ObjectivePolygoni Multiflori Radix is a commonly used tonic traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in clinical practice， but liver injury has often been reported in recent years. Some related preparations containing Polygoni Multiflori Radix have been reported by the National Medical Products Administration many times for the risk of liver injury. This has caused extensive discussion on the potential toxicity of TCM in China and abroad， which has limited the clinical use of Polygoni Multiflori Radix to some extent. To understand the adverse reactions of Polygoni Multiflori Radix， the safe and rational use of Polygoni Multiflori Radix in clinical practice was discussed. MethodsThe pharmacovigilance thought of modern Chinese medicine and the TCM pharmacovigilance system framework of ''identification of poison， use of poison， anti-poison， and detoxification'' were employed to mine the relevant toxicity records， usage and dosage， processing compatibility， and contraindication of taking Polygoni Multiflori Radix in ancient books. The drug safety information of Polygoni Multiflori Radix was summarized by comparing with modern reports. ResultsA total of 74 ancient books related to Polygoni Multiflori Radix were included， suggesting that the toxicity of Polygoni Multiflori Radix was recognized in ancient times. The main chemical components of Polygoni Multiflori Radix had both efficacy and toxicity， and the adverse reactions may be related to long-term use， excessive use， and individual differences. The results showed that the toxic components of Polygoni Multiflori Radix could be reduced by peeling， steaming with black beans， and processing without iron tools. The toxic effects of Polygoni Multiflori Radix could be reduced by the compatibility of Polygoni Multiflori Radix with Poria， Psoraleae Fructus， and Cistanches Herba. ConclusionReasonable dosage， standard processing， correct compatibility， and syndrome differentiation are the key points to standardize the use of Polygoni Multiflori Radix and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions. Clinically， the toxicity classification of TCM should be strengthened， and the susceptible population should be prioritized. The detection indicators and early warning mechanisms should be improved， and precise drug dosage and course of treatment should be guaranteed. These measures can ensure the safe use of Polygoni Multiflori Radix.

ObjectivePolygoni Multiflori Radix is a commonly used tonic traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in clinical practice， but liver injury has often been reported in recent years. Some related preparations containing Polygoni Multiflori Radix have been reported by the National Medical Products Administration many times for the risk of liver injury. This has caused extensive discussion on the potential toxicity of TCM in China and abroad， which has limited the clinical use of Polygoni Multiflori Radix to some extent. To understand the adverse reactions of Polygoni Multiflori Radix， the safe and rational use of Polygoni Multiflori Radix in clinical practice was discussed. MethodsThe pharmacovigilance thought of modern Chinese medicine and the TCM pharmacovigilance system framework of ''identification of poison， use of poison， anti-poison， and detoxification'' were employed to mine the relevant toxicity records， usage and dosage， processing compatibility， and contraindication of taking Polygoni Multiflori Radix in ancient books. The drug safety information of Polygoni Multiflori Radix was summarized by comparing with modern reports. ResultsA total of 74 ancient books related to Polygoni Multiflori Radix were included， suggesting that the toxicity of Polygoni Multiflori Radix was recognized in ancient times. The main chemical components of Polygoni Multiflori Radix had both efficacy and toxicity， and the adverse reactions may be related to long-term use， excessive use， and individual differences. The results showed that the toxic components of Polygoni Multiflori Radix could be reduced by peeling， steaming with black beans， and processing without iron tools. The toxic effects of Polygoni Multiflori Radix could be reduced by the compatibility of Polygoni Multiflori Radix with Poria， Psoraleae Fructus， and Cistanches Herba. ConclusionReasonable dosage， standard processing， correct compatibility， and syndrome differentiation are the key points to standardize the use of Polygoni Multiflori Radix and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions. Clinically， the toxicity classification of TCM should be strengthened， and the susceptible population should be prioritized. The detection indicators and early warning mechanisms should be improved， and precise drug dosage and course of treatment should be guaranteed. These measures can ensure the safe use of Polygoni Multiflori Radix.

Objective: To explore the effects of the school based integrated horticulture curriculum intervention on 24 hour activity behaviors among third grade primary school students, so as to provide reference for promoting children s health. Methods: In September 2023, a convenience sampling method was used to select 90 third grade primary school students from a primary school in Changsha. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group ( n =45) and a control group ( n =45) using a random number table. From February to May 2024, the intervention group received a 12 week integrated curriculum intervention, consisting of two 60 minute sessions per week and covering horticultural practice, home-school collaborative tasks and nutrition knowledge education. The control group continued with routine labor education courses. The triaxial accelerometer and multi sensor sleep monitoring device were used to objectively measure light intensity physical activity (LPA), moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), screen based sedentary behavior (SSB) and sleep (SLP), durations in both groups. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEE) and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: The time, group and interaction effects of MVPA time and SLP time before and after intervention in two groups of primary school students were not statistically significant (Wald χ 2=1.54, 2.97, 0.85 ; 0.75, 1.05, 0.48), and the group effect of LPA time (Wald χ 2=1.24) and the time and group effects (Wald χ 2=3.02, 1.18 ) were not statistically significant (all P >0.05). There were statistically significant time and interaction effects for LPA time, as well as interaction effect for SSB time in two groups of primary school students before and after intervention (Wald χ 2=4.78, 3.95, 12.60, all P <0.05). After intervention, LPA time of intervention group [152.23(59.15, 245.80)min] was higher than that of control group [120.70(29.90, 201.20)min], and SSB time of intervention group [55.50(30.00, 125.50)min] was lower than that of control group [220.00(60.00, 285.00)min], with statistically significant differences ( Z =-2.46, -4.48, both P <0.05). Conclusion The school horticulture curriculum effectively enhances daily LPA and reduces SSB among third grade primary school students.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to find the identified and validated clinical biomarker data building upon a clinical study of early-phase phase Ⅱ and investigate the correlation analysis of Huanglian Jiedu Wan on syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" based on a machine learning model. Additionally， the effective prediction of clinical biomarker values for the main symptoms of the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome was assessed. MethodsA total of 229 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome were randomly divided into the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group. Syndrome score transition matrices were constructed for the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group based on three main symptoms of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome， such as oral ulcers， sore throat， and gum swelling and pain. Data from the patients with these three syndromes were also integrated for an overall analysis. The corresponding syndrome score transition matrices were further constructed to visualize symptom change trends of the patients in the two groups via heatmaps. Based on the identified and validated clinical biomarkers related to inflammation， oxidative stress， and energy metabolism in the early phase， Spearman correlation analysis was employed to analyze and evaluate the associations between clinical biomarkers and syndrome improvement. Key clinical biomarkers reflecting the effect of Huanglian Jiedu Wan were screened through the comparison of differences between groups. An extreme gradient boosting （XGBoost） algorithm was used to develop a prediction model for main symptom classification， with classification performance evaluated through 10-fold cross-validation. Feature importance analysis was applied to identify variables with the greatest contribution to the prediction result. ResultsThe syndrome transition matrix results indicated that the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group showed a superior effect to the placebo group in improving oral ulcers， sore throat， and overall symptoms， with significant effects observed especially in sore throat and overall symptom analyses （P<0.01）. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that several clinical biomarkers positively correlated with "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome and its main symptom improvement， were also called "heat-related biomarkers"， including succinic acid， α-ketoglutaric acid， glycine， lactic acid， adenosine monophosphate （AMP）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interferon-γ （IFN-γ）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-4 （IL-4）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， interleukin-10 （IL-10）， and so on. Conversely， clinical biomarkers negatively correlated with symptom severity， were also called "heat-clearing related biomarkers" after administration of Huanglian Jiedu Wan， including malic acid， fumaric acid， cis-aconitic acid， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH）， IL-1β， IL-4， IL-8， succinic acid， and citric acid. The XGBoost classification model using all 52 biomarkers as variables achieved an average test accuracy of 0.754 and an average F1 score of 0.777. Feature importance analysis identified the scores of glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 were the highest in all the variables， with importance scores of 0.081 and 0.080， respectively. After screening out 14 key variables and optimizing the parameters， model performance improved to an average accuracy of 0.758 and an F1 score of 0.798. Feature importance analysis further determined that the glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 showed obvious changes after screening the variables， confirming the good syndrome prediction ability of the model constructed by these key clinical biomarkers. ConclusionThis study systematically elucidates the correlation between syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers of Huanglian Jiedu Wan in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome. An XGBoost classification model based on key clinical biomarkers is successfully established， achieving effective prediction of the symptoms related to the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome such as oral ulcers and sore throat and providing a new insight for objective identification of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to find the identified and validated clinical biomarker data building upon a clinical study of early-phase phase Ⅱ and investigate the correlation analysis of Huanglian Jiedu Wan on syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" based on a machine learning model. Additionally， the effective prediction of clinical biomarker values for the main symptoms of the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome was assessed. MethodsA total of 229 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome were randomly divided into the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group. Syndrome score transition matrices were constructed for the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group based on three main symptoms of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome， such as oral ulcers， sore throat， and gum swelling and pain. Data from the patients with these three syndromes were also integrated for an overall analysis. The corresponding syndrome score transition matrices were further constructed to visualize symptom change trends of the patients in the two groups via heatmaps. Based on the identified and validated clinical biomarkers related to inflammation， oxidative stress， and energy metabolism in the early phase， Spearman correlation analysis was employed to analyze and evaluate the associations between clinical biomarkers and syndrome improvement. Key clinical biomarkers reflecting the effect of Huanglian Jiedu Wan were screened through the comparison of differences between groups. An extreme gradient boosting （XGBoost） algorithm was used to develop a prediction model for main symptom classification， with classification performance evaluated through 10-fold cross-validation. Feature importance analysis was applied to identify variables with the greatest contribution to the prediction result. ResultsThe syndrome transition matrix results indicated that the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group showed a superior effect to the placebo group in improving oral ulcers， sore throat， and overall symptoms， with significant effects observed especially in sore throat and overall symptom analyses （P<0.01）. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that several clinical biomarkers positively correlated with "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome and its main symptom improvement， were also called "heat-related biomarkers"， including succinic acid， α-ketoglutaric acid， glycine， lactic acid， adenosine monophosphate （AMP）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interferon-γ （IFN-γ）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-4 （IL-4）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， interleukin-10 （IL-10）， and so on. Conversely， clinical biomarkers negatively correlated with symptom severity， were also called "heat-clearing related biomarkers" after administration of Huanglian Jiedu Wan， including malic acid， fumaric acid， cis-aconitic acid， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH）， IL-1β， IL-4， IL-8， succinic acid， and citric acid. The XGBoost classification model using all 52 biomarkers as variables achieved an average test accuracy of 0.754 and an average F1 score of 0.777. Feature importance analysis identified the scores of glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 were the highest in all the variables， with importance scores of 0.081 and 0.080， respectively. After screening out 14 key variables and optimizing the parameters， model performance improved to an average accuracy of 0.758 and an F1 score of 0.798. Feature importance analysis further determined that the glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 showed obvious changes after screening the variables， confirming the good syndrome prediction ability of the model constructed by these key clinical biomarkers. ConclusionThis study systematically elucidates the correlation between syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers of Huanglian Jiedu Wan in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome. An XGBoost classification model based on key clinical biomarkers is successfully established， achieving effective prediction of the symptoms related to the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome such as oral ulcers and sore throat and providing a new insight for objective identification of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes.

ObjectiveTo investigate the epigenetic mechanism of Diwu Yanggan Capsule in improving liver regeneration microenvironment in a rat model of liver cancer by regulating DNA methylation， and to provide a basis for scientific clinical medication. MethodsA total of 48 specific pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal group， model group， and Diwu Yanggan Capsule group using a random number table， with 16 rats in each group. The Solt-Farber two-step method was used to establish a rat model of liver cancer. The rats in the Diwu Yanggan Capsule group were given Diwu Yanggan Capsule at a dose of 750 mg/kg/d by gavage， and those in the normal group and the model group were given an equal volume of normal saline by gavage. Liver tissue samples were collected from each group of rats after 16 weeks of continuous intervention； DNA methylation chips were used to analyze the change in DNA methylation in liver tissue， and gene ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） analyses were used for data analysis. In addition， the MeDIP-PCR technique was used to detect the changes in candidate differentially methylated genes such as YWHAB， ADCK2， ERLIN2， SEMA3B， and TPH2 in the liver tissue of rats， and Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to verify the expression of key methylated genes. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups， while the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsThe DNA methylation chip analysis showed that compared with the normal group， the model group had significant methylation changes in the promoter region of 2 422 genes in liver tissue of rats. The GO functional enrichment analysis and the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that these differentially methylated genes were significantly enriched in metabolic pathways such as steroid hormone biosynthesis and drug metabolism-cytochrome P450. Compared with the model group， the Diwu Yanggan Capsule group had significant reversal of promoter methylation in 1 650 genes， and the KEGG enrichment analysis showed that these genes were mainly involved in the pathways closely associated with cell proliferation， apoptosis， and microenvironment regulation， such as the calcium ion signaling pathway， the cAMP signaling pathway， and the extracellular factor signaling pathway. Compared with the model group， the Diwu Yanggan Capsule group had a significant increase in the promoter methylation level of the ADCK2 gene （P<0.05） and significant reductions in the promoter methylation levels of the ERLIN2 and TPH2 genes （all P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the Diwu Yanggan Capsule group had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels and the protein expression levels of the ADCK2 （all P<0.05）. ConclusionAbnormal DNA methylation in liver tissue participates in the development and progression of liver cancer. The effect of Diwu Yanggan Capsule on DNA methylation level is an important epigenetic mechanism for its effect in the prevention and treatment of liver cancer.

OBJECTIVE To establish the method for determining the contents of five active components in raw and charred herb pairs of Gardenia jasminoides-Scutellaria baicalensis ， construct their fingerprints， and investigate the effects of G. jasminoides processing on chemical constituents in the h erb pairs. METHODS The HPLC method was used to determine the contents of genipin 1- β -D-gentiobioside， geniposide， crocin Ⅰ， crocin Ⅱ and baicalin in ten batches of raw G. jasminoides-S. baicalensis herb pairs and ten batches of charred G. jasminoides-S. baicalensis herb pairs. Using the same HPLC method， chromatographic fingerprints for the ten batches of raw herb pairs and ten batches of processed herb pairs were established with the Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprints of Traditional Chinese Medicine （2012 edition）. Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis were performed. RESULTS Compared with the raw G. jasminoides-S. baicalensis herb pair， the average content of genipin 1- β -D-gentiobioside in the charred G. jasminoides-S. baicalensis herb pair increased by 12.65%； while the average contents of geniposide， crocin Ⅰ， crocin Ⅱ and baicalin decreased by 7.86%， 60.62%， 62.07% and 0.15%， respectively. Chromatographic fingerprints of ten batches of raw herb pairs and ten batches of processed herb pairs shared 18 common peaks with similarities ranging from 0.997 to 1.000 and 0.988 to 1.000， respectively. Five common peaks were identified： genipin 1- β -D-gentiobioside （peak 2）， geniposide （peak 3）， crocin Ⅰ （peak 6）， crocin Ⅱ （peak 9） and baicalin （peak 10）. Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis results showed that the raw G. jasminoides-S. baicalensis herb pair and the charred G. jasminoides-S. baicalensis herb pair could be clearly distinguished. Variable importance in the projection （VIP） values for crocin Ⅰ and crocin Ⅱ were both greater than one. CONCLUSIONS A method has been successfully developed for the determination of five active c omponents， including genipin 1- β -D-gentiobioside， in the G. jasminoides-S. baicalensis herb pair， and its fingerprint has been drawn. Processing is found to increase the content of genipin 1- β -D-gentiobioside， while decreasing the levels of geniposide， crocin Ⅰ， crocin Ⅱ and baicalin in the herb pair. Furthermore， crocin Ⅰ and crocin Ⅱ could serve as potential quality markers for the quality control of this herb pair.

ObjectiveTo investigate the inhibitory effects of curcumol （Cur） on the proliferation and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） cells and to explore the underlying mechanisms. MethodsIn vivo， a subcutaneous tumor xenograft model was established to evaluate the antiproliferative effect of Cur. In vitro， the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay was used to assess the effects of Cur at concentrations of 0， 60， 120， 240， 360， 480， 600， 720， 840， 960 μmol·L^-1 on the viability of NCI-A549 and NCI-H23 cells， and to evaluate its inhibitory effect on the proliferation of human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells. Wound healing and Transwell migration assays were conducted to assess changes in cell migratory capacity following Cur treatment. Immunohistochemistry （IHC-P） was used to investigate the regulatory effect of Cur on the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （JAK2/STAT3） signaling pathway in tumor tissues. Western blot was performed to determine the protein expression levels of phosphorylated JAK2 （p-JAK2）， phosphorylated STAT3 （p-STAT3）， proliferating cell nuclear antigen （PCNA）， matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2）， matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， and vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA） in tumor tissues and cells. To further verify the role of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the pharmacological effects of Cur， rescue experiments were performed using the pathway agonist colivelin. ResultsIn vivo experiments showed that， compared with the model group， the tumor volumes of subcutaneous xenografts in nude mice in both low- and high-dose Cur groups were significantly reduced （P<0.05）， and the tumor inhibition rates were significantly increased （P<0.05）. The inhibitory effect in the high-dose group was comparable to that of the cisplatin group， and the body weight of mice in the Cur groups remained stable throughout the experiment. In vitro， compared with the control group， Cur at concentrations of 120 and 240 μmol·L^-1 inhibited the proliferation of NCI-A549 and NCI-H23 cells in a concentration-dependent manner （P<0.05）， with a significant inhibitory effect observed at 360 μmol·L^-1 （P<0.01）， while no significant effect on the viability of BEAS-2B cells was observed. Migration assays demonstrated that， compared with the control group， Cur treatment significantly reduced the migration rates of both cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner （P<0.05）， with an inhibitory effect at 360 μmol·L^-1 comparable to that of the cisplatin group. Mechanistic validation showed that， compared with the control group， the protein expression levels of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 in tumor tissues and cells were significantly downregulated in the Cur groups （P<0.01）， and the expression levels of downstream proteins PCNA， MMP-2， MMP-9， and VEGFA were also significantly decreased with increasing Cur concentration （P<0.05）. In the rescue experiments， compared with the control group， colivelin pretreatment increased cell proliferation and migration rates （P<0.05） and upregulated the expression of related proteins （P<0.05）. Compared with the Cur group， the colivelin+Cur group showed significantly increased proliferation and migration rates （P<0.05）， along with significantly upregulated protein expression levels （P<0.05）. ConclusionCur can significantly inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC both in vivo and in vitro， and its mechanism of action is closely associated with the inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which oxyresveratrol （OXY） inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） in non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway. MethodsCell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assays were used to determine the survival rates of A549 and H1299 cells treated with different concentrations of OXY， and appropriate concentrations （0， 30， 60， 90 μmol·L^-1） were selected. The effects of OXY on the proliferation of A549 and H1299 cells were evaluated using 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine （EdU） assays and colony formation assays. Wound healing assays and Transwell invasion assays were performed to assess the effects of OXY on cell migration and invasion. Western blot （WB） was used to detect the expression levels of Snail， E-cadherin， N-cadherin， and Vimentin in A549 and H1299 cells. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were applied to predict the mechanism of action of OXY， and WB was used to evaluate the effects of OXY on proteins in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Rescue experiments were conducted using the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway agonist 740Y-P. Under activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway， the effect of OXY on proliferation， migration， and invasion phenotypes， as well as on the expression levels of PI3K/Akt pathway-related proteins and EMT markers （Snail， E-cadherin， N-cadherin， and Vimentin）， were examined. ResultsIn the forward experiments， CCK-8 assay results showed that， compared with the control group， the survival rates of NSCLC cells in the OXY-treated groups （20-120 μmol·L^-1） were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀） values of A549 and H1299 cells after 48 h of OXY treatment were 113.6 μmol·L^-1 and 92.53 μmol·L^-1， respectively. Therefore， concentrations of 0， 30， 60， 90 μmol·L^-1 were selected as the gradient for subsequent phenotypic and mechanistic studies. Compared with the control group， the proliferation rate， colony number， migration rate， and invasion number of NSCLC cells in the OXY groups （30， 60， and 90 μmol·L^-1） were significantly decreased （P<0.01， P<0.05）. WB results showed that， compared with the control group， the protein expression levels of Snail， N-cadherin， and Vimentin in NSCLC cells of the OXY groups were significantly decreased （P<0.05）， whereas E-cadherin expression was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Network pharmacology and molecular docking results indicated that OXY could act on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and exhibited good binding affinity with PI3K and Akt proteins. Further WB results showed that， compared with the control group， there were no statistically significant differences in the expression levels of PI3K and Akt proteins in NSCLC cells of the OXY groups， whereas the expression levels of phosphorylated PI3K （p-PI3K） and phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt） were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. In the rescue experiments， compared with the control group， the proliferation rate， colony number， migration rate， and invasion number of NSCLC cells in the 740Y-P group （15 μmol·L^-1） were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the control + OXY group （90 μmol·L^-1）， these indices in the 740Y-P + OXY group （15 μmol·L^-1 + 90 μmol·L^-1） were also significantly increased （P<0.01）. WB results showed that， compared with the control group， there were no statistically significant differences in the expression levels of PI3K and Akt proteins in the 740Y-P group. However， the expression levels of p-PI3K， p-Akt， Snail， N-cadherin， and Vimentin were significantly increased （P<0.05）， while E-cadherin expression was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the control + OXY group， there were no statistically significant differences in PI3K and Akt protein expression in the 740Y-P + OXY group. However， the expression levels of p-PI3K， p-Akt， Snail， N-cadherin， and Vimentin were significantly increased （P<0.05）， while E-cadherin expression was significantly decreased （P<0.05）. ConclusionOXY inhibits the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and suppresses the EMT process， thereby exerting anti-metastatic effects in NSCLC.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which eupatilin （Eup） inhibits proliferation， invasion， and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） through the enhancer of zeste homolog 2/histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation （EZH2/H3K27me3） signaling pathway. MethodsIn vivo， a subcutaneous xenograft tumor model was established in nude mice using H1299 cells to evaluate the anti-NSCLC effects of Eup. Immunohistochemistry （IHC-P） was used to detect the expression of proliferation- and invasion/metastasis-related proteins， including proliferating cell nuclear antigen （PCNA）， matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2）， matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， and vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA）. In vitro， cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assays were performed to determine the viability of H1299 cells treated with different concentrations of Eup （0-200 μmol·L^-1） and to select appropriate concentrations. Colony formation and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine （EdU） assays were used to evaluate cell proliferation. Wound healing and invasion assays were conducted to assess cell migration and invasion. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell （HUVEC） angiogenesis assays were used to evaluate the effects of Eup on angiogenesis. Transcriptomic analysis was performed to identify the targets of Eup in H1299 cells and to explore its major functions. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to predict the binding affinity and interaction stability between Eup and its target proteins. Western blot was used to detect the effects of Eup on the expression levels of EZH2/H3K27me3 pathway-related proteins and proliferation- and invasion/metastasis-related proteins， including PCNA， MMP-2， MMP-9， and VEGFA. ResultsIn the subcutaneous xenograft model， compared with the model group， Eup treatment dose-dependently inhibited the growth of H1299 xenograft tumors， and the tumor inhibition rate was significantly increased （P<0.05）. IHC-P results showed that， compared with the model group， high-dose Eup significantly reduced the expression levels of PCNA， MMP-2， MMP-9， and VEGFA in vivo （P<0.05）. In vitro， compared with the control group， Eup inhibited the proliferation， invasion， and metastasis of NSCLC cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Transcriptomic analysis further showed that， compared with the control group， Eup significantly downregulated EZH2 expression， and its functional effects were associated with inhibition of tumor metastasis. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that Eup exhibited strong binding affinity with EZH2 and stable interactions. Western blot results demonstrated that， compared with the model group， Eup significantly inhibited， in a dose-dependent manner， the expression levels of EZH2， H3K27me3， and proliferation- and invasion/metastasis-related proteins （PCNA， MMP-2， MMP-9， and VEGFA） in both in vivo and in vitro experiments （P<0.05）. In vitro， compared with the control group， overexpression of EZH2 via plasmid transfection partially reversed the inhibitory effects of Eup on the expression of key proteins involved in proliferation and invasion/metastasis in H1299 cells. ConclusionEup effectively inhibits the proliferation， migration， and invasion of H1299 cells both in vivo and in vitro. The underlying mechanism may be related to inhibition of the EZH2/H3K27me3 signaling pathway and downregulation of proliferation- and invasion/metastasis-related proteins， including PCNA， MMP-2， MMP-9， and VEGFA. Eup may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for suppressing proliferation and invasion/metastasis in NSCLC.