[Molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology and experimental test].

This study aims to explore the molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cell experiment. The active components and targets of Ganoderma were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), and gastric cancer-related targets from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM). The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the common targets was constructed with STRING, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the common genes based on Bioconductor and R language. The medicinal-disease-component-target network and medicinal-disease-component-target-pathway network were established by Cytoscape. Molecular docking was performed between ß-sitosterol(the key component in Ganoderma) and the top 15 targets in the PPI network. Cell experiment was performed to verify the findings. A total of 14 active components and 28 targets of Ganoderma were retrieved, and the medicinal and the disease shared 25 targets, including caspase-3(CASP3), caspase-8(CASP8), caspase-9(CASP9), and B-cell lymphoma-2(BCL2). The common targets involved 72 signaling pathways and apoptosis and p53 signaling pathway may play a crucial role in the effect of Ganoderma against gastric cancer. ß-sitosterol had strong binding activity to the top 15 targets in the PPI network. The in vitro cell experiment demonstrated that ß-sitosterol inhibited gastric cancer AGS cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the S phase, which might be related to the regulation of the p53 pathway. This study shows the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics of Ganoderma against gastric cancer, which lays a scientific basis for further research on the molecular mechanism.

[Research progress on mechanisms of bidirectional regulation of acupuncture].

Bidirectional regulation is one of the key function of acupuncture. The stimulator, mediator and receptor are the basis while the specificity of acupoints and the multi-target regulation of receptors receiving stimulation signals are the essential link of the bidirectional regulation of acupuncture. The possible mechanisms of bidirectional regulation of acupuncture are discussed in 4 aspects, i.e. homeostasis mechanism, stress reaction, central adaptive regulation and autonomic nerve regulation. Knowing the limitations of bidirectional regulation and exploring suitable researchmethods are proposed to be the key points in future researches.

[Effect of manual acupuncture of "Shuigou" (GV26)"Neiguan" (PC6) on neurological function and expression of apoptosis-related factors in brain tissues surrounding hematoma in intracerebral hemorrhage rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of manual acupuncture stimulation of "Shuigou" (GV26) and "Neiguan" (PC6) on neurological function and expression of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in brain tissues around the intracerebral hematoma in rats with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), so as to explore its possible mechanisms underlying improvement of ICH. METHODS: Ninety-six male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, model, acupoint and non-acupoint (24 rats in each group). The ICH model was established by injection of the rat's autologous blood into the caudate nucleus. According to the time-points of 6, 24, 48 and 72 h after ICH, each of the 4 groups was further divided into 4 subgroups. For rats of the acupoint group, the PC6 on both sides was manually stimulated by manipulating the needle with lifting-thrusting-twisting reducing techniques, while the GV26 was stimulated with strong "sparrow-pecking" method for 10 times, then, left the needles in the acupoints for 30 min. For rats of the non-acupoint group, two non-acupoints: mid-spot below the bilateral axilla and the spot 3 mm above the left side of the coccyx tip were stimulated with the same methods to PC6 and GV26, respectively. For rats of the 6 h and 24 h subgroups, the intervention was given once after waking up from modeling, and for those of the 48 and 72 h subgroups, the intervention was conducted once a day for 2 or 3 times, respectively. The neurological severity score (NSS) was used to evaluate the degree of neurological function. The immunoactivity (expression) of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins of the hematoma focus of the brain was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Following modeling, the NSS and the expression levels of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins in the brain tissues surrounding the hematoma at each time-points (6, 24, 48 and 72h) after modeling were significantly increased in the model group relevant to the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the NSS at 72h and the expression levels of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins at 6, 24, 48 and 72h were significantly down-regulated in the acupoint group (P<0.05) rather than in the non-acupoint group (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture of GV26 and PC6 can improve the neurological function in rats with ICH, which may be related to its function in reducing the expression of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins (apoptosis-related proteins) in the brain.

Food Packaging: A Comprehensive Review and Future Trends.

Innovations in food packaging systems will help meet the evolving needs of the market, such as consumer preference for "healthy" and high-quality food products and reduction of the negative environmental impacts of food packaging. Emerging concepts of active and intelligent packaging technologies provide numerous innovative solutions for prolonging shelf-life and improving the quality and safety of food products. There are also new approaches to improving the passive characteristics of food packaging, such as mechanical strength, barrier performance, and thermal stability. The development of sustainable or green packaging has the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of food packaging through the use of edible or biodegradable materials, plant extracts, and nanomaterials. Active, intelligent, and green packaging technologies can work synergistically to yield a multipurpose food-packaging system with no negative interactions between components, and this aim can be seen as the ultimate future goal for food packaging technology. This article reviews the principles of food packaging and recent developments in different types of food packaging technologies. Global patents and future research trends are also discussed.