Danggui Tongjing Granules

To observe the effect of Tongjing granule (TJG) in treating varicocele caused infertility.

Comparative observation was carried on 75 cases of male infertility caused by moderate or severe varicocele with abnormal semen, they were divided into two groups: the 44 patients in the TCM group treated with TJG and the 31 patients in the operation group treated by surgical operation (high ligation of spermatic vein and/or inferior epigastric venous bypass). All patients were followed up periodically to observe the amount, survival rate and activity of sperm by computerized automatic seminal analyser (CASA), as well as the occurrence of pregnancy in their partner.

No significant difference was found in various parameters between the two groups. After treatment, the improvement of seminal density, amount of active sperms and forward moving sperms were lower in the TCM group than that in the operation group, but according to CASA, the improvement of TCM group is better than that of operation group. There was insignificance in the operation group between pre- and post-treatment, P > 0.05.

TJG could treat the varicocele caused infertility with the clinical effect similar to the surgical operation, and was superior in improving motility of sperm. It indicates that surgical operation could only improve the local lesion, but TJG could modulate the general condition of patients also.

Ischemic stroke is the most important cause of disability and death worldwide, but current treatments remain limited. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) including the herb pair of Zhiqiao-Danggui (ZD) offers a multifaceted treatment approach through promoting blood circulation, yet its specific anti-ischemic mechanism remains unclear. This study used the photochemically induced thrombosis (PIT) mouse model and the oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) cell model to explore the therapeutic effect of ZD on ischemic stroke. Mice were treated with high and low doses of ZD extract or positive control. Behavior was assessed using the grid test. The brain tissue was then subjected to infarct volume assessment, histopathology, oxidative stress marker detection, LC/MS metabolomic analysis and qRT-PCR validation. The therapeutic effect of ZD-medicated serum on OGD/R model was tested on cells. Experimental results show that ZD can improve motor function, reduce infarct size, neuronal damage and apoptosis as well as alleviate oxidative stress in mice. ZD-medicated serum promotes endothelial cell proliferation, improves cell survival against OGD/R-induced injury, reduces oxidative damage and protects mitochondrial function. Metabolomics reveals ZD regulation of metabolites in energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, TCA cycle, and angiogenesis signaling pathways. qRT-PCR results also showed that ZD could attenuate abnormal conduction of angiogenic signals and enhance vessel stability. This study confirmed the neuroprotective and vasoprotective effects of ZD, highlighted its potential in treating ischemic stroke, and provided a scientific basis for the traditional use of ZD.