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Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) show potential for treating preclinical models of newborn bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), but studies of their therapeutic effectiveness have had mixed results, in part due to the use of different media supplements for MSCs expansion in vitro. The current study sought to identify an optimal culture supplement of umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) for BPD therapy. In this study, we found that UC-MSCs cultured with human platelet lysate (hPL-UCMSCs) were maintained a small size from Passage 1 (P1) to P10, while UC-MSCs cultured with fetal bovine serum (FBS-UCMSCs) became wide and flat. Furthermore, hPL was associated with lower levels of senescence in UC-MSCs during in vitro expansion compared with FBS, as indicated by the results of β-galactosidase staining and measures of senescence-related genes (CDKN2A, CDKN1A, and mTOR). In addition, hPL enhanced the proliferation and cell viability of the UC-MSCs and reduced their doubling time in vitro. Compared with FBS-UCMSCs, hPL-UCMSCs have a greater potential to differentiate into osteocytes and chondrocytes. Moreover, using hPL resulted in greater expression of Nestin and specific paracrine factors (VEGF, TGF-β1, FGF2, IL-8, and IL-6) in UC-MSCs compared to using FBS. Critically, we also found that hPL-UCMSCs are more effective than FBS-UCMSCs for the treatment of BPD in a rat model, with hPL leading to improvements in survival rate, lung architecture and fibrosis, and lung capillary density. Finally, qPCR of rat lung mRNA demonstrated that hPL-UCMSCs had lower expression levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-1β) and a key chemokine (MCP-1) at postnatal day 10, and there was significant reduction of CD68+ macrophages in lung tissue after hPL-UCMSCs transplantation. Altogether, our findings suggest that hPL is an optimal culture supplement for UC-MSCs expansion in vitro, and that hPL-UCMSCs promote lung repair in rat BPD disease.

Background：Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a growing clinical problem with limited therapeutic options. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cell (hucMSC) therapy is being investigated in clinical trials for the treatment of PF patients. However, little is known about the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of hucMSC therapy on PF. In this study, the molecular and cellular behavior of hucMSC was investigated in a bleomycin induced mouse PF model. Methods: The effect of hucMSC on mouse lung regeneration was determined by detecting Ki67 expression and Edu incorporation in alveolar type 2 (AT2) and lung fibroblast cells. The hucMSC was transfected to express the membrane localized GFP before transplant into the mouse lung. The cellular behavior of hucMSC in mouse lung was tracked by GFP staining. Single cell RNA sequencing was performed to investigate the molecular mechanism of hucMSC on PF. Results: hucMSCs could alleviate collagen accumulation in lung and decrease the mortality of mouse induced by bleomycin. hucMSCs transplantation promoted AT2 cell proliferation and inhibited lung fibroblast cell proliferation. Mouse lung macrophage phenotype was changed after interacting with hucMSCs. By using single-cell RNA sequencing, a subcluster of interferon-sensitive macrophages were identified after hucMSC infusion. These macrophages elevate the secretion of CXCL9 and CXCL10 following hucMSC infusion and recruit more Treg cells to the injured lung. Conclusions: Our study establishes a link between hucMSCs, macrophage proliferation, and PF with potential applications in PF therapeutics. It provides new insights into how hucMSCs interact with macrophage during the repair process of bleomycin-induced PF and play its immunoregulation function.

Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) is one of the most important active ingredients in Panax notoginseng, which plays an important role against cardiovascular diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).This review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. We searched the following databases from their inception to February 2017: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE Database, WHO ICTRP, CNKI, WANFANG, VIP and SinoMed. All the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) based on PNS in patients with unstable angina (UA) which meet the standard were included.Seventeen studies were included in this systemic review. The included studies indicated that PNS has promising therapeutic effects on reduction of the primary end point [RR 0.05 (95% CI -0.07, -0.02); P 0.001], electrocardiography (ECG) [RR 0.32 (95% CI 0.23, 0.46); P 0.001], the frequency and duration of angina attacks [MD -1.88 (95% CI -2.03, -1.72); P 0.001], and dosage of nitroglycerin [MD -1.13 (95% CI -1.70, -0.56); P 0.001] of UA patients. Adverse events were described 9 included RCTs.Oral PNS could reduce the end point, and improve the ECG, the frequency and duration of angina pectoris, dosage of nitroglycerin and lipids in UA patients. And the results indicated oral PNS is safe up to now. However, we need more multi-centre, large-sample, high-quality RCTs to provide high-quality evidence.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. CAD has both genetic and environmental causes. In the past two decades, the understanding of epigenetics has advanced swiftly and vigorously. It has been demonstrated that epigenetic modifications are associated with the onset and progression of CAD. This review aims to improve the understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms closely related to CAD and to provide a novel perspective on the onset and development of CAD. Epigenetic changes include DNA methylation, histone modification, microRNA and lncRNA, which are interrelated with critical genes and influence the expression of those genes. In addition, miRNA plays a diverse role in the pathological process of CAD. Numerous studies have found that some cardiac-specific miRNAs have potential as certain diagnostic biomarkers and treatment targets for CAD. In this review, the aberrant epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to CAD will be discussed. We will also provide novel insight into the epigenetic mechanisms that target CAD.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major public health problem and the chief cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Panax notoginseng, a valuable herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with obvious efficacy and favorable safety, shows a great promise as a novel option for CAD and is increasingly recognized clinically. Firstly, this review introduced recent clinical trials on treatment with PNS either alone or in combination with conventional drugs as novel treatment strategies. Then we discussed the mechanisms of P. notoginseng and Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS), which can regulate signaling pathways associated with inflammation, lipid metabolism, the coagulation system, apoptosis, angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, and myocardial ischaemia.

Background: Blood Stasis syndrome (BSS) is one of the major syndromes in Traditional East Asia medicine (TEAM). Modern research of BSS began in the late1980s. Methods: We searched in PubMed for BSS-related articles published between 1989 and 2015. The publication information, study contents, and bibliometric indicators were documented and analyzed. Results: Most of the BSS-related studies were conducted by Chinese researchers in China. The number of publications on BSS-related increased rapidly in recent years, so did the quality of them. The disease diversity of BSS-related studies increased along with the number of publications. Yet the academic influence of them remained on average low; further, the diagnostic criteria of BSS were not uniform. Conclusions: BSS-related studies have increased in quantity and quality, but there are limitations to them which require improvement in research productivity and academic influence.