Baicalin Induces Ferroptosis in Gastric Cancer Cells via p53-mediated SLC7A11 Down-regulation / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the inhibitory effect of different concentration of baicalin （0， 100， 200， 400 μmol·L-1） on the proliferation of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells and the underlying mechanism. MethodSGC-7901 cells were treated with baicalin. Then methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） assay was employed to examine the inhibitory effect of baicalin on the cells. At the same time， ferrostatin-1 （Fer-1） was added to observe the viability of cells after baicalin treatment. The expression of ferroptosis-related genes was detected by Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot. The content of malondialdehyde （MDA） and the level of glutathione （GSH） were detected respectively by MTT assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The role of tumor protein 53 （p53）/solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11） pathway in the regulation of ferroptosis was investigated respectively via overexpression and small interfering RNA （siRNA） methods. ResultCompared with the blank group， baicalin decreased the viability of SGC-7901 （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The intervention of Fer-1 significantly alleviated the decrease of SGC-7901 cell viability caused by baicalin （P<0.01）. In addition， compared with the baicalin group， Fer-1+baicalin group showed decrease in MDA content and the mRNA and protein levels of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 （PTGS2） in the cells （P<0.01）， and increase in GSH activity and mRNA and protein levels of glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） （P<0.01）. The protein level of SLC7A11 in the baicalin group was decreased compared with that in the blank group （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the baicalin group， the reactive oxygen species （ROS） level and MDA content in SLC7A11-overexpressing cells were significantly decreased after baicalin treatment （P<0.01）， and the GSH activity was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The fluorescence intensity of p53 in the cells of the baicalin group was increased compared with that of the blank group （P<0.01）. Compared with the baicalin group， the expression level of p53 protein in the cells transfected with p53 siRNA was significantly decreased after baicalin treatment （P<0.01）， and the expression level of SLC7A11 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. ConclusionBaicalin can effectively inhibit the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells by regulating p53/SLC7A11-mediated ferroptosis.

Hepatotoxicity and mechanism of Rhododendri Mollis Flos based on zebrafish model / 中国中药杂志

This study used the zebrafish model to explore the hepatotoxicity of Rhododendri Mollis Flos(RMF). The mortality was calculated according to the number of the survival of zebrafish larvae 4 days after fertilization under different concentration of RMF, and the dose-toxicity curve was fitted to preliminarily evaluate the toxicity of RMF. The liver phenotypes under the sublethal concentration of RMF in the treatment group and the blank control group were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and acridine orange(AO) staining. Meanwhile, the activities of alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) were determined to confirm the hepatotoxicity of RMF. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(real-time PCR) and Western blot were used to determine the expressions of genes and proteins in zebrafish larvae. Gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry(GC-TOF-MS) was used to conduct untargeted metabolomics testing to explore the mechanism. The results showed that the toxicity of RMF to zebrafish larvae was dose-dependent, with 1 100 μg·mL~(-1) of the absolute lethal concentration and 448 μg·mL~(-1) of sublethal concentration. The hepatocyte apoptosis and degeneration appeared in the zebrafish larvae under the sublethal concentration of RMF. The content of ALT and AST in zebrafish larvae at the end of the experiment was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. Under the sublethal concentration, the expressions of genes and proteins related to apoptosis in zebrafish larvae were significantly increased as compared with the blank control group. The results of untargeted metabolomics showed that the important metabolites related to the he-patotoxicity of RMF were mainly enriched in alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and other pathways. In conclusion, it is inferred that RMF has certain hepatotoxicity to zebrafish larvae, and its mechanism may be related to apoptosis.

Identification of geographical origins of Cordyceps based on data of amino acids with self-organizing map neural network / 中国中药杂志

In this study, data of amino acids of Cordyceps samples from Qinghai and Tibet was analyzed with self-organizing map neural network. A model of XY-Fused network was established with the content of 8 major amino acids and total amino acids for the identification of geographical origins of Cordyceps from Qinghai and Tibet. It had the prediction accuracy of 83.3% for the test set. In addition, data mining indicated that methionine was a special kind of amino acid in Cordyceps which could serve as a marker to identify its geographical origins. On this basis, the content ratio of methionine to total amino acids was proposed to be a quantifiable indicator to distinguish Cordyceps from Qinghai and Tibet.

Study on liver diseases with zebrafish as an important tool / 中国中药杂志

With the increasing incidence of hepatobiliary diseases, it is particularly important to understand the role of molecular, cellular and physiological factors in the clinical diagnosis and treatment with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in the development of liver disease. Appropriate animal models can help us identify the possible mechanisms of relevant diseases. Danio rerio(zebrafish) model was traditionally used to study embryonic development, and has been gradually used in screening and evaluation of liver diseases and relevant drug in recent years. Zebrafish embryos develop rapidly and the digestive organs of 5-day-old juvenile fish are all mature. At this stage, they may develop hepatobiliary diseases induced by developmental defects or compounds. Zebrafish liver is similar to human liver in cell composition, function, signal transduction, response to injury and cell process mediating liver disease. Furthermore, due to the high conservation of genes and proteins between humans and zebrafish, zebrafish becomes an alternative system for studying basic mechanisms of liver disease. Therefore, genetic screening could be performed to identify new genes involving specific disease processes, and chemical screening could be made for drugs in specific processes. This paper briefly introduced the experimental properties of zebrafish as model system, emphasized the study progress of zebrafish models for pathological mechanism of liver diseases, especially fatty liver, and drug screening and evaluation, so as to provide ideas and techniques for the future liver toxicity assessment of TCM.

Overview of metalomics research and its application prospect in mineral Chinese medicine research / 中国中药杂志

Metallomics is a frontier interdisciplinary subject at its vigorous development stage. Its goal is to systematically study the content, distribution, chemical species, structural characteristics and functions of metal elements in biological system. It is also a comprehensive discipline to study the existing state and function of free or complex metal elements in life. Metallomics is an ideal tool to study the biological behavior of inorganic elements, which can be used to solve many problems in the research of mineral Chinese medicine(MCM). It provides a strong theoretical basis and technical support for the research of MCM. Its theory and methods provide re-ference and enlightenment for the in-depth study of MCM, and also provide new ideas and open up new ways for the research of MCM. The application of metallomics theory and methods in the research of MCM is of great significance to reveal the material basis and mec-hanism of MCM, promote the process of basic research on MCM, fully exploit and utilize medicinal mineral resources and carry forward the traditional MCM treasure in China. In this paper, we introduced the concept, academic development, research content and research methods of metallomics, and discussed the application prospects of metallomics in the analysis of inorganic element composition characteristics and quality control, material basis and mechanism of MCM, so as to provide reference for further researches on MCM.

Analysis of classical prescription Jinshui Liujun Jian based on ancient literature / 中国中药杂志

To provide the ancient literary evidence support for the clinical application and development of classical prescription based on systematical collection and analysis of the ancient Chinese medical literature containing Jinshui Liujun Jian, including its origin and development. Bibliometric analysis was used and information of Jinshui Liujun Jian in ancient Chinese medical literature was then collected for statistical analysis of formula compositions, main indications, dosage, preparation methods, etc. A total of 151 valid items of data were obtained from 48 ancient Chinese medicine books. Jinshui Liujun Jian was first recorded in Jingyue Quanshu written by ZHANG Jiebin. This prescription consisted of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Pinelliae Rhizome, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Poria and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizome Praeparata cum Melle, and it was mainly used to treat the deficiency of lung and kidney, edema and excess production of phlegm, or Yin deficiency in the old, insufficient blood-qi, wind-cold evil, cough and disgusting, asthma and excessive phlegm. Doctors in later dynasties mostly followed the prescription compositions, dosages and indications in Jingyue Quanshu, and extended the clinical application of this prescription.

Research progress in mineral Chinese medicine realgar / 中国中药杂志

Realgar is a mineral traditional medicine with definite efficacy. The function of realgar is detoxicating, insecticiding, eliminating dampness and phlegm, etc. It is widely applied in clinical practice by compatibility medicines. However, the safety and scientificalness of clinical application are questioned because of the toxic effect caused by arsenic compounds. At present, there are still many problems in the research of realgar, which are mainly manifested in three areas: the expression of main components and effective substances are inconsistent; the anti-tumor mechanism is difficult to explain at the molecular level; the mechanism of compatibility is not clear. As a result, realgar and realgar-containing Chinese patent medicines are frequently prohibited from entering the international market, and the reputation of traditional Chinese medicine is also damaged. This paper would analyze the research status of realgar at home and abroad as well as its problems from its main components, effective substances, anti-tumor mechanism and compatibility mechanism. In view of these difficulties, quantum chemical calculation method is proposed to solve them, so as to make up for the shortcomings and limitations of experimental technology and experimental conditions, reduce the cost of realgar research and improve research efficiency. Moreover, it provides inspiration for research of other mineral medicine.

Antidiarrheal Effect of Limonitum with Different Mineral Genesis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To investigate the antidiarrheal effect and the gastrointestinal motility of two kinds of Limonitum with different mineral genesis, so as to select the optimal mineral genesis, and provide a theoretical basis for clinical use. Method: The selected research samples were leaching type and sedimentary type Limonitum with different mineral genesis, including powder, water decoction and dregs. In the experiment, castor oil (0.2 mL/10 g) was used to induce diarrhea, loperamide (4 mg·kg-1) was used for positive control, and then the antidiarrheal activity and the gastrointestinal motility were observed. Result: In the castor oil-induced diarrhea experiment, the diarrhea index of the water decoction (2.5,5,10 g·kg-1) and the dregs (2.5 g·kg-1) of leaching type Limonitum significantly reduced (P-1) of leaching type limonitum and the dregs (2.5,5,10 g·kg-1) of the leaching type Limonitum were significant different at the first defecation (P-1) and the water decoction (2.5 g·kg-1) of leaching type Limonitum, and the total feces weight of the mice were significantly decreased (P-1), the dregs (2.5,5,10 g·kg-1) of the sedimentary, the powder (2.5,5 g·kg-1), the water decoction (2.5,5,10 g·kg-1) and the dregs (10 g·kg-1) of leaching type Limonitum were significantly lower than those of the model group on the intestinal motility, with charcoal as a marker (P-1) of leaching type Limonitum was significantly higher than that of the model group on the content of small intestine contents (P-1) of sedimentary type limonitum, and the water decoction (2.5,5 g·kg-1) of leaching type Limonitum were significantly lower than those of the model group on gastric residual rate (P-1), the dregs (5 g·kg-1) of sedimentary type Limonitum were significantly reduced on the water content of large intestine compared with the model group (P-1 of Limonitum can inhibit the contraction of isolated ileum induced by acetylcholine in rabbits except 0.003 3 g·mL-1 water decoction of leaching type. Conclusion: Mineral medicine Limonitum has a certain therapeutic effect in castor oil-induced diarrhea. Leaching type limonitum has the best antidiarrheal effect.

SEM and XRD Identification of Mineral Chinese Medicine Alumen, Calcined Alumen, and Their Processed Products / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: Ammonium alum is a common counterfeit of Alumen,and the processed product of ammonium alum is a common counterfeits of calcined Alumen. This paper aims to establish a method for identifying Alumen,calcined Alumen,ammonium alum and their processed products. Method: The samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X ray diffraction (XRD) in this paper. Result: Ammonium alum and Alumen showed obvious changes in morphology after processing. Both Alumen and ammonium alum showed obvious differences in morphology at×250 and×1 000 times microscope. Alumen presented irregular fragments,clear edge corners,smooth surface,scattered irregular small particles,occasional holes and longitudinal edges. Ammonium alum presented irregular clumps,blunt edges,not obvious edges and corners,uneven surface,scattered smaller and round-like particles. The difference in morphology was not obvious at×250 times microscope between Alumen and ammonium alum processed products. While at×1 000 times,the surface of calcined Alumen was uneven with coarse particles; the surface of counterfeit calcined Alumen was flat,and the coarse particle characteristics were not obvious. XRD can be used to rapidly and accurately identify the primary phase of Alumen,calcined Alumen,ammonium alum and ammonium alum processed products:KAl(SO4)2·12H2O,NH4Al(SO4)2·12H2O,KAl(SO4)2,and NH4Al(SO4)2 respectively, with 2θ angle characteristic value of 23,12,22 and 5 respectively for XRD peak. Conclusion: SEM and XRD techniques can be used for the identification of Alumen,calcined Alumen,ammonium alum and their counterfeit products.

Research on Differential Feature Elements and Characteristic Spectrum of Inorganic Elements Between Calcined Alumen and Its Counterfeit Processed Products Based on ICP-OES/ICP-MS / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To provide the new quality control means for Alumen by investigating the elemental differences between calcined Alumen and its counterfeit processed products of ammonium alum, and establishing their characteristic chromatogram. Method: The contents of 22 inorganic elements both in calcined Alumen and processed products of ammonium alum were determined by means of inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-optical emission spectrometer-mass spectrometry (ICP-OES/ICP-MS),SPSS 16.0 was used for cluster analysis (CA) while SIMCA-P 13.0 with t-test and Rank-Sum test was used to identify the differential inorganic elements. In addition, the characteristic spectrum of the inorganic elements for calcined Alumen and counterfeit calcined alumen were established. Result: Calcined Alumen had highest contents of K and Al while counterfeit calcined Alumen has highest contents of Al and Fe;Cr,Sr,and Mn contents in calcined Alumen were relatively higher,while Mn,Ti,and Ga contents in processed products of ammonium alum were relatively higher. The content of K in calcined Alumen was about 205 times of that of counterfeit products. On the contrary,the average contents of Fe,Ti,Mn and Ga in counterfeit products of ammonium alum were much higher than those in calcined Alumen,33,46,38, 27 times, respectively. A total of 18 samples were clustered into two categories in CA:calcined Alumen and processed products of ammonium alum. 18 inorganic elements showed significant difference in contents(PConclusion: This method can be used for quality control of calcined Alumen.

Accumulation and Toxicity of Mercury in Zhuhong Ointment in Rats with Damaged Skin Model / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To study the accumulation of mercury in liver, kidney and brain of rats and its toxicity on liver and kidney after 4 weeks of administration of different doses of Zhuhong ointment, in order to provide data reference for the safe clinical use of Zhuhong ointment. Method: Forty-four Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:control group, normal-dose group (1.875 mg·kg-1), medium-dose group (37.5 mg·kg-1), and high-dose group (75 mg·kg-1). After transdermal administration for consecutive 4 weeks, the mercury content in the urine, blood, liver, kidney and brain of the rats was measured. In addition, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), serum urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine (SCr), urine β2-miSCroglobulin (β2-BMG) and urine N-acetyl-beta-D glucosidase (NAG) contents were measured, and pathological morphology changes of liver and kidney were observed. Result:Compared with the control group, the levels of blood mercury and urine mercury in Zhuhong ointment groups showed significant increases after administration for 4 weeks(PPPPPPConclusion:Zhuhong ointment is not toxic at the normal dose, but long-term use can lead to the accumulation of mercury in liver, kidney and bra, which causes liver and kidney toxicity. This study did not find a more sensitive indicator of liver and kidney toxicity than liver and kidney pathology. However, because the rising levels of urinary mercury and blood mercury may predict toxicity, the relationship between mercury exposure and toxicity could be further studied. This study provides a reference for the rational use and toxicity monitoring of Zhuhong ointment.

Systemic disseminated Mycobacterium fortuitum infection:one case report and literature review / 中国感染控制杂志

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics of systemic disseminated infection caused by Mycobacterium fortuitum (M.fortuitum), and improve the diagnostic rate and understanding of the disease.Methods One case of systemic disseminated M.fortuituminfection was reported, and analyzed in combination with relevant literatures.Results Patient was with multiple systemic involvement (including lung, lymph node, skin, joint), lymph node tissue culture was positive for M.fortuitum, patient was given clarithromycin+levofloxacin+linezolid for treatment, disease was remitted.Conclusion Systemic disseminated M.fortuituminfection is rare, and patient with GATA2 deletion and IFN-γautoantibody may be a potential mechanism, diagnosis is mainly based on pathological morphology and microbiological detection, but positive rate is low, diagnosis is difficult.

The molecular identification of Bupleurum medicinal species and the quality investigation of Bupleuri Radix / 药学学报

Bupleuri Radix is one of the most frequently used herbal medicines in China with a 2000-year medicinal history. However, the use of Bupleuri Radix is very confused. Twenty-five species and eight varieties of Bupleurum have been used as Bupleuri Radix in different regions of China. It is very difficult to identify these Bupleurum species using traditional morphological method. In order to establish a fast and effective method to identify these Bupleurum species, we collected 168 Bupleurum medicinal plants from 14 populations of 9 provinces, and amplified their ITS sequences. 168 ITS sequences with a full length of 600-606 bp were obtained. DNAMAN analyzing results showed that 86 variable sites were present in these sequences and 19 haplotypes (TH1-TH19) were determined. After calculating K2P distance and analyzing an NJ tree, we established a molecular identification method based on ITS sequence. Using this method,52 samples of Bupleuri Radix were identified successfully. Furthermore, we tested saikosaponin a, c, d contents in these Bupleuri Radix by HPLC and analyzed the results by ANOVA and LSD T test to evaluate the quality of Bupleuri Radix. This method is significant for effective identification of Bupleurum medicinal plants, and quality control of Bupleuri Radix in the market.

The molecular identification of licorice species and the quality evaluation of licorice slices / 药学学报

Licorice is one of the most common herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, and classified as top grade in Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. There are three different original plants of licorice stipulated in Chinese Pharmacopeia, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Glycyrrhiza glabra L., and Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat. However, previous investigation showed that the pharmacodynamic effects of the three licorices were quite different. It is very difficult to identify them by the classical identification methods. In order to establish a fast and effective identification method, we collected 240 licorice plants from 21 populations of 7 provinces, and amplified their ITS and psbA-trnH sequences. ITS sequences with a full length of 616 bp and psbA-trnH sequences with a full length of 389 bp were obtained separately. Using DNAMAN to analyze these sequences, 4 variable sites were found in ITS sequences and 2 ITS haplotypes were determined, and 3 variable sites were found in psbA-trnH sequences and 4 psbA-trnH haplotypes were determined. With the combination analysis of ITS and psbA-trnH sequences, the molecular identification method of original licorice was established. Using this method, 40 samples of licorice slices collected from 4 main herbal material markets in China were identified successfully. Furthermore, the contents of 2 triterpenes, 18α-glycyrrhizic acid and 18β-glycyrrhizic acid, and 4 flavonoids, liquiritin, isoliquiritin, liquiritigenin, and isoliquiritigenin in these licorice pieces were examined by HPLC and the results were analyzed using SPSS 21.0. This study provides a new method in identification of licorice, which may serve as a guideline for quality control of licorice slices.

Toxicity of mineral Chinese medicines containing mercury element / 中国中药杂志

Mineral Chinese medicine is the distinctive part of the Chinese traditional medicine. The mineral Chinese medicines containing mercury elements such as cinnabaris, calomelas and hydrargyri oxydum rubrum are widely applied in the clinical conditions because of their efficacy of sedative, sterilization, removing necrotic tissue and promoting granulation. However, the rationality and security of clinical application are questioned because of the toxic effect caused by mercury compounds. This paper would summarize the efficacy of the mineral Chinese medicines containing mercury element, as well as their hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, embryotoxicity, and neurotoxicity effect and mechanisms. Improper usage or high dose of the mineral Chinese medicines containing mercury element would cause acute hepatotoxicity. Cinnabaris, calomelas and hydrargyri oxydum rubrum may lead to chronic hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, embryotoxicity and neurotoxicity when they were applied externally to the skin for long-term use. In addition to the accumulation of mercury elements in the tissues and organs, the species and forms of mercury compounds absorbed into the body in different ways, should be also studied in order to understand the toxicity of the mineral Chinese medicines containing mercury element. Meanwhile the dose and period of treatment shall be also considered in order to provide the references for rational and safe clinical application of the mineral Chinese medicines containing mercury element.

DREAM: a multifunctional transcriptional regulator / 生理学报

DREAM (downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator), Calsenilin and KChIP3 (potassium channel interacting protein 3) belong to the neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) superfamily, which transduces the intracellular calcium signaling into a variety of activities. They are encoded by the same gene locus, but have distinct subcellular locations. DREAM was first found to interact with DRE (downstream regulatory element) site in the vicinity of the promoter of prodynorphin gene to suppress gene transcription. Calcium can disassemble this interaction by binding reversibly to DREAM protein on its four EF-hand motifs. Apart from having calcium dependent DRE site binding, DREAM can also interact with other transcription factors, such as cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB), CREB-binding protein (CBP) and cAMP responsive element modulator (CREM), by this concerted actions, DREAM extends the gene pool under its control. DREAM is predominantly expressed in central nervous system with its highest level in cerebellum, and accumulating evidence demonstrated that DREAM might play important roles in pain sensitivity. Novel findings have shown that DREAM is also involved in learning and memory processes, Alzheimer's disease and stroke. This mini-review provides a brief introduction of its discovery history and protein structure properties, focusing on the mechanism of DREAM nuclear translocation and gene transcription regulation functions.

Studies of pattern recognition of fingerprint profile of cattle bile powder and determination of multi-component in it / 中国中药杂志

An HPLC-ELSD method with good specificity and good accuracy was used for the studies of fingerprint and quantification of multi-components for cattle bile powder. The chromatographic analysis was carried out on a Phenomenex Gemini C₁₈ column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) with a column temperature of 40 ℃ and a liquid flow-rate of 1.0 mL•min⁻¹ using 10 mmol ammonium acetate solution and acetonitrile as the mobile phase with a linear gradient. An ELSD was used with a nitrogen flow-rate of 2.8 L•h⁻¹, at a drift tube temperature of 110 ℃. The average contents of glycocholic acid, glycodeoxycholic acid, taurocholic acid, taurodeoxycholic acid were (25.2±17.0)%, (4.1±3.4)%, (24.5±20.0)% and (5.2±3.8)% respectively, and the total content of the four bile acids was (59.0±26.0)%. Beyond that, the preprocessing and pattern recognition analysis of the chromatographic fingerprints of samples were applied with chemometric method. The results of this chemometric analysis indicated that the samples from market and self-made samples were different signally, and four regions were noteworthy due to their great impact with poor chromatographic signal. All in one, because this HPLC-ELSD method was simple and accurate, it was suitable for the quality assessment and quality control of cattle bile powder and could be the technological base for its standard perfection.

Advances of toxicity evaluation of cinnabar and compatibility necessity analysis / 中国中药杂志

Cinnabars are widely used in the clinic and shows unique efficacy, and it has been used in treating diseases for thousands of years either single-use or combination with other traditional Chinese medicines. Cinnabar mainly contains mercury, which displays obvious hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The safety of cinnabar and its rational use caused extensive attention. However, there are some misunderstanding that cinnabar shows equivalent toxicity to the toxicity of mercury compounds such as mercuric chloride and methylmercury in safety evaluation of cinnabar, which in our view exaggerates the toxicity. For traditional Chinese medicine containing cinnabar, some researchers questioned the medicinal value of cinnabar, and even proposed to remove cinnabar in order to avoid possible poisoning. This review reported adverse events, summarized its toxicity characteristics, mechanism and the medicinal value in preparations of traditional Chinese medicine. The significance of this paper is to further understand the toxicity of cinnabar and reduce its side effect in clinical application, and to provide a scientific basis for reasonable clinical application and a scientific understanding of cinnabar.

Expression and clinical significance of Semaphorin4D in non-small cell lung cancer and its impact on malignant behaviors of A549 lung cancer cells / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

This study aimed to explore Semaphrin4D (Sema4D) expression and clinical significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to define the roles and mechanisms of Sema4D in regulating the malignant behaviors of A549 cells by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Firstly, immunohistochemistry revealed that Sema4D was more frequently expressed in NSCLC than in lung benign lesion (P<0.05) and its overexpression was associated with low differentiation (P<0.05), poor pTNM staging (P<0.05) and occurrence of lymph node (LN) metastasis (P<0.05). Endogenous Sema4D expression was suppressed by Sema4D siRNA in A549 cells overexpressing Sema4D. Protein levels of Sema4D, total Akt and p-Akt were examined by Western blotting. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities were measured by MTT assay and Transwell assay respectively. Results showed that Sema4D siRNA significantly suppressed phosphorylation of AKT in A549 cells, but it did not alter total AKT expression. In addition, efficient down-regulation of SemaD significantly inhibit cell proliferation (P<0.05), migration (P<0.05) and invasion (P<0.05) in A549 cells. These findings suggest that Sema4D might serve as a reliable tool for early prediction of NSCLC poor prognosis. Sema4D could play an important role in promoting tumor proliferation, migration and metastasis in the NSCLC, by influencing the Akt protein phosphorylation. Inhibition of Sema4D may be a useful approach for the treatment of NSCLC.

Expression and clinical significance of Semaphorin4D in non-small cell lung cancer and its impact on malignant behaviors of A549 lung cancer cells / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

This study aimed to explore Semaphrin4D (Sema4D) expression and clinical significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to define the roles and mechanisms of Sema4D in regulating the malignant behaviors of A549 cells by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Firstly, immunohistochemistry revealed that Sema4D was more frequently expressed in NSCLC than in lung benign lesion (P<0.05) and its overexprssion was associated with low differentiation (P<0.05), poor pTNM staging (P<0.05) and occurrence of lymph node (LN) metastasis (P<0.05). Endogenous Sema4D expression was suppressed by Sema4D siRNA in A549 cells overexpressing Sema4D. Protein levels of Sema4D, total Akt and p-Akt were examined by Western blotting. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities were measured by MTT assay and Transwell assay respectively. Results showed that Sema4D siRNA significantly suppressed phosphorylation of AKT in A549 cells, but it did not alter total AKT expression. In addition, efficient down-regulation of SemaD significantly inhibit cell proliferation (P<0.05), migration (P<0.05) and invasion (P<0.05) in A549 cells. These findings suggest that Sema4D might serve as a reliable tool for early prediction of NSCLC poor prognosis. Sema4D could play an important role in promoting tumor proliferation, migration and metastasis in the NSCLC, by influencing the Akt protein phosphorylation. Inhibition of Sema4D may be a useful approach for the treatment of NSCLC.