G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are significant drug targets, but their potential in cancer therapy remains underexplored. Conventional GPCR agonists or antagonists have shown limited effectiveness in cancer treatment, necessitating new GPCR-targeting strategies for more effective therapies. This study discovers that Yersinia pestis LcrV, a crucial linker protein for plague infection, acts as a biased agonist of a GPCR, the formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1). The LcrV protein induces unique conformational changes in FPR1, resulting in G proteins being activated in a distinctive state without subunit dissociation. This leads to a biased signaling profile characterized by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) responses and β-arrestin2 recruitment, but not calcium mobilization. In FPR1-expressing triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, LcrV bi-directionally modulates intracellular signaling pathways, downregulating extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) and Akt pathways while upregulating Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 pathways. This dual modulation results in cell cycle arrest and the inhibition of TNBC cell proliferation. In TNBC xenograft mouse models, long-term LcrV treatment inhibits tumor growth more effectively than a conventional FPR1 antagonist. Additionally, LcrV treatment reprograms tumor cells by reducing stemness-associated proteins OCT4 and c-MYC. Our findings highlight the potential of biased GPCR agonists as a novel GPCR-targeting strategy for cancer treatment.

The traditional commodity specifications of Chinese medicinal materials are mainly divided into different grades based on macroscopic characteristics. As the basis for high quality and good price, there is still a lack of systematic evaluation on whether they are consistent with the current standards and whether they can reflect the internal quality of medicinal material. Panax notoginseng is a commonly used, large consumption of Chinese medicinal material. At present, it is divided into 8 grades in the market based on "Tou" (the number of crude drug /500 g), but it is not related to the standard of total saponins of Panax notoginseng (the sum of three saponins) in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) coupled with mass spectrometry molecular network were used for the rapid identification of saponins of Panax notoginseng with different "Tou" and a total of 64 saponins were identified. Seventeen saponins related to "Tou" were screened by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The content of five saponins R₁, Rb₁, Rg₁, Rd, and Re in Panax notoginseng with different "Tou" was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results of correlation analysis showed that Rd and R₁ with the largest VIP values among the differential saponins, which significantly negatively correlated with "Tou" (P < 0.05). Based on the determination results of 36 batches of samples, using Rd/Total Panax notoginseng saponins (TPNS) ratio ( > 0.08) as the index, Panax notoginseng can be divided into two grades: 20-60 "Tou" (superior) and 80-200 "Tou" (qualified). Based on the concept of "macroscopic characteristics and chemical profiling", this study integrates the non-targeted analysis and quantitative determination methods to provide a new strategy for quality evaluation of Panax notoginseng.

In order to study the compounds from Glechoma longituba (Nakai) Kupr. and explore the substance bases of its dissipating blood stasis, MCI, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, ODS column chromatography and preparative thin layer chromatography were used to isolate and purify the compounds. The structures were identified by MS, 1D NMR, and 2D NMR spectra analysis, etc. Eight triterpenoids were isolated from dichloromethane fraction of ethanol extract from G. longituba and identified as 2α,3α,16β-trihydroxy-13α,27-cyclours-11-en-28-oic acid (1), 28-norurs-12-ene-3β,17β-diol (2), 28-norolean-12-ene-3β,17β-diol (3), oleanonic acid (4), 3β,13β-dihydroxyurs-11-en-28-oic acid (5), uvaol (6), oleanolic acid (7), ursolic acid (8). Compound 1 is a new hexacyclic triterpene with 13α,27-cyclopropane structure, named euscaphic acid H; compounds 2 and 3 were isolated from Lamiaceae for the first time while compounds 4 and 5 were isolated from this genus. The in vitro anticoagulant activity of triterpenoids was evaluated by four coagulation indexes (activated partial thromboplastin time, APTT; thrombin time, TT; prothrombin time, PT; fibrinogen, FIB). Among them, compounds 1 and 6 showed obvious anticoagulant effects.

Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex (PCC) featured with thick cortex and bright-yellow is considered to be of high quality according to traditional appearance traits evaluation mode. However, the correlation between appearance traits and internal quality of PCC has not been scientifically revealed. Here, based on the theory of "Quality Evaluation Through Morphological Identification", the correlation of both sides was studied systematically. Firstly, the thickness of PCC slices was measured by vernier calipers for classification, and the colour of PCC slice was estimated by naked eyes and automatic colorimeter and classified. Secondly, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to establish fingerprint chromatogram containing 12 characteristic peaks, and the contents of moisture and ethanolic extractive were determined as well. The correlation among the appearance traits of PCC slice (including the thickness and the spatial values of colour of PCC slice powder: L*Lightness, a*Red-Green, b*Yellow-Blue) and peak areas of 12 characteristic peaks, contents of moisture and extractive were explored through multivariate statistical analysis tools, including Pearson's correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Association analysis results showed the morphological parameters (thickness and color) are significantly correlated with 2 kinds of principle chemical constituents (alkaloids and phenolic acids), among them, 5 major constituents including 2 isoquinoline alkaloids and 3 feruloylquinic acids were simultaneously quantitatively analyzed under the same chromatographic condition for establishing a correspondence between appearance traits and content of internal substances, and the sum of the contents of the five components was significantly higher in the thickness ≥ 4 mm (13.15% ± 2.25%) and bright yellow samples (12.14% ± 2.00%) than that in the thickness < 4 mm (10.89% ± 1.41%) and dark yellow samples (10.32% ± 2.41%). The research results confirm that thickness and colour, two main appearance parameters of PCC slice, can be used as the indicators for evaluating the quality PCC slice, which to some extent interprets the scientific connotation of traditional evaluation theory of "thick and yellow are better". At the same time, the results provided substantial data and foundation for the establishment of commodity grade standards of PCC slice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the intervention effect and mechanism of Lycium barbarum leaves on letrozole-induced polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) mice. The PCOS model was prepared by letrozole combined with high-fat diet. After successful modeling, 40 mice were randomly divided into PCOS group, positive drug metformin group, low-dose Lycium barbarum leaves group, and high-dose Lycium barbarum leaves group. The corresponding drugs were given by gavage for 29 days. At the end of the experiment, the eyeballs were removed for blood collection and ovarian tissue was collected. The ovarian mass, fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FINS), testosterone (T), anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol (E₂) levels were measured in each group. The morphology of ovarian tissue was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the oocytes, cystic follicles and corpus luteum were counted. Cecal contents of mice were collected for analysis of intestinal flora composition and differential flora. The animal experiment process was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The results showed that the estrous cycle of PCOS mice was disordered. Compared with the PCOS group, the Lycium barbarum leaves group can significantly reduce the ovarian damage of mice, reduce the number of cystic dilated follicles, and normalize the estrous cycle. After the intervention of Lycium barbarum leaves, the levels of FBG, FINS, T, AMH, LH, FSH and LH/FSH were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while the level of E₂ was significantly increased (P < 0.001). In addition, Lycium barbarum leaves can regulate the disorder of intestinal flora diversity in PCOS mice, increase the abundance of Bacteroidetes, and reduce the abundance of Firmicutes, Ileibacterium, Romboutsia and Faecalibaculum. In summary, Lycium barbarum leaves can play a therapeutic role in PCOS mice by improving insulin resistance, regulating reproductive hormone disorders and gut microbiota imbalance. It provides scientific basis and useful reference for the rational utilization and development of Lycium barbarum leaves.

Improving the reproducibility of biomedical research results is a major challenge. Transparent and accurate reporting of the research process enables readers to evaluate the reliability of the research results and further explore the experiment by repeating it or building upon its findings. The ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines, released in 2019 by the UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), provide a checklist that is applicable to any in vivo animal research report. These guidelines aim to improve the standardization of experimental design, implementation, and reporting, as well as enhance the reliability, repeatability, and clinical translation of animal experimental results. The use of the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines not only enriches the details of animal experimental research reports, ensuring that information on animal experimental results is fully evaluated and utilized, but also enables readers to understand the content expressed by the author accurately and clearly, promoting the transparency and completeness of the fundamental research review process. At present, the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines have been widely adopted by international biomedical journals. This article is based on the best practices following the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines in international journals, and it interprets, explains, and elaborates in Chinese the fifth part of the comprehensive version of the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines published in PLoS Biology in 2020 (the original text can be found at https://arriveguidelines.org). This section includes the items 6-11 of Recommended 11 section, covering "Animal Care and Monitoring", "Interpretation/Scientific Implications", "Generalisability/Translation", "Protocol Registration", "Data Access" and "Declaration of Interests". Its aim is to promote a comprehensive understanding and use of the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines among domestic researchers, to enhance the standardization of experimental animal research and reporting, and to promote high-quality development of experimental animal sciences and comparative medicine research in China.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.07.006.].

OBJECTIVE To study the immunotherapeutic effect of chimeric virus-like particles(VLPs) based on hepatitis E virus(HEV) against human papillomavirus type 16(HPV 16) tumor. METHODS HPV16 E7 was inserted into the p239 protein of HEV to form the recombinant chimeric protein p239-HPV16 E7. The constructed recombinant protein was expressed by Escherichia coli, purified, and then refolded, and the protein was detected by electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering to confirm size and shape. Then, the C57B/L mice were immunized with the protein grain, and the lymphocyte differentiation of mouse spleen was detected by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immune spot immunoassay; in addition, TC-1 tumor cells were used to construct tumor models in C57B/L mice to evaluate the anti-tumor immune effect of protein particles in mice. RESULTS After refold in vitro, the structure of chimeric protein was observed under electron microscopy, and the size of particle was 22.80 nm. The obtained protein particles induced favorable specific cellular immune response in C57B/L mice. Compared with the control group, the proportions of CD3+/CD4+ and CD3+/CD8+ in spleen lymphocytes of experimental groups were significantly different(P＜0.05), and effector T cells secreting IFN-γ interferon were also increased remarkably. At the same time, the obtained protein particles could effectively inhibit the growth of tumor cells in TC-1 tumor-bearing mice, and the mice did not die during the experimental period, while the tumors in the control mice grew rapidly and all died after 6 weeks. CONCLUSION Chimeric protein p239-HPV16E7 which was expressed in prokaryotes can form virus-like particles and effectively induce anti-tumor immunity against HPV16.

Objective: To investigate the association between the distribution of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in EBV associated lymphoepitheliomatoid carcinoma (LELC) and the pathological subtypes of LELC, as well as the clinical significance of TIL distribution. Methods: The LELC patients with sufficient tumor tissues, complete clinical data and positive EBER, who visited Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China from January 2006 to October 2018, were selected. Various immunohistochemical markers (CD20, CD138, CD4, CD8, CD56 and FOXP3) were examined for TIL typing. Two pathologists reviewed the hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining sections and interpreted the immunohistochemical results. Correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the distribution of TIL subgroups and LELC's pathological characteristics. Survival analyses were conducted to study the prognostic values of TIL subgrouping. Results: A total of 102 patients with EBV related LELC were included. 46 of them were classic LELC (c-LELC) with rich interstitial TIL, and 56 were non-classic LELC (n-LELC) with relatively fewer interstitial TIL. The results of TIL analysis showed that all subtypes of c-LELC were rich in TIL, with B lymphocytes as the dominant subgroup. The number of TIL in n-LELC was fewer than that in c-LELC, with T lymphocytes as the dominant subgroup. There was no significant difference in the distribution of plasma cells between the two groups. Survival analysis showed that the total number of TIL, and the infiltrations of CD20⁺B cells, CD4⁺T cells, and FOXP3⁺Treg cells were associated with better overall survivals (P=0.004, 0.003, 0.008 and 0.025, respectively) and disease-free survivals (P=0.011, 0.003, 0.038 and 0.041, respectively) in patients with LELC. Conclusions: The morphologic subtypes of EBV-related LELC have different tumor immune characteristics. The total number of TIL in the stroma of c-LELC is significantly higher than that of n-LELC. Interestingly, B lymphocytes are the dominant TIL in c-LELC, while T lymphocytes are the dominant TIL in n-LELC. The infiltration of TIL, CD20⁺B cells, CD4⁺T cells and FOXP3⁺Treg cells in LELC may suggest a better prognosis.
Humans ; Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Clinical Relevance ; Prognosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology* ; Forkhead Transcription Factors

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and molecular genetics of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) with concurrent or secondary to nodal T-follicular helper cell lymphoma, angioimmunoblastic-type (nTFHL-AI). Methods: The clinicopathological features and molecular genetics of DLBCL associated with nTFHL-AI diagnosed between January 2015 and October 2022 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were analyzed using histology, immunohistochemistry, PCR, EBV-encoded RNA in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Clinical information was collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 6 cases including 3 nTFHL-AI with secondary DLBCL and 3 composite lymphomas were reviewed. There were 4 male and 2 female patients, whose ages ranged from 40 to 74 years (median 57 years). All patients presented with nodal lesions at an advanced Ann Arbor stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ (6/6). Bone marrow involvement was detected in 4 patients. All cases showed typical histologic and immunophenotypic characteristics of nTFHL-AI. Among them, 5 cases of DLBCL with concurrent nTFHL-AI exhibited numerous large atypical lymphoid cells and the tumor cells were CD20 and CD79α positive. The only case of DLBCL secondary to nTFHL-AI showed plasma cell differentiation and reduced expression of CD20. All of cases were activated B-cell (ABC)/non-germinal center B-cell (non-GCB) subtype. Three of the 6 cases were EBV positive with>100 positive cells/high power field, meeting the diagnostic criteria of EBV⁺DLBCL. The expression of MYC and CD30 protein in the DLBCL region was higher than that in the nTFHL-AI region (n=5). C-MYC, bcl-6 and bcl-2 translocations were not detected in the 4 cases that were subject to FISH. Four of the 6 patients received chemotherapy after diagnosis. For the DLBCL cases of nTFHL-AI with secondary DLBCL, the interval was between 2-20 months. During the follow-up period ranging from 3-29 months, 3 of the 6 patients died of the disease. Conclusions: DLBCL associated with nTFHL-AI is very rare. The expansion of EBV-infected B cells in nTFHL-AI may progress to secondary EBV⁺DLBCL. However, EBV-negative cases have also been reported, suggesting possible other mechanisms. The up-regulation of MYC expression in these cases suggests a possible role in B-cell lymphomagenesis. Clinicians should be aware that another biopsy is still necessary to rule out concurrent or secondary DLBCL when nodal and extranodal lesions are noted after nTFHL-AI treatment.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; B-Lymphocytes ; Biopsy ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer