Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Plays a Role in the Liver, Kidney, and Intestine to Ameliorate Hyperuricemia according to Experimental Studies

In the last few decades, hyperuricemia has drawn increasing attention owing to its global prevalence. Observational surveys have manifested that there is a relation between hyperuricemia and increased risks of hypertension, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events, metabolic disorders, end stage renal disease, and mortality. As alternatives, Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs have demonstrated concrete effects in mitigating hyperuricemia in different experiments. Researchers have made efforts to investigate the role of herbal medicine in attenuating hyperuricemia. This review focuses on traditional Chinese herbal medicines that have been reported to ameliorate hyperuricemia in experimental studies.

A Systematic Review of Antiaging Effects of 23 Traditional Chinese Medicines

Background. Aging is an inevitable stage of body development. At the same time, aging is a major cause of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. Chinese herbal medicine is a natural substance that can effectively delay aging and is expected to be developed as antiaging drugs in the future. Aim of the review. This paper reviews the antiaging effects of 23 traditional Chinese herbal medicines or their active components. Materials and methods. We reviewed the literature published in the last five years on Chinese herbal medicines or their active ingredients and their antiaging role obtained through the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Results. A total of 2485 papers were found, and 212 papers were screened after removing the duplicates and reading the titles. Twenty-three studies met the requirements of this review and were included. Among these studies, 13 articles used Caenorhabditis elegans as the animal model, and 10 articles used other animal models or cell lines. Conclusion. Chinese herbal medicines or their active components play an antiaging role by regulating genes related to aging through a variety of signaling pathways. Chinese herbal medicines are expected to be developed as antiaging drugs or used in the medical cosmetology industry.

Nephrotoxicity of Herbal Products in Europe—A Review of an Underestimated Problem of Nephrotoxicity of Herbal Products

Currently in Europe, despite the many advances in production technology of synthetic drugs, the interest in natural herbal medicines continues to increase. One of the reasons for their popular use is the assumption that natural equals safe. However, herbal medicines contain pharmacologically active ingredients, some of which have been associated with adverse effects. Kidneys are particularly susceptible to injury induced by toxins, including poisonous constituents from medicinal plants. The most recognized herb-induced kidney injury is aristolochic acid nephropathy connected with misuse of certain Traditional Chinese herbal medicines. Data concerning nephrotoxicity of plant species of European origin are scarce. Here, we critically review significant data of the nephrotoxicity of several plants used in European phytotherapy, including Artemisia herba-alba, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Euphorbia paralias, and Aloe). Causative mechanisms and factors predisposing to intoxications from the use of herbs are discussed. The basic intention of this review is to improve pharmacovigilance of herbal medicine, especially in patients with chronic kidney diseases.

Review of the Efficacy and Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicines as a Therapeutic Option for Ionizing Radiation Induced Damage

Ionizing radiation damage refers to acute, delayed, or chronic tissue damage associated with ionizing radiation. Specific or effective therapeutic options for systemic injuries induced by ionizing radiation have not been developed. Studies have shown that Chinese herbal Medicine or Chinese Herbal Prescription exhibit preventive properties against radiation damage. These medicines inhibit tissue injuries and promote repair with very minimal side effects. This study reviews traditional Chinese herbal medicines and prescriptions with radiation protective effects as well as their mechanisms of action. The information obtained will guide the development of alternative radioprotectants.

Determination of the Novel Insecticide Flupyradifurone and Its Two Metabolites in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicines Using Modified QuEChERS and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

In this study, an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of the novel insecticide flupyradifurone and its two metabolites in a variety of traditional Chinese herbal medicines was developed for the first time using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A simple and efficient method using dispersive solid-phase extraction was employed for the pretreatment of the samples. Several extractions and cleanup strategies were evaluated. The recoveries (n = 15) of flupyradifurone and its metabolites at three spiking levels were in the range 71.3%–101.7%, with corresponding intraday and interday relative standard deviations of 1.1%–14.8%. The limits of quantitation were 0.01 mg/kg for flupyradifurone and 0.1 mg/kg for its two metabolites. Overall, our developed method was sensitive and reliable for the fast screening of flupyradifurone and its two metabolites in traditional Chinese herbal medicine samples.

Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine for Whitening

Melanin is the chief pigment responsible for the pigmentation of human skin. Increasing evidence indicates that traditional Chinese drugs with skin-whitening effects are attracting the attention of consumers and researchers because they are perceived to be milder, safer, and healthier than synthetic alternatives. This commentary summarizes the current research on Chinese herbal medicines that inhibit melanin and their biological activities. The findings presented in this study suggest that these traditional Chinese herbal medicines might be potential candidates for novel skin-whitening agents.