Dennis H-T Chang

Western Sydney University · School of Science and Health

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Pien Tze Huang is a classic traditional Chinese medicinal product, used for inflammatory diseases as stated in China Pharmacopoeia. In particular, it is effective in treating liver diseases and pro-inflammatory conditions. Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used analgesic drug, but its over-dose is associated with acu...

Despite recent advances in oncology, cancer has remained an enormous global health burden, accounting for about 10 million deaths in 2020. A third of the cancer cases in developing counties are caused by microbial infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), and hepatitis B and C viruses. EBV, a member of the human gamma...

Diabetes mellitus has been an epidemic in the twenty-first century and an approximately 50% risk of diabetes predisposed to cognitive decline leading to dementia in humans. There is an urgent need to understand the pathophysiology and identify molecular targets of cognitive impairment in diabetes mellitus that might lead to improved therapy. Mounti...

Ischemic stroke remains a leading cause of morbidity and disability around the world. The sequelae of serious neurological damage are irreversible due to body’s own limited repair capacity. However, endogenous neurogenesis induced by cerebral ischemia plays a critical role in the repair and regeneration of impaired neural cells after ischemic brain...

Objective: WeiNaoKang (or SaiLuoTong) is an herbal formula consisting of ginkgo, ginseng, and saffron. Our objective was to investigate if WeiNaoKang could improve cognitive function and cerebral perfusion in patients suffering from vascular dementia. Methods: A 16-week randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was carried out in the set...

Different modalities of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) are extensively used worldwide including in Australia to treat ailments, maintain well-being either alone or in conjunction with conventional medicine. This wide prevalence also emphasizes the necessity for more research, education and regulation of different T&CM modalities to e...

Breast cancer was the most diagnosed cancer type in 2020 with 2.26 million cases worldwide1. Current chemotherapeutic approaches, whilst effective, exhibit side effects and are prone to drug resistance. Polyphenol-rich fruits have been reported to minimize the risk of breast cancer. Australian native fruits have been valued among the Indigenous com...

Purpose: Trial participation and adherence to interventions can directly influence the evaluation of outcomes in clinical trials for real world applications. The factors that influence trial participation and adherence to Tai Chi interventions in people with cardiovascular diseases remains unknown. This study aimed to explore participants' percept...

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability throughout the world. A combination of Panax Ginseng and Ginkgo biloba extracts (CGGE) is an effective treatment for nervous system diseases, but the neuroprotective mechanism underlying CGGE remains unclear. Both network analysis and experimental research were employed to explore the potential mechan...

The complex association between the gut microbiome and cancer development has been an emerging field of study in recent years. The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the overall maintenance of human health and interacts closely with the host immune system to prevent and fight infection. This review was designed to draw a comprehensive assessmen...

Crocins (CRs) and the related active constituents derived from Crocus sativus L. (Saffron) have demonstrated protective effects against cerebral ischemia and ischemic stroke, with various bioactivities including neuroprotection, anti-neuroinflammation, antioxidant, and cardiovascular protection. Among CRs, crocin (CR) has been shown to act on multi...

Endothelial dysfunction is an early pathological event in diabetic angiopathy which is the most common complication of diabetes. This study aims to investigate individual and combined actions of Curcumin (Cur) and Baicalein (Bai) in protecting vascular function. The cellular protective effects of Cur, Bai and Cur+Bai (1:1, w/w) were tested in H2O2...

Endothelial dysfunction is an early hallmark of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Monotherapies are limited due to the complex, multifactorial pathways. The multi-component and multi-targeted approach of natural products have the potential to manage CVDs. This review aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the synergistic mechanism of natural pr...

Diabetes-induced cognitive impairment (DCI) presents a major public health risk among the aging population. Previous clinical attempts on known therapeutic targets for DCI, such as depleted insulin secretion, insulin resistance, and hyperglycaemia have delivered poor patient outcomes. However, recent evidence has demonstrated that the gut microbiom...

Australian native plants have adapted themselves to harsh climatic conditions enabling them to produce unique and high levels of secondary metabolites. Native fruits and vegetables have been an integral part of the Indigenous Australian diet and Bush Medicine for centuries. They have recently gained popularity owing to their rich dietary fibre, min...

With the growing interest in the medicinal use of propolis, numerous studies have reported significant interactions between propolis extract and pharmaceutical drugs which may result in great clinical benefits or risks. The present study aims to review the drug–herb interactions of the full-spectrum propolis extract and main pharmaceutical drugs fr...

Cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive phytocannabinoid, has recently emerged as a potential cytotoxic agent in addition to its ameliorative activity in chemotherapy-associated side effects. In this work, the potential interactions of CBD with docetaxel (DOC), doxorubicin (DOX), paclitaxel (PTX), vinorelbine (VIN), and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin...

The combination of natural products with standard chemotherapeutic agents offers a promising strategy to enhance the efficacy or reduce the side effects of standard chemotherapy. We explored the synergistic interactions between Australian propolis extract (AP−1) and doxorubicin (DOX) in the MCF7 cells. Five prenylated stilbenes were identified as t...

Background Low vitamin D status and vitamin D deficiency is common in the elderly and has been correlated with various cardiovascular risk factors and events. Large observational studies demonstrate that low and high levels of 25(OH)D were associated with cardiovascular Amarasekera AT, et al. Abstract Background: A low vitamin D state and vitamin D...

Regular exercise elicits an array of cardiometabolic improvements, which often occur independent of weight loss. As such, alternative theories beyond simple energy expenditure are required to explain these. Like exercise, growth hormone plays a critical role in metabolic health and is a powerful lipolytic agent, particularly on visceral adipose tis...

Brain conditions including neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders are becoming more prevalent and have emerged as major health concerns worldwide. Currently available pharmaceuticals may be of limited efficacy and are associated with a range of adverse side effects. Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) including Persian herbal medicine has...

Background: Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction (VED) plays a fundamental role in the pathophysiology of a number of cardiovascular disease states, including atherosclerosis, acute coronary syndromes/myocardial infarction, hypertension and heart failure. These cardiovascular disease states have also been linked with physical frailty and sarcopenia. El...

Background: Sailuotong (SLT) is a standardized three-herb formulation consisting of extracts of Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, and Crocus sativus for the treatment of vascular dementia (VaD). Although SLT has been shown to increase cerebral blood flow, the direct effects of SLT on vascular reactivity have not been explored. This study aims to exami...

Neuroinflammation is believed to play a primary role in the pathogenesis of most neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's and schizophrenia. Currently, suitable in vitro neuroinflammation models for studying cellular interactions and inflammatory mechanisms at the neurovascular unit are still scarce. In this study, we e...

Currently, available mainstream approaches used to treat mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia are limited. In view of the high prevalence rate of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other forms of dementia and the enormous social and financial burden associated with dementia on a global scale, developing more effective and more cost-effective ways...

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD), including nephrotic syndrome, is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The literature indicates that CKD is associated with profound lipid disorders due to the dysregulation of lipoprotein metabolism which progresses kidney disease. The objective of this study is to evaluate the protecti...

Objective: Chronic kidney disease (CKD), including nephrotic syndrome, is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The literature indicates that CKD is associated with profound lipid disorders largely due to the dysregulation of lipoprotein metabolism which further aggravates the progression of kidney disease. The present study sou...

Yiqi Shexue formula (YQSX) is traditionally used to treat primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine. However, its mechanisms of action and molecular targets for treatment of ITP are not clear. The active compounds of YQSX were collected and their targets were identified. ITP-related targets were obta...

Background: Astrogliosis can result in astrocytes with hypertrophic morphology after injury, indicated by extended processes and swollen cell bodies. Lipocalin-2 (LCN2), a secreted glycoprotein belonging to the lipocalin superfamily, has been reported to play a detrimental role in ischaemic brains and neurodegenerative diseases. Sailuotong (SLT) c...

Stroke is one of the major leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and post-stroke cognitive impairment is a major contributor to this disability. Astragaloside IV (AST-IV) is a primary bioactive compound of Radix Astragali, which is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat stroke. AST-IV was found to possess cognition-enhanci...

Background Omega-3 fatty acids are associated with beneficial health outcomes including reduced cardiovascular disease. Few individuals meet their requirements for omega 3 fatty acids through foods. Supplementation may be a viable option. Aim This open-label trial was designed to examine the effects of a novel krill-oil supplement on omega-3 index...

Studies of the brains of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients have revealed key neuropathological features, such as the deposition of aggregates of insoluble amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). These pathological protein deposits, including Aβ peptides (which form senile plaques) and hyperphosphorylated tau (which aggregates in...

The Naoxinqing (NXQ) tablet is a standardised proprietary herbal product containing an extract of persimmon leaves (Diospyros kaki) for the management of cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. Although previous reports suggested that the efficacy of NXQ is at least partly mediated by its anti-oxidative property, the anti-oxidative effect of the majo...

Abstract Chuanxiong rhizome has been widely used for the treatment of cerebral vascular disease in traditional Chinese medicine. The integrity of blood-brain barrier (BBB) is closely linked to the cerebral vascular disease. The protective effects of ligustilide, the major bioactive component in Chuanxiong rhizome, on cerebral blood vessel has been...

Background This study investigated the protective effects of the Danshen (DS) and Sanqi (SQ) herb pair on cell survival in the human cardiovascular endothelial (EA.hy926) cell line exposed to injury. Methods Nine combination ratios of Danshen-Sanqi extracts (DS-SQ) were screened for their protective effects in the EA.hy926 cell line against two di...

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is not only used prevalently in Asian countries but has also gained a stable market globally. As a principal form of TCM, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is comprised of treatments using multiple Chinese herbs which have complex chemical profiles. Due to a lack of understanding of its modality and a lack of standard...

Fatal unintentional poisoning is widespread upon human exposure to toxic agents such as pesticides, heavy metals, environmental pollutants, bacterial and fungal toxins or even some medications and cosmetic products. In this regards, the application of the natural dietary agents as antidotes has engrossed a substantial attention. One of the ancient...

Plasma homocysteine is elevated in patients with impaired renal function, and markedly so at end-stage renal disease. As chronic kidney disease and hyperhomocysteinemia are also independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the latter is hypothesized to accelerate vascular abnormalities following renal failure. This study aimed to investigat...

A novel strategy for screening active components in traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) using living cells and HPLC and GC analysis are proposed. The hypothesis is that when cells are incubated with the extract of Tongqiao Huoxue Decoction (TQHXD), a famous ancient prescription in TCM, the potential active components in the TQHXD should selectively...

Sleep is an essential and fundamental physiological process that plays crucial roles in the balance of psychological and physical health. Sleep disorder may lead to adverse health outcomes. The effects of sleep deprivation were extensively studied, but its mechanism is still not fully understood. The present study aimed to identify the alterations...

Details of the DAPs of rat serum LC-MS analysis. (XLSX)

Details of the LC-MS data of rat myocardium. (XLSX)

Transthoracic echocardiography evaluation of two groups of rats. Posterior wall of the left ventricle was significantly thickening in the CSD-group rat. (TIF)

Peptide sequences of the four candidates verified in PRM study. (DOCX)

Details of the LC-MS data of rat serum. (XLSX)

Details of the LC-MS data of rat cerebral tissue. (XLSX)

Background: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most common psychiatric complication after a stroke. The most frequently used antidepressants are selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), however, these exhibit a series of side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine has been used t...

The present study aimed to test whether Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) protects the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) injury induced by oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR autophagy signaling pathway. Primary rat BMECs were cultured and identified by the expression of factor VIII-related antigen before...

Background: Astrogliosis has the potential to lead to harmful effects, namely, neuroinflammation, and to interfere with synapse sprouting. Previous studies have suggested that Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) acts as a key target in regulating the reaction of astrocytes. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully elucidated. In the present study, w...

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an irreversible condition where the abdominal aorta is dilated leading to potentially fatal consequence of aortic rupture. Multiple mechanisms are involved in the development and progression of AAA, including chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular smooth muscle (VSMC) apoptosis, immune cell infiltration...

Background: This study investigated the combination effects of the Danshen and Sanqi herb pair on angiogenesis in vitro. Methods: Nine combination ratios of Danshen-Sanqi extracts (DS-SQ) were screened for their angiogenic effects in the human vascular endothelial EAhy 926 cell line via cell proliferation, cell migration and tube formation activiti...

Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Psychological risk factors such as stress, anxiety and depression are known to play a significant and independent role in the development and progression of CVD and its risk factors. Tai Chi has been reported to be potentially effective for health and...

Diabetes is a complex condition with a variety of causes and pathophysiologies. The current single target approach has not provided ideal clinical outcomes for the treatment of the disease and its complications. Herbal medicine has been used for the management of various diseases such as diabetes over centuries. Many diabetic patients are known to...

Sailuotong (SLT) is a standardised three-herb formulation consisting of Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, and Crocus sativus designed for the management of vascular dementia. While the latest clinical trials have demonstrated beneficial effects of SLT in vascular dementia, the underlying cellular mechanisms have not been fully explored. The aim of this...

Traditional Chinese medicine is an important part of primary health care in Asian countries that has utilised complex herbal formulations (consisting 2 or more medicinal herbs) for treating diseases over thousands of years. There seems to be a general assumption that the synergistic therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicine derive from the com...

Stroke is one of the major causes of death and adult disability worldwide. The underlying pathophysiology of stroke is highly complicated, consisting of impairments of multiple signalling pathways, and numerous pathological processes such as acidosis, glutamate excitotoxicity, calcium overload, cerebral inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS...