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The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of berberine (BBR) against dexamethasone (Dex)-induced metabolic disorders. 3T3-L1 cells were differentiated by Dex treatment and then treated with BBR (2.5, 5, 10 μmol·L-1). Lipid accumulation was detected using oil-red O staining. After review and approval of the ethics committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into three groups. In the BBR treatment group, mice were subcutaneously implanted with an osmotic pump containing Dex and gavaged with BBR (100 mg·kg-1·day-1) for 4 weeks. The model control group was implanted with a Dex osmotic pump with no other treatment. Mice given a saline-filled osmotic pump were used as a negative control. During the study, food intake and body weight were measured weekly. Subcutaneous fat and visceral fat was detected by MRI. At the end of the experiment the plasma levels of total cholesterol (CHO), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), glucose (Glu), and muscle mass were measured. The expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα) in 3T3-L1 cells and epididymal fat of C57BL/6N mice was evaluated through RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. The results showed that BBR inhibited Dex-induced adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by up to 23% in a dose-dependent manner. In C57BL/6N mice, berberine alleviated hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia and reduced visceral fat accumulation induced by Dex. The results from RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that BBR reduced PPARγ expression and increased the phosphorylation of AMPKα in 3T3-L1 cells as well as in adipose tissue. Berberine might alleviate Dex-induced metabolic disorder and visceral fat accumulation by modulating PPARγ and AMPK expression.
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Objective:To predict the potential molecular mechanism of Yangxue Antai Fang in treating prethrombolic state of recurrent spontaneous abortion （RSA-PTS）. Method:The chemical constituents and drug targets of Yangxue Antai Fang were collected by Integrated Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCMIP V2.0）. RSA-PTS disease target information was collected by TCMIP V2.0 and improved by Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM） database. The interaction of these targets was analyzed and key target network was constructed. Gene ontology （GO） function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis were further performed. Finally， Cytoscape 3.5.1 was used to build up a multidimensional network of TCM-ingredient-target-pathway. The levels of absorption， distribution， metabolism， excretion and toxicity （ADMET） of the main components in the network were analyzed. Result:A total of 310 chemical constituents and 975 targets were collected from 8 TCMs in Yangxue Antai Fang. A total of 143 targets of RSA-PTS were obtained. A total of 243 core targets were obtained by the interrelationship analysis of drug and disease targets. The analysis of the top 100 core targets showed that these targets might participate in treating RSA-PTS by affecting biological processes related to thrombosis， such as blood coagulation， platelet activation， positive regulation of angiogenesis and so on. Pathway analysis showed that these targets were mainly concentrated in complement and coagulation cascades， platelet activation， estrogen signaling pathway， thyroid hormone signaling pathway， etc. Multidimensional network analysis in combination with ADMET level showed that 14 components （leonurine， paeonol， vanillin， and so on） may play a therapeutic role in RSA-PTS by affecting coagulation factors Ⅱ （F2）， plasminogen （PLG） and estrogen receptor 1 （ESR1） proteins involved in complement and coagulation cascades， platelet activation， thyroid hormone signaling pathway and others. Conclusion:The main chemical constituents in Yangxue Antai Fang may improve RSA-PTS by regulating complement and coagulation cascades， blood coagulation， platelet activation and other biological processes.
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ObjectiveLupus mesenteric vasculitis (LMV) can lead to extensive necrosis of the small intestine, and it is easy to be misdiagnosed and missed in the early stage of the disease. This study aims to evaluate the clinical significance of serum D-dimer level in the early diagnosis of LMV.MethodsRetrospective analysis was performed on 38 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) admitted to Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2006 to January 2019. There were 15 LMV patients (LMV Group) and 23 non-LMV patients (Non-LMV Group). The main observation indicators of statistical analysis were serum D-dimer level on the first day of treatment in the two groups, while the secondary indicators included patient general condition, SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI), enhanced CT examination results, laboratory examination results and serum D-dimer level after treatment.ResultsThere was no significant difference in age, SLE duration and SLEDAI between the two groups (P>0.05). On admission, CT showed LMV patients with intestinal dilatation, mesenteric edema and typical target symptoms. After high-dose hormone therapy, the dilatation of intestinal canal and intestinal wall were significantly relieved, and the target signs on CT disappeared before discharge. The serum D-dimer level of patients in the LMV Group [917 (756,1848) μg/L] was significantly higher than that in the Non-LMV Group [570 (356,896) μg/L], and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.006). ROC curve analysis showed that the critical value of serum D-dimer in early diagnosis of LMV was 624 μg/L, and the sensitivity and specificity were 93% and 61%, respectively (AUC=0.77).ConclusionSerum D- dimer level can be used as an effective index for early diagnosis of LMV patients.
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ObjectiveLupus mesenteric vasculitis (LMV) can lead to extensive necrosis of the small intestine, and it is easy to be misdiagnosed and missed in the early stage of the disease. This study aims to evaluate the clinical significance of serum D-dimer level in the early diagnosis of LMV.MethodsRetrospective analysis was performed on 38 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) admitted to Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2006 to January 2019. There were 15 LMV patients (LMV Group) and 23 non-LMV patients (Non-LMV Group). The main observation indicators of statistical analysis were serum D-dimer level on the first day of treatment in the two groups, while the secondary indicators included patient general condition, SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI), enhanced CT examination results, laboratory examination results and serum D-dimer level after treatment.ResultsThere was no significant difference in age, SLE duration and SLEDAI between the two groups (P>0.05). On admission, CT showed LMV patients with intestinal dilatation, mesenteric edema and typical target symptoms. After high-dose hormone therapy, the dilatation of intestinal canal and intestinal wall were significantly relieved, and the target signs on CT disappeared before discharge. The serum D-dimer level of patients in the LMV Group [917 (756,1848) μg/L] was significantly higher than that in the Non-LMV Group [570 (356,896) μg/L], and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.006). ROC curve analysis showed that the critical value of serum D-dimer in early diagnosis of LMV was 624 μg/L, and the sensitivity and specificity were 93% and 61%, respectively (AUC=0.77).ConclusionSerum D- dimer level can be used as an effective index for early diagnosis of LMV patients.
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<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>This study aimed to observe the differences in brain gray matter volume in drug-naive female patients after the first episode of major depression with and without stressful life events (SLEs) before the onset of depression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-three drug-naive female patients voluntarily participated in the present study after the first major depressive episode. The life event scale was used to evaluate the severity of the impact of SLEs during 6 months before the onset of the major depressive episode. High-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained, and the VBM and SPM8 software process were used to process and analyze the MRI.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared to that in patients without SLEs, the volume of brain gray matter was lower in the bilateral temporal lobe, right occipital lobe, and right limbic lobe in the SLE group. However, the gray matter volume did not differ significantly between the two groups after the application of false discovery rate (FDR) correction.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Although the results of the present study suggest the absence of significant differences in brain gray matter volume between female drug-naive patients after the first episode of major depression with and without SLEs after FDR correction, the study provides useful information for exploring the definitive role of stress in the onset of depression.</p>
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Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Depression , Gray Matter , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Software , Stress, Physiological , PhysiologyABSTRACT
The present study was designed to evaluate the immune-modulating effects of the polysaccharide from Grifola frondosa (GFP) by using mouse peritoneal macrophage and cytoxan (CTX) induced immunosuppression models. Our results from the phagocytotic and mononuclear phagocytic system function assays showed that GFP-A (one component from GFP) stimulated the phagocytosis of the phagocytes. The splenocyte proliferation assay showed that GFP-A acted the effect combing ConA or LPS in splenocyte proliferation. The results showed that GFP-A increased indices of thymus and spleen, the levels of LDH and ACP in the spleen, the mRNA levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6 and IFN-γ in splenocyte. And GFP-A also significantly increased the expression of CD4(+) and CD8(+) splenic T lymphocytes, which were suppressed by the CTX in peripheral blood. In conclusion, our results indicate that the GFP-A is involved in immunomodulatory effects leading to its modulatory effects on immunosuppression.