Baicalein inhibits neuroinflammation via NOX2/STAT1/NF-κB pathway in LPS-induced BV-2 cells based on bioinformatics methods / 药学学报

This study identified the exact molecular mechanisms of baicalein on neuroinflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BV-2 cells. Bioinformatics methods and molecular docking were integrated for predicting the potential targets and mechanisms of baicalein. Immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were used to analyze the predicted key targets [inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)], the expression level of protein related to signal transducer and activator of transcription 1/nuclear factor kappa-B (STAT1/NF-‍κB) signaling pathway and its upstream regulator NADPH oxidase-2 (NOX2), and then the mechanism of baicalein in alleviating neuroinflammation was explored. The results showed that iNOS and COX-2 were predicted as the key targets and NF-κB signaling pathway was one of the important pathways by bioinformatics methods and molecular docking. Experimental verification showed that baicalein could significantly reduce the expression of iNOS and COX-2, inhibit the phosphorylation of NF-κB and STAT1 and the production of NOX2 in LPS-induced BV-2 cells. To sum up, baicalein could effectively inhibit the inflammatory reaction in LPS-induced BV-2 cells through regulating NOX2 (gp91phox/p47phox)/STAT1/NF-κB pathway.

Peripheral blood inflammation indices are effective predictors of anastomotic leakage in elective esophageal surgery.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the predictive value of peripheral inflammatory indices, including neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, platelet count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), in anastomotic leakage during elective esophageal surgery. METHODS: This retrospective study included all patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from 2016 to 2020 in our institution. The peripheral blood inflammatory indices were obtained on preoperative days 1-7 (PRD 1-7), and postoperative days 1-3 (POD 1-3) and 4-7 (POD 4-7). Univariate, multivariate logistic, and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were conducted to evaluate the diagnostic value of these peripheral blood inflammatory indices. RESULTS: A total of 198 patients were included in the study, and 25 (13%) patients experienced anastomotic leakage. Multivariate analyses identified diet, neutrophil count, and PLR on POD 1-3, and NLR on POD 4-7 as independent factors associated with anastomotic leakage. Using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the variable with the best area under curve was a neutrophil cutoff count of 4.1 [0.737; 95% CI: 0.639-0.835], with a sensitivity and specificity of 60.0% and 66.5%, respectively. This was followed by an NLR cutoff value of 9.5 on POD 4-7 (0.628; 95% CI: 0.505-0.752) and a cutoff PLR value of 220.1 on POD 1-3 (0.643; 95% CI: 0.536-0.750). Diet showed a poor result on the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Neutrophil count and PLR on POD 1-3 and NLR on POD 4-7 were shown to have predictive value for anastomotic leakage in elective esophageal surgery.

[Effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the vertical distribution of denitrifying genes in river sediments].

To establish the relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and various stages of denitrification under denitrifying conditions in sediments, we examined the impact of PAHs on the vertical distribution of special denitrifying genes. In March of 2011, sediment samples were collected from three representative locations along the Pearl River. The characteristics of vertical distribution of PAHs as well as denitrifying genes in the sediment samples were analyzed. Based on these vertical characteristics, relationships between PAHs and special denitrifying genes (narG, nirS, nosZ and nrfA) were established using the multivariate method. Results of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed a close correlation between high ring PAHs and dissimilatory nitrate reduction. The impact of PAHs on nosZ was the most significant, namely PAHs imposed strong inhibition on the nitrite reduction stage. Except for the nitrite reduction stage, denitrifying bacteria from other stages of denitrification acclimatized themselves to the high ring PAHs. Especially, bacteria containing nrfA may have the potential to anaerobically degrade high ring PAHs. Besides this, the special role of nirS remains to be studied further.

[Expression profile in the cell lines of human TNFAIP1 gene].

TNFAIP1 was first identified as a tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNFalpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) inducible protein. Experiments on human and rat suggested the protein may play roles in the DNA repair, DNA synthesis, cell apoptosis and human diseases. But its real function and mechanism have not been reported. In this paper, the expression of TNFAIP1 were determined in a number of cell lines by Real-time PCR. We found that the expression levels of TNFAIP1 are high in COS7 and NIH3T3 cell lines but low in the cancer cell lines. These suggest that TNFAIP1 may be involved in the process of cancer. The over-expression of human TNFAIP1 can accelerate the apoptosis of HeLa cell.