Aim To study the effect of menthol on hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension and explore the underlying mechanism in mice. Methods 10 to 12 weeks old wild type (WT) mice and TRPM8 gene knockout (TRPM8

Objective To explore the anti-depression mechanism of Kai-Xin-San(KXS)via regulation of neurogenesis in hippocampus of depression-like mice.Methods The extracts of KXS were prepared and the anti-depression effects of KXS were evaluated by behavioral tests on chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)induced depression-like mice.Evaluating depression-like behavior in CUMS mice through sucrose preference test,forced swimming test,tail suspension test,and other methods.Neurogenesis in hippocampus were determined by immunofluorescence assay.In addition,effects of KXS on regulating nestin expression and Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway were explored by western blotting analysis.Amounts of cortisol,corticotropin-releasing factor(CRF),adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH),brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)and nerve growth factor(NGF)were determined by ELISA tests.Mouse primary neural stem cells(NSC)was used to evaluate the effect of KXS on promoting its proliferation by immunofluorescence assay.In addition,effects of KXS on regulating nestin and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were also explored by Western blotting analysis.Results KXS significantly ameliorated the depression-like behaviors in presence of increased sucrose preference rate and decreased immobile time of tail suspension and forced swimming.KXS significantly promoted the neurogenesis in the hippocampus and expressions of nestin,reduced the expressions of cortisol,CRF,ACTH,increased the expressions of BDNF,NGF,and regulated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.KXS also promoted the proliferation of NSCs and expressions of nestin,enhanced the translocation of b-catenin into nucleus,and regulated the expressions of proteins of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.Conclusion KXS promoted neurogenesis in hippocampus and regulated Wnt/β-catenin pathway,which might contribute to its antidepressant effect.

Objective To investigate the beneficial effect of Kai-Xin-San combined with fluoxetine in improving depression-like behaviors on chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)induced depression model mice.Methods The present study aimed to assess the potential of Kai-Xin-San in combination with fluoxetine to ameliorate depression-like behaviors in a CUMS induced mouse depression model.Behavioral tests,such as the sucrose preference test were employed to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment.Additionally,the levels of suppressed stress factors were measured using the ELISA method.The morphology of hippocampal tissue was evaluated using the HE staining method,Nissl Staining and TUNEL staining methods.Furthermore,western blotting analysis was utilized to determine the expression levels of proteins such as Caspase-3,and Caspase-9.Results The co-administration of Kai-Xin-San and fluoxetine resulted in a significant increase in sucrose preference rate in model mice.This effect was comparable to that of fluoxetine alone at the standard clinical dose.Furthermore,the combination treatment up-regulated the levels of suppressed stress factors,reduced the apoptosis of hippocampus induced by depression and regulated the apoptosis signaling pathway in hippocampus.Conclusion The combination of Kai-Xin-San and fluoxetine has been shown to be an effective treatment for depression-like behavior in animal models,resulting in a reduction in the required clinical dosage of fluoxetine.This effect may be attributed to the up-regulation of neurotransmitter expression,inhibition of stress axis activation,and central nervous inflammation.

Objective Evaluation of the effect and mechanism research of Qi-Shen-Yi-Zhi formula on improving learning and memory ability in mice injected with Aβ1-42 in hippocampus.Methods Alzheimer's disease model mice were constructed by injecting β amyloid peptide 1-42 into hippocampus and treated with water extracts of Qi-Shen-Yi-Zhi formula.The cognitive abilities of mice were assessed using Morris water maze and Y maze tests,which measure learning and memory capabilities.HE staining was used to observe the damage and TUNEL method was used to determine apoptosis of hippocampus.Detection of the expression of oxidative factors,inflammatory factors,and related antioxidant proteins and apoptotic proteins in the hippocampal tissue of a mouse model of dementia.Results Both high-dose and low-dose groups of Qi-Shen-Yi-Zhi formula significantly improved cognitive dysfunction in mice injected with Aβ1-42 in hippocampus,and attenuated the damage and apoptosis of the hippocampus.It also inhibited oxidative stress and downregulated the expressions of inflammatory factors IL-6,IL-1β and TNF-a,increased the expression of antioxidant proteins Nrf2 and HO-1,and regulated the expressions of apoptotic proteins Caspase-9,Caspase-3,Bax and Bcl-2.Conclusion Qi-Shen-Yi-Zhi formula improves the learning and memory abilities of mice injected with Aβ1-42 in hippocampus,which might be related to the attenuation of oxidative stress and neuronal inflammation of hippocampus.

Objective To study the effective fraction and mechanism of Lycium barbarum leaves on improving learning and memory ability of subacute aging mice induced by D-galactose injection.Methods The model of subacute aging mice was developed by injection of D-galactose subcutaneously,and different extracts of Lycium barbarum leaves were prepared.The effects of the extracts of Lycium barbarum leaves on the learning and memory ability of model mice were evaluated by Y maze experiment and new object recognition experiment.The pathomorphological changes of hippocampus in mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin and Nissl staining.The levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),nerve growth factor(NGF),glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor(GDNF),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interferon-γ(IFN-γ)and interleukin-10(IL-10)in hippocampus of mice were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and the contents of glutathione(GSH)and malondialdehyde(MDA)in hippocampus of mice were detected by related assay kits.Detection of apoptosis in the hippocampal region of mouse brain tissue using the TUNEL method.Western blotting analysis was used to detect the expressions of antioxidant proteins Nrf2,HO-1 and apoptotic proteins Caspase-3,Caspase-9 in hippocampus of mice.Results The water extraction part and 80%alcohol precipitation supernatant part of Lycium barbarum leaves significantly improved the learning and memory ability of model mice,improved the pathological damage of hippocampus in mice,increased the number of Nissl bodies in hippocampus of mice,and promoted the expression of neurotrophic factors BDNF,NGF and GDNF,and promoted the expression of neurotrophic factors BDNF,NGF and GDNF.Pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α,IL-1β and IFN-γ expression declines while anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 expression rises.The activity of SOD and the expression of GSH were increased,and the expression of MDA was decreased.Increase the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 antioxidant proteins;reduce the expression of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 apoptosis pathway proteins.Inhibition of apoptosis in the hippocampal region of mouse brain tissue using a model.Conclusion The water extracts and 80%alcohol precipitation supernatant extracts of Lycium barbarum leaves are the effective fractions of Lycium barbarum leaves to improve the learning and memory ability of D-galactose-induced subacute aging mice,and its mechanism might be related to the inhibition of neuronal apoptosis caused by oxidative stress and inflammation.

β2-adrenergic receptor （β2-AR） agonists are widely used as first-line drugs in the treatment of bronchial asthma （hereinafter referred to as “asthma”）， but long-term use can lead to β2-AR desensitization and reduce its clinical efficacy， resulting in poor symptom control of some asthma patients. The mechanism of β2-AR desensitization induced by β2-AR agonists mainly includes slow hyposensitization （related to the decrease of β2-AR density in airway mucosa） and rapid hyposensitization （related to the mechanism of stimulatory G protein decoupling）. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate（cAMP）-protein kinase A and cAMP- exchange protein activated by cAMP signaling pathways are closely related to β2-AR desensitization. Glucocorticoids， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonists， ASM-024， Chinese medicine monotherapies and formulations， when combined with β2-AR agonists， can improve the sensitivity of β2-AR， so as to better control asthma symptoms.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of Qishen Yizhi formula on improving learning and memory ability in D-galactose subcutaneous injection induced subacute aging mice.METHODS Subacute aging mice model mice were developed by D-galactose subcutaneous injection and then treated with positive drug donepezil(2 mg·kg-1·d-1)and Qishen Yizhi formula water extracts in low(1.33 g·kg-1·d-1)and high dose group(2.67 g·kg-1·d-1).The learning and memory abilities of mice were evaluated using Morris water maze and Y maze tests;HE staining was used to examine hippocampal damage in model mice;TUNEL was used to detect apoptosis of mouse hippocampal tissue;ELISA was used to detect the expression levels of oxidative stress factors and inflammatory fac-tors in the mouse hippocampus tissue;Western blot was used to detect the expression of signaling pathway proteins related to apoptosis,oxidative stress and inflammatory stress in the hippocampus of mice.RESULTS The water extract of Qishen Yizhi formula signifi-cantly shortened the latency and distance of model mice for reaching the platform in the water maze test(P<0.01),and significantly increased the number of crossing the platform(P<0.01);increased the exploration time and number of the Y maze new arm in model mice(P<0.05);inhibited the TUNEL fluorescence expression in the hippocampus of model mice(P<0.01);upregulated the activity of the oxidative stress factor superoxide dismutase(SOD)(P<0.05)and glutathione(GSH)content(P<0.05),and downregulated malondialdehyde(MDA)content(P<0.05);reduced interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α)expression levels(P<0.05,P<0.01);decreased the expression of apoptosis signaling pathway proteins Cleaved Caspase-3 and Caspase-3(P<0.05),upregulated the expression of oxidative stress signaling pathway proteins Nrf2 and HO-1(P<0.05),and downregulated the expression of inflammatory stress signaling pathway proteins p-NF-κB and NF-κB(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Qishen Yizhi for-mula can improve the learning and memory ability of subacute aging model mice injected with D-galactose,which may be related to its inhibitory effect on hippocampal oxidative stress and inflammatory stress.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of Kai-Xin-San(KXS)combined with fluoxetine on the intestinal flora and the expression of inflammatory factors in chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)depression mice and to elucidate the antidepressant mechanism of regulating"intestine-brain"axis.METHODS CUMS depression mice model was established and the effect of com-bined medication on improving depression-like behaviors of mice was evaluated by determination of sucrose preference rate,immobile time of tail suspension and forced swimming.Additionally,the levels of inflammatory factors IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α and LPS were de-termined in cortex,serum and intestine using the ELISA method.The composition of intestinal flora in mouse feces was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequence sequencing.Furthermore,Western blot assay was utilized to determine the expression levels of intestinal barrier proteins such as ZO-1,Occludin and Claudin-5.RESULTS The combination of KXS and fluoxetine resulted in a significant in-crease in sucrose preference rate(P<0.01)and decreased immobile time of tail suspension and forced swimming(P<0.05,P<0.01)in CUMS mice.The antidepressant effect of KXS combined with middle dose of fluoxetine was equivalent to that of high dose of fluoxe-tine alone.Meanwhile,the combination could significantly inhibit the up-regulation of inflammatory factors in the cortex,serum and small intestine of model animals(P<0.05,P<0.01).Intestinal flora analysis showed that the combination could improve the ratio of Gram-positive bacteria to negative bacteria in the intestinal tract of model animals,and the improvement of the relative abundance of intestinal bacteria Lachnospiraceae,Bifidobacterium,Ruminococcus,Blautia,Eubacterium,Intestinimonas,Erysipelotrichaceae,Alis-tipes,Desulfovibrionia and Coriobacteriaceae UCG-002 and so on in the model animals was significantly related to the alleviation of de-pression-like behavior and the down-regulation of cortical inflammatory factors(P<0.05,P<0.01).Furthermore,the combination treatment could significantly up-regulate the expression of intestinal barrier protein(P<0.01).CONCLUSION KXS combined with fluoxetine can alleviate depression-like behavior and reduce fluoxetine dosage in CUMS model animals.The combination of the two drugs may regulate the composition of intestinal flora,inhibit the expression of intestinal inflammatory factors,up-regulate intestinal barrier proteins,and thus reduce the expression of serum and central inflammatory factors,which may be the mechanism of their regu-lation of the gut brain axis in antidepressant action.

AIM:To examine the effects of borneol on inflammation and myocardial remodeling after myocar-dial infarction(MI)in mice,and to investigate the underlying mechanisms.METHODS:Eight-week-old wild-type(WT)C57BL/6 mice and transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8(TRPM8)gene knockout(TRPM8-/-)mice were randomly divided into sham and MI groups,and were subsequently treated with normal saline(control group)or borneol(borneol group)via gavage.Survival curves were plotted for WT and TRPM8-/-mice with MI treated with or with-out borneol.After 28 d,cardiac function of the mice was assessed through echocardiography,and haemodynamic indexes were evaluated using a multi-channel physiological instrument.Infarct size,myocardial hypertrophy and interstitial fibro-sis were assessed via pathological staining.In addition,inflammatory response in the peri-infarct region was detected.RE-SULTS:The TRPM8 expression was up-regulated in the peri-infarct region of the mice with MI(P＜0.05),and borneol had no effect on TRPM8 expression(P＞0.05).Borneol increased the survival rate,reduced the infarct size,inhibited car-diac remodeling and improved cardiac function in WT mice with MI(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).However,it did not affect the survival rate,infarct size,myocardial hypertrophy,myocardial fibrosis or cardiac function in TRPM8-/-mice(P＞0.05).Furthermore,borneol reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and the expression of inflammatory cytokines,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1(MCP-1),in WT mice(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01)but not in TRPM8-/-mice(P＞0.05).CONCLUSION:Borneol attenuates inflammation,inhibits cardiac re-modeling and improves cardiac function in mice with MI via TRPM8.

Objective To discuss the perioperative care and wound protection of xenotransplantation from genetically edited pigs to monkeys, with the goal of improving the success rate of such experimental procedures. Methods From October 2022 to October 2023, perioperative care and wound protection were performed on 7 recipient rhesus monkeys undergoing xenotransplantation of genetically edited pig tissues and organs. Customized wound protective garments were designed based on monkeys' size and surgical area to protect the wounds, alongside meticulous perioperative care. This included preoperative preparation and medication, intraoperative monitoring of physiological indicators and anesthesia management, and postoperative care comprising wound protection, observation and monitoring, and nutritional support. Results All seven monkeys successfully underwent xenotransplantation. With the aid of protective garments and detailed care, all surgical wounds healed by first intention, and postoperative recovery was satisfactory. Conclusion Proper care and wound protection during xenotransplantation from genetically edited pigs to monkeys not only promote wound healing, but also alleviate pain and harm to animals. This has significant implications for advancing experimental research in pig-monkey xenotransplantation and enhancing animal welfare.