Objective To identify biomarkers that characterize its bitter-cold properties of Scutellaria Radix on the basis of evaluating its cold and hot properties,as well as possible metabolic pathways and related targets;To explore its molecular mechanism.Methods Totally 40 mice were randomly divided into a control group and a treatment group,and were orally administered with normal saline and Scutellaria Radix decoction,respectively,for 4 consecutive days.The cold and hot plate differential method was used to evaluate the cold and hot tendencies of the mice;UPLC-MS/MS technology was used to analyze mouse blood samples,differential metabolites were screened using principal component analysis,partial least squares discriminant analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis methods,and metabolic pathway analysis was performed;network modular analysis of differential metabolites was performed using Cytoscape 3.9.0 software to identify potential molecular targets.Results On the second day of administration,the anal temperature of mice in the treatment group decreased significantly compared to the control group(P<0.01);in the cold and hot tendency test,the mice in the treatment group showed an overall increase in high-temperature tendency and a higher proportion of high-temperature zone retention.There was a statistically significant difference(P<0.01,P<0.05)between the treatment group and the control group on the 2nd and 3rd day of treatment;the pattern recognition analysis of serum metabolome data showed that the serum samples of the treatment group and the control group could be completely separated,and a total of 14 differential metabolites were screened out;metabolic pathway analysis identified 16 related pathways,including unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis,linoleic acid metabolism,citric acid cycle(TCA cycle),arachidonic acid metabolism,glycine,serine and threonine metabolism,steroid hormone biosynthesis,etc.;a total of 16 modules were obtained through network modular analysis,among which the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway and linoleic acid metabolism pathway modules were larger;the nodal degree values of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid were greater than the mean,involving arachidonic acid metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism pathways;by screening 26 genes associated with the cytochrome P450 enzyme system were obtained.Conclusion Scutellaria Radix may regulate the body's energy metabolism,achieve its biological effects,and characterize its medicinal properties by intervening in metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid and linoleic acid.

Objective To identify biomarkers that characterize its bitter-cold properties of Scutellaria Radix on the basis of evaluating its cold and hot properties,as well as possible metabolic pathways and related targets;To explore its molecular mechanism.Methods Totally 40 mice were randomly divided into a control group and a treatment group,and were orally administered with normal saline and Scutellaria Radix decoction,respectively,for 4 consecutive days.The cold and hot plate differential method was used to evaluate the cold and hot tendencies of the mice;UPLC-MS/MS technology was used to analyze mouse blood samples,differential metabolites were screened using principal component analysis,partial least squares discriminant analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis methods,and metabolic pathway analysis was performed;network modular analysis of differential metabolites was performed using Cytoscape 3.9.0 software to identify potential molecular targets.Results On the second day of administration,the anal temperature of mice in the treatment group decreased significantly compared to the control group(P<0.01);in the cold and hot tendency test,the mice in the treatment group showed an overall increase in high-temperature tendency and a higher proportion of high-temperature zone retention.There was a statistically significant difference(P<0.01,P<0.05)between the treatment group and the control group on the 2nd and 3rd day of treatment;the pattern recognition analysis of serum metabolome data showed that the serum samples of the treatment group and the control group could be completely separated,and a total of 14 differential metabolites were screened out;metabolic pathway analysis identified 16 related pathways,including unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis,linoleic acid metabolism,citric acid cycle(TCA cycle),arachidonic acid metabolism,glycine,serine and threonine metabolism,steroid hormone biosynthesis,etc.;a total of 16 modules were obtained through network modular analysis,among which the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway and linoleic acid metabolism pathway modules were larger;the nodal degree values of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid were greater than the mean,involving arachidonic acid metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism pathways;by screening 26 genes associated with the cytochrome P450 enzyme system were obtained.Conclusion Scutellaria Radix may regulate the body's energy metabolism,achieve its biological effects,and characterize its medicinal properties by intervening in metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid and linoleic acid.

Blood deficiency syndrome (BDS) refers to a pathological state with blood dysfunction and organ dystrophy in traditional Chinese medicine. Danggui Wuji granules (DWG) was developed from a formula containing Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Musculus et Os Galli Domestici. Herein, we investigated the mechanism of DWG in treating BDS by modulating gut microbiota. We found that DWG protected mice from BDS by elevating the levels of red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit in peripheral blood and increasing the erythrocyte membrane Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activity. Danggui Wuji granules changed the composition and metabolites of colonic flora. Notably, Lactobacillus, Muribaculaceae, and Alistipes were the main genera showing changes after DWG treatment. Our findings revealed that DWG presented a positive therapeutic effect on BDS in mice by regulating the gut microbiota and metabolites. The protective mechanism of DWG was associated with pathways such as metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, ABC transporters, ribosome, thyroid hormone synthesis, lysine degradation, galactose metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, etc.

ObjectiveTo clarify the therapeutic effect of Huashi Baidu prescription on pneumonia in mice caused by influenza A （H1N1） virus and explore its mechanism based on the transcriptome. MethodA mouse influenza viral pneumonia model was built by intranasal infection with influenza A virus， and mice were continuously administered the drug for five days， so as to investigate the general condition， lung index， viral load， pathological morphology of lung tissue， survival time， and prolongation rate of survival time of mice and clarify the therapeutic effect of Huashi Baidu prescription on influenza viral pneumonia. Transcriptome technology was used to detect the differentially expressed genes in the lung tissue of mice in the model group and the normal group， as well as the Huashi Baidu prescription group and the model group， and the potential core target of the Huashi Baidu prescription for the treatment of influenza viral pneumonia was screened. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to verify the effect of Huashi Baidu prescription on the mRNA expression level of core target genes. ResultCompared with the normal group， the lung index and viral load in the lung tissue of the model group were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the high-dose group of Huashi Baidu prescription significantly prolonged the survival time of mice infected with influenza A virus （P<0.05） and significantly reduced the lung index value of mice （P<0.05） and the viral load of lung tissue. The high-dose， medium-dose， and low-dose groups of Huashi Baidu prescription could significantly reduce lung tissue inflammation， blood stasis， swelling， and other pathological changes in mice （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Transcriptome analysis of lung tissue showed that core genes were mainly enriched in the nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway， interleukin-17 （IL-17） signaling pathway， cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction， and other pathways after the intervention of Huashi Baidu prescription. TRAF6， NFKBIA， CCL2， CCL7， and CXCL2 were the top five node genes with combined score values. Real-time PCR validation showed that Huashi Baidu prescription significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of key genes TRAF6 and NFKBIA in the NF-κB signaling pathway， as well as chemokines CCL2， CCL7， and CXCL2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionHuashi Baidu prescription has a therapeutic effect on influenza viral pneumonia， possibly by inhibiting the expression of key nodes TRAF6 and NFKBIA in the NF-κB signaling pathway and that of chemokines CCL2， CCL7， and CXCL2， reducing the recruitment of inflammatory cells and viral load， and exerting anti-influenza viral pneumonia effects.

Aim The TRPV1 plasmid was transiently transfected into human embryonic kidney HEK 293T cells to establish the heterologous expression system of TRPV1-channel. Methods The transfection efficiency was confirmed under fluorescence mi-croscope and the TRPV1 protein expression was identified by u-sing Western blot, and the functional characteristics of the chan-nel were studied by using the method of confocal microscopy. Results The transfection rate could reach 40% ~50%; the transfected cells were found to have a clear band at the corre-sponding position that TRPV1 should be, which indicated that TRPV1 channel protein was expressed in the transfected cells. The confocal microscopy imaging result showed that the trans-fected HEK 293T cells were activated by TRPV1 channel ago-nist. Conclusion Transient transfection of HEK 293T cells with TRPV1 channel is successfully constructed and the heterol-ogous TRPV1 channel is verified to have normal calcium-media-ting function.

Objective To study the effect of black granule capsules(BGCs) on growth of transplanted mouse hepatocarcinoma cells, cell proliferation cycle and apoptosis.Methods KM mouse were subcutaneously inoculated with Hepatocarcinoma cells (H22) and randomly divided into the model control group, the positive control group, the low, medium and high does of BGC group after 24h. The positive control group received intraperitoneal injection with 30 mg/kg cyclophosphamide. Mice of BGC groups were intragastricaly with different dosage of BGC (400, 800, 1 600 mg/kg). The model control group received intragastricaly with normal saline. The drugs were administrated once a day for seven days. The tumor inhibition rate was calculated at 24 h after the last administration. Flow cytometry was used to detect changes of cell cycle and apoptosis in harvested H22 tumor cells.Results The group of high does showed significant inhibitory effect on the growth of transplanted H22 tumor cells withthe inhibitory rate 38.78% (male) and 43.57% (female). Compared with model control group, groups of different dosages decreased time of G0-G1 phase (58.06% ± 9.65%, 55.10% ± 5.89%, 61.36% ± 15.95%vs. 74.47% ± 2.63%), increased tiem of Sphase (33.96% ± 11.90%, 32.67% ± 4.04%, 33.89% ± 9.82%vs. 14.37% ± 4.92%), and increased the apoptosis rate (31.12% ± 1.85%, 31.89% ± 2.16%, 40.64% ± 0.55%vs.21.75% ± 2.64%).Conclusion BGC has antitumor effect on mouse hepatocarcinoma H22 tumor cells, and its mechanism was to regulate cell proliferation cycle and induce the apoptosis.

Aim To further study the molecular mecha-nism of the herbs with hot nature on the regulational action on TRPV1 channel based on the 7900 Real-time PCR instrument. Methods 7900 PCR instrument was applied to detect the intracellular flurescence of TRPV1 channel in the dorsal root ganglions ( DRG ) neurons and the effect on the TRPV1 ’ s thermo-sensational functions of the selected 11 ingredients from hot herbs was explored. Results TRPV1 channels could be ac-tivated by gradually elevated temperature; the activa-tion process could be blocked by the TRPV1 specific blocking agent capsaizepine. Most of the ingredients from hot-nature herbs had the potential to up-regualate TRPV1 channel function. Conclusions The estab-lished TRPV1 channel detection system based on PCR instrument is suitable for the analysis of regulational functions of drugs on the heat-activated TRPV1 chan-nel;the functions of hot herbs may be related to the up-regualtional effects of its active ingredients on the TRPV1 channel which will further up-regulate energy metabolism.

Bitter taste receptors (BTRs) belong to the G protein-coupled receptors, which included 25 subtypes. BTRs, which were distributed in the oral cavity, mediated the bitter taste of mammalian. Furthermore, BTRs were also existed in the extra-oral digestive system such as the stomach and intestine to influence the digestion, absorption and energy regulation. It also can relax airway smooth muscles in the respiratory system and decrease blood pressure in the cardiovascular system. While being strikingly conformed to the latest advancements of BTRs, the efficacy of bitter taste property of Chinese materia medica (CMM) such as“excretion”,“dryness” and“strengthening” have been used in ancient theories of property and flavor in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years in the treatment of multisystem diseases such as digestive, endocrine, respiratory and cardiovascular system. Therefore, applying modern techniques and new methods in the interpretation of the scientific connotation of bitter taste property of CMM based on BTRs should be a feasible way and a new research pattern. It played an important role in the enriching of the property theory in CMM, as well as enhancing the modernization and objectivization of CMM.

To further uncover the scientific significance and molecular mechanism of the Chinese herbs with pungent hot or warm natures, endogenous and exogenous expression systems were established by isolation of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and transfection of HEK293 cells with TRPV1 channel gene separately. On this basis, the regulation action of capsaicin, one main ingredient from chili pepper, on TRPV1 channel was further explored by using confocal microscope. Besides, the three-sites one-unit technique and method were constructed based on the brown adipose tissue (BAT), anal and tail skin temperatures. Then the effect of capsaicin on mouse energy metabolism was evaluated. Both endogenous and exogenous TRPV1 channel could be activated and this action could be specifically blocked by the TRPV1 channel inhibitor capsazepine. Simultaneously, the mice's core body temperature and BAT temperature fall down and then go up, accompanied by the increase of temperature of the mice's tail skin. Promotion of the energy metabolism by activation of TRPV1 channel might be the common way for the pungent-hot (warm) herbs to demonstrate their natures.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Saposhnikovia divaricata extract combined with arsenic trioxide (ATO) on the proliferation and apoptosis in chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells. MethodsSaposhnikovia divaricata extract was prepared.Cultured K562 cells were treated with different concentration of Saposhnikovia divaricataextract or/and ATO for 48h. Cell proliferation was determined using the MTT assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle were detected using flow cytometry.ResultsThe MTT assay showed that Saposhnikovia divaricata extract of 750,1 000,1 250,1 500 μg/ml had a significantly proliferation inhibitory effect compared with control group, the inhibitory rates were 23.29% ± 3.31%, 48.30% ± 2.50%, 79.62% ± 3.41% and 88.94% ± 0.06%, respectively (allP<0.05); Saposhnikovia divaricata extract of 500 μg/ml combined with ATO of 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml significantly increased inhibitor rates compared with ATO of 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml (64.99% ± 5.18%vs. 44.48% ± 3.31%,38.59% ± 3.88%vs.26.30% ± 5.03%; allP<0.05). FCM showed that Saposhnikovia divaricata extract of 500 μg/ml combined with ATO of 2.0, 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml significantly increased apoptotic rate compared with ATO group of 2.0, 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml (33.97% ± 0.59%vs.20.97% ± 2.17%, 13.53% ± 0.47%vs.9.77%±0.64%、6.63%±&0.40%vs.4.00%±0.46%; allP<0.05 ). Cell cycle results showed that Saposhnikovia divaricata extract of 500μg/ml combined with ATO of 2.0,1.0, 0.5μg/ml significantly increased the rate of S phase compared with ATO group of 2.0, 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml (60.25 ± 2.59%vs.55.61 ± 1.28%, 60.89 ± 1.53%vs.37.96 ± 1.02%, 47.76 ± 0.87%vs.39.90 ± 0.92%; allP<0.05).ConclusionsSaposhnikovia divaricataextract could obviously inhibit the proliferation of K562 cells and enhance the apoptotic effect of ATO. ATO could induce a G2/M phase arrest, while Saposhnikovia divaricata extract combined with ATO could induce a S phase arrest in K562 cells.