Impacts of berberine on oxidized LDL-induced proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Berberine (BBR), a Chinese medicine extracted from natural plant, has been demonstrated to improve lipid disorders. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), a proatherogenic lipoprotein, has been shown to be involved in vascular endothelial cell dysfunction such as excessive or abnormal proliferation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impacts of BBR on cell proliferations as well as potential involving signal pathways.

Structure-Based Prototype Peptides Targeting the Type VI Secretion System Effector as a Novel Antibacterial Strategy.

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) secretes numerous toxins for bacteria-bacteria competition. TplE is a newly identified trans-kingdom toxin secreted by the T6SS in , while TplEi neutralizes the toxic effect of TplE to protect bacteria autointoxication. Blocking the interaction of TplE-TplEi could unleash the toxin, causing bacterial cell death.

Modulation of chemoresponsiveness to platinum-based agents by microRNAs in cancer.

Ovarian cancer accounts for the highest mortality among all gynecologic cancers. Cytoreductive surgery followed by chemotherapy with a platinum-based agent (cisplatin or carboplatin) plus paclitaxel is the first-line option for treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer. However, primary or acquired resistance to platinum-based agents is a major clinical challenge.

MicroRNAs: new players in cataract.

Cataract is the most common cause of blindness worldwide. Multiple factors such as aging, eye injury, diabetes mellitus, ultraviolet exposure, drug use and other ocular diseases are etiologically linked to cataractogenesis. Due to a rapid increase in aging population, age-related cataract has become the leading cause of blindness.

The Effect of Velvet Antler Proteins on Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Cells Challenged with Ischemia-Hypoxia.

Velvet antler (VA) is a precious traditional Chinese medicine that is capable of repeated regeneration. Based on the Chinese medicine theory of coordination the heart and kidneys, VA has been employed to treat heart diseases, including ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and arrhythmia. We examined the effects of VA proteins on primary cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) that were subjected to ischemia-hypoxia (IH) to investigate their effects on and mechanism of action in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.

The Placental Microbiota Is Altered among Subjects with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Pilot Study.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has significant implications for the future health of the mother and child. However, the associations between human placental microbiota and GDM are poorly understood. We aimed to profile the placental microbiota of GDM and further define whether or not certain placental microbiota taxon correlates with specific clinical characteristics.

Colitis Is Effectively Ameliorated by (±)-8-Acetonyl-dihydrocoptisine via the XBP1-NF-κB Pathway.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a recurrent, chronic intestinal disease. Available treatments for UC are poor effective and/or cause severe adverse events. X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) have been reported to play important roles in UC.

Brain Pharmacokinetics and the Pharmacological Effects on Striatal Neurotransmitter Levels of Isoflavonoids in Rat.

Isoflavonoids are putatively active components of and has been demonstrated prominent neuro-protection effect against cerebrovascular disorders, hypertension or Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the molecular basis for the beneficial effect of on nervous systems has not been well revealed. The present study aims to assess striatum exposure to main active isoflavonoids and changes of striatal extracellular neurotransmitters levels in rat brain after intravenous administration of isoflavonoids extracts (PLF), to further elucidate its' substantial bases for neuro activities.

Transcriptome Identified lncRNAs Associated with Renal Fibrosis in UUO Rat Model.

Renal fibrosis represents a final common outcome of many renal diseases and has attracted a great deal of attention. To better understand whether lncRNAs could be a player in this process or be a biomarker for renal fibrosis diagnosis, we compared transcriptome sequencing data on renal tissues and urine respectively between UUO (unilateral ureteral obstruction) and shamed (Sham) rat model. Numerous genes including lncRNAs with significant changes in their expression were identified.

Proteasome Inhibitor YSY01A Abrogates Constitutive STAT3 Signaling via Down-regulation of Gp130 and JAK2 in Human A549 Lung Cancer Cells.

Proteasome inhibition interfering with many cell signaling pathways has been extensively explored as a therapeutic strategy for cancers. Proteasome inhibitor YSY01A is a novel agent that has shown remarkable anti-tumor effects; however, its mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Here we report that YSY01A is capable of suppressing cancer cell survival by induction of apoptosis.

Image-guided stem cells with functionalized self-assembling peptide nanofibers for treatment of acute myocardial infarction in a mouse model.

Aim: To investigate the survival of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and the therapeutic effect for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after co-transplantation with the functionalized self-assembling peptide nanofiber RAD/PRG or RAD/KLT.

Methods: AMI of balb/c mice was induced. Mice were randomly divided into four groups, and received treatment of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (Group A), GFP/Fluc-BMSCs (Group B), GFP/Fluc-BMSCs + RAD/PRG (Group C), and GFP/Fluc-BMSCs + RAD/KLT (Group D), respectively.

Tamarixinin A Alleviates Joint Destruction of Rheumatoid Arthritis by Blockade of MAPK and NF-κB Activation.

Tamarixinin A, a natural tannin isolated from , has been confirmed to have moderate anti-inflammatory effects and . However, how it effects rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of tamarixinin A on experimental RA, and explore the underlying mechanism.

HmsC Controls Biofilm Formation in Response to Redox Environment.

biofilm formation, controlled by intracellular levels of the second messenger molecule cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP), is important for blockage-dependent plague transmission from fleas to mammals. HmsCDE is a tripartite signaling system that modulates intracellular c-di-GMP levels to regulate biofilm formation in . Previously, we found that biofilm formation is stimulated in reducing environments in an -dependent manner.

Interspecies Variation of Stability and Metabolic Diversity of YZG-331, a Promising Sedative-Hypnotic Compound.

YZG-331, a synthetic adenosine derivative, express the sedative and hypnotic effects binding to the adenosine receptor. The current study was taken to investigate the metabolic pathway of YZG-331 as well as species-specific differences . YZG-331 was reduced by 14, 11, 6, 46, and 11% within 120 min incubation in human, monkey, dog, rat, and mouse liver microsomes (LMs), respectively.

Down-Regulation of Tim-3 in Monocytes and Macrophages in Infection and Its Association with Parasite Clearance.

T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain-containing molecule 3 (Tim-3) has complicated roles in regulating monocytes and macrophages in various diseases and it tends to be an inhibitory molecule to facilitate the immune escape of parasites in malaria. However, the mechanisms of Tim-3 mediated responses in monocytes and macrophages in malaria have not been clear. In this study, we found that infection down-regulated Tim-3 expression in peripheral monocytes of patients suffering from malaria and in splenic macrophages of ANKA-infected mice.

Accumulation of Arsenic Speciation and Toxicity Following Oral Administration of a Chinese Patent Medicine Xiao-Er-Zhi-Bao-Wan in Rats.

Realgar-containing traditional Chinese medicines such as Xiao-Er-Zhi-Bao-Wan (XEZBW), have been widely used for thousands of years. However, events associated with arsenic-induced ailments have increasingly become a public concern. To address the toxicity of XEZBW, we studied the histopathology and blood biochemistry of rats exposed to XEZBW using technology like high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled mass spectrometry to determine arsenic speciation.

Three-Dimensional Evaluation on Ecotypic Diversity of Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Case Study of L.

Artemisinin is the first-line drug for anti-malaria recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). As the sole natural plant source of artemisinin, ecotypes of L. vary widely in artemisinin content between nations, and China is the main producing area of .

Regulatory 3' Untranslated Regions of Bacterial mRNAs.

The untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNA contain important features that are relevant to the post-transcriptional and translational regulation of gene expression. Most studies of bacterial UTRs have focused on the 5'regions; however, 3'UTRs have recently emerged as a new class of post-transcriptional regulatory elements. 3'UTRs were found to regulate the decay and translation initiation in their own mRNAs.

Embryo and Developmental Toxicity of Cefazolin Sodium Impurities in Zebrafish.

Cefazolin sodium is an essential drug that is widely used in clinical therapy for certain infective diseases caused by bacteria. As drug impurities are considered to be one of the most important causes of drug safety issues, we studied embryotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, and neurotoxicity of nine cefazolin sodium impurities in zebrafish embryo and larvae for the objective control of impurity profiling. LC-MS/MS was employed to analyze the compound absorbance , and the structure-toxicity relationship was approached.

Detection of and Its Common Adulterates Using Species-Specific Primers.

is a fungus that infects Hepialidae caterpillars, mummifying the larvae and producing characteristic fruiting bodies (stromata) that are processed into one of the most valued traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). The product commands a very high price due to a high demand but a very limited supply. Adulteration with other fungi is a common problem and there is a need to test preparation for the presence of the correct fungus.

Relationship of Mycotoxins Accumulation and Bioactive Components Variation in Ginger after Fungal Inoculation.

Ginger has got increasing worldwide interests due to its extensive biological activities, along with high medical and edible values. But fungal contamination and mycotoxin residues have brought challenges to its quality and safety. In the present study, the relationship of content of mycotoxins accumulation and bioactive components variation in ginger after infection by toxigenic fungi were investigated for the first time to elucidate the influence of fungal contamination on the inherent quality of ginger.

Protective Role for LPA in Cardiac Hypertrophy Induced by Myocardial Infarction but Not by Isoproterenol.

We previously reported that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) promoted cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via one of its G protein-coupled receptor subtypes, LPA. In this study, we examined the role of LPA in cardiac hypertrophy induced by isoproterenol (ISO) and myocardial infarction. , neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) were subjected to LPA knocked-down, or pretreated with a β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) antagonist (propranolol) before LPA/ISO treatment.

Genome-Wide Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Extensive Alternative Splicing Events in the Protoscoleces of and .

Alternative splicing (AS), as one of the most important topics in the post-genomic era, has been extensively studied in numerous organisms. However, little is known about the prevalence and characteristics of AS in species, which can cause significant health problems to humans and domestic animals. Based on high-throughput RNA-sequencing data, we performed a genome-wide survey of AS in two major pathogens of echinococcosis and .