Serum metabolomics analysis of biomarkers and metabolic pathways in patients with colorectal cancer associated with spleen-deficiency and qi-stagnation syndrome or damp-heat syndrome: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: To profile the serum metabolites and metabolic pathways in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients associated with spleen-deficiency and qi-stagnation syndrome (SDQSS) or damp-heat syndrome (DHS). Methods: From May 2020 to January 2021, CRC patients diagnosed with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes of SDQSS or DHS were enrolled. The clinicopathological data of the SDQSS and DHS groups were compared. The serum samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The variable importance in the projection >1, fold change ≥3 or ≤0.333, and P value ≤0.05 were used to identify differential metabolites between the two groups. Furthermore, areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve > 0.9 were applied to select biomarkers with good predictive performance. The enrichment metabolic pathways were searched through the database of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Results: 60 CRC patients were included (30 SDQSS and 30 DHS). The level of alanine aminotransferase was marginally significantly higher in the DHS group than the SDQSS group (P = 0.051). The other baseline clinicopathological characteristics were all comparable between the two groups. 23 differential serum metabolites were identified, among which 16 were significantly up-regulated and 7 were significantly down-regulated in the SDQSS group compared with the DHS group. ROC curve analysis showed that (S)-3-methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid, neocembrene, 1-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid, 3-methyl-3-hydroxypentanedioate, and nicotine were symbolic differential metabolites with higher predictive power. The top five enrichment signalling pathways were valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis; lysosome; nicotine addiction; fructose and mannose metabolism; and pertussis. Conclusion: Our study identifies the differential metabolites and characteristic metabolic pathways among CRC patients with SDQSS or DHS, offering the possibility of accurate and objective syndrome differentiation and TCM treatment for CRC patients.

Deficiency of neuropeptide Y attenuates neointima formation after vascular injury in mice.

BACKGROUND: Restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) limits therapeutic revascularization. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), co-stored and co-released with the sympathetic nervous system, is involved in this process, but its exact role and underlying mechanisms remain to be fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of NPY in neointima formation after vascular injury. METHODS: Using the left carotid arteries of wild-type (WT, NPY-intact) and NPY-deficient (NPY-/-) mice, ferric chloride-mediated carotid artery injury induced neointima formation. Three weeks after injury, the left injured carotid artery and contralateral uninjured carotid artery were collected for histological analysis and immunohistochemical staining. RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of several key inflammatory markers and cell adhesion molecules in vascular samples. Raw264.7 cells were treated with NPY, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and lipopolysaccharide-free, respectively, and RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of these inflammatory mediators. RESULTS: Compared with WT mice, NPY-/- mice had significantly reduced neointimal formation three weeks after injury. Mechanistically, immunohistochemical analysis showed there were fewer macrophages and more vascular smooth muscle cells in the neointima of NPY-/- mice. Moreover, the mRNA expression of key inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was significantly lower in the injured carotid arteries of NPY-/- mice, compared to that in the injured carotid arteries of WT mice. In RAW264.7 macrophages, NPY significantly promoted TGF-ß1 mRNA expression under unactivated but not LPS-stimulated condition. CONCLUSIONS: Deletion of NPY attenuated neointima formation after artery injury, at least partly, through reducing the local inflammatory response, suggesting that NPY pathway may provide new insights into the mechanism of restenosis.

Physical exercise inhibits atherosclerosis development by regulating the expression of neuropeptide Y in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

AIMS: Population-based studies have shown that exercise has anti-atherosclerotic effects, but the mechanisms underlying this cardiac protection are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate if the anti-atherosclerotic effects of exercise are associated with changes in neuropeptide Y (NPY) expression in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. MAIN METHODS: Thirty-one male ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into regular exercise (5 days/week), occasional exercise (1-2 days/week), and sedentary groups. After 8 weeks, atherosclerotic burden and plaque stability were measured by histological and morphological analysis. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to measure the expression of NPY and its receptors in the aorta. KEY FINDINGS: Eight weeks of occasional exercise was equally effective as regular exercise at preventing atherosclerotic plaque formation and enhancing atherosclerotic plaque stability. This was shown by increased plaque collagen and smooth muscle cell content and decreased plaque lipid and macrophage content. The expression of NPY and its receptors in the vasculature was decreased in the regular exercise and occasional exercise groups, and this expression was significantly correlated with the progress of atherosclerosis. Moreover, exercise may reduce the activity of macrophages by down-regulating the expression of NPY Y1 receptors, thereby reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines. SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that exercise training can attenuate plaque burden and enhance atherosclerotic plaque stability. The anti-atherosclerotic effect of exercise appears to be, at least in part, dependent on down-regulation of the expression of NPY and its receptors (especially Y1 receptors) in the aorta.

Collagen biomaterial for the treatment of myocardial infarction: an update on cardiac tissue engineering and myocardial regeneration.

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains one of the leading cause of mortality over the world. However, current treatments are more palliative than curative, which only stall the progression of the disease, but not reverse the disease. While stem cells or bioactive molecules therapy is promising, the limited survival and engraftment of bioactive agent due to a hostile environment is a bottleneck for MI treatment. In order to maximize the utility of stem cells and bioactive molecules for myocardial repair and regeneration, various types of biomaterials have been developed. Among them, collagen-based biomaterial is widely utilized for cardiac tissue engineering and regeneration due to its optimal physical and chemical properties. In this review, we summarize the properties of collagen-based biomaterial. Then, we discuss collagen-based biomaterial currently being applied to treat MI alone, or together with stem cells and/or bioactive molecules. Finally, the delivery system of collagen-based biomaterial will also be discussed.

Single nucleotide polymorphism in the SEPS1 gene may contribute to the risk of various human diseases: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recently the G-105A promoter polymorphism in SEPS1 has been shown to increase pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and, thus, to be correlated with various types of human cancers and diseases. AIMS: This study examined whether this functional polymorphism was related to the risks of several human diseases by performing a meta-analysis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study identified all published studies in MEDLINE, Science Citation Index, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Current Contents Index and three Chinese databases. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Eleven case-control studies were incorporated into this meta-analysis. The results showed that carriers of the rs28665122 G > A polymorphism in the SEPS1 gene are at increased risk of developing diseases under five genetic models. According to the ethnicity-stratified sub-group analysis, SEPS1 rs28665122 polymorphism is significantly linked to increased risk of developing related diseases in Europeans under five genetic models; but not among Asians. This data indicates a statistical association between SEPS1 rs28665122 G > A variants and the development of various human diseases. Such findings suggest that SEPS1 may be a potential gene marker for disease diagnosis and prognosis.

5-Aminoisoquinolinone reduces the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-C via the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway in CT26 cells.

OBJECTIVE: VEGF-C has recently been identified as a key molecule which is involved in tumor lymphangiogenesis. The aim of this research was to investigate the role of PARP-1 inhibition in the regulation of VEGF-C expression in CT26 cells. METHODS: CT26 cells were treated with or without the PARP-1 inhibitor 5-aminoisoquinolinone (5-AIQ). The expression of PARP-1, NF-kB, and VEGF-C proteins in CT26 cells was measured by Western blot analysis and the VEGF-C mRNA level was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). CT26-secreted VEGF-C was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The results of Western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of PARP-1, NF-kB, and VEGF-C were reduced in 5-AIQ treated CT26 cells and the levels of VEGF-C mRNA in 5-AIQ treated CT26 were significantly lower than t in 5-AIQ-untreated cells (P<0.05). The concentrations of CT26-secreted VEGF-C were also dramatically decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Here, we provide evidence for the first time that PARP-1 inhibition dramatically reduces VEGF-C expression via the nuclear factor NF-kB signaling pathway. We therefore propose that PARP-1 inhibition has an anti-lymphangiogenic effect and may contribute to the prevention of metastatic dissemination via the lymphatic system.

[Inhibition of hepatitis C virus gene expression by antisense nucleotide in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To study the mechanism of hepatitis C virus (HCV) gene regulation and the inhibitory effect of antisense RNA on HCV gene expression in vitro. METHODS: The hepatoblastoma cell line (HepG2) was co-transfected by recombinant plasmid of antisense RNA complementary to HCV 5' untranslated region (5'UTR)and HCV 5' UTR Directed luciferase (luc) gene expression recombinant plasmid. Meanwhile a reversed HCV 5'UTR recombinant plasmid which can not transcribe as antisense RNA in the cell and a recombinant plasmid in which the luc was regulated by simian virus 40 (sv40) 5'UTR were used as controls respectively. The level of luc gene expression was determined by an enzymatic assay. RESULTS: The antisense RNA which directed to HCV 5'UTRcould obviously knock down the level of luc gene expression and the close-dependent inhibition of antisense RNA was observed at the same time. However the above inhibition was not shown in the cells co-transfected by reversed HCV 5'UTR recombinant plasmid and HCV 5'UTR directed luc gene expression recombinant plasmid. No reduction was observed in luc gene expression level in the cell co-transfected by both antisense RNA recombinant plasmid and SV40 5'UTR directed luc gene expression recombinant plasmid. CONCLUSION: HCV 5'UTR plays an important role in regulation of viral gene expression. The antisense RNA complementary to HCV 5'UTR could effectively inhibit the gene expression regulated by HCV 5'UTR in vitro.