The chemical components of Carthami Flos were investigated by using macroporous resin, silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase octadecylsilane(ODS) column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The planar structures of the compounds were established based on their physicochemical properties and ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis), infrared(IR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(HR-ESI-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopic technology. The absolute configurations were determined by comparing the calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism(ECD). Six flavonoid C-glycosides were isolated from the 30% ethanol elution fraction of macroporous resin obtained from the 95% ethanol extract of Carthami Flos, and identified as saffloquinoside F(1), 5-hydroxysaffloneoside(2), iso-5-hydroxysaffloneoside(3), isosafflomin C(4), safflomin C(5), and vicenin 2(6). Among these, the compounds 1 to 3 were new chalcone C-glycosides. The compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 could significantly increase the viability of H9c2 cardiomyocytes damaged by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) at a concentration of 50 μmol·L~(-1), showing their good cardioprotective activity.
Glycosides/pharmacology* ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Carthamus tinctorius/chemistry* ; Chalcones/pharmacology* ; Animals

Periodontitis as a common chronic inflammatory oral disease,seriously threatens oral and systemic health.Currently,the clinical conventional treatment options for periodontitis mainly include mechanical therapy and drug therapy.Mechanical treatment,such as scaling and curettage,can to some extent remove dental plaque and tartar,but it was difficult to completely remove bacteria in deep periodontal pockets,leading to inflammation that was prone to recurrence.Traditional drug treatments,such as the use of antibiotics,have limited long-term use due to issues such as drug resistance and side effects,while restricted its long-term use.As an important derivative of artemisinin,artemether has various unique pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory,antibacterial,immune regulation,and promotion of tissue repair.Currently,multiple basic studies have shown that artemether can be used for the treatment of periodontitis.This article reviews the pharmacological effects of artemether in the prevention and treatment of periodontitis,aiming to provide theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of periodontitis and assist in the development of new treatment plans.

OBJECTIVE: Huachansu injection (HCSI), a promising anti-cancer Chinese medicine injection, has been reported to have the potential for reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy and improving the quality of life for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The objective of this study is to explore the synergistic and detoxifying effects of HCSI when used in combination with irinotecan (CPT-11). METHODS: To investigate the effect of HCSI on anti-CRC efficacy and intestinal toxicity of CPT-11, we measured changes in the biological behavior of LoVo cells in vitro, and anti-tumor effects in LoVo cell xenograft nude mice models in vivo. Meanwhile, the effect of HCSI on intestinal toxicity and the uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) expression was investigated in the CPT-11-induced colitis mouse model. Subsequently, we measured the effect of HCSI and its 13 constituent bufadienolides on the expression of UGT1A1 and organic anion transporting polypeptides 1B3 (OATP1B3) in HepG2 cells. RESULTS: The combination index (CI) results showed that the combination of HCSI and CPT-11 exhibited a synergistic effect (CI < 1), which significantly suppressing the LoVo cell migration, enhancing G2/M and S phase arrest, and inhibiting tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, the damage to intestinal tissues was attenuated by HCSI in CPT-11-induced colitis model, while the increased expression of UGT1A1 in HepG2 cells and in mouse was observed. CONCLUSION The co-therapy with HCSI alleviated the intestinal toxicity induced by CPT-11 and exerted an enhanced anti-CRC effect. The detoxifying mechanism may be related to the increased expression of UGT1A1 and OATP1B3 by HCSI and its bufadienolides components. The findings of this study may serve as a theoretical insights and strategies to improve CRC patient outcomes. Please cite this article as: Jiang B, Meng ZY, Hu YJ, Chen JJ, Zong L, Xu LY, Zhang XQ, Zhang JX, Han YL. Huachansu injection enhances anti-colorectal cancer efficacy of irinotecan and alleviates its induced intestinal toxicity through upregulating UGT1A1-OATP1B3 expression in vitro and in vivo. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):576-590.
Irinotecan/therapeutic use* ; Animals ; Glucuronosyltransferase/genetics* ; Humans ; Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Mice, Nude ; Mice ; Up-Regulation/drug effects* ; Male ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Hep G2 Cells ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Intestines/drug effects* ; Amphibian Venoms

Purpose To investigate the incidence and risk of malignancy(ROM)of the Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ di-agnosis of thyroid nodules due to insufficient number of follicular cells,and to analyze the correlation between their in-sufficient cell volume and the characteristics of the nodules themselves from the perspective of ultrasound and histology.Methods Clinical data were collected from fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC)of the thyroid gland.Review and statistical analysis was performed on cases with the Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ diagnosis due to insufficient cell volume.The incidence and the ROM of Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ diagnosis were calculated.BRAF V600E(+)or postoperative patho-logical indicating papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC)was used as the criterion for malignancy.Then,we matched the Bethesda class Ⅱ/Ⅵ cases with sufficient cell volume as the control group.The ultrasound characteristics and histo-logical images of the two groups were compared and analyzed in order to reveal the correlation between the insufficient amount of penetrating cells and the objective characteristics of the nodule itself.Results There were 39 solid thyroid nodules with the Bethesda class Ⅰ diagnosis,with an incidence of 3.3％and a ROM of 38.5％,and 160 nodules with the Bethesda class Ⅲ diagnosis,with an incidence of 13.5％and a ROM of 59.4％.The incidence and ROM of nod-ules with C-TIRADS ≥4b(22.4％,67.6％)were higher than those of C-TIRADS ≤4a(12.7％,39.8％),and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.001).Compared to the Bethesda class Ⅱ/Ⅵ nodules with sufficient cell volume,occurrence of the Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ nodules were significantly correlated with small nodules(maximal diameter＜5 mm),vertical growth(aspect ratio ≥ 1)and poor blood supply(no or little blood flow signals)(r=0.131,-0.230,0.237,P=0.008,＜0.001,＜0.001).They were also significantly correlated with the pathologic histologic structure of diffuse significant fibrosis of the interstitium and low parenchyma/interstitium composition ratio(about 1:1)(r=-0.269,-0.396,P=0.019,＜0.001).Conclusion Thyroid Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ nodules have a high ROM,and BRAF V600E detection is recommended as a tool of tiered management.Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ diagnosis of insufficient cell volume is more likely when the nodules are too small,grow vertically and lack blood sup-ply,presumably associated with extensive interstitial fibrosis and sparse parenchymal cells.

Periodontitis as a common chronic inflammatory oral disease,seriously threatens oral and systemic health.Currently,the clinical conventional treatment options for periodontitis mainly include mechanical therapy and drug therapy.Mechanical treatment,such as scaling and curettage,can to some extent remove dental plaque and tartar,but it was difficult to completely remove bacteria in deep periodontal pockets,leading to inflammation that was prone to recurrence.Traditional drug treatments,such as the use of antibiotics,have limited long-term use due to issues such as drug resistance and side effects,while restricted its long-term use.As an important derivative of artemisinin,artemether has various unique pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory,antibacterial,immune regulation,and promotion of tissue repair.Currently,multiple basic studies have shown that artemether can be used for the treatment of periodontitis.This article reviews the pharmacological effects of artemether in the prevention and treatment of periodontitis,aiming to provide theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of periodontitis and assist in the development of new treatment plans.

Purpose To investigate the incidence and risk of malignancy(ROM)of the Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ di-agnosis of thyroid nodules due to insufficient number of follicular cells,and to analyze the correlation between their in-sufficient cell volume and the characteristics of the nodules themselves from the perspective of ultrasound and histology.Methods Clinical data were collected from fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC)of the thyroid gland.Review and statistical analysis was performed on cases with the Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ diagnosis due to insufficient cell volume.The incidence and the ROM of Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ diagnosis were calculated.BRAF V600E(+)or postoperative patho-logical indicating papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC)was used as the criterion for malignancy.Then,we matched the Bethesda class Ⅱ/Ⅵ cases with sufficient cell volume as the control group.The ultrasound characteristics and histo-logical images of the two groups were compared and analyzed in order to reveal the correlation between the insufficient amount of penetrating cells and the objective characteristics of the nodule itself.Results There were 39 solid thyroid nodules with the Bethesda class Ⅰ diagnosis,with an incidence of 3.3％and a ROM of 38.5％,and 160 nodules with the Bethesda class Ⅲ diagnosis,with an incidence of 13.5％and a ROM of 59.4％.The incidence and ROM of nod-ules with C-TIRADS ≥4b(22.4％,67.6％)were higher than those of C-TIRADS ≤4a(12.7％,39.8％),and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.001).Compared to the Bethesda class Ⅱ/Ⅵ nodules with sufficient cell volume,occurrence of the Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ nodules were significantly correlated with small nodules(maximal diameter＜5 mm),vertical growth(aspect ratio ≥ 1)and poor blood supply(no or little blood flow signals)(r=0.131,-0.230,0.237,P=0.008,＜0.001,＜0.001).They were also significantly correlated with the pathologic histologic structure of diffuse significant fibrosis of the interstitium and low parenchyma/interstitium composition ratio(about 1:1)(r=-0.269,-0.396,P=0.019,＜0.001).Conclusion Thyroid Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ nodules have a high ROM,and BRAF V600E detection is recommended as a tool of tiered management.Bethesda class Ⅰ/Ⅲ diagnosis of insufficient cell volume is more likely when the nodules are too small,grow vertically and lack blood sup-ply,presumably associated with extensive interstitial fibrosis and sparse parenchymal cells.

Aim To explore the improvement effect of Bazi Bushen capsule on thymic degeneration in SAMP6 mice and the possible mechanism.Methods Twenty 12 week old male SAMP6 mice were randomly divided into the model group(SAMP6)and the Bazi Busheng capsule treatment group(SAMP6+BZBS).Ten SAMR1 mice were assigned to a homologous control group(SAMR1).The SAMP6+BZBS group was oral-ly administered Bazi Bushen capsule suspension(2.8 g·kg-1)daily,while the other two groups were orally administered an equal amount of distilled water.After nine weeks of administration,the morphology of the thymus in each group was observed and the thymus in-dex was calculated;HE staining was used to observe the structural changes of thymus tissue;SA-β-gal stai-ning was used to detect thymic aging;flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of thymic CD3+T cells in each group;Western blot was used to detect the levels of p16,Bax,Bcl-2,and cleaved caspase-3 proteins in thymus;immunofluorescence was applied to detect the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells in each group;ELISA was employed to detect IL-7 lev-els in thymus.Results Compared with the SAMP6 group,the thymic index of the SAMP6+BZBS group significantly increased(P＜0.05);the disordered thy-mic structure was significantly improved;the positive proportion of SA-β-gal staining significantly decreased(P＜0.01);the proportion of CD3+T cells apparently increased(P＜0.05);the level of p16 protein signifi-cantly decreased(P＜0.05);the level of Bcl-2 pro-tein significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the lev-el of cleaved caspase-3 protein markedly decreased(P＜0.05);the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells evidently increased;the level of IL-7 significantly increased(P＜0.01).Conclusions Bazi Bushen capsule can delay thymic degeneration,inhibit cell ap-optosis in thymus and promote thymic cell development in SAMP6 mice,which may be related to increasing the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells and promoting IL-7 secretion.

Objective To investigate the radiotherapy dose impacts of different jaw widths on stereotactic body radiotherapy(SBRT)for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)with the hilical tomotherapy(HT)planning system.Methods Totally 16 HCC patients who received radiotherapy at some hospital from March 2021 to August 2023 were selected,and the planning was carried out with the same pitch,modulation factors and optimization conditions and the jaw widths being 1.0,2.5 and 5.0 cm.The dosimetric differences due to the jaw widths in planned targets and organs at risk(OAR)were compared,and the planned treatment time,monitor unit,gantry rotations and gantry period were evaluated.SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results Better dosimetric parameters and lower doses to OARs could be got with lower jaw widths.The widened jaw widths resulted in reduced planned treatment time,decreased monitor units and gantry rotations,shortened gantry period while enhanced treatment efficiency.Conclusion A 2.5 cm jaw width for HT planning contributes to improving treatment efficiency during HCC SBRT under the premise of ensured target dose distribution and satisfactory dose to OAR for clinical require-ments.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(7):51-55]

Coronary restenosis is an important cause of poor long-term prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease. Here, we show that lysine methyltransferase SMYD2 expression in the nucleus is significantly elevated in serum- and PDGF-BB-induced vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and in tissues of carotid artery injury-induced neointimal hyperplasia. Smyd2 overexpression in VSMCs (Smyd2-vTg) facilitates, but treatment with its specific inhibitor LLY-507 or SMYD2 knockdown significantly inhibits VSMC phenotypic switching and carotid artery injury-induced neointima formation in mice. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that SMYD2 knockdown represses the expression of serum response factor (SRF) target genes and that SRF overexpression largely reverses the inhibitory effect of SMYD2 knockdown on VSMC proliferation. HDAC3 directly interacts with and deacetylates SRF, which enhances SRF transcriptional activity in VSMCs. Moreover, SMYD2 promotes HDAC3 expression via tri-methylation of H3K36 at its promoter. RGFP966, a specific inhibitor of HDAC3, not only counteracts the pro-proliferation effect of SMYD2 overexpression on VSMCs, but also inhibits carotid artery injury-induced neointima formation in mice. HDAC3 partially abolishes the inhibitory effect of SMYD2 knockdown on VSMC proliferation in a deacetylase activity-dependent manner. Our results reveal that the SMYD2-HDAC3-SRF axis constitutes a novel and critical epigenetic mechanism that regulates VSMC phenotypic switching and neointimal hyperplasia.

Glycine receptors (GlyRs) belong to the ligand-gated ion channel receptor superfamily and are widely distributed throughout the central nervous system. GlyRs are essential for maintaining visual, auditory, sensory and motor functions, and abnormalities in its structure and function can lead to various neurological disorders. This review aims to provide an extensive analysis of the structure, function and regulatory mechanisms of GlyRs, and evaluate its role in various central nervous system diseases. Ultimately, this review will provide theoretical support for the development of novel drugs specifically targeting GlyRs.
Receptors, Glycine/physiology* ; Humans ; Animals ; Central Nervous System Diseases/metabolism*