Lymphatic metastasis is the main metastatic route for colorectal cancer, which increases the risk of cancer recurrence and distant metastasis. The properties of the lymph node metastatic colorectal cancer (LNM-CRC) cells are poorly understood, and effective therapies are still lacking. Here, we found that hypoxia-induced fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAPα) expression in LNM-CRC cells. Gain- or loss-function experiments demonstrated that FAPα enhanced tumor cell migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stemness, and lymphangiogenesis via activation of the STAT3 pathway. In addition, FAPα in tumor cells induced extracellular matrix remodeling and established an immunosuppressive environment via recruiting regulatory T cells, to promote colorectal cancer lymph node metastasis (CRCLNM). Z-GP-DAVLBH, a FAPα-activated prodrug, inhibited CRCLNM by targeting FAPα-positive LNM-CRC cells. Our study highlights the role of FAPα in tumor cells in CRCLNM and provides a potential therapeutic target and promising strategy for CRCLNM.

This study aims to investigate the effect of salvianolic acid B (Sal B), the active ingredient of Salvia miltiorrhiza, on H9C2 cardiomyocytes injured by oxygen and glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) through regulating mitochondrial fission and fusion. The process of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury was simulated by establishing OGD/R model. The cell proliferation and cytotoxicity detection kit (cell counting kit-8, CCK-8) was used to detect cell viability; the kit method was used to detect intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), total glutathione (t-GSH), nitric oxide (NO) content, protein expression levels of mitochondrial fission and fusion, apoptosis-related detection by Western blot. Mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) detection kit and Hoechst 33342 fluorescence was used to observe the opening level of MPTP, and molecular docking technology was used to determine the molecular target of Sal B. The results showed that relative to control group, OGD/R injury reduced cell viability, increased the content of ROS, decreased the content of t-GSH and NO. Furthermore, OGD/R injury increased the protein expression levels of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), mitofusions 2 (Mfn2), Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 3 (caspase 3), and decreased the protein expression levels of Mfn1, increased MPTP opening level. Compared with the OGD/R group, it was observed that Sal B had a protective effect at concentrations ranging from 6.25 to 100 μmol·L^-1. Sal B decreased the content of ROS, increased the content of t-GSH and NO, and Western blot showed that Sal B decreased the protein expression levels of Drp1, Mfn2, Bax and caspase 3, increased the protein expression level of Mfn1, and decreased the opening level of MPTP. In summary, Sal B may inhibit the opening of MPTP, reduce cell apoptosis and reduce OGD/R damage in H9C2 cells by regulating the balance of oxidation and anti-oxidation, mitochondrial fission and fusion, thereby providing a scientific basis for the use of Sal B in the treatment of myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury.

Objective To investigate the repair mechanism of baicalin on gastric mucosa of chronic atrophic gastritis mice based on the network pharmacology and animal experiments.Methods(1)Applied network pharmacology to predict and analyze the potential key targets of baicalin in the treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis.(2)Animal experiment:40 C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into normal group,model group,Vitacoenzyme group and baicalin group,10 mice in each group.Except for the normal group,the other three groups of mice were treated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine(MNNG)by gavage combined with hunger and satiety disorder method to construct a chronic atrophic gastritis model.At the end of drug administration,the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,the changes of gastrin(GAS)and prostaglandin E2(PGE2)levels in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),and the mRNA and protein expression levels of Janus tyrosine kinase 1(JAK1),signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)in the gastric mucosa were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)and protein immunoblotting(Western Blot)methods,respectively.Results The results of network pharmacology showed that baicalin could spontaneously bind to the core targets JAK1 and STAT3.The results of animal experiments showed that compared with the normal group,the gastric mucosa of mice in the model group suffered from atrophy,disordered gland arrangement,the presence of a large number of lymphocytes,a significant increase in apoptotic index of the gastric mucosa(P＜0.05),a significant decrease in the levels of GAS and PGE2 in serum(P＜0.05),and a significant increase in the levels of mRNA and protein expressions of JAK1 and STAT3 in the gastric mucosa(P＜0.05);compared with the model group,the pathological changes of gastric mucosa in the Vitacoenzyme group and baicalin group were alleviated,the glands were arranged relatively neatly,the structure was more intact,the apoptosis index of gastric mucosal cells was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),the levels of GAS and PGE2 in serum were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the mRNA and protein expression levels of JAK1 and STAT3 in gastric mucosa were significantly decreased(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the above-mentioned indexes between the baicalin group and the Vitacoenzyme group(P＞0.05).Conclusion Baicalin can effectively repair gastric mucosal lesions in mice with chronic atrophic gastritis,and its mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of mRNA and protein expressions of JAK1 and STAT3.

Objective To construct a measurement tool for atrial fibrillation(AF)patients'experience of catheter ablation,in order to provide quantifiable basis for improving the patients'perioperative experience.Methods From Jun 2022 to Apr 2023,literature analysis,qualitative research,Delphi expert consultation,and analytic hierarchy process were used to determine the content and weight of various indicators of the measurement tool.Results The enthusiasm of experts in 3 rounds was 100%.The authority coefficient of experts was 0.946,0.961 and 0.976.The Kendal harmony coefficients of the 2 and 3 rounds of expert consultation was 0.130 and 0.370(P＜0.001).The final measurement tool included 46 items and 5 dimensions,including operational and technical quality experience,comfort management experience,information and communication experience,emotional support experience,service process and response experience.Conclusion The preliminary construction of measurement tool for AF patients'experience of catheter ablation,which were based on the features of specialty,could not only evaluate the patients'experience accurately,but also provide a basis for targeted improvement of medical and nursing service quality.

Objective To establish a mouse model of type Ⅰ tricho-hepato-enteric syndrome(THES)induced by Ttc37 deficiency.Methods Ttc37 flox strain was established by site-specifically inserted loxP sites into Ttc37 gene via CRISPR/CAS9 technology.Ubiquitously expressed CAG-Cre was introduced for all-tissue removal of Ttc37 in Ttc37flox/flox;CAG-Cre mice.The knock-out effect was confirmed by fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot.Phenotypic evaluations were conducted in 8-week-old mice including hematoxylin-eosin staining of skin,spleen,liver,bladder,and gastrointestinal tract(GI),serum enzyme activity assay of aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT),measurement of serum hemoglobin level,and ELISA for IgG and IgM level upon antigen immunization.Results Similar to type Ⅰ THES patients,Ttc37flox/flox;CAG-Cre mice exhibited impaired development of hair shaft,epidermis,B cell and eyes,while liver,GI,bladder and serum hemoglobin level seemed normal under unstressed condition.Conclusion A novel mouse model of typeⅠ THES was constructed successfully,which was applicable for pathological study.

ObjectiveThe traditional Chinese medicine Strychnos nux-vomica L. (SN) has the clinical effect of reducing swelling and relieving pain; however, SN is toxic due to its alkaloid components. Little is known about the endogenous metabolic changes induced by SN toxicity in rats and their potential effects on the metabolic dysregulation of intestinal microbiota. Therefore, toxicological investigation of SN is of great significance to its safety assessment. In this study, the toxic mechanisms of SN were explored using a combination of metabonomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. MethodsThe toxic dose, intensity, and target organ of SN were determined in rats using acute, cumulative, and subacute toxicity tests. UHPLC-MS was used to analyze the serum, liver, and renal samples of rats after intragastric SN administration. The decision tree and K Nearest Neighbor (KNN) model were established based on the bootstrap aggregation (bagging) algorithm to classify the omics data. After samples were extracted from rat feces, the high-throughput sequencing platform was used to analyze the 16S rRNA V3-V4 region of bacteria. ResultsThe bagging algorithm improved the accuracy of sample classification. Twelve biomarkers were identified, where their metabolic dysregulation may be responsible for SN toxicity in vivo. Several types of bacteria such as Bacteroidetes, Anaerostipes, Oscillospira and Bilophila, were demonstrated to be closely related to physiological indices of renal and liver function, indicating that SN-induced liver and kidney damage may be related to the disturbance of these intestinal bacteria. ConclusionThe toxicity mechanism of SN was revealed in vivo, which provides a scientific basis for the safe and rational clinical use of SN.

ObjectiveTo explore the protective effect of polysaccharide from Inonotus obliquus （IOP） on lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-induced acute lung injury （ALI） in mice. MethodA total of 40 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， dexamethasone group， and high-dose and low-dose IOP groups， with eight mice in each group. The high-dose and low-dose IOP groups were administered intragastrically with IOP at 20 and 10 mg·kg^-1， respectively. The normal group and the model group were intragastrically administered with normal saline in equal volumes， and the dexamethasone group was intraperitoneally injected with dexamethasone phosphate injection of 30 mg·kg^-1 for 21 days. An ALI mouse model induced by LPS was constructed， and hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， immunofluorescence staining， and blood routine were used to detect pathological damage of lung tissue and blood cell content. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to detect the expression levels of various inflammatory factors. Changes in gut microbiota and plasma differential metabolites in mice were detected using 16S rRNA sequencing and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）. ResultCompared with the model group， the lung tissue lesions of ALI mice were significantly improved after IOP administration， and the spleen and thymus index were dramatically increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The ratio of wet-to-dry weight of lung tissue was sensibly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the number of lymphocytes was substantially increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The number of neutrophils was markedly decreased （P<0.01）. The expression level of interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， nuclear factor-κB（NF-κB）， and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor 3 （NLRP3） decreased prominently （P<0.05， P<0.01） and the expression level of interleukin-10 （IL-10） increased memorably （P<0.01）. The 16S rRNA sequencing results show that IOP can regulate and improve intestinal microbial disorders. The UPLC-Q-TOF-MS results indicate that the treatment of ALI mice with IOP may involve pathways related to mitochondrial， sugar， and amino acid metabolism， such as nucleotide sugar metabolism， histidine metabolism， ubiquinone， and other terpenoid compound-quinone biosynthesis， as well as starch and sucrose metabolism. ConclusionThe improvement of lung tissue lesions and inflammatory response by IOP in ALI mice may be related to maintaining intestinal microbiota balance， regulating mitochondrial electron oxidation respiratory chain， as well as sugar and amino acid metabolism pathways， and affecting the production of related microbial metabolites and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites.

Cordycepin (Cpn), a natural active compound derived from the traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps sinensis, has antifibrotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects, but the impact of Cpn on pulmonary fibrosis and the downstream molecular mechanism remain unclear. In this study, A549 cells were induced by transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) in vitro, the viability of A549 cells was evaluated by CCK-8 assay; and migration of A549 cells were detected by wound healing assay, invasion of A549 cells were detected by transwell assay. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used to predict the interaction of histone deacetylase 7 (HDAC7) with vimentin and the association of Cpn with HDAC7. The pulmonary fibrosis model of mice was established by bleomycin in vivo to investigate the effect of Cpn on pathological changes of lung tissue. The impact of Cpn and molecular mechanism on pulmonary fibrosis were studied by Western blot assay, cell transfection assay, immunoprecipitation assay, immunofluorescence assay, immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). All animal experiments were approved by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center Experimental Animal Ethics Committee (grant No. SCMC-LAWEC-2022-017). Results showed that Cpn had no toxic effect on A549 cells even at the concentration of 100 μmol·L^-1. Cpn inhibited migration and invasion of A549 cells and reduced deposition of collagen, the degree of lung inflammation and fibrosis in mice; in vivo and in vitro models, Cpn significantly reversed mRNA and protein expressions of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and lung fibrosis markers collagen I, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), N-cadherin, vimentin and E-cadherin and HDAC7. Deficiency of HDAC7 suppressed TGFβ1-induced EMT and expression of collagen I; vimentin interacted with HDAC7; and molecular docking experiment revealed that Cpn was interrelated with HDAC7. In conclusion, Cpn can target HDAC7 to mediate EMT and exert its anti-fibrotic effect, the inhibition of EMT and the improvement of pulmonary fibrosis provide a new idea and choice for the development of anti-pulmonary fibrosis drug.

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Morinda officinalis iridoid glycosides (MOIG) on bone loss of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats, and the mechanism of osteoclast function and activity induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RA rats were established by injecting bovin type II collagen. The Bio-ethic Committee of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University approved all experimental protocols associated with this study (IACUC-20180410-03). The collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats were administered drug by gavage for 8 weeks; the femoral trabecular micro-structure changes were observed in CIA rats by micro-CT; the LPS-induced osteoclasts model further observed the effect and mechanism of anti-inflammatory osteoporosis in vitro. The results indicated that MOIG could markedly increase bone mineral density (BMD) in CIA rats, improve trabecular micro-structure. In vitro studies demonstrated that MOIG could significantly inhibit osteoclastogensis and differentiation, suppress tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, F-actin ring formation, TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6) recruitment, and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-Bα (IκBα) degradation as well as p65 phosphorylation, thereby repressing nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway activation. Subsequently, MOIG effectively inhibited osteoclast nuclear factor of activated T-cells c1 (NFATc1) and cellular oncogene Fos (c-Fos) expression, as well as bone resorption related protein activity including matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP-9) and cathepsin K (CtsK). Meanwhile, MOIG also repressed the phosphorylation expression of Janus activating kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), thereby inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation. Moreover, further studies found that MOIG could suppress glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity, and GSK-3β gene silencing could markedly inhibit oetsoclast F-actin ring formation as well as the phosphorylation expression of p65 and STAT3. Of note, compared with GSK-3β gene silencing group, there was no significant difference in the group treated with both MOIG with GSK-3β gene silencing simultaneously. Thus, the results suggested that MOIG may inhibit NF-κB signaling pathway and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation via regulating GSK-3β, thereby alleviating bone destruction in RA.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and progressive lung disease that poses a threat to human health. Current treatment options are limited, highlighting the urgent need for more effective therapeutic strategies. Tetrandrine (TET), a bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Stephania tetrandra, has been known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects, but its specific mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the anti-fibrotic effects of TET in a chronic model of pulmonary fibrosis, aiming to delineate the molecular mechanisms underlying TET-mediated inhibition of fibroblast activation. The results showed that TET significantly alleviated the pathological changes in a murine model of multiple bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and effectively inhibited TGF-β1-induced fibroblast activation. Mechanistically, TET predominantly inhibited the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway and diminished intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 library screening, we identified that angiotensin II type 1 receptor associated protein (AGTRAP) and membrane palmitoylated protein 6 (MPP6) played important roles in TET's suppressive impact of ROS levels, with the knockout of two genes attenuating TET's antifibrotic activity. All animal treatment procedures were approved according to the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMB-20230406D507). This research not only elucidates the pharmacological mechanism of TET but also provides a novel therapeutic avenue for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.