Bitter taste TAS2R14 activation by intracellular tastants and cholesterol.

Bitter taste receptors, particularly TAS2R14, play central roles in discerning a wide array of bitter substances, ranging from dietary components to pharmaceutical agents. TAS2R14 is also widely expressed in extragustatory tissues, suggesting its extra roles in diverse physiological processes and potential therapeutic applications. Here we present cryogenic electron microscopy structures of TAS2R14 in complex with aristolochic acid, flufenamic acid and compound 28.

Atypical antipsychotics antagonize GABA receptors in the ventral tegmental area GABA neurons to relieve psychotic behaviors.

Psychosis is an abnormal mental condition that can cause patients to lose contact with reality. It is a common symptom of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, sleep deprivation, and other mental disorders. Clinically, antipsychotic medications, such as olanzapine and clozapine, are very effective in treatment for psychosis.

Pathway network-based quantitative modeling of the time-dependent and dose-response anti-inflammatory effect of Reduning Injection.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has extensive healing effects on inflammatory diseases with few side effects. Reduning injection (RDNI), a TCM prescription composed of Lonicera japonica Thunb., Gardenia jasminoides Ellis.

Fangchinoline inhibits non-small cell lung cancer metastasis by reversing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and suppressing the cytosolic ROS-related Akt-mTOR signaling pathway.

Few drugs alleviate non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis effectively. Small molecular screening demonstrated that fangchinoline (Fan) reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in NSCLC cells, inhibiting cell invasion and migration. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of Fan-treated NSCLC cells revealed that Fan potently quenched the NADP metabolic process.

Bioinformatics study of the potential therapeutic effects of ginsenoside Rf in reversing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Objective: Ginsenoside Rf, a tetracyclic triterpenoid only present in Panax ginseng, has been proven to relieve lipid metabolism and inflammatory reactions, which can be a potential treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, this study aimed to reveal the underlying mechanisms of ginsenoside Rf in the treatment of early-stage NAFLD (NAFL) by using a bioinformatics method and biological experiments.

Methods: Target genes associated with NAFL were screened from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, a database repository of high-throughput gene expression data and hybridization arrays, chips, and microarrays.

Screening and Identification of Potential Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Analysis of TCGA Database and Clinical Validation.

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world. Up to now, many genes associated with HCC have not yet been identified. In this study, we screened the HCC-related genes through the integrated analysis of the TCGA database, of which the potential biomarkers were also further validated by clinical specimens.

Dioscin Inhibits the Invasion and Migration of Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells by Reversing TGF-β1-Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

Dioscin is a natural steroidal saponin that can be isolated from Chinese medicine, such as Dioscoreae rhizoma. It has wild range of pharmacological activities such as hepatoprotection, a lipid-lowering effect, and anti-inflammation. Recently, mounting studies reported the anticancer effect of dioscin on a variety of tumor cells.