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Acute alcoholism (AAI) is a common emergency. Currently, there is a lack of preventive and therapeutic drugs with superior safety and efficacy. Curcuma longa, Panax ginseng, Pueraria lobata, Pueraria flower, and Hovenia dulcis Thunb., which are the components of compound turmeric recipe (CTR), are, respectively, used in China as adjuvant therapeutic agents for AAI and alcoholic liver injury, respectively. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of traditional compound turmeric recipe in anti-inebriation treatment and to identify its underlying mechanisms. The mice were administered with CTR mixture, and ethanol was subsequently given to mice by gavage. The effects of CTR on the righting reflex, 24-hour survival, drunken behavior, blood ethanol concentration, and pathological changes of liver are depicted. The activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were detected. Besides, the activities of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-8 (IL-8), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), cytochrome P450 (P450), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver and the levels of β-endorphin (β-EP) and leucine enkephalin (LENK) in the brain were also measured. Our results demonstrated that CTR can increase the activities of ADH, ALDH, P450, and SOD and decrease the contents of TNF-α, IL-8, and MDA in the liver. In addition, it can decrease the activities of ALT, AST, and ALP in serum and β-EP and LENK activities in the brain. CTR showed effects on prevention of acute alcoholism, promoting wakefulness, and alleviating alcoholic liver injury, which were likely mediated by the above mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yueju, a famous classic Chinese prescription, has been extensively used in treating depression syndromes for hundreds of years. Recent studies have reported that Yueju showed good effects in treating metabolic diseases, such as obesity and hyperlipidemia. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which leads to cirrhosis and severe cardiovascular diseases, is closely linked to obesity and abnormal lipid metabolism. In this study, Yueju could decrease the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, triglyceride, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein-C but increase the high-density lipoprotein-C in the serum of the NASH rat model induced by high-fat and high-cholesterol diet. Yueju could alleviate hepatosteatosis by increasing the phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and inhibiting the expression of fatty acid synthase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1. Yueju downregulated the expression of α-smooth muscle actin and collagen type 1A1, ameliorating the liver fibrilization. Yueju could also protect the hepatocytes from apoptosis by upregulating antiapoptosis protein Bcl-2 and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein and downregulating apoptotic proteins Bax and cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase. Thus, Yueju could improve liver function, regulate lipid metabolism, alleviate hepatosteatosis and fibrosis, and protect hepatocytes from apoptosis against NASH. Yueju may be used as an alternative effective medicine for NASH treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the effects of curcumin, one of the most important active ingredients of turmeric, on podocyte injury in vitro and obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG) in vivo. Cellular experiments in vitro showed that curcumin significantly antagonized leptin-induced downregulation of the mRNA and protein expression of podocyte-associated molecules including nephrin, podocin, podoplanin, and podocalyxin. Animal experiments in vivo showed that curcumin significantly reduced the body weight, Lee’s index, abdominal fat index, urinary protein excretion, and average glomerular diameter and significantly upregulated the mRNA and protein expressions of the above podocyte-associated molecules in ORG mice. Furthermore, the experiments in vitro and in vivo both displayed that curcumin could downregulate the mRNA and protein expressions of Wnt1, Wnt2b, Wnt6, and β-catenin and upregulate the phosphorylation level of β-catenin protein in podocytes and renal tissue. In conclusion, curcumin is able to alleviate the harmful reaction of leptin on podocytes and reduce the severity of ORG. The above protective effects are associated with the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation in podocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]