ObjectiveTo analyze the processing mechanism underlying the enhanced effect of invigorating spleen and stopping diarrhea of soil-fried Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） by analyzing the changes of microstructure， chemical composition and anti-ulcerative colitis（UC） activity before and after soil stir-frying. MethodsThe microstructure and elemental composition of AMR before and after soil stir-frying were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy（SEM-EDS）， to investigate the differences in microstructure and the underlying causes. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） coupled with UNIFI 1.9.2 natural product analysis platform were used to analyze and identify the chemical constituents in raw and soil-fried products， and multivariate statistical methods including principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to explore the differences and sources of chemical constituents between them. A dextran sulfate sodium（DSS）-induced UC mouse model was established. The method of disease activity index（DAI） was used to evaluate the severity of intestinal inflammation. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes of colon tissue， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors， Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to analyze the expressions of key genes and proteins involved in the intestinal mucosal barrier. The 16S rRNA sequencing was used to evaluate the diversity of intestinal flora， headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS） was used to explore the levels of short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） in feces. Base on the above findings， this paper investigated the effects of raw and soil-fried AMR on the biological， chemical， mechanical and immune barriers of model animals， and the differences in pharmacological effects and underlying mechanisms from the perspective of regulating the intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. ResultsSEM observation revealed numerous hearth soil particles on the surface of soil-fried AMR， accompanied by bubble-like bulges. At the same time， there were many cracks and folds on the surface of the hearth soil. EDS analysis revealed that the contents of Si， Al， Mg and Ca in soil-fried AMR were significantly higher than those of raw products， and these elements constituted the primary components of hearth soil. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with database comparison was used to identify the chemical constituents of raw and soil-fried AMR. In positive ion mode， a total of 132 components were identified， primarily comprising three categories of terpenoids， polyphenols and amino acids. In negative ion mode， a total of 40 components were identified， primarily polyphenolic and glycoside compounds. Among them， the contents of sesquiterpenes and polyphenolic acids were changed significantly before and after processing. Soil-fried AMR could reduce the DAI score of UC mice， alleviate the shortening of colon length， reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors such as interleukin（IL）-17， IL-18， γ-interferon（IFN-γ） and tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α in serum， increase the levels of anti-inflammatory factors such as secretory immunoglobulin A（sIgA）， IL-10， IL-4 and transforming growth factor-β（TGF-β） in serum， increase the expressions of key genes and proteins of intestinal mucosal barrier such as tight junction protein-1（ZO-1）， Occludin， Claudin-1 and mucin 2（MUC2） in colonic mucosa， and improve the disorders of intestinal flora diversity and the levels of SCFAs（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The raw and stir-fried products of AMR also exhibited the aforementioned effects， but they were weaker than the soil-fried products. Additionally， the auxiliary material hearth soil also had a certain pharmacodynamic effect. ConclusionSoil-fried AMR can enhance the protective effect on intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. These changes or heating-induced alterations in the microscopic structure and chemical composition of AMR may be attributed to the dual effects of adsorption of hearth soil.

ObjectiveTo analyze the processing mechanism underlying the enhanced effect of invigorating spleen and stopping diarrhea of soil-fried Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） by analyzing the changes of microstructure， chemical composition and anti-ulcerative colitis（UC） activity before and after soil stir-frying. MethodsThe microstructure and elemental composition of AMR before and after soil stir-frying were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy（SEM-EDS）， to investigate the differences in microstructure and the underlying causes. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） coupled with UNIFI 1.9.2 natural product analysis platform were used to analyze and identify the chemical constituents in raw and soil-fried products， and multivariate statistical methods including principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to explore the differences and sources of chemical constituents between them. A dextran sulfate sodium（DSS）-induced UC mouse model was established. The method of disease activity index（DAI） was used to evaluate the severity of intestinal inflammation. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes of colon tissue， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors， Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to analyze the expressions of key genes and proteins involved in the intestinal mucosal barrier. The 16S rRNA sequencing was used to evaluate the diversity of intestinal flora， headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（HS-GC-MS） was used to explore the levels of short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） in feces. Base on the above findings， this paper investigated the effects of raw and soil-fried AMR on the biological， chemical， mechanical and immune barriers of model animals， and the differences in pharmacological effects and underlying mechanisms from the perspective of regulating the intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. ResultsSEM observation revealed numerous hearth soil particles on the surface of soil-fried AMR， accompanied by bubble-like bulges. At the same time， there were many cracks and folds on the surface of the hearth soil. EDS analysis revealed that the contents of Si， Al， Mg and Ca in soil-fried AMR were significantly higher than those of raw products， and these elements constituted the primary components of hearth soil. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS combined with database comparison was used to identify the chemical constituents of raw and soil-fried AMR. In positive ion mode， a total of 132 components were identified， primarily comprising three categories of terpenoids， polyphenols and amino acids. In negative ion mode， a total of 40 components were identified， primarily polyphenolic and glycoside compounds. Among them， the contents of sesquiterpenes and polyphenolic acids were changed significantly before and after processing. Soil-fried AMR could reduce the DAI score of UC mice， alleviate the shortening of colon length， reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors such as interleukin（IL）-17， IL-18， γ-interferon（IFN-γ） and tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α in serum， increase the levels of anti-inflammatory factors such as secretory immunoglobulin A（sIgA）， IL-10， IL-4 and transforming growth factor-β（TGF-β） in serum， increase the expressions of key genes and proteins of intestinal mucosal barrier such as tight junction protein-1（ZO-1）， Occludin， Claudin-1 and mucin 2（MUC2） in colonic mucosa， and improve the disorders of intestinal flora diversity and the levels of SCFAs（P<0.05， P<0.01）. The raw and stir-fried products of AMR also exhibited the aforementioned effects， but they were weaker than the soil-fried products. Additionally， the auxiliary material hearth soil also had a certain pharmacodynamic effect. ConclusionSoil-fried AMR can enhance the protective effect on intestinal mucosal barrier in UC mice. These changes or heating-induced alterations in the microscopic structure and chemical composition of AMR may be attributed to the dual effects of adsorption of hearth soil.

The study focuses on the concept of multifunctional traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas and aims to evaluate the efficacy of the classical formula Xiaoyao San (逍遥散). Study employs the integrated evidence chain (Eff-iEC) method to organize, integrate, and evaluate its therapeutic efficacy in treating different diseases with the same therapy, and to investigate the feasibility of using Eff-iEC to evaluate the multifunctionality of TCM formulas. The evaluation covered Xiaoyao San's therapeutic effects on depression, premenstrual syndrome, chronic hepatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia, and menopausal syndrome. Concurrently, the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system was used for evaluation, and authoritative medical documents were incorporated to corroborate the recognition of Xiaoyao San within the medical community. Depression and menopausal syndrome received higher ratings than other conditions in the Eff-iEC, GRADE, and Medical Community Recognition assessments. The Eff-iEC evidence grade for Xiaoyao San was rated as "High" or above for chronic hepatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia, and menopausal syndrome. Premenstrual syndrome received a "Moderate ⁺" rating. The GRADE evidence level was "Low-〇〇⨁⨁" for depression, premenstrual syndrome, and chronic hepatitis; "Moderate-〇⨁⨁⨁" for dyspepsia and menopausal syndrome; and "Very Low-〇〇〇⨁" for irritable bowel syndrome. Depression and menopausal syndrome had the highest inclusion frequency, appearing in all 4 categories. Premenstrual syndrome, chronic hepatitis, and dyspepsia are not recommended in Western medical guidelines, but they are included in TCM guidelines, the China National Basic Medical Insurance Drug List, and the China National Essential Drug List. Irritable bowel syndrome appears only in the China National Basic Medical Insurance Drug List and China National Essential Drug List. The evaluation results obtained using the Eff-iEC method align with Medical Community Recognition, providing an objective and comprehensive assessment of Xiaoyao San's efficacy. The findings suggest that Xiaoyao San has strong evidence for treating depression and menopausal syndrome. However, further experimental and clinical trials are needed to assess its efficacy in treating premenstrual syndrome, chronic hepatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and dyspepsia. These results support the clinical efficacy and rational use of Xiaoyao San, expand the application scope of the Eff-iEC method, and offer valuable insights and methodological references for the comparative evaluation of multifunctional TCM formulas.

ObjectiveTo investigate the associations of multiple glycolipid metabolic indicators and their cumulative abnormality burden with incident colorectal cancer risk in a general population-based prospective cohort, and to examine the mediating role of glycolipid metabolic abnormalities in the relationships between smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and colorectal cancer incidence. MethodsA total of 17 897 eligible participants recruited from the Taizhou Cohort between 2011 and 2014 were included. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the associations of conventional and derived glycolipid indicators, as well as a glycolipid abnormality index constructed from total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, and insulin, with incident colorectal cancer risk. Restricted cubic spline models were applied to evaluate dose-response relationships for major indicators. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to compare predictive performance across indicators. Mediation analyses were conducted to assess the mediating effects of the glycolipid abnormality index on the associations of smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity with colorectal cancer incidence. ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 11.2 years, 102 incident colorectal cancer cases were identified, with an incidence density of 51.2 per 100 000 person-years. After adjustment for potential confounders, Cox proportional hazards regression analyses showed that decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was associated with a 1.74-fold higher risk of colorectal cancer (HR=1.74, 95%CI: 1.03‒2.95), elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was associated with a 1.78-fold higher risk (HR=1.78, 95%CI: 1.05‒3.02), and abnormal fasting plasma glucose was associated with a 1.86-fold higher risk (HR=1.86, 95%CI: 1.15‒3.02). Triglycerides and fasting plasma glucose showed an approximately linear increasing association with colorectal cancer risk in multivariable restricted cubic spline models. The glycolipid abnormality index showed a clear gradient association with colorectal cancer risk; participants with three or more abnormal indicators had a 3.08-fold higher risk than those without abnormalities (HR=3.08, 95%CI: 1.60‒5.92). The area under the curve was 0.795, higher than that of individual glycolipid indicators and other combined indices, and gender-stratified analyses showed generally consistent patterns. Glycolipid metabolic abnormalities partially mediated the associations of smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity with colorectal cancer incidence, with mediation proportions of 8.33%, 9.45%, and 9.04%, respectively. ConclusionGlycolipid metabolic abnormalities are associated with an increased risk of incident colorectal cancer. The glycolipid abnormality index shows an increasing relationship with colorectal cancer risk and demonstrates better discrimination, and it partially mediates the associations of smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity with colorectal cancer incidence in the overall population.

Objective To investigate the expression of Tropomyosin 4(TPM4)in thyroid cancer and its effects on the invasion and migration of thyroid cancer cells.Methods The expression level and prognostic value of TPM4 in thyroid cancer were analyzed based on bioinformatics,and its functional involvement was explored through Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA).In thyroid cancer K1 cells,lentiviral transfection was performed to establish the experimental group(TPM4 shRNA),the negative control group(empty lentiviral transfection),and the control group(untreated).Cell viability and proliferation were assessed using CCK-8 and BrdU assays.Transwell migration and invasion assays were performed to evaluate the effects of TPM4 on the migratory and invasive capacities of thyroid cancer cells.Results TPM4 expression was significantly upregulated in thyroid cancer(P<0.05)and correlated with TNM staging(P<0.05).Patients with higher TPM4 expression in advanced TNM stages exhibited poorer prognosis(P<0.05).GSEA results indicated that high TPM4 expression was enriched in gene sets associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition,inflammatory response,P53 signaling pathway,and cell cycle.Following TPM4 knockdown in K1 cells,thyroid cancer cell growth was slowed(P<0.01),proliferative activity was decreased(P<0.001),and invasion and migration abilities were significantly impaired(P<0.001).Conclusion TPM4 is highly expressed in thyroid cancer and promotes the invasion and migration capabilities of thyroid cancer cells.

Peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals targeting integrin α5β1 show promise for precise tumor diagnosis and treatment. However, current peptide-based radioligands that target α5β1 demonstrate inadequate in vivo performance owing to limited tumor retention. The use of PEGylation to enhance the tumor retention of radiopharmaceuticals by prolonging blood circulation time poses a risk of increased blood toxicity. Therefore, a PEGylation strategy that boosts tumor retention while minimizing blood circulation time is urgently needed. Here, we developed a PEGylation-enabled peptide multidisplay platform (PEGibody) for PR_b, an α5β1 targeting peptide. PEGibody generation involved PEGylation and self-assembly. [⁶⁴Cu]QM-2303 PEGibodies displayed spherical nanoparticles ranging from 100 to 200 nm in diameter. Compared with non-PEGylated radioligands, [⁶⁴Cu]QM-2303 demonstrated enhanced tumor retention time due to increased binding affinity and stability. Importantly, the biodistribution analysis confirmed rapid clearance of [⁶⁴Cu]QM-2303 from the bloodstream. Administration of a single dose of [¹⁷⁷Lu]QM-2303 led to robust antitumor efficacy. Furthermore, [⁶⁴Cu]/[¹⁷⁷Lu]QM-2303 exhibited low hematological and organ toxicity in both healthy and tumor-bearing mice. Therefore, this study presents a PEGibody-based radiotheranostic approach that enhances tumor retention time and provides long-lasting antitumor effects without prolonging blood circulation lifetime. The PEGibody-based radiopharmaceutical [⁶⁴Cu]/[¹⁷⁷Lu]QM-2303 shows great potential for positron emission tomography imaging-guided targeted radionuclide therapy for α5β1-overexpressing tumors.

Cerebral edema is characterized by fluid accumulation, and the glymphatic system (GS) plays a pivotal role in regulating fluid transport. Using the Tenecteplase system, magnesium salt of salvianolic acid B/ginsenoside Rg1 (SalB/Rg1) was injected intravenously into mice 4.5 h after middle cerebral artery occlusion and once every 24 h for the following 72 h. GS function was assessed by Evans blue imaging, near-infrared fluorescence region II (NIR-II) imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). SalB/Rg1 had significant effects on reducing the infarct volume and hemorrhagic transformation score, improving neurobehavioral function, and protecting tissue structure, especially inhibiting cerebral edema. Meanwhile, the influx/efflux drainage of GS was enhanced by SalB/Rg1 according to NIR-II imaging and MRI. SalB/Rg1 inhibited matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity, reduced cleaved β-dystroglycan (β-DG), and stabilized aquaporin-4 (AQP4) polarity, which was verified by colocalization with CD31. Our findings indicated that SalB/Rg1 treatment enhances GS function and attenuates cerebral edema, accompanying the regulation of the MMP9/β-DG/AQP4 pathway.
Animals ; Ginsenosides/administration & dosage* ; Brain Edema/etiology* ; Male ; Benzofurans/administration & dosage* ; Glymphatic System/diagnostic imaging* ; Mice ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/drug therapy* ; Aquaporin 4/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/metabolism* ; Neuroprotective Agents/pharmacology* ; Depsides

Objective: To construct a Family with sequence similarity 50 member A(FAM50A) gene knockout mouse insulinoma pancreatic β-cell line Beta-TC-6 using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology and to prepare polyclonal antibodies specifically recognizing FAM50A. Methods: Two guide RNAs(sgRNAs) targeting the FAM50A gene were designed,and a recombinant plasmid expressing blue fluorescent protein(BFP) was constructed for gene knockout.The successfully constructed plasmid was transfected into Beta-TC-6 cells,and BFP-positive single cells were isolated for clonal expansion.The expanded monoclonal cell lines were genotyped by Sanger sequencing,and FAM50A protein expression was assessed by Western blot.Purified human recombinant FAM50A protein was used to immunize New Zealand rabbits for the preparation of a polyclonal antibody.The specificity of the prepared antibody was then validated using the successfully established FAM50A knockout cell line. Results: A monoclonal cell line with a successful knockout of the FAM50A gene was identified.Sanger sequencing confirmed base deletions at the target site.Western blot analysis showed a complete absence of FAM50A protein expression in this cell line.The prepared polyclonal antibody successfully recognized endogenous murine FAM50A protein in wild-type Beta-TC-6 cells and in hTERT-RPE1 cells overexpressing human FAM50A-GFP fusion protein,while no signal was detected in the FAM50A knockout cells. Conclusion This study successfully established a FAM50A gene knockout Beta-TC-6 cell model and generated a FAM50A polyclonal antibody,providing powerful tools for future research.

ObjectiveThis study aims to develop a prediction model for the compatibility of Chinese medicinal pairs based on Graph Convolutional Networks （GCN）， named HC-GCN. The model integrates the properties of herbs with modern pharmacological mechanisms to predict pairs with specific therapeutic effects. It serves as a demonstration by applying the model to predict and validate the efficacy of blood-activating herb pairs. MethodsThe training dataset for herb pair prediction was constructed by systematically collecting commonly used herb pairs along with their characteristic data， including Qi， flavor， meridian tropism， and target genes. Integrating traditional characteristics of herb with modern bioinformatics， we developed an efficacy-oriented herb pair compatibility prediction model （HC-GCN） using graph convolutional networks （GCN）. This model leverages machine learning to capture the complex relationships in herb pair compatibility， weighted by efficacy features. The performance of the HC-GCN model was evaluated using accuracy （ACC）， recall， precision， F1 score （F1）， and area under the ROC curve （AUC）. Its predictive effectiveness was then compared to five other machine learning models： eXtreme Gradient Boosting （XGBoost）， logistic regression （LR）， Naive Bayes， K-nearest neighbor （KNN）， and support vector machine （SVM）. ResultsUsing herb pairs with blood-activating effects as a demonstration， a prediction model was constructed based on a foundational dataset of 46 blood-activating herb pairs， incorporating their Qi， flavor， meridian tropism， and target gene characteristics. The HC-GCN model outperforms other commonly used machine learning models in key performance metrics， including ACC， recall， precision， F1 score， and AUC. Through the predictive analysis of the HC-GCN model， 60 herb pairs with blood-activating effects were successfully identified. Among of these potential herb pairs， 44 include at least one herb with blood-activating effects. ConclusionIn this study， we established an efficacy-oriented compatibility prediction model for herb pairs based on GCN by integrating the unique characteristics of traditional herbs with modern pharmacological mechanisms. This model demonstrated high predictive performance， offering a novel approach for the intelligent screening and optimization of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions， as well as their clinical applications.

Background Arsenic is an environmentally harmful substance that causes hepatic insulin resistance and liver damage, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Objective To explore whether the insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) is involved in insulin resistance in HepG2 cells after arsenic exposure through the peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) / glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) pathway. Methods Cell viability was determined using cell counting kit 8 (CCK8) and an appropriate NaAsO₂ infection dose was determined. A cellular arsenic exposure model of HepG2 cells was established by four concentrations of NaAsO₂ solution for 24 h (the experiment was divided into four groups: 0, 2, 4, and 8 μmol·L⁻¹); HepG2 cells were firstly treated with pcDNA3.1-IGF2BP2 and pcDNA3.1-NC respectively for 6 h, then with 8 μmol·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂ for 24 h to establish a IGF2BP2 overexpression cell model (the experiment was divided into 4 groups: control, NaAsO₂, NaAsO₂+pcDNA3.1-IGF2BP2, and NaAsO₂+pcDNA3.1-NC); finally the cells were subject to 100 nmol·L⁻¹ insulin stimulation for 30 min. Glycogen and glucose in HepG2 cells were determined by glycogen and glucose assay kits; mRNA expression levels of IGF2BP2 were measured by quantitative real-time PCR; protein expression levels of IGF2BP2, PPAR-γ, and GLUT4 in HepG2 were detected by Western blot (WB); and the binding of IGF2BP2 to PPAR-γ and PPAR-γ to GLUT4 was verified by co-immunoprecipitation (CO-IP) experiment. Results The results of CCK8 experiment showed a dose-effect relationship between NaAsO₂ concentration and cell viability. When the concentration of NaAsO₂ was ≥4 μmol·L⁻¹ , the cell viabilities were lower than that of the control group (P <0.05). With the increasing dose of NaAsO₂ infection, reduced glucose consumption and glycogen levels in HepG2 cells were found in the 2, 4, and 8 μmol·L⁻¹ NaAsO₂ treatment groups compared to the control group (P <0.05). The difference between the mRNA expression level of IGF2BP2 in the HepG2 cells treated with 4 or 8 μmol L⁻¹ NaAsO₂ and the control group was significant (P <0.05). In the IGF2BP2 overexpression cell model, compared with the control group, glucose consumption and glycogen levels were lowered in the NaAsO₂ group (P <0.05), the mRNA expression level of IGF2BP2 and the protein expression levels of IGF2BP2, PPAR-γ, and GLUT4 in the cell membrane were all decreased (P <0.05). Compared with the NaAsO₂ group, the glucose consumption and glycogen levels were increased in the NaAsO₂+pcDNA3.1-IGF2BP2 group (P <0.05), and the mRNA expression level of IGF2BP2 and the protein expression levels of IGF2BP2, PPAR-γ, and GLUT4 in the cell membrane were all increased (P <0.05). The results of CO-IP experiments showed that IGF2BP2 interacted with PPAR-γ as well as PPAR-γ with GLUT4 protein. Conclusion IGF2BP2 is involved in arsenic exposure-induced insulin resistance in HepG2 cells by acting on the PPAR-γ/GLUT4 pathway.