BACKGROUND:Our previous study found that Modified Erxian Pill could alleviate inflammation in collagen-induced arthritis rats,but its mechanism needs to be further verified. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the components absorbed in the blood of Modified Erxian Pill,and observe the effect of the drug-containing serum of Modified Erxian Pill on pyroptosis of J774A.1 macrophages. METHODS:(1)Analysis of components absorbed in the blood of Modified Erxian Pill:Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry was used to detect and identify Modified Erxian Pill and its components absorbed in the blood.(2)Effect of the drug-containing serum of Modified Erxian Pill on pyroptosis of J774A.1 macrophages:Molecular docking technology was used to initially verify the sesquiterpenoids and NLRP3 in components absorbed in the blood of Modified Erxian Pill.J774A.1 macrophages were randomly divided into blank control group,lipopolysaccharide+adenosine triphosphate group,and lipopolysaccharide+adenosine triphosphate+Modified Erxian Pill with low(2.5%),medium(5%),and high(10%)dose groups.The release of lactate dehydrogenase in the cell supernatant of each group was detected according to the kit instructions.The levels of interleukin-1β and interleukin-18 in cell supernatant were detected in each group by ELISA.The cell membrane damage was detected by Hoechst/PI staining.The expression levels of NLRP3,Caspase-1,GSDMD,and GSDMD-N protein in the cells of each group were detected by western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 32 active components of Modified Erxian Pill were identified,and 21 components entered the blood.The main components into blood included a variety of sesquiterpenoids.(2)Molecular docking results showed that 3-O-Acetyl-13-deoxyphomenone,Incensol oxide,Atractylenolide III,Rupestonic acid,and 3,7-Dihydroxy-9,11-eremophiladien-8-one had good binding activity with NLRP3.(3)Compared with the blank control group,lactate dehydrogenase activity and the expression levels of interleukin-1β and interleukin-18 were significantly increased in cell supernatant of lipopolysaccharide+adenosine triphosphate group(P<0.001).Hoechst/PI staining showed that the number of PI-positive cells was significantly increased.After the intervention of lipopolysaccharide+adenosine triphosphate+Modified Erxian Pill group,all of them showed different degrees of reduction.(4)Compared with the blank control group,NLRP3,Caspase-1,GSDMD,and GSDMD-N protein expression levels were significantly increased in the lipopolysaccharide+adenosine triphosphate group(P<0.05).Compared with lipopolysaccharide+adenosine triphosphate group,the protein expressions of NLRP3,Caspase-1,GSDMD,and GSDMD-N were significantly decreased in the lipopolysaccharide+adenosine triphosphate+Modified Erxian Pill group(P<0.05),and had a certain dose dependence.These findings verify that the drug-containing serum of Modified Erxian Pill may inhibit the pyroptosis of J774A.1 macrophages by regulating the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway.

Objective To investigate the effect of β-arrestin1(ARRB1)on cell proliferation,migration and invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC).Methods Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database,the expression profiles of ARRB1 in OSCC were analyzed,and then Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA)was used to suggest the possible signaling pathways involved,and to explore its potential impact on the prognosis of OSCC patients.Immuinohistochemistry(IHC)was performed to detect the expression of ARRB1 in OSCC tumor tissues and adjacent tissues,and the correlation between ARRB1 expression and clinicopathological features was statistically analyzed.The expression profiles of ARRB1 in SCC-15,CAL-27 and HOK cell lines were verified by qPCR and Western blotting.The ARRB1 overexpression plasmid model was constructed,and its effects on the proliferation,migration and invasion of OSCC cells were analyzed by clone formation,EdU,scratch and Transwell assays.Results TCGA showed that the expression level of ARRB1 was significantly lower in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSC)and OSCC tissues than the corresponding normal tissues(P<0.01).The expression of ARRB1 in OSCC tissues was correlated with tumor differentiation,lymph node metastasis and TNM stage(P<0.05).The OSCC patients with high expression of ARRB1 had a lower survival rate than those with low expression(P<0.01),which was consistent with the results of bioinformatics analysis.The expression level of ARRB1 in SCC-15 and CAL-27 cells was lower than that of HOK cells(P<0.01),and its overexpression significantly inhibited cell proliferation(P<0.05),migration(P<0.01)and invasion(P<0.01).Conclusion ARRB1 is lowly expressed in OSCC,its overexpression inhibits the proliferation,migration and invasion of OSCC cells,and it is related to prognosis improvement.

Malonylation is an important post-translational modification of proteins.In this work,a comprehensive malonylation proteomics study on hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)tumorous and non-tumorous tissues using antibody enrichment combined with high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for discovery of early diagnostic biomarkers or potential new drug targets of HCC was performed.A total of 1299 malonylated peptides containing 1064 malonylated sites were identified from HCC tissues,corresponding to 511 malonylated proteins.Quantitative results showed that 56 and 80 malonylated proteins were up-regulated and down-regulated in HCC tissues,including 60 and 101 malonylated sites,respectively.Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis showed that these differentially modified proteins were involved in various important pathways such as metabolic pathways,fatty acid degradation,and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis.As a key enzyme in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis,phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1(PCK1)was malonylated at lysine 244(K244)and the malonylation was only detected in HCC tumorous tissues.More importantly,the K244 site served as a binding site for Mn2+and highly conserved across different species.Therefore,it could speculate that the malonylation of K244 would affect its activity and played a role in liver cancer by affecting its binding with Mn2+,which requied further verification through site mutation experiments.Western blot analysis by malonylation pan antibody showed that the malonylation level reduced markedly in HCC tumorous tissues compared with adjacent non-tumorous tissues,which was consistent with mass spectrometry data.In addition,the proliferation and invasion of PLC/PRF/5 cell was significantly inhibited and protein malonylation level was increased obviously when treated with sodium malonate.All the evidence indicated that protein malonylation played an important role in HCC pathogenesis,and its molecular mechanism deserved further investigation.Furthermore,the 136 differentially malonylated proteins provided rich source of candidate targets for further research on HCC pathogenesis.

In recent years,micro photoionization detectors(μPID),with their rapid response speed and excellent sensitivity,have attracted widespread attention in both scientific research and industry.This study developed a portable gas chromatograph based on μPID technology(GC-μPID),and examined its key performance characteristics such as reproducibility,sensitivity,and online analytical capability.The results showed that the method's relative standard deviation(RSD)was controlled within 2.7%,demonstrating good reproducibility;for the standard curves of 27 kinds of volatile organic compounds(VOCs),the linearity was excellent(R2≥0.99),with detection limits of≤10 μg/m3 and benzene series compounds reaching detection limits as low as 0.5 μg/m3.In field applications at an industrial park,this method successfully identified and quantified 17 kinds of VOCs,accurately capturing their diurnal concentration variations.The results above validated that the method developed here had the capability of onsite real-time monitoring and provided an effective tool for in situ monitoring atmospheric pollutants.

By using a strategy of leveraging the ability of metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)materials to precisely regulate the spatial orientation of cyclodextrins(CD),a polystyrene-modified γ-cyclodextrin metal-organic frameworks(PS-CD-MOFs)capillary coating was established and applied to the chiral separation of amino acids in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography(OT-CEC)based on the excellent film-forming property of polystyrene(PS).Characterization results by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),X-ray diffraction(XRD)indicated that PS was successfully grafted onto the surface of CD-MOFs.The modification significantly improved the structural stability and thermal stability of CD-MOFs while maintaining the integrity of the MOFs.The PS-CD-MOFs coated capillary electrophoresis system exhibited excellent performance in separating dansylated amino acid enantiomers(Dns-D,L-AAs).Specifically,under the optimal separation conditions(Sodium dodecyl sulfate/boric acid buffer system,20 cm capillary,and 10 kV effective voltage),good separation was achieved for D,L-methionine(D,L-Met)and D,L-serine(D,L-Ser).Further quantitative analysis showed that Dns-D,L-Met presented a good linear relationship in the concentration range of 10.0-1500.0 μmol/L,with a correlation coefficient close to 0.998,demonstrating high sensitivity and repeatability.Not only did it overcome the problem that traditional CD(used as additives in capillary electrophoresis)could not precisely control the spatial orientation of chiral resolvents,but also it solved the issues of insufficient stability and bonding amount of CD-MOFs coatings by utilizing the excellent film-forming property of polymers on the inner wall of capillaries.This study provided an efficient and controllable new strategy for construction of chiral separation stationary phases.

Objective:To explore the expression of 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7) in gastric cancer using bioinformatics methods and its relationship with clinical pathological characteristics and prognosis of gastric cancer patients.Methods:DHCR7 expression in gastric cancer was analyzed using the UALCAN database; DHCR7 mRNA expression and its relationship with the prognosis of gastric cancer patients were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier plotter database; The expression of DHCR7 and its correlation with tumor immune infiltration level were analyzed using Sangerbox 3.0 and TIMER database; Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression of DHCR7 mRNA in gastric cancer tissues and adjacent tissues; immunohistochemical staining was conducted to detect the DHCR7 expression in gastric cancer tissues and adjacent tissues and its correlation with clinical pathological parameters; Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the efficacy of DHCR7 expression in the diagnosis of gastric cancer.Results:The analysis results of the UALCAN database showed that there were statistically significant differences in DHCR7 mRNA expression among gastric cancer patients of different genders ( χ2=18.15, P<0.001), grades ( χ2=16.32, P<0.001), and TP53 mutation status ( χ2=20.12, P<0.001). Survival analysis showed that the 10-year overall survival (OS) rate ( HR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.31-1.84, P<0.001), 10-year progression free survival (PFS) rate ( HR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.36-2.05, P<0.001), and 10-year post progression survival (PPS) rate ( HR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.43-2.28, P<0.001) of gastric cancer patients with high DHCR7 expression were significantly lower than those with low DHCR7 expression. Immune infiltration analysis showed the expression of DHCR7 was negatively correlated with the comprehensive score ( r=-0.51, P<0.001), stromal cell score ( r=-0.48, P<0.001), immune cell score ( r=-0.45, P<0.001), CD4 + T cells ( r=-3.01, P<0.001), macrophages ( r=-0.40, P<0.001), neutrophils ( r=-0.32, P<0.001), and dendritic cells ( r=-0.37, P<0.001) infiltration levels in gastric cancer, and positively correlated with the purity of gastric cancer cells ( r=0.15, P<0.001). The qRT-PCR results showed that compared with adjacent tissues (1.86±0.51), the expression of DHCR7 in gastric cancer tissues (3.43±0.13) was significantly upregulated, with a statistically significant difference ( t=42.89, P<0.001). The relative expression level of DHCR7 in normal gastric mucosal cells GES-1 was 1.06±0.19, and the relative expression levels in four types of gastric cancer cells (HGC-27, AGS, SNU-1, and SGC-7901) were 2.40±0.26, 1.88±0.11, 1.51±0.04, and 2.63±0.20, respectively, there were statistically significant differences in the expression of DHCR7 among the five types of cells ( F=38.34, P<0.001), and the relative expression level of DHCR7 in normal gastric mucosal cells was statistically significant different compared to the four types of gastric cancer cells mentioned above ( P=0.002; P=0.003; P=0.017; P<0.001) ; The immunohistochemical results showed that the high expression rate of DHCR7 in gastric cancer tissues was 80.0% (96/120), which was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues (68.3%) (82/120) ( χ2=56.84, P<0.001). There were statistically significant differences in tumor maximum diameter ( χ2=40.17, P<0.001), histological grade ( χ2=16.20, P<0.001) and pTNM stage ( χ2=16.99, P<0.001) between patients with high and low DHCR7 expression. The ROC curve results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of DHCR7 expression level for diagnosing gastric cancer were 0.76 (based on TCGA database, 95% CI: 0.68-0.83, P<0.001) and 0.97 (120 clinical samples of gastric cancer, 95% CI: 0.95-0.99, P<0.001), respectively. Conclusions:DHCR7 is highly expressed in gastric cancer and closely associated with poor prognosis in patients, which may be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer.

Basket trial, as an innovative clinical trial design concept, marks the transformation of medical research from the traditional large-scale and single-disease treatment to the precise and individualized treatment. By gradually incorporating the Bayesian method during development, the trial design becomes more scientific and reasonable and increases its efficiency. The fundamental principle of the Bayesian method is the utilization of prior knowledge in conjunction with new observational data to dynamically update the posterior probability. This flexibility enhances the basket trial's capacity to effectively adapt to variations during the research process. Consequently, it enables researchers to dynamically adjust research strategies based on accumulated data and improve the predictive accuracy regarding treatment responses. In addition, the design concept of the basket trial aligns with the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) principle of "homotherapy for heteropathy". The principle of "homotherapy for heteropathy" emphasizes that under certain conditions, different diseases may have the same treatment. Similarly, basket trials allow using a uniform trial design across multiple diseases, offering enhanced operational and significant practical value in the realm of TCM, particularly within the context of syndrome-based disease research. By introducing basket trials, the design of TCM clinical studies will be more scientific and yield higher-quality evidence. This study systematically categorized various Bayesian methods and models utilized in basket trials, evaluated their strengths and weaknesses, and identified their appropriate application contexts, so as to offer a practical guide for designing basket trials in the realm of TCM.
Bayes Theorem ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Research Design ; Clinical Trials as Topic/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

The chemical composition of Paeoniae Radix Alba(PRA) is complex, with primary secondary metabolites including monoterpenoids, tannins, triterpenoids, and flavonoids. In previous studies on the material basis of PRA, it was found that, in addition to the widely studied characteristic monoterpene glycosides, tannic acid components also play an important role in the efficacy of PRA. However, their pharmacological effects have not been thoroughly investigated. This paper reviews the tannic acid components in PRA, including pentagaloyl glucose(PGG), tetragaloyl glucose(TGG), trigaloyl glucose(TriGG), and gallic acid, along with their structures, properties, and characteristics to provide a detailed discussion of their pharmacological activities and related mechanisms, aiming to offer a theoretical basis for the material basis research and clinical application of PRA.
Paeonia/chemistry* ; Tannins/chemistry* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Animals ; Plant Extracts

By employing the analytic hierarchy process(AHP), the CRITIC method(a weight determination method based on indicator correlations), and the AHP-CRITIC hybrid weighting method, the weight coefficients of evaluation indicators were determined, followed by a comprehensive score comparison. The grey correlation analysis was then performed to analyze the results calculated using the hybrid weighting method. Subsequently, a backpropagation-artificial neural network(BP-ANN) model was constructed to predict the extraction process parameters and optimize the extraction process for Shenxiong Huanglian Jiedu Granules(SHJG). In the extraction process, an L_9(3~4) orthogonal experiment was designed to optimize three factors at three levels, including extraction frequency, water addition amount, and extraction time. The evaluation indicators included geniposide, berberine, ginsenoside Rg_1 + Re, ginsenoside Rb_1, ferulic acid, and extract yield. Finally, the optimal extraction results obtained by the orthogonal experiment, grey correlation analysis, and BP-ANN method were compared, and validation experiments were conducted. The results showed that the optimal extraction process involved two rounds of aqueous extraction, each lasting one hour; the first extraction used ten times the amount of added water, while the second extraction used eight times the amount. In the validation experiments, the average content of each indicator component was higher than the average content obtained in the orthogonal experiment, with a higher comprehensive score. The optimized extraction process parameters were reliable and stable, making them suitable for subsequent preparation process research.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Neural Networks, Computer