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Berberine (BBR) is an isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from several commonly used Chinese herbs. Our previous studies demonstrated BBR‐mediated alleviation of lung injury due to inflammation and decrease in the mortality of mice with influenza viral pneumonia. The recent argument of autophagy against inflammatory responses has aroused wide concerns. This study focuses on the reactive oxygen species‐Nod‐like receptor protein 3 (ROS‐NLRP3) pathway to investigate whether BBR inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation by inducing mitophagy. Our results demonstrate that BBR and mitochondrion‐targeted superoxide dismutase mimetic (Mito‐TEMPO; a specific mitochondrial ROS scavenger) significantly restricted NLRP3 inflammasome activation, increased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and decreased mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) generation in J774A.1 macrophages infected with PR8 influenza virus. These observations suggest that the inhibitory effects of BBR on NLRP3 inflammasome activation were associated with the amelioration of mtROS generation. BBR treatment induced regular mitophagy, as evident from the increase in microtubule‐associated protein 1 light chain 3 II, decrease in p62, colocalization of LC3 and mitochondria, and formation of autophagosomes. However, 3‐methyladenine, an autophagy inhibitor, reversed the inhibitory effects of BBR on mitochondrial damage and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in influenza virus‐infected macrophages, indicating the involvement of mitophagy in mediating the inhibitory effects of BBR on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Furthermore, the knockdown of Bcl‐2/adenovirus E18‐19‐kDa interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) expression attenuated the effects of BBR on mitophagy induction to some extent, suggesting that the BBR‐induced mitophagy may be, at least in part, mediated in a BNIP3‐dependent manner. Similar results were obtained in vivo using a mouse model of influenza viral pneumonia that was administered with BBR. Taken together, these findings suggest that restricting NLRP3 inflammasome activation by decreasing ROS generation through mitophagy induction may be crucial for the BBR‐mediated alleviation of influenza virus‐induced inflammatory lesions. Berberine inhibited influenza virus‐induced excessive inflammatory responses, restricting NLRP3 inflammasome activation by decreasing ROS generation and inducing mitophagy.

To identify potential serum protein candidates involved in linking the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-defined qi deficiency constitution (QDC) to Pi-qi-deficiency syndrome (PQDS) of chronic superficial gastritis (CSG).

Propionibacterium acnes(P. acnes) plays an important role in the development of acne, an inflammatory skin disease with a high-incidence. In this study, we used high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to reveal the anti-inflammatory mechanism of baicalin on P. acnes-induced acne in rabbits.

To screen for blood leukocyte microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers responsible for the association between the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) qi deficiency constitution (QDC) and the Pi-qi-deficiency syndrome (PQDS) of chronic superficial gastritis (CSG).

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most malignant tumors with a poor prognosis. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been found to have great potential as a prognostic biomarker or therapeutic target for cancer patients. However, the prognostic value and tumor immune infiltration of lncRNAs in HCC has yet to be fully elucidated. To identify prognostic biomarkers of lncRNA in HCC by integrated bioinformatics analysis and explore their functions and relationship with tumor immune infiltration. The prognostic risk assessment model for HCC was constructed by comprehensively using univariate/multivariate Cox regression analysis, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis. Subsequently, the accuracy, independence, and sensitivity of our model were evaluated, and a nomogram for individual prediction in the clinic was constructed. Tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), immune checkpoints, and human leukocyte antigen alleles were compared in high- and low-risk patients. Finally, the functions of our lncRNA signature were examined using Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis. A 6-lncRNA panel of HCC consisting of RHPN1-AS1, LINC01224, CTD-2510F5.4, RP1-228H13.5, LINC01011, and RP11-324I22.4 was eventually identified, and show good performance in predicting the survivals of patients with HCC and distinguishing the immunomodulation of TIME of high- and low-risk patients. Functional analysis also suggested that this 6-lncRNA panel may play an essential role in promoting tumor progression and immune regulation of TIME. In this study, 6 potential lncRNAs were identified as the prognostic biomarkers in HCC, and the regulatory mechanisms involved in HCC were initially explored.

This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism and identify potential drugs for subthreshold depression (SD). Danzhi Xiaoyao powder (DZXY), a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used to treat depression and has demonstrated excellent efficacy. However, the detailed mechanism of SD treatment remains unclear; thus, we explored the curative mechanism of DZXY in SD.

An immunochromatographic strip for discriminating Foot-and-mouth disease virus(FMDV) infected from vaccinated pigs was developed based on synthetic peptide. Five peptides designed from the amino acid sequences of nonstructural proteins (NSP) of FMDV were synthesized, and pep5 located in NSP 3B reacted strongly with serum from FMDV-infected pigs but did not react with serum samples from healthy vaccinated pigs. An immunochromatographic strip was developed by using colloidal gold labeled with pep5 as the detector. Staphylococcal protein A and rabbit against peptide-conjugated ovalbumin antibody immunoglobulin G were blotted on the nitrocellulose membrane for the test and control lines. In comparison with 2 commercial NSP enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, the peptide-based strip showed good specificity and sensitivity. The apparent agreements of this new assay with Ceditest® ELISA and UBI® ELISA were 98.59% and 96.63%, respectively. These results indicate that the strip can be adequately used to discriminate FMDV-infected animals from vaccinated animals.