A Chemical Redox Cycling-Based Dual-Mode Biosensor for Self-Powered Photoelectrochemical and Colorimetric Assay of Heat Shock Protein.

To advance the biological understanding of heat shock protein (HSP) in different types of cancers, it is crucial to achieve its accurate determination. Herein, a dual-mode self-powered photoelectrochemical (PEC) and colorimetric platform was proposed by integrating enzymatic catalysis and a chemical redox cycling amplification strategy. In this system, ascorbic acid (AA), as the signal reporter for PEC and colorimetric assay, can be regenerated during the tris(2-carboxyethyl) phosphine-mediated chemical redox cycling process.

Oxymatrine induces apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells by downregulating TRIM46.

Sophora flavescens Aiton, a traditional Chinese medicine that was supposed to predominantly play an anti-inflammatory role, has been used to treat multiple diseases, including cancer, for over two thousand years. Recently, it has attracted increasing attention due to the anti-tumor properties of Oxymatrine, one of the most active alkaloids extracted from S. flavescens.

[Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of TCP gene family of Andrographis paniculata under abiotic stress].

Andrographis paniculata is an important medicinal plant in the Lingnan region of China, which has the functions of clearing heat, removing toxins, and resisting bacteria and inflammation. The TCP gene family is a class of transcription factors that regulate plant growth, development, and stress response. In order to analysis the role of the TCP gene family under abiotic stress in A.

Two new compounds from biotransformation of glycyrrhetinic acid.

Glycyrrhetinic acid may undergo biotransformation to obtain derivatives with stronger pharmacological activity and fewer side effects. This study used 19 fungi to biotransform glycyrrhetinic acid and yielded two compounds namely bicyclo(14.15.

The interaction of anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor components in the traditional Chinese medicine Thunb.

Thunb is a traditional Chinese medicinal with a significant clinical outcome for tumor treatment; however, chemicals or fractions separated from the herb did not exhibit strong and comparable efficacy. To investigate the potential synergy or antagonism among chemicals in the extract, we obtained the compounds solavetivone (SO), tigogenin (TI) and friedelin (FR) from the herb. The anti-tumor effects of these three monomer compounds alone or in combination with the anti-inflammatory compound DRG were also tested in this study.

The gastrodin biosynthetic pathway in Lindl. revealed by transcriptome and metabolome profiling.

Lindl. is an epiphytic or lithophytic perennial herb of Orchidaceae family used as a garden flower or medicinal plant to treat high blood pressure, dizziness and headache in traditional Chinese medicine. Gastrodin (GAS) is considered as a main bioactive ingredient of this herb but the biosynthetic pathway remains unclear in .

The current status of old traditional medicine introduced from Persia to China.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) includes over ten thousand herbal medicines, some of which were introduced from outside countries and territories. The Silk Road enabled the exchange of merchandise such as teas, silks, carpets, and medicines between the East and West of the Eurasia continent. During this time, the 'Compendium of Materia Medica' (CMM) was composed by a traditional medicine practitioner, Shizhen Li (1,518-1,593) of the Ming Dynasty.

The Deterioration of Agronomical Traits of the Continuous Cropping of Stevia Is Associated With the Dynamics of Soil Bacterial Community.

Bertoni is grown worldwide as an important, natural sweetener resource plant. The yield of steviol glycosides (SVglys) is greatly influenced by continuous cropping. In this study, we collected the roots, rhizosphere soils, and bulk soils from 2 years of continuous cropping (Y2) and 8 years of continuous cropping (Y8).

Ultrasensitive fluorescence detection of microRNA through DNA-induced assembly of carbon dots on gold nanoparticles with no signal amplification strategy.

An ultrasensitive fluorescence assay strategy on the basis of carbon dots (CDs) and cDNA-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNP-cDNA) was developed for the determination of microRNA-21 (miRNA-21) via internal filtering effect (IFE). Positively charged CDs (PEI-CDs), the fluorophores in IFE, were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using polyethyleneimine (PEI) as surface ligand. The maximum emission wavelength is located at 500 nm under the excitation of 410 nm.

An Optimized Two-Herb Chinese Food as Medicine Formula Reduces Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in the Treatment of Lung Cancer in Mice.

Chemotherapy is considered a most effective way to treat cancer. However, it is very common that chemotherapy causes unbearable mental and physical side effects to cancer patients, which ultimately reduces the patients' confidence of overcoming diseases and compromises the treatment of chemotherapy. Cisplatin (DDP), a widely used anticancer agent for various types of cancers, also damages nontumor cells and tissues, which are mostly related to the activation of the inflammation pathway.

Culture and in situ HO-mediated electrochemical study of cancer cells using three-dimensional scaffold based on graphene foam coated with FeO nanozyme.

For real-time evaluation of the cell behavior and function under in vivo-like 3D environment, the 3D functionalized scaffolds simultaneously integrate the function of 3D cell culture, and electrochemical sensing is a convincing candidate. Herein, FeO nanoparticles as the nanozyme (peroxide oxidase mimics) were modified on graphene foam scaffold to construct a 3D integrated platform. The platform displayed a wide linear range of 100 nM to 20 μM and a high sensitivity of 53.

Addition of Vegetable Oil to Improve Triterpenoids Production in Liquid Fermentation of Medicinal Fungus .

The liquid fermentation of is a promising alternative source for fungus production compared to the wildly grown fruiting body. Elicitation is a strong tool to enhance the productivity in microbial cells to obtain more compounds of interest. In this study, in order to improve the fungus growth and its terpenoids production, various vegetable oils were added in the fermentation broth of .

Yeast Surface Display for Biosynthetic Pathway Reconstruction.

The enzymes immobilized through yeast surface display (YSD) can be used in metabolic pathway reconstruction as alternatives to the enzymes isolated or purified through conventional biochemistry methods. They can be easily prepared by growing and collecting yeast cells harboring display constructs. This may provide an economical method for enriching certain enzymes for biochemistry characterization and application.

Genomic and Transcriptomic Insight of Giant Sclerotium Formation of Wood-Decay Fungi.

Many fungi form persistent and dormant sclerotia with compact hardened mycelia during unfavorable circumstances. While most of these sclerotia are small in size, , a wood-decay fungus, grows into giant sclerotia, which are mainly composed of polysaccharides of linear (1→3)-β-D-glucans. To explore the underlying mechanism of converting sophisticated wood polysaccharides for biosynthesis of highly homogenized glucans in , we sequenced and assembled the genome of a cultivated strain (WCLT) in China.

Creation of an Anti-Inflammatory, Leptin-Dependent Anti-Obesity Celastrol Mimic with Better Druggability.

Obesity is characterized by an excessive body mass, but is also closely associated with metabolic syndrome. And, so far, only limited pharmacological treatments are available for obesity management. Celastrol, a pentacyclic triterpenoid from a traditional Chinese medicine ( Hook.

A Stretchable Scaffold with Electrochemical Sensing for 3D Culture, Mechanical Loading, and Real-Time Monitoring of Cells.

In the field of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture and tissue engineering, great advance focusing on functionalized materials and desirable culture systems has been made to mimic the natural environment of cells in vivo. Mechanical loading is one of the critical factors that affect cell/tissue behaviors and metabolic activities, but the reported models or detection methods offer little direct and real-time information about mechanically induced cell responses. Herein, for the first time, a stretchable and multifunctional platform integrating 3D cell culture, mechanical loading, and electrochemical sensing is developed by immobilization of biomimetic peptide linked gold nanotubes on porous and elastic polydimethylsiloxane.

A Three-Dimensional Electrochemical Biosensor Integrated with Hydrogel Enables Real-Time Monitoring of Cells under Their -like Microenvironment.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture can better reproduce the cell environment and has been extensively used in fields such as tissue engineering, drug screening, and pathological research. Despite the tremendous advancement of 3D cultures, an analysis technique that could collect real-time information of the biological processes therein is sorely lacking. Electrochemical sensing with fast response and high sensitivity has played a vital role in real-time monitoring of living cells, but most current sensors are based on planar electrodes and fail to perfectly match the 3D cell culture matrix.

Deciphering the Formulation Secret Underlying Chinese Huo-Clearing Herbal Drink.

Herbal teas or herbal drinks are traditional beverages that are prevalent in many cultures around the world. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, an herbal drink infused with different types of medicinal plants is believed to reduce the 'Shang Huo', or excessive body heat, a status of sub-optimal health. Although it is widely accepted and has a very large market, the underlying science for herbal drinks remains elusive.

Perillyl alcohol decreases the frequency and severity of convulsive-like behavior in the adult zebrafish model of acute seizures.

This research aimed to assess the effect of perillyl alcohol (PA) on convulsive behavior in vivo using adult zebrafish (Danio rerio, both sexes). The seizures were induced with pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) intraperitoneally at 170 mg/kg, and diazepam (DZP) was used as the control anticonvulsant (2 mg/kg, oral); PA was tested at 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg orally. The groups had ten animals per group (total n = 60), observed for 10 minutes after seizure induction.

Taming the pandemic? The importance of homemade plant-based foods and beverages as community responses to COVID-19.

Household responses to COVID-19 in different corners of the world represent the primary health care that communities have relied on for preventing and mitigating symptoms. During a very complex and confusing time, in which public health services in multiple countries have been completely overwhelmed, and in some cases even collapsed, these first-line household responses have been quintessential for building physical, mental, and social resilience, and for improving individual and community health. This editorial discusses the outcomes of a rapid-response preliminary survey during the first phase of the pandemic among social and community contacts in five metropolises heavily affected by the COVID-19 health crisis (Wuhan, Milan, Madrid, New York, and Rio de Janeiro), and in twelve rural areas or countries initially less affected by the pandemic (Appalachia, Jamaica, Bolivia, Romania, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Georgia, Turkey, Pakistan, Cambodia, and South Africa).

Stretchable Electrode Based on Au@Pt Nanotube Networks for Real-Time Monitoring of ROS Signaling in Endothelial Mechanotransduction.

Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are natively exposed to dynamic cyclic stretch and respond to it by the production of vasoactive molecules. Among them, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are closely implicated to the endothelial function and vascular homeostasis. However, the dynamic monitoring of ROS release during endothelial mechanotransduction remains a steep challenge.