There are many medicinal plants around us in nature. Many of them have been discovered by humans, and have brought great medical value. Today I will introduce two of these plants.
Tangeretin, also known as Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, is the dried and ripe peel of Citrus reticulata and its cultivar. The main medicinal ingredients are flavonoids (Tangerine, tangerine polymethoxyflavone and Nobiletin), Essential oils, and alkaloids. Studies have shown that Tangeretin has been reviewed for its pharmacological effects from the aspects of digestive system, cardiovascular system, and respiratory system. Research shows by Zhou Xianmei that the volatile oil of Tangeretin has an intervention effect on pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin in rats, through regulating the oxidation and antioxidant imbalance, reducing the expression of CTGF protein and its mRNA, and reducing collagen deposition to reduce fiber. Tangeretin fiber has a good adsorption effect on nitrite and effectively reduces the risk of nitrite poisoning, which can detoxify patients with early nitrite poisoning. Japanese scholars have confirmed that naturally occurring flavonoids, such as hesperidin, chrysanthetin, etc., can prevent the occurrence of colon cancer induced by chemical agents in animal experiments.
Another traditional Chinese medicine with tonic benefits is Icariin. Epimedium is first published in “Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic”, also known as “Immortal Spleen”. It has the effects of nourishing liver and kidney, strengthening bones, relieving rheumatism and replenishing essence, and can also be used for kidney yang deficiency, impotence nocturnal emission, rheumatism Pain, soft bones and numbness. The source of the medicinal material is the dried leaves of the epimedium plant Epimedium, Epimedium sagittatum, Epimedium pilosa or Epimedium korea. So far, more than 260 monomer compounds have been isolated and identified in Epimedium, and the content of Icariin is the highest. Studies in recent years have shown that icariin has antitumor effects. Modern immunopharmacological studies have shown that icariin has a significant regulatory effect on the body’s immune system and can increase the immune level of immunocompromised mice induced by the test. The mechanism may be that icariin can increase the absolute value of spleen cells in the spleen. The number and relative number can increase the number of immune cells in the body and stimulate the proliferation of bone marrow nucleated cells. In addition, icariin can participate in anti-osteoporosis, osteogenesis regulation, anti-osteoclasts, cartilage, angiogenesis and anti-inflammatory through multiple signaling pathways. Microscopic studies of the mechanism of pharmacological action indicate that icariin can protect the cardiovascular system by inhibiting apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress, and can exert anti-atherosclerotic effects by promoting the apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells. Icariin not only promotes osteoblast maturation, but also promotes embryo development through anti-apoptosis of miRNA-21, and is used to treat sexual dysfunction, improve erectile dysfunction caused by diabetes and other complications, and can enhance Radiosensitivity.
Chinese herbal medicine has a long history, and it has formed a unique theoretical system since ancient times.
Steps and stages of new drug development
The research on innovative drugs is a complex research system, which involves high-tech and interdisciplinary knowledge in chemistry, biology, and computational information science. The research process is mainly divided into two parts: new drug discovery and new drug development.
A brief guide to the control and treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD)
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) refers to kidney damage caused by chronic hyperglycemia. Clinically, it is mainly characterized by continuous albuminuria and/or reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR). According to reports, about 20% to 40% of diabetic patients worldwide have DKD, and the prevalence of DKD is on the rise. What’s worse, the current situation of DKD prevention and control has encountered a bottleneck as the treatment rate of DKD patients is not high: only 50.8% of patients with albuminuria and 49.0% of CKD patients received ACEI/ARB treatment.
Remdesivir is effective in preventing and treating primate coronavirus pneumonia
Earlier this February, the news that Gilead's drug remdesivir, which is under study, has cured patients with coronavirus spread across the country. In a short time, Remdesivir, an antiviral drug targeting Ebola, became “People's Hope”. Currently, Phase III clinical trials of Remdesivir in treating Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are still underway, which draw the wide attention of the public.
