chronic liver diseases

Inflammation promotes physiological and pathological processes by the activation of the immune system, local vascular system, and various cells within the damaged tissue. Accumulating epidemiological and clinical evidence shows that chronic inflammation is causally linked to various human diseases, including cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, joint, cutaneous, pulmonary, blood, liver, and intestinal diseases as well as diabetes.

Various natural products from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have been shown to safely suppress proinflammatory pathways and control inflammation-associated disease. MCE designs a unique collection of 1,620 Traditional Chinese Medicine active compounds with anti-inflammatory activity, which are derived from Coptis chinensis, Radix isatidis, Flos Lonicerae, Forsythia suspensa, etc. MCE Anti-inflammatory Traditional Chinese Medicine Active Compound Library is a useful tool for discovery anti-inflammatory drugs from TCM.

Obesity is widely recognized as the largest and fastest growing public health problem and is associated with numerous chronic disorders including osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea, gallstones, fatty liver disease, reproductive and gastrointestinal cancers, dyslipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart failure, coronary artery disease, stroke, etc. Although obesity has long been associated with serious health issues, it has only recently been regarded as a disease in the sense of being a specific target for medical therapy. Obesity may be viewed as the dysregulation of two physiological functions, appetite regulation and energy metabolism, which combine to create disordered energy balance. Consequently, developing obesity treatments that target novel pathways is a growing focus for both biopharmaceutical industries.

MCE Anti-Obesity Compound Library owns a unique collection of 3,604 compounds, which mainly target signaling pathway of controlling appetite, fatty acid metabolism and energy expenditure, etc. This library is a useful tool for discovery anti-obesity drugs.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepatotropic enveloped positive- strand RNA virus (family Flaviviridae) that infects the parenchymal cells of the liver. HCV infection is a significant public health burden. Globally, an estimated 71 million people have chronic hepatitis C virus infection. A significant number of those who are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis or liver cancer. To date, there is no vaccine against HCV, and combination pegylated alpha interferon (pIFN-) and ribavirin, the main standard-of-care treatment for HCV, is effective in only a subset of patients and is associated with a wide spectrum of toxic side effects and complications. More recently, new therapeutic approaches that target essential components of the HCV life cycle have been developed, including direct-acting antiviral (DAA) that specifically block a viral enzyme or functional protein and host-targeted agents (HTA) that block interactions between host proteins and viral components that are essential to the viral life cycle. However, the genetic diversity of HCV viruses and the stage of liver disease (i.e., cirrhosis) are revealing themselves as obstacles for effective, pan-genotypic treatments. There still exists a need for the discovery and development of new HCV inhibitors. In particular, since the future of HCV therapy will likely consist of a cocktail approach using multiple inhibitors that target different steps of infection, new antivirals targeting all steps of the viral infection cycle.

MCE offers a unique collection of 392 compounds with identified and potential anti-HCV activity. MCE Anti- Hepatitis C Virus Compound Library is a useful tool for discovery new anti-HCV drugs and other anti-infection research.

Mongolian medicine refers to drugs used for disease prevention and treatment under the guidance of Mongolian medical theory. Originating from the vast grasslands and desert regions of northern China, Mongolian medicine developed under specific natural conditions and a nomadic lifestyle, forming a unique theoretical system and treatment methods. It emphasizes the balance between the human body and the natural environment and has demonstrated distinct efficacy in treating digestive system diseases, rheumatism, skin diseases, and various chronic conditions. For example, Mongolian medicine often uses Chinese red date for palpitations and angina pectoris, sea buckthorn to relieve coughs, reduce phlegm, promote blood circulation, and remove blood stasis, and scabious to clear lung heat and treat liver heat diseases. The application of these characteristic Mongolian medicines embodies the profound wisdom of Mongolian medical practice.

With the advancement of modern technology, research on Mongolian medicine continues to deepen. Systematic studies on the chemical composition and pharmacological effects of Mongolian medicines can provide new ideas and methods for modern drug development.

MCE has collected 2,383 characteristic natural products derived from Mongolian medicines, with 400+ plant sources of Mongolian medicine.

Fibrosis is a kind of repair response to long-term tissue damage, which is mainly manifested by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) and scar formation. Myofibroblasts are the main generating cells of extracellular matrix, and their activation process is related to various pathological mechanisms including Oxidative stress, chronic inflammation and cytokine secretion. Fibrosis can occur in many organs, such as kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, etc. Continuous fibrosis can lead to the destruction of the normal structure of tissues and organs, and if not controlled in time, may cause organ failure or even life-threatening.

MCE contains 2,445 compounds targeting ant-fibrosis targets such as TGF-β, PI3K, Wnt, MMP, etc. These compounds have clear or potential anti-fibrosis activity and can be used for mechanism research and drug screening of fibrosis diseases.