BACKGROUND:Increased homocysteine level induces apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells,but the mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the role of hsa-circ-0001360 in human umbilical vein endothelial cell apoptosis induced by homocysteine. METHODS:In vitro cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells were divided into control group,homocysteine group,interference control group,interference control + homocysteine group,hsa-circ-0001360 interference group,hsa-circ-0001360 + homocysteine interference group,overexpression control group,overexpression control + homocysteine group,hsa-circ-0001360 overexpression group and hsa-circ-0001360 + homocysteine overexpression group.All groups were treated with 100 μmol/L homocysteine.After 72 hours of intervention,the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Bax,Bcl-2,and Caspase-3 were detected by western blot assay.The apoptotic rate was detected by flow cytometry.Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of hsa-circ-0001360. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Compared with the control group,the expression of Caspase-3 and Bax was significantly increased(P<0.01),and the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the apoptotic rate was significantly increased(P<0.01)in the homocysteine group.(2)Compared with control group,the expression of hsa-circ-0001360 was significantly increased in the homocysteine group(P<0.01).(3)The expression of hsa-circ-0001360 was significantly higher in the cytoplasm than that in the nucleus(P<0.01).(4)Compared with the interference control C group and interference control + homocysteine group,the expressions of Caspase-3 and Bax were significantly decreased(P<0.01),while the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly increased(P<0.01);the apoptotic rate was significantly decreased(P<0.01)in sh-hsa-circ-0001360 interference group and sh-hsa-circ-0001360 + homocysteine interference group.(5)Compared with overexpression control group and overexpression control + homocysteine group,the expressions of Caspase-3 and Bax were significantly increased(P<0.01),while the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly decreased(P<0.01);the apoptotic rate was significantly increased(P<0.01)in the hsa-circ-0001360 overexpression group and the hsa-circ-0001360 + homocysteine overexpression group.(6)In conclusion,hsa-circ-0001360 can promote the apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells induced by homocysteine.

Viral infection can induce endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS)and unfolded protein re-sponse(UPR)in host cells,resulting in perturbation of endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis.To e-lucidate the action mechanism of isochlorogenic acid A(IAA)in regulating peste des petits rumi-nant virus(PPRV)-induced ERS and UPR,MTT assay,indirect immunofluorescence assay and Western blot were used to evaluate the anti-PPRV activity of IAA,and the effects of IAA on PPRV-induced ERS and PERK signaling pathway were studied by Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR.The results showed that the PPRV replication and virus-induced cytopathic in LDG-2 cells were significantly inhibited,and the survival rate of virus-infected cells was significantly in-creased due to IAA treatment.Compared with the virus control group,the expression levels of GRP78 and p-eIF2α,the ratios of p-PERK/PERK and p-eIF2α/eIF2α in IAA treated PPRV-infec-ted cells were significantly decreased.The expression level of GADD153 significantly decreased at 24,36 h,and significantly increased at 48,60 h.Furthermore,treatment with ERS inhibitor 4-PBA could significantly suppress the expression levels of GRP78,PPRV-N protein and GADD153 in PPRV-infected cells,and the ratios of p-eIF2α/eIF2α and p-PERK/PERK in PPRV-infected cells were also significantly decreased caused by treatment with IAA or 4-PBA and IAA combination.These findings implicated that the PPRV-induced ERS could be alleviated by inhibiting activation of the PERK-eIF2α-GADD1 53 signaling pathway,which led to restriction of PPRV replication in host cells.

Viral infection can induce endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS)and unfolded protein reac-tion(UPR)in host cells.This study aims to further explore the effects of ERS induced by pest des petits ruminants virus(PPRV)infection on UPR signaling pathway,virus replication and apopto-sis of host cells.MTT assay,indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA)and Western blot were used to observe the proliferation of PPRV in goat kidney cells(LDG-2).Western blot and real-time flu-orescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)were used to observe the effects of PPRV infection on the expression levels of GRP78,PERK and its downstream signal molecules,apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2 and Bax.The result indicated that the cell survival rate was significantly declined with evident cytopathic effect at 36 h post-infection,and the expression level of PPRV-N protein tended to be elevated,and was significantly higher than that of cell control at 30 h post-infection.Meanwhile,the expression levels of GRP78,p-eIF2α and GADD153,the ratio of p-PERK/PERK and p-eIF2α/eIF2α were significantly increased.Moreover,the expression levels of PPRV-N protein,GRP78,p-eIF2α and GADD1 53,the ratio of p-eIF2α/eIF2α and p-PERK/PERK were significantly decreased in PPRV-infected cells due to 4-PBA treatment.The expression level of apoptosis-related Bcl-2 was down-regulated,Bax was up-regulated,and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was significantly decreased.Therefore,the activation of PERK/eIF2α/GADD153 signaling pathway could be induced by PPRV infection resulting in alleviating of virus-induced ERS,which is beneficial to viral replication.Bloc-king PPRV-induced ERS could inhibit the activation of PERK signaling pathway and virus replica-tion.PPRV infection and prolonged ERS can induce apoptosis of LDG-2 cells.

MTT assay,indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA)and real-time fluorescence quanti-tative PCR(qRT-PCR)were used to observe the proliferation of PPRV in goat kidney cells(LDG-2).Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to evaluate the effects of PPRV infection on the expres-sion levels of TLR2,MyD88,NF-κB signaling pathway-related factors and their downstream in-flammatory factors.The results indicated that the significantly decreased cell survival rate and ob-vious cytopathic effect were observed at 36 h post PPRV infection,and the mRNA expression level of PPRV-N gene was significantly up-regulated.At the same time,the expression levels of TLR2,MyD88,p-p65 and p-IκBα,the ratio of p-p65/p65 and p-IκBα/IκBα and the mRNA expression levels of downstream inflammatory factors TNFα,IL-1β,IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly increased.Mo-reover,the expression levels of PPRV-N mRNA,TLR2,MyD88,p-p65 and p-IκBα,the ratio of p-p65/p65 and p-IκBα/IκBα and the mRNA expression levels of downstream inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-4 in PPRV-infected cells were significantly decreased in the presence of the inhibitor C29 of TLR2.These findings implied that the TLR2/MyD88/NF-κBα signaling pathway can be activated by PPRV infection,which is beneficial to the replication and spread of the virus.Blocking down the activation of TLR2 can inhibit MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway and viral replication in PPRV-infected cells.

AIM To establish a UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous content determination of hyperoside,kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside,esculin,chlorogenic acid,berberine,quercetin,rehmannioside D,palmatine,leonurin A,paeoniflorin,timosaponin BⅡand rutin in Guanhuangmu Granules.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 40℃ thermostatic Acquity UPLC HSS T3 column(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.8 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of 0.05%formic acid(containing 2 mmol/L ammonium acetate)-acetonitrile flowing at 0.3 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in positive and negative ion scanning.RESULTS Twelve constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r＞0.999 0),whose average recoveries were 93.46%-102.01%with the RSDs of 2.13%-3.65%.CONCLUSION This rapid,accurate,stable and sensitive method can be used for the quality control of Guanhuangmu Granules.

AIM To establish a UPLC-QTOF/MS method for the analyses of chemical constituents and constituents absorbed into blood from Runing Granules.METHODS Two rats were given intragastric administration of the aqueous solution of granules,after which blood collection was made at 0,0.5,1,2,4 h.The analysis was performed on a 40℃ thermostatic Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.7 μm),with the mobile phases comprising of 0.1% formic aci D-acetonitrile(positive ion)or water-acetonitrile(negative ion)flowing at 0.3 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in positive and negative ion scanning.RESULTS Total 166 chemical constituents were identified,containing 44 flavonoids,17 terpenes,23 alkaloids,11 saponins,29 phenolic acids,13 quinones,10 organic acids,and 19 others,along with 11 constituents absorbed into blood.CONCLUSION This accurate and stable method can provide a data support for the clinical application of Runing Granules,and lay foundations for the further researches on their quality control and material basis.

AIM To establish a UPLC-QTOF/MS method for the analyses of chemical constituents and constituents absorbed into blood from Qili Qiangxin Capsules by UPLC-QTOF/MS.METHODS The rats with heart failure after myocardial infarction were given intragastric administration of 0.5%CMC-Na suspension of Qili Qiangxin Capsules(crude drug dosage was 0.9 g/mL)for 4 weeks,after which blood collection was made.The analysis was performed on a 40℃thermostatic Acquity UPLC BEH C18 Column(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.7 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of 0.1%formic acid-acetonitrile(positive ion manner)or water-acetonitrile(negative ion manner)flowing at 0.3 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in positive and negative ion scanning.RESULTS Total 151 constituents were identified,containing 38 flavonoids,36 terpenoids,23 alkaloids,11 saponins,11 phenylpropanol,10 phenolic acids,4 organic acids,4 cardiac glycosides and 14 others,along with 35 constituents absorbed into blood.CONCLUSION This accurate and stable method can provide data support for the rational clinical application of Qili Qiangxin Capsules,and lay foundation for the research on related effector substances of other Chinese traditional patent medicines.

Objective: The relationship between adverse childhood experiences and methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) has been shown in previous studies; nevertheless, the underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. Childhood trauma is associated with aberrant functional connectivity (FC) within the default-mode network (DMN). Furthermore, within the DMN, FC may contribute to impaired self-awareness in addiction, while cross-network FC is critical for relapse.We aimed to investigate whether childhood trauma was associated with DMN-related resting-state FC among healthy controls and patients with MUD and to examine whether DMN-related FC affected the effect of childhood trauma on the symptom load of MUD diagnosis. Methods: Twenty-seven male patients with MUD and 27 male healthy controls were enrolled and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. DMN-related resting-state FC was examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results: There were 47.1% healthy controls and 66.7% MUD patients in this study with adverse childhood experiences.Negative correlations between adverse childhood experiences and within-DMN FC were observed in both healthy controls and MUD patients, while within-DMN FC was significantly altered in MUD patients. The detrimental effects of adverse childhood experiences on MUD patients may be attenuated through DMN-executive control networks (ECN) FC. Conclusion Adverse childhood experiences were negatively associated with within-DMN FC in MUD patients and healthy controls. However, DMN-ECN FC may attenuate the effects of childhood trauma on symptoms load of MUD.

Background: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a contagious and fatal disease of sheep and goats. PPR virus (PPRV) infection induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated unfolded protein response (UPR). The activation of UPR signaling pathways and their impact on apoptosis and virus replication remains controversial. Objectives: To investigate the role of PPRV-induced ER stress and the IRE1-XBP1 and IRE1-JNK pathways and their impact on apoptosis and virus replication. Methods: The cell viability and virus replication were assessed by 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay, immunofluorescence assay, and Western blot. The expression of ER stress biomarker GRP78, IRE1, and its downstream molecules, PPRV-N protein, and apoptosis-related proteins was detected by Western blot and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. 4-Phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) and STF-083010 were respectively used to inhibit ER stress and IRE1 signaling pathway. Results: The expression of GRP78, IRE1α, p-IRE1α, XBP1s, JNK, p-JNK, caspase-3, caspase-9, Bax and PPRV-N were significantly up-regulated in PPRV-infected cells, the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated. Due to 4-PBA treatment, the expression of GRP78, p-IRE1α, XBP1s, p-JNK, caspase-3, caspase-9, Bax, and PPRV-N were significantly downregulated, the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly up-regulated. Moreover, in PPRV-infected cells, the expression of p-IRE1α, p-JNK, Bax, and PPRV-N was significantly decreased, and the expression of Bcl-2 was increased in the presence of STF-083010. Conclusions PPRV infection induces ER stress and IRE1 activation, resulting in apoptosis and enhancement of virus replication through IRE1-XBP1s and IRE1-JNK pathways.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus, which is characterized in renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF). The current study was designed to investigate the protective effect of Jujuboside A (Ju A) on TIF in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) mice, and explore its underlying anti-fibrosis mechanism. A mouse T2DM model was established using high fat diet (HFD) feeding combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Then, diabetic mice were treated with Ju A (10, 20 and 40 mg·kg^-1·d^-1, i.g.) for 12 weeks. Results showed that administration of Ju A not only down-regulated fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, but also improved hyperlipidemia and renal function in diabetic mice. Moreover, the reduced ECM accumulation was observed in the renal cortex of Ju A treated diabetic mice, while the TIF progression was also attenuated by Ju A through blocking the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs). Further mechanism studies showed that Ju A treatment effectively down-regulated the protein expression and subsequent nuclear translocation of Yin Yang 1 (YY1) in the renal cortex of diabetic mice, and reduced the levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the serum and renal cortex of Ju A treated mice. According to invitro studies, the up-regulated YY1/TGF-β1 signaling pathway was restored by Ju A in high glucose (HG) cultured HK-2 cells. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that Ju A can ameliorate the TIF of DN through down-regulating the YY1/TGF-β1 signaling pathway.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/metabolism* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy* ; Diabetic Nephropathies/metabolism* ; Fibrosis ; Mice ; Saponins ; Signal Transduction ; Streptozocin ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism*