[The application of molecular biology-based microbial remediation technologies in petroleum polluted environments].

Owing to human activities and industrial production, petroleum pollution has become a serious environmental issue. Microbial remediation technology, characterized by its eco-friendly characteristics, has drawn significant attention in petroleum pollution remediation. The application of molecular biology technology has led to a drastic revolution in microbial remediation technology, providing resources for the development of highly efficient degrading agents. However, limitations such as the lack of precision in species annotation and the limited detection sensitivity still exist. Other microbial remediation technologies also have substantial potential in enhancing the degradation efficiency of petroleum pollutants and reducing their environmental harm, especially biosurfactants and bio-stimulants, which offer relatively shorter remediation periods and lower costs, promising large-scale application in the future. Moreover, the combination of molecular biology and other microbial remediation technologies may become an effective tool for petroleum pollutant degradation. This review summarized the application of molecular biology methods in petroleum polluted environments, reviewed the recent research progress on microbial remediation techniques for petroleum-contaminated sites, discussed the remediation effects of these microbial remediation techniques, and proposed the future development direction of microbial remediation technology.

Structural characterization of a galactoglucomannan with anti-neuroinflammatory activity from Ganoderma lucidum.

According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) presents certain effects for nourishing nerves and calming the mind. G. lucidum polysaccharides (GLPs) have various biological activities; however, the structural characterization and the structure-activity relationship in anti-neuroinflammation of GLPs needs to be further investigated. In this work, the crude polysaccharide GL70 exhibited a remarkable impact on enhancing the spatial learning and memory function, as well as reducing the anxiety symptoms of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A galactoglucomannan (GLP70-1-2) was isolated from GL70, and characterized by monosaccharide composition, partial acid hydrolysis, methylation, and NMR analysis. The backbone of GLP70-1-2 was →6)-α-D-glcp-(1 â†’ 6)-ß-D-galp-(1 â†’ [6)-ß-D-manp-(1]3 â†’ 4)-α-D-Glcp-(1 â†’ 6)-α-D-glcp-(1 â†’ 2)-ß-D-galp-(1 â†’ [4)-α-D-glcp-(1 â†’ 6)-ß-D-manp-(1 â†’ 2)-ß-D-galp-(1]2 â†’ 6)-ß-D-glcp-(1 â†’ 6)-ß-D-glcp-(1→ with two side chains attached to O-4 of →6)-ß-D-galp-(1→ and O-3 of →6)-ß-D-glcp-(1→, respectively. In addition, GLP70-1-2 exhibited remarkable efficacy in decreasing the level of pro-inflammatory factors in LPS-activated BV2 cells through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway. Collectively, GLP70-1-2 exhibited significant anti-neuroinflammatory activity and may have the potential for developing as a drug for AD.

Acupuncture Combined with Three-Step Analgesic Drug Therapy for Treatment of Cancer Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Clinical Trials.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with the WHO three-step analgesic drug ladder for cancer pain. METHODS: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, and CNKI Database of Systematic Reviews were searched. Using the Cochrane Register for Randomized Controlled Trials, the quality of the included literature was evaluated, and the meta-analysis was carried out with RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: Compared with three-step analgesia alone, acupuncture combined with three-step analgesia for cancer pain increased pain relief response rates (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.08∼1.17, P < 0.00001), reduced NRS score (SMD = -1.10, 95% CI: -1.86∼-0.35, P=0.004), reduced the rate of side effects (RR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.38∼0.53, P < 0.00001), including nausea (P < 0.00001), vomiting (P=0.008), constipation (P < 0.00001), and dizziness (P=0.010), reduced the burst pain rate (SMD = -1.38; 95% CI: -2.44∼-0.32, P=0.01), shortened analgesia effect onset time (P=0.004), and extended the duration of response (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: For the treatment of cancer pain, acupuncture combined with three-step analgesic drugs is better than using only three-step analgesic drugs.

Based on BATMAN-TCM to Explore the Molecular Mechanism of Xihuang Pill Regulating Immune Function to Treat Breast Precancerous Lesions.

OBJECTIVE: The specific mechanism of Xihuang Pill in the treatment of breast precancerous lesions and breast cancer has not yet been elucidated. METHODS: In our study, BATMAN-TCM (a Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine) was used to forecast the relationship among chemical components, immune targets, and diseases of each herb in Xihuang Pill and constructed a component-target-disease network. Taking breast precancerous lesion model rats as the research object, the molecular mechanism of Xihuang Pill regulating immunity was analyzed. RESULTS: BATMAN-TCM prediction showed that 309 genes were enriched in the biological process of "immune system response", which was the target of Xihuang Pill to regulate the immune system. The target of breast cancer disease and the genes related to Xihuang Pill's immune system response were crossed, and 88 cross genes were obtained. According to the enrichment results of GO/KEGG pathway, T cell activation was found to be the most relevant. We select Th1 cells (IL-2, IFN-γ) and Th2 cells (IL-4, IL-10) among them for animal experiment verification. The results show that Xihuang Pill can upregulate the serum IFN-γ and IL-2 levels, reduce the IL-4 and IL-10 levels, and regulate the balance of Th1/Th2 cells in the peripheral blood of rats with breast precancerous lesions. CONCLUSION: Xihuang Pill targets a variety of immune-related molecules related to breast precancerous lesions and is a traditional Chinese medicine formula that effectively regulates immune function.

A Network Pharmacology-Based Identification Study on the Mechanism of Xiao-Xu-Ming Decoction for Cerebral Ischemic Stroke.

OBJECTIVE: We used the network pharmacological analysis method to explore the mechanism of multicomponent, multitarget, and multiway actions of Xiao-Xu-Ming decoction (XXMD) for cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS), which provided a basis on the research of innovative drugs. METHOD: We used the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) to retrieve the active ingredients and targets of 12 herbs of XXMD; we used the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to screen for differentially expressed genes in CIS to obtain the disease targets of CIS and to intersect it with the action targets of XXMD, and then the target drug efficacy is obtained. We used Cytoscape 3.6 software to construct the drug-active ingredient-action target interaction network of XXMD to treat CIS and conduct protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and topology analysis. The action target Gene Ontology (GO) biological processes and metabolic pathways in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) of XXMD to treat CIS were enrichment analyzed with R software. RESULT: We screened out 226 active ingredients and 3646 action targets for XXMD. Among them, XXMD to treat CIS has 144 active ingredients, 12 targets, and proteins in the core network of PPI having STAT3, HIF1A, etc. Pathway enrichment analysis was based on the GO and KEGG biological processes involved in active oxygen metabolism, smooth muscle cell proliferation, cytokine production, angiogenesis, redox coenzyme metabolism, and oxidative stress. The main action processes are significantly associated with CIS signal pathways involved in microRNAs, ovarian steroid hormones, NF-кB signaling pathway, Th17 cell differentiation pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, folic acid synthesis pathway, galactose metabolism, and fructose and mannose metabolism. CONCLUSION: This study initially clarified the main targets and pathways of XXMD in the treatment of CIS, which can lay the foundation for further research on its pharmacological effects.