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Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench (EP) is a well-known botanical supplement with antioxidant characteristics. However, the effects of EP on oxidative stress induced by hyperthyroidism have not yet been studied. This study was designed to evaluate the antioxidative effect of ethanolic Echinacea Purpurea (EEP) on hyperthyroidism-induced oxidative stress mice using an integrated strategy combining transcriptomics with network pharmacology analysis. Firstly, a hyperthyroidism mice model was induced via thyroxine (160 mg/kg) and EEP (1, 2, or 4 g/kg) once daily for 2 weeks. Body weight, thyroid-stimulating hormones, and oxidative stress markers were tested. Secondly, EEP regulating the potential genes at transcript level were analyzed. Thirdly, a network pharmacology based on the constituents of EEP identified using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis was adopted. Finally, a joint analysis was performed to identify the key pathway. The results showed that EEP significantly changed the thyroid-stimulating hormones and oxidative stress markers. Meanwhile, RT-qPCR and Western Blotting demonstrated that the mechanism of the antioxidant effect of EEP reversed the mRNA expression of EHHADH, HMGCR and SLC27A2 and the protein expression of FABP and HMGCR in AMPK and PPAR signaling pathways. This study integrates transcriptomics with network pharmacology to reveal the mechanism of ameliorative effect of EEP on hyperthyroidism-induced oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ligands that are capable of binding to tumor cell surface biomarkers specifically used in the early diagnosis of cancer and targeted drug delivery in cancer chemotherapy have been extensively investigated. Phage display technology has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool in this field. In this study, the non-small cell lung cancer NCI-H1299 and the normal lung small airway epithelial cell lines were used for subtractive screening in vitro with a phage display 12-peptide library. After three rounds of panning, there was an obvious enrichment in the phages specifically binding to the NCI-H1299 cells, and the output/input ratio of phages increased approximately 875-fold (from 0.4x104 to 3.5x106). A group of peptides capable of binding specifically to the NCI-H1299 cells was obtained, and the affinity of these peptides to bind to the targeted cells and tissues was studied. Through cell-based ELISA, immunocytochemical staining, immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence, an M13 phage was isolated and identified from the above screenings, and a synthetic peptide, ZT-1 (sequence QQMHLMSYAPGP), corresponding to the sequence of the surface protein of the M13 phage, was demonstrated to be capable of binding to the tumor cell surfaces of NCI-H1299 and A549 cells and biopsy specimens, but not to normal lung tissue samples, other cancer cells, or non-tumor adjacent lung tissues. In conclusion, the peptide ZT-1 may be a potential candidate biomarker ligand that can be used for targeted drug delivery in lung cancer therapy.