ABSTRACT
Purpose: The hyperproliferation of C. acnes has long been regarded as a primary etiological factor in the development of acne vulgaris (AV). Antibiotics targeting C. acnes have been the mainstay in AV treatment. Meanwhile, C. acnes has developed resistance to numerous antibiotics. IDDS, as traditional Chinese medicine, exhibits potent antibacterial activity against C. acnes. However, the mechanism of IDDS against C. acnes remains unclear. Methods: In this study, we conducted a systematic investigation in vitro to determine the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) and time-kill curves. The MBC and time-kill curves were assessed by quantifying Colony Forming Units countsIn order to establish an in vivo rat ear model of acne, a single intradermal injection of 100µL C. acnes suspension was administered, and oleic acid was applied to the right ear pinna for a duration of 14 days. The intervention involved the utilization of IDDS medications. Additionally, the levels of inflammatory mediators tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were assessed using respective ELISA kits, while Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was employed to visualize the rat ear model. The antimicrobial mechanism was investigated through the analysis of mRNA levels using real-time, quantitative PCR. ELISA analysis was performed according to the protocols outlined for energy metabolism and antioxidant system. Results: Our research has demonstrated that IDDS possesses antibacterial activity against C. acnes both in vitro and in vivo. The mechanisms underlying these effects involve energy metabolism and antioxidant systems. Conclusion: The data has provided further insights into the mechanism of IDDS against C. acnes, which establishes a robust foundation for the clinical application of IDDS.
ABSTRACT
Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient for the growth and metabolism of algae. Although P typically limits the growth of algae, little is known regarding the molecular response of Microcystis aeruginosa under P starvation. The transcriptomic and physiological responses of Microcystis aeruginosa to P starvation were investigated in this study. P starvation affected the growth, photosynthesis, and Microcystin (MC) production of Microcystis aeruginosa and triggered cellular P-stress responses for 7 days. In terms of physiology, P starvation inhibited the growth and MC production, while the slight promotion of photosynthesis in Microcystis aeruginosa compared to P-replete. For transcriptome, the down-regulation of genes related to MC production controlled by mcy genes and ribosome metabolism (17 genes encoding ribosomal proteins) was observed while transport genes (sphX and pstSAC) were significantly upregulated. In addition, some other genes are related to photosynthesis and the use of other forms of P displayed increases or decreases in transcripts abundance. These results suggested that the limitation of P had a diverse performance on aspects of growth and metabolism in M. aeruginosa and obviously enhanced the ability to adapt to the P stress environment. They provide a comprehensive understanding of the P physiology of Microcystis aeruginosa and theoretical support for eutrophication.
Subject(s)
Microcystis , Transcriptome , Microcystins/metabolism , Pseudomonas aeruginosa/metabolism , Phosphorus/metabolism , Gene Expression ProfilingABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate and predict the targets and signaling pathways of sinomenium acutum (SA) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through systems biology and network pharmacology, and to elucidate its possible mechanisms of action. Methods: We screened the active ingredients and corresponding target proteins of SA in Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), Traditional Chinese Medicines Integrated Database (TCMID) and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechANism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN); and obtained the targets of rheumatoid arthritis diseases in a database of gene-disease associations (DisGeNET), Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. The two targets were mapped by Venn diagram and the intersection was taken. The intersecting targets were used to construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) network maps in the String database, and Metascape was used for Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment. Finally, the molecular docking technique was applied to validate and further clarify the core target of SA for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Results: A total of six active ingredients and 217 potential targets were obtained after screening; 2,752 rheumatoid arthritis-related targets and 66 targets common to RA and SA. GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis yielded 751 GO function entries (652 GO biological processes, 59 GO molecular functions and 40 GO cellular components) and 77 KEGG signaling pathways. It mainly involves pathways related to neural activity ligand-receptor interaction pathways, cancer pathways, calcium signaling channels, Th17 cell differentiation and others, which are mainly classified into four categories, including regulation of immunity, anti-inflammation, regulation of cell growth and apoptosis, and signaling. The molecular docking results showed that the binding energy of PTGS2, CASP3, JUN and PPARG to the key components beta-sitosterol, 16-epi-Isositsirikine, Sinomenine and Stepholidine were ≤ -6.5 kcal/mol, suggesting the existence of molecular binding sites. Conclusion: SA acts on key targets such as PTGS2, CASP3, JUN, and PPARG to modulate signaling pathways such as neural activity ligand-receptor interaction, cancer, calcium ion, NF-κB, and Th17 cell differentiation to regulate immunity, anti-inflammation, modulation of cell cycle, bone metabolism, and signaling for the treatment of RA. It was also confirmed that the treatment of RA with SA has multi-component, multi-target, multi-pathway and multi-mechanism characteristics.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Staphylococcus epidermidis has become one of the most common causes of septicemia. Meanwhile, S. epidermidis has acquired resistance to many antibiotics. Among these, methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) were frequently isolated. Similar to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), they also exhibited multi-resistance, which presented a danger to human health. Patrinia scabiosaefolia as traditional Chinese medicine had strong antibacterial activity against MRSE. However, the mechanism of P. scabiosaefolia against MRSE is not clear. Methods: Here, the morphology of cell wall and cell membrane, production of ß-lactamase and PBP2, energy metabolism, antioxidant system were systematically studied. Results: The data showed that P. scabiosaefolia damaged the cell wall and membrane. In addition, ß-lactamase, energy metabolism and antioxidant system were involved in mechanisms of P. scabiosaefolia against MRSE. Conclusion: These observations provided new understanding of P. scabiosaefolia against MRSE to control MRSE infections.
ABSTRACT
Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is a major pathogen of acne vulgaris. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound prescription, Dian Dao San (DDS), is effective for treating P. acnes. Previous clinical work by our team demonstrated that improved Dian Dao San (IDDS) has better antibacterial effects. However, the mechanism of IDDS inhibition of P. acnes is still unknown. Hence, the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) technology was applied to explore the antibacterial mechanism of IDDS against P. acnes. Our results suggested that the antibacterial mechanism of IDDS was related to the glycolytic pathway. gap, pgk, and tpiA enzymes were found to be potential target proteins in the bacterial glycolytic pathway as an antibacterial mechanism of inhibition. In addition, SEM and TEM analyses revealed that IDDS may destruct bacterial plasma membrane and cell wall. The results provide a reliable, direct, and scientific theoretical basis for wide application of IDDS.