Intestinal microbiota analysis and network pharmacology reveal the mechanism by which Lianhua Qingwen capsule improves the immune function of mice infected with influenza A virus.

Objective: Lianhua Qingwen capsule (LHQW) can attenuate lung injury caused by influenza virus infection. However, it is unclear whether the intestinal microbiota plays a role in LHQW activity in ameliorating viral infectious pneumonia. This study aimed to investigate the role of intestinal microbiota in LHQW activity in ameliorating viral infectious pneumonia and its possible mechanisms. Research design and methods: A mouse model of influenza A viral pneumonia was established by intranasal administration in BALB/c mice. Detection of influenza virus in the lungs, pathological examination of the lungs and small intestine, and biochemical detection of inflammatory indices were performed. The effects of LHQW on intestinal microbiota were evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The key components and targets of LHQW were screened via network pharmacology and verified through molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and free binding energy calculations. Results: Body weight decreased, inflammatory factor levels were disturbed, and the lung and intestinal mucosal barriers were significantly injured in the infected group. The alpha diversity of the intestinal microbiota decreased, and the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Muribaculaceae_unclassified, and Streptococcus decreased significantly. LHQW treatment reduced the viral load in the lungs, rescued body weight and survival, alleviated lung and intestinal mucosal barrier injury, reversed the reduction in the intestinal microbiota alpha diversity, and significantly increased the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Muribaculaceae. Network pharmacological analysis showed that six active herbal medicinal compounds from LHQW could regulate the intestinal microbiota and inhibit the immune-inflammatory response through the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signalling pathways in the lungs. Conclusion: These results suggest that LHQW is effective for treating influenza A virus infectious pneumonia, and the mechanism is associated with the regulation of the TLR4/NF-κB signalling pathway in the lungs by restoring intestinal microbiota and repairing the intestinal wall.

ADAM12 is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in liver cancer.

Disintegrin and metalloproteinase 12 (ADAM12) is thought to trigger the occurrence and development of numerous tumours, including colorectal, breast, and pancreatic cancers. On the basis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets, in this study, the relationship between ADAM12 gene expression and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the prognostic value of this relationship, and the potential mechanisms influencing HCC development were evaluated. The results showed that the ADAM12 gene was significantly and highly expressed in liver cancer tissue. The high expression of the ADAM12 gene in liver cancer tissue significantly and positively correlated with T stage, pathological stage, and residual tumour. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses revealed that ADAM12 gene expression is an independent risk factor influencing the prognosis of patients with liver cancer. Pathway analyses of ADAM12 in HCC revealed ADAM12-correlated signalling pathways, and the expression level of ADAM12 was associated with immune cell infiltration. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the expression level of ADAM12 in Huh-7 and Hep3B cells was significantly higher than that in other HCC cells. ShRNA transfection experiments confirmed that the expression levels of TGF-ß and Notch pathway-related proteins were significantly decreased. An EdU cell proliferation assay showed that a low level of ADAM12 gene expression significantly inhibited the proliferative activity of HCC cells. Cell cycle experiments showed that low ADAM12 expression blocked the G1/S phase transition. Overall, this research revealed that high ADAM12 gene expression implies a poor prognosis for patients with primary liver cancer. In addition, it is a potential indicator for the diagnosis of liver cancer.

ApoM is an important potential protective factor in the pathogenesis of primary liver cancer.

In recent years, abnormal liver lipid metabolism has emerged as one of the important pathogenesis pathways of primary liver cancer. It is highly important to identify the mechanisms to explore potential prevention and treatment targets. Apolipoprotein M is specifically expressed in the liver and participates in liver lipid metabolism, but the evidence that ApoM affects primary liver cancer is insufficient. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and clinical case analysis, as well as animal level and cell level analysis suggest that the expression level of ApoM gene in cancer tissues is lower than that in paracarcinoma tissues. Further experimental research found that the deletion of ApoM significantly increased the proliferation of mouse liver cancer cells (Hepa1-6) and inhibited the level of apoptosis induced by cisplatin. In addition, mouse liver cancer cells lacking ApoM showed stronger migration and invasion capabilities in transwell experiments. In contrast, overexpression of ApoM in Hepa1-6 cells and Huh-7 cells showed an inhibition of proliferation, up-regulation apoptosis and reduced migration and invasion. In vivo, the deletion of the ApoM accelerated tumorigenesis in nude mice and allowed the mice to develop liver tumor mutations more quickly under the induction of N-nitrosodiethylamine and the survival time of mice was shorter than that control. Therefore, ApoM may be a potential protective factor to inhibit the occurrence and development of primary liver cancer.