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Due to water molecules, barriers of the two most probable dissociation pathways for CH3SSCH3˙+ are significantly reduced and the mechanism of hydrogen transfer can be varied from hydrogen atom transfer to concerted one-electron two-proton coupled transfer.

Background: Cardiac regeneration after injury is limited by the low proliferative capacity of adult mammalian cardiomyocytes (CMs). However, certain animals readily regenerate lost myocardium through a process involving dedifferentiation, which unlocks their proliferative capacities. Methods: We bred mice with inducible, CM-specific expression of the Yamanaka factors, enabling adult CM reprogramming and dedifferentiation in vivo. Results: Two days after induction, adult CMs presented a dedifferentiated phenotype and increased proliferation in vivo. Microarray analysis revealed that upregulation of ketogenesis was central to this process. Adeno-associated virus-driven HMGCS2 overexpression induced ketogenesis in adult CMs and recapitulated CM dedifferentiation and proliferation observed during partial reprogramming. This same phenomenon was found to occur after myocardial infarction, specifically in the border zone tissue, and HMGCS2 knockout mice showed impaired cardiac function and response to injury. Finally, we showed that exogenous HMGCS2 rescues cardiac function after ischemic injury. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate the importance of HMGCS2-induced ketogenesis as a means to regulate metabolic response to CM injury, thus allowing cell dedifferentiation and proliferation as a regenerative response.

Ischemic diseases including myocardial infarction (MI) and limb ischemia are some of the greatest causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cell therapy is a potential treatment but is usually limited by poor survival and retention of donor cells injected at the target site. Since much of the therapeutic effects occur via cell-secreted paracrine factors, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), we developed a porous material for cell encapsulation which would improve donor cell retention and survival, while allowing EV secretion. Human donor cardiac mesenchymal cells were used as a model therapeutic cell and the encapsulation system could sustain three-dimensional cell growth and secretion of therapeutic factors. Secretion of EVs and protective growth factors were increased by encapsulation, and secreted EVs had hypoxia-protective, pro-angiogenic activities in in vitro assays. In a mouse model of limb ischemia the implant improved angiogenesis and blood flow, and in an MI model the system preserved ejection fraction %. In both instances, the encapsulation system greatly extended donor cell retention and survival compared to directly injected cells. This system represents a promising therapy for ischemic diseases and could be adapted for treatment of other diseases in the future.

Singlet oxygen (

1,4-Dicarbonyl compounds are intriguing motifs and versatile precursors in numerous pharmaceutical molecules and bioactive natural compounds. Direct incorporation of two carbonyl groups into a double bond at both ends is straightforward, but also challenging. Represented herein is the first example of 1,2-dicarbonylation of alkenes by photocatalysis. Key to success is that N(n-Bu)4 + not only associates with the alkyl anion to avoid protonation, but also activates the α-keto acid to undergo electrophilic addition. The α-keto acid is employed both for acyl generation and electrophilic addition. By tuning the reductive and electrophilic ability of the acyl precursor, unsymmetric 1,4-dicarbonylation is achieved for the first time. This metal-free, redox-neutral and regioselective 1,2-dicarbonylation of alkenes is executed by a photocatalyst for versatile substrates under extremely mild conditions and shows great potential in biomolecular and drug molecular derivatization.

A direct strategy for the difunctionalization of alkenes, with acylation occurring at the more substituted alkene position, would be attractive for complex ketone synthesis. We report herein a reaction driven by a single photocatalyst that enables α-acylation in this way with the introduction of a fluoromethyl, alkyl, sulfonyl or thioether group at the β-position of the alkene with high chemo- and regioselectivity under extremely mild conditions. Crucial to the success of this method are rate differences in the kinetics of radical generation through single-electron transfer (SET) between different radical precursors and the excited photocatalyst (PC*). Thus, the β-position of the alkene is first occupied by the group derived from the radical precursor that can be generated most readily, and α-keto acids could be used as an electrophilic reagent for the α-acylation of alkenes.

An aerobic metal-free, visible-light-induced regioselective thiolation of phenols with thiophenols is reported. The cross-coupling protocol exhibits great functional group tolerance and high regioselectivity. Mechanistic studies reveal that the disulfide radical cation plays a crucial role in the visible-light catalysis of aerobic thiolation. Simply controlling the equivalent ratio of substrates enables the selective formation of sulfide or sulfoxide products with high activity in a one-pot reaction.

Herein, cobaloxime is used for the first time as a catalyst for the synthesis of phosphorylated heteroaromatics, which is an intriguing and versatile functional motif. With visible-light irradiation, cobaloxime not only oxidizes phosphine oxides to form phosphorus radicals (P-radicals) for a subsequent reaction with radical acceptor isocyanides or heteroaromatics, but also combines the radical intermediate with β-H elimination, thereby producing phosphorylated heteroaromatics with only H

In December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread around the globe resulting in ~435 million confirmed cases and ~6 million related deaths as of March 2022, according to the World Health Organization. To combat COVID-19 quickly, there have been many attempts to repurpose current FDA-approved drugs or to revive old drugs with anti-viral properties. However, aside from the biological stress imposed by the virus, many of the current treatment options have been known to cause adverse drug reactions. We established a population-based human induced pluripotent stem cell drug screening platform to assess the toxicity of the first line of anti-COVID-19 drugs and to understand viral infection of cardiomyocytes and neurons. We found that iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes express the ACE2 receptor which correlated with a higher infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (r=0.86). However, ACE2 expression was undetectable in neurons which correlated with low infection of neurons. We then assessed the toxicity of anti-COVID-19 drugs and identified two cardiotoxic compounds (remdesivir and arbidol) and 4 neurotoxic compounds (arbidol, remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, and chloroquine) which were validated by dose-response curves. These data show that this platform can quickly and easily be employed to further our understanding of cell-specific infection and identify drug toxicity of potential treatment options helping clinicians better decide on treatment options.

We hypothesized that the host microbiome may influence foreign body responses following biomaterial implantation. To test this, we implanted a variety of clinically relevant biomaterials into germ-free or antibiotic-treated mice. Surprisingly, these mice displayed less fibrous tissue deposition, reduced host cell recruitment to the implant site, and differential expression of angiogenic and inflammatory markers. These observations were reversed upon fecal microbiome reconstitution, confirming a causal role of the host microbiome. In a clinically relevant disease model, microbiome-depleted mice cleared hyaluronic acid and bone marrow mononuclear cells from ischemic hind limb tissues more slowly, resulting in an improved therapeutic response. Findings were confirmed in pigs which showed reduced fibrotic responses to a variety of implanted materials. Lastly, we profiled changes in the host microbiome following material implantation, implicating several key bacteria phyla.

Background and aims Atherosclerosis is a serious cardiovascular disease, featuring inflammation, abnormal proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). During atherosclerosis, inflammation may cause low pH. T-cell death-associated gene 8 (Tdag8) is a proton-sensing receptor, however, the role of Tdag8 in VSMCs remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of Tdag8 in VSMCs during atherosclerosis. Methods We examined the expression of Tdag8 in an atherosclerotic model of high-fat-diet-fed ApoE−/− mice, while the role and mechanism of Tdag8 in phenotype transformation, proliferation and migration of VSMCs were investigated in a series of in vivo and in vitro experiments. Results We first found that Tdag8 expression at the mRNA and protein level was significantly increased in atherosclerotic ApoE−/− mice. Immunofluorescence staining showed that Tdag8 was primarily distributed in PCNA-positive VSMCs and the phenotype of VSMCs switching from contractile phenotype to synthetic phenotype. Additionally, the protein level of Tdag8 was upregulated in FBS-treated VSMCs. VSMCs proliferation and migration were inhibited by Tdag8 silencing and increased by Tdag8 overexpression. Further mechanistic studies showed that cAMP level was increased in Tdag8-overexpressing VSMCs and ApoE−/− mice. However, the PKA inhibitor H-89 reversed Tdag8-induced VSMC proliferation and migration. Conclusions The results demonstrate that Tdag8 mediated phenotype transformation, proliferation and migration of VSMCs via the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway, thus partially contributing to atherosclerosis.

Chemoresistance is the primary cause of the poor outcome of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) therapy. Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 6 (LGR6) is involved in the growth and proliferation of several types of cancer, including gastric cancer and ovarian cancer. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of LGR6 in GBM malignancy and chemoresistance. Cell counting kit-8 and Matrigel(®)-Transwell assays were conducted to assess GBM cell viability and invasion. The effect of LGR6 on cell cycle progression and activation of Akt signaling was analyzed by performing propidium iodide staining and western blotting, respectively. The results demonstrated that LGR6, a microRNA-1236-3p target candidate, promoted GBM cell viability and invasion, and mediated temozolomide sensitivity in SHG-44 and U251 GBM cells. In addition, LGR6 triggered the activation of the Akt signaling pathway during GBM progression. Collectively, the results of the present study suggested that LGR6 promoted GBM malignancy and chemoresistance, at least in part, by activating the Akt signaling pathway. The results may aid with the identification of a novel therapeutic target and strategy for GBM.

Acyl radical triggered difunctionalizations of aryl olefins have been realized using oxime ester as the acyl precursor for the first time. Irradiation of fac-Ir(ppy)3 and oxime ester by visible light caused scission into three components, which recombined with olefins to yield significant β-carbonyl imides showing good functional group tolerance and high atom economy. Control experiments as well as spectroscopic and electrochemical studies revealed the efficient intermolecular reorganization of oxime ester into styrene with the aid of solvent exchange.

BACKGROUND: Graphene‐supported nanocomposites are promising catalysts for their unique properties. Biosynthesis of such hybrid catalysts possesses several advantages over other methods such as less pollution. The palladium nanoparticle has versatile catalytic activities and its stability and activities can be significantly improved through hybridization with other nanomaterials including graphene. RESULTS: In this study, bimetallic palladium‐silver nanoparticles supported on graphene (Pd‐Ag/rGO) was prepared through one‐step biosynthesis using a bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1. Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 synthesized Pd‐Ag/rGO through simultaneous reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO₃), palladium(II) nitrate (Pd(NO₃)₂) and graphene oxide (GO). The morphology and composition of the Pd‐Ag/rGO were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the hydrogenation activity of synthesized Pd‐Ag/rGO was tested using 4‐nitrophenol as a model chemical at room temperatures and pressure. The Pd‐Ag/rGO showed the best catalytic performance when Pd/Ag ratio was 1:1 and bacterial concentration was 1.0 of OD₆₀₀ (optical density measured at a wavelength of 600 nm) for the preparation of Pd‐Ag/rGO. Therefore, the kinetic rate constant for 4‐NP reduction was 0.2413 min⁻¹ catalyzed by as‐prepared Pd‐Ag/rGO, which is listed as one of the top level reported catalysts for 4‐NP reduction. CONCLUSION: Therefore, this study demonstrated a material and energy‐saving method to synthesize hybrid nanoparticles supported on graphene with high catalytic activity. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

In this study, we establish a population-based human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) drug screening platform for toxicity assessment. After recruiting 1,000 healthy donors and screening for high-frequency human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes, we identify 13 HLA-homozygous "super donors" to represent the population. These "super donors" are also expected to represent at least 477,611,135 of the global population. By differentiating these representative hiPSCs into cardiomyocytes and neurons we show their utility in a high-throughput toxicity screen. To validate hit compounds, we demonstrate dose-dependent toxicity of the hit compounds and assess functional modulation. We also show reproducible in vivo drug toxicity results using mouse models with select hit compounds. This study shows the feasibility of using a population-based hiPSC drug screening platform to assess cytotoxicity, which can be used as an innovative tool to study inter-population differences in drug toxicity and adverse drug reactions in drug discovery applications.

Shewanella oneidensis is a model strain of electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) because of its strong capability of performing extracellular electron transfer (EET) and its genetic tractability. In this study, we investigated the effect of carbon sources on EET in S. oneidensis by using reduction of palladium ions [Pd(II)] as a model and found that pyruvate greatly accelerated Pd(II) reduction compared with lactate by resting cells. Both the Mtr pathway and hydrogenases played a role in Pd(II) reduction when pyruvate was used as a carbon source. Furthermore, in comparison with lactate-feeding S. oneidensis, the transcriptional levels of formate dehydrogenases involved in pyruvate catabolism, the Mtr pathway, and hydrogenases in pyruvate-feeding S. oneidensis were upregulated. Mechanistically, the enhancement of electron generation from pyruvate catabolism and electron transfer to Pd(II) explains the pyruvate effect on Pd(II) reduction. Interestingly, a 2-h time window is required for pyruvate to regulate transcription of these genes and profoundly improve Pd(II) reduction capability, suggesting hierarchical regulation for pyruvate sensing and response in S. oneidensis. IMPORTANCE The unique respiration of EET is crucial for biogeochemical cycling of metal elements and diverse applications of EAB. Although a carbon source is a determinant factor of bacterial metabolism, research into the regulation of the carbon source of EET is rare. In this work, we report pyruvate-specific regulation and improvement of EET in S. oneidensis and reveal the underlying mechanism, which suggests potential targets for engineering and improvement of the EET efficiency of this bacterium. This study sheds light on the regulatory role of carbon sources in anaerobic respiration in EAB, providing a way to regulate EET for diverse applications from a novel perspective.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of human death. Recently, ALKB homologs, including ALKBH1-8 and FTO, have been found to have a variety of biological functions, such as histone demethylation, RNA demethylation, and DNA demethylation. These functions may regulate the physiological and pathological processes of CVDs, including inflammation, oxidative stress, cell apoptosis, and mitochondrial, endothelial, and fat metabolism dysfunction. In the present review, we summarize the biological functions of ALKB homologs and the relationship between the ALKB homologs and CVDs. Importantly, we discuss the roles of ALKB homologs in the regulation of oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy, and DNA damage in CVDs, as well as the practical applications of ALKB homologs inhibitors or agonists in treating CVDs. In conclusion, the ALKBH family might be a promising target for CVDs therapy.

Direct phosphorylation of enamine and enamide with hydrogen evolution was realized via cobaloxime catalysis under visible-light irradiation. Control experiments and spectroscopic studies demonstrated a reductive quenching pathway of cobaloxime catalyst to produce phosphinoyl radical, which underwent cross-coupling with various enamines (and enamides) to give diverse β-phosphinoyl products in good to excellent yields. More interestingly, Z/E mixture of acyclic enamines could convert into single Z-products with good reactivity.

The short-term forecast can be used to respond to the unexpected business shocks in advance, thus guaranteeing user experience. We present a practical communication traffic forecasting technology based on autoregressive moving average model. The proposed short-term prediction method is mainly based on the product seasonal model. The orders of product seasonal ARMA equation are recognized by the Akaike information criterion, and the parameters of equation are estimated by the maximum likelihood method. The unit root test is used to judge the stability and reversibility of the model. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated. The experimental result shows that the method has high prediction accuracy. The short-term forecast can provide a basis for mobile operators to accurately expand capacity.

In this study, poly(1-butyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide) (PBVIm-Br) was grafted onto the poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane surface via a 2-step atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) reaction. Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA) was grafted onto the membrane surface by aqueous ATRP reaction; then, BVIm-Br was introduced onto the surface of the PHEMA-modified PVC membrane through traditional ATRP reaction. The analysis of surface chemistry confirmed the successful grafting of PHEMA and PBVIm-Br on PVC membrane surface, and the grafting density (GD) of PBVIm-Br gradually increased as the grafting time was prolonged. The modified membrane exhibited a positive charge and significantly enhanced surface hydrophilicity. The static water contact angle of the membrane surface decreased from 92.3° to 51.6° as the GD of the PBVIm-Br brushes increased. Filtration experiments indicated that the water flux of the modified membrane increased with increasing GD, and their recovered fluxes were more than twice than the original. In addition, the total fouling ratio of the membranes decreased from 89% in M0 to 67% in M5, and most of the fouling was reversible as the GD of PBVIm-Br brushes increased. These results indicated that the positive charged poly(ionic liquid) brushes featuring hydrophilic properties would have potential applications in membrane separation.

Acryloyl fluoride is an ideal molecule for investigating the phenomenon of hindered internal rotation. In concert with recently acquired high-resolution UV absorption spectrum of acryloyl fluoride, in this study, the absorption spectra of the s-trans and s-cis isomers of acryloyl fluoride were theoretically simulated. The simulated spectra were convoluted by a Gaussian function with displacement, distortion, Franck-Condon, Herzberg-Teller, and Duschinsky effects in the framework of the time-independent model. The statistical vibronic transition analysis reveals the unity of the spectrum transition property, the relevant normal modes, and the primary geometrical variations, enriching the understanding of the experimental observation. The discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental spectra was interpreted clearly.

Firefly bioluminescence is produced via luciferin enzymatic reactions in luciferase. Luciferin has to be unceasingly replenished to maintain bioluminescence. How is the luciferin reproduced after it has been exhausted? In the early 1970s, Okada proposed the hypothesis that the oxyluciferin produced by the previous bioluminescent reaction could be converted into new luciferin for the next bioluminescent reaction. To some extent, this hypothesis was evidenced by several detected intermediates. However, the detailed process and mechanism of luciferin regeneration remained largely unknown. For the first time, we investigated the entire process of luciferin regeneration in firefly bioluminescence by density functional theory calculations. This theoretical study suggests that luciferin regeneration consists of three sequential steps: the oxyluciferin produced from the last bioluminescent reaction generates 2-cyano-6-hydroxybenzothiazole (CHBT) in the luciferin regenerating enzyme (LRE) via a hydrolysis reaction; CHBT combines with L-cysteine in vivo to form L-luciferin via a condensation reaction; and L-luciferin inverts into D-luciferin in luciferase and thioesterase. The presently proposed mechanism not only supports the sporadic evidence from previous experiments but also clearly describes the complete process of luciferin regeneration. This work is of great significance for understanding the long-term flashing of fireflies without an in vitro energy supply.

Chemotherapeutic resistance always results in poor clinical outcomes of cancer patients and its intricate mechanisms are large obstacles in overcoming drug resistance. CCR4-NOT transcription complex subunit 3 (CNOT3), a post-translational regulator, is suggested to be involved in cancer development and progression. However, its role in chemotherapeutic resistance is not well understood. In this study, after screening the CNOT3 mRNA in a cancer microarray database called Oncomine and examining the expression levels of CNOT3 mRNA in normal tissues and lung cancer tissues, we found that CNOT3 was up-regulated in lung cancer tissues. Besides, its high-expression was associated with poor prognosis of lung cancer patients. We also found higher expression level of CNOT3 and lower expression level of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) in cisplatin-resistant A549 (A549/DDP) cells, and knocking down CNOT3 expression could sensitize A549/DDP cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. We demonstrated that CNOT3 depletion up-regulated the expression level of RIPK3 and the enhanced apoptosis was mediated by the elevated RIPK3 to further trigger Caspase 8 activation. Taken together, our results reveal a role of CNOT3 in cisplatin resistance of lung cancer and provide a potential target for lung cancer therapy.

Firefly bioluminescence has been applied in several fields. However, the absorption and fluorescence spectra of the substrate, luciferin, have not been observed at the vibrational level. In this study, the vibrationally resolved absorption and fluorescence spectra of firefly luciferin (neutral form LH2 , phenolate ion form LH(-) and dianion form L(2-) ) are simulated using the density functional method and convoluted by a Gaussian function, with displacement, distortion and Duschinsky effects in the framework of the Franck-Condon approximation. Both neutral and anionic forms of the luciferin are considered in the gas phase and in solution. The simulated spectra have desired band maxima with the experimental ones. The vibronic structure analysis reveals that the features of the most contributive vibrational modes coincide with the key geometry-changing region during transition between the ground state and the first singlet excited state.

Exoelectrogenic bacteria (EEB) play important roles in biogeochemical cycling, environmental remediation, wastewater treatment, and bioenergy recovery. Methods for effectively and rapidly probing the abundance of EEB in environments are highly desirable. In this work, a novel approach that couples WO3 nanoclusters and the most probable number (MPN) method for rapid detection and enumeration of EEB was developed. This WO3–MPN approach allowed rapid and reliable estimation of the population size of two typical EEB, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and Geobacter sulfurreducens DL-1. In addition, it was successfully applied to detect and count EEB in environmental samples from the sediments of a freshwater lake (9.9 × 104 to 4.1 × 106 cells/g of dry sediment) and engineered samples of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (1.0 × 103 to 7.5 × 105 cells/mL). This work may facilitate better identification and practical applications of EEB in natural and engineered environments.

The reduction of selenite and formation of selenium nanoparticles tuned by electron shuttles was investigated using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Results showed that anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) and riboflavin profoundly accelerated the reduction of selenite ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 mM. Selenite of 2.5 mM was completely removed from the solution after 12-h reduction by S. oneidensis MR-1 with OD 600 of 0.5. The acceleration heavily depended on extracellular cytochromes OmcA and MtrC and bypassed the fumarate reductase FccA in the periplasm. These results indicated that electron shuttles diverted the selenite reduction from inside to outside cells. Consistently, extracellular formation of Se(0) nanoparticles was observed in the presence of AQDS, which will benefit for the extraction and purification of these nanoparticles. This study indicates that electron shuttles are readily controllable parameter for selenite reduction and biosynthesis of Se(0) nanoparticles.

This study proposes a novel natural environment background model by modeling brief environment conditions. It uses Geant4 program to simulate decays of (238)U, (232)Th, and (40)K in soil and obtains compositions of different-energy gamma rays in the natural environment background. The simulated gamma spectrum of the natural environment background agrees well with the experimental spectrum, particularly above 250 keV. The model is used in the simulation of anticoincidence measurement, indicating that the natural environment background can be decreased by approximately 88%, and the Compton attenuation factor is 2.22. The simulation of anticoincidence measurement can improve the minimum detectable activity (MDA) of the detection system.

Microbes in sediments contribute to nutrient release and play an important role in lake eutrophication. However, information about the profiles of functional genes and bacterial communities and the most important environmental factor affecting them in the sediments of eutrophic lake remains unrevealed. In this work, the real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay and 16S ribosomal RNA gene next generation sequencing analysis were used to explore the profiles of functional genes and bacterial communities in the sediments of Chaohu Lake. The selected 18 functional genes involved in C, N and P cycles were detected in most of samples. Seasonal variation and sediment variables were found to affect the profiles of functional genes and bacterial communities, and total nitrogen was the dominant environmental factor to drive the formation of bacterial community structure. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were observed to be the two dominant phyla in the sediments with relative abundance ranging from 10.8% to 36.0% and 7.7%-46.7%, respectively. Three bacterial phyla, i.e., Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Spirochaetes, were found to be significantly positively correlated with the C, N and P-cycle related functional genes. Bacterial community structure was the most important driver to shape the profiles of functional genes. Seasonal variation also influenced the co-occurrence patterns between functional genes and bacterial taxa as revealed by network analysis. The findings from this work facilitate a better understanding about the C, N, and P cycles in the sediments of eutrophic lakes.

Objective To observe the effects of Xinfeng Capsule (XFC) at different doses on lung function, Thl/Th2 cells, regulatory T cells (Treg) in adjuvant arthritis (AA) rats. Methods Totally 84 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, i.e., the normal control group (NC) , the model group (M) , the methotrexate (MTX) group, the Tripterygium Glycosides Table (TGT) group, the low dose XFC (XFC- L) group, the medium dose XFC (XFC-M) group, the high dose XFC (XFC-H) group, 12 in each group. Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA; 0. 1 mL) was intradermally injected to all rats except those in the NC group from right rear paw to induce inflammation. Medication was started from the 19th day after inflam- mation. Normal saline was administered to rats in the NC group and the M group. Rats in the rest groups were correspondingly administered with MTX, TGT, XFC, respectively. Changes of each index were ob- served in all groups. Results (1) Compared with the NC group, rat paw swelling degree (E) , arthritis index (AI) , lung index (LI) , average expiratory flow in 1 second (FEV1/FVC%) , alveolitis integral, TNF- α, Th1/Th2 cells, transforming growth factor-β₁ ( TGF-β₁ ) expression significantly increased in the M group (P0. 01) ; forced vital capacity (FVC) , peak expiratory flow 25% of vital capacity (FEF25), peak expiratory flow 50% of vital capacity (FEF50), peak expiratory flow 75% of vital capacity (FEF75), the maximum mid-expiratory flow (MMF) , peak expiratory flow (PEF) , CD4 ⁺Treg, CD4⁺CD25 ⁺Treg, IL-10, and Foxp3 expression significantly decreased in the M group (P0. 01). (2) Compared with the M group, body weight, FVC, FEF25, FEF50, FEF75, MMF, PEF, IL-10, Treg, and Foxp3 expression increased in all treatment groups; E, Al, LI, FEV1/FVC%, TNF-α, Th1/Th2 cells, and TGF-β₁ expression decreased in all treatment groups (P0. 05, P0. 01). (3) Compared with the XFC-M group, LI, alveolitis integral, TNF- α, Th1/Th2 cells, and TGF-β1 increased; FVC, FEF25, FEF50, FEF75, IL-10, CD4⁺Treg, CD4⁺CD25⁺ Treg, and Foxp3 decreased in other treatment groups (P0. 05, P0. 01). Conclusions AA rats had local swollen paws and decreased lung function. XFC could significantly improve paw swelling and Al of AA rats, and improve lung function. It could reduce inflammatory reaction and immune complexes on tis- sue and organ damage, improve joint and pulmonary symptoms possibly through promoting expressions of IL-10, CD4⁺Treg, CD4⁺CD25⁺Treg, and Foxp3, and inhibiting TNF-α,Th1/Th2 cells, and TGF-β₁ ex- pression.