ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the mechanism by which Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula improves metabolism-neuroplasticity and treats unilateral vestibular labyrinth destruction by regulating the metabolic balance of glutamate （Glu）/γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）. Methods48 Sprague-Dawley （SD） adult rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group， model group， Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula groups with low， medium， and high doses （9.20， 18.39， 36.78 g·kg^-1）， and betahistine group （1.62 mg·kg^-1）. A unilateral vestibular labyrinth destruction （vestibular dysfunction） model was established by intratympanic injection of chloroform into the right ear， while the control group received intratympanic injection of normal saline. Drugs were administered once daily for seven consecutive days. During the period， behavioral tests were performed to evaluate the behaviors of rats after unilateral vestibular labyrinth destruction. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the neuronal morphology in the medial vestibular nucleus. Golgi staining was employed to assess the number of dendritic spines of neurons in the medial vestibular nucleus. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-ESI-MS/MS） was utilized to detect Glu/GABA. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expressions of neuronal nuclei （NeuN）， growth-associated protein 43 （GAP-43）， and glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP）. Western blot and real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were applied to determine the expressions of glutamate-immunoreactive （Glu-IR）， GABA， GFAP， postsynaptic density protein 95 （PSD-95）， and GAP-43. ResultsCompared with the sham operation group， the model group presented with head deviation， balance disorder， increased tail suspension score， nuclear consolidation of medial vestibular nerve neurons， and decreased Nissl bodies （P<0.01）. The number of dendritic spines in neurons and NeuN-positive cells decreased. The content of Glu decreased. The content of GABA increased （Glu/GABA decreased）. The expression of GAP-43 was down-regulated， and GFAP was up-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The expressions of Glu-IR， PSD-95， and GAP-43 proteins， as well as Glu-IR mRNA decreased， while the expressions of GABA and GFAP proteins and mRNA increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with those in the model group， the head deviation， imbalanced behavior， and tail suspension scores in each treatment group decreased， with alleviated neuronal injury and recovered Nissl bodies （P<0.01）. The number of dendritic spines of neurons increased， and the number of NeuN-positive cells rebounded. The content of Glu increased， and the content of GABA decreased （Glu/GABA increased）. GFAP was down-regulated， and GAP-43 was up-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The expressions of Glu-IR， PMD-95， and GAP-43 proteins， as well as Glu-IR mRNA increased， while the expressions of GABA and GFAP proteins and mRNA decreased. The effect was more significant in the high-dose group （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula can alleviate vestibular dysfunction， and its mechanism may be associated with regulating the metabolic balance of Glu/GABA， mitigating neural damage， improving synaptic plasticity （promoting GAP-43 expression and inhibiting GFAP expression）， and facilitating vestibular compensation.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of different exercise interventions on metabolism and liver parameters in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD）， and to provide evidence-based recommendations for clinical exercise rehabilitation. MethodsThis study was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines， and the protocol was registered on the PROSPERO platform， with a registration number of CRD42025641717. PubMed， Web of Science， Scopus， Wiley Online Library， CNKI， Wanfang Data， and VIP were searched for related articles published up to September 2024. The Cochrane tool for assessing risk of bias was used to assess the quality of articles， and Stata MP 17.0 was used to perform the network meta-analysis. ResultsA total of 57 articles were included， involving 2 648 patients. The results showed that aerobic exercise combined with resistance exercise had the best effect in improving body mass index （mean difference ［WMD］=-0.97， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： -1.66 to -0.28］， P<0.05， surface under the cumulative ranking curve ［SUCRA］=85.4） and triglycerides （WMD=-29.6， 95%CI： -46.66 to 12.54， P<0.05， SUCRA=87.3）； resistance exercise was the optimal intervention method for improving total cholesterol （WMD=-15.99， 95%CI： -24.19 to -7.79， P<0.05， SUCRA=79.9） and glutamine transaminase （WMD=-8.08， 95%CI： -12.13 to -4.02， P<0.05， SUCRA=87.3）； low-intensity aerobic exercise had the best effect in improving aspartate aminotransferase （WMD=-4.3， 95%CI： -8.45 to -0.15， P<0.05， SUCRA=73.5）， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT） （WMD=-3.26， 95%CI： -7.79 to 1.27， P>0.05， SUCRA=82.3）， and glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c） （WMD=-0.6， 95%CI： -2.02 to 0.82， P>0.05， SUCRA=78.8）； moderate-intensity aerobic exercise was the optimal intervention modality to improve Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance （WMD=-0.92， 95%CI： -1.51 to -0.33， P<0.05， SUCRA=69.4）. It should be noted that there were no significant differences in HbA1c and GGT across different exercise interventions （all P>0.05）， suggesting that there was currently no sufficient statistical evidence to support that exercise could improve these two indicators. ConclusionBased on the comprehensive league table and cumulative probability ranking， aerobic exercise combined with resistance exercise， resistance exercise， and low- and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise may be the best exercise modality for improving key indicators in MAFLD patients， and targeted exercise modalities should be selected for intervention against different indicators； however， due to limitations of the original studies， further studies are needed for validation and exploration.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the prototype components absorbed into blood and brain of Lithocarpus litseifolius leaves， so as to provide a reference for clarifying the pharmacological material basis of its prevention and treatment of central nervous system dis eases. METHODS The ethanol extract of L. litseifolius leaves， as well as the gastric lavage fluid and perfusion solution were prepared. Using rats as subjects， plasma samples of intestinal wall metabolism， intestinal flora metabolism and hepatic metabolism were prepared via in situ intestinal perfusion and closed intestinal loop method； while comprehensive metabolic plasma samples， brain tissue samples， and cerebrospinal fluid samples were collected after intragastric administration. UPLC-HRMS technology was utilized to analyze and identify chemical components and prototype components absorbed into blood and brain of L. litseifolius leaves. RESULTS A total of 66 chemical constituents were identified in L. litseifolius leaves， primarily consisting of flavonoids， organic acids， and others. A total of 16， 13， 11， and 5 prototype components were identified in intestinal wall metabolism， intestinal flora metabolism， hepatic metabolism， and comprehensive metabolic plasma samples， respectively. Additionally， 4 prototype components were detected in brain tissue and 9 in cerebrospinal fluid. Phloridzin， trilobatin， phloretin-2- O -malonyl hexoside， and phloretin were identified as common components across all sample types. CONCLUSIONS Prototype components absorbed into blood and brain of L. litseifolius leaves， such as phloridzin， trilobatin， phloretin， and other components may serve as the pharmacological material basis for their therapeutic effects on central nervous system diseases.

ObjectiveTo optimize the extraction method for polysaccharides from turnip（Brassica rapa）， and analyze and evaluate the primary structure of the isolated and purified turnip polysaccharide fraction（BP-1） and its hypoglycemic effects in diabetic zebrafish. MethodsTaking polysaccharide yield as the evaluation index， a semi-bionic extraction method was employed. Single-factor experiments and Box-Behnken response surface methodology were used to investigate three factors of solid-to-liquid ratio， extraction time and extraction temperature， in order to optimize the extraction process. BP-1 was isolated and purified using the Sevage method and DEAE-52 cellulose column chromatography. Structural characterization of the turnip polysaccharides was performed using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry（UV）， gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS）， Congo red assay， and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR） to determine purity， monosaccharide composition， triple-helix structure， and functional groups. The microstructure of the polysaccharides was observed using scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and atomic force microscopy（AFM）. Zebrafish were divided into the blank group（adding E3 medium）， and BP-1-1， BP-1-10， BP-1-50， BP-1-200， BP-1-1 000 groups（adding BP-1 solutions at concentrations of 1， 10， 50， 200， 1 000 mg·L^-1， respectively）， and zebrafish embryos were subjected to a 96-hour exposure experiment. The maximum tolerated concentration of BP-1 in zebrafish was determined by evaluating its effects on phenotype， survival rate， malformation rate， and heart rate. Experimental animals were randomly divided into the blank group， model group， BP-1-10 group（10 mg·L^-1）， BP-1-50 group（50 mg·L^-1）， and BP-1-200 group（200 mg·L^-1）. The blank group was cultured in E3 medium， the model and treatment groups were induced to establish a diabetic model in 4 day-post-fertilization（dpf） zebrafish embryos using 10 g·L^-1 of glucose combined with 500 µmol·L^-1 of alloxan. The treatment groups received corresponding doses of BP-1 solution， while the blank and model groups received an equal volume of saline. Glucose and insulin（INS） levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） kits， the effects on the liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin（HE） histopathological sections. The mRNA expression levels of glucagon（Glucagon）， insulin（Insa）， and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1（PCK1） were detected with real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）. ResultsThe optimized extraction conditions were determined as follows：solid-to-liquid ratio of 1∶40（g·mL^-1）， extraction time of 66 min， and extraction temperature of 79 ℃. Under these conditions， the yield of turnip polysaccharides was （10.34±0.96）%. UV analysis indicated that BP-1 contained no proteins or nucleic acids， GC-MS analysis revealed that BP-1 consisted of six monosaccharides（arabinose， rhamnose， ribose， mannose， galactose and glucose）. Congo red assay indicated that the molecular conformation did not exhibit a triple-helix structure， FT-IR analysis showed the presence of α-glycosidic bonds and uronic acids， SEM analysis revealed an irregular flaky structure with a flat and smooth surface， AFM analysis suggested that the aggregated structure might be formed by the entanglement of molecular chains and intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The maximum tolerated concentration of BP-1 in zebrafish over 96 h was determined to be 200 mg·L^-1. Pharmacodynamic results showed that， compared with the blank group， the model group exhibited significantly increased glucose levels and significantly decreased INS levels（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the BP-1-50 group significantly reduced glucose levels and increased INS levels（P<0.05）. Histopathological examination of liver tissue revealed that various doses of BP-1 had a certain reparative effect on damaged liver tissue. The liver tissue structure in the BP-1-200 group was nearly normal， with hepatocytes appearing plump. Real-time PCR results showed that， compared with the blank group， the model group exhibited significantly upregulated mRNA expressions of Glucagon and PCK1， and significantly downregulated mRNA expression of Insa（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the BP-1-50 and BP-1-200 groups showed significantly downregulated mRNA expressions of Glucagon and PCK1， and significantly upregulated mRNA expression of Insa（P<0.01）. ConclusionThe semi-bionic extraction method for turnip polysaccharides yields a high extraction rate， is simple to operate， has low costs， making it suitable for large-scale industrial production. BP-1 consists of six monosaccharides， contains α-glycosidic bonds and uronic acids， exhibits hypoglycemic activity， and provides a certain protective effect on the liver of alloxan-induced diabetic model zebrafish.

ObjectiveTo optimize the extraction method for polysaccharides from turnip（Brassica rapa）， and analyze and evaluate the primary structure of the isolated and purified turnip polysaccharide fraction（BP-1） and its hypoglycemic effects in diabetic zebrafish. MethodsTaking polysaccharide yield as the evaluation index， a semi-bionic extraction method was employed. Single-factor experiments and Box-Behnken response surface methodology were used to investigate three factors of solid-to-liquid ratio， extraction time and extraction temperature， in order to optimize the extraction process. BP-1 was isolated and purified using the Sevage method and DEAE-52 cellulose column chromatography. Structural characterization of the turnip polysaccharides was performed using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry（UV）， gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS）， Congo red assay， and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR） to determine purity， monosaccharide composition， triple-helix structure， and functional groups. The microstructure of the polysaccharides was observed using scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and atomic force microscopy（AFM）. Zebrafish were divided into the blank group（adding E3 medium）， and BP-1-1， BP-1-10， BP-1-50， BP-1-200， BP-1-1 000 groups（adding BP-1 solutions at concentrations of 1， 10， 50， 200， 1 000 mg·L^-1， respectively）， and zebrafish embryos were subjected to a 96-hour exposure experiment. The maximum tolerated concentration of BP-1 in zebrafish was determined by evaluating its effects on phenotype， survival rate， malformation rate， and heart rate. Experimental animals were randomly divided into the blank group， model group， BP-1-10 group（10 mg·L^-1）， BP-1-50 group（50 mg·L^-1）， and BP-1-200 group（200 mg·L^-1）. The blank group was cultured in E3 medium， the model and treatment groups were induced to establish a diabetic model in 4 day-post-fertilization（dpf） zebrafish embryos using 10 g·L^-1 of glucose combined with 500 µmol·L^-1 of alloxan. The treatment groups received corresponding doses of BP-1 solution， while the blank and model groups received an equal volume of saline. Glucose and insulin（INS） levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） kits， the effects on the liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin（HE） histopathological sections. The mRNA expression levels of glucagon（Glucagon）， insulin（Insa）， and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1（PCK1） were detected with real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）. ResultsThe optimized extraction conditions were determined as follows：solid-to-liquid ratio of 1∶40（g·mL^-1）， extraction time of 66 min， and extraction temperature of 79 ℃. Under these conditions， the yield of turnip polysaccharides was （10.34±0.96）%. UV analysis indicated that BP-1 contained no proteins or nucleic acids， GC-MS analysis revealed that BP-1 consisted of six monosaccharides（arabinose， rhamnose， ribose， mannose， galactose and glucose）. Congo red assay indicated that the molecular conformation did not exhibit a triple-helix structure， FT-IR analysis showed the presence of α-glycosidic bonds and uronic acids， SEM analysis revealed an irregular flaky structure with a flat and smooth surface， AFM analysis suggested that the aggregated structure might be formed by the entanglement of molecular chains and intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The maximum tolerated concentration of BP-1 in zebrafish over 96 h was determined to be 200 mg·L^-1. Pharmacodynamic results showed that， compared with the blank group， the model group exhibited significantly increased glucose levels and significantly decreased INS levels（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the BP-1-50 group significantly reduced glucose levels and increased INS levels（P<0.05）. Histopathological examination of liver tissue revealed that various doses of BP-1 had a certain reparative effect on damaged liver tissue. The liver tissue structure in the BP-1-200 group was nearly normal， with hepatocytes appearing plump. Real-time PCR results showed that， compared with the blank group， the model group exhibited significantly upregulated mRNA expressions of Glucagon and PCK1， and significantly downregulated mRNA expression of Insa（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the BP-1-50 and BP-1-200 groups showed significantly downregulated mRNA expressions of Glucagon and PCK1， and significantly upregulated mRNA expression of Insa（P<0.01）. ConclusionThe semi-bionic extraction method for turnip polysaccharides yields a high extraction rate， is simple to operate， has low costs， making it suitable for large-scale industrial production. BP-1 consists of six monosaccharides， contains α-glycosidic bonds and uronic acids， exhibits hypoglycemic activity， and provides a certain protective effect on the liver of alloxan-induced diabetic model zebrafish.

ObjectiveTo analyze the pharmacodynamic activity of Bupleuri Radix processed with Trionyx sinensis blood in the treatment of Yin deficiency and study the spectrum-effect relationship of this medicine. MethodsHigh performance liquid chromatography was employed to establish the fingerprints of 15 batches of Bupleuri Radix processed with Trionyx sinensis blood， and the similarity was evaluated according to the SOP of Similarity Evaluation System of Chromatographic Fingerprint of TCM （version 2012）. A mouse model of Yin deficiency induced by thyroxine was established. The relationship between the active components and the effect on Yin deficiency was explored by grey correlation analysis and partial least squares method based on the changes in the serum levels of triiodothyronine （T3）， thyroxine （T4）， cyclic adenosine phosphate （cAMP）， and cyclic guanosine phosphate （cGMP）. The components screened out based on the spectrum-effect relationship were used for retrieval of the targets from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology and Analysis Database （TCMSP）， The Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine （ETCM）， and Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCMIP）. Furthermore， the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man （OMIM）， GeneCards， TTD， DisGeNET， and Drugbank were employed to establish the active component-target against Yin deficiency network of Bupleuri Radix processed with Trionyx sinensis blood. Gene Ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment analyses were carried out for the core targets. Real-time PCR was conducted to verify the predicted key pathways and mechanisms. ResultsThe fingerprints of the 15 batches of Bupleuri Radix processed with Trionyx sinensis blood showed the similarities of 0.976-0.999 with the control fingerprint. Compared with the model group， the drug administration group showed elevated levels of T3 and T4 and lowered levels of cAMP， cGMP and cAMP/cGMP. The results of grey correlation analysis showed that active components in terms of the correlations followed the trend of saikosaponin B₁ > saikosaponin B₂ > saikosaponin C > saikosaponin D > saikosaponin A. The partial least squares analysis showed that saikosaponins A， D， B₁， and B₂ had higher VIP values. Network pharmacology predicted a total of 30 common targets， which were enriched in 276 GO terns and 115 KEGG pathways. The results of Real-time PCR showed that the model group had lower mRNA levels of Caspase-9， kinase insert domain receptor （KDR）， and mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） and higher mRNA level of mouse double minute 2 homolog （MDM2） than the blank group and the drug administration group. ConclusionBupleuri Radix processed with Trionyx sinensis blood has therapeutic effect on Yin deficiency syndrome， which provides a new idea for studying Bupleuri Radix processed with Trionyx sinensis blood.

BACKGROUND:Socket-shield technique can effectively maintain labial soft and hard tissues,but the incidence of postoperative complications such as exposure and displacement of root shield is relatively high.It is speculated that the root shield may be exposed and displaced due to excessive load after long-term function of dental implants. OBJECTIVE:Through three-dimensional finite element analysis,we aim to study the influence of varying root shield thicknesses on the stress distribution,equivalent stress peaks,and displacement in the root shield,periodontal ligaments,implant,and surrounding alveolar bone under normal occlusal loading.We also attempt to analyze the correlation between the thickness of the root shield and occurrence of mechanical events such as root shield exposure,displacement,and fracture. METHODS:Cone-beam CT data of a patient who met the indication standard of socket-shield technique for maxillary central incisor were retrieved from database.Reverse engineering techniques were used to build models of the maxillary bone and root shield,while forward engineering was used to create models for the implant components based on their parameters.Models depicting various root shield thicknesses(0.5,1.0,1.5,and 2.0 mm)were created using Solidworks 2022 software.ANSYS Workbench 2021 software was then used to simulate and analyze the effects of varying root shield thicknesses on stress distribution,equivalent stress peaks,and displacement of the root shields,periodontal ligaments,implants,and surrounding alveolar bone under normal occlusion. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)In all root shield models,the stress was concentrated on the palatal cervical side,both sides of the edges and the lower edge of the labial side.As the thickness of the root shield increased,the equivalent stress peak and displacement showed a decreasing trend.The 0.5 mm thickness model produced a stress concentration of 176.20 MPa,which exceeded the yield strength(150 MPa)of tooth tissue.(2)The periodontal ligament stress in each group was concentrated in the neck margin and upper region.With the increase of root shield thickness,the equivalent stress peak and displacement of periodontal ligament showed a decreasing trend.(3)Implant stress in all models was concentrated in the neck of the implant and the joint of the implant-repair abutment,and the labial side was more concentrated than the palatal side.With the increase of root shield thickness,the equivalent stress peak of the implant in the model showed an increasing trend.(4)In each group of models,stress of cortical bone concentrated around the neck of the implant and the periphery of the root shield,and the labial side was more concentrated than the palatal side.With the increase of the thickness of the root shield,the equivalent stress peak around the root shield decreased;the peak value of the equivalent stress of the bone around the neck of the implant showed an increasing trend.In the model,the stress of cancellous bone was mainly concentrated around the neck of the lip of the implant,the top of the thread,the root tip and the lower margin of the root shield,and the labial side was more concentrated than the palatal side.With the increase of the thickness of the root shield,the peak value of the equivalent stress of the bone around the root shield in the model showed a decreasing trend.The minimum principal stress of cortical bone in each group of models was concentrated around the neck of the implant,exhibiting a fan-shaped distribution.As the thickness of the root shield increased,the minimum principal stress of cortical bone showed an increasing trend.(5)These results indicate that different thicknesses of the root shield have different biomechanical effects.The root shield with a thickness of 0.5 mm is easy to fracture.For patients with sufficient bone width,the root shield with a thickness of 2.0 mm is an option to reduce the risk of complications such as root shield exposure,fracture,and displacement.Meanwhile,it should be taken into account to protect the periodontal ligament in the preparation process,and rounding treatments ought to be carried out on both sides and the lower edge of the root shield.

ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect and mechanism of action of flavonoid combination of Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma （A. officinarum） against Helicobacter pylori （H. pylori） gastritis in mice. MethodsAfter acclimatization for one week， 56 SPF-grade healthy C57BL/6J mice were gavaged with mixed antibiotics for three consecutive days. They were randomly divided into a normal group， model group， positive drug group （triple therapy group）， and low- and high-dose groups （100， 200 mg·kg^-1） of flavonoid combination of A. officinarum. The H. pylori gastritis mice model was established by gavage with H. pylori bacterial suspension in each group except for the normal group. After successful modeling， mice were administrated with corresponding drugs once a day for two weeks. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes in gastric tissue. Rapid urease test paper was used to detect the positive rate of H. pylori. Silver staining was used to observe the H. pylori adherence on the surface of gastric tissue. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the protein expression of interleukin-8 （IL）-8 and myeloid differentiation factor （MyD88） in gastric tissue. The serum levels of IL-6， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， IL-8， and IL-1β were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The expressions of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） protein were detected by Western blot. ResultsCompared with those in the normal group， mice in the model group had lower gastric weight coefficients， higher pH of gastric juice， 100% H. pylori infection rate， and significantly changed gastric histopathology. The expressions of IL-8 and MyD88 proteins in the gastric tissue of mice in the model group were significantly elevated， and the serum levels of inflammatory factors IL-6， TNF-α， IL-8， and IL-1β were significantly up-regulated in mice. Compared with that in the model group， the gastric weight coefficient of mice in each treatment group of the flavonoid combinations of A. officinarum was elevated （P<0.01）， and the pH of gastric juice was reduced （P<0.01）. The infection rate of H. pylori was reduced. The expressions of IL-8 and MyD88 proteins in the gastric tissue of mice in the treatment groups were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， and the serum levels of inflammatory factors IL-6， TNF-α， IL-8， and IL-1β were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner （P<0.01）. The flavonoid combinations of A. officinarum down-regulated the expression of PI3K and Akt proteins in H. pylori gastritis-infected cells （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe protective effect of flavonoid combinations of A. officinarum against H. pylori gastritis is associated with the inhibition of H. pylori infection rate and regulation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， resulting in inhibiting the release of inflammatory factors.

Monotropein is a compound classified into iridoid which is found in herbaceous plants Morindae officinalis. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-osteoarthritic activities. Previous study indicates that monotropein may have the potential to combat cardiovascular disease, although the related mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we constructed the model of atherosclerosis by oxidized low density lipoprotein-induced vascular smooth muscle cells and LDLR –/–mice given high-fat diet to investigate the effects of monotropein on atherosclerosis.Our results showed that monotropein treatment significantly reduced the area of atherosclerotic plaques and necrotic cores in mice, inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, and reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, which in turn alleviated atherosclerosis. In addition, we found that monotropein reduced the expression levels of P-NF-κB and P-AP-1. In conclusion, our data suggest that monotropein inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells by mediating the activity of NF-κB, AP-1, reducing the level of inflammation and oxidative stress, and thus resisting the development of atherosclerosis. These findings demonstrate the efficacious therapeutic impact of monotropein on atherosclerosis and elucidate its specific target.

Monotropein is a compound classified into iridoid which is found in herbaceous plants Morindae officinalis. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-osteoarthritic activities. Previous study indicates that monotropein may have the potential to combat cardiovascular disease, although the related mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we constructed the model of atherosclerosis by oxidized low density lipoprotein-induced vascular smooth muscle cells and LDLR –/–mice given high-fat diet to investigate the effects of monotropein on atherosclerosis.Our results showed that monotropein treatment significantly reduced the area of atherosclerotic plaques and necrotic cores in mice, inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, and reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, which in turn alleviated atherosclerosis. In addition, we found that monotropein reduced the expression levels of P-NF-κB and P-AP-1. In conclusion, our data suggest that monotropein inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells by mediating the activity of NF-κB, AP-1, reducing the level of inflammation and oxidative stress, and thus resisting the development of atherosclerosis. These findings demonstrate the efficacious therapeutic impact of monotropein on atherosclerosis and elucidate its specific target.