This study investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of vanillic acid(VA) against cardiac fibrosis(CF) induced by isoproterenol(ISO) in mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control group, VA group(100 mg·kg~(-1), ig), ISO group(10 mg·kg~(-1), sc), ISO + VA group(10 mg·kg~(-1), sc + 100 mg·kg~(-1), ig), ISO + dynamin-related protein 1(Drp1) inhibitor(Mdivi-1) group(10 mg·kg~(-1), sc + 50 mg·kg~(-1), ip), and ISO + VA + Mdivi-1 group(10 mg·kg~(-1), sc + 100 mg·kg~(-1), ig + 50 mg·kg~(-1), ip). The treatment groups received the corresponding medications once daily for 14 consecutive days. On the day after the last administration, cardiac functions were evaluated, and serum and cardiac tissue samples were collected. These samples were analyzed for serum aspartate aminotransferase(AST), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), creatine kinase-MB(CK-MB), cardiac troponin I(cTnI), reactive oxygen species(ROS), interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) levels, as well as cardiac tissue catalase(CAT), glutathione(GSH), malondialdehyde(MDA), myeloperoxidase(MPO), superoxide dismutase(SOD), total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC) activities, and cytochrome C levels in mitochondria and cytoplasm. Hematoxylin-eosin, Masson, uranium acetate and lead citrate staining were used to observe morphological and mitochondrial ultrastructural changes in the cardiac tissues, and myocardial injury area and collagen volume fraction were calculated. Flow cytometry was applied to detect the relative content and M1/M2 polarization of cardiac macrophages. The mRNA expression levels of macrophage polarization markers [CD86, CD206, arginase 1(Arg-1), inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS)], CF markers [type Ⅰ collagen(Coll Ⅰ), Coll Ⅲ, α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)], and cytokines(IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-18, TNF-α) in cardiac tissues were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of Coll Ⅰ, Coll Ⅲ, α-SMA, Drp1, p-Drp1, voltage-dependent anion channel(VDAC), hexokinase 1(HK1), NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein(ASC), caspase-1, cleaved-caspase-1, gasdermin D(GSDMD), cleaved N-terminal gasdermin D(GSDMD-N), IL-1β, IL-18, B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2), B-cell lymphoma-xl(Bcl-xl), Bcl-2-associated death promoter(Bad), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax), apoptotic protease activating factor-1(Apaf-1), pro-caspase-3, cleaved-caspase-3, pro-caspase-9, cleaved-caspase-9, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1(PARP-1), and cleaved-PARP-1 in cardiac tissues. The results showed that VA significantly improved cardiac function in mice with CF, reduced myocardial injury area and cardiac index, and decreased serum levels of AST, CK-MB, cTnI, LDH, ROS, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α. VA also lowered MDA and MPO levels, mRNA expressions of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α, and mRNA and protein expressions of Coll Ⅰ, Coll Ⅲ, and α-SMA in cardiac tissues, and increased serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10, cardiac tissue levels of CAT, GSH, SOD, and T-AOC, and mRNA expressions of IL-4 and IL-10. Additionally, VA ameliorated cardiac pathological damage, inhibited myocardial cell apoptosis, inflammatory infiltration, and collagen fiber deposition, reduced collagen volume fraction, and alleviated mitochondrial damage. VA decreased the ratio of F4/80~+CD86~+ M1 cells and the mRNA expressions of CD86 and iNOS in cardiac tissue, and increased the ratio of F4/80~+CD206~+ M2 cells and the mRNA expressions of CD206 and Arg-1. VA also reduced protein expressions of p-Drp1, VDAC, NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, cleaved-caspase-1, GSDMD, GSDMD-N, IL-1β, IL-18, Bad, Bax, Apaf-1, cleaved-caspase-3, cleaved-caspase-9, cleaved-PARP-1, and cytoplasmic cytochrome C, and increased the expressions of HK1, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, pro-caspase-3, pro-caspase-9 proteins, as well as the Bcl-2/Bax and Bcl-xl/Bad ratios and mitochondrial cytochrome C content. These results indicate that VA has a significant ameliorative effect on ISO-induced CF in mice, alleviates ISO-induced oxidative damage and inflammatory response, and its mechanism may be closely related to the inhibition of Drp1/HK1/NLRP3 and mitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathways, suppression of myocardial cell inflammatory infiltration and collagen fiber deposition, reduction of collagen volume fraction and CollⅠ, Coll Ⅲ, and α-SMA expressions, thus mitigating CF.
Animals ; Isoproterenol/adverse effects* ; Male ; Mice ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Vanillic Acid/administration & dosage* ; Dynamins/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Fibrosis/genetics* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Humans

Non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer worldwide, accounting for approximately 80%-85% of all lung cancer cases. Despite the clinical benefits of traditional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, challenges such as the high rate of postoperative recurrence and resistance of some patients to chemotherapy and targeted therapies limit their effectiveness, necessitating the exploration of more effective treatment options. In recent years, immunotherapy, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs), has revolutionized NSCLC treatment and significantly improved the survival prognosis of some patients. However, the efficacy of immunotherapy is limited by tumor immune escape, drug resistance, and immune-related adverse events(irAEs), which have not been effectively addressed. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), as a traditional therapeutic approach, has shown unique advantages in NSCLC treatment, with studies indicating its ability to enhance immune responses, regulate immune checkpoints, and improve the tumor microenvironment(TME), thus boosting the efficacy of immunotherapy. Additionally, the multi-target and multi-pathway effects of TCM help mitigate the side effects of immunotherapy, further improving efficacy and safety. This review summarizes the latest research progress of TCM in NSCLC immunotherapy, focusing on the research results of TCM in enhancing the effect of immunotherapy by regulating immune cells, optimizing the immune microenvironment, and being applied with ICIs, etc. The latest research progress of TCM in alleviating irAEs is also elucidated. The aim is to provide theoretical support for the clinical application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of NSCLC and the research and development of new drugs and promote the optimization and development of combined immunotherapy and TCM treatment models.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/therapy* ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Immunotherapy/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Animals ; Tumor Microenvironment/drug effects*

Prunellae Spica is the dried spica of Prunella vulgaris belonging to Labiatae and it is widely used in pharmaceutical and general health fields. As a traditional Chinese medicine cultivated on a large scale, it produces a large amount of non-medicinal parts, which are discarded because they are not effectively used. To analyze the chemical constituents in the different samples from spica, seed, stem, and leaf of P. vulgaris, and explore the application value and development prospect of these parts, this study used ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupoles time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) to detect chemical constituents in different parts of P. vulgaris. As a result, 117 compounds were detected. Among them, 87 compounds were identified, including 32 phenolic acids, 8 flavonoids, and 45 triterpenoid saponins. Some new triterpenoid saponins containing the sugar chain with 4-6 sugar units were found. Further, multivariate statistical analysis was conducted on BPI chromatographic peaks of multiple batches of different parts, and the results showed that spica had the most abundant chemical constituents, including salviaflaside and linolenic acid highly contained in the seed and phenolic acids, flavonoids, and triterpenoid saponins in the stem and leaf. In general, the constituents in the spica were composed of those in the seed, stem, and leaf. UPLC was used to determine the content of 6 phenolic acids(danshensu, protocatechuic acid, protocatechuic aldehyde, caffeic acid, salviaflaside, and rosmarinic acid) in different parts. The content of other phenolic acids in the seed was generally lower than that in the spica except that of salviaflaside. The content of salviaflaside in the spica was higher than that in the stem and leaf, but the content of other phenolic acids in the spica was not significantly different from that in the stem. The content of protocatechuic aldehyde and caffeic acid in the spica was lower than that in the leaf. DPPH free radical scavenging method was used to detect the antioxidant activity of four parts, and there was no significant difference in the antioxidant activity between the spica and the stem and leaf, but that was significantly higher than the seed. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of these parts was correlated with the content of total phenolic acids. Based on the above findings, the stem and leaf of P. vulgaris have potential application value. Considering the traditional medication rule, it is feasible to use the whole plant as a medicine. Alternatively, salviaflaside, occurring in the seed, can be used as a marker compound for the quality evaluation of Prunellae Spica, if only using spica as the medicinal part of P. vulgaris, as described in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition).
Antioxidants/chemistry* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Prunella/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Caffeic Acids ; Flavonoids/analysis* ; Triterpenes/analysis* ; Saponins ; Sugars

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe in promoting ferroptosis of tumor cells and inhibi-ting the growth of transplanted tumors in hepatocellular carcinoma mice by proteomics method.METHODS C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into,model group,low-and high-dose groups of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe,Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe combined with ferropto-sis inhibitor group,ferroptosis inhibitor group and cisplatin group.The H22 mouse transplantation tumor model was constructed and the drug administration interventions were as follows:the low-and high-dose groups of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe were given Xiaoai Jiedu Reci-pe by gavage at the doses of 10 and 20 g·kg-1·d-1;the ferroptosis inhibitor group was given Liproxstatin-1 by intraperitoneal injec-tion at the dose of 10 mg·kg-1·d-1;the cisplatin group was given cisplatin by intraperitoneal injection at the dose of 10 mg·kg-1·d-1;the Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe combined with ferroptosis inhibitor group was given a gavage dose of 20 g·kg-1·d-1of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe and an intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg·kg-1·d-1 of the ferroptosis inhibitor Liproxstatin-1;the model group was given an equal amount of saline by gavage.The drugs were administered for 11 d continuously.The tumors were stripped to calcu-late tumor inhibition rate.Pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE).Mitochondrial structural changes were ob-served by transmission electron microscopy.Reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels were detected by flow cytometry.Serum was pre-pared and analysed by TMT peptide labelling combined with LC-MS/MS to find differential protein expression profiles,applying IPA software.Serum iron ions,glutathione(GSH)and malondialdehyde(MDA)levels were measured biochemically.Protein expression levels of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2),heme oxygenase-1(HMOX1),cystine/glutamate reverse transporter protein(SLC7A11)and glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4)were measured by protein Western blot.RESULTS The tumor growth was inhibi-ted in the low-and high-dose groups and the cisplatin group,with inhibition rates of 36.12%,51.63%and 57.43%,respectively,while the tumor growth was promoted in the ferroptosis inhibitor group,with an inhibition rate of-45.56%,and the tumor size was re-duced in the Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe combined with ferroptosis inhibitor group compared with the ferroptosis inhibitor group,with an inhi-bition rate of 18.11%.HE staining showed that apoptotic cells and a large number of vacuoles accumulated in the tumor tissues of the high-dose group and the cisplatin group.Transmission electron microscopy showed that the mitochondrial atrophy and membrane densi-ty increased to a certain extent in the low and high-dose groups of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe.Flow cytometry results showed that ROS levels were significantly increased after the intervention of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe(P<0.01).Proteomic tests showed that there were 129 differ-ential proteins,including 62 down-regulated proteins and 67 up-regulated proteins,in the high-dose group of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe compared with the model group,and these differential expressions were involved in lipid metabolism,et al.The results of biochemical tests showed that the intervention of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe increased the serum iron and MDA levels,and decreased the GSH level in mice.Western blot results showed that the protein expression levels of Nrf2 and HMOX1 increased,and those of SLC7A11 and GPX4 decreased after the intervention of the high-dose group of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe(P<0.01).CONCLUSION Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe pro-motes ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by inducing the Nrf2/HMOX1 signaling pathway,regulating oxidative stress and ele-vating the level of lipid peroxidation,which may be one of its mechanisms of action in inhibiting the growth of transplanted tumors.

For a long time, the cultivation of medical students’ scientific research and innovation abilitymainly depends on scattered extracurricular scientific research activities. With limited students, unsystematic teaching and inadequate administrative guarantee, it often results in obvious weakness andinefficiency. Since 2002, the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology teaching team in Shantou UniversityMedical College has been working on a “3+X” model to nurture the scientific research and innovationability of medical students. Guided by the concepts of complementary development of science andeducation, student-centeredness, and Problem-based Learning, a model is established based on the‘HEART” professionalism courses and the academy culture specific to Shantou University. We also takefull advantage of the first-tier disciplines of biology, basic medicine and clinical medicine in ShantouUniversity and collaborate with other professional teaching teams. It is conceptualized in a framework thatembraces the comprehensive connotation of scientific research and innovation ability and adopts a corecurriculum system that runs through the 5-year medical undergraduate education. In this model, " 3" means " whole-person training", " whole-process training" and " omni-directional training" for medicalstudents; " X" refers to several confirmatory dimensions of the operational effectiveness of the " 3+X" model, including organizing medical students to participate in various forms of national college students’ innovative experimental research competitions, international college students’ academic seminars, writingand publishing academic papers by medical undergraduates as the first author, etc. The model proves tobe effective in cultivating the scientific research and innovation ability of medical students, hence settinga good example to solve the current problems in the cultivation of medical students’ scientific researchand innovation ability.

Objective: The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population. Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models. Results: A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices). Conclusion An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose/analysis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/blood* ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Glycated Hemoglobin A/analysis* ; Glycemic Index ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid/blood*

Objective: To explore the anti-lung cancer mechanism of Maimendong Tang and Qianjin Weijingtang (Jin Fang) by detecting the expression profiles of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and mRNA in mice tumor tissues of orthotopic Lewis lung cancer model. Method: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal group, model group and Jin Fang group (20 g·kg^-1·d^-1). After successful establishment of Lewis lung cancer model in situ in mice, Jin Fang was given orally the next day after treatment. Using gene chip technology, differential lncRNA and mRNA closely related with Jin Fang' s anti-lung cancer effect were detected, and cluster analysis was performed. The key lncRNA and mRNA were screened out by t-test and fold change of differential expression. Bioinformatic methods were used to predict target genes regulated by differential lncRNA, and functional and pathway analysis was performed. The histopathological technique was used to detect the differences in the tumor tissue of each group under light microscope. Result: lncRNA and mRNA chip hybridization results showed that Jin Fang regulated differential expressions of 887 lncRNA, in which 442 were up-regulated and 445 were down-regulated (P<0.05). There were 610 differential mRNA expressions, in which 376 were up-regulated and 234 were down-regulated(P<0.05). GO analysis showed that down-regulated or up-regulated target genes were mainly involved in biological processes (BP), such as cell metabolism regulation and signal pathway regulation. Molecular function (MF) analysis showed such functions DNA binding, protein binding, receptor binding and transcription factor activity in down-regulated or up-regulated target genes. Target genes were involved in multiple biological processes, cellular components and molecular functions. Signal pathway predictions indicated that Jin Fang can regulate the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of tran-ions(JAK/STAT) and other signaling pathways closely related to the development of lung cancer. The results of histopathological examination confirmed that Jin Fang could significantly improve the pathological changes of lung tissues in the mice compared with the model group. Conclusion: Jin Fang may exert its anti-lung cancer effect by regulating the expressions of multiple lncRNAs and mRNAs, and down-regulating related signaling pathways.

Aim To determine the effect of cornel iri-doid glycoside ( CIG ) on human hepatocyte cell line (L-02) injured by D-galactosamine (GalN) and tumor necrosis factor-α( TNF-α) .Methods Firstly, CIG was extracted , separated and purified . Cell lesion model injured by D-GalN/TNF-αwas tested by MTT method.T-AOC, SOD, MDA and calcium ion concen-tration were taken as indicators to study the effects of CIG on L-02 cell injured by D-GalN/TNF-α.The ex-pression of p-PERK, p-eIF-2α, caspase-3 protein were detected by Western blot .Results 44 mg · L-1 D-GalN and 100 μg · L-1 TNF-αwere suitable for L-02 cell lesion model.CIG high, middle, low concentra-tion group could significantly increase the L-02 cell ac-tivity by 21％, 13％, 8％, respectively and SOD activity and T-AOC ability as well compared with model group.At the same time, they markedly reduced the MDA activity except the low concentration .Three con-centrations of CIG could reduce the expression of endo-plasmic reticulum stress related protein PERK , eIF-2αand apoptosis-associated protein caspase-3. Conclu-sions CIG could protect L-02 cells injured by D-GalN/TNF-α.Increasing the cellular antioxidant abili-ty, reducing the damage of endoplasmic reticulum stress and the expression of apoptosis-associated protein may be the possible mechanism .

Myopia has become a common disease all over the world,affecting the public quality of life and endangering public health.Exploring the pathogenesis is helpful for the prevention and treatment for myopia.However,the pathogenesis of myopia is still not clear,which makes it a hotspot and nodus.From the 1970s,the research on myopic animal models has made great breakthrough.It has provided valuable evidences and hint for mechanism research from the perspective of molecular mechanism,signal pathway,drug intervention,etc.In this paper,the research progess on common myopic animal models and pathogenesis will be reviewed.

The concept of relieving exterior-interior syndrome combined with diaphoretic,harmonizing,clearing and purga-tive method is put forward for the treatment of influenza,which can be divided into the common syndrome and deteriorated syndrome based on syndrome differentiation.This preliminary scheme provides new thoughts and methods for treating influen-za from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine.