Magnetic nanoparticle-mediated enrichment technology combined with microfluidic single cell separation technology: A technology for efficient separation and degradation of functional bacteria in single cell liquid phase.

Although there are many microorganisms in nature, the limitations of isolation and cultivation conditions have restricted the development of artificial enhanced remediation technology using functional microbial communities. In this study, an integrated technology of Magnetic Nanoparticle-mediated Enrichment (MME) and Microfluidic Single Cell separation (MSC) that breaks through the bottleneck of traditional separation and cultivation techniques and can efficiently obtain more in situ functional microorganisms from the environment was developed. MME technology was first used to enrich rapidly growing active bacteria in the environment. Subsequently, MSC technology was applied to isolate and incubate functional bacterial communities in situ and validate the degradation ability of individual bacteria. As a result, this study has changed the order of traditional pure culture methods, which are first selected and then cultured, and provided a new method for obtaining non-culturable functional microorganisms.

Rectal administration of Panax notoginseng and Colla Corii Asini suppositories in ulcerative colitis: clinical effect and influence on immune function.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of rectal administration of different doses of Panax notoginseng and Colla Corii Asini (CCA) suppositories in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) and the effect on immune function and recurrence. METHODS: Totally 120 UC patients admitted to our hospital from February 2019 to February 2020 were enrolled and randomized into experimental group (n=60) and control group (n=60). The experimental group received rectal administration of a high dose of Panax notoginseng and CCA suppositories, while the control group received a low dose. After three months of treatment, clinical symptom scores, inflammatory factor levels, scores of rectal mucosa, immune function, recurrence rates, adverse reaction rates, and clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the experimental group obtained significantly lower clinical symptom scores, inflammatory factors, and scores of rectal mucosa than the control group (all P<0.001). The immune function of the observation group was significantly better than that of the control group (P<0.001). At 6, 8, and 12 months after treatment, the recurrence rates in the experimental group were all significantly lower than those in the control group (all P<0.001). The two groups showed no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reaction (P>0.05), and the experimental group obtained a higher clinical efficacy than the control group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: For patients with UC, the rectal administration of Panax notoginseng and CCA suppositories can exert positive effects on their inflammatory factors, immune functions, UC severity, clinical symptoms, and recovery. In addition, higher doses were associated with better effects without increased adverse events.

Protective effects of panax notoginseng saponin on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in rats through phosphoinositide-3-kinase protein kinase B signaling pathway inhibition.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal inflammation is a common digestive tract disease, which is usually treated with hormone medicines. Hormone medicines are effective to some extent, but long-term use of them may bring about many complications. AIM: To explore the protective effects of panax notoginseng saponin (PNS) against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced intestinal inflammatory injury through phosphoinositide-3-kinase protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway inhibition in rats. METHODS: Colitis rat models were generated via DSS induction, and rats were divided into control (no modeling), DSS, DSS + PNS 50 mg/k, and DSS + PNS 100 mg/kg groups. Then, the intestinal injury, oxidative stress parameters, inflammatory indices, tight junction proteins, apoptosis, macrophage polarization, and TLR4/AKT signaling pathway in colon tissues from rats in each of the groups were detected. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in the colon tissue of rats was blocked using the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway inhibitor, LY294002. RESULTS: Compared with rats in the control group, rats in the DSS group showed significantly shortened colon lengths, and significantly increased disease activity indices, oxidative stress reactions and inflammatory indices, as well as significantly decreased expression of tight junction-associated proteins. In addition, the DSS group showed significantly increased apoptotic cell numbers, and showed significantly increased M1 macrophages in spleen and colon tissues. They also showed significantly decreased M2 macrophages in colon tissues, as well as activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway (all P < 0.05). Compared with rats in the DSS group, rats in the DSS + PNS group showed significantly lengthened colon lengths, decreased disease activity indices, and significantly alleviated oxidative stress reactions and inflammatory responses. In addition, this group showed significantly increased expression of tight junction-associated proteins, significantly decreased apoptotic cell numbers, and significantly decreased M1 macrophages in spleen and colon tissues. This group further showed significantly increased M2 macrophages in colon tissues, and significantly suppressed activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, as well as a dose dependency (all P < 0.05). When the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was inhibited, the apoptosis rate of colon tissue cells in the DSS + LY294002 group was significantly lower than that of the DSS group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PNS can protect rats against DSS-induced intestinal inflammatory injury by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and therefore may be potentially used in the future as a drug for colitis.

Synergistic protection of astragalus polysaccharides and matrine against ulcerative colitis and associated lung injury in rats.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a main form of inflammatory bowel disease. Due to complicated etiology and a high rate of recurrence, it is quite essential to elucidate the underlying mechanism of and search for effective therapeutic methods for UC. AIM: To investigate the effects of astragalus polysaccharides (APS) combined with matrine on UC and associated lung injury. METHODS: UC was induced in rats by colon mucosal tissue sensitization combined with trinitro-benzene-sulfonic acid-ethanol. Then, the effects of the treatments of salazopyrine, APS, matrine, and APS combined with matrine on histopathological changes of lung and colon tissues, disease activity index (DAI), colon mucosal damage index (CMDI), serum endotoxin (ET) level, serum diamine oxidase (DAO) activity, the contents of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1ß, and the activities of myeloperoxidase, superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde in lung tissues, as well as the protein expression of zonula occludens (ZO)-1, Occludin, and trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) were detected in UC rats. RESULTS: The treatments of salazopyrine, APS, matrine, and APS combined with matrine reduced DAI scores and improved histopathological changes of colon and lung tissues, as well as decreased CMDI scores, ET levels, and DAO activities in UC rats. Moreover, in lung tissues, inflammatory response and oxidative stress injury were relieved after the treatments of salazopyrine, APS, matrine, and APS combined with matrine in UC rats. Furthermore, the expression of ZO-1, Occludin, and TFF3 in lung and colon tissues was increased after different treatments in UC rats. Notably, APS combined with matrine exerted a better protective effect against UC and lung injury compared with other treatments. CONCLUSION: APS combined with matrine exert a synergistic protective effect against UC and lung injury, which might be associated with regulating TFF3 expression.