Objective To study the effects of medicated serum with total saponins from Rhizoma Dioscreae Nipponicae (RDN) on VEGF mRNA expression and AP-1 activity in rat synovial cell strain RSC-364 induced by IL-17 and TNF-α. To investigate the mechanism about total saponin from RDN inhibition of angiogenesis. Methods Medicated serum of total saponins from RDN and tripterygium (positive control) were prepared. Rat synovial cells RSC-364 were divided into four groups: the blank control,IL-17+TNF-α model,tripterygium medicated serum,and total saponins medicated serum groups. After one hour of incubation,all groups except for the blank control were incubated with both IL-17(10 μg·L-1 ) and TNF-α(10 μg·L-1 ) for 24 hours. VEGF mRNA expression in RSC-364 was detected by PrimeScriptTM real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) detection kit,and the AP-1 DNA-binding activity was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Results Compared with the control blank group,both of the VEGF mRNA expression and AP-1 activity in rat synovial cell strain RSC-364 induced by IL-17 and TNF-α increased remarkably (P<0. 05,P<0.01). The VEGF mRNA expression and AP-1 activity in tripterygium medicated serum group and total saponins medicated serum group were remarkably lower than those of the model control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two medicated serum groups. Conclusion Serum medicated with total saponins from RDN can remarkably decrease VEGF mRNA expression and AP-1 activity,indicating that the total saponins from RDN could influence VEGF secretion by inhibiting the AP-1 signal transduction pathway,VEGF is the key factor of angiogenesis,thereby to restrain angiogenesis.

Objective:To explore the clinical phenotypes, pregnancy outcomes, and follow-up of fetuses with 1q21.1 distal microdeletion/microduplication, and to provide a basis for prenatal and genetic counseling.Methods:This was a retrospective study involving 14 singleton fetuses with 1q21.1 distal microdeletion/microduplication that were prenatally diagnosed by karyotype analysis and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) at Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital from January 2017 to June 2022. The results of ultrasound and genetic analysis, pregnancy outcome after genetic counseling, and postnatal follow-up were summarized using descriptive statistical methods.Results:All 14 fetuses had normal karyotypes. Out of the 14 cases, CMA indicated 1q21.1 distal microdeletion in eight cases and 1q21.1 distal microduplication in six cases. The fragments ranged from 813 kb to 4.48 Mb, all of which contained the key region of 1q21.1 microdeletion/microduplication syndrome and were pathogenic copy number variations (CNV). Among eight fetuses with distal 1q21.1 microdeletion, four cases had abnormal prenatal ultrasound findings, including one case with overlapping fingers of left hand and polyhydramnios, two were small for gestational age, and one with small head circumference. Among the six cases who underwent parental origin detection, the microdeletions were de novo in four fetuses and two fetuses were inherited from the parent with normal phenotype. As for six fetuses with distal 1q21.1 microduplication, nasal bone absence or hypoplasia was shown by ultrasound in four cases and no obvious abnormality was found in the other two cases. Parental origin detection was performed in four cases, which found that one case was de novo and the other three cases were inherited from their phenotypically normal parents. After genetic counseling, five families chose to terminate the pregnancies and the remaining nine cases continued the pregnancies to delivery. The last follow-up showed that all of the nine live births grew well, whose ages ranged from seven months to half past five years old. Conclusions:CMA is of great value in prenatal diagnosis of 1q21.1 distal microdeletion/ microduplication. Ones carrying pathogenic CNV may not develop the disease. Combined with ultrasound findings and parental genetic tracing results, individualized genetic counseling and long-term follow-up are of great importance for reasonable guidance in pregnancy outcome and reproduction.

To prepare a nano-carrier based on combining bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMV) with three block polymer pluronic F127 (PEO-PPO-PEO) (OMV-F127) and to investigate its immunological activity.Attenuated salmonella (sal) was cultivated. OMV were separated by centrifugal ultrafiltration or ultrasonication, and OMV-F127 was prepared by mechanical extrudation method. The protein contents and compositions were tested with BCA and SDS-PAGE; the morphology of OMV, F127 and OMV-F127 were observed with FM and TEM; the particle sizes and their zeta potential were determined with DLS. Mouse macrophage RAW246.7 cells were treated with OMV-F127 (50 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL) in vitro, and the concentrations of IL-12, TNF-α and IFN-γ in culture supernatant were measured with ELISA kits.The contents of protein in separated OMV by centrifugal ultrafiltration and ultrasonication were 2.8 mg/mL and 2.7 mg/mL, respectively. SDS-PAGE showed the marker protein OmpF/C in OMV. Under the FM and TEM, ball-like structure of F127 and OMV-F127 was observed. Size analysis revealed that the diameters of OMV, F127 and OMV-F127 were 72±2 nm, 90±3 nm and 92±2 nm, respectively. ELISA tests revealed that OMV-F127 significantly stimulated the secretion of IL-12, TNF-α and IFN-γ in RAW246.7 cells.A nano-carrier based on bacterial outer membrane vesicles has been prepared, which can stimulate the secretion of cytokines and may have immunomodulatory effects.