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Background. Wenhua Juanbi Recipe (WJR) is widely used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. This study was designed to investigate the potential therapeutic effects of WJR on the proliferation and apoptosis of synovial fibroblasts in RA and its efficacy in inhibiting miRNA-146a-mediated cellular autophagy. Methods. A collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) Wistar rat model was established. The model rats were administered WJR or methotrexate (MTX) to assess the therapeutic effect of the drugs. The chemical components of WJR were analyzed using UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. Histological changes; miRNA-146a, ATG5, ATG7, ATG12, Beclin1, LC3II, Bax, and Bcl2 expression; synovial apoptosis; and cellular proliferation were assessed. Primary synovial fibroblasts (FLS) were cultured in vitro using tissue block and transfected with miRNA-146a; an autophagy inducer was added to FLS, inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. FLS were cocultured with WJR-containing serum to observe the effects of miRNA-146a-mediated autophagy via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway on CIA-affected rats. Results. Forty and thirty-one compounds were identified in WJR in the positive and negative ion modes, respectively. WJR significantly reduced toe swelling, arthritis scores, and expression of miRNA-146a and autophagy genes (ATG5, ATG7, ATG12, Beclin1, LC32, and Bcl2). Moreover, Bax expression, apoptosis, and attenuated proliferation were observed in rats. WJR could, therefore, regulate autophagy by influencing the miRNA-146a-mediated PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which induces apoptosis and proliferation of FLS. Conclusion. WJR can inhibit autophagy, apoptosis, and proliferation in a CIA rat model by inhibiting the miRNA-146a-mediated PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

More economical and effective technology is being developedin the wastewater treatment process to deal with the products of phenylhydrazine hydrochloride (PHH). Fixed ammonium in the effluent is converted to free ammonia by utilizing the neutralization reaction, and the sulfate is removed in the form of gypsum. Meanwhile, the toxic PHH is recycled according to the extraction and re-extraction technology. The raffinate phase is reused through boiling off ammonia vapor. The recovery rates of PHH reach 93.3% in the laboratory and 92.9% at the pilot scale, respectively. Compared with our previous work, the cost of the new technology is ~1/10 of the original, and the profit increases ~3.5-fold. Consequently, it has great potential to be applied to industrial production.

In the production process of 1 ton of phenylhydrazine hydrochloride (PHH); ~10 tons of liquid waste are formed, which includes multiple contaminants but also recyclable resources. In order to realize the recyclingof residual PHH in liquid waste; a liquid ammonia neutralization method is utilized, and extraction-reextraction technology is adopted. As a result, the recovery rate of PHH reachedup to 90.0%. Meanwhile, 3.8 tons of ammonium salts can be obtained after the iquid ammonia neutralization reaction which can be reused as raw materials for compound fertilizer. During the treatment process, there is no discharge of the three wastes, which meets the requirements of harmless treatment. Finally, these results provide important reference values for PHH production enterprises to solve the problems of waste pollution and to achieve recycling of resources.