The Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Semi-Targeted Metabolomics to Improve IVF Outcomes in Senile Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the biological function and metabolic pathway of differential metabolites in follicular fluid of senile patients with kidney qi deficiency undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) and observe the effect of kidney-invigorating herbs on IVF outcomes in senile patients. METHODS: A total of 95 women undergoing IVF treatment were recruited and divided into three groups, including 34 cases in the treatment group (the senile patients with kidney qi deficiency after the intervention of Chinese medicine), 31 cases in the experiment group (the senile patients with kidney qi deficiency of no intervention of Chinese medicine), and 30 cases in the control group (young women with infertility due to male factor). The three groups of women were treated with long protocol ovarian hyperstimulation; the treatment group was given Qi-Zi-Yu-Si decoction on the day of HCG downregulation. Their IVF clinical outcomes were observed. The metabolites changes of kidney qi deficiency syndrome were analyzed in follicular fluid metabolomics using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). RESULTS: The syndrome score of kidney qi deficiency syndrome in the treatment group was significantly improved after treatment (P < 0.01). Compared with the experiment group, the available embryo rate and implantation rate were increased, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Progesterone, indoleacrylic acid, 2-propenyl 1-(1-propenylsulfinyl) propyl disulfide, N-acetyltryptophan, decanoylcarnitine, 20a-dihydroprogesterone, testosterone acetate, eicosatrienoic acid, 1H-indole-3-carboxaldehyde, choline, phosphorylcholine, and tryptophan were downregulated in the treatment group. Through pathway analysis, glycerophospholipid metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis were regulated in senile patients with kidney qi deficiency after Qi-Zi-Yu-Si decoction intervention. CONCLUSION: Qi-Zi-Yu-Si decoction can effectively improve the IVF outcome and clinical symptoms of senile patients. Follicular fluid metabolites were significantly changed in senile infertile women with kidney qi deficiency, and the mechanism by which kidney-invigorating herbs improve IVF treatment outcomes may be related to glycerophospholipid metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis. This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ChiCTR1800014422).

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells are associated with viral persistence and downregulation of TCR ζ chain expression on CD8(+) T cells in chronic hepatitis C patients.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play an important role in impairing the function of T cells. We characterized MDSCs in two chronic hepatitis C (CHC) cohorts: a cross-sectional group that included 61 treatment-naive patients with CHC, 14 rapid virologic response (RVR) cases and 22 early virologic response (EVR) cases; and a longitudinal group of 13 cases of RVR and 10 cases of EVR after pegylated-interferon-α/ribavirin treatment for genotype 1b HCV infection. Liver samples from 32 CHC patients and six healthy controls were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis. MDSCs frequency in treatment-naive CHC was significantly higher than in RVR, EVR, or healthy subjects and was positively correlated with HCV RNA. Patients infected with HCV genotype 2a had a significantly higher frequency of MDSCs than those infected with genotype 1b. Decreased T cell receptor (TCR) ζ expression on CD8(+) T cells was significantly associated with an increased frequency of MDSCs in treatment-naive CHC patients and was restored by L-arginine treatment in vitro. Increased numbers of liver arginase-1(+) cells were closely associated with the histological activity index in CHC. The TCR ζ chain was significantly downregulated on hepatic CD8(+) T cells in CHC. During antiviral follow up, MDSCs frequency in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was directly correlated with the HCV RNA load in the plasma and inversely correlated with TCR ζ chain expression in CD8(+) T cells in both RVR and EVR cases. Notably, the RVR group had a higher frequency of MDSCs at baseline than the EVR group. Collectively, this study provides evidence that MDSCs might be associated with HCV persistence and downregulation of CD8 ζ chain expression.

The exploration of the antibacterial mechanism of fe3+ against bacteria

This study demonstrated that the bacteria could adsorb Fe3+ and reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+. Iron had significant bacteriostatic effects, which were directly proportional to the iron concentration and under the influence of pH and chelator. It presumed that the inhibition of Fe3+ acts through the formation of hydroxyl free radicals.

The Exploration of the Antibacterial Mechanism of FE(3+) against Bacteria.

This study demonstrated that the bacteria could adsorb Fe(3+) and reduce Fe(3+) to Fe(2+). Iron had significant bacteriostatic effects, which were directly proportional to the iron concentration and under the influence of pH and chelator. It presumed that the inhibition of Fe(3+) acts through the formation of hydroxyl free radicals.

[THz absorption spectra of several carbohydrate derivatives].

Intermolecular hydrogen bond vibrations may be observed in the THz range. Carbohydrates are important bio-molecules, and are the typical systems for the study of hydrogen bonds. Carbohydrate derivatives have critical biological functions, and there are extensive hydrogen bond networks in molecular system, therefore, they would have various bands in the THz region. The THz absorption spectra of several carbohydrate derivatives were measured using a THz apparatus at room temperature. The THz bands are as follows: 1.17, 1.35, 1.93 and 2.23 THz for isopropyl-beta-D-thioglucopyranoside; 1.93 THz for isopropyl-beta-D- thiogalactopyranoside; 1.87 THz for methyl-(tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside); 1.23, 1.70, 1.84 and 2. 23 THz for O-(2, 3, 4, 6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-glucopyranosyl)-N-hydroxysuccinimide. The results indicate that different samples have various bands that originated from collective modes of the whole molecules and especially isomers can be distinguished, showing that THz method is sensitive to the molecular structures and spatial configurations and is a helpful complement of IR spectroscopy.