Articles

Chinese Medicine reviewer acknowledgement 2015

Authors: Siu-wai Leung

Analyzing the Chinese landscape in anti-diabetic drug research: leading knowledge production institutions and thematic communities

The discovery of anti-diabetic drugs is an active Chinese medicine research area. This study aims to map out anti-diabetic drug research in China using a network-based systemic approach based on co-authorship ...

Authors: Junling Deng, Kaweng Sitou, Yongping Zhang, Ru Yan and Yuanjia Hu

Patterns of Chinese medicine use in prescriptions for treating Alzheimer’s disease in Taiwan

Certain Chinese medicine (CM) herbs and acupuncture may protect against Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, there is a lack of research regarding the use of CM in patients with AD. The aim of this study was to ...

Authors: Shun-Ku Lin, Sui-Hing Yan, Jung-Nien Lai and Tung-Hu Tsai

Kinetics of cytochrome P450 enzymes for metabolism of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate in vitro

Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) is a water-soluble derivative of tanshinone IIA for treating cardiovascular disorders. The roles of cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) in the metabolism of STS have remained u...

Authors: Dong-sheng Ouyang, Wei-hua Huang, Dan Chen, Wei Zhang, Zhi-rong Tan, Jing-bo Peng, Yi-cheng Wang, Ying Guo, Dong-li Hu, Jian Xiao and Yao Chen

Novel phthalide derivatives identified from Ligusticum chuanxiong (Chuanxiong)

Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (Chuanxiong) is a well-known Chinese medicine, and studies on its chemical constituents are important for explaining its mechanism of action and quality con...

Authors: Jun Yang, Xiao-Lin Feng, Yang Yu, Qi Wang, Jian Zou, Chuan-Xi Wang, Zhen-Qiang Mu, Xin-Sheng Yao and Hao Gao

Inhibition of IKK-β by epidioxysterols from the flowers of Calotropis gigantea (Niu jiao gua)

Calotropis gigantea (Asclepiadaceae) (Niu jiao gua) has been used as a poultice in Chinese medicine for treating inflammatory skin diseases, e.g., neurodermatitis. This study aims to i...

Authors: Supawadee Parhira, Guo-Yuan Zhu, Ting Li, Liang Liu, Li-Ping Bai and Zhi-Hong Jiang

Selection and validation of reference genes for normalization of quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR analysis in Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Fuling)

Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) requires a stable internal control to avoid misinterpretation of data or errors for gene expression normalization. However, there are still no validat...

Authors: Xin Zhang, Zhi-Chao Xu, Jiang Xu, Ai-Jia Ji, Hong-Mei Luo, Jing-Yuan Song, Chao Sun, Yuan-Lei Hu and Shi-Lin Chen

Radix Puerariae lobatae (Gegen) suppresses the anticoagulation effect of warfarin: a pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics study

Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) and Radix Puerariae lobatae (Gegen) are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat cardiovascular diseases. However, adverse herb-drug interactions were observed between war...

Authors: Beikang Ge, Zhen Zhang and Zhong Zuo

Chinese medicines in the treatment of experimental diabetic nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe micro vascular complication accompanying diabetes mellitus that affects millions of people worldwide. End-stage renal disease occurs in nearly half of all DN patients, res...

Authors: Jing-Yi Liu, Xiao-Xin Chen, Sydney Chi-Wai Tang, Stephen Cho-Wing Sze, Yi-Bin Feng, Kai-Fai Lee and Kalin Yan-Bo Zhang

A novel coumarin, (+)-3′-angeloxyloxy-4′-keto-3′,4′-dihydroseselin, isolated from Bupleurum malconense (Chaihu) inhibited NF-κB activity

This study aims to identify the major anti-inflammatory components in the petroleum ether extract of Bupleurum malconense (Chaihu), by bioassay-guided fractionation, and to investigate...

Authors: Huai-Xue Mu, Cheng-Yuan Lin, Lin-Fang Huang, Da-Jian Yang, Ai-Ping Lu, Quan-Bin Han and Zhao-Xiang Bian

Identification of Chinese medicine syndromes in persistent insomnia associated with major depressive disorder: a latent tree analysis

Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome (zheng) differentiation is based on the co-occurrence of CM manifestation profiles, such as signs and symptoms, and pulse and tongue features. Insomnia is a symptom that frequently ...

Authors: Wing-Fai Yeung, Ka-Fai Chung, Nevin Lian-Wen Zhang, Shi Ping Zhang, Kam-Ping Yung, Pei-Xian Chen and Yan-Yee Ho

Molecular identification of Uncaria (Gouteng) through DNA barcoding

While DNA barcoding is an important technology for the authentication of the botanical origins of Chinese medicines, the suitable markers for DNA barcoding of the genus Uncaria have not been reported yet. This st...

Authors: Yin-lin Tang, Yao-sheng Wu, Rui-song Huang, Nai-xia Chao, Yong Liu, Peng Xu, Ke-zhi Li, Dan-zhao Cai and Yu Luo

Chinese herbal medicines as a source of molecules with anti-enterovirus 71 activity

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is one of the causative agents of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), which sometimes leads to severe neurological disease and death in the Asia–Pacific region. In Chinese medicine, HFM...

Authors: Mengjie Wang, Ling Tao and Hongxi Xu

Novel cycloartane triterpenoid from Cimicifuga foetida (Sheng ma) induces mitochondrial apoptosis via inhibiting Raf/MEK/ERK pathway and Akt phosphorylation in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells

Cycloartane triterpenoids exhibited anticancer effects. This study aims to identify any potential novel anticancer cycloartane triterpenoids from Cimicifuga foetida L. rhizome (Sheng ma) and the mode of actions.

Authors: Hai-yan Sun, Bei-bei Liu, Jian-yang Hu, Li-jia Xu, Shun-wan Chan, Chi-on Chan, Daniel K. W. Mok, Dong-mei Zhang, Wen-cai Ye and Si-bao Chen

Actions of Huangqi decoction against rat liver fibrosis: a gene expression profiling analysis

Huangqi decoction (HQD) is used for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis treatment in Chinese medicine. This study aims to investigate the pharmacological actions of HQD against liver fibrosis...

Authors: Gui-biao Zhang, Ya-nan Song, Qi-long Chen, Shu Dong, Yi-yu Lu, Ming-yu Su, Ping Liu and Shi-bing Su

Online near-infrared analysis coupled with MWPLS and SiPLS models for the multi-ingredient and multi-phase extraction of licorice (Gancao)

This study aims to analyze the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) of licorice (Radix Glycyrrhizae; gancao), including glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritin, isoliquiritin and total flavonoids, in multi-ingredient a...

Authors: Yang Li, Mingye Guo, Xinyuan Shi, Zhisheng Wu, Jianyu Li, Qun Ma and Yanjiang Qiao

In silico target fishing and pharmacological profiling for the isoquinoline alkaloids of Macleaya cordata (Bo Luo Hui)

Some isoquinoline alkaloids from Macleaya cordata (Willd). R. Br. (Bo Luo Hui) exhibited antibacterial, antiparasitic, antitumor, and analgesic effects. The targets of these isoquinoline alkaloids are undefined. ...

Authors: Qifang Lei, Haibo Liu, Yong Peng and Peigen Xiao

What do we understand from clinical and mechanistic studies on acupuncture treatment for hypertension?

The outcome of acupuncture on hypertension treatment is inconclusive. This study aims to evaluate the influence of acupuncture on hypertension, based on findings from mechanistic studies over the course of dec...

Authors: Ling Cheng, Peng Li, Stephanie Cheeyee Tjen-A-Looi and John Charles Longhurst

Authentication of commercial processed Glehniae Radix (Beishashen) by DNA barcodes

The radix of Glehnia littoralis Fr. Schmidt ex Miq. (Beishashen), is often misidentified and adultered in Chinese medicine. Its seven common adulterants include Chuanminshen violaceum Sheh et Shan (Chuanmingshen)...

Authors: Xunzhi Zhu, Yuxi Zhang, Xia Liu, Dianyun Hou and Ting Gao

Antifungal mode of action of macrocarpal C extracted from Eucalyptus globulus Labill (Lan An) towards the dermatophyte Trichophyton mentagrophytes

The fresh leaves of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (Lan An) have been used in Chinese medicine for many years to treat dermatomycosis. Macrocarpal C was isolated from this herb and identified as its major antifungal...

Authors: Jack Ho Wong, Kit-Man Lau, Yu-On Wu, Ling Cheng, Chun-Wai Wong, David Tai-Wai Yew, Ping-Chung Leung, Kwok-Pui Fung, Mamie Hui, Tzi-Bun Ng and Clara Bik-San Lau

Differentiation of deer tendons from cattle tendons by a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) test and bone remodeling bioassays

Deer tendons are believed more effective than cattle tendons in tonifying kidney yang (shen yang) and enhancing bone and tendons. This study aims to differentiate the two types of tendons by a loop-mediated isoth...

Authors: Li-Li Jiang, Cheuk-Lun Liu, Yuk-Lau Wong, Chun-Fong Nip and Pang-Chui Shaw

Self-administered acupressure for treating adult psychiatric patients with constipation: a randomized controlled trial

Constipation has a high prevalence rate (>30 %) in psychiatric patients with psychotropic drugs. Common pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for constipation might have longer-term negative an...

Authors: Wai Kit Wong, Wai Tong Chien and Wai Ming Lee

Management of respiratory disorders in a Chinese medicine teaching clinic in Australia: review of clinical records

People seek Chinese medicine (CM) treatments for a variety of respiratory disorders, e.g., asthma and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). No previous studies have reviewed the data available in medical r...

Authors: Wan Najbah Nik Nabil, Wenyu Zhou, Johannah Linda Shergis, Suzi Mansu, Charlie Changli Xue and Anthony Lin Zhang

SEED: the six excesses (Liu Yin) evaluation and diagnosis scale

Infections such as common colds, influenza, acute upper respiratory infections, bacterial gastroenteritis, and urinary tract infections are usually diagnosed according to patients’ signs and symptoms. This stu...

Authors: Pei-Jung Chiang, Tsai-Chung Li, Chih-Hung Chang, Li-Li Chen, Jun-Dai Lin and Yi-Chang Su

Qing-dai powder promotes recovery of colitis by inhibiting inflammatory responses of colonic macrophages in dextran sulfate sodium-treated mice

Qing-dai powder (QDP), comprising Indigo naturalis (Qing-dai) and dried alum (Ku-fan), was used in Chinese medicine to treat the conditions associated with mucosal hemorrhage, such as ...

Authors: Hai-Tao Xiao, Jiao Peng, Dong-Dong Hu, Cheng-Yuan Lin, Bin Du, Siu-Wai Tsang, Ze-si Lin, Xiao-Jun Zhang, Feng-Ping Lueng, Quan-Bin Han and Zhao-Xiang Bian

Identification of Hippophae species (Shaji) through DNA barcodes

The morphological identification of different Hippophae species (Shaji) was difficult. This study aims to discriminate between medicinal and non-medicinal Hippophae species by DNA barcodes, the ITS2, psbA-trnH, a...

Authors: Yue Liu, Wei Sun, Chuan Liu, Yaqin Zhang, Yilong Chen, Ming Song, Gang Fan, Xia Liu, Li Xiang and Yi Zhang

Efficacy of combining oral Chinese herbal medicine and NB-UVB in treating psoriasis vulgaris: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The combination of a Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) bath and narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) improved the efficacy of NB-UVB treatment of psoriasis vulgaris, but bath therapy is inconvenient. Oral CHM plus NB...

Authors: Lihong Yang, Claire Shuiqing Zhang, Brian May, Jingjie Yu, Xinfeng Guo, Anthony Lin Zhang, Charlie Changli Xue and Chuanjian Lu

Centipeda minima (Ebushicao) extract inhibits PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling in nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-1 cells

Centipeda minima (Ebushicao) has been used for the treatment of various diseases, such as nasal allergies, rhinitis and sinusitis, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, cough, and headache. This s...

Authors: Yu-qing Guo, Hai-yan Sun, Chi-on Chan, Bei-bei Liu, Jian-hong Wu, Shun-wan Chan, Daniel Kam-Wah Mok, Anfernee Kai-Wing Tse, Zhi-ling Yu and Si-bao Chen

Lectin from green speckled lentil seeds (Lens culinaris) triggered apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines

The green speckled lentil seed (Lens culinaris) lectin (GSLL) exhibits hemagglutinating activity, and possesses some properties distinct from those of other lentil lectins (e.g., molecular size, biological activi...

Authors: Yau Sang Chan, Huimin Yu, Lixin Xia and Tzi Bun Ng

Serum cytokine profiling analysis for zheng differentiation in chronic hepatitis B

Liver-gallbladder dampness-heat (LGDH) and liver kidney yin deficiency (LKYD) syndromes are Chinese medicine (CM) zhengs in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. This study aims to inves...

Authors: Yi-Yu Lu, Yu Zhao, Ya-Nan Song, Shu Dong, Bin Wei, Qi-Long Chen, Yi-Yang Hu and Shi-Bing Su

Crude triterpenoid saponins from Ilex latifolia (Da Ye Dong Qing) ameliorate lipid accumulation by inhibiting SREBP expression via activation of AMPK in a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease model

Ilex latifolia Thunb. (Da Ye Dong Qing) is used for weight loss and for its antidiabetic effects. This study aims to investigate the beneficial effects and potential mechanisms of acti...

Authors: Rui-Bing Feng, Chun-Lin Fan, Qing Liu, Zhong Liu, Wei Zhang, Yao-Lan Li, Wei Tang, Ying Wang, Man-Mei Li and Wen-Cai Ye

Identification of commercial Ganoderma (Lingzhi) species by ITS2 sequences

DNA barcoding can be used to authenticate Ganoderma species for safe use. This study aims to identify commercial products containing Ganoderma using DNA barcoding.

Authors: Baosheng Liao, Xiaochen Chen, Jianping Han, Yang Dan, Lili Wang, Wenjing Jiao, Jingyuan Song and Shilin Chen

The efficacy of QingfengGanke granule in treating postinfectious cough in pathogenic wind invading lungs syndrome: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Postinfectious cough (PIC) significantly affects cough-related quality of life but still lacks effective treatments. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of QingfengGanke granule (QFGKG) in treating PIC in...

Authors: Hongli Jiang, Bing Mao, Lei Wang, Ruiming Zhang, Bin She, Faguang Jin, Yanling Xu, Jian Ma and Qiuping Liu

Crude triterpenoid saponins from Anemone flaccida (Di Wu) exert anti-arthritic effects on type II collagen-induced arthritis in rats

Anemone flaccida Fr . Schmidt (Ranunculaceae) (Di Wu in Chinese) is used to treat punch injury and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the active compounds and underlying mechanism of ...

Authors: Qing Liu, Xiu-Zhen Zhu, Rui-Bing Feng, Zhong Liu, Gui-Yang Wang, Xi-Feng Guan, Guo-min Ou, Yao-Lan Li, Ying Wang, Man-Mei Li and Wen-Cai Ye

Network pharmacological identification of active compounds and potential actions of Erxian decoction in alleviating menopause-related symptoms

Erxian decoction (EXD) is used to treat menopause-related symptoms in Chinese medicine. This study aims to identify the bioactive compounds and potential actions of EXD by network phar...

Authors: Shiwei Wang, Yao Tong, Tzi-Bun Ng, Lixing Lao, Jenny Ka Wing Lam, Kalin Yanbo Zhang, Zhang-Jin Zhang and Stephen Cho Wing Sze

Effect of Xiaoyaosan on major depressive disorder

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Xiaoyaosan (XYS) for treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and to review the studies on antidepressant mechanisms of XYS.

Authors: Lin-Lin Jing, Xiao-Xia Zhu, Zhi-Ping Lv and Xue-Gang Sun

Astragalus polysaccharide promotes the release of mature granulocytes through the L-selectin signaling pathway

This study aims to investigate the leukogenic effect of astragalus polysaccharide (APS), to compare its effect of increasing the numbers of mature granulocytes with that of granulocyte colony-stimulating facto...

Authors: Ping-Ping Zhang, Zhao-Ting Meng, Liu-Chun Wang, Lei-Ming Guo and Kai Li

Chemistry and pharmacology of the herb pair Flos Lonicerae japonicae-Forsythiae fructus

The Chinese medicine herb pair Flos Lonicerae japonicae (FLJ) and Forsythiae fructus (FF), is a representative heat-clearing (qing re) and detoxifying (jie du) combination that exhibits many pharmacological activ...

Authors: Yi-ping Guo, Li-gen Lin and Yi-tao Wang

Panax Notoginseng flower saponins (PNFS) inhibit LPS-stimulated NO overproduction and iNOS gene overexpression via the suppression of TLR4-mediated MAPK/NF-kappa B signaling pathways in RAW264.7 macrophages

Panax Notoginseng flower saponins (PNFS) are the main active component of Panax notoginseng (Burk) F. H. Chen flower bud (PNF) and possess significant anti-inflammatory efficacy. This ...

Authors: Xiao-Xu Peng, Shu-Hui Zhang, Xiao-Ling Wang, Ting-Jie Ye, Hua Li, Xiao-Feng Yan, Li Wei, Zhong-Ping Wu, Jing Hu, Chun-Pu Zou, You-Hua Wang and Xu-Dong Hu

Ougan (Citrus reticulata cv. Suavissima) flavedo extract suppresses cancer motility by interfering with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in SKOV3 cells

Ougan (Citrus reticulata cv. Suavissima) flavedo extract (OFE) exhibited potential anti-tumor effects with unclear underlying mechanisms. This study aims to evaluate the potential anti-metastatic activities of OF...

Authors: Linlin Chang, Sheng Jia, Yingying Fu, Tianyi Zhou, Ji Cao, Qiaojun He, Bo Yang, Xian Li, Chongde Sun, Dan Su, Hong Zhu and Kunsong Chen

A multivariate analysis on the comparison of raw notoginseng (Sanqi) and its granule products by thin-layer chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography

Granule products produced from medicinal herbs are gaining popularity. However, there have been few studies comparing the quality or efficacy of granules with those of herbal formulations. This study aims to c...

Authors: Xian Zhou, Valentina Razmovski-Naumovski and Kelvin Chan

Current status of acupuncture and moxibustion in China

Acupuncture and moxibustion are more integrated in the Chinese healthcare system than in the national healthcare systems of other countries. Development of acupuncture and moxibustion in China is making progre...

Authors: Min Yee Lim, Jian Huang, Baixiao Zhao and Lue Ha

Qing-Yi decoction in participants with severe acute pancreatitis: a randomized controlled trial

Qing-Yi Decoction (QYD) has been used for severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) patients in China for many years. There were two kinds of QYD: Num 1. QYD (QYD1) which is used in the acute response st...

Authors: Weiwei Chen, Xiaonan Yang, Lei Huang, Ping Xue, Meihua Wan, Jia Guo, Lin Zhu, Tao Jin, Zongwen Huang, Guangyuan Chen, Wenfu Tang and Qing Xia

Annual acknowledgement of manuscript reviewers

The editors of Chinese Medicine would like to thank all our reviewers who have contributed to the journal in Volume 9 (2014).

Authors: Siu-wai Leung

Histone deacetylation of memory T lymphocytes by You-Gui-Wan alleviates allergen-induced eosinophilic airway inflammation in asthma

You-Gui pills (You-Gui-Wan; YGW) can promote T lymphocyte proliferation and differentiation, and restore Th1/Th2 balance in the treatment of asthma, but their mechanism of action is not fully known. This study ai...

Authors: Hong Ping Zhang, Juan Juan Fu, Tao Fan, Wen Bin Zhang, Zeng Li Wang, Lei Wang and Gang Wang

Selective inhibition of liver X receptor α-mediated lipogenesis in primary hepatocytes by licochalcone A

Sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) is a regulator of the lipogenic pathway and is transcriptionally activated by liver X receptor α (LXRα). This study aims to investigate phytochemicals in...

Authors: Gyun-Sik Oh, Gang Gu Lee, Jin Yoon, Won Keun Oh and Seung-Whan Kim

Potent natural products and herbal medicines for treating liver fibrosis

Liver fibrosis is a wound-healing response to chronic liver injury characterized by progressive inflammation and deposition of extracellular matrix components. The pathological condition of liver fibrosis invo...

Authors: Shao-Ru Chen, Xiu-Ping Chen, Jin-Jian Lu, Ying Wang and Yi-Tao Wang

Kaempferol pretreatment modulates systemic inflammation and oxidative stress following hemorrhagic shock in mice

Kaempferol has been reported as beneficial for both acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. This study aims to investigate whether kaempferol affects systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in the heart, l...

Authors: Qi-Sheng Yang, Li-Ping He, Xian-Long Zhou, Yan Zhao, Jun Shen, Peng Xu and Shao-Zhou Ni

Bufothionine induced the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in H₂₂ liver tumor and acute liver injury

Bufothionine is an alkaloid in Cinobufacini (Huachansu). This study aims to investigate the effects of bufothionine on liver tumors and acute liver injury.

Authors: Rui-Fang Xie, Zhi-Cheng Li, Pei-Pei Chen and Xin Zhou

Effects of chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone) on vascular remodeling in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats

Chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone) inhibits platelet-derived growth factor-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and arterial intima hyperplasia. This study aims to investigate the effects of chrysin o...

Authors: Xian-Wei Li, Xiang-Ming Wang, Shu Li and Jie-Ren Yang