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Traditional Chinese medicines are an important class of natural products mainly derives from animals, plants and minerals, most of which need to be improved and processed before clinical use due to their own hard texture, impurities or toxicity. As an important part of solid excipients, mineral excipients that contain some metal elements play indispensable and unique roles in the pretreatment process of traditional Chinese medicine. However, deficiency of holistic understanding of the effect of mineral excipients hinders their application and development. This article reviews several mineral excipients including alumen, talci pulvis, soil, soda lime, halloysitum rubrum and cinnabaris systemically. Their processing significance on traditional Chinese medicines were revealed from components, pharmacodynamics and mechanism aspects. Furthermore, prospect and problems including processing technologies, quality standards of mineral excipients and processing mechanism were put forward. This review supply comprehensive information for better and scientific usage of mineral excipients in processing traditional Chinese medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. We analyzed the efficacy and pharmacological mechanisms of action of Zhen Ren Yang Zang decoction (ZRYZD) on ulcerative colitis (UC) using meta-analysis and network pharmacology. Methods. The major databases were searched for randomized controlled trials of ZRYZD for the treatment of UC. Meta-analysis of the efficacy of ZRYZD on UC was conducted using RevMan software. Active compounds and target genes were acquired using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. UC-related genes were searched using the GeneCards database. Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using RGUI. A compound-target network was constructed using Cytoscape software, and a protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database. Molecular docking simulations of the macromolecular protein targets and their corresponding ligand compounds were performed using the AutoDock tool and AutoDock Vina software. Results. Meta-analysis revealed that the total effective rate and recovery rate of clinical efficacy were significantly higher in the experimental group than those of the control group. The screening identified 169 active compounds and 277 active target genes for ZRYZD. The 277 active target genes were compared with the 4,798 UC-related genes. This identified 187 active target genes of ZRYZD for UC that correlated with 138 active compounds. GO functional enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed, and compound-target and protein-protein interaction networks were constructed. The key compounds and key target proteins were then selected. Finally, target protein binding with the corresponding compound was analyzed using molecular docking. Conclusion. Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of ZRYZD for the treatment of UC and provide insight into the underlying pharmacological mechanisms of action. Furthermore, key compounds were identified, laying the foundation for future studies on ZRYZD for the treatment of UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lower-grade gliomas (LGGs) show highly metabolic heterogeneity and adaptability. To develop effective therapeutic strategies targeting metabolic processes, it is necessary to identify metabolic differences and define metabolic subtypes. Here, we aimed to develop a classification system based on metabolic gene expression profile in LGGs.Methods: The metabolic gene profile of 402 diffuse LGGs from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was used for consensus clustering to determine robust clusters of patients, and the reproducibility of the classification system was evaluated in three Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) cohorts. Then, the metadata set for clinical characteristics, immune infiltration, metabolic signatures and somatic alterations was integrated to characterise the features of each subtype.Results: We successfully identified and validated three highly distinct metabolic subtypes in LGGs. M2 subtype with upregulated carbohydrate, nucleotide and vitamin metabolism correlated with worse prognosis, whereas M1 subtype with upregulated lipid metabolism and immune infiltration showed better outcome. M3 subtype was associated with low metabolic activities and displayed good prognosis. Three metabolic subtypes correlated with diverse somatic alterations. Finally, we developed and validated a metabolic signature with better performance of prognosis prediction.Conclusions: Our study provides a new classification based on metabolic gene profile and highlights the metabolic heterogeneity within LGGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The research aimed to identify the active component from Punica granatum L. to alleviate ischemia/reperfusion injury and clarify the underlying mechanism of the active component alleviating ischemia/reperfusion injury. Materials and Methods. The SH-SY5Y cell model of oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) was established to simulate the ischemia/reperfusion injury. According to the strategy of bioassay-guided isolation, the active component of punicalin from Punica granatum L. was identified. Flow cytometry and Western blotting were employed to evaluate the effects of OGD/R and/or punicalin on cell cycle arrest. Immunofluorescence assay was applied to assess the nucleus translocation. The relative content of ROS and GSH and the enzyme activities of CAT and SOD were examined using ELISA. Results. The data of bioassay-guided isolation showed that punicalin from Punica granatum L. could alleviate OGD/R-induced cell injury in SH-SY5Y cells. Flow cytometry analysis and Western blotting for probing the expression of CDK1, p-CDK1, cyclin B1, and p21 revealed that punicalin could relieve OGD/R-induced cell cycle G0/G1 arrest. Additionally, immunofluorescence assay and Western blotting for probing the expression of TGF-β and p-Smad2/p-Smad3 showed that punicalin could relieve the OGD/R-induced TGF-β/Smad pathway. Furthermore, the TGF-β/Smad pathway inhibitor of LY2157299 was employed to confirm that the TGF-β/Smad pathway is crucial to the effect of punicalin. At last, it was indicated that punicalin could relieve OGD/R-induced oxidative stress. Conclusion. Punicalin, an active component from Punica granatum L., was identified as a protective agent to alleviate the OGD/R-induced cell injury, which could exert the protective effect via TGF-β/Smad pathway-regulated oxidative stress and cell cycle arrest in SH-SY5Y cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extract of Broussonetia papyrifera has been proved to have antitumor activity. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of apoptosis of HepG2 cells induced by polyphenols from Broussonetia papyrifera (PBPs). The results revealed that PBPs inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis showed that PBPs increased the apoptosis ratio of HepG2 cells significantly. PBPs increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and decreased intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) level of HepG2 cells. PBPs induced cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Western blotting showed that PBPs upregulated the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and the expression level of Caspase-3, and activated p53 in HepG2 cells. The inhibition of proliferative relative signals (protein kinase B, PKB/AKT) and survival relative signals (extracellular signal-regulated kinase, ERK) were also observed in PBP-treated HepG2 cells. Our findings suggest that apoptosis of HepG2 cells induced by PBPs is mitochondria-mediated via inactivation of ERK and AKT signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is closely related to the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the elderly. CCH can induce overactivation of autophagy, which increases the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in the brain, eventually impairing the cognitive function. Yuan-Zhi decoction (YZD) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulation that is used to treat cognitive dysfunction in the elderly, but the specific mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we simulated CCH in a rat model through bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) and treated the animals with YZD. Standard neurological tests indicated that YZD significantly restored the impaired cognitive function after BCCAO in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, YZD also decreased the levels of Aβ aggregates and the autophagy-related proteins ATG5 and ATG12 in their hippocampus. An in vitro model of CCH was also established by exposing primary rat hippocampal neurons to hypoxia and hypoglycemia (H-H). YZD and its active ingredients increased the survival of these neurons and decreased the levels of Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42, autophagy-related proteins Beclin-1 and LC3-II, and the APP secretases BACE1 and PS-1. Finally, both Aβ aggregates showed a positive statistical correlation with the expression levels of the above proteins. Taken together, YZD targets Aβ, autophagy, and APP-related secretases to protect the neurons from hypoxic-ischemic injury and restore cognitive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zingiber officinale Roscoe is commonly used in food and pharmaceutical products but can also be used in cosmetics and daily necessities. In recent years, many scholars have studied the chemical composition of Zingiber officinale Roscoe; therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively summarize the chemical composition of Zingiber officinale Roscoe in one article. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the chemical constituents of Zingiber officinale Roscoe. The results show that Zingiber officinale Roscoe contains 194 types of volatile oils, 85 types of gingerol, and 28 types of diarylheptanoid compounds, which can lay a foundation for further applications of Zingiber officinale Roscoe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new dihydrobenzofuran neolignans, mappiodoinins A-C ( 1 - 3 ), together with nine known analogues ( 4  - 12 ) were isolated from the stems and leaves of Mappianthus iodoies . Their structures with the absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods. This is the first time to find dihydrobenzofuran neolignans from the genus Mappianthus. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against five human cancer cell lines: HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7 and SW-480 in vitro . Neolignans 1 - 12 showed significant cytotoxic effects against various human cancer cell lines with IC 50 values ranging from 0.16 to 18.62 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elucidating structural determinants in the functional regions of toxins can provide useful knowledge for designing novel analgesic peptides. Glycine residues at the C-terminal region of the neurotoxin BmK AGP-SYPU2 from the scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch (BmK) have been shown to be crucial to its analgesic activity. However, there has been no research on the structure-function relationship between the C-terminal segment of this toxin and its analgesic activity. To address this issue, we performed three MD simulations: one on the native structure and the other two on mutants of that structure. Results of these calculations suggest that the existence of glycine residues at the C-terminal segment stabilizes the protruding topology of the NC domain, which is considered an important determinant of the analgesic activity of BmK AGP-SYPU2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two unsymmetrical PCN pincer Pd(II) complexes 3a–3b which are based on (pyrazolyl)aryl phosphinite ligands and contain two fused six-membered palladacycles have been synthesized from 3-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-ylmethyl)benzyl alcohol (2) by one-pot phosphorylation/palladation reaction via C–H bond activation of the related ligands. The pyrazole-coordinated phosphine-free Pd(II) complex (4) was also isolated in the preparation of pincer complex 3a. The new complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 31P {1H} NMR (for pincer complexes) and IR spectra. And the molecular structures of 3b and 4 have been further determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The pincer Pd complexes 3a and 3b exhibited rather low activity in the allylation of benzaldehyde. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Biomineralisation of collagen involves functional motifs incorporated in extracellular matrix protein molecules to accomplish the objectives of stabilising amorphous calcium phosphate into nanoprecursors and directing the nucleation and growth of apatite within collagen fibrils. Here we report the use of small inorganic polyphosphate molecules to template hierarchical intrafibrillar apatite assembly in reconstituted collagen in the presence of polyacrylic acid to sequester calcium and phosphate into transient amorphous nanophases. The use of polyphosphate without a sequestration analogue resulted only in randomly-oriented extrafibrillar precipitations along the fibrillar surface. Conversely, the use of polyacrylic acid without a templating analogue resulted only in non-hierarchical intrafibrillar mineralisation with continuous apatite strands instead of discrete crystallites. The ability of using simple non-protein molecules to recapitulate different levels of structural hierarchy in mineralised collagen signifies the ultimate simplicity in Nature’s biomineralisation design principles and challenges the need for using more complex recombinant matrix proteins in bioengineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sirtuins are mammalian homologs of yeast silent information regulator two (SIRT) and are a highly conserved family of proteins, which act as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent histone deacetylases. The seven sirtuins (SIRT1-7) share a conserved catalytic core domain; however, they have different enzyme activities, biological functions, and subcellular localizations. Among them, mitochondrial SIRT4 possesses ADP-ribosyltransferase, NAD+-dependent deacetylase, lipoamidase, and long-chain deacylase activities and can modulate the function of substrate proteins via ADP-ribosylation, delipoylation, deacetylation and long-chain deacylation. SIRT4 has been shown to play a crucial role in insulin secretion, fatty acid oxidation, amino acid metabolism, ATP homeostasis, apoptosis, neurodegeneration, and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, recent studies have demonstrated that SIRT4 acts as a tumor suppressor. Here, the present review summarizes the enzymatic activities and biological functions of SIRT4, as well as its roles in cellular metabolism and human cancer, which are described in the current literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sanguinarine chloride (S.C) is a benzophenanthrine alkaloid derived from the root of sanguinaria canadensis and other poppy-fumaria species. Studies have reported that S.C exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, proapoptotic, and growth inhibitory effects, which contribute to its anti-cancer properties. Recent studies suggested that the antitumor effect of S.C through inducing ferroptosis in some cancers. Nevertheless, the precise mechanism underlying the regulation of ferroptosis by S.C remains poorly understood. Methods: A small molecule library was constructed based on FDA and CFDA approved small molecular drugs. CCK-8 assay was applied to evaluate the effects of the small molecule compound on tumor cell viability. Prostate cancer cells were treated with S.C and then the cell viability and migration ability were assessed using CCK8, colony formation and wound healing assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and iron accumulation were quantified through flow cytometry analysis. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and total glutathione (GSH) were measured using commercially available kits. RNA-seq analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the treatment groups. Western blotting and qPCR were utilized to investigate the expression of relevant proteins and genes. In vivo experiments employed a xenograft mice model to evaluate the anti-cancer efficacy of S.C. Results: Our study demonstrated that S.C effectively inhibited the viability of various prostate cancer cells. Notably, S.C exhibited the ability to enhance the cytotoxicity of docetaxel in DU145 cells. We found that S.C-induced cell death partially relied on the induction of ferroptosis, which was mediated through up-regulation of HMOX1 protein. Additionally, our investigation revealed that S.C treatment decreased the stability of BACH1 protein, which contributed to HMOX1expression. We further identified that S.C-induced ROS caused BACH1 instability by suppressing USP47expression. Moreover, In DU145 xenograft model, we found S.C significantly inhibited prostate cancer growth, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic strategy. Collectively, these findings provide evidence that S.C could induce regulated cell death (RCD) in prostate cancer cells and effectively inhibit tumor growth via triggering ferroptosis. This study provides evidence that S.C effectively suppresses tumor progression and induces ferroptosis in prostate cancer cells by targeting ROS/USP47/BACH1/HMOX1 axis. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that S.C effectively suppresses tumor progression and induces ferroptosis in prostate cancer cells by targeting the ROS/USP47/BACH1/HMOX1 axis. These findings offer novel insights into the underlying mechanism by which S.C inhibits the progression of prostate cancer. Furthermore, leveraging the potential of S.C in targeting ferroptosis may present a new therapeutic opportunity for prostate cancer. This study found that S.C induces ferroptosis by targeting the ROS/USP47/BACH1/HMOX1 axis in prostate cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS) is a key enzyme in the shikimate pathway for the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds. L-Phe and L-Tyr bind to the two main DAHPS isoforms and inhibit their enzyme activities, respectively. Synthetic biologists aim to relieve such inhibitions in order to improve the productivity of aromatic compounds. In this work, we reported a point mutant of yeast DHAPS, Aro3D154N, which retains the wild type enzyme activity but converts it highly inert to the inhibition by L-Phe. The Aro3 crystal structure along with the molecular dynamics simulations analysis suggests that the D154N mutation distant from the inhibitor binding cavity may reduce the binding affinity of L-Phe. Growth assays demonstrated that substitution of the conserved D154 with asparagine suffices to relieve the inhibition of L-Phe on Aro3, L-Tyr on Aro4, and the inhibitions on their corresponding homologues from diverse yeasts. The importance of our discovery is highlighted by the observation of 29.1% and 43.6% increase of yield for the production of tyrosol and salidroside respectively upon substituting ARO3 with ARO3D154N. We anticipate that this allele would be used broadly to increase the yield of various aromatic products in metabolically diverse microorganisms. 3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS) is a key enzyme in the shikimate pathway for the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds, however, its activity is inhibited by L-Phe and L-Tyr. Here, the authors report the D154N point mutation of yeast DAHPS, which retains the wild type enzyme activity but relieves the inhibition by L-Phe, thus increasing the production of downstream aromatic amino acid derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article presents abstracts related to genetics in type 2 diabetes (T2D) including the analysis of 26K multiethnic whole-exomes to identify novel T2D risk variants, an analysis of parent-of-origin effects for T2D susceptibility variants on 11p15 and the molecular subtypes of T2D.

A new 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroxy-2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenethyl)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-chromen-4-one (1) was isolated from the Chinese eaglewood [Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg]. Its structure was established by detailed MS and NMR spectroscopic analysis, as well as comparison with literature data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Three PCTs with different electronic charge properties are used in this article. • The PCTs can regulate polyamide molecular structure and surface roughness. • Effect of PCTs on polyamide attribute to the size-effect and charge interaction. • Linear molecules and smooth surface can improve the FO membrane water flux. In this article, 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride (TMC), m -phenylenediamine (MPD) and phase transfer catalysts (PTCs) were used to produce polyamide thin-film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membranes through interfacial polymerization (IP) reaction. The effects of dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DTAC), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and dodecyl dimethyl betaine (BS12) on the polyamide molecular aggregation structures, surface morphology and FO separation performance of the membranes were systematically investigated. In the FO process, concentrated 1.0 M NaCl aqueous solution was chosen as the draw solution and 0.1 M NaCl aqueous solution was used as the feed solution (at room temperature). Separation performance included the water flux (J w) and reverse salt rejection (reverse solute flux, RS). The experiment proved that PTCs can regulate the molecular chain aggregation state and surface morphology of polyamide, which can lead to a relatively definite improvement in water flux (11.5 L m−2 h−1) (DTAC-polyamide). Simultaneously, the polyamide surface morphology was found to play a major role in the water permeability of the FO membrane rather than the density of the skin layer (i.e., degree of cross-linking), and we found that a relatively smooth surface is more conducive to weakening the external concentration polarization (ECP) phenomenon that occurs in the FO process. We attribute this mechanism on polyamide to the size effect and charge interaction of PTCs. In the current study, the balanced effect of the synergistic interaction of the molecular structure and rough surface of polyamide on FO separation performance should be comprehensively considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly crystallized molecular structure of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) makes the polymer with poor performance in mechanical strength and water resistance. To modify the molecular structure of PVA and to diminish the complicated procedures and environmental impacts, ferric ions (in ion composite form) have been used to set the interactions with the molecule chains of PVA. The crystallinity, chemical groups change, and mechanical performance of the polymer has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR), and the bonding/membrane tensile strength test. The crystallinity of PVA is reduced from 41.6% to 7.7% with the addition of 2.0% of ferric ions. The tensile strength of the modified PVA membrane is increased by 240%. Moreover, with tougher structure and improved fluidity, the strength of ferric ions modified PVA bonded wood samples is increased by 157%. The modification of PVA with ion composite may have vast applications in many fields, such as paper industry, wood adhesives, functional materials, and polymer structure design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, C27H18F6S2, a novel photochromic hybrid diaryl­ethene derivative containing 2- and 3-thienyl substituents, is one of the most promising photochromic candidates with shorter wavelength for optical storage and other optoelectronic devices. In the crystal structure, the mol­ecule adopts a photoactive antiparallel conformation. The distance between the two reactive C atoms, i. e. the ring C atoms to which the methyl groups are attached, is 3.430 (4) Å. The dihedral angles between the thienyl and adjacent phenyl rings are 26.8 (2) and 33.98 (9)°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]