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Chinese Materia Medica Resources (CMMRs) are crucial for developing the tradition and industry of traditional Chinese medicine. Given the increasing demand for CMMRs, an accurate and effective understanding of CMMRs is urgently needed. Chinese medicinal plants (CMPs) are the most important sources of CMMRs. Traditional methods of investigating medicinal plant resources have limitations, including severe subjectivity and poor timeliness, which make it difficult to meet the demand for real-time monitoring of large-scale medicinal plant resources. In recent years, remote sensing technology has become an important means of obtaining information on medicinal plants, and the application of this technology has made up for the shortcomings of traditional methods. This paper first discusses the development of investigation methods of CMMRs; points out the importance of remote sensing technology in the application of spatial distribution and information identification and extraction of Chinese medicinal plant resources (CMPRs); analyzes the characteristics of CMPs in different planting patterns, different habitats, and different regions from the perspective of remote sensing information extraction; and explores the selection of suitable data sources, providing a reference for medicinal plant identification and information extraction. Secondly, according to the existing classification and identification methods, previous studies are summarized from the perspectives of classification scales, classification features, and classification accuracy, and the advantages and disadvantages of the commonly used remote sensing classification methods in the investigation of CMPRs are summarized and compared. Finally, the development trend of remote sensing technology in the identification and information extraction of CMPs is examined, and the key technical problems to be solved in the identification and classification of CMPs and the extraction of area information are summarized so as to provide technical support and experience references for the application of remote sensing in the investigation of CMPRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), dysbiosis, and immunosuppression who receive fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from healthy donors are at an increased risk of developing bacteremia. This study investigates the efficacy of a mixture of seven short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacterial strains (7-mix), the resulting culture supernatant mixture (mix-sup), and FMT for treating experimental ulcerative colitis (UC) and evaluates underlying mechanisms., Methods: Utilizing culturomics, we isolated and cultured SCFA-producing bacteria from the stool of healthy donors. We used a mouse model of acute UC induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to assess the effects of 7-mix, mix-sup, and FMT on intestinal inflammation and barrier function, microbial abundance and diversity, and gut macrophage polarization by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and transwell assays., Results: The abundance of several SCFA-producing bacterial taxa decreased in patients with UC. Seven-mix and mix-sup suppressed the inflammatory response and enhanced intestinal mucosal barrier function in the mouse model of UC to an extent similar to or superior to that of FMT. Moreover, 7-mix and mix-sup increased the abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria and SCFA concentrations in colitic mice. The effects of these interventions on the inflammatory response and gut barrier function were mediated by JAK/STAT3/FOXO3 axis inactivation in macrophages by inducing M2 macrophage polarization in vivo and in vitro., Conclusions: Our approach provides new opportunities to rationally harness live gut probiotic strains and metabolites to reduce intestinal inflammation, restore gut microbial composition, and expedite the development of safe and effective treatments for IBD., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy (DR) development., Methods: Real-Time qPCR was used to detect Casein kinase 2 interacting protein - 1 ( CKIP - 1 ) and Nuclear factor E2 - related factor 2 ( Nrf2 ) mRNA levels. Western Blot was employed to detect protein levels. Malondialdehyde (MDA) assay kit, superoxide dismutase (SOD) kit and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) kit were used to evaluate oxidative stress in high-glucose treated human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs). Calcein-AM/propidium iodide (PI) double stain kit was employed to detect cell apoptosis. Enzyme-linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) was used to detect inflammation associated cytokines secretion. Co-immunoprecipitation (CO-IP) was performed to investigate the interactions between CKIP - 1 and Nrf2 . Luciferase reporter gene system was used to detect the transcriptional activity of Nrf2 ., Results: CKIP - 1 was significantly downregulated in either DR tissues or high-glucose treated HRECs comparing to the Control groups. Besides, high-glucose (25 mM) inhibited HRECs viability and induced oxidative stress, inflammation associated cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β) secretion and cell apoptosis, which were all reversed by synergistically overexpressing CKIP - 1 and aggravated by knocking down CKIP - 1 . Of note, we found that overexpressed CKIP - 1 activated Nrf2 / ARE signaling pathway and increased its downstream targets including HO - 1 , NQO - 1 , γGCS and SOD in high-glucose treated HRECs. Further results also showed that CKIP - 1 regulated cell viability, oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in high-glucose treated HRECs by activating Nrf2 / ARE signaling pathway., Conclusion: We concluded that overexpressed CKIP - 1 alleviated DR progression by activating Nrf2 / ARE signaling pathway., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Oxidative stress serves a vital function in the pathogenesis of age‑related macular degeneration (AMD); genipin (GP) possesses antioxidative properties. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of GP on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells induced by H2O2 and the underlying mechanism. ARPE‑19 cells were subjected to H2O2 treatment to induce oxidative damage. Cell viability was determined via an MTT assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and cell apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. Nuclear factor‑erythroid 2‑related factor‑2 (Nrf2) signaling‑associated and the expression of apoptosis‑associated factors were measured using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay and western blotting. The results revealed that 200 µM H2O2 and 30 µM GP were determined to be the optimal concentrations for subsequent experimentation. GP reversed the inhibitory effects of H2O2 by promoting cell viability, attenuating ROS accumulation and cell apoptosis, and increased the expression of Nrf2, heme oxygenase‑1 (HO‑1) and NAD(P)H: Quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1); Nrf2 silencing inhibited HO‑1 and NQO1 expression. In addition, Nrf2 silencing enhanced the effects of H2O2 by promoting ROS production and cell apoptosis. Compared with H2O2, Nrf2 silencing further decreased the expression levels of B‑cell lymphoma‑2 (Bcl‑2), but increased that of Bcl‑2‑associated X protein and cleaved‑caspase‑3. The results of the present study revealed that Nrf2 silencing attenuated the protective effects of GP on H2O2‑induced injury in ARPE‑19 cells by promoting apoptosis and oxidation. Collectively, GP attenuated oxidative damage induced by H2O2 in ARPE‑19 cells. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism may be associated with the Nrf2 signaling pathway. The findings of the present study nay provide insight into a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of AMD.