ObjectiveBased on ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbital trap high-resolution mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS）， to identify the in vivo and in vitro chemical components of total phenolic acids in Gei Herba（TPAGH）， and to clarify the pharmacological effects and potential mechanisms of the effective part in promoting acute wound healing and inhibiting scar formation. MethodsUPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS was used to identify the chemical components of TPAGH and ingredients absorbed in vivo after topical administration. A total of 120 ICR mice were randomly divided into the model group， recombinant human epidermal growth factor（rhEGF） group（4 mg·kg^-1）， and low， medium， and high dose groups of TPAGH（3.5， 7， 14 mg·kg^-1）， with 24 mice in each group. A full-thickness skin excision model was constructed， and each administration group was coated with the drug at the wound site， and the model group was treated with an equal volume of normal saline， the treatment was continued for 30 days， during which 8 mice from each group were sacrificed on days 6， 12， and 30. The healing of the wounds in the mice was observed， and histopathological changes in the skin tissues were dynamically observed by hematoxylin-eosin（HE）， Masson， and Sirius red staining， and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to dynamically measure the contents of interleukin-6（IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）， vascular endothelial growth factor A（VEGFA）， matrix metalloproteinase（MMP）-3 and MMP-9 in skin tissues. Network pharmacology was used to predict the targets related to the promotion of acute wound healing and the inhibition of scar formation by TPAGH， and molecular docking of key components and targets was performed. Gene Ontology（GO） biological process analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） pathway enrichment analysis were carried out for the related targets， so as to construct a network diagram of herbal material-compound-target-pathway-pharmacological effect-disease for further exploring its potential mechanisms. ResultsA total of 146 compounds were identified in TPAGH， including 28 phenylpropanoids， 31 tannins， 23 triterpenes， 49 flavonoids， and 15 others， and 16 prototype components were found in the serum of mice. Pharmacodynamic results showed that， compared with the model group， the TPAGH groups showed a significant increase in relative wound healing rate and relative scar inhibition rate（P<0.05）， and the number of new capillaries， number of fibroblasts， number of new skin appendages， epidermal regeneration rate， collagen deposition ratio， and Ⅲ/Ⅰ collagen ratio in the tissue were significantly improved（P<0.05， 0.01）， the levels of IL-6， TNF-α， MMP-3 and MMP-9 in the skin tissues were reduced to different degrees， while the level of VEGFA was increased. Network pharmacology analysis screened 10 core targets， including tumor protein 53（TP53）， sarcoma receptor coactivator（SRC）， protein kinase B（Akt）1， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3（STAT3）， epidermal growth factor receptor（EGFR） and so on， participating in 75 signaling pathways such as advanced glycation end-products（AGE）-receptor for AGE（AGE/RAGE） signaling pathway， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase（PI3K）/Akt signaling pathway， mitogen-activated protein kinase（MAPK） signaling pathway. Molecular docking confirmed that the key components genistein， geraniin， and casuariin had good binding ability to TP53， SRC， Akt1， STAT3 and EGFR. ConclusionThis study comprehensively reflects the chemical composition of TPAGH and the absorbed components after topical administration through UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS. TPAGH significantly regulates key indicators of skin healing and tissue reconstruction， thereby clarifying its role in promoting acute wound healing and inhibiting scar formation. By combining in vitro and in vivo component identification with network pharmacology， the study explores how key components may bind to targets such as TP53， Akt1 and EGFR， exerting therapeutic effects through related pathways such as immune inflammation and vascular regeneration.

Ferroptosis of chondrocytes is a significant contributor to osteoarthritis (OA), for which there is still a lack of safe and effective therapeutic drugs targeting ferroptosis. Here, we screen for anti-ferroptotic drugs in Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug library via a high-throughput manner in chondrocytes. We identified a group of FDA-approved anti-ferroptotic drugs, among which vitamin K showed the most powerful protective effect. Further study demonstrated that vitamin K effectively inhibited ferroptosis and alleviated the extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation in chondrocytes. Intra-articular injection of vitamin K inhibited ferroptosis and alleviated OA phenotype in destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) mouse model. Mechanistically, transcriptome sequencing and knockdown experiments revealed that the anti-ferroptotic effects of vitamin K depended on growth arrest-specific 6 (Gas6). Furthermore, exogenous expression of Gas6 was found to inhibit ferroptosis through the AXL receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT serine/threonine kinase (AKT) axis. Together, we demonstrate that vitamin K inhibits ferroptosis and alleviates OA progression via enhancing Gas6 expression and its downstream pathway of AXL/PI3K/AKT axis, indicating vitamin K as well as Gas6 to serve as a potential therapeutic target for OA and other ferroptosis-related diseases.

Objective:To further improve the understanding of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), we retrospectively analyzed and summarized the clinical characteristics, treatment status, and survival status of patients with PNH in Zhejiang Province.Methods:This study included 289 patients with PNH who visited 20 hospitals in Zhejiang Province. Their clinical characteristics, comorbidity, laboratory test results, and medications were analyzed and summarized.Results:Among the 289 patients with PNH, 148 males and 141 females, with a median onset age of 45 (16-87) years and a peak onset age of 20-49 years (57.8% ). The median lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) level was 1 142 (604-1 925) U/L. Classified by type, 70.9% (166/234) were classical, 24.4% (57/234) were PNH/bone marrow failure (BMF), and 4.7% (11/234) were subclinical. The main clinical manifestations included fatigue or weakness (80.8%, 235/289), dizziness (73.4%, 212/289), darkened urine color (66.2%, 179/272), and jaundice (46.2%, 126/270). Common comorbidities were hemoglobinuria (58.7% ), renal dysfunction (17.6% ), and thrombosis (15.0% ). Moreover, 82.3% of the patients received glucocorticoid therapy, 70.9% required blood transfusion, 30.7% used immunosuppressive agents, 13.8% received anticoagulant therapy, and 6.3% received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The 10-year overall survival (OS) rate was 84.4% (95% CI 78.0% -91.3% ) . Conclusion:Patients with PNH are more common in young and middle-aged people, with a similar incidence rate between men and women. Common clinical manifestations include fatigue, hemoglobinuria, jaundice, renal dysfunction, and recurrent thrombosis. The 10-year OS of this group is similar to reports from other centers in China.

Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative cartilage disease. A large number of studies have shown the close association between epigenetics and osteoarthritis. Histone methylation is a type of epigenetic modification, and the link between histone methylation and osteoarthritis has also been revealed. In this article, we summarize the correlation between methylation levels of different histones and osteoarthritis in an attempt to explore the changes and regulation mechanisms of histone methylation in osteoarthritis. It has been shown that there are possible relations between the methylation levels of different amino acids on histone H3 and the pathological development of osteoarthritis; specifically, the rise of methylation level at the lysine 4 would aggravate the pathological development of osteoarthritis, while the the pattern of lysine 9 and 27 would be the opposite. These results indicate the possible existence of a complex network of histone methylation modifications. And the specific regulation of histone methylation levels in different positions may delay or prevent the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis.

Objective To explore the expression changes and possible molecular mechanisms of Neuritin and HSP60 during the repair of liver injury,and to provide an experimental basis for the study of the repair of liver injury. Methods Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into control group without any treatment(n=6)and experimental group(n=42)underwent 70% hepatectomy to induce acute liver injury,and 6 h,12 h,24 h,48 h,3 d,7 d and 14 d after the operation,the left lobe resection of the residual liver was per-formed. Immunoblotting technique (Western blot) was used to detect the expression difference of Neuritin and HSP60 in liver tissue of the corresponding time points. Hematoxylin eosin staining(hematoxylin-eosin staining, HE)was used to observe the expression changes at each time point in liver pathology,and tail vein blood to detect ATL and AST changes. Results (1)Compared with those in the control group,the serum ALT and AST levels in the experimental group were increased at 6 h,12 h,24 h and 48 h after the operation,and reached the peak at 48 h postoperatively but those began to decrease 3 d postoperatively and was almost normal 7 d postoperatively. The difference was statistically significant(P < 0.05). Pathological findings:compared with that in the control group, the hepatic lobule structure in the experimental group was disorderly. The obvious balloon like change reached the peak 48 h postoperatively.(2)In the whole process of repair of liver injury,the expression of Neuritin and HSP60 showed differences in the opposite. There was a significantly negative correlation between Neuritin expression and the repair or the aggravation of the injury(P<0.001)and the lowest expression was observed 48 h postoperatively. There was a significantly positive correlation between HSP60 expression and the repair or the aggravation of the injury(P < 0.001)and the highest expression was observed 48 h postoperatively. Conclusions (1)With simple 70% left hepatic lobectomy,the repair of liver injury model of SD rats is successfully established and the heaviest injury is observed 48h postoperatively. With a high success rate(100%,42/42),simple and practical,the method provides a reliable and convenient animal model for the study of liver regeneration,liver injury and liver transplan-tation.(2)The expression of Neuritin decreases gradually after liver injury and reaches the lowest 48 h postopera-tively,while the expression of HSP60 increases gradually and reaches the highest 48 h postoperatively.(3)The change of expression of Neuritin and HSP60 is closely related to the process of liver injury repair(P < 0.001), showing a certain change rule. They may have some biological effects through interactions,and participate in and promote the regeneration and repair of liver injury.

Adenine ; Animals ; Gene Editing ; Mice ; Zygote ; metabolism

Platelet-enriched plasma (PRP) contains high concentration of platelets and abundant growth factors, which is made by centrifuging of blood and separating of blood elements. PRP promotes tendon repair by releasing various cytokines to enhance cell proliferation, tenogenic differentiation, formation and secretion of matrix; meantime, it can reduce pain by inhibiting the expression of pain-associated molecules. A number of clinical studies demonstrated that PRP was effective in treatment of tendinopathy, including patellar tendinopathy, lateral epicondylitis and plantar fasciopathy. However, some studies did not support this conclusion, because of disparity of PRP types, therapeutic courses and injections protocols in clinical application. Based on its safety, PRP can be a choice of treatment for tendinopathy, in case other non-surgical therapies are of no effect.
Blood Platelets ; cytology ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; metabolism ; Platelet-Rich Plasma ; Tendinopathy ; therapy

Tendon/ligament injury is one of the most common impairments in sports medicine. The traditional treatments of damaged tissue repair are unsatisfactory, especially for athletes, due to lack of donor and immune rejection. The strategy of tissue engineering may break through these limitations, and bring new hopes to tendon/ligament repair, even regeneration. Silk is a kind of natural biomaterials, which has good biocompatibility, wide range of mechanical properties and tunable physical structures; so it could be applied as tendon/ligament tissue engineering scaffolds. The silk-based scaffold has robust mechanical properties; combined with other biological ingredients, it could increase the surface area, promote more cell adhesion and improve the biocompatibility. The potential clinical application of silk-based scaffold has been confirmed by in vivo studies on tendon/ligament repairing, such as anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, achilles tendon and rotator cuff. To develop novel biomechanically stable and host integrated tissue engineered tendon/ligament needs more further micro and macro studies, combined with product development and clinical application, which will give new hope to patients with tendon/ligament injury.
Biocompatible Materials ; Humans ; Ligaments ; growth & development ; Regeneration ; Silk ; chemistry ; Tendons ; growth & development ; Tissue Engineering ; Tissue Scaffolds ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of three-dimensional parallel collagen scaffold on the cell shape, arrangement and extracellular matrix formation of tendon stem cells.

METHODSParallel collagen scaffold was fabricated by unidirectional freezing technique, while random collagen scaffold was fabricated by freeze-drying technique. The effects of two scaffolds on cell shape and extracellular matrix formation were investigated in vitro by seeding tendon stem/progenitor cells and in vivo by ectopic implantation.

RESULTSParallel and random collagen scaffolds were produced successfully. Parallel collagen scaffold was more akin to tendon than random collagen scaffold. Tendon stem/progenitor cells were spindle-shaped and unified orientated in parallel collagen scaffold, while cells on random collagen scaffold had disorder orientation. Two weeks after ectopic implantation, cells had nearly the same orientation with the collagen substance. In parallel collagen scaffold, cells had parallel arrangement, and more spindly cells were observed. By contrast, cells in random collagen scaffold were disorder.

CONCLUSIONParallel collagen scaffold can induce cells to be in spindly and parallel arrangement, and promote parallel extracellular matrix formation; while random collagen scaffold can induce cells in random arrangement. The results indicate that parallel collagen scaffold is an ideal structure to promote tendon repairing.

Collagen ; chemistry ; Extracellular Matrix ; physiology ; Freeze Drying ; Freezing ; Humans ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; Tendons ; cytology ; growth & development ; Tissue Engineering ; Tissue Scaffolds ; chemistry

Embryonic stem cells have unlimited proliferative capacity, which may provide a source of tendon stem/progenitor cells for tissue engineering. Experts of International Science and Technology Collaborative Program of Ministry of Science and Technology have developed a protocol consensus on differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into the tendon cells. The consensus recommends a protocol of two-step generation of human embryonic stem cells into tendon cells: the human embryonic stem cells are first differentiated into mesenchymal stem cells on different material surfaces; then with the scaffold-free tissue engineering tendon formed by high-density planting, the mesenchymal stem cells are induced into tendon cells under static or dynamic mechanical stimulation in vivo and in vitro. Tissue engineering tendon established in vitro by the protocol can be used as a model in toxicological analysis and safety evaluation of tendon-relevant small molecule compounds, medical materials and drugs.
Cell Differentiation ; Consensus ; Human Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Tendons ; cytology ; Tissue Engineering