Neuraminidase 1 and its Inhibitors from Chinese Herbal Medicines: An Emerging Role for Cardiovascular Diseases

Author(s):  
Jun-Yuan Zhang ◽  
Qian-Qian Chen ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Lian-Wen Qi

Neuraminidase, also known as sialidase, is ubiquitous in animals and microorganisms. It is predominantly distributed in the cell membrane, cytoplasmic vesicles, and lysosomes. Neuraminidase generally recognizes the sialic acid glycosidic bonds at the ends of glycoproteins or glycolipids and enzymatically removes sialic acid. There are four types of neuraminidases, named as Neu1, Neu2, Neu3, and Neu4. Among them, Neu1 is the most abundant in mammals. Recent studies have revealed the involvement of Neu1 in several diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, and neurological disorders. In this review, we center the attention to the role of Neu1 in cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, ischemic myocardial injury, cerebrovascular disease, congenital heart disease, and pulmonary embolism. We also summarize inhibitors from Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) in inhibiting virus neuraminidase or human Neu1. Many Chinese herbs and Chinese herb preparations, such as Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Scutellariae Radix, Yupingfeng San, and Huanglian Jiedu Decoction, have neuraminidase inhibitory activity. We hope to highlight the emerging role of Neu1 in humans and potentially titillate interest for further studies in this area.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolei Zhao ◽  
Jingxiang Pang ◽  
Jialei Fu ◽  
Meina Yang ◽  
Eduard Van Wijk ◽  
...  

Ultraweak photon emission emitted by all living organisms has been confirmed to be a noninvasive indicator for their physiological and pathological characteristics. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of spontaneous photon emission (SPE) and the contents of specific active compounds of roots and flowers buds of several fresh Chinese herbal medicines (natural medicines) with different growth ages and varieties. The results revealed that the contents of specific active compounds from same species herbs with different growth ages and varieties were significantly different, and this difference could be reflected by their SPE. Because the contents of specific bioactive constituents in Chinese herbs are closely related to their quality and curative effect, the SPE measurement technique may contribute to the quality control of Chinese herbal medicine in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-83
Author(s):  
De-an Guo ◽  
Wenlong Wei ◽  
Changliang Yao ◽  
Jianqing Zhang ◽  
Qirui Bi

Abstract Among the vast resources of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbal species, only a handful of Chinese herbs are growing in frigid regions or extreme environment but they have a unique property. The most recognizable TCM herb falling in this category is Panax ginseng, which is widely considered the representative tonic herb with oceans of beneficial effects on human health. In this article, we will introduce several typical Chinese herbal medicines with beneficial effects aiming to arouse broader attention from the scientific community to expand the exploration and exploitation on this for their potential applications to meet the increasingly demanding medical needs.


Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 2303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Han ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Miao Wang ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Chunyu Wang ◽  
...  

Chinese herbal medicine has recently gained worldwide attention. The curative mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine is compared with that of western medicine at the molecular level. The treatment mechanism of most Chinese herbal medicines is still not clear. How do we integrate Chinese herbal medicine compounds with modern medicine? Chinese herbal medicine drug-like prediction method is particularly important. A growing number of Chinese herbal source compounds are now widely used as drug-like compound candidates. An important way for pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs is to discover potentially active compounds from related herbs in Chinese herbs. The methods for predicting the drug-like properties of Chinese herbal compounds include the virtual screening method, pharmacophore model method and machine learning method. In this paper, we focus on the prediction methods for the medicinal properties of Chinese herbal medicines. We analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the above three methods, and then introduce the specific steps of the virtual screening method. Finally, we present the prospect of the joint application of various methods.


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