Dose Correlation of Panax ginseng and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. Drug Pairs in the Chinese Medicine Prescription Based on the Copula Function

Objective. Panax ginseng and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (AMK) are widely used in treating various diseases; however, research is insufficient on measuring the relationship that exists by combining this drug pair using the copula function. Methods. In this study, 279 traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions containing the Panax ginseng and AMK drug pair were extracted from the prescription database for three types of screened indications, namely, diabetes mellitus, diarrhea, and insomnia. Following the principle of dose conversion, each dynasty unit was uniformly converted into a modern unit. Then, the kernel density distribution of Panax ginseng and AMK was fitted with their empirical distribution functions. Finally, the optimal copula function was selected from the copula function family as a t-copula function. Results. The empirical distribution and probability density functions of Panax ginseng and AMK were obtained. From the results, their Kendall rank correlation coefficients with indications of diabetes mellitus, insomnia, and diarrhea were 0.8689, 0.7858, and 0.7403, whereas their Spearman rank correlation coefficients were 0.9563, 0.9276, and 0.8958. Results also indicated that the use of the t-copula function can better reflect the correlation between Panax ginseng and AMK doses. Conclusion. From the three indications, the dose between Panax ginseng and AMK was positively correlated. This study, therefore, confirms the medicinal principle of Chinese medicine “combining” from the perspective of mathematical statistics. Results from this study are practical to evaluate the correlation between the drug pair doses, Panax ginseng and AMK, using the copula function model, which provides a new model for the scientific explanation of compatibility for Chinese medicines. This study also provides a methodological basis for more drug measurement studies and clinical medications.

Polysaccharide of Atractylodes Macrocephala Koidz(PAMK) Enhance the Immunomodulatory Activity of RAW264.7 Through TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Pathway

The Polysaccharide of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (PAMK) has been reported to play an important role in improving the immune function of mammals and poultry. But the molecular mechanism in cell is still not unclear. For investigating the mechanism in mice, RAW264.7 were cultured and divided into six groups (cell, NC, siTLR4, NC + PAMK, PAMK, siTLR4 + PAMK). The serum cytokines, mRNA relative expression level of cytokines and TLR4 signal pathway, the protein expression level of TLR4 signal pathway were measured. The results showed PAMK could increase the level of IL-4, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and increase the mRNA relative expression level and protein expression level of TLR4, MyD88, IKK, NF-κB. In conclusion, PAMK may regulate the immue activity of RAW264.7 through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.