Objective To elucidate the molecular mechanism of sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) in regulating mitochondrial biogenesis in human renal tubular epithelial cells. Methods Cells were stimulated with different concentrations of H₂O₂ and divided into four groups: control (NC), 50 μmol/L H₂O₂, 110 μmol/L H₂O₂ and 150 μmol/L H₂O₂. SIRT3 protein expression was then measured. SIRT3 was knocked down with siRNA, and cells were further assigned to five groups: control (NC), negative-control siRNA (NCsi), SIRT3-siRNA (siSIRT3), NCsi+H₂O₂, and siSIRT3+H₂O₂. After 24 h, cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and mitochondrial superoxide anion (O₂•⁻) levels were determined, together with mitochondrial expression of SIRT3, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), acetylated-SOD2 and adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase α1 (AMPKα1). Results The 110 and 150 μmol/L H₂O₂ decreased SIRT3 protein (both P<0.05). ATP and mitochondrial O₂•⁻ did not differ between NC and NCsi groups (both P>0.05). Compared to the NCsi group, the siSIRT3 group exhibited elevated O₂•⁻ level, decreased SIRT3 protein and increased expression levels of SOD2 and acetylated SOD2 protein (all P<0.05). Compared to the NCsi group, the NCsi+H₂O₂ group exhibited decreased cellular ATP levels, elevated mitochondrial O₂•⁻ levels, and reduced protein expression levels of SIRT3, SOD2, TFAM, AMPKα1, PGC-1α and NRF1 (all P<0.05). Compared with the siSIRT3 group, the siSIRT3+H₂O₂ group showed a decrease in cellular ATP levels, an increase in mitochondrial O₂•⁻ levels, a decrease in SIRT3, SOD2, TFAM, AMPKα1, PGC-1α and NRF1 protein expression levels and a decrease in acetylated SOD2 protein expression levels (all P<0.05). Compared with the NCsi+H₂O₂ group, the siSIRT3+H₂O₂ group showed a decrease in cellular ATP levels, an increase in mitochondrial O₂•⁻ levels, a decrease in SIRT3, AMPKα1, PGC-1α and NRF1, TFAM protein expression levels, and an increase in SOD2 and acetylated SOD2 protein expression levels (all P<0.05). Conclusions SIRT3 promotes mitochondrial biogenesis in tubular epithelial cells via the AMPK/PGC-1α/NRF1/TFAM axis, representing a key mechanism through which SIRT3 ameliorates oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction.

In recent years, cancer treatment methods and means are becoming more and more diversified, and single treatment methods often have limited efficacy, while the synergistic effect of immunity combined with chemotherapy can inhibit tumor growth more effectively. Based on this, we constructed a sodium alginate hydrogel composite system loaded with chemotherapeutic agents and tumor vaccines (named SA-DOX-NA) with a view to the combined use of chemotherapeutic agents and tumor vaccines. Firstly, the tumor vaccine (named NA) degradable under acidic conditions was constructed by in situ polymerization using chicken ovalbumin (OVA), acrylamide (AAM) and 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) monomer. Then a hydrogel composite system SA-DOX-NA co-loaded with chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) and NA was prepared using sodium alginate as a matrix. The results showed that SA-DOX-NA had good in situ gel-forming ability and formed a mesh structure that could realize the co-loading of DOX and NA as well as the slow drug release. The electron microscopy results showed that SA-DOX-NA had good in situ gel-forming ability with good internal connectivity, and the three-dimensional mesh structure could realize the co-loading of DOX and NA as well as the slow drug release. The antitumor and immunomodulatory results showed that SA-DOX-NA both effectively inhibited the growth of tumor cells and efficiently promoted the proliferation and activation of DC2.4 dendritic cells without additional adjuvant. In summary, SA-DOX-NA exerts the dual efficacy of chemotherapy and immunotherapy for tumor treatment, and has a good application prospect in local tumor treatment.

In this study, RAW264.7 cells were employed to investigate the effects of honey-processed Astragalus on their energy metabolism and polarization, and explore the scientific connotation of the enhanced efficacy of honey-processed Astragalus on invigorating spleen-stomach and replenishing Qi. The medicated sera were prepared by intragastric administration of rats with water extracts of crude and honey-processed Astragalus, and the composition changes of medicated sera of crude and honey-processed Astragalus were analyzed by using LC-MS technology. The cell survival rates were detected and the concentrations of medicated sera were screened through CCK-8 assay. The differences of cell phagocytic rates, ATP energy metabolism, and NO secretion between crude and honey-processed Astragalus were evaluated by using neutral red phagocytosis assay, ATP detection kit, and NO detection kit. The effects of crude and honey-processed Astragalus on TNF-α secretion of RAW264.7 cells were detected by employing ELISA kit. The effects of crude and honey-processed Astragalus on polarization of RAW264.7 cells were evaluated by utilizing flow cytometry. The differential metabolites related to glycolysis in cell lysates and culture media were screened by using LC-MS technology. The experiment was approved by the experimental animal ethics committee from Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine (No. AWE202407352). The results showed that the contents of betaine, amino acids, and ononin in the prepared medicated sera of rats treated by intragastric administration with water extracts of honey-processed Astragalus increased compared to those in crude one. The results of CCK-8 experiment showed that there were no cytotoxic effects on RAW264.7 cells in the medicated sera of crude and honey-processd Astragalus at different concentration. The phagocytic index and ATP yield both increased to varying degrees after administration of the medicated sera to cells. The secretion of NO in normal and inflammatory cells increased and decreased respectively, and the effect of honey-processed Astragalus was better than that of crude one. The results of ELISA kit showed that the medicated sera of both crude and honey-processed Astragalus could promote the secretion of TNF-α in a concentration-dependent manner, and the promoting effect of honey-processed Astragalus was stronger than that of crude one. The results of flow cytometry showed that the medicated sera of both crude and honey-processed Astragalus could promote M1-type polarization and inhibit M2-type polarization of RAW264.7 cells, and the effect of honey-processed Astragalus was better than that of crude one. Compared to crude Astragalus, the metabolites related to glycolysis in the cell lysates and culture media of the medicated sera of honey-processed Astragalus were generally on the rise, indicating that the effect on promoting glycolysis of honey-processed Astragalus was better than that of crude one. In summary, honey-processed Astragalus can promote the polarization and energy metabolism of RAW264.7 cells, and participate in positive immune regulation, which is correlated with its enhanced effect of invigorating spleen-stomach and replenishing Qi.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the improvement mechanism of hyperoside （HYP） on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. METHODS Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal （NFD） group， model （HFD） group and HYP group， with 8 mice in each group. Except for NFD group， the mice in other groups were fed with HF60 high-fat diet to establish NAFLD model； HYP group was simultaneously given HYP 100 mg/kg intragastrically every day， for 16 consecutive weeks. The body weight and liver weight of mice in each group were recorded 16 h after the last medication； the histopathological changes and lipid accumulation in the liver were observed， and the contents of triglyceride （TAG） in liver tissue and serum contents of TAG， aspartate transaminase （AST） and alanine transaminase （ALT） were measured； LC-MS/MS method was adopted to detect lipid changes in the liver tissue of mice for lipidomics analysis， and protein expressions of lipid synthesis-associated proteins peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α （PPARα） were also tested. Human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 was divided into normal control group， model group， HYP low-concentration group （50 μmol/L）， HYP high-concentration group （100 μmol/L）， HYP low-concentration+GW6471 （PPARαinhibitor） group， and HYP high-concentration+GW6471 group. Except for normal control group， the remaining cells were induced with oleic acid and palmitic acid to establish a high-fat cell model. The accumulation of lipid droplets in each group of cells was observed， and the TAG content was detected. RESULTS Compared with HFD group， HYP group exhibited significant reductions in liver fat vacuoles， lipid accumulation， liver weight， and TAG content in liver tissue， as well as serum contents of ALT， AST and TAG （P＜0.05）. Additionally， the expression of PPARα protein in liver tissue was significantly increased （P＜0.05）， and the pathological morphological changes associated with NAFLD were alleviated. Lipidomic analysis revealed that HYP significantly reduced the levels of TAG， diacylglycerol and other lipids in the liver. Compared with model group， cellular lipid droplet accumulation and TAG content decreased significantly in HYP low- and high-concentration groups （P＜0.05）； GW6471 could significantly reverse the improvement effect of HYP on above indicators （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS HYP can effectively ameliorate NAFLD induced by a high-fat diet in mice， and the mechanism may be related to the activation of PPARα to regulate hepatic lipid synthesis.

OBJECTIVE To explore the construction of selection system for drug directory of the county-level medical community based on multi-criteria decision analysis， and provide decision-making basis for the selection of drug directory of medical community. METHODS Taking county-level medical community in Chongqing as an example，Delphi method and analytic hierarchy process were employed to construct the selection system for drug directory of the county-level medical community. Selected drugs were quantitatively scored based on the constructed index system， and the drug directory was selected according to the drug’s comprehensive score. The implementation effect of the directory was then evaluated through questionnaire surveys one year after the implementation of the directory. RESULTS The expert authority coefficients of the two rounds of consultation were＞ 0.8， with Kendall’s W values of 0.213 and 0.196， respectively （P＜0.001）. Finally， the selection system for drug directory of the medical community was determined to include five evaluation dimensions： safety， effectiveness， economy， accessibility， and innovation， along with eight evaluation indicators. In the drug directory selected according to the above method， the proportions of centrally procured drugs， medical insurance drugs， and essential drugs had all increased compared to before the selection； the comprehensive scores of chemical drugs ranged from 50.25 to 96.31 scores， and the proportion of drugs scoring between 70 and 100 scores had increased from 78.06% before selection to 85.82%. Among them， antiparasitic drugs had the highest comprehensive scores， while drugs for the digestive tract and metabolism were the most numerous. The evaluation scores of each indicator and the comprehensive scores of drugs in the drug directory after the selection process increased significantly than before selection （P＜ 0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The selection system for drug directory of the county-level medical community constructed in this study is scientific， objective and operable. This process facilitates the promotion of standardized and unified management of drugs in the medical community.

Immunotherapy has become a pivotal modality in clinical cancer treatment. However, its effectiveness is limited to a small subset of patients due to the low antigenicity, impaired innate response, and various adaptive immune resistance mechanisms of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Accumulating evidence reveals the critical roles of metal elements in shaping immunity against tumor progression and metastasis. The marriage of metalloimmunotherapy and nanotechnology further presents new opportunities to optimize the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of metal ions in a precise spatiotemporal control manner. Several metallodrugs have demonstrated encouraging immunotherapeutic potential in preliminary studies and are currently undergoing clinical trials at different stages, yet challenges persist in scaling up production and addressing long-term biosafety concerns. This review delineates how metal materials modulate biological activities across diverse cell types to orchestrate antitumor immunity. Moreover, it summarizes recent progress in smart drug delivery-release systems integrating metal elements, either as cargo or vehicles, to enhance antitumor immune responses. Finally, the review introduces current clinical applications of nanomedicines in metalloimmunotherapy and discusses potential challenges that impede its widespread translation into clinical practice.

Ischemic stroke(IS) is a complex pathological process involving multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms and it is characterized by high mortality, high disability, and high recurrence. In recent years, the incidence of IS in China has been increasing year by year, and it has a trend of occurring in increasingly young individuals. Herb pairs are the smallest unit of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) compatibility and an important part of TCM compounding, and the research on them is of great significance in guiding the clinical medication. Pharmacological studies have confirmed that certain herb pairs can exert anti-ischemic effects through various pathways such as reducing inflammation, alleviating oxidative stress, protecting the nervous system, and promoting neovascularization. By reviewing the relevant articles in the past decade, this paper probes into the combination rules, modern experimental studies, and combination ratios of the commonly used herb pairs from the etiology and pathogenesis of IS and summarizes 18 commonly used and deeply studied herb pairs, with a view to providing reference for the application, research, and development of clinical medicines.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Animals ; Ischemic Stroke/metabolism* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

This study aims to investigate the effect of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula on the neuroinflammation of rats with insomnia complicated with depression through the regulation of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2(TREM2)/complement protein C1q signaling pathway. Rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a positive drug group, as well as a high, medium, and low-dose groups of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, the other groups were injected with p-chlorophenylalanine and exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress to establish the rat model of insomnia complicated with depression. The sucrose preference experiment, open field experiment, and water maze test were performed to evaluate the depression in rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to detect serum 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), dopamine(DA), and norepinephrine(NE) levels. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the damage in nucleus accumbens neurons. Western blot and immunofluorescence were performed to detect TREM2, C1q, postsynaptic density 95(PSD-95), and synaptophysin 1(SYN1) expressions in rat nucleus accumbens, respectively. Golgi-Cox staining was utilized to observe the synaptic spine density of nucleus accumbens neurons. The results show that, compared with the model group, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can significantly increase the sucrose preference as well as the distance and number of voluntary activities, shorten the immobility time in forced swimming test and the successful incubation period of positioning navigation, and prolong the stay time of space exploration in the target quadrant test. The serum 5-HT, DA, and NE contents in the model group are significantly lower than those in the normal group, with the above contents significantly increased after the intervention of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In addition, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can alleviate pathological damages such as swelling and loose arrangement of tissue cells in the nucleus accumbens, while increasing the Nissl body numbers. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can improve synaptic damage in the nucleus accumbens and increase the synaptic spine density. Compared to the normal group, the expression of C1q protein was significantly higher in the model group, while the expression of TREM2 protein was significantly lower. Compared to the model group, the intervention with Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula significantly downregulated the expression of C1q protein and significantly upregulated the expression of TREM2. Compared with the model group, the PSD-95 and SYN1 fluorescence intensity is significantly increased in the groups receiving different doses of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In summary, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can reduce the C1q protein expression, relieve the TREM2 inhibition, and promote the synapse-related proteins PSD-95 and SNY1 expression. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula improves synaptic injury of the nucleus accumbens neurons, thereby treating insomnia complicated with depression.
Animals ; Male ; Rats ; Nucleus Accumbens/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Depression/complications* ; Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/complications* ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Receptors, Immunologic/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Synapses/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the contents of characteristic components in Hugan qingzhi formula （HGQZ） decoction and formulated granules and the pharmacodynamic consistency of them on high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） model mice， and explore their potential underlying mechanisms of action. METHODS Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze and compare the contents of six characteristic components in HGQZ decoction and formulated granules. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal control group， model group， HGQZ decoction low- dose and high-dose groups （13， 26 g/kg， calculated by crude drugs）， and HGQZ formulated granules low-dose and high-dose groups （13， 26 g/kg， calculated by crude drugs）， with 6 mice in each group. Except for the normal control group， which was fed a regular diet， the mice in the other groups were fed a high-fat diet for 20 weeks to establish the NAFLD model； at the same time， the mice in each group were gavaged with the corresponding drugs/water once. The fasting blood glucose （FBG） levels， glucose and insulin tolerance， body weight， liver index， white adipose Δ 基金项目 国家自然科学基金项目（No.82074078）；广东省基础 tissue index， brown adipose tissue index， as well as lipid levels （total cholesterol， triglycerides） and liver function indicators （aspartate transaminase， alanine transaminase） were measured. Additionally， histopathological changes and lipid accumulation in liver tissues were observed. The serum samples of mice in the model group， HGQZ decoction high-dose group and HGQZ formulated granules high-dose group were taken for metabolomics analysis， and validation of the underlying mechanisms was conducted. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in the contents of ginsenoside Rb1， typhaneoside， isorhamnetin-3-O-neohesperidoside， hyperoside， nuciferine， and 23-acetylalismol B between HGQZ decoction and HGQZ formulated granules （P＞0.05）. Compared with the model group， the hepatic histopathological changes in mice were alleviated in both the HGQZ decoction group and all dose groups of HGQZ formulated granules. Inflammatory cell infiltration and lipid vacuoles were reduced. Additionally， there was a general improvement in FBG levels， glucose tolerance， insulin tolerance， body weight， liver index， white/brown adipose tissue index， lipid levels， and liver function indicators （P＜0.05）. However， no statistically significant differences were observed between these treatment groups （P＞0.05）. There were 234 and 136 differentially expressed serum metabolites identified in the model group versus HGQZ decoction high-dose group， and model group versus HGQZ formulated granules high-dose group， respectively. After taking the intersection， 65 common differentially expressed metabolites were obtained， which were enriched in metabolic pathways such as purine metabolism and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolism. Among these， the content of citrate in the model group was significantly lower than that in both the HGQZ decoction group and HGQZ formulated granules high-dose group （P＜0.05）. Both high-dose HGQZ decoction and formulated granules could significantly elevate the phosphorylation levels of AMP-activated protein kinase （AMPK） （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS HGQZ decoction and formulated granules contain comparable amounts of characteristic components， and both exhibit equivalent efficacy on NAFLD model mice. The anti-NAFLD effects of HGQZ are associated with the activation of the AMPK energy metabolism pathway.

Objective To analyze the prognosis of elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and its correlation with serum angiopoietin 2 (Ang-2), activated protein C (APC) and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) levels. Methods A total of 508 elderly patients with CAP in the hospital from March 2021 to March 2024 were divided into death group (n=104) and survival group (n=404) according to the survival status at 28 days after admission. Another 110 healthy subjects with physical examination were included in the control group. The levels of serum Ang-2, APC and PTX3 were compared, and their correlation with prognosis was explored by Pearson correlation analysis. Results In this study, 404 cases survived after 28 days and 104 cases died. The levels of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin and interleukin-8 and the proportion of severe condition in the survival group were lower than those in the death group (P<0.05). The level of serum APC in the case group and the death group was lower than that in the control group and the survival group (P<0.05), while the levels of Ang-2 and PTX3 were higher than those in the control group and the survival group (P<0.05), respectively. Serum APC level was negatively correlated with community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly CAP (r=-0.476, P<0.05), while Ang-2 and PTX3 were positively correlated with prognosis (r=0.489, 0.502, P<0.05). Conclusion Serum levels of Ang-2 and APC in elderly patients with CAP are decreased and the level of PTX3 is increased. Serum Ang-2 and APC levels are negatively correlated with elderly CAP, and PTX3 is positively correlated with prognosis.