[Mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Decoction in protecting ischemic myocardium by regulating platelet autophagy in rats with acute myocardial infarction].

This study explored the effects of Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD) on platelet activation and differential gene expression after acute myocardial infarction(AMI). SD rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated group, a model group, a positive drug(aspirin) group, and a BYHWD group. Pre-treatment was conducted for 14 days with a daily oral dose of 1.6 g·kg~(-1) BYHWD and 0.1 g·kg~(-1) aspirin. The AMI model was established using the high ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery method. The detection indicators included myocardial infarct size, heart function, myocardial tissue pathology, peripheral blood flow perfusion, platelet aggregation rate, platelet membrane glycoprotein CD62p expression, platelet transcriptomics, and differential gene expression. The results showed that compared with the sham-operated group, the model group showed reduced ejection fraction and cardiac output, decreased peripheral blood flow, and increased platelet aggregation rate and CD62p expression, and activated platelets. At the same time, TXB_2 content increased and 6-keto-PGF1α content decreased in serum. Compared with the model group, BYHWD increased ejection fraction and cardiac output, improved blood circulation in the foot and tail regions and cardiomyocytes arrangement, reduced myocardial infarct size and inflammatory infiltration, down-regulated platelet aggregation rate and CD62p expression, reduced serum TXB_2 content, and increased 6-keto-PGF1α content. Platelet transcriptome sequencing results revealed that BYHWD regulated mTOR-autophagy pathway-related genes in platelets. The differential gene expression levels were detected using real-time quantitative PCR. BYHWD up-regulated mTOR, down-regulated autophagy-related FUNDC1 and PINK genes, and up-regulated p62 gene expression. The results demonstrated that BYHWD could regulate platelet activation, improve blood circulation, and protect ischemic myocardium in AMI rats, and its mechanism is related to the regulation of the mTOR-autophagy pathway in platelets.

Correlation and predictive value of platelet biological indicators and recurrence of large-artery atherosclerosis type of ischemic stroke.

Large-artery atherosclerosis type of ischemic stroke happens when a blood clot forms in a major artery that carries blood to the brain. This causes a blockage and a decrease in blood flow to the brain tissue making up approximately 15-20% of all cases. This type of stroke is more prevalent in older adults and those with risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and a family history of stroke. To investigate the correlation and predictive value of platelet-related biological indicators with recurrence of large-artery atherosclerosis type of ischemic stroke (LAA-IS)2. The patients were divided into a relapse group (R, n = 40) and non-relapse group (NR, n = 45). Platelet-related biological indicators were collected from both groups to analyze their correlation with neurological impairment score (NIHSS score). Risk factors were analyzed using binary logistic regression and a survival curve (ROC) was drawn to evaluate the predictive effect of clinical platelet-related biological indicators on LAA-IS recurrence. This study confirmed that PAg-ADP, PAg-COL, and FIB are closely related to the formation of LAA-IS due to carotid atherosclerosis, and the combined PAg-ADP, PAg-COL, and FIB index levels are the most promising for assessing the prognostic development of recurrence in patients with LAA-IS. Combined monitoring of platelet aggregation rate and FIB index is of important evaluation value in judging the recurrence prognosis of LAA-IS patients.

[Effects of Qilong Capsules on myocardial fibrosis and insufficient blood circulation in ischemic cardiomyopathy with Qi deficiency and blood stasis].

Protective effect of Qilong Capsules(QL) on the myocardial fibrosis and blood circulation of rats with coronary heart disease of Qi deficiency and blood stasis type was investigated. Sleep deprivation and coronary artery ligation were used to construct a disease-symptom combination model, and 60 SD rats were divided into sham operation(sham) group, syndrome(S) group, disease and syndrome(M) group and QL group randomly. The treatment group received administration of QL 0.4 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1). Other groups were given the same amount of normal saline. The disease indexes of each group [left ventricular end diastolic diameter(LVESD), left ventricular end systolic diameter(LVEDD), left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF), left ventricular axis shortening rate(LVFS), myocardial histopathology, platelet morphology, peripheral blood flow] and syndrome indexes(tongue color, pulse, grip power) were detected. In sham group, cardiomyocytes and myocardial fibers were arranged neatly and densely with clear structures. The tongues' color in sham were light red, and the pulse shape were regular. RGB is a parameter reflected the brightness of the image of the tongue. In the S group, the amplitude and frequency of the animal's pulse increased accompanied by decreasing R,G,B, however, the decreased R,G,B was accompanied by reduced pulse amplitude in M group. And in M group, we observed fuzzy cell morphology, hypertrophied myocytes, disordered arrangement of cardiomyocytes and myocardial fibers, reduced peripheral blood flow and increased collagen volume fraction(CVF). Increased LVESD and LVEDD, and decreased LVEF and LVFS represented cardiac function in S group was significantly lower than that in sham. In QL group, the tongue's color was red and the pulse was smooth. The myocardial fibers of the QL group were arranged neatly and secreted less collagen. It improved the blood circulation in the sole and tail, and reversed the increasing of LVEDD, LVESD and the decreasing of LVEF and LVFS of M group. Platelets in M and S group showed high reactivity, and QL could decrease aggregation risk. In conclusion, Qilong Capsules has an obvious myocardial protective effect on ischemic cardiomyopathy, which may inhibit the degree of myocardial fibrosis and reduce platelet reactivity.

[Research progress of mitochondria as target of traditional Chinese medicines in treatment of heart failure].

As the final destination of various cardiovascular abnormalities, heart failure is one of the diseases with the highest morbidity and mortality in the world. Due to its complicated pathogenesis, people urgently need to find new targets and effective treatment. Imbalance in myocardial energy metabolism, an important molecular biological basis for heart failure, affects the contractile and diastolic functions of the heart. As the main source of energy synthesis in cardiomyocytes and an important participant in various signaling pathways, mitochondria plays an indispensable role in the process of cell survival and death and has been considered as a critical target for the treatment of heart failure. Traditional Chinese medicine has a great effect on the treatment of heart failure through multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-channels. In recent years, more and more researches regard mitochondria as the target of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of heart failure, and have achieved significant results in improving mitochondrial function, increasing energy metabolism and energy supplement for cardiomyocytes, and resisting against oxidative stress. In this article, researches on the regulation of mitochondria in the treatment of heart failure by traditional Chinese medicine are reviewed from four aspects: mitochondrial biogenesis; mitochondrial electron transport chain and reactive oxygen species(ROS) production; metabolic substrates and metabolic enzymes; and calcium ion transport in the mitochondria. It provides a basis for further research and clinical application in the future.

Characterization of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genomes of Two Tobacco Endophytic Fungi Leptosphaerulina chartarum and Curvularia trifolii and Their Contributions to Phylogenetic Implications in the Pleosporales.

The symbiont endophytic fungi in tobacco are highly diverse and difficult to classify. Here, we sequenced the genomes of Curvularia trifolii and Leptosphaerulina chartarum isolated from tobacco plants. Finally, 41.68 Mb and 37.95 Mb nuclear genomes were sequenced for C. trifolii and L. chartarum with the scaffold N50, accounting for 638.94 Kb and 284.12 Kb, respectively. Meanwhile, we obtained 68,926 bp and 59,100 bp for their mitochondrial genomes. To more accurately classify C. trifolii and L. chartarum, we extracted seven nuclear genes and 12 mitochondrial genes from these two genomes and their closely related species. The genes were then used for calculation of evolutionary rates and for phylogenetic analysis. Results showed that it was difficult to achieve consistent results using a single gene due to their different evolutionary rates, while the phylogenetic trees obtained by combining datasets showed stable topologies. It is, therefore, more accurate to construct phylogenetic relationships for endophytic fungi based on multi-gene datasets. This study provides new insights into the distribution and characteristics of endophytic fungi in tobacco.

[Regularity of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for same treatment for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases].

To explore the regularity of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases,the core drug groups with common therapeutic effects on cerebrovascular diseases represented by stroke and cardiovascular diseases represented by coronary artery disease were extracted,and their consistency and difference in the treatment of different diseases were analyzed.A total of 388 Chinese patent medicines were collected for the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases,cardiovascular diseases and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.The dominant and recessive patterns of Chinese patent medicines in clinical use were found by "frequency analysis","compatibility analysis" and "network analysis" respectively.According to the findings of the three parts,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Carthami Flos and Astragali Radix have a high frequency of use in the treatment of brain disease,heart disease and both,with frequent combined medication.Data mining confirmed the core drug combinations for the treatment of cerebral and cardiac vascular diseases,so as to reveal the similarities and differences in the drug use of Chinese medicine for these diseases,and provide a basis for the rational use of traditional Chinese medicine in clinical practice.This analysis also defines a new direction for the future development of prescription combinations for different indications of cerebral and cardiac diseases.

Xuebijing Injection Maintains GRP78 Expression to Prevent Candida albicans-Induced Epithelial Death in the Kidney.

Sepsis and septic shock threaten the survival of millions of patients in the intensive care unit. Secondary fungal infections significantly increased the risk of mortality in sepsis patients. Chinese medicine Xuebijing injection (XBJ) has been routinely used as an add-on treatment to sepsis and septic shock in China. Our network pharmacology analysis predicted that XBJ also influences fungal infection, consisting with results of pioneer clinical studies. We conducted in vivo and in vitro experiments to verify this prediction. To our surprise, XBJ rescued mice from lethal Candida sepsis in a disseminated Candida albicans infection model and abolished the colonization of C. albicans in kidneys. Although XBJ did not inhibit the growth and the virulence of C. albicans in vitro, it enhanced the viability of 293T cells upon C. albicans insults. Further RNA-seq analysis revealed that XBJ activated the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway upon C. albicans infection. Western blot confirmed that XBJ maintained the expression of GRP78 in the presence of C. albicans. Interestingly, key active ingredients in XBJ (C0127) mirrored the effects of XBJ. C0127 not only rescued mice from lethal Candida sepsis and prevented the colonization of C. albicans in kidneys, but also sustained the survival of kidney epithelial cells partially by maintaining the expression of GRP78. These results suggested that XBJ may prevent fungal infection in sepsis patients. Pre-activation of ER stress pathway is a novel strategy to control C. albicans infection. Network pharmacology may accelerate drug development in the field of infectious diseases.

[Impact of biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis on bacterial communities in tobacco rhizospheric soil].

The impact of inoculation with the biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis on bacterial communities and bacterial diversity in rhizospheric soil of Nicotiana tabacum was assessed by constructing a 16S rRNA gene clone library and conducting amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA). The bacterial diversity was evaluated by coverage value (C), Shannon index (H), Pielou evenness index (E) and Margalef richness index (R). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the inoculation significantly affected the composition of bacterial communities in tobacco rhizospheric soil. A total of twelve bacterial groups including Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria (including α-, ß-, δ-, γ-Proteobacteria) , Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, Gemmatimonadetes, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi and Bacteroidetes were detected to be shared by inoculated soil and control soil. The community composition and proportions of different bacteria in the communities showed significant variations between the two samples. The dominant bacteria were Acidobacteria (27.1%) and Proteobacteria (26.5%) in control soil, while in the inoculated soil Proteobacteria (38.0%) and Acidobacteria (29.6%) were dominant. B. subtilis inoculation increased the numbers of γ-Proteobacteria and α-Proteobacteria but reduced the numbers of bacterial groups such as ß-Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Firmicutes. Diversity analysis showed that bacterial diversity was rich for both soil samples, and soil bacterial Shannon index and Margalef richness index were promoted after inoculation.