Sikyungbanha-Tang Suppressing Acute Lung Injury in Mice Is Related to the Activation of Nrf2 and TNFAIP3

Transcriptome analysis reveals the differential inflammatory effects between propofol and sevoflurane during lung cancer resection: a randomized pilot study

BACKGROUND

Propofol and sevoflurane are two commonly used perioperative anesthetics. Some studies have found that these anesthetic drugs affect tumorigenesis. Previous studies have mostly focused on in vitro experiments, and the specimens collected were mainly peripheral body fluids, lacking direct evidence of the impact of anesthetic drugs on human tissues. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of propofol and sevoflurane on lung cancer using next-generation sequencing through an in vivo experiment.

METHODS

Patients were randomly assigned to a group receiving either propofol or sevoflurane during surgery. Then, the patients' tumor and paired normal samples were collected and sequenced by next-generation sequencing. Differentially expressed genes (DEG) were analyzed by two statistical models, followed by cluster analysis, PCA, Gene Ontology, and KEGG pathway analysis. Candidate genes were confirmed by qRT-PCR.

RESULTS

The demographic data of the two study groups were not statistically significant. Through single-factor model analysis, 810 DEG in the propofol group and 508 DEG in the sevoflurane group were obtained. To better reflect the differential effects between propofol and sevoflurane while reducing the false-positive DEG, we used multifactor model analysis, which resulted in 124 DEG. In PCA and cluster analysis, four groups (propofol cancer group, propofol normal group, sevoflurane cancer group, sevoflurane normal group) were separated adequately, indicating the accuracy of the analysis. We chose seven significant pathways (cellular response to interleukin-1, chemokine-mediated signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, inflammatory response, immune response, and TNF signaling pathway) for downstream analysis. Based on the pathway analysis, three candidate genes (CXCR1, CXCL8, and TNFAIP3) were chosen, and their qRT-PCR results were consistent with the sequencing results.

CONCLUSIONS

Through RNA-seq analysis, the effects of propofol and sevoflurane during lung cancer resection were different, mainly in inflammatory-related pathways, which might be possibly by targeting CXCL8.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Trial registry number was ChiCTR1900026213 .

The potential of glycyrrhizin and licorice extract in combating COVID-19 and associated conditions

BACKGROUND

Several recent studies have stated that glycyrrhizin and licorice extract are present in most traditional Chinese medicine formulas used against SARS-CoV-2 in China. Significant data are showing that glycyrrhizin and licorice extract have multiple beneficial activities in combating most features of SARS-CoV-2.

PURPOSE

The aim of current review was to highlight recent progresses in research that showed the evidence of the potential use of glycyrrhizin and licorice extract against COVID-19.

METHODOLOGY

We have reviewed the information published from 1979 to October 2020. These studies demonstrated the effects , use and safety of glycyrrhizin and icorice extract against viral infections,bacterial infections, inflammatory disorders of lung ( in vitro and in vivo).  These studies were collated through online electronic databases research (Academic libraries as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Egyptian Knowledge Bank).

RESULTS

Pooled effect size of articles provides information about the rationale for using glycyrrhizin and licorice extract to treat COVID-19. Fifty studies demonstrate antiviral activity of glycyrrhizin and licorice extract. The most frequent mechanism of the antiviral activity is due to disrupting viral uptake into the host cells and disrupting the interaction between receptor- binding domain (RBD) of SARS-COV2 and ACE2 in recent articles. Fifty studies indicate that glycyrrhizin and licorice extract have significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Twenty five studies provide evidence for the protective effect of glycyrrhizin and licorice extract against inflammation-induced acute lung injury and cardiovascular disorders.

CONCLUSION

The current study showed several evidence regarding the beneficial effects of glycyrrhizin and licorice extract in combating COVID-19. More randomized clinical trials are needed to obtain a precise conclusion.