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Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignant tumours of the head and neck in Southeast Asia and southern China. The Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway is involved in processes related to tumour initiation/progression, such as proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and drug resistance, and is closely related to the clinicopathological features of NPC. In addition, key genes involved in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway undergo many changes in NPC. More interestingly, a growing body of evidence suggests an interaction between this signalling pathway and microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs. Therefore, in this review, we discuss the interactions between key components of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway and various miRNAs and their importance in NPC pathology and explore potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Jiang-Xian HuGan (JXHG) formulated by five natural products including Freshwater clam (Corbicula fluminea) , Curcuma longa L., Ligustrum lucidum , Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. and Paeonia lactiflora Pall. , has exhibited a great hepatoprotective effect. Aim of this study We investigated the effect of JXHG on concanavalin A (ConA)-induced acute live injury in mice, and to elucidate its underlying molecular mechanisms. Materials and methods Jiangkanling Capsule (900 mg/kg), low-dose JXHG (LJXHG, 700 mg/kg), high-dose JXHG (HJXHG, 1400 mg/kg) were administered to mice by oral gavage daily for 20 days prior to a single intravenous injection of ConA (20 mg/kg). Liver injury was evaluated by measuring the serum levels of enzymes and cytokines as well as liver histological analysis. We also measured the hepatic expression of cytokines at mRNA levels and the proteins related to NF-κB and Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathways. Result Our results showed that JXHG pretreatment significantly alleviated ConA-induced live injury as evidenced by decreased serum levels of glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (ALT) and glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (AST), and reduced hepatocyte apoptosis and mortality. Furthermore, JXHG was able to significantly reduce the serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, down-regulate the mRNA expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and up-regulate IL-10 as well as superoxide-dimutase-1 (SOD1), glutathione reductase (GSR) and Glutathione peroxidase 2 (GPX2) mRNA in the liver tissues after Con A injection. In addition, JXHG pretreatment dramatically suppressed the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 (p65), increased Nrf2 expression, and decreased the expression ratio of cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 in liver tissues. Conclusion These results suggest that JXHG protects against ConA-induced acute live injury through inhibiting NF-κB mediated inflammatory pathway and promoting Nrf2 mediated anti-oxidative stress signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance A wealth of information is emerging about the impact of gut microbiota on human health and diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes. As we learn more, we find out the gut microbiota has the potential as new territory for drug targeting. Some novel therapeutic approaches could be developed through reshaping the commensal microbial structure using combinations of different agents. The gut microbiota also affects drug metabolism, directly and indirectly, particularly towards the orally administered drugs. Herbal products have become the basis of traditional medicines such as traditional Chinese medicine and also been being considered valuable materials in modern drug discovery. Of note, low oral bioavailability but high bioactivity is a conundrum not yet solved for some herbs. Since most of herbal products are orally administered, the herbs' constituents are inevitably exposed to the intestinal microbiota and the interplays between herbal constituents and gut microbiota are expected. Emerging explorations of herb–microbiota interactions have an opportunity to revolutionize the way we view herbal therapeutics. The present review aims to provide information regarding the health promotion and/or disease prevention by the interplay between traditional herbs with low bioavailability and gut microbiota through gut microbiota via two different types of mechanisms: (1) influencing the composition of gut microbiota by herbs and (2) metabolic reactions of herbal constituents by gut microbiota. Materials and methods The major data bases (PubMed and Web of Science) were searched using “gut microbiota”, “intestinal microbiota”, “gut flora”, “intestinal flora”, “gut microflora”, “intestinal microflora”, “herb”, “Chinese medicine”, “traditional medicine”, or “herbal medicine” as keywords to find out studies regarding herb–microbiota interactions. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition, Volume I) was also used to collect the data of commonly used medicinal herbs and their quality control approaches. Results Among the 474 monographs of herbs usually used in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the quality control approach of 284 monographs is recommended to use high-performance liquid chromatography approach. Notably, the major marker compounds (>60%) for quality control are polyphenols, polysaccharides and saponins, with significant oral bioavailability conundrum. Results from preclinical and clinical studies on herb–microbiota interactions showed that traditional herbs could exert heath promotion and disease prevention roles via influencing the gut microbiota structure. On the other hand, herb constituents such as ginsenoside C-K, hesperidin, baicalin, daidzin and glycyrrhizin could exert their therapeutic effects through gut microbiota-mediated bioconversion. Conclusions Herb–microbiota interaction studies provide novel mechanistic understanding of the traditional herbs that exhibit poor oral bioavailability. “Microbiota availability” could be taken consideration into describing biological measurements in the therapeutic assessment of herbal medicine. Our review should be of value in stimulating discussions among the scientific community on this relevant theme and prompting more efforts to complement herb–microbiota interactions studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Abnormal renal metabolism is closely related to the development of chronic kidney disease. It is well known that renal inflammation plays an important role in the occurrence and development of tubulointerstitial damage in the renal tubules. The purpose of the experiment was to observe the bioactivity of Alpina oxyphylla extract (AOE) on renal injury in diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ)., Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five group (n = 6): (1) intact control (non-diabetic, ND); (2) intact diabetic (STZ), (3) diabetic rats treated with gliclazide 5 mg/kg (STZ-gli), (4) diabetic rats treated with AOE 400 mg/kg (AOE 400), (5) diabetic rats treated with AOE 800 mg/kg (AOE 800). The diabetic nephropathy rat model was established by single intraperitoneal injected 50 mg/kg STZ. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and body weight was observed at 1、3、6 weeks. After 6 weeks, the renal function parameters of five groups and 24 h urinary protein were detected. Expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) were assessed by Western Blot., Results: The STZ group showed hyperglycemia, proteinuria, renal function damage, and the levels of 24 h urinary protein, fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the STZ group increased significantly compared with the ND group. The expression of TGF-β1 in STZ group was increase (p < 0.01), and the expression of MyD88 was significantly lower than in ND group (p < 0.05). The treatment of DN rats with AOE attenuated DN-associated in the serum biochemical index and the expression of TGF-β1., Conclusions: AOE can effectively protect kidney tissues of diabetic nephropathy, and probably through regulating level of TGF-β1/MyD88.

Rodents play an important role in the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii; however, little is known about the seroprevalence and genetic diversity of T. gondii infection in rodents in Yunnan Province, China. In this study, we examined the seroprevalence and genetically characterized T. gondii infection in naturally infected rodents in Yunnan Province between March and July 2016. In total, 261 serum samples were collected from rodents in the Jingha district, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, and examined for T. gondii antibodies by modified agglutination test (MAT) at a 1:20 cut-off, with titers of 1:20 in 24 samples, 1:40 in 10, 1:80 in 10, and 1:160 in 4. Thirty-two of 261 (12.26%) serum samples were positive for T. gondii by MAT. In total, 751 rodent brain samples were examined by semi-nested PCR; 46 (6.13%) were positive for the T. gondii B1 gene, 2 of which showed complete genotyping results for all 11 polymorphic loci (SAG1, SAG2, alt.SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, L358, PK1, C22-8, C29-2, and Apico). The 2 samples were characterized to represent ToxoDB#137 ( http://toxodb.org/toxo/ ). These findings enriched the epidemiological and genetic diversity of T. gondii in China and have implications for the better prevention and control of T. gondii infection in humans and animals.

Plant secondary metabolites are known to not only play a key role in the adaptation of plants to their environment, but also represent an important source of active pharmaceuticals. Alpinia oxyphylla capsular fruits, made up of seeds and pericarps, are commonly used in traditional East Asian medicines. In clinical utilization of these capsular fruits, inconsistent processing approaches (i.e., hulling pericarps or not) are employed, with the potential of leading to differential pharmacological effects. Therefore, an important question arises whether the content levels of pharmacologically active chemicals between the seeds and pericarps of A. oxyphylla are comparable. Nine secondary metabolites present in A. oxyphylla capsular fruits, including flavonoids (e.g., tectochrysin, izalpinin, chrysin, apigenin-4',7-dimethylether and kaempferide), diarylheptanoids (e.g., yakuchinone A and B and oxyphyllacinol) and sesquiterpenes (e.g., nootkatone), were regarded as representative constituents with putative pharmacological activities. This work aimed to investigate the abundance of the nine constituents in the seeds and pericarps of A. oxyphylla. Thirteen batches of A. oxyphylla capsular fruits were gathered from different production regions. Accordingly, an ultra-fast high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated. We found that: (1) the nine secondary metabolites were differentially concentrated in seeds and fruit capsules; (2) nootkatone is predominantly distributed in the seeds; in contrast, the flavonoids and diarylheptanoids are mainly deposited in the capsules; and (3) the content levels of the nine secondary metabolites occurring in the capsules varied greatly among different production regions, although the nootkatone levels in the seeds were comparable among production regions. These results are helpful to evaluating and elucidating pharmacological activities of A. oxyphylla capsular fruits. Additionally, it may be of interest to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the distinct accumulation profiles of these secondary metabolites between seeds and pericarps.

In the present study, retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism (REMAP) was used to examine genetic variability among Schistosoma japonicum isolates from different endemic provinces in mainland China, using S. japonicum from Japan and the Philippines for comparison. Of the 50 primer combinations screened, eight produced highly reproducible REMAP fragments. Using these primers, 190 distinct DNA fragments were generated in total, of which 147 (77.37%) were polymorphic, indicating considerable genetic variation among the 43 S. japonicum isolates examined. The percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB) among S. japonicum isolates from mainland China, Japan, and the Philippines was 77.37%; PPB values of 18.42% and 53.68% were found among isolates from southwestern (SW) China and the lower Yangtze/Zhejiang province in eastern (E) China, respectively. Based on REMAP profiles, unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) dendrogram analysis revealed that all of the S. japonicum samples grouped into three distinct clusters: parasites from mainland China, Japan, and the Philippines were clustered in each individual clade. Within the mainland China cluster, SW China isolates (from Sichuan and Yunnan provinces) grouped together, whereas worms from E China (Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hunan, and Hubei provinces) grouped together. These results demonstrated that the REMAP marker system provides a reliable electrophoretic technique for studying genetic diversity and population structures of S. japonicum isolates from mainland China, and could be applied to other pathogens of human and animal health significance., (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection of humans and animals, caused by the opportunistic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa. Infection in pregnant women may lead to abortion, stillbirth or other serious consequences in newborns. Infection in immunocompromised patients can be fatal if not treated. On average, one third of people are chronically infected worldwide. Although very limited information from China has been published in the English journals, T. gondii infection is actually a significant human health problem in China. In the present article, we reviewed the clinical features, transmission, prevalence of T. gondii infection in humans in China, and summarized genetic characterizations of reported T. gondii isolates. Educating the public about the risks associated with unhealthy food and life style habits, tracking serological examinations to special populations, and measures to strengthen food and occupational safety are discussed.

Little is known of the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in bred cynomolgus monkeys ( Macaca fascicularis ) in China. In the present survey, 240 serum samples of cynomolgus monkeys from 4 nonhuman primate centers in Guangxi Zhuang Nationality Autonomous Region (GX), and 120 serum samples from 2 nonhuman primate centers in Guangdong Province (GD) were obtained, and the modified agglutination test (MAT) was performed to assay for anti- T. gondii antibodies. Antibodies to T. gondii (MAT titer of 1:16 or higher) were found in 0 of 120 (0/120) samples in GD, and 5 (2.1%) of 240 sera with titers of 1:16 in 1, 1:64 or higher in 4 in primate centers from GX. The total prevalence of T. gondii in bred cynomolgus monkeys was 1.4% (5/360, MAT titer > or = 1:16) in southern China according to our investigation. To our knowledge, this is the first seropositive report in China on the prevalence of anti- T. gondii antibodies in bred cynomolgus monkeys using MAT.