p-coumaric acid (p-CA), a common plant phenolic acid with multiple bioactivities, has a lipid-lowering effect. As a dietary polyphenol, its low toxicity, with the advantages of prophylactic and long-term administration, makes it a potential drug for prophylaxis and the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the mechanism by which it regulates lipid metabolism is still unclear. In this study, we studied the effect of p-CA on the down-regulation of accumulated lipids in vivo and in vitro. p-CA increased a number of lipase expressions, including hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) and hepatic triglyceride lipase (HTGL), as well as the expression of genes related to fatty acid oxidation, including long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (ACSL1), carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT1), by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, and γ (PPARα and γ). Furthermore, p-CA promoted adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and enhanced the expression of the mammalian suppressor of Sec4 (MSS4), a critical protein that can inhibit lipid droplet growth. Thus, p-CA can decrease lipid accumulation and inhibit lipid droplet fusion, which are correlated with the enhancement of liver lipases and genes related to fatty acid oxidation as an activator of PPARs. Therefore, p-CA is capable of regulating lipid metabolism and is a potential therapeutic drug or health care product for hyperlipidemia and fatty liver.

The effects of Jingui Shenqi Pills(Jingui) and Liuwei Dihuang Pills(Liuwei) which respectively tonify kidney Yang and kidney Yin on brain function have attracted great attention, while the differences of protein expression regulated by Jingui and Liuwei remain to be studied. This study explored the difference of protein expression profiles in the hippocampi of mice orally administrated with the two drugs for 7 days. The protein expression was quantified using LC-MS/MS. The results showed that among the 5 860 proteins tested, 151, 282 and 75 proteins responded to Jingui alone, Liuwei alone, and both drugs, respectively. The ratio of up-regulated proteins to down-regulated proteins was 1.627 in Jingui group while only 0.56 in Liuwei group. The proteins up-regulated by Jingui were mainly involved in membrane transport, synaptic vesicle cycle, serotonergic synapse, dopaminergic synapse and so on, suggesting that Jingui may play a role in promoting the transport of neurotransmitter in the nervous system. The proteins down-regulated by Liuwei were mainly involved in membrane transport, synapse, ion transport(potassium and sodium transport), neurotransmitter transport, innate and acquired immune responses, complement activation, inflammatory response, etc. In particular, Liuwei showed obvious down-regulation effect on the members of solute carrier(SLC) superfamily, which suggested that Liuwei had potential inhibitory effect on membrane excitation and transport. Finally, consistent results were obtained in the normal mouse and the mouse model with corticosterone-induced depressive-like behavior. This study provides an experimental basis for understanding the effect of Jingui and Liuwei on brain function from protein network.

一直以来对中医学与当代自然科学的关系存在着争论.对于中医学这种临床具有强大生命力的学科,从历史发展的角度对其进行分析定位,对于全面深入认识与发展中医学具有重要意义.为此,我们从西方自然哲学-自然科学的发展角度来探讨中医学的历史定位,从中获得对中医学的理性认识,为中医药学科的发展提供哲学和科学依据.结果表明:①从探讨自然运行规律来看,中医学属于科学范畴;②从历史角度来看,中医学应属于自然哲学下,与由数理实验科学发展而来的自然科学并列;③"形而上学-辨证论治-信息反馈修正"是其理论形成的主要闭环模式,并以此确保了这种形而上学与临床诊疗紧密结合在防治疾病上的可行性和可确证性;④对中医学的研究应该既不同于自然哲学也不同于自然科学;⑤坚持科学自觉和哲学自觉是研究发展中医学的重要治学态度.

目的 观察太子参多糖(总多糖)、葛根淫羊藿总黄酮(总黄酮)及其复合物对小鼠脑蛋白质组学的影响,探讨其神经细胞网络调控的潜在机理.方法 给正常小鼠分别灌胃太子参多糖(400 mg·kg-1)、葛根淫羊藿总黄酮(400 mg·kg-1)及其二者复合物(800 mg·kg-1),连续给药7天,第7天最后1次给药后1 h,处死动物,取脑.提取蛋白,利用LC/MS-MS测试蛋白表达的变化.通过DAVID数据库分析变化蛋白的功能及信号通路,STRING数据库分析变化蛋白的相互作用及其网络关系.结果 在所测试的5567个蛋白中,以上调蛋白占比较高,其中主要是线粒体的基因受到调控.总多糖、总黄酮及其复合物都上调的蛋白有8个,作用于线粒体的不同环节,提示该复合物抗抑郁作用的靶点主要在线粒体.太子参多糖的调控线粒体相关蛋白的作用揭示了其潜在的神经精神方面的药理作用.除此,还发现各有效部位调控蛋白的数量明显多于复合物,提示药物复合作用的复杂性.结论 总多糖、总黄酮及其复合物可以作用于脑神经元,并且主要以线粒体为主要靶点.该研究为相关中药调控神经精神功能活动提供了重要的蛋白线索及其实验依据.

Abstract Cisplatin (CP), an anticancer drug, often causes kidney damage. However, the mechanism of CP‐induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is not completely understood. AKI was induced by intravenous injection (i.v.) of cisplatin at doses of 5, 8, and 10 mg/kg. Anemoside B4 (B4) (20 mg/kg, i.m.) and dexamethasone (DXM) (0.5 mg/kg, i.v.) were used for AKI treatment. Biochemical indicators were assessed using an automatic biochemical analyzer, protein expression was analyzed by western blotting, and morphological changes in the kidney were examined by PAS staining. The serum creatinine (Cre) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels did not change significantly in the first 2 days but abruptly increased on the third day after CP injection. The serum albumin (ALB) and total protein (TP) levels decreased in both a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. The urine protein level increased, the clearing rate of Cre decreased distinctly, and morphologic changes appeared in a dose‐dependent manner. The protein expression of p53/caspase‐3, NLRP3, IL‐6, and TNF‐α was obviously upregulated on day 3; concurrently, nephrin and podocin were downregulated. The expression of LC3II and p62 was upregulated significantly as the CP dose increased. B4 and DXM obviously decreased the BUN and Cre levels after 3 or 5 days of treatment. AKI appeared distinctly in a time‐dependent manner at 2 to 5 days after the administration of 5 mg/kg CP and in a dose‐dependent manner upon the administration of 5, 8, and 10 mg/kg CP. The third day was a significant time point for renal deterioration, and treatment with B4 and DXM within the first 3 days provided significant protection against AKI.

Context Dexamethasone (DXM) has an anti-immunoinflammatory effect, and is often used in acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the effects of DXM on albumin (ALB) have not been fully studied. Objective To investigate the effects of DXM on ALB production and renal function. Materials and methods Male Wistar rats were divided into normal and DXM groups (0.25, 0.5, 1 mg/kg for 5 days) (n = 15) for a dose-dependent study. Rats were divided into normal group and DXM groups (0.5 mg/kg for 3, 5, 7 days) (n = 9) for a time-dependent study. In AKI experiment, rats were divided into normal (saline), cisplatin (CP, 5 mg/kg, i.v.), CP + DXM groups (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg, i.m.) (n = 16). The blood and the organs were isolated for analysis. Results In normal, serum ALB (sALB) and serum total protein (sTP) increased in DXM group with sALB increased 19.8-32.2% (from small to large dosages); and 30.2-32.5.6% (from 3 to 7 days of DXM); sTP 15.7-22.6% and 14.2-24.3%; urine ALB (uALB) 31.5-392.3%, and 1047.2-1390.8%; urine TP (uTP) 0.68-173.1% and 98.0-504.9%, compared with normal groups. DXM increased the mRNA expression of Cebp and Hnf, suppressing podocin. In AKI, DXM decreased serum BUN (53.7%), serum Cre (73.4%), sALB (30.0%), sTP (18.7%), uALB (74.5%), uTP (449.3%), rescuing the suppressed podocin in kidney. Conclusions DXM acts on Cebp and Hnf and promotes ALB production. This finding helps to evaluate the rationale of DXM for kidney injury.

Adenine is commonly used to establish the animal models for chronic kidney injury and its renal interstitial fibrosis.As an endogenous substance,adenine-induced kidney damage has not yet been fully studied and elucidated,except for inflammatory reaction.Here we analyzed the proteomics of kidney of rats after adenine overloading using LS-MS/MS assay,and observed the role of anemoside B4 (B4).The results showed that adenine could down-regulate 285 proteins and up-regulate 164 proteins in rat kidney tissue compared with the normal group.Down-regulated proteins mainly affected related pathways,such as energy metabolism,while up-regulated proteins affected inflammatory response pathways and metabolic pathways.B4 could significantly reverse the down-regulation of about 40 proteins,which were involved in mitochondria,redox processes,extracellular exosomes,acetylation and other signaling pathways.Simultaneously,B4 could inhibit the up-regulation of five proteins caused by adenine,which were involved in cell cycle,oocyte meiosis,PI3K-Akt and other signaling pathways.Further experimental results of mRNA expression using real-time PCR assay supported the proteomic analysis.Therefore,we proposed that the damage of rat kidney caused by adenine was more complicated,not only with an inflammatory reaction,but also with extensive effects to various metabolic processes in the body.This work provided a valuable clue for comprehensive understanding of adenine-induced renal damage.

科学哲学发展过程中的"证实"和"证伪"方法论,从一个问题的两个方面认证理论假说的科学性.我们可以从中得到启示:在中医药科学实验中不仅仅需要证实,还需要证伪.而后者对于一个实验假说的确证更重要.本文对此进行了讨论.结果表明一个实验设计的受试部分属于"证实"的相关内容,其余则属于"证伪"的范畴,即所谓的"对照"(Control).证伪设计的充分与否直接关系到证实部分结果的确证性,也就是关系到实验假说的正确性.证伪对照设计的多少取决于该实验假设全称逻辑表述中内涵的多少.证伪属性的对照越充分,实验假设理论的检验也越确证.充分认识这些对于中医药科学实验设计水平的提高有积极的意义.

Chronic corticosterone (CORT) stress is an anxiety and depression inducing factor that involves the dysfunction of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neuronal plasticity. However, the regulation of proteomic profiles in neurons suffering CORT stress is remaining elusive. Thus, the proteomic profiles of mouse neuronal C17.2 stem cells were comprehensively investigated by TMT (tandem mass tag)-labeling quantitative proteomics. The quantitative proteomics conjugated gene ontology analysis revealed the inhibitory effect of CORT on the expression of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation-related proteins, which can be antagonized by berberine (BBR) treatment. In addition, animal studies showed that changes in mitochondria by CORT can affect neuropsychiatric activities and disturb the physiological functions of neurons via disordering mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Thus, the mitochondrial energy metabolism can be considered as one of the major mechanism underlying CORT-mediated depression. Since CORT is important for depression after traumatic stress disorder, our study will shed light on the prevention and treatment of depression as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Insulin injection relies on strict blood glucose monitoring. However, existing techniques and algorithms for blood glucose monitoring cannot be completed in a timely way. In this study, we have developed a new intelligent glucose-sensitive insulin delivery system to stabilize blood glucose levels in the body. This system does not require real-time detection of blood glucose. First, we successfully synthesized a nanoscale material called PAM-PAspPBA-b-PEG by using chemical methods. We then conducted TEM, DLS, and 1H-NMR analyses to characterize the physicochemical properties, such as size, molecular composition, and configuration of the nanomaterial. We verified the glucose responsibility of the insulin loading nanoscale material in vitro and evaluated its safety and effect on mice in vivo. Results showed that insulin-loaded PAM-PAspPBA-b-PEG is glucose-sensitive, safer and more effective than regular insulin injection. This study provides a basis for future development of smart insulin delivery systems.

Canagliflozin (CAN) regulates intracellular glucose metabolism by targeting sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) and intracellular glucose metabolism affects inflammation. In this study, we hypothesized that CAN might exert anti-inflammatory effects. The anti-inflammatory effects and action mechanisms of CAN were assayed in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 and THP-1 cells and NIH mice. Results showed that CAN significantly inhibited the production and release of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the LPS-induced RAW264.7 and THP-1 cells, and mice. CAN also significantly inhibited intracellular glucose metabolism and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase (PFK2) expression. CAN increased the levels of sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1/p62), upregulated the ratios of microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) II to I, promoted the formation of LC3 puncta, and enhanced the activities of lysosome. The inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) reversed the effects of CAN on IL-1α levels. Increased autophagy might be associated with increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation. Interestingly, p62 demonstrated good co-localization with IL-1α and possibly mediated IL-1α degradation. CAN-induced increase in p62 was dependent on the nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) signaling pathway. These results indicated that CAN might exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting intracellular glucose metabolism and promoting autophagy. Attenuated glucose metabolism by PFK2, increased autophagy flow by AMPK, and increased p62 levels by NFκB might be responsible for the molecular mechanisms of CAN. This drug might serve as a new promising anti-inflammatory drug for acute or chronic inflammatory diseases via independent hypoglycemic mechanisms. This drug might also be used as an important reference for similar drug research and development by targeting intracellular glucose metabolism and autophagy in immune cells.

Obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are highly prevalent and cause numerous metabolic diseases. However, drugs for the prevention and treatment of obesity and NAFLD remain unavailable. In this study, we investigated the effects of mogrosides (luo han guo, LH) in Siraitia grosvenorii saponins on high-fat-diet-induced obesity and NAFLD in mice. We found that compared with the negative control, LH reduced body and liver weight. LH also decreased fat accumulation and increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation (pAMPK) levels in mouse livers. We also found that high-purity mogroside V upregulated pAMPK expression in HepG2 cells. In addition, high-purity mogroside V inhibited reactive oxygen species production and upregulated sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1, p62) expression in THP-1 cells. These results suggest that LH may affect obesity and NAFLD by enhancing fat metabolism and antioxidative defenses. Mogroside V may be a main component of LH. However, the exact molecular mechanisms and active components responsible for the inhibitory effects of LH on obesity and NAFLD require further investigation.

Cerebral ischemia has higher incidence and causes irreversible damage to people.As a traditional drug for anti-inflammation,berberine (BBR) has recently been reported to have protective effect against cerebral ischemia.However,the mechanism has not been explored thoroughly.By employing in vivo and in vitro models for cerebral ischemia and reperfusion,we studied the mechanism of BBR against the ischemia-reperfusion.We found that BBR regulated the expression ofperoxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ) in a specific way upon ischemia-reperfusion injury.BBR enhanced the PPARγ expression during cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.By inhibiting PPARγ activity uisng GW9662,a PPARγ inhibitor,we confirmed that BBR protected the mouse brain against the ischemia in a PPARγ-dependent mechanism.In addition,we found that BBR reduced the overall global methylation,declined the expressions of DNMT 1 (DNA methyltransferases 1) and DNMT3a (DNA methyltransferases 3a) in the ischemia-reperfusion and reduced the methylation of PPARγ promoter region.Therefore,our data suggested that PPARγ was one of major targets of BBR,and such BBR-induced PPARγ expression during cerebral ischemia and reperfusion might be correlated to the reduced methylation of PPARγ promoter.

Berberine (BBR) has a variety of pharmacological activities.Studies have reported that BBR not only reduces heat stress-induced fever but also inhibits lower body temperatures due to cold stress.Heat stress can be reduced via BBR treatment,which antagonizes HSP70-TNFα to regulate the body temperature alteration.In cold stress,however,the molecular mechanism of BBR-induced inhibition of hypothermia remains unclear.Therefore,we studied whether BBR promoted uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1,a crucial protein of thermogenesis) expression and its mechanism under cold stress.Wild type mice and Ucp1-/ mice were used for the in vivo experiments,and primary brown adipocytes and brown adipocytes HIB-1B were used for the in vitro studies.The cold stress was set at 4 ℃.The results showed that at 4 ℃C,the body temperature of mice was decreased.BBR effectively inhibited this hypothermia.Simultaneously,Ucp1 expression in brown adipose tissue (BAT) cells was significantly increased,and BBR promoted Ucp1 expression.However,in Ucp1-knockout mice,the effect of BBR on hypothermia disappeared during cold stress,indicating that the main target for BBR regulation of body temperature was Ucp1.Further studies showed that the transcriptional response element NFE2 (nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2) in the upstream of the Ucp1 promoter region contributed to the positive regulatory role on Ucp1 expression at lower temperature.BBR could bind to the sequence of NFE2 response element in a temperature-dependent manner.Increased affinity of BBR binding to NFE2 response element in cold stress significantly strengthened and enhanced the expression of Ucp1.This work was important for understanding the role of BBR on thermogenesis in BAT,body temperature regulation and temperature tolerance under cold conditions.

Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin-8 (TRPM8) reportedly plays a fundamental role in a variety of processes including cold sensation, thermoregulation, pain transduction and tumorigenesis. However, the role of TRPM8 in inflammation under cold conditions is not well known. Since cooling allows the convergence of primary injury and injury-induced inflammation, we hypothesized that the mechanism of the protective effects of cooling might be related to TRPM8. We therefore investigated the involvement of TRPM8 activation in the regulation of inflammatory cytokines. The results showed that TRPM8 expression in the mouse hypothalamus was upregulated when the ambient temperature decreased; simultaneously, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) was downregulated. The inhibitory effect of TRPM8 on TNFα was mediated by nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). Specifically, cold stress stimulated the expression of TRPM8, which promoted the interaction of TRPM8 and NFκB, thereby suppressing NFκB nuclear localization. This suppression consequently led to the inhibition of TNFα gene transcription. The present data suggest a possible theoretical foundation for the anti-inflammatory role of TRPM8 activation, providing an experimental basis that could contribute to the advancement of cooling therapy for trauma patients.

Berberine (BBR) is known as a classic drug for intestinal infection treatment.BBR inhibits intestinal bacteria,which is the core of its role in the treatment of intestinal infection.With the survival of local intestinal bacteria and its related metabolites on the physiological and pathological functions of the body continue to recognize the impact of it,more and more literatures have presented the effect of BBR through the impact of intestinal bacteria on the body glycol-lipid metabolism,even brain function.This allows us to re-understand the pathophysiology of BBR in inhibiting gut microbiome.In this paper,the antibacterial activity of BBR was reviewed and analyzed.The possible molecular target of BBR was analyzed according to the characteristics of prokaryotes gene expression,which was helpful to the in-depth study of BBR on intestinal bacteria.Thus,a more comprehensive understanding of the pharmacological effects of BBR is given.

After being studied for approximately a century, berberine (BBR) has been found to act on various targets and pathways. A great challenge in the pharmacological analysis of BBR at present is to identify which target(s) plays a decisive role. In the study described herein, a rescue experiment was designed to show the important role of mitochondria in BBR activity. A toxic dose of BBR was applied to inhibit cell proliferation and mitochondrial activity, then α-ketobutyrate (AKB), an analogue of pyruvate that serves only as an electron receptor of NADH, was proven to partially restore cell proliferation. However, mitochondrial morphology damage and TCA cycle suppression were not recovered by AKB. As the AKB just help to regenerate NAD+, which is make up for part function of mitochondrial, the recovered cell proliferation stands for the contribution of mitochondria to the activity of BBR. Our results also indicate that BBR suppresses tumour growth and reduces energy charge and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in a HepG2 xenograft model. In summary, our study suggests that mitochondria play an important role in BBR activity regarding tumour cell proliferation and metabolism.

Pomegranate leaf (PGL) has a definite role in regulating lipid metabolism. However, pharmacokinetic results show the main active ingredient, ellagic acid, in PGL has lower oral bioavailability, suggesting that the lipid-lowering effect of PGL may act through inhibiting lipid absorption in the small intestine. Our results demonstrated that pomegranate leaf and its main active ingredients (i.e., ellagic acid, gallic acid, pyrogallic acid and tannic acid) were capable of inhibiting pancreatic lipase activity in vitro. In computational molecular docking, the four ingredients had good affinity for pancreatic lipase. Acute lipid overload experiments showed that a large dosage of PGL significantly reduced serum total cholesterol (TG) and triglycerides (TC) levels in addition to inhibiting intestinal lipase activity, which demonstrated that PGL could inhibit lipase activity and reduce the absorption of lipids. We also found that PGL could reverse the reduced tight-junction protein expression due to intestinal lipid overload, promote Occludin and Claudin4 expression in the small intestine, and enhance the intestinal mucosal barrier. In conclusion, we demonstrated that PGL can inhibit lipid absorption and reduce blood TG and TC by targeting pancreatic lipase, promoting tight-junction protein expression and thereby preventing intestinal mucosa damage from an overload of lipids in the intestine.