Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Tianjin, 301617, China.
State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Tianjin, 301617, China; Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2025 Jan 30;337(Pt 3):118924. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118924. Epub 2024 Oct 9.
While the seasonal variations in the human immune function and many infectious diseases are well-known, to develop therapeutic strategies regarding such seasonality is quite challenging. However, some traditional medical practices have already taken the seasonality into account, such as the "Season Tea" (ST) decoctions investigated in the present study.
We present a study of the ST decoctions from traditional Chinese medicine, which include four formulae designed for the four seasons, aiming to investigate their pharmacological commonality and distinction.
A rat model of acute pharyngitis was utilized for the pharmacological study, and the effects of the ST decoctions were evaluated through histology, biomedical assays, microarray analysis, real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot.
The experimental data show that all of the four ST formulae display good pharmaceutical effects on acute pharyngitis, and circadian rhythm appears to be a significant pathway for investigating their pharmacological commonality and distinction. Specifically, while all of the four ST decoctions can regulate the circadian-rhythm-related genes ARNTL and BHLHE40, the regulation is along different directions with the modification of the supplements and the substrates in each ST formula.
These results indicate the correlation between the acute pharyngitis and circadian rhythm, and illustrate the possibility of synergistically and subtly regulating ARNTL and BHLHE40, which is significant for relevant drug development.
虽然人体免疫功能和许多传染病的季节性变化是众所周知的，但针对这种季节性开发治疗策略颇具挑战性。然而，一些传统的医疗实践已经考虑到了季节性，例如本研究中调查的“时令茶”（ST）方剂。
我们提出了一项对中药 ST 方剂的研究，其中包括四个针对四季设计的配方，旨在研究它们的药理学共性和区别。
利用急性咽炎大鼠模型进行药理学研究，通过组织学、生物医学检测、微阵列分析、实时定量 PCR 和 Western blot 评估 ST 方剂的作用。
实验数据表明，四种 ST 方剂对急性咽炎均有较好的药效，而昼夜节律似乎是研究它们药理学共性和区别的重要途径。具体来说，虽然四种 ST 方剂都可以调节昼夜节律相关基因 ARNTL 和 BHLHE40，但调节方向因每个 ST 方剂中的补充剂和底物的变化而不同。
这些结果表明急性咽炎与昼夜节律之间存在相关性，并说明了协同和微妙地调节 ARNTL 和 BHLHE40 的可能性，这对于相关药物的开发具有重要意义。
