Data mining and frequency analysis for licorice as a "Two-Face" herb in Chinese Formulae based on Chinese Formulae Database.

Liquorice is the root of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. or Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Leguminosae. Licorice is described as 'National Venerable Master' in Chinese medicine and plays paradoxical roles, i.e. detoxification/strengthen efficacy and inducing/enhancing toxicity. Therefore, licorice was called "Two-Face" herb in this paper. The aim of this study is to discuss the paradoxical roles and the perspective usage of this "Two-Face" herb using data mining and frequency analysis. More than 96,000 prescriptions from Chinese Formulae Database were selected. The frequency and the prescription patterns were analyzed using Microsoft SQL Server 2000. Data mining methods (frequent itemsets) were used to analyze the regular patterns and compatibility laws of the constituent herbs in the selected prescriptions. The result showed that licorice (Radix glycyrrhizae) was the most frequently used herb in Chinese Formulae Database, other frequently used herbs including Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Dang gui), Radix et rhizoma ginseng (Ren shen), etc. Toxic herbs such as Radix aconiti lateralis praeparata (Fu zi), Rhizoma pinelliae (Ban xia) and Cinnabaris (Zhu sha) are top 3 herbs that most frequently used in combination with licorice. Radix et rhizoma ginseng (Ren shen), Poria (Fu ling), Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Dang gui) are top 3 nontoxic herbs that most frequently used in combination with licorice. Moreover, Licorice was seldom used with sargassum (Hai Zao), Herba Cirsii Japonici (Da Ji), Euphorbia kansui (Gan Sui) and Flos genkwa (Yuan Hua), which proved the description of contradictory effect of Radix glycyrrhizae and these herbs as recorded in Chinese medicine theory. This study showed the principle pattern of Chinese herbal drugs used in combination with licorice or not. The principle patterns and special compatibility laws reported here could be useful and instructive for scientific usage of licorice in clinic application. Further pharmacological and chemical researches are needed to evaluate the efficacy and the combination pattern of these Chinese herbs. The mechanism of the combination pattern of these prescriptions should also be investigated whether additive, synergistic or antagonistic effect exist using in vitro or in vivo models.

Guo J ，Shang E ，Zhao J ，Fan X ，Duan J ，Qian D ，Tao W ，Tang Y ... -  《-》

Study of the distribution patterns of the constituent herbs in classical Chinese medicine prescriptions treating respiratory disease by data mining methods.

Fu XJ ，Song XX ，Wei LB ，Wang ZG ... -  《-》

[Clinical study on aconite prescriptions with incompatible herbs in different areas based on association rules and analysis on compatibility features].

Zuo T ，Fan XS ，Tian S ，Jiang CX ，Chen F ... -  《-》

[Study on relevance mining of "core drug action target" in Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions].

Based on the database of "Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions", high-frequency herbs of Xiaoke disease is mined by traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system, and core herbs and combinations are discovered through association rules and cluster analysis. On this basis, based on the integrative pharmacology of traditional Chinese medicine to explore the herb-disease relationship, the "herb-compound-target" network is constructed and enriched for the analysis of key target gene functions, metabolic pathways, and their "core herb-target interactions". In order to explore the molecular mechanism of its prevention and treatment of diabetes, 341 diabetes prescriptions are collected, organized, and tapped in the Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions. Herb frequency statistics show that Licorice was the most commonly used, followed by Ophiopogonis Radix, Poria, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Coptidis Rhizoma, etc., the medicinal properties are mostly cold, warm and ping, and the medicinal taste tends to be pungent, bitter, and sour, and they were attributed to lung meridian, stomach meridian, spleen meridian, etc. Among them, the 17 herbs were closely related. Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Ophiopogonis Radix, Poria and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma were the core Chinese herbs. Ophiopogonis Radix was the key node of Coptidis Rhizoma, Trichosanthis Radix and core Chinese medicine, and Ophiopogonis Radix was the key node for the connection between Coptidis Rhizoma and Trichosanthis Radix and the core Chinese herbs. Using integrated pharmacology platform analysis, 10 crucial core targets for the prevention and treatment of diabetes were obtained, including the known disease targets (PLCD1, PIK3R1, ENPP1), and potential herb targets(GNB1, ADCY1, AKT1, RAC1, PRKAA1, RHOA) , common target (GCK). There were seven similar targets in the 10 crucial core targets predicted with the combination of "Ophiopogonis Radix, Coptidis Rhizoma and Trichosanthis Radix", including PLCD1, PIK3R1, ENPP1, ADCY1, AKT1, PRKAA1, GCK. These genes were mainly located in the cytosol, plasma membrane, etc., involved in adenosine triphosphate binding, protein binding, platelet activation, etc., mainly involved in the endocrine system, signal transduction, chemokine signaling pathway, cancer pathway, and other metabolic pathways, and it is speculated that these genes were potentially associated with diabetes. In this study, Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System and Integrative Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medicine are used to analyze the prescription law of Xiaoke prescription, and the correlation of "core herbs-functionary targets" is excavated, which provided the basis and reference for the screening and development of TCM prescriptions for the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

Wang B ，Zhou RR ，Tang SH 《-》

[Detoxication experimental study on different compatibility proportion of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata and glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma].

Xie S ，Zhang G ，Sun G ，Zhu X ，Chen R ，Zhang S ，He L ，Ye Z ... -  《-》