Xinshuitong Capsule extract attenuates doxorubicin-induced myocardial edema via regulation of cardiac aquaporins in the chronic heart failure rats.

Doxorubicin (Dox), an effective antineoplastic drug, was limited use for cardiotoxicity. Xinshuitong Capsule (XST), a patented herbal formula, showed desirable beneficial effects in the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. However, the drug on Dox-induced cardiotoxicity remains unclear.

Establishment of a stable hepatic metastasis mouse model of murine colorectal cancer by microsurgical orthotopic implantation.

Background: Liver metastasis is a common cause of death from colorectal cancer (CRC). In this paper we developed a liver metastasis mouse model by microsurgical orthotopic implantation (MSOI) to illuminate the CRC progression with an eye toward developing effective drug treatment.

Methods: Murine colon carcinoma CT-26 cells were cultured and then injected to male BALB/c athymic nude mice right flank to generate subcutaneous implantation tumor with 2×10 CT-26 cell suspension in DMEM.

Inflammatory cytokines via up-regulation of aquaporins deteriorated the pathogenesis of early osteoarthritis.

Background: Inflammatory cytokines enhanced the progress of the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis, however the mechanisms remain unclear. The objective is to determine aquaporins (AQPs) in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis.

Methods And Findings: Primary rat articular chondrocytes were treated with IL-1β to mimic the early stage of osteoarthritis in vitro.

Tougu Xiaotong capsule exerts a therapeutic effect on knee osteoarthritis by regulating subchondral bone remodeling.

Previous studies have shown that Tougu Xiaotong capsule (TGXTC) has therapeutic effects on knee osteoarthritis (OA) through multiple targets. However, the mechanisms of action underlying its regulation of subchondral bone reconstruction remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of TGXTC on subchondral bone remodeling.

Ultrastructural change of the subchondral bone increases the severity of cartilage damage in osteoporotic osteoarthritis of the knee in rabbits.

Osteoporotic osteoarthritis is a phenotype of osteoarthritis (OA) manifested as fragile and osteoporotic subchondral bone. However, the ultrastructural features of subchondral bone in osteoporosis OA have not been determined. The study was aimed to investigate the ultrastructural dynamic changes of subchondral bone in osteoporotic OA model and how the ultrastructural damage in the subchondral bone caused by osteoporosis deteriorated the cartilage damage in OA.

Anti-angiogenic effect of seed extract and .

The present study aimed to detect the impact of the ethanol extract of the seed (EELC) on angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). A chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay was used to detect the anti-angiogenic activity of EELC . , the effect of EELC on the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of HUVECs was determined by an MTT assay, a wound healing assay and a tube formation assay, respectively.

Pien Tze Huang Gan Bao ameliorates carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic injury, oxidative stress and inflammation in rats.

Liver damage results from a variety of insults, including hepatitis and chemical toxicity from alcohol, drugs and other toxins. The present study evaluated the hepatoprotective effects and potential mechanisms of action of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Pien Tze Huang Gan Bao (GB) in a rat model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl)-induced liver injury. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six different groups: i) Control, ii) CCl injury model and groups treated with iii) silymarin as a positive drug control, iv) 150 mg/kg GB, v) 300 mg/kg GB and vi) 600 mg/kg GB.

Protective effects of Tougu Xiaotong capsule on tumor necrosis factor-α-injured UMR-106 cells.

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) plays an important role in the abnormal metabolism of osteoblasts (OBs), which leads to subchondral bone (SB) alterations in osteoarthritis. In the present study, Tougu Xiaotong capsule (TXC), a traditional Chinese medicine, was used to treat TNF-α-injured OB-like cells. The cellular viability, mortality and ultramicroscopic morphology were evaluated.

Jiedu Xiaozheng Yin decoction inhibits hepatoma cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis via the mitochondrial-mediated pathway.

Jiedu Xiaozheng Yin decoction (JXY) is a type of Chinese traditional medicine, which has been used to treat various types of cancer. The present study explored the mechanisms underlying the anticancer activity of JXY. The effects of ethyl acetate extraction of JXY (EE-JXY) were evaluated on the HepG2 human hepatoma cell line in vitro and in vivo.

Pien Tze Huang inhibits liver metastasis by targeting TGF-β signaling in an orthotopic model of colorectal cancer.

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in almost all types of cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical process during the metastatic cascade. This process may be a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of CRC.

Total alkaloids of Rubus alceifolius Poir inhibit tumor angiogenesis through suppression of the Notch signaling pathway in a mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Angiogenesis, which has a critical role in human tumor growth and development, is tightly regulated by the Notch signaling pathway. Total alkaloids are active components of the plant Rubus alceifolius Poir, which is used for the treatment of various types of cancer. A previous study by our group showed that the total alkaloids of Rubus alceifolius Poir (TARAP) induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell apoptosis through the activation of the mitochondria-dependent pathway in vitro and in vivo, as well as inhibited angiogenesis in a chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane model.

Livistona chinensis seeds inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma angiogenesis in vivo via suppression of the Notch pathway.

Livistona chinensis seeds have been used for centuries to clinically treat various types of cancer. Our published data suggest that Livistona chinensis seeds are able to inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth in vitro and in vivo via promotion of mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis. To further elucidate the molecular mechanisms of its antitumor activity, in the present study, we used an HCC xenograft mouse model to evaluate the effect of an ethanol extract of Livistona chinensis seeds (EELC) on tumor angiogenesis and on the activation of the Notch pathway.

Spica Prunellae extract inhibits the proliferation of human colon carcinoma cells via the regulation of the cell cycle.

Spica Prunellae has long been used as a significant component in numerous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas to clinically treat cancers. Previously, Spica Prunellae was shown to promote cancer cell apoptosis and inhibit angiogenesis and . To further elucidate the precise mechanism of its tumoricidal activity, the effect of the ethanol extract of Spica Prunellae (EESP) on the proliferation of human colon carcinoma HT-29 cells was elucidated and the underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated.

Spica prunellae promotes cancer cell apoptosis, inhibits cell proliferation and tumor angiogenesis in a mouse model of colorectal cancer via suppression of stat3 pathway.

Background: Constitutive activation of STAT3 is one of the major oncogenic pathways involved in the development of various types of malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC); and thus becomes a promising therapeutic target. Spica Prunellae has long been used as an important component in many traditional Chinese medicine formulas to clinically treat CRC. Previously, we found that Spica Prunellae inhibits CRC cell growth through mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis.

Livistona chinensis seed suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma growth through promotion of mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis.

The Livistona chinensis seed has been used for centuries to clinically treat various types of cancer. However, the precise mechanism of its anticancer activity remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of the ethanol extract of Livistona chinensis seed (EELC) against tumor growth using a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) mouse xenograft model and an HCC cell line, HepG2, and investigated the molecular mechanisms mediating its biological activities.

Jiedu Xiaozheng Yin, a Chinese herbal formula, inhibits tumor angiogenesis via downregulation of VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 expression in vivo and in vitro.

Angiogenesis is crucial for cancer growth and metastasis and inhibition of angiogenesis has been recognized to be a promising strategy for the treatment of cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for thousands of years to treat cancer. Jiedu Xiaozheng Yin (JXY), a polyherbal formula of TCM, has been used to treat various tumors in China.

[Study on function of VEGF pathway in promoting angiogenesis with Xuefu Zhuyu Tang].

Objective: To investigate the function of VEGF pathway in promoting angiogenesis with Xuefu Zhuyu Tang (XFZYT).

Method: Serum pharmacology technique was adopted to treat endothelial cells ECV304 with XFZYD containing serum and blank serum with concentrations of 1.25%, 2.

Ethyl acetate extraction from a Chinese herbal formula, Jiedu Xiaozheng Yin, inhibits the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via induction of G0/G1 phase arrest in vivo and in vitro.

Jiedu Xiaozheng Yin (JXY), a polyherbal formula of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used to treat various kinds of cancer in China. However, the mechanism of its anticancer activity has yet to be elucidated. Air-dried herbs were extracted with reagents of different polarity.

A microarray analysis of angiogenesis modulation effect of Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction on endothelial cells.

Objective: To study the angiogenesis modulation mechanism of Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction () on the endothelial cell line ECV304.

Methods: ECV304 cells were treated with 2.5% Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction-containing serum (XFZYD-CS) for 24 h, 48 h or 72 h.

Pien Tze Huang inhibits tumor cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis via suppressing the STAT3 pathway in a colorectal cancer mouse model.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays a critical role in cell survival and proliferation. Constitutive activation of STAT3 is strongly correlated with pathogenesis of various types of malignant tumors including colorectal cancer (CRC), and therefore is a major focus in the development of anti-cancer agents. Pien Tze Huang (PZH), a well-known traditional Chinese formula prescribed already in the Ming Dynasty, has been demonstrated to be clinically effective in the treatment of CRC.

Experimental study on the suppression of sodium nitroprussiate-induced chondrocyte apoptosis by Tougu Xiaotong Capsule (透骨消痛胶囊)-containing serum.

Objective: To study the mechanism of action of Tougu Xiaotong Capsule (透骨消痛胶囊, TGXTC) ex vivo in suppressing chondrocyte (CD) apoptosis induced by sodium nitroprussiate (SNP).

Methods: Thirty New Zealand rabbits, 2 months old, were randomized by lottery into five groups, six in each: the blank group treated with saline, the positive control group treated with Zhuanggu Guanjie Pill (壮骨关节丸, 70 mg/kg), and the three experimental groups, EGA, EGB, and EGC, treated with low dose (35 mg/kg), moderate dose (70 mg/kg), and high dose (140 mg/kg) of TGXTC, respectively. All treatments were administered via gastrogavage twice a day for 3 days.

[Effects of time factors on acupoint sticking therapy for preventing and treating bronchial asthma].

Objective: To observe the influence of time factors on acupoint sticking therapy for preventing and treating bronchial asthma.

Methods: Seventy-one cases were randomly divided into a dog days group (n= 30), a Sanjiu days group (n=21) and a daily days group (n=20). They were all treated with ginger moxibustion plus acupoint sticking of Chinese medicine at Dazhui (GV 14) and Feishu (BL 13) etc.

[Experimental study on the effects of inactivated and un-inactivated pharmaco-serum of diabetic rats fed with Chinese herbs Qianggubao decoction on the proliferation of osteoblast cultured in vitro].

Objective: To study the effect of inactivated and un-inactivated pharmaco-serum of diabetic rats fed with Chinese herbs Qianggubao decoction on the proliferation of osteoblast cells (OB)cultured in vitro.

Methods: OB was isolated from the skull of newly born SD rats aged 1 to 2 days by means of Trypsin-collagenase digestion and identified by image analysis under inverted microscope, V-G collagen staining, ALP staining, calcification nod staining etc. After the OB was identified, in activated and un-inactivated pharmaco-serum of diabetic rats fed with Qianggubao decoction of ferent phase (rats were fed with medicine 3 days or 5 days after last fed with medicine 1 hour or 3 hours) and concentration (5%, 10%, 20%) were added to the OB and incubated.

[Experimental study on the effects of pharmaco-serum of diabetic rats fed with Chinese herbs qianggubao decoction ([Chinese characters: see text]) on osteoblast culture in vitro].

Objective: To investigate the optimum phase and dose of pharmaco-serum of diabetic rats fed with Qianggubao decoction ([Chinese characters: see text]) on the differentiation and mineralization of osteoblast (OB). METHODS (OB) was isolated from the skull of 10 newly born SD rats aged 1 to 2 days by means of Trypsin-collagenase digestion. After the OB was identified, different kinds of pharmaco-serum of diabetic rats fed with inactive Qianggubao decoction ([Chinese characters: see text]) of different phase (rats were fed with medicine three days or five days after last fed with medicine one hour or three hours) and concentration (5%, 10%, 20%) were added to the OB and incubated.

[Protection of apoptosis of osteoblast cultured in vitro by Morinda Root Polysaccharide].

Objective: To explore the protection on apoptosis and the mechanism of promoting the cytoactive of osteoblast by Morinda Root Polysaccharide through the observations of the cultured osteoblast in vitro.

Methods: Prepared blood serum with Morinda Root Polysaccharide and Morinda Root aqueous extract and cultured Osteoblast in vitro with it. The second generation osteoblasts in vitro were separated from the cranium of 24-hours newborn SD rat, which were divided into control group (adding only rat serum during cultivation), induction apoptosis group (adding trans-retinoic acid in control group), Morinda Root aqueous extract group (adding serum prepared by Morinda Root aqueous extract in induction apoptosis group) and Morinda Root Polysaccharide group (adding serum prepared by Morinda Root Polysaccharide in induction apoptosis group).