ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Tongmai Kaiqiao pills on AMP-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α （PGC-1α） signaling pathway and mitochondrial biogenesis in hippocampal tissue of rats with vascular cognitive impairment （VCI） and to investigate the potential mechanism of Tongmai Kaiqiao pills in improving cognitive impairment in rats with VCI. MethodsTwelve of 72 male SD rats were selected as the sham operation group， and the remaining rats were modelled using the modified 2VO method. The rats that were successfully modelled were divided into the model group， the high-dose group of Tongmai Kaiqiao pills （27.6 g·kg^-1）， the low-dose group of Tongmai Kaiqiao pills （13.8 g·kg^-1）， the combination group （27.6 g·kg^-1 Tongmai Kaiqiao pills + 25 mg·kg^-1 dorsomorphin）， and the donepezil hydrochloride group （0.45 g·kg^-1） according to the random number table method. After four weeks of continuous intraperitoneal injection of the corresponding drugs， the Morris water maze test was used to test the learning and memory ability of rats. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Nissl staining were used to detect pathological changes in the hippocampus of the rats. The content of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in the brain hippocampus was detected by colorimetry， and reactive oxygen species （ROS） level was detected in rat mitochondria by MitoSOX Red assay. Mitochondrial DNA copy number was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR （Real-time PCR）. Pathological changes in mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）， and AMPK， PGC-1α， phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase （p-AMPK）， nuclear respiratory factor 1 （Nrf1）， and mitochondrial transcription factor A （TFAM） protein expression in the hippocampus of the rats were detected by Western blot. ResultsCompared with those in the sham operation group， rats in the model group had a reduced number of platform crossings （P<0.01）， significantly prolonged evasion latency （P<0.01）， disorganized neuronal arrangement in the hippocampal region， widened gaps， and blurred nucleus membrane and nucleolus boundaries. The emergence of necrotic cells was visible. The color of the nissl bodies was light， and the number was reduced with severe loss. Mitochondria were atrophied， and cristae were lost. Severe damage was observed. The content of ROS was increased， and the level of ATP was decreased. mtDNA copy number decreased significantly （P<0.01）， and the protein expression of p-AMPK， PGC-1α， Nrf1， and TFAM decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with those in the model group， rats in the high-dose group of Tongmai Kaiqiao pills and donepezil hydrochloride group showed a shorter time to find the platform （P<0.01）， increased number of platform crossings （P<0.01）， restored mitochondrial morphology and structure of the hippocampal neurons， alleviated neuronal death， increased number of nissl bodies， weaken degree of injury， lower content of ROS， and significantly increased levels of ATP and number of copies of mtDNA （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In addition， there was increased protein expression of p-AMPK， PGC-1α， Nrf1， and TFAM （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the evasion latency was shortened in the low-dose group of Tongmai Kaiqiao pills （P<0.01）， and the number of platform crossings was increased， but the difference was not statistically significant. The mitochondria were swollen and deformed， and the cristae became shorter and partially disappeared. The degree of damage did not improve significantly， and the number of nissl bodies was increased but not statistically significant. The ROS content decreased （P<0.01）， but there was no significant difference in ATP level and mtDNA copy number. The protein expression of PGC-1α was increased （P<0.05）， but there was no significant difference in the protein expression of p-AMPK， Nrf1， and TFAM， and the results were not statistically significant. Compared with the donepezil hydrochloride group， there was no significant change in the results of each assay in the high-dose group of Tongmai Kaiqiao pills， and the difference was not statistically significant. Compared with the high-dose group of Tongmai Kaiqiao pills， rats in the combination group had a significantly lower number of platform crossings （P<0.01）， a significantly longer evasion latency （P<0.01）， a reduced number of neuronal cells， disorganized tissue structure， swollen and blurred cell outlines， a significant reduction in the number of nissl bodies. Moreover， there was an increase in the content of ROS， a decrease in the level of ATP and the number of mtDNA copies （P<0.01）， and a decrease in the expression of p-AMPK， PGC-1α， Nrf1， and TFAM （P<0.05）. ConclusionTongmai Kaiqiao pills is able to improve cognitive function in rats by activating the AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway， promoting mitochondrial biogenesis， and attenuating pathological damage to neurons in the hippocampal region， thereby demonstrating its therapeutic potential.

The paper introduces Professor LIU Xing's clinical experience and characteristics of integrative acupuncture and medication in treatment of primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN). It is believed that the essential pathogenesis of PTN is pathogenic wind, and qi and blood obstruction results from invasion of pathogenic wind. Hence, dispelling wind is the key principle of treatment. Palpation is done at first in the neck, face and buccal mucosal region to detect the masses in treatment. Acupotomy is operated at the masses distributed at Shangguan (GB3), Xiaguan (ST7) and the white line of buccal mucosa, so as to release masses. Additionally, five-wind points (Fengfu [GV16], bilateral Fengchi [GB20], Yifeng [TE17], Bingfeng [SI12] and Fengmen [BL12]), three-nape points (bilateral Naokong [GB19], Tianzhu [BL10] and Jianjing [GB21]) and three-governor-vessel points (Baihui [GV20], Zhiyang [GV9] and Yintang [GV24⁺]) are selected to dispel wind and stop pain. Besides, herbal decoction (wu feng tang) and blood-letting at ear apex are administered in combination. The integration of acupuncture and medication obtains a holistic effect on PTN by dispelling wind pathogen, and promoting qi and blood circulation.
Humans ; Trigeminal Neuralgia/drug therapy* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Adult ; Aged

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Buzhong Yiqitang on the abnormal expression of pulmonary surfactant-associated protein C （SFTPC） and lung injury induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia （CIH） and the mechanism of action. MethodsForty healthy adult male SPF-grade C57BL/6 mice were randomly allocated into five experimental groups： a normoxia group， a CIH group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Buzhong Yiqitang groups， with eight mice in each group. During the modeling， mice in the normoxia group were housed under standard oxygen concentrations， while the CIH and all Buzhong Yiqitang groups were placed in a hypoxic chamber for 8 h daily over 35 d. Prior to each chamber session， mice in the low-， medium-， and high-dose Buzhong Yiqitang groups were administered decoctions by gavage at corresponding doses （8.1， 16.2， 32.4 g·kg^-1·d^-1 of crude drug， respectively）， while those in normoxia and CIH groups received an equivalent volume of saline by gavage. The general conditions of the mice were recorded before and after the experiment. Pulmonary function was assessed using a non-invasive detection system. Serum SFTPC levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Histopathological changes in lung tissue were evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Apoptosis in lung tissue was detected using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling （TUNEL）. Protein expression of SFTPC， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase （PERK）， phosphorylated PERK （p-PERK）， eukaryotic initiation factor 2α （eIF2α）， phosphorylated eIF2α （p-eIF2α）， activating transcript factor 4 （ATF4）， and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein （CHOP） in lung tissue was analyzed by Western blot. Immunofluorescence staining was employed to assess the expression of SFTPC and CHOP proteins in lung tissue. ResultsCompared to those in the normoxia group， mice in the CIH group showed significantly impaired pulmonary function and increased histopathological lung injury scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum SFTPC levels increased， while SFTPC expression in lung tissue was reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The rate of apoptotic cells in lung tissue increased， and the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress markers p-PERK， p-eIF2α， ATF4， and CHOP was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the CIH group， Buzhong Yiqitang intervention improved pulmonary function indicators and decreased the histopathological lung injury scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum SFTPC levels were decreased， and lung tissue SFTPC expression was recovered （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The apoptotic rate of lung tissue cells was significantly reduced， with downregulation of pro-apoptotic Bax and upregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Activation and expression of p-PERK， p-eIF2α， ATF4， and CHOP were also decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBuzhong Yiqitang can alleviate lung injury and improve pulmonary function by reducing lung cell apoptosis and enhancing alveolar surfactant secretion， which may be related to the modulation of the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP signaling pathway.

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), when released extracellularly, plays a pivotal role in the development of spinal cord synapses and exacerbates autoimmune diseases within the central nervous system. In experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a condition that models multiple sclerosis, the levels of extracellular HMGB1 and interleukin-33 (IL-33) have been found to be inversely correlated. However, the mechanism by which IL-33 deficiency enhances HMGB1 release during EAE remains elusive. Our study elucidates a potential signaling pathway whereby the absence of IL-33 leads to increased binding of P300/CBP-associated factor with HMGB1 in the nuclei of astrocytes, upregulating HMGB1 acetylation and promoting its release from astrocyte nuclei in the spinal cord of EAE mice. Conversely, the addition of IL-33 counteracts the TNF-α-induced increase in HMGB1 and acetylated HMGB1 levels in primary astrocytes. These findings underscore the potential of IL-33-associated signaling pathways as a therapeutic target for EAE treatment.
Animals ; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/metabolism* ; Astrocytes/metabolism* ; Interleukin-33/metabolism* ; HMGB1 Protein/metabolism* ; Acetylation ; Mice, Knockout ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; p300-CBP Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Mice ; Spinal Cord/metabolism* ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Signal Transduction

Rice is the world's largest food crop, and its yield and quality are directly related to food security and human health. Grain size, as one of the important factors determining the rice yield, has been widely concerned by breeders and researchers for a long time. To decipher the regulatory mechanism of rice grain size, we obtained a multi-tiller, dwarf, and small-grain mutant htd1 by ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutation from the Japonica rice cultivar 'Zhonghua 11' ('ZH11'). Genetic analysis indicated that the phenotype of htd1 was controlled by a single recessive gene. Using the mutation site map (Mutmap) method, we identified the candidate gene OsHTD1, which encoded a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase involved in the biosynthesis of strigolactone (SL). The SL content in htd1 was significantly lower than that in 'ZH11'. Cytological analysis showed that the grain size of the mutant decreased due to the reductions in the length and width of glume cells. The function of htd1 was further verified by the CRISPR/cas9 gene editing technology. The plants with the gene knockout exhibited similar grain size to the mutant. In addition, gene expression analysis showed that the expression levels of multiple grain size-related genes in the mutant changed significantly, suggesting that HTD1 may interact with other genes regulating grain size. This study provides a new theoretical basis for research on the regulatory mechanism of rice grain size and potential genetic resources for breeding the rice cultivars with high yields.
Oryza/growth & development* ; Mutation ; Edible Grain/growth & development* ; Alleles ; Plant Proteins/genetics* ; Dioxygenases/genetics* ; Lactones/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Genes, Plant ; Gene Editing ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Phenotype

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important food crop. The appearance of lesion mimics in rice leads to phytohormone disorders, which affects rice adaptation to environmental stresses and ultimately reduces the yield and quality. To explore whether the changes in the adaptability of rice lesion-mimic mutants to stressful environments are caused by the disorder of phytohormone metabolism in plants. In this study, we screened an ethyl methane sulfonate-treated population of the japonica cultivar 'Taipei 309' for a mutant with rust-like spots on leaves at the early tillering stage and brown-red spots at maturity and named it rsl1 (rust spotted leaf 1). Compared with the wild type, rsl1 showed decreases in plant height, panicle length, primary branch number, secondary branch number, filled grains per panicle, seed-setting rate, and 1 000-grain weight, and an increase in number of effective panicles. Genetic analysis indicated that rsl1 was controlled by a single recessive nuclear gene. RSL1 was localized between two molecular markers, B7-7 and B7-9, on rice chromosome 7 by map-based cloning. PCR sequencing of the annotated genes in this interval revealed a mutation of C1683A on the eighth exon of SPL5 (LOC_Os07g10390) in rsl1, which resulted in premature termination of protein translation. Exogenous phytohormone treatments showed that rsl1 was less sensitive to salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA), and indo-3-acetic acid (IAA) and more sensitive to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and gibberellin acid (GA) than the wild type. In addition, the survival rate of rsl1 was lower than that of the wild type under salt, alkali, drought, and high temperature stresses, and it was higher than that of the wild type under cold stress. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results showed that RSL1 was involved in the regulation of ABA, SA, MeJA, IAA, and GA-related genes under abiotic stresses. The present study showed that the RSL1 mutation led to the appearance of lesion mimics and affected the growth, development, and stress resistance of rsl1 under abiotic stresses. The study of the functional mechanism of this gene can provide theoretical guidance for the research on rice stress resistance.
Oryza/microbiology* ; Stress, Physiological/genetics* ; Plant Diseases/genetics* ; Cloning, Molecular ; Chromosome Mapping ; Plant Growth Regulators/metabolism* ; Plant Proteins/genetics* ; Mutation ; Cyclopentanes ; Genes, Plant ; Plant Leaves/genetics* ; Oxylipins

Objective To explore the effect of miR-296-3p on hepatic fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation(BDL)in rats.Methods 25 SD rats were randomly divided into sham group,model(BDL)group,NC adv group,miR-296-3p adv group and miR-296-3p sponge adv group,with 5 rats in each group.The pathological changes were ob-served in rat liver tissue via HE,Masson and Sirius Red staining;the levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and total bilirubin(TBIL)in the serum of rat in each group were detected;the expression levels of miR-296-3p,interleukin(IL)-6,IL-1 β,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),type Ⅰ collagen(Col1A1),and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF)mRNA in rat liver tissue were detected by qRT-PCR;the expression levels of α-SMA,Col1A1 and CTGF proteins were detected by Western blot.Immunohistochemical staining(IHC)was performed to detect the expression of α-SMA in liver tissue.Target genes of miR-296-3p was predicted by bioinformatic analysis using the online database.Zinc finger and BTB do-main-containing protein20(ZBTB20)mRNA and protein expression levels were detected.Results The pathologi-cal staining results showed that compared with sham group,a large number of infiltrated inflammatory cells and col-lagen deposition were observed in the liver tissues of rats in the BDL group and NC adv group.Compared with NC adv group,the inflammatory cells and collagen deposition decreased in the liver tissues of miR-296-3p adv group.However,in miR-296-3p sponge adv group,collagen product and inflammatory reaction increased.Compared with sham group,the contents of ALT,AST and TBIL in serum of rats in BDL group and NC adv group increased,the expression level of miR-296-3p decreased,the mRNA expression levels of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α increased,and the mRNA and protein expression levels of α-SMA,Col1A1 and CTGF increased(all P＜0.05).Compared with the NC adv group,the contents of ALT,AST and TBIL in serum of rats in miR-296-3p adv group decreased,the ex-pression level of miR-296-3p increased,the mRNA expression levels of IL-6,IL-1 β and TNF-α,and the mRNA and protein expression levels of α-SMA,Col1A1 and CTGF in liver tissues decreased(all P＜0.05).The results of miR-296-3p sponge adv group were opposite to those of miR-296-3p adv group(all P＜0.05).The bioinformat-ics website predicted that ZBTB20 might be a candidate target gene of miR-296-3p.Compared with sham group,the expression of ZBTB20 mRNA and protein in the liver tissues of BDL group and NC adv group increased(P＜0.05),and the expression of ZBTB20 in the liver tissues of miR-296-3p adv group decreased compared with NC adv group(P＜0.05).However,the expression of ZBTB20 in liver tissues of miR-296-3p sponge adv group in-creased(P＜0.05).Conclusion miR-296-3p expression decreases in BDL-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats,and miR-296-3p may inhibit hepatic fibrosis in BDL rats by targeting ZBTB20.

Objective To investigate the effect of miR-199a-5p on common bile duct ligation(BDL)-induced liver fibrosis in rats by regulating intestinal flora.Methods The 25 SD rats were randomly divided into five groups:the Sham group,the BDL group,the negative control adenovirus(NC adv)group,the miR-199a-5p adv group and the miR-199a-5p sponge adv group.The pathological changes of liver tissue and the degree of liver fibrosis were ob-served by HE,Masson and Sirius Red staining.The levels of aspartate aminotransferase(AST),alanine amin-otransferase(ALT),total bilirubin(TBIL)and direct bilirubin(DBIL)in serum of rats were determined by a fully automatic biochemical analyzer.The mRNA expression level of miR-199a-5p in liver tissue of rats was detec-ted by qRT-PCR.The protein expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)and collagen type 1 alpha 1(COL1A1)in liver tissue of rats were detected by double immunofluorescence staining and Western blot experi-ment.Rat feces were collected for 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing.Results The expression of miR-199a-5p was up-regulated in the liver tissue of BDL rats(P＜0.01).Compared with the NC adv group,the degree of liver injury and collagen deposition were relatively serious,the levels of AST,ALT,TBIL and DBIL in serum and the expression levels of α-SMA and COL1A1 in liver tissue increased in the miR-199a-5p adv group(all P＜0.05).However,the results of miR-199a-5p sponge adv intervention were opposite(all P＜0.05).The 16S rRNA sequencing results showed that rats treated with miR-199a-5p adv were characterized by increased diversity and richness of intestinal microbiota,changed composition of intestinal microbiota,while the results of miR-199a-5p sponge adv interfering with the bacterial community were opposite(all P＜0.05).Conclusion miR-199a-5p promotes liver fibrosis of BDL rats,and its mechanism may be related to regulating the diversity and abundance of intestinal microbiota.

OBJECTIVE Based on the G protein-coupled bile acid receptor(TGR5)/nucleotide binding oligomerization domain-like receptor 3(NLRP3) signaling pathway, to explore the mechanism of Huoxue Qingjieling in improving the inflammatory response of rats with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH). METHODS A total of 70 male SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, 20 rats in the control group, 20 rats in the model group, 10 rats in each of the atorvastatin positive drug group, the high-dose and low-dose groups of Huoxue Qingjieling. The control group was given normal feed, and the rest of the groups were given high-fat diet. Through model evaluation, it was determined that the NASH rat model was successfully established at the end of the 20th week. After successful modeling, the control group and the model group were given with normal saline by intragastric administration, the atorvastatin positive drug group, and the high and low dose groups of Huoxue Qingjieling were given corresponding drugs once a day for 4 weeks. At the end of the 24th week, the rats were killed, and the changes of body weight, wet liver weight and liver index was calculated. The serum was taken to test the triglyceride(TG), total cholesterol(TC), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), and aspartic acid aminotransferase(AST) levels by automatic biochemical analyzer. Pathological changes of liver tissues were observed by HE staining and oil red O staining. The expression levels of TGR5 and NLRP3 proteins were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. ELISA detected the content of interleukin-18(IL-18) and interleukin-1β(IL-1β) in liver tissue. RESULTS Huoxue Qingjieling could significantly improve the general state of NASH rats. Every dose group could significantly reduce the body weight, liver wet weight and liver index of rats(P<0.01), and TG, TC content and ALT, AST activity levels of serum significantly decreased(P<0.01). The pathological results showed that Huoxue Qingjieling could significantly improve liver steatosis, inflammation and balloon-like. The expression of TGR5 protein was significantly increased(P<0.01), the expression of NLRP3 protein and the content of IL-18, IL-1β were significantly decreased(P<0.01, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Huoxue Qingjieling can significantly improve the state of NASH rats, inhibit liver steatosis and inflammation, and its mechanism may be closely related to the inhibition of TGR5/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

To have better clinical understanding of Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia(SIOD) through analyzing the clinical features, treatment, and prognosis of four patients with SIOD.