Anchang Yuyang Decoction inhibits experimental colitis-related carcinogenesis by regulating PPAR signaling pathway and affecting metabolic homeostasis of host and microbiota.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) presents a risk of carcinogenesis, which escalates with the duration of IBD. Persistent histological inflammation is considered to be the driving factor of colitis carcinogenesis. Effective control of inflammation is helpful to prevent and treat colitis-related colorectal cancer (CAC). Anchang Yuyang Decoction (AYD), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, is originated from the ancient prescription of TCM for treating colitis and colorectal cancer. AYD has demonstrated efficacy in treating IBD and potential anti-carcinogenic properties. AIM OF THE STUDY: This research aims to assess the therapeutic efficacy of AYD in ameliorating experimental colitis-related carcinogenesis induced by AOM/DSS. It further seeks to elucidate its potential mechanisms by integrating multiple omics sequencing approaches. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A rat model for colitis-related carcinogenesis was developed using azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). UPLC-MS identified AYD's chemical constituents. Rats were administered varying doses of AYD (18.37, 9.19 and 4.59 g/kg) orally for 53 days, with mesalazine as a positive control. The study evaluated anti-carcinogenic effects by examining adenoma number, adenoma load, abnormal crypt foci (ACF), histopathological damage, and tumor-related protein expression. Anti-inflammatory and reparative effects were assessed through body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, spleen index, inflammatory cytokine levels, and tight junction protein expression. The effects on intestinal microbiota and host metabolism were explored through 16S rRNA sequencing, targeted short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabonomics, and non-targeted colon metabolomics. Potential AYD targets were identified through transcriptomic sequencing and validated by qRT-PCR and western blotting. RESULTS: AYD significantly reduced adenoma number, adenoma load, neoplasm-associated lesions, ACF, and tumor-related protein expression (e.g., p53, PCNA) in AOM/DSS-induced rats, thus impeding colitis-related carcinogenesis progression. AYD also alleviated histopathological damage and inflammation, promoting intestinal mucosal barrier repair. Furthermore, AYD modulated intestinal flora structure, enhanced SCFA production, and regulated colon metabolites. Transcriptomic sequencing revealed a significant impact on the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway. Subsequent qRT-PCR and western blotting experiments indicated AYD's influence in up-regulating PPAR-γ and down-regulating PPAR-α, PPAR-ß/δ, and related proteins (thrombomodulin [Thbd], fatty acid binding protein 5 [Fabp5], stearoyl-CoA desaturase 2 [Scd2], phospholipid transfer protein [Pltp]). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates AYD's ability to inhibit experimental colitis-related carcinogenesis induced by AOM/DSS. Its mechanism likely involves modulation of the PPAR signaling pathway, impacting intestinal microbiota and host metabolic equilibrium.

Advances in research on the effectiveness and mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine formulas for colitis-associated colorectal cancer.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can progress into colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) through the inflammation-cancer sequence. Although the mechanism of carcinogenesis in IBD has not been fully elucidated, the existing research indicates that CAC may represent a fundamentally different pathogenesis pattern of colorectal cancer. At present, there is no proven safe and effective medication to prevent IBD cancer. In recent years, Chinese medicine extracts and Chinese medicine monomers have been the subject of numerous articles about the prevention and treatment of CAC, but their clinical application is still relatively limited. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulas are widely applied in clinical practice. TCM formulas have demonstrated great potential in the prevention and treatment of CAC in recent years, although there is still a lack of review. Our work aimed to summarize the effects and potential mechanisms of TCM formulas for the prevention and treatment of CAC, point out the issues and limitations of the current research, and provide recommendations for the advancement of CAC research in the future. We discovered that TCM formulas regulated many malignant biological processes, such as inflammation-mediated oxidative stress, apoptosis, tumor microenvironment, and intestinal microecology imbalance in CAC, through a review of the articles published in databases such as PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Embase, and CNKI. Several major signal transduction pathways, including NF-κB, STAT3, Wnt/ß-catenin, HIF-1α, and Nrf2, were engaged. TCM formula may be a promising treatment candidate to control the colitis-cancer transformation, however further high-quality research is required.

NiO nanoparticle-decorated SnO2 nanosheets for ethanol sensing with enhanced moisture resistance.

In a high relative humidity (RH) environment, it is challenging for ethanol sensors to maintain a high response and excellent selectivity. Herein, tetragonal rutile SnO2 nanosheets decorated with NiO nanoparticles were synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal process. The NiO-decorated SnO2 nanosheet-based sensors displayed a significantly improved sensitivity and excellent selectivity to ethanol gas. For example, the 3 mol% NiO-decorated SnO2 (SnO2-3Ni) sensor reached its highest response (153 at 100 ppm) at an operating temperature of 260 °C. Moreover, the SnO2-3Ni sensor had substantially improved moisture resistance. The excellent properties of the sensors can be attributed to the uniform dispersion of the NiO nanoparticles on the surface of the SnO2 nanosheets and the formation of NiO-SnO2 p-n heterojunctions. Considering the long-term stability and reproducibility of these sensors, our study suggests that the NiO nanoparticle-decorated SnO2 nanosheets are a promising material for highly efficient detection of ethanol.

Enhanced electrochemical properties of cerium metal-organic framework based composite electrodes for high-performance supercapacitor application.

Cerium metal-organic framework based composites (Ce-MOF/GO and Ce-MOF/CNT) were synthesized by a wet chemical route and characterized with different techniques to characterize their crystal nature, morphology, functional groups, and porosity. The obtained Ce-MOF in the composites exhibit a nanorod structure with a size of ∼150 nm. The electrochemical performance of the composites was investigated in 3 M KOH and 3 M KOH + 0.2 M K3Fe(CN)6 electrolytes. Enhanced electrochemical behavior was obtained for the Ce-MOF/GO composite in both electrolytes and exhibited a maximum specific capacitance of 2221.2 F g-1 with an energy density of 111.05 W h kg-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1. The large mesoporous structure and the presence of oxygen functional groups in Ce-MOF/GO could facilitate ion transport in the electrode/electrolyte interface, and the results suggested that the Ce-MOF/GO composite could be used as a high-performance supercapacitor electrode material.