OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of stir-fried Semen Armeniacae Amarum (SAA) against aristolochic acid I (AAI)-induced nephrotoxicity and DNA adducts and elucidate the underlying mechanism involved for ensuring the safe use of Asari Radix et Rhizoma. METHODS: In vitro, HEK293T cells overexpressing Flag-tagged multidrug resistance-associated protein 3 (MRP3) were constructed by Lentiviral transduction, and inhibitory effect of top 10 common pairs of medicinal herbs with Asari Radix et Rhizoma in clinic on MRP3 activity was verified using a self-constructed fluorescence screening system. The mRNA, protein expressions, and enzyme activity levels of NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) and cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) were measured in differentiated HepaRG cells. Hepatocyte toxicity after inhibition of AAI metabolite transport was detected using cell counting kit-8 assay. In vivo, C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 5 groups according to a random number table, including: control (1% sodium bicarbonate), AAI (10 mg/kg), stir-fried SAA (1.75 g/kg) and AAI + stir-fried SAA (1.75 and 8.75 g/kg) groups, 6 mice in each group. After 7 days of continuous gavage administration, liver and kidney damages were assessed, and the protein expressions and enzyme activity of liver metabolic enzymes NQO1 and CYP1A2 were determined simultaneously. RESULTS: In vivo, combination of 1.75 g/kg SAA and 10 mg/kg AAI suppressed AAI-induced nephrotoxicity and reduced dA-ALI formation by 26.7%, and these detoxification effects in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01). Mechanistically, SAA inhibited MRP3 transport in vitro, downregulated NQO1 expression in vivo, increased CYP1A2 expression and enzymatic activity in vitro and in vivo, respectively (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Notably, SAA also reduced AAI-induced hepatotoxicity throughout the detoxification process, as indicated by a 41.3% reduction in the number of liver adducts (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Stir-fried SAA is a novel drug candidate for the suppression of AAI-induced liver and kidney damages. The protective mechanism may be closely related to the regulation of transporters and metabolic enzymes.
Aristolochic Acids/toxicity* ; Animals ; Humans ; NAD(P)H Dehydrogenase (Quinone)/genetics* ; HEK293 Cells ; Kidney/pathology* ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; DNA Adducts/drug effects* ; Male ; Kidney Diseases/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Mice ; Prunus armeniaca ; Plant Extracts

OBJECTIVE: To explore the functional roles and underlying mechanisms of neferine in the context of angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertension and vascular dysfunction. METHODS: Male mice were infused with Ang II to induce hypertension and randomly divided into treatment groups receiving neferine or a control vehicle based on baseline blood pressure using a random number table method. The hypertensive mouse model was constructed by infusing Ang II via a micro-osmotic pump (500 ng/kg per minute), and neferine (0.1, 1, or 10 mg/kg), valsartan (10 mg/kg), or double distilled water was administered intragastrically once daily for 6 weeks. A non-invasive blood pressure system, ultrasound, and hematoxylin and eosin staining were performed to assess blood pressure and vascular changes. RNA sequencing and network pharmacology were employed to identify differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) and pathways. Vascular ring tension assay was used to test vascular function. A7R5 cells were incubated with neferine for 24 h and then treated with Ang II to record the real-time Ca²⁺ concentration by confocal microscope. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot were used to evaluate vasorelaxation, calcium, and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 pathway. RESULTS: Neferine treatment effectively mitigated the elevation in blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, aortic thickening in the abdominal aorta of Ang II-infused mice (P<0.05). RNA sequencing and network pharmacology analysis identified 355 DETs that were significantly reversed by neferine treatment, along with 25 potential target genes, which were further enriched in multiple pathways and biological processes, such as ERK1 and ERK2 cascade regulation, calcium pathway, and vascular smooth muscle contraction. Further investigation revealed that neferine treatment enhanced vasorelaxation and reduced Ca²⁺-dependent contraction of abdominal aortic rings, independent of endothelium function (P<0.05). The underlying mechanisms were mediated, at least in part, via suppression of receptor-operated channels, store-operated channels, or voltage-operated calcium channels. Neferine pre-treatment demonstrated a reduction in intracellular Ca²⁺ release in Ang II stimulated A7R5 cells. IHC staining and Western blot confirmed that neferine treatment effectively attenuated the upregulation of p-ERK1/2 both in vivo and in vitro, which was similar with treatment of ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Neferine remarkably alleviates Ang II-induced elevation of blood pressure, vascular dysfunction, and pathological changes in the abdominal aorta. This beneficial effect is mediated by the modulation of multiple pathways, including calcium and ERK1/2 pathways.
Animals ; Angiotensin II ; Male ; Benzylisoquinolines/therapeutic use* ; Network Pharmacology ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Mice ; Hypertension/chemically induced* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Calcium/metabolism*

Aim To investigate the intervention effect of Rehmannia radix water extract on bleomycin(BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice combined with metabolomics and to reveal the potential mechanism,in order to provide new ideas for clinical treatment of pul-monary fibrosis.Methods Male C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into the control group,model group,pirfenidone group(positive control,PFD,270 mg·kg-1),and low dose(DH-L,4.55 g·kg-1)group,medium dose(DH-M,9.1 g·kg-1)group and high dose(DH-H,18.2 g·kg-1)group of Rehman-nia.Except for the control group,BLM(5 mg·kg-1)was instilled into the trachea to establish the model of pulmonary fibrosis in the other groups.The survival rate,lung index and blood oxygen saturation of mice in each group were evaluated.HE and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes of lung tissue.WBP was used to detect lung function.Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis of primary lung cells,ROS and immune cells.ELISA was used to detect the levels of fibrosis markers and inflammatory factors(α-SMA,collagen Ⅰ,collagen Ⅲ,TGF-β1,TNF-α,IL-1 β,and IL-6).Biochemical method was employed to detect the contents of GSH-Px,T-SOD and MDA.Liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer(LC-MS)metabolomics was used to analyze the changes of serum metabolic profile.Results Water extract of Re-hmannia significantly increased the survival rate,oxy-gen saturation and lung function of mice with pulmona-ry fibrosis,reduced the lung coefficient,ameliorated pathological damage and collagen deposition in lung tissue,reduced the levels of apoptosis and oxidative stress,and down-regulated the levels of inflammatory factors in lung tissue.It regulated the levels of metabo-lites such as bile acid metabolism,sphingolipid metabo-lism,and unsaturated fatty acid metabolism.Conclu-sions Water extract of Rehmannia inhibits lung injury and collagen deposition in mice with pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting inflammatory response,which may be a-chieved by regulating the levels of inflammatory factors through the metabolic pathways of bile acid and sphin-golipid.

China has become the country with the highest global burden of heart failure(HF).Despite the widespread use of prognostic-improving medications today,the mortality rate of HF remains high,reaching 13.7％at one year-particularly among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF).HF interventional device therapy(structural intervention)targets the structural factors underlying HF,including atrial pressure,ventricular remodeling,and valvular intervention.It leverages the heart's intrinsic physiological properties and pathological progression mechanisms to deliver treatments through interventions without external active forces,achieving anatomical or functional repair.This field has emerged as a rapidly growing area and plays an increasingly critical role in HF management.This article provides a comprehensive review and summary of the latest advancements in HF and cardiomyopathy interventional therapy over the past year.It covers various novel technologies and products currently in the research phase,aiming to provide an in-depth analysis of the current status and future directions of HF interventional therapy,and further advance the development of this discipline.

China has become the country with the highest global burden of heart failure(HF).Despite the widespread use of prognostic-improving medications today,the mortality rate of HF remains high,reaching 13.7％at one year-particularly among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF).HF interventional device therapy(structural intervention)targets the structural factors underlying HF,including atrial pressure,ventricular remodeling,and valvular intervention.It leverages the heart's intrinsic physiological properties and pathological progression mechanisms to deliver treatments through interventions without external active forces,achieving anatomical or functional repair.This field has emerged as a rapidly growing area and plays an increasingly critical role in HF management.This article provides a comprehensive review and summary of the latest advancements in HF and cardiomyopathy interventional therapy over the past year.It covers various novel technologies and products currently in the research phase,aiming to provide an in-depth analysis of the current status and future directions of HF interventional therapy,and further advance the development of this discipline.

Aim To investigate the intervention effect of Rehmannia radix water extract on bleomycin(BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice combined with metabolomics and to reveal the potential mechanism,in order to provide new ideas for clinical treatment of pul-monary fibrosis.Methods Male C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into the control group,model group,pirfenidone group(positive control,PFD,270 mg·kg-1),and low dose(DH-L,4.55 g·kg-1)group,medium dose(DH-M,9.1 g·kg-1)group and high dose(DH-H,18.2 g·kg-1)group of Rehman-nia.Except for the control group,BLM(5 mg·kg-1)was instilled into the trachea to establish the model of pulmonary fibrosis in the other groups.The survival rate,lung index and blood oxygen saturation of mice in each group were evaluated.HE and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes of lung tissue.WBP was used to detect lung function.Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis of primary lung cells,ROS and immune cells.ELISA was used to detect the levels of fibrosis markers and inflammatory factors(α-SMA,collagen Ⅰ,collagen Ⅲ,TGF-β1,TNF-α,IL-1 β,and IL-6).Biochemical method was employed to detect the contents of GSH-Px,T-SOD and MDA.Liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer(LC-MS)metabolomics was used to analyze the changes of serum metabolic profile.Results Water extract of Re-hmannia significantly increased the survival rate,oxy-gen saturation and lung function of mice with pulmona-ry fibrosis,reduced the lung coefficient,ameliorated pathological damage and collagen deposition in lung tissue,reduced the levels of apoptosis and oxidative stress,and down-regulated the levels of inflammatory factors in lung tissue.It regulated the levels of metabo-lites such as bile acid metabolism,sphingolipid metabo-lism,and unsaturated fatty acid metabolism.Conclu-sions Water extract of Rehmannia inhibits lung injury and collagen deposition in mice with pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting inflammatory response,which may be a-chieved by regulating the levels of inflammatory factors through the metabolic pathways of bile acid and sphin-golipid.

Lithocarpus litseifolius is rich in the chalcones phloridzin and trilobatin, the biosynthesis pathways of which have not been fully demonstrated. Chalcone synthase(CHS) is the first key rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of flavonoids in plants. To explore the functions of CHS gene family in chalcone synthesis of L. litseifolius, this study screened out two CHS genes(LlCHS1 and LlCHS2) from the transcriptome data of this plant, and then bioinformatics analysis and functional characterization were performed for the two genes. The bioinformatics analysis showed that LlCHS1 and LlCHS2 were acidic hydrophilic stable proteins with no transmembrane domain, composed of 395 and 390 amino acid residues, respectively. Both of them contained the characteristic amino acid sequence "WGVLFGFGPGL" and highly conserved active sites(Cys-164, Phe-215, His-303, and Asn-336) of the CHS family. The phylogenetic tree showed that LlCHS1 shared the same clade with similar genes in Aquilaria sinensis, and LlCHS2 was closely related to similar genes in Malus domestica. Under exogenous addition of phloretic acid, co-expression of LlCHS1 or LlCHS2 with Aa4CL from Aromatoleum aromaticum in Escherichia coli catalyzed the production of phloretin from phloretic acid. This study laid a theoretical foundation for revealing the functions of CHS in plants and provided new enzymatic modules for producing phloretin by synthetic biology.
Acyltransferases/chemistry* ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins/chemistry* ; Cloning, Molecular ; Amino Acid Sequence

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

The effect of porcine SIRT5 on replication of foot and mouth disease virus type O(FMDV-O)and the underlying regulatory mechanism were investigated.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were employed to monitor expression of endoge-nous SIRT5 in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O.Three pairs of SIRT5-specific siRNAs were synthesized.Changes to SIRT5 and FMDV-O protein and transcript levels,in addition to virus copy numbers,were measured by western blot and RT-qPCR analyses.PK-15 cells were transfected with a eukaryotic SIRT5 expression plasmid.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were used to explore the impact of SIRT5 overexpression on FMDV-O replication.Meanwhile,RT-qPCR analysis was used to detect the effect of SIRT5 overexpression on the mRNA expression levels of type I interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.The results showed that expression of SIRT5 was up-regulated in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O and siRNA interfered with SIRT5 to inhibit FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 overexpression promoted FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 over-expression decreased mRNA expression levels of interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.These results suggest that FMDV-O infection stimulated expression of SIRT5 in PK-15 cells,while SIRT5 promoted FMDV-O rep-lication by inhibiting production of type I interferon-stimula-ted genes.These findings provide a reference to further ex-plore the mechanism underlying the ability of porcine SIRT5 to promote FMDV-O replication.