Fangyukangsuan granules ameliorate hyperuricemia and modulate gut microbiota in rats.

Hyperuricaemia (HUA) is a metabolic disorder characterised by high blood uric acid (UA) levels; moreover, HUA severity is closely related to the gut microbiota. HUA is also a risk factor for renal damage, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia; however, current treatments are associated with detrimental side effects. Alternatively, Fangyukangsuan granules are a natural product with UA-reducing properties. To examine their efficacy in HUA, the binding of small molecules in Fangyukangsuan granules to xanthine oxidase (XOD), a key factor in UA metabolism, was investigated via molecular simulation, and the effects of oral Fangyukangsuan granule administration on serum biochemical indices and intestinal microorganisms in HUA-model rats were examined. Overall, 24 small molecules in Fangyukangsuan granules could bind to XOD. Serum UA, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and XOD levels were decreased in rats treated with Fangyukangsuan granules compared to those in untreated HUA-model rats. Moreover, Fangyukangsuan granules restored the intestinal microbial structure in HUA-model rats. Functional analysis of the gut microbiota revealed decreased amino acid biosynthesis and increased fermentation of pyruvate into short-chain fatty acids in Fangyukangsuan granule-treated rats. Together, these findings demonstrate that Fangyukangsuan granules have anti-hyperuricaemic and regulatory effects on the gut microbiota and may be a therapeutic candidate for HUA.

[Wuziyanzong compound relieves oxidative stress injury and inhibits the apoptosis of Sertoli cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Wuziyanzong Compound on oxidative stress injury and the apoptosis of Sertoli cells. METHODS: We added H2O2 (100 mmol/L) and Wuziyanzong extract to the culture solution of TM4 cells, which were divided into a control, a model and three Wuziyanzong groups (low dose: 0.2 mg/ml, medium dose: 1 mg/ml, and high dose: 5 mg/ml). After 24 hours of intervention, we detected the absorbance value by MTT assay, measured the SOD activity and MDA content using the xanthine oxidase and thiobarbituric acid method respectively, and determined the apoptosis and survival rate of the cells by flow cytometry and the expression of caspase-3 mRNA by real time PCR. RESULTS: After treated with low-, medium- and high-dose Wuziyanzong Compound, the absorbance value of the TM4 cells was increased from 0.23 +/- 0.01 in the model group to 0.27 +/- 0.02, 0.30 +/- 0.01 and 0.35 +/- 0.01, the SOD activity increased from (8.32 +/- 0.62) U/ml to (9.69 +/- 0.59), (10.47 +/- 0.74) and (12.28 +/- 0.38) U/ ml, the MDA content decreased from (6.99 +/- 0.74) mol/L to (5.78 +/- 0.28), (4.19 +/- 0.43) and (3.42 +/- 0.51) mol/L, the cell apoptosis rate decreased from (21.63 +/- 1.38)% to (17.87 +/- 0.75), (14.10 +/- 0.50) and (9.53 +/- 1.34)%, the cell survival rate increased from (65.67 +/- 7.48)% to (70.37 +/- 1.12), (72.57 +/- 1.95) and (81.60 +/- 2.46)%, and the relative expression of caspase-3 mRNA decreased from 2.69 +/- 0.16 to 2.47 +/- 0.12, 2.38 +/- 0.16 and 1.96 +/- 0.11, respectively. CONCLUSION: Wuziyanzong Compound can relieve oxidative stress injury and inhibit the apoptosis of TM4 cells.

[Application of near-infrared spectrum technology to research of weathering of red sandstone relics].

In the present paper, with near infrared spectroscopy technology, the weathering mechanism of red sandstone relics was studied. Six groups of red sandstone samples were analyzed using near infrared spectroscopy technology. The results show that the near-infrared spectroscopy technology can analyze the material composition of red sandstone before and after weathering, aiming to explore their components changed. So it is a quick and efficient means of research with characteristic of less measurement sample and speed and non-damage and being pollution-free compared with other research techniques. All the characteristic shows that it is also well for studying other stone cultural relics. Especially for those with sampling difficulty and treasure valuable, non-destruction of stone cultural relics is particularly important. So with time advancing, near infrared technology as a research means of stone relics, its meaning will be more prominent.

Opposite roles of MRF4 and MyoD in cell proliferation and myogenic differentiation.

The basic helix-loop-helix myogenic regulatory factors play critical roles in skeletal myogenesis. Among the myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs), MRF4 shows a biphasic expression pattern during the formation of myotomes, although its function remains unclear. In this study, we used BEF (spontaneously immortalized bovine embryonic fibroblast that shows myogenic differentiation by overexpression of MyoD) and C2C12 cells to investigate the function of MRF4. Ectopic expressions of MRF4 did not stimulate myogenic differentiation in the BEF and C2C12 cells, but did show a marked increase of cell proliferation, upregulation of cyclin E, and downregulation of p21WAF1. Furthermore, MRF4 was found to induce degradation of the MyoD protein, which acts as a transcriptional activator for p21WAF1, and thus indicates that MRF4 accelerates cell proliferation by suppressing MyoD-dependent p21WAF1 expression. However, forced expression of MyoD in the MRF4-overexpressing cells inhibited cell proliferation and partially induced myogenic differentiation, which suggests that MyoD is a potential negative intercessor of MRF4 in the regulation of the cell cycle. Taken together, these results indicate that MRF4 and MyoD play competitive roles in myogenesis by stimulating cell proliferation and differentiation, respectively.