Mass Spectrometry Imaging-Based Single-Cell Lipidomics Profiles Metabolic Signatures of Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF), leading as one of the main causes of mortality, has become a serious public health issue with high prevalence around the world. Single cardiomyocyte (CM) metabolomics promises to revolutionize the understanding of HF pathogenesis since the metabolic remodeling in the human hearts plays a vital role in the disease progression. Unfortunately, current metabolic analysis is often limited by the dynamic features of metabolites and the critical needs for high-quality isolated CMs. Here, high-quality CMs were directly isolated from transgenic HF mice biopsies and further employed in the cellular metabolic analysis. The lipids landscape in individual CMs was profiled with a delayed extraction mode in time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. Specific metabolic signatures were identified to distinguish HF CMs from the control subjects, presenting as possible single-cell biomarkers. The spatial distributions of these signatures were imaged in single cells, and those were further found to be strongly associated with lipoprotein metabolism, transmembrane transport, and signal transduction. Taken together, we systematically studied the lipid metabolism of single CMs with a mass spectrometry imaging method, which directly benefited the identification of HF-associated signatures and a deeper understanding of HF-related metabolic pathways.

[Characteristics analysis for Chinese patent medicine containing Jujubea Fructus based on data mining].

Chinese patent medicine prescriptions containing Jujubea Fructus in 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the Composition Principles of Chinese Patent Drug were collected, and the characteristics of Chinese patent medicine containing Jujubea Fructus were analyzed by using data mining technology. Statistical software Excel 2019, Clementine 12.0 and SPSS 21.0 were used to conduct statistical analysis of conforming Chinese patent medicine prescriptions by means of frequency statistics, association rule analysis and cluster analysis. Finally, a total of 185 Chinese patent medicine prescriptions containing Jujubea Fructus were included in this study, involving 402 Chinese medicines and 28 kinds of high frequency Chinese medicines, with Jujubea Fructus, Poria, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, and Codonopsis Radix as the top five. The deficiency-nourishing drugs were in the most common efficacy classification, mainly sweet, bitter and pungent, with most medicine properties of warm and gentle, main meridians of spleen lung and stomach, dosage forms of pills, granules and tablets, and main indications of splenic diseases. Fifteen drug combinations were obtained in association rule analysis. Eleven drug combinations were obtained by association rule analysis of Chinese patent medicine containing Jujubea Fructus in the treatment of splenic diseases, and the drugs were divided into two categories by cluster analysis. According to the above analysis, it is found that the Chinese patent medicine prescriptions containing Jujubea Fructus are mainly composed of deficiency-nourishing drugs, mostly compatible with drugs of sweet, bitter and pungent flavors, warm and gentle properties, and spleen, lung, and stomach meridians in the treatment of splenic diseases, with Sijunzi Decoction as the main drug. This study provides guidance for modern clinical application and development of Jujubea Fructus.

[Animal model analysis of diabetic lower extremity arterial disease based on clinical symptoms of traditional Chinese and Western medicine].

The evaluation standard of LEAD animal model was established according to the understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of diabetic lower extremity vascular disease based on Chinese and Western medicine. The consistency between the existing LEAD animal model and the clinical characteristics of traditional Chinese and Western medicine was analyzed and evaluated. The advantages and disadvantages of the existing model were compared,the application scope of different models was considered,and the possible improvement methods of the existing model were proposed,so as to provide impetus for the improvement of LEAD animal model.We should reflect more characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in the process of model improvement and development,making the LEAD animal model to get closer to clinical features of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

Total glucosides of herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) flower attenuate adenine- and ethambutol-induced hyperuricaemia in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) flower has been used widely in dietotherapy in China and other countries. It has good ethnopharmacological value in the treatment of various metabolic diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms by which it lowers serum uric acid are unknown. The development of pharmaceutical resources is very important. Here, we sought to elucidate the mode of action of herbaceous peony in terms of reducing uric acid levels. AIM OF THE STUDY: In the present research, the effects of the total glucosides of herbaceous peony flower were investigated in a rat hyperuricaemia model. Another aim of the study was to clarify the mechanism by which herbaceous peony flower (TGPF) lowers serum uric acid levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hyperuricaemic rat model was induced via intragastric administration of 100 mg/kg adenine and 250 mg/kg ethambutol hydrochloride (EH) for 23 d. Then TongFengShu 600 mg/kg, allopurinol 42 mg/kg, or TGPF (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, or 200 mg/kg) was administered 1 h after the adenine and EH treatments. RESULTS: TGPF improved weight loss and decreased serum UA, XOD, MCP-1, TNF-α, Cr, and BUN in the rats with hyperuricaemic nephropathy. TGPF downregulated renal URAT1 and GLUT9, upregulated renal OAT1, and ameliorated histopathological changes in the thymus, spleen, and kidney. CONCLUSION: TGPF is promising as a therapeutic agent against hyperuricaemia. It regulates the uric acid transporters and diminished serum uric acid levels, and alleviates renal pathology associated with hyperuricaemia.

Autophagy-mediated chemosensitization by cysteamine in cancer cells.

Cysteamine (CS) has many biomedical and clinical applications because of its excellent water solubility, low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility. A previous study by Brawer et al. reported the occurrence of many Gomori inclusion bodies in CS-treated astrocytes, which would suggest the induction of autophagy. Here we provided a comprehensive line of evidence demonstrating that CS caused autophagosome accumulation in cancer cells. CS exerted a biphasic effect on the autophagy process, increasing the formation of autophagosomes in the early phase and blocking the autophagic degradation in a later phase. Furthermore, we showed that CS sensitized doxorubicin-elicited chemotherapeutic killing in HeLa, B16 melanoma and doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7 cells and also enhanced chemotherapeutic efficacy of doxorubicin in a mouse melanoma model. Finally, we demonstrated that the chemosensitizing effect of CS was at least partly dependent on its ability to modulate autophagy. Our results revealed a novel biological function for CS in enhancing the chemotherapeutic effect of doxorubicin through autophagy modulation and pointed to the potential use of CS in adjunct cancer chemotherapy.

[Influence of Zea mays L. saponin (ZMLS) on ultrastructure of kidney and pancreas in diabetes rats induced by streptozocin].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the effect of Zea mays L. saponin (ZMLS) on ultrastructure of kidney and pancreas in the diabetes rats induced by streptozocin. METHOD: The diabetic rat model was established by injections of STZ, blood glucose, the ultrastructure of the kidney and pancreas were observed. RESULT: Compared with the model group, the large, middle-dose ZMLS groups and melbinum group could remarkably decrease the blood glucose (P < 0.01), the large, middle, small-dose ZMLS groups could remarkably prevent the pancreatic islet beta-cell from the injury induced by Streptozotocin. Melbinum and the large, middle-dose ZMLS groups could remarkably increase mitochondrial Vv, deltam and euchromatin Vv (P < 0.01), and significantly decrease the delta, Nucleus delta and heterochromatin Vv (P < 0.01). The small dose of ZMLS obviously increases mitochondrial Vv (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: ZMLS showed good effect on decreasing blood glucose and protection action on the kidney and pancreas injury of induced by STZ.

[Effect of Phragmites communis polysaccharide on the aged-model mice].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Phragmites communis polysaccharide on aging mice induced by injections of D-gulactose. METHOD: Aging mice were used as experimental objective. RESULT: Phragmizes communis polysaccharide could obviously increase the activity of CAT, SOD, GSH-PX in blood, lower the levels of LPO in plasma and the thick liquid made of grinding the tissues of brain and liver, and markedly resist the atrophy of the thymus, spleen and brain tissues of aging mice. CONCLUSION: Phragmites communis polysaccharide has good anti-aging actions.