Regulating the Enteric Nervous System against Obesity in Mice by Electroacupuncture.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The enteric nervous system (ENS) dominates the onset of obesity and has been shown to regulate nutrient absorption and energy metabolism. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: This study was performed to investigate the role of electroacupuncture in regulating ENS function in obese mice. Obese mice were obtained by high-fat diet. 16S rRNA pyrosequencing, Western blotting, quantitative PCR, and neurotransmitter analysis were used for this purpose. RESULTS: Body weight, Lee index, serum lipid, leptin, and adiponectin levels, and other basic indices were significantly ameliorated after electroacupuncture intervention. The pathological ENS scores, serum neurotransmitter levels, and intestinal transit rate were markedly changed in obese mice. Moreover, electroacupuncture promoted the diversity of gut microbiota. No significant differences were observed 21 and 28 days after electroacupuncture. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested ENS may be a new treatment approach to obesity.

Geniposide Alleviates Neuropathic Pain in CCI Rats by Inhibiting the EGFR/PI3K/AKT Pathway And Ca2+ Channels.

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a common disorder among individuals worldwide, but there is still no effective treatment for NP. The EGFR pathway promotes NP nociceptive sensitization and represents a potential therapeutic target. Geniposide is abundant in natural plants and has various pharmacological activities, such as analgesia and anti-inflammation properties, which can improve NP, but the specific mechanisms have not been elucidated. The present study first predicted and molecularly docked geniposide targets, suggesting that geniposide may play a role in improving NP by targeting EGFR. This study further clarified that geniposide alleviates NP and improves the inflammatory response using a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model, whereas the administration of an EGFR agonist weakens the above effects of geniposide. Analysis of transcriptome data further suggests that geniposide not only improves CCI symptoms by reducing EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway activity but also may exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the Ca2+ signaling pathway. The above results affirm the potential value of geniposide in the treatment of NP and lay the foundation for further clinical application.

SiBaoChongCao exhibited anti-fatigue activities and ameliorated cancer cachexia in mice.

SiBaoChongCao (SBCC) is a functional food product containing fermentation of Acremonium terricola belonging to the Cordyceps genus. SBCC at 1 and 2 g kg-1 for 20 days exhibited anti-fatigue activities such as increasing exhaustive swimming and running time of mice and increasing the strength of muscle. The increased muscle endurance in SBCC-treated mice might be related to enhancement of muscle cell growth and differentiation and improvement of muscle response to exercise training, as shown by an increase in muscle cross-sectional area and elevation of MHC, MyoD, MyoG and PGC-1α levels. And, SBCC at 1.5 g kg-1 could ameliorate cancer-related cachexia such as ameliorating decrease in body temperature and inhibiting fat tissue atrophy. The anti-cachexia effects of SBCC might be related to inhibition of inflammatory cytokine IL-6 secretion and suppression of over-lipolysis and lipid over-utilization through inhibiting the activation of AMPK and p38 MAPK and down-regulating the level of UCP1.

Identification of novel nuclear localization signal within the ErbB-2 protein.

ErbB2, a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family, is frequently over-expressed in breast cancer. Proteolysis of the extracellular domain of ErbB2 results in constitutive activation of ErbB2 kinase. Recent study reported that ErbB2 is found in the nucleus. Here, we showed that ErbB2 is imported into the nucleus through a nuclear localization signal (NLS)-mediated mechanism. The NLS sequence KRRQQKIRKYTMRR (aa655-668) contains three clusters of basic amino acids and it is sufficient to target GFP into the nucleus. However, mutation in any basic amino acid cluster of this NLS sequence significantly affects its nuclear localization. Furthermore, it was found that this NLS is essential for the nuclear localization of ErbB2 since the intracellular domain of Erb2 lacking NLS completely abrogates its nuclear translocation. Taken together, our study identified a novel nuclear localization signal and reveals a novel mechanism underlying ErbB2 nuclear trafficking and localization.