Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 23, Issue 34, 2017

Phytosterols (PS) are plant-based structural analogous of mammalian cholesterol that have been shown to lower blood cholesterol concentrations by ~10%, although inter-individual response to PS supplementation due to subject-specific metabolic and genetic factors is evident. Recent work further suggests that PS may act as effective triglyceride (TG)-lowering agents with maximal TG reductions observed in hypertriglycerid Read More

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of mortality in the world and atherosclerosis is the main cause of CHD. Traditional Chinese medicines have been applied in the treatment of CHD for centuries. In the recent years, clinical trials have been carried out to evaluate the efficacies of Chinese medicine. Meanwhile, extensive studies have also been carried out to explore the underlying pharmacological mec Read More

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a very common medical problem worldwide. It includes obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, and abnormal levels of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. It is closely associated with insulin resistance and may lead to diabetes mellitus, liver diseases, or cardiovascular diseases. Corn silk (CS), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been reported to have multiple beneficial effects, includin Read More

The genus Digitalis L. containing species, commonly known as the “foxglove”, is the main source of cardenolides, which have various pharmacological properties effective against certain pathological conditions including myocardial infarction, arterial hypertension, cardiac dysfunction, angina, and hypertrophy. Togehter with a prime effect of controlling the heart rhythm, many workers demonstrated that lan Read More

Heart failure is one of the major causes of mortality worldwide and it is the end stage of several cardiovascular diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine has been used in the management of heart failure for a long time. Only until recently, well-designed clinical trials have been put into practice to study the efficacies of Chinese herbs. Extensive studies have also been carried out to explore the underlying mechanisms of Read More

Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge) is a valued herbal plant in the Traditional Chinese Medicine. The dried root of this plant (Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza), either alone or in combination with other herbal ingredients, has been used for hundreds of years to treat numerous ailments, especially cardiovascular diseases. For the past several decades, many studies have tried to delineate the putative cardioprotective effe Read More

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become more prevalent worldwide. It is often associated with some metabolic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. With increasing focus on the treatment of fatty liver, much attention has been paid to numerous medicinal herbs and dietary substances to provide a new strategy for NAFLD treatment. The natural active compounds from the herbs o Read More

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional bowel disorders (FBD), which is characterized by recurrent abdominal pain, abdominal bloating/distention associated with defecation or changed bowel habits. Currently, there is no evidence of obvious anatomic or physiologic abnormalities on the routine diagnostic examinations. There are multiple pathological factors involved in IBS responsible for i Read More

The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which comprise ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are increasing dramatically worldwide. Immunomodulators and biological agents can help but cause severe side effects in long-term use. As such, complementary and alternative medicine, in particular herbal remedy, is becoming more and more popular in the treatment of IBD patients. Many natur Read More

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the commonly used complementary and alternative medicine therapies for depression. Clinical trials have been carried out to assess the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine currently. The exploration of herbal mechanisms of action used for the treatment of depression has also received great Read More

Background: This review focuses on the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with selexipag and compares its drug-related therapeutic effects with those of prostacyclin analogues. Methods: We searched the relevant literature and summarized the current clinical trials concerning selexipag and PAH. Results: With only few cases per million, PAH is a rare disease, but when untreated it can be life-threateni Read More

Insulin resistance indicates a deregulated set of biochemical pathways and physiological functions involved in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cancer. Conversely, a number of synthetic and natural insulin sensitizers, including inositol, have been recognized to exert both anti-diabetic as well as anti-cancer properties. Inositol participates in insulin transduction signaling, and deregul Read More