BACKGROUND:As a degradable scaffold material for bone tissue engineering,lactic acid is widely used in tissue regeneration and repair research,and plays an important role in promoting tissue healing,new bone formation and angiogenesis. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of lactic acid degradation products on osteoclasts and to investigate the effects of lactic-interfered osteoclast conditioned medium on the proliferation,migration and tube-forming capacity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. METHODS:(1)The mouse monocyte macrophage cell line RAW264.7 at logarithmic growth period was selected,and adherent cells were cultured in the osteoclast induction medium(DMEM medium with nuclear factor-κB receptor-activating factor ligand and 10%fetal bovine serum)containing different concentrations of lactic acid(0,5,10,20 mmol/L).After 5 days of culture,tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining and cytoskeletal fibrillar actin staining were conducted.After 24 hours of culture,RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5.(2)RAW264.7 cells at logarithmic growth period were selected and adherent cells were divided into two groups.Control group was cultured in the osteoclast induction medium,while experimental group was cultured in the osteoclast induction medium containing 10 mmol/L lactic acid.After 5 days of culture,the medium in each group was removed and the cells in the two groups were cultured in the serum-free DMEM medium for another 24 hours.Cell supernatant was then collected and used as the conditioned medium after mixed with an equal volume of DMEM medium containing 10%fetal bovine serum.Human umbilical vein endothelial cells at the logarithmic growth phase were taken and separately co-cultured with the conditioned medium of the control and experimental groups.The proliferation,migration and tube-forming ability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells were observed by cell counting kit-8 assay,migration assay,scratch assay and tube-forming assay.The mRNA and protein expression of angiogenesis-related genes and proteins were observed by RT-PCR and western blot. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining and cytoskeletal fibrillar actin staining showed that 5 and 10 mmol/L lactic acid promoted osteoclastic differentiation of RAW264.7 cells and the promoting effect of 10 mmol/L lactate was more significant.RT-PCR results showed that the expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5 mRNA of osteoclast-related genes was the highest when the lactic acid concentration was 5,10,and 20 mmol/L(P<0.05),especially 10 mmol/L.Compared with the control group,the proliferation,migration and tube-forming abilities of human umbilical vein endothelial cells were significantly increased in the experimental group(P<0.05).Compared with the control group,the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and angiogenin 1 mRNA and protein were increased in the experimental group(P<0.05).To conclude,lactate-induced osteoclast conditioned medium could promote the angiogenesis of endothelial cells,and the mechanism may be related to the promotion of the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and angiogenin 1.

Twelve compounds were isolated from the rice fermentation extracts of Penicillium expansum GY618 by silica column chromatography, Sephadex gel column chromatography, ODS column chromatography and semi preparative HPLC methods. They were determined as 11-hydroxyl-penicitrinone F (1), penicitrinone F (2), betulin (3), erythrodiol (4), ergosterol (5), ergost-5α,8α-epidioxy-6,22-dien-3β-ol (6), (5α,8α-epidioxy-(22E,24R)-ergosta-6,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol) (7), 5α,8α-epidioxy-(22E,24R)-23-methylergosta-6,22-dien-3β-ol (8), 5α,8α-epidioxy- 23,24(R)-dimethylcholesta-6,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol (9), dankasterone A (10), (17R)-4-hydroxy-17-methylincisterol (11) and ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (12), through mass spectrometer, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and comparison with the literature. Compound 1 was a new compound and compounds 2-4, 6-12 were isolated from Penicillium expansum fungus for the first time. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity experiment showed that compounds 1, 3 and 12 showed certain inhibitory activity against tyrosinase with IC₅₀ values of (75 ± 9), (69 ± 8) and (64 ± 2) μmol·L^-1, respectively. The IC₅₀ of other compounds were all greater than 100 μmol·L^-1, while IC₅₀ of the positive control kojic acid was (46 ± 4) μmol·L^-1.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation, joint destruction, and functional impairment. Angiogenesis plays a key role in the pathological progression of RA with dysfunction of endothelial cells to promote synovial inflammation, sustain pannus formation, subsequently leading to joint damage. Colquhounia Root Tablets (CRT), a Chinese patent drug, has shown a satisfying clinical efficacy in treating RA, while the underlying mechanism by which CRT inhibits RA-associated angiogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we applied a research approach combining transcriptomic data analysis, bio-network mapping, and in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore the molecular mechanisms of CRT in suppressing angiogenesis in RA. Animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (ratification number: IBTCMCACMS21-2307-06). Network analysis identified that key genes such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2), SMAD family member 3 (SMAD3), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) significantly enriched in pathways related to NOD-like receptor signaling and VEGF signaling, indicating that CRT may inhibit angiogenesis by regulating vascular endothelial cell function with modulating angiogenesis-related pathways. In vivo data showed that CRT significantly reduced the positive expression of CD31 and VEGF in the ankle joint of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats. In vitro data further confirmed that CRT effectively inhibited VEGF-induced migration, invasion, and tube formation in HUVECs, while significantly reduced the expression of angiogenesis-related factors VEGF/CD31/Ang-1, as well as the positive expression of VEGF and CD31 in HUVECs. Furthermore, CRT markedly decreased the protein expression of NOD2, VEGFA, and SMAD3. In conclusion, these findings indicate that CRT may inhibit the RA-related angiogenesis by targeting the NOD2/SMAD3/VEGF signaling axis to improve endothelial cell function, enriching the scientific connotation of CRT in inhibiting pathological angiogenesis in RA and also offer new insights for clinical prevention and treatment of RA.

Objective: To explore the comorbidity and associated factors of dental caries and overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students in Guangxi, so as to provide a scientific basis for the development of targeted prevention strategies. Methods: A stratified cluster random sampling method was used to survey 178 700 students from the fourth grade of primary school to the third year of high school in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from September to November 2023, including physical examination, oral screening, and questionnaire survey. Chisquare tests and binary Logistic regression analysis were employed to investigate the related factors of the cooccurrence of dental caries and overweight/obesity among students. Results: The comorbidity rate of dental caries and overweight/obesity was 9.55%, with urban areas (9.95%) higher than rural counties (9.24%), boys (10.54%) higher than girls (8.54%), primary school students (11.49%) higher than senior high school students (8.92%) and junior high school students (8.05%), and nonboarding students (11.44%) higher than boarding students (7.94%), and all differences were statistically significant (χ2=26.07, 207.91, 471.54, 629.14,P<0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that consuming cereal for breakfast (OR=0.91, 95%CI=0.88-0.94), drinking milk in the past week (OR=0.89, 95%CI=0.83-0.95), meeting sleep standards (OR=0.95, 95%CI=0.91-0.99), and brushing teeth at least once a day (OR=0.82, 95%CI=0.73-0.93) had a lower risk of the comorbidity of dental caries and overweight/obesity. In contrast, drinking beverages in the past week (OR=1.14, 95%CI=1.09-1.20), consuming fried foods in the past week (OR=1.11, 95%CI=1.06-1.17), eating fruit ≥1 time every day (OR=1.06, 95%CI=1.02-1.11), consuming fruit ≥1 type every day (OR=1.07, 95%CI=1.01-1.12), and having fish, poultry, meat, or eggbased breakfasts (OR=1.03, 95%CI=1.05-1.13) had a higher risk of the comorbidity of dental caries and overweight/obesity (P<0.05). Conclusions Dietary habits and lifestyle behaviors are associated with the comorbidity of dental caries and overweight/obesity among primary and secondary school students in Guangxi. Guiding students to form healthy living habits is helpful to preven dental caries and overweight/obesity.

BACKGROUND:Flap transplantation technique is a commonly used surgical procedure for the treatment of severe tissue defects,but postoperative flap necrosis is easily triggered by ischemia-reperfusion injury.Therefore,it is still an important research topic to improve the survival rate of transplanted flaps. OBJECTIVE:To review the pathogenesis and latest treatment progress of flap ischemia-reperfusion injury. METHODS:CNKI,WanFang Database and PubMed database were searched for relevant literature published from 2014 to 2024.The search terms used were"flap,ischemia-reperfusion injury,inflammatory response,oxidative stress,Ca2+overload,apoptosis,mesenchymal stem cells,platelet-rich plasma,signaling pathways,shock wave,pretreatment"in Chinese and English.After elimination of irrelevant literature,poor quality and obsolete literature,77 documents were finally included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Flap ischemia/reperfusion injury may be related to pathological factors such as inflammatory response,oxidative stress response,Ca2+overload,and apoptosis,which can cause apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells,vascular damage and microcirculation disorders in the flap,and eventually lead to flap necrosis.Studies have found that mesenchymal stem cell transplantation,platelet-rich plasma,signaling pathway modulators,shock waves,and pretreatment can alleviate flap ischemia/reperfusion injuries from different aspects and to varying degrees,and reduce the necrosis rate and necrosis area of the grafted flap.Although there are many therapeutic methods for skin flap ischemia/reperfusion injury,a unified and effective therapeutic method has not yet been developed in the clinic,and the advantages and disadvantages of various therapeutic methods have not yet been compared.Most of the studies remain in the stage of animal experiments,rarely involving clinical observations.Therefore,a lot of research is required in the future to gradually move from animal experiments to the clinic in order to better serve the clinic.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of modified Si Junzitang and Shashen Maidong Tang ［Yiqi Yangyin Jiedu prescription （YQYYJD）］ in enhancing the sensitivity of cisplatin in epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor （EGFR-TKI）-resistant lung adenocarcinoma cells based on aerobic glycolysis. MethodsThe effects of different concentrations of YQYYJD （0， 2， 3， 4， 5， 6， 7， 8 g·L^-1） and cisplatin （0， 3， 6， 9， 12， 15， 18， 21， 24， 27 mg·L^-1） on the proliferation and activity of PC9/GR cells were detected by the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay after 24 hours of intervention. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration （IC₅₀） for PC9/GR cells was calculated to determine the concentrations used in subsequent experiments. PC9/GR cells were divided into blank group （complete medium）， YQYYJD group （5 g·L^-1）， cisplatin group （12 mg·L^-1）， and combined group （YQYYJD 5 g·L^-1 + cisplatin 12 mg·L^-1）. After 24 hours of intervention， cell viability was measured using CCK-8 assay. Cell proliferation was assessed by colony formation assay， and cell migration was evaluated by scratch and Transwell assays. Glucose consumption， lactate production， and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） levels were measured by colorimetric assays. The expression levels of glycolysis-related proteins， including hexokinase 2 （HK2）， phosphofructokinase P （PFKP）， pyruvate kinase M2 （PKM2）， lactate dehydrogenase A （LDHA）， glucose transporter 1 （GLUT1）， and monocarboxylate transporter 4 （MCT4）， were determined by Western blot. ResultsBoth YQYYJD and cisplatin inhibited the viability of PC9/GR cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC₅₀ of PC9/GR cells for YQYYJD and cisplatin were 5.15 g·L^-1 and 12.91 mg·L^-1， respectively. In terms of cell proliferation， compared with the blank group， the cell survival rate and the number of colonies formed in the YQYYJD group， cisplatin group， and combined group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the YQYYJD and cisplatin groups， the combined group showed a further significant reduction in cell survival rate and colony formation （P<0.01）. In terms of cell migration， compared with the blank group， the cell migration rate and the number of cells passing through the Transwell membrane in the YQYYJD group， cisplatin group， and combined group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the YQYYJD and cisplatin groups， the combined group exhibited a further significant reduction in cell migration rate and the number of cells passing through the Transwell membrane （P<0.01）. In terms of glycolysis， compared with the blank group， glucose consumption， lactate production， and ATP levels in the YQYYJD group， cisplatin group， and combined group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the YQYYJD and cisplatin groups， the combined group showed a further significant reduction in glucose consumption， lactate production， and ATP levels （P<0.05）. Compared with the blank group， the protein expression levels of HK2， PFKP， PKM2， and LDHA in the YQYYJD， cisplatin， and combined groups were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The combined group showed a further significant reduction in the expression levels of these proteins compared with the YQYYJD and cisplatin groups （P<0.01）. No significant differences were observed in the protein expression levels of GLUT1 and MCT4 among the groups. ConclusionYQYYJD can synergistically inhibit the proliferation and migration of PC9/GR cells and enhance their sensitivity to cisplatin. The mechanism may be related to the downregulation of the expression of glycolysis-related rate-limiting enzymes， including HK2， PFKP， PKM2， and LDHA， thereby inhibiting glycolysis.

ObjectiveTo establish a model that can quickly identify the aroma components in different parts of Nardostachys jatamansi， so as to provide a quality control basis for the market circulation and clinical use of N. jatamansi. MethodsHeadspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-SPME-GC-MS） combined with Smart aroma database and National Institute of Standards and Technology（NIST） database were used to characterize the aroma components in different parts of N. jatamansi， and the aroma components were quantified according to relative response factor（RRF） and three internal standards， and the markers of aroma differences in different parts of N. jatamansi were identified by orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） and cluster thermal analysis based on variable importance in the projection（VIP） value >1 and P<0.01. The odor data of different parts of N. jatamansi were collected by Heracles Ⅱ Neo ultra-fast gas phase electronic nose， and the correlation between compound types of aroma components collected by the ultra-fast gas phase electronic nose and the detection results of HS-SPME-GC-MS was investigated by drawing odor fingerprints and odor response radargrams. Chromatographic peak information with distinguishing ability≥0.700 and peak area≥200 was selected as sensor data， and the rapid identification model of different parts of N. jatamansi was established by principal component analysis（PCA）， discriminant factor alysis（DFA）， soft independent modeling of class analogies（SIMCA） and statistical quality control analysis（SQCA）. ResultsThe HS-SPME-GC-MS results showed that there were 28 common components in the underground and aboveground parts of N. jatamansi， of which 22 could be quantified and 12 significantly different components were screened out. Among these 12 components， the contents of five components（ethyl isovalerate， 2-pentylfuran， benzyl alcohol， nonanal and glacial acetic acid，） in the aboveground part of N. jatamansi were significantly higher than those in the underground part（P<0.01）， the contents of β-ionone， patchouli alcohol， α-caryophyllene， linalyl butyrate， valencene， 1，8-cineole and p-cymene in the underground part of N. jatamansi were significantly higher than those in the aboveground part（P<0.01）. Heracles Ⅱ Neo electronic nose results showed that the PCA discrimination index of the underground and aboveground parts of N. jatamansi was 82， and the contribution rates of the principal component factors were 99.94% and 99.89% when 2 and 3 principal components were extracted， respectively. The contribution rate of the discriminant factor 1 of the DFA model constructed on the basis of PCA was 100%， the validation score of the SIMCA model for discrimination of the two parts was 99， and SQCA could clearly distinguish different parts of N. jatamansi. ConclusionHS-SPME-GC-MS can clarify the differential markers of underground and aboveground parts of N. jatamansi. The four analytical models provided by Heracles Ⅱ Neo electronic nose（PCA， DFA， SIMCA and SQCA） can realize the rapid identification of different parts of N. jatamansi. Combining the two results， it is speculated that terpenes and carboxylic acids may be the main factors contributing to the difference in aroma between the underground and aboveground parts of N. jatamansi.

Understory planting of medicinal plants is a new planting mode that connects Chinese herbal medicine(CHM) with forest resources.The complex and variable understory environmental factors will inevitably affect the yield and quality of understory CHM.This research summarized the research progress on understory planting of medicinal plants based on forest types and environmental factors within the forest from the perspectives of understory light, air temperature and humidity, soil characteristics, and the interaction between crops within the forest.The results showed that the complex and variable light, temperature and humidity, and soil factors(such as fertility, acidity and alkalinity, and microorganisms) under the forest could affect the yield and quality of medicinal plants to varying degrees through physiological activities such as photosynthesis and respiration, resulting in a significant increase or decrease in yield and quality compared to open field cultivation.In addition, the competition or mutual benefit between different crops within the forest could lead to differences in the yield and quality of understory medicinal plants compared to open field cultivation.A reasonable combination of planting could achieve resource sharing and complementary advantages.Therefore, conducting systematic research on the effects of understory environmental factors on the yield and content of medicinal plants with different growth and development characteristics can provide theoretical guidance and technical references for formulating comprehensive strategies for understory planting of medicinal plants, such as selecting suitable medicinal plant varieties, optimizing planting density, and conducting reasonable forest management, thus contributing to the sustainable development and ecological protection of CHM.
Plants, Medicinal/growth & development* ; Forests ; Soil/chemistry* ; Environment ; Ecosystem ; Temperature

The main active compound, 3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone(3,4-DHAP), in the leaves of Ilex pubescens var. glaber, exhibits various pharmacological activities, including vasodilation and heart protection. Currently, natural extraction and chemical synthesis are the primary methods for obtaining 3,4-DHAP, but both approaches have inherent challenges. To address these problems, this study explored the whole-cell bioconversion of 1-(4-hydroxyphenol)-ethanol to 3,4-DHAP using recombinant Escherichia coli, cultivated in a green, cost-effective medium at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Firstly, this study successfully constructed recombinant E. coli S1, which contained only the HpaBC gene, and recombinant E. coli S3, which contained both the Hped and HpaBC genes. The ability of S1 and S3 to synthesize 3,4-DHAP from their respective substrates was then evaluated through whole-cell bioconversion. Based on these results, the effects of four factors, i.e., substrate concentration, IPTG concentration, induction temperature, and transformation temperature, on the whole-cell bioconversion yield of S3 were investigated using an orthogonal experiment. The results showed that the factors influenced the yield in the following order: transformation temperature > induction temperature > IPTG concentration > substrate concentration. The optimal conditions were found to be a transformation temperature of 35 ℃, IPTG concentration of 0.1 mmol·L~(-1), induction temperature of 25 ℃, and substrate concentration of 10 mmol·L~(-1). Finally, the effect of transformation time on the yield of 3,4-DHAP was further examined under the optimal conditions. The results indicated that as the transformation time increased, the yield of 3,4-DHAP steadily increased. The highest yield of 260 mg·L~(-1) with a productivity of 17% was achieved after 72 hours of transformation. In conclusion, this study successfully achieved the whole-cell bioconversion of 1-(4-hydroxyphenol)-ethanol to 3,4-DHAP using recombinant E. coli for the first time, laying the groundwork for further optimization and development of the biosynthesis of 3,4-DHAP.
Escherichia coli/genetics* ; Acetophenones/chemistry* ; Ethanol/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Biotransformation

This study aimed to investigate the effect of saltwater stir-fried Plantaginis Semen(SPS) on renal fibrosis in rats and decipher the underlying mechanism. Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into control, model, losartan potassium, and low-, medium-, and high-dose(15, 30, and 60 g·kg~(-1), respectively) SPS groups. Rats in other groups except the control group were subjected to unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO) to induce renal fibrosis, and the modeling and gavage lasted for 14 days. After 14 consecutive days of treatment, the levels of serum creatinine(Scr) and blood urea nitrogen(BUN) in rats of each group were determined by an automatic biochemical analyzer. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) and Masson staining were used to evaluate pathological changes in the renal tissue. Western blot and immunofluorescence assay were conducted to determine the protein levels of fibronectin(FN), collagen Ⅰ, vimentin, and α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA) in the renal tissue. The mRNA levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)-associated transcription factors including twist family bHLH transcription factor 1(TWIST1), snail family transcriptional repressor 1(SNAI1), and zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1(ZEB1), as well as inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), were determined by RT-qPCR. Human renal proximal tubular epithelial(HK2) cells exposed to transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) for the modeling of renal fibrosis were used to investigate the inhibitory effect of SPS on EMT. Network pharmacology and Western blot were employed to explore the molecular mechanism of SPS in alleviating renal fibrosis. The results showed that SPS significantly reduced Scr and BUN levels and alleviated renal injury and collagen deposition in UUO rats. Moreover, SPS notably down-regulated the protein levels of FN, collagen Ⅰ, vimentin, and α-SMA as well as the mRNA levels of SNAI1, ZEB1, TWIST1, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the kidneys of UUO rats and TGF-β-treated HK-2 cells. In addition, compared with Plantaginis Semen without stir-frying with saltwater, SPS showed increased content of specific compounds, which were mainly enriched in the mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathway. SPS significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK) and p38 MAPK in the kidneys of UUO rats and TGF-β-treated HK2 cells. In conclusion, SPS can alleviate renal fibrosis by attenuating EMT through inhibition of the MAPK signaling pathway.
Animals ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Rats ; Fibrosis/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Kidney Diseases/pathology* ; Kidney Tubules/pathology* ; Humans