Search

Atractylodes Rhizoma is one of two principal components in Ermiaosan, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Atractylodes oil (AO) represents a potential alternative treatment for RA. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of AO in rats with Adjuvant Arthritis (AA) by exploration of changes in serum metabolites using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Foot thickness and arthritis score, ankle joint pathological structure, the concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17 and the expression of MMPs in ankle joint tissue were measured as indicators of efficacy of treatment using AO. In addition, multivariate statistical analysis was used to identify differential production of metabolites and biomarkers, and to analyze metabolic pathways. The results demonstrate that administration of AO resulted in a good therapeutic effect in the AA rat model, with significantly improved joint swelling, reduced joint score, and inhibition of inflammation, synovial pannus hyperplasia, and bone and cartilage destruction. Furthermore, AO was found to exert its effect against rheumatoid arthritis principally by differentially affecting 11 metabolites and six metabolic pathways, predominantly related to abnormal amino acid metabolism, in addition to energy-related metabolic pathways. This study evaluated the capability of AO to effectively treat AA rats, providing a novel strategy for the treatment of RA.

Metabolites are the end products of cellular regulatory processes. Squamous cervical cancer (SCC) can alter the level of certain small molecular metabolite in plasma through modulating gene expression. In this study, we identified two metabolites, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), which are significantly down- and upregulated in plasma of SCC as compared to uterine fibroid (UF) patients via ultra-performance liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). In external prospective cohort, our assay has a sensitivity of 93.2 %, a specificity of 91.3 %, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.972. The level of LPC is significantly higher in SCC than in UF patients. An opposite result was observed in PC level. Our findings suggest that the PC and lysoPC could be used as novel biomarkers to facilitate SCC diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the theories of traditional Chinese medicine, spleen deficiency often leads to diarrhea, and deep-fried Atractylodis Rhizoma (DAR) is commonly used for the treatment. However, the association between spleen deficiency and diarrhea remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of DAR for the treatment of diarrhea caused by spleen deficiency and analyze the related mechanisms. It was found that a high dose group of an ethanolic extract of deep-fried Atractylodis Rhizoma (EEDAR-H) significantly inhibited weight loss, diarrhea, and pathological changes in colon tissue induced by rhubarb. EEDAR-H was found to significantly reduce the level of intestinal inflammatory cytokines and increase the expression of gastrointestinal motility hormones. In addition, EEDAR-H significantly increased the expression of aquaporin 3 (AQP3) and aquaporin 8 (AQP8) and restored abnormal water metabolism; Shen-Ling-Bai-Zhu-San (SLBZS) induced the same effect as EEDAR-H. Additional tests on the mechanism found that EEDAR-H and SLBZS promoted the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Both significantly increased the expression of the tight junction protein ZO-1 and Occludin, inhibited the phosphorylation of p38MAPK and MLC, and significantly reduced the expression levels of PAR-2. Analysis of the gut microbiota indicated that overall changes in its structure were reversed after treatment with EEDAR-H or SLBZS, in addition to significant modulation of the abundance of different phyla. At the genus level, EEDAR-H or SLBZS significantly reduced the levels of potential pathogens and increased those of beneficial bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

YiQiFuMai (YQFM) powder injection has been reported to be used in cardiovascular and nervous system diseases with marked efficacy. However, as a treatment against diseases characterized by hypoxia, lassitude, and asthenia, the effects and underlying mechanisms of YQFM in neuronal mitochondrial function and dynamics have not been fully elucidated. Here, we demonstrated that YQFM inhibited mitochondrial apoptosis and activation of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) in cerebral ischemia-injured rats, producing a significant improvement in cerebral infarction and neurological score. YQFM also attenuated oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis through increasing ATP level and mitochondria membrane potential (Δ ψ m), inhibiting ROS production, and regulating Bcl-2 family protein levels in primary cultured neurons. Moreover, YQFM inhibited excessive mitochondrial fission, Drp1 phosphorylation, and translocation from cytoplasm to mitochondria induced by oxidative stress. We provided the first evidence that YQFM inhibited the activation, association, and translocation of PKC δ and Drp1 upon oxidative stress. Taken together, we demonstrate that YQFM ameliorates ischemic stroke-induced neuronal apoptosis through inhibiting mitochondrial dysfunction and PKC δ /Drp1-mediated excessive mitochondrial fission. These findings not only put new insights into the unique neuroprotective properties of YQFM associated with the regulation of mitochondrial function but also expand our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ischemic stroke.

Metabolites are the end products of cellular regulatory processes. Squamous cervical cancer (SCC) can alter the level of certain small molecular metabolite in plasma through modulating gene expression. In this study, we identified two metabolites, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), which are significantly down- and upregulated in plasma of SCC as compared to uterine fibroid (UF) patients via ultra-performance liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). In external prospective cohort, our assay has a sensitivity of 93.2 %, a specificity of 91.3 %, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.972. The level of LPC is significantly higher in SCC than in UF patients. An opposite result was observed in PC level. Our findings suggest that the PC and lysoPC could be used as novel biomarkers to facilitate SCC diagnosis.

YiQiFuMai powder injection (YQFM) is a modern preparation derived from the traditional Chinese medicine Sheng-Mai-San. YQFM is widely used in clinical practice in the People's Republic of China, mainly for the treatment of microcirculatory disturbance-related diseases. However, little is known about its role in animals with ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of YQFM on brain edema and blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Male C57BL/6J mice underwent right middle cerebral artery occlusion for 1 hour with a subsequent 24-hour reperfusion to produce I/R injury. YQFM (three doses: 0.336, 0.671, and 1.342 g/kg) was then given intraperitoneally (IP). The results demonstrated that YQFM significantly decreased infarct size, improved neurological deficits, reduced brain water content, and increased cerebral blood flow after I/R injury. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose micro-positron emission tomography imaging and hematoxylin and eosin staining results indicated that YQFM is able to ameliorate brain metabolism and histopathological damage after I/R. Moreover, YQFM administration reduced BBB leakage and upregulated the expression of zona occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin, which was confirmed by Evans Blue extravasation, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence assay. Our findings suggest that YQFM provides protection against focal cerebral I/R injury in mice, possibly by improving BBB dysfunction via upregulation of the expression of tight junction proteins.