Application of improved GalNAc conjugation in development of cost-effective siRNA therapies targeting cardiovascular diseases.

N-Acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-conjugated small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapies have received approval for treating both orphan and prevalent diseases. To improve in vivo efficacy and streamline the chemical synthesis process for efficient and cost-effective manufacturing, we conducted this study to identify better designs of GalNAc-siRNA conjugates for therapeutic development. Here, we present data on redesigned GalNAc-based ligands conjugated with siRNAs against angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) and lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), two target molecules with the potential to address large unmet medical needs in atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. By attaching a novel pyran-derived scaffold to serial monovalent GalNAc units before solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis, we achieved increased GalNAc-siRNA production efficiency with fewer synthesis steps compared to the standard triantennary GalNAc construct L96. The improved GalNAc-siRNA conjugates demonstrated equivalent or superior in vivo efficacy compared to triantennary GalNAc-conjugated siRNAs.

Manual acupuncture relieves microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in a rat model of traumatic brain injury by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2 pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the regulatory mechanism of manual acupuncture (MA) on microglial polarization-mediated neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury (TBI), focusing on the RhoA/Rho-associated coiled coil-forming protein kinase (ROCK2) pathway. METHODS: Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used to generate a TBI model using Feeney's freefall epidural impact method. MA was performed on half of the TBI model rats, while the others remained untreated. Acupuncture was administered at GV15, GV16, GV20, GV26, and LI4. At the end of the intervention, rat brain tissue samples were collected, and the microglial M1 polarization status was observed by immunofluorescence labeling of CD86, an M1 microglia-specific protein. RhoA/ROCK2 signaling components were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the expression levels of inflammatory factors. RESULTS: Compared with normal rats, the CD86 expression density in the untreated TBI model rats was high and showed an aggregated expression pattern. The genes and proteins of the RhoA/ROCK2 signaling pathway were highly expressed, and inflammatory factors were significantly increased. The CD86 expression density in TBI rats after MA was reduced compared to that in untreated TBI rats and showed a scattered distribution. The expression of RhoA/ROCK2 signaling pathway genes and proteins was also significantly reduced, and inflammatory factors were decreased. CONCLUSION: These results show that MA may inhibit M1 polarization of microglia by regulating the RhoA/ROCK2 signaling pathway, thereby reducing neuroinflammation in TBI.

Compound Kushen Injection as an Adjunctive Therapy for the Treatment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of compound Kushen injection (CKI) combined with chemo treatment (chemo) for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: We systematically searched the literature published in seven databases, including Embase, PubMed, central, MEDLINE, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP, from their inception to April 2019 for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CKI plus chemo with chemo alone in patients with NSCLC. Our main end point was clinical efficiency and the secondary outcomes were Karnofsky performance score (KPS), immune function, and adverse events. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was applied for quality assessment. RESULTS: 10 studies involving 1019 participants were included. The clinical response rate (relative risk (RR) = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 to 1.37; P=0.003), KPS (RR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.49 to 3.17; P < 0.0001), immune function (mean differences (MD) = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.12 to 1.52; P=0.02) and adverse effects (RR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.60 to 0.74; P < 0.00001) in the CKI plus chemo group showed significant differences when compared with chemo alone. CONCLUSIONS: CKI combined with chemo can improve clinical efficiency, KPS, and immune function and reduce adverse reactions in patients with NSCLC when compared with chemo alone. However, more rigorously designed RCTs are needed to validate this benefit, as some of the included RCTs are of low methodological quality.

Efficient production of a thermophilic 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase in glucose-limited fed-batch cultivations of Escherichia coli by continuous lactose induction strategy.

The production of a thermophilic 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolases (DERA) in Escherichia coli BL21 under continuous lactose induction strategy was investigated. The process was combined with the exponential feeding method, controlling the feeding rate to maintain the specific growth rate at 0.15 h(-1). The results indicate that the lactose concentration in the feed medium affected directly the expression of the target protein. The use of 50 g/L in the feed medium resulted in the biomass concentration of 39.3 g DCW/L, and an expression level of above 30%, and the maximum final DERA concentration of 16,200 U/L. Furthermore, the acetate concentration remained at a low level in the fed-batch phase, less than 0.5 g/L. In conclusion, combining glucose feeding with lactose induction is a more powerful way to achieve high cell density cultures and to efficiently produce the thermophilic DERA. The results also indicate the potential industrial utility in the scale production of other recombinant proteins.

[Studies on chemical constituents in root tuber of Cynanchum auriculatum].

OBJECTIVE: To study chemical constituents from Cynanchum auriculatum. METHOD: The chemical components were isolated and purified by silca gel, sephedex-LH-20 and ODS column chromatography. The chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical properties and spectral data. RESULT: Thirteen compounds were isolated and identified as: caudatin (1), metaplexigenin (2), cynauricuoside A (3), succinic acid (4), azelaic acid (5), wilforibiose (6), sucrose (7), 1-O-hexadecanolenin (8), beta-amyrin acetate (9), cynanchone A (10), acetylquinol (11), beta-sitosterol (12), daucosterol (13). CONCLUSION: Compounds 4-9 were obtained from this plant for the first time.