Research on the lncRNA MALAT1 promoting the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of retinal vascular endothelial cells in diabetic retinopathy through the molecular axis of miR-124-3p/SOX7 / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To investigate the effect of lncRNA MALAT1 on the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of retinal vascular endothelial cells and its molecular mechanism.METHODS: The expression levels of lncRNA MALAT1 in plasma of normal control group, diabetic without retinopathy group and diabetic retinopathy group were detected by qPCR and the effect of glucose culture on the expression levels of lncRNA MALAT1 were detected by qPCR too. The expression level of miR-124-3p was detected by qRT-PCR; Western blotting was used to detect the expression level of SOX7; The targeting relationship between lncRNA MALAT1 and miR-124-3p, miR-124-3p and SOX7 were detected by the dual-luciferase reporter system; CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell proliferation activity; Transwell assay was used to detect the migration ability of cells; Angiogenesis of hRMECs cells was measured by in vitro tube formation assay.RESULTS:The expression level of lncRNA MALAT1 in plasma of diabetic retinopathy patients was significantly higher than that of diabetic without retinopathy group and normal control group(P<0.001). In vitro glucose culture significantly promoted the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 in hRMECs cells, as well as the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of hRMECs cells(all P<0.05). Knockdown of lncRNA MALAT1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and tubule formation of hRMECs cells(all P<0.05). Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that lncRNA MALAT1 targeted with miR-124-3p, and miR-124-3p targeted with SOX7. Overexpression of miR-124-3p significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and tubule formation of hRMECs cells(all P<0.05). Overexpression of lncRNA MALAT1+miR-124-3p, miR-124-3p+SOX7, and knockdown of lncRNA MALAT1+overexpression of SOX7 all significantly eliminated the inhibitory effect of hRMECs cells(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: lncRNA MALAT1 promote the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of retinal endothelial cells in diabetic retinopathy by down-regulating the negative regulation of miR-124-3p on SOX7. Therefore, abnormal upregulation of lncRNA MALAT1 in patients with diabetic retinopathy is a potential biomarker.

Relationship between autophagy and oxidative stress in diabetic retinopathy / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

·Diabetic retinopathy ( DR ) is a microvascular and neurological complication of diabetes mellitus. Oxidative stress is an important pathogenic mechanism for the occurrence of DR. Autophagy is a crucial regulatory mechanism of cells under both physiologic and pathologic conditions. It can maintain intracellular homeostasis by degrading redundant or damaged proteins and organelles in cells. Prior studies have documented that there is a strong connection between autophagy and oxidative stress of DR. This article reviewed previous findings regarding the specific relationship between autophagy and oxidative stress in DR, including early microvascular lesions, neuropathy and other pathological changes. The aim of this review is to provide new ideas to clarify the pathogenesis of DR.

Efficacy comparison of lumber disc herniation treated with mild moxibustion at Yaoyangguan (GV 3) under different conditions / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the difference in clinical efficacy on lumber disc herniation (LDH) treated with Yaoyangguan (GV 3) between mild moxibustion under thermosensitive condition and that under non-thermo-sensitive condition.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-seven LDH patients were selected as the study objects. Mild moxibustion at Yaoyangguan (GV 3) was applied for 45 min each time. Additionally, the conventional acupuncture was given, once a day, for 20 days. At the end of treatment, two groups were classified. A thermosensitive acupoint group (thermosensitive group) was composed of the cases with thermo-sensitization at Yaoyangguan (GV 3) and presenting for > or =4 times in the entire treatment. A non-thermosensitive acupoint group (tranquilization group) was composed of the cases without thermo-sensitization or the frequency of thermo-sensitization <4 times in the entire treatment. The modified Japanese orthopedics association scoring system (M-JOA) was adopted to observe the cases before and after treatment and 6 months after treatment in the two groups. The efficacy was compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment and in 6 months after treatment, the score of M-JOA was apparently reduced as compared with that before treatment in the two groups (all P<0.05). The score reducing in the thermosensitization group was more obvious than that in the tranquilization group (both P<0.01). After treatment and in 6 months after treatment, the curative rate and remarkably effective rate were 89.7% (26/29) and 79.3% (23/29), which was better than 71.4% (20/28) and 60.7% (17/28, both P<0.05) in the tranquilization group separately.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Mild moxibustion at acupoint under thermosensitive condition achieves the better short-term and long-term effects as compared with that under non-thermosensitive condition.</p>

Microcalorimetric investigation on the interaction of six alkaloids from rhizoma coptidis / 药学学报

How to identify active constituents of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and study their interactions are key problems in the development of TCMs. The inhibitory effect of six alkaloids from Rhizoma Coptidis (RC) on Shigella dysenteriae (S. dysenteria) growth had been investigated by microcalorimetry in this study. Main active constituents of RC were confirmed by comparing their contributions to the bacteriostatic effect, and the interactions among active constituents were further researched. According to the result, in 0.8 mg-mL-1 extract of RC, the contributions of six active alkaloids including berberine, coptisine, epiberberine, palmatine and the combination of jatrorrhizine and columbamine were 52.83%, 36.31%, 2.49%, 4.27% and 3.21%, respectively. Therefore, berberine and coptisine were the main active constituents of RC that inhibited the growth of S. dysenteria. The study of interactions among the six alkaloids indicated that, 1 there were some contstituents antagonizing the inhibitory effect of RC, 2 there was a synergy effect between berberine and coptisine, 3 there were additive effects between other four alkaloids and the main active constituents. These results may provide some useful references for the establishment of the quality standard for RC and the development of multi-component TCMs.

Strategy for research on quality identification and ecological environment-related of Dao-di herb / 中国中药杂志

For a long time, due to the shortage of a objective and clear method and standard for the quality evaluation of the Dao-di herb, it is difficult to distinguish the Dao-di herb. Geo-herbalism and environment-related studies often fall into the vicious circle of "have target but no indicators" and "circular reasoning" because of lack of objective and a clear indication of the quality characteristics. So it is difficult to reveal the ecological environment factors that form the quality of Dao-di herb. The research team put forward innovative idea that taking the medicine quality evaluation method and authentic standard as a breakthrough, starting from the effect, evaluating quality by effect, evaluating the environment by the drug quality, and establishing the thinking and pattern of identify authentic Chinese herbs (quality ecological studies of the Dao-di herb) based on the research path of "effect-quality-environment". The authors hope that they can provide theoretical and technical support to reveal the dominant factors of the ecological environment that impact of the quality of the Dao-di herb, build the Dao-di herb clinical application of dose conversion mechanism, clarify the connotations of the modern science of the Dao-di herb and solve the key issues that constraint the development of the Dao-di herb production and clinical application of it.