Japanese traditional herbal medicine (Kampo) has its origins in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It was introduced to Japan in the middle of the sixth century and has evolved over the past 1,400 years after combining with Japan’s original folk remedies. While it retains some similarities to TCM, Kampo has evolved in Japan, resulting in a system of medicine that has many differences from TCM. Kampo medicine is considered to be very safe; in Japan, Kampo herbal formulas are manufactured by licensed pharmaceutical companies, prescribed by Western-trained medical doctors (usually as a freeze-dried extract), and have quality control standards similar to those of prescription drugs. The present study examined Yokukan-san (Yi-Gan San in TCM), a Kampo formula that has been used empirically in Japan for more than 400 years. Accumulating clinical trials have demonstrated Yokukan-san’s efficacy in treating patients with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, which has resulted in the Japanese Society of Neurology listing it in the Japanese Guidelines for the Management of Dementia 2010. Efficacy in other diseases and conditions, such as sleep disorders, tardive dyskinesia, aggression, and impulsivity has also been reported. This article reviews both clinical and basic studies of Yokukan-san, with the goal of clarifying its clinical indications.
Aristolochic acid (AA) causes interstitial renal fibrosis, called aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). There is no specific indicator for diagnosing AAN, so this study aimed to investigate the biomarkers for AAN using a proteomics method. The C3H/He female mice were given ad libitum AA-distilled water (0.5 mg/kg/day) and distilled water for 56 days in the AA and normal groups, respectively. The AA-induced proteins in the kidney were investigated using a proteomics study, including fluorogenic derivatization with 7-chloro-N-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4-sulfonamide, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with a MASCOT database searching system. There were two altered proteins, thrombospondin type 1 (TSP1) and G protein-coupled receptor 87 (GPR87), in the kidney of AA-group mice on day 56. GPR87, a tumorigenesis-related protein, is reported for the first time in the current study. The renal interstitial fibrosis was certainly induced in the AA-group mice under histological examination. Based on the results of histological examination and the proteomics study, this model might be applied to AAN studies in the future. TSP1 might be a novel biomarker for AAN, and the further role of GPR87 leading to AA-induced tumorigenesis should be researched in future studies.
Glossodynia is often refractory to conventional medicine, and there is only limited evidence to guide clinicians in its management. Patients with refractory glossodynia are often introduced to Japanese traditional herbal (Kampo) medicine experts under such circumstances because Kampo medicine has become known in Japan to be effective in treating a wide variety of symptoms refractory to conventional medicine. Herein, we report our single-institution 5-year experience treating patients with Kampo medicine for primary glossodynia that was refractory to conventional medicine. We found that 69.2% of patients reported a beneficial effect of Kampo medicine on glossodynia, and the average onset of improvement was 8.0 ± 7.7 weeks after starting Kampo treatment. The top two frequently used Kampo medicines for glossodynia were seinetsuhokito and mibakuekkito among high responders who showed a decrease of severity by 50% or more. The top four most overlapped herbs among effective Kampo medicines for glossodynia were Glycyrrhiza Root, Ginseng Root, Hoelen, and Atractylodes (lancea) Rhizome, which compose an essential Kampo prescription called shikunshito. Although more research is required to further clarify the effectiveness of Kampo medicine, it has valid efficacy even in cases of glossodynia that remain incurable by conventional treatments.
BackgroundFei-Liu-Ping (FLP) ointment is an oral prescription medication that has been widely applied to treat lung cancer patients in China. Regulation of the metastatic microenvironment is an important therapeutic approach for prevention and treatment of tumor recurrence and metastasis. The advantage of Traditional Chinese Medicine management of lung cancer lies in the prevention of recurrence and metastasis. Our previous study has demonstrated that FLP ointment could regulate lung inflammatory microenvironment in vitro. However, the effects of FLP on the tumor microenvironment in vivo are still poorly understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of FLP alone or in combination with celecoxib in the prevention of lung cancer progression by Cyclooxygenase (Cox)-2 mediated tumor inflammatory microenvironment in vivo.Methods120 Lewis lung carcinoma xenograft mice were divided equally into four groups: vehicle, FLP, celecoxib, and FLP plus celecoxib. The dynamic growth of the xenografted tumors was observed using an in vivo fluorescence imaging system. Mice were sacrificed on day 14, day 21, and day 28, and tumor specimens and lung tissues were harvested to detect the metastasis-associated protein expression.ResultsTumor inhibition rate was 15.4, 44.2, 47.4 % at day 14, 37.3, 34.7, 61.5 % at day 21, and 15.5, 10.3, 32.5 % at day 28 after treatment of FLP, celecoxib, and FLP plus celecoxib, respectively. Upon treatment of FLP and celecoxib together, lung metastasis rate was 30 % (8 metastatic nodules) lower than other groups. FLP inhibited Cox-2 expression in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, FLP inhibited N-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9, and Vimentin expression. Treatment of FLP in combination with celecoxib was more effective than FLP or celecoxib alone in inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor receptors β, microsomal Prostaglandin E synthase-1, MMP-2, MMP-9, N-cadherin, and Vimentin expression, but increased E-cadherin expression.ConclusionsFLP inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in a Lewis lung xenograft mice model through the Cox-2 pathway. FLP in combination with celecoxib enhanced the antitumor growth and anti-metastasis effects. Traditional Chinese herbs combined with anti-inflammatory drugs might offer a promising strategy to prevent tumor metastasis.
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