Transcriptomic and physiological analysis of atractylodes chinensis in response to drought stress reveals the putative genes related to sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: Atractylodes chinensis (DC) Koidz., a dicotyledonous and hypogeal germination species, is an important medicinal plant because its rhizome is enriched in sesquiterpenes. The development and production of A. chinensis are negatively affected by drought stress, especially at the seedling stage. Understanding the molecular mechanism of A. chinensis drought stress response plays an important role in ensuring medicinal plant production and quality. In this study, A. chinensis seedlings were subjected to drought stress treatment for 0 (control), 3 (D3), and 9 days (D9). For the control, the sample was watered every two days and collected on the second morning after watering. The integration of physiological and transcriptomic analyses was carried out to investigate the effects of drought stress on A. chinensis seedlings and to reveal the molecular mechanism of its drought stress response. RESULTS: The malondialdehyde, proline, soluble sugar, and crude protein contents and antioxidative enzyme (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase) activity were significantly increased under drought stress compared with the control. Transcriptomic analysis indicated a total of 215,665 unigenes with an average length of 759.09 bp and an N50 of 1140 bp. A total of 29,449 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected between the control and D3, and 14,538 DEGs were detected between the control and D9. Under drought stress, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis had the highest number of unigenes in the metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides. To identify candidate genes involved in the sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthetic pathways, we observed 22 unigene-encoding enzymes in the terpenoid backbone biosynthetic pathway and 15 unigene-encoding enzymes in the sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthetic pathways under drought stress. CONCLUSION: Our study provides transcriptome profiles and candidate genes involved in sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthesis in A. chinensis in response to drought stress. Our results improve our understanding of how drought stress might affect sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthetic pathways in A. chinensis.

Calcium channel blocker and risk of postoperation lymphatic-related complications among gynecologic malignances.

Purpose: This study was performed to assess the association of calcium channel blockers (CCB) and other potential factors with postoperative lymphatic-related morbidity in patients with cervical cancer and endometrial carcinoma. Methods: Patients diagnosed with cervical cancer or endometrial carcinoma with pelvic lymphadenectomy between January 2017 and January 2022 were enrolled. Postoperative lymphatic-related morbidity was evaluated by calculating the lymph cyst occurrence within 3 months after surgery and the duration of pelvic drainage. Univariate analyses evaluating the risk factors for lymphatic-related morbidity were performed. Results: Of a total of 251 patients, 52 patients were diagnosed with lymphatic cysts by B-ultrasound or computed tomography, and the duration of drainage from 110 patients exceeded the average number of days. Univariable analysis revealed that hypertension, CCB, and lymph node metastasis were independent predictors of postoperative complications. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that CCB may be a factor associated with the incidence of postoperation lymph cysts, and CCB usage prolongs the duration of pelvic drainage.

Research Progress on the Ability of Astragaloside IV to Protect the Brain Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Stroke, a disease with a sudden onset and high morbidity and mortality rates, is difficult to treat in the clinic. Traditional Chinese medicine has become increasingly widely used in clinical practice. Modern pharmacological studies have found that Radix Astragali has a variety of medicinal properties, i.e., immunoregulatory, antioxidative, anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, myocardial protective, hepatoprotective, and antiviral functions. This article reviews the protective effect and mechanism of astragaloside IV, which is extracted from Radix Astragali, on stroke, discusses the cerebroprotective effect of astragaloside IV against ischemia-reperfusion-related complications, offers insight into research prospects, and expands the idea of integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment strategies and drugs to provide a theoretical reference for the clinical treatment of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and the improvement of stroke prognosis.