Currently, the drug delivery system (DDS) based on nanomaterials has become a hot interdisciplinary research topic. One of the core issues is drug loading and controlled release, in which the key lever is carriers. Vaterite, as an inorganic porous nano-material, is one metastable structure of calcium carbonate, full of micro or nano porous. Recently, vaterite has attracted more and more attention, due to its significant advantages, such as rich resources, easy preparations, low cost, simple loading procedures, good biocompatibility and many other good points. Vaterite, gained from suitable preparation strategies, can not only possess the good drug carrying performance, like high loading capacity and stable loading efficiency, but also improve the drug release ability, showing the better drug delivery effects, such as targeting release, pH sensitive release, photothermal controlled release, magnetic assistant release, optothermal controlled release. At the same time, the vaterite carriers, with good safety itself, can protect proteins, enzymes, or other drugs from degradation or inactivation, help imaging or visualization with loading fluorescent drugs in vitro and in vivo, and play synergistic effects with other therapy approaches, like photodynamic therapy, sonodynamic therapy, and thermochemotherapy. Latterly, some renewed reports in drug loading and controlled release have led to their widespread applications in diverse fields, from cell level to clinical studies. This review introduces the basic characteristics of vaterite and briefly summarizes its research history, followed by synthesis strategies. We subsequently highlight recent developments in drug loading and controlled release, with an emphasis on the advantages, quantity capacity, and comparations. Furthermore, new opportunities for using vaterite in cell level and animal level are detailed. Finally, the possible problems and development trends are discussed.

Studies have suggested that the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression; however, the regulatory strategy that targets the NAc to achieve an exclusive and outstanding anti-depression benefit has not been elucidated. Here, we identified a specific reduction of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in the subset of dopamine D1 receptor medium spiny neurons (D1-MSNs) in the NAc that promoted stress susceptibility, while the stimulation of cAMP production in NAc D1-MSNs efficiently rescued depression-like behaviors. Ketamine treatment enhanced cAMP both in D1-MSNs and dopamine D2 receptor medium spiny neurons (D2-MSNs) of depressed mice, however, the rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine solely depended on elevating cAMP in NAc D1-MSNs. We discovered that a higher dose of crocin markedly increased cAMP in the NAc and consistently relieved depression 24 h after oral administration, but not a lower dose. The fast onset property of crocin was verified through multicenter studies. Moreover, crocin specifically targeted at D1-MSN cAMP signaling in the NAc to relieve depression and had no effect on D2-MSN. These findings characterize a new strategy to achieve an exclusive and outstanding anti-depression benefit by elevating cAMP in D1-MSNs in the NAc, and provide a potential rapid antidepressant drug candidate, crocin.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of soybean isoflavones （SI） on the reproductive development of young mice. METHODS C57BL/6 young mice were randomly divided into control group， SI low-dose and high-dose groups （10， 100 mg/kg）， with 10 mice in each group （half male and half female）. The young mice in each group were given corresponding liquid intragastrically， once a day， for 2 consecutive weeks. After the last administration， the percentage of body weight increase was calculated； serum estradiol and testosterone levels， malondialdehyde （MDA） content， total antioxidant capacity （T-AOC）， superoxide dismutase （SOD） and glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px） activities in the reproductive organs of the young mice were determined. The histopathological changes in the reproductive organs were observed. The cell apoptosis of reproductive organs was detected. RESULTS Compared with the control group， the percentage of body weight increase in female mice was increased significantly in the SI high-dose group， while that of male mice was decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Cystic follicles could be seen in the ovarian tissue in SI groups， a loose arrangement of spermatocytes could be seen in the testicular tissue， and partial epithelial cell shedding could be seen in epididymal tissue. The serum level of testosterone in female young mice and the serum levels of testosterone and estradiol in male young mice in SI groups， GSH-Px activity in the ovarian tissue of female young mice in the SI low-dose group， T-AOC activities in the ovarian tissue of female young mice in SI groups as well as the apoptotic rates of cells in testicular and epididymal tissue of male young mice in SI groups were increased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01）； the serum level of estradiol in female young mice in SI groups， SOD activity in the ovarian tissue of female young mice in the SI high-dose group， and MDA contents in the ovarian tissue of female young mice in SI groups as well as the apoptotic rates of cells in ovarian tissue of female mice in SI groups were decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS SI can enhance the antioxidant stress capacity of ovarian tissue in female young mice and reduce their oxidative stress damage， but it has certain toxicity to reproductive organs in male mice.

Objective To explore the role of TMAO from gut microbiota in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),we detected the serum level of TMAO and its precursor metabolites in NAFLD,as well as the expression level of Eubacterium rectum,Bacteroidetes multiforme,Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium in the intestinal flora.Methods We collected 118 subjects and divided into NAFLD group(86 cases)and healthy control group(32 cases)randomly.We also detected the serum level of TMAO and its precursor metabolites in subjects by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry detection(LC-MS),and the expression of target bacterial DNA was detected by qRT-PCR.Results Serum TMAO,TMA and choline levels were significantly increased in NAFLD(P<0.05),and liver fat content was positively correlated with TMAO(P<0.05).The expression level of Lactobacillus and Eubacterium rectum in NAFLD group were increased(P<0.05);the expression level of Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides multiform were decreased(P<0.05).The serum TMAO level was positively correlated with Eubacterium rectum(r=0.280,P<0.05),and negatively correlated with Bifidobacterium(r=-0.332,P<0.05).Conclusion The level of TMAO in serum shows a positive correlation with NAFLD.The structure of intestinal flora in individuals with NAFLD is altered and linked to TMAO.This suggests that the intestinal flora may have a significant impact on the development of NAFLD through TMAO.

To analyze the effects of tooth brushing frequency on blood indicators among adolescents and to preliminarily explore the effects of tooth brushing frequency on general health.

ObjectiveProtein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) play pivotal roles in numerous cellular biological processes. However, the precise regulatory effects of PRMTs on the fate determination of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) remain elusive. Our previous studies have shed light on the regulatory role and molecular mechanism of PRMT5 in MSC osteogenic differentiation. This study aims to clarify the role and corresponding regulatory mechanism of PRMT7 during the adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Methods(1) Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) were cultured in a medium that induces adipogenesis. We used qRT-PCR and Western blot to monitor changes in PRMT7 expression during adipogenic differentiation. (2) We created a cell line with PRMT7 knocked down and assessed changes in PRMT7 expression and adipogenic capacity using Oil Red O staining, qRT-PCR and Western blot. (3) We implanted hBMSCs cell lines mixed with a collagen membrane subcutaneously into nude mice and performed Oil Red O staining to observe ectopic lipogenesis in vivo. (4) A cell line overexpressing PRMT7 was generated, and we examined changes in PRMT7 expression using qRT-PCR and Western blot. We also performed Oil Red O staining and quantitative analysis after inducing the cells in lipogenic medium. Additionally, we assessed changes in PPARγ expression. (5) We investigated changes in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) expression in both PRMT7 knockdown and overexpressing cell lines using qRT-PCR and Western blot, to understand PRMT7’s regulatory effect on IGF-1 expression. siIGF-1 was transfected into the PRMT7 knockdown cell line to inhibit IGF-1 expression, and knockdown efficiency was confirmed. Then, we induced cells from the control and knockdown groups transfected with siIGF-1 in lipogenic medium and performed Oil Red O staining and quantitative analysis. Finally, we assessed PPARγ expression to explore IGF-1’s involvement in PRMT7’s regulation of adipogenic differentiation in hBMSCs. Results(1) During the adipogenesis process of hBMSCs, the expression level of PRMT7 was significantly reduced (P<0.01). (2) The adipogenic differentiation ability of PRMT7 knockdown group was significantly stronger than that of control group (P<0.001). (3) The ectopic adipogenic differentiation ability of PRMT7 knockdown group was significantly stronger than that of control group. (4) The adipogenic differentiation ability of the PRMT7 overexpression group was significantly weaker than that of the control group (P<0.01). (5) The expression level of IGF-1 increased after PRMT7 knockdown (P<0.000 1). The expression level of IGF-1 decreased after PRMT7 overexpression (P<0.000 1), indicating that PRMT7 regulates the expression of IGF-1. After siIGF-1 transfection, the expression level of IGF-1 in all cell lines decreased significantly (P<0.001). The ability of adipogenic differentiation of knockdown group transfected with siIGF-1 was significantly reduced (P<0.01), indicating that IGF-1 affects the regulation of PRMT7 on adipogenic differentiation of hBMSCs. ConclusionIn this investigation, our findings elucidate the inhibitory role of PRMT7 in the adipogenic differentiation of hBMSCs, as demonstrated through both in vitro cell-level experiments and in vivo subcutaneous transplantation experiments conducted in nude mice. Mechanistic exploration revealed that PRMT7’s regulatory effect on the adipogenic differentiation of hBMSCs operates via modulation of IGF-1 signaling pathway. These collective findings underscore PRMT7 as a potential therapeutic target for fatty metabolic disorders, thereby offering a novel avenue for leveraging PRMT7 and hBMSCs in the therapeutic landscape of relevant diseases.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of roflumilast on acute myocardial infarction(AMI)rats and its possible mechanism.Methods Sixty SD male rats were randomly divided into sham operation group,model group(AMI),experimental-L group(AMI+1 mg·kg-1 roflumilast),experimental-H group(AMI+3 mg·kg-1 roflumilast),and positive group(AMI+0.9 mg·kg-1 metoprolol),10 rat in each group.AMI modeling was performed after 10 days of continuous drug intervention,and cardiac function indexes of rats were detected after 7 days of successful modeling.Serum factor was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA);myocardial tissue oxidative stress related indexes were detected by kit;myocardial cell apoptosis was detected by terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling(TUNEL);myocardial tissue protein expression was detected by Western blot.Results The left ventricular ejection fraction(EF)levels of rats in sham operation group,model group,experimental-L group,experimental-H group and positive group were(64.44±3.65)％,(36.12±2.50)％,(41.91±3.92)％,(49.90±2.48)％and(53.28±3.22)％,respectively;creatine kinase-MB(CK-MB)levels were(19.15±0.91),(77.86±5.92),(61.58±4.78),(43.62±4.17)and(39.73±4.08)U·L-1,respectively;the contents of malondialdehyde(MDA)were(2.07±0.23),(4.57±0.15),(3.55±0.32),(2.88±0.27)and(2.46±0.17)nmol·mL-1,respectively;TUNEL positive cell rates in each group were(3.96±0.20)％,(16.56±1.82)％,(14.30±0.80)％,(9.73±1.07)％and(7.80±0.56)％;phosphorylation adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase(p-AMPK)protein expression levels were 1.10±0.09,0.34±0.04,0.59±0.06,0.87±0.05 and 0.78±0.09,respectively;silencing information regulatory factor-related enzymes 1(SIRT1)protein were 0.96±0.13,0.33±0.03,0.48±0.06,0.77±0.07 and 0.69±0.06,respectively.Model group compared with sham operation group;experimental-L group,experimental-H group,positive group compared with model group,respectively;experimental-L group compared with experimental-H group;the differences of the above indexes were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Roflumilast may inhibit inflammatory response and oxidative stress by activating AMPK/SIRT1 pathway,alleviate myocardial cell apoptosis and improve cardiac function in AMI rats.

Objective To study the pharmacokinetic characteristics of etoricoxib tablets in healthy Chinese subjects and to evaluate the bioequivalence and safety of the test and reference formulations.Methods In a randomised,single-dose,two-period,two-sequence crossover trial,28 healthy subjects were enrolled under the fasting and fed conditions,respectively,who received a single oral dose of 60 mg of etoricoxib tablets in the test or reference formulation.The concentration of etoricoxib in plasma was detected by LC-MS/MS,and the main pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated to evaluate bioequivalence and using WinNonlin 8.2 software.Results The main pharmacokinetic parameters of the test and reference preparations were as follows:The fasting condition Cmax of etoricoxib were(1 176.96±287.95)and(1 164.93±189.65)ng·mL-1;AUC0-t were(18 651.95±6 100.27)and(19 241.39±6 107.48)ng·h·mL-1;and AUC0-∞ were(19 939.15±7 553.27)and(20 536.31±7 223.40)ng·h·mL-1.The fed condition Cmax of etoricoxib were(913.50±184.72)and(878.59±164.35)ng·mL-1;and AUC0-t were(19 085.22±5 155.01)and(18 669.54±4 508.21)ng·h·mL-1;AUC0-∞ were(20 103.77±5 567.02)and(19 528.05±4 989.74)ng·h·mL-1.The 90％confidence intervals for the geometric mean ratios of the main pharmacokinetic parameters in the fasting and fed conditions fell between 80.00％and 125.00％.The incidence of adverse events in the fasting and fed conditions were 28.57％and 21.43％,respectively.Conclusion Two kinds of etoricoxib tablets are bioequivalent,and have similar safety in healthy Chinese subjects.

Objective To investigate the effects and mechanisms of lncRNA OIP5-AS1 on cell proliferation and apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods TE-1 cells were randomly divided into control(normal culture),si-NC(transfected with si-NC),si-OIP5-AS1(transfected with si-OIP5-AS1),si-OIP5-AS1+NC inhibitor(transfected with si-OIP5-AS1,NC inhibitor),si-OIP5-AS1+miR-129 inhibitor(transfected with si-OIP5-ASS1,miR-129 inhibitor),NC mimic(transfected with NC mimic),miR-129 mimic(transfected with miR-129 mimic),miR-129 mimic+Vector(transfected with miR-129 mimic,Vector),miR-129 mimic+KRAS[transfected with miR-129 mimic,Kirsten rat sarcoma virus oncogene(KRAS)]groups.The expression of OIP5-AS1 and miR-129 in each group was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay.The expression levels of KRAS,N-cadherin,Vimentin and E-cadherin in cells were detected by Western blot assay.Cell proliferation was detected by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8),and apoptosis was detected by terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling(TUNEL)assay.Results The expression levels of OIP5-AS1 in cells of control,si-NC,si-OIP5-AS1,si-OIP5-AS1+NC inhibitor,si-OIP5-AS1+miR-129 inhibitor groups were 1.00±0.13,0.98±0.12,0.25±0.04,0.25±0.02 and 0.89±0.08;the expression levels of miR-129 were 1.00±0.15,0.97±0.07,2.06±0.17,2.04±0.11 and 1.22±0.15;72 h absorbance values(OD)were 1.16±0.12,1.11±0.09,0.58±0.03,0.58±0.05 and 0.94±0.10.The KRAS protein expression levels of NC mimic,miR-129 mimic,miR-129 mimic+Vector,and miR-129 mimic+KRAS groups were 1.08±0.07,0.41±0.06,0.40±0.06,1.03±0.10;the 72 h OD values were 1.17±0.10,0.59±0.03,0.60±0.04 and 0.90±0.05,respectively.si-NC group was compared with si-OIP5-AS1 group,si-OIP5-AS1+NC inhibitor group was compared with si-OIP5-AS1+miR-129 inhibitor group,NC mimic group was compared with miR-129 mimic group,miR-129 mimic+Vector group was compared with miR-129 mimic+KRAS group,the differences of the above indexes were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Conclusion OIP5-AS1 can promote ESCC cell proliferation and epithelial mesenchymal transformation by regulating miR-129 targeting KRAS.

Objective To study the bioequivalence and safety of two olmesartan medoxomil and hydrochlorothiazide tablets in Chinese healthy subjects.Methods A total of 24 healthy subjects underwent fasting and postprandial tests in a single-center,randomized,open-label,single-dose,two-formulation,two-sequence,two-period,self-cross-over controlled design.The subjects were administered a single oral dose of the test formulation and reference formulation(each containingolmesartan medoxomil 20 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg)in a random cross-over fashion.The plasma concentrations of olmesartan and hydrochlorothiazide were determined by LC-MS/MS.The non-compartmental model analysis of olmesartan and hydrochlorothiazide was conducted using WinNonlin 7.0 software to calculate pharmacokinetic parameters and assess bioequivalence.Results In the fasting test,the pharmacokinetic parameters of olmesartan of test and reference were as follows:Cmax were(798.35±206.78)and(664.52±168.25)ng·mL-1,AUC0-t were(4 430.71±1 294.87)and(3 976.67±1 083.54)h·ng·mL-1,AUC0-∞ were(4 551.67±1 303.06)and(4 090.37±1 103.97)h·ng·mL-1.The pharmacokinetic parameters of hydrochlorothiazide of test and reference were as follows:Cmax were(92.39±35.96)and(96.15±38.76)ng·mL-1,AUC0_t were(548.69±217.11)and(564.41±208.68)h·ng·mL-1,AUC0-∞ were(603.04±228.59)and(619.26±223.27)h·ng·mL-1.In the fed test,the pharmacokinetic parameters of olmesartan of T and R were as follows:Cmax were(583.15±149.48)and(550.57±104.76)ng·mL-1,AUC0-t were(3 585.18±952.72)and(3 292.19±904.58)h·ng·mL-1,AUC0-∞ were(3 696.05±996.55)and(3 396.30±923.41)h·ng·mL-1.The pharmacokinetic parameters of hydrochlorothiazide of test and reference were as follows:Cmax were(70.30±17.88)and(74.70±21.65)ng·mL-1,AUC0-t were(476.60±119.39)and(492.91±144.81)h·ng·mL-1,AUC0-∞ were(523.37±132.67)and(535.81±151.92)h·ng·mL-1.In fasting and fed condition,the 90％confidence interval(90％CI)of Cmax,AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ of olmesartan and hydrochlorothiazide were in 80.00％-125.00％.Conclusion The two olmesartan medoxomil and hydrochlorothiazide tablets were bioequivalent under fasting and fed conditions,and good security.