Astragalus polysaccharides (APSs), the compounds extracted from the common herb Astragalus membranaceus, have been extensively studied for their antitumor properties. In this study, we investigated the effect of APS on lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. The effects of APS and the anti-diabetic drug metformin on apoptosis and ferroptosis were compared. Furthermore, the combination treatment of APS and metformin was also investigated. We found that APS not only reduced the growth of lung cancer cells but also had a synergistic effect with metformin on A549 cells. The study results showed that it may be promising to use APS and metformin as a combination therapy for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.

The Chiehyuan herbal oral protection solution (GB-2) is a herbal mixture commonly utilized in Taiwan for combating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as per traditional Chinese medicine practices. This study assessed the clinical impact of GB-2 through prospective clinical trials. With twice-daily use for a week, GB-2 was shown to diminish the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in oral mucosal cells. Moreover, after two weeks of use, it could reduce transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMRPSS2) expression in these cells. Additionally, in vitro experiments demonstrated that GB-2 lessened the entry efficiency of the Omicron, L452R–D614G, T478K–D614G, and L452R–T478K–D614G variants of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped lentivirus. It also impeded the interaction between ACE2 and the receptor-binding domain (RBD) presenting N501Y–K417N–E484A–G339D–Q493R–G496S–Q498R and L452R–T478K mutations. Glycyrrhizic acid, a major compound in GB-2, also hindered the entry of the Omicron variant (BA.1) of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped lentivirus by obstructing the binding between ACE2 and the RBD presenting the N501Y–K417N–E484A–G339D–Q493R–G496S–Q498R mutation. To sum up, these findings suggest that GB-2 can decrease ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in oral mucosal cells. Both glycyrrhizic acid and GB-2 were found to reduce the entry efficiency of the Omicron variant (BA.1) of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped lentivirus and block the binding between ACE2 and the RBD with the N501Y–K417N–E484A–G339D–Q493R–G496S–Q498R mutation. This evidence implies that GB-2 might be a potential candidate for further study as a preventative measure against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Vocal fold nodules (VFN) are one of the main causes of hoarseness. In this study, we try to figure out an alternative treatment from our clinical experience summary.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed VFN patients who received traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments from July 2018 to August 2020 and traced their Chinese Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-C10) and multidimensional voice program (MDVP) analysis results. Also, we induce inflammatory response of porcine vocal fold epithelial (PVFE) cells with 50 ng/mL TNF-alpha. The inflamed PVFE cells were separately cultured in the aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Platycodon grandiflorus. Results: For these patients (n = 22), the average VHI-C10 score decreased from 17.6 to 6.6 (p < 0.001). MDVP analysis revealed improvements in jitter, shimmer, noise–harmonic ratio, and GRBAS scoring system. Analysis of prescription patterns revealed that the most commonly used herbs were Licorice and Platycodon grandiflorus. In the MTT assay of PVFE cells, no adverse effects of our extracts were observed at doses of 1­–200 ug/mL. Western blot analysis revealed downregulation of p65 and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway proteins.Conclusions: The results from both the clinical and in vitro aspects of this study revealed that the herbs G. glabra and P. grandiflorus may offer beneficial outcomes as alternative treatments for VFNs.