SIRT3, a New Hope in Liver Diseases from Pathogenic Mechanisms to Therapeutic Strategies.

The liver, the largest internal organ in the human body, regulates multiple reactions and processes, including detoxification, regeneration, and immune defense. Liver diseases have emerged as a significant global public health issue. Numerous studies have indicated that the mitochondrial deacetylase SIRT3 has played various roles in the pathogenesis and pathological progression of liver diseases. Objectives: This review aims to explore the advances in the study of SIRT3 and liver disease and review possible mechanisms. Natural and chemical activators of SIRT3 are also discussed. The role of SIRT3 in the pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of liver disease is summarized by reviewing Pubmed. SIRT3 alleviates liver diseases by regulating fatty acid metabolism, mitochondrial function, and immune-inflammatory response. Meanwhile, Withaferin A, lipoic acid, major royal jelly proteins, and berberine can activate SIRT3 or upregulate its expression, thereby alleviating liver damage. SIRT3 can effectively slow down the progression of liver disease and protect the liver from further damage. The use of SIRT3 as a pharmacological target for the treatment of liver disease is a potential therapeutic approach.

Long-Term Administration of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Mitigates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Physiological Decline in Aging Mice.

BACKGROUND: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) concentrations decline with age, and boosting it can improve multi-organ functions and lifespan. OBJECTIVES: Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is a natural NAD+ precursor with the ability to enhance NAD+ biosynthesis. Numerous studies have shown that a high-fat diet (HFD) can accelerate the process of aging and many diseases. We hypothesized that long-term administration of NMN could exert protective effects on adipose, muscle, and kidney tissues in mice on an HFD act by affecting the autophagic pathway. METHODS: Mice at 14 mo of age were fed an HFD, and NMN was added to their drinking water at a dose of 400 mg/kg for 7 mo. The locomotor ability of the mice was assessed by behavioral experiments such as grip test, wire hang test, rotarod, and beam-walking test. At the end of the behavioral experiments, the pathological changes of each peripheral organ and the expression of autophagy-related proteins, as well as the markers of the senescence and inflammaging were analyzed by pathological staining, immunohistochemical staining, and western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: We found that NMN supplementation increased NAD+ concentrations and ultimately attenuated age- and diet-related physiological decline in mice. NMN inhibited HFD-induced obesity, promoted physical activity, improved glucose and lipid metabolism, improved skeletal muscle function and renal damage, as well as mitigated the senescence and inflammaging as demonstrated by p16, interleukin 1ß, and tumor necrosis factor α concentrations. In addition, the present study further emphasizes the potential mechanisms underlying the bidirectional relationship between NAD+ and autophagy. We detected changes in autophagy concentrations in various tissue organs, and NMN may play a protective role by inhibiting excessive autophagy induced by HFD. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that NMN administration attenuated HFD-induced metabolic disorders and physiological decline in aging mice.

Protein phosphatase 2A-B55ß mediated mitochondrial p-GPX4 dephosphorylation promoted sorafenib-induced ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating p53 retrograde signaling.

Rationale: As a key endogenous negative regulator of ferroptosis, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) can regulate its antioxidant function through multiple post-translational modification pathways. However, the effects of the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation status of GPX4 on the regulation of inducible ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Methods: To investigate the effects and molecular mechanism of GPX4 phosphorylation/dephosphorylation modification on ferroptosis in HCC cells. Sorafenib (Sora) was used to establish the ferroptosis model in HCC cells in vitro. Using the site-directed mutagenesis method, we generated the mimic GPX4 phosphorylation or dephosphorylation HCC cell lines at specific serine sites of GPX4. The effects of GPX4 phosphorylation/dephosphorylation modification on ferroptosis in HCC cells were examined. The interrelationships among GPX4, p53, and protein phosphatase 2A-B55ß subunit (PP2A-B55ß) were also explored. To explore the synergistic anti-tumor effects of PP2A activation on Sora-administered HCC, we established PP2A-B55ß overexpression xenograft tumors in a nude mice model in vivo. Results: In the Sora-induced ferroptosis model of HCC in vitro, decreased levels of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial GPX4, mitochondrial dysfunction, and enhanced p53 retrograde signaling occurred under Sora treatment. Further, we found that mitochondrial p53 retrograded remarkably into the nucleus and aggravated Sora-induced ferroptosis. The phosphorylation status of GPX4 at the serine 2 site (GPX4Ser2) revealed that mitochondrial p-GPX4Ser2 dephosphorylation was positively associated with ferroptosis, and the mechanism might be related to mitochondrial p53 retrograding into the nucleus. In HCC cells overexpressing PP2A-B55ß, it was found that PP2A-B55ß directly interacted with mitochondrial GPX4 and promoted Sora-induced ferroptosis in HCC. Further, PP2A-B55ß reduced the interaction between mitochondrial GPX4 and p53, leading to mitochondrial p53 retrograding into the nucleus. Moreover, it was confirmed that PP2A-B55ß enhanced the ferroptosis-mediated tumor growth inhibition and mitochondrial p53 retrograde signaling in the Sora-treated HCC xenograft tumors. Conclusion: Our data uncovered that the PP2A-B55ß/p-GPX4Ser2/p53 axis was a novel regulatory pathway of Sora-induced ferroptosis. Mitochondrial p-GPX4Ser2 dephosphorylation triggered ferroptosis via inducing mitochondrial p53 retrograding into the nucleus, and PP2A-B55ß was an upstream signal modulator responsible for mitochondrial p-GPX4Ser2 dephosphorylation. Our findings might serve as a potential theranostic strategy to enhance the efficacy of Sora in HCC treatment through the targeted intervention of p-GPX4 dephosphorylation via PP2A-B55ß activation.

Treatment of Netherton Syndrome With Abrocitinib.

This case report describes a 28-year-old woman with Netherton syndrome who had large erythematous migratory patches with serpiginous double-edged scales on her face, neck, trunk, and extremities.

Asymmetric Synthesis of Vicinal Tetrasubstituted Diamines via Reductive Coupling of Ketimines Templated by Chiral Diborons.

We herein describe the chiral diboron-templated asymmetric homocoupling of aryl alkyl ketimines, providing for the first time a series of chiral vicinal tetrasubstituted diamines with excellent ee values and good to high yields. The powerful and efficient diboron-participated [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement is successfully demonstrated by the homocoupling of a variety of ketimines thanks to the rational design and engineering of chiral diborons. Systematic DFT studies suggest that two chiral diborons adopt different conformational assembling strategies to couple the diboron template with ketimine substrates in their tight concerted transition states to ensure the excellent enantioselectivities. The synthetic value of chiral vicinal tetrasubstituted diamines is demonstrated by the asymmetric α-bromination of aliphatic aldehydes by employing a chiral vicinal tetrasubstituted diamine-based organocatalyst.

[Removal Performance of Suspended Solid (SS) and Organic Compounds in the Pre-treatment of Actual Pharmaceutical Wastewater by Microbubble Ozonation].

Actual pharmaceutical wastewater was pretreated with ozone microbubbles and compared with the treatment processes of nitrogen microbubbles, ozone common bubbles, and nitrogen common bubbles. The removal process and performance of suspended solids (SS) and organic compounds were investigated. The results showed that ozone microbubble treatment with strong adsorption-flotation-oxidation effects could enhance SS removal significantly, and the corresponding SS removal efficiency reached 81.67% at 60 min. The SS particle size was reduced, and the negative charge on the SS surface was simultaneously changed into a positive charge. Microbubble ozonation with a strong·OH oxidation effect also significantly enhanced the degradation and removal of organic compounds. The removal efficiency of soluble COD (SCOD) reached 36.60% at 60 min, and the SCOD removal was accelerated after the SS removal. The removal efficiency of UV254 also reached 36.91%. The biodegradability was improved, and the biological toxicity was obviously eliminated. The analysis of three-dimensional fluorescence and GC-MS showed that the macromolecular organic compounds with complex structure could be oxidized and decomposed efficiently with microbubble ozonation, resulting in the aromatic reduction in organic compounds in wastewater. Therefore, microbubble ozonation could be considered as an efficient and feasible pretreatment method for high concentration and refractory pharmaceutical wastewater.

Intracellular antibody targeting HBx suppresses invasion and metastasis in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocarcinogenesis via protein phosphatase 2A-B56γ-mediated dephosphorylation of protein kinase B.

OBJECTIVES: Hepatitis B virus X (HBx) is closely associated with HBV-related hepatocarcinogenesis via the inactivation of tumour suppressors. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulatory subunit B56 gamma (B56γ), as a tumour suppressor, plays a critical role in regulating cellular phosphorylation signals via dephosphorylation of signalling proteins. However, the underlying mechanism that B56γ involved in regulating HBx-associated hepatocarcinogenesis phenotypes and mediating anti-HBx antibody-mediated tumour suppression remains unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used bioinformatics analysis, paired HCC patient specimens, HBx transgenic (HBx-Tg) mice, xenograft nude mice, HBV stable replication in the HepG2.2.15 cells, and anti-HBx antibody intervention to systematically evaluate the biological function of protein kinase B (AKT) dephosphorylation through B56γ in HBx-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis revealed that AKT, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), and MMP9 were markedly upregulated, while cell migration and viral carcinogenesis pathways were activated in HBV-infected liver tissues and HBV-associated HCC tissues. Our results demonstrated that HBx-expression promotes AKT phosphorylation (p-AKTThr308/Ser473 ), mediating the migration and invasion phenotypes in vivo and in vitro. Importantly, in clinical samples, HBx and B56γ were downregulated in HBV-associated HCC tumour tissues compared with peritumor tissues. Moreover, intervention with site-directed mutagenesis (AKTT308A , AKTS473A ) of p-AKTThr308/Ser473 mimics dephosphorylation, genetics-based B56γ overexpression, and intracellular anti-HBx antibody inhibited cell growth, migration, and invasion in HBx-expressing HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that B56γ inhibited HBV/HBx-dependent hepatocarcinogenesis by regulating the dephosphorylation of p-AKTThr308/Ser473 in HCC cells. The intracellular anti-HBx antibody and the activator of B56γ may provide a multipattern chemopreventive strategy against HBV-related HCC.

Rhodium(I) Carbene-Promoted Enantioselective C-H Functionalization of Simple Unprotected Indoles, Pyrroles and Heteroanalogues: New Mechanistic Insights.

A rhodium(I)-diene catalyzed highly enantioselective C(sp2 )-H functionalization of simple unprotected indoles, pyrroles, and their common analogues such as furans, thiophenes, and benzofurans with arylvinyldiazoesters has been developed for the first time. This transformation features unusual site-selectivity exclusively at the vinyl terminus of arylvinylcarbene and enables a reliable and rapid synthetic protocol to access a distinctive class of diarylmethine-bearing α,ß-unsaturated esters containing a one or two heteroarene-attached tertiary carbon stereocenter in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities under mild reaction conditions. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations suggest that, compared to the aniline substrate, the more electron-rich indole substrate lowers the C-C addition barrier and alters the rate-determining step to the reductive elimination, leading to different isotope effect.

Targeting Mitochondrial COX-2 Enhances Chemosensitivity via Drp1-Dependent Remodeling of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles and undergo constant fission and fusion, which are both essential for the maintenance of cell physiological functions. Dysregulation of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1)-dependent mitochondrial dynamics is associated with tumorigenesis and the chemotherapeutic response in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in most cancer types and correlates with a poor prognosis. However, the roles played by the translocation of mitochondrial COX-2 (mito-COX-2) and the interaction between mito-COX-2 and Drp1 in chemotherapeutic responses remain to be elucidated in the context of HCC. Bioinformatics analysis, paired HCC patient specimens, xenograft nude mice, immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, molecular docking, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, proximity ligation assay, cytoplasmic and mitochondrial fractions, mitochondrial immunoprecipitation assay, and flow cytometry analysis were performed to evaluate the underlying mechanism of how mito-COX-2 and p-Drp1Ser616 interaction regulates the chemotherapeutic response via mitochondrial dynamics in vitro and in vivo. We found that COX-2 and Drp1 were frequently upregulated and confer a poor prognosis in HCC. We also found that the proportion of mito-COX-2 and p-Drp1Ser616 was increased in HCC cell lines. In vitro, we demonstrated that the enhanced mitochondrial translocation of COX-2 promotes its interaction with p-Drp1Ser616 via PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)-mediated Drp1 phosphorylation activation. This increase was associated with higher colony formation, cell proliferation, and mitochondrial fission. These findings were confirmed by knocking down COX-2 in HCC cells using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Furthermore, inhibition of Drp1 using pharmacologic inhibitors (Mdivi-1) or RNA interference (siDNM1L) decreased mito-COX-2/p-Drp1Ser616 interaction-mediated mitochondrial fission, and increased apoptosis in HCC cells treated with platinum drugs. Moreover, inhibiting mito-COX-2 acetylation with the natural phytochemical resveratrol resulted in reducing cell proliferation and mitochondrial fission, occurring through upregulation of mitochondrial deacetylase sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), which, in turn, increased the chemosensitivity of HCC to platinum drugs in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that targeting interventions to PINK1-mediated mito-COX-2/p-Drp1Ser616-dependent mitochondrial dynamics increases the chemosensitivity of HCC and might help us to understand how to use the SIRT3-modulated mito-COX-2/p-Drp1Ser616 signaling axis to develop an effective clinical intervention in hepatocarcinogenesis.

D-Limonene Is a Potential Monoterpene to Inhibit PI3K/Akt/IKK-α/NF-κB p65 Signaling Pathway in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pulmonary Fibrosis.

At the time of the prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), pulmonary fibrosis (PF) related to COVID-19 has become the main sequela. However, the mechanism of PF related to COVID (COVID-PF) is unknown. This study aimed to explore the key targets in the development of COVID-PF and the mechanism of d-limonene in the COVID-PF treatment. The differentially expressed genes of COVID-PF were downloaded from the GeneCards database, and their pathways were analyzed. d-Limonene was molecularly docked with related proteins to screen its pharmacological targets, and a rat lung fibrosis model was established to verify d-limonene's effect on COVID-PF-related targets. The results showed that the imbalance between collagen breakdown and metabolism, inflammatory response, and angiogenesis are the core processes of COVID-PF; and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways are the key targets of the treatment of COVID-PF. The ability of d-limonene to protect against PF induced by bleomycin in rats was reported. The mechanism is related to the binding of PI3K and NF-κB p65, and the inhibition of PI3K/Akt/IKK-α/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway expression and phosphorylation. These results confirmed the relationship between the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and COVID-PF, showing that d-limonene has a potential therapeutic value for COVID-PF.

MicroRNA-101 inhibits cadmium-induced angiogenesis by targeting cyclooxygenase-2 in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Exposure to toxic metal contaminants, such as cadmium compounds (Cd2+), has been shown to induce adverse effects on various organs and tissues. In particular, blood vessels are severely impacted by Cd2+ exposure, which may lead to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). According to previous studies, CVDs are associated with increased cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) levels. However, the mechanisms by which CdCl2-induced COX-2 overexpression leads to cardiovascular dysfunction remain unclear. Herein, we show that the relative gene expressions of VEGF and PTGS2 (COX-2 encoding gene) are positively correlated in CVDs patients. Moreover, we demonstrate that the in vitro administration of CdCl2 induces cytotoxicity and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The induction of ER stress and the overexpression of COX-2 in CdCl2-treated cells alters the protein level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), resulting in abnormal angiogenesis and increased cytotoxicity. At the pre-transcription level, the inhibition of ER stress by siGRP78 (a key mediator of ER stress) can restore normal angiogenesis in the CdCl2-exposed cells. Meanwhile, at the transcription level, the adverse effects of CdCl2 exposure may be reversed via genetic modification with siRNA (siPTGS2) or by using phytochemical inhibitors (parthenolide, PN) of COX-2. Finally, at the post-transcription level, COX-2 expression may be restricted by the binding of microRNA-101 (miR-101) to the 3'-UTR of PTGS2 mRNA. The use of mimic miR-101 (mi101) to induce the expression of miR-101 eventually leads to reduced COX-2 protein levels, relieved ER stress, and less abnormal angiogenesis and cytotoxicity of CdCl2-exposed primary HUVECs. Overall, our results suggest that CdCl2-induced abnormal angiogenesis is mediated by miR-101/COX-2/VEGF-axis-dependent ER stress, and that cardiovascular dysfunction may be controlled by manipulating COX-2 at the pre-transcription, transcription, and post-transcription levels.

[Influence of Industrial Wastewater Quality on Advanced Treatment of Microbubble Ozonation].

The treatment performance of microbubble ozonation used for advanced treatment of actual pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater was investigated and compared to show the influence of complicated wastewater quality. The results showed that most organic pollutants in pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater could be degraded by microbubble ozonation effectively. and COD was removed simultaneously. In addition, the biodegradability was improved and the bio-toxicity was eliminated significantly. The ratios of COD amount removed and ozone amount consumed were 0.77 and 1.02, respectively, in such advanced treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater, indicating different ozone oxidation efficiencies between pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater. The main types of organic pollutants in pharmaceutical wastewater and tannery wastewater were determined by GC-MS and 3D-EEM, which showed the influence on treatment performance of microbubble ozonation. More refractory complex aromatic organic pollutants were found in pharmaceutical wastewater, which seemed more difficult to undergo degradation by microbubble ozone oxidation. As a result, the microbubble ozone oxidation of pharmaceutical wastewater was less efficient than that of tannery wastewater. The inorganic anions in both kinds of wastewater were unfavorable for ozone mass transfer, ozone decomposition, and·OH generation, which reduced the reaction efficiency of microbubble ozonation as well as biodegradability improvement. The lower concentrations of inorganic anions were better for microbubble ozonation.

Catalpol Protects Against Pulmonary Fibrosis Through Inhibiting TGF-ß1/Smad3 and Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathways.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease characterized by fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix remodeling; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying its occurrence and development are not yet fully understood. Despite it having a variety of beneficial pharmacological activities, the effects of catalpol (CAT), which is extracted from Rehmannia glutinosa, in IPF are not known. In this study, the differentially expressed genes, proteins, and pathways of IPF in the Gene Expression Omnibus database were analyzed, and CAT was molecularly docked with the corresponding key proteins to screen its pharmacological targets, which were then verified using an animal model. The results show that collagen metabolism imbalance, inflammatory response, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are the core processes in IPF, and the TGF-ß1/Smad3 and Wnt/ß-catenin pathways are the key signaling pathways for the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Our results also suggest that CAT binds to TGF-ßR1, Smad3, Wnt3a, and GSK-3ß through hydrogen bonds, van der Waals bonds, and other interactions to downregulate the expression and phosphorylation of Smad3, Wnt3a, GSK-3ß, and ß-catenin, inhibit the expression of cytokines, and reduce the degree of oxidative stress in lung tissue. Furthermore, CAT can inhibit the EMT process and collagen remodeling by downregulating fibrotic biomarkers and promoting the expression of epithelial cadherin. This study elucidates several key processes and signaling pathways involved in the development of IPF, and suggests the potential value of CAT in the treatment of IPF.

[Biological Nitrogen Removal Process in a Microbubble-aerated Biofilm Reactor Treating Low C/N Wastewater].

The microbubble-aerated biofilm reactor as a new treatment process combines microbubble aeration technology with aerobic biological treatment. A microbubble aerated biofilm reactor was used in this study to treat low C/N ratio wastewater at a low air/water ratio. The process and performance of biological nitrogen removal were investigated, and the functional bacterial populations for nitrogen removal in the biofilm were analyzed. The results showed that the biological nitrogen removal process was converted from simultaneous nitrification-denitrification to simultaneous partial nitrification, ANAMMOX and denitrification (SNAD) processes when DO concentration was controlled by an air/water ratio of lower than 1:2 and the influent C/N ratio was reduced. As a result, the efficient biological nitrogen removal performance was achieved when treating low C/N ratio wastewater. When the DO concentration was lower than 1.0 mg·L-1 and the influent C/N ratio was 1:2.8, the SNAD process became dominant for biological nitrogen removal. In this case, the average total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was 76.3%, and the average TN loading rate removed was 1.42 kg·(m3·d)-1. In addition, it was estimated that 86.0% of TN removal was attributed to the ANAMMOX process. The relative abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria populations and ANAMMOX bacteria populations in the biofilm increased gradually, while the relative abundances of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria populations and denitrifying bacteria populations decreased gradually, with a decrease in influent C/N ratio. The variation of functional bacterial populations for nitrogen removal was consistent with the conversion of nitrogen removal process to SNAD process.

Differential responses of stressful elements to predatory exposure in behavior-lateralized mice.

BACKGROUND: Predatory stress as a psychological stressor can elicit the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is involved in the dialogue of the neuroimmunoendocrine network. The brain has been proven to regulate the activity of the HPA axis by way of lateralization. In the present study, we probed the pivotal elements of the HPA circuitry including CRH, GR and a multifunctional cytokine in behavior-lateralized mice to determine their changes when the animals were subjected to predator exposure. METHODS: Behavior-lateralized mice were classified into left-pawed and right-pawed mice through a paw-preference test. Thereafter, mice in the acute stress group received a single 60-min cat exposure, and mice in the chronic group received daily 60-min cat exposure for 14 consecutive days. The plasma CS and TNF-α were determined by ELISA, the hypothalamic CRH mRNA and hippocampal GR mRNA were detected by real-time PCR, and the hippocampal GR protein was detected by western blot analysis. RESULTS: The results revealed that the levels of plasma CS were significantly elevated after chronic predatory exposure in both right-pawed and left-pawed mice; the right-pawed mice exhibited a higher plasma CS level than the left-pawed mice. Similarly, the acute or chronic cat exposure could induce the release of plasma TNF-α, and the left-pawed mice tended to show a higher level after the acute stress. Chronic stress significantly upregulated the expression of hypothalamic CRH mRNA in both left-pawed and right-pawed mice. Normally, the left-pawed mice exhibited a higher GR expression in the hippocampus than the right-pawed mice. After the cat exposure, the expression of GR in both left-pawed and right-pawed mice was revealed to be greatly downregulated. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that predatory stress can invoke a differential response of stressful elements in behavior-lateralized mice. Some of these responses shaped by behavioral lateralization might be helpful for facilitating adaption to various stimuli.

Oxymatrine Inhibits Influenza A Virus Replication and Inflammation via TLR4, p38 MAPK and NF-κB Pathways.

Oxymatrine (OMT) is a strong immunosuppressive agent that has been used in the clinic for many years. In the present study, by using plaque inhibition, luciferase reporter plasmids, qRT-PCR, western blotting, and ELISA assays, we have investigated the effect and mechanism of OMT on influenza A virus (IAV) replication and IAV-induced inflammation in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that OMT had excellent anti-IAV activity on eight IAV strains in vitro. OMT could significantly decrease the promoter activity of TLR3, TLR4, TLR7, MyD88, and TRAF6 genes, inhibit IAV-induced activations of Akt, ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, and NF-κB pathways, and suppress the expressions of inflammatory cytokines and MMP-2/-9. Activators of TLR4, p38 MAPK and NF-κB pathways could significantly antagonize the anti-IAV activity of OMT in vitro, including IAV replication and IAV-induced cytopathogenic effect (CPE). Furthermore, OMT could reduce the loss of body weight, significantly increase the survival rate of IAV-infected mice, decrease the lung index, pulmonary inflammation and lung viral titter, and improve pulmonary histopathological changes. In conclusion, OMT possesses anti-IAV and anti-inflammatory activities, the mechanism of action may be linked to its ability to inhibit IAV-induced activations of TLR4, p38 MAPK, and NF-κB pathways.

Anti-influenza A virus activity of rhein through regulating oxidative stress, TLR4, Akt, MAPK, and NF-κB signal pathways.

Rhein, an anthraquinone compound existing in many traditional herbal medicines, has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, antiviral, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective activities, but its anti-influenza A virus (IAV) activity is ambiguous. In the present study, through plaque inhibition assay, time-of-addition assay, antioxidant assay, qRT-PCR, ELISA, and western blotting assays, we investigated the anti-IAV effect and mechanism of action of rhein in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that rhein could significantly inhibit IAV adsorption and replication, decrease IAV-induced oxidative stress, activations of TLR4, Akt, p38, JNK MAPK, and NF-κB pathways, and production of inflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases in vitro. Oxidant H2O2 and agonists of TLR4, Akt, p38/JNK and IKK/NF-κB could significantly antagonize the inhibitory effects of rhein on IAV-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) and IAV replication. Through an in vivo test in mice, we also found that rhein could significantly improve the survival rate, lung index, pulmonary cytokines, and pulmonary histopathological changes. Rhein also significantly decreased pulmonary viral load at a high dose. In conclusion, rhein can inhibit IAV adsorption and replication, and the mechanism of action to inhibit IAV replication may be due to its ability to suppress IAV-induced oxidative stress and activations of TLR4, Akt, p38, JNK MAPK, and NF-κB signal pathways.

A study of the damage of the intestinal mucosa barrier structure and function of Ctenopharyngodon idella with Aeromonas hydrophila.

The aim of this study is to explore the effect of Aeromonas hydrophila on the intestinal mucosal barrier structure and intestinal permeability in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Histopathological examinations showed that A. hydrophila induced severe intestinal lesions, including inflammatory cell infiltration and intestinal villus fusion and swelling. Messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-8, IL-10 and MyD88 was significantly increased after infection with A. hydrophila. The permeability of intestinal mucosa was determined using Evans blue (EB) and D-lactic acid. The results indicated that the levels of EB and serum D-lactic acid were significantly increased after infection with A. hydrophila (p < 0.05). Our results also indicated that the intestinal mucosal barrier injury induced by A. hydrophila infection was closely associated with the expression of the tight junction (TJ) protein zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin, claudin b and claudin c as well as the activity of Na+, K+-ATPase and Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase. Lower mRNA levels of occludin and lower Na+, K+-ATPase and Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase activity in the intestines were observed after challenge. ZO-1 and claudin c were significantly increased 24 h after infection with A. hydrophila. The most interesting finding was that claudin b also significantly increased 24 h after challenge and then decreased to lower levels at 72, 120 and 168 h post-infection compared to the PBS-treated control group. The results demonstrated that grass carp infection with A. hydrophila induced intestinal inflammation and impaired the structure and function of the intestinal mucosal barrier.

[Combination of Microbubble Catalytic Ozonation and Biological Process for Advanced Treatment of Biotreated Coal Chemical Wastewater].

A combination of microbubble catalytic ozonation and biological process was used for advanced treatment of biotreated coal chemical wastewater (BCCW). The performance of the combination system and the influence of the ratio of ozone dosage to influent COD were investigated. The results indicated that the refractory nitrogen-containing aromatics in the BCCW was degraded efficiently by microbubble catalytic ozonation, which resulted in some COD removal, ammonia nitrogen release, and significant improvement of biodegradability. The ozone utilization efficiency was close to 100% and the off-gas ozone did not need to be treated. Sufficient dissolved oxygen (DO) was provided by the microbubble catalytic ozonation for biological treatment without aeration. COD and ammonia nitrogen were removed further in the biological treatment efficiently. Better performance of the combination system was achieved when the system effluent reflux ratio was 30% and the ratio of ozone dosage to influent COD was 0.44 mg·mg-1. In this case, for microbubble catalytic ozonation, the COD removal efficiency was 42.5%, the ratio of ozone consumed to COD removed was 1.38 mg·mg-1, and the ozone utilization efficiency was 98.0%. For biological treatment, the COD removal efficiency was 42.3%. For the combination system, the total COD removal efficiency was 66.7%, the average final effluent COD concentration was 91.5 mg·L-1, and the estimated total ratio of ozone consumed to COD removed was 0.68 mg·mg-1, indicating better technical and economic performance.