Alleviation of Diabetic Tendon Injury via Activation of Tendon Fibroblasts Autophagy under Berberine Treatment

Berberine (BBR) is an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Coptis chinensis and possesses valuable pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, ...

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Avian H7N9 influenza viruses possess a potential pandemic threat to public health worldwide, and have caused severe infection and high mortality in humans. A series of clinical trials of H7N9 vaccines have been completed. Meta-analyses need to be performed to assess the immunogenicity and safety of H7N9 vaccines.

Comparative effectiveness of H7N9 vaccines in healthy individuals.

 Prostate cancer (PCa) is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men throughout the world. This study aimed to investigate genes associated with the pathogenesis and prognosis of PCa.  Data of PCa cases were obtained from public datasets and were analyzed using an integrated bioinformatics strategy.  A total of 969 differential expression genes were identified. Moreover, GSE16560 and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data showed a prognostic prompt function of the nine-gene signature, as well as in PCa with Gleason 7. Finally, majority of the nine hub genes were associated with drug sensitivity, mutational landscape, immune infiltrates and clinical characteristics of PCa.  The nine-gene signature was correlated with drug sensitivity, mutational landscape, immune infiltrates, clinical characteristics and survival from PCa.

Identification of potential crucial genes associated with the pathogenesis and prognosis of prostate cancer.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease and is often accompanied by severe microvascular and macrovascular complications. A comprehensive understanding of its complex mechanisms can help prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complications, such as diabetic nephropathy (DN).

Serum and urine metabolomics reveal potential biomarkers of T2DM patients with nephropathy.

Ruan Jian Qing Mai formula (RJQM), a multicomponent herbal formula, has been widely used to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in China. However, its active compounds and mechanisms of action are still unknown. First, RNA sequencing analysis of 15 healthy and 16 PAD samples showed that 524 PAD differential genes were significantly enriched in Go Ontology (ribonucleotide metabolic process, oxidoreductase complex, and electron transfer activity), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and GSEA pathways (OXPHOS and TCA cycle), miRNA (MIR183), and kinase (PAK6). Fifty-three active ingredients in RJQM had similar structures to the seven drug molecules in CLUE. Then, network topology analysis of the 53 components-target-pathway-disease network yielded 10 active ingredients. Finally, computational toxicity estimations showed that the median lethal dose (LD50) of the 10 active ingredients was above 1000 mg/kg, and eight of them did not cause hepatotoxicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, cytotoxicity, and immunotoxicity nor activate 12 toxic pathways. In conclusion, RJQM has a protection effect on PAD by regulating a complex molecular network. Part of the mechanism is associated with the regulation of OXPHOS by 10 active components, which may alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction and pathological metabolic programming.

Protection against peripheral artery disease injury by Ruan Jian Qing Mai formula via metabolic programming.

Lymphatic vessels, as an important part of the lymphatic system, form a fine vascular system in humans and play an important role in regulating fluid homeostasis, assisting immune surveillance and transporting dietary lipids. Dysfunction of lymphatic vessels can cause many diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, lymphedema, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis. Research on lymphangiogenesis has become increasingly important over the last few decades. Nevertheless, the explicit role of regulating lymphangiogenesis in preventing and treating diseases remains unclear owing to the lack of a deeper understanding of the cellular and molecular pathways of the specific and tissue-specific changes in lymphangiopathy. TCM, consisting of compound extracted from TCM, Injections of single TCM and formula, is an important complementary strategy for treating disease in China. Lots of valuable traditional Chinese medicines are used as substitutes or supplements in western countries. As one of the main natural resources, these TCM are widely used in new drug research and development in Asia. Moreover, as a historical and cultural heritage, TCM has been widely applied to clinical research on lymphangiogenesis leveraging new technologies recently. Available studies show that TCM has an explicit effect on the regulation of lymphatic regeneration. This review aims to clarify the function and mechanisms, especially the inhibitory effect of TCM in facilitating and inhibiting lymphatic regeneration.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulating Lymphangiogenesis: A Literature Review.

 (QMY) is a clinically used herbal formula for treating arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO).

Ameliorative effects of the traditional Chinese medicine formula  on arteriosclerosis obliterans in a rabbit model.

As one of major chronic complications of diabetes, diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is the main cause of disability and death. The clinical diagnosis and prognosis of DFU is inadequate. For clinicians, if the risk stratification of DFU can be obtained earlier in diabetic patients, the hospitalization, disability and mortality rate will be reduced. In addition to the inflammatory biomarkers that have been widely concerned and used, e.g., procalcitonin, pentraxin-3, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukins (ILs), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), etc., a more comprehensive prediction of the risk and severity of DFU is needed to reflect new biomarkers for therapeutic intervention effects. Along with the development of systems biology technology, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and microbiome have been used in the studies on DFU for better understanding of the disease. In this review, new biomarkers that are expected to assist in the accurate diagnosis and risk stratification of DFU will be discussed and summarized in detail.

An update on potential biomarkers for diagnosing diabetic foot ulcer at early stage.

An ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry method had been used to identify chemical constituents in Yinchen Qingjin Granules. A total of 117 chemical constituents were tentatively identified based on the molecular weight, the mass fragmentation behavior, and the comparison with retention time and accurate mass of reference standards. Meanwhile, an ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method has been developed to evaluate the quality of Yinchen Qingjin Granules through a simultaneous determination of ten components, namely gallic acid, shanzhiside, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, geniposide, liquirition, isoliquirition, glycyrrhizic acid, and rhein. Altogether, content levels of each compound ranged from 0.228 to 8.712 mg/g. At the same time, a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography combined with UV for the quantification of sarmentosin in Yinchen Qingjin Granules is presented and its content was from 5.608 to 6.200 mg/g. The linearity, accuracy, and precision of these two validation methods were satisfactory. The both determination methods were successfully used for the analysis of six batches of Yinchen Qingjin Granules samples made in China and could be as suitable analytical method for quality control.

Identification and determination of chemical constituents from Yinchen Qingjin granules by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

As a newly discovered regulatory RNA, circular RNA (circRNA) has become a hot spot in many tumor pieces of research. In recent years, it has been discovered that circRNAs have multiple biological effects in different stages of cancer. However, the expression pattern and mechanism of circFAT1(e2) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are still unclear.

circRNA circFAT1(e2) Elevates the Development of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer by Regulating miR-30e-5p and USP22.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common complication of diabetes and an important cause of end-stage renal disease. Increasing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the development of DN. In a preliminary study, high levels of miR-150-5p were detected in the serum and urine of patients with DN. Consequently, we investigated the effect and mechanism of action of miR-150-5p in DN  and . Our results showed that inhibition of miR-150-5p reversed high glucose-induced podocyte injury and Streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetic nephropathy in mice. Further analysis revealed that miR-150-5p targeted the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), consequently decreasing SIRT1 levels in podocytes. Importantly, we found that the silencing of miR-150-5p promoted the interaction between SIRT1 and p53, causing the suppression of p53 acetylation in podocytes and kidney tissue. This resulted in the stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent autophagy. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that the silencing of miR-150-5p played a reno-protective role in DN mice through targeting SIRT1.

Silencing of miR-150-5p Ameliorates Diabetic Nephropathy by Targeting SIRT1/p53/AMPK Pathway.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a kind of common and disabling complications of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Emerging studies have demonstrated that tendon fibroblasts play a crucial role in remodeling phase of wound healing. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying high glucose (HG)-induced decrease of tendon fibroblasts viability. In the present study the rat models of DFU were established, and collagen deposition, autophagy activation and cell apoptosis in tendon tissues were assessed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and TdT-Mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay, respectively. Tendon fibroblasts were isolated from Achilles tendon of the both limbs, and the effect of HG on autophagy activation in tendon fibroblasts was assessed using western blot analysis, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, and flow cytometry. We found that cell apoptosis was increased significantly and autophagy activation was decreased in foot tendons tissues of DFU rats compared with normal tissues. The role of HG in regulating tendon fibroblasts viability was then investigated in vitro, and data showed that HG repressed cell viability and increased cell apoptosis. Furthermore, HG treatment reduced LC3-II expression and increased p62 expression, indicating that HG repressed the activation of tendon fibroblasts. The autophagy activator rapamycin reversed the effect. More important, rapamycin alleviated the suppressive role of HG in tendon fibroblasts viability. Taken together, our data demonstrate that HG represses tendon fibroblasts proliferation by inhibiting autophagy activation in tendon injury.

Cheng Zhao

Department of Vascular Disease,
Shanghai TCM-Integrated Hospital

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Alleviation of Diabetic Tendon Injury via Activation of Tendon Fibroblasts Autophagy under Berberine Treatment

Cheng Zhao

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Vascular Disease,Shanghai TCM-Integrated Hospital

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Alleviation of Diabetic Tendon Injury via Activation of Tendon Fibroblasts Autophagy under Berberine Treatment

Department of Vascular Disease,
Shanghai TCM-Integrated Hospital