Picrasma quassioides leaves: Insights from chemical profiling and bioactivity comparison with stems.

BACKGROUND: In Chinese Pharmacopeia, Picrasma quassioides (PQ) stems and leaves are recorded as Kumu with antimicrobial, anti-cancer, anti-parasitic effects, etc. However, thick stems are predominantly utilized as medicine in many Asian countries, with leaves rarely used. By now, the phytochemistry and bioactivity of PQ leaves are not well investigated. METHODS: An Orbitrap Elite mass spectrometer was employed to comprehensively investigate PQ stems and leaves sourced from 7 different locations. Additionally, their bioactivities were evaluated against 5 fungi, 6 Gram-positive bacteria and 9 Gram-negative bacteria, a tumor cell line (A549), a non-tumor cell line (WI-26 VA4) and N2 wild-type Caenorhabditis elegans. RESULTS: Bioassay results demonstrated the efficacy of both leaves and stems against tumor cells, several bacteria and fungi, while only leaves exhibited anthelmintic activity against C. elegans. A total of 181 compounds were identified from PQ stems and leaves, including 43 ß-carbolines, 20 bis ß-carbolines, 8 canthinone alkaloids, 56 quassinoids, 12 triterpenoids, 13 terpenoid derivatives, 11 flavonoids, 7 coumarins, and 11 phenolic derivatives, from which 10 compounds were identified as indicator components for quality evaluation. Most alkaloids and triterpenoids were concentrated in PQ stems, while leaves exhibited higher levels of quassinoids and other carbohydrate (CHO) components. CONCLUSION: PQ leaves exhibit distinct chemical profiles and bioactivity with the stems, suggesting their suitability for medicinal purposes. So far, the antibacterial, antifungal, and anthelmintic activities of PQ leaves were first reported here, and considering PQ sustainability, the abundant leaves are recommended for increased utilization, particularly for their rich content of PQ quassinoids.

Rare correlation of somatic PRKACA mutations with pregnancy-associated aldosterone- and cortisol-producing adenomas: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Somatic mutations have been observed to induce aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs). These may be accelerated during pregnancy. Somatic PRKACA mutations are common in cortisol-producing adenomas (CPAs). However, their role in APAs, particularly aldosterone- and cortisol-producing adenomas (A/CPAs), is not well understood. This study aims to investigate the association between PRKACA mutations and the accelerated development of A/CPAs during pregnancy. CASE PRESENTATION: A patient with primary aldosteronism (PA) associated with severe Cushing's syndrome (CS) underwent surgical resection of an adrenal tumor one year after delivery. Pathologic examination revealed an adrenocortical adenoma characterized primarily by zona glomerulosa hyperplasia. Somatic mutation analysis revealed the presence of the somatic PRKACA mutation, which was validated as a deleterious mutation by various computational databases. Immunohistochemical results showed positive staining for cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily B member 1 (CYP11B1), cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily B member 2 (CYP11B2), and luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR). Our study included a review of 20 previously documented cases of aldosterone- and cortisol-producing adenomas (A/CPAs), two of which were concurrently positive for both CYP11B1 and CYP11B2, consistent with our findings. CONCLUSION: Somatic mutations in PRKACA may correlate with the upregulation of LHCGR, which synergistically drives the accelerated growth of co-secretion tumors during pregnancy, thereby exacerbating disease progression.

Prognostic value and immune infiltration of the NEK family in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a fatal urological malignancy. Members of the never-in mitosis gene A (NIMA)-related kinase (NEK) family have been found to participate in the progression of several cancers and could be used as target genes to treat corresponding diseases. Nonetheless, the prognostic value and immune infiltration levels of NEK family genes in ccRCC remain unknown. The GSCA, TIMER, and GEPIA databases were utilized to examine the differential expression of NEK family members in ccRCC, and the Kaplan-Meier plotter was utilized to analyze the prognosis. The STRING database was used to construct a protein-protein interaction network. Analysis of function was performed by the Sangerbox tool. In addition, the relationship between NEK family genes and immune cells was explored using the TIMER and TISIDB databases. Finally, we used quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for experimental verification. Transcriptional levels of NEK2, NEK3, NEK5, NEK6, and NEK11 significantly differed between ccRCC and normal tissues. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between NEK1, NEK2, NEK4, NEK8, NEK9, and NEK10 and their clinicopathological stages in patients with ccRCC. Based on survival analysis, ccRCC patients with high transcriptional levels of NEK2, NEK3, NEK8, and NEK10 and low transcriptional levels of NEK1, NEK4, NEK5, NEK6, NEK7, NEK9, NEK11 had shorter survival times. Additionally, a significant relationship was observed between NEK family members and immune cell infiltration, immune cell markers, and immune subtypes. These results indicate that NEK family members are significantly differentially expressed in ccRCC, and a significant correlation exists between the NEK family and prognosis and immune infiltration. NEK family members may act as therapeutic targets and prognostic indicators in ccRCC.

Predicting Peptide Permeability Across Diverse Barriers: A Systematic Investigation.

Peptide-based therapeutics hold immense promise for the treatment of various diseases. However, their effectiveness is often hampered by poor cell membrane permeability, hindering targeted intracellular delivery and oral drug development. This study addressed this challenge by introducing a novel graph neural network (GNN) framework and advanced machine learning algorithms to build predictive models for peptide permeability. Our models offer systematic evaluation across diverse peptides (natural, modified, linear and cyclic) and cell lines [Caco-2, Ralph Russ canine kidney (RRCK) and parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA)]. The predictive models for linear and cyclic peptides in Caco-2 and RRCK cell lines were constructed for the first time, with an impressive coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.708, 0.484, 0.553, and 0.528 in the test set, respectively. Notably, the GNN framework behaved better in permeability prediction with larger data sets and improved the accuracy of cyclic peptide prediction in the PAMPA cell line. The R2 increased by about 0.32 compared with the reported models. Furthermore, the important molecular structural features that contribute to good permeability were interpreted; the influence of cell lines, peptide modification, and cyclization on permeability were successfully revealed. To facilitate broader use, we deployed these models on the user-friendly KNIME platform (https://github.com/ifyoungnet/PharmPapp). This work provides a rapid and reliable strategy for systematically assessing peptide permeability, aiding researchers in drug delivery optimization, peptide preselection during drug discovery, and potentially the design of targeted peptide-based materials.

Type 3 resistant starch from Canna edulis reduce lipid levels in patients with mild hyperlipidemia through altering gut microbiome: A double- blind randomized controlled trial.

Type 3 resistant starch from Canna edulis (Ce-RS3) is an insoluble dietary fiber which could improve blood lipids in animals, but clinically robust evidence is still lacking. We performed a double-blind randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of Ce-RS3 on lipids in mild hyperlipidemia. One hundred and fifteen patients were included followed the recruitment criteria, and were randomly allocated to receive Ce-RS3 or placebo (native starch from Canna edulis) for 12 weeks (20 g/day). In addition to serum lipids, complete blood counts, serum inflammatory factors, antioxidant indexes, and dietary survey, 16 S rRNA sequencing technique was utilized to analyze the gut microbiota alterations. Targeted quantitative metabolomics (TQM) was used to detect metabolite changes. Compared with the placebo, Ce- RS3 significantly decreased levels of total cholesterol, lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increased the glutathione peroxidase. Based on the 16 S rRNA sequencing, TQM, the correlation analysis, as well as the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes (KEGG) and Genomes and Human Metabolome Database (HMDB) analysis, we found that Ce-RS3 could increase the abundances of genera Faecalibacterium and Agathobacter, while reduce the abundances of genera norank_f_Ruminococcaceae and Christensenellaceae_R-7_ group to regulate phenylalanine metabolism, which could reduce the fatty acid biosynthesis and fatty acid elongation in the mitochondria to lower blood lipids. Conclusively, we firstly confirmed the feasibility of Ce-RS3 for clinical application, which presents a novel, effective therapy for the mild hyperlipidemia. (Chictr. org. cn. Clinical study on anti-mild hyperlipidemia of Canna edulis RS3 resistant starch, ID Number: ChiCTR2200062871).

Controlled delivery of procyanidin through magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) to improve the activity and mineralization of osteoblasts under oxidative stressin vitro.

Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the microenvironment of osteoporosis (OP) not only accelerate the bone absorption, but also affect the osteogenic and mineralized effect of osteoblasts. Procyanidins (PC) have been reported to have anti-oxidation effects, but low bioavailability. This study aimed to explore the effect of magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO-PC NPs)-loaded PC on the osteogenesis and mineralization of osteoblasts that stimulated by H2O2. PC was loaded onto MgO NPs and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. After primary screening by cytotoxicity assay, MgO-PC NPs containing 20 µM of PC were chosen for further studies. In H2O2-stimulated osteoblasts, dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate probe, Cell Counting Kit-8, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, alkaline phosphatase staining/activity and Alizarin red staining were used to detect the ROS production, cell viability and osteogenic and mineralized markers of osteoblasts. PC was loaded onto MgO NPs to successfully receive MgO-PC NPs with a diameter of about 144 nm and negative potential. PC can sustain release from MgO-PC NPs for at least 16 d. The controlled release of PC from MgO-PC NPs can effectively eliminate ROS and thereby promoted the cell activity. Most importantly, the osteogenesis and mineralization of osteoblasts under oxidative stress were also significantly reversed by MgO-PC NPS. Thus, these findings indicate that MgO-PC NPs may be developed as a potential therapeutic strategy for OP.

Restoration of miR-299-3p promotes macrophage phagocytosis and suppresses malignant phenotypes in breast cancer carcinogenesis via dual-targeting CD47 and ABCE1.

Immunoevasion has been a severe obstacle for the clinical treatment of breast cancer (BC). CD47, known as an anti-phagocytic molecule, plays a key role in governing the evasion of tumor cells from immune surveillance by interacting with signal-regulated protein α (SIRPα) on macrophages. Here, we report for the first time that miR-299-3p is a direct regulator of CD47 with tumor suppressive effects both in vitro and in vivo. miRNA expression profiles and overall survival of BC cohorts from the Cancer Genome Atlas, METABRIC, or GSE19783 datasets showed that miR-299-3p is downregulated in BC tissues and that BC patients with low levels of miR-299-3p have poorer prognoses. Using dual-luciferase reporter, qRT-PCR, Western blot, and phagocytosis assays, we proved that restoration of miR-299-3p can suppress CD47 expression by directly targeting the predicted seed sequence "CCCACAU" in its 3'-UTR, leading to phagocytosis of BC cells by macrophages, whereas miR-299-3p inhibition or deletion reversed this effect. Additionally, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and a variety of confirmatory experiments revealed that miR-299-3p was inversely correlated with cell proliferation, migration, and the cell cycle process. Mechanistically, miR-299-3p can also directly target ABCE1, an essential ribosome recycling factor, alleviating these malignant phenotypes of BC cells. In vivo BC xenografts based on nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice further proved that restoration of miR-299-3p resulted in a significant suppression of tumorigenesis and a promotion of macrophage activation and infiltration. Overall, our study suggested that miR-299-3p is a potent inhibitor of CD47 and ABCE1 to exhibit bifunctional BC-suppressing effects through immune activation conjugated with malignant behavior inhibition in breast carcinogenesis and thus can potentially serve as a novel therapeutic target for BC.

Disruption of MAM integrity in mutant FUS oligodendroglial progenitors from hiPSCs.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by selective loss of motor neurons (MNs). A number of causative genetic mutations underlie the disease, including mutations in the fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene, which can lead to both juvenile and late-onset ALS. Although ALS results from MN death, there is evidence that dysfunctional glial cells, including oligodendroglia, contribute to neurodegeneration. Here, we used human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) with a R521H or a P525L mutation in FUS and their isogenic controls to generate oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) by inducing SOX10 expression from a TET-On SOX10 cassette. Mutant and control iPSCs differentiated efficiently into OPCs. RNA sequencing identified a myelin sheath-related phenotype in mutant OPCs. Lipidomic studies demonstrated defects in myelin-related lipids, with a reduction of glycerophospholipids in mutant OPCs. Interestingly, FUSR521H OPCs displayed a decrease in the phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine ratio, known to be associated with maintaining membrane integrity. A proximity ligation assay further indicated that mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAM) were diminished in both mutant FUS OPCs. Moreover, both mutant FUS OPCs displayed increased susceptibility to ER stress when exposed to thapsigargin, and exhibited impaired mitochondrial respiration and reduced Ca2+ signaling from ER Ca2+ stores. Taken together, these results demonstrate a pathological role of mutant FUS in OPCs, causing defects in lipid metabolism associated with MAM disruption manifested by impaired mitochondrial metabolism with increased susceptibility to ER stress and with suppressed physiological Ca2+ signaling. As such, further exploration of the role of oligodendrocyte dysfunction in the demise of MNs is crucial and will provide new insights into the complex cellular mechanisms underlying ALS.

Spatially Self-Organized Three-Dimensional Neural Concentroid as a Novel Reductionist Humanized Model to Study Neurovascular Development.

Although human pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived brain organoids have enabled researchers to gain insight into human brain development and disease, these organoids contain solely ectodermal cells and are not vascularized as occurs during brain development. Here it is created less complex and more homogenous large neural constructs starting from PSC-derived neuroprogenitor cells (NPC), by fusing small NPC spheroids into so-called concentroids. Such concentroids consisted of a pro-angiogenic core, containing neuronal and outer radial glia cells, surrounded by an astroglia-dense outer layer. Incorporating PSC-derived endothelial cells (EC) around and/or in the concentroids promoted vascularization, accompanied by differential outgrowth and differentiation of neuronal and astroglia cells, as well as the development of ectodermal-derived pericyte-like mural cells co-localizing with EC networks. Single nucleus transcriptomic analysis revealed an enhanced neural cell subtype maturation and diversity in EC-containing concentroids, which better resemble the fetal human brain compared to classical organoids or NPC-only concentroids. This PSC-derived "vascularized" concentroid brain model will facilitate the study of neurovascular/blood-brain barrier development, neural cell migration, and the development of effective in vitro vascularization strategies of brain mimics.

Rational Design of a Core-Shelled Ti3AlC2@La2Zr2O7 Composite for High-Temperature Broadband Microwave Absorption.

Microwave-absorbing materials adapting to high temperatures and harsh environments are in great demand. Herein, a core-shelled Ti3AlC2@La2Zr2O7 (TAC@LZO) composite was designed and fabricated by encapsulating the La2Zr2O7 (LZO) thermal insulation ceramic on the surface of highly conductive Ti3AlC2 (TAC) via chemical coprecipitation and subsequent heat treatment. The continuous LZO ceramic coating on the surface improved the oxidation resistance of the composite at 600 °C and modulated its dielectric properties. The TAC@LZO composite exhibited an excellent microwave absorption performance within the temperature range of 25-600 °C, minimum reflection loss (RLmin) < -55 dB, and effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, RL < -10 dB) of 4 GHz. This work presents an effective approach for developing stable high-temperature microwave absorbers from thermal insulation ceramics.

Integrative metabolomic and network pharmacological analysis reveals potential mechanisms of Cardamine circaeoides Hook.f. & Thomson in alleviating potassium oxonate-induced asymptomatic hyperuricemia in rats.

Cardamine circaeoides Hook.f. & Thomson (CC), a herb of the genus Cardamine (family Brassicaceae), has a rich historical usage in China for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It is distinguished by its remarkable ability to hyperaccumulate selenium (Se). CC has demonstrated efficacy in the prevention of metabolic disorders. However, investigations into the effects of CC on asymptomatic hyperuricemia remain scarce. The objective of this study is to elucidate the mechanism by which CC aqueous extract (CCE) exerts its anti-hyperuricemic effects on asymptomatic hyperuricemic rats induced by potassium oxonate (PO) by integrating metabolomics and network pharmacological analysis. Asymptomatic hyperuricemia was induced by feeding rats with PO (1000 mg/kg) and CCE (0.75, 1.5, or 3 g/kg) once daily for 30 days. Various parameters, including body weight, uric acid (UA) levels, histopathology of renal tissue, and inflammatory factors (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α) were assessed. Subsequently, metabolomic analysis of kidney tissues was conducted to explore the effects of CCE on renal metabolites and the related pathways. Furthermore, network pharmacology was employed to explicate the mechanism of action of CCE components identified through UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis. Finally, metabolomic and network-pharmacology analyses were performed to predict crucial genes dysregulated in the disease model and rescued by CCE, which were then subjected to verification by RT-qPCR. The findings revealed that CCE significantly inhibited the UA levels from the 21st day to the 30th day. Moreover, CCE exhibited significant inhibition of IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α levels in renal tissues. The dysregulation of 18 metabolites and the tyrosine, pyrimidine, cysteine, methionine, sphingolipid, and histidine metabolism pathways was prevented by CCE treatment. A joint analysis of targets predicted using the network pharmacology approach and the differential metabolites found in metabolics predicted 8 genes as potential targets of CCE, and 3 of them (PNP gene, JUN gene, and ADA gene) were verified at the mRNA level by RT-qPCR. We conclude that CCE has anti-hyperuricemia effects and alleviates renal inflammation in a rat model of hyperuricemia, and these efficacies are associated with the reversal of increased ADA, PNP, and JUN mRNA expression in renal tissues.

[Anti-fatigue effect of Lubian on kidney Yin deficiency and kidney Yang deficiency mice and mechanism based on PI3K-Akt pathway].

This study aimed to investigate the anti-fatigue effect and mechanism of Lubian(Cervi Penis et Testis) on kidney Yin deficiency and kidney Yang deficiency mice. After one week of adaptive feeding, 88 healthy male Kunming mice were randomly divided into a blank group, a kidney Yin deficiency model group, a kidney Yin deficiency-Panacis Quinquefolii Radix(PQR) group, kidney Yin deficiency-Lubian treatment groups, a kidney Yang deficiency model group, a kidney Yang deficiency-Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma(GR) group, and kidney Yang deficiency-Lubian treatment groups, with eight mice in each group. The kidney Yin deficiency model and kidney Yang deficiency model were prepared by daily regular oral administration of dexamethasone acetate and hydrocortisone, respectively, and meanwhile, corresponding drugs were provided. The mice in the blank group received blank reagent. The treatment lasted 14 days. The exhaustive swimming time was measured 30 min after drug administration on the 14th day. On the 15th day, blood was collected from eyeballs and the serum was separated to determine the content of lactic acid(LD), blood urea nitrogen(BUN), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP), and cyclic guanosine monophosphate(cGMP). The liver was dissected to determine the content of liver glycogen and the protein expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K) and protein kinase B(Akt). Compared with the kidney Yang deficiency model group, the kidney Yang deficiency-Lubian treatment groups showed increased body weight(P<0.05), relieved symptoms of Yang deficiency, decreased cGMP content(P<0.01), increased cAMP/cGMP(P<0.01), prolonged exhausted swimming time(P<0.01), reduced LD(P<0.01), elevated BUN content(P<0.01), increased liver glycogen content(P<0.01), and increased protein expression of PI3K and Akt in the liver(P<0.05). Compared with the kidney Yin deficiency model group, the kidney Yin deficiency-Lubian treatment groups showed increased body weight(P<0.01), relieved symptoms of Yin deficiency, increased content of cGMP(P<0.01), decreased cAMP/cGMP(P<0.01), prolonged exhausted swimming time(P<0.01), decreased LD(P<0.01), decreased BUN content(P<0.01), increased liver glycogen content(P<0.01), and increased protein expression of PI3K(P<0.05) and Akt in the liver(P<0.05). To sum up, Lubian can regulate Yin deficiency and Yang deficiency and increase glycogen synthesis by affecting the PI3K-Akt pathway, thereby exerting an anti-fatigue role.

An ESIPT-based AIE fluorescent probe to visualize mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide and its application in living cells and rheumatoid arthritis.

As a chronic inflammatory disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can cause progressive damage to joints and various organs. Hydrogen peroxide plays a significant role in the pathogenesis and progression of RA and thus serves as a biomarker for diagnosing this disease. Although fluorescent probes have emerged as promising tools for detecting H2O2, most available ones suffer from the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect, short-wavelength emission, low sensitivity, and poor water solubility. Herein, a new type of "turn-on" AIE probe based on excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) was developed, with phenylboronic acid pinacol ester-appended quinolinium as the H2O2 recognition site, which is in the quenched state due to the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) effect. The probe HTQ-R exhibits good water solubility, high sensitivity, a low detection limit (210 nM), rapid response ability, and good biocompatibility towards hydrogen peroxide, and has shown the ability to accurately target mitochondria. Furthermore, HTQ-R was successfully used to detect exogenous and endogenous hydrogen peroxide in living cells, which enabled real-time monitoring of H2O2 in RA mice, demonstrating its potential significance in the diagnosis and treatment of RA.

Bidirectional and persistent immunomodulation of Astragalus polysaccharide as an adjuvant of influenza and recombinant SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Respiratory viral infections, such as coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and influenza, cause significant morbidity and mortality and have become a worldwide public health concern with tremendous economic and societal burdens. Vaccination is a major strategy for preventing infections. However, some new vaccines have an unmet need for impairing responses in certain individuals, especially COVID-19 vaccines, despite ongoing vaccine and adjuvant research. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), a bioactive polysaccharide extracted from the traditional Chinese herb Astragalus membranaceus as an immune adjuvant to regulate the efficacy of influenza split vaccine (ISV) and recombinant severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-Cov-2 vaccine in mice. Our data indicated that APS as an adjuvant can facilitate the induction of high levels of hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titer and specific antibody immunoglobulin G (IgG) and confer protection against the lethal challenge of influenza A viruses, including increased survival and amelioration of weight loss in mice immunized with the ISV. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis revealed that the NF-κB and Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis signaling pathways are essential for the immune response of mice immunized with the recombinant SARS-Cov-2 vaccine (RSV). Another important finding was that bidirectional immunomodulation of APS on cellular and humoral immunity was observed, and APS-adjuvant-induced antibodies persisted at a high level for at least 20 weeks. These findings suggest that APS is a potent adjuvant for influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, and has the advantages of bidirectional immunoregulation and persistent immunity.

In silico prediction and biological assessment of novel angiogenesis modulators from traditional Chinese medicine.

Uncontrolled angiogenesis is a common denominator underlying many deadly and debilitating diseases such as myocardial infarction, chronic wounds, cancer, and age-related macular degeneration. As the current range of FDA-approved angiogenesis-based medicines are far from meeting clinical demands, the vast reserve of natural products from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers an alternative source for developing pro-angiogenic or anti-angiogenic modulators. Here, we investigated 100 traditional Chinese medicine-derived individual metabolites which had reported gene expression in MCF7 cell lines in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE85871). We extracted literature angiogenic activities for 51 individual metabolites, and subsequently analysed their predicted targets and differentially expressed genes to understand their mechanisms of action. The angiogenesis phenotype was used to generate decision trees for rationalising the poly-pharmacology of known angiogenesis modulators such as ferulic acid and curculigoside and validated by an in vitro endothelial tube formation assay and a zebrafish model of angiogenesis. Moreover, using an in silico model we prospectively examined the angiogenesis-modulating activities of the remaining 49 individual metabolites. In vitro, tetrahydropalmatine and 1 beta-hydroxyalantolactone stimulated, while cinobufotalin and isoalantolactone inhibited endothelial tube formation. In vivo, ginsenosides Rb3 and Rc, 1 beta-hydroxyalantolactone and surprisingly cinobufotalin, restored angiogenesis against PTK787-induced impairment in zebrafish. In the absence of PTK787, deoxycholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid did not affect angiogenesis. Despite some limitations, these results suggest further refinements of in silico prediction combined with biological assessment will be a valuable platform for accelerating the research and development of natural products from traditional Chinese medicine and understanding their mechanisms of action, and also for other traditional medicines for the prevention and treatment of angiogenic diseases.

Identification of key pharmacological components and targets for Aidi injection in the treatment of pancreatic cancer by UPLC-MS, network pharmacology, and in vivo experiments.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. Aidi injection (ADI) is a representative antitumor medication based on Chinese herbal injection, but its antitumor mechanisms are still poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this work, the subcutaneous xenograft model of human pancreatic cancer cell line Panc-1 was established in nude mice to investigate the anticancer effect of ADI in vivo. We then determined the components of ADI using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) and explored the possible molecular mechanisms against pancreatic cancer using network pharmacology. RESULTS: In vivo experiments, the volume, weight, and degree of histological abnormalities of implanted tumors were significantly lower in the medium and high concentration ADI injection groups than in the control group. Network pharmacology analysis identified four active components of ADI and seven key targets, TNF, VEGFA, HSP90AA1, MAPK14, CASP3, P53 and JUN. Molecular docking also revealed high affinity between the active components and the target proteins, including Astragaloside IV to P53 and VEGFA, Ginsenoside Rb1 to CASP3 and Formononetin to JUN. CONCLUSION: ADI could reduce the growth rate of tumor tissue and alleviate the structural abnormalities in tumor tissue. ADI is predicted to act on VEGFA, P53, CASP3, and JUN in ADI-mediated treatment of pancreatic cancer.

In Situ ZrB2 Formation in B4C Ceramics and Its Strengthening Mechanism on Mechanical Properties.

In order to reduce the sintering temperature and improve the mechanical properties of B4C ceramics, ZrB2 was formed in situ using the SPS sintering method with ZrO2 and B4C as raw materials. Thermodynamic calculations revealed that CO pressure affected the formation of ZrB2 at temperatures from 814 °C to 1100 °C. The experimental results showed that the ZrB2 grain size was <5 µm and that the grains were uniformly distributed within the B4C ceramics. With an increase in ZrO2 content, the Vickers hardness and flexural strength of the B4C ceramics first increased and then decreased, while the fracture toughness continuously increased. When the content of ZrO2 was 15 wt%, the Vickers hardness, fracture toughness and flexural strength of B4C ceramics were 35.5 ± 0.63 GPa, 3.6 ± 0.24 MPa·m1/2 and 403 ± 10 MPa, respectively. These results suggest that ZrB2 inhibits B4C grain growth, eliminates crack tip stress, and provides fine grain to strengthen and toughen B4C ceramics.

A clinical study to observe the efficacy and safety of Besunyen Detox Tea for constipation.

INTRODUCTION: Functional constipation (FC) is a common functional gastrointestinal disease and is one of the most common outpatient diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of the traditional Chinese medicine Besunyen Detox Tea (BDT) for FC and to compare the effect of BDT between constipation patients with and non-dryness-heat syndrome. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This multicenter, prospective, observational registry study included 1000 participants diagnosed with FC. This study will collaborate with 3 comprehensive hospitals and 15 community hospitals and recruit patients into the registry between July 2022 and July 2023. After enrollment, we will collect the individual characteristics of each patient, anthropometric data and general condition, bowel movement, patient assessment of constipation symptoms, patient assessment of constipation quality of life, TCM syndrome scale, and time to take the laxative product again after treatment. We will also record adverse events and economic indicators at each visit. DISCUSSION: This is the first registry-based study to collect real-world data of participants diagnosed with FC receiving BDT treatment. The results of this registry may also reflect these characteristics and provide direct clinical evidence to verify the importance of syndrome differentiation and treatment for the use of TCM health care products.

Antioxidative and Energy Metabolism-Improving Effects of Maca Polysaccharide on Cyclophosphamide-Induced Hepatotoxicity Mice via Metabolomic Analysis and Keap1-Nrf2 Pathway.

Lepidium meyenii Walp. (Maca), as a natural food supplement, has strong antioxidant and energy metabolism-improving characteristics, and Maca polysaccharide (MP) is its effective component. MP has been shown to mitigate liver damage in previous research, and Cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced hepatotoxicity is also a major concern in clinical practice. We investigated the possible cytoprotective effect of MP on CYP-induced liver injury, and explored its underlying mechanism by analyzing the resulting liver metabolic profiles. MP significantly inhibited increases in serum transaminase, improved pathological changes, reduced oxidative stress, and increased the levels of energy metabolism-related enzymes. Metabolomic analysis showed that MP corrected lipid metabolic problems and regulated the pentose phosphate pathway and acid metabolism, thereby protecting against apoptosis of hepatocytes. The Pearson correlation analysis indicated that antioxidant enzymes and energy metabolism-related enzymes are closely correlated with these differential metabolites. In addition, the upstream Keap1-Nrf2 antioxidant signal transduction pathway was explored to validate the possible mechanism of the cytoprotective effect of MP. In conclusion, MP plays a protective role in CYP-induced hepatotoxicity through these potential metabolic means, where it ameliorates oxidative stress, improves energy metabolism, and restores mitochondrial respiration by regulating the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway, thereby preventing liver damage.