Aß-binding with alcohol dehydrogenase drives Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis: A review.

Although Alzheimer's disease (AD) characterized with senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles has been found for over 100 years, its molecular mechanisms are ambiguous. More worsely, the developed medicines targeting amyloid-beta (Aß) and/or tau hyperphosphorylation did not approach the clinical expectations in patients with moderate or severe AD until now. This review unveils the role of a vicious cycle between Aß-derived formaldehyde (FA) and FA-induced Aß aggregation in the onset course of AD. Document evidence has shown that Aß can bind with alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) to form the complex of Aß/ADH (ABAD) and result in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and aldehydes including malondialdehyde, hydroxynonenal and FA; in turn, ROS-derived H2O2 and FA promotes Aß self-aggregation; subsequently, this vicious cycle accelerates neuron death and AD occurrence. Especially, FA can directly induce neuron death by stimulating ROS generation and tau hyper hyperphosphorylation, and impair memory by inhibiting NMDA-receptor. Recently, some new therapeutical methods including inhibition of ABAD activity by small molecules/synthetic polypeptides, degradation of FA by phototherapy or FA scavengers, have been developed and achieved positive effects in AD transgenic models. Thus, breaking the vicious loop may be promising interventions for halting AD progression.

Midbrain FA initiates neuroinflammation and depression onset in both acute and chronic LPS-induced depressive model mice.

Both exogenous gaseous and liquid forms of formaldehyde (FA) can induce depressive-like behaviors in both animals and humans. Stress and neuronal excitation can elicit brain FA generation. However, whether endogenous FA participates in depression occurrence remains largely unknown. In this study, we report that midbrain FA derived from lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a direct trigger of depression. Using an acute depressive model in mice, we found that one-week intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of LPS activated semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) leading to FA production from the midbrain vascular endothelium. In both in vitro and in vivo experiments, FA stimulated the production of cytokines such as IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α. Strikingly, one-week microinfusion of FA as well as LPS into the midbrain dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN, a 5-HT-nergic nucleus) induced depressive-like behaviors and concurrent neuroinflammation. Conversely, NaHSO3 (a FA scavenger), improved depressive symptoms associated with a reduction in the levels of midbrain FA and cytokines. Moreover, the chronic depressive model of mice injected with four-week i.p. LPS exhibited a marked elevation in the levels of midbrain LPS accompanied by a substantial increase in the levels of FA and cytokines. Notably, four-week i.p. injection of FA as well as LPS elicited cytokine storm in the midbrain and disrupted the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by activating microglia and reducing the expression of claudin 5 (CLDN5, a protein with tight junctions in the BBB). However, the administration of 30 nm nano-packed coenzyme-Q10 (Q10, an endogenous FA scavenger), phototherapy (PT) utilizing 630-nm red light to degrade FA, and the combination of PT and Q10, reduced FA accumulation and neuroinflammation in the midbrain. Moreover, the combined therapy exhibited superior therapeutic efficacy in attenuating depressive symptoms compared to individual treatments. Thus, LPS-derived FA directly initiates depression onset, thereby suggesting that scavenging FA represents a promising strategy for depression treatment.

Vitamin D supplementation prior to in vitro fertilisation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a protocol of a multicentre randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the leading causes of female infertility, affecting around 5% of women of childbearing age in China. Vitamin D insufficiency is common in women with PCOS and is associated with lower live birth rates. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in women with PCOS is inconclusive. This multicentre randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation prior to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) on the live birth rate in women with PCOS. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We plan to enrol women with PCOS scheduled for IVF. After informed consent, eligible participants will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive oral capsules of 4000 IU vitamin D per day or placebo for around 12 weeks until the day of triggering. All IVF procedures will be carried out routinely in each centre. The primary outcome is live birth after the first embryo transfer. The primary analysis will be by intention-to-treat analysis. To demonstrate or refute that treatment with vitamin D results in a 10% higher live birth rate than treatment with placebo, we need to recruit 860 women (48% vs 38% difference, anticipating 10% loss to follow-up and non-compliance, significance level 0.05 and power 80%). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee in Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University on 2 March 2020 (reference number: IRB-20200035-R). All participants will provide written informed consent before randomisation. The results of the study will be submitted to scientific conferences and a peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04082650.

Analysis of pharmacological mechanisms and targets mining of Wuzi-Yanzong-Wan for treating non-obstructive oligoasthenospermia.

As a classical traditional Chinese medicine, Wuzi-Yanzong-Wan (WZYZW) has been widely applied for several centuries to treat non-obstructive oligoasthenozoospermia (NOA), although its pharmacological mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, both plasma and urine metabolomics profiling was first analysed to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of WZYZW in NOA rats induced by removal of the unilateral testicle. Then, 106 identified compounds comprising WZYZW (our previous work), for which putative targets were discovered using systems pharmacology, were systematically analysed via mRNA microarrays to validate their putative targets. Finally, metabolomics-tested WZYZW-regulated metabolites were connected with validated targets using Spearman correlation analysis to further confirm the targets from a biological perspective. The results suggested that WZYZW plays key roles in modulating the concentrations of 18 metabolites in the metabolism of amino acids, lipids and so on, normalizing the metabolic phenotype and regulating metabolic disorders. Moreover, 27 targets of WZYZW (23 compounds) against NOA were validated, and metabolomics-tested metabolites were also found to be significantly related to these identified targets, suggesting that these targets and compounds are worthy of further research. This work offers the first systematic investigation of the efficacy of WZYZW against NOA and illustrates a practicable approach for explaining the molecular mechanisms of multicomponent drugs.

[Quantitative Detection of Iron in Soybean Oils with Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Simple Regression Methods].

LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) was used to detect Fe element content in soybean oil quantitatively. In this experiment, a series of soybean oil samples with different concentrations of Fe were used; LIBS spectra were collected with a two-channel high precision spectrometer. According to the LIBS spectrum of samples, two characteristic wavelength of Fe (404.58 and 406.36 nm) were determined, and different simple regression methods (exponential regression, linear regression and quadratic regression) were used to establish the quantitative analysis models of Fe content using each characteristic spectral line. The results indicate that the average relative error of Fe I 404.58 and Fe I 406.36 in simple exponential regression, linear regression and quadratic regression models were 29.49%, 8.93%, 8.70% and 28.95%, 8.63%, 8.44%, respectively. The results of Fe I 406.36 regression models is better than that of Fe I 404.58, and the quadratic regression model is optimal among the three regression models. According to these results, LIBS technology has certain feasibility for detecting Fe in soybean oil; the quadratic linear regression model can improve the prediction accuracy of Fe element effectively.

[Model Optimization of Ternary System Adulteration Detection in Camellia Oil Based on Visible/Near Infrared Spectroscopy].

Visible/near infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics methods was used to detect ternary system adulteration in camellia oil quantificationally. In order to get adulterated samples, rapeseed oil and peanut oil were added to pure camellia oil in different proportion. Visible/near infrared spectroscopy data of pure and adulterated camellia oil samples were acquired in the wavelength range of 350~1800nm, and samples were randomly divided into calibration set and prediction set. The adulteration models were optimized by comparing different wavelength ranges, pretreatment methods and calibration methods The results show that the optimal modeling wavelength ranges and pretreatment methods for the prediction models of rapeseed oil, peanut oil and total adulteration amount are 750~1 770, 900~1 770, 870~1 770 nm and Multiple scattering correction (MSC), Standard normal variate (SNV) and second order differentia, and the best modeling method is Least square support vector machine (LSSVM). The correlation coefficient (R(P)) in prediction set and the root mean square error predictions(RMSEPs) of optimal adulteration models for rapeseed oil, peanut oil and total adulteration are 0.963, 0.982, 0.993 and 2.1%, 1.5%, 1.8%, respectively. Thus it can be seen that visible /near infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics methods can be used for quantitative ternary system adulteration detection in camellia oil.

Regio- and stereo-selective hydroxylations of ingenane diterpenoids by Mortierella ramanniana and Gibberella fujikuroi.

The regio- and stereo-selective hydroxylations of two ingenane diterpenoids, 20-deoxyingenol (1) and 13-oxyingenol dodecanoat (2), by the filamentous fungi Mortierella ramanniana and Gibberella fujikuroi were investigated in the present study. Four undescribed metabolites (3-6) of substrate 1 and two undescribed metabolites (7 and 8) of substrate 2 were isolated. All the metabolites were identified as hydroxylated ingenane derivatives by extensive NMR and HR-ESI-MS data analyses. All the biotransformed compounds and the substrates were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against three human cancer cell lines, including human colon cancer Caco-2, breast cancer MCF-7, and adriamycin (ADM)-resistant MCF-7/ADM cell lines. All ingenane alcohols (1, and 3-6) displayed no significant cytotoxic activities. The substrate 13-oxyingenol dodecanoat (2) showed moderate cytotoxicity with IC50 values being 35.59 ± 5.37 µmol·L-1 (Caco-2), 24.04 ± 4.70 µmol·L-1 (MCF-7), and 22.24 ± 5.19 µmol·L-1 (MCF-7/ADM). However, metabolites 7 and 8 displayed no significant cytotoxicity. These results indicated that the hydroxylation at the C-13 aliphatic acid ester of substrate 2 can significantly reduce the cytotoxic activity.

Pterocarpans and triterpenoids from Gueldenstaedtia verna.

Two new pterocarpan glycosides (1-2), five new triterpenoids (3-7), and 13 known analogues (14-20) were isolated from the whole plants of Gueldenstaedtia verna. These new compounds (1-7) were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic techniques including 1D ((1)H and (13)C) and 2D NMR experiments (COSY, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY), HR-ESI-MS and chemical methods. The absolute configuration of 1 was established by the optical rotation, the comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra and an X-ray diffraction analysis. All the isolates were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against four human cancer cell lines and inhibitory activities on LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells.

[Effect of Optical Length on Detection Accuracy of Camellia Oil Adulteration by Near Infrared Spectroscopy].

In this research, near infrared spectroscopy was used to detect adulterated percent of camellia oil adulterated with soybean oil quantificationally at different optical lengths, and the effect of optical length on detection accuracy of adulterated percent was investigated. Soybean oil was put into camellia oil according to different mass fraction, the adulterated mass fraction was ranged from 1% to 50%. Transmission spectra of samples were acquired by a Quality Specspectrometer at different optical lengths (1, 2, 4, 10 mm), and effect of optical length on detection accuracy of adulterated percent was analyzed by comparing quantitative prediction models that developed at different calibration methods, pretreatment methods and wavelength range. The results indicate that the performance of quantitative prediction model of adulterated percent is improved as the optical length is increasing from 1 to 4 mm, while the performance of quantitative prediction model of adulterated percent is deteriorated as the optical length is increasing from 4 to 10 mm. 4 mm is a better optical length for camellia oil adulteration. The coefficients of determination of prediction (R2(P)) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) in quantitative prediction models of adulterated percent for optical lengths of 1, 2, 4, 10 mm are 0.923, 0.977, 0.989, 0.962 and 4.58%, 2.54%, 1.72%, 3.20%, respectively.

[Curative effects of Fuzheng Huayu capsules on hepatic fibrosis and the functional mechanisms: a review].

Deficiency of Qi (healthy energy) and blood stasis are the basic pathological changes of hepatic fibrosis according to the theories of traditional Chinese medicine. Fuzheng Huayu Capsule, a compound Chinese herbal medicine for hepatic fibrosis, is produced in the light of this pathological mechanism. More than a decade of clinical studies and experimental researches show that this medicine has effects of protecting hepatic cells, relieving liver injury, and controlling the development of hepatic fibrosis. It has definite functional mechanisms on anti-hepatic fibrosis. It is a safe and effective medicine for hepatic fibrosis, and deserves to be well introduced to clinic.