ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between acne vulgaris and gut microbiota. MethodsA total of 29 clinical cases diagnosed with moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris and 26 healthy individuals as control subjects were recruited. Fecal specimens were collected from all participants， and further analysis of gut microbial communities was performed by leveraging high-throughput sequencing techniques that target the hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA genes. ResultsAssociations between acne vulgaris and alterations in gut microbiota were identified. At the phylum level， the relative abundance of Bacteroidota exhibited a statistically significant elevation in the acne vulgaris cohort when compared with the healthy control group （P<0.01）， while Cyanobacteria was significantly lower in the acne group （P<0.01）. At the genus level， the top five different bacterial taxa in both groups were Bacteroides， Escherichia⁃Shigella， Klebsiella， Roseburia， and Parabacteroides. Among them， Bacteroides， Roseburia， and Parabacteroides were more abundant in acne patients. Linear discriminant analysis identified five biomarkers all belonging to the Bacteroidota phylum in the acne and control groups. These biomarkers belong to the phylum Bacteroidetes. ConclusionThere are significant differences in the composition of intestinal microbiota between acne patients and healthy people. Changes in the richness of specific bacterial genera may become new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of acne.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to observe the effect of Huazhuo Sanjie Chubi prescription （HSCD） on the gouty bone erosion model rats and investigate its action mechanism. MethodsThirty-six two-month-old male SD rats were randomly divided into the blank group with nine rats and the modeling group with 27 rats. The rats in the modeling group were administered hypoxanthine solution at 300 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 and potassium oxonate solution at 250 mg·kg^-1·d^-1， combined with intra-articular injection of 200 μL monosodium urate （MSU） crystal suspension at 25 g·L^-1 into the right ankle joint （joint injection once every three days）， so as to induce the gouty bone erosion model. After four weeks of modeling， three rats were selected from these two groups to validate the model. The modeled 24 rats were randomly divided into the model group， HSCD group （10.35 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， allopurinol group （20 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， and inhibitor group （LY294002， 10 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， with six rats per group. Except for the blank group， rats in all other groups continued to receive hypoxanthine solution at 300 mg·kg^-1 and potassium oxonate solution at 250 mg·kg^-1 via gavage concurrently with administration to maintain modeling intervention. The rats in the HSCD group and allopurinol group received administration by gavage at the above doses. The rats in the inhibitor group received an intraperitoneal injection at the above dose. The rats in the blank group and model group received saline （10.35 g·kg^-1·d^-1） by gavage for four consecutive weeks. After administration， ankle joint swelling of the rats in all groups was observed， and the diameters were measured. Bone volume fraction （BV/TV） and bone surface area to bone volume （BS/BV） were observed and quantitatively analyzed by Micro-CT. Histopathological changes in the ankle joint were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and safranin O-fast green staining. The uric acid in the rats' serum was determined by enzyme colorimetry. The levels of inflammatory factors， including tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin （IL）-1β， and IL-6 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The protein expressions of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand （RANKL） and phosphorylated （p）-phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase （PI3K） in ankle joint tissues of rats were detected by immunofluorescence staining. The mRNA levels of the proteins related to the bone erosion， including RANKL， tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase （TRAP）， cathepsin K （CTSK）， and matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9） in the ankle joint tissues of rats were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. The expressions of the proteins related to the bone erosion， including RANKL， CTSK， TRAP， MMP-9， and the proteins related to the PI3K/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway， including PI3K， Akt， mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）， p-PI3K， phosphorylated protein kinase B （p-Akt）， and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin （p-mTOR）， were detected by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the modeling group showed marked ankle swelling and increased diameter. Micro-CT revealed an uneven articular surface and honeycomb-like bone erosion in the ankle joint. Quantitative analysis showed decreased BV/TV and increased BS/BV （P<0.05）. HE staining revealed a narrowed joint space， rough and discontinuous cartilage surfaces， reduced and unevenly distributed chondrocytes， partial hypertrophy， and blurred tidemarks， confirming successful model establishment. After four weeks of intervention， compared with those in the blank group， the rats in the model group exhibited severe ankle swelling and increased diameters （P<0.05）. Micro‑CT showed that the ankle joint surface was irregular， and bone erosion exhibited a honeycomb‑like morphology. The microstructural parameters of the bone revealed a decreased BV/TV and an increased BS/BV （P<0.05）. Histopathological examination revealed a narrowed joint space and severe articular cartilage destruction. The levels of uric acid in the serum and inflammatory factors （IL-1β， IL-6， and TNF-α） were increased （P<0.05）. The mRNA and protein levels of the proteins related to bone erosion in joint tissue， including RANKL， CTSK， TRAP， and MMP-9， were upregulated （P<0.05）. The ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and p-mTOR/mTOR in the proteins related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway were increased （P<0.05）. RANKL and p-PI3K protein fluorescence intensities were elevated （P<0.05）. Compared with those in the model group， the above indicators in all other administration groups showed varying degrees of improvement. The HSCD group and inhibitor groups exhibited more significant effects in reducing ankle swelling， improving bone erosion， bone microstructure （significant decrease in BV/TV and increase in BS/BV）， and the pathology of cartilage erosion， lowering inflammatory factor levels， downregulating the proteins related to the bone erosion， and suppressing activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway （P<0.05）. The uric acid levels in rats' serum were reduced in both HSCD and allopurinol groups （P<0.05）. Compared with those in the HSCD group， the rats in the allopurinol group had larger ankle diameters （P<0.05）， more severe bone erosion and bone microstructure damage （P<0.05）， worse improvement of the pathology of cartilage erosion， higher levels of IL-6 and TNF-α （P<0.05）， elevated expressions of the proteins related to the bone erosion， higher expression ratio of proteins related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway （P<0.05）， and higher fluorescence intensities of RANKL and p-PI3K proteins （P<0.05）. The inhibitor group achieved comparable results to the HSCD group in improvements of bone microstructure and the reduction of IL-1β and IL-6， stronger suppression of TNF-α and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway activation （P<0.05）， but weaker effects on cartilage repair and serum uric acid reduction （P<0.05）. ConclusionHSCD effectively reduces uric acid levels in serum， suppresses inflammatory factor secretion， and downregulates the expressions of proteins related to bone erosion， including RANKL， CTSK， TRAP， and MMP-9 in the joint tissues. Its action mechanism of improving gouty bone erosion may be associated with inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism of Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） in treating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） by regulating cell cycle and inhibiting proliferation， using bioinformatics technology and animal experiments. MethodsDifferential expressed genes （DEGs） related to CAG were screened using GEO database and GEO2R tool. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis （WGCNA） was employed to search for hub genes of CAG. These hub genes were intersected with cell cycle proliferation based on GeneCards database. Eenrichment analysis of the intersecting genes was performed to obtain signaling pathways and biological processes related to CAG. Protein protein interaction （PPI） analysis of genes was conducted using the Protein Interaction Platform （STRING） database to search the super hub gene （hub 2.0）， and animal experiments were conducted for further validation. Fourteen of 70 male Wistar rats were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining 56 rats were prepared by the combined modeling method of "starvation disorder+N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） + sodium salicylate". The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group， XLHZ-H， XLHZ-M， and XLHZ-L groups （36， 18， 9 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and Morodan group （1.4 g·kg^-1）. Each group was given corresponding intervention for 60 days. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa in rats. The ultrastructure of gastric mucosal tissue cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The relative expression levels of TGF-β₁， Smad2 and Smad3 proteins， S/G₂/M phase marker geminin and proliferation marker MCM2 were detected by Western blot in gastric mucosal tissue， and Spearman correlation analysis was performed. ResultsA total of 15 hub 2.0 genes were identified， including TGF-β₁， suggesting the involvement of the TGF-β₁ signaling pathway in the CAG pathogenesis. Compared with the normal group， the expressions of TGF-β₁， Smad2， geminin and MCM2 proteins in the gastric mucosa tissue of the model group were increased （P<0.05）， and the expression of Smad3 protein was decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the expressions of TGF-β₁ and geminin in the gastric mucosa were decreased in the drug groups （P<0.05）. The XLHZ-M group， XLHZ-H group and Morodan group had significantly decreased protein expression of Smad2 and MCM2 （P<0.05）. The protein expression of Smad3 was significantly increased in XLHZ-M， XLHZ-H， and Morodan groups （P<0.05）. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Smad3 was negatively correlated with other indicators， and positively correlated with other indicators （P<0.01）. ConclusionXLHZ may inhibit TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway， regulate cell cycle， and inhibit proliferation in the treatment of CAG.

ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism of Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） in treating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） by regulating cell cycle and inhibiting proliferation， using bioinformatics technology and animal experiments. MethodsDifferential expressed genes （DEGs） related to CAG were screened using GEO database and GEO2R tool. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis （WGCNA） was employed to search for hub genes of CAG. These hub genes were intersected with cell cycle proliferation based on GeneCards database. Eenrichment analysis of the intersecting genes was performed to obtain signaling pathways and biological processes related to CAG. Protein protein interaction （PPI） analysis of genes was conducted using the Protein Interaction Platform （STRING） database to search the super hub gene （hub 2.0）， and animal experiments were conducted for further validation. Fourteen of 70 male Wistar rats were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining 56 rats were prepared by the combined modeling method of "starvation disorder+N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） + sodium salicylate". The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group， XLHZ-H， XLHZ-M， and XLHZ-L groups （36， 18， 9 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and Morodan group （1.4 g·kg^-1）. Each group was given corresponding intervention for 60 days. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa in rats. The ultrastructure of gastric mucosal tissue cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The relative expression levels of TGF-β₁， Smad2 and Smad3 proteins， S/G₂/M phase marker geminin and proliferation marker MCM2 were detected by Western blot in gastric mucosal tissue， and Spearman correlation analysis was performed. ResultsA total of 15 hub 2.0 genes were identified， including TGF-β₁， suggesting the involvement of the TGF-β₁ signaling pathway in the CAG pathogenesis. Compared with the normal group， the expressions of TGF-β₁， Smad2， geminin and MCM2 proteins in the gastric mucosa tissue of the model group were increased （P<0.05）， and the expression of Smad3 protein was decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the expressions of TGF-β₁ and geminin in the gastric mucosa were decreased in the drug groups （P<0.05）. The XLHZ-M group， XLHZ-H group and Morodan group had significantly decreased protein expression of Smad2 and MCM2 （P<0.05）. The protein expression of Smad3 was significantly increased in XLHZ-M， XLHZ-H， and Morodan groups （P<0.05）. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Smad3 was negatively correlated with other indicators， and positively correlated with other indicators （P<0.01）. ConclusionXLHZ may inhibit TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway， regulate cell cycle， and inhibit proliferation in the treatment of CAG.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to explore the risk factors for chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） with turbidity toxin accumulation syndrome and establish a prediction model. MethodsClinical data of 180 patients with CAG who participated in the "clinical study of Xianglian Huazhuo Particles blocking CAG cancer transformation" of Hebei Sheng Zhong Yi Yuan from July 2021 to March 2022 were collected. After confounding factors were controlled by propensity score matching， patients were divided into a training set （namely dev） and a validation set （namely vad） in a seven to three ratio. The risk factors for CAG with turbidity toxin accumulation syndrome in the training set were investigated by using univariate Logistic regression analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator （namely Lasso） regression algorithms. Subsequently， a model， named model 1se， was developed by using the training set data to predict the risk factors for CAG with turbidity toxin accumulation syndrome. The accuracy of the prediction model was assessed by using various methods， including the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， Hosmer-Lemeshow test （H-L）， calibration plot， and decision curve analysis （DCA）. ResultsAge， body mass index （BMI）， family history of cancer， job and life satisfaction， yellow and greasy fur with slippery pulse， and heavy body sensation were independent risk factors of the model. The prediction model showed excellent predictive value for both the training and validation sets. ConclusionThe established prediction model for CAG with turbidity toxin accumulation syndrome has high discrimination and excellent calibration， which could provide an excellent clinical basis for disease diagnosis and individualized treatment of patients.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to explore the risk factors for chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） with turbidity toxin accumulation syndrome and establish a prediction model. MethodsClinical data of 180 patients with CAG who participated in the "clinical study of Xianglian Huazhuo Particles blocking CAG cancer transformation" of Hebei Sheng Zhong Yi Yuan from July 2021 to March 2022 were collected. After confounding factors were controlled by propensity score matching， patients were divided into a training set （namely dev） and a validation set （namely vad） in a seven to three ratio. The risk factors for CAG with turbidity toxin accumulation syndrome in the training set were investigated by using univariate Logistic regression analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator （namely Lasso） regression algorithms. Subsequently， a model， named model 1se， was developed by using the training set data to predict the risk factors for CAG with turbidity toxin accumulation syndrome. The accuracy of the prediction model was assessed by using various methods， including the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， Hosmer-Lemeshow test （H-L）， calibration plot， and decision curve analysis （DCA）. ResultsAge， body mass index （BMI）， family history of cancer， job and life satisfaction， yellow and greasy fur with slippery pulse， and heavy body sensation were independent risk factors of the model. The prediction model showed excellent predictive value for both the training and validation sets. ConclusionThe established prediction model for CAG with turbidity toxin accumulation syndrome has high discrimination and excellent calibration， which could provide an excellent clinical basis for disease diagnosis and individualized treatment of patients.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Danggui Shaoyaosan on macrophage polarization and renal inflammation in db/db mice with diabetic kidney disease （DKD）， and to explore its renal protective effects and underlying mechanisms. MethodsEight db/m mice were assigned to the normal group， and forty db/db mice were randomly divided into a model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose Danggui Shaoyaosan groups （8.39， 16.77， 33.54 g·kg^-1）， and an irbesartan group （0.025 g·kg^-1）. All mice were administered treatment by gavage for 12 consecutive weeks. General conditions of the mice were observed during the intervention. At the end of the 12-week intervention， 24-h urine samples were collected using metabolic cages， after which the mice were anesthetized for sample collection. Blood was collected by enucleation and centrifuged to obtain serum for the determination of glycated serum protein （GSP）， serum creatinine （SCr）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， total cholesterol （TC）， and triglycerides （TG）. The urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio （UACR） was measured. Renal pathological changes were observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） staining， and Masson staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-10 （IL-10）， and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 （MCP-1） levels. Immunofluorescence （IF） was performed to detect F4/80 expression in renal tissue， and immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to assess CD206 expression. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was employed to measure the mRNA expression of TNF-α， IL-10， inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS）， and arginase-1 （Arg-1）. Western blot analysis was used to detect the protein expression of iNOS， Arg-1， CD86， and CD206 in renal tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased levels of GSP， UACR， SCr， BUN， TC， and TG， elevated levels of the inflammatory factor TNF-α and the chemokine MCP-1， and decreased IL-10 levels （P<0.01）. Pathological examination revealed glomerular hypertrophy， mesangial cell proliferation with marked mesangial expansion， inflammatory cell infiltration， vacuolar degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cells， prominent glycogen deposition， and increased collagen fiber deposition. In addition， relative F4/80 fluorescence intensity was enhanced， CD206 expression in the glomeruli and renal interstitium was reduced， and TNF-α and iNOS mRNA expression was increased. IL-10 and Arg-1 mRNA expression was decreased， iNOS and CD86 protein expression was increased， and Arg-1 and CD206 protein expression was decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the Danggui Shaoyaosan groups and the irbesartan group showed decreased levels of GSP， UACR， SCr， BUN， TC， and TG， reduced serum TNF-α and MCP-1 levels， and increased IL-10 levels. Renal pathological damage was improved to varying degrees. Relative F4/80 fluorescence intensity was reduced， CD206 expression in the glomeruli and renal interstitium was increased， and TNF-α and iNOS mRNA expression was decreased. IL-10 and Arg-1 mRNA expression was increased， iNOS and CD86 protein expression was reduced， and Arg-1 and CD206 protein expression was increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionDanggui Shaoyaosan can improve renal function and alleviate renal pathological damage in db/db mice. Its mechanism may be related to inhibiting M1 pro-inflammatory macrophage polarization， promoting M2 anti-inflammatory macrophage polarization， reducing inflammatory responses， delaying the progression of renal fibrosis， improving renal pathological injury， and thereby exerting renal protective effects.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcomes of combined complete preservation of chordal structure mitral valve replacement (C-MVR) with total anatomical arterial myocardial revascularization (TACR) in coronary patients with moderate-to-severe or severe ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR).Methods:This is a retrospective multi-center case series study. Data were retrospectively collected from 127 patients with coronary artery disease with moderate to severe or severe IMR who received TACR with C-MVR from July 2015 to April 2024 in 13 hospitals in China. There were 90 males and 37 females, aged (56.5±10.7) years (range: 33 to 74 years). Perioperative data and follow-up data including left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, and patency rate of arterial grafts of patients were collected. Comparisons were made using paired sample t-test or χ2 test. Results:In this cohort of 127 patients, 67 underwent concurrent tricuspid valve repair. During surgery, 113 grafts of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA), 127 grafts of the left radial artery, 80 grafts of the right radial artery, and 110 grafts of the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) were harvested. The number of the distal anastomosis was 4.2±0.4 (range: 3 to 5). The aortic cross-clamp time and cardiopulmonary bypass time were (97.5±23.4) minutes (range: 90 to 161 minutes) and (145.4±19.2) minutes (range: 101 to 210 minutes), respectively. There was one operative death. Intraoperative placement of an intra-aortic balloon pump was performed in 21 patients to improve the left ventricular ejection. No sternal ischemic occurred. All patients completed follow-up, with a mean follow-up period of (64.3±7.5) months (range: 4 to 110 months). No major cerebrovascular events occurred during the follow-up period, and all patients survived. Left ventricular ejection fraction improved postoperatively (55.0%±5.3% vs. 41.0%±15.3%, t=17.23, P<0.01). The proportion of patients with New York Heart Association functional class ≤2 increased postoperatively (23.6% (30/127) vs. 87.3% (110/126), χ2=103.77, P<0.01). The proportion of patients with Canadian Cardiovascular Society Angina Classification ≤3 decreased postoperatively (4.8% (6/126) vs. 78.7% (100/127), χ2=142.19, P<0.01). The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased postoperatively ((5.70±4.50) cm vs. (6.10±0.23) cm, t=12.15, P<0.01). Coronary multi-detector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) follow-up was conducted for (60.5±11.7) months (range: 6 to 109 months) postoperatively. MDCTA confirmed the patency rates of the grafts: 96.4% (108/112) for the LIMA grafts, 88.9% (112/126) for the left radial artery grafts, 93.7% (74/79) for the right radial artery grafts, and 90.9% (100/110) for the free RIMA grafts. No significant differences in graft patency rates were observed between the arterial grafts ( χ2=5.24, P=0.155). Conclusion:The results of this multi-centre study demonstrate satisfactory mid-term results of C-MVR with TACR for the treatment of coronary artery disease with moderate to severe or severe IMR.

To investigate the mechanism of action of Syngnathus extract in treating knee osteoarthritis of rats, forty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into the blank group, model group, positive drug group, as well as low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose groups of Syngnathus extract. The rat model of knee osteoarthritis was constructed by intra-articular injection of sodium iodoacetate. After successful modeling, celecoxib(18 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)) and Syngnathus extract(0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)) were given in different groups by gavage intervention for two weeks. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of cartilage in knee joints, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the expression level of inflammatory factors in serum. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt)/mammalian target protein of rapamycin(mTOR) pathway-related mRNA and protein expression. The results showed that, comparied with the blank group, the cartilage surface of the knee joints of rats in the model group was uneven, with disorganized levels and defective cartilage tissue. The serum levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and the mRNA levels of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR in cartilage tissue, as well as the protein expression levels of phosphorylated PI3K(p-PI3K)/PI3K, phosphorylated Akt(p-Akt)/Akt, phosphorylated mTOR(p-mTOR)/mTOR, and P62 were significantly increased. Beclin1 protein expression was decreased. Comparied with the model group, the number of chondrocytes in the knee joint of rats in each group of Syngnathus extract increased, and the arrangement of chondrocytes was relatively neat. The cartilage layer was restored, and the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, as well as the mRNA expression levels of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR in cartilage tissue were significantly reduced. The protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt, p-mTOR/mTOR, and P62 were significantly reduced in the rats in the middle-dose and high-dose groups of Syngnathus extract, and the Beclin1 protein expression was significantly increased. The protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt, and P62 in rats in the low-dose group of Syngnathus extract were significantly reduced. In summary, Syngnathus extract may be used to treat knee osteoarthritis by inhibiting the expression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, so as to alleviate the inflammatory response in the organism, enhance the autophagy activity of chondrocytes, and reduce the apoptosis of chondrocytes.
Animals ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Rats ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Humans

Based on the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor(α7nAChR), this study examined how tetrahydropalmatine(THP) affected BV2 microglia exposed to lipopolysaccharide(LPS), aiming to clarify the possible mechanism underlying the anti-depression effect of THP from the perspectives of preventing inflammation and regulating polarization. First, after molecular docking and determination of the content of Corydalis saxicola Bunting total alkaloids, THP was initially identified as a possible anti-depression component. The BV2 microglia model of inflammation was established with LPS. BV2 microglia were allocated into a normal group, a model group, low-and high-dose(20 and 40 μmol·L~(-1), respectively) THP groups, and a THP(20 μmol·L~(-1))+α7nAChR-specific antagonist MLA(1 μmol·L~(-1)) group. The CCK-8 assay was used to screen the safe concentration of THP. A light microscope was used to examine the morphology of the cells. Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to determine the expression of α7nAChR. qRT-PCR was performed to determine the mRNA levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS), cluster of differentiation 86(CD86), suppressor of cytokine signaling 3(SOCS3), arginase-1(Arg-1), cluster of differentiation 206(CD206), tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α, interleukin(IL)-6, and IL-1β. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was employed to measure the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in the cell supernatant. The experimental results showed that THP at concentrations of 40 μmol·L~(-1) and below had no effect on BV2 microglia. THP improved the morphology of BV2 microglia, significantly up-regulated the protein level of α7nAChR, significantly down-regulated the mRNA levels of iNOS, CD86, SOCS3, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, significantly up-regulated the mRNA levels of Arg-1 and CD206, and dramatically lowered the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in the cell supernatant. However, the antagonist MLA abolished the above-mentioned ameliorative effects of THP on LPS-treated BV2 microglia. As demonstrated by the aforementioned findings, THP protected LPS-treated BV2 microglia by regulating the M1/M2 polarization and preventing inflammation, which might be connected to the regulation of α7nAChR on BV2 microglia.
Berberine Alkaloids/chemistry* ; alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor/chemistry* ; Microglia/metabolism* ; Mice ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Corydalis/chemistry* ; Humans ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/immunology* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology*