Stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (SC-CMs) represent a promising cell source for cardiac regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and drug screening. However, their clinical translation faces significant challenges, including functional immaturity, poor long-term survival, and inadequate integration with host tissue following transplantation. The immune microenvironment, particularly the dynamic polarization of macrophages into pro-inflammatory (M1) or reparative (M2) phenotypes, is increasingly recognized as a critical regulator of cardiac repair, yet a systematic understanding of its specific effects on SC-CM fate remains incomplete. This review aims to comprehensively evaluate the dual regulatory roles of M1 and M2 macrophages on the differentiation efficiency, structural and functional maturation, and in vivo transplantation efficacy of SC-CMs. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Nature, and CNKI for relevant studies published from database inception to July 2025. After screening, 92 articles were included for analysis. The synthesized evidence demonstrates that M1 macrophages and their secreted factors (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1β) impede cardiac differentiation by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, disrupt sarcomeric organization and calcium handling, and maintain SC-CMs in a glycolytic, immature state. In contrast, M2 macrophages enhance SC-CM maturation by providing trophic support (e.g., IGF-1, HGF), promoting electrophysiological maturation and metabolic reprogramming towards oxidative phosphorylation, and facilitating angiogenesis via VEGF. The novelty of this review lies in its integrated perspective on macrophage-driven immunomodulation as a central axis for SC-CM maturation. Furthermore, it discusses emerging therapeutic strategies—such as optimized transplantation timing, co-transplantation with immunomodulatory cells, engineered exosomes, and smart biomaterials—that leverage macrophage polarization to create a favorable microenvironment for SC-CMs. Ultimately, harnessing macrophage-SC-CM crosstalk is a crucial step toward advancing clinically effective and immunologically informed cardiac regeneration therapies.
Cervical cancer is the fourth-ranked malignant tumor of female cancer in the world, and it seriously threatens women’s health. The main treatment options for patients with cervical cancer are surgery or concurrent chemoradiotherapy. With the development of medical research, researchers are committed to exploring more effective and specific treatment options in order to increase the treatment options for cervical cancer and improve the treatment effect. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technology is a method in which the Cas9 protein uses guide RNA (gRNA) to target the target gene and achieve precise editing of the target gene. At present, CRISPR/Cas9 technology has become a promising and powerful gene editing tool, a new and effective targeted therapy that has been applied in the treatment of various tumors. The research progress of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in the treatment of cervical cancer is mainly reviewed in terms of action targets, combination therapy strategies, and related drug resistance gene screening in order to provide new strategies for the treatment of cervical cancer.
Tumor immunotherapy has become the main treatment method for cancer after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. With the in-depth study of tumor immunology, cell biology and molecular technology, the tumor microenvironment was found to be immunosuppressive, and tumor development and metastasis are closely related to it. Tumor immunotherapy uses the body’s own immune system to kill tumor cells. At present, there are mainly mainstream tumor immunotherapy methods, namely monoclonal antibody therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, immunocell therapy, and tumor vaccines. In this paper, the advantages and limitations of these four immunotherapies were mainly discussed, and the current status of their marketing and clinical research was also reviewed.
Objective:To investigate the expression of maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) in renal clear cell carcinoma and its relationship with clinical and pathological characteristics of the patients with renal clear cell carcinoma, and to evaluate its effect on the proliferation of renal clear cell carcinoma.Methods:The expression of MELK in renal clear cell carcinoma and its relationship with the overall survival of patients was analyzed using the gene expression profiling interactive analysis (GEPIA) online database. Cancer tissue samples from 77 patients with renal clear cell carcinoma treated at Xinxiang Central Hospital were collected, all of which have been confirmed as renal clear cell carcinoma through immunohistochemistry experiments. The relationship between the expression of MELK in renal clear cell carcinoma tissue and the clinical and pathological characteristics of the patients was analyzed. The effect of MELK on the proliferation of renal clear cell carcinoma cells was explored through cloning experiments and CCK-8 assay.Results:Information from the GEPIA database revealed that the expression level of the MELK gene was upregulated in renal clear cell carcinoma compared with normal tissues. The clinicopathological analysis results showed that MELK expression was significantly correlated with tumor size and diameter of renal clear cell carcinoma ( P < 0.05), and had no statistically significant correlation with patient age, gender, or tumor differentiation. The results of the clonogenic assay and the CCK-8 assay showed that MELK expression promoted the proliferation of renal clear cell carcinoma cells (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:MELK promotes the proliferation of kidney cancer cells, which may provide a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of renal clear cell carcinoma.
The radiomics of tumors can indirectly reflect the state of tumor proteins and even genes. The radiomics extract imaging features through high-throughput and conduct correlation analysis to play a role in predicting tumor stage, pathological differentiation, therapeutic efficacy, and prognosis. In this review paper, relevant literature about the research progress of radiomics in the prediction of esophageal cancer stage, lymphovascular invasion, pathological differentiation, short-term curative effect, and long-term prognosis is summarized.
Nanometer materials have attracted much attention in the nanomedical field due to their unique physicochemical properties. Calcium phosphate nanoparticles have many advantages, such as non-toxicity, unique biomolecular protection, good biodegradability, and good biocompatibility. It has been widely studied as an ideal delivery system for biomacromolecules. In this review paper, the synthesis methods of calcium phosphate nanoparticles were summarized, including the conventional hydrothermal/solvothermal method and the aqueous wet chemical precipitation method. Moreover, the ways of binding calcium phosphate nanoparticles to biomacromolecule antigens were discussed from the perspectives of covalent and non-covalent binding, and their application in biomacromolecule delivery systems was described. The above review comments have important reference value for understanding the potential and application prospects of calcium phosphate nanoparticles in nanomedicine.
Objective:To explore the molecular mechanism of Matrine Injection in treating colorectal cancer based on network pharmacological analysis and molecular docking.Methods:Taking matrine as the object, the corresponding potential drug targets in matrine were obtained from Swiss Target Prediction database, and SuperPred database, and the database of traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP). Differential genes were obtained from gene expression omnibus (GEO), and GeneCards, OMIM, DrugBank, and CTD databases were used to collect colorectal cancer-related genes. Furthermore, core targets were screened by establishing protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were performed by bioconductor of R language. Finally, the molecular docking calculation was performed to evaluate the interaction between matrine and core targets.Results:Matrine contained 63 targets. A total of 14 198 targets for colorectal cancer were obtained. The topology analysis results of the PPI network showed that 5 main targets such as myelocytomatosis proteins (MYC), interleukin-6 (IL-6), Caspase-3 (CASP3), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and amphiregulin (AR). GO enrichment analysis found that biological process (BP) mainly includes hydrogen peroxide reaction, cell reaction to hydrogen peroxide and cell response to chemical stress, etc; Cell components (CC) mainly include lipid rafts, membrane microregions and synaptic membranes, etc; Molecular functions (MF) mainly include transcriptional coregulatory factor binding, postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptor activity and core promoter sequence-specific DNA binding. KEGG pathway analysis showed that it involved chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, etc. Molecular docking showed that matrine had good binding with the core target.Conclusions:Matrine acts on targets such as MYC, IL-6, CASP3, mTOR, and AR, and exerts therapeutic effects on colorectal cancer by regulating chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation, TNF signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling, etc.
Objective:To observe the protective effect of Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in type 2 diabetic rats and its effects on mitochondrial autophagy phosphoglycerate mutase family member 5 (PGAM5)/Fun14 domain-containing protein 1 (FUNDC1) signaling pathway.Methods:48 male SD rats were divided into a blank control group, sham operation group, No.1 myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) group, No.2 MIRI group, inhibitor group, and Qishen Yiqi group. In addition to the blank control group and the No.1 MIRI group, the other 32 rats were fed with a high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin to establish animal models of diabetes. Then, the rats in the Qishen Yiqi group were ig Qishen Yiqi Gropping Pills 450 mg/kg, once daily. The rats in the inhibitor group were given Qishen Yiqi Gropping Pills and trimethylamine (3-MA) by intraperitoneal injection 100 mmol/L, once daily. And the rats in the other four groups were ig normal saline. One week after intragastric administration, except for the blank control group and the sham operation group, the rats in the other four groups were used to establish the animal model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by ligating the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery for 30 min and reperfusion for 2 h. Then, the materials were taken after reperfusion for 2 h. Finally, the mortality of rats was calculated, the changes in creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in myocardial tissue were detected, and the expression level of PGAM5/FUNDC1 pathway node protein in myocardial tissue was measured by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.Results:Compared with the No.1 MIRI group, serum indicators of the AST, LDH, CK, and MDA levels in the No.2 MIRI model group increased (all P < 0.05), while the level of SOD decreased ( P < 0.05). Compared with the No.1 MIRI group, myocardial tissue indicators of FUNDC1, PGAM5, B cell lymphoma-xL (Bcl-xL), light chain 3 (LC3), autophagy associated protein 5 (ATG5), and Beclin-1 level decreased (all P < 0.05), the level of P62 increased ( P < 0.05), while the level of cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-9 (Caspase-9) increased, but he difference is not statistically significant ( P > 0.05). Compared with the No.2 MIRI group and the inhibitor group, serum indicators of the AST, LDH, CK, and MDA levels in the Qishen Yiqi group decreased (all P < 0.05), and the level of SOD increased ( P < 0.05). Compared with the No.2 MIRI group and the inhibitor group, myocardial tissue indicators of FUNDC1, PGAM5, Bcl-xL, LC3, ATG5, and Beclin-1 levels increased (all P < 0.05), while the levels of P62 and Caspase-9 decreased (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:High blood sugar levels can aggravate MIRI. Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills can regulate mitochondrial autophagy through the PGAM5/FUNDC1 pathway and alleviate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. MIRI plays a protective role in the myocardium of diabetic rats.
Neutrophils are the most abundant population of white blood cells in the human circulation. They play a key role in the protection of the host against microbial infections as well as taking a critical part in inflammatory processes. Recently, several studies showed that neutrophils play an active role in the immune response during cancer development. Neutrophils and various immune cells constitute a significant part of the tumor immune microenvironment. Research has found that different subpopulations of neutrophils may promote or limit tumor growth, indicating that people should be more concerned about the potential of neutrophils. In this paper, the various functions of neutrophils in the progression and treatment of cancer and the possibility of using these functions as a new model of immunotherapy were reviewed.
Objective:To study the mechanism of Panax notoginseng in treatment of platelet aggregation based on network pharmacology. Methods:Traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) was queried to screen the drug components of P. notoginseng, and Swiss Target Prediction was used to predict the target of drug components. The GeneCards database was used to obtain disease targets for platelet aggregation, and Venny 2.1 was used to obtain intersection targets. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) was analyzed with String and network diagram with the Cytoscape. The drug-target-pathway network map was constructed by using the Cytoscape software. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) were analyzed with the Metascape. Results:Seven active components of P. notoginseng directly acted on 142 disease targets through multiple pathways to treat platelet aggregation. Among them, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, quercetin, and ginsenoside Rh 2 were core components. Tumor protein p53 (TP53), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), JUN, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and protein kinase B1 (AKT1) are critical targets. GO enrichment analysis found that biological process (BP) most likely related to cell response to lipids, hormone response, and cell response to nitrogen compounds; Cell components (CC) mainly involved membrane rafts, membrane microregions, pits, and plasma membrane rafts. Molecular functions (MF) mainly involve DNA binding transcription factor binding, transcription factor binding, RNA polymerase Ⅱ specific DNA binding transcription factor binding, etc. KEGG pathway analysis suggested that P. notoginseng was mainly involved in advanced glycation end products-receptor for advanced glycation end products (AGE-RAGE), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), TNF, and MAPK. Conclusions:P. notoginseng mainly regulates disease targets such as TP53, MAPK1, JUN, TNF, IL6, and AKT1 in AGE-RAGE, PI3K/AKT, HIF-1, TNF, MAPK, and other signaling pathways, and regulates enzyme activity to treat platelet aggregation.
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the main immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, mainly divided into M1 type macrophages which are pro-inflammatory and anti-tumor and M2 type macrophages that are anti-inflammatory and can promote the growth of tumor. M2 macrophages play a crucial role in the occurrence, development and metastasis of tumor, are often closely related to poor prognosis, and have become an important target of tumor immunotherapy. Nanomedicine can achieve specific targeting of TAMs and improve drug safety. Therefore, the use of nanomedicine to regulate TAMs has broad application prospects. Using nanoparticles to deplete TAMs, inhibit their recruitment or reprogram M2 macrophages into M1 macrophages, or using TAMs to deliver nanomedicine has shown great potential for clinical application. In this paper, the role of TAMs-based nanomedicine in tumor immunotherapy was elaborated, and the existing problems and suggestions were discussed.
Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is a ubiquitous virus. The incidence of HHV-6 after liver transplantation is estimated to be 22% ? 54%; it may present with fever, hepatitis, pneumonia, encephalitis, and myelosuppression and has a poor prognosis. HHV-6(+) recipients had a mortality rate of 29%, significantly higher than that of HHV-6(?) recipients (6%). Since most infections are asymptomatic, HHV-6 monitoring is not routinely performed in clinical practice, which means clinicians often ignore the diagnosis of HHV-6 and eventually delay diagnosis and treatment. In this paper, a case of human herpesvirus 6B encephalitis after liver transplantation was retrospectively analyzed, and the literature related to this disease was reviewed to improve the understanding of this disease.
Objective:To investigate the effect of berberine on immune regulation and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signal pathway in lung cancer rats.Methods:The lung cancer rat model was established by perfusing a carcinogenic lipiodol solution. The 36 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the model group ( n = 12), the berberine group ( n = 12), and the normal group ( n = 12). The rats in the berberine group were ig berberine 15 mg/kg, once daily. The rats in the model group and the normal group were ig the same dose of normal saline, once daily. The intervention was conducted continuously for 16 weeks for each group. The spleen index and lung index, tumor inhibition rate, T lymphocyte subgroup level, PI3K, and Akt protein expression of rats in each group were compared. Results:The spleen index of the model group and berberine group was lower than that of the normal group, while the lung index was higher than that of the normal group (all P < 0.05). The spleen index of the berberine group was higher than that of the model group, while the lung index was lower than that of the model group (all P < 0.05). The tumor weight of the berberine group was lower than that of the model group ( P < 0.05). The tumor inhibition rate of the berberine group was 43.12%. The CD3 +, CD4 +, and CD4 +/CD8 + levels of the model group and berberine group were lower than those of the normal group, CD8 + level was higher than that of the normal group (all P < 0.05), and the CD3 +, CD4 + and CD4 +/CD8 + levels of the berberine group higher than those of the model group, while CD8 + level was opposite (all P < 0.05). The gray values of PI3K and Akt protein of the model group and berberine group were higher than those of the normal group (all P < 0.05), and this value of the berberine group was lower than that of the model group (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:Berberine can effectively inhibit tumor growth in lung cancer rats, promote spleen development and differentiation, regulate immune function, and downregulate the expression of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
Objective:To construct a traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation model for tinnitus using automatic machine learning technology, and to explore the key factors that affect the results of tinnitus syndrome differentiation.Methods:The clinical characteristics of 594 patients with subjective tinnitus in seven medical units in Shanghai from January 2021 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The Auto-sklearn automatic machine learning method was used to compare 15 algorithms, and the model with the best classification effect was selected to analyze the key factors affecting tinnitus.Results:The results showed that the optimal algorithm for classification results was the random forest, its accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, F1-score, AUC and kappa coefficient were 87.37%, 88.34%, 89.06%, 96.63%, 88.38%, 97.50%, and 83.37%, respectively. It is concluded that the key factors affecting the classification of the pattern of kidney yin deficiency and fire effulgence, the pattern of liver fire disturbing upward, the pattern of stagnation and binding of phlegm and fire, the pattern of spleen and stomach deficiency, the pattern of wind and heat attacking the external are smooth pulse, string pulse, smooth pulse, weak tongue, and floating pulse respectively.Conclusions:Random forest can provide a good classification prediction function for structured clinical data, suggesting that machine learning technology has clinical application value in assisting the diagnosis of subjective tinnitus.
Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of the "Tongluo" technique on gastrocnemius muscle hardness and muscle tone in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) using shear wave elastography (SWE).Methods:Forty children with SCP who were treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to June 2021 were selected as the observation group and received the "Tongluo" technique intervention. At the same time, 20 normal children were selected as the control group, without any intervention. Compare the various indicators of the two groups at baseline and after 1.5 and 3 months of treatment, including Young’s modulus value of the medial gastrocnemius muscle at rest, the modified Ashworth scale (MAS) score, and the clinical spasm index (CSI) score. The changes in muscle tone and spasticity of SCP children before and after treatment were compared, and the differences in the Young’s modulus between MAS and CSI levels in SCP children as well as the correlation between MAS, CSI, and Young’s modulus were analyzed.Results:The difference in Young’s modulus values of the control group at baseline, after 1.5 and 3 months of treatment was not statistically significant (all P > 0.05). At baseline, after 1.5 and 3 months of treatment, Young’s modulus value, MAS score, and total CSI score gradually decreased in the observation group, and the differences obtained from pairwise comparisons were statistically significant (all P < 0.01). At the same intervention stage, Young’s modulus value of the observation group was higher than that of the control group, with a statistically significant difference ( P < 0.01). The MAS score results showed that Young’s modulus of the observation group increased with the increase in muscle tone, and there was a positive correlation between Young’s modulus and muscle tone ( P < 0.01), and the difference in Young’s modulus corresponding to different muscle tones was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The CSI score results showed that the Young’s modulus of the observation group increased with the increase in spasticity degree, and there was a positive correlation between the Young’s modulus and muscle tone ( P < 0.01), and the difference in Young’s modulus corresponding to different spasticity degrees was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:The muscle hardness of children with SCP is higher than that of normal children. The "Tongluo" technique can effectively improve muscle hardness, reduce muscle tone, and effectively improve muscle spasticity in children with SCP. The principle may be related to adjusting the internal structure of muscles to reduce muscle hardness. The results of this study can guide clinical rehabilitation and evaluation.
Objective:To compare the effects of concentrated growth factors (CGF) and lower-level laser therapy (LLLT) on alveolar bone changes at the extraction site in orthodontic patients.Methods:Twenty-one patients who underwent orthodontic treatment at the Department of Stomatology, Tianjin Beichen Hospital, from June 2020 to May 2022 were enrolled and randomly divided into the control group, LLLT group, and CGF group, with 7 patients in each group and 28 extraction sites. The control group received natural healing with tooth extraction (minimally invasive healing with tooth extraction). The LLLT group received diode laser treatment on the 1st, 2nd, and 7th days after minimally invasive tooth extraction (wavelength 808 nm, average output power 0.25 W, energy density 4 J/cm 2, spot area 0.28 cm 2), with each site irradiated for 20 seconds. After minimally invasive tooth extraction in the CGF group, immediately place the CGF membrane in the extraction socket. The changes in alveolar bone height and width before and after tooth extraction and bone density and bone contour after alveolar bone healing were measured. Meanwhile, the concentration changes of growth factors osteopontin (OPN) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in gingival crevicular fluid at tooth extraction were measured and statistically analyzed. Results:Compared with the control group, the height and width of the alveolar bone at the tooth extraction wound in the LLLT group and CGF group decreased significantly (all P < 0.05). Compared with the LLLT group, the height and width of the alveolar bone at the tooth extraction wound in the CGF group decreased, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The bone contour score and bone density grading of the LLLT and CGF groups after tooth extraction wound healing were better than those of the control group (all P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in bone contour score and bone density grading between the LLLT group and the CGF group after tooth extraction wound healing ( P > 0.05). At 1 and 6 months after tooth extraction, there was no statistically significant difference in the concentration of OPN in the gingival crevicular fluid at the extraction site among the control group, LLLT group, and CGF group (all P > 0.05). One month after tooth extraction, compared with the control group, the concentration of TGF-β1 in the gingival crevicular fluid of the tooth extraction wound increased in the LLLT group and the CGF group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). Six months after tooth extraction, there was no statistically significant difference in TGF-β1 concentration among the three groups (all P > 0.05). Conclusions:Both LLLT and CGF treatments can effectively reduce the height and width of alveolar bone in tooth extraction wounds, promote the recovery of alveolar bone contour and bone density in tooth extraction wounds and provide clinical data support for how to delay the atrophy of alveolar bone in tooth extraction wounds.
Objective:To explore the mechanism of extracorporeal shock wave combined with platelet rich plasma in the treatment of articular cartilage injury in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rats based on the silent information regulator 1 (Sirt1)/forkhead transcription factor O1 (FoxO1) pathway.Methods:15 SD rats were used for platelet rich plasma extraction and 35 SD rats were randomly divided into blank control group, model group, extracorporeal shock wave group, platelet rich plasma group, and extracorporeal shock wave + platelet rich plasma group. Each group had 7 cases. After the intervention, HE staining of articular cartilage tissue was used to observe changes in articular cartilage morphology, Mankin score was used for pathological evaluation, CCK-8 method was used to detect chondrocyte vitality and proliferation, ELISA method was used to detect inflammatory factor levels in joint fluid, and Western Blot method was used to detect the expression levels of Sirt1 and acely-FoxO1/FoxO1 in five groups of articular cartilage tissue.Results:The HE staining of articular cartilage tissue showed that model group, extracorporeal shock wave group, platelet rich plasma group, and extracorporeal shock wave + platelet rich plasma group had varying degrees of pathological damage, with model group having the most severe pathological damage, while the other three experimental groups had no significant differences. The Mankin score and the level of acely-FoxO1/FoxO1 in articular cartilage tissue showed that blank control group < extracorporeal shock wave + platelet rich plasma group < platelet rich plasma group < extracorporeal shock wave group < model group (all P < 0.05). The results of Sirt1 level in articular cartilage tissue, activity, and proliferation ability of articular chondrocytes showed that model group < extracorporeal shock wave group < platelet rich plasma group < extracorporeal shock wave + platelet rich plasma group < blank control group (all P < 0.05). Comparison of inflammatory factor levels in joint fluid, blank control group < extracorporeal shock wave + platelet rich plasma group < extracorporeal shock wave group < platelet rich plasma group < model group (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:The combination of extracorporeal shock wave and platelet rich plasma can promote the proliferation of osteoarthritis chondrocytes and alleviate joint inflammation and cartilage damage in KOA rats by upregulating Sirt1 expression and downregulating FoxO1 acetylation levels.
Bone echinococcosis is usually caused by Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis. People become infected when they eat food or water contaminated with the eggs. Treatment of bone echinococcosis usually includes surgery and medication, but the lengthy and costly treatment imposes a heavy burden on patients. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are known to be involved in a variety of biological processes and host-host interactions, including development, cell growth and death, lifespan-related target regulation, transcription, signal transduction, and cell motility, which will help us find new strategies and targets for the treatment and control of osteonechoconiosis. For further understanding of bone echinococcosis, it is important to understand the molecular basis of E. multilocularis development in both final and intermediate hosts. The miRNA found in E. granulosus and E. multilocularis have gene and developmental stage specificity in their respective host expression regulation. In this review paper, the progress of research on miRNA as a novel diagnostic marker for osteoblastic echinococcosis is reviewed.
Objective:To explore the mechanism of action of Coptis chinensis in the treatment of dental caries using a network pharmacology approach and animal experiments. Methods:The active ingredients of C. chinensis and their targets were screened by the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology (TCMSP) database and analysis platform, and the targets were searched online through the GeneCards database. The intersecting targets of C. chinensis and dental caries were screened at Venny 2.1, and the intersection targets were analyzed online for protein-protein interaction analysis and gene ontology (GO) and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomics (KEGG) enrichment. Then, Cytoscape was used to create a "component-target-pathway" network diagram. Rats were randomly divided into the model group and the C. chinensis group to establish a rat model of dental caries. Rats in the model group were repeatedly rubbed with a cotton ball soaked in 150 μl of 0.9% NaCl solution for 5 min, and rats in the C. chinensis group were repeatedly rubbed with a cotton ball soaked in C. chinensis (5.8 mg of C. chinensis in 150 μl of 0.9% NaCl solution) for 5 min. The two groups of rats were treated once a week for four consecutive weeks. The number of Streptococcus mutans colonies was counted, and serum serine/threonine protein kinase 1 (AKT1), JUN, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) were detected by enzyme immunoassay. Results:A total of 11 active ingredients in C. chinensis were found, which regulate multiple molecular pathways by intervening in 54 targets, thereby treating dental caries. Quercetin, berberine, flavodoxin, berberine infusion, and tetrahydroberberine were the core components, and AKT1, JUN, IL-6, TNF, and Bcl-2 were the core targets. GO analysis showed that BP mainly included cytokine activity, signaling receptor activator activity, signaling receptor modulator activity, cytokine receptor binding, and receptor ligand activity, etc.; and CC mainly included the response to lipopolysaccharides, the response to bacterial molecules, cellular responses to lipids, inflammatory responses, and negative regulation of cell population proliferation; MF mainly includes membrane rafts, membrane microregions, extracellular matrix, external encapsulated structures, and plasma membrane protein complexes, etc. KEGG analysis showed that advanced glycosylation end product-receptor for advanced glycosylation end products (AGE-RAGE), TNF, IL-17, Toll-like receptor, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathways have been associated with C. chinensis treatment. The results of animal experiments showed that serum Bcl-2 protein expression increased and serum AKT1, JUN, IL-6, TNF, and other proteins decreased after the C. chinensis treatment. Conclusions:C. chinensis can be involved in regulating the targets of dental caries through multiple pathways, with good therapeutic effects and a wide range of mechanisms of action, and is expected to be an important component in the development of proprietary Chinese medicines for the treatment of dental caries.
Objective:To analyze the patterns of intercellular communication in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) by single-cell nuclear transcriptome sequencing.Methods:Bilateral asymmetrical lesions mouth orbicular muscle of two patients with FSHD and mouth orbicular muscle of two healthy patients were selected. Six samples were obtained, and were divided into control group, mild group and severe group. The normal orbicularis muscle sample was collected from 2 healthy individuals (the control group). The muscle samples in the mild group were from two patients with relatively normal muscle sides, and the samples in the severe group were from two patients with more severe muscle damage sides. Single-cell nuclear transcriptome sequencing was performed on all cells of the three groups. Reduced dimension clustering and cell definition were performed to identify differentially expressed genes and enrichment pathways. Intercellular communication patterns among major cell types and key signaling pathways were explored by cellular communication analysis.Results:Differential gene expression analysis of FSHD bilateral muscle samples identified 46 functionally differentially expressed genes associated with the disease in different cell types, related to apoptosis, oxidative stress, immune inflammation, and muscle function. Intercellular communication was generally increased in the severe group. Fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) and macrophages are important signaling sources in the abnormal muscle microenvironment of FSHD and are closely associated with disease progression. There are six unique signaling pathways in the mild group, including bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), CXC motif chemokine ligand (CXCL), adhesion G protein-coupled receptor E5 (ADGRE5), interleukin-16 (IL-16), and wingless-type MMTV integration site family (WNT) signaling pathways. These signaling pathways are mainly involved in the interaction between macrophages, FAPs, and adipocytes and may be involved in the regulation of fat deposition and fibrosis changes in the diseased muscle.Conclusions:Single-cell nuclear transcriptome sequencing provides a relatively comprehensive pattern of intercellular communication between key cell types in FSHD, providing an appropriate reference for understanding the intercellular regulatory mechanisms of the FSHD muscle microenvironment.
