The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Liver diseases and their related complications endanger the health of millions of people worldwide. The prevention and treatment of liver diseases are still serious challenges both in China and globally. With the improvement of living standards, the prevalence of metabolic liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic liver disease, has increased at an alarming rate, resulting in more cases of end-stage liver disease. ⋯ Glycyrrhizin (GL), a triterpene glycoside from the roots of licorice plants, possesses a wide range of pharmacological and biological activities. Currently, GL preparations (GLPs) have certain advantages in the treatment of liver diseases, with good clinical effects and fewer adverse reactions, and have shown broad application prospects through multitargeting therapeutic mechanisms, including antisteatotic, anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, antifibrotic, anticancer, and drug interaction activities. This review summarizes the currently known biological activities of GLPs and their medical applications in the treatment of liver diseases, and highlights the potential of these preparations as promising therapeutic options and their alluring prospects for the treatment of liver diseases.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has achieved high clinical efficacy in treating malignancies in recent years and is thus gradually becoming an important therapy for patients with advanced tumor for its benefits in reducing side effects and improving patients' immune status. However, it has not been internationally recognized for cancer treatment because TCM's anti-tumor mechanism is not fully elucidated, limiting its clinical application and international promotion. This review traced the mechanism of the TCM-mediated tumor cell death pathway and its effect on remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment, its direct impact on the microenvironment, its anti-tumor effect in combination with immunotherapy, and the current status of clinical application of TCM on tumor treatment. ⋯ It was concluded that TCM could induce a pan-tumor death modality, remodeling the local TIME differently. It can also improve the systemic immune status of tumor-bearing hosts. This review aims to establish a theoretical basis for the clinical application of TCM in tumor treatment and to provide a reference for TCM's potential in combination with immunotherapy in cancer treatment.
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder without a definitive cure. Oriental exercises (OEs) have emerged as a complementary and alternative therapy for PD, but their efficacy in ameliorating non-motor symptoms (NMS) and quality of life (QOL) remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis actively investigated the efficacy of OEs in addressing NMS and enhancing QOL and sought to offer recommendations for optimal OE regimens for PD patients. ⋯ Specifically, significant improvements were observed in several outcome measures: Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ) [MD: [Formula: see text]3.67, 95% CI: [Formula: see text]5.72-[Formula: see text]1.63, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]%], Parkinson's Disease Non-Motor Symptom Questionnaire (NMSQ) [MD: [Formula: see text]2.34, 95% CI: [Formula: see text]4.67-[Formula: see text]0.01, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]%], Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) [MD: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.46-2.03, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]%], Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) [MD: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.49-1.24, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]%], Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) [MD: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.16-1.81, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]%], Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) [MD: [Formula: see text]4.27, 95% CI: [Formula: see text]6.85-[Formula: see text]1.69, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]%], Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) [MD: [Formula: see text]0.24, 95% CI: [Formula: see text]0.32-[Formula: see text]0.16, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]%], and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) [MD: [Formula: see text]0.37, 95% CI: [Formula: see text]0.48-[Formula: see text]0.25, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]%]. Our findings provide compelling evidence for the potential benefits of OEs in managing NMS and improving QOL in PD patients. To optimize outcomes, we recommend customizing OE regimens based on individual clinical phenotypes, and to validate these results we emphasize the need for rigorous, large-scale studies.
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Chronic respiratory diseases are long-term conditions affecting the airways and other lung components that are characterized by a high prevalence, disability rate, and mortality rate. Further optimization of their treatment is required. Natural products, primarily extracted from organisms, possess specific molecular and structural formulas as well as distinct chemical and physical properties. ⋯ Simultaneously, we elaborate on the signal transduction pathways and biological impacts of natural products' targeting. Additionally, we present future prospects for natural products, considering their combination treatment approaches and administration methods. The significance of this review extends to both the research on preventing and treating chronic respiratory diseases, as well as the advancement of novel drug development in this field.
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Review
Natural Products in the Modulation of Farnesoid X Receptor Against Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global health concern with a high prevalence and increasing economic burden, but official medicine remains unavailable. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a nuclear receptor member, is one of the most promising drug targets for NAFLD therapy that plays a crucial role in modulating bile acid, glucose, and lipid homeostasis, as well as inhibits hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. ⋯ The anti-NAFLD mechanisms seem to act as FXR agonists and antagonists or are involved in the FXR signaling pathway activation, indicating a promising target of FXR therapeutic prospects using natural products. This review discusses the effective mechanisms of FXR in NAFLD alleviation, and summarizes currently available natural products such as silymarin, glycyrrhizin, cycloastragenol, berberine, and gypenosides, for targeting FXR, which can facilitate development of naturally targeted drug by medicinal specialists for effective treatment of NAFLD.