Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification Reveal the Mechanism of the Hirudin in Suppressing Myocardial Hypertrophy.

Myocardial hypertrophy is a complex pathological process, which is a common manifestation during the development of various cardiovascular diseases. Hirudin has been shown to have therapeutic effects on a variety of cardiovascular diseases, however, its therapeutic effect on myocardial hypertrophy is still unknown, and its chemical and pharmacological characteristics remain to be elucidated. In this study, the network pharmacology method was used to characterize the mechanism of hirudin on myocardial hypertrophy.

Protective Effects and Mechanism of Radix Polygalae Against Neurological Diseases as Well as Effective Substance.

Radix Polygalae (also known as Yuanzhi in China) is the dried rhizome of Willd. or L., which is a famous Chinese herb and has been widely used for centuries in traditional medicines including expectorants, tonics, tranquilizers, antipsychotic, and so on.

Effects of Levistilide A on Hemorheology and Endothelial Cell Injury in Rats with Blood Stasis.

Background: Vascular endothelial cell injury is not only the initiating factor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases but also the essence of blood stasis. Levistilide A (LA), a natural component isolated from the traditional Chinese herb, Hort, has traditional effects on improving blood circulation and removing stasis. In this study, the effects and potential mechanisms of LA in the rat model of blood stasis and the mechanism in endothelial cell injury have been explored.

Multiple Effects Promoting the Thermoelectric Performance of SnTe by Alloying with CuSbTe and CuBiTe.

In a SnTe-based thermoelectric material, the naturally high hole concentration caused by cation vacancies and high total thermal conductivity seriously hinder its thermoelectric performance. A recent work shows that alloying SnTe with other compounds from the I-V-VI family (I = Ag, Na; V = Sb, Bi; VI = Te) can be considered an effective strategy to boost the figure of merit efficiently via the synergy of manipulating hole concentration and lowering lattice thermal conductivity. Herein, we present a markedly enhanced thermoelectric performance in p-type SnTe through CuPnTe (Pn = Sb, Bi) alloying.

Dammarane Sapogenins Improving Simulated Weightlessness-Induced Depressive-Like Behaviors and Cognitive Dysfunction in Rats.

Our studies demonstrated that the space environment has an impact on the brain function of astronauts. Numerous ground-based microgravity and social isolation showed that the space environment can induce brain function damages in humans and animals. Dammarane sapogenins (DS), an active fraction from oriental ginseng, possesses neuropsychic protective effects and has been shown to improve depression and memory.