Vitamin D Plays a Crucial Role in Regulating Dopamine Nervous System in Brain / 生物化学与生物物理进展

Vitamin D is a unique fat-soluble vitamin that plays an indispensable role in human health. It exists in various forms, the most significant being vitamin D2 (derived from plant sources) and vitamin D3 (synthesized naturally in human skin upon exposure to sunlight). Vitamin D’s primary function is to facilitate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which are crucial for maintaining healthy bones. Beyond its role in bone health, vitamin D significantly influences the immune system, muscle function, cardiovascular health, and the regulation of brain functions. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to various chronic diseases such as rickets, osteoporosis, decreased immunity, increased risk of mental disorders, and cancers. The synthesis of vitamin D in the human body, both peripherally and centrally, relies on sunlight exposure, dietary sources, and various supplements. As a neuroactive steroid, vitamin D impacts both the physiological and pathological processes of the nervous system and plays a key role in brain health. It profoundly affects the brain by regulating neurotransmitter synthesis and maintaining intracellular calcium balance. As an essential chemical molecule, vitamin D participates in complex signal transduction pathways, impacting neurotransmitter functions and synaptic plasticity. Vitamin D’s role in regulating dopamine (DA)—a neurotransmitter critical for motivation, reward perception, and other higher cognitive functions—is particularly noteworthy. Recent studies have revealed that vitamin D not only promotes the synthesis of DA but also plays a role in regulating DA levels within the brain. It exerts neuroprotective effects on DA neurons through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant actions, and neurotrophic support, thereby creating an optimal environment for DA neurons, influencing neuronal structure, and affecting the movement of calcium ions within nerve cells, positively impacting the overall health and functionality of the DA system. Furthermore, vitamin D can regulate the synthesis and release of DA, thus affecting the signal transmission of various DA neural projection pathways in the brain. This function is vital for understanding the complex interactions between neural mechanisms and their effects on key behaviors and cognitive functions. This review aims to delve deeply into the synthesis, metabolism, and pathways of vitamin D’s action, especially its regulatory mechanisms on DA neurons. Through this exploration, this article seeks to provide a solid theoretical foundation and research framework for a deeper understanding of vitamin D’s role in motivation and reward behaviors. This understanding is crucial for appreciating the broader significance of vitamin D in the fields of neuroscience and neurology. In summary, research and discoveries regarding vitamin D’s impact on the nervous system highlight its importance in neural health and function. These insights not only enhance our understanding of the complex workings of the nervous system but also open new avenues for the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases. The exploration of vitamin D’s multifaceted roles offers promising prospects for developing new therapeutic strategies, underscoring the compound’s potential in addressing a range of neural dysfunctions and diseases. As research continues to evolve, the profound implications of vitamin D in the field of neurology and beyond become increasingly apparent, marking it as a key target for ongoing and future scientific inquiry.

Mechanism research of curcumin on cancer cells based on cell metabolic profiling / 中国中药杂志

In this study, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry(GC-MS) was used to analyze the changes of 12 kinds of cancer cells treated by curcumin. The related differential metabolites were screened and the metabolic pathways were analyzed to explore the anti-tumor mechanism of curcumin. Methyl thiazol tetrazolium(MTT) assay was used to detect the 50% inhibiting concentration(IC_(50)) of curcumin on 12 human tumor cells. After treatment with curcumin for 48 h, the cells were collected and analyzed by GC-MS, followed by pathway analysis and multivariate data analysis including principal component analysis(PCA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) and One-way analysis of variance(ANOVA),etc. Overall, 34 metabolites showed significant concentration changes after intervention for 48 h, mainly involving multiple metabolic pathways, including lysine degradation, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, cysteine and methionine metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, primary bile acid biosynthesis, lysine biosynthesis. In this study, the anti-tumor mechanisms of curcumin interfering with energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, microtubule system, protein synthesis and oxidative stress response of tumor cells were analyzed from the perspective of metabolism, providing a new reference for further tumor pharmacology study.

Effect of polymorphism of human intestinal fatty acid binding protein gene on the therapeutic efficacy of fenofibrate / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of polymorphism in codon Ala54Thr of human intestinal fatty acid-binding protein gene (IFABP) on the therapeutic efficacy of fenofibrate.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 147 patients with hyperlipidemia [72 men mean age: (56.2 +/- 8.63) years; 75 women mean age: (58.4 +/- 9.12) years] were enrolled. IFABP genotypes were detected by polymerase chain reaction, Hha I digestion, and sequencing. Four weeks before and after treatment, the levels of fasting serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A I (apoA I) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) were detected with biochemical techniques.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequency of IFABP genotype was 0.47 for A/A, 0.37 for A/T, and 0.16 for T/T, and the allelic frequency was 0.65 for A and 0.35 for T. No significant different was found in lipid levels in every genotype before treatment (P > 0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, and apoB significantly decreased (P < 00.01), and the levels of HDH-C and apoA I significantly increased (P < 0.01). The total therapeutic efficacy on A54A and A54T were 97% and 95%, respectively. In the patients with T54T genotype after treatment, no significant difference in lipids levels was found except TG (P < 0.05), and the total efficacy was only 38%. The total therapeutic efficacies of fenofibrate on A54A and A54T were higher than those of T54T, and there was significant different between A54A and T54T (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The polymorphism of human IFABP gene in hyperlipidemia is related with the therapeutic efficacy of fenofibrate, and the T54T IFABP genotype may have strong negative effect on such efficacy.</p>