Abstract
BackgroundCombination chemotherapy with Western anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs is the mainstay of TB treatment. Chinese herbal medicines with either heat clearing and detoxifying effects or nourishing Yin and reducing fire effects have been used to treat TB based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes of TB patients. This study analyzed the expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs in TB patients with different TCM syndromes.MethodsTB patients were classified as pulmonary Yin deficiency (PYD) syndrome, hyperactivity of fire due to Yin deficiency (HFYD) syndrome, and deficiency of Qi and Yin (DQY) syndrome. Total RNA from 44 TB patients and healthy controls was extracted and hybridized with a human lncRNA microarray containing 30586 lncRNAs and 26109 mRNAs probes. Bioinformatics analyses, including gene ontology (GO) and pathways, were performed. Related clinical data were also analyzed.ResultsDifferentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs were identified (fold change >2, and P < 0.05) in PYD (634 mRNAs and 566 lncRNAs), HFYD (47 mRNAs and 55 lncRNAs), and DQY (63 mRNAs and 60 lncRNAs) patients. The most enriched pathways were the hippo signaling pathway (P = 0.000164) and the protein digestion and absorption pathway (P = 5.89017E-05). Clinical analyses revealed that the lipid indexes of TB patients were abnormal and that the triglyceride concentration was significantly higher in DQY patients (P = 0.0252). Our study is the first to acquire the microarray expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs and analyze pathway enrichment in PYD, HFYD, and DQY patients with TB.ConclusionsOur analyses of the expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs may represent a novel method to explore the biological essence of TCM syndromes of TB.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1436-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Combination chemotherapy with Western anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs is the mainstay of TB treatment
TB patients were classified into pulmonary Yin deficiency syndrome (PYD), HFYD, deficiency of Qi and Yin syndrome (DQY) syndromes according to the ‘Standard of disease diagnosis and curative effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine’ [18]
Samples were dispensed into sterile centrifuge tubes and stored at −80 °C. Data such as lipoprotein-a, apolipoprotein-A1, apolipoprotein-B, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides (TG) levels were recorded for PYD, HFYD, and DQY cases and healthy controls
Summary
Combination chemotherapy with Western anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs is the mainstay of TB treatment. Chinese herbal medicines with either heat clearing and detoxifying effects or nourishing Yin and reducing fire effects have been used to treat TB based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes of TB patients. Combination chemotherapy with anti-TB drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol for 2 months and isoniazid and rifampicin for 4 months) is the mainstay of TB treatment [2]. The adverse effects of anti-TB drugs vary greatly among individuals [2, 7], and these effects are closely related to disease progression and the immune status of the patient [8]. Individualized treatments that strengthen the body’s immune system and enhance the efficacy and reduce the toxicity of antiTB drugs are a new method of treating TB [2, 8]
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