The Relationship between Hepatic Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells and Clinicopathological Parameters in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have attracted attention due to their important role in inflammation. Several studies have investigated the involvement of MDSCs in chronic liver disease. However, due to the difference of MDSC phenotypes, patient types, and sample sources among the studies, the results are inconsistent and controversial. We took advantage of a large well-defined cohort of 98 (24 patients with CHB, 18 with NAFLD, 13 with HCC, 16 with PBC, and 27 with AIH) patients with liver inflammation and 12 healthy controls to investigate the expression of MDSCs, and the relationships between the expression of hepatic MDSCs and the clinical characteristics were analyzed. We found that the expression of CD11b+CD33+ MDSCs is closely related to chronic liver disease and positively correlated with clinical parameters such as ALT, AST, and globulin. Ultimately, the present study suggests that hepatic CD11b+CD33+ MDSCs are increased in HCC and AIH and positively correlate with the liver stages of hepatitis activity and liver fibrosis stage.

In silico screening of potential anti-COVID-19 bioactive natural constituents from food sources by molecular docking.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to seek potential natural compounds that can resist COVID-19 using computer virtual screening technology through molecular docking of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 3CL hydrolytic enzyme (3CLpro) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). METHODS: Molecular docking was achieved by using the Autodock Vina software. The natural phytocompounds acting on 3CLpro and ACE2 were then selected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. This was followed by speculation on the mechanism of action of phytocompounds. RESULTS: Six potential natural anti-COVID-19 phytocompounds were selected and were evaluated for absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) and Lipinski rules. The content of the six phytocompounds in various fruits and vegetables was determined via a literature search. Red wine, Chinese hawthorn, and blackberry were recommended as supplements because they contained antiviral phytocompounds. CONCLUSION: Red wine, Chinese hawthorn, and blackberry show promise for resisting COVID-19 and are thus recommended as supplements to prevent the infection of COVID-19 during its outbreak period.

In Silico Screening of Potential Chinese Herbal Medicine Against COVID-19 by Targeting SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme II Using Molecular Docking.

OBJECTIVE: To seek potential Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through the molecular docking of the medicine with SARS-CoV-2 3CL hydrolytic enzyme and the angiotensin converting enzyme II(ACE2) as receptors, using computer virtual screening technique, so as to provide a basis for combination forecasting. METHODS: The molecular docking of CHM with the SARS-Cov-2 3CL hydrolase and the ACE2 converting enzyme, which were taken as the targets, was achieved by the Autodock Vina software. The CHM monomers acting on 3CLpro and ACE2 receptors were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform, the active ingredients were selected, and the key CHMs and compounds were speculated. Based on the perspective of network pharmacology, the chemical-target network was constructed, and the functional enrichment analysis of gene ontology and the pathway enrichment analysis of Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes were carried out by DAVID to speculate about the mechanism of action of the core drug pairs. RESULTS: There are 6 small molecule compounds that have the optimal binding energy with the two target proteins. Among 238 potential anti-COVID-19 herbs screened in total, 16 kinds of CHM containing the most active ingredients, and 5 candidate anti-COVID-19 herbs that had been used in high frequency, as well as a core drug pair, namely, Forsythiae Fructus-Lonicerae Japonicae Flos were selected. CONCLUSION: The core drug pair of Forsythiae Fructus-Lonicerae Japonicae Flos containing multiple components and targets is easy to combine with 3CLpro and ACE2, and exerts an anti-COVID-19 pneumonia effect through multi-component and multi-target, and plays the role of anti-COVID-19 pneumonia in multi-pathway.

6-Gingerol inhibits proliferation in gastric cancer via the STAT3 pathway in vitro.

With high incidence and mortality, gastric cancer seriously threatened human's life. It is arduous and necessary to investigate its pathogenesis and dig effective drugs. In this study, we explored the role of 6-Gingerol (GI), a natural active ingredient, in treating gastric cancer cells. MTT assay and colony formation assay were utilized to confirmed that GI can control the proliferation of gastric cancer cells, which is time and concentration-dependent to some extent. The Annexin V-FITC/PI staining results by flow cytometry reveal that GI induces the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. And a study on further pathways by western blot shows that GI brings about cell apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of STAT3. GI therefore may be a good candidate for treating gastric cancer.