OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. in improving sleep. METHODS Network pharmacology was employed to identify the active components of L. ruthenicum and their associated disease targets， followed by enrichment analysis. A caffeine‑induced zebrafish model of sleep deprivation was established ， and the zebrafish were treated with L. ruthenicum Murr. extract （LRME） at concentrations of 0.1， 0.2 and 0.4 mg/mL， respectively； 24 h later， behavioral changes of zebrafish and pathological alterations in brain neurons were subsequently observed. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， IL-10， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）]， oxidative stress markers [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， catalase （CAT）]， and neurotransmitters [5- hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， glutamic acid （Glu）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE）] were measured. The protein expression levels of protein kinase B1 （AKT1）， phosphorylated AKT1 （p-AKT1）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， sarcoma proto-oncogene，non-receptor tyrosine kinase （SRC）， and heat shock protein 90α family class A member 1 （HSP90AA1） in the zebrafish were also determined. RESULTS A total of 12 active components and 176 intersecting disease targets were identified through network pharmacology analysis. Among these， apigenin， naringenin and others were recognized as core active compounds， while AKT1， EGFR and others served as key targets； EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway was identified as the critical pathway. The sleep improvement rates in zebrafish of LRME low-， medium-， and high-dose groups were 54.60%， 69.03% and 77.97%， 开发。E-mail：hjp_yft@163.com respectively， while the inhibition ratios of locomotor distance were 0.57， 0.83 and 0.95， respectively. Compared with the model group， the number of resting counts， resting time and resting distance were significantly increased/extended in LRME medium- and high-dose groups （P＜0.05）. Neuronal damage in the brain was alleviated. Additionally， the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， TNF-α， MDA， Glu， DA and NE， as well as the protein expression levels of AKT1， p-AKT1， EGFR， SRC and HSP90AA1， were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）， while the levels of IL-10， SOD， GSH-Px， CAT， 5-HT and GABA， as well as Bcl-2 protein expression， were significantly elevated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS L. ruthenicum Murr. demonstrates sleep-improving effects， and its specific mechanism may be related to the regulation of inflammatory responses， oxidative stress， neurotransmitter balance， and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway.

Objective To analyze the PLCβ4 gene mRNA expression and its clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on TCGA database. Methods Based on the data on 424 clinical samples (including 374 cases of HCC tissues and 50 cases of nontumor liver tissues) in the TCGA database, Kaplan–Meier method, Cox regression analysis, and immune infiltration analysis were performed to evaluate the relationship between PLCβ4 gene and the clinical characteristics and survival prognosis of HCC patients. Correlation analysis between PLCβ4 gene and 24 types of immune cells was applied to investigate the relationship between PLCβ4 gene and immune cell infiltration and mRNA expression level of TP53 gene, a high-frequency mutation gene in HCC. In addition, paraffin sections of highly, moderately, and poorly differentiated tumor tissues and normal liver tissues from HCC patients were collected. The histopathological observation was carried out via HE staining method, and the expression levels of PLCβ4 and Ki-67 proteins in each clinical sample were verified through the immunohistochemical method. Results The expression level of PLCβ4 gene in HCC was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P<0.01), and all patients in the PLCβ4 high-expression group had a significantly longer overall survival than those in the low-expression group (P<0.05), which suggested that PLCβ4 substantially affected the prognosis of HCC patients. Correlation analysis showed that the expression level of PLCβ4 gene was highly correlated with immune cell infiltration and the expression level of TP53 gene. As verified by clinical sample experiments, HE staining experiments and immunohistochemical results revealed that PLCβ4 gene expression in HCC tissue samples was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P<0.001), and it was negatively correlated with the degree of differentiation. Conclusion PLCβ4 may serve as an independent prognostic factor in HCC and is expected to be a novel molecular target for HCC treatment.

The Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT) control natural killer (NK) cells development and cytotoxic functions, however, whether long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in this pathway remains unknown. We found that miR155HG was elevated in activated NK cells and promoted their proliferation and effector functions in both NK92 and induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived NK (iPSC-NK) cells, without reliance on its derived miR-155 and micropeptide P155. Mechanistically, miR155HG bound to miR-6756 and relieved its repression of JAK3 expression, thereby promoting the JAK-STAT pathway and enhancing NK cell proliferation and function. Further investigations disclosed that upon cytokine stimulation, STAT3 directly interacts with miR155HG promoter and induces miR155HG transcription. Collectively, we identify a miR155HG-mediated positive feedback loop of the JAK-STAT signaling. Our study will also provide a power target regarding miR155HG for improving NK cell generation and effector function in the field of NK cell adoptive transfer therapy against cancer, especially iPSC-derived NK cells.

ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy of Huoxue Jiedu Formulas （活血解毒方药， HJF） as an adjunctive treatement for patients with binding of stasis and toxin syndrome during the vulnerable period after acute myocardial infarction （AMI） percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） surgery， and to explore its potential mechanism from the perspective of serum neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs）. MethodsA total of 129 patients with binding of stasis and toxin syndrome within 6 months after PCI for AMI were enrolled and divided into a treatment group （65 cases） and a control group （64 cases） based on patients' willingness to take Chinese herbal medicine. The control group received standard western medical therapy alone， while the treatment group additionally received HJF， one dose daily. Both groups were treated for four weeks. Before and after treatment， TCM syndrome scores were assessed. Seattle angina questionnaire （SAQ） was used to record angina stability and frequency scores， while the short form-36 health survey （SF-36） was employed to assess quality of life across eight dimensions， including physical functioning， role-physical， bodily pain， general health， vitality， social functioning， role-emotional， and mental health. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index （PSQI） was used to evaluate sleep quality， and the patient health questionnaire-15 （PHQ-15） was used to assess psychosomatic symptoms； Duke activity status index （DASI） was used to measure daily physical activity. Serum levels of neutrophil extracellular traps （NET） markers including myeloperoxidase-DNA （MPO-DNA）， neutrophil elastase-DNA （NE-DNA）， and citrullinated histone H3 （CitH3） were measured in 20 patients from the treatment group. ResultsAfter treatment， TCM syndrome score， PSQI score and PHQ-15 score in both groups significantly decreased， while DASI score， angina stability and frequency scores， and all eight dimensions of the SF-36 scale significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared to the control group， the treatment group had significantly lower TCM syndrome scores and significantly higher DASI， angina stability and frequency scores （P＜0.05）， as well as higher scores in the SF-36 dimensions of physical functioning， role-physical， social functioning， bodily pain， and vitality （P＜0.05）. After treatment， serum levels of MPO-DNA， CitH3， and NE-DNA in the treatment group were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. ConclusionHJF combined with conventional therapy can significantly improve angina symptoms， TCM syndrome scores， and psychosomatic conditions in patients with binding of stasis and toxin syndrome during the vulnerable period after AMI. It also enhances quality of life， sleep quality， and daily physical activity. The underlying mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of serum NETs level.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of Cistanche deserticola in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease （IBD）. METHODS The active components of C. deserticola were screened based on TCMSP and literature reports. The targets of active ingredients were obtained via Swiss Target Prediction platform. Then the disease targets were obtained by searching GeneCards and OMIM databases. PPI network and “drug-compound-disease-target” network were constructed. The core components and core targets were screened. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed， and molecular docking verification was conducted for core targets and core components. The IBD mice model was established and divided into model group， positive control group （dexamethasone， 0.4 mg/kg） and C. deserticola extract group （100， 200， 400 mg/kg）； blank control group was set， with 8 mice in each group. Each group was given relevant medicine， once a day， for 7 consecutive days. Disease activity index （DAI） score and colon length were calculated， and the pathological morphology of the colon of mice was observed. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， IL-10， myeloperoxidase （MPO），tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）] in colon tissue， and protein expressions of core targets were detected. RESULTS A total of 39 active ingredients and 232 potential targets of C. deserticola in the treatment of IBD were obtained. The treatment of IBD with C. deserticola might be related to core components such as quercetin， suchilactone， β-sitosterol and cistanoside H， and core targets such as TNF， AKT1， STAT3， EGFR and SRC. GO and KEGG pathway analysis predicted that the biological processes of C. deserticola in the treatment of IBD were mainly related to protein phosphorylation， and negative regulation of apoptosis， mainly involving PI3K/AKT and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathways. The results of molecular docking showed that the binding energy between the core components and core target of C. deserticola was less than －4.7 kJ/mol. Animal experiment results showed that after intervention with C. deserticola extract， the body weight and colon length of mice significantly increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， while DAI decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The congestion and edema of colon mucosa were significantly reduced， and the pathological score of colon tissue was significantly decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， MPO and TNF-α， as well as the protein expressions of PI3K， phosphorylated PI3K （p-PI3K）， EGFR， TNF- α， STAT3， phosphorylated STAT3 （p-STAT3）， AKT1， phosphorylated AKT1 （p-AKT1） and SRC in colon tissue were reduced significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， while the level of IL-10 was significantly increased in model group （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS C. deserticola may alleviate IBD by regulating the SRC/EGFR/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate whether norepinephrine (NE) regulates the oxidative stress in human endom-etrial epithelial cells (hEECs) by activating nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/ heme oxygenase -1(HO-1) signal pathway.Methods Cultured hEECs were used.The expression of α and β adrenergic receptors was detec-ted by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay was applied to test the effect of NE on cell viability, then the cells were divided into Control group and NE treatment group, and the appropriate concentrations were chosen.The expression of tight junction proteins Occludin and zona occludens-1(ZO-1), apoptosis-related proteins apoptosis-related protein B-cell lymphoma-2 protein(Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associ-ated X protein(Bax) , antioxidant proteins Nrf2 and HO-1 were examined by Western blot.The apoptosis was de-tected by flow cytometry.The malonaldehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) in the cell culture medium were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays kit (ELISA).Results The mRNA expression of α1 a,α1 b,α2 a,α2 b,α2 c,β1, β3 was detected in the hEECs.After the NE treatment, no significant change in cell viability was observed in low concentration (5 μmol/L and 10 μmol/L) groups, while 15 μmol/L and 20μmol/L NE treatments for 6 h or 24 h promoted the cell viability significantly.The expression of ZO-1 and Occlu-din increased significantly in 15 μmol/L group after 24 h treatment, the expression of ZO-1 decreased in 6 h treat-ment group, significant down regulation was observed after 15 μmol/L NE application, the expression of Occludin increased in 6 h group.The cell apoptosis increased compared with the control group after NE stimulation, espe-cially a significantly increase in 6 h 15 μmol/L group was detected,while the fall in increased apoptosis was ob-served after 24 h treatment.The ration of Bcl-2/Bax>1.The expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 was elevated by NE.There was no obvious change in MDA level while significant elevation in SOD was detected in cell culture medium.Conclusion Nrf2/HO-1 signal is activated after application of NE to the hEECs, which may responsible for the upregulation of SOD, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effect in the hEECs.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and relative mechanism of the Modified Wenshen Yixin Formula （温肾益心方加减， MWYF） as an auxiliary treatment of coronary heart disease （CHD） complicated with hypothyroidism of spleen-kidney yang deficiency. MethodsA total of 135 CHD patients complicated with hypothyroidism and spleen-kidney yang deficiency were included and divided into control group （67 cases） and experimental group （68 cases） according to the patients' wishes of herbal medicine administration. The control group was given conventional western medicine， while the treatment group was additionally given MWYF， 1 dose per day； both groups were treated for 8 weeks. The traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， angina scores， SF-36 scores， thyroid function indicators including thyroid stimulating hormone （TSH）， thyroxine （T4） and triiodothyronine （T3）， as well as serum cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cGMP）， monocyte chemoattractant ligand 2 （CCL2）， and tumor necrosis factor-related activator protein （CD40L） levels before and after treatment were compared between the two groups. The dosage and reduction and discontinuation rate of thyroid hormone preparations after treatment were compared between the two groups. The effectiveness regarding TCM syndrome and angina pectoris was evaluated， and the safety was assessed. ResultsBias was adjusted by matching on propensity score， and 102 cases were finally included in the statistical analysis， with 51 cases in each group. The total effective rate regarding TCM syndrome ［94.12% （48/51） versus 64.71% （33/51）］， the total effective rate regarding angina pectoris ［80.39% （41/51） versus 62.75% （32/51）］， and the reduction and discontinuation rate of thyroid hormone preparation ［39.21% （20/51） versus 5.88% （3/51）］ were significantly higher in the experimental group than those in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. After treatment， the total TCM syndrome score， individual scores of major symptoms ， the major symptoms score， the secondary symptoms score， angina pectoris score， and TSH level were significantly reduced （P＜0.01）， while all dimensions of SF-36 scores， T4， T3， and cAMP levels significantly increased in both groups （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The dosage of thyroid hormone preparations and the levels of cGMP， CCL2， and CD40L in the experimental group significantly decreased after treatment （P＜0.01）. When compared between the two groups after treatment， the total TCM syndrome score， the major symptoms score， the scores of individual major symptom （chest tightness， chest pain， fear of cold， cold limbs， waist and kness soreness and weakness）， the secondary symptoms score， angina pectoris score， TSH， cGMP， CCL2， and CD40L levels of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， while all dimension scores of SF-36， T4， T3， and cAMP levels were significantly higher （P＜0.01）. A total of three adverse events occurred during treatment， none of which were judged to be related to the interventions of this study. ConclusionMWYF can significantly ameliorate the TCM syndrome， angina pectoris， quality of life and thyroid function in CHD patients complicated with hypothyroidism and spleen-kidney yang deficiency， and can promote the reduction and disconti-nuation of thyroid hormone preparations. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of cAMP/cGMP balance， the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid metabolic axis and the reduction of immune inflammation.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of Cichorium glandulosum in the treatment of liver fibrosis by using network pharmacology and experimental validation. METHODS A "component-target-pathway" network was constructed with the help of TCMSP, Pubchem, SwissTargetPrediction and Genecards databases, and the STRING database was used to predict the targets of Cichorium glandulosum against liver fibrosis. KEGG and GO enrichment analysis was performed in the DAVID database, and molecular docking of active ingredients and key targets was docked in AUTODOCK. PDGF-BB was used to induce activation of cells and verify the effects of six compounds, including quercetin, quercetin, chicoric acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and isochlorogenic acid, on the proliferation, apoptosis, and liver fibrosis indicators of HSC-T6 cells. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Ras, ERK1, ERK2, C-fos, and JNK proteins in HSC-T6 cells. RESULTS Network pharmacology screened 239 common targets between the components and liver fibrosis, PPI analysis showed that SRC, STAT3, HSP90AA1 and other targets were key targets, KEGG analysis showed that the pathways affected by Cichorium glandulosum included cancer pathways, metabolic pathways, etc. GO analysis predicted that Cichorium glandulosum mainly affected processes such as signal transduction. The molecular docking results showed that the target that could bind well with the components MAPK1, and the components that could bind well with the target aesculetin, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid. Compared with the model group, the inhibition effect of the six compounds on PDGF-BB-induced HSC-T6 cell activation was stronger, and all 6 compounds had the effects to reverse the index of liver fibrosis, in which aesculetin had the strongest activity(P<0.01). The expression of Ras, ERK1, ERK2, C-fos, and JNK in HSC-T6 cells decreased after the interventions of 6 compounds. CONCLUSION Each component of Cichorium glandulosum has different anti liver fibrosis effects, which are related to the inhibition of ERK/RAS pathway activation.

OBJECTIVE To screen out the pharmacodynamic substances of Cistanches Herba aqueous extracts, explore the basis of the pharmacodynamic substances and their mechanism of action in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy(DN), based on the spectral relationship between the mass spectral peak areas of different elution sites of Cistanches Herba aqueous extracts and their anti-DN effects. METHODS UPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS technique was used to characterise the chromatographic peaks; MTT method was used to detect the effects of different elution sites of Cistanches Herba aqueous extract on the proliferation of high glucose and high fat HK-2 cells; grey correlation analysis and partial least squares method were used to analyse the spectral relationship between mass spectrometry peak area and anti-DN activity. MTT method was used to determine the anti-DN activities of the individual components of Cistanches Herba aqueous extract; biochemical kit and ELISA were used to determine the levels of oxidative indicators(SOD, GSH-P) and inflammatory factors(IL-1β, TNF-α, TGF-β); Western blotting was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. RESULTS UPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS technique speculated and identified 72 common compounds; In Cistanches Herba aqueous extracts, water, 20% ethanol, and 40% ethanol-eluted sites differentially increased the proliferation rate of HK-2 cells in a high-sugar, high-fat environment; Partial least squares and grey correlation analyses showed that the constituents of the aqueous extracts of Cistanches Herba with greater anti-DN contributions were 8-epideoxymatricinic acid, geniposidic acid, pinoresinol, betaine and syringin, et al. MTT assay reveals that 8-epi-deoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid had significant proliferative effects on HK-2 cells in a high glucose and high fat environment; Biochemical kit and ELISA showed that 8-epideoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid were able to up-regulate the activity of SOD and GSH-Px, and at the same time they had an inhibitory effect on the expression of inflammatory factors IL-1β, TNF-α and TGF-β. Western blotting results showed that 8-epideoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid were able to down-regulate and up-regulate the markers of dermal mesenchymal transition: α-SMA, Collagen Ⅰ and E-cadherin, and they could exert anti-DN effects by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt pathway. CONCLUSION The two compounds, 8-epideoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid, which are screened by the spectroeffective relationship of anti-DN among the many chemical constituents contained in Cistanches Herba, can affect oxidative stress, inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of renal tubular cells by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway, and improve renal pathology, degree of fibrosis and renal function, which will be useful for the in-depth study of aqueous extracts of Cistanches Herba in the treatment of DN.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the attenuation and synergism of Hugan buzure recipe （HBR） combined with oxaliplatin on hepatocellular carcinoma tumor bearing nude mice and its mechanism. METHODS Eight nude mice were selected from 40 nude mice as the blank group （normal saline）， and the remaining nude mice were inoculated with hepatoma cells Huh7 to establish the tumor-bearing model. The 32 modeled nude mice were randomly allocated to four groups： model group （normal saline， ig）， HBR group （0.69 g/kg， ig）， oxaliplatin group （10 mg/kg， ip）， and combination group （intraperitoneal injection of 0.69 g/kg HBR+intragastric administration of 10 mg/kg oxaliplatin）， with 8 mice in each group. Administer drug/normal saline once a day for 32 consecutive days； administer subcutaneous injection once every 7 days for a total of 5 times. During the experiment， the general condition of nude mice in each group was observed， and the tumor volume was measured every 4 days. On the 30th day of administration， the thermal stimulation paw withdrawal latency of nude mice in each group were detected. The tumor inhibition rate， spleen coefficient， the number of red blood cells， white blood cells and platelets in the whole blood of nude mice in each group， and the content of aspartate aminotransferase （AST） and creatinine in serum were detected after the end of administration. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes in tumor tissues in nude mice in each group. The expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3），selective autophagy adaptor protein p62， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2 associated X protein （Bax）， and Caspase-3 protein in tumor tissues. RESULT Compared with the model group， the tumor volume， tumor weight， white blood cells，red blood cells in the whole blood and spleen coefficients of nude mice in the oxaliplatin group were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）； the thermal stimulation paw withdrawal latency， AST and creatinine in serum were significantly increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the oxaliplatin group， the tumor volume and tumor weight of nude mice in the combination group were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）； the white blood cells， red blood cells and platelets in the whole blood and spleen coefficients of nude mice were significantly increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the thermal stimulation paw withdrawal latency， AST and creatinine in serum were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）； the expression levels of LC3， Bax and Caspase-3 proteins in tumor tissues of nude mice were significantly increased （P＜0.01）， and the expression levels of p62 and Bcl-2 proteins were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS HBR enhances the tumor inhibition rate of oxaliplatin by inducing apoptosis and autophagy， and can alleviate the peripheral neurotoxicity， hematological toxicity， hepatorenal toxicity， and immune organ toxicity caused by oxaliplatin in nude mice.