The TIGD5 gene located in 8q24 and frequently amplified in ovarian cancers is a tumor suppressor.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the fifth most common cancer of female cancer death and leading cause of lethal gynecological cancers. High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is an aggressive malignancy that is rapidly fatal. Many cases of OC show amplification of the 8q24 chromosomal region, which contains the well-known oncogene MYC. Although MYC amplification is more frequently observed in OCs than in other tumor types, due to the large size of the 8q24 amplicon, the functions of the vast majority of the genes it contains are still unknown. The TIGD5 gene is located at 8q24.3 and encodes a nuclear protein with a DNA-binding motif, but its precise role is obscure. We show here that TIGD5 often co-amplifies with MYC in OCs, and that OC patients with high TIGD5 mRNA expression have a poor prognosis. However, we also found that TIGD5 overexpression in ovarian cancer cell lines unexpectedly suppressed their growth, adhesion, and invasion in vitro, and also reduced tumor growth in xenografted nude mice in vivo. Thus, our work suggests that TIGD5 may in fact operate as a tumor suppressor in OCs rather than as an oncogene.

Safety of hydrogel spacers for rectal wall protection in patients with prostate cancer: A retrospective analysis of 200 consecutive cases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and complications of hydrogel spacer implantation. METHODS: This single-center historical cohort study retrospectively analyzed cases of hydrogel spacer implantation between October 2018 and March 2022. The survey items were the rates of possible hydrogel injection implementation, the success rate of hydrogel implantation including asymmetry, higher position, rectal wall infiltration, subcapsular injection, and other adverse events, and width created by the spacer. To investigate the learning curve, 1, 2, and 3 points were assigned to adverse event grades G1, G2, and G3, respectively. Spacer effectiveness obstruction, such as asymmetry was assigned 3 points. A Mann-Whitney U test was performed to assess statistically significant differences. RESULTS: The study included a total of 200 patients with a median (range) age of 70 (44-85) years. In 10 (5%) patients, hydrogel injection implementation was not possible. Of 190 patients who underwent hydrogel spacer placement, 168 (88%) received a satisfactory placement. The median (range) width of hydrogel spacers was 13.1 (4.4-18.7) mm. Spacer asymmetry, higher position, rectal wall infiltration, and prostate subcapsular infiltration occurred in 7 (3.7%), 5 (2.6%), 12 (6.3%), and 1 (0.5%) patients, respectively. G1 and G3 adverse events occurred in 13 (7%) and 4 (2%) patients, respectively. Practitioner #1 who performed the highest number of procedures had significantly (p = 0.04) lower total scores in group B. CONCLUSION: Spacer implantation yielded favorable outcomes with a high percentage of appropriate spacer implantation, and few major complications.

[Quality evaluation methods and quality transfer law of Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction].

This study aims to establish a method for the component content determination and fingerprint evaluation of Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction, and to reveal the quality transfer law among the three based on transfer rate, extraction rate, and fingerprint similarity.Fifteen representative batches of Mori Cortex decoction pieces were collected to prepare fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction.UPLC-PDA was employed to establish the content determination method and fingerprint.The established UPLC method and fingerprint could be applied to the detection of Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction.The UPLC fingerprints of the 15 batches of Mori Cortex and fried Mori Cortex had good similarity(>0.9) and the same common peaks.However, only one characteristic peak(mulberroside A) could be observed in the fingerprint of fried Mori Cortex standard decoction, which indicated that the corresponding components of other common peaks in the fingerprint of Mori Cortex had low content in the water extract.The extraction rates of mulberroside A from Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction were 1.49%-2.00%, 1.62%-2.27% and 0.75%-1.29%, respectively.Mulberroside A showed the transfer rate of 103.7%-116.3% from Mori Cortex to fried Mori Cortex and 45.7%-56.9% from fried Mori Cortex to its standard decoction.The extraction rates of the 15 batches of fried Mori Cortex standard decoctions were 14.7%-19.5%.All the above indicators were within±30% of the mean value.This study established a method for the determination of mulberroside A content and fingerprint of Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction, and clarified the quality transfer law among the three.It established the method for quality evaluation of Mori Cortex and fried Mori Cortex and can provide reference for the whole-process quality control in the preparation of the agents containing fried Mori Cortex.

A Theme Issue to Celebrate Professor Robert Verpoorte's 75th Birthday: "The Past, Current, and Future of Natural Products".

Dear Colleagues, [...].

Correction to: Guizhi-Shaoyao-Zhimu decoction attenuates rheumatoid arthritis partially by reversing inflammation-immune system imbalance.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

[Optimization of analysis methods for Astragali Radix and quality evaluation of standard decoction of Astragali Radix].

Astragali Radix is commonly used as bulk medicinal materials. Chinese Pharmacopoeia contains about 150 compound preparations of Astragali Radix, but the sample preparation method under the determination of Astragali Radix content in Chinese Pharmacopoeia is tedious and time-consuming, not convenient for the test of a large number of samples. Therefore, it is of great significance to simplify the sample preparation method and improve the practicability of the method for the quality control of Astragali Radix and its preparations. In this study, ultrasonic extraction method was used instead of heated reflux extraction, and solid phase extraction method was used to enrich and prepare the samples. A set of practical quality evaluation method was established for Astragali Radix slices and standard decoction, greatly shortening the sample preparation time and improving the accuracy of the method. The results of Astragali Radix standard decoction analysis showed that the transfer rate of calycosin 7-O-ß-D-glucospyranoside,(96.5±28.7)%, had great variation, which was found to be related to the conversion of mulberry isoflavone glucoside into calycosin 7-O-ß-D-glucospyranoside during the preparation of standard decoction. The transfer rates were(59.4±14.4)% and(101.3±12.3)% for calycosin and astragaloside Ⅳ respectively, which were relatively stable. Therefore, it is suggested that Astragali Radix slices and water decoction preparations should be evaluated by using calycosin and astragaloside Ⅳ as the quality evaluation index. The results provide a scientific and practical method for quality control of Astragali Radix slices and its standard decoction, and also provide scientific evidence for quality evaluation of the preparations.

[Establishment of quality evaluation methods for pieces and standard decoction of honey-fried Descurainiae Semen].

To establish a content determination method for quality control of the pieces and standard decoction of honey-fried Descurainiae Semen. Standard decoction of honey-fried Descurainiae Semen was prepared with standardized process, and high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detector(HPLC-DAD) was used to detect its characteristic fingerprint and determine the content of quercetin-3-O-ß-D-glucose-7-O-ß-D-gentiobioside. In addition, the transfer rate, dry extract rate and pH value were calculated. The results showed that the established method had a high accuracy. The content of quercetin-3-O-ß-D-glucose-7-O-ß-D-gentiobioside in 13 batches of standard decoction was 0.03-0.12 mg·mL~(-1); the transfer rate was 13.4%-23.1%; the rate of extracts was 1.9%-5.5%, and the pH was between 5.4-5.9. The similarity coefficients were all greater than 0.85, indicating good homogeneity for the different batches of decoction. There were 7 common peaks in the characteristic chromatogram, one of which was quercetin-3-O-ß-D-glucose-7-O-ß-D-gentiobioside. In this paper, the established content determination and quality evaluation method for Descurainiae Semen pieces and decoction was simple, rapid and reproducible, providing reference for the quality control of honey-fried Descurainiae Semen pieces, standard decoction and its preparations.

[Quality evaluation methods for standard decoction of Nelumbinis Folium].

The quality evaluation method for standard decoction of Chinese herbal slices is the basis for the quality evaluation of granules and preparations of classical formula(decoction)of traditional Chinese medicine. This study aimed to establish a method for the determination of quercetin-3-O-glucuronic acid in Nelumbinis Folium(NF)and its standard decoction, so as to provide reference for the quality control of NF and its standard decoction. Fifteen batches of representative NF were collected to prepare standard decoction, and the parameters of dry extract rate, transfer rate of index component, and pH value were calculated. HPLC was used to establish the content determination method for quercetin-3-O-glucuronic acid in NF and its standard decoction. The concentration range of quercetin-3-O-glucuronic acid in the standard decoction of NF was 1.09-3.06 g·L~(-1), while the concentration range of nuciferine was 0.01-0.17 g·L~(-1). The average extraction rate of NF standard decoction was(14.4±2.6)%, the average transfer rate of quercetin-3-O-glucuronic acid was(70.7±18.6)%, and the average transfer rate of nuciferine was(9.6±5.4)%. Compared with Nuciferine, quercetin-3-O-glucuronic acid had a high content and stable transfer rate in standard decoction, and was recommended to be the quality control marker for NF and its standard decoction. This paper establishes a quality evaluation method for NF standard decoction, and can provide reference for the quality control of all preparations derived from NF and its decoction.

[Some thoughts on health food formulated with traditional Chinese medicine].

The health food industry is an important support for the big health industry and the strategy of healthy China. The Chinese medicine prescription health food has exceeded 60% of the total declared health food. However,the main basis for its function evaluation,the Technical Specification for Inspection and Evaluation of Health Food,was abolished in 2018,and 27 of them were based on modern medical and nutritional theories. Quantitative efficacy evaluation methods in western pharmacology are short of function claims and function evaluation methods reflecting the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine,which could affect the health food industry to a certain extent. Therefore,the establishment of the evaluation mechanism of Chinese medicine prescription health food which conforms to the positioning of health food and the theory of traditional Chinese medicine is helpful for the healthy development of health food industry. In this paper,this problem was explained from five aspects. First,how to differentiate the positioning of Chinese medicine prescription health food from ordinary food and medicine,and how to embody the characteristics of Chinese medicine. Secondly,the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine prescription health food and Chinese patent medicine. Thirdly,how to scientifically and reasonably determine the raw materials of traditional Chinese medicine prescription health food. Fourthly,how to explain the function claim of traditional Chinese medicine prescription health food,and how to evaluate its function scientifically and reasonably. Fifthly,the functional evaluation of Chinese herbal medicine prescription health food is connected with other national scientific and technological strategies. In this paper,a preliminary analysis of the Chinese medicine prescription health food was conducted from the above five aspects,and some personal views and suggestions were put forward,hoping to provide reference for the competent authorities and researchers.

[Current situation and research strategy of quality control of health food containing Chinese materia medica].

Health food containing Chinese materia medica has many advantages in health preservation and reducing the risk of disease occurrence,which meets people's demands for " great health" and " preventive treatment of disease". However,due to its complex ingredients,diverse quality of raw materials,as well as the vagueness and lack of integrity for existing quality standards,chaos is caused in the health food market,which restricts its healthy development and also poses new challenges to the quality control of healthy food. At present,the total component content or single component content is determined in most functional/marker component examinations. Safety and microbial detection methods fail to cover the contamination range of the raw materials of Chinese materia medica.Therefore,it is impossible to meet the purpose of ensuring authenticity,safety and efficacy. In recent years,a lot of Chinese materia medica extracts have been used as raw materials for food products,but many extracts lack standards. The author believes that the quality control of health food containing Chinese materia medicas should start with the quality control of Chinese materia medica extracts. In this way,product quality is controlled from source to ensure product consistency; secondly,the overall quality control should be strengthened to ensure the authenticity of the products; the scope of safety inspection shall be expanded to fundamentally ensure the safety of products. At the same time,we should strengthen the quality control of whole process and strengthen the overall quality control of raw materials to produce health food of high quality.

Enhanced expression of DNA polymerase eta contributes to cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) with enhanced tumorigenicity and chemoresistance are believed to be responsible for treatment failure and tumor relapse in ovarian cancer patients. However, it is still unclear how CSCs survive DNA-damaging agent treatment. Here, we report an elevated expression of DNA polymerase η (Pol η) in ovarian CSCs isolated from both ovarian cancer cell lines and primary tumors, indicating that CSCs may have intrinsically enhanced translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). Down-regulation of Pol η blocked cisplatin-induced CSC enrichment both in vitro and in vivo through the enhancement of cisplatin-induced apoptosis in CSCs, indicating that Pol η-mediated TLS contributes to the survival of CSCs upon cisplatin treatment. Furthermore, our data demonstrated a depletion of miR-93 in ovarian CSCs. Enforced expression of miR-93 in ovarian CSCs reduced Pol η expression and increased their sensitivity to cisplatin. Taken together, our data suggest that ovarian CSCs have intrinsically enhanced Pol η-mediated TLS, allowing CSCs to survive cisplatin treatment, leading to tumor relapse. Targeting Pol η, probably through enhancement of miR-93 expression, might be exploited as a strategy to increase the efficacy of cisplatin treatment.

Flavonol glycosides from the fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa.

Two new flavonol glycosides, limocitrin 3-O-ß-D-xylopyranosyl(1→2)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1) and limocitrin 3-O[2-O-ß-D-xylopyranosyl-6-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl]-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), together with eight known analogs (3-10), were isolated from the fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses and chemical evidences. Meanwhile, Nrf2 inducing abilities of seven isolated compounds were evaluated, and compounds 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 exhibited moderate effect on Nrf2.

[Quality evaluation of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma decoction].

Decoction of single medicinal herb is a reference for the standardization of different dosage forms of Chinese medicine and it provides a new direction for solving the problems existing in the quality of Chinese medicinal granules such as no uniform dosage form and no clear quality standard. In this paper, the quality evaluation method of standard decoction of rhubarb was established to provide reference for the quality control of common dosage forms such as clinical decoction and formula granule. 10 batches of representative Rhei Radix et Rhizoma were collected to establish UPLC fingerprints were established. The chemical structures of main peaks were identified with ultra-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and the main components in the decoction were Anthraquinones. The extraction ratio of the standard decoction was (28.1±3.8)% and the transfer rate was (19.9±6.3)%. The method for the quality evaluation of standard decoction of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma was established in this study, providing reference for the quality control method of terminal products from decoction of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma.

[Quality evaluation of medicinal herb decoction--Forsythiae Fructus].

To establish the quality control methods for the standard decoction of Forsythiae Fructus. Twelve batches of representative Forsythiae Fructus were collected to prepare standard decoction of Forsythiae Fructus, and then the parameters such as extraction ratio, transfer rate of the index components and pH value of the solution were calculated to evaluate the stability of the process. The simultaneous determination method of target components and fingerprint method were established, and ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used to identify the main common peaks in the fingerprint to clarify the main chemical constituents in the decoction. The similarities of the fingerprints of standard decoction of Forsythiae Fructus were more than 0.9. The average extraction ratio of the standard decoction of Forsythiae Fructus was (15.53±6.27)%, and the transfer rate of forsythiaside A was(38.0±10.2)%. The method for evaluating the quality of standard decoction of Forsythiae Fructus was presented, providing reference for the quality control of products stemmed from the water extract of Forsythiae Fructus, with high similarity and uniform quality.

[Quality evaluation of decoction of single medicinal herb--a case of Lonicerae Japinicae Flos].

Decoction of single medicinal herb is a reference for the standardization of different dosage form of Chinese medicine and it provides a new direction for solving the problems existing in the quality of Chinese medicinal granules such no uniform dosage forms and no clear quality standard. There are few reports on the idea, method and preparation of single herb standard decoction. Our country is in urgent need of that information in order to improve the consistency and stability of traditional Chinese medicine products. Here, Lonicerae Japinicae Flos was selected as an example to elucidate the preparation and quality evaluation of Chinese single herbal medicine decoction. Twelve batches of representative Lonicerae Japinicae Flos were collected, UPLC fingerprints were established, and the chemical structures of main peaks were identified with UPLC-QTOF-MS and standard compounds. The main components in the decoction are organic acids and iridoids. The extract rate of the standard decoction was (34.2±2.9)% and the transfer rate is (78.6±8.4)% in the form of chlorogenic acid, within the range of 75%-125% of mean. This paper established a method for the quality evaluation of standard decoction of Lonicerae Japinicae Flos and provided reference for the quality control method of terminal products from decoction of Lonicerae Japinicae Flos.

[Establish quality evaluation method based on standard decoction of Danshen extract].

The quality of Danshen extract granules on market is largely different from each other mainly due to the heterogeneous quality of raw materials of Salvia miltiorrhiza, various producing procedures and lack of good quality evaluation method. Formula granule and "standard decoction" have the same quality. In this paper, a systematic evaluation method for the quality of Danshen decoction was established from the perspective of "standard decoction", in order to explore the main factors affecting the quality uniformity of Danshen extract granules. Danshen standard decoction was prepared; then the fingerprint method was developed to determine the content of salvianolic acid B; and the main peaks in the fingerprint were identified with UPLC-QTOF/MS to clarify the chemical compositions of Danshen decoction. Three indexes were calculated to evaluate the stability of whole process, including the extraction ratio; transfer rate of index components and pH value. The results showed that the main components of Danshen decoction were phenolic acids, while the extraction rate, the transfer rate of salvianolic acid B and pH value were in a relatively stable level, and the similarity in the fingerprint of standard decoction was high, indicating that the preparation procedure was stable. The level of salvianolic acid B in the standard decoction was in a large range, which was mainly due to the difference in the quality of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma.

[Establish quality evaluation system for standard Ephedrae Herba decoction].

To establish the quality control methods for the standard decoction of Ephedrae Herba, and provide the reference for quality evaluation method of all Chinese herbal medicine decoction.Standard decoction of Ephedrae Herba was prepared, and UPLC-UV fingerprint was established to determine the total contents of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Then UPLC-QTOF/MS was used to confirm the major common peaks in the fingerprint to clarify the main chemical constituents in the decoction. In addition, the stability of the process was evaluated by calculating the parameters such as the extraction ratio, transfer rate of the index components and the pH values.In the decoction of Ephedrae Herba, the total average concentration of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine was (2.11±0.70) g•L⁻¹; the similarities of all the fingerprints were more than 0.85; there were 10 major common peaks in the fingerprint, including alkaloids, flavonoids and organic acids; the extraction ratio was (17±3.2)%, and the overall transfer rate of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine was (32.4±8.1)%.The method for evaluating the quality of standard decoction of Ephedrae Herba was established in this article, providing reference for the quality control of products which were stemmed from the water extract of Ephedrae Herba.

Guizhi-Shaoyao-Zhimu decoction attenuates rheumatoid arthritis partially by reversing inflammation-immune system imbalance.

BACKGROUND: Guizhi-Shaoyao-Zhimu decoction (GSZD) has been extensively used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy. Marked therapeutic efficacy of GSZD acting on RA has been demonstrated in several long-term clinical trials without any significant side effects. However, its pharmacological mechanisms remain unclear due to a lack of appropriate scientific methodology. METHODS: GSZD's mechanisms of action were investigated using an integrative approach that combined drug target prediction, network analysis, and experimental validation. RESULTS: A total of 77 putative targets were identified for 165 assessed chemical components of GSZD. After calculating the topological features of the nodes and edges in the created drug-target network, we identified a candidate GSZD-targeted signal axis that contained interactions between two putative GSZD targets [histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and heat shock protein 90 kDa alpha, class A member 1 (HSP90AA1)] and three known RA-related targets [NFKB2; inhibitor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells, kinase beta (IKBKB); and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)]. This signal axis could connect different functional modules that are significantly associated with various RA-related signaling pathways, including T/B cell receptor, Toll-like receptor, NF-kappa B and TNF pathways, as well as osteoclast differentiation. Furthermore, the therapeutic effects and putative molecular mechanisms of GSZD's actions on RA were experimentally validated in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: GSZD may partially attenuate RA by reversing inflammation-immune system imbalance and regulating the HDAC1-HSP90AA1-NFKB2-IKBKB-TNF-α signaling axis.

Insulin growth factor signaling is regulated by microRNA-486, an underexpressed microRNA in lung cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small 19- to 24-nt noncoding RNAs that have the capacity to regulate fundamental biological processes essential for cancer initiation and progression. In cancer, miRNAs may function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Here, we conducted global profiling for miRNAs in a cohort of stage 1 nonsmall cell lung cancers (n = 81) and determined that miR-486 was the most down-regulated miRNA in tumors compared with adjacent uninvolved lung tissues, suggesting that miR-486 loss may be important in lung cancer development. We report that miR-486 directly targets components of insulin growth factor (IGF) signaling including insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), IGF1 receptor (IGF1R), and phosphoinositide-3-kinase, regulatory subunit 1 (alpha) (PIK3R1, or p85a) and functions as a potent tumor suppressor of lung cancer both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings support the role for miR-486 loss in lung cancer and suggest a potential biological link to p53.

[Metabolomics research of medicinal plants].

Metabolomics is the comprehensively study of chemical processes involving small molecule metabolites. It is an important part of systems biology, and is widely applied in complex traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）system. Metabolites biosynthesized by medicinal plants are the effective basis for TCM. Metabolomics studies of medicinal plants will usher in a new period of vigorous development with the implementation of Herb Genome Program and the development of TCM synthetic biology. This manuscript introduces the recent research progresses of metabolomics technology and the main research contents of metabolomics studies for medicinal plants, including identification and quality evaluation for medicinal plants, cultivars breeding, stress resistance, metabolic pathways, metabolic network, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology researches. The integration of genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches will finally lay foundation for breeding of medicinal plants, R&D, quality and safety evaluation of innovative drug.