Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33972672›Full record

ArticleCommunications biology2021

Structural analogues in herbal medicine ginseng hit a shared target to achieve cumulative bioactivity.

Wei Zhang, Wei-Wei Tao, Jing Zhou, Cheng-Ying Wu, Fang Long, Hong Shen, He Zhu, Qian Mao, Jun Xu, Song-Lin Li and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications biology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Enhanced Anti-Lung Cancer Effects of SteamedInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Pharmaceutical biology · 2023
    Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Wei ZhangDepartment of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-8412-6334
Wei-Wei TaoSchool of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 210023, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Jing ZhouDepartment of Metabolomics, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, People's Republic of China.
Cheng-Ying WuDepartment of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, People's Republic of China.
Fang LongDepartment of Metabolomics, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, People's Republic of China.
Hong ShenDepartment of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, People's Republic of China.
He ZhuDepartment of Metabolomics, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, People's Republic of China.
Qian MaoDepartment of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, People's Republic of China.
Jun XuSchool of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China. davidxujun@hkbu.edu.hk.ORCID 0000-0002-9541-6388
Song-Lin LiDepartment of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, People's Republic of China. songlinli64@126.com.ORCID 0000-0003-1354-7729
Qi-Nan WuCollege of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China. qnwyjs@163.com.ORCID 0000-0002-7836-0941
Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine · CNJiangsu Provincial Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine · CNHong Kong Baptist University · HK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

By a pilot trial on investigating immunomodulatory activity and target of ginsenosides, the major bioactive components of ginseng, here we report that structural analogues in herbal medicines hit a shared target to achieve cumulative bioactivity. A ginsenoside analogues combination with definite immunomodulatory activity in vivo was designed by integrating pharmacodynamics, serum pharmacochemistry and pharmacokinetics approaches. The cumulative bioactivity of the ginsenoside analogues was validated on LPS/ATP-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. The potentially shared target NLRP3 involved in this immunomodulatory activity was predicted by systems pharmacology. The steady binding affinity between each ginsenoside and NLRP3 was defined by molecular docking and bio-layer interferometry assay. The activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes in LPS/ATP-induced RAW264.7 was significantly suppressed by the combination, but not by any individual, and the overexpression of NLRP3 counteracted the immunomodulatory activity of the combination. All these results demonstrate that the ginsenoside analogues jointly hit NLRP3 to achieve cumulative immunomodulatory activity.

Indexed as

PhytotherapyAnimalsGinsenosidesInflammasomesLipopolysaccharidesMacrophagesMaleMiceMice, Inbred ICRPanaxGinsenosidesInflammasomesLipopolysaccharides

Identifiers

PMID33972672
PMCPMC8110997
OpenAlexW3162364303

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.