Cytokine Storm in Acute Viral Respiratory Injury: Role of Qing-Fei-Pai-Du Decoction in Inhibiting the Infiltration of Neutrophils and Macrophages through TAK1/IKK/NF-[Formula: see text]B Pathway.

COVID-19 has posed unprecedented challenges to global public health since its outbreak. The Qing-Fei-Pai-Du decoction (QFPDD), a Chinese herbal formula, is widely used in China to treat COVID-19. It exerts an impressive therapeutic effect by inhibiting the progression from mild to critical disease in the clinic. However, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses elicit similar pathological processes. Their severe manifestations, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiple organ failure (MOF), and viral sepsis, are correlated with the cytokine storm. During flu infection, QFPDD reduced the lung indexes and downregulated the expressions of MCP-1, TNF-[Formula: see text], IL-6, and IL-1[Formula: see text] in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF), lungs, or serum samples. The infiltration of neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes in lungs was decreased dramatically, and lung injury was ameliorated in QFPDD-treated flu mice. In addition, QFPDD also inhibited the polarization of M1 macrophages and downregulated the expressions of IL-6, TNF-[Formula: see text], MIP-2, MCP-1, and IP-10, while also upregulating the IL-10 expression. The phosphorylated TAK1, IKK[Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text], and I[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text] and the subsequent translocation of phosphorylated p65 into the nuclei were decreased by QFPDD. These findings indicated that QFPDD reduces the intensity of the cytokine storm by inhibiting the NF-[Formula: see text]B signaling pathway during severe viral infections, thereby providing theoretical and experimental support for its clinical application in respiratory viral infections.

Injectable Carbon Dots-Based Hydrogel for Combined Photothermal Therapy and Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer.

Hydrogel has been widely used in modern biotherapeutics due to its excellent biocompatibility, degradability, and high drug loading capacity. Among them, the construction of a phototherapy system including photosensitizer and hydrogel has aroused great interest in tumor therapy. Unfortunately, complex modifications are necessary to integrate different photosensitizers into the hydrogel. In this work, an injectable hydrogel was proposed by the Schiff base reaction between HA-CHO and carbon dots (CDs), which can realize PTT and PTT simultaneously. Notably, the CDs with rich -NH2 can be used not only as a photosensitizer but also as an efficient cross-linking agent for the Schiff base reaction to form a hydrogel network. The CD@Hydrogel with outstanding biosafety showed a high antitumor effect after 660 nm laser irradiation in in vitro and in vivo experiments. In summary, the CD@Hydrogel can not only realize PTT and PDT synergistic treatment under one light source but also act as a cross-linking agent to react with HA-CHO to form hydrogel, which is simple and efficient, providing a new strategy for cancer phototherapy.

[Reduning Injection protects flu-infected mice by inhibiting infiltration of inflammatory cells in lung and down-regulating cytokine storm].

This study aimed to explore the protective effect of Reduning Injection(RDN) on mice infected by influenza virus A/PR/8(PR8) and its immune regulatory roles during viral infection. In in vivo experiments, female C57 BL/6 mice were randomly divided into phosphate buffered saline(PBS) group, PR8-infected group, oseltamivir treatment group(OSV) and RDN treatment group. After 2 h of PR8 infection, mice in the oseltamivir group were gavaged with oseltamivir 30 mg·kg~(-1), and those in the RDN treatment group were injected intraperitoneally with RDN 1.5 mL·kg~(-1)once per day for seven consecutive days. The body weight of mice in each group was recorded at the same time every morning for 16 consecutive days. The line chart of body weight change was created to analyze the protective effect of RDN on flu-infected mice. The relative mRNA expression of different cytokines(IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-1ß, MIP-2, IP-10 and IL-10) in lung samples of flu-infected mice was detected by PCR. Flow cytometry was utilized to analyze the composition of immune cells of mouse BALF samples on day 5 after infection. Mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 was planted and treated by different concentrations of RDN(150, 300, 600 µg·mL~(-1)) for 24 h or 48 h, and cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 assay. RAW264.7 cells and mouse primary peritoneal macrophages were stimulated with synthetic single stranded RNA(R837), which elicited the inflammatory response by mimicking the infection of single-stranded RNA viruses. The expression of cytokines and chemokines in the supernatants of above culture system was detected by ELISA and qPCR. On days 4, 5, 6, 7 and 15 after infection, the body weight loss of mice in the RDN treatment group was alleviated compared with that of PR8-infected mice(P<0.05). RDN treatment obviously reduced lung index and the production of IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1 and MIP-2 in lung tissues of flu-infected mice(P<0.05). The proportions of macrophages, neutrophils and T cells in mouse BALF samples were analyzed by flow cytometry, and compared with PR8-infected mice, RDN decreased the proportion of macrophages in BALF of flu-infected mice(P<0.05), and the proportion of T cells was recovered dramatically(P<0.001). In CCK-8 assay, the concentrations of RDN(150, 300, 600 µg·mL~(-1)) failed to cause cytotoxicity to RAW264.7 cells. In addition, RDN lowered the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α,MCP-1, IL-1ß, RANTES, and IP-10 and even anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in R837-induced macrophages. RDN reduced the infiltration of inflammatory macrophages and the production of excessive inflammatory cytokines, alleviated the body weight loss of flu-infected mice. What's more, RDN restored the depletion of T cells, which might prevent secondary infection and deteriorative progression of the disease. Taken together, RDN may inhibit cytokine production and therefore down-regulate cytokine storm during the infection of influenza virus.

cep-1 mediated the mitohormesis effect of Shengmai formula in regulating Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan.

Ageing is one of the major causes of many diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. It has been found that mitochondrion acts as a crucial regulator of healthy lifespan. In this work, traditional Chinese medicine Shengmai formula (SMH) was used to treat mitochondrial mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans. The results showed that SMH shortened the lifespan of short-lived mev-1 mutant, but lengthened the lifespan of long-lived isp-1 mutant. Acute SMH treatment has benefit effect by increasing resistance capacity and motion activity in both ETC mutants and wild type N2. Compared with N2, the genome-wide transcriptome profile of ETC mutants showed on a similar pattern after SMH treatment. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis addressed that SMH-induced genes mainly enriched in metabolic process and oxidation-reduction process. The ROS levels in ETC mutants and N2 firstly rose then fell after SMH treatment, in company with the elevation of SOD-1, SOD-3 and GST-4, the increment of HSP-16.2 combined with heat shock. SMH increased oxygen consumption and ATP content, improved the restoration of mitochondrial homeostasis. SMH-induced opposed lifespan outcomes were markedly counteracted by cep-1 RNAi, together with the mitochondrial dynamics. Western blot assay also demonstrated a SMH-induced CEP-1 expression. Collectively, SMH acts as a prooxidant to regulate mitochondrial homeostasis and causes mitohormesis to exert therapeutic effect based on the redox background of the recipients, and cep-1 was required for the mitochondrial hormetic responses. The results shed a light on the rational clinical anti-ageing applications of SMH in the future.

Case Report: Torsade de Pointes Induced by the Third-Generation Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Osimertinib Combined With Litsea Cubeba.

Torsades de Pointes (TdP) occurred in a 68-year-old female with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant lung cancer administered osimertinib, the third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Electrocardiogram (ECG) recorded at Tdp showed QT prolongation (QTc = 515 ms), to which a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) named "Litsea Cubeba" may have contributed. After discontinuation of osimertinib and Litsea Cubeba, magnesium supplementation, potassium supplementation, lidocaine infusion, and the pacemaker frequency adjustment, Tdp terminated. However, QT prolongation sustained at discharge (QTc = 528 ms), partly because of the emergency use of amiodarone. Osimertinib may prolong the QT interval leading to TdP, especially when multiple risk factors to lengthen QT interval are incidentally overlapped. Thus, regular monitoring of ECG and appropriate management of concomitant drugs are highly recommended.

Light-triggered multifunctional nanoplatform for efficient cancer photo-immunotherapy.

Cancer immunotherapy is limited by the immune escape of tumor cells and adverse effects. Photo-immunotherapy, the combination of immunotherapy and phototherapy (such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT)), can improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in cancer treatment. Here, we first explored mesoporous hexagonal core-shell zinc porphyrin-silica nanoparticles (MPSNs), which are composed of a zinc porphyrin core and a mesoporous silica shell, and exhibit high laser-triggered photodynamic and photothermal activity, as well as outstanding drug loading capacity. In other words, MPSNs can be used not only as excellent photosensitizers for photo-immunotherapy, but also as an ideal drug carrier to achieve more efficient synergy. After loading with R837 (imiquimod, a toll-like receptor-7 agonist), MPSNs@R837 will elicit high-efficiency immunogenic cell death via PDT and PTT, and promote dendritic cell maturation after the PH-responsive release of R837, thereby, inducing tumor-specific immune responses. When combined with a programmed death ligand-1 checkpoint blockade, the photo-immunotherapy system markedly restrains primary tumors and metastatic tumors with negligible systemic toxicity. Therefore, the therapeutic strategy of integrating PTT, PDT and checkpoint blockade, shows great potential for suppressing cancer metastasis.

Effects and molecular mechanism of pachymic acid on ferroptosis in renal ischemia reperfusion injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical disease. Ferropotosis, a new type of regulatory cell death, serves an important regulatory role in AKI. Pachymic acid (PA), a lanostane­type triterpenoid from Poria cocos, has been reported to be protective against AKI. However, the protective mechanism of PA in AKI is not yet fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate the effect and molecular mechanism of PA on ferroptosis in renal ischemia reperfusion injury in vivo. A total of 30 mice were intraperitoneally injected with 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg PA for 3 days. A bilateral renal pedicle clip was used for 40 min to induce renal ischemia­reperfusion injury and establish the model. The results demonstrated that treatment with PA decreased serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, and ameliorated renal pathological damage. Transmission electron microscopy revealed no characteristic changes in ferroptosis in the mitochondria of the renal tissue in the high­dose PA group, and only mild edema. Furthermore, treatment with PA increased glutathione expression, and decreased the expression levels of malondialdehyde and cyclooxygenase 2. Treatment with PA enhanced the protein and mRNA expression levels of the ferroptosis related proteins, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), solute carrier family 7 (cationic amino acid transporter, y+ system) member 11 (SLC7A11) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO­1) in the kidney, and increased the expression levels of nuclear factor erythroid derived 2 like 2 (NRF2) signaling pathway members. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that PA has a protective effect on ischemia­reperfusion induced acute kidney injury in mice, which may be associated with the inhibition of ferroptosis in the kidneys through direct or indirect activation of NRF2, and upregulation of the expression of the downstream ferroptosis related proteins, GPX4, SLC7A11 and HO­1.

Realgar increases defenses against infection by Enterococcus faecalis in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Realgar has been used in traditional remedies for a long history in China and India. It is clinically used to treat diverse cancers, especially acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in China. However, paradoxic roles of realgar to increase or decrease immunity are reported. It is urgent to address this question, due to immune depression can be strongly benefit to cancer development, but detrimental to patients. AIM OF THE STUDY: This present work is to explore whether realgar promote or suppress immune responses, and shed light on its mode of action. Our results should provide cues for rational strategy to explore realgar for clinical use. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Infection model in vivo was established by using Enterococcus faecalis to attack Caenorhabditis elegans, then realgar was used to treat the infected worms to investigate its effects on infectivity and the underlying mechanism. Killing analysis was carried out to test whether realgar can mitigate worm infection. Thermotolerance resistance analysis was used to evaluate if realgar functions hormetic effect. Quantification of live E. faecalis in nematode intestine was employed to ascertain if realgar alleviate the bacterial load in worm gut. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to test the expression of antibacterial effectors. Western blot was used to test the effect of realgar on the expressions of p38 and phospho-p38 in worms infected by E. faecalis. RESULTS: Realgar alleviated the infected worms in strains of N2, glp-4, and daf-2, but failed in sek-1, glp-4; sek-1, and daf-2; daf-16 when p38 MAPK or daf-16 was blocked or inactivated. Western blot assay demonstrated that realgar increased the expression of phosph-p38. Thermotolerance assay showed that realgar played a hormetic role on nemtodes, triggered protective response and reduced bacterial load after realgar treatment for 120 h qRT-PCR demonstrated that realgar significantly increased antibacterial effectors, thus leading to pathogen elimination. CONCLUSION: Realgar increased defenses against E. faecalis in C. elegans by inducing both immune responses and protective responses. It was regulated by p38 MAPK pathway and DAF-16.

G protein-coupled estrogen receptor, a potential therapeutic target of asthma probed by Chinese herb.

Discussion on the identification of GPER as a potential therapeutic target for asthma through Chinese herb-driven drug discovery strategy.

Panax ginseng root, not leaf, can enhance thermogenic capacity and mitochondrial function in mice.

Context: Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (Araliaceae) root and leaf have always been considered in the traditional theory as hot and cold properties, respectively.Objective: To clarify the hot and cold properties of ginseng root and leaf from a thermodynamic viewpoint.Materials and methods: Thirty ICR male mice were randomly assigned to control (water), ginseng root group (GRP) and ginseng leaf group (GLP) with a concentration of 0.075 g/mL; the volume was 0.1 mL/10 g (body mass) per day by intragastric administration for 20 days. Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) was used to determine quality control through seven ginsenosides contained in ginseng root and leaf. Rest metabolic rate (RMR) and energy expenditure were monitored every 9 days by TSE System. At the 20th day, serum T3 or T4, liver or brown adipose tissue (BAT) mitochondrial respiration were investigated.Results: The quality control of GRP and GLP were within requirements of 2015 China Pharmacopoeia. The RMR (mLO2/h) in GLP (47.95 ± 4.20) was significantly lower than control (52.10 ± 4.79) and GRP (55.35 ± 4.48). Mitochondrial protein concentration and respiration were significantly increased in GRP (BAT, 79.12 ± 2 .08 mg/g, 239.89 ± 10.24 nmol O2/min/g tissue; Liver, 201.02 ± 10.89, 202.44 ± 3.24) and decreased in GLP (BAT, 53.42 ± 3.48, 153.49 ± 5.58; Liver, 138.69 ± 5.69, 104.50 ± 6.25) compared with control.Conclusions: The hot and cold properties of ginseng root and leaf are correlated with thermogenic capacity and mitochondrial function of BAT and liver, which deserve to further research.

Improvement cues of lesion absorption using the adjuvant therapy of traditional Chinese medicine Qinbudan tablet for retreatment pulmonary tuberculosis with standard anti-tuberculosis regimen.

BACKGROUND: China is the second highest pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) burden country worldwide. However, retreatment of PTB has often developed resistance to at least one of the four first-line anti-TB drugs. The cure rate (approximately 50.0-73.3%) and management of retreatment of PTB in China needs to be improved. Qinbudan decoction has been widely used to treat PTB in China since the 1960s. Previously clinical studies have shown that the Qinbudan tablet (QBDT) promoted sputum-culture negative conversion and lesion absorption. However, powerful evidence from a randomized controlled clinical trial is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of QBDT as an adjunct therapy for retreatment of PTB. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in China. People diagnosed with PTB were enrolled who received previous anti-TB treatment from April 2011 to March 2013. The treatment group received an anti-TB regimen and QBDT, and the control group was administered an anti-TB regimen plus placebo. Anti-TB treatment options included isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, streptomycin for 2 months (2HRZES), followed by isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol for 6 months (6HRE), daily for 8 months. Primary outcome was sputum-culture conversion using the MGIT 960 liquid medium method. Secondary outcomes included lung lesion absorption and cavity closure. Adverse events and reactions were observed after treatment. A structured questionnaire was used to record demographic information and clinical symptoms of all subjects. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 25.0 software in the full analysis set (FAS) population. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-one cases of retreatment PTB were randomly divided into two groups: the placebo group (88 cases) and the QBDT group (93 cases). A total of 166 patients completed the trial and 15 patients lost to follow-up. The culture conversion rate of the QBDT group and placebo group did not show a noticeable improvement by using the covariate sites to correct the rate differences (79.6% vs 69.3%; rate difference = 0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): - 0.02-0.23; F = 2.48, P = 0.12) after treatment. A significant 16.6% increase in lesion absorption was observed in the QBDT group when compared with the placebo group (67.7% vs 51.1%; rate difference = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.02-0.31; χ2 = 5.56, P = 0.02). The intervention and placebo group did not differ in terms of cavity closure (25.5% vs 21.1%; rate difference = 0.04, 95% CI: - 0.21-0.12; χ2 = 0.27, P = 0.60). Two patients who received chemotherapy and combined QBDT reported pruritus/nausea and vomiting. CONCLUSIONS: No significant improvement in culture conversion was observed for retreatment PTB with traditional Chinese medicine plus standard anti-TB regimen. However, QBDT as an adjunct therapy significantly promoted lesion absorption, thereby reducing lung injury due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02313610.

Metabolite identification of gut microflora-cassia seed interactions using UPLC-QTOF/MS.

Cassia seed is the dried ripe seed of Cassia obtusifolia L. or Cassia tora L., which is widely used as a food or traditional Chinese medicine. The aim of the present study was to detect the components and metabolites in the culture of human or rat intestinal microflora suspension with the water decoction of cassia seed in vitro, using an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry system equipped with a negative ion scan mode. Initially, ellagic acid was identified in the cassia seed decoction. Subsequently, six different metabolites, including urolithin (uro)-A, uro-B, uro-D, uro-M6, uro-M7 and uro-B-glucuronide (glur), were detected after co-culture of the cassia seed decoction with intestinal microflora, but not in the cassia seed decoction alone. Uro-M6, uro-M7, uro-A and uro-B were common metabolites in the culture of human or rat intestinal microflora suspension with the water decoction of cassia seed. However, uro-D was only detected in the culture of rat intestinal microflora suspension with the water decoction of cassia seed, and uro-B-glur was only detected in the culture of human intestinal microflora with the water decoction of cassia seed. The uro and intermediate metabolites were produced by ellagic acid in the cassia seed decoction under the action of the intestinal microflora. The production of metabolites might be related to the abundance and diversity of the intestinal microflora in humans and rats. The present study provided rationale for further pharmacological and clinical studies on the mechanisms of action of cassia seeds.

Two new stilbenoids from aerial parts of Flickingeria fimbriata.

Two new stilbenoids, named 2,3 -dimethoxyl-7-hydroxyl-1,4-phenanthrenedione (1) and 2-methoxyl-3-methyl-7-hydroxyl-9,10-dihydro-1,4-phenanthrenedione (2), together with two known stilbenoids including densiflorol B (3) and ephemeranthoquinone (4), were isolated from aerial parts of Flickingeria fimbriata (Bl.) Hawkes. The structures of two new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, including HRESIMS, 1H and 13C NMR, DEPT, HMBC, COSY, HMQC, NOESY. All the compounds were obtained from this genus for the first time. In addition, they all exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against HepG2 cell lines.

Cancer cell membrane-modified biodegradable mesoporous silica nanocarriers for berberine therapy of liver cancer.

Berberine (Ber) is regarded as a new, active and natural anti-cancer product; however, its clinical application has been limited due to its low aqueous solubility, poor gastrointestinal absorption, short residence time and poor targeting abilities. Hence, we reported a biomimetic nanoparticle as a drug delivery system to surmount these obstacles. We fabricated disulfide (S-S)-bridged mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (ss-MONs) for Ber loading, which possessed uniform morphology, controllable mesoporous properties, highly-efficient drug loading capacity and superior biocompatibility. More interestingly, ss-MONs exhibited effective biodegradability under glutathione conditions through the breakage of the disulfide bond in ss-MONs, which promoted the Ber release. After coating human liver cancer HepG2 cell membranes (CM) on the surface of ss-MONs, the obtained CM-ss-MONs-Ber enhanced accumulation in liver cancer tissue through homologous targeting and effectively avoiding rapid blood clearance. Our findings indicate that CM-ss-MONs might be desirable drug carriers to promote the clinical use of Ber against liver cancer.

Shape-controlled magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles for magnetically-mediated suicide gene therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a promising tool for suicide gene therapy. However, the separate delivery of the suicide gene and prodrug in current systems limits their clinical translation. Therefore, improving magnetically mediated suicide gene therapy by exploring higher performance magnetic NP-based hybrid nanoplatforms is an important challenge. In the current study, shape-controlled magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (M-MSNs) were prepared, and their performance in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided, magnetically targeted and hyperthermia-enhanced suicide gene therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was investigated. Compared with sphere-like MSNs, rod-like MSNs exhibited higher loading capacity, faster prodrug release behavior, stronger magnetically enhanced gene delivery and better magnetic hyperthermia properties. Utilizing the improved magnetic properties of the M-MSNs allowed us to demonstrate highly effective dual magnetically enhanced suicide gene therapy in vivo with decreased systematic toxicity and with the ability to monitor therapeutic outcome by MRI. Because of their magnetic targeting abilities, magnetic hyperthermia performance and MRI properties, these M-MSNs might prove to be a potentially superior candidate for suicide gene therapy of HCC.

Application of micro-lecture in construction of immunologic technology course / 中国免疫学杂志

Currently,the quick development of information technology is enriching the traditional teaching.As a new form of teaching resource,a micro-lecture focused on a specific topic is a good combination of information technology and traditional teaching.It not only increases the vividness and visualization of teaching,but also boosts the learning interest of students in the course.What's more,it helps to show an integral time-consuming experiment in 5-10 minutes'micro-vedio,which broadens the contents of the course and offers convenience of self-teaching for students.In this article,we took the example of micro-lecture"Western blot"in the course of immunologic technology to post-graduates in Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine to clarify the advantages and the procedures of a typical micro-lecture,and to discuss about it.The experience achieved from the construction of this micro-lecture may offer a new idea of modern information education reform.

[Antiasthmatic effects of different tonifying kidney-Yin formulas and their effects on airway remodeling in chronic asthma].

Both of Zuogui Wan(ZGW) and Liuwei Dihuang Wan(LWDHW) contain ingredients of Sanbufang(SBF), which have been proven to have antiasthmatic effects. In order to study the antiasthmatic effects of the three tonifying kidney-Yin formulas and their mechanisms, BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 5 groups. Chronic asthma was induced by ovalbumin. Mice in treated groups were respectively given 49.0 g•kg⁻¹ZGW, 35.0 g•kg⁻¹LWDHW and 22.4 g•kg⁻¹SBF by gavage. Those in normal and model group were given normal saline. After treatment, sneeze and nose scratching times of mice were observed. Histological lung sections were prepared to determine the basement membrane thickness(BMT), smooth muscle thickness(SMT), collagen area(CA) and numbers of goblet cells(GCN). Western blotting and RT-PCR were used to determine the expression levels of MMP-9, TGF-ß1, Smad2, Smad3 and Smad7. The results showed that sneeze and nose scratching times of ZGW group were significantly lower than those of SBF group. Its inhibition degree on airway remodeling was significantly higher than SBF group. Sneeze and nose scratching times of LWDHW group were significantly lower than SBF group. Its CA and GCN were significantly lower than SBF group. Regarding the four airway remodeling related factors, MMP-9, TGF-ß1, Smad2 and Smad3 of ZGW group were significantly lower than those of SBF group, and its Smad7 was significantly higher than SBF. Smad7 of LWDHW group was significantly higher than SBF. There was no significant difference in MMP-9 between model group and SBF group. The results indicate that there are significant differences in the antiasthma effect of these tonifying kidney-Yin formulas. The regulatory effects of ZGW and LWDHW on MMP-9 and Smad7 may be correlated with the differences in the inhibitory effect of airway remodeling of the three formulas.

Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of iridoids and sesquiterpenoids from Valeriana jatamansi.

Three new iridoids, valejatanins A-C (1-3), and one new natrual iridoid (4), together with four known sesquiterpenoids (5-8), were isolated from the roots of Valeriana jatamansi Jones. Compounds 3 and 4 are C(4)-epimers. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis (IR, HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR) and by comparison of their NMR data with those of related compounds. The absolute configuration of 5 was determined for the first time by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis with Cu-Kα irradiation. The cytotoxic activities of all compounds were evaluated against HT29, K562 and B16 cancer cell lines in vitro by MTT assay. Valejatanin A (1) showed noteworthy cytotoxic activities with IC50 values of 22.17, 15.26, 3.53µg/mL against three cancer cell lines. The antibacterial activities of all compounds against bacteria were tested in vitro. Compound 6 exhibited antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Janus Silver/Silica Nanoplatforms for Light-Activated Liver Cancer Chemo/Photothermal Therapy.

Stimuli-triggered nanoplatforms have become attractive candidates for combined strategies for advanced liver cancer treatment. In this study, we designed a light-responsive nanoplatform with folic acid-targeting properties to surmount the poor aqueous stability and photostability of indocyanine green (ICG). In this Janus nanostructure, ICG was released on-demand from mesoporous silica compartments in response to near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, exhibiting predominant properties to convert light to heat in the cytoplasm to kill liver cancer cells. Importantly, the silver ions released from the silver compartment that were triggered by light could induce efficient chemotherapy to supplement photothermal therapy. Under NIR irradiation, ICG-loaded Janus nanoplatforms exhibited synergistic therapeutic capabilities both in vitro and in vivo compared with free ICG and ICG-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles themselves. Hence, our Janus nanoplatform could integrate ICG-based photothermal therapy and silver ion-based chemotherapy in a cascade manner, which might provide an efficient and safe strategy for combined liver cancer therapy.

[A study on identification of edible bird's nests by DNA barcodes].

To provide theoretical basis for the traceability and quality evaluation of edible bird's nests (EBNs), the Cytb sequence was applied to identify the origin of EBNs. A total of 39 experiment samples were collected from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. Genomic DNA was extracted for the PCR reaction. The amplified products were sequenced. 36 sequences were downloaded from Gen Bank including edible nest swiftlet, black nest swiftlet, mascarene swiftlet, pacific swiftlet and germain's swiftlet. MEGA 7.0 was used to analyze the distinction of sequences by the method of calculating the distances in intraspecific and interspecific divergences and constructing NJ and UPMGA phylogenetic tree based on Kimera-2-parameter model. The results showed that 39 samples were from three kinds of EBNs. Interspecific divergences were significantly greater than the intraspecific one. Samples could be successfully distinguished by NJ and UPMGA phylogenetic tree. In conclusion, Cytb sequence could be used to distinguish the origin of EBNs and it is efficient for tracing the origin species of EBNs.