Systems biology of meridians, acupoints, and chinese herbs in disease
Journal
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Journal Volume
2012
Journal Issue
372670
Pages
1-13
Date Issued
2012
Author(s)
Abstract
Meridians, acupoints, and Chinese herbs are important components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). They have been used for disease treatment and prevention and as alternative and complementary therapies. Systems biology integrates omics data, such as transcriptional, proteomic, and metabolomics data, in order to obtain a more global and complete picture of biological activity. To further understand the existence and functions of the three components above, we reviewed relevant research in the systems biology literature and found many recent studies that indicate the value of acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Acupuncture is useful in pain moderation and relieves various symptoms arising from acute spinal cord injury and acute ischemic stroke. Moreover, Chinese herbal extracts have been linked to wound repair, the alleviation of postmenopausal osteoporosis severity, and anti-tumor effects, among others. Different acupoints, variations in treatment duration, and herbal extracts can be used to alleviate various symptoms and conditions and to regulate biological pathways by altering gene and protein expression. Our paper demonstrates how systems biology has helped to establish a platform for investigating the efficacy of TCM in treating different diseases and improving treatment strategies. ? 2012 Li-Ling Lin et al.
SDGs
Other Subjects
Aconitum extract; Angelica sinensis extract; Astragali extract; Coptidis rhizome extract; Epimedium extract; Ganoderma lucidum extract; Ganoderma sinense extract; ginseng extract; herbaceous agent; Panax quinquefolius extract; peonol; plant extract; Rehmanniae extract; Rhizoma paridis extract; Salvia miltiorrhiza extract; terpenoid derivative; Uncaria rhynchophylla extract; unclassified drug; acupuncture; aging; allergic rhinitis; analgesia; angiogenesis; antineoplastic activity; brain ischemia; Chinese herb; Chinese medicine; clinical effectiveness; convulsion; Coptidis rhizome; Epimedium; Ganoderma lucidum; Ganoderma sinense; genomics; ginseng; human; immunomodulation; knee osteoarthritis; liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; metabolomics; neuropathic pain; non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus; nonhuman; nuclear magnetic resonance; osteoarthritis; Paeonia suffruticosa; Parkinson disease; postmenopause osteoporosis; priority journal; proteomics; review; Rhizoma paridis; Salvia miltiorrhiza; skin injury; spinal cord injury; systems biology; wound healing
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Type
review