ObjectiveType I interferon (IFN-I) signaling is essential for antiviral innate immunity, yet its sustained or excessive activation contributes to the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases and interferonopathies, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and Aicardi-Goutières syndrome. Current strategies targeting this pathway, exemplified by JAK inhibitors, act mainly on downstream signal transduction and provide limited direct control over upstream IFN-I production, while also carrying the risk of broad immunosuppression. Phyllanthus emblica L. has long been used in traditional medicine for inflammatory disorders, but the bioactive constituent responsible for its regulation of IFN-I signaling and the underlying molecular mechanism have not been clearly defined. This study aimed to identify the active anti-inflammatory component of P. emblica and to characterize its mechanism of action on the IFN-I pathway in macrophages. MethodsActive components ofP. emblica and their candidate targets were screened by network pharmacology using the TCMSP and DrugBank databases (oral bioavailability≥30%, drug-likeness≥0.18) and intersected with inflammation-related genes retrieved from public databases. The predicted interaction between EGCG and IFN-I pathway proteins (TBK1, IRF3, STAT1) was evaluated by molecular docking, with BX795 and GSK8612 used as reference TBK1 inhibitors. Mechanistic experiments were performed in THP-1-derived macrophages and primary bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). Upstream signaling was activated by transfection of the nucleic acid analogs poly(I∶C) and poly(dA∶dT) or by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, whereas downstream signaling was activated by exogenous IFN-β. An siRNA-mediated TREX1 knockdown model was used to mimic endogenous nucleic acid-driven interferonopathy. Expression of IFN-β1 and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) was measured by RT-qPCR, protein phosphorylation by Western blot, and IFN-β secretion by ELISA. Cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) and drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) were used to probe the interactionbetween EGCG and IRF3. ResultsNetwork pharmacology identified (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) as a candidate IFN-I-suppressive constituent of P. emblica, with predicted binding to TBK1, IRF3, and STAT1. Molecular docking yielded binding energies of -9.2, -7.2, and -8.2 kcal/mol for TBK1, IRF3, and STAT1, respectively, indicating an affinity for TBK1 comparable to that of the reference inhibitors BX795 (-5.7 kcal/mol) and GSK8612 (-6.4 kcal/mol). EGCG suppressed IFN-β1 and ISG mRNA expression under poly (I∶C), poly (dA∶dT), and LPS stimulation in both THP-1 macrophages and BMDM. At the protein level, EGCG reduced the phosphorylation of TBK1 and IRF3 without affecting the levels of the upstream sensors cGAS and RIG-I, and lowered IFN-β secretion in a concentration-dependent manner. CETSA and DARTS showed that EGCG did not enhance the thermal stability or protease resistance of IRF3, indicating that its effect on IRF3 is indirect. Following IFN-β stimulation, prolonged EGCG treatment reduced STAT1 phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner without an apparent change in IRF9, and partially attenuated ISG transcription; this effect was not monotonicly concentration-dependent, and CXCL10 showed the most consistent suppression. In TREX1-knockdown cells, the elevated mRNA levels of ISG15, ISG56, and CXCL10 were reduced by EGCG. ConclusionEGCG suppresses IFN-I responses by concurrently inhibiting TBK1-IRF3-dependent IFN‑β production and JAK-STAT1-mediated downstream transcription. These in vitro findings provide a mechanistic basis for the anti-inflammatory use of P. emblica in traditional medicine and identify EGCG as a candidate for further evaluation in interferon-driven autoimmune disease models.

Aim To evaluate the role of the glucose transporter protein 1(GLUT1)-dependent glycolytic in the attenuation of oxygen-glucose deprivation-reoxygen-ation(OGD/R)injury in HK-2 cells by dexmedetomi-dine(Dex).Methods C57/BL6 mice were random-ly divided into three groups(n=6),namely,sham operation group(Sham group),renal ischemia reper-fusion group(I/R group)and Dex group(I/R+Dex group).Serum creatinine(Cr)and urea nitrogen(BUN)were measured,while the levels of key glyco-lytic enzymes HK2,PFKFB3 and GLUT1 were meas-ured.HK-2 cells were cultured and randomised into seven groups(n=6),which was treated with OGD/R,overexpression or interference with GLUT1,Dex and glycolysis inhibitor 2-DG.CCK-8 and LDH activi-ty were used to detect cellular damage.Glycolysis lev-els were detected by lactate and ECAR.The inflamma-tory level was reflected by qRT-PCR for IL-6 and TNF-α.qRT-PCR and Western blot were performed to de-tect the levels of GLUT1,HK2,and PFKFB3.Results Dex significantly ameliorated kidney injury and HK-2 cell injury(P＜0.05).Dex inhibited the OGD/R-induced rise in lactate and extracellular acidification rate(ECAR),as evidenced by suppression of the ex-pression of GLUT1,HK2 and PFKFB3(P＜0.05).In vitro experiments showed that GLUT1 knockdown sig-nificantly improved OGD/R-induced cellular damage.Lactate,ECAR,glycolysis-related mRNAs and pro-teins were inhibited by GLUT1 knockdown(P＜0.05).Significantly,there were no significant differ-ences in above indexes after Dex treatment based on GLUT1 knockdown.Overexpression of GLUT1 abroga-ted the protective effects of Dex,while reversing the inhibitory effects of Dex on the expression of GLUT1,HK2,and PFKFB3(P＜0.05).Conclusions Dexmedetomidine attenuates OGD/R induced injury in HK-2 cells by inhibiting GLUT1-dependent glycolysis.

Objective:To investigate the distribution of CGG repeat numbers in the FMR1 gene among reproductive-age women in China, providing data reference for carrier screening and genetic counseling of Fragile X syndrome. Methods:This cross-sectional study recruited 16 610 reproductive-age women from 12 medical institutions between July 2022 and October 2023. Peripheral venous blood samples (3 mL) were collected, and genomic DNA was extracted. The number of CGG repeats in the FMR1 gene was determined using the triplet-primed polymerase chain reaction (TP-PCR) combined with capillary electrophoresis technology. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the prevalence and distribution of CGG repeat expansions. Results:Among 16 610 women of childbearing age, 5 684 (34.220%) women had the same number of CGG repeats in the two alleles of FMR1 gene, and 10 926 (65.780%) women had different numbers of repeats in the two alleles. Among the 33 220 FMR1 alleles in 16 610 women of reproductive age, the most common CGG repeat numbers were 29 [48.645% (16 160/33 220)] and 30 [26.276% (8 729/33 220)], while the most frequent CGG genotype was CGG 29/29 [24.726% (4 107/16 610)]. The CGG repeat numbers of FMR1 gene were normal in 16 498 women (99.326%). Among the 112 women (0.674%) with CGG repeat abnormities, 96 (0.578%) women were classified as intermediate carriers, 15 (0.090%) as premutation carriers, and 1 (0.006%) as a full mutation carrier, whose CGG genotype was (36, >200). Conclusion:In the general reproductive-age female population in China, the normal CGG repeat numbers of the FMR1 gene account for 99.326%, while the intermediate carrier rate is 0.578%, and the combined carrier rate of the premutation and full mutation types is 0.096%.

Although teniposide(VM26)is widely used in the treatment of lymphoma,its poor water sol-ubility,low bioavailability and systemic toxicities still limit its clinical application.Nano-delivery systems are effective in increasing the bioavailability and reducing the toxicity of VM26,but there is an urgent need to overcome the problem of its non-specific targeting.Therefore,in this paper,we designed and constructed a hyaluronic acid-modified teniposide-targeted nano-delivery system(VM26-TNDS),and characterised its drug encapsulation rate,particle size and zeta potential.We also investigated the effects of VM26-TNDS on B-cell lymphoma cells with different expression of CD44 receptor,in terms of cellular targeting,inhibitory effect of proliferation,and induction of apoptosis and necrosis.The results showed that the drug encapsulation efficiency of VM26-TNDS exceeded 85％,and its liquid formulation could be stably stored at 4 ℃ for more than 6 months without precipitation.Based on CD44 receptor expression,Granta-519(high expression),Raji(medium-low expression)and SU-DHL-4(almost no expression)were screened for cellular experiments.Compared with VM26-NDS,the targeted modification could effec-tively reduce the uptake of VM26-TNDS by RAW264.7 and increase the uptake of VM26-TNDS by CD44 receptor-expressing lymphoma cells.The inhibitory proliferative effect and apoptotic necrosis-inducing a-bility of VM26-TNDS were stronger than those of VM26-NDS for Granta-519 and Raji cells,whereas there was no significant difference in the inhibitory effect on proliferation and ability to induce apoptosis and necrosis between VM26-NDS and VM26-TNDS in SU-DHL-4 cells,reflecting the targeting advantage for VM26-TNDS,as expected.However,its toxic effect on B-cell lymphoma cells only reflected the targeting advantage at some concentrations(0.25 μmol/L and 0.5 μmol/L),which met the expectation.The a-bove results indicate that a teniposide-targeted nano-delivery system,VM26-TNDS,has been successfully prepared in this study.VM26-TNDS improves the delivery efficiency of VM26 by targeting human B-cell lymphoma cells expressing the CD44 receptor,thus killing human B-cell lymphoma cells more effectively and overcoming the problem of non-specific targeting in drug delivery to improve the therapeutic effect.Its biological therapeutic effects and mechanisms still need to be proved by more in vitro and in vivo ex-perimental evidence.

Aim To explore the compatibility and po-tential mechanism of effective components of Biejia-Ezhu against triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)and verify it by experiments.Methods Effective compo-nents and targets of Biejia-Ezhu were obtained by TC-MSP and Swiss Target Prediction.Disease targets of TNBC were obtained from OMMI and GeneCards data-bases.The PPI network was constructed using STRING database.GO and KEGG path enrichment analysis was performed using DAVID database.Cytoscape3.9.1 software was used to construct the"drug-component-target-disease"network,screen key targets and compo-nents for molecular docking,and further verify the com-patibility of key components and targets in vitro.Re-sults ① A total of 71 effective components were iden-tified in the Biejia-Ezhu drug pair.There were 146 drug targets associated with the disease.A total of 113 signaling pathways were identified by KEGG analysis.The 71 potential active components of Biejia-Ezhu mainly acted on key targets such as mTORC1,ULK1,TNF,EGFR,ESR1,STAT3,HIF1A,and PTGS2.Mo-lecular docking results showed that glycine and curcu-min were the key active components of Biejia-Ezhu,and both had strong docking activity against key target proteins mTORC1 and ULK1.②The results of in vitro experiment showed that glycine combined with curcu-min significantly inhibited the proliferation and clonal formation ability of TNBC cells(P＜0.05),up-regula-ted the expression of autophagy marker LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ,down-regulated the expression of EGFR,down-regula-ted the expression of pathway protein mTORC1,p-mTOR,p-ULK1,and promoted the expression of path-way protein ULK1(P＜0.05).Conclusion The key component of Biejia-Ezhu against triple-negative breast cancer is glycine-curcumin,the mechanism of which may be related to the regulation of the mTORC1/ULK1 signaling pathway to promote autophagy.

Microbial detection and control of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are crucial for the quality control of TCM preparations. It is also a key area of research in the measurement technology and equipment development for TCM manufacturing. Guided by TCM manufacturing measurement methodologies, this study presented a design of a novel portable microbial detection device, using Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma decoction pieces as a demonstration. Immunomagnetic separation technology was employed for specific isolation and labeling of target microorganisms. Enzymatic signal amplification was utilized to convert weak biological signals into colorimetric signals, constructing an optical biosensor. A self-developed smartphone APP was further applied to analyze the colorimetric signals and quantify target concentrations. A portable and automated detection system based on Arduino microcontroller was developed to automatically perform target microbial separation/extraction, as well as mimetic enzyme labeling and catalytic reactions. The developed equipment specifically focuses on the rapid and quantitative microbial analysis of TCM active pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates in TCM manufacturing, and final TCM products. Experimental results demonstrate that the equipment could detect Salmonella in samples within 2 h, with a detection limit as low as 5.1 × 10~3 CFU·mL~(-1). The equipment enables the rapid detection of microorganisms in TCM decoction pieces, providing a potential technical solution for on-site rapid screening of microbial contamination indicators in TCM. It has broad application prospects in measurement technology for TCM manufacturing and offers strong technical support for the modernization, industrialization, and intelligent development of TCM.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Atractylodes/microbiology* ; Rhizome/microbiology* ; Biosensing Techniques/methods* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Colorimetry/instrumentation* ; Quality Control

Objective To investigate the effects of estrogen signaling on T-cell recruitment and polarization in acutely injured skeletal muscle.Methods One hundred C57BL/6 male mice,one hundred and eighty C57BL/6 female mice were selected.Twenty-five female mice were ovariectomized(OVX)and 10 male mice were taken as the sham-operated(sham).Then,cardiotoxin(CTX)induced tibialis anterior(TA)injury for preparing mice myoinjury model.Subcutaneous injection of 17β-estradiol(E2)or estrogen receptor antagonist 4-hydroxytamoxifen(4-OHT)was performed.A total of 140 mice(70 males and 70 females)were divided into four group including:PBS-male,CTX-male,PBS-female,and CTX-female.Serum estradiol(E2)levels were measured by ELISA,and muscle injury models were validated via HE staining.Subsequently,20 male and 20 female mice were selected for immunofluorescence(IF)and Real-time PCR to assess estrogen receptors(ER)expression in injured muscle tissue.Further,10 male and 40 female mice were allocated into five experimental groups,including CTX,CTX+E2,CTX+4-OHT,CTX+OVX,CTX+sham.HE staining and IF were performed to evaluate inflammatory infiltration in the injured muscle.Additionally,50 female mice were divided into CTX and CTX+OVX groups,and IF combined with flow cytometry were used to analyze T-cell phenotypes and muscle fiber regeneration in the injured muscle.Results In vivo,serum E2 and myofiber ERβ increased post-injury in mice of both sexes,significantly higher in females.Compared to the control group,E2 alleviated inflammation,OVX exacerbated inflammation,increased CD4+T-cell infiltration,elevated T helper 1 cell(Th1)response,decreased regulatory T cells(Tregs),impaired regeneration.In vitro,IFN-γ/LPS significantly upregulated ERβ in myotubes.Conclusion Estrogen signaling critically regulates muscle inflammation.Estrogen deficiency(OVX)delays repair of skeletal muscle by promoting Th1 response and suppressing Tregs function.

The ventral anterior (VA) nucleus of the thalamus is a major target of the basal ganglia and is closely associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Notably, the VA receives direct innervation from the hypothalamic histaminergic system. However, its role in PD remains unknown. Here, we assessed the contribution of histamine to VA neuronal activity and PD motor deficits. Functional magnetic resonance imaging showed reduced VA activity in PD patients. Optogenetic activation of VA neurons or histaminergic afferents significantly alleviated motor deficits in 6-OHDA-induced PD rats. Furthermore, histamine excited VA neurons via H1 and H2 receptors and their coupled hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels, inward-rectifier K⁺ channels, or Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels. These results demonstrate that histaminergic afferents actively compensate for Parkinsonian motor deficits by biasing VA activity. These findings suggest that targeting VA histamine receptors and downstream ion channels may be a potential therapeutic strategy for PD motor dysfunction.
Animals ; Histamine/metabolism* ; Male ; Oxidopamine/toxicity* ; Rats ; Ventral Thalamic Nuclei/physiopathology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Disease Models, Animal ; Parkinson Disease/metabolism* ; Neurons/physiology* ; Humans ; Optogenetics

Neuropathic pain, a debilitating condition caused by dysfunction of the somatosensory nervous system, remains difficult to treat due to limited understanding of its molecular mechanisms. Bioinformatics analysis identified cerebellin 2 (CBLN2) as highly enriched in human and murine proprioceptive and nociceptive neurons. We found that CBLN2 expression is persistently upregulated in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) following spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in mice. In addition, transcription factor SOX11 binds to 12 cis-regulatory elements within the Cbln2 promoter to enhance its transcription. SNL also induced SOX11 upregulation, with SOX11 and CBLN2 co-localized in nociceptive neurons. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of Sox11 or Cbln2 attenuated SNL-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. High-throughput sequencing of DRG following intrathecal injection of CBLN2 revealed widespread gene expression changes, including upregulation of numerous NF-κB downstream targets. Consistently, CBLN2 activated NF-κB signaling, and inhibition with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate reduced CBLN2-induced pain hypersensitivity, proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines production, and neuronal hyperexcitability. Together, these findings identified the SOX11/CBLN2/NF-κB axis as a critical mediator of neuropathic pain and a promising target for therapeutic intervention.
Animals ; Neuralgia/metabolism* ; Ganglia, Spinal/metabolism* ; Up-Regulation ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; SOXC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Male ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics* ; Hyperalgesia/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Spinal Nerves