Assessing the Pharmacological Effects and Therapeutic Potential of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Neurological Disease Models: An Update

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Editorial

27 April 2022

Editorial: Assessing the Pharmacological Effects and Therapeutic Potential of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Neurological Disease Models: An Update

Zhiqiang Deng

,

Yuxuan Kan

,

Min Li

,

Juxian Song

and

Jia-Hong Lu

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2 citations

Editors

3

University of Macau

Hong Kong Baptist University

Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine

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Neurological diseases refer to a wide spectrum of diseases affecting the central and peripheral nervous systems. Among the numerous neurological diseases, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, attract particularly wide attention because of their high prevalence, disability-inducing aspect, and currently incurable nature. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a medical system widely used by Asian people to treat diseases. Currently, up to 20-40% of patients with the above-mentioned diseases are receiving TCM treatment in China.

During the past few decades, there has been major growth in experimental studies of TCM-originated materials (formulas, herb extracts, and single compounds) on neurological disease models. Moreover, the quality of research has greatly improved: the chemical compositions of TCM are efficiently characterized using powerful mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Advanced technology based on proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomic approaches can be applied to study the pharmacological effects of TCM extracts. Molecular and structural biology tools have been used to dissect the drug target and relevant signaling pathways; and transgenic animal models have been applied to evaluate the therapeutic potentials of TCM-originated materials.

However, many unsolved problems remain in 2020, broadly defined in terms of four issues:
- A huge gap between the experimental data and the traditional use of TCM;
- Very strong claims are made based on very limited evidence;
- The models and methodologies used are often of limited relevance for the conditions of the disease under investigation;
- The molecular mechanisms of the drug effects are far from clear.

This Research Topic seeks to make a significant contribution in bridging these evidentiary gaps, forming a resource for the safe and efficacious implementation of TCM approaches, testing the pharmacological activity, potential efficacy, and safety of their employment in neurological disease models. Importantly, In this Research Topic, we would like to encourage the debate on the limitations of such approaches using herbal medical preparations, as well as pure natural products. Research must be based on a well-defined and testable hypothesis or research question.

This project aims to build upon the discoveries of Volume 1: Assessing the Pharmacological Effects and Therapeutic Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Neurological Disease Models.

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One can find more information about the Article Types guidelines in the Ethnopharmacology section (here). All the manuscripts submitted to this project will be peer-reviewed and need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here).

Neurological diseases refer to a wide spectrum of diseases affecting the central and peripheral nervous systems. Among the numerous neurological diseases, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, attract particularly wide attention because of their high prevalence, disability-inducing aspect, and currently incurable nature. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a medical system widely used by Asian people to treat diseases. Currently, up to 20-40% of patients with the above-mentioned diseases are receiving TCM treatment in China.

During the past few decades, there has been major growth in experimental studies of TCM-originated materials (formulas, herb extracts, and single compounds) on neurological disease models. Moreover, the quality of research has greatly improved: the chemical compositions of TCM are efficiently characterized using powerful mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Advanced technology based on proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomic approaches can be applied to study the pharmacological effects of TCM extracts. Molecular and structural biology tools have been used to dissect the drug target and relevant signaling pathways; and transgenic animal models have been applied to evaluate the therapeutic potentials of TCM-originated materials.

However, many unsolved problems remain in 2020, broadly defined in terms of four issues:
- A huge gap between the experimental data and the traditional use of TCM;
- Very strong claims are made based on very limited evidence;
- The models and methodologies used are often of limited relevance for the conditions of the disease under investigation;
- The molecular mechanisms of the drug effects are far from clear.

This Research Topic seeks to make a significant contribution in bridging these evidentiary gaps, forming a resource for the safe and efficacious implementation of TCM approaches, testing the pharmacological activity, potential efficacy, and safety of their employment in neurological disease models. Importantly, In this Research Topic, we would like to encourage the debate on the limitations of such approaches using herbal medical preparations, as well as pure natural products. Research must be based on a well-defined and testable hypothesis or research question.

This project aims to build upon the discoveries of Volume 1: Assessing the Pharmacological Effects and Therapeutic Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Neurological Disease Models.

---

One can find more information about the Article Types guidelines in the Ethnopharmacology section (here). All the manuscripts submitted to this project will be peer-reviewed and need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here).

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Editors

University of Macau

Hong Kong Baptist University

Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine

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Frontiers in Pharmacology

Ethnopharmacology

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