Acupuncture at the Zusanli acupoint can reduce the inflammatory response in AIA mice by regulating the arachidonic acid and pentose phosphate pathways.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by synovitis, which can lead to joint deformity. Acupuncture treatment stimulates specific acupoints to adjust qi and blood function, relieving joint inflammation and pain. METHODS: Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) was utilized for non-targeted metabolomics analysis of plasma samples from the blank group, Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis (AIA) model mice model mice group, and acupuncture group. Metabolite hierarchical clustering analysis, multivariate statistical analysis, standardized processing, principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and other methods were employed to identify targeted metabolites affected by acupuncture treatment in AIA mice. The related metabolic pathways were analyzed using KEGG pathway. RESULTS: Histopathological results demonstrated that acupuncture at Zusanli point (ST 36) significantly improved the inflammatory response in AIA mice. The PCA score plot indicated relatively close sample clustering within each group with significant differences observed between the four groups, confirming successful establishment of the AIA animal model with metabolic disorders occurring. Acupuncture treatment effectively corrected these metabolic disorders. Plasma metabolomics identified a total of 10 differential metabolites primarily associated with arachidonic acid and pentose phosphate metabolic pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture at ST36 can significantly improve the inflammatory response in AIA mice through modulation of arachidonic acid and pentose phosphate metabolic pathways.

Ultrasensitive optomechanical strain sensor.

We demonstrate an ultrasensitive optomechanical strain sensor based on a SiN membrane and a Fabry-Perot cavity, enabling the measurements of both static and dynamic strain by monitoring reflected light fluctuations using a single-frequency laser. The SiN membrane offers high-quality-factor mechanical resonances that are sensitive to minute strain fluctuations. The two-beam Fabry-Perot cavity is constructed to interrogate the motion state of the SiN membrane. A static strain resolution of 4.00 nɛ is achieved by measuring mechanical resonance frequency shifts of the SiN membrane. The best dynamic resolution is 4.47 pɛHz-1/2, which is close to that of the sensor using high-finesse cavity and optical frequency comb, overcoming the dependence of ultrasensitive strain sensors on narrow-linewidth laser and high-finesse cavity with frequency locking equipment. This work opens up a promising avenue for a new generation of ultrasensitive strain sensors.

Identification of IGF2 promotes skin wound healing by co-expression analysis.

Oral mucosa is an ideal model for studying scarless wound healing. Researchers have shown that the key factors which promote scarless wound healing already exist in basal state of oral mucosa. Thus, to identify the other potential factors in basal state of oral mucosa will benefit to skin wound healing. In this study, we identified eight gene modules enriched in wound healing stages of human skin and oral mucosa through co-expression analysis, among which the module M8 was only module enriched in basal state of oral mucosa, indicating that the genes in module M8 may have key factors mediating scarless wound healing. Through bioinformatic analysis of genes in module M8, we found IGF2 may be the key factor mediating scarless wound healing of oral mucosa. Then, we purified IGF2 protein by prokaryotic expression, and we found that IGF2 could promote the proliferation and migration of HaCaT cells. Moreover, IGF2 promoted wound re-epithelialization and accelerated wound healing in a full-thickness skin wound model. Our findings identified IGF2 as a factor to promote skin wound healing which provide a potential target for wound healing therapy in clinic.

TRPA1 Ion Channel Mediates the Analgesic Effects of Acupuncture at the ST36 Acupoint in Mice Suffering from Arthritis.

Purpose: Acupuncture (ACU) has been demonstrated to alleviate inflammatory pain. Mechanoreceptors are present in acupuncture points. When acupuncture exerts mechanical force, these ion channels open and convert the mechanical signals into biochemical signals. TRPA1 (T ransient receptor potential ankyrin 1) is capable of sensing various physical and chemical stimuli and serves as a sensor for inflammation and pain. This protein is expressed in immune cells and contributes to local defense mechanisms during early tissue damage and inflammation. In this study, we investigated the role of TRPA1 in acupuncture analgesia. Patients and Methods: We injected complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the mouse plantars to establish a hyperalgesia model. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses were performed to determine the effect of acupuncture on the TRPA1 expression in the Zusanli (ST36). We used TRPA1-/- mouse and pharmacological methods to antagonize TRPA1 to observe the effect on acupuncture analgesia. On this basis, collagenase was used to destroy collagen fibers at ST36 to observe the effect on TRPA1. Results: We found that the ACU group vs the CFA group, the number of TRPA1-positive mast cells, macrophages, and fibroblasts at the ST36 increased significantly. In CFA- inflammatory pain models, the TRPA1-/- ACU vs TRPA1+/+ ACU groups, the paw withdrawal latency (PWL) and paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) downregulated significantly. In the ACU + high-, ACU + medium-, ACU + low-dose HC-030031 vs ACU groups, the PWL and PWT were downregulated, and in carrageenan-induced inflammatory pain models were consistent with these results. We further found the ACU + collagenase vs ACU groups, the numbers of TRPA1-positive mast cells, macrophages, and fibroblasts at the ST36 were downregulated. Conclusion: These findings together imply that TRPA1 plays a significant role in the analgesic effects produced via acupuncture at the ST36. This provides new evidence for acupuncture treatment of painful diseases.

A review on traditional Chinese medicine natural products and acupuncture intervention for Alzheimer's disease based on the neuroinflammatory.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with insidious onset and progressive development. It is clinically characterized by cognitive impairment, memory impairment and behavioral change. Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture are important components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and are commonly used in clinical treatment of AD. This paper systematically summarizes the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine natural products and acupuncture treatment of AD, which combined with existing clinical and preclinical evidence, based on a comprehensive review of neuroinflammation, and discusses the efficacy and potential mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine natural products and acupuncture treatment of AD. Resveratrol, curcumin, kaempferol and other Chinese herbal medicine components can significantly inhibit the neuroinflammation of AD in vivo and in vitro, and are candidates for the treatment of AD. Acupuncture can alleviate the memory and cognitive impairment of AD by improving neuroinflammation, synaptic plasticity, nerve cell apoptosis and reducing the production and aggregation of amyloid ß protein (Aß) in the brain. It has the characteristics of early, safe, effective and benign bidirectional adjustment. The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for improving the clinical strategies of TCM for the treatment of AD.

Revealing the clinical effect and biological mechanism of acupuncture in COPD: A review.

BACKGROUND: To provide new ideas for the clinical and mechanism research of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this study systematically reviews clinical research and the progress of basic research of acupuncture in the treatment of COPD. METHODS: PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched using acupuncture and COPD as keywords in the last 10 years, and the included literature was determined according to exclusion criteria. FINDINGS: Acupuncture can relieve clinical symptoms, improve exercise tolerance, anxiety, and nutritional status, as well as hemorheological changes (blood viscosity), reduce the inflammatory response, and reduce the duration and frequency of COPD in patients with COPD. Mechanistically, acupuncture inhibits M1 macrophage activity, reduces neutrophil infiltration, reduces inflammatory factor production in alveolar type II epithelial cells, inhibits mucus hypersecretion of airway epithelial cells, inhibits the development of chronic inflammation in COPD, and slows tissue structure destruction. Acupuncture may control pulmonary COPD inflammation through the vagal-cholinergic anti-inflammatory, vagal-adrenomedullary-dopamine, vagal-dual-sensory nerve fiber-pulmonary, and CNS-hypothalamus-orexin pathways. Furthermore, acupuncture can increase endogenous cortisol levels by inhibiting the HPA axis, thus improving airway antioxidant capacity and reducing airway inflammation in COPD. In conclusion, the inhibition of the chronic inflammatory response is the key mechanism of acupuncture treatment for COPD.

Inflammation-the role of TRPA1 channel.

Recently, increasing numbers of studies have demonstrated that transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) can be used as a potential target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. TRPA1 is expressed in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells and is involved in diverse physiological activities, such as stabilizing of cell membrane potential, maintaining cellular humoral balance, and regulating intercellular signal transduction. TRPA1 is a multi-modal cell membrane receptor that can sense different stimuli, and generate action potential signals after activation via osmotic pressure, temperature, and inflammatory factors. In this study, we introduced the latest research progress on TRPA1 in inflammatory diseases from three different aspects. First, the inflammatory factors released after inflammation interacts with TRPA1 to promote inflammatory response; second, TRPA1 regulates the function of immune cells such as macrophages and T cells, In addition, it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in some inflammatory diseases. Third, we have summarized the application of antagonists and agonists targeting TRPA1 in the treatment of some inflammatory diseases.

Effects and mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia mediated by afferent nerves in acupoint microenvironments.

In the past few decades, the use of acupuncture analgesia in clinical practice has increased worldwide. This is due to its various benefits, including natural alleviation of pain without causing various adverse effects associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and opioids. The acupoint represents the initial site of acupuncture stimulation, where diverse types of nerve fibers located at the acupoint hold significant roles in the generation and transmission of acupuncture-related information. In this study, we analyzed the patterns and mechanisms of acupuncture analgesic mediated by acupoint afferent fibers, and found that acupuncture stimulates acupoints which rapidly and directly induces activation of high-density primary afferent fibers under the acupoints, including myelinated A fibers and unmyelinated C fibers. During acupuncture stimulation at the muscle layer, the analgesic effects can be induced by stimulation of A fiber threshold intensity. At the skin layer, the analgesic effects can only be produced by stimulation of C fiber threshold intensity. Electroacupuncture (EA) activates A fibers, while manual acupuncture (MA) activates both A and C fibers. Furthermore, acupuncture alters acupoint microenvironments, which positively modulates afferent fibers, enhancing the transmission of analgesic signals. In addition to local activation and conduction at acupoints, nerve fibers mediate the transmission of acupuncture information to pain centers. In the spinal cord, acupuncture activates neurons by inducing afferent fiber depolarization, modulating pain gating, inhibiting long-term potentiation (LTP) of the spinal dorsal horn and wide dynamic range (WDR) neuronal activities. At higher nerve centers, acupuncture inhibits neuronal activation in pain-related brain regions. In summary, acupuncture inhibits pain signal transmission at peripheral and central systems by activating different patterns of afferent fibers located on various layers of acupoints. This study provides ideas for enhancing the precise application and clinical translation of acupuncture.

Non-natural Photoenzymatic Controlled Radical Polymerization Inspired by DNA Photolyase.

Inspired by DNA photolyase, a non-natural photoenzymatic catalysis of common flavoproteins is developed for controlled radical polymerization under irradiation of visible light. This photoenzymatic polymerization is highly efficient under mild conditions, applicable to various monomer families, suitable for both homogeneous and heterogeneous media, and can be externally modulated by switching light on and off. A unique combination of the natural enzymatic deoxygenation with the non-natural photoenzymatic process enables an unprecedented oxygen-tolerant, visible-light-controlled radical polymerization using a single enzyme to be developed. Visible light activation of non-natural catalytic functions of the widely distributed flavoproteins is an exciting conceptual advance and may uncover a hitherto underexplored field of photoenzymatic catalysis.

Rapid and sensitive detection of goose parvovirus and duck-origin novel goose parvovirus by recombinase polymerase amplification combined with a vertical flow visualization strip.

Goose parvovirus (GPV) is one of the most serious viral pathogens in goslings. Recently, a new pathogen to the Chinese mainland-duck-origin novel goose parvovirus (N-GPV)-was found to be 90.8-94.6% identical to the nucleotide sequence of GPV, and typically causes growth disorders and high infection rates in meat ducks. The spread of both of these viruses hinders the healthy development of the waterfowl breeding industry. In this study, recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) was combined with a vertical flow (VF) visualization strip to develop a universal assay for the rapid detection of GPV and N-GPV. A set of specific primers and probes were designed to target the VP3 gene. Detection was possible at a constant temperature of 37 °C within 5-10 min. The assay successfully detected GPV and N-GPV with high-specificity and did not exhibit cross-reactivity with other waterfowl viruses and bacteria. The analytical sensitivity of the GPV-RPA-VF assay was 2 × 102 copies of GPV plasmid. Validation of the GPV-RPA-VF assay-using 60 samples from the field--confirmed 100% similarity between the results of GPV-RPA-VF and conventional qPCR. The results indicate that the GPV-RPA-VF assay was accurate, sensitive, and specific. This assay can be performed with minimal equipment and training to rapidly detect GPV and N-GPV during the early phase of an outbreak, especially when timely veterinary diagnoses are needed in the field and in rural areas.

Rheological and controlled release properties of hydrogels based on mushroom hyperbranched polysaccharide and xanthan gum.

A hyperbranched polysaccharide, coded as TM3a, was extracted from the Pleurotus tuber-regium sclerotia. TM3a was hybridized with xanthan gum (XG) by chemical crosslinking using sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) to obtain new hydrogels with self-healing and release-controlled properties. The oscillatory rheological measurements indicated that chemically crosslinking was happened immediately on mixing STMP solutions into the XG-TM3a solutions, and the crosslinked network developed slightly as time increased. The resultant hydroges were disturbed into the loose structures and regrouped the microstructure in 2 min when a large and a small amplitude oscillation were applied in turn, suggesting a self-healable property. The XG-TM3a-STMP hydrogels exhibited shear-thinning behavior with yield stress. The storage modulus of the XG5-TM3a-STMP hydrogel was 445.2 Pa at 1% strain and 243.3 Pa at 100% strain, and yield stress was 160.6 Pa, which was higher than the corresponding value of the XG5-STMP hydrogel. The morphological observation indicated the aggregates of double helical XG chains exhibited directional arrangement, and were combined with the TM3a aggregates to constitute a network of hierarchical structures. The hybrid hydrogels with enhanced mechanical properties displayed good drug loading efficiencies and sustained drug release properties.