ObjectiveTaking Aurantii Fructus Immaturus juice（AFI）-processed Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） as an example， this study aims to systematically compare the volatile and non-volatile components of AMR and its processed products， investigate the key differential components， evaluate their anti-inflammatory activities， and elucidate the synergistic mechanism of processing. MethodsThe chemical compositions of volatile and non-volatile components in AMR and AFI-processed AMR were systematically characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS） and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）， with relative mass fractions and response values determined separately. Volatile components were identified through searches in the National Institute of Standards and Technology（NIST）17 database， comparison with retention index（RI） and fragmentation pattern matching. Non-volatile components were identified by searching Waters Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） spectral library， in conjunction with PubChem and MassBank， characteristic fragmentation patterns and response values were also used to support identification. Differential components were screened using principal component analysis（PCA）， orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA）， with variable importance in the projection（VIP） value >1. Components with high log₂fold change（FC） among major differential groups were selected as those exhibiting significant changes before and after processing. The anti-inflammatory activity of the differential compounds was evaluated by assessing their effects on nitric oxide（NO） production in a lipopolysaccharide（LPS）-induced RAW264.7 macrophage model. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the effects of the differential components on tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α， interleukin（IL）-1β， IL-6， and monocyte chemotactic protein（MCP）-1 levels， and immunofluorescence（IF） was employed to assess their effects on nuclear transcription factor（NF）-κB p65 translocation， thereby elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms. ResultsA total of 36 compounds were identified in the volatile components of AMR and AFI-processed AMR， among which， sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes were significantly increased after processing. In the non-volatile components， 36 compounds were identified， and the main differential components were flavonoids， sesquiterpenoids， and triterpenoids. Flavonoids were the primary differential components distinguishing AMR from its processed products， representing compounds directly introduced during processing. Five compounds， including atractylenolide Ⅲ， tangeritin， nobiletin， hesperidin and narirutin， were selected as representatives of three classes based on their most prominent differential expression among different compound types for subsequent anti-inflammatory activity studies. The results showed that 100 μmol·L^-1 tangerine and narirutin could significantly inhibit LPS-induced NO production（P<0.01） in a concentration-dependent manner. Tangeritin was able to significantly inhibit the levels of TNF-α and MCP-1 secreted by RAW264.7（P<0.05）， while narirutin significantly inhibited the levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， MCP-1 and IL-6（P<0.01）. IF revealed that both tangeritin and narirutin significantly blocked the translocation of NF-κB p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. ConclusionAFI-processed AMR significantly alters the chemical composition profile of AMR， and the newly introduced flavonoid components during processing may be key to its enhanced anti-inflammatory effects.

ObjectiveTo investigate the neuroprotective effects of Tiaoseng decoction on a perimenopausal depression （PMD） rat model and to examine its regulatory influence on the estrogen receptor β （ERβ）/monoamine oxidase A （MAOA）/c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK） signaling pathway， thereby elucidating its potential mechanisms of action. MethodsForty-eight female Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were divided into a sham group， a model group， a 17β-estradiol （E₂） group （2.5 × 10^-5 g·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Tiaoseng decoction groups （9.69， 19.37， 38.74 g·kg^-1） by using a random number table method， with eight rats in each group. The PMD model was replicated using ovariectomy （OVX） combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress （CUMS） and was treated continuously with 17β-E₂ and different doses of Tiaoseng decoction for 28 d， once a day. Depressive-like behaviors were assessed using the sucrose preference test， open-field test， and forced swim test. Histopathological changes in the prefrontal cortex were examined using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Nissl staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was performed to measure serum levels of E₂， luteinizing hormone （LH）， and follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， as well as reactive oxygen species （ROS）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， and superoxide dismutase （SOD） levels in the prefrontal cortex. Mitochondrial ultrastructure of prefrontal cortex neurons was observed via transmission electron microscopy. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL） was used to detect neuronal apoptosis in the prefrontal cortex. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was applied to analyze the protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， postsynaptic density protein95 （PSD95）， and synaptophysin （SYP） in the prefrontal cortex. Immunofluorescence （IF） was conducted to evaluate the average fluorescence intensity of ERβ and MAOA in the prefrontal cortex. Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to determine the protein and mRNA expression levels of key molecules in the ERβ/MAOA/JNK signaling pathway in the prefrontal cortex. ResultsCompared with the sham group， the model group had significantly reduced sugar-water preference index， total distance traveled， average speed， and activity time in the central region in the open field experiment， E₂ content， and SOD content （P<0.01） and significantly reduced BDNF， PSD95， SYP， and ERβ expression and B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）/Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax） ratio （P<0.01）. Additionally， the model group exhibited severe histopathological damage， disrupted mitochondrial structure， cristae disappearance or fracture， swelling， and deformation in the prefrontal lobe. The immobilization time of forced swimming， TUNEL positivity， LH， FSH， MDA， ROS， MAOA， Caspase-3， p-JNK/JNK， and p-c-Jun/c-Jun were significantly increased in the model group compared with the sham group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the low-， medium-， and high-dose Tiaoseng decoction groups and the 17β-E₂ group had increased sugar-water preference index， total distance traveled， average speed， and activity time in the central region in the open-field test， E₂ content， and SOD content （P<0.05， P<0.01） and elevated BDNF， PSD95， SYP， and ERβ expression and Bcl-2/Bax ratio （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In addition， histopathological damage to the prefrontal lobe was improved to different degrees， and mitochondrial structure was gradually repaired. The immobilization time of forced swimming， TUNEL positivity， LH， FSH， MDA， ROS， MAOA， Caspase-3， p-JNK/JNK and p-c-Jun/c-Jun were significantly reduced in the low-， medium-， and high-dose Tiaoseng decoction groups and the 17β-E₂ group compared with the model group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionTiaoseng decoction has significant neuroprotective effects on PMD model rats， which can alleviate perimenopausal depressive disorder by inhibiting oxidative stress， attenuating neuronal apoptosis， and restore synaptic plasticity via ERβ/MAOA/JNK signaling pathway regulation.

OBJECTIVE To provide a reference for optimizing and promoting the quality standards of Shechuan naolitong granules. METHODS Fifteen batches of Shechuan naolitong granules were used as samples to establish HPLC fingerprints using the Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine （2012 edition）. Similarity evaluation and common peak identification were performed， and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） was used to assess quality differences among different batches and to screen quality differential components. Using salvianolic acid B（SAB） as the internal reference， quantitative analysis of multi-components by single-marker （QAMS） was developed to simultaneously determine geniposidic acid （GA）， chlorogenic acid （CA）， vaccarin （VA）， ferulic acid （FA） and senkyunolide I （SI）. The results were compared with those obtained by the external standard method. RESULTS A total of 13 common peaks were identified in the HPLC fingerprints of 15 batches of samples， and the similarities of the spectra were all above 0.96. Seven chromatographic peaks were identified as GA （peak 3）， CA （peak 6）， VA （peak 8）， FA （peak 9）， SI （peak 11）， SAB（peak 12） and TA（peak 13）. OPLS-DA indicated that the differential quality markers among 15 batches were peaks 5， 11 （SI）， and 12 （SAB）.Using SAB as the internal reference， the relative correction factors for GA， CA， VA， FA and SI were calculated as 1.058 4， 0.594 3， 0.643 3， 0.342 7 and 0.262 8， respectively. The mean content of GA， CA， VA， FA， SI and SAB across the 15 batches of samples were 0.155 0， 0.085 4， 0.140 3， 0.071 8， 0.072 7， 1.276 3 mg/g， respectively， showing no significant difference compared with the ESM （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The established HPLC fingerprint and QAMS are simple， efficient and economical， providing a reference for the quality control and further development of Shechuan naolitong granules.

Objective To investigate the expression of Cyclin F in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), its clinicopathological characteristics, and its effect on the biological behavior of renal cancer cell lines Methods RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of Cyclin F in fresh ccRCC specimens. Immunohistochemistry assay was performed to detect the expression of Cyclin F protein in 80 paraffin samples. CCK-8 assay, scratch assay, and flow cytometry were conducted to determine the effects of Cyclin F overexpression on the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of renal cancer cell lines. Results The expression of Cyclin F in cancer tissues was higher than that in adjacent tissues at the mRNA level (P<0.0285). The expression of Cyclin Fprotein in cancer tissues was lower than that in adjacent tissues (P<0.001). The analysis of clinicopathological parameters showed that the low expression of Cyclin F was correlated with WHO/ISUP grade, Ki67 index, and age (P=0.041, 0.047, 0.008,). In vitro experiments confirmed that overexpression of Cyclin F promoted the proliferation (P<0.001) and migratory ability (24 h P=0.003, 48 h P=0.0058) of the RCC 786-O cell line, while inhibiting apoptosis (P=0.0019). Conclusion The low expression of Cyclin F protein in ccRCC tissuesis associated with high ISUP grade, high Ki67 index, oldage, and prognosis of patients.

Ischemic stroke is the leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. The blood‒brain barrier (BBB) is the first line of defense after ischemic stroke. Disruption of the BBB induced by brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) dysfunction is a key event that triggers secondary damage to the central nervous system, where blood-borne fluids and immune cells penetrate the brain parenchyma, causing cerebral edema and inflammatory response and further aggravating brain damage. Here, we develop a novel artificial mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) extracellular vesicles by integrating MSC membrane proteins into liposomal bilayers, which encapsulated miR-132-3p with protective effects on BMECs. The artificial extracellular vesicles (MSCo/miR-132-3p) had low immunogenicity to reduce non-specific clearance by the mononuclear phagocytosis system (MPS) and could target ischemia-injured BMECs. After internalization into the damaged BMECs, MSCo/miR-132-3p escaped the lysosomes via the H_II phase transition of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) and decreased cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis levels by regulating the RASA1/RAS/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) models, MSCo/miR-132-3p targeted impaired brain regions (approximately 9 times the accumulation of plain liposomes at 12 h), reduced cerebral vascular disruption, protected BBB integrity, and decreased infarct volume (from 44.95% to 6.99%).

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion leads to white matter injury (WMI), which plays a significant role in contributing to vascular cognitive impairment. While 13-docosenamide is a type of fatty acid amide, it remains unclear whether it has therapeutic effects on chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. In this study, we conducted bilateral common carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) surgery to simulate chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-induced WMI and cognitive impairment. Our findings showed that 13-docosenamide alleviates WMI and cognitive impairment in BCAS mice. Mechanistically, 13-docosenamide specifically binds to cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). This interaction results in an upregulation of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 33 (USP33)-mediated CNR1 deubiquitination, subsequently increasing CNR1 protein expression, activating the phosphorylation of the AKT/mTOR pathway, and promoting the differentiation of OPCs. In conclusion, our study suggests that 13-docosenamide can ameliorate chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-induced WMI and cognitive impairment by enhancing OPC differentiation and could serve as a potential therapeutic drug.
Animals ; Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells/metabolism* ; Mice ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Male ; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Ubiquitin Thiolesterase/metabolism* ; Ubiquitination/drug effects* ; Carotid Stenosis/complications* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/drug therapy*

Corticotomy is a clinical procedure to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement characterized by the regional acceleratory phenomenon (RAP). Despite its therapeutic effects, the surgical risk and unclear mechanism hamper the clinical application. Numerous evidences support macrophages as the key immune cells during bone remodeling. Our study discovered that the monocyte-derived macrophages primarily exhibited a pro-inflammatory phenotype that dominated bone remodeling in corticotomy by CX3CR1^CreERT2; R26^GFP lineage tracing system. Fluorescence staining, flow cytometry analysis, and western blot determined the significantly enhanced expression of binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP) and emphasized the activation of sensor activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) in macrophages. Then, we verified that macrophage specific ATF6 deletion (ATF6^f/f; CX3CR1^CreERT2 mice) decreased the proportion of pro-inflammatory macrophages and therefore blocked the acceleration effect of corticotomy. In contrast, macrophage ATF6 overexpression exaggerated the acceleration of orthodontic tooth movement. In vitro experiments also proved that higher proportion of pro-inflammatory macrophages was positively correlated with higher expression of ATF6. At the mechanism level, RNA-seq and CUT&Tag analysis demonstrated that ATF6 modulated the macrophage-orchestrated inflammation through interacting with Tnfα promotor and augmenting its transcription. Additionally, molecular docking simulation and dual-luciferase reporter system indicated the possible binding sites outside of the traditional endoplasmic reticulum-stress response element (ERSE). Taken together, ATF6 may aggravate orthodontic bone remodeling by promoting Tnfα transcription in macrophages, suggesting that ATF6 may represent a promising therapeutic target for non-invasive accelerated orthodontics.
Animals ; Mice ; Macrophages/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Tooth Movement Techniques/methods* ; Activating Transcription Factor 6/metabolism* ; Bone Remodeling ; Flow Cytometry ; Blotting, Western

Microglia, the resident immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS), rapidly transition from a resting to an active state in the acute phase of ischemic brain injury. This active state mediates a pro-inflammatory response that can exacerbate the injury. Targeting the pro-inflammatory response of microglia in the semi-dark band during this acute phase may effectively reduce brain injury. Shionone (SH), an active ingredient extracted from the dried roots and rhizomes of the genus Aster (Asteraceae), has been reported to regulate the inflammatory response of macrophages in sepsis-induced acute lung injury. However, its function in post-stroke neuroinflammation, particularly microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, remains uninvestigated. This study found that SH significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced elevation of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), in microglia in vitro. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that SH alleviated infarct volume and improved behavioral performance in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mice, which may be attributed to the inhibition of the microglial inflammatory response induced by SH treatment. Mechanistically, SH potently inhibited the phosphorylation of serine-threonine protein kinase B (AKT), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). These findings suggest that SH may be a potential therapeutic agent for relieving ischemic stroke (IS) by alleviating microglia-associated neuroinflammation.
Animals ; Microglia/immunology* ; Mice ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Brain Ischemia/immunology* ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/drug therapy* ; Neuroprotective Agents/administration & dosage* ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/genetics* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/immunology* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/genetics* ; Lipopolysaccharides

PPerimenopausal depression （PMD） is a mental disorder that occurs in women before and after menopause. It has become a major public health problem posing a threat to the health of perimenopausal women due to its high incidence， low prevalence， low diagnostic rate， and recurrent episodes. The pathogenesis of PMD is complex and mainly involves the aging of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian （HPO） axis， which leads to abnormal fluctuations in reproductive hormones， inflammation and cascade reactions， and oxidative stress. Currently， there are no specific pharmacological interventions for PMD. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， as a treasure of motherland medicine， integrates thousands of years of TCM experience and wisdom and has the advantages of holistic regulation， low toxicity， and mild adverse reactions in the prevention and treatment of PMD. In recent years， more and more studies have been conducted on the active ingredients， extracts， and compound formulas of TCM for treating PMD via multi-components and multi-directions， achieving fruitful results. A large number of studies have shown that TCM treats PMD by reducing inflammation， inhibiting oxidation， and modulating monoamine neurotransmitter levels， which mainly involve NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain-associated protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）/hemeoxygenase-1 （HO-1）， brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）/tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） and other signaling pathways. This article reviews the clinical and basic studies about TCM treatment of PMD to analyzes the pathogenesis of PMD and the therapeutic targets of TCM， aiming to provide basic theoretical support and new approaches for the TCM treatment of PMD.

Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is the sixth most common cancer in the world. In recent years， the clinical early diagnosis and treatment protocols of HCC have been improved， whereas the prognosis of patients is still not satisfactory， which is due to the fact that the mechanism of HCC development has not been fully elucidated. Therefore， it is of great significance to explore the molecular mechanisms and key regulatory links of hepatocellular carcinoma development to further improve the diagnosis and treatment of HCC in China. Epigenetics has become a research hotspot because of its reversibility and easy regulation. According to relevant studies， HCC involves the accumulation of multiple genetic and epigenetic changes during the initiation， promotion， and progression stages. HCC is categorized as infantile malnutrition with accumulation， hypochondriac pain， tympan ites， and abdominal mass in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. In the treatment of HCC， TCM with low toxicity， multi-targets， and multi-mechanisms can inhibit tumor growth， alleviate the clinical symptoms， and enhance the quality of life of the patients. Chinese medicines and their active ingredients exert anti-HCC effects through epigenetic regulation of DNA methylation， histone modification， and non-coding RNA. Abnormal gene expression due to epigenetic regulation disorders is involved in all stages of HCC development. There are few studies on epigenetic regulation in TCM treatment of HCC， and there is still much room for development in basic and clinical trials. This paper reviews the mechanism of epigenetic regulation in HCC and summarizes the experimental results of TCM research on the related mechanism， with a view to providing a theoretical basis for future research on the mechanism of HCC development and clinical diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with TCM.