ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Jiangtang No. 3 prescription on inflammatory pathways and insulin resistance-related indicators in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM）， and to elucidate its molecular mechanism in combating diabetes. MethodsA T2DM rat model was established using a high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin （STZ）. Successfully modeled rats were randomly assigned to the model group， metformin group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose Jiangtang No. 3 prescription groups， and a normal group was also set. Daily gavage was administered for 8 weeks as follows： metformin at 0.1 g·kg^-1·d^-1， Jiangtang No. 3 prescription granules at 1.62， 3.24， 6.48 g·kg^-1·d^-1 for the respective dose groups， and sterile water for the normal and model groups. Rat body weight， fasting blood glucose （FBG）， oral glucose tolerance test （OGTT）， and insulin tolerance test （ITT） were measured. After drug intervention， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to determine serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL）， non-esterified fatty acids （NEFA）， interleukin （IL）-1β， IL-18， and insulin （INS）. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe morphological changes in adipose tissue. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1， IL-1β， IL-18， and gasdermin D （GSDMD） in adipose tissue. Western blot was used to measure the corresponding protein expression levels. ResultsCompared with the model group， Jiangtang No. 3 prescription groups exhibited significantly increased body weight （P<0.05， P<0.01）， significantly reduced FBG （P<0.05， P<0.01）， significant reductions in TC， TG， NEFA， and LDL （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and a significant increase in HDL （P<0.01）. Serum levels of inflammatory mediators IL-1β and IL-18 were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance （HOMA-IR） index was significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and adipose tissue pathology was improved. The protein expression levels of TLR4， NF-κB， NLRP3， Caspase-1， IL-1β， IL-18， and GSDMD were markedly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the mRNA expression levels of these indicators were also significantly downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Some effects were superior to those of the positive control drug metformin， and certain indicators exhibited dose-dependent improvements. ConclusionT2DM rats display significant inflammatory responses， disordered glucose and lipid metabolism， and insulin resistance. Jiangtang No. 3 prescription effectively suppresses inflammatory mediators， improves glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin resistance， and ameliorates pathological changes in adipose tissue. Its mechanism may be related to the regulation of the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway in visceral adipose tissue， thereby influencing downstream inflammatory mediators.

ObjectiveHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents 90% of all primary liver cancers. The main risk factors associated with HCC include viral hepatitis (B and/or C), alcohol abuse, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which progressively advance to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and ultimately evolve into HCC. Surgical resection represents the most effective treatment for HCC, while recent advances in immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapies, have provided improved treatment prospects for patients with unresectable HCC. However, the complex metabolic heterogeneity of HCC limits the therapeutic efficacy. Metabolic intermediates acyl-CoA not only provide energy and substrates for numerous biochemical reactions but also serve as donors for protein lysine acylation, a major class of post-translational modification (PTM). Therefore, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying protein lysine acylation and hepatocarcinogenesis is urgently needed. MethodsThe levels of protein lysine acylation and silence information regulator 5 (SIRT5) expression levels in clinical HCC samples were analyzed by Western blot. Quantitative malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples were analyzed by antibody-based affinity enrichment coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The proliferation of HCC cells was analyzed with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, the apoptosis was quantified by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining coupled with flow cytometry, and the ability of cells to migrate was assayed by Transwell assays. The enzymatic activity of glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1) was quantified. Transgenic mice with hepatic overexpression of SIRT5 were constructed using CRISPR-Cas9, and primary hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by administration of diethylnitrosamine. ResultsWestern blot analysis indicated that the expression level of SIRT5 was elevated in clinical samples from HCC patients, and the levels of lysine malonylation, glutarylation, and succinylation were significantly reduced in HCC tissues. Knockout of SIRT5 in MHCC-97H and MHCC-97L hepatoma cells suppressed cell proliferation, and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells significantly. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the differentially malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples revealed significant enrichment in two major classes of biological processes: core energy metabolism (e.g., glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylic acid metabolic process, fatty acid beta oxidation) and detoxification and oxidative stress response (e.g., response to toxic substance, chemical carcinogenesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS)). SIRT5 removes malonylation from lysine residues in GSTM1 and restores its detoxification activity, which is crucial for the survival of hepatocytes under stressed conditions. More importantly, in vivo experiment indicated that hepatic-specific overexpression of SIRT5 in mice accelerated diethylnitrosamine-induced liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis, indicating the critical role of SIRT5 in HCC progression. ConclusionThis study highlights the previously unrecognized SIRT5-GSTM1 axis as a key regulator in hepatocarcinogenesis, and suggests a potential target for the treatment of patients with HCC.

Inflammatory response,immunosuppression,and drug sensitivity have been reported to have a significant correlation with the disulfidptosis levels in cancer patients.However,the value of disulfidpto-sis in colorectal cancer therapy remains unclear.Therefore,we classified the CRC cells into different cell types using single-cell sequencing data and cell-specific markers and analyzed their relationship with the cell disulfidptosis level.We found that the high disulfidptosis regions were concentrated in epithelial-like CRC cells.Further exploration using the disulfidptosis and programmed cell death 1 inhibitor therapy treated differential expression genes indicated that CRC patients with high disulfidptosis levels exhibited a lower risk profile and increased sensitivity to immunotherapy.By using the spatial transcriptomic analy-sis,we found that ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase core protein 1(UQCRC1),a disulfidptosis-related gene,is highly expressed in epithelial-like CRC cells and co-localized with immune-infiltrated tumor re-gions.Additional bioinformatic analyses and experimental validation further confirmed that UQCRC1 was downregulated in CRC tissues.Overexpression of UQCRC1 suppressed CRC cell proliferation and migra-tion.These findings indicate that UQCRC1 is a potential target for CRC diagnosis and treatment.

With the increasing problem of an aging population,the incidence of osteoarticular diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis(RA),osteoarthritis(OA),ankylosing spondylitis(AS)and osteoporosis(OP)is gradually rising.Matrix metalloproteinase 3(MMP-3),as an important member of the matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs)family,plays a dual regulatory role.On one hand,it is involved in pathological processes such as cartilage damage and joint dysfunction,exerting a negative regulatory effect in the occurrence and progression of various osteoarticular diseases.On the other hand,MMP-3 has positive regulatory effects in early embryonic layer differentiation,craniofacial bone formation,neuronal axon regeneration,cartilage ossification,and adipocyte differentiation.This article reviewed the structure and function of MMP-3 as well as its negative regulatory roles in diseases such as in RA,OA,AS and OP,while exploring its positive regulatory roles in growth,development and wound healing.The article also analyzed the dual regulatory mechanisms of MMP-3 in bone and joint diseases,and summarized the research progress of MMP-3 inhibitors,in order to provide new ideas and insights for related clinical research.

Objective To compare and analyze the germicidal efficacy of continuous ultraviolet and pulsed ultravio-let(UV)lasers on pathogenic microorganisms.Methods Spore slides of Escherichia coli and Bacillus atrophaeus were irradiated using a 254 nm ultraviolet mercury lamp and UV laser.The carrier quantitative germicidal test was conducted to determine the disinfection efficacy at different irradiation doses.Results When the irradiation dose of the ultraviolet mercury lamp was 245.52 mJ/cm2,the logarithmic killing values of Escherichia coli and Bacillus atro-phaeus spores were 5.00 and 2.92,respectively,and the mean logarithmic killing doses were 49.10 and 84.08 mJ/cm2,respectively;When the UV laser irradiation doses were 208.39 and 206.80 mJ/cm2,the logarithmic killing values for the two microorganisms were 6.29 and 3.32,respectively,and the mean logarithmic killing doses were 33.13 and 62.29 mJ/cm2,respectively.Conclusion Compared with continuous UV radiation,pulsed UV laser has stron-ger penetration ability,better killing efficacy on pathogenic microorganisms at the same radiation dose,and can con-duct targeted disinfection and sterilization on the surface of objects directionally.

Aim To explore the effect of FTO on adria-mycin resistance in triple-negative breast cancer through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and to reveal the underlying mechanism.Methods The MDA-MB-231/ADR drug-resistant cell line was constructed using a method of gradually increasing adriamycin concentra-tion with intermittent induction.The half-inhibitory concentration(IC50)of adriamycin for MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-231/ADR cells and the expression of FTO were compared.After knocking down FTO in MDA-MB-231/ADR cells,CCK-8,qRT-PCR,colony formation assay,transwell,flow cytometry,and Western blot were used to assess the changes in the IC50 of adri-amycin,cell proliferation,migration,invasion,apopto-sis,and the expression of related proteins.Results FTO was highly expressed in MDA-MB-231/ADR cells.After FTO knockdown,the IC50 value of adriamy-cin in MDA-MB-231/ADR cells decreased,and the a-bilities of proliferation,migration and invasion were weakened.In the FTO knockdown group,the expres-sion levels of Bax,cleaved-caspase3,GSK-3 β proteins and the apoptosis rate significantly increased,while the expression levels of Bcl-2,Wnt5a,β-catenin,c-myc,cyclin D1,and P-gp proteins decreased.Conclusion FTO may inhibit the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231/ADR cells through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway,al-ter P-gp expression,and thereby enhance the resistance of MDA-MB-231/ADR cells to adriamycin.

BACKGROUND:Macrophages are an important part of innate immunity.When the internal environment of the body changes,macrophages can produce different polarization phenotypes and play the corresponding inflammatory immune function.Mesenchymal stem cells can secrete a large number of extracellular vesicles into the internal environment of the body,which have the functions of intercellular signaling and immune regulation.Studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells-extracellular vesicles can affect the M1/M2 polarization balance of macrophages so as to treat immune inflammatory diseases.OBJECTIVE:To explore the signaling mechanism of how mesenchymal stem cells and their extracellular vesicles interfere with autoimmune diseases by regulating the polarization of macrophages,as well as the related research progress of engineered extracellular vesicles in this field.METHODS:The first author searched the relevant literature published in PubMed,CNKI and other databases until June 2024.Chinese search terms were"mesenchymal stem cells,extracellular vesicles,exosomes,apoptotic bodies,apoptotic vesicles,macrophage polarization,M1 polarization,M2 polarization,autoimmune diseases,multiple sclerosis,rheumatoid arthritis,systemic lupus erythematosus,type 1 diabetes mellitus,inflammatory bowel disease,autoimmune dacryadenitis,engineered extracellular vesicles,engineering exosomes,drug delivery."English search terms were"macrophage polarization,M1 macrophage,M2 macrophage,autoimmune disease,type 1 diabetes,multiple sclerosis,rheumatoid arthritis,systemic lupus erythematosus,autoimmune dacryadenitis,inflammatory bowel disease,mesenchymal stem cells,extracellular vesicles,engineered extracellular vesicles,engineering exosomes,drug delivery."The title and abstract of each paper were read and initially screened.Finally,70 articles were selected for induction and analysis.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Mesenchymal stem cells can regulate M1/M2 polarization by releasing or indirectly acting on functional proteins.(2)Mesenchymal stem cells can regulate macrophage M2 polarization through inflammasome.(3)Mesenchymal stem cells can be combined with commonly used drugs to enhance drug efficacy.(4)Mesenchymal stem cells can regulate the release of mesenchymal stem cells-extracellular vesicles after inflammatory stimulation and affect the polarization of macrophages.(5)Mesenchymal stem cells-extracellular vesicles can regulate autoimmune diseases by targeting macrophage polarization through PTEN,NOTCH,nuclear factor κB,Toll-like receptors,PI3K/AKT and other pathways.(6)Engineered extracellular vesicles can achieve non-invasive targeted drug delivery,prolong the half-life of drugs,promote the oral administration of exosomes,reduce allograft reaction,improve the bioavailability of Chinese herbs and overcome the blood-brain barrier,opening up a new path for drug delivery.

Aim To investigate the intestinal protection and possible mechanism of magnolol(MG)in newborn rats with necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC).Methods The rats were randomly divided into control group(Ctrl group),model group(NEC group)and treatment group(MG group).The NEC model was induced by hypoxia,cold stimulation,deep formula milk and LPS intragastric administration in 7-day-old rats for four days.They were killed after five days of treatment with MG(20 mg·kg-1).HE staining was used to observe the intestinal pathological injury.Western blot was used to detect the expressions of IL-1 β,TNF-α,NL-RP3,ASC,caspase-1 and tight junction protein in the distal ileum of rats.Colon contents were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing to understand the gut microbio-ta.Results MG improved the body mass and intesti-nal injury of NEC neonatal rats.The expressions of in-testinal IL-1β,TNF-α,NLRP3,ASC and caspase-1 proteins were down-regulated,and the expressions of Claudin,Occludin and ZO-1 proteins were up-regula-ted.16S rDNA showed that MG increased the diversity of intestinal flora,and at the phylum level,MG in-creased the abundance of firmicutes and bacteroides in NEC model,and decreased the abundance of pro-teobacteria.At the genus level,MG treatment in-creased the abundance of Lactobacillus,unclassified_Muribaculaceae,Racteroides,but decreased the abun-dance of Escherichia_Shigella,Rodentibacter and Fuso-bacterium.Conclusion MG intervention can protect the intestinal tract of NEC rats by potentially improving barrier function,and regulating the intestinal microbiota through the NLRP3/ASC/caspase-1 signaling pathway.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the sensitizing effects of lycorine(Lyc)in combination with cisplatin(Cis)on human osteosarcoma cells and to explore the underlying mechanisms of action.METHODS:Human osteosarcoma cell lines MG63,HOS,and cisplatin-resistant HOS/DDP cells were utilized to evaluate the effects of Lyc and cisplatin,both alone and in combination,on cell viability using the CCK8 assay.The clonogenic assay was performed to assess cell proliferation capacity,while the scratch assay evaluated the drugs' effects on cell migration.Reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels were measured using a ROS assay kit,and changes in intracellular glutathione(GSH)levels were assessed with a GSH/oxidized glutathione(GSSG)assay kit.The mitochondrial membrane potential was analyzed via JC-1 staining to determine the drugs' effects on mitochondrial function.Intracellular iron(Ⅱ)content changes were detected us-ing FerrOrange,a fluorescence probe,and cellular malondialdehyde(MDA)levels were measured using an MDA assay kit.RT-qPCR was employed to evaluate the expression levels of key genes related to ferroptosis,and Western blot analysis was conducted to detect changes in the protein expression levels of Yes-associated protein 1(YAP1),acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),heme oxygenase-1(HO-1),and transferrin re-ceptor(TFRC).RESULTS:Both Lyc and cisplatin effectively inhibited the proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells.Notably,the combination of Lyc and cisplatin led to a more substantial reduction in cell viability,proliferation,and migra-tion abilities in MG63,HOS,and HOS/DDP cells compared to cisplatin alone.Additionally,this combination significant-ly increased ROS levels while decreasing GSH content,indicating mitochondrial damage and elevated iron(Ⅱ)and MDA levels.RT-qPCR results revealed that the combination treatment more significantly downregulated ferroptosis-promoting genes and upregulated ferroptosis-inhibiting genes compared to cisplatin treatment alone(P<0.05).Western blot results showed a slight decrease in GPX4 protein expression following Lyc and cisplatin treatment,while expression levels of YAP1,TFRC,ACSL4,and HO-1 were significantly increased(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Lyc enhances the sensitivi-ty of MG63,HOS,and HOS/DDP cells to cisplatin by promoting ferroptosis through the YAP1/TFRC signaling pathway.

Inflammatory response,immunosuppression,and drug sensitivity have been reported to have a significant correlation with the disulfidptosis levels in cancer patients.However,the value of disulfidpto-sis in colorectal cancer therapy remains unclear.Therefore,we classified the CRC cells into different cell types using single-cell sequencing data and cell-specific markers and analyzed their relationship with the cell disulfidptosis level.We found that the high disulfidptosis regions were concentrated in epithelial-like CRC cells.Further exploration using the disulfidptosis and programmed cell death 1 inhibitor therapy treated differential expression genes indicated that CRC patients with high disulfidptosis levels exhibited a lower risk profile and increased sensitivity to immunotherapy.By using the spatial transcriptomic analy-sis,we found that ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase core protein 1(UQCRC1),a disulfidptosis-related gene,is highly expressed in epithelial-like CRC cells and co-localized with immune-infiltrated tumor re-gions.Additional bioinformatic analyses and experimental validation further confirmed that UQCRC1 was downregulated in CRC tissues.Overexpression of UQCRC1 suppressed CRC cell proliferation and migra-tion.These findings indicate that UQCRC1 is a potential target for CRC diagnosis and treatment.