ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Huangqi Chifengtang （HQCFT） on rats with atherosclerosis （AS） by regulating the gut microbiota and their metabolites. MethodsA rat model of AS was induced through high-fat diet feeding and vitamin D₃ injection， and the modeling lasted for 12 weeks. Fifty eight-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups： A blank group， a model group， a group receiving a low dose of HQCFT at 1.53 g·kg^-1 （HQCFT-L group）， a group receiving a high dose of HQCFT at 3.06 g·kg^-1 （HQCFT-H group）， and a group receiving atorvastatin calcium tablets at 1.8 mg·kg^-1 （Ato group）， with 10 rats in each group. Oral gavage administration started on the day after model establishment， once daily for four weeks. The efficacy of HQCFT was verified using aortic hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and determination of lipid levels and hemorrheology. The real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used for detecting inflammatory factor levels in the aorta， high-throughput sequencing for analyzing the gut microbiota composition in intestinal contents， targeted metabolomics for detecting short-chain fatty acid （SCFA） levels， and non-targeted metabolomics for identifying metabolomic profiles of intestinal contents. ResultsCompared with that in the blank group， the aortic tissue of rats in the model group showed significant AS lesions， including endothelial damage， inflammatory infiltration， and formation of fibrous plaques and calcified foci. Moreover， serum triacylglycerol （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels were significantly elevated （P<0.05）， while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Significant increases were observed in whole blood viscosity， plasma viscosity， and the mRNA expression levels of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1， interleukin （IL）-β， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in aortic tissue （P<0.05）. Additionally， gut microbiota composition， SCFA levels， and metabolomic profiles were significantly altered. Compared with those in the model group， serum TC， TG， and LDL-C levels， as well as the whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity， were significantly reduced in all groups treated with HQCFT （P<0.05）. Significant decreases were observed in NLRP3 mRNA expression levels in all groups treated with HQCFT， Caspase-1， IL-β， and IL-6 mRNA expression levels in the HQCFT-H group， and TNF-α mRNA expression levels in the HQCFT-L group （P<0.05）. HQCFT reversed the increase in the F/B ratio and dialled back the decrease in the relative abundance of Blautia and the increase in that of Desulfovibrio. HQCFT promoted the production of acetic acid， valeric acid， and propionic acid. Non-targeted metabolomics identified 39 differential metabolites， which were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid metabolism and primary bile acid biosynthesis. ConclusionThe mechanism by which HQCFT ameliorates AS injury may be related to the improvement of dyslipidemia and body inflammatory responses by altering gut microbiota composition， promoting SCFA production， and regulating the levels of metabolites in intestinal contents.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Huangqi Chifengtang （HQCFT） on rats with atherosclerosis （AS） by regulating the gut microbiota and their metabolites. MethodsA rat model of AS was induced through high-fat diet feeding and vitamin D₃ injection， and the modeling lasted for 12 weeks. Fifty eight-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups： A blank group， a model group， a group receiving a low dose of HQCFT at 1.53 g·kg^-1 （HQCFT-L group）， a group receiving a high dose of HQCFT at 3.06 g·kg^-1 （HQCFT-H group）， and a group receiving atorvastatin calcium tablets at 1.8 mg·kg^-1 （Ato group）， with 10 rats in each group. Oral gavage administration started on the day after model establishment， once daily for four weeks. The efficacy of HQCFT was verified using aortic hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and determination of lipid levels and hemorrheology. The real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used for detecting inflammatory factor levels in the aorta， high-throughput sequencing for analyzing the gut microbiota composition in intestinal contents， targeted metabolomics for detecting short-chain fatty acid （SCFA） levels， and non-targeted metabolomics for identifying metabolomic profiles of intestinal contents. ResultsCompared with that in the blank group， the aortic tissue of rats in the model group showed significant AS lesions， including endothelial damage， inflammatory infiltration， and formation of fibrous plaques and calcified foci. Moreover， serum triacylglycerol （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels were significantly elevated （P<0.05）， while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Significant increases were observed in whole blood viscosity， plasma viscosity， and the mRNA expression levels of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1， interleukin （IL）-β， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in aortic tissue （P<0.05）. Additionally， gut microbiota composition， SCFA levels， and metabolomic profiles were significantly altered. Compared with those in the model group， serum TC， TG， and LDL-C levels， as well as the whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity， were significantly reduced in all groups treated with HQCFT （P<0.05）. Significant decreases were observed in NLRP3 mRNA expression levels in all groups treated with HQCFT， Caspase-1， IL-β， and IL-6 mRNA expression levels in the HQCFT-H group， and TNF-α mRNA expression levels in the HQCFT-L group （P<0.05）. HQCFT reversed the increase in the F/B ratio and dialled back the decrease in the relative abundance of Blautia and the increase in that of Desulfovibrio. HQCFT promoted the production of acetic acid， valeric acid， and propionic acid. Non-targeted metabolomics identified 39 differential metabolites， which were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid metabolism and primary bile acid biosynthesis. ConclusionThe mechanism by which HQCFT ameliorates AS injury may be related to the improvement of dyslipidemia and body inflammatory responses by altering gut microbiota composition， promoting SCFA production， and regulating the levels of metabolites in intestinal contents.

Traditional chemotherapy is the cornerstone of comprehensive treatment for gastric cancer, but its recurrence and metastasis rates are high, and the overall prognosis is not ideal. The rise of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has brought new hope to gastric cancer patients and changed the current pattern of comprehensive treatment for gastric cancer. With the increasing use of ICI, immune related adverse reactions (irAEs) such as skin toxicity and gastrointestinal toxicity are becoming increasingly common. Scientific understanding, early diagnosis, and graded management are currently the main strategies for handling irAEs. This article aims to review the mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and prediction, treatment, and management of irAEs after ICI treatment of gastric cancer, in order to enhance the understanding of irAEs among clinical physicians, better manage immunotherapy related adverse reactions, and improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients.

Objective:To investigate the prognosis of patients with initially resectable gastric cancer liver metastasis (GCLM) who were treated by different modalities, and analyze the influencing factors for prognosis of patients.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 327 patients with initially resectable GCLM who were included in the database of a nationwide multicenter retrospective cohort study on GCLM based on real-world data from January 2010 to December 2019 were collected. There were 267 males and 60 females, aged 61(54,68)years. According to the specific situations of patients, treatment modalities included radical surgery combined with systemic treatment, palliative surgery combined with systemic treatment, and systemic treatment alone. Observation indicators: (1) clinical characteristics of patients who were treated by different modalities; (2) prognostic outcomes of patients who were treated by different modalities; (3) analysis of influencing factors for prognosis of patients with initially resectable GCLM; (4) screening of potential beneficiaries in patients who were treated by radical surgery plus systemic treatment and patients who were treated by palliative surgery plus systemic treatment. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the rank sum test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rate and draw survival curve, and Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the COX proportional hazard regression model. The propensity score matching was employed by the 1:1 nearest neighbor matching method with a caliper value of 0.1. The forest plots were utilized to evaluate potential benefits of diverse surgical combined with systemic treatments within the population. Results:(1) Clinical characteristics of patients who were treated by different modalities. Of 327 patients, there were 118 cases undergoing radical surgery plus systemic treatment, 164 cases undergoing palliative surgery plus systemic treatment, and 45 cases undergoing systemic treatment alone. There were significant differences in smoking, drinking, site of primary gastric tumor, diameter of primary gastric tumor, site of liver metastasis, and metastatic interval among the three groups of patients ( P<0.05). (2) Prognostic outcomes of patients who were treated by different modalities. The median overall survival time of the 327 pati-ents was 19.9 months (95% confidence interval as 14.9-24.9 months), with 1-, 3-year overall survival rate of 61.3%, 32.7%, respectively. The 1-year overall survival rates of patients undergoing radical surgery plus systemic treatment, palliative surgery plus systemic treatment and systemic treatment alone were 68.3%, 63.1%, 30.6%, and the 3-year overall survival rates were 41.1%, 29.9%, 11.9%, showing a significant difference in overall survival rate among the three groups of patients ( χ2=19.46, P<0.05). Results of further analysis showed that there was a significant difference in overall survival rate between patients undergoing radical surgery plus systemic treatment and patients undergoing systemic treatment alone ( hazard ratio=0.40, 95% confidence interval as 0.26-0.61, P<0.05), between patients undergoing palliative surgery plus systemic treatment and patients under-going systemic treatment alone ( hazard ratio=0.47, 95% confidence interval as 0.32-0.71, P<0.05). (3) Analysis of influencing factors for prognosis of patients with initially resectable GCLM. Results of multivariate analysis showed that the larger primary gastric tumor, poorly differentiated tumor, larger liver metastasis, multiple hepatic metastases were independent risk factors for prognosis of patients with initially resectable GCLM ( hazard ratio=1.20, 1.70, 1.20, 2.06, 95% confidence interval as 1.14-1.27, 1.25-2.31, 1.04-1.42, 1.45-2.92, P<0.05) and immunotherapy or targeted therapy, the treatment modality of radical or palliative surgery plus systemic therapy were independent protective factors for prognosis of patients with initially resectable GCLM ( hazard ratio=0.60, 0.39, 0.46, 95% confidence interval as 0.42-0.87, 0.25-0.60, 0.30-0.70, P<0.05). (4) Screening of potentinal beneficiaries in patients who were treated by radical surgery plus systemic treatment and patients who were treated by palliative surgery plus systemic treatment. Results of forest plots analysis showed that for patients with high-moderate differentiated GCLM and patients with liver metastasis located in the left liver, the overall survival rate of patients undergoing radical surgery plus systemic treatment was better than patients undergoing palliative surgery plus systemic treatment ( hazard ratio=0.21, 0.42, 95% confidence interval as 0.09-0.48, 0.23-0.78, P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared to systemic therapy alone, both radical and palliative surgery plus systemic therapy can improve the pro-gnosis of patients with initially resectable GCLM. The larger primary gastric tumor, poorly differen-tiated tumor, larger liver metastasis, multiple hepatic metastases are independent risk factors for prognosis of patients with initial resectable GCLM and immunotherapy or targeted therapy, the treatment modality of radical or palliative surgery plus systemic therapy are independent protective factors for prognosis of patients with initially resectable GCLM.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia in patients following radical gastrectomy with the aim of guiding clinical decisions.Methods:This was a retrospective observational study of data of patients who had undergone radical gastrectomy between June 2021 and June 2022 at the Department of General Surgery, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital. Participants were reviewed 9-12 months after surgery. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) radical gastrectomy with a postoperative pathological diagnosis of primary gastric cancer; (2) no invasion of neighboring organs, peritoneal dissemination, or distant metastasis confirmed intra- or postoperatively; (3) availability of complete clinical data, including abdominal enhanced computed tomography and pertinent blood laboratory tests 9-12 after surgery. Exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) age <18 years; (2) presence of gastric stump cancer or previous gastrectomy; (3) history of or current other primary tumors within the past 5 years; (4) preoperative diagnosis of sarcopenia (skeletal muscle index [SMI) ≤52.4 cm2/m2 for men, SMI ≤38.5 cm2/m2 for women). The primary focus of the study was to investigate development of postoperative sarcopenia in the study cohort. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify the factors associated with development of sarcopenia after radical gastrectomy.Results:The study cohort comprised 373 patients of average age of 57.1±12.3 years, comprising 292 (78.3%) men and 81 (21.7%) women. Postoperative sarcopenia was detected in 81 (21.7%) patients in the entire cohort. The SMI for the entire group was (41.79±7.70) cm 2/m 2: (46.40±5.03) cm 2/m 2 for men and (33.52±3.63) cm 2/m 2 for women. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, age ≥60 years (OR=2.170, 95%CI: 1.175-4.007, P=0.013), high literacy (OR=2.512, 95%CI: 1.238-5.093, P=0.011), poor exercise habits (OR=3.263, 95%CI: 1.648-6.458, P=0.001), development of hypoproteinemia (OR=2.312, 95%CI: 1.088–4.913, P=0.029), development of hypertension (OR=2.169, 95%CI: 1.180-3.984, P=0.013), and total gastrectomy (OR=2.444, 95%CI:1.214-4.013, P=0.012) were independent risk factors for postoperative sarcopenia in post-gastrectomy patients who had had gastric cancer ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Development of sarcopenia following radical gastrectomy demands attention. Older age, higher education, poor exercise habits, hypoproteinemia, hypertension, and total gastrectomy are risk factors for its development post-radical gastrectomy.

In recent years, advances in surgical techniques and evolving concepts have significantly improved treatment strategies and prognosis for patients with gastric cancer liver metastases. In particular, patients diagnosed with initially resectable gastric cancer liver metastases shows marked improvement in survival. Despite variations in the definition of initially resectable gastric cancer liver metastases among different consensus and guidelines, surgical resection and hepatic physiotherapy are increasingly crucial components of comprehensive treatment. Meanwhile, the advancement of the multidisciplinary team model for diagnosis and treatment, along with the evolution of minimally invasive surgical concepts, offers patients increasingly personalized and less intrusive therapeutic alternatives. According to the Chinese Consensus Classification System for Gastric Cancer Liver Metastasis, the optimal clinical pathway for patients initially diagnosed with resectable gastric cancer liver metastasis involves precise categorization, guided selection of surgical approaches and physiotherapy using the multidisciplinary team model, and consideration of molecular classification. However, the refinement and confirmation of these clinical strategies is still required through high-quality clinical trials.

Objective:To examine the impact of varied surgical treatment strategies on the prognosis of patients with initial resectable gastric cancer liver metastases (IR-GCLM).Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. Employing a retrospective cohort design, the study selected clinicopathological data from the national multi-center retrospective cohort study database, focusing on 282 patients with IR-GCLM who underwent surgical intervention between January 2010 and December 2019. There were 231 males and 51 males, aging ( M(IQR)) 61 (14) years (range: 27 to 80 years). These patients were stratified into radical and palliative treatment groups based on treatment decisions. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method and distinctions in survival rates were assessed using the Log-rank test. The Cox risk regression model evaluated HR for various factors, controlling for confounders through multivariate analysis to comprehensively evaluate the influence of surgery on the prognosis of IR-GCLM patients. A restricted cubic spline Cox proportional hazard model assessed and delineated intricate associations between measured variables and prognosis. At the same time, the X-tile served as an auxiliary tool to identify critical thresholds in the survival analysis for IR-GCLM patients. Subgroup analysis was then conducted to identify potential beneficiary populations in different surgical treatments. Results:(1) The radical group comprised 118 patients, all undergoing R0 resection or local physical therapy of primary and metastatic lesions. The palliative group comprised 164 patients, with 52 cases undergoing palliative resections for gastric primary tumors and liver metastases, 56 cases undergoing radical resections for gastric primary tumors only, 45 cases undergoing palliative resections for gastric primary tumors, and 11 cases receiving palliative treatments for liver metastases. A statistically significant distinction was observed between the groups regarding the site and the number of liver metastases (both P<0.05). (2) The median overall survival (OS) of the 282 patients was 22.7 months (95% CI: 17.8 to 27.6 months), with 1-year and 3-year OS rates were 65.4% and 35.6%, respectively. The 1-year OS rates for patients in the radical surgical group and palliative surgical group were 68.3% and 63.1%, while the corresponding 3-year OS rates were 42.2% and 29.9%, respectively. A comparison of OS between the two groups showed no statistically significant difference ( P=0.254). Further analysis indicated that patients undergoing palliative gastric cancer resection alone had a significantly worse prognosis compared to other surgical options ( HR=1.98, 95% CI: 1.21 to 3.24, P=0.006). (3) The size of the primary gastric tumor significantly influenced the patients′ prognosis ( HR=2.01, 95% CI: 1.45 to 2.79, P<0.01), with HR showing a progressively increasing trend as tumor size increased. (4) Subgroup analysis indicates that radical treatment may be more effective compared to palliative treatment in the following specific cases: well/moderately differentiated tumors ( HR=2.84, 95% CI 1.49 to 5.41, P=0.001), and patients with liver metastases located in the left lobe of the liver ( HR=2.06, 95% CI 1.19 to 3.57, P=0.010). Conclusions:In patients with IR-GCLM, radical surgery did not produce a significant improvement in the overall prognosis compared to palliative surgery. However, within specific patient subgroups (well/moderately differentiated tumors, and patients with liver metastases located in the left lobe of the liver), radical treatment can significantly improve prognosis compared to palliative approaches.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of pre-treatment platelet-to-albumin ratio (PAR) in short-term prognosis of endoscopic treatment for cirrhosis with esophageal and gastric variceal bleeding(EGVB).Methods:By retrospective analysis method, the clinical data of 195 cirrhotic patients with EVGB from January 2019 to April 2022 treatment at Bengbu First People′s Hospital were collected and analyzed. The PAR was calculated according to platelet count and albumin. The independent risk factors that affecting 6-week rebleeding and death were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the predictive value of PAR for rebleeding and death, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate the rebleeding rate and survival rate of patients with different PAR ratios.Results:Among 195 patients, 36 patients were rebleeding and 159 patients were non-rebleeding within 6 weeks; while 15 cases died and 180 cases survived. The platelet count, PAR in the rebleeding group were lower than those in the non-rebleeding group, the direct bilirubin, triglyceride, alanine transaminase, prothrombin time and mortality in the rebleeding group were higher than those in the non-rebleeding group: 74.0(66.5, 88.8) × 10 9/L vs. 98.0(85.0, 111.0)×10 9/L, 2.48(2.18, 2.78) vs. 3.35(2.81, 4.04), 18.5(14.0, 23.8) μmol/L vs. 16.0(11.0, 20.0) μmol/L, (4.73 ± 2.52) mmol/L vs. (3.94 ± 1.65) mmol/L, 36.0(27.0, 46.0)U/L vs. 21.0(13.3, 33.0)U/L, (14.78 ± 1.63) s vs. (13.47 ± 0.87) s, 36.11%(13/36) vs. 1.26%(2/159), there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). Cox multivariate regression showed that PAR, alanine transaminase were the independent risk factors for the rebleeding ( P<0.05), PAR was the independent risk factor for the death within 6 weeks ( P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of PAR for predicting 6-week rebleeding and death was 0.876, 0.776, the cut-off was 2.94, 2.71, the specificity was 69.8%, 72.2%, the sensitivity was 94.4%, 73.3%, respectively. According to the cut-off of PAR to predict rebleeding, the 6-week rebleeding rate in the PAR≤2.94 group was higher than that in the PAR>2.94 group ( χ2 = 36.88, P<0.01). According to the cut-off of PAR to predict death, the 6-week mortality rate in the PAR≤2.71 group was higher than in the PAR>2.71 group ( χ2 = 16.44, P<0.01). Conclusions:PAR can be used as a predictor for rebleeding and death within 6 weeks of EGVB in cirrhotic patients.

Objective:To investigate symptoms of anxiety and depression among primary and middle school students quarantined in hotels during the COVID-19 epidemic.Methods:Anxiety and depression symptoms among 726 primary and middle school students quarantined in hotels were investigated with The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders(SCARED)and Depression Self-rating Scale for Children(DSRSC)from September to October 2022 in Chifeng City,Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.There were 624 students completed investi-gation with response rate of 86％.The positive score of SCARED was ≥23 and DSRSC was ≥ 15.Results:The detection rates of anxiety and depression were 17.9％and 15.4％respectively.The detection rates of anxiety and depression were higherin middle school students than inprimary school students(Ps＜0.05).The scores of general-ized anxiety and social phobia factors were higher in female students than in male students(Ps＜0.05).The scores of dissociative anxiety factor and depression were higher in middle school students than in primary school students(Ps＜0.05).Conclusion:During the COVID-19 epidemic,middle school students quarantined in hotels are more likely to have anxiety and depression symptoms than primary school students,and female students are more likely to have anxiety symptoms than male students.

Objective To explore the effect of berberine on the proliferation and invasion of human colon cancer cells and its mechanism.Methods The paraffin-embedded tumor tissues and intestinal incisal tissues(control tissues)of 96 patients who underwent radical resection of colon cancer at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University from January 2021 to December 2022 were selected as the research subjects.The expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α)in tumor tissues and control tissues was detected by using the immunohistochemical method,and the relationship between HIF-1α and clinicopathological features was analyzed.The human colon cancer cell line HCT116 was cultivated in normoxic and hypoxic conditions,respectively;after adhesion,the cells were divided into normoxic group,hypoxic group,normoxic combined with berberine group,and hypoxic combined with berberine group.The cells in the normoxic combined with berberine group and the hypoxic combined with berberine group were treated with 25,50,75,and 100 μmol·L-1 berberine,respectively;while the cells in the normoxic group and the hypoxic group were not treated with any drugs.At 24,48,72,and 96 hours of cultivation,the proliferation of cells in each group was detected by using the thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide method,respectively.Based on the above results,the most suitable drug concentration was determined as 75 μmol·L-1.At 24 hours of cultivation,the invasion of cells in the normoxic group,normoxic combined with 75 μmol·L-1 berberine group,hypoxic group,and hypoxic combined with 75 μmol·L-1 berberine group was detected by using the Transwell method;at 48 hours of cultivation,the relative expression levels of HIF-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)proteins in the cells in each group were detected by using Western blot.Results HIF-1α was mainly expressed in the nucleus of colon cancer tissues and control tissues.The positive expression rates of HIF-1α in control tissues and colon cancer tissues were 19.8％(19/96)and 67.7％(65/96),respectively;the positive expression rate of HIF-1α in colon cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in control tissues(x2=11.298,P＜0.05).The expression of HIF-1α in colon cancer tissues was correlated with tumor size,lymph node metastasis,and TNM staging(P＜0.05),but had no correlation with patient gender,age,tumor infiltration depth,and differentiation degree(P＞0.05).The cells in the normoxic group showed logarithmic growth after 24 hours of culture;and the addition of berberine at a concentration of 25 μmol·L-1 had no significant effect on cell proliferation(P＞0.05);compared with 0 μmol·L-1berberine,the addition of berberine at concentrations of 50 μmol·L-1 and 75 μmol·L-1 significantly reduced cell proliferation activity after 48 hours of culture(P＜0.05),and the addition of berberine at a concentration of 100 μmol·L-1 significantly reduced cell proliferation activity after 24 hours of culture(P＜0.05).After 48 hours of culture with berberine at a concentration of 25 μmol·L-1,the proliferation activity of cells in the hypoxic group was significantly higher than that in the 0 μmol·L-1 berberine(P＜0.05);compared with 0 μmol·L-1 berberine,the addition of berberine at concentrations of 50,75,and 100 μmol·L-1 significantly reduced cell proliferation activity after 24 hours of culture(P＜0.05),and the higher the concentration of berberine,the more pronounced the decrease in cell proliferation activity(P＜0.05).At the same concentration of berberine,compared with the normoxic group,the hypoxic group showed a more significant decrease in cell proliferation activity and a more pronounced slowing-down trend in cell proliferation(P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the number of cells crossing the membrane between the normoxic group and the normoxic combined with 75 μmol·L-1 berberine group(t=0.955,P＞0.05);the number of cells crossing the membrane in the hypoxic combined with 75 μmol·L-1 berberine group was significantly less than that in the hypoxic group(t=5.354,P＜0.05);the number of cells crossing the membrane in the hypoxic group was significantly more than that in the normoxic group(t=2.625,P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the relative expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF proteins between the normoxic group and the normoxic combined with 75 μmol·L-1 berberine group(P＞0.05);the relative expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF proteins in the hypoxic group were significantly higher than those in the normoxic group(P＜0.05);the relative expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF proteins in the hypoxic combined with 75 μmol·L-1 berberine group were significantly lower than those in the hypoxic group(P＜0.05);there was no statistically significant difference in the relative expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF proteins between the normoxic combined with 75 μmol·L-1 berberine group and the hypoxic combined with 75 μmol·L-1 berberine group(P＞0.05).Conclusion HIF-1α expression is associated with growth and invasion of colon cancer.Berberine may inhibit the proliferation and invasion of colon cancer cells HCT116 by regulating the expression of HIF-1α and its downstream factor VEGF.