Objective To investigate the effect of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu Formula(左归降糖解郁方,ZJJF)on hippocampal neuron apoptosis in diabetic rats with depression and to ascertain whether its mechanism involves the regulation of JNK signaling pathway. Methods(i)A total of 72 specific pathogen-free(SPF)grade male Sprague Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into six groups,with 12 rats in each group:control,model,metformin(Met,0.18 g/kg)+fluoxetine(Flu,1.8 mg/kg),and the high-,medium-,and low-ZJJF dosages(ZJJF-H,20.52 g/kg;ZJJF-M,10.26 g/kg;ZJJF-L,5.13 g/kg)groups.All groups except control group were injected once via the tail vein with streptozotocin(STZ,38 mg/kg)combined with 28 d of chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)to establish diabetic rat models with de-pression.During the CUMS modeling period,treatments were administered via gavage,with control and model groups receiving an equivalent volume of distilled water for 28 d.The effi-cacy of ZJJF in reducing blood sugar and alleviating depression was evaluated by measuring fasting blood glucose,insulin,and glycated hemoglobin levels,along with behavioral assess-ments,including the open field test(OFT),forced swim test(FST),and sucrose preference test(SPT).Hippocampal tissue damage and neuronal apoptosis were evaluated using hema-toxylin-eosin(HE)staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling(TUNEL)staining.Apoptosis-related proteins Bax,Bcl-2,caspase-3,and the ex-pression levels of JNK/Elk-1/c-fos signaling pathway were detected using Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR).(ii)To further elucidate the role of JNK signaling pathway in hippocampal neuronal apoptosis and the pharmacological ef-fects of ZJJF,an additional 50 SPF grade male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups,with 10 rats in each group:control,model,SP600125(SP6,a JNK antagonist,10 mg/kg),ZJJF(20.52 g/kg),and ZJJF(20.52 g/kg)+Anisomycin(Aniso,a JNK agonist,15 mg/kg)groups.Ex-cept for control group,all groups were established as diabetic rat models with depression,and treatments were administered via gavage for ZJJF and intraperitoneal injection for SP6 and Aniso for 28 d during the CUMS modeling period.Behavioral changes in rats were evaluated through the OFT,FST,and SPT,and hippocampal neuron damage and apoptosis were ob-served using HE staining,Nissl staining,TUNEL staining,and transmission electron mi-croscopy(TEM).Changes in apoptosis-related proteins and JNK signaling pathway in the hippocampal tissues of rats were also analyzed. Results(i)ZJJF significantly reduced the high blood glucose,insulin,and glycated he-moglobin levels in model rats(P<0.01).It increased autonomous activity and decreased de-spair-like behaviors(P<0.01),improved the pathological damage of hippocampal neurons,increased the number of neuronal nuclei(P<0.01),and reduced the number of mechanocytes,vacuolar cells,and apoptotic neurons(P<0.05,P<0.01,and P<0.01,respec-tively).ZJJF down-regulated the expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3(P<0.01),up-regulated the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2(P<0.01),and significantly inhibit-ed the overexpression of phosphorylated JNK(p-JNK),Elk-1,and c-fos(P<0.01).(ii)SP6 in-creased autonomous activity and reduced despair time in model rats(P<0.05),although it had no significant effects on sucrose preference(P>0.05).It increased the number of Nissl bodies in hippocampal neurons(P<0.01),reduced the protein expression levels of Bax(P<0.01)and caspase-3(P<0.05),and decreased the number of apoptotic neurons(P<0.05).SP6 also increased the expression level of Bcl-2(P<0.01),and inhibited the high expression levels of p-JNK,Elk-1,and c-fos(P<0.01,P<0.01,and P<0.05,respectively),suggesting that hip-pocampal neuronal apoptosis in diabetic rats with depression is associated with abnormal ac-tivation of JNK signaling pathway.Compared with ZJJF group,ZJJF+Aniso group showed a decrease in sucrose preference(P<0.05)and an increase in despair time(P<0.01)with more notable hippocampal neuronal damage.This group also exhibited a decrease in expression level(P<0.01)Bcl-2 and an increase in expression levels of Bax,caspase-3,p-JNK,Elk-1,and c-fos(P<0.01,P<0.05,P<0.05,P<0.01,and P<0.05,respectively),indicating that the antidepressant effects of ZJJF,its improvement of neuronal apoptosis,and regulation of JNK signaling molecules could all be reversed by a specific JNK agonist. Conclusion ZJJF exerts a significant hypoglycemic effect and ameliorates the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons by inhibiting the activation of JNK signaling pathway,which is a promising formula for the treatment of diabetic depression in clinical settings.

Objective:To investigate the pathological characteristics and the clinical significance of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)-infected pneumonia (termed by WHO as coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19).Methods:Minimally invasive autopsies from lung, heart, kidney, spleen, bone marrow, liver, pancreas, stomach, intestine, thyroid and skin were performed on three patients died of novel coronavirus pneumonia in Chongqing, China. Hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE), transmission electron microcopy, and histochemical staining were performed to investigate the pathological changes of indicated organs or tissues. Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells as well as the expression of 2019-nCoV proteins. Real time PCR was carried out to detect the RNA of 2019-nCoV.Results:Various damages were observed in the alveolar structure, with minor serous exudation and fibrin exudation. Hyaline membrane formation was observed in some alveoli. The infiltrated immune cells in alveoli were majorly macrophages and monocytes. Moderate multinucleated giant cells, minimal lymphocytes, eosinophils and neutrophils were also observed. Most of infiltrated lymphocytes were CD4-positive T cells. Significant proliferation of type Ⅱ alveolar epithelia and focal desquamation of alveolar epithelia were also indicated. The blood vessels of alveolar septum were congested, edematous and widened, with modest infiltration of monocytes and lymphocytes. Hyaline thrombi were found in a minority of microvessels. Focal hemorrhage in lung tissue, organization of exudates in some alveolar cavities, and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis were observed. Part of the bronchial epithelia were exfoliated. Coronavirus particles in bronchial mucosal epithelia and type Ⅱ alveolar epithelia were observed under electron microscope. Immunohistochemical staining showed that part of the alveolar epithelia and macrophages were positive for 2019-nCoV antigen. Real time PCR analyses identified positive signals for 2019-nCoV nucleic acid. Decreased numbers of lymphocyte, cell degeneration and necrosis were observed in spleen. Furthermore, degeneration and necrosis of parenchymal cells, formation of hyaline thrombus in small vessels, and pathological changes of chronic diseases were observed in other organs and tissues, while no evidence of coronavirus infection was observed in these organs.Conclusions:The lungs from novel coronavirus pneumonia patients manifest significant pathological lesions, including the alveolar exudative inflammation and interstitial inflammation, alveolar epithelium proliferation and hyaline membrane formation. While the 2019-nCoV is mainly distributed in lung, the infection also involves in the damages of heart, vessels, liver, kidney and other organs. Further studies are warranted to investigate the mechanism underlying pathological changes of this disease.