Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide Inhibited Liver Cancer in a Simulated Tumor Microenvironment by Eliminating TLR4/STAT3 Pathway.

Liver cancer is one of the most aggressive tumors and one of the most common malignant tumors which seriously threatens human health. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was reported to resist the proliferation and metastasis of liver cancer cells. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential anti-cancer effect of Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharide (PSP) on the tumor immune microenvironment in liver cancer cells. HepG2 and Hep3B cells were pretreated in the absence or the presence of PSP (20, 50, 100 µg/mL) for a period of 24 h. Subsequently, dendritic cells (DCs) were co-cultured with HepG2 and Hep3B cell supernatant to investigate the effect of PSP on the tumor microenvironment. The results showed that PSP dose-dependently inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of HepG2 and Hep3B cells. Meanwhile, PSP dose-dependently inhibited migration, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of liver cancer cells. In addition, PSP dose-dependently induced inflammatory response of DCs, characterized by increases of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in DCs. Mechanically, PSP dose-dependently reduced the activation of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and noncanonical nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS) reversed the anti-oncogenic effects of PSP in liver cancer cells. Taken together, PSP inhibited liver cancer in a simulated tumor microenvironment by eliminating TLR4/STAT3 pathway. PSP promises an important and useful alternative to liver cancer treatment.

Traditional Chinese herb formulas in diet enhance the non-specific immune responses of yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) and resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila.

The effects of a traditional Chinese herbal mixture (TCHM) composed of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Rheum palmatum, Catsia tora and Lonicera japonica on immune response and disease resistance of yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) were studied. Fish were fed diets containing 0% (control), 1.0%, 3.0% or 5.0% TCHM (w/w) for 28 d. Immune parameters including cytokine genes interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Immunoglobulin M (IgM), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), lysozyme (LZM), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) were measured during the test period. After 28 d of feeding, fish were infected with Aeromonas hydrophila, and mortality was recorded. The TCHM-supplementation diet stimulated ACP, AKP, LZM, CAT, SOD, and IgM activity in serum and induced IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IgM mRNA expression in the spleen. All TCHM groups showed reduced mortality after A. hydrophila infection compared to the control group. These results suggest that the TCHM-supplemented diet can improve fish immunity and disease resistance against A. hydrophila.

Dietary guanidineacetic acid supplementation ameliorated meat quality and regulated muscle metabolism of broilers subjected to pre-slaughter transport stress by metabolomics analysis.

Pre-slaughter transport stress could induce multiple comprehensive variations in physiological and metabolic parameters of broilers. However, the entire metabolomics of pre-slaughter transport stress and supplementation of exogenous energy regulatory substances on broilers is still poorly understood. The metabolome characteristics of broilers subjected to 3 h pre-slaughter transport stress combined with 1,200 mg/kg guanidinoacetic acid (GAA1,200) supplementation were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in this study. The results showed that, compared to the control group (no transport), 3 h pre-slaughter transport stress (T3h) decreased creatine (Cr), phosphocreatine (PCr) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and increased adenosine diphosphate (ADP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and the ratio of AMP to ATP in pectoralis muscle (PM) of broilers by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. However, GAA1,200 supplementation reversed the negative effects induced by 3 h pre-slaughter transport stress. Besides, GAA1,200 supplementation elevated mRNA expression of creatine transporter in PM. Our metabolomics approaches demonstrated that 38 and 48 significant metabolites were separately identified between the control group and T3h group, and T3h group and 3 h pre-slaughter transport stress combined with GAA1,200 supplementation group using the standard of variable importance in the projection values >1 and P < 0.05. Among these, the metabolites involved in amino acid metabolism (alanine, glycine, serine, threonine, cysteine , methionine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan), oxidative stress (3-methylhistidine, 1-methylhistidine and glutathione), non-protein amino acid (citrulline) metabolism, and energy metabolism (Cr, PCr, sarcosine, and glycocyamine) were confirmed through pathway enrichment analysis, which could be chosen as suitable candidate targets for further analysis of the effects of exogenous energy substances on broilers subjected to transport stress.

Antiparasitic Efficacy of Crude Plant Extracts and Compounds Purified from Plants against the Fish Monogenean Neobenedenia girellae.

Neobenedenia girellae is a pathogenic ectoparasite of many marine fishes, and it causes major epidemics in marine aquaculture. In this study, the efficacy of ethanol extracts of huangqi Astragalus membranaceus (known as milkvetch in North America), guanzhong Dryopteris setosa (known as beaded wood fern in North America), gancao Glycyrrhiza uralensis (known as Chinese licorice in North America), danshen Salvia miltiorrhiza (known as red sage in North America), and pomegranate Punica granatum, as well as seven phytochemicals (10-gingerol, curcumin, cynatratoside-C, emodin, kuwanon-G, kuwanon-O, and sophoraflavanone-G), against adult N. girellae was investigated. In vitro results indicated that pomegranate extract killed all adult N. girellae at a 62.5-mg/L concentration with an 8-h exposure, but gancao extract did not cause 100% mortality until a 1,000-mg/L concentration was used. Additionally, all adult N. girellae died after an 8-h exposure to cynatratoside-C, kuwanon-G, kuwanon-O, or sophoraflavanone-G at a concentration of 125 mg/L. Curcumin, emodin, and 10-gingerol at a concentration of 1,000 mg/L did not kill all parasites after an 8-h exposure. These findings demonstrate that plant extracts and active phytochemicals are potential sources of botanical drugs for controlling N. girellae infection in aquaculture.

[Clinical observations on effects on prognostic factor treating hepatitis B-related cirrhosis with purification purgation dispersion tonicity].

OBJECTIVE: With prognostic factors as assessment standards, the effects of combination of TCM(purification purgation dispersion tonicity) and western medicine treating hepatitis B-related cirrhosis and its complications were assessed. METHODS: In this study, study group and control group were divided, the number of each group was 30. In order to keep balance between the two groups, matching control design was adopted with Wang's 8 prognostic factors as matching conditions. RESULTS: In study group, except Hb, TBIL, ALB and PT had statistic difference, and the complications of cirrhosis such as ascites, HEP and UGH were treated with significant effects. Between study group and control group, in all of prognostic factors only TBIL had statistical diffirence. CONCLUSIONS: It suggested the effects were significant treating hepatitis B-related cirrhosis and its complications with combination of TCM(purification purgation dispersion tonicity) and western medicine. It also suggested that TCM therapy combining purification, purgation, dispersion and tonicity had significant effects on reducing jaundice.