As chemical analysis for quality control (QC) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula is difficult to guarantee the effectiveness, a bioassay method that combines QC with evaluation of therapeutic effects has been developed to assess the TCM quality. Here, we chose a thirteen-component TCM formula, Lianhua Qingwen capsule (LHQW), as a representative sample, to explore the pivotal biomarkers for a bioassay and to investigate close association between QC and pharmacological actions. Initially, our results showed that chemical fingerprinting could not effectively distinguish batches of LHQW. Pharmacological experiments indicated that LHQW could treat influenza A virus (H1N1) infection in the H1N1 mouse model, as claimed in clinical trials, by improving pathologic alterations and bodyweight loss, and decreasing virus replication, lung lesions and inflammation. Furthermore, by using serum metabolomics analysis, we identified two important metabolites, prostaglandin F 2a and arachidonic acid, and their metabolic pathway, arachidonic acid metabolism, as vital indicators of LHQW in treatment of influenza. Subsequently, macrophages transcriptomics highlighted the prominent role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) as the major rate-limiting enzyme in the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway. Finally, COX-2 was validated by in vivo gene expression and in vitro enzymatic activity with 43 batches of LHQW as a viable pharmacological biomarker for the

Currently, numerous liver injury cases related to a famous Chinese herb- Polygonum Multiflorum (Heshouwu in Chinese) have attracted great attention in many countries. Our previous work showed that Heshouwu-induced hepatotoxicity belonged to idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI). Unfortunately, the components and mechanisms attributed to IDILI of Heshouwu are difficult to determine and thus remain unknown. Attempts to explore puzzles, we prepared the chloroform (CH)-, ethyl acetate (EA)-, and residue (RE) extracts of Heshouwu to investigate IDILI constituents and underlying mechanisms, using biochemistry, histopathology, and metabolomics examinations. The results showed that co-treatment with non-toxic dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and EA extract could result in evident liver injury, indicated by the significant elevation of plasma alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities, as well as obvious liver histologic damage; whereas other two separated fractions, CH and RE extracts, failed to induce observable liver injury. Furthermore, 21 potential metabolomic biomarkers that differentially expressed in LPS/EA group compared with other groups without liver injury were identified by untargeted metabolomics, mainly involved two pathways: tricarboxylic acid cycle and sphingolipid metabolism. This work illustrated EA extract had close association with the idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity of Heshouwu and provided a metabolomic insight into IDILI of different extracts from Heshouwu.

For the treatment of diseases, especially chronic diseases, traditional natural drugs have more effective therapeutic advantages because of their multi-target and multi-channel characteristics. Among many traditional natural medicines, resins frankincense and myrrh have been proven to be effective in the treatment of inflammation and cancer. In the West, frankincense and myrrh have been used as incense in religious and cultural ceremonies since ancient times; in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, they are used mainly for the treatment of chronic diseases. The main chemical constituents of frankincense and myrrh are terpenoids and essential oils. Their common pharmacological effects are anti-inflammatory and anticancer. More interestingly, in traditional Chinese medicine, frankincense and myrrh have been combined as drug pairs in the same prescription for thousands of years, and their combination has a better therapeutic effect on diseases than a single drug. After the combination of frankincense and myrrh forms a blend, a series of changes take place in their chemical composition, such as the increase or decrease of the main active ingredients, the disappearance of native chemical components, and the emergence of new chemical components. At the same time, the pharmacological effects of the combination seem magically powerful, such as synergistic anti-inflammation, synergistic anticancer, synergistic analgesic, synergistic antibacterial, synergistic blood-activation, and so on. In this review, we summarize the latest research on the main chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of these two natural resins, along with chemical and pharmacological studies on the combination of the two.

Toxocariasis is a zoonotic disease that poses a threat to public health worldwide. In the present study, we investigated the seroprevalence of Toxocara infection among primary school children in Henan province, central China, which was previously unknown. Sera from 2451 primary school children were collected from September 2015 to October 2018, and evaluated for anti-Toxocara antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The overall seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was 5.14% (126/2451). The main risk factors related to Toxocara infection identified in this study were the age of children, residence area of children, contact with cats or dogs, and exposure to soil. Hand washing before eating was considered to be a protective factor. These findings demonstrate that Toxocara infection is relatively common among primary school children in Henan province.