Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis studies explore key traditional and modern therapeutics

Both traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine are crucial for the treatment of diseases. JPA has published several studies exploring traditional Chinese medicinal compounds and their efficacy. Notably, a recent study made available online on August 18 and formally published on December 2022 in Volume 12, Issue 6 of JPA, describes how R. serra, a component of Chinese herbal tea, treats colitis in a murine model.

Although R. serra has traditionally been used to treat hepatitis, jaundice, cholecystitis, and colitis, its chemical composition and therapeutic mechanism remain elusive. The research team used modern techniques such as ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a hybrid linear ion trap quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometer (UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) to determine the chemical composition of R. serra water extracts. While studying the effect of R. serra extracts on ulcerative colitis (UC) in a murine model, the research team identified 46 compounds including ent-kaurane diterpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and steroids. The author Dr. Hongyi Li highlights, “We used UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS to analyze the chemical composition of R. serra water extract and found that R. serra significantly alleviated dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced murine colitis, exerted anti-inflammatory effects, restored the balance of T helper 17 (Th17)/T regulatory (Treg) cells, maintained intestinal barrier function, alleviated DSS-induced dysbiosis, and modulated the gut microbiota composition by increasing bacterial diversity.”

Another JPA study explored the previously unidentified chemical composition of Gan Cao (GC)—a traditional Chinese medicine derived from the Glycyrrhiza species, used for treating pneumonia. The results, which were made available online on August 5 and formally published in December 2022, in Volume 12, Issue 6 of JPA, highlighted six active GC components, i.e., liquiritin, liquiritigenin, daidzein, formononetin, glycyrrhizin, and glycyrrhetinic acid, and also revealed inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) as an important target protein for these components to exert anti-pneumonia effects. The author Dr. Xiaojuan Jiang adds, “Our findings provide strong evidence regarding the active components of GC and the corresponding mechanisms in the treatment of pneumonia. They are expected to provide pharmacokinetic markers for GC clinical therapeutic drug detection and guide the clinical applications of GC.”

In the modern space, a JPA study has paved the way for the development of novel immunotherapies for cancer. This study, made online on September 20 and formally published in December 2022, in Volume 12, Issue 6 of JPA, showcased a new radiolabeled antibody-based probe for the enhanced detection of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), a protein expressed in several cancers. While discussing the future implications of this study, the author Dr. Yinfei Chen adds, “Our study provides a novel positron emission tomography (PET) probe for monitoring PD-L1 expression in cancers. PET imaging with this probe might be useful for screening patients who could benefit from anti-PD-L1 immuno-therapy and evaluating therapeutic effects.”

What do these findings translate to? The message is quite clear, and of hope for modern medicine. By leveraging the unique traditional and modern therapies such as the ones explored in these groundbreaking studies, future treatments against these diseases will be significantly more beneficial than the ones today.  

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Reference

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpha.2022.08.001

Authors: Hongyi Li^a, Yi Wang^b, Shumin Shao^a, Hui Yu^c, Deqin Wang^c, Chuyuan Li^c, Qin Yuan^a, Wen Liu^a, Jiliang Cao^d, Xiaojuan Wang^e, Haibiao Guo^c, Xu Wu^b, Shengpeng Wang^a,f

Affiliations:

^aState Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, 999078, China

^bLaboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, China

^cHutchison Whampoa Guangzhou Baiyunshan Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, 510000, China

^dCollege of Pharmacy, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518118, China

^eSchool of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

^fMacau Centre for Research and Development in Chinese Medicine, University of Macau, Macao, 999078, China