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BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) system is a medical system that has been expanding for thousands of years that was formed by the extensive clinical practice experience of many physicians and the accumulation of personal medication habits in China. In TCM, there is a history of long-term medication for epilepsy, the main treatment for epilepsy is TCM drugs and its prescription, supplemented by TCM modalities such as acupuncture therapy, moxibustion therapy, tuina, emotion adjustment therapy, etc. PURPOSE: With the modernization of TCM, the active ingredients and molecular mechanisms of TCM for epilepsy treatment have been gradually revealed. This review aimed to comprehensively summarize the TCM treatment of epilepsy, focusing on the current TCM drugs and some TCM formulae for the treatment of epilepsy, and to discuss the research progress of TCM for the treatment of epilepsy, and to provide a reference to develop future related studies in this field. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mechanism of action of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) was interpreted from different perspectives by searching online databases and querying various materials identify drugs used in both modern medicine and TCM systems for the treatment of epilepsy. We collected all relevant TCM for epilepsy literature published in the last 30 years up to December 2022 from electronic databases such as PubMed, CNKI and Web of Science, and statistically analyzed the literature for the following keyword information. The search terms comprise the keywords "TCM", "phytochemistry", "pharmacological activity", "epilepsy" and "traditional application" as a combination. Scientific plant names were provided by "The Plant List" (www.theplantlist.org). RESULTS: Epilepsy is a complex and serious disease of the brain and nervous system. At present, the treatment of epilepsy in modern medicine is mainly surgery and chemotherapy, but there are many serious side effects. By summarizing the treatment of epilepsy in TCM, it is found that there are various methods to treat epilepsy in TCM, mainly TCM drugs and its formulae. Many TCM drugs have antiepileptic effects. Now found that the main effective TCM drugs for the treatment of epilepsy are Curcumae Longae Rhizoma, Scorpio, Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma, Uncariae Ramulus Cum Uncis and Ganoderma, etc. And the main compounds that play a role in the treatment of epilepsy are curcumin, gastrodin, ligustrazine, baicalin and rhynchophylline, etc. These TCM drugs have played an important role in the treatment of epilepsy in TCM clinic. However, the chemically active components of these TCM drugs are diverse and their mechanisms of action are complex, which are not fully understood and need to be further explored. CONCLUSIONS: TCM treats epilepsy in a variety of ways, and with the discovery of a variety of potential bioactive substances for treatment of epilepsy. With the new progress in the research of other TCM treatment methods for epilepsy, TCM will have greater potential in the clinical application of epilepsy.

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This study compared the effects of Curcuma longa before and after processing with vinegar on the rat model of dysmenorrhea with the syndrome of liver depression and Qi stagnation to reveal the mechanism of vinegar processing in improving the role of C. longa in soothing liver and relieving pain. The rat model of dysmenorrhea with the syndrome of liver depression and Qi stagnation was established according to the Preparation of the Animal Model of Dysmenorrhea(Draft) and the chronic unpredictable stress me-thod. The changes in the body weight, organ indexes, writhing latency, writhing score, and serum levels of six liver function indicators, sex hormones, pain factors, and blood rheological indicators were measured to evaluate the efficacy of C. longa processed with vinegar or not in treating dysmenorrhea in the rats with syndrome of liver depression and qi stagnation. Compared with the model group, the C. longa group(processed with vinegar or not) showed slow weight loss, increase in writhing latency, and decrease in writhing response(P<0.05). The inhibition rates on writhing in raw C. longa, vinegar-processed C. longa, and positive groups were 33.780%, 64.611%, and 62.466%, respectively. The significantly higher inhibition rate of the vinegar processing group indicated that vinegar-processed C. longa demonstrated more significant therapeutic effect. The vinegar-processed C. longa group showed lower levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), alkaline phosphatase(ALP), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), direct bilirubin(DBIL), and total bilirubin(TBIL) and higher level of albumin(ALB)(P<0.05), which indicated that vinegar processing enhanced the therapeutic effect of C. longa on liver injury. The serum levels of estradiol(E_2) and oxytocin(OT) were lower in the vinegar-processed C. longa group(P<0.05), indicating that the vinegar-processed C. longa could regulate the sex hormone levels, reduce the activity of uterine smooth muscle and contraction of uterus, and alleviate the symptoms of dysmenorrhea in rats. Moreover, the vinegar-processed C. longa group showed lower interleukin-6(IL-6) and arginine vasopressin(AVP) levels and higher beta-endorphin(ß-EP) level(P<0.05), which indicated that vinegar-processed C. longa regulated the levels of pain factors to exert the pain-relieving effect. Drug intervention decreased the whole blood viscosity low-cut, medium-cut and high-cut values, plasma viscosity, whole blood reduction viscosity low-cut and high-cut values, erythrocyte cumulative pressure, and equation K value of erythrocyte sedimentation rate(P<0.05), and the vinegar-processed C. longa group outperformed other groups. This result indicated that vinegar processing enhanced the function of C. longa in improving the local blood rheology. C. longa processed with vinegar can enter the liver to relieve the da-mage to the heart, liver, kidney, and uterus, repair the liver function, and recover the sex hormone levels and immune function by regulating the levels of sex hormones and pain factors and improving the blood rheology. It activates the pain-relieving mechanism to relieve the pain, protect the liver, and fight inflammation, which is consistent with the theory that vinegar processing facilitates C. longa entering the liver to sooth liver and relieve pain.

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Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed to analyze the chemical components in Curcuma longa tuberous roots(HSYJ), C. longa tuberous roots processed with vinegar(CHSYJ), and rat serum after the administration. The active components of HSYJ and CHSYJ absorbed in serum were identified based on the secondary spectrum of database and literature. The targets of primary dysmenorrhea was screened out from database. The protein-protein interaction network analysis, gene ontology(GO) functional annotation, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed for the common targets shared by the drug active components in serum and primary dysmenorrhea, and the component-target-pathway network was constructed. AutoDock was used to conduct molecular docking between the core components and targets. A total of 44 chemical components were identified from HSYJ and CHSYJ, including 18 absorbed in serum. On the basis of network pharmacology, we identified 8 core components(including procurcumenol, isobutyl p-hydroxybenzoate, ferulic acid, and zedoarondiol) and 10 core targets \[including interleukin-6(IL-6), estrogen receptor 1(ESR1), and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2(PTGS2)\]. The core targets were mainly distributed in the heart, liver, uterus, and smooth muscle. The molecular docking results showed that the core components were well bound to the core targets, indicating that HSYJ and CHSYJ may exert therapeutic effect on primary dysmenorrhea via estrogen, ovarian steroidogenesis, tumor necrosis factor(TNF), hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1), IL-17 and other signaling pathways. This study clarifies the HSYJ and CHSYJ components absorbed in serum, as well as the corresponding mechanism, providing a reference for further elucidating the therapeutic material basis and clinical application of HSYJ and CHSYJ.

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ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ligustri Lucidi Fructus (LLF) is one of the usual Chinese herbs that has long been used with high therapeutic and condition value. LLF is used for the treatment of dizziness and tinnitus, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, premature greying of the hair, the darkness of the eyes, internal heat and thirst, bone steam and hot flashes and other symptoms. AIM OF THE STUDY: This review reviews botany, traditional uses, processing, phytochemistry, quality control, pharmacology, toxicity and pharmacokinetics to better understand its therapeutic potential. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literature on LLF was obtained from Google Scholar and Baidu Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WAN FANG DATA and libraries. Some local books, official websites, PhD or MS's dissertations were also included. Phytochemical constituents' structures were drawn by ChemDraw software. RESULTS: So far, Multiple chemical components were isolated and identified from LLF, mainly including terpenoids and flavonoids. Modern studies have shown that LLF extracts and compounds have a wide range of pharmacological effects, including antitumor, liver protection, blood glucose, lipid-lowering, immune regulation, and other aspects. CONCLUSIONS: LLF occupies an important position in the traditional medical system. It is cost-effective and is a significant plant with therapeutic applications in modern medicine. However, further in-depth studies are needed to determine the medical use of this plant and its chemical composition, pharmacological activity, quality control, toxicity and pharmacokinetics.

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CONTEXT: Wuzi Yanzong Prescription (WYP) has long been used to treat male infertility, with convincing clinical evidence. However, its mechanism of action is not clear. OBJECTIVE: WYP chemical components were quantified by HPLC, and the effect on oligoasthenozoospermia rats was explored based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS metabonomics technology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The solution was extracted by alcohol and water; the content of eight components in the extracting solution was determined by HPLC. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control (CG), model (MG) and administration (PG) groups. Oligoasthenozoospermia was induced for 30 days in all, but the CG with daily oral doses of 20 mg/kg Tripterysium glycosides (TG). PG was given daily oral doses of WYP solution (1.08 g/kg), CG and MG received the same volume of distilled water, all administered for 30 days. After the last administration, the serum samples were collected and detected by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. RESULTS: An HPLC method for simultaneous determination of chlorogenic acid (0.081%), ellagic acid (0.021%), hyperoside (0.032%), verbascoside (0.011%), isoquercitrin (0.041%), astragalin (0.026%), kaempferol (0.009%) and schisandrin (0.014%) was established. Moreover, the 74 potential biomarkers and eight metabolic pathways related to oligoasthenozoospermia were identified by multivariate analysis and metabolite profiling. WYP can regulate 36 markers, mainly involving amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism and nucleotide metabolism. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This is a simple and accurate method for quality control of WYP. It further enriches the potential mechanism of WYP in the treatment of oligoasthenozoospermia. It can provide a theoretical basis for the rational application of WYP.

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Curcumin is a natural compound with great potential for disease treatment. A large number of studies have proved that curcumin has a variety of biological activities, among which anti-inflammatory effect is a significant feature of it. Inflammation is a complex and pervasive physiological and pathological process. The physiological and pathological mechanisms of inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, atherosclerosis, COVID-19 and other research focus diseases are not clear yet, and they are considered to be related to inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin can effectively improve the symptoms of these diseases and is expected to be a candidate drug for the treatment of related diseases. This paper mainly reviews the anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin, the inflammatory pathological mechanism of related diseases, the regulatory effect of curcumin on these, and the latest research results on the improvement of curcumin pharmacokinetics. It is beneficial to the further study of curcumin and provides new ideas and insights for the development of curcumin anti-inflammatory preparations.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a disease that involves brain damage and is associated with neuroinflammation, mitochondrial damage, and cell aging. However, the pathogenic mechanism of PD is still unknown. Sequencing data and proteomic data can describe the fluctuation of molecular abundance in diseases at the mRNA level and protein level, respectively. In order to explore new targets in the pathogenesis of PD, the study analyzed molecular changes from the database by combining transcriptomic and proteomic analysis. Differentially expressed genes and differentially abundant proteins were summarized and analyzed. Enrichment and cluster analysis emphasized the importance of neurotransmitter release, mitochondrial damage, and vesicle transport. The molecular network revealed a subnetwork of 9 molecules related to SCNA and TH and revealed hub gene with differential expression at both mRNA and protein levels. It found that ACHE and CADPS could be used as new targets in PD, emphasizing that impaired nerve signal transmission and vesicle transport affect the pathogenesis of PD. Our research emphasized that the joint analysis and verification of transcriptomics and proteomics were devoted to understanding the comprehensive views and mechanism of pathogenesis in PD.

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Vascular dementia (VD) is one of the leading causes of neurological disorder following Alzheimer's disease. The present study evaluated the possible role of asiaticoside in the treatment of rats with VD and its inhibitory effects on autophagy in hippocampal tissues. Double ligation was used for permanent occlusion of the arteries, and spatial memory was assessed using the T­maze test. Western blotting was used for determination of protein expression levels and H&E staining for histological analysis. Treatment of rats with VD with asiaticoside significantly alleviated the impairment in spontaneously altered behaviors and significantly reduced escape latency. VD mediated a decrease in distance travelled, swim time and number of platform crossings, whereas this was alleviated by asiaticoside. Furthermore, VD­mediated hippocampal tissue damage was significantly alleviated by asiaticoside treatment (P<0.05), and asiaticoside alleviated formation of autophagosomes and markedly suppressed the number of primary lysosomes. In asiaticoside­treated rats, VD­mediated increases in Beclin 1 and microtubule­associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) II expression in the hippocampal tissues were alleviated. Asiaticoside treatment also prevented suppression of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) phosphorylation in VD rat hippocampal tissues. Notably, the rapamycin­mediated suppression of phosphorylated­mTOR, and elevation of Beclin 1 and LC3II expression in the rat hippocampus could not be alleviated by asiaticoside treatment. In conclusion, asiaticoside effectively prevented cerebral ischemia­mediated cognitive impairment and neuronal damage in the rats. Moreover, autophagy was inhibited and the mTOR pathway was activated in rats with cerebral ischemia by asiaticoside treatment. Therefore, asiaticoside may warrant further study as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of dementia.

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BACKGROUND: It is increasingly evidenced that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in various diseases. LncRNA LINC01194 acts as an oncogene in several cancer types. Nevertheless, the role of LINC01194 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not yet been revealed. METHODS: qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of LINC01194, miR-641 and SETD7 mRNA, while western blot was exploited to examine SETD7 protein level. Cell proliferation was detected by colony formation and EdU assays. Transwell assays detected cell migration and invasion. TUNEL assay and flow cytometry analysis were used to detect cell apoptosis. RIP, RNA pull down and luciferase reporter assays detected the binding among LINC01194, miR-641 and SETD7. RESULTS: LINC01194 was significantly upregulated in LUAD tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of LINC01194 resulted in decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and increased apoptosis. Mechanistic experiments unveiled that LINC01194 augmented SETD7 expression in LUAD cells by competitively interacting with miR-641. Rescue experiments showed that miR-641 inhibition and SETD7 overexpression rescued the repressing impacts on LUAD cell proliferation, migration and invasion caused by LINC01194 knockdown. CONCLUSION: LINC01194 promotes the progression of LUAD by enhancing miR-641-targeted SETD7. The LINC01194/miR-641/SETD7 axis might provide new molecular targets for treating LUAD.

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Eutrophic aquaculture ponds are important methane (CH4) sources. In order to quantify CH4 emission characteristics and its influencing factors over aquaculture ponds, we conducted several intensive observations over two ponds located in Quanjiao County, Anhui Province, in 2018. The ebullition and diffusion flux of CH4 were measured in two seasons (winter and spring) using the inverted-funnel and bulk diffusion model, respectively. In winter, the CH4 ebullition flux during the daytime was higher than that at night (almost zero), whereas the diurnal pattern was found to be reversed in spring. Seasonally, the CH4 ebullition flux over the ponds was significantly lower in winter[3.92 mg·(m2·d)-1] than in spring[106.94 mg·(m2·d)-1], while the diffusion flux in winter[2.81 mg·(m2·d)-1] was slightly higher than in spring[0.87 mg·(m2·d)-1]. The CH4 ebullition and diffusion flux can be significantly controlled by natural factors such as water temperature and air pressure. It was revealed that the CH4ebullition flux in the studied ponds increased exponentially with increasing water temperature, and increased linearly with decreasing air pressure. Furthermore, we found that artificial management measures (i.e., winter drainage and spring manure treatment) could significantly enhance the CH4 ebullition flux rather than diffusion flux. For instance, the CH4 ebullition flux was found to increase with water depth decrease during the winter drainage period, while in the spring, the CH4 ebullition flux could reach as high as 1002.30 mg·(m2·d)-1 with chicken manure applicated. This study can provide data support for assessing the contribution of small ponds to the global carbon cycle.

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