As one of the core theories of spleen governing transportation and transformation in the traditional Chinese medicine visceral manifestation theory,the modern biological basis of"spleen qi disperses essence"has not been fully elucidated.Lipids are one of the three major nutrients in the body,which are derived from exogenous absorption or endogenous transformation,and belong to the category of"grease"and"essence"substances in traditional Chinese medicine.Because of their hydrophobic nature,lipids require apolipoproteins to be transported in the bloodstream and used by the body;similarly,essence also needs spleen qi transformation to be distributed throughout the body and exert their nourishing effects,revealing a certain degree of inherent unity between the two.When the spleen qi functions properly,essence dispersal is orderly and lipid metabolism remains in homeostatic balance;if spleen deficient leads to impaired transportation,the essence will not be distributed,and the lipid turbidity will accumulate,causing disease.Classic strengthening spleen prescriptions such as Zexie Decoction,can reshape lipid homeostasis by regulating apolipoproteins.Based on apolipoprotein-mediated lipid metabolism,this paper explores the modern molecular biology basis of the theory of"spleen qi disperses essence,"which provides novel insights for enriching the modern research of traditional Chinese medicine visceral manifestation theory,and lays the foundation for clinical practice and theoretical innovation in the treatment of metabolic diseases from the spleen.

As one of the core theories of spleen governing transportation and transformation in the traditional Chinese medicine visceral manifestation theory,the modern biological basis of"spleen qi disperses essence"has not been fully elucidated.Lipids are one of the three major nutrients in the body,which are derived from exogenous absorption or endogenous transformation,and belong to the category of"grease"and"essence"substances in traditional Chinese medicine.Because of their hydrophobic nature,lipids require apolipoproteins to be transported in the bloodstream and used by the body;similarly,essence also needs spleen qi transformation to be distributed throughout the body and exert their nourishing effects,revealing a certain degree of inherent unity between the two.When the spleen qi functions properly,essence dispersal is orderly and lipid metabolism remains in homeostatic balance;if spleen deficient leads to impaired transportation,the essence will not be distributed,and the lipid turbidity will accumulate,causing disease.Classic strengthening spleen prescriptions such as Zexie Decoction,can reshape lipid homeostasis by regulating apolipoproteins.Based on apolipoprotein-mediated lipid metabolism,this paper explores the modern molecular biology basis of the theory of"spleen qi disperses essence,"which provides novel insights for enriching the modern research of traditional Chinese medicine visceral manifestation theory,and lays the foundation for clinical practice and theoretical innovation in the treatment of metabolic diseases from the spleen.

Abstract: To explore the inflammatory changes and the changes of β-amyloid in the brain of rats with experimental periodontitis induced by ligation. Methods: Eighteen Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups(n=6): the negative control group, chronic periodontitis group and chronic periodontitis treated with intraperitoneal injection of TAK-242 group. The experimental periodontitis model was established by ligation of the necks of bilateral maxillary first molar and inoculation ofPorphyromonas gingivalis(P.gingivalis). At the end of the second month after the successful modeling, the samples were collected from the rats. The damage of the alveolar bone was analyzed by Micro-CT. The mRNA expression levels of interleukin(IL)-6, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in gingival tissue and hippocampal tissue, the mRNA expression level of Toll like receptors-4(TLR4), leukocyte differentiation antigen 14(CD14) and NF-κB in hippocampal tissue of rats were detected by qPCR. The protein expression levels of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, myloid-beta protein-40(Aβ40) and Aβ42in hippocampal tissue of rats were evaluated by ELISA. Results: Experimental periodontitis model of rats could be successfully established by ligation of the neck of the rat's bilateral maxillary first molars and inoculation with porphyromonas gingivalis. The results of qPCR and ELISA showed that experimental periodontitis up-regulated the expression levels of inflammatory factors(IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α) in hippocampus of rats and the result of ELISA showed that the level of Aβ42in hippocampus of experimental periodontitis rats increased. But the pretreatment with TAK-242 intraperitoneal injection could reduce the up-regulated the expression of inflammatory factors and Aβ42by down-regulating the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Conclusion Experimental periodontitis in rats induced by ligation combined with inoculation of porphyromonas gingivalis can result in inflammation in the brain and promote the accumulation of Aβ42in the brain, and it is reasonable to speculate that inflammation may play an important role in the correlation between periodontitis and systemic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.