This study aims to explore the effects of Buzhong Yiqi Decoction(BYD) on the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase(cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes(STING) signaling pathway in the mouse model of autoimmune thyroiditis(AIT) and the mechanism of BYD in alleviating the immune injury. Forty-eight NOD.H-2~(h4) mice were assigned into normal, model, low-, medium-, and high-dose BYD, and selenium yeast tablets groups(n=8). Mice of 8 weeks old were treated with 0.05% sodium iodide solution for 8 weeks for the modeling of AIT and then administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage for 8 weeks before sampling. High performance liquid chromatography was employed to measure the astragaloside Ⅳ content in BYD. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe the pathological changes in the mouse thyroid tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the serum levels of thyroid peroxidase antibody(TPO-Ab), thyroglobulin antibody(TgAb), and interferon-γ(IFN-γ). Flow cytometry was employed to detect the distribution of T cell subsets in the spleen. The immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of cGAS, STING, TANK-binding kinase 1(TBK1), and interferon regulatory factor 3(IRF3). Real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to determine the mRNA and protein levels, respectively, of markers related to the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in the thyroid tissue. The results showed that the content of astragaloside Ⅳ in BYD was(7.06±0.08) mg·mL~(-1). Compared with the normal group, the model group showed disrupted structures of thyroid follicular epithelial cells, massive infiltration of lymphocytes, and elevated levels of TgAb and TPO-Ab. Compared with the model group, the four treatment groups showed intact epithelial cells, reduced lymphocyte infiltration, and lowered levels of TgAb and TPO-Ab. Compared with the normal group, the model group showed increases in the proportions of Th1 and Th17 cells, a decrease in the proportion of Th2 cells, and an increase in the IFN-γ level. Compared with the model group, the four treatment groups presented decreased proportions of Th1 and Th17 cells and lowered levels of IFN-γ, and the medium-dose BYD group showed an increase in the proportion of Th2 cells. Compared with the normal group, the modeling up-regulated the mRNA levels of cGAS, STING, TBK1, and IRF3 and the protein levels of cGAS, p-STING, p-TBK1, and p-IRF3. Compared with the model group, the four treatment groups showed reduced levels of cGAS, STING, TBK1, and IRF3-positive products, down-regulated mRNA levels of cGAS, STING, and TBK1, and down-regulated protein levels of cGAS and p-STING. The high-dose BYD group showed down-regulations in the mRNA level of IRF3 and the protein levels of p-TBK1 and p-IRF3. The above results indicate that BYD can repair the imbalance of T cell subsets, alleviate immune injury, and reduce thyroid lymphocyte infiltration in AIT mice by inhibiting the cGAS-STING signaling pathway.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune/metabolism* ; Mice ; Membrane Proteins/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Humans ; Female ; Nucleotidyltransferases/metabolism* ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal

Alzheimer's disease(AD) has a high incidence rate and insidious onset, and it is the main type of senile dementia, severely affecting the survival and death of patients. The main clinical manifestations include memory loss, aphasia, apraxias, agnosia, and changes in executive dysfunction, personality, and behaviors, and its pathogenesis is not yet clear. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of traditional Chinese medicine treatments for AD, including Chinese herbal compounds, external treatments of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), and a combination of TCM and Western medicine, with significant efficacy and no obvious toxic side effects. Starting from the understanding of the pathogenesis of AD in TCM, this article comprehensively summarized the theoretical basis of TCM in treating the disease, providing a theoretical basis for clinical research.
Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Animals

This study aims to explore the mechanism of lung and gut protection by Tanreqing Capsules on the mice infected with influenza virus based on "the lung-gut axis". A total of 110 C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, model group, oseltamivir group, and low-and high-dose Tanreqing Capsules groups. Ten mice in each group underwent body weight protection experiments, and the remaining 12 mice underwent experiments for mechanism exploration. Mice were infected with influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/08/1934(PR8) via nasal inhalation for the modeling. The lung tissue was collected on day 3 after gavage, and the lung tissue, colon tissue, and feces were collected on day 7 after gavage for subsequent testing. The results showed that Tanreqing Capsules alleviated the body weight reduction and increased the survival rate caused by PR8 infection. Compared with model group, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate the lung injury by reducing the lung index, alleviating inflammation and edema in the lung tissue, down-regulating viral gene expression at the late stage of infection, reducing the percentage of neutrophils, and increasing the percentage of T cells. Tanreqing Capsules relieved the gut injury by restoring the colon length, increasing intestinal lumen mucin secretion, alleviating intestinal inflammation, and reducing goblet cell destruction. The gut microbiota analysis showed that Tanreqing Capsules increased species diversity compared with model group. At the phylum level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, while reducing the abundance of Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria to maintain gut microbiota balance. At the genus level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of unclassified＿f＿Lachnospiraceae while reducing the abundance of Bacteroides, Eubacterium, and Phocaeicola to maintain gut microbiota balance. In conclusion, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate mouse lung and gut injury caused by influenza virus infection and restore the balance of gut microbiota. Treating influenza from the lung and gut can provide new ideas for clinical practice.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Lung/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Capsules ; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Influenza A virus/physiology* ; Influenza, Human/virology*

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2019.01.013.].

Gene regulation relies on the precise binding of transcription factors (TFs) at regulatory elements, but simultaneously detecting hundreds of TFs on chromatin is challenging. We developed cFOOT-seq, a cytosine deaminase-based TF footprinting assay, for high-resolution, quantitative genome-wide assessment of TF binding in both open and closed chromatin regions, even with small cell numbers. By utilizing the dsDNA deaminase SsdAtox, cFOOT-seq converts accessible cytosines to uracil while preserving genomic integrity, making it compatible with techniques like ATAC-seq for sensitive and cost-effective detection of TF occupancy at the single-molecule and single-cell level. Our approach enables the delineation of TF footprints, quantification of occupancy, and examination of chromatin influences on TF binding. Notably, cFOOT-seq, combined with FootTrack analysis, enables de novo prediction of TF binding sites and tracking of TF occupancy dynamics. We demonstrate its application in capturing cell type-specific TFs, analyzing TF dynamics during reprogramming, and revealing TF dependencies on chromatin remodelers. Overall, cFOOT-seq represents a robust approach for investigating the genome-wide dynamics of TF occupancy and elucidating the cis-regulatory architecture underlying gene regulation.
Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Humans ; Chromatin/genetics* ; Animals ; Binding Sites ; Mice ; DNA Footprinting/methods*

Objective To investigate the effects of Yuye Decoction(YYD)on diabetic nephropathy(DN)rats with Qi and Yin deficiency based on intestinal flora and intestinal mucosal barrier.Methods The content of the active ingredients puerarin,mangiferin and calycosin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside in YYD freeze dried powder was tested by HPLC to control the quality of YYD freeze dried powder.Forty-five Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal group(NC group),Qi-Yin deficiency DN group(M group)and YYD administration group(YYD group;5.03 g·kg-1)according to body weight.Intraperitoneal injections of streptozotocin(STZ)at a dose of 25 mg·kg-1 were administered,accompanied by oral gavage of adix Aconiti Lateralis,Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride and Aurantii Fructus for 8 weeks to establish a Qi-Yin deficiency DN model in rats.During this period,rats in the YYD group were also treated with YYD extract.Weekly body weight and blood glucose levels were monitored for each group,along with observations of physical signs,food and water consumption,swimming time,and urine output in the rats.After 8 weeks,serum levels of cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),low-density lipoprotein(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein(HDL-C),serum creatinine(SCr)and urinary nitrogen(BUN)were analyzed in rats using automatic biochemical analysis.Hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE)was used to observe the pathological changes in the kidney and colon tissues.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure urine protein concentration and serum levels of IgG,IgM,cAMP and cGMP.16SrDNA sequencing was used to sequence faecal flora and some flora were validated by quantitative real-time fluorescence PCR(qRT-PCR).Western blot method was used to measure the levels of intestinal barrier proteins and inflammatory factor proteins.Results The yield of YYD freeze-dried powder was 27.36%and the content of the active ingredients in YYD was 0.3496 mg·g-1 for puerarin,0.1851 mg·g-1 for mangiferin and 0.0429 mg·g-1 for calycosin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside.The results of animal experiments indicated that compared with Qi and Yin deficiency DN rats,YYD significantly improved the symptoms of lethargy and fatigue,increased swimming time,reduced water intake and increased food intake;increased the abundance of Bacteroidetes and decreased the abundance of Firmicutes in feces.Furthermore,according to measurements of blood lipids,blood glucose,renal function,IgG and IgM,as well as cAMP and cGMP,which are the energy homeostasis factors of the body,YYD could significantly improve the levels of these indicators in the model rats.HE staining showed that compared with model rats,YYD remarkably alleviated kidney and colon damage;inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 in the kidney and colon,and markedly raised the expression levels of renal and colonic kinetic proteins CHRM3 and 5-HT3A as well as mucosal barrier proteins Occludin and ZO-1.Conclusion YYD play a role in preventing and treating in rats with Qi-Yin deficiency DN,and this effect may be related to YYD correcting intestinal flora dysbiosis,delaying intestinal mucosal damage and improving renal and colonic inflammation in the model rats.

Lyme disease is a natural zoonotic infectious disease transmitted by ticks infected by different genotypes of Borre-lia burgdorferi sensu lato,which was discovered in the 1970s.This pathogen is prevalent primarily in temperate and subtropi-cal areas.Dogs,cats,horses,cattle,deer,and other animals are susceptible,and humans are also susceptible hosts.The main symptoms of Lyme disease in humans are erythema migrans,arthritis,and other neurological symptoms,and the common symptoms in infected animals include joint diseases,coat shedding,fever,laminitis,and lameness.Lyme disease is wide-spread,but diagnosis is difficult,and this disease is easily misdiagnosed and missed.Awareness of Lyme disease must be in-creased to avoid its toll on livestock and the pet industry.Therefore,this article reviews research progress in diagnosis and con-trol technology for animal Lyme disease and Borrelia burgdorferi,to provide a reference for accurate,rapid diagnosis and con-trol of Lyme disease.