Regulation of proliferation, apoptosis, hormone secretion and gene expression by acetyl-L-carnitine in yak (Bos grunniens) granulosa cells.

Supplementation with acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC) during in vitro maturation significantly improves the rates of oocyte cleavage and morula and blastocyst formation in sheep and buffalo; however, the mode of action of ALC in improving oocyte competence is not completely understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ALC on proliferation, antioxidant properties, lipid droplet accumulation and steroid hormone secretion in yak (Bos grunniens) granulosa cells (GCs). Yak GCs were identified using FSHR immunofluorescence. The cells were treated with different concentrations of ALC, cell proliferation was detected by cell counting kit-8, and the optimal concentration and treatment time were determined for subsequent experiments. Then, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected by a DCFH-DA probe, and lipid droplet accumulation was observed by oil red O staining. Estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) in the medium were detected by ELISA, and the expression of genes related to cell proliferation, apoptosis, the cell cycle, antioxidants and steroid synthesis was determined by RT‒qPCR. The results showed that 1 mM ALC treatment for 48 h was the optimum treatment. It significantly increased cell viability (P < 0.05), significantly decreased the amount of ROS and lipid droplet content, and promoted P4 and E2 secretion (P < 0.05) of yak GCs. RT‒qPCR results verified that GCs treated with 1 mM ALC for 48 h significantly increased the expression of genes related to anti-apoptosis and the cell cycle (BCL-2, PCNA, CCND1 and CCNB1), antioxidants (CAT, SOD2 and GPX1), and E2 and P4 secretion (StAR, CYP19A1 and HSD3B1) (P < 0.05), but it significantly decreased the expression of apoptosis genes (BAX and P53) (P < 0.05). In conclusion, ALC increased the viability of yak GCs, reduced the amount of ROS and lipid droplets, increased P4 and E2 synthesis and affected the expression of related genes in yak GCs.

Potential effects and mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of psoriasis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis related to high morbidity and mortality. The incidence of psoriasis is increasing in recent decades. Some patients with psoriasis are anxious about the underlying side effects of synthetic drugs they are on. Therefore, they are eager to seek alternative and efficient therapy, such as Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). Researchers have found some CHM provides best source for the development of anti-psoriatic drugs because of their structural diversity and fewer adverse reactions. Some of CHM formulas or active constituents extracted from CHM have been rapidly developed into clinical drugs with good efficacy. At present, along with the CHM formulas, single CHM and its active components have been extensively accepted and utilized in the treatment of psoriasis, whose therapeutic mechanisms hitherto have not been thoroughly illustrated. AIM OF THE STUDY: This review aimed to comprehensively summarize about the existing therapeutic mechanisms of CHM in the treatment of psoriasis and to provide a reference to develop future related studies in this field. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant literatures about how CHM treated psoriasis were acquired from published scientific studies (including PubMed, CNKI, Web of Science, Baidu Scholar, The Plant List, Elsevier and SciFinder). All plants appearing in the review have been included in The Plant List or Medicinal Plant Names Services (MPNS). RESULTS: In this review, we collect numerous literatures about how CHM treats psoriasis via immune cells, signaling pathways and disease-related mediators and systematically elucidates potential mechanisms from the point of the suppression of oxidative stress, the inhibition of abnormal abnormal proliferation and differentiation, the inhibition of immune responses, and the suppression of angiogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: Psoriasis is considered as a complicated disease caused by interaction among various mechanisms. The CHM formulas, single CHM and its active components have considerable positive reports about the treatment of psoriasis, which brings hope for a promising future of CHM in the clinical therapy of psoriasis. In the paper, we have concluded that the existing therapeutic mechanisms of CHM in the treatment of psoriasis.

Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Poststroke Aphasia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Aphasia is one of the common complications of stroke, and it considerably influences the quality of life of patients. Acupuncture, a therapy used in traditional Chinese medicine for aphasia after stroke, has potential therapeutic effects. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on individuals with poststroke aphasia. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for poststroke aphasia (either alone or combined with other therapies) were included and compared. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching databases, such as MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, and Wanfang, from inception to July 15, 2019. No language restrictions were applied in this study. RESULTS: Fourteen trials involving 936 participants had poor reporting and methodological quality. Our meta-analysis showed that compared to the speech and language therapy (SLT) group, acupuncture combined with SLT could improve the rate of Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) (OR: 0.15, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.04-0.25, p = 0.005), scores of Aphasia Battery of Chinese (ABC) which includes repeating ability (SMD: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.24-1.69, p < 0.00001), reading ability (SMD: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.25-1.90, p < 0.00001), writing ability (SMD: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.19-1.86, p < 0.00001), naming ability (SMD: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.04-1.76, p < 0.00001), and listening comprehension ability (SMD: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.22-0.92, p = 0.001). All RCTs were considered at high risk of biased assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture (either alone or combined with SLT) may be effective for poststroke aphasia. In the future, rigorous clinical trials with an accurate method design and high reporting quality are required to validate our results.

Efficacy of acupuncture for persistent and intractable hiccups: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Persistent and intractable hiccups are a common clinical symptom that cause considerable physical pain to patients and severely damage their quality of lives. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that acupuncture applied at acupoints dominated by Cuanzhu (BL2) can be used as one of the nonpharmacological therapies for controlling intractable hiccups. However, there is insufficient evidence evaluating the safety and effectiveness of those interventions. Therefore, this study is intended to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide evidence for a further study investigating alternative treatment options for persistent and intractable hiccups. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adult patients aged >18 years who meet the criteria for intractable hiccup diagnosis will be included, regardless of gender, nationality, and education level. Eight electronic databases will be searched, including 4 Chinese databases (CNKI, SinoMed, Wanfang Database, and Chinese Scientific Journal Database), 4 English databases (Web of Science, Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library), from their date of establishment to September 2020. Two independent reviewers will evaluate the title summary for each RCT. Disagreements will be discussed with a third commentator. Data integration, heterogeneity analysis, subgroup analysis, and sensitivity analysis, will be performed using R-3.3.2 software. The RevMan 5.3 software will be used for the meta-analysis, and the "risk of bias" assessment will be conducted based on the methodological quality of the included trials recommended by the Cochrane Handbook 5.1. The quality evaluation of this study will be completed by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). RESULTS: This study will summarize all the selected trials aimed at estimating the effectiveness, as well as safety, of applying acupuncture at acupoints dominated by Cuanzhu (BL2) to persistent and intractable hiccups. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review will provide evidence to assess the validity and safety of applying acupuncture at acupoints dominated by Cuanzhu (BL2) for persistent and intractable hiccups, which may provide clinicians with more choices in the treatment of this disease. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020114900.

Enhanced production of docosahexaenoic acid in mammalian cells.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), one of the important polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) with pharmaceutical and nutraceutical effects, may be obtained through diet or synthesized in vivo from dietary a-linolenic acid (ALA). However, the accumulation of DHA in human body or other mammals relies on the intake of high dose of DHA for a certain period of time, and the bioconversion of dietary ALA to DHA is very limited. Therefore the mammalian cells are not rich in DHA. Here, we report a new technology for increased production of DHA in mammalian cells. By using transient transfection method, Siganus canaliculatus Δ4 desaturase was heterologously expressed in chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and simultaneously, mouse Δ6-desaturase and Δ5-desaturase were overexpressed. The results demonstrated that the overexpression of Δ6/Δ5-desaturases significantly enhanced the ability of transfected cells to convert the added ALA to docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) which in turn get converted into DHA directly and efficiently by the heterologously expressed Δ4 desaturase. This technology provides the basis for potential utility of these gene constructs in the creation of transgenic livestock for increased production of DHA/related products to meet the growing demand of this important PUFA.