OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the effects of Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD)on delaying vascu-lar aging and explore whether the underlying mechanism is associated with microRNA-665(miR-665)/DNA damage-regulated autoph-agy modulator1(DRAM1)-mediated autophagy.METHODS Male SD rats with natural aging were randomly divided into the aging group,BYHWD low,medium,high dosage groups(9.25,18.5,37.0 g·kg-1)and resveratrol group(80 mg·kg-1),with a young group set as well.The rats in each group were dissected and the blood vessels were collected.ELISA was used to assess senescence as-sociated β-galactosidase(SA-β-Gal)activity and advanced glycation end products(AGEs)level in vascular tissues.HE,Masson,and EVG staining were performed to observe the morphological structure of the vascular tissues.The qPCR was performed to detect the expression of miR-665 in vascular tissues.Bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter gene experiments were used to validate the targeting relationship between miR-665 and DRAM1.Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the autophagosome.Western blot was performed to determine the protein expression of p16,DRAM1 and autophagy-related proteins Bec-lin1,p62 and LC3.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the protein expression of DRAM1 in vascular tissues.RESULTS Com-pared to the young group,the aging group showed increased SA-β-Gal activity,AGEs level and p16 protein expression(P<0.01),disordered arrangement of vascular tissues,thickened media,increased collagen fibers,fractured and disorganized elastic fibers.The expression of miR-665 was upregulated(P<0.01).The number of autophagosomes was reduced.The protein expression of Beclin1 and LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ downregulated(P<0.01),while the protein expression of p62 was upregulated(P<0.01).In addition,the protein ex-pression of DRAM1 was downregulated in vascular tissues(P<0.01).Compared to the aging group,intervention with BYHWD and resveratrol reduced SA-β-Gal activity(P<0.01),AGEs level and p16 protein expression(P<0.05,P<0.01),improved vascular morphology and elastic fiber structure,reduced collagen fibers.High dose BYHWD significantly downregulated miR-665 expression(P<0.01),increased the number of autophagosomes.Different doses of BYHWD significantly upregulated protein expression of Bec-lin1(P<0.05,P<0.01),medium and high doses of BYHWD significantly upregulated protein expression of LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ(P<0.01),and downregulated protein expression of p62(P<0.01).High dose BYHWD significantly upregulated protein expression of DRAM1 in vascular tissues of aging rats(P<0.05).Bioinformatics analysis revealed the presence of specific complementary binding sites between the sequences of miR-665 and DRAM1.Dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed that miR-665 targeted DRAM1 gene and negatively regulated DRAM1 protein expression.CONCLUSION BYHWD may promote the protein expression of DRAM1 by inhibiting the ex-pression of miR-665,thereby promoting vascular autophagy and delaying vascular aging.

ObjectiveTo investigate the ameliorative effect and mechanism of total saponins of Codonopsis Radix （TSC） on learning and memory impairment induced by D-galactose in aging mice. MethodTwenty-four male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned into four groups （n=6）： normal group， model group （200 mg·kg^-1 D-galactose）， TSC group （200 mg·kg^-1）， and donepezil group （3 mg·kg^-1）. After one week of pre-treatment， the mice in the model， TSC， and donepezil groups were administrated with corresponding agents for 8 weeks. In the ninth week， the Morris water maze test was performed to assess the learning and memory abilities. Histopathological changes in the brain were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Nissl staining. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） in the brain tissue. The serum levels of glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， catalase （CAT）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， TNF-α， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-18 （IL-18） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay， on the basis of which the effects of TSC on neuroinflammation and memory impairment in D-galactose-induced aging mice were assessed. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group exhibited decreased cognitive function， decreased activities of CAT， SOD， and GSH-Px in the serum （P<0.01）， and upregulated levels of MDA， TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-18 （P<0.01）. In addition， partial neuronal damage and degeneration were observed in the hippocampus and cortex of the model group， accompanied by downregulated BDNF expression （P<0.05） and upregulated NF-κB and TNF-α expression （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， TSC alleviated D-galactose-induced cognitive dysfunction， enhanced the activities of CAT， SOD， and GSH-Px （P<0.01）， lowered MDA， TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-18 levels （P<0.01）， and ameliorated the pathological changes in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Additionally， TSC upregulated BDNF expression （P<0.05， P<0.01） and downregulated NF-κB and TNF-α expression （P<0.05， P<0.01） in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. ConclusionTSC exerts a protective effect on cognitive dysfunction induced by D-galactose in aging mice by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation.

OBJECTIVE：To provide reference f or the qualit y sta ndard establishment of Amaranthus retroflexus. METHODS ： Taking 7 batches of A. retroflexus medicinal materials as the research object ，the appearance properties of the medicinal materials were investigated ，and the microscopic characteristics of the medicinal powders were observed. TLC method was adopted to qualitatively identify rutin ，valine and leucine in A. retroflexus medicinal materials. According to the relevant methods of the 2015 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia （part Ⅳ），water content ，total ash content ，acid-insoluble ash content and water-soluble extract content were determined. HPLC method was used to determine the content of rutin in the medicinal material of A. retroflexus . The determination was performed on Agilent 5 TC-C18（2）column with mobile phase consisted of methanol- 0.3％ phosphoric acid solution（40∶60，V/V），at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was set at 358 nm，and the column temperature was 30 ℃. The sample size was 10 μL. RESULTS：The appearance and microstructure characteristics of the medicinal materials were consistent with the existing description. The identification results of TLC meth od showed that 7 batches of medicinal materials and each reference substance （rutin，valine，leucine）showed spots of the same color at the same position. The moisture content of 7 batches of A. retroflexus medicinal materials was 7.43％-8.72％，the total ash content was 11.82％-13.78％，the acid-insoluble ash content was 0.15％-0.55％，and the water-soluble extract content was 17.27％-24.74％. The linear range of rutin was 10-200 μg/mL（R 2＝1.000 0）. RSDs of precision test ，stability test （24 h）and repeatability test were all less than 2.0％ （n＝6）. The average recovery rates of rutin were 99.14％，97.98％ and 98.80％ in low ，medium and high concentration of samples，and RSDs were 0.97％，0.95％，0.96％（n＝3）. The contents of rutin in 7 batches of A. retrophylla were 0.314-1.102 mg/g. CONCLUSIONS：In this study ，character observation ，microscopic identification ，moisture content ，total ash content ，acid- insoluble ash content and water-soluble extract content of A. retroflexus are investigated ；TLC method was established for qualitative identification of leucine ，valine and rutin in A. retroflexus ，and the HPLC method was established for content determination of rutin. It provides reference for the quality standard establishment of A. retroflexus .