BACKGROUND:The results of in vivo and in vitro studies showed that catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa can significantly reduce the level of inflammatory indexes in the synovial tissue of rats with knee osteoarthritis,and meanwhile,it can delay the progression of knee osteoarthritis.But whether catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa affects chondrocyte senescence and then delay the progression of knee osteoarthritis has not yet been clarified. OBJECTIVE:To investigate investigate whether catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa could regulate ATDC5 chondrocyte senescence and the possible mechanisms. METHODS:ATDC5 chondrocytes were divided into blank group(0.1%bovine serum albumin),model group(0.1%bovine serum albumin+1 μmol/L adriamycin),low-dose catalpol group(0.1%bovine serum albumin+1 μmol/L adriamycin+20 μmol/L catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa)and high-dose catalpol group(0.1%bovine serum albumin+1 μmol/L adriamycin+80 μmol/L catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa).Adriamycin-induced ATDC5 chondrocyte senescence model was constructed,and the corresponding treatments were given according to the above groups.Cell counting kit-8 assay was used to detect the effects of catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa on ATDC5 chondrocyte viability,and to screen the optimal concentration of catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa.The senescence of ATDC5 chondrocytes in each group was detected by β-galactosidase staining after the corresponding treatments.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of P21,P53,type II collagen,matrix metalloproteinase 13,and interleukin-6.Immunofluorescence method was used to detect the expression of P21,P53 and type II collagen.Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in each group. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:ATDC5 chondrocytes were identified to be successfully induced and senescence model was induced.Catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa at the concentrations of 0,20,40,and 80 μmol/L showed no significant effects on the cell viability,suggesting that catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa is non-cytotoxic and can be used safely(P>0.05);when the concentration was≥100 μmol/L,the cell viability was reduced,suggesting that there may be cytotoxic.Therefore,80 μmol/L was chosen as the high dose for subsequent experiments in this study.The percentage of positive cells in the model group was(86.93±2.18)%,which was significantly higher than that in the blank group[(17.32±0.72)%;P<0.05].Compared with the model group,the percentage of positive cells was significantly lower in the low-and high-dose catalpol groups[(57.28±1.73)%and(27.18±0.97)%,respectively;both P<0.05].Compared with the model group,the relative expression of P21,P53,matrix metalloproteinase 13,and interleukin-6 at mRNA and protein levels was significantly downregulated in the low-and high-dose catalpol groups,while the relative expression of type II collagen at mRNA and protein levels was significantly upregulated in both groups(P<0.05),especially in the high-dose catalpol group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the fluorescence intensities of P21 and P53 were significantly weakened in the low-and high-dose catalpol groups,while the fluorescence intensity of type II collagen was significantly enhanced in the low-and high-dose catalpol groups(P<0.05),especially in the high-dose catalpol group(P<0.05).The cell apoptosis detected by Annexin V/PI method showed that there was no significant difference between the model group and the blank group(P>0.05);compared with the model group,the apoptotic index was significantly elevated in the low-and high-dose catalpol groups,especially in the high-dose catalpol group(P<0.05).To conclude,catalpol from Rehmannia glutinosa can slow the progression of osteoarthritis by promoting apoptosis of senescent ATDC5 chondrocytes,further removing senescent ATDC5 chondrocytes,and decreasing the senescence-associated phenotypes.

Objective As primary Sj?gren's syndrome(pSS)primarily affects the salivary glands,saliva can serve as an indicator of the glands'pathophysiology and the disease's status.This study aims to illustrate the salivary proteomic profiles of pSS patients and identify potential candidate biomarkers for diagnosis. Methods The discovery set contained 49 samples(24 from pSS and 25 from age-and gender-matched healthy controls[HCs])and the validation set included 25 samples(12 from pSS and 13 from HCs).Totally 36 pSS patients and 38 HCs were centrally randomized into the discovery set or to the validation set at a 2:1 ratio.Unstimulated whole saliva samples from pSS patients and HCs were analyzed using a data-independent acquisition(DIA)strategy on a 2D LC-HRMS/MS platform to reveal differential proteins.The crucial proteins were verified using DIA analysis and annotated using gene ontology(GO)and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts(IPA)analysis.A prediction model for SS was established using random forests. Results A total of 1,963 proteins were discovered,and 136 proteins exhibited differential representation in pSS patients.The bioinformatic research indicated that these proteins were primarily linked to immunological functions,metabolism,and inflammation.A panel of 19 protein biomarkers was identified by ranking order based on P-value and random forest algorichm,and was validated as the predictive biomarkers exhibiting good performance with area under the curve(AUC)of 0.817 for discovery set and 0.882 for validation set. Conclusions The candidate protein panel discovered may aid in pSS diagnosis.Salivary proteomic analysis is a promising non-invasive method for prognostic evaluation and early and precise treatments for pSS patients.DIA offers the best time efficiency and data dependability and may be a suitable option for future research on the salivary proteome.

Hedyotis diffusa has unique therapeutic effects on snake and insect bites,edema,cancer and other diseases,and is widely used clinically.However,the《Chinese Pharmacopoeia》has no record of the name of the plant,and there is no fundamental basis for its elaboration of the relationship between"composition-potency-quality marker(Q-Marker)".This article reviews the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Hedyotis diffusa,and combined with the concept of Q-Marker.Q-Marker predictions were made in terms of traditional efficacy,traditional medicinal properties and the measurability of chemical components,in order to provide a reference for the clinical applications,quality evaluation further studies of Hedyotis diffusa in the future.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

AIM To study the flavonoids from the leaves of Cinnamomum camphora(L.)Presl.and their antioxidant activities.METHODS The 95％ethanol extraction from the leaves of C.camphora was isolated and purified by liquid-liquid extraction,macroporous adsorption resin chromatography,HW-40C gel column chromatography,molecular exclusion chromatography and preparative HPLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH method.RESULT Ten flavonoids were isolated and identified as(2R,3S)-7-methoxy-5-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-afzelechin(1),quercetin-3-O-sambubioside(2),quercetin-3-O-β-D-apiosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucoside(3),quercetin-3-O-robibioside(4),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-rutinoside-7-O-β-D-glucoside(5),kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside-7-O-β-D-glucoside(6),5,3'-di-O-methyl-epicatechin(7)、cinchonain Ⅱb(8)、quercetin-3,4'-di-O-β-D-glucoside(9)、(-)-epicatechin(10).The IC50 value of compound 8 scavenging DPPH free radical was 4.8 μg/mL.CONCLUSION Compound 1 is a new compound,and compound 2-6 are obtained from Cinnamomum genus for the first time,compound 7-9 are first isolated from this plant.Compound 8 shows good antioxidant activities..

Myopia is currently one of the eye diseases that seriously threaten patients' vision worldwide, and its occurrence and development is a complex mechanism. It has been found that retinal pigment epithelium(RPE)cells play a key role in the progression of myopia. RPE cells mainly regulate cell function by regulating the expression of intracellular growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2)through the signal pathway of mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR). At the same time, RPE cells can also be regulated by dopamine receptor agonists, so that cell function changes. When dopamine receptor activation weakened, RPE cell function will be impaired, thus promoting the development of myopia. Studies have shown that the expression of acetylcholine and all-trans retinoic acid in RPE cells can regulate the secretion of growth factors by RPE cells, and the growth factors act on scleral fibroblasts, thus indirectly regulating the course of myopia. Additionally, some studies have shown that RPE cells can coordinate the regulation of γ-aminobutyric acid on scleral cells and indirectly regulate the course of myopia. Besides, the expression of microRNA(microRNA)in RPE cells, such as microRNA-328 and microRNA-29a, was found through previous studies that they can affect the content and composition of extracellular matrix by regulating the expression of MMP-2 in RPE cells, thus leading to the occurrence and development of myopia. Therefore, the expression of multiple signaling pathways and miRNA in RPE cells are closely related to the occurrence and development of myopia. This article reviews the research progress of the molecular mechanism of RPE in the development of myopia, with a view to provide some theoretical basis for the specific molecular mechanism in the development of myopia.

To investigate the cardioprotective effect of formononetin (FMN) on no-reflow (NR) after myocardial ischemia-reperfusion and its molecular mechanism based on integrated pharmacology and experimental verification, firstly, human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and myocardial NR rats were used to confirm the estrogenic activity and the effect of alleviating NR of FMN, respectively. Male SD rats were divided into Sham, NR, FMN (20 mg·kg^-1) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 5.0 mg·kg^-1) groups, which were administered once a day for one week, the experiment was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM-LAEC2019095). The pharmacological analysis and in vivo study of NR rats were integrated to reveal the mechanism of FMN improving NR. The results showed that FMN had estrogenic effect and reduced NR by improving cardiac structure and function, reducing NR, ischemic myocardial area and pathological injury of cardiomyocytes. Integrated pharmacology predicts that the mechanism of FMN improving NR is mainly related to phosphatidyinositol-3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) signal pathway. Phytoestrogens play a role in cardiovascular protection mainly by activating G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER). GPER is also an important regulator in the upstream of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. This study found that FMN can significantly activate GPER, p-PI3K, p-Akt and phospho-endothelial nitric oxide synthase (p-eNOS). It has good binding ability with GPER and eNOS protein. In this study, through the integration of pharmacology and experimental evaluation, it is revealed that FMN activates PI3K/Akt/eNOS signal pathway by activating GPER, thus significantly improving NR.

In order to establish the standardized processing technology of the hot water washing of Euodiae Fructus, this study, based on the traditional processing method of hot water washing of Euodiae Fructus recorded in ancient works and modern processing specifications of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, took the yield of decoction pieces and the content of main components as the indicators and optimized the processing conditions by orthogonal test based on the results of single factor investigation. At the same time, electronic tongue technology was used to analyze the change law of the taste index of Euodiae Fructus during the hot water washing. The results of the single factor investigation showed that the content of the main components in Euodiae Fructus showed some regular changes during the processing. Specifically, the content of chlorogenic acid, hyperin, isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-galactoside, and dehydroevodiamine decreased significantly, with average decreases of-23.75%,-27.80%,-14.04%,-14.03%, and-13.11%, respectively. The content of limonin increased significantly with an average increase of 19.83%. The content of evodiamine, rutaecarpine, evocarpine, and dihydroevocarpine showed fluctuating changes and generally increased, with average variation amplitudes of 0.54%,-3.78%, 2.69%, and 5.13%, respectively. The orthogonal test results showed that the optimum processing parameters for the hot water washing of Euodiae Fructus were as follows: washing time of 2 min, the solid-to-liquid ratio of 1∶10 g·mL~(-1), washing temperature of 80 ℃, washing once, and drying at 50 ℃. After the hot water washing processing, the average yield of Euodiae Fructus pieces was 94.80%. The content of limonin, evodiamine, and rutaecarpine was higher than those of raw pro-ducts, and the average transfer rates were 102.56%, 103.15%, and 105.16%, respectively. The content of dehydroevodiamine was lower than that of the raw products, and the average transfer rate was 83.04%. The results of taste analysis showed that the hot water washing could significantly reduce the salty, astringent, and bitter tastes of Euodiae Fructus. This study revealed the influence of the hot water washing on the content of main components and taste of Euodiae Fructus, and the processing technology of the hot water was-hing of Euodiae Fructus established in this study was stable, feasible, and suitable for industrial production, which laid a foundation for clarifying its processing principle and improving the quality standard and clinical application value of decoction pieces.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Taste ; Limonins ; Technology ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods*

Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is a prevalent microvascular complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness and severe visual impairment in adults.The high levels of glucose trigger multiple intracellular oxidative stress pathways,such as POLDIP2,resulting in excessive reactive oxygen species(ROS)pro-duction and increased expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(VCAM-1),hypoxia-inducible factor 1α(HIF-1α),and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),causing microvascular dysfunction.Dihydromyricetin(DMY)is a natural flavonoid small molecule antioxidant.However,it exhibits poor solubility in physiological environments,has a short half-life in vivo,and has low oral bioavailability.In this study,we present,for the first time,the synthesis of ultra-small Fe-DMY nano-coordinated polymer particles(Fe-DMY NCPs),formed by combining DMY with low-toxicity iron ions.In vitro and in vivo experiments confirm that Fe-DMY NCPs alleviate oxidative stress-induced damage to vascular endo-thelial cells by high glucose,scavenge excess ROS,and improve pathological features of DR,such as retinal vascular leakage and neovascularization.Mechanistic validation indicates that Fe-DMY NCPs can inhibit the activation of the Poldip2-Nox4-H2O2 signaling pathway and downregulate vital vascular function indicators such as VCAM-1,HIF-1α,and VEGF.These findings suggest that Fe-DMY NCPs could serve as a safe and effective antioxidant and microangio-protective agent,with the potential as a novel multimeric drug for DR therapy.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the GC-MS qualitative and quantitative analysis methods for the synthetic cannabinoids, its main matrix and additives in suspicious electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) oil samples. METHODS: The e-cigarette oil samples were analyzed by GC-MS after diluted with methanol. Synthetic cannabinoids, its main matrix and additives in e-cigarette oil samples were qualitatively analyzed by the characteristic fragment ions and retention time. The synthetic cannabinoids were quantitatively analyzed by using the selective ion monitoring mode. RESULTS: The linear range of each compound in GC-MS quantitative method was 0.025-1 mg/mL, the matrix recovery rate was 94%-103%, the intra-day precision relative standard deviations (RSD) was less than 2.5%, and inter-day precision RSD was less than 4.0%. Five indoles or indazole amide synthetic cannabinoids were detected in 25 e-cigarette samples. The main matrixes of e-cigarette samples were propylene glycol and glycerol. Additives such as N,2,3-trimethyl-2-isopropyl butanamide (WS-23), glycerol triacetate and nicotine were detected in some samples. The content range of synthetic cannabinoids in 25 e-cigarette samples was 0.05%-2.74%. CONCLUSIONS The GC-MS method for synthesizing cannabinoid, matrix and additive in e-cigarette oil samples has good selectivity, high resolution, low detection limit, and can be used for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of multiple components; The explored fragment ion fragmentation mechanism of the electron bombardment ion source of indole or indoxamide compounds helps to identify such substances or other compounds with similar structures in cases.
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems ; Illicit Drugs/analysis* ; Indazoles/chemistry* ; Glycerol/analysis* ; Cannabinoids ; Indoles/chemistry* ; Ions