low transit constipation （STC） is a common functional intestinal disorder caused by impaired colonic transit function， characterized by reduced bowel movement frequency， hard stools， and difficulty in defecation. The mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway， which mainly includes extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）， c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）， and p38 subtypes， plays a critical regulatory role in the occurrence and development of STC. This paper systematically reviews the multiple pathogenic mechanisms of the MAPK signaling pathway in STC and the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） intervention.At the mechanistic level， the MAPK signaling pathway promotes the progression of STC through the following links：（1） Activation of p38 upregulates the expression of aquaporin 3 （AQP3）/AQP4 in the colon， leading to excessive reabsorption of water in the intestinal lumen； （2） It forms a positive feedback loop with nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） to maintain low-grade intestinal inflammation， releases inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and inhibits smooth muscle contraction； （3） Overactivation of p38 downregulates the expression of occludin and mucin 2 while upregulates the expression of claudin-2， thereby disrupting the mucosal barrier； （4） The JNK/p38 signaling pathway activates the caspase cascade to induce apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells， neurons， and interstitial cells of Cajal； （5） Abnormal ERK signaling and excessive activation of p38/JNK inhibit intestinal smooth muscle contraction and reduce 5-hydroxytryptamine secretion， ultimately resulting in impaired colonic transit function.At the intervention level， TCM compound formulas and single herbs have been proven to improve STC by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway. Their effects are syndrome type-dependent：yin-nourishing formulas （Zengye Chengqi Tang， Tongbian Tang） mainly regulate the ERK/AQP axis； yang-warming formulas （Jichuan Jian） target both ERK/JNK and anti-apoptosis； heat-clearing formulas （Sanren Tang） focus on p38/NF-κB anti-inflammation. A single drug can simultaneously cover multiple aspects including water metabolism， inflammation， barrier function， apoptosis， and intestinal motility.Current relevant studies still have limitations such as mechanisms mostly remaining at the correlational level and a lack of disease-syndrome integrated research models. Future studies should combine specific inhibitors or gene knockout to identify core targets， establish disease-syndrome integrated STC models， and use network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques to deeply analyze the fine mechanism of “component-target-phenotype”， so as to provide high-quality evidence for the precise regulation of the MAPK signaling pathway by TCM in the intervention of STC.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcomes of combined complete preservation of chordal structure mitral valve replacement (C-MVR) with total anatomical arterial myocardial revascularization (TACR) in coronary patients with moderate-to-severe or severe ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR).Methods:This is a retrospective multi-center case series study. Data were retrospectively collected from 127 patients with coronary artery disease with moderate to severe or severe IMR who received TACR with C-MVR from July 2015 to April 2024 in 13 hospitals in China. There were 90 males and 37 females, aged (56.5±10.7) years (range: 33 to 74 years). Perioperative data and follow-up data including left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, and patency rate of arterial grafts of patients were collected. Comparisons were made using paired sample t-test or χ2 test. Results:In this cohort of 127 patients, 67 underwent concurrent tricuspid valve repair. During surgery, 113 grafts of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA), 127 grafts of the left radial artery, 80 grafts of the right radial artery, and 110 grafts of the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) were harvested. The number of the distal anastomosis was 4.2±0.4 (range: 3 to 5). The aortic cross-clamp time and cardiopulmonary bypass time were (97.5±23.4) minutes (range: 90 to 161 minutes) and (145.4±19.2) minutes (range: 101 to 210 minutes), respectively. There was one operative death. Intraoperative placement of an intra-aortic balloon pump was performed in 21 patients to improve the left ventricular ejection. No sternal ischemic occurred. All patients completed follow-up, with a mean follow-up period of (64.3±7.5) months (range: 4 to 110 months). No major cerebrovascular events occurred during the follow-up period, and all patients survived. Left ventricular ejection fraction improved postoperatively (55.0%±5.3% vs. 41.0%±15.3%, t=17.23, P<0.01). The proportion of patients with New York Heart Association functional class ≤2 increased postoperatively (23.6% (30/127) vs. 87.3% (110/126), χ2=103.77, P<0.01). The proportion of patients with Canadian Cardiovascular Society Angina Classification ≤3 decreased postoperatively (4.8% (6/126) vs. 78.7% (100/127), χ2=142.19, P<0.01). The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased postoperatively ((5.70±4.50) cm vs. (6.10±0.23) cm, t=12.15, P<0.01). Coronary multi-detector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) follow-up was conducted for (60.5±11.7) months (range: 6 to 109 months) postoperatively. MDCTA confirmed the patency rates of the grafts: 96.4% (108/112) for the LIMA grafts, 88.9% (112/126) for the left radial artery grafts, 93.7% (74/79) for the right radial artery grafts, and 90.9% (100/110) for the free RIMA grafts. No significant differences in graft patency rates were observed between the arterial grafts ( χ2=5.24, P=0.155). Conclusion:The results of this multi-centre study demonstrate satisfactory mid-term results of C-MVR with TACR for the treatment of coronary artery disease with moderate to severe or severe IMR.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcomes of combined complete preservation of chordal structure mitral valve replacement (C-MVR) with total anatomical arterial myocardial revascularization (TACR) in coronary patients with moderate-to-severe or severe ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR).Methods:This is a retrospective multi-center case series study. Data were retrospectively collected from 127 patients with coronary artery disease with moderate to severe or severe IMR who received TACR with C-MVR from July 2015 to April 2024 in 13 hospitals in China. There were 90 males and 37 females, aged (56.5±10.7) years (range: 33 to 74 years). Perioperative data and follow-up data including left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, and patency rate of arterial grafts of patients were collected. Comparisons were made using paired sample t-test or χ2 test. Results:In this cohort of 127 patients, 67 underwent concurrent tricuspid valve repair. During surgery, 113 grafts of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA), 127 grafts of the left radial artery, 80 grafts of the right radial artery, and 110 grafts of the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) were harvested. The number of the distal anastomosis was 4.2±0.4 (range: 3 to 5). The aortic cross-clamp time and cardiopulmonary bypass time were (97.5±23.4) minutes (range: 90 to 161 minutes) and (145.4±19.2) minutes (range: 101 to 210 minutes), respectively. There was one operative death. Intraoperative placement of an intra-aortic balloon pump was performed in 21 patients to improve the left ventricular ejection. No sternal ischemic occurred. All patients completed follow-up, with a mean follow-up period of (64.3±7.5) months (range: 4 to 110 months). No major cerebrovascular events occurred during the follow-up period, and all patients survived. Left ventricular ejection fraction improved postoperatively (55.0%±5.3% vs. 41.0%±15.3%, t=17.23, P<0.01). The proportion of patients with New York Heart Association functional class ≤2 increased postoperatively (23.6% (30/127) vs. 87.3% (110/126), χ2=103.77, P<0.01). The proportion of patients with Canadian Cardiovascular Society Angina Classification ≤3 decreased postoperatively (4.8% (6/126) vs. 78.7% (100/127), χ2=142.19, P<0.01). The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased postoperatively ((5.70±4.50) cm vs. (6.10±0.23) cm, t=12.15, P<0.01). Coronary multi-detector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) follow-up was conducted for (60.5±11.7) months (range: 6 to 109 months) postoperatively. MDCTA confirmed the patency rates of the grafts: 96.4% (108/112) for the LIMA grafts, 88.9% (112/126) for the left radial artery grafts, 93.7% (74/79) for the right radial artery grafts, and 90.9% (100/110) for the free RIMA grafts. No significant differences in graft patency rates were observed between the arterial grafts ( χ2=5.24, P=0.155). Conclusion:The results of this multi-centre study demonstrate satisfactory mid-term results of C-MVR with TACR for the treatment of coronary artery disease with moderate to severe or severe IMR.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

ObjectiveIn nature, objects cast shadows due to illumination, forming the basis for stereoscopic perception. Birds need to adapt to changes in lighting (meaning they can recognize stereoscopic shapes even when shadows look different) to accurately perceive different three-dimensional forms. However, how neurons in the key visual brain area in birds handle these lighting changes remains largely unreported. In this study, pigeons (Columba livia) were used as subjects to investigate how neurons in pigeon’s ventrolateral mesopallium (MVL) represent stereoscopic shapes consistently, regardless of changes in lighting. MethodsVisual cognitive training combined with neuronal recording was employed. Pigeons were first trained to discriminate different stereoscopic shapes (concave/convex). We then tested whether and how light luminance angle and surface appearance of the stereoscopic shapes affect their recognition accuracy, and further verify whether the results rely on specify luminance color. Simultaneously, neuronal firing activity of neurons was recorded with multiple electrode array implanted from the MVL during the presentation of difference shapes. The response was finally analyzed how selectively they responded to different stereoscopic shapes and whether their selectivity was affected by the changes of luminance condition (like lighting angle) or surface look. Support vector machine (SVM) models were trained on neuronal population responses recorded under one condition (light luminance angle of 45°) and used to decode responses under other conditions (light luminance angle of 135°, 225°, 315°) to verify the invariance of responses to different luminance conditions. ResultsBehavioral results from 6 pigeons consistently showed that the pigeons could reliably identify the core 3D shape (over 80% accuracy), and this ability wasn’t affected by changes in light angle or surface appearance. Statistical analysis of 88 recorded neurons from 6 pigeons revealed that 83% (73/88) showed strong selectivity for specific 3D shapes (selectivity index>0.3), and responses to convex shapes were consistently stronger than to concave shapes. These shape-selective responses remained stable across changes in light angle and surface appearance. Neural patterns were consistent under both blue and orange lighting. The decoding accuracy achieves above 70%, suggesting stable responses under different conditions (e.g., different lighting angles or surface appearance). ConclusionNeurons in the pigeon MVL maintain a consistent neural encoding pattern for different stereoscopic shapes, unaffected by illumination or surface appearance. This ensures stable object recognition by pigeons in changing visual environments. Our findings provide new physiological evidence for understanding how birds achieve stable perception (“invariant neural representations”) while coping with variations in the visual field.

Systemic lupus erythematosus （SLE）， a refractory autoimmune disease， is among the dominant diseases where traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） shows advantages in the field of rheumatology and immunology. The China-Japan Friendship Hospital hosted the "46^th Youth Salon on Dominant Diseases （Systemic Lupus Erythematosus）" organized by the China Association of Chinese Medicine， which led to a consensus on "the advantages， challenges， interdisciplinary approaches， and translational achievements of integrated TCM and Western medical approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of SLE." The diagnosis and treatment of SLE currently face several challenges， such as frequent misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis in the early stages， difficulty in achieving treatment targets， multiple side effects from pharmacotherapy， and the lack of management strategies for special populations， all of which hinder the fulfillment of the clinical needs of patients. Integrated TCM and Western medical approaches can improve clinical symptoms such as skin erythema， aversion to cold and cold limbs， fatigue， dry mouth， restlessness， and heat sensation in the palms and soles， thereby improving patients' quality of life. The approaches also help consolidate the efficacy of conventional Western medicine， slow disease progression， reduce relapse rates， address multi-organ involvement， and prevent or treat complications. Additionally， they enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity， prevent the side effects of Western medications， help reduce hormone use， and offer distinct advantages in the individualized intervention of special populations， contributing to the whole-process management of the disease. However， evidence-based medical support for this integrated approach remains limited， and the quality of available evidence is generally low. Common evaluation systems and modern research methodologies should be adopted to clarify the efficacy of TCM in SLE treatment. Efforts should be made to carry out high-quality evidence-based medical research， strengthen the development of fundamental and pharmacological research， and further explain the distinct advantages of TCM in the diagnosis and treatment of SLE. Future efforts should focus on advancing the integration of TCM and modern medicine， incorporating multi-omics technologies， individualized stratification， and other precision medicine concepts， in combination with artificial intelligence. Moreover， interdisciplinary collaboration should be promoted to utilize modern technology in exploring the essence of TCM theories and screening effective formulae， thereby comprehensively improving the diagnosis and treatment of SLE through integrated TCM and Western medical approaches.

Systemic lupus erythematosus （SLE）， a refractory autoimmune disease， is among the dominant diseases where traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） shows advantages in the field of rheumatology and immunology. The China-Japan Friendship Hospital hosted the "46^th Youth Salon on Dominant Diseases （Systemic Lupus Erythematosus）" organized by the China Association of Chinese Medicine， which led to a consensus on "the advantages， challenges， interdisciplinary approaches， and translational achievements of integrated TCM and Western medical approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of SLE." The diagnosis and treatment of SLE currently face several challenges， such as frequent misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis in the early stages， difficulty in achieving treatment targets， multiple side effects from pharmacotherapy， and the lack of management strategies for special populations， all of which hinder the fulfillment of the clinical needs of patients. Integrated TCM and Western medical approaches can improve clinical symptoms such as skin erythema， aversion to cold and cold limbs， fatigue， dry mouth， restlessness， and heat sensation in the palms and soles， thereby improving patients' quality of life. The approaches also help consolidate the efficacy of conventional Western medicine， slow disease progression， reduce relapse rates， address multi-organ involvement， and prevent or treat complications. Additionally， they enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity， prevent the side effects of Western medications， help reduce hormone use， and offer distinct advantages in the individualized intervention of special populations， contributing to the whole-process management of the disease. However， evidence-based medical support for this integrated approach remains limited， and the quality of available evidence is generally low. Common evaluation systems and modern research methodologies should be adopted to clarify the efficacy of TCM in SLE treatment. Efforts should be made to carry out high-quality evidence-based medical research， strengthen the development of fundamental and pharmacological research， and further explain the distinct advantages of TCM in the diagnosis and treatment of SLE. Future efforts should focus on advancing the integration of TCM and modern medicine， incorporating multi-omics technologies， individualized stratification， and other precision medicine concepts， in combination with artificial intelligence. Moreover， interdisciplinary collaboration should be promoted to utilize modern technology in exploring the essence of TCM theories and screening effective formulae， thereby comprehensively improving the diagnosis and treatment of SLE through integrated TCM and Western medical approaches.

OBJECTIVE To summarize the follow-up,survival time and treatment of a patients who received heart transplantation from a hepatitis B virus(HBV)-positive donor so as to raise the perception and awareness of pre-vention of hepatitis B after receiving the heart transplantation from a HBV-positive donor and extend the survival time of the patient.METHODS A patient who had new onset of hepatitis B after receiving heart transplantation from a HBV-positive donor and was treated in infectious diseases department of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan Uni-versity in Mar.2021 was enrolled in the study.The clinical data,including the main clinical symptoms,medication and treatment history,individual history,major positive signs and treatment outcomes,were retrospectively ana-lyzed.The process of diagnosis and treatment was analyzed and was further discussed in combination with litera-ture search.RESULTS The patient was treated with immunosuppression and anti-HBV therapy for 11 months after the heart transplantation,and the patient had anorexia,fatigue,diarrhea,and skin icteric sclera in the current month of withdrawal of drug therapy.The patient was admitted to the hospital and was finally diagnosed with a-cute hepatic failure,acute hepatitis B,acute renal failure,septic shock,heart transplantation and gastrointestinal hemorrhage.The patient died due to ineffective treatment.CONCLUSIONS The patient with new onset of HBV in-fection who receives organ transplantation and takes a long-term use of immunosuppressors may have severe con-sequences such as new onset of hepatitis B and acute hepatic failure.It is necessary to attach great importance to and take comprehensive measures for the prevention of new onset HBV infection in the donor after the organ transplantation,stick to the long-term reexamination of HBV infection-related indexes and maintain the antiviral therapy as long as possible(at least 1 year),which may facilitate the protection of the patient from HBV infec-tion-related adverse events and help to extend the survival time of the patient after the organ transplantation.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) and endoscopic rubber band ligation (ERBL) for the treatment of grade Ⅰ-Ⅲ internal hemorrhoids.Methods:A prospective study was conducted on patients with grade Ⅰ-Ⅲ internal hemorrhoids who sought treatment at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University or the NO.2 People's Hospital of Fuyang City from November 2021 to November 2022. Eligible patients were continuously enrolled based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomized into 2 groups using a central randomization system: the EIS group and the ERBL group. The primary outcomes included symptom improvement rate, recurrence rate, incidence of adverse events (bleeding, anal distension, pain, urinary retention, etc.), surgical costs, patient satisfaction, hemorrhoidal disease symptom score (HDSS), European quality of life 5-dimensions (EQ-5D) score, and self-rated health status score.Results:A total of 203 patients were enrolled (86 from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and 117 from the NO.2 People's Hospital of Fuyang City), with 103 in the EIS group and 100 in the ERBL group. Both groups successfully completed endoscopic treatment for internal hemorrhoids. The surgical cost in the EIS group was significantly lower than that in the ERBL group (1 044.77±522.77 yuan VS 2 538.44±465.63 yuan, t=-21.660, P<0.001). The incidence of perioperative pain and moderate-to-severe pain in the EIS group was significantly lower than that in the ERBL group [2.91% (3/103) VS 25.00% (25/100), χ2=20.817, P<0.001; 0.97% (1/103) VS 18.00% (18/100), χ2=17.344, P<0.001]. There were no significant differences in the incidence of perioperative bleeding, anal distension, or urinary retention between the two groups [0.97% (1/103) VS 1.00% (1/100), 11.65% (12/103) VS 19.00% (19/100), 0.00% (0/103) VS 2.00% (2/100), P>0.05]. During the 12-week follow-up, 4 patients were lost to follow-up (all from the EIS group). There were no significant differences in symptom improvement rate, recurrence rate, or patient satisfaction rate between the two groups [96.97% (96/99) VS 96.00% (96/100), 3.03% (3/99) VS 5.00% (5/100), 97.98% (97/99) VS 95.00% (95/100), P>0.05]. At 12 weeks postoperatively, the HDSS in the EIS group significantly decreased compared to preoperative levels [0.0 (0.0, 1.0) VS 5.0 (3.0, 7.0), Z=-18.270, P<0.010], the EQ-5D score in the ERBL group significantly increased compared to preoperative levels (1.00±0.01 VS 0.98±0.03, F=27.527, P<0.010), and self-rated health status score in the ERBL group significantly increased compared to preoperative levels (92.31±6.89 VS 82.62±10.98, F=115.025, P<0.010). At 12 weeks postoperatively, the HDSS in the ERBL group significantly decreased compared to preoperative levels [0.0 (0.0, 1.0) VS 5.0 (4.0, 8.0), Z=-16.110, P<0.010], the EQ-5D score in the ERBL group significantly increased compared to preoperative levels (1.00±0.00 VS 0.98±0.05, F=13.718, P<0.010), and self-rated health status score in the ERBL group significantly increased compared to preoperative levels (93.46±6.35 VS 84.15±10.71, F=123.695, P<0.010). Conclusion:Both EIS and ERBL are safe and effective treatments for grade Ⅰ-Ⅲ internal hemorrhoids, with high patient satisfaction. Comparatively, EIS demonstrates lower surgical costs and a reduced incidence and severity of perioperative pain.

This study aims to investigate the potential effect of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix on hypercholesterolemia in mice that was induced by a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet and explore its possible mechanism from bile acid reabsorption. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into the following groups: control, model, low-and high-dose(4 and 8 g·kg~(-1), respectively) fresh Rehmanniae Radix, and positive drug(simvastatin, 0.05 g·kg~(-1)). Other groups except the control group were fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet for 6 consecutive weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia. From the 6th week, mice were administrated with corresponding drugs daily via gavage for additional 6 weeks, while continuing to be fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet. Serum levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-c), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-c), and total bile acid(TBA), as well as liver TC and TG levels and fecal TBA level, were determined by commercial assay kits. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy were performed to observe the pathological changes in the liver. Three livers samples were randomly selected from each of the control, model, and high-dose fresh Rehmanniae Radix groups for high-throughput transcriptome sequencing. Differentially expressed genes were mined and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to predict the key pathways and target genes of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. RT-qPCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase(CYP7A1) and cholesterol 27α-hydroxylase(CYP27A1) in the liver. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of CYP7A1 and CYP27A1 in the liver as well as farnesoid X receptor(FXR), apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter(ASBT), and ileum bile acid-binding protein(I-BABP) in the ileum. The results showed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly lowered the levels of TC and TG in the serum and liver, as well as the level of LDL-c in the serum. Conversely, it elevated the level of HDL-c in the serum and TBA in feces. No significant difference was observed in the level of TBA in the serum among groups. HE staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy showed that the water extract reduced the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver. Further mechanism studies revealed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly down-regulated the protein levels of FXR and bile acid reabsorption-related proteins ASBT and I-BABP. Additionally, it enhanced CYP7A1 and CYP27A1, the key enzymes involved in bile acid synthesis. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix may exert an anti-hypercholesterolemic effect by regulating FXR/ASBT/I-BABP signaling, inhibiting bile acid reabsorption, and increasing bile acid excretion, thus facilitating the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids.
Animals ; Male ; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects* ; Cholesterol/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Hypercholesterolemia/genetics* ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics* ; Rehmannia/chemistry* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Humans ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase/genetics* ; Plant Extracts