scholarly journals Hepatocardiac or Cardiohepatic Interaction: From Traditional Chinese Medicine to Western Medicine

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Yaxing Zhang ◽  
Xian-Ming Fang

There is a close relationship between the liver and heart based on “zang-xiang theory,” “five-element theory,” and “five-zang/five-viscus/five-organ correlation theory” in the theoretical system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Moreover, with the development of molecular biology, genetics, immunology, and others, the Modern Medicine indicates the existence of the essential interorgan communication between the liver and heart (the heart and liver). Anatomically and physiologically, the liver and heart are connected with each other primarily via “blood circulation.” Pathologically, liver diseases can affect the heart; for example, patients with end-stage liver disease (liver failure/cirrhosis) may develop into “cirrhotic cardiomyopathy,” and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may promote the development of cardiovascular diseases via multiple molecular mechanisms. In contrast, heart diseases can affect the liver, heart failure may lead to cardiogenic hypoxic hepatitis and cardiac cirrhosis, and atrial fibrillation (AF) markedly alters the hepatic gene expression profile and induces AF-related hypercoagulation. The heart can also influence liver metabolism via certain nonsecretory cardiac gene-mediated multiple signals. Moreover, organokines are essential mediators of organ crosstalk, e.g., cardiomyokines link the heart to the liver, while hepatokines link the liver to the heart. Therefore, both TCM and Western Medicine, and both the basic research studies and the clinical practices, all indicate that there exist essential “heart-liver axes” and “liver-heart axes.” To investigate the organ interactions between the liver and heart (the heart and liver) will help us broaden and deepen our understanding of the pathogenesis of both liver and heart diseases, thus improving the strategies of prevention and treatment in the future.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Ma ◽  
Cheng Wang ◽  
Yafang Zhang ◽  
Honglin Zhou ◽  
Yunxia Li

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a kind of metabolic stress-induced liver injury closely related to insulin resistance and genetic susceptibility, and there is no specific drug for its clinical treatment currently. In recent years, a large amount of literature has reported that many natural compounds extracted from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can improve NAFLD through various mechanisms. According to the latest reports, some emerging natural compounds have shown great potential to improve NAFLD but are seldom used clinically due to the lacking special research. Purpose: This paper aims to summarize the molecular mechanisms of the potential natural compounds on improving NAFLD, thus providing a direction and basis for further research on the pathogenesis of NAFLD and the development of effective drugs for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. Methods: By searching various online databases, such as Web of Science, SciFinder, PubMed, and CNKI, NAFLD and these natural compounds were used as the keywords for detailed literature retrieval. Results: The pathogenesis of NAFLD and the molecular mechanisms of the potential natural compounds on improving NAFLD have been reviewed. Conclusion: Many natural compounds from traditional Chinese medicine have a good prospect in the treatment of NAFLD, which can serve as a direction for the development of anti-NAFLD drugs in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianmin Dai ◽  
Jiayi Feng ◽  
Yi Chen ◽  
Si Huang ◽  
Xiaofei Shi ◽  
...  

AbstractNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the world's largest chronic liver disease, while there is still no specific drug to treat NAFLD. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have been widely used in hepatic diseases for centuries in Asia, and TCM’s holistic concept and differentiation treatment of NAFLD show their advantages in the treatment of this complex metabolic disease. However, the multi-compounds and multi-targets are big obstacle for the study of TCM. Here, we summarize the pharmacological actions of active ingredients from frequently used single herbs in TCM compounds. The combined mechanism of herbs in TCM compounds are further discussed to explore their comprehensive effects on NAFLD. This article aims to summarize multiple functions and find the common ground for TCM treatment on NAFLD, thus providing enrichment to the scientific connotation of TCM theories and promotes the exploration of TCM therapies on NAFLD.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Li ◽  
Lihua Lu ◽  
Zhong-yan Tang ◽  
Zhengxiang Xia

Abstract Background Gardeniae Fructus (GF), a traditional Chinese medicine in clinic for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the mechanisms of action of GF was still margin. To explore the efficacy and mechanism of action of GF for the treatment of NAFLD, we proposed a strategy combined in vivo efficacy verification, network pharmacology analysis, molecular docking, and validity assay of target protein. Methods Firstly, an animal model induced by the high fat diet feed was established, then orally administrated with GF, the mRNA expression levels of lipogenesis was performed by RT-PCR, the liver tissue specimens were stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), then observed by light microscopy. Secondly, network pharmacology studies clarified the relationship among the active constituents, target protein, and pathways, and then explored by the molecular docking. Finally, validity assay of target protein was performed in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) test. Results GF protected against NAFLD in rats. Network pharmacology showed that quercetin, oleanolic acid, and geniposide, targeted on PPARα, PPARγ, and CA2 genes, through regulating PPAR, AMPK, and cGMP-PKG signal pathways, to protect against NAFLD. And the Conclusion GF could alleviate NAFLD through the molecular mechanisms explored by network pharmacology, molecular docking, and surface plasmon resonance, those method can be effective tools to clarify the mechanisms of actions of traditional Chinese medicine from a holistic perspective.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Shi ◽  
Li Wu ◽  
Wenjun Ma ◽  
Liping Ju ◽  
Minghui Bai ◽  
...  

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is one of the most important causes of liver disease worldwide and probably destined to become the leading cause of end-stage liver disease in the coming decades, affecting both adults and children. Faced with the severe challenges for the prevention and control of NAFLD, this article discusses the understanding and mechanism of NAFLD from Chinese and Western medicine. Moreover, the progress regarding its treatment in both Chinese and Western medicine is also summarized. Both Chinese medicine and Western medicine have their own characteristics and clinical efficacy advantages in treating diseases. The purpose of this article is to hope that Chinese and Western medicine have complementary advantages, complementing each other to improve clinical NAFLD therapy prevention and treatment methods to receive more and more attention throughout the global medical community.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Baojin Yao ◽  
Bocheng Lu ◽  
Mei Zhang ◽  
Hongwei Gao ◽  
Xiangyang Leng ◽  
...  

Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the oldest medical systems in the world and has its unique principles and theories in the prevention and treatment of human diseases, which are achieved through the interactions of different types of materia medica in the form of Chinese medicinal formulations. GZZSZTW, a classical and effective Chinese medicinal formulation, was designed and created by professor Bailing Liu who is the only national medical master professor in the clinical research field of traditional Chinese medicine and skeletal diseases. GZZSZTW has been widely used in clinical settings for several decades for the treatment of joint diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still largely unknown. In the present study, we performed quantitative proteomic analysis to investigate the effects of GZZSZTW on mouse primary chondrocytes using state-of-the-art iTRAQ technology. We demonstrated that the Chinese medicinal formulation GZZSZTW modulates chondrocyte structure, dynamics, and metabolism by controlling multiple functional proteins that are involved in the cellular processes of DNA replication and transcription, protein synthesis and degradation, cytoskeleton dynamics, and signal transduction. Thus, this study has expanded the current knowledge of the molecular mechanism of GZZSZTW treatment on chondrocytes. It has also shed new light on possible strategies to further prevent and treat cartilage-related diseases using traditional Chinese medicinal formulations.


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