Combining network pharmacology, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and experimental verification to examine the efficacy and immunoregulation mechanism of FHB granules on vitiligo.

Background: Fufang Honghua Buji (FHB) granules, have proven efficacy against vitiligo in long-term clinical practice. However, its major active chemical components and molecular mechanisms of action remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to confirm the molecular mechanism of FHB's therapeutic effect on vitiligo utilizing network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation prediction, as well as experimental verification.

Functional Axis of PDE5/cGMP Mediates Timosaponin-AIII-Elicited Growth Suppression of Glioblastoma U87MG Cells.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive brain tumor, with high mortality. Timosaponin AIII (TIA), a steroidal saponin isolated from the medicinal plant Bge., has been shown to possess anticancer properties in various cancer types.

Effect and mechanism of longkui yinxiao soup in treating psoriasis in mice.

Longkui Yinxiao Soup is a traditional Chinese medicine formula used to treat psoriasis for decades. Although Longkui Yinxiao Soup showed promising efficacy in clinical practice, the regulatory mechanisms of Longkui Yinxiao Soup remain elusive. This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms of Longkui Yinxiao Soup in a psoriasis-like mouse model.

Suppression of top-down influence decreases neuronal excitability and contrast sensitivity in the V1 cortex of cat.

How top-down influence affects neuronal activity and information encoding in the primary visual cortex (V1) remains elusive. This study examined changes of neuronal excitability and contrast sensitivity in cat V1 cortex after top-down influence of area 7 (A7) was modulated by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The neuronal excitability in V1 cortex was evaluated by visually evoked field potentials (VEPs), and contrast sensitivity (CS) was assessed by the inverse of threshold contrast of neurons in response to visual stimuli at different performance accuracy.

Characterization of Feedback Neurons in the High-Level Visual Cortical Areas That Project Directly to the Primary Visual Cortex in the Cat.

Previous studies indicate that top-down influence plays a critical role in visual information processing and perceptual detection. However, the substrate that carries top-down influence remains poorly understood. Using a combined technique of retrograde neuronal tracing and immunofluorescent double labeling, we characterized the distribution and cell type of feedback neurons in cat's high-level visual cortical areas that send direct connections to the primary visual cortex (V1: area 17).

Aptamer-Functionalized Dendrimer Delivery of Plasmid-Encoding lncRNA Enhances Gene Therapy in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: The clinical management of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is difficult. However, novel treatment methods are gradually being introduced. Considering the adverse effects of traditional treatments, recent studies have investigated gene therapy as a method to combat CRPC; but, the application of long non-coding (lnc) RNA in gene therapy remains scarce, despite their promise.

Top-down influence affects the response adaptation of V1 neurons in cats.

The visual system lowers its perceptual sensitivity to a prolonged presentation of the same visual signal. This brain plasticity, called visual adaptation, is generally attributed to the response adaptation of neurons in the visual cortex. Although well-studied in the neurons of the primary visual cortex (V1), the contribution of high-level visual cortical regions to the response adaptation of V1 neurons is unclear.

Anodal and cathodal tDCS modulate neural activity and selectively affect GABA and glutamate syntheses in the visual cortex of cats.

Key Points: The present study showed that anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can respectively increase and decrease the amplitude of visually evoked field potentials in the stimulated visual cortex of cats, with the effect lasting for ∼60-70 min. We directly measured tDCS-induced changes in the concentration of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in the visual cortex using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method and showed that anodal and cathodal tDCS can selectively decrease the concentration of GABA and glutamate in the stimulated cortical area. Anodal and cathodal tDCS can selectively inhibit the synthesis of GABA and glutamate by suppressing the expression of GABA- and glutamate-synthesizing enzymes, respectively.

Current Progresses of Functional Nanomaterials for Imaging Diagnosis and Treatment of Melanoma.

Melanoma is a malignant skin tumor that results in poor disease prognosis due to unsuccessful treatment options. During the early stages of tumor progression, surgery is the primary approach that assures a good outcome. However, in the presence of metastasis, melanoma hasbecome almost immedicable, since the tumors can not be removed and the disease recurs easily in a short period of time.

[Inhibitory mechanisms of timosaponin AⅢ on proliferation and growth of human glioblastoma cells].

To explore the inhibitory effect of timosaponin AⅢ on the proliferation of human glioblastoma cell line U87MG and investigate its related mechanism. As compared with the model group, the tumor weight was significantly reduced in timosaponin AⅢ-treated group. Timosaponin AⅢinhibited the proliferation of U87MG cell line in a dose-dependent manner.

Rutaecarpine ameliorates hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia in fat-fed, streptozotocin-treated rats via regulating the IRS-1/PI3K/Akt and AMPK/ACC2 signaling pathways.

Aim: We have shown that rutaecarpine extracted from the dried fruit of Chinese herb Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss) Benth (Wu Zhu Yu) promotes glucose consumption and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression in insulin-resistant primary skeletal muscle cells. In this study we investigated whether rutaecarpine ameliorated the obesity profiles, lipid abnormality, glucose metabolism and insulin resistance in rat model of hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia.

Methods: Rats fed on a high-fat diet for 8 weeks, followed by injection of streptozotocin (30 mg/kg, ip) to induce hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia.

[Effects of four kinds of Chinese medicine monomer on growth of PANC-1 xenograft tumor and studying of molecular mechanism].

Objective: The antitumor effects of icarisid II, timosaponin A-III, neferine and salidroside were studied in PANC-1 xenograft tumor.

Method: To establish of the nude mice xenograft tumor model, PANC-1 cells were injected. When the tumor major diameter was reached 3-5 mm, the treatment was initiated.

[Diabetes mellitus ulcers treatment with Bletilla striata polysaccharide].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Bletilla striata polysaccharide on diabetes mellitus ulcers. Diabetes mellitus animal model was established by single ip injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg x kg(-1)) with the criteria of blood glucose > or = 16.7 mmol x L(-1) after 72 h.

[Mitochondrial dysfunction induced by excessive ROS/RNS-metabolic cardiovascular disease and traditional Chinese medicines intervention].

Metabolic cardiovascular disease is a type of disease which almost caused by body carbohydrate and lipid metabolism dysfunction. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a typical metabolic disease. It not only lead to the insulin resistance but also related to atherosclerosis.

[Study on effect of total saponins from Semen Nigellae on inflammatory mediators and ERK/MAPK pathway in stimulated macrophage].

Objective: To study the anti-inflammatory mechanism of total saponins from Semen Nigellae (TSSN).

Method: IFN-gamma plus LPS stimulated RAW 264. 7 macrophage has been used as inflammatory experimental model.