Ancient Chinese Medical Literature Research Articles

Biblio-metrology analysis on clinical application of Chengshan (BL57) in ancient Chinese medical literature

To analyze and sum up clinical application regularities of Chengshan (BL57) acupoint in ancient Chinese literature. The book Zhonghua Yidian (Collection of Chinese Medical Classic Works, 5th edition) containing 1 156 ancient medical books was used as the retrieved literature source. The key retrieval words used were BL57 acupoint related indications, prescriptions, treatment methods and taboos, followed by sorting out relevant articles and establishing a database. A total of 196 articles meeting our inclusion standards of the present study, involving 61 ancient books which contain 174 related terms covering 56 diseases or syndromes of internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, ophthalmology and otorhinola-ryngology, etc.. Among them, the most frequently attending disease treated by single BL57 or acupoints combination was limb meridian disorders, and the most frequently used auxiliary acupoint was Kunlun (BL60). The most frequently used auxiliary meridian was the Bladder Meridian of Foot Taiyang. In addition, a total of 71 terms involved the acupuncture and moxibustion techniques of BL57, covering 7 treatment methods. In terms of the treatment methods, the dose of moxibustion was five cones in each session, and the depth of acupuncture needle insertion was about seven fen. BL57 is widely used in various clinical departments, especially for limb meridian diseases.

Exploring the Pharmacological Mechanisms of Xihuang Pills Against Prostate Cancer via Integrating Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation In Vitro and In Vivo.

Background: Drug resistance is the major cause of increasing mortality in prostate cancer (PCa). Therefore, it an urgent to develop more effective therapeutic agents for PCa treatment. Xihuang pills (XHP) have been recorded as the efficient anti-tumor formula in ancient Chinese medical literature, which has been utilized in several types of cancers nowadays. However, the effect protective role of XHP on the PCa and its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Methods: The active ingredients of XHP were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and BATMAN-TCM. The potential targets of PCa were acquired from the Gene Cards and OMIM databases. R language and Perl language program were utilized to clarify the interaction between the PCa-related targets and the potential targets of XHP. The potential targets of XHP for prostate cancer were gathered from the Gene ontology and KEGG pathway. Furthermore, cell proliferation assays were verified by PC3 and LNCaP cells. The efficacy and potential mechanism tests were confirmed by the PCa PC3 cells and mice subcutaneous transplantation. The effects of PI3K/Akt/mTOR-related proteins on proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle of PCa cells were measured by the Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK8), TUNEL assay, real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (QRT-PCR), and Western Blotting, respectively. Results: The active components of four traditional Chinese medicines in XHP were searched on the TCMSP and Batman TCM database. The biological active components of XHP were obtained as OB ≥30% and DL ≥0.18. The analysis of gene ontology and KEGG pathway identified the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway as the XHP-associated pathway. Collectively, the results of in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that XHP had the effect of inhibiting on the proliferation of PC3 and LNCaP cells. XHP promoted the apoptosis and restrained the cell cycle and invasion of the PC3 cells and subcutaneous transplantation. Meanwhile, the suppression of XHP on the level of expression of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR-pathway-related pathway proteins has been identified in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway-related pathway proteins were confirmed as the potential XHP-associated targets for PCa. XHP can suppress the proliferation of prostate cancer via inhibitions of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Data Mining-Based Research on the Prescriptions of Ancient Chinese Medicine Prescription Book Type Documents for Mouth Sores

Objective: To explore the prescription patterns of ancient Chinese medical literature on mouth sores and provide references and ideas for the treatment of mouth sores in Chinese medicine. METHODS: We searched the section of "Chinese Medical Canon" - "Formula Books" - "Comprehensive formula books", counted the prescriptions that met the inclusion criteria, and used the TCM transmission aid platform (V2.5) The Chinese herbal medicines were analyzed in terms of taste, meridian, frequency and clustering rules. RESULTS: 134 prescriptions were collected, involving 199 herbal medicines, and the drugs appearing ≥23 times in the order of licorice, scutellaria, asclepias, Huanglian, gardenia, rhubarb, maitong, and ginseng; there were 11 groups of drug combinations with frequencies ≥12 times; most of the bitter, sweet, and pungent herbs were used; the drug ascriptions were mainly in the stomach, spleen, and lung meridians; two groups of core combinations and one new prescription were deduced. CONCLUSION: This paper focuses on clearing heat and detoxifying toxins, tonifying the spleen and benefiting Qi, while protecting the spleen and stomach at the same time.

Analysis of classical prescription Jinshui Liujun Jian based on ancient literature

To provide the ancient literary evidence support for the clinical application and development of classical prescription based on systematical collection and analysis of the ancient Chinese medical literature containing Jinshui Liujun Jian, including its origin and development. Bibliometric analysis was used and information of Jinshui Liujun Jian in ancient Chinese medical literature was then collected for statistical analysis of formula compositions, main indications, dosage, preparation methods, etc. A total of 151 valid items of data were obtained from 48 ancient Chinese medicine books. Jinshui Liujun Jian was first recorded in Jingyue Quanshu written by ZHANG Jiebin. This prescription consisted of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Pinelliae Rhizome, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Poria and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizome Praeparata cum Melle, and it was mainly used to treat the deficiency of lung and kidney, edema and excess production of phlegm, or Yin deficiency in the old, insufficient blood-qi, wind-cold evil, cough and disgusting, asthma and excessive phlegm. Doctors in later dynasties mostly followed the prescription compositions, dosages and indications in Jingyue Quanshu, and extended the clinical application of this prescription.

Extract of Pyrus nivalis enhances phagocytosis in lungs after particles matter exposure in BALB/c mice.

During past few decades, studies have demonstrated that particulate matter (PM) is the most serious environmental pollutant in industrial countries which mainly contributes for increasing prevalence of chronic respiratory inflammatory diseases. Healthy food supplements to prevent the inflammatory diseases are common and show notable effects. The effects of the extract of Pyrus nivalis, a common fruit and herbal medicine in Taiwan, on PM-induced airway inflammation in mice were investigated by feeding the extract orally for 21days. Results obtained from lung histology and bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cell profile showed that oral feeding of P. nivalis extract did not affect the airway inflammation. However, it increased the phagocytic activity in BALF cells and induced M1-dominant macrophage differentiation in lungs. Our study showed that extract of P. nivalis might present the beneficial and therapeutic potential for clearance of PM and pathogens in airway. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Pyrus nivalis is a common fruit and also used extensively in Chinese herbology. The pharmacological effects of P. nivalis have been reported in ancient Chinese Medical literature and known to possess anti-asthma and anti-cough properties as well as to enhance function of lungs. In this study, we found that orally feeding the extract of P. nivalis did not induce airway inflammation and affect particulate matter (PM)-induced inflammatory cells infiltration in lungs but increased phagocytosis with or without PM treatment which might indicate its therapeutic potential for clearance of PM and pathogens in airway.

The role of collateral disease theory in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis in post-menopausal women: a narrative review.

There was no equivalent term as "atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women" in ancient Chinese medical literature, so there was no precise method to treat this disease. The collateral disease theory is a theoretical system with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine, which studies two branches: qi collateral theory and vessel collateral theory. We first analyzed the relationship between qi and vessel collaterals. The collaterals are divided into the qi collaterals of circulating qi and the vessel collaterals of circulating blood. Qi collaterals and vessel collaterals play the role of circulating qi and blood together. We then illustrate that the concept of vessel collateral system in traditional Chinese medicine is like the concept of the vascular system in modern medicine, and atherosclerosis (AS) is a common vessel collateral-vascular system disease. A significant increase in the incidence of AS in postmenopausal women is related to estrogen deficiency, associated with dysfunction of the qi collaterals. AS in postmenopausal women is associated with both qi collaterals and vessel collaterals. Bazi Bushen capsule (BZBS) under the guidance of collateral disease theory replenishes kidney essence, coordinates yin and yang, tonifies kidney qi, and circulates blood. Meanwhile, it has 11 unique phytoestrogens (PEs), which resists AS. In this work, for the first time, we combined the vessel collateral theory with qi collateral theory. We explore the potential theoretical mechanism of the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal AS by the BZBS under the guidance of collateral disease theory.

A Comparative Study on "Mai" and "Blood Vessels" in Early Chinese and Western Medicine: Based on Hippocratic Corpus and Cauterization Canon of the Eleven Vessels of the Foot and Forearm.

This study compared the theory describing the “four pairs of blood vessels” in the Hippocratic Corpus with the description of vessels (Mai, 脉) in the Cauterization Canon of the Eleven Vessels of the Foot and Forearm. The two theories are comparable because of the time period in which they were written, the similarities between the descriptions of the Mai and blood vessels, and the treatment methods for symptoms corresponding to their dysfunctions. We discovered that the Mai theory and the blood vessel theory in the Hippocratic Corpus were conceived with similar motivations. They had a lot of coinciding information with regard to the route of flow, but they proposed opposite cyclic directions. Interestingly, neither of them had established that a definitive relationship exists between the vessels and the heart, but other internal organs, such as the liver, were considered to have connections with the Mai and blood vessels in the two literatures. Furthermore, there were similarities among the descriptions of symptoms, and the ancient Western treatments for these symptoms were largely the same as those recorded in the ancient Chinese medical literature, especially the treatment for backache. The comparisons put forward in this study not only reflect the consistencies between the understanding of the human body and the way diseases were treated in Chinese and Western medicine in the early days, but also demonstrate that the two types of medicine had finally embarked on different developmental paths because of the differences in the philosophies and cultural backgrounds in their respective regions.

Data-mining-revealed Regularities of Application of Meridian Acupoints for Coronary Heart Disease in Ancient Chinese Medical Literature

To analyze the regularities of selection of meridian acupoints for coronary heart disease (CHD) recorded in the ancient Chinese medical literature, in order to provide a reference for clinical application of meridian acupoint recipes to treat CHD nowadays. Papers were retrieved from 1 156 ancient Chinese medical books collected in "Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine" (Fifth Edition) by using key words "Xin Tong"(cardiac pain), "Zhen Xin Tong"(true heart pain), "Jue Xin Tong"(precordial pain with cold limbs), "Xiong Bi" (obstruction of qi in the chest), "Zheng Chong"(severe palpitation), "Xin Ji"(palpitation), followed by establishment of a database. Then, the association analysis data mining technology was used to analyze the characteristics and regularities of application of meridian acupoints in the treatment of CHD. A total of 347 items of ancient document data were collected, containing acupoints of the 12 regular meridians, Conception Vessel and Governor Vessel, with a frequency of usage being 625 times. Among the involved meridians, the Conception Vessel was most frequently used, followed by the Pericardium Meridian. Zhongwan (CV 12) was the most frequently used acupoint, and Rangu (KI 2) and Taixi (KI 3), CV 12 and Shangwan (CV 13), and Quze (PC 3) and Daling (PC 7) were the top 3 frequently used auxiliary acupoint pairs. In ancient China, in the treatment of CHD, the main acupoints of the Conception and Pericardium Meridian, and the auxiliary acupoints i．e., five-shu points are most frequently used. PC 3 and PC 7 combination is suitable for the treatment of CHD with negative emotion.

Multiple fresh fecal microbiota transplants induces and maintains clinical remission in Crohn\u2019s disease complicated with inflammatory mass

The ancient Chinese medical literature, as well as our prior clinical experience, suggests that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) could treat the inflammatory mass. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of multiple fresh FMTs for Crohn’s disease (CD) complicated with intraabdominal inflammatory mass. The "one-hour FMT protocol" was followed in all patients. Twenty-five patients were diagnosed with CD and related inflammatory mass by CT or MRI. All patients received the initial FMT followed by repeated FMTs every 3 months. The primary endpoint was clinical response (improvement and remission) and sustained clinical remission at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were improvement in size of phegmon/abscess based upon cross-sectional imaging and safety of FMT. 68.0% (17/25) and 52.0% (13/25) of patients achieved clinical response and clinical remission at 3 months post the initial FMT, respectively. The proportion of patients at 6 months, 12 months and 18 months achieving sustained clinical remission with sequential FMTs was 48.0% (12/25), 32.0% (8/25) and 22.7% (5/22), respectively. 9.5% (2/21) of patients achieved radiological healing and 71.4% (15/21) achieved radiological improvement. No severe adverse events related to FMT were observed. This pragmatic study suggested that sequential fresh FMTs might be a promising, safe and effective therapy to induce and maintain clinical remission in CD with intraabdominal inflammatory mass.

Synthesis of Novel Piperonal Derivatives and Evaluation of their Anticonvulsant Activity using A Nanoparticular Formulation

Ancient Chinese medical literature and independent studies indicate that piperine possess anticonvulsant activity and demonstrates a high degree of safety. A similarity was also demonstrated with synthetic piperine derivatives as well. In this study, chalcones and Schiffs bases of piperonal with different any methyl ketones, and aromatic primary amines were synthesized using conventional and microwave-irradiation methods. Purification of these compounds was effected by recrystallization from alcohol and characterized by NMR and IR spectra. The synthesized compounds were screened for their anticonvulsant activity using a 4-aminopyridine induced model with the help of a conventional and a current nanoparticular formulation approach. A drug delivery system methodology in the form of nanoparticles for screening was adopted because it has more advantages when compared to conventional formulations in drug discovery stages. Nanoparticle formulations encapsulating selected synthesized compounds were prepared using solvent evaporation technique by taking polycaprolactone as the polymer. Few piperonal synthesized derivatives demonstrated anticonvulsant activity which was lesser than the standard phenytoin. Unfortunately, nanoparticular formulations prepared in this current study encapsulating selected synthesized compounds did not show any activity, suggesting more work is needed to demonstrate positive results.

Clinical application of acupoint Shenmai (BL 62)

On the basis of ancient Chinese medical literature, this article summarized the clinical application of Shenmai (BL 62), an acupoint of bladder meridian of foot taiyang. Clinically, Shenmai (BL 62) is usually used to treat mental disorders, insomnia, motor system diseases and eye diseases.

コラーゲンの架橋に及ぼす生薬エキスの効果

Wrinkle formation is associated with alteration in the extracellular matrix, collagen and elastic fibers in the dermis of the skin. Cross-linking of collagen is a typical alteration and increases with aging. Glycation (nonenzymatic glycosylation) is the so called Maillard reaction and is a posttranslational modification of proteins resulting from reactions of glucose with amino groups in protein. Collagen cross-linking is also caused by the Maillard reaction.In this study, 10 harb extracts used in the prescriptions for wrinkle removal in ancient Chinese medical literature, were selected and studied for their capacity to collagen cross-linking formation induced by the Maillard reaction. Bukuryou and Byakuren were the most effective inhibitors and Byakuren showed the same effect with aminoguanidine as a positive control. Byakuren also inhibited the formation of fluorescent materials due to the Maillard reaction. These findings may possibly be related to control of the advanced stage of the Maillard reaction.