Tetrahydroprotoberberines (THPBs) represent a series of compounds extracted from the Chinese herb Corydalis ambigua and various species of Stephania. THPBs, dependent on the presence of hydroxyl groups in its structure, are divided into three types: nonhydroxyl-THPBs, monohydroxyl-THPBs and dihydroxyl-THPBs. THPBs are identified as a new category of dopamine receptor ligands. Among all THPBs, dihydroxyl-THPBs attracted particular attention because of their dual actions on dopamine (DA) receptors. They exhibit D(1) receptor agonistic activity while acting as D(2) receptor antagonists. This unique pharmacological profile made dihydroxyl-THPBs such as l-stepholidine (l-SPD) potential agents in the treatment of drug addiction, Parkinson's disease, and especially, schizophrenia. Clinical studies have shown that co-administration of l-SPD with a typical antipsychotic drug significantly enhances the therapeutic effects and remarkably reduces the tardive dyskinesia induced by the typical antipsychotic drug used with schizophrenic patients. Moreover, l-SPD alone was shown to have therapeutic value without inducing significant extrapyramidal side effects and also seemed to reduce the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. This is confirmed in experimental studies using animal models of schizophrenia, in which l-SPD improved social interaction and cognitive function, inhibited hyperactivity in schizophrenic animals. This review discusses the chemistry, pharmacology and clinical implications of l-THPBs in the drug development for psychosis and neurobiological diseases.

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BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that acupuncture is beneficial for the alleviation of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. However, there is a lack of clinical evidence concerning the effects of acupoint-matching on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.Methods/designThis is a parallel randomized controlled trial to evaluate the occurrence of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy (the incidence of nausea and vomiting, frequency, VAS score, RINVR rating) as the main outcome for cancer. Quality of life, anxiety and depression scores are the secondary outcomes. Quality of life, anxiety and depression scores are the secondary phase. Use of remedy drugs, routine blood examination, and blood biochemical tests are the safety evaluation. We also compare the different effects of ST36 (single acupoint), CV12 (single acupoint), and ST36-CV12 matching groups.DiscussionThe results of this trial are expected to explore the effects of matching different acupoints and to offer biologic plausibility for the use of acupuncture in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).Trial registrationThis trial is registered with clinicaltrials.gov NCT02195921, The date of registration was 17 July 2014.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2186-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background. In recent years, the incidence of endometrial cancer (EC) has been on the rise worldwide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of psychological care and Chinese herbal decoction in EC patients with postoperative chemotherapy. Methods. 80 EC patients with postoperative chemotherapy were randomly divided into the observation group and control group. The control group was given psychotherapy. The observation group was given psychological care plus Chinese herbal decoction treatment. HE4, CA125, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores, toxic and side effects, and quality of life scores before and after treatment were observed. Results. After treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group. After treatment, serum HE4 and CA125 levels in the observation group were lower than those in the control group. In addition, CD3+ and CD4+ levels in the observation group were higher than those in the control group. Meanwhile, the CD8+ level in the observation group was lower than that in the control group. Compared with the control group, the quality of life in the observation group was significantly improved, and the incidence of adverse reactions was reduced. Conclusion. Chinese herbal decoction combined with psychological care can improve the clinical symptoms, alleviate the toxic and side effects, and improve the life quality of EC patients with postoperative chemotherapy.