OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanism of Shenqi Buzhong (SQBZ) Formula for alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction in a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in light of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway. METHODS: Fifty male SD rat models of COPD, established by intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) instillation, exposure to cigarette smoke, and gavage of Senna leaf infusion, were randomized into 5 groups (n=10) for treatment with saline (model group), SQBZ Formula at low, moderate and high doses (3.08, 6.16 and 12.32 g/kg, respectively), or aminophylline (0.024 g/kg) by gavage for 4 weeks, with another 10 untreated rats as the control group. Pulmonary function of the rats were tested, and pathologies and ultrastructural changes of the lung tissues were examined using HE staining and transmission electron microscopy. The levels of SOD, ATP, MDA, and mitochondrial membrane potential in the lungs were detected using WST-1, colorimetric assay, TBA, and JC-1 methods. Flow cytometry was used to analyze ROS level in the lung tissues, and the protein expression levels of P-AMPKα, AMPKα, SIRTI, and PGC-1α were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: The rat models of COPD showed significantly decreased lung function, severe histopathological injuries of the lungs, decreased pulmonary levels of SOD activity, ATP and mitochondrial membrane potential, increased levels of MDA and ROS, and decreased pulmonary expressions of P-AMPKα, SIRTI, and PGC-1α proteins. All these changes were significantly alleviated by treatment with SQBZ Formula and aminophylline, and the efficacy was comparable between high-dose SQBZ Formula group and aminophylline group. CONCLUSIONS SQBZ Formula ameliorates mitochondrial dysfunction in COPD rats possibly by activating the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway.
Animals ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Sirtuin 1/metabolism* ; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Rats ; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism* ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanism of Pingchuanning Formula (PCN) for inhibiting airway inflammation in rats with asthmatic cold syndrome. METHODS: A total of 105 SD rats were randomized equally into 7 groups, including a control group, an asthmatic cold syndrome model group, 3 PCN treatment groups at high, medium and low doses, a Guilong Kechuanning (GLCKN) treatment group, and a dexamethasone (DEX) treatment group. In all but the control rats, asthma cold syndrome models were established and daily gavage of saline, PCN, GLCKN or DEX was administered 29 days after the start of modeling. The changes in general condition, lung function and lung histopathology of the rats were observed, and inflammatory factors in the alveolar lavage fluid (BALF), oxidative stress, lung tissue ultrastructure, cytokine levels, and expressions of the genes related to the HMGB1/Beclin-1 axis and autophagy were analyzed. RESULTS: The rat models had obvious manifestations of asthmatic cold syndrome with significantly decreased body mass, food intake, and water intake, reduced FEV_0.3, FVC, and FEV_0.3/FVC, obvious inflammatory cell infiltration in the lung tissue, and increased alveolar inflammation score and counts of neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and leukocytes in the BALF. The rat models also had significantly increased MDA level and decreased SOD level and exhibited obvious ultrastructural changes in the lung tissues, where the expressions of HMGB1, Beclin-1, ATG5, TNF-α, IL-6,IL-1β, and IL-13 and the LC3II/I ratio were increased, while the levels of Bcl-2 and IFN-γ were decreased. PCN treatment significantly improved these pathological changes in the rat models, and its therapeutic effect was better than that of GLKCN and similar to that of DEX. CONCLUSIONS PCN can effectively alleviate airway inflammation in rat models of asthmatic cold syndrome possibly by modulating the HMGB1/Beclin-1 signaling axis to suppress cell autophagy, thereby attenuating airway inflammatory damages.
Animals ; Rats ; Autophagy/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Asthma/pathology* ; Beclin-1 ; HMGB1 Protein/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Lung/pathology* ; Inflammation

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Sangma Zhike Formula (SMZKF) for relieving cough sensitivity and airway inflammation in rats with postinfectious cough (PIC). METHODS: Male SD rat models were established by cigarette smoke exposure with intranasal LPS instillation and capsaicin aerosol inhalation. From day 19 following the start of PIC modeling, the rats received daily treatment with saline (model group), low-, medium-, and high-dose SMZKF, and compound methoxyphenamine (ASM) via gavage for 10 consecutive days (n=8). The assessments included behavioral changes, cough sensitivity (latency and frequency), lung histopathology, inflammatory cell counts and cytokine/mediator levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), oxidative stress markers in the lung tissue, and expressions of proteins related with cough hypersensitivity and pyroptosis. RESULTS: The rat models of PIC exhibited reduced mental alertness, accelerated respiration, and pronounced symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, and facial scratching with significantly shortened cough latency and increased 5-min cough frequency. Histopathological analysis revealed collapsed alveolar structures, thickened alveolar septa, and extensive inflammatory cell infiltration in the bronchi and peribronchial regions, accompanied by elevated bronchial and alveolar inflammation scores of the rat models. In the BALF, inflammatory cell counts and the levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, COX-2, PGE-2, and TXA-2 were all markedly elevated, and the pulmonary oxidative stress markers (ROS and MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were also significantly increased. The pulmonary expressions of cough hypersensitivity-related proteins (TRPV1, SP, CGRP, and NK1R) and pyroptosis-associated markers (P-NF-κB, NLRP3, ACS, cleaved caspase-1, cleaved IL-1β, and GSDMD-N) were significantly upregulated in the model group. SMZKF interventions significantly ameliorated these pathological changes in the rat models, and high-dose SMZKF produced a similar therapeutic efficacy to that of ASM. CONCLUSIONS SMZKF alleviates cough sensitivity and airway inflammation in PIC rats possibly by inhibiting TRPV1-mediated SP/NK1R signaling and the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pyroptosis pathway.
Animals ; Cough/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Pyroptosis/drug effects* ; Male ; TRPV Cation Channels/metabolism* ; Rats ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Inflammation ; Signal Transduction

Tumor vaccine is a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy by introducing tumor antigens into the body to activate specific anti-tumor immune responses. Along with the technological breakthroughs in genetic engineering and delivery systems, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology has achieved unprecedented development and application over the last few years, especially the emergency use authorizations of two mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has saved countless lives and makes the world witness the powerful efficacy of mRNA technology in vaccines. However, unlike infectious disease vaccines, which mainly induce humoral immunity, tumor vaccines also need to activate potent cellular immunity to control tumor growth, which creates a higher demand for mRNA delivery to the lymphatic organs and antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Here we review the existing bottlenecks of mRNA tumor vaccines and advanced nano-based strategies to overcome those challenges, as well as future considerations of mRNA tumor vaccines and their delivery systems.

Objective:To determine the effects of preperitoneal balloon (PPB) tamponade with different volumes of fluid on hemodynamically unstable pelvic fracture-associated arterial and venous hemorrhage in a swine model.Methods:A model of open-book pelvic fracture with injuries to external iliac vessels was established in 18 female 12-month old Bama miniature pigs. After the successful establishment of hemodynamically unstable pelvic fracture with vascular injury was confirmed by contrast agent imaging, the animals were randomized into 3 even groups ( n=6): a control group (group C) subjected to PPB tamponade with 0 mL fluid injected, group T1 subjected to PPB tamponade with 500-mL fluid injected, and group T2 subjected to PPB tamponade with 1,000-mL fluid injected. The 3 groups were compared in terms of 60-min survival rate, balloon pressure, peritoneal pressure, bladder pressure, 70-min survival rate, blood loss, and infusion volume. Results:There was no statistically significant difference in the basic hemodynamic or other experimental indicators among the 3 groups before experiment, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The 60-min survival rate in group T2 was 100.0% (6/6), significantly higher than those in group C and group T1 [0.0% (0/6), 0.0% (0/6)] ( P<0.05). After fluid injection, the balloon pressure and preperitoneal pressure in group T2 were respectively (127.2±4.7) mmHg and (34.5±3.6) mmHg, significantly higher than those in group T1 [(78.7±3.8) mmHg and (13.7±2.8) mmHg] and in group C [0 mmHg and (9.0±1.4) mmHg], and the 2 indicators in group T1 were significantly higher than those in group C (all P<0.05). After fluid injection, there was no statistically significant difference among groups C, T1, and T2 in bladder pressure [(6.7±1.0) mmHg, (5.8±1.9) mmHg, and (6.0±1.1) mmHg] or in bleeding volume [(1,163.0±191.3) mL, (1,212.0±148.4) mL, and (975.0±133.2) mL] (all P≥ 0.05). The infusion volume in group T1 [(1,250.0±225.8) mL] was significantly larger than that in group C [(951.7±177.8) mL] ( P<0.05). No colorectal or bladder injuries were found by the anatomy of the experimental animals in 3 groups. Conclusions:PPB tamponade with 1,000-mL fluid injected in a swine model can efficiently control pelvic fracture-associated arterial and venous hemorrhage, and increase the 60-min survival rate with no colorectal or bladder injuries.

Objective:To evaluate the hemostatic effects of our self-designed pelvic band with inflatable balloon in a swine model of hemodynamically unstable pelvic fracture.Methods:"Open-book like" fractures were created with the external iliac blood vessels exposed in 24 12-month-old female Bama miniature pigs which were randomly divided into 4 groups ( n=6). Group C (the control group) was subjected to no treatment other than exposure of the external iliac blood vessels, group D to no treatment following destruction of the external iliac blood vessels, group T1 to fixation with simple pelvic band after destruction of the external iliac blood vessels, and group T2 to fixation with our self-designed pelvic band with inflatable balloon after destruction of the external iliac blood vessels. The 4 groups were compared in terms of 40-min survival rate, bladder pressure, peak lactate value, total blood loss, bleeding rate, infusion rate, and angiographic images. Results:There was no significant difference in the baseline indexes among the 4 groups before experiment, showing comparability ( P>0.05). The 40-min survival rate in group T2 was 83.3% (5/6), significantly higher than that in groups D and T1 [0% (0/6) and 0% (0/6)] ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences among groups C, D, T1 and T2 in bladder pressure [(6.67±1.03) mmHg, (5.83±1.94) mmHg, (6.00±1.55) mmHg, and (6.00±1.10) mmHg] or in total blood loss among groups D, T1 and T2[(1,198.0±182.9) mL, (1,252.0±148.4) mL, and (1,150.0±125.7) mL] (all P>0.05). The peak lactate value in group T2 [(2.26±0.24) mmol/L] was significantly lower than that in group D [(5.00±0.60) mmol/L] and group T1 [(3.86±0.57) mmol/L], and the bleeding rate and infusion rate in group T2 [(25.83±5.49) mL/min and (26.00±4.69) mL/min] were also significantly lower than those in group D [(83.50±19.85) mL/min and (71.50±29.11) mL/min] and group T1 [(54.17±15.59) mL/min and (54.17±8.98) mL/min] (all P<0.05). Angiography showed contrast agent extravasation in group T2, especially from the artery, but the extravasation speed in group T2 was significantly slower than that in group D. Conclusion:In a swine model of hemodynamically unstable pelvic fracture, our self-designed pelvic band with inflatable balloon has a definite hemostatic effect on vascular injury which is better than that of a simple pelvic band.

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) is primarily impaired in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), leading to progressive loss of photoreceptors and sometimes choroidal neovascularization (CNV). mTOR has been proposed as a promising therapeutic target, while the usage of its specific inhibitor, rapamycin, was greatly limited. To mediate the mTOR pathway in the retina by a noninvasive approach, we developed novel biomimetic nanocomplexes where rapamycin-loaded nanoparticles were coated with cell membrane derived from macrophages (termed as MRaNPs). Taking advantage of the macrophage-inherited property, intravenous injection of MRaNPs exhibited significantly enhanced accumulation in the CNV lesions, thereby increasing the local concentration of rapamycin. Consequently, MRaNPs effectively downregulated the mTOR pathway and attenuate angiogenesis in the eye. Particularly, MRaNPs also efficiently activated autophagy in the RPE, which was acknowledged to rescue RPE in response to deleterious stimuli. Overall, we design and prepare macrophage-disguised rapamycin nanocarriers and demonstrate the therapeutic advantages of employing biomimetic cell membrane materials for treatment of AMD.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most intractable malignancy, with an only 6% 5-year relative survival rate. The dismal therapeutic effect is attributed to the chemotherapy resistance and unique pathophysiology with abundant inflammatory cytokines and abnormal hyperplasia of extracellular matrix (ECM). Based on the theory that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) can influence the tumorous microenvironment and malignant growth of PDAC, we employed exosomes (Exos) derived from BM-MSCs as PDAC-homing vehicles to surpass the restrictions of pathological ECM and increase the accumulation of therapeutics in tumor site. To overcome chemoresistance of PDAC, paclitaxel (PTX) and gemcitabine monophosphate (GEMP)-an intermediate product of gemcitabine metabolism-were loaded in/on the purified Exos. In this work, the Exo delivery platform showed superiorities in homing and penetrating abilities, which were performed on tumor spheroids and PDAC orthotopic models. Meanwhile, the favorable anti-tumor efficacy and , plus relatively mild systemic toxicity, was found. Loading GEMP and PTX, benefitting from the naturally PDAC selectivity, the Exo platform we constructed performs combined functions on excellent penetrating, anti-matrix and overcoming chemoresistance (Scheme 1). Worth expectantly, the Exo platform may provide a prospective approach for targeted therapies of PDAC.

Objective    To evaluate the efficacy and safety of modified maze Ⅳ (Cox-maze Ⅳ) in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) patients. Methods    From June 2016 to June 2019, 30 HOCM and persistent atrial fibrillation (pAF) patients received Cox-maze Ⅳ operation with modified extended Morrow operation, including 21 males and 9 females. The average age was 51.36±10.27 years and the average weight was 72.48±11.29 kg. All patients underwent left atrial appendectomy. Recurrence of AF, improvement of symptoms, cardiac function (NYHA) were assessed during follow-up. Results    There was no death during the perioperative period. Postoperative left ventricular outflow tract gradient was significantly decreased compared with that before operation (P<0.01), and all systolic anterior motion (SAM) signs disappeared after operation. Thirty patients were all effectively followed up for 3-40 (16.24±8.26) months. During the follow-up period, there was no death, and the cardiac function (NYHA) of all patients recovered to gradeⅠ-Ⅱ. At the end of follow-up, twenty-four patients (80.00%) maintained sinus rhythm, and twenty-seven patients (90.00%) maintained sinus rhythm after amiodarone conversion. Univariate analysis showed that the smoking history (P=0.04), left atrial diameter≥55 mm before operation (P=0.03), left atrial diameter≥50 mm after operation (P=0.02), postoperative tricuspid regurgitation (P=0.02) were closely related to postoperative AF recurrence. The increase of left atrial diameter after operation was an independent risk factor for AF recurrence (P=0.02). Conclusion    Morrow/Cox-maze Ⅳ procedure is safe and effective in treatment of patients with HOCM complicated with pAF, which helps to maintain postoperative sinus rhythm, and to improve the cardiac function. The increase of left atrial diameter after operation is an independent risk factor for AF recurrence.