Objective To investigate the current distribution of radiotherapy resources in Gansu Province, evaluate the equity of resource allocation, and provide a scientific basis for optimizing regional resource allocation. Methods A questionnaire survey was carried out to assess radiotherapy resources in medical institutions across Gansu Province, China. The equity of radiotherapy resource distribution and associated disparities were assessed using the Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve, and Theil index. Results A total of 23 medical institutions in Gansu Province provided radiotherapy services, comprising 39 radiotherapy devices and 438 professionals, of whom medical physicists accounted for 16.9%. The radiotherapy frequency was 0.47 cases per thousand population. The Gini coefficients for radiotherapy resource distribution ranged from 0.38 to 0.56 by population and from 0.52 to 0.70 by geography. The Theil index for radiotherapy resources ranged from 1.36 to 3.67. Conclusion Radiotherapy resources in Gansu Province were insufficient, and the capacity of radiotherapy service was suboptimal. The equity of radiotherapy resource allocation by geography was worse than that by population. Therefore, it is imperative to address the shortage of radiotherapy resources, strengthen the professional workforce, enhance the capacity radiotherapy service and resource utilization, optimize resource allocation, and promote regional equity in radiotherapy provision in Gansu Province.

Objective : To investigate the effects of sinapine on lung tissue inflammation and mucus hypersecretion in asthmatic mice. Methods: Eight-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into Control group, ovalbumin(OVA) group, Sinapine group, and Sinapine+OVA group. The asthmatic mice model were established by intraperitoneal injection of OVA combined with aluminum hydroxide [Al(OH)3] suspension and OVA nasal stimulation. One hour before OVA nasal stimulation, the mice in Sinapine+OVA group and Sinapine group were intraperitoneally injected with sinapine solution, and the mice in OVA group and Control group were treated with the same dose of 0.9% sodium chloride solution. 24 hours after the last OVA stimulation, the inflammation of lung tissue of mice were observed by HE staining; the mucus secretion were evaluated by PAS staining; the mRNA expression levels of Interleukin-4(IL-4), Interleukin-5(IL-5), Interleukin-13(IL-13), tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α), Mucin 5ac(Muc5ac), and the mRNA of the key genes of Notch pathway such as Notch receptor 1(Notch1), Notch receptor 2(Notch2), Notch receptor 3(Notch3), and hes family bHLH transcription factor 1(Hes1) in lung tissues were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR); the expression levels of Notch1, Notch2, Notch3 and Hes1 proteins were determined by Western blot. Results : Compared with Control group, the inflammation score and PAS score of lung tissues of mice in OVA group increased(P<0.001); the mRNA expression levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TNF-α, and Muc5ac of mice in OVA group were enhanced(P<0.05); the mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch2, Notch3, and Hes1 of mice in OVA group significantly increased(P<0.001), while there was no significant difference in the mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch1. Compared with OVA group, the inflammation score and PAS score of lung tissues of mice in Sinapine+OVA group decreased(P<0.001); the mRNA expression levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TNF-α, and Muc5ac of mice in Sinapine+OVA group were reduced(P<0.05); the mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch2, Notch3, and Hes1 of mice in Sinapine+OVA group were downregulated(P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch1. Conclusion Sinapine can alleviate the lung tissue inflammation and mucus hypersecretion in asthmatic mice, and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of Notch2/Notch3-Hes1 signal pathway.

Objective:To evaluate the role of exosomes in propofol-induced elimination of cardioprotective effect of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) in rats.Methods:This experiment was performed in 2 parts. In vivo experiment Forty-eight healthy SPF male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 8-10 weeks, weighing 250-300 g, were divided into 5 groups using the random number table method: sham operation group (Sham group, n=12), ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group ( n=12), RIPC group ( n=8), RIPC+ propofol group (RIPC+ P group, n=8), and propofol+ I/R group (P+ I/R group, n=8). The model of myocardial I/R injury was developed by ligating the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery for 30 min followed by 120 min reperfusion in anesthetized animals. Four cycles of 5-min ischemia induced by occlusion of the bilateral hind limbs with a tourniquet/5-min reperfusion served as the RIPC stimulus. Propofol was intravenously infused at a rate of 12 mg·kg -1·h -1 in RIPC+ P group (during RIPC) and in P+ I/R group (for 40 min). Exosomes from RIPC-treated and RIPC+ propofol-treated rats were extracted (RIPC-EXO and RIPC+ P-EXO respectively) for determination of the expression of surface markers of exosomes CD9 and HSP70. Another 24 rats were randomly selected, and the aforementioned exosomes were injected at 15 min before myocardial ischemia, resulting in RIPC-EXO+ I/R group ( n=12) and RIPC+ P-EXO+ I/R group ( n=12). At the end of reperfusion, the area of myocardial infarction was determined, the concentration of serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) was measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) in myocardial tissues was detected by Western blot. Cell experiment H9c2 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into 4 groups ( n=6 each) using a random number table method: control group (C group), hypoxia-reoxygenation group (H/R group), RIPC-EXOc group and RIPC+ P-EXOc group. The cells were exposed to hypoxia for 4 h followed by reoxygenation for 16 h in H/R group. RIPC-EXO and RIPC+ P-EXO were added at a final concentration of 300 μg/ml before hypoxia in RIPC-EXOc group and RIPC+ P-EXOc group, respectively. The cell viability was determined using a cell counting kit-8 assay and the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 expression was detected by Western blot. Results:In vivo experiment Compared with RIPC-EXO group, the expression of CD9 and HSP70 was significantly down-regulated in RIPC+ P-EXO group ( P<0.05). Compared with Sham group, the percentage of the area of myocardial infarction was significantly increased, and the serum cTnI concentration and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in myocardial tissues were increased in I/R group ( P<0.05). Compared with I/R group, the percentage of the area of myocardial infarction was significantly decreased in RIPC group and RIPC-EXO+ I/R group, the serum cTnI concentration and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in myocardial tissues were significantly decreased in RIPC-EXO+ I/R group ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the percentage of the area of myocardial infarction in RIPC+ P group ( P>0.05). The percentage of the area of myocardial infarction was significantly larger in RIPC+ P group than in RIPC group ( P<0.05). Compared with RIPC-EXO+ I/R group, the percentage of the area of myocardial infarction was significantly increased, and the serum cTnI concentration and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were increased in RIPC+ P-EXO+ I/R group ( P<0.05). Cell experiment Compared with C group, the cell viability was significantly decreased, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was increased in H/R group ( P<0.05). Compared with H/R group, the cell viability was significantly increased, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was decreased in RIPC-EXOc group ( P<0.05). Compared with RIPC+ EXOc group, the cell viability was significantly decreased, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was increased in RIPC+ P-EXOc group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Propofol may abolish the myocardial protective effect of RIPC by decreasing the production and release of serum exosomes in rats.

Objective:To evaluate the role of exosomes in reduction of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury (MIRI) by remote preconditioning of trauma (RPCT) in rats.Methods:This experiment was performed in 2 parts. In vivo experiment Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 8 weeks, weighing 250-300 g, were used. Six rats were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups ( n=3 each): control group and RPCT group. Rats in control group underwent thoracotomy only, while rats in RPCT group were subjected to an additional 4 cm transverse skin incision along the abdominal midline after thoracotomy. Blood samples were collected, and serum exosomes were isolated from blood samples and labeled as control exosomes and RPCT exosomes. The expression of exosomal surface marker proteins CD9 and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) was determined by Western blot, and the serum exosome concentration was measured. Another 30 rats were selected and randomly assigned to 5 groups ( n=6 each): sham operation group (Sham group), I/R group, I/R+ RPCT group, I/R+ control exosomes group (I/R+ EXO-CON group), and I/R+ RPCT exosomes group (I/R+ EXO-RPCT group). The MIRI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by 120 min of reperfusion in anesthetized animals. In I/R+ RPCT group, the MIRI model was prepared at 15 min after the end of RPCT. In I/R+ EXO-CON and I/R+ EXO-RPCT groups, control exosomes and RPCT exosomes 100 μg were administered via the jugular vein at 15 min before ischemia respectively. At the end of reperfusion, the myocardial infarct size was measured, serum concentrations of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined, and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in myocardial tissues were measured. The expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 was detected. In vitro experiment H9c2 cells were cultured in vitro and randomly divided into 4 groups ( n=6 each): control group (Con group), hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) group, H/R+ control exosomes group (H/R+ EXO-CON group), and H/R+ RPCT exosomes group (H/R+ EXO-RPCT group). The rats were subjected to 4 h of hypoxia followed by 16 h of reoxygenation to establish the H/R injury model. In H/R+ EXO-CON and H/R+ EXO-RPCT groups, control exosomes and RPCT exosomes 4 μg were added at 15 min before hypoxia respectively. The cell survival rate and concentration of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the supernatant were measured, and the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3 was detected. Results:In vivo experiment Compared with control group, the expression of serum CD9 and HSP70 was significantly up-regulated, and the exosome concentration was increased in RPCT group ( P<0.05). Compared with Sham group, the serum concentrations of cTnT and LDH, percentage of myocardial infarct size, content of MDA in myocardial tissues, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratio were significantly increased, and the activity of SOD was decreased in I/R group ( P<0.05). Compared with I/R group, the serum cTnT and LDH concentrations, percentage of myocardial infarct size, content of MDA in myocardial tissues, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratio were significantly decreased, and the activity of SOD was increased in I/R+ RPCT group ( P<0.05), and no significant changes were observed in the aforementioned parameters in I/R+ EXO-CON group ( P>0.05). There were no significant differences in the aforementioned parameters between I/R+ RPCT group and I/R+ EXO-RPCT group ( P>0.05). In vitro experiment Compared with Con group, the cell survival rate was significantly decreased, and the LDH concentration in the supernatant and Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratios were increased in H/R group ( P<0.05). Compared with H/R group, the cell survival rate was significantly increased, the LDH concentration in the supernatant, and Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratios were decreased in H/R+ EXO-CON group ( P<0.05), and no significant changes were found in the aforementioned parameters in H/R+ EXO-RPCT group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism by which RPCT reduces MIRI may be related to the increased release of serum exosomes in rats.

Objective:To investigate the contents of natural radionuclides in agricultural soils in some of Gansu Hexi area to accumulate the relevant basic data.Methods:A stratified sampling method was used to collect 146 soil samples in the area. ORTEC P-type HPGE gamma spectrometry system was used to measure radionuclides. The measurement data were collated and analyzed.Results:The activity concentrations measured were 232Th 18.94-108.39 Bq/kg, 226Ra 14.37-79.20 Bq/kg and 40K 440.03-1 358.18 Bq/kg, in turn with the mean values of (68.22±16.32), (47.90±11.12) and (763.90±133.93) Bq/kg, respectively. The difference in activity concentrations of 232Th, 226Ra and 40K in agricultural soils in different areas was statistically significant( H=50.87, 45.14, 40.28, P<0.05). Conclusions:The study on the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in agricultural soils provides basic information for the transfer of radionuclides to crops, which needs further investigation, monitoring and analysis.

Objective:To evaluate the role of exosomes in propofol-induced elimination of cardioprotective effect of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) in rats.Methods:This experiment was performed in 2 parts. In vivo experiment Forty-eight healthy SPF male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 8-10 weeks, weighing 250-300 g, were divided into 5 groups using the random number table method: sham operation group (Sham group, n=12), ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group ( n=12), RIPC group ( n=8), RIPC+ propofol group (RIPC+ P group, n=8), and propofol+ I/R group (P+ I/R group, n=8). The model of myocardial I/R injury was developed by ligating the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery for 30 min followed by 120 min reperfusion in anesthetized animals. Four cycles of 5-min ischemia induced by occlusion of the bilateral hind limbs with a tourniquet/5-min reperfusion served as the RIPC stimulus. Propofol was intravenously infused at a rate of 12 mg·kg -1·h -1 in RIPC+ P group (during RIPC) and in P+ I/R group (for 40 min). Exosomes from RIPC-treated and RIPC+ propofol-treated rats were extracted (RIPC-EXO and RIPC+ P-EXO respectively) for determination of the expression of surface markers of exosomes CD9 and HSP70. Another 24 rats were randomly selected, and the aforementioned exosomes were injected at 15 min before myocardial ischemia, resulting in RIPC-EXO+ I/R group ( n=12) and RIPC+ P-EXO+ I/R group ( n=12). At the end of reperfusion, the area of myocardial infarction was determined, the concentration of serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) was measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) in myocardial tissues was detected by Western blot. Cell experiment H9c2 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into 4 groups ( n=6 each) using a random number table method: control group (C group), hypoxia-reoxygenation group (H/R group), RIPC-EXOc group and RIPC+ P-EXOc group. The cells were exposed to hypoxia for 4 h followed by reoxygenation for 16 h in H/R group. RIPC-EXO and RIPC+ P-EXO were added at a final concentration of 300 μg/ml before hypoxia in RIPC-EXOc group and RIPC+ P-EXOc group, respectively. The cell viability was determined using a cell counting kit-8 assay and the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 expression was detected by Western blot. Results:In vivo experiment Compared with RIPC-EXO group, the expression of CD9 and HSP70 was significantly down-regulated in RIPC+ P-EXO group ( P<0.05). Compared with Sham group, the percentage of the area of myocardial infarction was significantly increased, and the serum cTnI concentration and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in myocardial tissues were increased in I/R group ( P<0.05). Compared with I/R group, the percentage of the area of myocardial infarction was significantly decreased in RIPC group and RIPC-EXO+ I/R group, the serum cTnI concentration and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in myocardial tissues were significantly decreased in RIPC-EXO+ I/R group ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the percentage of the area of myocardial infarction in RIPC+ P group ( P>0.05). The percentage of the area of myocardial infarction was significantly larger in RIPC+ P group than in RIPC group ( P<0.05). Compared with RIPC-EXO+ I/R group, the percentage of the area of myocardial infarction was significantly increased, and the serum cTnI concentration and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were increased in RIPC+ P-EXO+ I/R group ( P<0.05). Cell experiment Compared with C group, the cell viability was significantly decreased, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was increased in H/R group ( P<0.05). Compared with H/R group, the cell viability was significantly increased, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was decreased in RIPC-EXOc group ( P<0.05). Compared with RIPC+ EXOc group, the cell viability was significantly decreased, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was increased in RIPC+ P-EXOc group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Propofol may abolish the myocardial protective effect of RIPC by decreasing the production and release of serum exosomes in rats.

Objective:To evaluate the role of exosomes in reduction of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury (MIRI) by remote preconditioning of trauma (RPCT) in rats.Methods:This experiment was performed in 2 parts. In vivo experiment Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 8 weeks, weighing 250-300 g, were used. Six rats were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups ( n=3 each): control group and RPCT group. Rats in control group underwent thoracotomy only, while rats in RPCT group were subjected to an additional 4 cm transverse skin incision along the abdominal midline after thoracotomy. Blood samples were collected, and serum exosomes were isolated from blood samples and labeled as control exosomes and RPCT exosomes. The expression of exosomal surface marker proteins CD9 and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) was determined by Western blot, and the serum exosome concentration was measured. Another 30 rats were selected and randomly assigned to 5 groups ( n=6 each): sham operation group (Sham group), I/R group, I/R+ RPCT group, I/R+ control exosomes group (I/R+ EXO-CON group), and I/R+ RPCT exosomes group (I/R+ EXO-RPCT group). The MIRI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by 120 min of reperfusion in anesthetized animals. In I/R+ RPCT group, the MIRI model was prepared at 15 min after the end of RPCT. In I/R+ EXO-CON and I/R+ EXO-RPCT groups, control exosomes and RPCT exosomes 100 μg were administered via the jugular vein at 15 min before ischemia respectively. At the end of reperfusion, the myocardial infarct size was measured, serum concentrations of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined, and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in myocardial tissues were measured. The expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 was detected. In vitro experiment H9c2 cells were cultured in vitro and randomly divided into 4 groups ( n=6 each): control group (Con group), hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) group, H/R+ control exosomes group (H/R+ EXO-CON group), and H/R+ RPCT exosomes group (H/R+ EXO-RPCT group). The rats were subjected to 4 h of hypoxia followed by 16 h of reoxygenation to establish the H/R injury model. In H/R+ EXO-CON and H/R+ EXO-RPCT groups, control exosomes and RPCT exosomes 4 μg were added at 15 min before hypoxia respectively. The cell survival rate and concentration of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the supernatant were measured, and the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3 was detected. Results:In vivo experiment Compared with control group, the expression of serum CD9 and HSP70 was significantly up-regulated, and the exosome concentration was increased in RPCT group ( P<0.05). Compared with Sham group, the serum concentrations of cTnT and LDH, percentage of myocardial infarct size, content of MDA in myocardial tissues, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratio were significantly increased, and the activity of SOD was decreased in I/R group ( P<0.05). Compared with I/R group, the serum cTnT and LDH concentrations, percentage of myocardial infarct size, content of MDA in myocardial tissues, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratio were significantly decreased, and the activity of SOD was increased in I/R+ RPCT group ( P<0.05), and no significant changes were observed in the aforementioned parameters in I/R+ EXO-CON group ( P>0.05). There were no significant differences in the aforementioned parameters between I/R+ RPCT group and I/R+ EXO-RPCT group ( P>0.05). In vitro experiment Compared with Con group, the cell survival rate was significantly decreased, and the LDH concentration in the supernatant and Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratios were increased in H/R group ( P<0.05). Compared with H/R group, the cell survival rate was significantly increased, the LDH concentration in the supernatant, and Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratios were decreased in H/R+ EXO-CON group ( P<0.05), and no significant changes were found in the aforementioned parameters in H/R+ EXO-RPCT group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism by which RPCT reduces MIRI may be related to the increased release of serum exosomes in rats.

Aim To investigate the neuroprotective effect of Takeda G protein-coupled receptor-5(TGR5)activated by INT-777 on hypoxic-ischemic encephalop-athy(HIE)in neonatal rats.Methods Seven-day-old SD rats were randomly divided into the sham opera-tion group(Sham,S),model group(HIE,G),INT-777 low-dose(L),medium-dose(M),and high-dose(H)groups.The modified Rice-Vanucci method was used to construct the HIE model and Intranasal admin-istration 1 h after modeling.Short-term neurobehavioral tests were performed 48 h after modeling to evaluate the neurological function of neonatal rats,TTC staining was used to determine the volume of cerebral infarction,dry and wet specific gravity was used to determine the brain water content,ferrous ion kit was used to deter-mine the brain ferrous ion content,HE staining was used to observe the pathological damage of brain tis-sue,Nissl staining was used to observe the loss of Nissl substance,Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)was used to observe the mitochondrial morphological changes of cortical neurons,and Western blot was em-ployed to detect the expression of ferroptosis-related proteins TFR1 and GPX4.Results Compared with group S,group G had increased short-term neurobehav-ioral test consumption time,higher scores,increased cerebral infarct volume,brain water content,and brain ferrous iron content,significant brain tissue damage on the affected side,severe loss of Nissl substance,smaller neuronal mitochondria,decreased mitochondrial cris-tae,and increased expression of TFR1 and reduced ex-pression of GPX4.Compared with group G,the INT-777 administration group had a shorter consumption time for short-term neurobehavioral tests,lower scores,the cerebral infarction volume,brain water content,and brain ferrous ion content decreased,the brain tissue damage on the affected side was reduced,and there was insignificant loss of Nissl substance,larger neuronal mi-tochondrial volume,increased mitochondrial cristae,re-duced expression of TFR1,and increased expression of GPX4.Conclusions INT-777 agonist TGR5 has a protective effect against hypoxic-ischemic encephalopa-thy in neonatal rats,and its mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of neuronal ferroptosis.

This study investigates the mechanism by which Xintong Granules improve myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury(MIRI) through the regulation of gut microbiota and their metabolites, specifically short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs). Rats were randomly divided based on body weight into the sham operation group, model group, low-dose Xintong Granules group(1.43 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)), medium-dose Xintong Granules group(2.86 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)), high-dose Xintong Granules group(5.72 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)), and metoprolol group(10 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)). After 14 days of pre-administration, the MIRI rat model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. The myocardial infarction area was assessed using the 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride(TTC) staining method. Apoptosis in tissue cells was detected by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling(TUNEL) assay. Pathological changes in myocardial cells and colonic tissue were observed using hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), creatine kinase MB isoenzyme(CK-MB), and cardiac troponin T(cTnT) in rat serum were quantitatively measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) kits. The activities of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), creatine kinase(CK), and superoxide dismutase(SOD) in myocardial tissue, as well as the level of malondialdehyde(MDA), were determined using colorimetric assays. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing, and fecal SCFAs were quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). The results show that Xintong Granules significantly reduced the myocardial infarction area, suppressed cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and decreased serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6), myocardial injury markers(CK-MB, cTnT, LDH, and CK), and oxidative stress marker MDA. Additionally, Xintong Granules significantly improved intestinal inflammation in MIRI rats, regulated gut microbiota composition and diversity, and increased the levels of SCFAs(acetate, propionate, isobutyrate, etc.). In summary, Xintong Granules effectively alleviate MIRI symptoms. This study preliminarily confirms that Xintong Granules exert their inhibitory effects on MIRI by regulating gut microbiota imbalance and increasing SCFA levels.
Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Rats ; Male ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Humans ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/genetics* ; Malondialdehyde/metabolism*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the molecular mechanism by which He's Yangchao Formula improves ovarian function in premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) mice through intestinal flora modulation. METHODS: Forty female ICR mice (aged 6-8 weeks) were intraperitoneally injected with cyclophosphamide (150 mg/kg) to establish a POI model, while 10 untreated mice served as the blank control. Successfully modeled mice were randomly divided into four groups (n=10/group): low-dose He's Yangchao Formula (6 g crude herb/kg), high-dose He's Yangchao Formula (25 g crude herb/kg), positive control (estradiol), and model control (distilled water). Treatments were admin-istered daily by gavage for 6 weeks. Vaginal exfoliated cells were stained with Wright-Giemsa solution to monitor estrous cycles. Serum estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were measured by ELISA. Ovarian FSH receptor (FSHR) expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Glycolysis-related proteins pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) were analyzed by Western blotting and immuno-fluorescence. Fecal samples from blank control, model control, and high-dose groups underwent metagenomic sequencing to evaluate intestinal microbiota diversity and com-position. RESULTS: He's Yangchao Formula restored estrous cyclicity, increased serum estradiol (P<0.05), decreased serum FSH (P<0.05), and upregulated FSHR expression in granulosa cells (P<0.05). Metagenomic analysis revealed significant structural differences in intestinal flora among blank control, model control, and high-dose groups (P<0.01). The high-dose group showed reduced abundance of conditional pathogens (e.g., Alistipes, Prevotella, Odoribacter, Blautia, Rikenella) compared to the model control (P<0.05). Functional enrichment analysis indicated involvement of glycolysis-related pathways. Concordantly, PKM2 and GLUT4 expression was downregulated in the model control but upregulated in He's Yangchao Formula groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS He's Yangchao Formula ameliorates POI in mice by remodeling intestinal flora structure, enhancing glycolytic activity, improving ovarian sex hormone secretion, increasing granulosa cell FSHR expression, and restoring estrous cyclicity.