Electroacupuncture Delays Cartilage Degeneration by Modulating Nuclear Factor-κB Signaling Pathway.

Objective: To illustrate the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Twenty-seven six-month-old New Zealand white rabbits were allocated into three groups in accordance with a random number table: normal group (no surgery-induced OA; without treatment), model group (surgery-induced OA; without treatment) and EA group [surgery-induced OA; received treatment with EA at acupoints Dubi (ST 35) and Neixiyan (EX-LE 5), 30 min twice a day]. After eight consecutive weeks of treatment, the histopathological alterations in cartilage were observed using optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, cartilage degeneration was evaluated by modified Mankin's score principles, the synovial fluid concentration of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the protein expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MMP-3, IκB kinase-β (IKK-β), nuclear factor of α light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor α (IκB-α) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 were quantified by Western blot analysis.

Tackling Osteoarthritic Knee Pain with Electroacupuncture.

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been widely used in pain relief. Clinical evidence has revealed its unique advantages and effectiveness in alleviating pain. Studies on EA and pain relief have revealed that EA displays greater analgesic effects for different types of pain in comparison to manual acupuncture.

[Perspective on the Development of Integrative Medicine Based on the Paradigm Theory: On the Connotation and Extension of Integrative Medicine].

Integrative medicine (IM) has made great progress after more than half a century practice. However, many issues are yet to be in-depth explored. How to define clinical connotation and extension of IM, how to define feasible methods and means for diagnosis and treatment of IM, how to train more skilled talents of IM, how to elevate clinical efficacy of IM, these are all topics in need of further study.

Diagnosis and management of knee osteoarthritis: Chinese medicine expert consensus (2015).

Literature review shows that Chinese medicine and other related treatment are still the main stream treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Currently, there is short of handbook guiding Chinese medicine from evidence-based medical evidence, so it is a top priority to develop a clinical guideline from the expert consensus. After several rounds of discussion during the conference and examination by letter, which has collected opinions from nearly one hundred experts, consensus was reached.

Deciphering the underlying mechanisms of Diesun Miaofang in traumatic injury from a systems pharmacology perspective.

Diesun Miaofang (DSMF) is a traditional herbal formula, which has been reported to activate blood, remove stasis, promote qi circulation and relieve pain. DSMF holds a great promise for the treatment of traumatic injury in an integrative and holistic manner. However, its underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated.

Understanding the polypharmacological anticancer effects of Xiao Chai Hu Tang via a computational pharmacological model.

Xiao Chai Hu Tang (XCHT), a traditional herbal formula, is widely administered as a cancer treatment. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of its anticancer effects are not fully understood. In the present study, a computational pharmacological model that combined chemical space mapping, molecular docking and network analysis was employed to predict which chemical compounds in XCHT are potential inhibitors of cancer-associated targets, and to establish a compound-target (C-T) network and compound-compound (C-C) association network.

[Comparative research on computer simulation of two different therapeutic principles and formulae for osteoarthritis].

Objective: To compare the effect of reinforcing Shen method (RSM) and activating blood method (ABM) in treating osteoarthritis (OA) at the molecular level.

Methods: The physical and chemical characteristics of components from respective recipes of RSM and ABM, and network features of component-target interaction network were analyzed by computer simulation methods including chemical space, molecular docking, and biological network, etc.

Results: The chemical components of RSM and ABM were scarcely scattered with larger overlapping.

[Effect of water extracts from duhuo jisheng decoction on expression of chondrocyte G1 phase regulator mRNA].

Objective: To investigate the effect of water extracts from Duhuo Jisheng decoction on chondrocyte G1 phase.

Methods: Chondrocytes were collected from four-week-old SD rats to establish the chondrocyte in vitro culture system. The third generation of chondrocytes was intervened.

In silico search for multi-target therapies for osteoarthritis based on 10 common Huoxue Huayu herbs and potential applications to other diseases.

Huoxue Huayu (HXHY) has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a key therapeutic principle for osteoarthritis (OA), and related herbs have been widely prescribed to treat OA in the clinic. The aims of the present study were to explore a multi-target therapy for OA using 10 common HXHY herbs and to investigate their potential applications for treatment of other diseases. A novel computational simulation approach that integrates chemical structure, ligand clusters, chemical space and drug‑likeness evaluations, as well as docking and network analysis, was used to investigate the properties and effects of the herbs.

Computational pharmacological comparison of and used in the therapy of cardiovascular diseases.

The herb pair comprising (SM) and (PN) has been used as a classical formula for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in China and in western countries. However, the pharmacology of SM and PN in this herb pair has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to compare the mechanisms of SM and PN at the molecular level for the treatment of CVDs.

Network pharmacology-based prediction of the multi-target capabilities of the compounds in Taohong Siwu decoction, and their application in osteoarthritis.

Taohong Siwu decoction (THSWD), a formulation prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been widely used in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). TCM has the potential to prevent diseases, such as OA, in an integrative and holistic manner. However, the system-level characterization of the drug-target interactions of THSWD has not been elucidated.

Computational approaches for exploring the potential synergy and polypharmacology of Duhuo Jisheng Decoction in the therapy of osteoarthritis.

The Duhuo Jisheng Decoction (DHJSD), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been widely used to treat osteoarthritis (OA). However, the mechanisms of action of the DHJSD have not been clearly elucidated. In the present study, the compounds in the DHJSD were characterized by three computational methods; the ligand clustering, chemical space distribution and network construction and analysis methods.

Potential synergistic and multitarget effect of herbal pair Chuanxiong Rhizome-Paeonia Albifora Pall on osteoarthritis disease: a computational pharmacology approach.

Objective: To study the polypharmacological mechanism of herbal pair Chuanxiong Rhizome-Paeonia Albifora Pall (HP CXR-PAP) on the treatment for osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Chemical space was used to discuss the similarities and differences between the molecule sets of HP CXR-PAP and drugs. Docking protocol was used to study the interaction between HP CXR-PAP and OA target enzymes.

Pien Tze Huang induced apoptosis in human colon cancer HT-29 cells is associated with regulation of the Bcl-2 family and activation of caspase 3.

Objective: To investigate the cellular effects of Pien Tze Huang (PZH) in the HT-29 human colon carcinoma cell line.

Methods: The viability of HT-29 cells was determined by MTT assay. A fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis with annexin-V/propidium iodide (PI) and JC-1 staining were performed to determine cell apoptosis and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, respectively.

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.

Clinical study on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis of Shen-Sui insufficiency syndrome type by electroacupuncture.

Objective: To study the clinical effificacy of electroacupuncture (EA) on treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA) of Shen ()-Sui () insuffificiency (SSI) syndrome type.

Methods: A total of 245 patients (279 knees) of KOA-SSI were randomly assigned to two groups by lottery: 141 knees in the treatment group and 138 knees in the control group. The treatment group was managed with EA at the dominant points of Neixiyan (Ex-LE4) and Waixiyan (Ex-LE5) as well as the conjugate points of Xuanzhong (GB39) and Taixi (KI3) for 30 min, once a day, with 15 days as one course; 2 courses were applied with a 5-day interval in between.

Clinical observation on curative effect of dissolving phlegm-stasis on 50 cases of knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To observe the curative effect of dissolving phlegm-stasis on knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: The 100 patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly divided into two groups. The 50 patients in the treatment group orally took Chinese medicine while the other 50 patients in the control groups orally took Votalin and Vitamin C for one week as a course of treatment.

[Effect of OA kneepad on apoptosis genes Bcl-2 and p53 expression in articular cartilage cells of experimental knee osteoarthritis].

Objective: To study the effects of kneepad on expression of Bcl-2 and p53 mRNA of chondrocyte in white rabbits with knee osteoarthritis, so as to explore and treatment mechanism of OA kneepad on apoptosis of chondrocytes of rabbits with knee osteoarthritis in molecular degree.

Methods: Forty-four Japanese healthy 6-month-old rabbits (equal male and female,the weight ranging from 2 to 2.2 kg) were used to establish knee osteoarthritis models by modified Hulth method.

Computational pharmacology study of tougu xiaotong granule in preventing and treating knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To study the pharmacological properties of Tougu Xiaotong Granule (TGXTG) in preventing and treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA) at the molecular level.

Methods: The computational methods, including principal component analysis, molecular docking, target-ligand space distribution, and the predictions of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET), were introduced to characterize the molecules in TGXTG.

Results: The structural properties of molecules in TGXTG were more: diverse than those of the drug/drug-like molecules, and TGXTG could interact with significant target enzymes related to KOA.

Experimental study of millimeter wave-induced differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into chondrocytes.

Low power millimeter wave irradiation is widely used in clinical medicine. We describe the effects of this treatment on cultured mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and attempted to identify the underlying mechanism. Cells cultured using the whole marrow attachment culture method proliferated dispersedly or in clones.

[Research on mechanism of Tougu Xiaotong Granule in preventing and treating knee osteoarthritis].

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of Tougu Xiaotong Granula (TXG) on prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Fifty New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 6 groups. Except those in the normal control group, all the rabbits were replicated into knee osteoarthritis model using modified Hulth method.

[Experimental study on replicating knee osteoarthritis by modified Hulth's modeling method].

Objective: To explore the method of replicating experimental animal model of knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Knee osteoarthritis was replicated by modified Hulth's modeling method. X-ray photographic and transmission electron microscopic examination, test of the joint synovial fluid of the modeled joint were performed, and serum contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) in blood were measured.