Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs

Immunity-mitochondria-gut microecology: Multi-axis driving mechanisms of postmenopausal osteoporosis and integrated intervention with traditional Chinese medicine

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(13): 5257-5272.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) results from a combination of multiple pathological mechanisms, including osteogenic impairment and osteoclast activation triggered by estrogen deficiency-induced chronic low-grade inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as systemic inflammation and metabolic dysregulation caused by gut microbiota imbalance. Faced with this intricate and multidimensional pathological network, conventional single-target therapeutic strategies exhibit obvious limitations. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with its theoretical advantages of “holistic view” and “syndrome differentiation-based treatment,” demonstrates potential for systematic intervention through multi-target and multi-pathway coordinated regulation. Current studies indicate that various TCM formulas and active components can effectively restore the homeostasis of the bone-immune microenvironment and balance between gut microbiota and bone metabolism by comprehensively modulating these multidimensional pathological networks. Based on this, this review systematically summarizes the multidimensional mechanisms of PMOP, highlighting the multi-target regulatory effects of TCM within this pathological network, thereby providing theoretical support and research ideas for in-depth elucidation of PMOP pathogenesis and for advancing integrated prevention and treatment strategies combining TCM and western medicine.

Application and research progress of fluorescent probes in detection of sulfur dioxide residues in traditional Chinese medicinal materials

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(13): 5273-5286.

The safety of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) is of paramount importance. Sulfur fumigation, a traditional processing and preservation technique for TCMs, serves to prevent mold during storage and improve product appearance. However, excessive sulfur fumigation leads to sulfur dioxide (SO₂) residues in the herbs, posing potential health risks. Currently, the SO₂ residue detection methods suffer from limitations including long analysis time, high cost, and operational complexity, making them inadequate for meeting the market demand for rapid testing. Fluorescent probe technology, with its advantages of high sensitivity, portability, simple preparation, and rapid response, has been widely applied in pharmaceutical development, biotechnology, and food safety. In recent years, the use of highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probes for the quantitative or semi-quantitative detection of SO₂ residues in TCMs has emerged as a significant research focus. This review systematically summarizes fluorescent probes developed in recent years for detecting SO₂ residues in TCMs, categorizing them based on their recognition mechanisms or structural features. It focuses on application progress of these probes in practical detection scenarios, analyzes the current technical challenges, and discusses future development directions. This review aims to provide theoretical foundations and technical references for enhancing the medicinal safety and quality control of TCMs.

Mechanism and clinical research progress of Huanglian Wendan Decoction in treatment of psycho-cardiological disease

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(13): 5287-5297.

Psycho-cardiological disease refers to a clinical syndrome involving the coexistence of cardiovascular diseases and psychological disorders. It maintains a consistently high prevalence and seriously affects patients’ quality of life as well as long-term prognosis. Treatments with Western medicine present limitations including risks of drug interactions and a shortage of psychological intervention resources. Huanglian Wendan Decoction (黄连温胆汤, HLWDT), derived from Liu Yin Tiao Bian of the Qing dynasty, has the effects of clearing heat and resolving phlegm, regulating the stomach and benefiting the gallbladder, and tranquilizing the mind. It conforms to the core pathogenesis of psycho-cardiological disease: phlegm-heat disturbing the heart. By systematically reviewing mechanistic studies on HLWDT against psycho-cardiological disease in recent years, this paper summarizes the active components of HLWDT and its mechanisms in preventing and treating psycho-cardiological disease. It is found that this prescription exerts effects through multiple pathways, such as ameliorating immune inflammatory responses, regulating neurotransmitter metabolism, upregulating the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, alleviating oxidative stress injury, and inhibiting hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, thus illustrating its advantages in multi-component and multi-target improvement of related psycho-cardiological diseases including coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, heart failure and hypertension. This provides a reference for the clinical promotion and in-depth research of HLWDT in treatment of psycho-cardiological disease.

Mechanistic networks and therapeutic prospects of multi-dimensional regulation of FoxP3/Treg axis by traditional Chinese medicine in maintaining peripheral immune tolerance

ZHANG Jinjiu, ZHAO Liuhui, DU Shuai, WANG Yixuan, SONG Xinru, YANG Yazhu, XIN Jieping, XU Xinfang, LI Xiangri

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(13): 5298-5307.

The forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3)/regulatory T cell (Treg) axis is a key regulatory network that maintains peripheral immune tolerance and immune homeostasis, and its functional imbalance is closely associated with immune-related diseases, including autoimmune diseases, cancer, and allergic diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with its characteristics of multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways, shows unique advantages in regulating the FoxP3/Treg axis. This article systematically reviews the multidimensional mechanisms by which TCM and its active components regulate FoxP3 expression and Treg cell differentiation, stability, and immunosuppressive functions. These mechanisms include direct regulation of key signaling pathways and cytokine networks, indirect influence on the gut microbiota-immune axis, and mediation of FoxP3 epigenetic modifications. It also summarizes the characteristics of bidirectional regulation, treating different diseases with the same method and treating the same disease with different methods observed in immune regulation. This provides important reference for the precise and modern application of TCM in treatment of immune-related diseases.

Advances in pharmacological mechanisms and clinical application of Yupingfeng Powder

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(13): 5308-5317.

Yupingfeng Powder (玉屏风散) was first recorded in Jiu Yuan Fang of the Southern Song Dynasty. It is composed of three herbs—Huangqi (Astragali Radix), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), and Fangfeng (Saposhnikoviae Radix)—and possesses the therapeutic effects of tonifying qi, consolidating the exterior, and arresting sweating. Existing reviews have primarily focused on its chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, or therapeutic progress in a single disease, whereas a systematic integration of the tripartite relationship among “clinical evidence-mechanism of action-material basis” remains insufficient. From a “multi-component, multi-target, multi-pathway” perspective, this article synthesizes the common regulatory networks of Yupingfeng Powder across different diseases, elucidates the scientific basis of its principle of “treating different diseases with the same method,” and proposes concrete research pathways across four dimensions: evidence-based validation, clinical therapeutic patterns, bioactive substances, and mechanisms of action. By constructing a four-in-one research framework, this review aims to advance the precise clinical application and in-depth development of Yupingfeng Powder.

Research progress on traditional Chinese medicine-derived nucleic acid components in pulmonary diseases

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(13): 5318-5329.

The incidence and mortality of pulmonary diseases remain persistently high. Conventional therapeutic modalities encounter restrictions, including drug resistance and notable side effects, underscoring the urgent need for novel treatment strategies. Nucleic acid drugs, with their strong target specificity and long-lasting effects, provide a promising new direction for treating pulmonary diseases. Meanwhile, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with its extensive theoretical and practical foundation the prevention and treatment of pulmonary diseases, offers innovative intervention strategies through its derived nucleic acid components, which can function via trans-kingdom regulatory mechanisms. This paper explores the potential of TCM-derived nucleic acid drugs as an emerging trans-kingdom therapeutic strategy. Guided by TCM theory, it systematically elaborates drug, type, mechanisms of action, and advances in areas such as drug stability and delivery efficiency, as well as the unique advantages of these agents. Furthermore, the article reviews the application status of nucleic acid drugs in various pulmonary diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer, acute lung injury, pulmonary fibrosis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Finally, the discussion then addresses the current challenges and future prospects to inform the theoretical foundation and research ideas for the systematic development of this drug class.

Research progress on mechanisms of alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus herb pair in ameliorating triple-negative breast cancer

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(13): 5330-5343.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer characterized by the absence of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression. It exhibits high invasiveness, elevated rates of recurrence and metastasis, poor prognosis, and currently lacks effective targeted therapeutic approaches. The Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus herb pair is a classic Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), its major active components include alkaloid compounds such as berberine, coptisine, evodiamine, and rutaecarpine. In recent years, Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus herb pair has demonstrated tremendous potential in the field of anti-tumor therapy, with increasing research focusing on the pharmacological effects of their alkaloid components in ameliorating TNBC. Accordingly, this review briefly summarizes the alkaloid components of Coptidis Rhizoma and Euodiae Fructus, emphasizing their mechanisms of action in enhancing TNBC treatment, which include inhibiting cell invasion and metastasis, regulating the cell cycle, and inducing apoptosis. This aims to provide references for the further development and utilization of the Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus herb pair and to offer new insights and scientific evidence for the application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of TNBC.

Application analysis and issues discussion of crude drug powders in Chinese patent medicine in 2025 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(13): 5344-5352.

The direct incorporation of crude drug powders into traditional Chinese medicine preparations represents a distinctive approach. While this method has unique advantages in preserving the full spectrum of herbal constituents and embodying the principle of “drug-excipient combination”, it also presents challenges such as microbial contamination, poor formulation formability, low dissolution rates of active ingredients, and difficulties in quality control. This paper statistically analyzes the distribution of crude drug powder formulations in the 2025 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, examines the application characteristics of crude drug powders in pharmaceuticals, and systematically reviews existing key issues. Furthermore, it explores solution strategies from dimensions including sterilization technology, powder properties modification, ultrafine grinding (particle design), and online detection. It also outlines future research directions, aiming to provide references for process optimization and quality enhancement of crude drug powder formulations.

Applications of traditional Chinese medicine-derived nanophases as imaging carriers in precision diagnosis and therapy

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(12): 4509-4521.

Nanophases of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have recently emerged as a novel structural form attracting increasing attention in the modernization of TCM. They are typically formed through the self-assembly of multiple components during decoction or extraction processes, possessing both intrinsic therapeutic activity and imaging potential, thereby providing a new class of carriers for bioimaging applications. This review systematically summarizes the structural basis and signal sources of TCM nanophases in bioimaging, and highlights their advantages, including intrinsic imaging capability, favorable biocompatibility, and multicomponent synergistic responsiveness. Furthermore, their applications are discussed in depth, particularly in the visualization of action mechanisms of TCM formulas, the investigation of tissue distribution related to meridian tropism, the quantitative visualization of TCM syndromes, and imaging-guided theranostics. Meanwhile, key challenges in this field are analyzed from several perspectives, including the correlation between imaging signals and pharmacological effects, the decoding of multicomponent synergistic interactions, the mismatch between imaging resolution and meridian structures, and quality consistency. Looking forward, with the integration of high-resolution imaging technologies and interdisciplinary analytical approaches, TCM nanophases are expected to promote the development of emerging concepts such as panoramic molecular imaging of TCM, facilitating the transition of TCM research from empirical description to visualization and quantification, and providing new technical strategies for the modern scientific interpretation of TCM theories.

A new furanocoumarin dimer from Angelica dahurica var. formosana

Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs. 2026, 57(12): 4522-4527.

Objective To investigate the trace amounts of furanocoumarin dimers from Angelica dahurica var. formosana. Methods Using an LC-MS guided separation method, the furanocoumarin dimers were isolated by silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and semi-preparative HPLC. The structures of the isolated dimeric coumarins were identified by NMR spectroscopy, and their preliminarily acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities were evaluated. Results Three furanocoumarin dimers were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of the ethanol extract of A. dahurica var. formosana, namely 9-{[4-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)-7-oxo-7H-furo[3,2-g]chromen-9-yl]oxy}-4-[(2-methylbut-3-en-2-yl)oxy]-7H-furo[3,2-g]chromen-7-one (1), dahuribiethrin E (2) and dahuribiethrin B (3). Conclusion Compound 1 is a new compound, namely dahuribiscoumarin A. Compounds 2 and 3 are isolated from A. dahurica var. formosana for the first time. Compound 2 exhibits acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity with a median inhibition concentration (IC₅₀) value of (71.37 ± 1.26) μmol/L.