Curcumin is a natural yellow pigment， a natural phenolic antioxidant extracted from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa and Curcumae Rhizoma of the ginger family， with anti-inflammatory， anti-tumor and antioxidant properties. In recent years， it has been found that curcumin also has good antidepressant properties， and it is considered a safe and effective antidepressant potential drug. The mechanism of curcumin’s antidepressant efficacy mainly includes regulating neurotransmitters， modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis， regulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor， inhibiting neuroinflammation， inhibiting oxidative stress， and regulating gut microbiota， etc.， and there is an overlapping and synergistic therapeutic effect of the above mechanisms. At present， the antidepressant mechanism of curcumin is still not fully understood， and will be combined with multi-omics technology， new formulation technology， and clinical trials to obtain further breakthroughs in the future.

BACKGROUND:Abnormal extracellular matrix accumulation and excessive proliferation of fibroblasts are the main manifestations of pathological scars.Excessive proliferation of fibroblasts leads to the production of large amounts of collagen-based extracellular matrix.Therefore,to investigate the role of fibroblast fibrosis in the formation of pathological scar will provide a new idea for revealing the mechanism of pathological scar and biological therapy. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of RAS-selective lethal small molecule 3(RSL3)on the fibrosis of human pathological scar fibroblasts. METHODS:Then cases of pathological scar tissue and normal skin tissue samples from the same individuals,provided by the Department of Burn Plastic Surgery,General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University,were collected.Fibroblasts of human pathological scar and human normal skin were extracted and used in the following experiments.The general condition of the pathological scar tissue and the normal skin tissue was detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining.The appearance of fibroblasts from pathological scar and normal skin were observed by inverted microscope.The fibroblasts were verified by immunofluorescence assay.The cells were treated with different concentrations of RSL3(1,3,5,7,9,11,13 μmol/L).The inhibitory concentration of RSL3 on fibroblasts was detected by cell counting kit-8.Control group(without treatment)and RSL3 intervention group(treated with 7 μmol/L RSL3 for 24 hours)were set up.The mRNA and protein expressions of glutathione peroxidase 4,type Ⅰ collagen,type Ⅲ collagen and α-smooth muscle actin were detected by Qrt-PCR and western blot,respectively.Level of malondialdehyde in cells was detected.The residual scratch area was measured by cell scratch test after 24 hours to calculate the percentage of residual scratch area. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 in the pathological scar group was higher than that in the normal skin group(Mrna:t=3.252,P<0.01;protein:t=5.075,P<0.01).The expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 in the pathological scar fibroblast group was higher than that in the normal skin fibroblast group(Mrna:t=10.32,P<0.01;protein:t=26.22,P<0.01).Compared with the control group,the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 was decreased(Mrna:t=2.798,P<0.05;protein:t=4.643,P<0.01),the content of malondialdehyde was increased(t=2.917,P<0.05),the expression of type Ⅰ collagen(Mrna:t=15.84,P<0.01;protein:t=4.610,P<0.01),type Ⅲ collagen(Mrna:t=28.86,P<0.01;protein:t=7.713,P<0.01)and α-smooth muscle actin(Mrna:t=2.671,P<0.05;protein:t=7.417,P<0.01)were decreased in the RSL3 intervention group.Compared with the control group,the migration ability was weakened in the RSL3 intervention group(t=14.06,P<0.01).To conclude,RSL3 can inhibit the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 and then inhibit the ability of fibrosis and migration of pathological scar fibroblasts.

Objective:To investigate the effect of astragaloside IV (AS-IV) regulating the signal axis of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α)/CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) on the mobilization of bone marrow endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to peripheral blood in diabetes skin ulcer (DSU) rats.Methods:Twenty four SPF grade male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were selected to make the model of type 2 diabetes rats by intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg 1% (plastid ratio) streptozotocin, and then round full-thickness skin with a diameter of 2 cm was cut on both sides of the waist and back to make the skin ulcer model of diabetes rats. After that, they were randomly divided into AS-IV group (50 mg/kg AS-IV), blocker group (50 mg/kg AS-IV+ 5 mg/kg AMD3100) and model group. At the same time, a blank group ( n=8) was set up, The drug was administered via intraperitoneal injection, and the model group and blank group were treated with 0.9% NaCl of equal volume. On the 10th day, peripheral blood, femoral bone marrow, and wound neovascularization tissues of rats were collected. The number of EPCs in peripheral blood of each group of rats was measured by flow cytometry, and the protein expression of SDF-1α and CXCR4 in peripheral blood, femoral bone marrow, and wound neovascularization tissues of rats was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); At the same time, the wound healing rates of each group were tested. Results:On the 10th and 21st day after modeling, the wound healing rate of each group of rats was compared. The blank group healed the fastest, while the model group healed the slowest. The AS-IV group had better healing than the model group and the blocker group, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). On the 10th day after modeling, the positive rates of peripheral blood EPCs in the white group, AS-IV group, and blocker group were significantly higher than those in the model group (all P<0.05), while the positive rates of peripheral blood EPCs in the blocker group were significantly lower than those in the AS-IV group (all P<0.05). On the 10th day after modeling, the protein expression of SDF-1α and CXCR4 in the wound, serum, and bone marrow of the model group was the lowest, while the protein expression in the blank group was the highest (all P<0.05). The protein expression of SDF-1α and CXCR4 in the wound, serum, bone marrow of the AS-IV group was significantly higher than that of the blocker group and model group, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Astragaloside IV can promote the mobilization and migration of endothelial progenitor cells from bone marrow to peripheral blood in diabetes ulcer rats by regulating SDF-1α/CXCR4 signal axis, and can participate in angiogenesis of diabetes ulcer wounds as seed cells to promote the healing of diabetes skin ulcers.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women worldwide and the leading cause of most cancer-related deaths,posing a serious threat to women′s health worldwide.At present,although the prognosis of some patients with breast cancer has improved,the emergence of drug resistance and the metastasis and recurrence of breast cancer are still the main reasons for poor prognosis.CD36 is a multiligand transmembrane glycoprotein expressed on various cell types.In recent years,studies have confirmed that CD36 can reshape the lipid metabolism of cancer cells;promote the differentiation of tumor-related macrophages into M2 type and recruitment into tumor tissues;regulate the function of Treg cells,CD8+T cells,DCs,and other immune cells,and thus promote tumor development.In addition,CD36 is also associated with breast cancer stem cells,metastasis-initiating cells,and breast drug resistant cells.Therefore,CD36 could be an important potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Objective To construct HEK 293T cells that express tardigrade Dsup protein fused with green fluorescent protein copGFP in order to study the effect of Dsup protein on proliferation of HEK 293T cells.Methods The CRISPR/Cas9 gene knock-in system was constructed.The target gene fragments of Dsup,copGFP,EF1α and puromycin were amplified by PCR and inserted into pAAVS1-SFFV to construct the fusion vector of Dsup and copGFP,which was known as pAAVS1-SFFV-Dsup-copGFP-EF1α-Puro.pAAVS1-SFFV-Dsup-copGFP-EF1 α-Puro and pAAVS1-CRISPR-Cas9 vector were co-transfected into HEK 293T cells before Dsup gene was inserted into the AAVS1 region of HEK 293T cells via homologous recombination.The HEK 293T cells expressing Dsup gene were obtained following puromycin selection,flow cytometry sorting and genome identification.The expression of Dsup at mRNA and protein levels and proliferation-related genes(MCM2,MCM4,PCNA,Ki-67)were examined to investigate the effects of Dsup gene on the proliferation of HEK 293T-Dsup-copGFP cells.Results The pAAVS1-SFFV-Dsup-copGFP-EF1α-Puro recombinant vector was constructed,and the HEK 293T-Dsup-copGFP cells with Dsup gene inserted in the AAVS1 region were obtained,where both Dsup mRNA and protein were expressed.The cell proliferation rate of HEK 293T-Dsup-copGFP was higher than that of HEK 293T-Control-copGFP(P＜0.001).Further investigation revealed that the expressions of Ki-67 and MCM4 protein in HEK 293T-Dsup-copGFP were significantly higher than in the control group,indicating that the knock in of Dsup gene might enhance the proliferation ability of human cells by promoting the expression of Ki-67 and MCM4 protein.Conclusion A gene editing vector is constructed,and stable cell line HEK 293T-Dsup-copGFP for Dsup fusion expression with copGFP is established.The expression of Dsup gene in HEK 293T cells can promote cell proliferation,possibly by upregulating the expressions of Ki-67 and MCM4 protein.

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent global joint disease, which is characterized by inflammatory reaction and cartilage degradation. Cyasterone, a sterone derived from the roots of Cyathula officinalis Kuan, exerts protective effect against several inflammation-related diseases. However, its effect on osteoarthritis remains unclear. The current study was designed to investigate the potential anti-osteoarthritis activity of cyasterone. Primary chondrocytes isolated from rats induced by interleukin (IL)-1β and a rat model stimulated by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) were used for in vitro and in vivo experiments, respectively. The results of in vitro experiments showed that cyasterone apparently counteracted chondrocyte apoptosis, increased the expression of collagen II and aggrecan, and restrained the production of the inflammatory factors inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 (ADAMTS-5), metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) induced by IL-1β in chondrocytes. Furthermore, cyasterone ameliorated the inflammation and degenerative progression of osteoarthritis potentially by regulating the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. For in vivo experiments, cyasterone significantly alleviated the inflammatory response and cartilage destruction of rats induced by monosodium iodoacetate, where dexamethasone was used as the positive control. Overall, this study laid a theoretical foundation for developing cyasterone as an effective agent for the alleviation of osteoarthritis.
Animals ; Rats ; Chondrocytes ; NF-kappa B ; Iodoacetic Acid ; Inflammation ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Apoptosis

Objective:To investigate the association of peripheral axial lengths and retinal curvatures with refractive status.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted out.Two hundred and eighty-seven eyes of 287 consecutive children aged 6-15 years old who recieved eye examinations at Beijing Tongren Hospital from July to October 2021 were enrolled, including 154 males and 133 females.Uncorrected and best corrected visual acuity were tested with a standard logarithmic visual acuity chart.Spherical equivalent (SE) was measured via an auto refractometer after cycloplegia with tropicamide.The hyperopic, emmetropic and myopic groups were defined with a SE >+ 0.5 D, SE >-0.5 D to ≤+ 0.5 D and SE≤-0.5 D, respectively.Central and 30° peripheral eye lengths (nasal, temporal, superior, inferior) were obtained using the Lenstar LS900.Retinal coordinates were derived from partial coherence interferometry modeling and converted to retinal curvatures.According to the median horizontal peripheral eye length differences (absolute difference between nasal and temporal), participants were assigned to H1 group (absolute difference <0.35 mm) or H2 group (absolute difference ≥0.35 mm). According to the median vertical peripheral eye length differences (absolute difference between superior and inferior), participants were assigned to V1 group (absolute difference <0.32 mm) or V2 group (absolute difference ≥0.32 mm). Four groups of V1H1, V1H2, V2H1 and V2H2 were constructed according to the grouping methods in both directions above.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University (No.TRECKY2021-162). Written informed consent was obtained from guardians of each subject prior to any medical examination.Results:The central axial length was 23.53(22.93, 24.10)mm.Peripheral eye lengths of temporal, nasal, superior and inferior were 22.75(22.11, 23.22)mm, 22.99(22.32, 23.45)mm, 23.24(22.58, 23.75)mm and 23.12(22.52, 23.56)mm, respectively.Temporal eye length was shorter than nasal, showing a statistically significant difference ( Z=-3.58, P<0.01). Compared with H2 group, H1 group had shorter central, nasal, superior and inferior eye lengths, showing statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05). Compared with V2 group, V1 group had shorter central, nasal and superior eye lengths, showing statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05). SE of H1 group was + 0.06 (-1.06, + 0.75) D, which was significantly greater than -0.32 (-1.64, + 0.56) D of H2 group ( Z=-2.10, P=0.04). SE of V1 group was + 0.13 (-0.81, + 0.80) D, which was significantly greater than -0.56 (-1.83, + 0.48) D of H2 group ( Z=-3.39, P<0.01). The myopia ratio of V1 group was 33.5% (58/173), which was significantly lower than 50.5% (53/105) of V2 group ( χ2=7.83, P<0.01). There was a significant overall difference in SE among VIH1, V1H2, V2H1 and V2H2 groups ( H=24.79, P<0.01). SE was greater in V1H1 group than V1H2, V2H1 and V2H2 groups (all at P<0.01). There was a significant difference in both horizontal and vertical retinal curvatures among different refractive groups ( H=22.34, 19.30; both at P<0.01). The retical curvature in both directions of hyperopic and emmetropic groups were significantly larger than those of myopic group (both at P<0.01). Conclusions:Peripheral eye lengths are asymmetric in school-aged children.Higher asymmetry is associated with myopic shifts.Myopic children have a steeper retina than the hyperopic and emmetropic children.

Objective:To explore the relationship between integrin ɑ3(ITGA3)expression and immune cell infiltration in colorectal cancer(CRC).Methods:Bioinformatic methods were used to analyze ITGA3 mRNA expression in pan-cancer and CRC tissues,as well as its associ-ation with CRC prognosis.The correlation between ITGA3 and tumor-infiltrating immune cells was also investigated.In total,233 cases of CRC diagnosed at Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital between January and December 2021 were included,and ITGA3,CD8,CD163,FOXP3,PD-L1,CTLA-4,and PD-1 expression in CRC tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry(IHC)to analyze the relationship between ITGA3 and infiltrating immune cells and immune checkpoints.Results:Bioinformatics analysis showed elevated ITGA3 mRNA levels in CRC.High ITGA3 expression was associated with PFS(P＜0.05).Univariate and multifactorial analyses showed that age and stage were significantly cor-related with prognosis(P＜0.05).In addition,ITGA3 upregulation was closely correlated with multiple immune cell infiltration levels in CRC.Furthermore,IHC results showed that ITGA3 expression in CRC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues(P＜0.05).ITGA3 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05)and correlated with the expression of immune markers,such as CD8+T-cells,PD-L1,and CTLA-4(P＜0.05).Conclusions:ITGA3 is highly expressed in CRC,which is closely related to immune cell infiltration and may regulate the tumor immune microenvironment,which provides a new idea for clinical treatment and a potential new independent predictive marker.

Warthin tumor is a benign salivary gland tumor comprising ductal epithelium and lymphoid stroma. To date, reports about the malignant transformations of intraepithelial and lymphoid components in Warthin tumor are extremely rare; lymphoid malignant transformation into B-cell lymphoma is particularly rare in combination with T-cell lymphoma. The case of Warthin tumor complicated with T-lymphoblastic lymphoma is reported to emphasize the importance of a careful light microscopic evaluation of lymphoid tissue in Warthin tumor for identifying occult lymphoma presence, reducing misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, and determining a timely treatment.
Humans ; Adenolymphoma/pathology* ; Parotid Neoplasms/pathology* ; Salivary Gland Neoplasms ; Epithelium/pathology* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/complications*

Objective To study the chemical constituents of Aspergillus terreus from sponge epiphytic fungal. Methods Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, silica gel column chromatography and high performance liquid chroma-tography were used to separate and purify the compounds. The structures of compounds were identified by spectroscopic data. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity of the compounds were tested by PNPG and DPPH methods, respectively. Results Eight compounds were isolated from Aspergillus terreus and identified as methyl-3,4,5-trimethoxy-2-(2-(nicotinamido) benzamido) benzoate (1), terrelumamide A (2), emeheterone (3), (8R,9S)-dihydroisoflavipucine (4), (8S,9S)-dihydroisoflavipucine (5), cyclo(S-Pro-S-Phe) (6), brevianamide F (7), terrein (8). Compound 3 showed strong inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and the IC₅₀ value was 14.28 μmol/L. Conclusion Compounds 3, 4, 5, and 7 were obtained from Aspergillus terreus for the first time.