Online Submissions: http://www.journaltcm.com J Tradit Chin Med 2015 February 15; 35(1): 28-35 info@journaltcm.com ISSN 0255-2922 2015 JTCM. All rights reserved. CLINICAL STUDY TOPIC 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomic study on efficacy of Qingrehuatan decoction against abundant phlegm-heat syndrome in young adults with essential hypertension Feng Xuanchao, Yang Zheng, Chu Yuguang, Du Bai, Su Mei, Li Yi, Wang Yinghong, Jiang Chunying, Hu Yuanhui aa Feng Xuanchao, Department of Cardiology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China; Department of Cardiology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China Yang Zheng, Department of Cardiology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China Chu Yuguang, Du Bai, Su Mei, Hu Yuanhui, Department of Cardiology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China Li Yi, Editorial department, Wangjing Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100102, China Wang Yinghong, Jiang Chunying, State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China Correspondence to: Hu Yuanhui, Department of Cardiology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China. huiyuhui55@sohu.com Telephone: +86-13911386285 Accepted: January 19, 2014 Abstract OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of Qingrehuatan decoction (QRHT) on serum metabolic profile in young essential hypertension (YEH) patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome and provide a basis for treatment with the decoction. METHODS: Twelve male YEH patients were randomly selected and serum samples were collected for examination before and after 4 weeks of the treatment with QRHT. Twelve healthy males were randomly selected and their serum samples were collected as a control. All serum samples were detected using metabolomic technology with 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance. Differences in metabolites were studied by principal component analysis and partial least squares-discriminate analysis, which produced scores and loadings plots. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of treatment, serum substances could be distinguished between the YEH patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome and the control patients. The specific serum endogenous metabolites tended to improve after the treatment. QRHT can appropriately increase the levels of glucose, lactic acid, citric acid, high-density lipoprotein, phosphatidylcholine, glycerophosphate choline, hydroxybutyrate, alanine, and glutamate. QRHT could also decrease the levels of low-density lipoprotein/very low-density lipoprotein, lipids, N-acetyl glycoprotein, and O-acetyl glycoprotein. CONCLUSION: QRHT can effectively ameliorate metabolic disorders in YEH Patients with abundant phlegm- heat syndrome. 1 H NMR-based metabolomic technology can provide an objective basis for the treatment of YEH patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome using QRHT. 2015 JTCM. All rights reserved. Key words: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Metabolomics; Hypertension, essential; Clearing heat resolving phlegm; Phlegm-heat obstructing lung JTCM www. journaltcm. com 28
INTRODUCTION Hypertension is a widely recognized disease that may cause many common serious diseases, such as coronary disease and strokes. Approximately 7 million annual deaths are attributed to hypertension worldwide. 1 When classified as an average BP measurement of > 140 mm Hg systolic or > 90 mm Hg diastolic, hypertension occurs in approximately 26% of adults worldwide. And this is expected to increase to 1.56 billion people (29%) by 2025. 2 Many people in China have turned to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for antihypertensive treatment. 3 Moreover, the efficacy and safety of TCM in the treatment of hypertension has been confirmed by several clinical studies. 4-7 Previous studies have shown that hypertension is a metabolic disease. 8 Metabolomics is a key technology for systems biology which uses a holistic approach to biological and biomedical research, while TCM emphasizes holism and individual treatment and works with the principle of metabolomics. Therefore, many TCM studies have used metabolomics to explain mechanisms of syndrome differentiations and conversion. 9-11 Based on clinical observation, it was found that Qingrehuatan decoction (QRHT, the empirical prescription for clearing heat and dissipating phlegm) has therapeutic efficacy in treating hypertension. 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics was used to study the function and mechanism of QHRT. MATERIALS AND METHODS Subjects Twelve male young essential hypertension (YEH) patients aged 32 to 40 [average: (36 ± 4) years] were selected in the department of Cardiology of Guang'anmen Hospital from May 2010 to January 2012 and served as the treatment-naive group before taking QRHT. They also served as the treatment-experienced group after taking QRHT for 4 weeks. Twelve healthy males aged from 30 to 40 [average: (36 ± 4) years] were included as a control group. All patients gave informed consent and the trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of Guang'anmen Hospital. Diagnostic criteria The diagnosis of hypertension followed A Draft of Chinese Guidelines for Hypertension Prevention and Treatment (revised edition in 2010). 12 Three measurements on separate days (usually at 2-week intervals) of the blood pressure 140 and/or 90 mm Hg, were sufficient for a diagnosis of hypertension. Grade 1: hypertension was defined as systolic pressure 140-159 mm Hg and/or diastolic pressure 90-99 mm Hg. Grade 2: hypertension was defined as systolic pressure 160-179 mm Hg and/or diastolic pressure 100-109 mm Hg. Grade 3: hypertension was defined as systolic pressure 180 and/or diastolic pressure 110 mm Hg. Secondary hypertension was excluded. According to the latest standards of World Health Organization, candidates aged 44 or under were included. 13,14 Symptoms of abundant phlegm-heat syndrome in TCM The diagnosis of abundant phlegm-heat syndrome followed the definition in PRC National Standard for Clinic Terminology of Traditional Chinese Medical Diagnosis and Treatment Syndromes. 15 The main clinical manifestation of abundant phlegm-heat syndrome includes disturbed mind and Qi movement, cough and dyspnea, yellow thick sputum, fever and thirst, irritability and restlessness, insomnia and dreamful sleep, red tongue with yellow and greasy fur, rapid or slippery pulse. Inclusion criteria Inclusion criteria were as follows: diagnosis of grade 1 or 2 essential hypertension in accordance with the guidelines described previously. The diagnosis was conducted by two associate chief TCM physicians. Patients were included if they were initially diagnosed with hypertension, had hypertension without regular administration for years, or had no antihypertensive administration in the last 2 weeks. Patients were aged from 18 to 45 and were informed and consented to participate in the study. Exclusion criteria Exclusion criteria were as follows: patients aged under 18 or over 45 years old; patients with secondary hypertension; patients who regularly use drugs or have used antihypertensive drugs in the last 2 weeks; patients with Grade 3 hypertension; patients with blood sugar or fat abnormalities, hepatic dysfunction, Aminotransferase (ALT/AST) 1.5-fold normal value, renal dysfunction, males with creatinine (Cr) > 106 μmol/l, females with Cr > 97 μmol/l, blood urea nitrogen > 7.1 mmol/l, thyroid function abnormality, hematopoietic function abnormality, or mental diseases; patients with allergic physique and/or allergies to many drugs; patients participating in other clinical trials in the last month; patients unwilling to participate in this clinical trial; patients failing to take medication regularly or with incomplete data. Reagents and instruments Chemicals used included: 99.8% deuterium oxide (D 2O), batch number: 20111112 (Cambridge Isotope Laboratories Inc. Corporation, Andover, MA, USA); and 3-(trimethylsilyl) propionic-2,2,3,3-d 4 acid sodium salt (TSP-deuterated), batch number: 1668-E (Merck Corporation, Montreal, Canada). Instruments included: refrigerated centrifuge (Beckman, Pasadena, CA, USA); standard pipettes 100-1000 μl (GILSON JTCM www. journaltcm. com 29
Incorporated, Villiers Le Bel, France); standard pipettes 1-20 μl (Eppendorf-MiniSpin/plus, Hamburg, German); Value plus ultra low temperature refrigerator (Thermo Revco, Waltham, MA, USA); Centrifuge 5415D high-speed refrigerated centrifuge (Eppendorf-MiniSpin/plus, Hamburg, German); Bruker AVANCE III 500 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (Bruker Corporation, Zürich, Switzerland). Main configuration: field intensity of the superconducting magnet was 11.75 T (500 MHz); 1 H/13C/ 31P/19F 4N probe, gradient reversed-phase probe (109Ag-31P)/high-resolution magic angle spinning probe (15N-31P). QRHT decoction preparation QRHT decoction included following contents: Huanglian (Rhizoma Coptidis) 9 g, Wuzhuyu (Fructus Evodiae Rutaecarpae) 6 g, Sangbaipi (Cortex Mori Albae Radicis) 30 g, Digupi (Cortex Lycii Radicis) 30 g, Mudanpi (Cortex Moutan Radicis) 10 g, Xiakucao (Spica Prunellae Vulgaris) 30 g, Banxia (Rhizoma Pinelliae) 9 g, Baizhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae) 12 g, Zexie (Rhizoma Alsmatis) 30 g, and Fuling (Poria) 30 g. The herbs were boiled in water, and the decoction was taken twice a day for 4 weeks. Drugs that may influence blood pressure were suspended during the treatment. Method of serum pretreatment A total of 2 ml of fasting blood were collected in Vacuette disposable plain tube, mixed with EDTA anticoagulant in the morning, set for 2 h at room temperature, and centrifuged at 3000 r/min for 15 min at 4 to isolate serum. All serum samples were kept at - 80 until use. After thawing at room temperature, 20 μl of supernatant was blended with 40 μl of 0.05% TSP with D 2O and H 2O in a ratio of 1 9. The prepared serum samples in the 1.7 mm tube were tested in the NMR spectrometer. Data acquisition and processing Nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY), Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG), and longitudinal eddy-current delay (LED) were performed on a pre-saturated Fourier variable NMR spectrometer. The parameters of the experiment were as follows: spectrum width of 8000 Hz, pre-saturation time of 2 seconds, sampling number of 32k, accumulation number of 128, and the frequencies of pre-saturation and center were all at the position of the water peak. Free induction decay (FID) signals were transferred via 32 k Fourier transformation to gain a one-dimensional NMR spectrogram. TSP was the chemical migration reference peak at 0 ppm, and using MIXtures software v. 3.0 (AMIX) (Bruker Biospin, Faellanden, Switzerland), the segmental integral calculus (0.04 ppm per segment) was performed from 0.5-6 ppm. After normalization, the data were saved in an excel file or text file for pattern recognition analysis. Statistical analysis The data were analyzed and the scores plot and loadings plot were obtained by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The data were first analyzed by pattern recognition of principal component analysis (PCA) in SIMCA-P12.0 (Umetrics, Umeå, Sweden) conducted with orthogonal signal correction if necessary, and analyzed by partial least squares regression discriminant analysis. These methods are in accordance with previous studies. 16,17 The R 2 describes how well the data fit with the derived model, whereas Q 2 describes the predictive ability of the derived model and provides a measure of the model quality with Q 2 > 0.5 considered as 'good' and Q 2 > 0.9 considered as 'excellent'. RESULTS 1 H NMR spectra of serum samples A typical 500 MHz 1 H NMR spectra of serum from a YEH patient with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome before and after taking QRHT and one control are shown in Figures 1 and 2. Differences in these three spectra in small molecular substances and macromolecular substances can be roughly observed. Segmental integral value of 1 H NMR CPMG spectra The segmental integral value of the 1 H NMR CPMG spectrum was analyzed with PCA. Differences among treatment-naive, treatment-experienced, and healthy control patients could be obviously distinguished. The scores of the treatment-experienced group were between the treatment-naive group and the healthy control (Figure 3). The scores of the three groups possibly indicated that QRHT could effectively ameliorate small metabolite disorders in the serum of YEH patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome (Figure 3). The main differences in metabolites among the three groups were: lactate (1.34), low-density lipoprotein (LDL)/very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) (0.90/ 1.30), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (0.86/1.26), unsaturated fatty acid (5.30), phosphorylcholine/phosphatidylcholine (3.22), choline/phosphocholine (3.20), glucose (3.42/3.70), N-acetyl glycoprotein (2.04), and O-acetyl glycoprotein (2.06) (Figure 4). Segmental integral value of 1 H NMR LED spectra The segmental integral value of the 1 H NMR LED spectra was analyzed with PLS-DA. Differences among the treatment-naive, treatment-experienced, and healthy control groups were obviously distinguishable. The scores of the treatment-experienced group were between the treatment-naive group and the healthy control group, which indicates that QRHT may be effective for treating hypertension (Figure 5). The main differences in metabolites among the three groups were: lactate (1.34), LDL/VLDL (0.90/1.30), JTCM www. journaltcm. com 30
A Lac αglc βglc Lac TMAO/Betaine Creatine Citrate Ile/Leu B Cho/Pcho Met Ace Ala C Glucose & amino acid Glutamine N-Ac Val 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 f1 (ppm) Figure 1 Typical 500 MHz 1 H-NMR Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill spectra of serum from a young essential hypertension patient with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome after taking QRHT A: treatment-naive; B: treatment-experienced; C: healthy Control. Ile: isoleucine; Leu: leucine; Val: valine; Lac: lactic acid; Ala: alanine; N-Ac: N-Acetyl glycoproteins; Met: methionine; Ace: acetate; Gln: glutamine; Cho: choline; Glc: glucose; TMAO: trimethylamine-n-oxide. 1 H-NMR: 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance; QRHT: Qingrehuatan decoction. HDL (0.82/0.86/1.22/1.26), unsaturated fatty acid (5.3), lipids (2.02), and phosphorylcholine/phosphatidylcholine (3.22) (Figure 6). Different metabolites in serum of YEH patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome The loadings plots of the treatment group were obtained (Figures 4, 6) and indicate that the main differences in metabolites among the three groups are: lactate (1.34), LDL/VLDL (0.90/1.30), HDL (0.82/0.86/ 1.22/1.26), unsaturated fatty acid (5.30), lipids (2.02), phosphorylcholine/phosphatidylcholine (3.22), choline/phosphocholine (3.20), glucose (3.42/3.70), N-acetyl glycoprotein (2.04), and O-acetyl glycoprotein (2.06). These changes indicate that QRHT may ameliorate altered metabolites after treatment for 4 weeks (Table 1). DISCUSSION Hypertension can be exacerbated by improper diet, work stress, excessive anxiety, smoking, and drinking. According to TCM theory, pathogenic factors, such as phlegm-dampness and heat, invade easily under stress. Pathogenic factors will linger in blood, vessels, or gaps between muscles. Internal and external dampness accumulates and leads to abundant phlegm-heat. Ancient Chinese physicians recorded the pathogenesis of hypertension, such as "No phlegm no vertigo," 18 and "Headache is always caused by phlegm, and fire can make it even worse." 19 Pathogenic factors like wind, phlegm, heat, and deficiency are all important to the occurrence of hypertension. The phlegm invades the body, not only inducing Yang deficiency of both spleen and kidney, but also causing liver wind stirring, which produces blood stagnation in vessels and leads to hypertension. Therefore, attention should be paid to phlegm when treating hypertension. Gong, 20 a TCM physician in the Ming Dynasty, mentioned that fire is the core of phlegm, while phlegm is the manifestation of fire. Zhu 21 also hypothesized that treatments of fire should be emphasized when the fire causes phlegm. TCM physicians have characterized the relationship between fire and phlegm and emphasized the importance of clearing heat in the treatment of hypertension. Based on TCM theory and clinical experience, we have developed QRHT to treat hypertension. In the prescription, the bitter cold drug Huanglian (Rhizoma Coptidis) and the bitter pungent cold drug Mudanpi (Cortex Moutan Radicis) are the sovereign drugs that focus on clearing away the heat in the triple energizer. Furthermore, Huanglian (Rhizoma Coptidis) can eliminate dampness and Mudanpi (Cortex Moutan Radicis) can cool the blood and dissipate blood stasis. When JTCM www. journaltcm. com 31
A VLDL / LDL-(CH2)n PtdCho B VLDL / LDL-(CH2)n the sovereign drugs in clearing heat. The sweet tasteless neutral drug Fuling (Poria) can drain dampness, especially in the spleen, and promote urination. Zexie (Rhizoma Alsmatis) and Digupi (Cortex Lycii Radicis) are also good at draining dampness and promoting urination, especially the turbidity in kidney. Finally, Sangbaipi (Cortex Mori Albae Radicis) can promote urination by purging the lung. These four herbs help the sover- Lipid-CH2CH2CO- Lipid-CH2CO- C Lipid-CH = CH- Lipid=CHCH2CH- N-Ac HDL-CH3 6.0 5.8 5.6 5.4 5.2 5.0 4.8 4.6 4.4 4.2 4.0 3.8 3.6 3.4 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 f1 (ppm) Figure 2 Typical 500 MHz 1 H NMR longitudinal eddy-delay spectra of serum from a young essential hypertension patient with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome after taking QRHT A: treatment-naive; B: treatment-experienced; C: healthy control. N-Ac: N-Acetyl glycoproteins; VLDL: very low-density lipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; HDL: high density lipoprotein; ptdcho: phosphatidylcholine; 1 H NMR: 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance; QRHT: Qingrehuatan decoction. 0.0020 0.0015 0.0010 0.0005 Healthy control group Treatment-naive group Treatment-experienced group t[2] 0.0000-0.0005-0.0010-0.0015-0.0020-0.008-0.006-0.004-0.002 0.000 0.002 0.004 0.006 0.008 t[1] Figure 3 1 H NMR Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill principal component analysis plot (t[1] vs t[2]) of the treatment-experienced group of young essential hypertension patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome Healthy control group: healthy males aged from 30 to 40; treatment-naive group: young essential hypertension patients without any treatment; treatment-experienced group: those patients taking the Qingrehuatan decoction for 4 weeks, R 2 X = 0.916, Q 2 = 0.72). 1 H NMR: 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance. the dampness is removed, the phlegm will also be eliminated. The tasteless cold drug Digupi (Cortex Lycii Radicis) can purge the torpid fire, the sweet cold drug Sangbaipi (Cortex Mori Albae Radicis) can clear lung heat, the bitter pungent cold drug Xiakucao (Spica Prunellae Vulgaris) can purge the ministerial fire, and the sweet cold drug Zexie (Rhizoma Alsmatis) can clear heat in the kidney and bladder. These four herbs assist JTCM www. journaltcm. com 32
1.34 0.6 0.4 0.2 p[2] 0.0 0.9-0.2 3.22 5.3 1.3-0.4 0.86 1.26-0.2-0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 p[1] Figure 4 1 H NMR Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill principal component analysis loadings plot (p[1] vs p[2]) of the treatment-experienced group of young essential hypertension patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome 1 H-NMR: 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance. t[2] 0.0020 0.0015 0.0010 0.0005 0.0000 Healthy control group Treatment-naive group Treatment-experienced group -0.0005-0.0010-0.0015-0.0020-0.006-0.004-0.002 0.000 0.002 0.004 0.006 t[1] Figure 5 1 H NMR longitudinal eddy current delay principal component analysis plot (t[1] vs t[2]) of the treatment-experienced group of young essential hypertension patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome Healthy control group: healthy males aged from 30 to 40; treatment-naive group: young essential hypertension patients without any treatment; treatment-experienced group: those patients taking the Qingrehuatan decoction for 4 weeks, R 2 X=0.996, Q 2 = 0.943). 1 H-NMR: 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance. eign drugs with relieving the phlegm and the dampness by invigorating the lung, the spleen, and the kidney to regulate water passage. Xiakucao (Spica Prunellae Vulgaris) can also relieve stagnation and resolve hard masses, and Fuling (Poria) can tranquillize the mind. These two herbs are included for emotional regulation. Therefore, there are five minister drugs in the decoction. The character and taste of all the herbs is bitter and cold, which can curb the stagnated fire from being eliminated. The pungent hot drug Wuzhuyu (Fructus Evodiae Rutaecarpae), the pungent warm drug Banxia (Rhizoma Pinelliae), and the sweet warm drug Baizhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae) were added to the prescription to reduce harm to the stomach from coldness. The levels of glucose, lactic acid, and citric acid increased after taking QRHT for 4 weeks. Though the relationship between clearing heat and dissipating phlegm and the levels of blood glucose have not been studied, QRHT could effectively improve glucose metabolism in this study. Therefore, invigorating the spleen and eliminating phlegm could improve digestive function and assimilation, and clearing heat precludes the constitution of excessive Yang. The levels of LDL/VLDL, lipids, and unsaturated fatty acid decreased and the concentration of HDL, phosphorylcholine/phosphatidylcholine, choline/phosphocholine, glycerophosphorylcholine and 3-hydroxybutyrate increased after 4 weeks of treatment with QRHT. Chang et al 22 found similar results in their experiment. JTCM www. journaltcm. com 33
0.7 1.26 0.6 0.5 p[2] 0.4 0.3 0.86 1.22 0.2 0.1 0.0-0.1 3.22 0.82 5.3.74 2.22 1.58 34 1.38 0.9 1.34 1.3-0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 p[1] Figure 6 1 H NMR longitudinal eddy current delay principal component analysis loadings plot (p[1] vs p[2]) of the treatment-experienced group of young essential hypertension patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome 1 H NMR: 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance. Table 1 Efficacy of QRHT on different metabolites in serum of YEH patients with abundant phlegm-heat syndrome Metabolite Low-density lipoprotein/very low-density lipoprotein N-acetyl glycoprotein O-acetyl glycoprotein Lipids(-CH2-CH2CO a ) Lipids(-CH2-CH= a ) Lipids(-CH=CO a ) Lipids(-CH=CH a ) High-density lipoprotein Phosphatidylcholine Lactate Alanine Choline/phosphocholine Phosphorycholine Glucose 3-Hydroxybutyrate Citrate Glutamine Phlegm is produced by foods and drinks like other normal fluids. However, if the fluids turn into essentials, then they will improve the body. Otherwise, the fluids form phlegm and harm the body. It is hypothesized that QRHT helps eliminate phlegm and produce essentials like Qi and blood. The increased in alanine and glutamate and the decrease in N-acetyl glycoprotein and O-acetyl glycoprotein after 4 weeks of treatment with QRHT possibly indicate that the blood stasis was partly treated, and that Yang could reach the upper orifices so that blood pressure could decrease. After treatment, the abnormal metabolic symptoms of hypertensive patients were resolved. Therefore, QRHT can not only reduce blood Treatment-naive compared with healthy control pressure, but also improve the metabolic disorder of patients. REFERENCES Treatment-experienced compared with treatment-naive Notes: QRHT: Qingrehuatan decoction; YEH: young essential hypertension; : higher than the compared group; : lower than the compared group. 1 Perkovic V, Huxley R, Wu Y, Prabhakaran D, MacMahon S. The burden of blood pressure-related disease: a neglected priority for global health. Hypertension 2007; 50(6): 991-997. 2 Kearney PM, Whelton M, Reynolds K, Muntner P, Whelton PK, He J. Global burden of hypertension: analysis of worldwide data. Lancet 2005; 365(9455): 217-223. 3 Chen KJ, Hui KK, Lee MS, Xu H. The potential benefit of complementary/alternative medicine in cardiovascular JTCM www. journaltcm. com 34
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