RESUMEN
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a complex disease that is often accompanied by mental health disorders. However, the potential mechanisms underlying the heterogeneous clinical presentation of CP/CPPS remain uncertain. This study analyzed widely targeted metabolomic data of expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) and plasma to reveal the underlying pathological mechanisms of CP/CPPS. A total of 24 CP/CPPS patients from The Second Nanning People's Hospital (Nanning, China), and 35 asymptomatic control individuals from First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (Nanning, China) were enrolled. The indicators related to CP/CPPS and psychiatric symptoms were recorded. Differential analysis, coexpression network analysis, and correlation analysis were performed to identify metabolites that were specifically altered in patients and associated with various phenotypes of CP/CPPS. The crucial links between EPS and plasma were further investigated. The metabolomic data of EPS from CP/CPPS patients were significantly different from those from control individuals. Pathway analysis revealed dysregulation of amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, and the citrate cycle in EPS. The tryptophan metabolic pathway was found to be the most significantly altered pathway associated with distinct CP/CPPS phenotypes. Moreover, the dysregulation of tryptophan and tyrosine metabolism and elevation of oxidative stress-related metabolites in plasma were found to effectively elucidate the development of depression in CP/CPPS. Overall, metabolomic alterations in the EPS and plasma of patients were primarily associated with oxidative damage, energy metabolism abnormalities, neurological impairment, and immune dysregulation. These alterations may be associated with chronic pain, voiding symptoms, reduced fertility, and depression in CP/CPPS. This study provides a local-global perspective for understanding the pathological mechanisms of CP/CPPS and offers potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Dinggui Oil Capsule in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with stagnation of qi and cold. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study was undertaken. One hundred and ninety-eight patients with IBS and syndrome of stagnation of qi and cold were randomly divided into high-dose Dinggui Oil group (DGO-H, 1.2 g, 3 times daily; n=66), low-dose Dinggui Oil group (DGO-L, 0.8 g, 3 times daily, n=66), and placebo group (placebo, 5.0 g, 3 times daily, n=66). Patients in the three groups were all treated for 2 weeks. RESULTS: The total significant effective rates for IBS were 54.1%, 28.8% and 21.9% in the DGO-H, DGO-L, and placebo groups, and the total effective rates for the syndrome of stagnation of qi and cold were 54.1%, 25.8% and 23.4% in the three groups, respectively. Dinggui Oil Capsule showed a higher efficacy than the placebo in relieving the abdominal pain (P<0.01). No adverse effects were found in this trial. CONCLUSION: Dinggui Oil Capsule is effective and safe in relieving abdominal pain due to IBS with stagnation of qi and cold.