1.Preliminary study on velocity vector imaging detection rabbit abdominal aortic atherosclerotic vulnerability plaques
Meirong LIU ; Pintong HUANG ; Qingsheng CHI ; Fanlei KONG ; Yi ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography 2011;20(6):528-532
Objective To explore the value of biomechanics parameter of rabbit abdominal aortic atheroma using velocity vector imaging(VVI).Methods Ten of 45 male New Zealand rabbits were chosen as normal control group randomly,the rest experimental rabbits were made atheromatous plaque model.The rabbits were examined by two-dimensional ultrasound and VVI respectively.The intima-media thickness(IMT) or thickness of plaques of abdominal aorta 1 cm from right renal artery branch were recorded.Maximum tangential velocity,strain and strain rate of IMT or plaques were measured using VVI.Then the rabbits were killed for pathological and immuno-histochemical examination.Results Based on pathology,the rabbites were divided into 4 groups:control group(group A,n=10),group of pathological endometrial thickening(group B,n=9),group of thick fibrous cap atheromatous plaques (group C,n=15) and group of thin fibrous cap atheromatous plaques (group D,n=11).The difference of plaques thickness and biochemical indicators had no statistically significant between group B and C(P>0.05),both bigger than group A and B (P<0.05).The difference of Vmax,Smax and SRmax had statistically significant each group(P<0.05).With Vmax>0.46×10-2 cm/s,Smax>0.37%,SRmax>1.415×10-2 s-1 to find the vulnerable plaques,the sensitivity were 75.0%,84.4%,84.4% respectively,specificity were 70.8%,91.7%,83.3% respectively.Conclusions VVI can identify plaque biomechanics parameter of different progression periods,which is expected to be a reliable method to find vulnerable plaques earlier in clinic.
2.Verification of Yunshi Ganmao Heji efficacy against respiratory syncytial virus based on network pharmacology and animal experiments
Qingsheng XU ; Yuqian LI ; Lina JIANG ; Hong WEI ; Qianwen CHI ; Sirui LIAO ; Weijiao CHEN
Chinese Journal of Microbiology and Immunology 2024;44(2):170-182
Objective:To investigate the mechanism of Yunshi Ganmao Heji against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection based on network pharmacology and in vivo experiments. Methods:Network pharmacological prediction: Several databases including TCMSP and GeneCards were used to predict the active ingredients and targets of Yunshi Ganmao Heji in the intervention of RSV infection. Cytoscape 3.2.1 software was used to construct the traditional Chinese medicine component-disease target network diagram. The interactions between proteins were analyzed by STRING database. GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed using Metascape database. Molecular docking technology was used to verify the results of network pharmacology. Experimental verification of Yunshi Ganmao Heji for the intervention of RSV infection: A mouse model of RSV infection was established through intranasal infection. After the administration of Yunshi Ganmao Heji, blood routine test results, lung indexes and pathological changes in lung tissue were analyzed. Peripheral blood T cell subsets were detected by flow cytometry. The levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in serum were detected by ELISA. RT-PCR was used to detect the relative expression of TLR4, NF-κB and RSV-N gene at mRNA level in lung tissues.Results:A total of 41 active ingredients of Yunshi Ganmao Heji and 111 drug targets for RSV infection were obtained. Besides, 167 signaling pathways mainly including PI3K/AKT, MAPK and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways were obtained. Molecular docking results showed that the binding energies of luteotin, kaempferol and quercetin, three active ingredients of Yunshi Ganmao Heji, with RSV-G, RSV-F, PI3K, AKT1 and Bcl-2 were less than 0 kcal/mol. In vivo experiment results showed that compared with RSV group, the counts of white blood cells and lymphocytes increased and the lung index decreased in high-dose Yunshi Ganmao Heji group, with statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). HE staining showed pulmonary hyperplasia, thickened alveolar wall and inflammatory cell infiltration in interstitium in RSV group. Alveoli in ribavirin group as well as low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose Yunshi Ganmao Heji groups tended to be of uniform size, and the alveolar walls was roughly uniform in thickness. Compared with RSV group, the low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose Yunshi Ganmao Heji groups showed significantly increased numbers of CD3 +, CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes, decreased CD4 + /CD8 + T cell ratio, lower levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β in serum, and reduced viral load and inhibited expression of TLR4 and NF-κB at mRNA level in lung tissues ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Yunshi Ganmao Heji can regulate RSV infection by targeting multiple targets and pathways with several active ingredients. Its main functions are to alleviate pathological injury in lung tissues and reduce inflammatory response, and the possible mechanism underlying the antiviral functions may be related to its inhibitory effect on the activation of TLR4/NF-κB pathway.