Search

Anemoside B4 (AB4) is reported to prevent acute colitis when given via intraperitoneal injection by two recent studies. However, whether oral AB4 protects against chronic colitis which resembles the clinical phenotype of ulcerative colitis (UC) and its mechanism of action are largely unknown.To systemically investigate the effects of oral AB4 against chronic colitis and illustrate the underlying mechanism of action.The preventive, therapeutic, and dose-dependent effects of AB4 against UC were examined in mice with acute or chronic relapsing colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). The inflammatory responses, colonic transcriptome, and 16S rDNA sequencing of the intestinal content of mice were analyzed.Oral administration of AB4 alleviated disease severity and colon shortening in mice with chronic relapsing colitis in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of AB4 were comparable to those of two positive-control compounds: tofacitinib and berberine. Unlike tofacitinib, AB4 did not have a deleterious effect on DSS-induced splenic swelling and anemia. Furthermore, AB4 inhibited the inflammatory responses of colitis, as evidenced by in-vivo, ex-vivo, and in-vitro studies. Transcriptomics revealed that AB4 treatment reversed the DSS-mediated decrease in the expression of colonic Pelo, B3gat2 and Mir8010. In addition, AB4 reversed DSS-induced alterations in the intestinal microbiome in mice. Through fecal microbiota transplantation, we proved that AB4 partially exerted its anti-colitis effects by modulating the gut microbiota.We demonstrated for the first time that AB4 has dose-dependent therapeutic effects against chronic relapsing colitis by modulating the inflammatory response, colonic gene expression, and intestinal microbiota.

Anemoside B4 (AB4) is a representative component of Pulsatilla decoction that is used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating inflammatory conditions. It is not known whether AB4 has beneficial effects on multiple sclerosis (MS).In the present study, we examined the preventative and therapeutic effects of AB4, and the possible mechanism by which it protects female mice against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).Preventative treatment with AB4 (given orally at 100 and 200 mg/kg for 18 days) reduced the clinical severity of EAE significantly (from 3.6 ± 1.3 to 1.8 ± 1.5 and 1.6 ± 0.6, respectively), and inhibited demyelination and inflammatory infiltration of the spinal cord. In the therapeutic protocol, oral administration of 200 mg/kg AB4 for 21 days after initiation of EAE significantly alleviated disease severity (from 2.6 ± 1.3 to 0.9 ± 0.6) and was as effective as the clinically used drug fingolimod (0.3 ± 0.6). Furthermore, both doses of AB4 significantly inhibited mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-17, and STAT3 activation, in the spinal cord; and the ex vivo and iv vitro AB4 treatment markedly inhibited secretion of the three cytokines from lymphocytes of EAE mice upon in vitro restimulation. In addition, AB4 reversed the changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiome observed in EAE mice.We reveal for the first time that AB4 protects against EAE by modulating inflammatory responses and the gut microbiota, demonstrating that AB4 may have potential as a therapeutic agent for treating MS in humans.

A disk-corona model for fitting low/hard (LH) state of associated steady jet of black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) is proposed based on the large-scale magnetic field configuration of the coexistence of the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) and Blandford-Payne (BP) processes,where the magnetic field configuration for the BP process is determined by the requirement of energy conversion from Poynting energy flux into kinetic energy flux in the jet. It is found that corona current is crucial to guarantee the consistency of the jet launching from accretion disk. The relative importance of the BZ to BP processes in powering jets from black hole accretion disk is discussed, and the LH state of several BHXBs is fitted based on our model.In addition, we suggest that magnetic field configuration could be regarded as the second parameter for governing the state transition of BHXBs., Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures

A model for the low/hard (LH) state associated with a steady jet in black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) is proposed based on disc-corona model with open magnetic fields trapped in magnetic patches, which arises from ‘flux expulsion’ effect of convective turbulence. We fit the spectral profiles of the LH state for the BHXBs, 4U 1543-475, GX 339-4, XTE J1550-564 and GRO J1655-40, and fit the relation between jet power and X-ray luminosity dynamically in the LH state by adjusting accretion rate and the outer boundary of the corona over the disc.

A model for 3:2 high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HFQPOs) with 3:2 pairs observed in four black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) is proposed by invoking the epicyclic resonances with the magnetic connection (MC) between a spinning black hole (BH) with a relativistic accretion disc. It turns out that the MC can be worked out due to Poynting-Robertson cosmic battery (PRCB), and the 3:2 HFQPO pairs associated with the steep power-law states can be fitted in this model. Furthermore, the severe damping problem in the epicyclic resonance model can be overcome by transferring energy from the BH to the inner disc via the MC process for emitting X-rays with sufficient amplitude and coherence to produce the HFQPOs. In addition, we discuss the important role of the magnetic field in state transition of BHXBs., 8 pages, accepted for publication in MNRAS

An extreme Kerr black hole (BH) surrounded by a precessing disk is invoked to explain the light curves of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) based on the coexistence of the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) and the magnetic coupling (MC) processes. The overall shape of the light curves and the duration of GRBs are interpreted by the evolution of the half-opening angle of the magnetic flux on the BH horizon, and the complex temporal structures are modulated by the precession and nutation of the jet powered by the BZ process. The time profile of the emission exhibits a fast rise and a slow decay due to the effect of the evolution of the half-opening angle. The light curves of several GRBs are well fitted by this model with only six free parameters., 8 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

We argue, following our earlier works (the "CEBZMC model"), that the phenomenon of twin peak high frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in black hole X-ray binaries is caused by magnetic coupling (MC) between accretion disk and black hole (BH). Due to MC, two bright spots occur at two separate radial locations r_{in} and r_{out} at the disk surface, energized by a kind of the Blandford-Znajek mechanism (BZ). We assume, following the Kluzniak-Abramowicz QPO resonance model, that Keplerian frequencies at these two locations are in the 3:2 ratio. With this assumption, we estimate the BH spins in several sources, including GRO J1655-40, GRS 1915+105, XTE J1550-564, H1743-322 and Sgr A*. We give an interpretation of the "jet line" in the hardness-intensity plane discussing the parameter space consisting of the BH spin and the power-law index for the variation of the large-scale magnetic field in the disk. Furthermore, we propose a new scenario for the spectral state transitions in BH X-ray binaries based on fluctuation in densities of accreting plasma from a companion star., Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, accepted by APJ

A magnetic model for low/hard state (LHS) of black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs),H1743-322 and GX 339-4, is proposed based on the transportation of magnetic field from a companion into an accretion disk around a black hole (BH). This model consists of a truncated thin disk with an inner advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF). The spectral profiles of the sources are fitted in agreement with the data observed at four different dates corresponding to the rising phase of the LHS. In addition, the association of the LHS with quasi-steady jet is modelled based on transportation of magnetic field, where the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) and Blandford-Payne (BP) processes are invoked to drive the jets from BH and inner ADAF. It turns out that the steep radio/X-ray correlations observed in H1743-322 and GX 339-4 can be interpreted based on our model., 15 pages, 4 figures,accepted by RAA

The continued observations of Sw J1644+57 in X-ray and radio bands accumulated a rich data set to study the relativistic jet launched in this tidal disruption event. The X-ray light curve of Sw J1644+57 from 5-30 days presents two kinds of quasi-periodic variations: a 200 second quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) and a 2.7-day quasi-periodic variation. The latter has been interpreted by a precessing jet launched near the Bardeen-Petterson radius of a warped disk. Here we suggest that the $\sim$ 200s QPO could be associated with a second, narrower jet sweeping the observer line-of-sight periodically, which is launched from a spinning black hole in the misaligned direction with respect to the black hole's angular momentum. In addition, we show that this two-component jet model can interpret the radio light curve of the event, especially the re-brightening feature starting $\sim 100$ days after the trigger. From the data we infer that inner jet may have a Lorentz factor of $\Gamma_{\rm j} \sim 5.5$ and a kinetic energy of $E_{\rm k,iso} \sim 3.0 \times 10^{52} {\rm erg}$, while the outer jet may have a Lorentz factor of $\Gamma_{\rm j} \sim 2.5$ and a kinetic energy of $E_{\rm k,iso} \sim 3.0 \times 10^{53} {\rm erg}$., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

The universal radio--X-ray correlation (F_R \propto F_X^{b}, b~0.5-0.7) has been found for a sample of black-hole X-ray binaries (BHBs) in their low/hard states, which can roughly be explained by the coupled model of jet and radiatively inefficient advection dominated accretion flow. However, more and more `outliers' were found in last few years, which evidently deviate from the universal radio-X-ray correlation and usually show a much steeper correlation with an index of ~1.4. Based on simple physical assumptions, the radiatively efficient accretion flows are speculated to exist in these `outliers'. In this work, we test this issue by modelling the `outliers' track based on the radiatively efficient disc-corona model and the hybrid jet model. We find that our model predicts a steeper radio--X-ray correlation with slopes >~1.2 for the typical viscosity parameter of \alpha~0.05-0.2. In particular, the slope is ~1.4 for the case of \alpha~0.1, which is consistent with the observational results of H1743-322 very well. Our results suggest that the `outliers' track may be regulated by the disc-corona model., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in black hole (BH) systems of different scales are interpreted based on the magnetic reconnection of the large-scale magnetic fields generated by the toroidal electric currents flowing in the inner region of accretion disk, where the current density is assumed to be proportional to the mass density of the accreting plasma. The magnetic connection (MC) is taken into account in resolving the dynamic equations of the accretion disk, in which the MC between the inner and outer disk regions, the MC between the plunging region and the disk, and the MC between the BH horizon and the disk are involved. It turns out that the single QPO frequency of several BH systems of different scales can be fitted by invoking the magnetic reconnection due to the MC between the inner and outer regions of the disk, where the BH binaries XTE J1859+226, XTE J1650-500 and GRS 1915+105 and the massive BHs in NGC 5408 X-1 and RE J1034+396 are included. In addition, the X-ray spectra corresponding to the QPOs are fitted for these sources based on the typical disk-corona model., 13 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in RAA

A model of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (LFQPOs) of black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) is proposed based on the perturbed magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations of accretion disk. It turns out that the LFQPOs frequencies of some BHXBs can be fitted by the frequencies of the toroidal Alfv\'en wave oscillation corresponding to the maximal radiation flux. In addition, the positive correlation of the LFQPO frequencies with the radiation flux from accretion disk is well interpreted., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in RAA

We apply epicyclic resonances to the magnetic connection (MC) of a black hole (BH) with a relativistic accretion disc, interpreting the high frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HFQPOs) with 3:2 pairs observed in three BH X-ray binaries. It turns out that the 3:2 HFQPO pairs are associated with the steep power-law states, and the severe damping can be overcome by transferring energy and angular momentum from a spinning BH to the inner disc in the MC process., 5 pages, 3 figures, Accepted by MNRAS

Correlation of a puzzling 3:2 ratio of High frequency quasi‐periodic oscillations with the jets in black hole X‐ray binaries are discussed based on the model of the coexistence of the Blandford‐Znajek mechanism and the Magnetic Coupling mechanism. Similar astrophysical phenomena in black hole systems of different scales are also discussed.

Association of the high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation (HFQPO) pairs with the broad Fe K line in XTE J1550-564 and GRO J1655-40 is discussed based on the magnetic coupling (MC) of a rotating black hole (BH) with its surrounding disc. The 3:2 HFQPO pairs are interpreted by virtue of the inner and outer hotspots arising from non-axisymmetric magnetic field, where the inner hotspot is produced by a torque exerted at the inner edge of the disc, and the outer hotspot is created by the screw instability of the large-scale magnetic field. The very steep emissivity index is created predominantly by the torque exerted at the inner edge of the disc. It turns out that the 3:2 HFQPO pairs observed in the two sources can be fitted by tuning several model parameters, such as the BH spin, and the main features of this model lie in three aspects. (1) The condition for only one HFQPO is discussed based on the two mechanisms for producing the 3:2 HFQPO pairs, (2) an explanation is given for a systematic shift away from disc dominated flux with the increasing power-law flux as the HFQPO pairs shift from the higher to lower frequencies, which is consistent with the analysis given by Remillard et al. (2002), and (3) the BH spin in XTE J1550-564 and GRO J1655-40 can be estimated by combining the 3:2 HFQPO pairs with the very steep emissivity index required for fitting the broad Fe K emission line., Comment: 13 pages,8 figures, 2 tables, accepted by MNRAS, Sept 16, 2008

Many models of gamma-ray bursts suggest a common central engine: a black hole of several solar masses accreting matter from a disk at an accretion rate from 0.01 to 10 M_\sun / s. The inner region of the disk is cooled by neutrino emission and large amounts of its binding energy were liberated, which could trigger the fireball. We improve the neutrino-dominated accreting flows by considering the effects of the magnetic fields, and find that more than half of the liberating energy can be extracted directly by the large-scale magnetic fields on the disk. And it turns out that the temperature of the disk is a bit lower than the neutrino-dominated accreting flows without magnetic field. Therefore, The outflows are magneticallydominated rather than neutrino dominated. In our model, neutrino mechanism can fuel some GRBs (not the brightest ones), but cannot fuel X-ray flares. However, the magnetic processes (both BZ and electromagnetic luminosity from a disk) are viable mechanisms for most of GRBs and the following X-ray flares., 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ChJAA

Taking into account the energy and angular momentum transferred from a rotating black hole (BH) to the inner accretion disk by the magnetic connection (MC) process, we simulate the x-ray spectra from the disk-corona system with two different magnetic configurations using the Monte Carlo method. The results show that the MC process reduces the ratio of the power dissipated in the corona to the total and softens the spectrum. The influence of the MC process is stronger with a higher BH spin, a larger accretion rate, and a larger and more centralized magnetic flux threading the disk. The comparison of the model spectra with the observational data suggests that large-scale magnetic fields accumulating in the inner disk could be a candidate explanation for the hard-to-soft state evolutions in BH binaries.

A constraint to black hole (BH) accretion has previously been derived for the inner edge fixed at the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) and the innermost bound circular orbit (IBCO). This constraint is referred to as the mass-radius (MR) relation in this study, and the validity of the MR relation is discussed for different cases. It is shown that the product of the BH mass and the inner edge radius decreases monotonically in the accretion process for the inner edge located between IBCO and ISCO. In addition, we discuss the validity of the MR relation by considering the magnetic coupling (MC) effects of a Kerr BH with its surrounding disc. Although theoretically the product of the BH mass and the radius of ISCO increases (decreases) with time for a BH spin greater (less) than some critical value in the MC process, this relation is approximately valid for an Eddington accretion rate persisting for a rather long time, such as more than 106 years. Finally, we discuss the possible application of the MR relation to astrophysics.