Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is the pillar for the development of motherland medicine, and animal medicine has a long history of application in China, characterized by wide resources, strong activity, definite efficacy, and great benefits. It has significant potential and important status in the consumption market of raw materials of TCM. In the context of global climate change, farming system alterations, and low renewability, the depletion of wild medicinal animal resources has accelerated. Accordingly, the conservation and sustainable utilization of wild resources of animal medicinal materials has become a problem that garners increasing attention and urgently needs to be solved. This paper summarizes the current situation of domestic and foreign medicinal animal breeding and research progress in industrial application in recent years and points out the issues related to standardized breeding, germplasm selection and breeding, and quality evaluation standards for medicinal animals. Furthermore, this paper discusses standardized breeding, quality standards, resource protection and utilization, and the search for alternative resources for rare and endangered medicinal animals. It proposes that researchers should systematically carry out in-depth basic research on animal medicine, improve the breeding scale and level of medicinal animals, employ modern technology to enhance the quality standards of medicinal materials, and strengthen the research and development of alternative resources. This approach aims to effectively address the relationship between protection and utilization and make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of medicinal animal resources and the animal-based Chinese medicinal material industry.
Animals ; Breeding ; China ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Conservation of Natural Resources

C-Reactive protein(CRP)is an important acute-phase response protein,which is widely used in the assessment of inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk,and acts as a pathogenic factor directly involved in the disease process of certain conditions.Therefore,developing immunosuppressants targeting CRP or investigating its pathogenic mechanisms is of significant importance.Most B-cell epitopes are conformational epitopes,and studying conformational epitopes is typically challenging.To date,no methods have been reported for mapping the conformational epitopes of CRP in solution.In this study,a rapid strategy was developed for studying conformational epitopes by combining hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry(HDX-MS)with multiparametric prediction of B-cell epitopes and protein secondary structure analysis.This approach was successfully applied to the binding sites and allosteric targets of the 115 kDa full pentameric CRP and the clinically used monoclonal antibody(mAb)5A8.The results showed that the amino acid residues 84-103,138-146,and 165-173 together form the potential conformational epitopes for mAb 5A8 on CRP,while the amino acid residues 21-32 and 175-178 were identified as potential allosteric targets.The discovery of the mAb 5A8 binding sites and allosteric targets was crucial for improving clinical diagnostic capabilities.Experimental results demonstrated that this workflow allowed rapid conformational epitope mapping of CRP under near-physiological conditions,with advantages such as high speed,high sensitivity,and high throughput.

Aim To systematically investigate the ac-tive components,targets,and regulatory pathways of Po-lygonum capitatum in intervening atherosclerosis(AS)through network pharmacology,molecular docking and animal experiments.Methods Active components of Polygonum capitatum and AS-related targets were screened and identified through database searches.Protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis was performed using the STRING database,followed by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses via the David plat-form.Molecular docking validation was conducted with AutoDock.An AS model was established in Syrian golden hamsters fed a high-fat diet.Predicted pathways and targets were validated using qPCR,ELISA,and histopathological assessment of aortic and hepatic tis-sues via HE staining.Results Network pharmacology identified 27 potential active components of Polygonum capitatum(primarily flavonoids such as quercetin and luteolin)and 110 drug-disease intersection targets,in-cluding core targets MMP-9,ALB,and AKT1.GO and KEGG analyses enriched 593 and 125 pathways,re-spectively,with the NF-κB inflammatory pathway,TNF signaling pathway and lipid metabolism/atherosclerosis pathways highlighted as key mechanisms.Animal ex-periments demonstrated that Polygonum capitatum im-proved serum lipid profiles(reduced TC,TG,LDL-C)in AS hamsters,suppressed the MMP-9/NF-κB signa-ling pathway(downregulated MMP-9,p65 phosphoryla-tion,TNF-α,and IL-6),and inhibited VSMC synthetic phenotypic transformation(upregulated α-SMA and myocardin)by downregulating MCPIP1.Additionally,Polygonum capitatum ameliorated aortic lesions and he-patic lipid deposition in AS hamsters.Conclusions Polygonum capitatum alleviates AS by synergistically regulating the MMP-9/NF-κB/MCPIP1 axis through flavonoid components,suppressing vascular inflammato-ry cascades and maintaining VSMC contractile pheno-types.This reflects Polygonum capitatum's multi-com-ponent,multi-pathway,and multi-target characteristics in combating AS.

Aim To systematically investigate the ac-tive components,targets,and regulatory pathways of Po-lygonum capitatum in intervening atherosclerosis(AS)through network pharmacology,molecular docking and animal experiments.Methods Active components of Polygonum capitatum and AS-related targets were screened and identified through database searches.Protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis was performed using the STRING database,followed by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses via the David plat-form.Molecular docking validation was conducted with AutoDock.An AS model was established in Syrian golden hamsters fed a high-fat diet.Predicted pathways and targets were validated using qPCR,ELISA,and histopathological assessment of aortic and hepatic tis-sues via HE staining.Results Network pharmacology identified 27 potential active components of Polygonum capitatum(primarily flavonoids such as quercetin and luteolin)and 110 drug-disease intersection targets,in-cluding core targets MMP-9,ALB,and AKT1.GO and KEGG analyses enriched 593 and 125 pathways,re-spectively,with the NF-κB inflammatory pathway,TNF signaling pathway and lipid metabolism/atherosclerosis pathways highlighted as key mechanisms.Animal ex-periments demonstrated that Polygonum capitatum im-proved serum lipid profiles(reduced TC,TG,LDL-C)in AS hamsters,suppressed the MMP-9/NF-κB signa-ling pathway(downregulated MMP-9,p65 phosphoryla-tion,TNF-α,and IL-6),and inhibited VSMC synthetic phenotypic transformation(upregulated α-SMA and myocardin)by downregulating MCPIP1.Additionally,Polygonum capitatum ameliorated aortic lesions and he-patic lipid deposition in AS hamsters.Conclusions Polygonum capitatum alleviates AS by synergistically regulating the MMP-9/NF-κB/MCPIP1 axis through flavonoid components,suppressing vascular inflammato-ry cascades and maintaining VSMC contractile pheno-types.This reflects Polygonum capitatum's multi-com-ponent,multi-pathway,and multi-target characteristics in combating AS.

Bacterial biofilms gave rise to persistent infections and multi-organ failure, thereby posing a serious threat to human health. Biofilms were formed by cross-linking of hydrophobic extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), such as proteins, polysaccharides, and eDNA, which were synthesized by bacteria themselves after adhesion and colonization on biological surfaces. They had the characteristics of dense structure, high adhesiveness and low drug permeability, and had been found in many human organs or tissues, such as the brain, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and skeleton. By releasing pro-inflammatory bacterial metabolites including endotoxins, exotoxins and interleukin, biofilms stimulated the body’s immune system to secrete inflammatory factors. These factors triggered local inflammation and chronic infections. Those were the key reason for the failure of traditional clinical drug therapy for infectious diseases.In order to cope with the increasingly severe drug-resistant infections, it was urgent to develop new therapeutic strategies for bacterial-biofilm eradication and anti-bacterial infections. Based on the nanoscale structure and biocompatible activity, nanobiomaterials had the advantages of specific targeting, intelligent delivery, high drug loading and low toxicity, which could realize efficient intervention and precise treatment of drug-resistant bacterial biofilms. This paper highlighted multiple strategies of biofilms eradication based on nanobiomaterials. For example, nanobiomaterials combined with EPS degrading enzymes could be used for targeted hydrolysis of bacterial biofilms, and effectively increased the drug enrichment within biofilms. By loading quorum sensing inhibitors, nanotechnology was also an effective strategy for eradicating bacterial biofilms and recovering the infectious symptoms. Nanobiomaterials could intervene the bacterial metabolism and break the bacterial survival homeostasis by blocking the uptake of nutrients. Moreover, energy-driven micro-nano robotics had shown excellent performance in active delivery and biofilm eradication. Micro-nano robots could penetrate physiological barriers by exogenous or endogenous driving modes such as by biological or chemical methods, ultrasound, and magnetic field, and deliver drugs to the infection sites accurately. Achieving this using conventional drugs was difficult. Overall, the paper described the biological properties and drug-resistant molecular mechanisms of bacterial biofilms, and highlighted therapeutic strategies from different perspectives by nanobiomaterials, such as dispersing bacterial mature biofilms, blocking quorum sensing, inhibiting bacterial metabolism, and energy driving penetration. In addition, we presented the key challenges still faced by nanobiomaterials in combating bacterial biofilm infections. Firstly, the dense structure of EPS caused biofilms spatial heterogeneity and metabolic heterogeneity, which created exacting requirements for the design, construction and preparation process of nanobiomaterials. Secondly, biofilm disruption carried the risk of spread and infection the pathogenic bacteria, which might lead to other infections. Finally, we emphasized the role of nanobiomaterials in the development trends and translational prospects in biofilm treatment.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Shuangye San(the prescription mainly composed of Mori Folium and Nelumbinis Folium)in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)complicated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)of spleen deficiency and phlegm stasis type.Methods A total of 80 patients with T2DM complicated with NAFLD of spleen deficiency and phlegm stasis type were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,with 40 cases in each group.The control group was treated with conventional western medicine for lowering blood glucose and lipid,protecting liver and lowering enzymes.The treatment group was treated with the granules of Shuangye San orally on the basis of treatment for the control group.The course of treatment lasted for three months.The changes of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores,homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR),fasting insulin(FINS),fasting blood glucose(FBG),2-hour postprandial blood glucose(2hPG),glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1C),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),liver function indicators and B-ultrasound grading of fatty liver in the two groups were observed before and after treatment.After treatment,the clinical efficacy and safety of the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)After three months of treatment,the total effective rate of the treatment group was 85.00％(34/40),and that of the control group was 70.00％(28/40).The intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the efficacy of the treatment group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.01).(2)After treatment,the scores of TCM symptoms of obese physique,heaviness and weakness in the limbs,shortness of breath and unwilling to talk,tightness and stabbing pain in the chest,abdominal distension and poor appetite in the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of TCM syndrome scores in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the levels of glucose and lipid metabolism indicators of FINS,HOMA-IR,FBG,2hPG,HbA1C,TC,TG and LDL-C in the two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the level of HDL-C was significantly increased compared with that before treatment(P＜0.05).The decrease of FINS,HOMA-IR,FBG,2hPG,HbA1C,TC,TG and LDL-C levels and the increase of HDL-C levels in the treatment group were significantly superior to those in the control group(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the levels of liver function indicators of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase(GGT)in the two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of liver function indicators in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(5)After treatment,the B-ultrasound grading of fatty liver of the two groups was significantly improved compared with that before treatment(P＜0.05),and the improvement of fatty liver B-ultrasound grading in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(6)During the treatment,there were no adverse reactions such as impairment of liver and kidney function and abnormalities in routine blood,urine and stool test in the two groups.Conclusion Shuangye San exerts certain effect in the treatment of T2DM complicated with NAFLD of spleen deficiency and phlegm stasis type.It can alleviate the clinical symptoms of patients,correct the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism,and improve liver function and fatty liver B-ultrasound grading.

Objective To investigate the performance of brands and types of high-flow nasal cnnula oxygen therapy(HFNC)devices at different altitudes.Methods Four different models of HFNC devices,including R-80S bi-level non-invasive ventilator integrated with HFNC device,HF-60A HFNC device,HFT-300 HFNC device and H-80A HFNC device,were connected with the gas flow meter,simularted head and QuickLung and then put into a low-pressure chamber.The flow rates of the HFNC devices were set to 10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55 and 60 L/min,and the simulated altitudes of the low-pressure chamber were set to 6 000,5 000,4 000,3 000,2 000,1 000 and 0 m.The actual output airway flow rates,airway pressure changes and trends of the four HFNC devices were recorded at different setting altitudes and flow rates.SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results The actual output airway flow rates of the four HFNC devices showed an increasing trend as the altitude rose with the simulated altitude of 6 000 m and the setting flow rate kept constant,which increased slowly and even went to decrease when the altitude and flow rate exceeded some limits.The degree of changes in the flow rate with the increasing altitude varied,and there was no uniform pattern.With the rising of altitude,the actual output airway pressure of the four HFNC devices with the flow rate raning from 10 to 35 L/min also increased gradually,which showed a decreasing trend(turning point)after going up to some certain value when the flow rate exceeded 35 L/min,and the altitude where the turning point appeared was lowered as the flow rate increased.Conclusion The actual output airway flow rates and airway pressure during HFNC rise at a high-altitude environment,and generally considerations have to be taken on required airway pressure,patient comfort and the altitude of the patient's usual place of residence when setting the flow rates of the HFNC device.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(6):49-58]

AIM To establish a UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous content determination of chlorogenic acid,mulberroside A,dihydromorin,oxyresveratrol,quercetin,kaempferol,mulberrofuran G,kuwanon G,sanggenon C,sanggenone D and morusin in Mori Cortex.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 35 ℃ thermostatic Brownlee SPP C18 column ( 2.1 mm × 100 mm,2.7 μm ),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile ( containing 0.1％ formic acid)-5 mmol/L ammonium acetate flowing at 0.5 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in negative ion scanning with multiple reaction monitoring mode.RESULTS Eleven constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges (R2>0.9950),whose average recoveries were 94.53％-103.58％ with the RSDs of 2.51％-6.92％.Kaempferol was not detected in 18 batches of medicinal materials,oxyresveratrol,quercetin,mulberrofuran G,kuwanon G and morusin mainly existed in the outer crude bark,and mulberroside A content demonstrated obvious difference in different producing areas of medicinal materials.CONCLUSION This stable,rapid and sensitive method can be used for the quality control of Mori Cortex.

This study aims to investigate the protective effect and potential mechanism of Jingfang Granules(JF) on the mouse model of chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS). Mice were randomized into normal, model, and low-, medium-, and high-dose(0.9, 1.8, and 3.6 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1), respectively) JF groups according to the body weight. In addition to the normal group, other groups of mice received exhaustive swimming training and tail suspension training every day for the modeling of CFS. The mice in each administration group were administrated with JF at the corresponding dose by gavage, and those in the other groups were administrated with an equal amount of purified water. The exhaustive swimming and tail suspension tests were conducted in each group. The UV-glutamate dehydrogenase method was used to determine the serum level of urea nitrogen(UREA), and the lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) assay kit was used to determine the LDH level. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in the serum, muscle tissue, and brain tissue of mice in each group. Western blot was employed to determine the expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88(MyD88), nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB) and their phosphorylated proteins in the muscle tissue of mice. The 16S rDNA sequencing and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS) were adopted to detect the changes of intestinal flora and intestinal metabolites in mice. Compared with the model group, JF significantly prolonged the swimming exhaustion time and shortened the tail suspension time of the model mice, lowered the levels of LDH and UREA in the serum as well as the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the serum, muscle tissue, and brain tissue of CFS mice. In addition, JF down-regulated the expression of TLR4, MyD88, and p-NF-κB/NF-κB in the muscle tissue of CFS mice compared with the model group. The results of 16S rDNA sequencing demonstrated that JF ameliorated the intestinal flora disorder of CFS mice. The results of UPLC-MS/MS revealed that JF significantly affected the histidine metabolism pathway in the intestinal tract of CFS mice. Spearman analysis displayed that histamine, a metabolite involved in histidine metabolism, was negatively correlated with the abundance of Clostridia＿UCG-014, Dubosiella, and RF39 and positively correlated with the abundance of Coriobacteriaceae＿UCG-002. The metabolite imidazole-4-acetaldehyde was negatively correlated with the abundance of Clostridia＿UCG-014, Dubosiella, and RF39 and positively correlated with the abundance of Coriobacteriaceae＿UCG-002. In conclusion, JF can increase the swimming exhaustion time, reduce the immobility time of tail suspension, lower serum LDH and UREA levels, and alleviate inflammation response. It may exert the therapeutic effect by improving intestinal flora homeostasis and inhibiting histidine metabolism by down-regulating the expression of proteins in the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby relieving the symptoms of CFS in mice.
Animals ; Mice ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Metabolomics ; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic/genetics* ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Humans ; Interleukin-6/genetics* ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88/genetics* ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/genetics* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal

AIM To establish a UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous content determination of chlorogenic acid,mulberroside A,dihydromorin,oxyresveratrol,quercetin,kaempferol,mulberrofuran G,kuwanon G,sanggenon C,sanggenone D and morusin in Mori Cortex.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 35 ℃ thermostatic Brownlee SPP C18 column ( 2.1 mm × 100 mm,2.7 μm ),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile ( containing 0.1％ formic acid)-5 mmol/L ammonium acetate flowing at 0.5 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in negative ion scanning with multiple reaction monitoring mode.RESULTS Eleven constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges (R2>0.9950),whose average recoveries were 94.53％-103.58％ with the RSDs of 2.51％-6.92％.Kaempferol was not detected in 18 batches of medicinal materials,oxyresveratrol,quercetin,mulberrofuran G,kuwanon G and morusin mainly existed in the outer crude bark,and mulberroside A content demonstrated obvious difference in different producing areas of medicinal materials.CONCLUSION This stable,rapid and sensitive method can be used for the quality control of Mori Cortex.