Efficacy and Safety of Calculus Bovis Sativus (CBS) for Adult Encephalitis (CBSinEncephalitis)

Summary

Based on the records of traditional Chinese medicine, CBS has the functions of purifying the heart, eliminating phlegm, stimulating bile secretion, and soothing the nerves. It has the ability to alleviate fever, coma, delirium, epilepsy, convulsions in youngsters, dental caries, throat swelling, mouth ulcers, carbuncle, and furuncle. Encephalitis is a neurological condition characterized by widespread or multiple inflammation of brain tissue. The causes of encephalitis are many and can stem from infectious organisms or be induced by autoimmune reactions, the latter being referred to as autoimmune encephalitis (AE). The yearly occurrence rate of encephalitis is 12.6 per 100,000 individuals. Among these cases, approximately 40-50% are caused by infectious factors, whereas 20-30% are attributed to autoimmune encephalitis (AE). The development of viral encephalitis involves the direct invasion of brain tissue by the virus and the immune response of the body to viral antigens. The virus multiplies extensively, leading to the degeneration of neurons, necrosis, the proliferation of glial cells, and the infiltration of inflammatory cells. These severe tissue reactions can result in the formation of demyelinating lesions and damage to blood vessels and the areas surrounding them. Additionally, vascular lesions affect the circulation in the brain and worsen the damage to brain tissue. The development of AE involves several factors, including molecular mimicry, the activation of latent antigen epitopes, the spread of antigen epitopes, and the disruption of the innate immune system caused by persistent pathogen infection. The mechanisms that are clearer can be summarized as follows: (1) Decrease in the number of receptors on the surface due to cross-linking and internalization: Anti-NMDAR antibodies have the ability to attach to NMDAR on the postsynaptic membrane, resulting in a reduction of NMDAR surface density through cross-linking and internalization. This reduction leads to a decrease in NMDAR-mediated current, which in turn causes learning and memory defects. (2) Protein-protein interaction disruption: Anti-LGI1 antibodies can disrupt the binding between LGI1 and ADAM23 on the presynaptic membrane and ADAM22 on the postsynaptic membrane. This disruption leads to a decrease in the density of anti-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR). According to the aforementioned background processes, along with the most recent research, there was a decrease in the abundance of gut flora in patients with AE. Transplanting the fecal bacteria of individuals with anti-NMDAR encephalitis into mice's intestines resulted in cognitive impairment in the animals. This indicates that the brain-gut axis may have a significant role in the development of anti-NMDAR encephalitis. From a clinical perspective, patients consume CBS orally in order to achieve its therapeutic benefits. The primary constituents, bilirubin and bile acid, have been documented to possess regulatory effects on the gut microbiota. Thus, we hypothesize that CBS is probable to have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory impacts on the brain through alterations in the intestinal microbiota and regulation of the brain-gut connection. CBS is expected to decrease the occurrence of symptomatic seizures and enhance the patient's level of consciousness and cognitive abilities.

Timeline

Start

2024-09-30

Primary completion

2029-07

Completion

2029-12

Publications

• Background Chen H, Chen Z, Shen L, Wu X, Ma X, Lin D, Zhang M, Ma X, Liu Y, Wang Z, Zhang Y, Kuang Z, Lu Z, Li X, Ma L, Lin X, Si L, Chen X. Fecal microbiota transplantation from patients with autoimmune encephalitis modulates Th17 response and relevant behaviors in mice. Cell Death Discov. 2020 Aug 11;6:75. doi: 10.1038/s41420-020-00309-8. eCollection 2020.
• Background Fu WJ, Lei T, Yin Z, Pan JH, Chai YS, Xu XY, Yan YX, Wang ZH, Ke J, Wu G, Xu RH, Paranjpe M, Qu L, Nie H. Anti-atherosclerosis and cardio-protective effects of the Angong Niuhuang Pill on a high fat and vitamin D3 induced rodent model of atherosclerosis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2017 Jan 4;195:118-126. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.11.015. Epub 2016 Nov 20.
• Background Zhou J, Jiang T, Wang J, Wu W, Duan X, Jiang H, Jiao Z, Wang X. Multimodal investigation reveals the neuroprotective mechanism of Angong Niuhuang pill for intracerebral hemorrhage: Converging bioinformatics, network pharmacology, and experimental validation. J Ethnopharmacol. 2024 Jan 30;319(Pt 1):117045. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117045. Epub 2023 Aug 24.
• Background Yu ZJ, Xu Y, Peng W, Liu YJ, Zhang JM, Li JS, Sun T, Wang P. Calculus bovis: A review of the traditional usages, origin, chemistry, pharmacological activities and toxicology. J Ethnopharmacol. 2020 May 23;254:112649. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112649. Epub 2020 Feb 14.
• Background Shi Y, Xiong J, Sun D, Liu W, Wei F, Ma S, Lin R. Simultaneous quantification of the major bile acids in artificial Calculus bovis by high-performance liquid chromatography with precolumn derivatization and its application in quality control. J Sep Sci. 2015 Aug;38(16):2753-62. doi: 10.1002/jssc.201500139. Epub 2015 Jun 30.
• Background Shimada K, Azuma Y, Kawase M, Takahashi T, Schaffer SW, Takahashi K. Taurine as a marker for the identification of natural Calculus Bovis and its substitutes. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2013;776:141-9. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-6093-0_15.
• Background Li X, Yao Y, Chen M, Ding H, Liang C, Lv L, Zhao H, Zhou G, Luo Z, Li Y, Zhang H. Comprehensive evaluation integrating omics strategy and machine learning algorithms for consistency of calculus bovis from different sources. Talanta. 2022 Jan 15;237:122873. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122873. Epub 2021 Sep 30.
• Background Liu Y, Tan P, Liu S, Shi H, Feng X, Ma Q. A new method for identification of natural, artificial and in vitro cultured Calculus bovis using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Pharmacogn Mag. 2015 Apr-Jun;11(42):304-10. doi: 10.4103/0973-1296.153083.
• Background Tang Y, Han Z, Zhang H, Che L, Liao G, Peng J, Lin Y, Wang Y. Characterization of Calculus bovis by principal component analysis assisted qHNMR profiling to distinguish nefarious frauds. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2023 May 10;228:115320. doi: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115320. Epub 2023 Mar 1.
• Background Takahashi K, Azuma Y, Shimada K, Saito T, Kawase M, Schaffer SW. Quality and safety issues related to traditional animal medicine: role of taurine. J Biomed Sci. 2010 Aug 24;17 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S44. doi: 10.1186/1423-0127-17-S1-S44.
• Background Lu F, Wang L, Chen Y, Zhong X, Huang Z. In vitro cultured calculus bovis attenuates cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting neuronal apoptosis and protecting mitochondrial function in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2020 Dec 5;263:113168. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113168. Epub 2020 Jul 27.
• Background Zhong XM, Ren XC, Lou YL, Chen MJ, Li GZ, Gong XY, Huang Z. Effects of in-vitro cultured calculus bovis on learning and memory impairments of hyperlipemia vascular dementia rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2016 Nov 4;192:390-397. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.09.014. Epub 2016 Sep 9.
• Background Vitek L, Tiribelli C. Bilirubin: The yellow hormone? J Hepatol. 2021 Dec;75(6):1485-1490. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2021.06.010. Epub 2021 Jun 18.
• Background Thakkar M, Edelenbos J, Dore S. Bilirubin and Ischemic Stroke: Rendering the Current Paradigm to Better Understand the Protective Effects of Bilirubin. Mol Neurobiol. 2019 Aug;56(8):5483-5496. doi: 10.1007/s12035-018-1440-y. Epub 2019 Jan 5.
• Background Vasavda C, Kothari R, Malla AP, Tokhunts R, Lin A, Ji M, Ricco C, Xu R, Saavedra HG, Sbodio JI, Snowman AM, Albacarys L, Hester L, Sedlak TW, Paul BD, Snyder SH. Bilirubin Links Heme Metabolism to Neuroprotection by Scavenging Superoxide. Cell Chem Biol. 2019 Oct 17;26(10):1450-1460.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.07.006. Epub 2019 Jul 25.
• Background Liu HW, Gong LN, Lai K, Yu XF, Liu ZQ, Li MX, Yin XL, Liang M, Shi HS, Jiang LH, Yang W, Shi HB, Wang LY, Yin SK. Bilirubin gates the TRPM2 channel as a direct agonist to exacerbate ischemic brain damage. Neuron. 2023 May 17;111(10):1609-1625.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.02.022. Epub 2023 Mar 14.
• Background Bhargava P, Smith MD, Mische L, Harrington E, Fitzgerald KC, Martin K, Kim S, Reyes AA, Gonzalez-Cardona J, Volsko C, Tripathi A, Singh S, Varanasi K, Lord HN, Meyers K, Taylor M, Gharagozloo M, Sotirchos ES, Nourbakhsh B, Dutta R, Mowry EM, Waubant E, Calabresi PA. Bile acid metabolism is altered in multiple sclerosis and supplementation ameliorates neuroinflammation. J Clin Invest. 2020 Jul 1;130(7):3467-3482. doi: 10.1172/JCI129401.
• Background Li CX, Wang XQ, Cheng FF, Yan X, Luo J, Wang QG. Hyodeoxycholic acid protects the neurovascular unit against oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation-induced injury in vitro. Neural Regen Res. 2019 Nov;14(11):1941-1949. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.259617.
• Background Khalaf K, Tornese P, Cocco A, Albanese A. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid: a potential therapeutic tool in neurodegenerative diseases. Transl Neurodegener. 2022 Jun 4;11(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s40035-022-00307-z.
• Background Hurley MJ, Bates R, Macnaughtan J, Schapira AHV. Bile acids and neurological disease. Pharmacol Ther. 2022 Dec;240:108311. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2022.108311. Epub 2022 Nov 16.
• Background Jangra A, Gola P, Singh J, Gond P, Ghosh S, Rachamalla M, Dey A, Iqbal D, Kamal M, Sachdeva P, Jha SK, Ojha S, Kumar D, Jha NK, Chopra H, Tan SC. Emergence of taurine as a therapeutic agent for neurological disorders. Neural Regen Res. 2024 Jan;19(1):62-68. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.374139.
• Background Liu K, Zhu R, Jiang H, Li B, Geng Q, Li Y, Qi J. Taurine inhibits KDM3a production and microglia activation in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice and BV-2 cells. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2022 Sep;122:103759. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2022.103759. Epub 2022 Jul 25.
• Background Ohsawa Y, Hagiwara H, Nishimatsu SI, Hirakawa A, Kamimura N, Ohtsubo H, Fukai Y, Murakami T, Koga Y, Goto YI, Ohta S, Sunada Y; KN01 Study Group. Taurine supplementation for prevention of stroke-like episodes in MELAS: a multicentre, open-label, 52-week phase III trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2019 May;90(5):529-536. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2018-317964. Epub 2018 Apr 17.
• Background Martinez-Vacas A, Di Pierdomenico J, Gallego-Ortega A, Valiente-Soriano FJ, Vidal-Sanz M, Picaud S, Villegas-Perez MP, Garcia-Ayuso D. Systemic taurine treatment affords functional and morphological neuroprotection of photoreceptors and restores retinal pigment epithelium function in RCS rats. Redox Biol. 2022 Nov;57:102506. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102506. Epub 2022 Oct 14.
• Background Zhang F, Deng Y, Wang H, Fu J, Wu G, Duan Z, Zhang X, Cai Y, Zhou H, Yin J, He Y. Gut microbiota-mediated ursodeoxycholic acids regulate the inflammation of microglia through TGR5 signaling after MCAO. Brain Behav Immun. 2024 Jan;115:667-679. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.11.021. Epub 2023 Nov 19.

Drugs

Indications