Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum is a precious animal-derived Chinese medicinal material, while there are often adulterants derived from animals not specified in the Chinese Pharmacopeia in the market, which disturbs the safety of medication. This study was conducted with the aim of strengthening the quality control of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum and standardizing the medication. To achieve digital identification of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum from different sources, a digital identification model was constructed based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-QTOF-MS~E) combined with an adaptive boosting algorithm(Adaboost). The young furred antlers of sika deer, red deer, elk, and reindeer were processed and then subjected to polypeptide analysis by UHPLC-QTOF-MS~E. Then, the mass spectral data reflecting the polypeptide information were obtained by digital quantification. Next, the key data were obtained by feature screening based on Gini index, and the digital identification model was constructed by Adaboost. The model was evaluated based on the recall rate, F_1 composite score, and accuracy. Finally, the results of identification based on the constructed digital identification model were validated. The results showed that when the Gini index was used to screen the data of top 100 characteristic polypeptides, the digital identification model based on Adaboost had the best performance, with the recall rate, F_1 composite score, and accuracy not less than 0.953. The validation analysis showed that the accuracy of the identification of the 10 batches of samples was as high as 100.0%. Therefore, based on UHPLC-QTOF-MS~E and Adaboost algorithm, the digital identification of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum can be realized efficiently and accurately, which can provide reference for the quality control and original animal identification of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum.
Animals ; Algorithms ; Antlers/chemistry* ; Boosting Machine Learning Algorithms ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Deer ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Quality Control ; Reindeer ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Tissue Extracts/analysis*

OBJECTIVE: To study the preventive and therapeutic effects of safflower water extract on systemic scleroderma (SSc) in mice and its mechanism. METHODS: Sixty BALB/C mice were randomly divided into the control group, model group, prednisone group and safflower low, middle, high dose groups, 10 mice in each group.The control group was injected with normal saline, and the other five groups were subcutaneously injected with bleomycin hydrochloride with 100 μl at the concentration of 200 μg /ml on the back, once a day for 28 days to establish the SSc models.At the same time, the control group and model group were treated with normal saline (10 ml/kg), the prednisone group was treated with prednisone 4.5 mg/kg (10 ml/kg), and the low, middle, and high dose safflower groups were treated with safflower at the doses of 1.5, 3, 6 g/kg (10 ml/kg), and all groups were treated for 28 days.After 28 days, all mice were decapitated. The blood samples and back skin of the BLM injection part were collected.After that, all the tissue slices were taken to measure the dermal thickness, and the content of hydroxyproline (HYP) in the skin tissues was detected by hydrolysis method.The contents of tissue growth factor (CTGF) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β ) in the skin tissues and the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) in serum were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the dermal thickness of the model group was increased(P＜0.05), the contents of CTGF, TGF-β and HYP in the skin tissues and the levels of IL-6 and IL-17 in the serum of the model group were increased(P＜0.05); compared with the model group, the dermal thickness in the prednisone group and safflower groups was decreased (P＜0.05), the levels of CTGF, TGF-β and HYP in the skin tissues and the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-17 in the prednisone group and safflower groups were decreased (P＜0.05). CONCLUSION Safflower water extract can improve skin condition (or dermal thickness) in SSc mice, and its mechanism may be related to reducing immune inflammatory response.
Animals ; Bleomycin ; Carthamus tinctorius ; chemistry ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hydroxyproline ; analysis ; Interleukin-17 ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Scleroderma, Systemic ; drug therapy ; Skin ; pathology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore how fermented barley extracts with Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1 (LFBE) affected the browning in adipocytes and obese rats. METHODS: In vitro, 3T3-L1 cells were induced by LFBE, raw barley extraction (RBE) and polyphenol compounds (PC) from LFBE to evaluate the adipocyte differentiation. In vivo, obese SD rats induced by high fat diet (HFD) were randomly divided into three groups treated with oral gavage: (a) normal control diet with distilled water, (b) HFD with distilled water, (c) HFD with 800 mg LFBE/kg body weight (bw). RESULTS: In vitro, LFBE and the PC in the extraction significantly inhibited adipogenesis and potentiated browning of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, rather than RBE. In vivo, we observed remarkable decreases in the body weight, serum lipid levels, white adipose tissue (WAT) weights and cell sizes of brown adipose tissues (BAT) in the LFBE group after 10 weeks. LFBE group could gain more mass of interscapular BAT (IBAT) and promote the dehydrogenase activity in the mitochondria. And LFBE may potentiate process of the IBAT thermogenesis and epididymis adipose tissue (EAT) browning via activating the uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)-dependent mechanism to suppress the obesity. CONCLUSION These results demonstrated that LFBE decreased obesity partly by increasing the BAT mass and the energy expenditure by activating BAT thermogenesis and WAT browning in a UCP1-dependent mechanism.
3T3 Cells ; Adipocytes ; drug effects ; physiology ; Adipose Tissue, Brown ; drug effects ; physiology ; Adipose Tissue, White ; drug effects ; physiology ; Animal Feed ; analysis ; Animals ; Anti-Obesity Agents ; administration & dosage ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Diet ; Fermentation ; Hordeum ; chemistry ; Lactobacillus plantarum ; chemistry ; Male ; Mice ; Obesity ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; Probiotics ; administration & dosage ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Uncoupling Protein 1 ; genetics ; metabolism

Local healthcare providers often question the possible steroidal activity of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbs or herbal products and implicate them as a cause for adrenal insufficiency or Cushing's syndrome in patients with a history of TCM intake. We conducted a comprehensive database search for evidence of potential glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid, androgenic or oestrogenic activity of herbs or herbal products. Overall, there are not many herbs whose steroidal activity is well established; among these, most cases were based on preclinical studies. Liquorice root may cause pseudoaldosteronism through interference with the steroidogenesis pathway. Although ginseng and cordyceps have some in vitro glucocorticoid activities, the corroborating clinical data is lacking. Deer musk and deer antler contain androgenic steroids, while epimedium has oestrogenic activity. On the other hand, adulteration of herbal products with exogenous glucocorticoids is a recurrent problem encountered locally in illegal products masquerading as TCM. Healthcare providers should stay vigilant and report any suspicion to the relevant authorities for further investigations.
Androgens ; analysis ; Animals ; Cordyceps ; Databases, Factual ; Deer ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; analysis ; Epimedium ; Estrogens ; analysis ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated ; Glucocorticoids ; analysis ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; adverse effects ; Mineralocorticoids ; analysis ; Panax ; Plant Preparations ; analysis ; Risk ; Singapore ; Steroids ; adverse effects ; analysis ; Tissue Extracts

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) assessment of fatty liver and choose a cut-off value of hepatic steatosis more than 5%.

METHODSConsecutive patients, 18 years or older, who had undergone percutaneous liver biopsy and CAP measurement were recruited from five liver healthcare centers in China. All enrollees were categorized as hepatic steatosis grade S0 (<5%) or S1 (5%). An M-probe equipped FibroScan 502 was used to capture CAP values. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and the areas under (AU) the curves were calculated to determine the diagnostic efficacy. The CAP cut-off values at the optimal thresholds were defined by maximum Youden indices; sensitivity and specificity were also calculated.

RESULTSA total of 332 patients were enrolled in the study, including 67 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and 265 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) viru: infection. The median age (inter quartile range, IQR) of the study cohort was 39.0 (32.0-50.5) years-old. There were 46 males (68.7%) in the NAFLD group, with a median age of 37.0 (28.0-45.0) years-old, and 182 males (68.7%) in the CHB group; the differences between the two groups in median age and male: female ratio did not reach statistical significance. Multivariate linear regression analysis identified steatosis grade and body mass index (BMI) as independently associated with CAP. The median (IQR) CAP values among patients with S0 and S1 grade steatosis were 215.0 (190.0-241.0) dB/m and 294.0 (255.0-325.5) dB/m (P<0.001), respectively. For all patients, when BMI was <25 kg/m2, the ability of the AUROC of the CAP to discriminate hepatic steatosis more than or equal to 5% was 0.853, and the optimal cut-off value was 244.5 dB/m; however, when BMI≥25 kg/m2, the AUROC was 0.835 and the optimal cut-off value 269.5 dB/m.

CONCLUSIONCAP can identify hepatic steatosis more than or equal to 5% and is applicable for the diagnosis of fatty liver if it is adjusted for BMI.

Adult ; Area Under Curve ; Bile ; Biopsy ; Body Mass Index ; China ; Fatty Liver ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; ROC Curve ; Tissue Extracts

OBJECTIVETo investigate the anticancer and anti-metastatic effect of Ajuga decumbens extraction (HBG) on breast cancer and to clarify the effect of HBG on MMPs and TIMPs.

METHODThe antitumor and antimetastic effect of HBG was determined using orthotopic 4T1 breast cancer mouse model. Western blot analysis was employed to detect the expression of associated proteins in breast cancer metastasis.

RESULTAdministration with 50-200 mg x kg(-1) doses of HBG significantly reduced the tumor weight, tumor volume and numbers of lung tumor nodules in a dose-dependent manner. Tumor metastasis correlated proteins were altered following HBG treatment, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were down-regulated while TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were up-regulated.

CONCLUSIONHBG showed anticancer and antimetastatic effect towards breast cancer through regulating the expression of MMPs and TIMPs. These data sustain our contention that HBG might be used as a potential therapeutic agent.

Ajuga ; Animals ; Female ; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental ; chemistry ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; analysis ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; analysis ; Metalloproteases ; analysis ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; prevention & control ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; therapeutic use ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; analysis ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; analysis ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo study the changes of thrombomodulin(TM) in both plasma and tissue extracts of cancer patients for evaluating its clinical significance.

METHODSPlasma TM levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) in plasma of 188 cancer patients and in 24 cancer tissue extracts including their adjacent normal tissue.

RESULTSThe plasma TM levels both in cancer patients and in metastasis patients were significantly higher than that in controls [(33.47+/-14.25) microg/L/ (41.68 +/-16.96) micro/L, compared with (20.40+/-7.22) microg/L, P<0.01]. The plasma TM levels in cancer patients after operation decreased obviously [(18.45+/-9.96) microg/L, compared with (28.29+/-11.74) microg/L,P<0.01]. Whereas, the plasma TM levels in patients with recurrence and metastasis after operation increased obviously [(34.50+/-12.57 micro/L]. The plasma TM levels in metastasis of lung cancers, gastric cancers and pancreatic cancers were significantly higher than that in non-metastasis (P<0.05 approximate, equals 0.01) respectively, but no significant differences were found between controls and non-metastasis cancers including gastric cancers, pancreatic cancers, nasopharyngeal cancers, large intestine cancers and laryngeal cancers (P>0.05). The TM levels in cancer tissue extracts were significantly lower than that in their adjacent normal tissue extracts [(647.71+/-317.51)) microg/L,compared with (1455.63+/-772.22) microg/L,P<0.01]. On the contrary, the plasma TM levels in these cancers were higher than that in controls.

CONCLUSIONThe rise of plasma TM levels in cancer patients is associated with metastasis and diffusion of cancers. The TM levels can be used as an sensitive index for judging progression and metastasis of cancers.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasms ; blood ; chemistry ; Thrombomodulin ; analysis ; blood ; Tissue Extracts ; chemistry

It is widely known that the cockroach is an inhalant allergen in atopic asthma and allergic rhinitis. Even though Bla g I and Bla g II are considered as the major allergens, several relatively high-molecular weight (MW) cockroach allergens have also been recently identified by IgE-immunoblot in western countries. However, the environmental control and diagnostic tests mainly focussed on Bla g I and Bla g II. Furthermore there is no data about major IgE-binding cockroach antigens in Korea. We performed this study to identify the major German cockroach allergens in Korean atopic children. By the results of allergy skin tests, 14 children with atopic asthma (9 were cockroach-sensitive and 5 were cockroach-nonsensitive atopics) were enrolled in this study. We conducted IgE immunoblot and autoradiographic analysis using Yonsei-extract of German cockroach antigen produced in our laboratory, individual sera from 9 cockroach- sensitive children, and the pooled sera of 5 house-dust-mites-only-sensitive children. We performed an allergic skin test to cockroach mix, and a radioallergosorbent test (RAST) using German cockroach crude extract on all subjects. German cockroach-specific IgE was detected in 6 out of 9 subjects by RAST. We identified at least 15 IgE-binding protein bands, and among them, the components of MWs of 76, 64, 50, 38, and <14 kilodaltons (kDa) were the major German cockroach allergens in study subjects. Therefore, Bla g I (25-30 kDa) and Bla g II (36 kDa) could not be the absolute indicators of German cockroach sensitization and parameters of environmental control.
Adolescence ; Allergens/analysis ; Animal ; Asthma/metabolism* ; Asthma/immunology ; Asthma/complications ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cockroaches/immunology ; Cockroaches/chemistry* ; Female ; Human ; Hypersensitivity/metabolism* ; Hypersensitivity/immunology ; Hypersensitivity/complications ; IgE/metabolism* ; Korea ; Male ; Tissue Extracts/metabolism*