Further research is required to determine the Dendrobium officinale toxicological action and pharmacological mechanisms of other pure ingredients and crude extracts. In addition, investigation is needed for better quality control and novel drug or product development.
Fructus schisandrae (Wuweizi in Chinese), a common traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has been used for centuries to treat chronic liver disease. The therapeutic efficacy of Wuweizi has also been validated in clinical practice. In this study, molecular docking and network analysis were carried out to explore the hepatoprotective mechanism of Wuweizi as an effective therapeutic approach to treat liver disease. Multiple active compounds of Wuweizi were docked with 44 protein targets related with viral hepatitis, fatty liver, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. A compound–target network was constructed through network pharmacology analysis, predicting the relationships of active ingredients to the targets. Our results demonstrated that schisantherin, schisandrin B, schisandrol B, kadsurin, Wuweizisu C, Gomisin A, Gomisin G, and angeloylgomisin may target with 21 intracellular proteins associated with liver diseases, especially with fatty liver disease. The CYP2E1, PPARα, and AMPK genes and their related pathway may play a pivotal role in the hepatoprotective effects of Wuweizi. The network pharmacology strategy used provides a forceful tool for searching the action mechanism of traditional herbal medicines and novel bioactive ingredients.
1 November 2017 in International Journal of Pharmaceutics
It is hypothesized that there may be common characteristics between the genetic regulatory networks of different diseases. To identify these potential similarities, analysis of overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in several diseases, which are believed to be associated in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was performed in the present study. The gene expression profiles associated with depression, papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and uterine fibroids (UF) were preliminarily analyzed using Gene Expression Omnibus 2R tools. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis and protein‑protein interaction network analysis of the overlapping DEGs in depression, PTC and UF was performed. The results indicated that multiple genes, including activating transcription factor 3 and WSC domain containing 2 and the phosphoinositide 3 kinase/protein kinase b signaling pathway and its downstream effectors may be common factors associated with depression, PTC and/or UF. The neuroendocrine functions of the hypothalamic‑pituitary‑ovarian axis and hypothalamic‑pituitary‑thyroid axis were also identified as being mutually associated with depression, PTC and/or UF. However, due to the limitations of DNA microassays, it is recommended that future studies take epigenetics into consideration. Further transcriptomic, methylomic and metabolomic analyses of depression, PTC and UF are also required to identify and elucidate the key associated biomarkers. In conclusion, the results of the current study shed light on the potential genetic interconnections between depression, PTC and UF, which may be beneficial for understanding their underlying coregulatory mechanisms and contributing to the development of homeotherapy based on bioinformatics prediction.
Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), a key monomeric compound extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Astragalus membranaceus, has demonstrated significant therapeutic potential in cancer treatment. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as a malignant tumor posing severe threats to global health, is characterized by high incidence and mortality rates, imposing substantial burdens on patients, families, and society. Numerous studies have demonstrated that AS-IV exhibits significant inhibitory effects on HCC. However, the precise underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this systematic review provides a comprehensive summary of current research findings. This systematic review comprehensively evaluates the molecular mechanisms of AS-IV in HCC through extensive literature retrieval from five authoritative databases, encompassing studies published from their inception to March 2025. A total of 172 potentially relevant articles were retrieved through database search. After screening, a total of 16 articles finally met the qualification criteria. Current evidence indicates that AS-IV exerts crucial therapeutic effects in HCC through multiple pathways: inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; inducing apoptosis; modulating immune responses; reducing drug resistance while enhancing chemosensitivity; and suppressing angiogenesis. However, large-scale, well-designed multicenter randomized controlled trials are warranted to establish more robust clinical evidence, thereby solidifying the foundation for AS-IV's broader application in HCC therapeutics.