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Background: The prevalence of Hemagglutinin 9 Neuraminidase 2 (H9N2) avian influenza virus (AIV) in poultry in Asia has raised serious concerns about its zoonotic transmission and the potential for a pandemic, underscoring the need for effective therapeutics. Chikusetsusaponin IVa (CHS), a bioactive triterpenoid saponin from Radix saposhnikoviae, has exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in preclinical studies. We hypothesized that CHS could mitigate immunopathology during tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-infection by suppressing excessive inflammation. Objectives: CHS is a natural saponin with anti-inflammatory activity. This research aimed to explore the in vitro and in vivo protective effects and mechanisms of CHS against H9N2 AIV infection. Materials and Methods: We employed Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis for the prediction of the underlying mechanisms, followed by a network analysis approach. In animal experiments, the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways and associated proteins were assessed using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Results: In A549 cells, CHS treatment reduced H9N2 AIV-induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. CHS was found to have a suppressive effect on the mRNA expression of various inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and IL-8) as well as mediators such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2). It can be seen that CHS does have anti-inflammatory effects. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that CHS might exhibit anti-inflammatory effects by modulating cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction and the NF-κB signaling pathways. Building upon this, it was found that CHS blocked the activation of TLR4 and NF-κB signaling pathways in A549 cells infected with H9N2 AIV. In vivo, CHS prolonged the survival time and increased the survival rate of H9N2 AIV-infected mice. CHS was found to have a protective effect on the lungs of infected mice, resulting in reduced damage and lower levels of viral load and inflammation. CHS inhibited the production of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8) and inhibited the activation of TLR4 and NF-κB signaling pathways in the pulmonary tissues of mice that were infected. Conclusion: CHS exerts protective effects against H9N2 AIV infection in vitro and in vivo. The anti-inflammatory mechanisms may involve the inhibition of cytokine production and the blockade of TLR4 and NF-κB signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Based on the traditional export sophistication indices used at a national level, three indices for measuring the export sophistication of the new energy industry are proposed. Meanwhile, data from 30 countries from 2000 to 2015 in the UN Comtrade database are used to calculate and compare export sophistication of global sub-divided new energy products and new energy industries at a transnational level. Moreover, the development levels of new energy industries in typical counties and regions are analysed through use of a regional anomaly test. The research results demonstrate that new energy products are ranked, in descending order, as: wind, biomass, nuclear, and solar energy products according to their technical contents, while nuclear power products show higher technical content than biomass energy products when considering product quality differences. Besides, the technical contents of new energy industries in different countries show regional heterogeneity to a certain extent: the new energy industries in Europe present increasingly evident superiority with time in terms of the technical content; the technical content of new energy industries in Asia presents a growing gap with other countries; while the technical content of new energy industries in America gradually catches up with other countries. Highlights • The export sophistication of new energy industry is measured by 3 different indices. • The evolution of the export sophistication of new energy products has compared. • The technical contents of new energy industry of various countries are compared. • The measurement results of the export sophistication can be used by others directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]