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Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a common complication of diabetes mellitus, is primarily characterized by damage to Schwann cells caused by oxidative stress under hyperglycemic conditions. Recently, we demonstrated the ability of coumarin-rich Ficus formosana Maxim. to alleviate DPN in ovariectomized diabetic mice. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we established an in vitro DPN model using RSC96 Schwann cells exposed to high glucose levels. Daphnetin, a natural coumarin found abundantly in Ficus formosana Maxim., was co-incubated with Schwann cells in a high-glucose medium to investigate its protective effects against DPN. The free radical scavenging capacity of daphnetin was evaluated, along with assessments of cell viability, apoptosis, H2O2 levels, and the expression of proteins by the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/glutamate–cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) pathway in RSC96 Schwann cells. The results showed that daphnetin was non-toxic within the tested concentration range of 6.25 μM to 50 μM in RSC96 Schwann cells. Moreover, daphnetin significantly improved cell viability, exhibited strong antioxidant activity, reduced H2O2 levels, and regulated the Nrf2/GCLC pathway protein expressions in RSC96 cells cultured in high-glucose medium. Additionally, daphnetin influenced apoptosis-related proteins by decreasing the expression levels of Bax and Caspase 3, while increasing the Bcl-2 expression level in high-glucose-treated RSC96 cells. These findings suggest that daphnetin may alleviate oxidative stress induced by high glucose levels through activation of the Nrf2/GCLC pathway and inhibition of Schwann cell apoptosis, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic agent for DPN.

Summary: Background: Constipation is prevalent worldwide, significantly increasing healthcare costs and diminishing the quality of life in children affected. Current studies have yielded mixed results regarding the factors associated with constipation, and mainly focusing on patients outside of Asia. Moreover, most of these studies lack focus on the paediatric population. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and associated factors of constipation among children in Asia. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane for cohort and cross-sectional studies published from database inception up to October 12, 2022, and continued with manual searching until September 2, 2023. Eligible studies were those that included children in Asia aged 0–18 years old suffering from idiopathic constipation, with prevalence value provided in the English abstract. The analysis included clinical and general population. Children with organic constipation, who had undergone gastrointestinal surgery, or with congenital defects were excluded, as these factors affect the incidence of constipation. Data included in the analysis were extracted from published reports only. The extracted data were pooled using random-effects model to analyse the prevalence of constipation in children in Asia. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022367122. Findings: Out of 4410 systematically searched studies and 36 manually searched ones, a total of 50 studies were included in the final analysis, encompassing data from 311,660 children residing in Asia. The pooled prevalence of constipation was 12.0% (95% CI 9.3–14.6%, I2 = 99.8%). There was no significant difference in constipation prevalence observed by sex and geographical location. Nonetheless, adolescents and children aged 1–9 years exhibited a significantly higher prevalence constipation compared to infants (p

Retinopathy caused by ultraviolet radiation and cancer chemotherapy has increased dramatically in humans due to rapid environmental and social changes. Therefore, it is very important to develop therapeutic strategies to effectively alleviate retinopathy. In China, people often choose dendrobium to improve their eyesight. In this study, we explored how Dendrobium fimbriatum extract (DFE) protects ARPE-19 cells and mouse retinal tissue from damage of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and chemotherapy. We evaluated the antioxidant capacity of DFE using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitophenylhydrazine (DPPH) assay. The protective effects of DEF from UV- and oxaliplatin (OXA)-induced damage were examined in ARPE-19 cells using 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and immunofluorescence (IF) stains, and in mouse retinal tissue using immunohistochemistry (IHC) stains. Our results show that DFE has excellent antioxidant capacity. The ARPE-19 cell viability was decreased and the F-actin cytoskeleton structure was damaged by UV radiation and OXA chemotherapy, but both were alleviated after the DFE treatment. Furthermore, DFE treatment can alleviate OXA chemotherapy-induced reduced expressions of rhodopsin and SOD2 and increased expressions of TNF-α and caspase 3 in mouse retinal tissue. Thus, we suggest that DFE can act as suitable treatment for retinopathy through reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis.

Bat feces have been reported in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) books to have the effect of reducing fever and improving eyesight, but the mechanism of vision improvement still needs further research. To this end, we used 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) to analyze the antioxidant capacity of and the types of vitamins in bat feces. We hoped to screen the pharmacological components of bat feces and to explain the role that these components may play in treating visual deterioration. Our results found that bat feces had a good antioxidant capacity and mainly contained vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B3 (nicotinic acid), and B5 (pantothenic acid). Although these vitamins may help to maintain the health of the optic nerve and cornea, the vitamin content of bat feces is low, but the heavy metal content is high, as shown using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis. Therefore, we suggest that the use of bat feces as TCM to improve vision should be strictly restricted.

In diabetes mellitus, Ficus formosana has been reported to ameliorate blood sugar levels and inhibit inflammation through its polyphenol and flavonoid contents. However, its effect on diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Ficus formosana extract (FFE) on DPN in ovariectomized diabetic mice. Ovariectomized female C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet plus streptozotocin injections to induce type 2 diabetes were orally administered FEE at 20 or 200 mg/kg BW daily, for 6 weeks. To evaluate the pain responses in the paws of the mice, a von Frey filament test and a thermal hyperalgesia test were performed. Additionally, the intraepidermal and sciatic nerve sections were examined, along with an assessment of inflammation- and pain response-related mRNA expression in the paws of the mice. The results showed that the oral administration of both 20 and 200 mg/kg BW FEE significantly alleviated the hypersensitivity of the paw and the abnormal proliferation and rupture of the C fiber, and reduced the mRNA expression of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, interferon-γ, cyclooxygenase-2, and voltage-gated sodium channel 1.8 in the sciatic nerve of ovariectomized diabetic mice. We propose that FFE ameliorates peripheral neuropathy by suppressing oxidative damage in ovariectomized diabetic mice.

The neonicotinoid imidacloprid is a widely used insecticide worldwide. We assessed the effects of acute and chronic imidacloprid exposure on the social behavior of adult zebrafish. We assembled simple apparatus to detect 2D locomotion: a single camera capture system and two specially designed water tanks. We then used the tracking and heat maps of the behavior trajectories of zebrafish subjected to sham and imidacloprid exposure and compared their social behavior. Furthermore, histomorphology and immunohistochemistry of their brain tissue sections were performed to clarify possible neurotoxicity due to imidacloprid exposure in our adult zebrafish. Our results showed that imidacloprid exposure significantly reduced the zebrafish’s swimming speed, distance traveled, acceleration, and deceleration. The longer the imidacloprid exposure, the more severe the locomotor behavior disability. Furthermore, imidacloprid exposure significantly reduced heterosexual attractive behavior between the different sexes, as well as defensive alert behavior among males. Our histomorphology and immunohistochemistry evidence showed imidacloprid exposure may lead to neuronal oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and damage in the telencephalon of adult zebrafish. Thus, we suggested that neonicotinoid imidacloprid exposure can damage the telencephalon neurons of adult zebrafish through oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis and then affect the social behavior of adult zebrafish.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and chemotherapy is an effective treatment. However, chemotherapy often causes adverse side effects such as cardiotoxicity, myelosuppression, immunodeficiency, and osteoporosis. Our study focused on the alleviating effects of Anoectochilus roxburghii extracts (AREs) on the adverse side effects of chemotherapy in mice with breast cancer. We individually evaluated the antioxidant capacity and cytotoxicity of the AREs using DPPH and MTT assays. We also examined the effects of the AREs on intracellular F-actin, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of 4T1 cancer cells before and after doxorubicin (DOX) treatment. Our results showed that ARE treatment enhanced the effects of DOX chemotherapy by promoting cell morphology damage, oxidative stress, and ROS generation, as well as by reducing MMP in the 4T1 breast cancer cells. By using BALB/c mice with breast cancer with DOX treatment, our results showed that the DOX treatment reduced body weight, blood pressure, and heart rate and induced myelosuppression, immunodeficiency, cardiotoxicity, and osteoporosis. After oral ARE treatment of BALB/c mice with breast cancer, the chemotherapeutic effects of DOX were enhanced, and the adverse side effects of DOX chemotherapy were alleviated. Based on the above results, we suggest that AREs can be used as an adjuvant reliever to DOX chemotherapy in BALB/c mice with breast cancer.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. The most convincing biomarkers in the blood for AD are currently β-amyloid (Aβ) and Tau protein because amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are pathological hallmarks in the brains of patients with AD. The development of assay technologies in diagnosing early-stage AD is very important. The study of human AD subjects is hindered by ethical and technical limitations. Thus, many studies have therefore turned to AD animal models, such as Drosophila melanogaster, to explore AD pathology. However, AD biomarkers such as Aβ and p-Tau protein in Drosophilamelanogaster occur at extremely low levels and are difficult to detect precisely. In this study, we applied the immunomagnetic reduction (IMR) technology of nanoparticles for the detection of p-Tau expressions in hTauR406W flies, an AD Drosophila model. Furthermore, we used IMR technology as a biosensor in the therapeutic evaluation of Chinese herbal medicines in hTauR406W flies with Tau-induced toxicity. To uncover the pathogenic pathway and identify therapeutic interventions of Chinese herbal medicines in Tau-induced toxicity, we modeled tauopathy in the notum of hTauR406W flies. Our IMR data showed that the selected Chinese herbal medicines can significantly reduce p-Tau expressions in hTauR406W flies. Using evidence of notal bristle quantification and Western blotting analysis, we confirmed the validity of the IMR data. Thus, we suggest that IMR can serve as a new tool for measuring tauopathy and therapeutic evaluation of Chinese herbal medicine in an AD Drosophila model.

Lipid metabolism disorder is the most critical risk factor for atherosclerosis, and the process involves lipid deposition in the arterial intima. In Taiwan, antcin K, an active triterpenoid from the fruiting bodies of Antrodia camphorata, has been considered a potential lipid-lowering agent. Despite this, the possible therapeutic mechanisms of antcin K remain unclear. To explore the crucial role of botanical antcin K in reducing atherosclerotic plaque, we used SVEC4-10 vascular endothelial cells and RAW264.7 macrophages with palm acid oil-induced high-fat damage as our cell models. Our results showed through using the DPPH assay that antcin K had excellent free radical scavenging ability. Antcin K treatment can significantly alleviate the high-fat damage and reduce the levels of inflammatory factors of TNF-α and IL-1β in vascular endothelial cells and macrophages, as shown through MTT assay and ELISA. Furthermore, antcin K treatment can effectively enhance migration ability and clear lipid deposition in macrophages, as shown by using cell migration assay and oil red O staining. When stained with immunofluorescence, antcin K was shown to significantly decrease the expression of adhesion molecules of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) in vascular endothelial cells involved in monocyte migration and inflammation. Antcin K not only reduced the expression of the CD36 scavenger receptor but also augmented the expression of Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) transcription factor in macrophages, which inhibits the transformation of macrophages into foam cells underlying the pathological process of atherosclerosis. Taking our findings into account, we suggested that botanical antcin K could have therapeutic potential for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Ag3 VO4 (AVO)/Bi2 WO6 (BWO) composites with different AVO/BWO molar ratios were synthesized using a single-step hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic performance of the synthesized photocatalysts in the degradation of C.I. Reactive Red 2 (RR2) under visible light (Vis.) irradiation was evaluated. The AVO/BWO composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Scavenger experiments were performed to determine the photocatalytic mechanism. The AVO/BWO composites exhibited much greater photocatalytic efficiency than pure AVO and BWO; moreover, AVO/BWO molar ratio of 1/3 (AB3) yielded the best photo-activity. AB3 exhibited the greatest photocatalytic performance, with RR2 removal efficiencies of 82% and 92% under Vis. and solar irradiations, respectively. The RR2 photodegradation rate constant of AB3 was 0.0894 min–1, which was about 13.5 and 16.9 times those of AVO and BWO under Vis. irradiation, respectively. The excellent photo-activity of AB3 is attributable to improved light absorption across the entire spectrum, its large specific surface area, the separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs, and a synergetic interaction between AVO and BWO. Additionally, the photo-stability of AB3 was greater than that of AVO. The scavenger experimental results suggested that photocatalytic RR2 degradation over AB3 was mainly governed by direct photo-generated hole oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]