Genome Sequence Resource of Fusarium proliferatum f. sp. malus domestica MR5, the Causative Agent of Apple Replant Disease

Apple replant disease (ARD) caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium proliferatum f. sp. malus domestica (Fpmd) MR5 brings annual losses to apple production within China. However, the genomic information of the pathogen is not yet available. Here, we obtained the whole-genome sequence of the highly virulent Fpmd MR5 using the Illumina PE150 platform. The genome size was 42.76 Mb and consisted of 9,047 genes. The GC content was 48.80%, and several genes potentially associated with pathogenicity were identified, such as carbohydrate-active enzymes, secreted proteins, and secondary metabolite gene clusters. There were 260 specific virulence factor genes, mainly related to fungal vegetative growth and the production of cell wall-degrading enzymes. These data will aid future studies investigating host-pathogen interactions and help us develop suitable disease management strategies.

Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals candidate genes for seasonal breeding in the male Lion-Head goose

1. Due to seasonal breeding, geese breeds from Southern China have low egg yield. The genetic makeup underlying performance of local breeds is largely unknown, and few studies have investigated this problem. This study integrated 21 newly generated and 50 publicly existing RNA-seq libraries, representing the hypothalamus, pituitary and testis, to identify candidate genes and importantly related pathways associated with seasonal breeding in male Lion-Head geese.2. In total, 19, 119 and 302 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the hypothalamus, pituitary and testis, respectively, of male Lion-Head geese between non-breeding and breeding periods. These genes were significantly involved in the neuropeptide signalling pathway, gland development, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, JAK-STAT signalling pathway, cAMP signalling pathway, PI3K-Akt signalling pathway and Foxo signalling pathway.3. By integrating another 50 RNA-seq samples 4, 18 and 40 promising DEGs were confirmed in hypothalamus, pituitary and testis, respectively.4. HOX genes were identified as having important roles in the development of testis between non-breeding and breeding periods of male Lion-Head geese.

Specific nanoantibiotics for selective removal of antibiotic-resistant bacteria: New insights in bacterial imprinting based on interfacial biomimetic mineralization

Antibiotic resistance has been a worsening global concern and selective elimination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) while retaining the co-existed beneficial bacteria has been essential in environmental protection, which having attracted considerable interest. In this work, by integrating the whole cell imprinting and epitope imprinting strategy, magnetic bacterial imprinted polymers (BIPs) towards ARB were synthesized with interfacial biomimetic mineralization followed by a screening process. The binding data showed that the BIPs owned highly specific affinity towards the target bacteria. Taking advantage of this specific binding ability of BIPs, a two-step selective antimicrobial approach was developed. Remarkably, the BIP nanoantibiotics (nAbts) could efficiently destroy ARB without harming the beneficial bacteria. In comparison with the non-bacterial imprinted polymers, the biocompatible BIP nAbts showed a 12.5-fold increase in the survival percentage for the beneficial bacteria in wastewater. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that bacterial imprinting via interfacial biomimetic mineralization was developed, and also the first report of killing ARB without harming the beneficial bacteria in wastewater. We believe that this strategy provides a new insight into the design of novel affinity materials for the selective elimination of ARB in biological treatment for environmental protection.

CircSUCO promotes proliferation and differentiation of chicken skeletal muscle satellite cells via sponging miR-15

1. In a previous high-throughput sequencing study, a novel circular RNA (circRNA) generated from a SUN domain containing ossification factor (SUCO) gene transcript (circSUCO) was differentially expressed during the embryonic muscle development. This study aimed to further explore the effect of circSUCO on chicken skeletal muscle development.2. The experiment analysed the expression patterns of circSUCO in Tianfu broilers and clarified its function in the chicken skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSC) after circSUCO knockdown. The qPCR results showed circSUCO was highly expressed in skeletal muscle and has different expression levels during various development periods.3. Mechanistically, a series of in vitro experiments showed that circSUCO interference suppressed proliferation and differentiation of SMSC. In addition, it was observed that circSUCO competitively binds with microRNAs such as miR-15a, miR-15b-5p, and miR-15c-5p according to the dual-luciferase assay and qPCR.4. Correlation was positive between the circSUCO expression level and the ratio of the breast muscle. The results revealed that circSUCO could play a positive role in proliferation and differentiation of SMSC via sponging miR-15a, miR-15b-5p, and miR-15c-5p, hence, may contribute to skeletal muscle development in chicken.

Integrated analysis of long non-coding RNAs and mRNA expression profiles identified potential interactions regulating melanogenesis in chicken skin

1. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in various physiological functions. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of lncRNAs in melanogenesis remain unclear. To determine the molecular mechanisms involved in skin melanogenesis, the present study depicted the expression profiles of lncRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in black- (B group) and white- (W group) skinned chickens using RNA sequencing.2. In total, 373 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs; 203 up-regulated and 170 down-regulated) and 253 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; 152 up-regulated and 101 down-regulated) were identified between the B and W groups. A total of eight known melanogenesis-related genes were identified (KIT, TYRP1, DCT (TYRP2), SLC45A2, OCA2, EDNRB2, TRPM1 and RAB38).3. Functional annotation of the co-expressed DEGs and DELs was performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. The co-expressed DEGs were mainly involved in melanogenesis and the co-expressed genes of 117 and 108 DELs were significantly enriched in the melanogenesis and tyrosine metabolism pathways, respectively.4. The DEL-DEG interaction network revealed that three lncRNAs (XR_003072387.1, XR_003075112.1, and XR_003077033.1) and DCT genes may have key roles in regulating melanogenesis in chicken skin. This data provides the groundwork for studying the lncRNA regulatory mechanisms of skin melanogenesis and suggested a new perspective on the modulation of melanogenesis in chicken skin based on a lncRNA-mRNA causal regulatory network.

Synthesis of molecularly-imprinted polymers towards a group of amphetamine-type stimulants by reflux precipitation polymerization with a pseudo template

Determination of amphetamine-type drugs (ATSs) in urine and wastewater is a simplified approach for the widespread monitoring of ATSs abuse. To improve the sensitivity of the analytical methods, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) based solid-phase extraction (SPE) pretreatment attracted great attention in this field. Generally, smaller particle sizes and more uniform morphology of the MIPs could provide higher detection sensitivity. Our previous works showed reflux precipitation polymerization (RPP) is a method for synthesizing monodispersed MIPs with small particle size. However, synthesis of uniform spherical MIPs towards a group of targets has never been reported. Therefore, in the present work, MIPs towards a group of ATSs were synthesized via RPP with a pseudo template for the first time. After screening potential pseudo-templates, N-methylphenylethylamine (MPEA) was selected as the optimal pseudo-template. MPEA-MIPs were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), FT-IR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. Adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics and selectivity were evaluated, and the experimental results indicated that the MPEA-MIPs possessed good selectivity and adsorption property towards ATSs. After optimization of the MIP-SPE procedure, the MIP-SPE cartridges were then coupled with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for determination of ATSs. The evaluation results showed that MIP-SPE-LC-MS/MS displayed good linearity (R² >0.991) in the linear range (1.0-50.0 µg/L for urine and 0.5-50.0 µg/L for wastewater), and low matrix effect (85-112%). The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.05 -0.29 µg/L, and the accuracy (85-115%) and repeatability (RSD ≤ 15%) were satisfactory at low, medium and high concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that dummy MIPs towards a group of ATSs were synthesized by RPP polymerization, which showed great potential for the detection of ATSs in urine and wastewater.

Creep Behavior of A356 Aluminum Alloy Reinforced with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Stir Casting

Lightweight aluminum alloy components are often used to manufacture a variety of engineering components in many industries. In recent years, researchers have studied the effect of improving the mechanical properties of metal alloys by incorporating nano-carbon into its structure. In this study, the effect of the addition of 0.2, 0.5, and 1 wt% of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the stress-strain behavior and creep phenomenon of an A356 aluminum alloy were studied. The effect of nickel coating on 0.2 wt% MWCNTs was also investigated. Samples were prepared using the stir-casting method. The results revealed that the grain size became finer when MWCNT nano-particulates were introduced. Although the MWCNTs were distributed homogeneously in the A356 matrix, as confirmed by FESEM analysis, there were some agglomerations observed in a specific area with dimensions smaller than 100 nm. Nevertheless, the addition of MWCNTs was found to be beneficial in enhancing the hardness of alloys containing 0.2 wt%, 0.2 wt% nickel-coated, 0.5 wt%, and 1 wt% MWCNTs by 9%, 24%, 32%, and 15%, respectively, as compared with the unreinforced A345 matrix. It was also found that the 0.5 wt% MWCNT-A356 matrix exhibited an improvement in the creep lifetime by more than two orders of magnitude.

Functional network properties derived from wide-field calcium imaging differ with wakefulness and across cell type

To improve 'bench-to-bedside' translation, it is integral that knowledge flows bidirectionally-from animal models to humans, and vice versa. This requires common analytical frameworks, as well as open software and data sharing practices. We share a new pipeline (and test dataset) for the preprocessing of wide-field optical fluorescence imaging data-an emerging mode applicable in animal models-as well as results from a functional connectivity and graph theory analysis inspired by recent work in the human neuroimaging field. The approach is demonstrated using a dataset comprised of two test-cases: (1) data from animals imaged during awake and anesthetized conditions with excitatory neurons labeled, and (2) data from awake animals with different genetically encoded fluorescent labels that target either excitatory neurons or inhibitory interneuron subtypes. Both seed-based connectivity and graph theory measures (global efficiency, transitivity, modularity, and characteristic path-length) are shown to be useful in quantifying differences between wakefulness states and cell populations. Wakefulness state and cell type show widespread effects on canonical network connectivity with variable frequency band dependence. Differences between excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons are observed, with somatostatin expressing inhibitory interneurons emerging as notably dissimilar from parvalbumin and vasoactive polypeptide expressing cells. In sum, we demonstrate that our pipeline can be used to examine brain state and cell-type differences in mesoscale imaging data, aiding translational neuroscience efforts. In line with open science practices, we freely release the pipeline and data to encourage other efforts in the community.

[Impact and mechanism of CHL1 in insulin resistant adipocytes and insulin resistant mouse model induced by high glucose and high fat]

Objective: To investigate the role and mechanism of cell adhesion molecule L1 like (CHL1) in insulin resistant adipocytes and insulin resistant mouse model induced by high glucose and high fat. Methods: The 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were randomly divided into control group (transfected with empty vector) and CHL1 overexpression group (transfected with CHL1 vector), cells were then induced to mature adipocytes by insulin, and insulin resistance was then induced by high sugar and high fat. The glucose content was measured to determine the glucose consumption of cells from the two groups. Protein expression levels of CHL1 and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), serine/threonine protein kinase (AKT) phosphorylation levels were detected by Western blot (WB), the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were detected by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). 24 C57BL/6 adult male mouse were randomly divided into conventional diet group (regular group), high-fat diet group (high-fat group), empty vector overexpression+high-fat group and CHL1 overexpression+high-fat group (n=6 each group). CHL1 overexpression was induced by tail vein injection of lentivirus. Four months later, mice were sacrificed, body weight was determined, and the epididymal white adipose tissue was collect. Hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) was used to observe the pathology of mouse epididymal white adipose tissue, the expression of CHL1 was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining(IHC), RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of CHL1, TNF-α and IL-6 in mouse epididymal white adipose tissue. Results: In vitro, glucose consumption was significantly higher in the CHL1 overexpression group than in the control group (P<0.05), and the protein expressions of CHL1 and GLUT4 were higher in the CHL1 overexpression group than those in the control group (P<0.01), and the mRNA expressions levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were lower in the CHL1 overexpression group than those in the control group (P<0.01). In vivo, the body weight and epididymal white adipose tissue of mouse were higher in the high-fat group and the empty vector overexpression+high-fat group than those in the conventional group (P<0.01), which were lower in the CHL1 overexpression+high fat group than in the empty vector overexpression+high fat group (P<0.01). HE results showed that the volume of epididymal white adipocytes was larger in the high-fat group and the overexpression control+high-fat group than that in the conventional group, which was smaller in the CHL1 overexpression+high fat group than in the empty vector overexpression+high fat group (P<0.01). The mRNA expression levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in epididymal white adipose tissue of mice were higher in the high-fat group and the empty vector overexpression+high-fat group than those in the conventional group (P<0.01), which were lower in the CHL1 overexpression+high fat group than in the empty vector overexpression+high fat group (P<0.05). IHC results showed that protein expression of CHL1 in epididymal white adipose tissue was lower in the high-fat group and the empty vector overexpression+high-fat group than in regular group, which was upregulated in the CHL1 overexpression+high fat group than in the empty vector overexpression+high-fat group (P<0.01). RT-qPCR results showed that mRNA expression of CHL1 in epididymal white adipose tissue was lower in the high-fat group and the empty vector overexpression+high-fat group than in regular group (P<0.01), which was higher in the CHL1 overexpression+high fat group than in the empty vector overexpression+high fat group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Overexpression of CHL1 can improve insulin resistance in adipocytes and mouse insulin resistance model induced by high glucose and high fat, and the beneficial effects might be mediated by the inhibition of AKT activation and the reduction of related inflammatory responses.

Long-term use of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei N1115 from early life alleviates high-fat-diet-induced obesity and dysmetabolism in mice

Obesity has become one of the most serious public health problems worldwide, and an increasing number of studies indicate that the gut microbiota can affect host metabolism. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate whether long-term use of probiotics can alleviate host obesity and metabolism by altering gut microbiota. The high-fat diet (HFD) starting from weaned period led to higher levels of visceral fat and a significantly heavier liver in male mice. Moreover, HFD resulted in disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism, changes in insulin-resistance indices (IR), and an increase in serum insulin and leptin in mice. Of note, 15 weeks use of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei N1115 decreased visceral fat, liver weight, serum levels of insulin and leptin, and IR and alleviated lipid dysmetabolism. HFD resulted in a significant increase in the relative abundance of Bilophila, Lachnoclostridium, and Blautia and may decrease the faecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels in mice; in turn, treatment with the potential probiotic strain L. paracasei N1115 protected mice from these negative effects. HFD significant impaired the physiology of the host especially in male mice and dramatically changed the composition of host gut microbiota. However, the use of potential probiotic strain, such as L. paracasei N1115, may prevent these impairments due to HFD via effecting the host gut microbiota and SCFA.

Preparation and Application of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Flavonoids: Review and Perspective

The separation and detection of flavonoids from various natural products have attracted increasing attention in the field of natural product research and development. Depending on the high specificity of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), MIPs are proposed as efficient adsorbents for the selective extraction and separation of flavonoids from complex samples. At present, a comprehensive review article to summarize the separation and purification of flavonoids using molecular imprinting, and the employment of MIP-based sensors for the detection of flavonoids is still lacking. Here, we reviewed the general preparation methods of MIPs towards flavonoids, including bulk polymerization, precipitation polymerization, surface imprinting and emulsion polymerization. Additionally, a variety of applications of MIPs towards flavonoids are summarized, such as the different forms of MIP-based solid phase extraction (SPE) for the separation of flavonoids, and the MIP-based sensors for the detection of flavonoids. Finally, we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the current synthetic methods for preparing MIPs of flavonoids and prospected the approaches for detecting flavonoids in the future. The purpose of this review is to provide helpful suggestions for the novel preparation methods of MIPs for the extraction of flavonoids and emerging applications of MIPs for the detection of flavonoids from natural products and biological samples.

Water-compatible Janus molecularly imprinted particles with mouth-like opening: Rapid removal of pharmaceuticals from hospital effluents

Pharmaceuticals in hospital effluents, often discharged into the public sewage network without sufficient treatment, have shown negative impacts to the human health and aquatic environment. However, the conventional adsorbents used to remove these micropollutants had several deficiencies, including slow uptake kinetics and poor selectivity. To overcome these challenges, water-compatible Janus MIP particles (J-MIPs) with mouth-like openings were synthesized using seeded interfacial polymerization in this work. Among the series of J-MIPs, the selected J-MIP₃ showed fast binding kinetics (∼40 s) towards the target pollutant. The theoretical and instrumental analysis suggested that the electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bond and hydrophobic reaction constituted the dominant mechanism for J-MIP₃'s recognition of target pharmaceutical. Selectivity and robustness tests indicated that the synthetic method was promising in practical application. Finally, the feasibility of the J-MIP₃ fixed-bed column in the rapid removal of propranolol (PRO) from hospital effluents was successfully demonstrated. Compared to the activated carbon fixed-bed column, the J-MIP₃ fixed-bed column showed at least 7-fold enhancement in its treatment efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the accelerated mass transfer and fast removal of the pharmaceutical from wastewater have been achieved by the synthetic receptor with asymmetric structure. We believe the present study will open new avenues for the development of multi-functional molecularly imprinted polymers as well as Janus materials in environmental science.

Determination of total cathinones with a single molecularly imprinted fluorescent sensor assisted by electromembrane microextraction

An electromembrane microextraction (EME)-assisted fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensing method is presented for detecting the total cathinone drugs in urine samples. In this detection system, the clean-up ability of EME eliminated the matrix effects on both target binding with MIPs and the luminescence of the fluorophore in the sensor. Moreover, by optimizing the extraction conditions of EME, different cathinone drugs with a same concentration show a same response on the single aggregation induced emission (AIE) based MIP (AIE-MIP) sensor (λ_ex = 360 nm, λ_em = 467 nm). The recoveries were 57.9% for cathinone (CAT) and 78.2% for methcathinone (MCAT). The EME-assisted "light-up" AIE-MIP sensing method displayed excellent performance with a linear range of 2.0-12.0 μmol L^-1 and a linear determination coefficient (R²) of 0.99. The limit of detection (LOD) value for EME-assisted "light-up" AIE-MIP sensing method was 0.3 μmol L^-1. The relative standard deviation (RSD) values for the detection were found to be within the range 2.0-12.0%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that determination of total illicit drugs with a single fluorescent MIP sensor was achieved and also the first utilization of sample preparation to tune the sensing signal of the sensor to be reported. We believe that this versatile combination of fluorescent MIP sensor and sample preparation can be used as a common protocol for sensing the total amount of a group of analytes in various fields.

ProANP31-67 ameliorates adverse cardiac remodeling and improves systolic and diastolic functions in a preclinical model of cardiorenal syndrome

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (HSØ-RHF, Project No. 25674)

Background

The cardiac hormone proANP31-67, a linear fragment of the N-terminal Atrial Natriuretic Peptide, has known enhancing renal effects. More recently, we described the cardio protective effects of this hormone in a model of chronic hypertension. More specifically, independently of the blood pressure level, proANP31-67 improved diastolic function, attenuated cardiac fibrosis, and reduced hypertrophy.

Purpose

The current study was designed to assess the cardiorenal effects of proANP31-67 in a rodent model of hampered renal function, followed by cardiac injury produced by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R).

Methods

Right uninephrectomy (UNX) was performed in Wistar rats (n=28). Sixteen weeks after UNX, rats underwent cardiac I/R injury and randomly assigned to proANP31-67 (50 ng/kg/day s.c., n=15) or Vehicle (n=13) for four weeks post I/R. Echocardiographic examinations were performed at baseline (before UNX), 16 weeks after UNX, and four weeks after I/R. At the end of the study, cardiomyocytes were isolated and tissue samples were collected.

Results

Chronic UNX resulted in diastolic impairment (E/A: 1.47±0.08 at baseline vs 0.98±0.14 at 16 wks post UNX, p=0.0010). I/R further accentuated the development of the cardiorenal syndrome, and induced a mild systolic dysfunction in the placebo treated animals. However, four weeks of treatment with proANP31-67 preserved systolic function (EF: 62±3% placebo vs 74±2% proANP31-67, p&lt;0.0001), and reverted the diastolic dysfunction (E/A: 0.72±0.15 placebo vs 1.24±0.11 proANP31-67, p=0.0134). ProANP31-67 ameliorated the adverse cardiac remodeling (i.e., reduction in the cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area and interstitial fibrosis), enhanced Ca2+ handling, and improved cardiomyocyte t-tubules´ structural changes compared to vehicle. At the cellular level, in vitro experiments demonstrated the direct effect of proANP31-67 on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy (assessed by [3H]-leucine incorporation) induced by endothelin 1 and angiotensin II.

Conclusion

ProANP31-67 has a direct cardiomyocyte protective effect, leading to an improvement in Ca2+ homeostasis and t-tubules´ structures and, prevents the development of systolic and diastolic dysfunction in a pre-clinical model of cardiorenal syndrome.

AB0012 IDENTIFICATION OF NEW BIOMARKERS FOR SINOMENINE TREATMENT IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS BASED ON BIOINFORMATICS ANALYSIS

Background

Sinomenine (SIN) were extracted from Caulis Sinomenii and achieved an remarkable therapeutic effect for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). However, the mechanism of SIN acting on RA is not clear yet.

Objectives

To excavate potential targets and mechanisms of SIN for RA through bioinformatics.

Methods

The microarray data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. GEO2R was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and the unique value was retained. The potential targets of active compounds from various databases were screened. Based on the overlapping genes, Cytoscape 3.7.2 software was used to construct a protein-protein interactions (PPI) network and to visualize the mechanisms of the treatment by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis by DAVID database. Finally, we used AutoDockTools 1.5.6 for molecular docking.

Results

A total of 5053 DEGs and 1070 intersections were obtained, including 486 up-regulated and 584 down-regulated targets. 298 SIN targets were collected from various databases, 84 potential targets were obtained by intersecting with DEGs. There are 80 nodes and 305 edges were obtained in PPI network. Based on the degree, the top 10 target genes were AKT1, RGFR, MTOR, JAK2, NOS3, IL2, IL6, MMP9, MAPK8, HSP9OAA1. The core targets was most relevant to protein phosphorylation, signal transduction though GO analysis. The results of the KEGG enrichment analysis included PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction. Following analysis found that AKT1, EGFR, MTOR and JAK2 existed in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Molecular docking was used to confirm that the binding energy of AKT1 was -7.68 kJ mol -1, EGFR was -5.33kJ mol-1, and MTOR was -4.77 kJ mol-1,JAK2 was -3.25 KJ mol-1. AKT1 and EGFR was further identified as the core targets.

Conclusion

Present study show that AKT1 and EGFR may be the key targets of SIN acting on the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting the progression of disease and improving RA.

Keywords: Sinomenine; Rheumatoid Arthritis; bioinformatics;

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

Funding

This project was supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81703783 and 81503415);

Identification of new biomarkers for Sinomenine treatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis based on bioinformatics analysis

XL Shen1, 2L,YQ L1, 2Y,X Guo1, 2,LF Wang1, 2,JK Zhang1, 2,ZT Feng1, 2*

1. Third-Grade Pharmacological Laboratory on Chinese Medicine Approved by State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Medical College of China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei 443002, China

2. Medical College of China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei 443002, China

†These authors contributed equally to this work.

*Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed:

Correspondence: Zhitao Feng

E-mail: zhitao.feng@ctgu.edu.cn (Zhitao Feng)

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

AB0082 ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF TOTAL SAPONINS OF PANAX JAPONICUS ON RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Background

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune disease with inflammation[1]. Total saponins of Panax japonicus (TSPJs) are effective components extracted from Panax japonicus[2]. They are known to exhibit anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressoive properties, but their effect of anti-inflammation in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) remains unclear.

Objectives

To investigate the anti-inflammatory targets of TSPJ predicted by bioinformatics and the verification in CIA mice.

Methods

The targets of RA are obtained in the GeneCards database. we used Cytoscape 3.7.2 software to construct a protein-protein interactions (PPI) network and obtain the hub genes. There are four effective components of TSPJ: Araloside A, chikusetsusaponin IVa, ginsenoside Rg2, and ginsenoside Ro. Through molecular docking between the screened hub genes and the four effective components of TSPJ, the possibility of TSPJ treating CIA mice can be predicted. The collagen II (CII) and complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) were used to induce the CIA model. After establishing the model, 32 DBA1/J mice were divided into C group (n=8), M group (n=8), L group(n=8), and H group(n=8). The L and H groups were gavaged with TSPJ at 30 mg/kg or 150 mg/kg, and the C and M groups were gavaged with normal saline. The thickness of the hind paw, number of swollen joints, and arthritis index were evaluated. After 11 days of treatment, all the mice were sacrificed after anesthesia. Sera were collected to centrifuge tubes and the levels of inflammatory factor were determined by the ELISA kit following the instruction.

Results

A gene list that enriches 263 genes was obtained by searching RA from the GeneCards database. The hub genes of the top 3 obtained from Cytoscape 3.7.2 software were tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In addition, interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a classical inflammatory index in the top 10, was selected and included in the predicted target. The results of molecular docking between the predicted target and the components of TSPJ showed that the combined pose has good stability. The numerical value of hind paw thickness, swollen joint counts, and arthritis index in the intervention groups were lower than those in the M group, suggesting TSPJ played a critical role in improving pathological changes. Compared to those of the C group, the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17A were increased in the M group. Compared to those of the M group, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17A in the L and H groups were decreased. Compared to those of the L group, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17A in the H group were decreased. The results suggested that TSPJ may decrease the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17A in CIA mice. These results suggest that TSPJ may inhibit the inflammatory effects of CIA mice.

Conclusion

Current study demonstrated a novel inhibitory effect of TSPJ on inflammation in CIA mice, and TSPJ can act on the targets predicted by bioinformatics of CIA mice, suggesting the potential of TSPJ as a therapeutic agent for RA and providing new ideas for the clinical treatment of RA.

References

[1]Scherer HU, Haupl T, Burmester GR. The etiology of rheumatoid arthritis. J Autoimmun[J]. 2020;110:102400

[2]Guo X, Ji J, Jose Kumar Sreena GS, et al. Computational Prediction of Antiangiogenesis Synergistic Mechanisms of Total Saponins of Panax japonicus Against Rheumatoid Arthritis. Front Pharmacol[J]. 2020;11:566129

Acknowledgements

Jingkai Zhang: Preparation, data presentation, and specifically writing the initial draft. Xiang Guo: Application of statistical, Verification. Qinpeng Bu and Xiaolan Shen: Conducting a research and investigation process, Provision of study materials. Zhitao Feng: Ideas, Design of methodology, and including mentorship external to the core team.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

Molecularly imprinted wax

The development of an elution-free solid-phase extraction (SPE) process is of special interest in sample pretreatment. Due to the phase-change merits at relatively low temperatures and easy dissolution in n-hexane, wax spheres show great potential in this field. However, the conventional wax spheres possess a low affinity towards the target analytes when they are used as SPE adsorbents. In this study, using octadecanoic acid as the functional monomer and wax as the matrix, molecularly imprinted wax (MIW) spheres were successfully prepared. The obtained MIW spheres displayed remarkable molecular recognition ability and high selectivity towards the template. Interestingly, the as-synthesized molecularly imprinted wax (MIW) could be dissolved in n-hexane or melted by heating for subsequent fluorescence and mass spectrum analysis without the target elution process. Moreover, the melted MIW exhibited high repeatability, sensitivity and specificity for solid-state fluorescence detection. We believe that the imprinting method presented in this study will open a new window in analytical chemistry.

[Evaluation of the level of carotid bifurcation and the morphology of extracranial internal carotid artery in patients with carotid stenosis by color doppler ultrasound and digital subtraction angiography]

Objective: To evaluate the value of color Doppler ultrasound and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in evaluating the level of carotid bifurcation and the morphology of extracranial internal carotid artery in patients with atherosclerotic carotid stenosis. Methods: The carotid artery examination data of 186 patients with atherosclerotic carotid stenosis who underwent carotid DSA and color Doppler ultrasound in Shanghai Changzheng Hospital from July 2017 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, including 154 males and 32 females, with ages ranging from 36 to 84 (66±8) years old. The correlation between the position of carotid bifurcation and the level of cervical spine, the distance from the position of carotid bifurcation to mandibular angle, the correlation of the level of bifurcation with the length of neck, and the incidence of carotid distortion were analyzed. Results: DSA showed that the most common position of carotid bifurcation was at C3 level on the left [37.3% (56/150)], and at C3-C4 level on the right [33.6% (42/125)], and the highest position was at C2 level on the left, and at C2-C3 levels on the right, while the lowest level on both sides was at C5 level. The incidence of high bifurcation of left carotid artery (C3 and above) was 46% (69/150), which was higher than that of right carotid artery [21.6% (27/125), P<0.001]. The incidence of high carotid bifurcation in men and women was 33.2% (76/229) and 43.5% (20/46), respectively, with no significant difference (P = 0.182). Carotid ultrasound showed that the distance between the left carotid bifurcation and the mandibular angle was (3.0±1.3) cm, which was shorter than that on the right [(3.4±1.2) cm] (P<0.001). The distance between carotid bifurcation and mandibular angle in men and women was (3.2±1.2) cm and (3.3±1.0) cm, respectively, with no significant difference (P = 0.093). There was no significant correlation between carotid bifurcation level and carotid length (right: r = 0.02, P = 0.091; left: r = 0.01, P = 0.927). The incidence of carotid artery distortion was 28.1% (9/32) in women and 15.6% (24/154) in men, with no significant difference (P = 0.091). The incidence of right carotid artery distortion in high bifurcation group was 59.3% (16/27), which was higher than that in non-high bifurcation group [3.1% (3/98)] (P<0.001). Likewise, the incidence of left carotid artery distortion in high bifurcation group was 30.4% (21/69), which was higher than that in non-high bifurcation group [2.5% (2/81)] (P<0.001). Conclusions: The bifurcation position of left carotid artery in patients with atherosclerotic carotid stenosis is higher than that of the right. Patients with high bifurcation of carotid artery are more likely to be complicated with carotid distortion. Preoperative color doppler ultrasound combined with DSA can evaluate the distortion of extracranial carotid artery, thereby providing reference for the selection of surgical methods.