Objective To investigate the effect of total alkaloids from Rhynchophylline on hypertensive target organs. Methods 40 spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHRs) were divided into 4 groups as follows: normal control group,positive control with Tianma Goutengyin granule at 750 mg?d-1 ,total alkaloids from Rhynchophylline at 2.5 mg?day-1 as low dosage,and at 15.0 mg?d-1 as high dosage.All the rats were fed up for 20 weeks,and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS,in ms?mmHg-1)was determined by revised Smyth’s method.Heart,brain and kidney of the rats were sectioned for histological analysis at the end of 20th week. Results In sixteenth weeks,BRS of positive control,Tianma Goutengyin granule group,total alkaloids at low dosage and high dosage were(0.27±0.05),(0.31±0.06),(0.35±0.08),(0.34±0.08) ms?mmHg-1,respectively.BRS in SHR was not decreased except in the positive control.The treatment groups were superior to the normal control group in structure of heart,but not in the brain and kidney of the rats. Conclusion Total alkaloids from Rhynchophyllinecould protect heart from hypertensive injury.

Objective To investigate the effect of melatonin on ketamine-induced apoptosis in hippocampal neurons of fetal rats.Methods Sixteen to eighteen day pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were anesthetized.The fetal rats were obtained under sterile condition and decapitated.The hippocampal neurons were isolated and primary cultured for 5 days.The primary cultured neurons were randomly divided into 5 groups (n =6 each):control group (group C),ketamine group (group K),and 1.0,2.5 and 5.0 mmol/L melatonin groups (groups M1-3 respectively).Ketamine with the final concentration of 1 000 μmol/L was added to the culture medium and the neurons were incubated for 3 h in group K.In groups M1-3,1.0,2.5 and 5.0 mmol/L melatonin were added to the culture medium,respectively,at 60 min before the addition of ketamine,and the neurons were incubated for 3 h.While the equal volume of normal saline was added instead in group C.The neuronal viability during the developmental phase was assessed by MTT assay.The mitochondrial membrane potential (Ψm) was measured by flow cytometry.The expression of cAMP response element binding protein phosphorylation (p-CREB (Ser133)),Bcl-2,Bax,and cytochrome C was detected by Western blot.Results Compared with group C,the neuronal viability and Ψm were significantly decreased,and the expression of p-CREB and Bcl-2 was down-regulated,while the expression of Bax and cytochrome C was up-regulated in group K (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group K,Ψm was significantly increased in groups M2 and M3,and the neuronal viability was significantly increased,the expression of Bcl-2 was up-regulated,while the expression of Bax and cytochrome C was down-regulated in groups M1-3 (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Melatonin can protect the hippocampal neurons of fetal rats from apoptosis triggered by ketamine via regulating the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax,stabilizing Ψm,inhibiting the release of cytochrome C from mitoehondria,and preventing apoptosome formation.

AIM:To investigate the alleviating effect of ethyl acetate extract from Platycladus orientalis leaves(EAEPOL)on diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM)and its mechanisms.METHODS:Healthy adult C57BL/6 mice were ran-domly divided into normal control group,DCM group,and EAEPOL group.Cardiac structure and function of the mice were assessed by echocardiography.Myocardial fibrosis was evaluated though myocardial hydroxyproline content determi-nation,myocardial Masson and Sirius red staining,and collagen type I(Col I)and collagen type Ⅲ(Col Ⅲ)immunohis-tochemistry.The degree of myocardial oxidative stress was assessed by measuring malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD)and total antioxidative capacity(T-AOC)levels using kits,as well as detection of nuclear factor E2-re-lated factor-2(Nrf-2)and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)expression by qRT-PCR and Western blot.Endothelial-mesenchy-mal transition(EndMT)was evaluated by detecting CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)protein expression by Western blot,and cadherin 5(CDH5)and fibroblast specific protein 1(FSP1)mRNA expression by qRT-PCR,as well as α-SMA immunofluorescence staining.RESULTS:(1)Mouse echocardiography revealed that compared with normal control group,heart rate(HR)and ejection fraction(EF)were significantly reduced in DCM group(P<0.05 or P<0.01),while left ventricular anterior wall thickness at systole and diastole(LVAWs and LVAWd)and left ventricular pos-terior wall thickness at systole and diastole(LVPWs and LVPWd)were significantly increased(P<0.05).Compared with DCM group,the mice in EAEPOL group showed significant increases in HR and EF(P<0.01),and marked decreases in LVAWs,LVAWd,LVPWs and LVPWd(P<0.05).(2)Compared with normal control group,the content of hydroxypro-line in mouse myocardium,the collagen area ratio shown by Sirius red and Masson staining,and the immunohistochemical positive area ratio of Col I and Col Ⅲ in DCM group were significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with DCM group,the above myocardial fibrosis indicators in EAEPOL group were significantly reduced(P<0.05 or P<0.01).(3)Com-pared with normal control group,the myocardial MDA content and the expression of Nrf-2 in DCM group were significantly increased,while the SOD activity,the T-AOC and the expression of HO-1 was significantly decreased(P<0.01).Com-pared with DCM group,the myocardial MDA content in EAEPOL group was significantly reduced,while the SOD activity,the T-AOC,and the HO-1 and Nrf-2 expression were significantly enhanced(P<0.05 or P<0.01).(4)Compared with normal control group,the myocardial expression of CD31 and CDH5 in DCM group was significantly reduced,the expres-sion of α-SMA and FSP1 was significantly enhanced(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the α-SMA positive area ratio by immuno-fluorescence staining was also increased(P<0.01).Compared with DCM group,EAEPOL significantly up-regulated the expression of CD31 and CDH5 and down-regulated the expression of α-SMA and FSP1,and the α-SMA positive area ratio by immunofluorescence staining was evidently decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).CONCLUSION:EAEPOL may attenuate myocardial fibrosis and improve cardiac function in DCM mice by suppressing oxidative stress and alleviating EndMT.

Successful pregnancy in placental mammals substantially depends on the establishment of maternal immune tolerance to the semi-allogenic fetus.Disorders in this process are tightly asso-ciated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including recurrent miscarriage (RM).However,an in-depth understanding of the systematic and decidual immune environment in RM remains largely lacking.In this study,we utilized single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to comparably analyze the cellular and molecular signatures of decidual and peripheral leukocytes in normal and unex-plained RM pregnancies at the early stage of gestation.Integrative analysis identifies 22 distinct cell clusters in total,and a dramatic difference in leukocyte subsets and molecular properties in RM cases is revealed.Specifically,the cytotoxic properties of CD8+ effector T cells,nature killer(NK),and mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in peripheral blood indicates apparently enhanced pro-inflammatory status,and the population proportions and ligand-receptor interac-tions of the decidual leukocyte subsets demonstrate preferential immune activation in RM patients.The molecular features,spatial distribution,and the developmental trajectories of five decidual NK(dNK) subsets have been elaborately illustrated.In RM patients,a dNK subset that supports embryonic growth is diminished in proportion,while the ratio of another dNK subset with cyto-toxic and immune-active signature is significantly increased.Notably,a unique pro-inflammatory CD56 + CD16 + dNK subset substantially accumulates in RM decidua.These findings reveal a com-prehensive cellular and molecular atlas of decidual and peripheral leukocytes in human early pregnancy and provide an in-depth insight into the immune pathogenesis for early pregnancy loss.

In order to promote the innovative application of Sanjiao theory and Yingwei theory， this paper tries to apply the ''Sanjiao-Yingwei'' Qi transformation theory to the treatment of tumor diseases， integrating it with T cell exhaustion mechanism to elaborate on its scientific connotation and using network pharmacology and bioinformatics to elucidate the correlation between the anti-tumor mechanism of ''Sanjiao-Yingwei'' Qi transformation and T cell exhaustion. The ''Sanjiao-Yingwei'' Qi transformation function is closely related to the immunometabolic ability of the human body， and the ''Sanjiao-Yingwei'' Qi transformation system constitutes the immunometabolic exchange system within and outside the cellular environment. Cancer toxicity is generated by the fuzzy Sanjiao Qi， and the long-term fuzzy Sanjiao Qi is the primary factor leading to T cell exhaustion， which is related to the long-term activation of T cell receptors by the high tumor antigen load in the tumor microenvironment. Qi transformation malfunction of the Sanjiao produces phlegm and collects stasis， which contributes to T cell exhaustion and is correlated with nutrient deprivation， lipid accumulation， and high lactate levels in the immunosuppressed tumor microenvironment， as well as with the release of transforming growth factor-β and upregulated expression of programmed death receptor-1 by tumor-associated fibroblasts and platelets in the tumor microenvironment. Ying and Wei damage due to Sanjiao Qi transformation malfunction is similar to the abnormal manifestations such as progressive loss of exhausted T cell effector function and disturbance of cellular energy metabolism. Guizhi decoction， Shengming decoction， and Wendan decoction can correct T cell exhaustion and exert anti-tumor effects through multi-target and multi-pathways by regulating ''Sanjiao-Yingwei'' Qi transformation， and hypoxia inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α） may be one of the main pathways to correct T cell exhaustion. It was found that HIF-1α may be one of the important prognostic indicators in common tumors by bioinformatics. The use of the ''Sanjiao-Yingwei'' Qi transformation method may play an important part in improving the prognosis of tumor patients in clinical practice.