Unveiling the bidirectional role of MMP9: A key player in kidney injury.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a group of zinc-dependent proteolytic metalloenzymes that are involved in numerous pathological conditions, including nephropathy. MMP9, a member of the MMPs family, is categorized as a constituent of the gelatinase B subgroup, and its involvement in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and renal fibrosis highlights its importance in the development and progression of renal diseases. The exact role of MMP9 in the development of kidney diseases is still controversial.

Evidence construction of Chinese herbal formulae for the treatment of H. pylori positive peptic ulcer: A Bayesian network Meta-analysis.

Purpose: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) positive peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a highly prevalent digestive disease with serious consequences of poor prognosis without rational medical intervention. Apparent advantages of Chinese herbal formulae application in PUDs have been appreciated by clinical practitioners recently in China.

Therapeutic Opportunities of GPBAR1 in Cholestatic Diseases.

GPBAR1, a transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor for bile acids, is widely expressed in multiple tissues in humans and rodents. In recent years, GPBAR1 has been thought to play an important role in bile homeostasis, metabolism and inflammation. This review specifically focuses on the function of GPBAR1 in cholestatic liver disease and summarizes the various pathways through which GPBAR1 acts in cholestatic models.

Old dog, new tricks: Polydatin as a multitarget agent for current diseases.

Polydatin (PD) is a natural single-crystal product that is primarily extracted from the traditional plant Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. Early research showed that PD exhibited a variety of biological activities.

Comparative Evidence for Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy Treatment With Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) seriously threatens the health of pregnant women and newborns. A various number of Chinese prescriptions and patent medicines combined with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) are used for treating ICP in China. However, there are still many doubts in choosing the suitable therapeutic drugs for the treatment of ICP in clinical practice.

um (Lévl.) Hutch and Its Main Bioactive Components: Recent Advances in Pharmacological Activity, Pharmacokinetics and Potential Toxicity.

(Lévl.) Hutch (THH) is believed to play an important role in health care and disease treatment according to traditional Chinese medicine. Moreover, it is also the representative of medicine with both significant efficacy and potential toxicity.

Old wine in new bottles: Kaempferol is a promising agent for treating the trilogy of liver diseases.

As a source of various compounds, natural products have long been important and valuable for drug development. Kaempferol (KP) is the most common flavonol with bioactive activity and has been extracted from many edible plants and traditional Chinese medicines. It has a wide range of pharmacological effects on inflammation, oxidation, and tumour and virus regulation.

The emerging possibility of the use of geniposide in the treatment of cerebral diseases: a review.

With the advanced discoveries in the field of pathogenesis, a series of cerebral diseases, such as cerebral ischaemia, Alzheimer's disease, and depression, have been found to have multiple signalling targets in the microenvironment. Only a few existing agents have been shown to have curative effects due to this specific circumstance. In recent decades, active ingredients isolated from natural plants have been shown to be crucial for original drug development.

Flavonoids on diabetic nephropathy: advances and therapeutic opportunities.

With the advances in biomedical technologies, natural products have attracted substantial public attention in the area of drug discovery. Flavonoids are a class of active natural products with a wide range of pharmacological effects that are used for the treatment of several diseases, in particular chronic metabolic diseases. Diabetic nephropathy is a complication of diabetes with a particularly complicated pathological mechanism that affects at least 30% of diabetic patients and represents a great burden on public health.

l-Borneol ameliorates cerebral ischaemia by downregulating the mitochondrial calcium uniporter-induced apoptosis cascade in pMCAO rats.

Objectives: Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability and death worldwide, and ischaemic stroke is the most common subtype. Moreover, we found that L-borneol has an obvious therapeutic effect on cerebral ischaemia. This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanism of L-borneol in permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) rats via the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU)-related apoptosis cascade.

A Comprehensive Review of Natural Products against Liver Fibrosis: Flavonoids, Quinones, Lignans, Phenols, and Acids.

Liver fibrosis resulting from continuous long-term hepatic damage represents a heavy burden worldwide. Liver fibrosis is recognized as a complicated pathogenic mechanism with extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation and hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. A series of drugs demonstrate significant antifibrotic activity in vitro and in vivo.

A comprehensive review of natural products to fight liver fibrosis: Alkaloids, terpenoids, glycosides, coumarins and other compounds.

The discovery of drugs to treat liver fibrosis has long been a challenge over the past decades due to its complicated pathogenesis. As a primary approach for drug development, natural products account for 30% of clinical drugs used for disease treatment. Therefore, natural products are increasingly important for their medicinal value in liver fibrosis therapy.

Network pharmacology reveals the multiple mechanisms of Xiaochaihu decoction in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) is a chronic disease worldwide, which poses a huge threat to human health. Xiaochaihu decoction is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription. It has been proven effective in treating NAFLD but its mechanism is still unclear.

Metabolomics coupled with integrative pharmacology reveals the therapeutic effect of l-borneolum against cerebral ischaemia in rats.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate metabolic biomarker changes and related metabolic pathways before and after treatment with l-borneolum in cerebral ischaemic rats.

Methods: Rats were subjected to pMCAO surgery. The Zea-Longa scoring method was used to evaluate neurological deficits.

Paeoniflorin, a Natural Product With Multiple Targets in Liver Diseases-A Mini Review.

Paeoniflorin is derived from Andr., Pall., or Lynch and has been used in traditional medical applications for more than 2,000 years.

Natural products for the prevention and treatment of cholestasis: A review.

Cholestasis is a common manifestation of decreased bile flow in various liver diseases. It results in fibrosis and even cirrhosis without proper treatment. It is believed that a wide range of factors, including transporter dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammatory damage, and immune disruption, can cause cholestasis.