Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Verify the Mechanism of Qinshi Simiao San in Treating Chronic Prostatitis in the Rat Model.

BACKGROUND: Using network pharmacology and molecular docking, this study aimed to explore the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and molecular mechanism of Qinshi Simiao San (QSSMS) in the treatment of chronic prostatitis (CP) and verify our findings in the rat model. METHODS: The APIs of QSSMS and the common targets of QSSMS and CP were screened from the TCMSP database. The STRING database and Cytoscape software were used to construct the network graph. The enriched GO and KEGG pathways were displayed by David software and R software. Molecular docking was performed to visualize key components and target genes. In addition, the rats model of CP was established to verify the molecular mechanism of QSSMS. RESULTS: Network pharmacology showed that the APIs of QSSMS mainly included quercetin, kaempferol, formononetin, isorhamnetin, and calycosin. QSSMS alleviated CP mainly through the negative regulation of the apoptotic process, oxidation-reduction process, inflammatory response, and immune response. Molecular docking showed that the APIs could bind to the corresponding targets. QSSMS repaired the pathological damage of prostate tissue, upregulated the expression of oxidative stress scavenging enzymes CAT and SOD, and downregulated the peroxidative product MDA, inflammatory factors IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, COX-2, PGE2, and NGF, and immune factors IgG and SIgA. CONCLUSION: The APIs in QSSMS may inhibit inflammation in the rat CP model by regulating immune and oxidative stress.

Yishentongluo decoction in treatment of idiopathic asthenozoospermia infertility: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The reproductive dilemma faced by men has always been the focus of the whole society. Idiopathic asthenozoospermia (AZS), as one of the common causes of male infertility, lack of specific treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine has shown potential benefits in the management of male infertility. Yishentongluo decoction (YSTL) is a representative Chinese herbal formula; however, there is still no rigorous clinical trial supporting its application. Therefore, we designed a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of YSTL for patients with idiopathic AZS and explain the possible action mechanisms of YSTL in improving sperm motility. METHODS: In this randomized controlled study, a total of 160 eligible patients will be assigned to YSTL group or the Levocarnitine oral solution group in a 1:1 ratio. The treatment period will be 12 weeks and the follow-up period will last 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be the the progressive (motility), sperm rate (%). Secondary outcomes will include the progressive (motility) + non-progressive (motility) sperm rate(%), total effective sperm count, inner mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in spermatozoa, and spouse pregnancy rate (%). Safety outcomes will cover electrocardiogram , blood tests (including blood routine test, hepatic function, and renal function), urine routine test, and stool routine test. The semen parameters, sperm MMP test, and all the safety outcomes will be performed at the baseline, 4th, 8th and 12th week. The pregnancy outcome will be evaluated at 4 weeks after treatment. DISCUSSION: This study will provide initial evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of YSTL in the treatment of idiopathic AZS with kidney deficiency and blood stasis pattern. In addition, potential mechanisms of YSTL in improving sperm motility will be explored based on sperm MMP test. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trials Register identifier, ChiCTR2000033290, registered on 26 May 2020.

Adaptation of Defensive Strategies by the Pea Aphid Mediates Predation Risk from the Predatory Lady Beetle.

Within a species, individual animals adopt various defensive strategies to resist natural enemies, but the defensive strategies that are adopted in response to variations in predation risk are poorly understood. Here, we assessed consecutive foraging processes on cohorts of two biotypes (green and red) of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, by the predatory lady beetle Propylea japonica, to investigate the adaptive mechanism underlying the defensive strategy. We observed the behavioral responses of individuals (continue feeding or escape, i.e., walk away or drop off from initial feeding site), simultaneously quantified the amount of alarm pheromone, (E)-ß-farnesene (EßF) released from cohorts using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and recorded the foraging times of predators in intervals. The results indicated that: (1) the anti-predator responses differed markedly between biotypes and among the stages of the consecutive foraging processes. (2) Few green cohorts tended to release EßF during the first foraging; those that did released only a low dose that did not increase the number of escapes. However, the amount of EßF rose rapidly following the second foraging process, which caused an intense escape response. In contrast, more red cohorts released greater amounts of EßF, which caused more individuals to escape from their innate feeding sites during the first foraging. During the second foraging, more red individuals tended to escape without releasing EßF in greater quantities. (3) The foraging time was effectively shortened in each biotype cohort that adopted diverse defensive strategies. This study of the defensive strategies of the pea aphid may contribute to understanding the intraspecific differences in aphid defense mechanisms.

A sensitive and selective imprinted solid phase extraction coupled to HPLC for simultaneous detection of trace quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid and methyl-3-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid in animal muscles.

A new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), selective for major metabolites of quinoxaline-1,4-dioxides, was prepared through bulk polymerisation using quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (QCA) as template, diethylaminoethylmethacrylate as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker in tetrahydrofuran. The synthesised MIP was characterised by Fourier transform infrared and adsorption experiments. MIP exhibited high affinity, fast kinetics for QCA and good selectivity for QCA and methyl-3-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (MQCA). MIP obtained was used as a selective sorbent for molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) coupled with HPLC to detect QCA and MQCA. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection (S/N=3) of porcine, chicken and fish muscles were 0.1, 0.3, 0.1 µg/kg for QCA and 0.2, 0.3, 0.1 µg/kg for MQCA, respectively and good recoveries were obtained in the range from 60.0 to 119.4%. These results indicated the MISPE-HPLC procedure could be successfully used for the determination QCA and MQCA in animal muscles.

Novel surface molecularly imprinted sol-gel polymer applied to the online solid phase extraction of methyl-3-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid and quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid from pork muscle.

A new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), selective for major metabolites of quinoxaline-1,4-dioxides was firstly prepared by combining surface molecular imprinting technique with the sol-gel process. Methyl-3-quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (MQCA) was used as template, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as functional monomer, and tetraethoxysilicane as cross-linker. The MIP was characterized by Fourier transform infrared and evaluated through static adsorption experiments. The results indicated that MIP had high adsorption capacity, fast binding kinetics for MQCA, and the polymer showed a high degree of cross-reactivity for quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (QCA). The MIP was then applied as a selective sorbent in an online solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For a 50-mL sample solution, enrichment factors of 1,349 and 1,046 for QCA and MQCA, respectively, and limits of detection (S/N=3) of 0.8 and 2 ng L(-1) for QCA and MQCA, respectively, were obtained (corresponding to 0.02 and 0.04 ng g(-1) in solid samples for final 100 mL of sample solutions of 5 g of pork). The sample preparation protocol was simplified and only included one step extraction with acetonitrile (MeCN) after the release of target analytes through acidic hydrolysis without further sample cleanup. The new MIP-SPE-HPLC method was successfully applied to the quantification of trace QCA and MQCA in pork muscle with good recoveries ranging from 67% to 80% and RSD below 8%.