Objective To investigate the effect of Angelica polysaccharide(APS)on the differentiation and function of M2 macrophages and underlying molecular mechanism.Methods Mouse bone marrow derived macrophages(BMDM)and M2 macrophages were induced and treated with APS(0,80,160,320 μg/mL);Mouse peritoneal macrophages were isolated and treated with APS(0,160 μg/mL).Flow cytometry(FCM)was used to detect mannose receptor(MR),CD11b,F4/80,CD163,and ARG-1 expression levels,apoptosis,and phagocytic ability of M2 macrophages and peritoneal macrophages.Mice were randomly divided into APS gavage group and control group,APS was intragastrically administered to mice,and macrophage MR expression level in blood and spleen were detected by FCM.Fluorescence microscopy was used to observe the morphology of BMDM-differentiated M2 macrophages.RT-qPCR was employed to detect the mRNA expression levels of MR and ARG-1 in M2 macrophages.Immunofluorescence assay was performed to detect the expression of the proteins related to molecular mechanism of differentiation and function of M2 macrophages.Results Compared with the 0 μg/mL APS group,the MR expression level in the M2 macrophages was decreased with the increase of APS concentration within a certain concentration range(80～320 μg/mL),and the MR expression level in peritoneal macrophages was also decreased in the 160 μg/mL APS treatment group(P＜0.01).The expression level of macrophage MR was also significantly decreased in peripheral blood and spleen in the APS gavage mice than the control group(P＜0.05).Compared with the 0 μg/mL APS group,the expression levels of CD11b,F4/80,and CD163 in the macrophages were increased in the 80～320 μg/mL APS treatment groups(P＜0.01).The morphology of macrophage had changed,from mostly spindle-shaped and pseudopodia to mostly round or irregular,and even a few cells with pseudopodia.APS induced apoptosis in M2 macrophages(P＜0.05).Compared with the 0 μg/mL APS group,M2 macrophages treated with 160 μg/mL APS had an increased ability to phagocytose fluorescent microspheres(P＜0.01),but the expression level of ARG-1 was decreased(P＜0.01).The mRNA expression of MR and ARG-1 in M2 macrophages was decreased(P＜0.05).The mean fluorescence intensity of phosphate acidified-signal transducers and activators of transcription 6(p-STAT6)-positive signals in M2 macrophages was significantly reduced in the 160 μg/mL APS-treated group(P＜0.05).Conclusion APS has bidirectional regulation on the differentiation and function of M2 macrophages,which may be associated with its downregulation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 6(STAT6)signaling pathway.

The sternum is the pivotal component of the thoracic cavity. It is connected with the clavicle and ribs on the upper part and both sides respectively, and plays an important role in protecting the stability of the chest wall. Sternal resection usually results in a large segmental chest wall defect that causes the chest wall to float and requires sternal reconstruction. This paper reports a 62 years male patient with thymic squamous cell carcinoma with sternal metastasis, who underwent thymotomy, sternal tumor resection and autologous lilum graft combined with sternal reconstruction by titanium plate after relevant examination was completed and surgical contraindications were eliminated. The patient was followed up for 6 months, the respiratory and motor functions were normal and the thoracic appearance was good.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous cell population of myeloid origin with immunosuppressive function. MDSCs can inhibit the normal immune response of the host to tumor by inhibiting the activity of T cells, natural killer cells, macrophage, B cells, and promoting the proliferation of Treg and other mechanisms. Therefore, MDSCs are potential targets for tumor immunotherapy. However, whether immunotherapy or other treatments, the effectiveness of monotherapy is limited, so immunotherapy combined with other treatments is a breakthrough combination. In recent years, immunotherapy combined with other treatments has shown initial results, with better results than monotherapy. It has become a research hotspot in tumor treatment and a new treatment method in the future. This article summarized the research progress on the effects of immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, Chinese herbal extract and Immunotherapy combination on MDSCs, in order to provide theoretical support for the clinical application of immunotherapy based combined tumor treatment measures.

As a novel and promising antitumor target, AXL plays an important role in tumor growth, metastasis, immunosuppression and drug resistance of various malignancies, which has attracted extensive research interest in recent years. In this study, by employing the structure-based drug design and bioisosterism strategies, we designed and synthesized in total 54 novel AXL inhibitors featuring a fused-pyrazolone carboxamide scaffold, of which up to 20 compounds exhibited excellent AXL kinase and BaF3/TEL-AXL cell viability inhibitions. Notably, compound 59 showed a desirable AXL kinase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀: 3.5 nmol/L) as well as good kinase selectivity, and it effectively blocked the cellular AXL signaling. In turn, compound 59 could potently inhibit BaF3/TEL-AXL cell viability (IC₅₀: 1.5 nmol/L) and significantly suppress GAS6/AXL-mediated cancer cell invasion, migration and wound healing at the nanomolar level. More importantly, compound 59 oral administration showed good pharmacokinetic profile and in vivo antitumor efficiency, in which we observed significant AXL phosphorylation suppression, and its antitumor efficacy at 20 mg/kg (qd) was comparable to that of BGB324 at 50 mg/kg (bid), the most advanced AXL inhibitor. Taken together, this work provided a valuable lead compound as a potential AXL inhibitor for the further antitumor drug development.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play an important immunosuppressive role in the tumor microenvironment. Tumor cells can regulate the immunosuppressive function of MDSCs in the tumor microenvironment through exosomes, thereby affecting the development of tumors. Tumor-derived exosomes (TEXs) promote the development of MDSCs and improve their immunosuppressive function in the tumor microenvironment mainly by participating in the processes such as intercellular information exchange and information transmission. Moreover, the miRNAs in TEXs will also be transferred to recipient cells to inhibit the immunosuppressive function of MDSCs by inducing the negative regulation of target genes. This review summarized the progress in the mechanism of TEXs on MDSCs.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, but none of the current treatments for PD can halt the progress of the disease due to the limited understanding of the pathogenesis. In PD development, the communication between the brain and the gastrointestinal system influenced by gut microbiota is known as microbiota-gut-brain axis. However, the explicit mechanisms of microbiota dysbiosis in PD development have not been well elucidated yet. FLZ, a novel squamosamide derivative, has been proved to be effective in many PD models and is undergoing the phase I clinical trial to treat PD in China. Moreover, our previous pharmacokinetic study revealed that gut microbiota could regulate the absorption of FLZ

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) have emerged as promising targets for anticancer therapy. In this study, we synthesized and evaluated the biological activity of 66 pyrazolo[3,4-

Objective:To investigate the protective effects of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) supplementation on intestinal mucosal tissue and its influence on of inflammatory factors in the premature rats model of necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC), and to provide the theoretical basis for prevention of NEC by bLF supplementation.Methods:Premature SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, 25 cases in each group.Control group: oral feeding; model group : oral feeding with lipopolysaccharides(LPS) gavage + hypoxic stimulation; high dose bLF intervention group: daily bLF (7 g/L) + oral feeding with LPS gavage + hypoxic stimulation; low dose bLF intervention group: daily bLF (2 g/L) + oral feeding with LPS gavage + hypoxic stimulation.Histopathological analysis was performed by HE staining.The expression levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in intestinal mucosa were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results:(1) Morphological observation: the intestinal wall of model group was thin, and there were different degrees of pneumoconiosis and effusion in intestinal cavity.Under the microscopy, it could be observed that the intestinal tissue necrosis was serious, the intestinal villi fell off, glands arranged disorderly, epithelial edema was significant, the lamina propria and submucosa had severely edema and were separated, and there were a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated.The above-mentioned manifestations were alleviated in the high-dose and low-dose bLF intervention groups, and no significant abnormalities were found in the control group.(2) The expression of IL-1β and IL-6 in intestinal tissue: the tissue concentration of IL-1β and IL-6 in the model group rats [(380.89±20.25) ng/L, (485.12±31.44) ng/L]were significantly higher than those in the control group[(270.69±45.58) ng/L, (212.62±89.46) ng/L]( q =9.785, 14.030, all P<0.01). The expression of IL-1β and IL-6 in mucosal tissue of ileum was significantly inhibited in hypoxic and LPS-stimulated rats fed with bLF(IL-1β: q=9.105, 8.761, all P<0.01; IL-6: q=8.175, 8.996, all P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the expression of IL-1β and IL-6 between high dose bLF(7 g/L) and low dose bLF (2 g/L) inter vention groups (IL-1β: q=-0.084, P>0.05; IL-6: q=-1.140, P>0.05). Conclusion:Enteral bLF supplementation can alleviate the damage of intestinal tissue in NEC model of premature SD rats, inhibit the expression of IL-1β and IL-6 inflammatory factors in intestinal tissue, and have a protective effect on intestinal tissue.

Genomic alterations are commonly found in the signaling pathways of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs). Although there is no selective FGFR inhibitors in market, several promising inhibitors have been investigated in clinical trials, and showed encouraging efficacies in patients. By designing a hybrid between the FGFR-selectivity-enhancing motif dimethoxybenzene group and our previously identified novel scaffold, we discovered a new series of potent FGFR inhibitors, with the best one showing sub-nanomolar enzymatic activity. After several round of optimization and with the solved crystal structure, detailed structure-activity relationship was elaborated. Together with metabolic stability tests and pharmacokinetic profiling, a representative compound () was selected and tested in xenograft mouse model, and the result demonstrated that inhibitor was effective against tumors with FGFR genetic alterations, exhibiting potential for further development.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of acupuncture on TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway in the lung tissue of mice with airway remodeling. METHODS: Thirty specific pathogen-free mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group and acupuncture group (=10). Mouse models of asthma were established in the model group and the acupuncture group, and the mice in the latter group received 7 acupuncture therapies (at bilateral Fei Shu, Da Zhui and Zu Sanli, 20 min each time) every other day, starting on the 10th day after the modeling. At 24 h after the last acupuncture, the mice were subjected to inhalation of 1% OVA for 3 days, and 24 h after the last challenge, the mice were given methacholine chloride (Mch) inhalation at different concentrations for measurement of lung resistance using a noninvasive stroke volume meter. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the lung tissues, and TGF-β1 levels in the the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum were detected using ELISA; Western blotting was used to detect the differential protein expressions in the airway smooth muscles between the two groups. The airway smooth muscle cells were isolated from the mice in the acupuncture group and treated with a TGF- β1 inhibitor (LY2157299), and the relative expressions of type-Ⅰ and Smads proteins were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: The mice in the model showed obvious tracheal fistula with airway pathologies including lumen narrowing, bronchial mucosa thickening, dissociation of the epithelial cells, and thickening of the alveolar septum and airway smooth muscles. These pathological changes were obviously milder in the acupuncture group. The asthmatic mice exhibited significantly increased lung resistance in positive correlation with Mch concentration. Serum TGF-β1 level was significantly elevated in asthmatic mice ( < 0.05); TGF-β1 levels in the serum and BALF were significantly lower in the acupuncture group than in the model group ( < 0.05). In the model group, the expressions of -SMA, TGF-β1 and Smads in the airway smooth muscles were significantly higher than those in the other two groups (both < 0.05). In cultured airway smooth muscle cells, the expressions of type-Ⅰ and Smads were significantly higher in cells treated with LY2157299 than in the control cells (>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Acupuncture can inhibit airway remodeling by inhibiting the expression of airway TGF-β1 and down-regulating the expression of Smads and -SMA to reduce airway inflammatory response. Airway expressions of type-Ⅰ and Smads proteins remain high after inhibiting TGF-β1. Acupuncture may control asthma progression through the TGF-β1/Smads pathway.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Airway Remodeling ; Airway Resistance ; Animals ; Asthma ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Bronchi ; pathology ; Disease Progression ; Lung ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Mice ; Muscle, Smooth ; Random Allocation ; Smad Proteins ; analysis ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; analysis ; metabolism