Molecular Face-Rotating Polyhedra: Chiral Cages Inspired by Mathematics.

ConspectusMolecular polyhedral cages, notable for their enclosed inner cavities, can possess varying degrees of symmetry, spanning from regular Platonic polyhedra to lower symmetry forms that may display chirality. Crafting chiral molecular cages typically involves using building blocks containing stereogenic elements or arranging achiral components in a manner that lacks mirror and inversion symmetries. Achieving precise control over their chirality poses both significance and challenges.In this Account, we present an overview of our research endeavors in the realm of chiral molecular polyhedral cages, drawing inspiration from Buckminster Fuller's "Face-Rotating Polyhedra (FRP)". Mathematically, FRP introduce a unique form of chirality distinguished by a rotating pattern around the center of each face, setting it apart from regular polyhedra.Molecular FRP can be constructed using two types of facial building blocks. The first includes rigid, planar molecules such as truxene and triazatruxene, which exhibit either clockwise or counterclockwise rotations in two dimensions. The second category involves propeller-like molecules, e.g., tetraphenylethylene, 1,2,3,4,5-penta(4-phenylaldehyde)pyrrole, and tridurylborane, displaying dynamic stereochemistry.The synthesis of FRP may potentially yield a diverse array of stereoisomers. Achieving high stereoselectivity becomes feasible through the selection of building blocks with specific substitution patterns and rigidity. Prominent noncovalent repulsive forces within the resulting cages often play a pivotal role in the dynamic covalent assembly process, ultimately leading to the formation of thermodynamically stable FRP products.The capacity to generate a multitude of stereoisomers, combined with the integration of chiral vertices, has facilitated investigations into phenomena such as chiral self-sorting and the "sergeant and soldiers" chiral amplification effect in FRP. Even the inclusion of one chiral vertex significantly impacts the stereochemical configuration of the entire cage. While many facial building blocks establish a stable rotational pattern in FRP, other units, such as tridurylborane, can dynamically transition between P and M configurations within the cage structures. The kinetic characteristics of such stereolabile FRP can be elucidated through physicochemical investigations.Our research extends beyond the FRP concept to encompass mathematical analysis of these structures. Graph theory, particularly the coloring problem, sheds light on the intricate facial patterns exhibited by various FRP stereoisomers and serves as an efficient tool to facilitate the discovery of novel FRP structures. This approach offers a fresh paradigm for designing and analyzing chiral molecular polyhedral cages, showcasing in our work the synergy between mathematics and molecular design.

A Machine Learning Method for a Blood Diagnostic Model of Pancreatic Cancer Based on microRNA Signatures.

This study aimed to construct a blood diagnostic model for pancreatic cancer (PC) using miRNA signatures by a combination of machine learning and biological experimental verification. Gene expression profiles of patients with PC and transcriptome normalization data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Using random forest algorithm, lasso regression algorithm, and multivariate cox regression analyses, the classifier of differentially expressed miRNAs was identified based on algorithms and functional properties. Next, the ROC curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive performance of the diagnostic model. Finally, we analyzed the expression of two specific miRNAs in Capan-1, PANC-1, and MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cells using qRT-PCR. Integrated microarray analysis revealed that 33 common miRNAs exhibited significant differences in expression profiles between tumor and normal groups (P value < 0.05 and |logFC| > 0.3). Pathway analysis showed that differentially expressed miRNAs were related to P00059 p53 pathway, hsa04062 chemokine signaling pathway, and cancer-related pathways including PC. In ENCORI database, the hsa-miR-4486 and hsa-miR-6075 were identified by random forest algorithm and lasso regression algorithm and introduced as major miRNA markers in PC diagnosis. Further, the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis achieved the area under curve score > 80%, showing good sensitivity and specificity of the two-miRNA signature model in PC diagnosis. Additionally, hsa-miR-4486 and hsa-miR-6075 genes expressions in three pancreatic cells were all up-regulated by qRT-PCR. In summary, these findings suggest that the two miRNAs, hsa-miR-4486 and hsa-miR-6075, could serve as valuable prognostic markers for PC.

Hole Storage Interfacial Regulation of Sb2Se3 Photocathode with Significantly Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance.

Although interfacial engineering materials for antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) photocathodes have been intensively studied, most of the previous research has focused on the development of photogenerated electron transfer promoters. In this work, Sb2Se3 photocathodes are innovatively modified by using ferrihydrite (Fh), which has been widely used as a hole storage layer in photoanodes. After modifying Fh, the photocurrent density of the Sb2Se3 photocathode was increased from -0.27 to -1.6 mA cm-2 at 0 VRHE with the onset potential positive shift about 150 mV, and an impressive injection efficiency of 83.84% was achieved. The major contribution of Fh to the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance enhancement was demonstrated by various characterization studies. The results show that the enhancement performance of PEC is largely attributed to the capture of back-migrating holes by Fh, the reduction of interfacial charge transfer resistance, and the significant increase in electrochemical active surface area (ECSA). This work presents new insights into the application of hole storage layers in Sb2Se3-based photocathodes.

Quantum Simulation of the Shortcut to the Adiabatic Passage Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.

Quantum adiabatic shortcut technology provides a technique to accelerate the quantum adiabatic process and has been widely used in various fields of quantum information processing. In this work, we proposed a two-level quantum shortcut adiabatic passage model. Then, exploiting the nuclear magnetic resonance, we experimentally simulated the dynamics of quantum shortcut adiabatic passage using the water molecules.

Synthesis of Highly Luminescent Chiral Nanographene.

Chiral nanographenes with both high fluorescence quantum yields (ΦF ) and large dissymmetry factors (glum ) are essential to the development of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials. However, most studies have been focused on the improvement of glum , whereas how to design highly emissive chiral nanographenes is still unclear. In this work, we propose a new design strategy to achieve chiral nanographenes with high ΦF by helical π-extension of strongly luminescent chromophores while maintaining the frontier molecular orbital (FMO) distribution pattern. Chiral nanographene with perylene as the core and two dibenzo[6]helicene fragments as the wings has been synthesized, which exhibits a record high ΦF of 93 % among the reported chiral nanographenes and excellent CPL brightness (BCPL ) of 32 M-1 cm-1 .

Simple and Versatile Nitrooxylation: Noncyclic Hypervalent Iodine Nitrooxylating Reagent.

Organic nitrates are broadly applied as pharmaceuticals (acting as efficient nitric oxide donor), energetic materials, building blocks in organic synthesis, etc. However, practical and direct methods to access organic nitrates efficiently are still rare, mainly due to the lack of powerful nitrooxylating reagents. Herein, we report bench-stable and highly reactive noncyclic hypervalent iodine nitrooxylating reagents, oxybis(aryl-λ3 -iodanediyl) dinitrates (OAIDNs, 2), which are prepared just by using aryliodine diacetate and HNO3 . The reagents are used to achieve a mild and operationally simple protocol to access diverse organic nitrates. By employing of 2, zinc-catalyzed regioselective nitrooxylation of cyclopropyl silyl ethers is realized efficiently to access the corresponding ß-nitrooxy ketones with high functional-group tolerance. Moreover, a series of direct and catalyst-free nitrooxylations of enolizable C-H bonds are carried out smoothly to afford the desired organic nitrates within minutes by just mixing the substrates with 2 in dichloromethane.

Construction and validation of an immune-related LncRNA prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Herein, based on mRNA data from TCGA database, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples were subjected to a single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA). Then, HCC samples were finally classified into high-, middle-, and low-immunity groups using K-means consensus clustering (K = 3) according to ssGSEA scores. After the tumor microenvironment of HCC patients was further analyzed using ESTIMATE algorithm, the results indicated high immune score, stromal score, ESTIMATE score and low tumor purity in high-immunity group. HLA family genes and PD-L1(CD274) were remarkably highly expressed in high-immunity group. Immune-related lncRNAs were required by analyzing differentially expressed genes in high- and low-immunity groups. Differential expression analysis was undertaken on HCC samples, with normal samples as the control. After immune-related lncRNAs and differentially expressed lncRNAs were intersected, 321 differentially expressed immune-related lncRNAs were acquired. Later, the prognostic model based on immune-related lncRNAs was obtained following the Cox regression analysis of previous samples. According to the riskScore, the samples in TCGA-LIHC were divided into high- and low-risk groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, ROC curve, and independence analysis confirmed that the immune-related lncRNAs prognostic model was an important factor independent from clinical characteristics. We further analyzed the difference in immune microenvironment and mutational landscapes in both risk groups. Prominent differences were shown in multiple immunity-related gene sets and immune cells in both groups. The mutation rate of TP53 in high-risk group was much higher than the low-risk one. All these conclusions offered references to prognostic evaluations and personalized treatments for patients with HCC.

Who would avoid severe adverse events from nasointestinal tube in small bowel obstruction? A matched case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Nasointestinal tubes (NITs) have been increasingly used in patients with small bowel obstruction (SBO); However, severe adverse events (SAEs) of NITs might threaten the lives of patients. The indications of NITs need to be identified. This study was designed to explore the indications for the insertion of NITs in patients with SBO and to suggest the optimal strategies for individuals based on the outcomes of SAEs. METHODS: After propensity score matching, 68 pairs were included (Success group and failure group). The occurrence of SAEs and the clinical parameters were compared between the SAE group and the non-SAE group. Independent risk factors were evaluated among the subgroups. A novel scoring system was established to detect the subgroups that would benefit from NITs insertion. RESULTS: Successful implementation of NITs could avoid hypochloremia (p = 0.010), SAEs (p = 0.001), pneumonia (p = 0.006). SAEs occurred in 13 of 136 (9.6%) patients who accepted NITs insertion treatment. Risk factors for SAEs included tumors (p = 0.002), reduced BMI (p = 0.048), reduced hemoglobin (p = 0.001), abnormal activated partial thromboplastin time (p = 0.015) and elevated white blood cells (p = 0.002). A novel risk scoring system consists of hemoglobin before NITs insertion (95% CI 0.685, 0.893) and bowel obstruction symptoms relieved after NITs insertion (95% CI 0.575, 0.900) had the highest area under curve for predicting the occurrence of SAEs. We divided the risk score system into 3 grades, with the increasing grades, the rates of SAEs surged from 1.3% (1/74) to (6/11) 54.5%. CONCLUSION: NITs successfully insertion could avoid SAEs occurrence in SBO conservative treatment. SBO patients without anemia and could be relieved after NITs insertion could be the potential benefit group for this therapy.

B,N-Embedded Double Hetero[7]helicenes with Strong Chiroptical Responses in the Visible Light Region.

The development of helicene molecules with significant chiroptical responses covering a broad range of the visible spectrum is highly desirable for chiral optoelectronic applications; however, their absorption dissymmetry factors (gabs) have been mostly lower than 0.01. In this work, we report unprecedented B,N-embedded double hetero[7]helicenes with nonbonded B and N atoms, which exhibit excellent chiroptical properties, such as strong chiroptical activities from 300 to 700 nm, record high gabs up to 0.033 in the visible spectral range, and tunable circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) from red to near-infrared regions (600-800 nm) with high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) up to 100%. As revealed by theoretical analyses, the high gabs values are related to the separate molecular orbital distributions owing to the incorporation of nonbonded B and N atoms. The new type of B,N-embedded double heterohelicenes opens up an appealing avenue to the future exploitation of high-performance chiroptical materials.

Cyclopentadienone Derivative Dimers as Tunable Photoswitches.

A series of photoswitchable cyclopentadienone derivative dimers bearing bromo, thienyl, 4-(dimethylamino)phenyl, 3-pyridinyl, 4-nitrophenyl and cyano groups was designed and facilely synthesized. Photoswitching properties such as the photoconversions in the photostationary state (PSS), the thermal kinetics and thermal half-lives of photoisomers were systematically investigated. These photoswitches show high fatigue resistance and large photoconversions in the PSS. This work proves that the photoswitching properties of photoswitches based on cyclopentadienone dimers can be tuned by substitution groups and also pave the way to functionalize the cyclopentadienone derivative dimer-based photoswitch, which is important for its future applications.

Infection within 2 weeks before liver transplantation closely related to prognosis of posttransplant infection: A single-center retrospective observational study in China.

BACKGROUND: Infections still represent the main factors influencing morbidity and mortality following liver transplantation. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for infection and survival after liver transplantation. METHODS: We retrospectively examined medical records in 210 liver recipients who underwent liver transplantation between April 2015 and October 2017 in our hospital. Clinical manifestations and results of pathogen detection test were used to define infection. We analyzed the prevalence, risk factors and prognosis of patients with infection. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 214 days; the incidence of infection after liver transplantation was 46.7% (n = 98) which included pneumonia (43.4%), biliary tract infection (21.9%), peritonitis (21.4%) and bloodstream infection (7.6%). Among the pathogens in pneumonia, the most frequently isolated was Acinetobacter baumanii (23.5%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (21.2%). Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score (OR = 1.083, 95% CI: 1.045-1.123; P < 0.001), biliary complication (OR = 4.725, 95% CI: 1.119-19.947; P = 0.035) and duration of drainage tube (OR = 1.040, 95% CI: 1.007-1.074; P = 0.017) were independent risk factors for posttransplant infection. All-cause mortality was 11.0% (n = 23). The prognostic factors for postoperative infection in liver recipients were prior-transplant infection, especially pneumonia within 2 weeks before transplantation. Kaplan-Meier curves of survival showed that recipients within 2 weeks prior infection had a significantly lower cumulative survival rate compared with those without infection (65.2% vs. 90.0%; hazard ratio: 4.480; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Infection, especially pneumonia within 2 weeks before transplantation, complication with impaired renal function and MELD score after 7 days of transplantation was an independent prognostic factor for postoperative infection in liver transplant recipients.

[Analysis of potential pharmacodynamic material basis of Euonymus alatus in treatment of nephritis based on integrated chemomics and network biology].

This paper was aimed to explore the potential pharmacodynamics effect of Euonymus alatus in the treatment of nephritis based on integrated chemomics and network biology. The chemical constituent database of E. alatus was constructed by consulting litera-ture and using online database. The chemical constituents were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF/HRMS~E and UNIFI software. On this basis, a series of comparisons, molecular docking studies and in-depth analysis of the chemical constituents and nephritis disease targets were carried out with use of network biology method, and the potential pharmacodynamic effect of E. alatus for the treatment of nephritis was investigated by reviewing the existing. In this study, 62 chemical constituents were collected in the database of chemical consti-tuents of E. alatus, and 24 chemical constituents were identified by mass spectrum. Subsequently, based on the network biology me-thod, 22 important chemical constituents and 5 key targets were obtained by reverse screening. Molecular docking study showed that a total of 11 chemical constituents such as quercetin, kaempferol, and catechinmay be the potential material basis for E. alatus in the treatment of nephritis. Starting with chemomics and using the technology of network biology, we established a network interaction model between drug components and disease targets in this study. Through the interaction between targets in complex networks, we can find the key targets easily and quickly. By docking the key targets with small drug molecules, we can screen out the potential pharmacodynamic components, providing a reference for the follow-up study of active ingredients.

π-Extended Pyrene-Fused Double [7]Carbohelicene as a Chiral Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon.

A π-extended double [7]carbohelicene 2 with fused pyrene units was synthesized, revealing considerable intra- and intermolecular π-π interactions as confirmed with X-ray crystallography. As compared to the previous double [7]carbohelicene 1, the π-extended homologue 2 demonstrated considerably red-shifted absorption with an onset at 645 nm (1: 550 nm) corresponding to a smaller optical gap of 1.90 eV (1: 2.25 eV). A broad near-infrared emission from 600 to 900 nm with a large Stokes shift of ∼100 nm (2.3 × 103 cm-1) was recorded for 2, implying formation of an intramolecular excimer upon excitation, which was corroborated with femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Moreover, 2 revealed remarkable chiral stability with a fairly high isomerization barrier of 46 kcal mol-1, according to density functional theory calculations, which allowed optical resolution by chiral HPLC and suggests potential applications in chiroptical devices.

Triindolo-Truxene Derivatives: Design, Synthesis, and Fine-Tuning of Electronic Properties and Molecular Assembly through Molecular Engineering.

Triindolo-truxene, a C3 -symmetric molecule with a large π-conjugated plane, has six methylene carbon atoms and three aromatic carbon atoms that can be facilely functionalized. Herein, butyl, carbonyl, cyano, and/or malononitrile groups were introduced at six methylene carbon atoms (6-, 14-, 22- or 8-, 16-, 24-positions) and/or three aromatic carbon atoms (2-, 10-, and 18-positions) of triindolo-truxene to produce eight derivatives. Their photophysical properties, electrochemical properties, and molecular assembly can be effectively modulated by substituents and substitution patterns. Incorporation of electron-deficient groups led to redshifts in both the absorption and emission of these derivatives and also lowered their HOMO and LUMO levels. Different substitution patterns resulted in the different intramolecular donor-acceptor interactions. Electron-deficient substituents at the methylene carbon atoms in the 6-, 14-, and 22-positions led to intramolecular charge transfer from the fluorene arms to the truxene core, whereas the corresponding substitutions at the methylene carbon atoms in the 8-, 16-, and 24-positions resulted in intramolecular charge transfer from the truxene core to the fluorene arms. The molecular packing in single crystals and molecular aggregation in solution are also influenced by the substituents and substitution patterns. This work provides a straightforward strategy to alter the properties of triindolo-truxene.

Noninvasive Ventilation in Acute Hypoxemic Nonhypercapnic Respiratory Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of noninvasive ventilation in patients with acute hypoxemic nonhypercapnic respiratory failure unrelated to exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiogenic pulmonary edema. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Web of Science, and bibliographies of articles were retrieved inception until June 2016. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials comparing application of noninvasive ventilation with standard oxygen therapy in adults with acute hypoxemic nonhypercapnic respiratory failure were included. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation and cardiogenic pulmonary edema patients were excluded. The primary outcome was intubation rate; ICU mortality and hospital mortality were secondary outcomes. DATA EXTRACTION: Demographic variables, noninvasive ventilation application, and outcomes were retrieved. Internal validity was assessed using the risk of bias tool. The strength of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology. DATA SYNTHESIS: Eleven studies (1,480 patients) met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed by using a random effects model. Compared with standard oxygen therapy, the pooled effect showed that noninvasive ventilation significantly reduced intubation rate with a summary risk ratio of 0.59 (95% CI, 0.44-0.79; p = 0.0004). Furthermore, hospital mortality was also significantly reduced (risk ratio, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.24-0.87; p = 0.02). Subgroup meta-analysis showed that the application of bilevel positive support ventilation (bilevel positive airway pressure) was associated with a reduction in ICU mortality (p = 0.007). Helmet noninvasive ventilation could reduce hospital mortality (p = 0.0004), whereas face/nasal mask noninvasive ventilation could not. CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive ventilation decreased endotracheal intubation rates and hospital mortality in acute hypoxemia nonhypercapnic respiratory failure excluding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation and cardiogenic pulmonary edema patients. There is no sufficient scientific evidence to recommend bilevel positive airway pressure or helmet due to the limited number of trials available. Large rigorous randomized trials are needed to answer these questions definitely.

Benzo-Fused Double [7]Carbohelicene: Synthesis, Structures, and Physicochemical Properties.

A benzo-fused double [7]carbohelicene (D7H) was synthesized through a regioselective cyclodehydrogenation of a tetranaphthyl-p-terphenyl-based precursor. The twisted (D7H-1) and anti-folded (D7H-2) conformers of D7H were separated by recrystallization, and their double helicene structures with overlapping terminal benzene rings were unambiguously elucidated by X-ray crystallography. A record-high isomerization barrier (46.0 kcal mol-1 ) in double helicenes was estimated based on density functional theory (DFT) calculation, which resulted in the excellent conformational stability of D7H. The physicochemical properties of D7H-1 and D7H-2 were investigated by UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry, displaying the variation of electronic structure upon conformational changes. The optical resolution of the racemic D7H-1 was carried out by chiral HPLC, offering enantiopure D7H-1-(P,P) and D7H-1-(M,M), which were further characterized by circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Synthesis, Structure, and Chiroptical Properties of a Double [7]Heterohelicene.

The synthesis of 11a,25a-dibora-11,12,25,26-tetraoxatetranaphtho[1,2-a:2',1'-f:1″,2″-j:2‴,1‴-o]perylene, a double [7]heterohelicene containing OBO units, has been achieved via tandem demethylation-borylation, representing the highest double helicene reported thus far with all six-membered rings. Single-crystal X-ray analysis clearly demonstrated a significantly twisted structure with the terminal aromatic rings overlapping at both ends, giving the first example of a double helicene with intramolecular π-layers. Such structural features resulted in a high theoretical isomerization barrier of 45.1 kcal/mol, which is the highest value for all the double helicenes ever reported, rendering the achieved molecule with high chiral stability. The (P,P)- and (M,M)-isomers were separated by chiral HPLC and the chiroptical properties were investigated, revealing opposite circular dichroism responses.

The benefits of photorespiratory bypasses: how can they work?

Bypassing the photorespiratory pathway is regarded as a way to increase carbon assimilation and, correspondingly, biomass production in C3 crops. Here, the benefits of three published photorespiratory bypass strategies are systemically explored using a systems-modeling approach. Our analysis shows that full decarboxylation of glycolate during photorespiration would decrease photosynthesis, because a large amount of the released CO2 escapes back to the atmosphere. Furthermore, we show that photosynthesis can be enhanced by lowering the energy demands of photorespiration and by relocating photorespiratory CO2 release into the chloroplasts. The conductance of the chloroplast membranes to CO2 is a key feature determining the benefit of the relocation of photorespiratory CO2 release. Although our results indicate that the benefit of photorespiratory bypasses can be improved by increasing sedoheptulose bisphosphatase activity and/or increasing the flux through the bypass, the effectiveness of such approaches depends on the complex regulation between photorespiration and other metabolic pathways.

[Testing Research of Transient Temperature Distribution for the Barrel Surface by Speckle Pattern Interferometry].

There are some problems in the traditional transient temperature test equipment. The thermal inertia is great, and can only be a single point of detection. To be able to achieve real-time monitoring for transient temperature distribution change of the gun body surface, the test system for transient temperature distribution was designed based on Speckle Pattern Interferometry (SPI) and spectroscopy. In the system, transient temperature change of the barrel led to slight deformation, and it was converted into speckle interference fringes by SPI technology. Spectral distribution function was obtained by the interference fringes by the Fourier transform, so the information of interference fringe deformation was incorporated into the frequency domain. The data of temperature distribution can be inverted on any sampling time by spectral distribution function. In experiments, the ZX-FB1 fiber optic thermometer was used to test transient temperature on a single point as the standard value. The center wavelength of the laser was 555 nm, and the speckle pattern interference fringes were collected by area array CCD. Image Recognition-Speckle Pattern Interferometry (IR-SPI) and Fourier Transform-Speckle Pattern Interferometry (FT-SPI) were used in experiments, the calculation of transient temperature was completed through two methods. Experimental results are that both methods can achieve transient temperature detection. But the FT-SPI is higher in terms of accuracy, and it can effectively overcome the gross error caused by the surface defects, paint wear and other similar problems.

A comparative study of mechanical strain, icariin and combination stimulations on improving osteoinductive potential via NF-kappaB activation in osteoblast-like cells.

BACKGROUND: The combination of drugs and exercise was the effective treatment in bone injure and rebuilding in clinic. As mechanical strain has potential in inducing the differentiation of osteoblasts in our previous study, the further research to investigate the combination of mechanical strain and icariin stimulation on inducing osteoblast proliferation, differentiation and the possible mechanism in MC3T3-E1 cell line. METHODS: A whole cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that detects the bromodeoxyuridine incorporation during DNA synthesis was applied to evaluate the proliferation. The mRNA expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OCN), type I collagen (Col I), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and BMP-4 was detected by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. The activity of ALP was analyzed by ELISA and the protein expression of OCN, Col I and BMP-2 was assessed by western blot. Moreover, the activity of nuclear transcription factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway was investigated with the expression of inhibitor of κB (IκB) α, phosphorylation of IκB-α (P-IκB-α), p65, P-p65 by western blot. RESULTS: We observed that compared to single mechanical strain or icariin stimulation, the mRNA and protein expressions of ALP (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), OCN (P < 0.01) and Col I (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) were increased significantly by the combination of mechanical strain and icariin stimulation. Moreover, the combination of mechanical strain and icariin stimulation could up-regulate the expression of BMP-2 (P < 0.01) and BMP-4 compared to single mechanical strain or icariin stimulation. The combination of mechanical strain and icariin stimulation could activate NF-κB signaling pathway by increasing the expression of IκB α, P-IκB-α, p65, P-p65 (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The combination of mechanical strain and icariin stimulation could activate the NF-κB pathway to improve the proliferation, differentiation of osteoblast-like cells.