Objective This study aimed to explore the regulatory role of autophagy in acute kidney injury(AKI)-induced acute liver injury(ALI).Methods Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups:sham operation group,IRI group,3-MA group and RA group.Except for the sham operation group,a rat model of AKI induced by IRI was established in all groups.The AKI model was established by removing the right kidney,separating the left renal artery,and clamping the left renal artery,followed by reper-fusion for 12,24,48,or 72 h.The 3-MA and RA groups were intraperitoneally injected with 3-MA(15 mg/kg,1 mL)or RA(2 mg/kg,1 mL)12 h before and after IRI treatment.The structure and function of the rat lung and kidney tissues were evaluated,and the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins,oxidative stress,and apoptosis were measured.Results Renal IRI led to ALI after AKI,and the levels of blood urea nitrogen,creatinine,tumor necrosis factor-α,and interleukin-1βwere all significantly increased.In addition,compared to the IRI group,the expression levels of P62 and caspase-3 significantly decreased in the RA group,whereas the expression levels of LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ,Beclin-1,Bcl-2,and ULK1 increased.Autophagy reduced pathological damage to kidney and lung tissues by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress and effectively ameliorated AKI-induced ALI.Conclusion Autophagy plays an important role in the regulation of ALI induced by AKI and can be used as a new target for AKI treatment and to reduce complication-related mortality.

Liquid biopsy is a technology that exhibits potential to detect cancer early,monitor therapies,and predict cancer prognosis due to its unique characteristics,including noninvasive sampling and real-time analysis.Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)and extracellular vesicles(EVs)are two important components of circu-lating targets,carrying substantial disease-related molecular information and playing a key role in liquid biopsy.Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides with superior affinity and specificity,and they can bind to targets by folding into unique tertiary structures.Aptamer-based microfluidic platforms offer new ways to enhance the purity and capture efficiency of CTCs and EVs by combining the advantages of microfluidic chips as isolation platforms and aptamers as recognition tools.In this review,we first briefly introduce some new strategies for aptamer discovery based on traditional and aptamer-based micro-fluidic approaches.Then,we subsequently summarize the progress of aptamer-based microfluidics for CTC and EV detection.Finally,we offer an outlook on the future directional challenges of aptamer-based microfluidics for circulating targets in clinical applications.

ObjectiveTo establish a rat model of hyperuricemia （HUA）， to study the effect of Liqing granules on lowering serum uric acid， and to evaluate its safety . MethodsMale SD rats were randomly divided into solvent control group and model group according to their body weight. For the model group， serum uric acid （SUA） was determined after 7 days of intra-gastric administration of potassium oxyazinate. The model group were randomly divided into model control group， positive control group， and low， medium， high dose group based on SUA level. Each group from the model group continued to receive potassium oxyazinate in the morning. The animals in the model groups received 0.5% CMC-Na， 10 mg·kg^-1 benzbromarone （Doses by body weight） and Liqing granules 0.6， 1.2， 2.4 g·kg^-1 （Doses by body weight）， respectively in the afternoon. 0.5% CMC-Na suspension with the same volume was given both in the morning and afternoon for the solvent control group. Levels of SUA， creatinine （CREA）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate transaminase （AST） were determined after 32 and 45 days administration of the test substance. ResultsSUA of the model group was （218±23） μmol·L^-1 after 7 days of modeling， which was significantly higher than that of the solvent control group （P<0.001）. After 32 days administration of the test substance， SUA didn’t significantly decrease in each dose group （P>0.05）. CREA in the medium and high dose groups significantly decreased （P<0.05）. After 45 days administration of the test substance， SUA in each dose group was significantly decreased （P<0.001）， but CREA， ALT， and AST were not significantly different in each dose group in comparison with the model control group （P>0.05）. ConclusionLiqing granules can assist in lowering blood serum uric acid in the rat HUA model， and no damage to liver and kidney function is found.

Objective To study the effect and its mechanism of hederagenin(hed)on dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis(UC)in mice.Methods(1)In vitro experiments:after treating RAW264.7 cells with different concentrations(0,2.5,5,10,20,40 μmol·L-1)of hed for 24 hours,the cell survival rate was detected by MTT assay.RAW264.7 cells were divided into:blank group,lipopolysaccharide(LPS)group(1 μg·L-1),LPS+2.5 μmol·L-1 hed group,LPS+5 μmol·L-1 hed group and LPS+10 μmol·L-1 hed group;an in vitro cellular inflammation model was established using LPS intervention for 24 hours and co-incubated with hed for 24 hours.The levels of interleukin 1β(IL-1β),IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)in the cell supernatant were determined by ELISA;the expression levels of TLR4/NF-κB pathway-related proteins in the cells were detected by Western Blot.(2)In vivo experiments:C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a blank group,a model group,a Salazosulfapyridine group(200 mg·kg-1),and an hed low-,medium-,and high-dosage groups(12.5,25,and 50 mg·kg-1),with 5 mice in each group.Mice were induced to establish UC model by drinking 3%DSS solution freely for 7 days.The UC model was then established by gavage once a day for 7 days.At the end of the administration,the Disease Activity Index(DAI)was evaluated;pathological changes in the colonic tissues of mice were observed by HE staining;the levels of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α in the colonic tissue were measured by ELISA;and the expression levels of proteins related to the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in the colonic tissue were detected by Western Blot.Results(1)In vitro experiments:compared with the blank group(0 μ mol·L-1 group),there was no significant change in the cell survival rate in the 2.5-10 μmol·L-1 hed group(P＞0.05),and there was no significant toxicity effect on RAW264.7 cells.Compared with the blank group,the expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α in RAW264.7 cells in the LPS group were significantly increased(P＜0.01);and the protein expression levels of TLR4 and p-NF-κ B/NF-κ B were significantly increased(P＜0.01).Compared with the LPS group,the expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in RAW264.7 cells in the hed 2.5,5,and 10 μmol·L-1 concentration groups were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and the protein expression levels of TLR4,p-NF-κB/NF-κB were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);the IL-6 expression level of RAW264.7 cells in the hed 5 and 10 μmol·L-1 concentration groups was significantly reduced(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).(2)In vivo experiments:compared with the blank group,the body mass of mice in the model group was consistently reduced(P＜0.01),the DAI score was significantly elevated(P＜0.01),and the length of the colon was significantly shortened(P＜0.01);the colonic tissue showed obvious epithelial cell damage,and the histopathological scores were significantly elevated(P＜0.01);and the expression levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly increased(P＜0.01);protein expression levels of TLR4 and p-NF-κB/NF-κB were significantly increased(P＜0.01)in colon tissue.Compared with the model group,the body mass of mice in the low-,medium-and high-dose groups of hed were significantly increased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),the DAI score was significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),the pathological damage of colon tissue improved to different degrees,and the protein expression levels of TLR4,p-NF-κB/NF-κB in the colonic tissue were significantly decreased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);the colon length of mice in the medium-and high-dose groups of hed were significantly increased(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and the expression levels and histopathological scores of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α in colon tissue were significantly reduced(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion Hed were able to effectively ameliorate colonic histopathological injury and reduce the levels of inflammatory factors in DSS-induced UC mice,and their mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

ObjectiveTo establish a more accurate and sensitive liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (LC-UV) method for the determination of uric acid in rat serum, and compare the results with those of commercial kits, providing a new method for the accurate determination of uric acid in the rat hyperuricemia model induced by potassium oxonate.Methods A hyperuricemia model was established by intraperitoneal injection of potassium oxonate (300 mg/kg) into SPF-grade male SD rats, and the control group was administered an equal amount of 0.5% sodium carboxymethylcellulose solution. Blood samples were collected from the posterior orbital venous plexus and centrifuged to obtain serum samples. After precipitation with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid-acetonitrile (containing the internal standard 3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine hydrobromide), the supernatant was injected for analysis. Uric acid was separated on a Waters XBridge HILIC column (150 mm×4.6 mm, 3.5 μm) using acetonitrile (containing 0.5% formic acid and 2 mmol/mL ammonium formate) as the organic phase and methanol solution (methanol∶water=1∶1, containing 0.5% formic acid with 2 mmol/L ammonium formate) as the aqueous phase for isocratic elution and detection at 290 nm. Serum samples treated with activated carbon were used as substitute matrices for the methodological verification. Serum uric acid levels in rats with potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemia were measured using the established LC-UV method and commercially available kits (uricase and phosphotungstic acid methods), and the accuracies of the three methods were compared.Results Serum uric acid showed a good linear relationship (R>0.999) at mass concentration of 10–200 μg/mL in rats, the lower limit of quantification was 10 μg/mL, the accuracy ranged from -2.17% to 2.21%, the intra-batch precision ranged from 0.52% to 1.95%, the inter-batch precision ranged from 3.04% to 4.90%, and the extraction recovery ranged from 83.12% to 89.91%. In the rat model, the results obtained using the commercially available phosphotungstic acid method kit were significantly higher than those of the LC-UV method, and those obtained using the commercially available uricase method kit were significantly lower than those of the LC-UV method, but the LC-UV method showed the best recovery of the spiked sample (95.90%–99.96%).ConclusionThe LC-UV method developed in this study can determine the concentration of uric acid in rat serum with higher accuracy than commercially available kits and is recommended for the determination of serum uric acid in the rat model of hyperuricemia induced by potassium oxonate.

Total glucosides of Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae (RSG) are selective immunosuppressants that exhibit primary efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis through targeted inhibition of activated T cells. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential application of RSG in the treatment of psoriasis and elucidate its mechanism of action and material basis. Our findings revealed significant improvements upon administration of RSG in an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis model. These improvements were characterized by a remarkable increase in the number of tail scales in mice and a substantial amelioration of skin erythema, ulceration, and flaking. By transcriptome sequencing and T-cell flow sorting assay, we identified notable effects of RSG on the modulation of various cellular processes. Specifically, RSG prominently down-regulated the Th17/Treg ratio in damaged skin tissues and reduced the proportion of G₂ phase cells. Furthermore, RSG exhibited a stimulatory effect on the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells. Of particular interest, we discovered that β-sitosterol, sitostenone, stigmasterol, smiglanin, and cinchonain Ib displayed potent inhibitory effects on the IL-17-mediated inflammatory response in HaCaT cells. In summary, our study highlights the therapeutic potential of RSG in the treatment of psoriasis, attributed to its ability to regulate the Th17/Treg balance. These findings contribute to the development of new indications for RSG and provide a solid theoretical foundation for further exploration in this field.
Animals ; Mice ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Psoriasis/drug therapy* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Biological Assay ; Glucosides/pharmacology*

Cholesterol is an important lipid component in the body, which not only participates in the formation of cell membranes, but also is the raw material for the synthesis of bile acids and steroid hormones. Low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) is involved in cholesterol metabolism and plays an important role in maintaining the cholesterol homeostasis of organism cells. The expression of LDLR is precisely regulated by transcription, post-transcription and post-translation, and the imbalance of ldlr expression will lead to the occurrence and development of many diseases. In this paper, the molecular regulation mechanism of LDLR, the damage of target organs caused by the imbalance of LDLR expression and the research and development progress of drugs targeting LDLR are reviewed, which provides theoretical basis for further understanding of the progress of diseases related to lipid metabolism disorder and new insights for developing drugs targeting LDLR with more effective and less side effects.

Ischemic stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide with limited medications and neuroinflammation was recognized as a critical player in the progression of stroke, but how to control the overactive neuroinflammation is still a long-standing challenge. Here, we designed a novel SIRT6 activator MDL-811 which remarkably inhibited inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and primary mouse microglia, which were abolished by silencing SIRT6. RNA-seq screening identified the forkhead box C1 (

To investigate the ameliorative effect of psoralen (PSO) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury in mice and its potential mechanism, female C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks were continuously administrated with psoralen or positive control drug diallyl sulfide (DAS) intragastrically for 4 days.On day 4, except that the control group were treated with vehicle control, other groups were all given carbon tetrachloride intraperitoneally to establish a carbon tetrachloride acute liver injury model.Serum biochemical indicators alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were detected; liver pathological changes were observed by HE staining; cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) protein levels were detected by Western blot; the protein level of CYP2E1 were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining; and the gene levels of CYP2E1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected by RT-PCR.Compared with the model group, psoralen could improve the inflammatory cell infiltration and hepatocyte necrosis caused by carbon tetrachloride, significantly reducing the serum ALT and AST levels, down-regulating the inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 levels, and inhibiting CYP2E1 protein expression.The results show that psoralen can ameliorate the acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride in mice, with the possible mechanism inhibiting the protein expression of CYP2E1.

Previously, we proposed a new perspective of triptolide (TP)-associated hepatotoxicity: liver hypersensitivity upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. However, the mechanisms for TP/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity remained elusive. The present study aimed to clarify the role of LPS in TP/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity and the mechanism by which TP induces liver hypersensitivity upon LPS stimulation. TNF- inhibitor, etanercept, was injected intraperitoneally into mice to investigate whether induction of TNF- by LPS participated in the liver injury induced by TP/LPS co-treatment. Mice and hepatocytes pretreated with TP were stimulated with recombinant TNF- to assess the function of TNF- in TP/LPS co-treatment. Additionally, time-dependent NF-B activation and NF-B-mediated pro-survival signals were measured and . Finally, overexpression of cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (FLIP), the most potent NF-B-mediated pro-survival protein, was measured and to assess its function in TP/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity. Etanercept counteracted the toxic reactions induced by TP/LPS. TP-treatment sensitized mice and hepatocytes to TNF-, revealing the role of TNF- in TP/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity. Mechanistic studies revealed that TP inhibited NF-B dependent pro-survival signals, especially FLIP, induced by LPS/TNF-. Moreover, overexpression of FLIP alleviated TP/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity and TP/TNF--induced apoptosis . Mice and hepatocytes treated with TP were sensitive to TNF-, which was released from LPS-stimulated immune cells. These and other results show that the TP-induced inhibition of NF-B-dependent transcriptional activity and FLIP production are responsible for liver hypersensitivity.