Search

Millettia speciosa (M. speciosa) Champ is a medicinal and edible plant. The roots are rich in flavonoids, which possess multiple biological activities, including lipid‐lowering effects. This study aimed to explore the effect of flavonoid‐enriched extract from M. speciosa (FMS) on obesity. The UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS analysis and chromatographic analysis were adopted to identify flavonoid compounds in FMS. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with a high‐fat diet for 3 months and were then treated with FMS (50 or 100 mg/kg/d) or Orlistat (10 mg kg−1 d−1) for another 8 weeks. A total of 35 flavonoids were identified in the extract of M. speciosa root. FMS reduced body weight gain, liver weight gain, white adipose tissue, lipid accumulation, and blood glucose. The levels of TG, ALT, AST, and inflammatory‐related adipokines (TNF‐α and IL‐6) in serum were also reduced by FMS. In addition, FMS promoted thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue and induced the activation of lipolysis, fatty acid oxidation, and oxidative phosphorylation in white adipose tissues. In summary, long‐term administration of FMS could ameliorate high‐fat diet–induced obesity by stimulating adipose thermogenesis and lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing the structure and function of the brain's neural network is critical for identifying the working principles of the brain and the mechanisms of brain diseases. Recombinant rabies viral vectors allow for the retrograde labeling of projection neurons and cell type-specific trans-monosynaptic tracing, making these vectors powerful candidates for the dissection of synaptic inputs. Although several attenuated rabies viral vectors have been developed, their application in studies of functional networks is hindered by the long preparation cycle and low yield of these vectors. To overcome these limitations, we developed an improved production system for the rapid rescue and preparation of a high-titer CVS-N2c-ΔG virus. Our results showed that the new CVS-N2c-ΔG-based toolkit performed remarkably: (1) N2cG-coated CVS-N2c-ΔG allowed for efficient retrograde access to projection neurons that were unaddressed by rAAV9-Retro, and the efficiency was six times higher than that of rAAV9-Retro; (2) the trans-monosynaptic efficiency of oG-mediated CVS-N2c-ΔG was 2-3 times higher than that of oG-mediated SAD-B19-ΔG; (3) CVS-N2c-ΔG could delivery modified genes for neural activity monitoring, and the time window during which this was maintained was 3 weeks; and (4) CVS-N2c-ΔG could express sufficient recombinases for efficient transgene recombination. These findings demonstrate that new CVS-N2c-ΔG-based toolkit may serve as a versatile tool for structural and functional studies of neural circuits., Competing Interests: None

Akkermansia muciniphila, abbreviated as AKK and found in 2004, is an oval-shaped gram-negative bacterium isolated from a human feal. A. muciniphila is widely present in the intestinal tract of human. Its specialization in mucin degradation makes it a key organism at the mucosal interface between the lumen and host cells. More and more studies have shown that it can play the role of probiotics. Notably, declined levels of A. muciniphila have been observed in patients with diabetes, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, neurodegenerative diseases, etc. In addition, A. muciniphila combined with traditional Chinese medicine, exhibited higher effect on regulating host functions, but the underlying mechanism was still unclear, requiring further in-depth research. Therefore, the aims of this review are to summarize the main effects of A. muciniphila on host health and its relationship with traditional Chinese medicine, summarize the main problems, and provide a reference for the further research of A. muciniphila and traditional Chinese medicine.

Aim: To prepare monoclonal antibody (mAb) against human mu chain with high titer and establish a capture ELISA for early serological diagnosis of infectious diseases., Methods: BALB/c mice were immunized with human IgM. Hybridoma cell line which could stably secret the mAb to human IgM was established by routine cell fusion technique. mAb's characteristics (titer, Ig subclass, specificity and relative affinity) were identified by indirect ELISA and Western blot, respectively. A capture ELISA was established by using purified mAb to capture specific IgM for early diagnosis of Japanese encephalitis., Results: One hybridoma cell line 2E5 stably secreting mAb against human IgMmu chain was obtained. The titer of ascites of the mAb was 1 x 10(-6) and the Ig subclass was IgG1(kappa). Relative affinity of 2E5 was 1 x 10 (-5). Western blot analysis showed that mAb 2E5 reacted specifically to mu chain. Both sensitivity and specificity of the capture ELISA in detecting specific IgM in Japanese encephalitis patients sera were high., Conclusion: mAb 2E5 against human mu chain was prepared successfully, and a capture ELISA for early serological diagnosis of Japanese encephalitis was set up.

Aim: To acquire the characteristic amino acid sequence of a novel glycoprotein of herpes simplex virus (HSV), so as to localize gene encoding the novel glycoprotein accurately., Methods: A 12-mer phage peptide library was screened for 3 rounds by using biotinylated mAb CHA9 against new glycoprotein g30k of HSV-2. Positive phage clones were detected by ELISA. 10 positive clones were selected randomly for sequencing. Sequence alignment and hydrophobic cluster analysis were carried out., Results: Most of the sequences of 10 positive phage clones were highly homologous with a core-PH/KHXHXGS-. Phages containing this motif could react specifically with the mAb CHA9 and not cross-react with other IgG. Hydrophobic cluster analysis showed that the peptide was likely to form an epitope., Conclusion: We obtained a characteristic short peptide which shows some characters of g30K amino acid sequence. It provides valuable clue for prediction of the open reading frame of g30K gene and will be useful to explore biological characteristics of the new glycoprotein.

Aim: To express Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) E protein in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris., Methods: The gene coding for JEV E protein was sub-cloned into vector pPIC9k. The constructed plasmid was transformed into yeast SMD1168 by electroporation. The recombinant transformants with a high copy number of the plasmid were selected by using MD plate and G418. The expression of E protein in yeast was induced by the addition of methanol and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot., Results: The protein was produced at a yield of 50 mg per litre of culture. Owing to heterogeneous glycosylation, relative molecular mass (M(r)) of the expressed E protein was sized about 113 000 and 78 000., Conclusion: JEV E protein was expressed successfully in yeast Pichia pastoris, which should be useful for the production of diagnostic reagents and genetically engineered vaccine of JEV.