Herbal medicines have been used to prevent and cure diseases in eastern countries for thousands of years. In recent decades, these phytotherapies are becoming more and more popular in the West. As being nature-derived is the essential attribute of herbal medicines, people believe that taking them for diseases treatment is safe enough and has no side-effects. However, the efficacy of herbal resourced compounds (HRC) depends on the multiple constituents absorbed in the body and their pharmacokinetics. Thus, many factors will influence the clinical practice of HRC, i.e., their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME). Among these factors, herb-drug interaction has been widely discussed, as these compounds may share the same drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters. Meanwhile there are many other potential factors that can also change the ADME of HRC, including herb pretreatment, herb-herb interactions, pathological status, gender, age of patient, and chemical and physical modification of certain ingredients. With the aim of ensuring the efficacy of HRC and minimizing their clinical risks, this review provides and discusses the influence factors and artificial improvement of the pharmacokinetics of HRC.
Phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) is a potent tumor suppressor that regulates several key cellular processes, including proliferation, survival, genomic integrity, migration, and invasion, via PI3K-dependent and independent mechanisms. A subtle decrease in PTEN levels or catalytic activity is implicated not only in cancer but also in a wide spectrum of other diseases, including various respiratory diseases. A systemic overview of the advances in the molecular and cellular mechanisms of PTEN involved in the initiation and progression of respiratory diseases may offer novel targets for the development of effective therapeutics for the treatment of respiratory diseases. In the present review, we highlight the novel findings emerging from current research on the role of PTEN expression and regulation in airway pathological conditions such as asthma/allergic airway inflammation, pulmonary hypertension (PAH), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and other acute lung injuries (ALI). Moreover, we discuss the clinical implications of PTEN alteration and recently suggested therapeutic possibilities for restoration of PTEN expression and function in respiratory diseases.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has high morbidity and mortality and presents a threat to human health worldwide. Numerous clinical trials have confirmed that Bufei Yishen formula (BYF), an herbal medicine, can alleviate the symptoms of COPD by reducing oxidative stress-mediated inflammation. However, the active components of BYF remain unclear. We developed an efficient ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography Q-Extractive Orbitrap mass spectrometry method to identify the composition of BYF and determine its antioxidant profile through an offline screening strategy based on 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH)-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In total, 189 compounds were identified in BYF extract, including 83 flavonoids, 24 lignans, 20 alkaloids, 15 saponins, 11 terpenoid, 10 saccharides, eight lipids, seven organic acids, two coumarins, two amino acids, and seven other compounds. Among them, 79 compounds were found to have a potential antioxidant activity. In vitro validation indicated that the free radical scavenging activities of rosmarinic acid and calycosin were similar to that of the positive control (DPPH IC50 = 25.72 ± 1.02 and 147.23 ± 25.12 μg/mL, respectively). Furthermore, calycosin had a high content in serum after the oral administration of BYF, indicating that calycosin might be the major antioxidant compound in BYF.
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