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We isolated and characterized a Mussel polysaccharide, α -D-glucan (MP-A), from Mytilus coruscus earlier. In this work, the pharmacological activity and mechanisms of MP-A as an oral supplement for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were explored. High fat diet (HFD) was utilized to induce NAFLD in Sprague Dawley male rats and MP-A (0.6 g/kg) was supplemented for 4 weeks. The results showed that MP-A supplementation reduced blood lipid levels, intrahepatic lipid accumulation and NAFLD activity score in HFD-fed rats. Additionally, the analysis of 16S rDNA sequencing on gut microbiota samples revealed that HFD could induce microbial dysbiosis. However, MP-A supplementation could remodel gut microbiota structure, inhibit LPS-TLR4-NF- κ B pathway activation, and restrain subsequent inflammation factors secretion. Furthermore, MP-A regulated the lipid metabolism by promoting the production of short chain fatty acids and suppressing PPAR γ and SREBP-1c expression. Our results support that MP-A can prevent against NAFLD and act as an oral supplementation for hepatoprotection via modulating gut microbiota and related gut-liver axis signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, the applicability of high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC–DAD) combined with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI–MS) for the simultaneous screening and determination of tetracycline antibiotic analogues illegally adulterated in herbal preparations was investigated. The HPLC–DAD method could be employed to separate and simultaneously determine eight tetracyclines using an isocratic solvent system. These tetracycline antibiotics include doxycycline, 6-epidoxycycline and tetracycline, which are difficult to identify because they are structural isomers. ESI–MS was used in combination with HPLC–DAD to improve the qualitative accuracy in this study. Method validation included the investigation of linearity, selectivity, stability, limits of detection and quantitation, trueness, precision and ruggedness. The response exhibited a good linear relationship with the analyte concentration. The coefficient of determination (r2) was greater than 0.9993. The limits of quantification for the examined tetracycline antibiotics ranged from 1.11 to 25.73 µg·mL−1, and the recoveries ranged from 91.0 to 104.0%. The proposed methods were specific, sensitive and accurate, and they could be promising and powerful tools for the routine screening of tetracycline analogues in herbal medicines to ensure food safety and public health.Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe combination of an anticoagulant and a hypolipidemic agent is commonly used in patients at risk for stroke because it controls thrombosis and lowers cholesterol levels. However, the use of anticoagulants carries a high risk of life-threatening bleeding. To address the need for personalized clinical monitoring and risk management, we developed a rapid and sensitive HPLC method with a streamlined sample preparation process. This method enables the simultaneous determination of concentrations for two commonly used anticoagulant drugs (apixaban and rivaroxaban) and three hypolipidemic drugs (rosuvastatin, atorvastatin calcium, and simvastatin). The chromatographic conditions and sample preparation methods were optimized. The drugs were well separated by the gradient elution of phosphoric acid (0.01%, v/v) and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min within 40 min on an Athena C18-WP column (4.6 × 150 mm, 5-μm particle size). The proposed method was linear (r2 ≥ 0.994) within the concentration ranges of 0.22–20 μg·mL−1 for the five analytes, including the expected range of therapeutic concentrations. This method enables simultaneous monitoring of the levels of the mentioned drugs in clinical practice. Furthermore, the chromatographic conditions were simple and feasible, making them highly suitable for emergency clinical medication monitoring in basic medical institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Connexin 43 (Cx43) is the main gap junction (GJ) protein and hemichannel protein in bone tissue. It is involved in the formation of hemichannels and GJs and establishes channels that can communicate directly to exchange substances and signals, affecting the structure and function of osteocytes. CX43 is very important for the normal development of bone tissue and the establishment and balance of bone reconstruction. However, the molecular mechanisms by which CX43 regulates osteoblast function and homeostasis have been less well studied, and this article provides a review of research in this area., Methods: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for studies published up to June 2023 using the keywords Connexin 43/Cx43 and Osteocytes. Screening of literatures according to inclusion and exclusion guidelines and summarized the results., Key Content and Findings: Osteocytes, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts all express Cx43 and form an overall network through the interaction between GJs. Cx43 is not only involved in the mechanical response of bone tissue but also in the regulation of signal transduction, which could provide new molecular markers and novel targets for the treatment of certain bone diseases., Conclusions: Cx43 is expressed in osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteoclasts and plays an important role in regulating the function, signal transduction, and mechanotransduction of osteocytes. This review offers a new contribution to the literature by summarizing the relationship between Cx43, a key protein of bone tissue, and osteoblasts., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://aoj.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/aoj-23-65/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 Annals of Joint. All rights reserved.)

It has been reported that OIC-A006, an osteogenically inducible compound, is able to promote osteogenesis in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we used a rabbit critical-sized segmental radial defect model (CSD) (15 mm) to analyse the osteogenic activity of OIC-A006 in non-cell-seeded tissue engineering bone substitutes. The scaffold carrier was bovine sintered bone "true bone ceramic (TBC)". OIC-A006 was delivered by PLGA (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide acid) microspheres. Drug-free PLGA microspheres and rhBMP-2-loaded PLGA microspheres were used as negative and positive control groups, respectively. Three kinds of composite were fabricated by coupling TBC, type-I collagen and the corresponding microspheres. The animals were randomly divided into 4 groups: (1) Group A: defect only, (2) group B:TBC/Collagen/drug-free-microspheres, (3) group C:TBC/Collagen/ OIC-A006-microspheres, (4) group D: TBC/Collagen/rhBMP-2-microspheres. The samples were analysed by histology, X-ray,microcomputed tomography (micro-CT), and biomechanical analyses. The results showed that OIC-A006 promoted bone regeneration to a remarkable extent. It is suggested that the application of OIC-A006 might be a valuable method in bone tissue engineering for healing large segmental defects of long bones. However, the biomechanical strength was a little inferior to that of BMPs.