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Food-derived advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are irreversible covalent compounds formed by Maillard reactions of reducing sugars with proteins, nucleic acids and lipids under non-enzymatic conditions. It demonstrated that AGEs areclosely related to human health and involved in the occurrence and development of diabetes and its complications, Alzheimer's disease, intestinal diseases and other diseases. This paper briefly summarizes the harm of AGEs to human health in recent years, starting to foodborn AGEs, foucse on its hazards and prevention, in order to help in-depth research Ages. At the same time, ages inhibitors and blocks its functional channels and other means to prevent potential diseases are worthy of attention, may provide new directions for clinical treatment.

Objective: The study revealed the material basis and potential mechanism of Gynostemma pentaphyllum for preventing obesity through network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. Methods: Using TCMSP database combined with literatures to supplement the screening of active ingredients. Using Pubchem and Swiss target prediction databases to collect the targets of active ingredients of Gynostemma pentaphyllum. Using GeneCards, OMIM and DurgBank databases to obtain obesity targets. Taking the intersection of Gynostemma pentaphyllum action targets and disease targets as Gynostemma pentaphyllum prevention and treatment targets for obesity, and using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software to construct a drug-compound-target network. The STRING database was used to construct a target protein interaction PPI network to screen core targets, Discovery Studio 3.5 was used to docks the selected core targets with the active ingredient molecules, DAVID database performs GO enrichment and KEGG pathway annotation analysised on intersection targets, and built a component-target-pathway interaction network model based on the above results. Results: A total of 16 compounds including quercetin, 3'-methyleriodictyol, ginsenoside f2, and gypenoside XXVIII were selected as the material basis for the prevention and treatment of obesity in Gynostemma pentaphyllum, and 107 targets for the treatment of obesity, including STAT3, AKT1, VEGFA , SRC, EGFR, MAPK3 and other 38 key targets. The results of molecular docking showed that the top 6 core targets of PPI had good binding activities with the corresponding compounds 3'-methyleriodictyol, Rhamnazin, Ruvoside, Spinasterol, ginsenoside f2, CLR, quercetin, Gypenoside XXVIII, speculate on these components may be the main pharmacodynamic components. GO analysis showed that the prevention and treatment of obesity by Gynostemma pentaphyllum mainly involved biological processes such as cell growth, proliferation and metabolic processes, molecular functions such as enzyme binding, protein binding, cellular components such as nucleus and cytoplasm. KEGG pathway enrichment results showed that pathway involving cancer signaling pathways, proteoglycan pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, and HIF-1 signaling pathways. Conclusion: This study initially revealed that Gynostemma pentaphyllum could affect the proliferation and differentiation of adipocytes, glucose and lipid metabolism, and maintain body homeostasis through multiple components, multiple targets, and multiple pathways to achieve obesity prevention and treatment, would provide a basis for further research on the effective ingredients and molecular mechanisms.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most devastating complications of diabetes mellitus. Although cadmium (Cd) exposure might be involved in the pathogenesis of DN, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we explored the protective effects and possible mechanism of proanthocyanidins (OPC) from grape seed using a mouse model of Cd-induced DN. The successful establishment of this model was verified by analyzing the physiological and biochemical indices of mice, including their body weight and tissue ratio; levels of blood glucose, creatinine, microalbumin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; and was based on histopathological examination. Oxidative-antioxidative status, elemental analysis, and key signaling pathway analysis were performed to explore the possible protective mechanism of OPC. The protective effects of OPC and its possible mechanism in preventing the progression of DN were investigated using a multidimensional approach, including its ability in regulating oxidative-antioxidative status (lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione GST, GSH-Px), metal-binding ability (Cd levels in the kidneys and urine and MT content) and mediation of essential elements (Zn, Ca, Cu, and Fe levels in the kidneys), and activation of the p38 MAPK and Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathways. OPC exhibited a significant renoprotective effect, attributed to the metal-chelating ability, anti-oxidative effect, and mediation of oxidative stress-related signaling pathway. These results highlight the potential of OPC in preventing or treating DN in humans and suggest the dietary intake of grapes, which are rich in polyphenols, for the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications.

Astragali Radix (AR) is one of the well-known traditional Chinese medicines with a long history of medical use and a wide range of clinical applications. AR contains a variety of chemical constituents which can be classified into the following categories: polysaccharides, saponins, flavonoids, amino acids, and trace elements. There are several techniques to extract these constituents, of which microwave-assisted, enzymatic, aqueous, ultrasonic and reflux extraction are the most used. Several methods such as spectroscopy, capillary electrophoresis and various chromatographic methods have been developed to identify and analyze AR. Meanwhile, this paper also summarizes the biological activities of AR, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor and antiviral activities. It is expected to provide theoretical support for the better development and utilization of AR.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is becoming a worldwide public health problem and its pathophysiological mechanism is not well understood. Emerging evidences indicated that cadmium (Cd), an industrial material but also an environmental toxin, may be involved in the development and progression of diabetes and diabetes-related kidney disease. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Herein, a DN animal model was constructed by exposing to Cd, the metabolomic profiling of DN mice were obtained by using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS), pattern recognition and pathway analysis were performed to screen potential biomarker. Moreover, western blotting was employed to verify the possible mechanism involved in the occurrence of Cd-induced DN. A total of 66 metabolites in serum have been screened out and identified as biomarkers, including free fatty acids, phospholipids, sphingomyelins, glycerides, and others. Significant differences were demonstrated between the metabolic profiles, including decreased levels of phospholipid and increased content of triglyceride, diacylglycerols, ceramide, lysophosphatidylcholine in Cd-induced DN mice compared with control. Protein expression level of p38 MAPK and Wnt/β-catenin were significantly increased. UPLC-Q-TOF/MS-based serum metabolomics coupled with pattern recognition methods and pathway analysis provide a powerful approach to identify potential biomarkers and is a new strategy to predict the underlying mechanism of disease caused by environmental toxicant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]