Dietary supplementation of VA enhances growth, feed utilization, glucose and lipid metabolism, appetite, and antioxidant capacity of Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi).

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary vitamin A on juvenile Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi). Chinese perch were fed with five experimental diets containing 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mg VA·kg-1 for 8 weeks. Results showed that dietary vitamin A significantly influenced the fish's growth, feed utilization, glucose and lipid metabolism, appetite, and antioxidant capacity. Vitamin A-supplemented groups had higher weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) compared to the control group. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was also lower in the vitamin A-supplemented groups. Dietary vitamin A had no significant effect on the survival rate (SR). Compared to the control group, fish fed with vitamin A had increased feed intake (FI), and the expression of appetite-promoting genes (npy and agrp) was significantly higher in the 40 mg VA·kg-1 group. Vitamin A also enhanced the utilization of dietary protein by Chinese perch. The serum glucose content of the fish fed with 40 mg VA·kg-1 diet was significantly higher than that of the control group and 20 mg VA·kg-1 diet, indicating that the promoting effect of VA on gluconeogenesis was greater than that on glycolysis. Additionally, dietary vitamin A increased the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes (hl and fas) and antioxidant genes (nrf2 and gpx) in the fish. These results suggest that the optimal vitamin A requirement of juvenile Chinese perch bream was estimated to be 37.32 mg VA·kg-1 based on broken-line regression analysis of WGR. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the potential benefits of dietary vitamin A on the growth, metabolism, and antioxidant capacity of Chinese perch.

Dietary soybean lecithin promoted growth performance and feeding in juvenile Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi) could be by optimizing glucolipid metabolism.

To explore the potential benefits of dietary phospholipids (PLs) in fish glucose metabolism and to promote feed culture of Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi), we set up six diets to feed Chinese perch (initial mean body weight 37.01 ± 0.20 g) for 86 days, including: Control diet (CT), 1% (SL1), 2% (SL2), 3% (SL3), 4% (SL4) soybean lecithin (SL) and 2% (KO2) krill oil (KO) supplemental diets (in triplicate, 20 fish each). Our study found that the SL2 significantly improved the weight gain rate and special growth rate, but the KO2 did not. In addition, the SL2 diet significantly improved feed intake, which is consistent with the mRNA levels of appetite-related genes (npy, agrp, leptin A). Additionally, in the CT and SL-added groups, leptin A expression levels were nearly synchronized with serum glucose levels. Besides, the SL2 significantly upregulated expression levels of glut2, gk, cs, fas and downregulated g6pase in the liver, suggesting that it may enhance glucose uptake, aerobic oxidation, and conversion to fatty acids. The SL2 also maintained the hepatic crude lipid content unchanged compared to the CT, possibly by significantly down-regulating the mRNA level of hepatic lipase gene (hl), and by elevating serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level and intraperitoneal fat ratio in significance. Moreover, the serum high-density lipoprotein levels were significantly increased by PL supplementation, and the SL2 further significantly increased serum total cholesterol and LDL levels, suggesting that dietary PLs promote lipid absorption and transport. Furthermore, dietary SL at 1% level could enhance non-specific immune capacity, with serum total protein level being markedly higher than that in the CT group. In conclusion, it is speculated that the promotion of glucose utilization and appetite by 2% dietary SL could be linked. We suggest a 1.91% supplementation of SL in the diet for the best growth performance in juvenile Chinese perch.

Dietary supplementation of pyridoxine can enhance the growth performance and improve the protein, lipid utilization efficiency of mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi).

This study aimed to assess the effect of pyridoxine supplementation in the mandarin fish diet on growth performance, protein and lipid metabolism, and liver and intestinal histology. Mandarin fish were fed six diets with different levels of pyridoxine (2.67 mg/kg (control), 4.41 mg/kg, 6.57 mg/kg, 10.25 mg/kg, 17.93 mg/kg, 33.12 mg/kg diet) for 8 weeks, and samples were collected for analysis. The findings demonstrated that feeding mandarin fish a diet with 6.57 mg/kg pyridoxine led to a significant increase in weight gain rate (WGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), whole-body crude protein, whole-body crude lipid, serum protein, cholesterol (CHO), triacylglycerol (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), as well as significantly lower serum glucose (GLU) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we found a significant upregulation of the relative expression of genes associated with hepatic lipid oxidation and synthesis (hl, lpl, pparα, cpt1, cs, srebp1, and fas) and proteolysis (ast, alt, and gdh) in fish fed a diet containing 6.57 mg/kg pyridoxine (P < 0.05). Regarding the histological analysis, we observed a notable decrease in the quantity of intestinal mucus-secreting cells when the fish fed a diet containing 10.25 mg/kg pyridoxine (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that dietary pyridoxine supplementation promotes mandarin fish growth by improving the efficiency of protein and lipid utilization. Additionally, we used a broken-line regression analysis to estimate the optimal dietary pyridoxine requirement for mandarin fish in the range of 6.17-6.41 mg/kg based on WGR, FCR, and PER.

Biogeographic pattern and relevant environmental factors for rhizobial communities in the rhizosphere and root nodules of kudzu (Pueraria lobata).

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is an important medicinal plant, which can associate with rhizobia for nitrogen fixation. The mutualistic symbiosis between rhizobium and kudzu is not well understood, but it is necessary to fully utilize kudzu. Nodules and rhizosphere soils collected from 16 sampling sites were characterized based on phylogenetic analyses of the rpoB gene; 16S rRNA gene; the housekeeping genes SMc00019, truA, and thrA; and the symbiotic genes nodA and nifH. The relationships between biogeographic pattern, nitrogenase activity, and environmental factors were studied. Results indicated that a clear biogeographic pattern of rhizobial communities in the kudzu rhizosphere existed in southern China; latitude and soil pH were found to be the most important factors affecting the biogeographic pattern. Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens and Bradyrhizobium erythrophlei were the dominant species in kudzu rhizosphere. The symbiotic rhizobia in kudzu nodules mainly belonged to B. lablabi, B. elkanii, B. pachyrhizi, and B. japonicum. Nitrogenase activities in the nodules of kudzu in the Jiangxi sampling region were significantly higher than those in the Guangxi and Hunan sampling regions, and they were significantly negatively correlated to pH and exchangeable Ca. These results constitute the first report of the existence of symbiotic genes in kudzu bradyrhizobia, which are similar to those in B. elkanii and B. pachyrhizi. Our findings could improve the understanding of kudzu-rhizobium symbiosis and could advance the application of rhizobial inoculation in medicinal legumes in terms of increasing the content of active ingredients.

[Moisture content measurement model of whole package of Chinese medicinal materials based on microwave transmission technology].

In view of the relatively low representativeness of manual sampling inspection, and long time-consuming in oven detection of moisture content, which delayed the subsequent production period, this paper proposed a scheme for rapid moisture quantitative detection for Chinese medicinal materials by microwave transmission technology, and took 8 different types of Chinese medicinal mate-rials as examples to analyze the feasibility and reliability of the scheme for the detection results of moisture content of the whole package of Chinese medicine. In the experiment, the least square method was used to establish the measurement model of microwave absorption rate-moisture content for each kind of medicinal material. The results showed that the microwave transmission measurement of moisture content achieved high-precision measurement of the moisture content of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Poria, Pheretima, Lilii Bulbus, Scutellariae Radix, and Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum. The measurement model of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen had the highest accuracy, and the R~2 and root mean square error of the validation set were 0.951 5 and 0.15%, respectively. At the same time, this study found that the microwave absorption intensity of animal medicines including Pheretima and Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum was much weaker than that of plant medicines such as Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, but there was also a good linear relationship between microwave absorption and moisture content, which proved the universality of this method. However, this method was not suitable for Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex because its package contained iron wire. For the whole package of medicinal materials with uniform density and no metal inside, the microwave transmission technology for moisture content measurement can be used to detect the moisture content, which is an effective alternative method to detect the moisture content of medicinal materials.

Analysis on Prescription Research and Historical Evolution of Mahuangtang / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Based on the ancient Chinese medical literature and modern clinical application literature， Mahuangtang was systematically analyzed， including its origin， composition， processing requirements and others， in order to provide support for the development of this famous classical formula. It was found that there were some doubts about Mahuangtang， such as the original variety， the processing of decoction pieces， and the dose conversion ratio. On the basis of fully considering the actual needs of the development of famous classical formula preparations and the usage habits of modern clinical practice， the development suggestions of the author were as follows：Ephedrae Herba should be selected Ephedra sinica without removing knots， Cinnamomi Ramulus should be selected from Cinnamomum cassia， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma should select Glycyrrhiza uralensis and be roasted with honey， and Armeniacae Semen Amarum should be selected as Dan-processed products. The total dose of Mahuangtang was 24 g after conversion according to 1 Liang equal to 3 g as following the transition phenomenon and law. The preparation and usage method was as follows：took 1.8 L of water， first added Ephedrae Herba in water for decocting， evaporated 400 mL of water， removed the upper foam， then added the other three drugs， cooked over gentle heat to 500 mL， filtered the residue， took three times a day， about 160 mL warm decoction once. The major function recorded of Mahuangtang in ancient books was exterior sthenia syndrome of exogenous wind cold， it often used in the clinical treatment of cold， acute bronchitis， bronchial asthma and other diseases through the flexible application of the later doctors.

Prescription Research and Clinical Application of Wenjingtang / 中国实验方剂学杂志

The prescription research and clinical application of Wenjingtang were summarized in order to provide reference for the formulation of material standard and the development of compound preparation. By systematically sorting out the relevant ancient medical books and modern literature reports， combined with the relevant policy requirements of the development of compound preparations of famous classical formulas， this paper expounded the existing problems and put forward some suggestions. Wenjingtang is composed of nine herbs， which is derived from Complete Effective Prescriptions for Women's Diseases written by CHEN Zi-ming in Song dynasty. The original medicinal plants and medicinal parts of the formula were basically the same as those recorded in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， for example， Paeonia lactiflora was the choice of Paeoniae Radix Alba， Cinnamomi Cortex was selected as Guixin， the rhizoma of Curcuma phaeocaulis was selected as Curcumae Rhizoma. It was suggested that raw products should be selected for decoction pieces and processed according to the methods recorded in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. According to the dosage of 1 Liang=40 g， the dosages of Angelicae Sinensis Radix， Chuanxiong Rhizoma， Paeoniae Radix Alba， Cinnamomi Cortex， Moutan Cortex and Curcumae Rhizoma were 20 g， the dosages of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma， Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix were 40 g， the total amount of this formula was 240 g. The 9 kinds of decoction pieces were crushed （particle size<6 mm） separately and mixed， each dose was 20 g， 525 mL of water was added， and then decocted to 280 mL. After filtration， warm medicine was taken for once a day. According to ancient books， Wenjingtang has the functions of activating blood circulation， regulating menstruation，warming meridians and dispersing cold. It is mainly used to treat dysmenorrhea， irregular menstruation and other diseases in modern clinical practice. In addition， it has certain curative effect on endometriosis， pelvic inflammatory disease， acne， eczema and other skin diseases. Through the research， the historical evolution and clinical application of Wenjingtang are fully clarified， which can provide research for the later development and application of this famous classical formula.

Study on quality evaluation method of classical prescription Mahuang Decoction primary standard substances / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to establish the HPLC characteristic chromatogram and content determination method for index components with the primary standard substances of the classical prescription Mahuang Decoction, and to provide data basis for the establishment of its quality standard and the development and utilization of compound preparations. First, HPLC was used to establish the material reference chromatograms of Mahuang Decoction, and 15 batches of standard samples of Mahuang Decoction were determined. Their similarity was calculated by the median method. Secondly, the content of the standard substances was determined and a simplecontent determination method was established by HPLC. Relevant methodology was investigated, and the extraction ratio, index component transfer rate and moisture content of 15 batches of primary standard samples were calculated. The results showed that the two sets of HPLC methods had their own characteristics. The six chromatographic peaks identified from the 10 common peaks in the former characteristic chromatogram covered all the herbal medicines in the standard substances, which can better indicate the quality characteristics of the standard substances of Mahuang Decoction. The latter method(content determination method) was simple and practical, so it was suitable for establishing the quality standard of its compound preparation. Two sets of methods were jointly used to evaluate the quality of 15 batches of Mahuang Decoction. The results were as follows: the similarity of 15 batches of samples was greater than 0.90; the average extraction ratio was 18.1%; the average moisture content was 9.7%; the average content and transfer rate of the standard ingredients ephedrine hydrochloride and total pseudoephedrine hydrochloride were 2.3% and 26.7% respectively, and the average content and transfer rate of amygdalin were 2.2% and 48.3% respectively. None of the data showed dispersion(beyond 70%-130% of the mean value), which met the application data requirements for the substance standards of ancient classical Chinese herbal compound preparations(draft for comments). Based on the above research, the primary substance quality standard of Mahuang Decoction was established in order to provide reference for the development and research of the compound preparation of Mahuang Decoction.

Candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of lignan in Schisandra chinensis fruit based on transcriptome and metabolomes analysis / 中国天然药物

Schisandra chinensis Turcz. (Baill.) is a plant species with fruits that have been well known in Far Eastern medicine for a long time. It has traditionally been used as a stimulating and fortifying agent in cases of physical exhaustion and to inhibit fatigue. The major bioactive compounds found in S. chinensis are lignans with a dibenzocyclooctadiene skeleton, but little is known about their biosynthesis in plants. S. chinensis is the ideal medicinal plant for studying the biosynthesis of lignans, especially the dibenzocyclooctadiene skeleton. Genomic information for this important herbal plant is unavailable. To better understand the lignan biosynthesis pathway, we generated transcriptome sequences from the fruit during ripening and performed de novo sequence assembly, yielding 136 843 unique transcripts with N50 of 1778 bp. Putative functions could be assigned to 41 824 transcripts (51.57%) based on BLAST searches against annotation databases including GO (Gene ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes). Furthermore, 22 candidate cytochrome P450 genes and 15 candidate dirigent proteins genes that were most likely involved in the lignan biosynthesis pathway were discovered based on transcriptome sequencing of S. chinensis. The genomic data obtained from S. chinensis, especially the identification of putative genes involved in the lignan biosynthesis pathway, will facilitate our understanding of lignan biosynthesis at the molecular level. The lignan metabolite profiles were analyzed by metabolomes, the accumulation patterns of 30 metabolites involved in the lignan pathway were studied. Co-expression network of lignan contents and transcriptional changes showed 355 strong correlations (correlation coefficient, R > 0.9) between 21 compounds and 153 transcripts. Furthermore, the comprehensive analysis and characterization of the genes involved in lignan pathways and the metabolite profiles of lignans are expected to provide better insight regarding the diversity of the chemical composition, synthetic characteristics, and regulatory mechanisms of this medical herb.

YY1 Positively Regulates Transcription by Targeting Promoters and Super-Enhancers through the BAF Complex in Embryonic Stem Cells.

Yin Yang 1 (YY1) regulates early embryogenesis and adult tissue formation. However, the role of YY1 in stem cell regulation remains unclear. YY1 has a Polycomb group (PcG) protein-dependent role in mammalian cells. The PcG-independent functions of YY1 are also reported, although their underlying mechanism is still undefined. This paper reports the role of YY1 and BAF complex in the OCT4-mediated pluripotency network in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). The interaction between YY1 and BAF complex promotes mESC proliferation and pluripotency. Knockdown of Yy1 or Smarca4, the core component of the BAF complex, downregulates pluripotency markers and upregulates several differentiation markers. Moreover, YY1 enriches at both promoter and super-enhancer regions to stimulate transcription. Thus, this study elucidates the role of YY1 in regulating pluripotency through its interaction with OCT4 and the BAF complex and the role of BAF complex in integrating YY1 into the core pluripotency network.