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Hair loss is a common symptom in dermatology. While it is not fatal, it can significantly affect an individual's mental well-being. There are many products derived from traditional Chinese medicine formulas on the market that advertise the efficacy of hair growth and hair care, but there is no scientific evidence establishing the efficacy of these traditional Chinese medicine formulas. Peach kernel (Tao Ren) is used in traditional Chinese medicine for removing blood stasis, laxative and cough, and its extracted oil is also often used for hair growth and hair care. We used human hair follicle dermal papilla cells, which control epidermal hair growth, as experimental materials to explore the effect of the methanol extract of peach kernel on the growth of human hair follicle dermal papilla cells. Our results found that methanol extract of peach kernel can increase human hair follicle dermal papilla cells viability and promote cell proliferation. When the methanol extract of peach kernel was added to human hair follicle dermal papilla cells, it increased the production of cell cycle-regulated proteins and increased the cell population in the S phase of the cell cycle. We further found that the methanol extract of peach kernel could activate extracellular signal-regulated kinase and protein kinase B signal transduction in human hair follicle dermal papilla cells, with the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway playing an important role in regulating the growth of these cells. The above results suggest that the efficacy of peach kernel for hair growth and hair care is related to its ability to promote the growth of human hair follicle dermal papilla cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cisplatin is a chemotherapeutic agent commonly used clinically for the treatment of various human cancers. Patients often reduce the use of cisplatin due to its side effects, which in turn affects its treatment. This study explored the mechanism of action of safflower extract as an adjuvant traditional Chinese medicine for chemotherapy. Methods: Primary human follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPCs) were used as target cells for cisplatin-induced damage to hair cells. Western blotting was used to investigate the molecular targets of cisplatin and safflower extract in causing HFDPCs damage. Cell survival and cell cycle were analyzed by mitochondrial staining reagent WST-1 and propidium iodide. Results: Cisplatin could reduce the viability of HFDPCs without causing cell death. Cisplatin increased the level of phospho-Rad17 in HFDPCs and activated the Chk1/Cdc25C signaling to reduce the expression of Cdc2 protein, thereby arresting the cells in the G2/M phase. The combination of safflower extract and the flavonoids could effectively inhibit the signal transduction of Rad17/Chk1/Cdc25 in cisplatin-treated cells and reduce the cell population in the G2/M phase. Finally, we also confirmed that safflower extract could effectively inhibit the damage to HFDPCs caused by cisplatin, mainly at the level of reducing the DNA damage caused by cisplatin. Conclusions: Safflower extract can be used as an adjuvant Chinese medicine for chemotherapy to reduce the damage caused by chemotherapy to normal hair follicle cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral cancer is a type of head and neck cancer that can be life threatening. Unfolded protein response and endoplasmic reticulum stress play a critical role in carcinogenesis. However, prolonged activation of unfolded protein response also activates apoptosis. Thus, a new treatment strategy maybe activation of extensive unfolded protein response and severe endoplasmic reticulum stress in tumor cells. We examined the pharmacological effects of chrysophanol on an oral cancer cell line FaDu, a hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma specifically for its ability to cause cell death via unfolded protein response and endoplasmic reticulum stress. We measured the expression of binding immunoglobulin protein, C/EBP homologous protein, phosphorylated inositol-requiring enzyme-1a, and activating transcription factor 6 after treatment with chrysophanol in absence or presence of APY29 (an inhibitor of phosphorylated inositol-requiring enzyme-1a). Chrysophanol caused cell death via upregulations of binding immunoglobulin protein that is also known as 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein, C/EBP homologous protein, phosphorylated inositol-requiring enzyme-1a, and activating transcription factor 6. This activity was reversed by APY29. Thus, chrysophanol could be a useful antitumor agent for the management of oral cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the potential nephroprotective effects of a traditional Chinese medical prescription, Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi Decoction (BZYQD) in an aristolochic acid (AA)-intoxicated zebrafish model. Methods: A green fluorescent zebrafish line Tg (wt1b:EGFP) was used, and different exposure protocols were applied. Once a suitable protective concentration of BZYQD was found, antibody staining and real-time PCR methods were applied and the pro-inflammatory gene expressions were determined. Results: The results showed that low dose (10 ppm) of BZYQD attenuates the AA-induced malformed kidney phenotype. This finding was further substantiated by an examination of the integrity of pronephric tubes in the treated embryos. Pre-treatment with BZYQD suppressed the elevated expressions of proinflammatory genes, including tumor necrosis factor-α and myeloperoxidase, induced by AA exposure (1.6 ~ 2.3-fold). This indicates that the nephroprotective effect of BZYQD may be mediated by suppression of pro-inflammatory gene expression. On the other hand, a high dose (500 ppm) of BZYQD caused nephrotoxic effect. Conclusion: An efficient model to identify AA-protective compounds using zebrafish embryos has been successfully established. Using this strategy, it has been found that BZYQD is nephroprotective in zebrafish embryos, and might have the potential to be applied in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]