PMID: 

Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 Aug ;92:215-228. Epub 2017 May 22. PMID: 28544935

Abstract Title: 

Liquiritin (LT) exhibits suppressive effects against the growth of human cervical cancer cells through activating Caspase-3 in vitro and xenograft mice in vivo.

Abstract: 

Cervical cancer is one of the most common female malignancies worldwide. Liquiritin (LT), a major constituent of Glycyrrhiza Radix, possesses a variety of pharmacological activities, including anti-cancer, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and neuro-protective effects. However, its role in human cervical cancer remains to be elusive. In our study, we found that LT suppressed cervical cancer cell migration, invasion and cloning ability with little cytotoxicity to human normal cells. In addition, apoptosis was induced by LT in cervical cancer cells through activation of Caspase-3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage. LT-triggered apoptosis was dependent on extrinsic and intrinsic pathways, which were relied on Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD)- and Bcl-2/Bax-regulated pathways, leading to Caspase-8 and Caspase-9 cleavage, respectively. LT was found to increase FADD expression, while reduce Bcl-2 expression, contributing to Caspase-3 cleavage. And tumor suppressors, p21 and p53, were enhanced after LT treatment, inhibiting the growth of cervical cancer cells in vitro. Significantly, in vivo study suggested that tumor growth was impeded by LT in a dose-dependent manner through enhancing apoptosis. Together, the data here revealed that LT was an effective and promising candidate for preventing human cervical cancer progression via apoptosis enhancement.

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PMID: 

Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 Sep ;93:948-960. Epub 2017 Jul 14. PMID: 28715876

Abstract Title: 

Combining TRAIL and liquiritin exerts synergistic effects against human gastric cancer cells and xenograft in nude mice through potentiating apoptosis and ROS generation.

Abstract: 

Gastric cancer is one of the most factors, leading to cancer-related death worldwide. However, the therapies to prevent gastric cancer are still limited and the emergence of drug resistance leads to development of new anti-cancer drugs and combinational chemotherapy regimens. Our study was aimed to explore the anti-gastric cancer effects of liquiritin (LIQ), a major constituent of Glycyrrhiza Radix, which possesses a variety of pharmacological activities. The tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) preferentially inhibited tumor cells over other normal cells, when used in alone or in combination. The results indicated that LIQ, when applied in single, was moderately effective to suppress proliferation, and migration, as well as to induce apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of human gastric cancer cell lines, AGS and SNU-216, which are TRAIL-resistant. Significantly, when used in combination, the two drugs functioned synergistically to impede the progression and growth of human gastric cancer cells in vitro and gastric cancer cell xenograft nude mice in vivo. Both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis were induced by the two in combination via activating Caspases. And c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity was dramatically induced by TRAIL/LIQ. Importantly, TRAIL/LIQ-triggered apoptosis and JNK were dependent on ROS production. The data indicated that application of TRAIL/LIQ in combination had a potential value for clinical use to synergistically prevent human gastric cancer development.

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PMID: 

Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2003 Aug ;23(8):572-4. PMID: 14503052

Abstract Title: 

[Clinical observation on treatment of 40 SARS uncertain patients with integrative traditional Chinese and Western medicine].

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinic symptom improving time in uncertain SARS patients and the therapeutic effect of integrative Chinese and western medicine (ICWM) in treating SARS.METHODS: The clinic symptoms, chest film and tongue figure of 40 uncertain SARS patients treated with ICWM were observed and T-lymphocyte subsets, serum coronavirus nucleic acid and antibody in 20 patients were tested dynamically.RESULTS: All the symptoms, such as fever, sweating, fatigue, cough without phlegm, etc. were obviously improved after treatment. Lung shadow in chest film began to be absorbed 4.54 +/- 2.85 days, and obviously absorbed 7.74 +/- 4.68 days after treatment. CD3, CD4 and CD8 in 20 patients, which were lower than the normal range when hospitalization, began to increase 3 days later and gradually recovered to the normal in 6-10 days. Serum coronavirus nucleic acid was positive in 3 patients, coronavirus antibody positive in two and both were positive in one.CONCLUSION: ICWM can improve the symptoms and regulate the immune function in uncertain SARS patients.

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PMID: 

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2003 Jun ;28(6):481-3. PMID: 15015319

Abstract Title: 

[Some research clues on Chinese herbal medicine for SARS prevention and treatment].

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVE: To provide some research clues from Chinese herbal medicine for SARS prevention and treatment.METHOD: According to the experience and information, to select several perspective candidates from anti-SARS effective TCM prescriptions and drugs.RESULT: A list of Chinese herbal medicine and more than 14 botanical taxa could be served for further anti-SARS investigation.CONCLUSION: This investigation indicated that Chinese herbal medicine will be an important source for ant-SARS new drug searching.

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PMID: 

J Comput Chem. 2005 Apr 15 ;26(5):484-90. PMID: 15693056

Abstract Title: 

SARS-CoV protease inhibitors design using virtual screening method from natural products libraries.

Abstract: 

Two natural products databases, the marine natural products database (MNPD) and the traditional Chinese medicines database (TCMD), were used to find novel structures of potent SARS-CoV protease inhibitors through virtual screening. Before the procedure, the databases were filtered by Lipinski's ROF and Xu's extension rules. The results were analyzed by statistic methods to eliminate the bias in target-based database screening toward higher molecular weight compounds for enhancing the hit rate. Eighteen lead compounds were recommended by the screening procedure. They were useful for experimental scientists in prioritizing drug candidates and studying the interaction mechanism. The binding mechanism was also analyzed between the best screening compound and the SARS protein.

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PMID: 

Antiviral Res. 2005 Jul ;67(1):18-23. PMID: 15885816

Abstract Title: 

Identification of natural compounds with antiviral activities against SARS-associated coronavirus.

Abstract: 

More than 200 Chinese medicinal herb extracts were screened for antiviral activities against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium inner salt (MTS) assay for virus-induced cytopathic effect (CPE). Four of these extracts showed moderate to potent antiviral activities against SARS-CoV with 50% effective concentration (EC50) ranging from 2.4 +/- 0.2 to 88.2 +/- 7.7 microg/ml. Out of the four, Lycoris radiata was most potent. To identify the active component, L. radiata extract was subjected to further fractionation, purification, and CPE/MTS assays. This process led to the identification of a single substance lycorine as an anti-SARS-CoV component with an EC50 value of 15.7 +/- 1.2 nM. This compound has a CC50 value of 14980.0 +/- 912.0 nM in cytotoxicity assay and a selective index (SI) greater than 900. The results suggested that four herbal extracts and the compound lycorine are candidates for the development of new anti-SARS-CoV drugs in the treatment of SARS.

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PMID: 

Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 Nov ;95:186-198. Epub 2017 Sep 12. PMID: 28843150

Abstract Title: 

Neuroprotective effect of liquiritin against neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve in mice.

Abstract: 

Managing of neuropathic pain remains clinically challenging because the existing pharmacotherapies are either ineffective or non-specific. Therefore, developing novel alternatives is essential for better treatment. Liquiritin is an active component extracted from Glycyrrhizae radix and has potential neuroprotective action. This study aimed to investigate the protective efficacy of liquiritin on chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain in mice. Liquiritin (30, 60, and 120mg/kg) and pregabalin (40mg/kg) were administered intragastrically for 7 consecutive days starting on the 8th day post-surgery. Behavioral parameters and sciatic functional index were assessed on days 0, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 14. Electrophysiological and histopathological changes were analyzed on the 14th day. Immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to evaluate the expression of glial cells and the protein levels of inflammatory cytokines in the spinal cord, respectively. Results showed that liquiritin dose-dependently reduced hyperalgesia and allodynia and increased the sciatic functional index and motor nerve conduction velocities. Moreover, liquiritin restored the injured axon and myelin sheath, inhibited the activation of astrocyte and microglia, down-regulated the pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL-6, and IL-1β), and simultaneously up-regulated the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Our study revealed that liquiritin exerted a neuroprotective effect on CCI-induced neuropathic pain, which might be attributed to its direct protective effect on damaged nerves and its anti-inflammatory activity at the level of the spinal cord. Therefore, liquiritin shows promise as a compound for the development of novel analgesic agents that can be used to effectively treat intractable neuropathic pain.

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PMID: 

J Altern Complement Med. 2006 Jul-Aug;12(6):505-6. PMID: 16884338

Abstract Title: 

Can herbal medicine assist against avian flu? Learning from the experience of using supplementary treatment with Chinese medicine on SARS or SARS-like infectious disease in 2003.

Abstract: 

[n/a]

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PMID: 

Am J Chin Med. 2006 ;34(6):937-47. PMID: 17163583

Abstract Title: 

Symptom combinations associated with outcome and therapeutic effects in a cohort of cases with SARS.

Abstract: 

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an infectious disease and some of its symptoms were clinically indistinguishable of those from similar diseases. This study aimed to find the symptom combinations associated with adverse outcome and the therapeutic effects in a cohort of patients with probable SARS retrospectively. In 2003, 123 SARS cases in Beijing were subjected to a strictly western medicine (WM) treatment, or a combined treatment (WM plus Herba houttuyniae injection, addition of individualized herbal treatments when necessary), of which 115 were followed till death or discharge; 8 were transferred and lost to follow-up. In both treatment groups, clinical manifestations were evaluated daily; development of signs and symptoms, and their possible relationship with outcome, were assessed. The relationships between these sign/symptom complexes and outcome under two treatment protocols were evaluated and differences were noted. Dynamic symptom combinations, dividing into the early, the medium-term and the durational symptom clusters, were identified as likely being related to the adverse outcomes of SARS (p

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PMID: 

Nutrients. 2019 Dec 6 ;11(12). Epub 2019 Dec 6. PMID: 31817748

Abstract Title: 

The Association between Coffee Consumption Pattern and Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Adults.

Abstract: 

The inconsistent results of epidemiologic studies suggest that the health effects of coffee vary depending on coffee consumption pattern, such as the type and amount of coffee intake. This study investigated the association between coffee consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean adults. In total, coffee consumption patterns in 14,132 participants were assessed based on two-day, 24-h recall data. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between the type and daily servings of coffee and the prevalence of MetS. In women, the prevalence of MetS (odds ratio (OR) 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.70, 0.96), elevated triglycerides (0.85; 0.75, 0.97), and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (HDL-C; 0.74; 0.66, 0.83) in-in-1 coffee consumers, as well as the prevalence of increased waist circumference (0.81; 0.68, 0.98) and reduced HDL-C (0.68; 0.59, 0.80) in black coffee consumers, were significantly lower compared to non-coffee consumers. Also, the inverse associations between total coffee intake, black coffee intake, and-in-1 coffee intake with MetS or components of MetS were more significant in individuals who consumed>1 versus≤1 serving/day. In conclusion, coffee consumption (regardless of type) was associated with a reduced prevalence of MetS and its components in Korean women.

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