Baicalein Regulates Colony Formation of Triple-negative Breast Cancer Cells by Inhibiting YAP Entry into Nucleus / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:This study aims to observe the effect of baicalein on the clonal formation of triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells， and to explore the mediation role of Yes- related protein （YAP） in it. Method:MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells were treated with baicalein. Thiazole blue （MTT） colorimetric method was used to detect cell proliferation ability. Plate cloning experiments was used to detect the colony forming ability. Immunofluorescence method was used to detect the nuclear distribution of YAP， and Western blot test was used to detect the protein expression levels of YAP large tumor suppressor factor 1 （LATS1）， YAP， phosphorylated Yes- related protein（p-YAP） and phosphorylated YAP large tumor suppressor factor 1 （p-LATS1）. Result:Compared with the blank group， baicalein （40， 80， 160 μmol·L^-1） significantly inhibited the proliferation ability of MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cells （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， and the inhibitory effect was dose-dependent. The half inhibit concentration（IC₅₀） of baicalein against MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cells were （80.3±7.2），（70.4±6.5） μmol·L^-1， respectively. Compared with blank group， baicalein （5， 10， 20 μmol·L^-1） had no significant effect on the proliferation of MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cells， and the difference was not statistically significant. Compared with the blank group， baicalein （5， 10， 20 μmol·L^-1） significantly dose-dependently reduced the cell colony formation rates of MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cells （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， and baicalein （10， 20 μmol·L^-1） significantly inhibited the nuclear expression of YAP in MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-dependent manner（<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Also， baicalin （5， 10， 20 μmol·L^-1） significantly up-regulated p-YAP and p-LATS1 protein expressions in MDA-MB-468 cells in a dose-dependent manner （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. Baicalein （10， 20 μmol·L^-1） significantly up-regulated p-YAP and p-LATS1 protein expressions in MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-dependent manner （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Conclusion:Baicalein can inhibit colony formation of triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cells by mediating the reduction of YAP entry into the nucleus.

Mechanism of Shengmaiyin (Dangshen Prescription) in Treatment of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Based on Network Pharmacology / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:By means of network pharmacology, the active ingredients, targets and molecular pathways of Shengmaiyin (Dangshen prescription) in the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) were studied, in order to reveal the molecular mechanism of Shengmaiyin (Dangshen prescription) in the treatment of ASCVD, and provide the rational explanation of the compatibility of the combination. Method:The main chemical components of Shengmaiyin (Dangshen prescription) were obtained by means of SymMap database, traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform（TCMSP）platform and BATMAN-TCM platform. Compound targets were retrieved by SymMap and the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine （ETCM）, and disease targets were retrieved by DisGeNET and GeneCards databases. The intersections of compound targets and disease targets were used to obtain the predicted targets of song-decoction on ASCVD. The Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network diagram was constructed through STRING database, and key compounds and targets of Shengmaiyin (Dangshen prescription) acting on ASCVD were obtained through Cytoscape. Finally, the enriched key targets were put for Gene Ontology (GO) biological process analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis through the Database for Annotation，Visualization and Integrated Discovery（DAVID）. Result:There were 33 key compounds and 25 key targets of Shengmaiyin (Dangshen prescription) for ASCVD. The GO analysis showed that the biological functions of Shengmaiyin (Dangshen prescription) in the treatment of key ASCVD targets mainly involved biological processes, such as the regulation of apoptosis, inflammatory response, regulation of nitric oxide synthesis and regulation of insulin secretion. The KEGG pathway was mainly enriched in 20 signaling pathways, including tumor necrosis factor(TNF) signaling pathway, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway, apoptosis signaling pathway and estrogen signaling pathway. Conclusion:Through network pharmacology, this study explored active ingredients and potential targets of Shengmaiyin (Dangshen prescription) in the treatment of ASCVD at the molecular level, preliminarily verified the mechanism of action of Shengmaiyin (Dangshen prescription), and laid a theoretical foundation for further study on the mechanism of action.

Protective effects of artesunate combination on experimental cerebral malaria and nerve injury / 中国中药杂志

Cerebral malaria (CM) is the leading cause of death in children under 5 years in Africa, severe neurological sequelae may occur in surviving children. Although artesunate has made breakthrough progress in the clinical treatment of CM, the clinical problems of high mortality and high morbidity have not yet been completely resolved. In this study, an experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) model was established by infecting C57BL/6 mice with Pb ANKA (Plasmodium berghei ANKA) to compare parasitemia level, survival rates, and rapid murine coma behavior scale scores, cerebral microvascular obstruction, haemozoin deposition in the liver, body temperature and weight to investigate the anti-cerebral malaria effect of the artesunate compound combination. The results showed that the artesunate compound combination could improve the survival rate of Pb ANKA-infected mice, reduce the level of parasitemia, effectively improve the symptoms of ECM neurological injury, reduce cerebrovascular obstruction and haemozoin deposition in the liver, and also significantly improve body temperature, weight and other basic indicators. The results showed that the artesunate compound combination improved the pathological changes and neurological damage caused by CM. It is expected to provide a theoretical basis for human cerebral malaria patients in clinical adjuvant therapy.

Effect of dihydroartemisinin at low concentration on intervention of Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain / 中国中药杂志

Malaria is still the most severe strain of the human malaria parasites, and malaria disease is life-threatening which can result in severe anemia and cerebral malaria, especially in children in tropical Africa. Previous studies have shown that artemisinin and its derivatives could selectively kill erythrocytic stage of malaria and have a greater impact on the ring period. In recent years, there have been new findings of its mechanism continually. However, the concentration of artemisinin and its derivatives used in these studies can reach 50 to 80 times the half-inhibitory concentration in vitro. In this study, the international standard strain 3D7 of Plasmodium falciparum was used to culture in vitro. After half-inhibitory concentration of dihydroartemisinin was treated, the morphological changes of P. falciparum intraerythrocytic stage were observed, and then the 3D7 life cycle and effects of different developmental stages after dosing was explored. The 3D7 strain of P. falciparum was continuously synchronised more than 3 times. And dihydroartemisinin (DHA) at half maximal inhibitory concentration (10 nmol·L⁻¹) was administered for 6 hours after the last synchronization, and 3 life cycles were continuously observed (132 h). The results showed that compared with the parasites untreated by DHA, there was a noticeable delay in the life cycle of at least 36 h, indicating that the growth of 3D7 was significantly inhibited by DHA (<0.001), and the rate of ring formation was significantly reduced (<0.05). The trophozoites were abnormal in shape, such as shrink in size, and the number of merozoites in schizonts was significantly decreased (<0.05). These results suggested that non-killing concentrations of DHA (meaning parasites can be inhibited but not killed) can significantly inhibit the growth of P. falciparum, which may not only affect the ring stage, but also have an impact on other stages of the P. falciparum.

Current advance in cerebral malaria / 中国中药杂志

Cerebral malaria (CM), a severe neurological syndrome caused by Plasmodium falciparum infection, is a serious life-threatening disease with a high mortality. Survivors' persistent brain injury is manifested as long-term neurocognitive disorders. The main neuropathological feature of CM is the sequestration of parasited red blood cells (pRBCs) in cerebral microvessels. Other neuropathological features of CM include petechial hemorrhage in the brain parenchyma, annular hemorrhage, extensive brain endothelial cell activation, and focal endothelial cell injury and necrosis. However, its pathogenesis is still not clear. Currently, some studies have suggested that the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria mainly include pRBC adhesion, inflammatory reaction cascade, vascular leakage damage and brain hypoxia. Studies have shown that the biomarkers currently used as diagnostic and prognostic markers for CM include C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10), CXC chemokine ligand 4 (CXCL4), angiopoietin (Ang). In this paper, we systematically summarize the basic and clinical research for cerebral malaria in recent years and the latest literatures for drug studies, and focused on the advance of studies on cerebral malaria and its immunologic mechanism in the recent three years in the aspects of cytokines, immune cells, regulatory factors and biomarkers, so as to provide references for relevant studies.

Protective effect of Shuyu Yiban decoction on atherosclerosis in rats induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress / 中国中药杂志

Shuyu Yiban decoction(SYYB) has significant effect in treating the patients with coronary heart disease combined with chronic psychological stress. In this study, in order to observe the effects of SYYB on early formation of atherosclerosis(As) and inflammation response induced by chronic psychological stress, high-fat diet+intraperitoneal injections of Vitamin D3 were given to establish As early lesion models, and based on these models, chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) was used to observe whether the chronic psychological stress could increase coronary atherosclerotic lesions investigate the intervention effect of SYYB(6.6, 13.2, 26.4 mg•kg⁻¹). The tail suspension test and novelty-feeding test were adopted to detectadrenocortico-tropic hormone(ACTH), cortisol(Cor) andnoradrenaline(NE) in serum and weigh thymus and adrenal gland, in order to assess the effects of SYYB on CUMS model rats. The pathological changes of vascular tissues in aortic arch were observed by using hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining, and then the levels of triglycerides(TG), total cholesterol(TC) and high density lipoprotein(HDL-C) in serum were determined to assess effects of SYYB on As lesions. The effects of SYYB on the inflammatory response in As rats were assessed by detecting high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP), interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and interleukin-6(IL-6) in serum. The results showed that as compared with the blank control group, TC and TG levels in As group were increased while HDL-C was markedly decreased; furthermore, the aortic wall was thickened in HE staining. Meanwhile, foam cells were formed, and the behavioral assessment and serum stress hormone test showed that there was a chronic stress response, indicating successful establishment of As+CUMS models in this study. The experiment demonstrated that SYYB could lower the levels of serum TC and TG, reduce foam cells, calcification and inflammatory cells infiltration. Moreover, SYYB could obviously lower levels of ACTH, Cor and NE and the As related inflammatory indicatorhs-CRP, IL-1β and IL-6 in serum.These results indicated that SYYB had protective effect on chronic psychological stress induced in As rats, and the mechanism was associated with balancing the neuroendocrine-immune network system and regulating inflammation response.

Determination of primary structure of a novel peptide from mistletoe and its antitumor activity / 药学学报

<p><b>AIM</b>To study the antitumor peptide components in the stems and leaves of mistletoe (Viscum coloratum (Kom.) Nakai), the primary structure of the novel peptide was elucidated.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cation exchange, gel filtration and HPLC were employed for isolation and purification. Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry was used to determine the mass. The complete amino acid sequence of the novel peptide was obtained by Edman degradation combined with enzyme digestion. The antitumor activity of the peptide in vitro was studied with MTT method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The primary stucture of the peptide named as viscotoxin B2 is KSCCKNTTGRNIYNTCRFAGGSRERCAKLSGCKIISASTCPSDYPK. The IC50 value of viscotoxin B2 on the Rat Osteoblast-like Sarcoma 17/2.8 cells in vitro is 1.6 mg x L(-1).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Viscotoxin B2 in V. coloratum, which has high similarity with viscotoxins from V. album, showed antitumor activity.</p>