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This study aimed to explore the mechanism of Cistanches Herba in the treatment of cancer-induced fatigue(CRF) by network pharmacology combined with in vivo and in vitro experiments to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical medication. The chemical constituents and targets of Cistanches Herba were searched from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP). The targets of CRF were screened out by GeneCards and NCBI. The common targets of traditional Chinese medicine and disease were selected to construct a protein-protein interaction(PPI) network, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) functional and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. A visual signal pathway rela-ted to Chinese medicine and disease targets was constructed. The CRF model was induced by paclitaxel(PTX) in mice. Mice were divided into a control group, a PTX model group, and low-and high-dose Cistanches Herba extract groups(250 and 500 mg·kg~(-1)). The anti-CRF effect in mice was evaluated by open field test, tail suspension test, and exhaustive swimming time, and the pathological morphology of skeletal muscle was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The cancer cachexia model in C2C12 muscle cells was induced by C26 co-culture, and the cells were divided into a control group, a conditioned medium model group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose Cistanches Herba extract groups(62.5, 125, and 250 μg·mL~(-1)). The reactive oxygen species(ROS) content in each group was detected by flow cytometry, and the intracellular mitochondrial status was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy. The protein expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α), BNIP3L, and Beclin-1 were detected by Western blot. Six effective constituents were screened out from Cistanches Herba. The core genes of Cistanches Herba in treating CRF were AKT1, IL-6, VEGFA, CASP3, JUN, EGFR, MYC, EGF, MAPK1, PTGS2, MMP9, IL-1B, FOS, and IL10, and the pathways related to CRF were AGE-RAGE and HIF-1α. Through GO enrichment analysis, it was found that the main biological functions involved were lipid peroxidation, nutrient deficiency, chemical stress, oxidative stress, oxygen content, and other biological processes. The results of the in vivo experiment showed that Cistanches Herba extract could significantly improve skeletal muscle atrophy in mice to relieve CRF. The in vitro experiment showed that Cistanches Herba extract could significantly reduce the content of intracellular ROS, the percentage of mitochondrial fragmentation, and the protein expression of Beclin-1 and increase the number of autophagosomes and the protein expression of HIF-1α and BNIP3L. Cistanches Herba showed a good anti-CRF effect, and its mechanism may be related to the key target proteins in the HIF-1α signaling pathway.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Cistanche , Network Pharmacology , Beclin-1 , Reactive Oxygen Species , Plant Extracts , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Molecular Docking Simulation , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Neoplasms/geneticsABSTRACT
Cells in the arterial wall are constantly subjected to the shear stress generated by the blood flow. Shear stress plays a pivotal role in the formation of atherosclerosis. The endothelial cells located between the blood and the vessel wall have a unique response to the shear stress of the blood flow， which can convert mechanical stimulation into intracellular signals， thereby affecting the pathological process of atherosclerosis. Endothelial function is not only regulated by hormones， growth factors and other biochemical substances， but also affected by mechanical forces such as blood flow shear stress. Physiologically， shear stress can play an anti-atherosclerotic role in maintaining the homeostasis of endothelial cells. Pathological shear stress will lead to endothelial dysfunction and promote the progression of atherosclerosis. Under the mediation of different shear stress， the endothelial function can be regulated through epigenetic pathways or mechanically sensitive cation channels. Therefore， it is necessary to understand how various signal transduction pathways are affected by pathological shear stress， so as to cause endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） has been increasingly recognized for its curative effect in treating atherosclerosis， with the advantages of few side effects， multiple targets and multiple mechanisms. In recent years， the understanding of the anti-atherosclerosis mechanism of TCM mediated by shear stress has gradually deepened. This review will take endothelial function as the breakthrough point， systematically sort out the influence of shear stress on the pathological process of atherosclerosis and the related molecular mechanisms. Meanwhile， it is the first time to summarize the latest research progress of Chinese medicine against shear stress damage by sorting out the existing literature. This article mainly clarify the relationship between shear stress， endothelial function， atherosclerosis and TCM， in order to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment and pathological mechanism of atherosclerosis.
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Objective:To explore the acute toxicities and hepatotoxicities of aqueous extracts of Taxilli Herba from <italic>Morus alba</italic>， <italic>Toxicodendron</italic> <italic>trichocarpum</italic>， <italic>Camellia oleifera</italic>， <italic>Salix babylonica</italic>， <italic>Melia azedarach</italic>， and <italic>Nerium indicum</italic> against zebrafish model and the effect of different hosts on the toxicity of Taxilli Herba， hoping to provide a theoretical basis for the safe use of Taxilli Herba. Method:The normally developed AB zebrafish at 3-day post fertilization was selected for acute toxicity study. According to the results of preliminary toxicity experiments， the zebrafishes were treated with aqueous extracts of Taxilli Herba from different hosts at six doses， and their mortality was calculated 72 h later. GraphPad Prism 6.0 was used for plotting the dose-toxicity curve， followed by the calculation of their median lethal concentration （LC<sub>50</sub>） and 10% lethal concentration （LC<sub>10</sub>）. The gz15Tg/+（AB） liver fluorescent protein transgenic zebrafish with normal development at 4-day post fertilization was applied for the hepatotoxicity study. The zebrafishes were divided into the low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of aqueous extracts of Taxilli Herba from six hosts， the positive control （acetaminophen） group， and the blank （embryo amniotic fluid） group， and then treated with the corresponding drugs. Seventy-two hours later， the liver morphology and fluorescent area changes in zebrafish were observed. And the activities of alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） were detected. Result:The results of acute toxicity test demonstrated that the LC<sub>50</sub> values of water extracts of Taxilli Herba from <italic>M. alba</italic>， <italic>T.</italic> <italic>trichocarpum</italic>， <italic>C. oleifera</italic>， <italic>S. babylonica</italic>， <italic>M. azedarach</italic>， and <italic>N. indicum</italic> were 1.24， 0.94， 0.51， 0.38， 0.11， 0.09 g·L<sup>-1</sup>， respectively， and the LC<sub>10</sub> values were 0.70， 0.60， 0.35， 0.28， 0.08， 0.07 g·L<sup>-1</sup>， respectively. As revealed by hepatotoxicity test， compared with the blank group， the positive control group exhibited liver morphological changes， decreased fluorescent area （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， and elevated ALT and AST activities （<italic>P</italic>< 0.01）， suggesting that acetaminophen was hepatotoxic to zebrafish. However， there was no change in the liver morphology or fluorescent area of zebrafish in the low-， medium-， and high-dose groups of water extracts of Taxilli Herba from <italic>M. alba</italic>， and the ALT and AST activities were decreased. By contrast， the liver morphology and fluorescent areas in the medium- and high-dose groups of water extracts of Taxilli Herba from <italic>T.</italic> <italic>trichocarpum</italic>， <italic>C. oleifera</italic>， <italic>S. babylonica</italic>， <italic>M. azedarach</italic>， and <italic>N. indicum</italic> changed to varying degrees （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. Besides， the activities of both ALT and AST were also enhanced. These indicated that Taxilli Herba from <italic>M. alba</italic> had no hepatotoxicity to zebrafish， while that from <italic>T.</italic> <italic>trichocarpum</italic>， <italic>C. oleifera</italic>， <italic>S. babylonica</italic>， <italic>M. azedarach</italic>， and <italic>N. indicum</italic> showed varying degrees of hepatotoxicity to zebrafish. Conclusion:The toxicity of Taxilli Herba is host-dependent. Taxilli Herba from <italic>M. alba</italic> has no hepatotoxicity， but that from the other five hosts shows varying degrees of hepatotoxicity. Standardizing the host source may be an important measure to realize the medication safety of Taxilli Herba.
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Objective To investigate the internal quality control(IQC) of hemoglobin A2 (HbA2) and hemoglobin F (HbF) from 2014 to 2017 in China.Methods The results of IQC were collected from the laboratories which participated in external quality assessment (EQA) of National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL) from 2014 to 2017,then the coefficient of variation (CV) was compared with 1/3TEa (6.67 ％),1/4TEa (5 ％).The proportion of laboratories meeting criteria were calculated to analyze IQC of HbA2 and HbF in China.The data were grouped based on the instruments used in laboratories,the acceptable rates of CVs of HbA2 and HbF in each group under two criteria in 2017 were calculated,respectively.Results In HbA2,more than 84％ of participant laboratories met 1/3TEa criteria and 70.83％ ～84.47％ of laboratories met 1/ 4TEa criteria.In HbF except for 2015,the more than 80％ laboratories whose month and cumulative CVs met 1/3TEa and 1/4TEa criteria accounted for 68.42 ％ ～ 85.07 ％,respectively.Under 1/3TEa and 1/4TEa criteria,sebia capillarys 2 instru ment and fully automatic hemoglobin analyzer bole Variant Ⅱ instrument group the acceptable rates of CVs above 85％,showed good precision for HbA2 and HbF detection.Conclusion At present,the precision level of HbA2 and HbF need to be further improved in laboratories of China,especially HbF.Laboratory should continue to strengthen the internal quality control,establish strict internal quality system to improve detection capacity.
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Objective To investigate the current status of the coefficients variations (CVs) of internal quality control (IQC) data for serum procalcitonin in China.Methods Data had been collected by Web based submission system,the laboratories which enrolled in 2017 serum procalcitonin external quality assessment (EQA) program had attended.The data had includ ed:the CVs of two levels of IQC materials (level 1 and 2) in March of 2017 and long-term cumulative in control data.Mi crosoft Office Excel 2007 was used to analyze and process the data,the acceptable rates of CVs were calculated based on the 1/3TEa and 1/4TEa standards.The instruments which was used in laboratory internal quality control system of EQA,were grouped and counted,the acceptable rates of each group was calculated according to two evaluation standards.According to the laboratory detecting system was matched or not,to calculate the proportion of laboratories,and to adapt to the two standards.Results The acceptable rates of the same standards were close and the acceptable rates of level 2 were relatively higher.After grouping according to the instruments,the acceptable rates of each group were uneven.According to the labo ratory detecting system was matched or not,the acceptable rates of the matching system were much more higher.Conclusion To strengthen internal quality control system,and to improve the detection quality level much further.Laboratory should pay more attention to the mission of internal quality control,in order to ensure the reliability of test results.
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Objective To investigate whether serum Lp(a) level was related to the different genotypes of hepatitis C virus.Methods The serum and corresponding clinical data of 105 patients (male:59,female:46;average age:43.4± 19.8) infected HCV and 30 healthy controls in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from June 2016 to June 2017 were collected.HCV genotypes was detected by PCR-reverse point hybridization,all Lp(a) levels of serum were detected by using automatic biochemical analyzer AU5800 of Beckman.The comparison of the mean of the two samples was applied with t-test,analysis of variance was applied to compare among samples.Results There were 5 genotypes found in 105 patients,including 31 patients with genotype 1b of HCV infection,30 patients with genotype 2a infection,19 patients with genotype 3a infection,12 patients with genotype 3b infection,13 patients with genotype 6a infection.The serum levels of Lp(a) in patients infected with HCV (10.87±6.21 mg/L) were significantly lower than that of healthy controls (21.51± 12.99 mg/L),the difference was statistically significant (t =6.281,P＜0.000 1),meanwhile,the level of each genotype (3 b,6a,2a,3a and 1b was 12.51±6.11,9.75±5.73,12.28±7.63,9.22±4.47 和 10.37±5.75 mg/L,respectively) was lower than that of healthy controls,respectively (t =4.355,3.356,3.965,2.288 and 3.119,all P＜ 0.05),and the difference among genotypes was no statistically significant (F=1.091,P=0.365 4).Conclusion Compared with healthy controls,HCV could reduce the expression of serum Lp(a),but the serum Lp(a) levels were not associated with the genotypes of HCV.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the tumor growth inhibition of gamma secretase inhibitor MRK003 on human multiple myeloma xenograft mice by inhibition of AKT and Notch1 expression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>NOD/SCID mice were injected with human multiple myeloma cell lines RPMI8226 to establish a xenograft mouse model. Mice were randomized into two groups：the experimental group were injected with MRK003 at a dose of 5 mg× kg⁻¹×d⁻¹ for 14 days; the inhibitor was replaced by an equal saline in the control group. Mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation on the next day after the last injection and tumor tissue was removed to detect the expression of Notch1 and AKT by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After subcutaneous injection with RPMI8226, mice had tumor formation in 5-7 days and the largest tumor block in 10-12 days. Before RPMI8226 injection, the mean sizes of tumor block in the experimental and the control groups were 509.2 mm³, 511.2 mm³(P>0.05). 9 days after injection, the mean sizes of tumor tissue in the experimental and the control groups were 636.6 mm³, 691.2 mm³(P<0.01). On the next day after the last injection, the tumor sizes of the experimental and the control groups were 683.5 mm³ and 1798.7 mm³(P<0.01). The size of tumor block in the experimental group was significantly smaller than that of the control group(P<0.01). Immunohistochemistry staining showed that the positive expression rates of Notch1(11.1%, P<0.01) and AKT(13.3%, P<0.01) in experimental group were significantly decreased compared with the control group(Notch1: 95.6%; AKT: 93.3%). Western blot results showed that Notch1 and AKT protein in experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MRK003 could inhibit the tumor growth of human multiple myeloma xenograft mice by downregulated expression of Notch1 signaling pathway.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Mice , Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases , Cell Line, Tumor , Cyclic S-Oxides , Pharmacology , Mice, Inbred NOD , Mice, SCID , Multiple Myeloma , Drug Therapy , Metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt , Metabolism , Receptor, Notch1 , Metabolism , Signal Transduction , Thiadiazoles , Pharmacology , Xenograft Model Antitumor AssaysABSTRACT
Objective: To study the adscription and identification of transitional constituents in serum of rats after ig administration of petroleum ether fraction in ethanol extract from Xiaoyao Powder (XYP-A). Methods: A UPLC-PDA method was established to identify the active components in serum of rats after ig administration of XYP-A and the single preparations of Bupleuri Radix (BR) Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR), and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (AMR). The transitional constituents were analyzed by comparing the fingerprints of the serum samples in formula, the single preparations and reference substances, referring literature, retention time, and UV scan spectra. Results: Twenty components including 12 original components from XYP-A and eight metabolites were detected in serum of rats after ig administration of XYP-A. The original components consisted nine derived from BR, two from ASR, one from AMR, and the structures of ligustilide, atractylenolide II, 2, 8, 10-pentadecatriene-4, 6-diyne-1-ol (CH-1), and bupleurynol (CH-2) were identified. Conclusion: The method is successfully applied for the serum pharmacochemistry study in rats. Twenty transitional constituents are absorbed into serum of rats and their metabolites may be the effective constituents of XYP-A acting directly to the body, which could lay the foundation for the serum pharmacodynamic study.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The aim of this study was to detect the pre- and post-treatment serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels after 4 weeks of EGFR-TKIs treatment in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients to evaluate the clinical value of CEA in the prediction of chemotherapy response and prognosis in those patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Pre- and post-treatment serum CEA levels of the patients were measured with immunoradiometric kits after 4 weeks of EGFR-TKIs treatment to evaluate the relationship between chemotherapy response and prognosis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 4 weeks of EGFR-TKIs treatment, one patient in the total of 75 patients (1.3%) achieved complete response (CR), 17 patients (22.7%) achieved partial response (PR), 31 patients (41.3%) achieved disease stable (SD) and 26 patients had progressive disease (PD). The radiological objective response rate(ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 24.0% and 65.3%, respectively. The median survival time (MST) of all patients was 8.1 months. The MST of SD patients was similar to that in the OR patients (P = 0.06), but both longer than that in the PD patients (P < 0.001). The MST of DC patients was similar to that in OR patients (P = 0.358), but longer than that in PD patients (P < 0.001). Serum CEA levels decreased ≥ 32% and ≥ 61% were closely related with the objective response and disease control. The median survival time (MST) of patients with serum CEA decreased ≥ 32% was longer than those with CEA decreased < 32% (9.5 months vs 6.7 months, P < 0.0001). The MST of patients with serum CEA decreased ≥ 32% was similar to those with CEA decreased ≥ 61% (9.5 months vs 10.5 months, P = 0.370), but both longer than those with CEA decreased < 32% (6.7 months, P < 0.001). Cox multivariate survival analysis confirmed that serum CEA level decreased ≥ 32%, CEA level decreased ≥ 61%, PS score, and DC are independent prognostic factor, but not OR.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>To advanced NSCLC patients, the disease control rate (DCR) may be more suitable than objective response rate (ORR) as an indicator in predicting the efficacy and prognosis in advanced NSCLC patients. Serum CEA levels decreased ≥ 32% may be a reliable indicator to determine the therapeutic efficacy of EGFR-TKIs.</p>