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Multi-robot manipulation systems are usually high-dimensional, kinematically complex and the internal forces are sensitive to robot motion errors due to the physical coupling, especially when the manipulated object is rigid. In this work, a distributed cooperative controller is designed for this scenario. Besides transporting the object, obstacle avoidance and manipulability enhancement are also achieved online by a novel optimisation-based approach. Since the local controller does not require the other robots to send the model or joint-space data, the system is flexible and the communication cost is minimal. experiments show that no internal force is generated when the robots are changing their poses for the additional tasks and the online computation is fast.

Oleanolic acid (OA), asiatic acid (AA), and maslinic acid (MA) are ubiquitous isomeric triterpene phytochemicals with many pharmacological effects. To improve their application value, we used lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce RAW264.7 cells and studied the differences in the anti-inflammatory effects of the triterpenes according to their structural differences. MTT, Griess, and immunofluorescence assays, ELISA, flow cytometry, and Western blotting, were performed. The release of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and interleukin (IL-6), was significantly inhibited by OA, AA, and MA at the same concentration, and AA and MA promoted the production of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10. OA, AA, and MA inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB nuclear translocation in RAW264.7 cells. OA and AA inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, P38, and JNK1/2 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, OA increased LPS-induced Nrf2 expression and decreased Keap1 expression in RAW264.7 cells. OA, AA, and MA inhibited LPS-stimulated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and alleviated mitochondrial membrane potential depletion. Overall, our data suggested that OA, AA, and MA exhibited significant anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. In particular, OA and AA take effects through the MAPKs, NF-κB, and Nrf2 signaling pathways.

Background Vascular complications are major causes of disability and death in people with diabetes mellitus (DM). Nitric oxide (NO) supplement may help prevent vascular complications and is an attractive treatment option for DM. Hydroxytyrosol (HT) is a major polyphenol in olive oil. It is mainly used as a dietary supplement because of its antioxidant effect. Purpose We aimed to determine the effects of hydroxytyrosol nitric oxide (HT-NO) on oxidative stress and NO level as well as related mechanisms. Study Design/Methods The effects of HT-NO on oxidative stress and NO level were examined by using diabetic mouse model and HUVECs. Results Our results showed that HT-NO has antioxidant and NO-releasing activities in vitro and in DM mice. HT-NO not only decreased blood glucose and oxidative stress but also increased NO level and deacetylase Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression in DM mice and high glucose (HG)-stimulated HUVECs. Further studies found that SIRT1 activation augmented the effect of HT-NO on eNOS phosphorylation in HG-stimulated HUVECs. However, the promotive effect of HT-NO on eNOS phosphorylation was abolished by SIRT1 knockdown. Most importantly, HT-NO inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) production through SIRT1 in HUVECs. The ROS scavenger enhanced the effect of HT-NO on eNOS phosphorylation. Conclusion These results suggest that HT-NO regulates oxidative stress and NO production partly through SIRT1 in DM mice and HG-stimulated HUVECs.

The proliferation, migration, and cellular morphology of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play important roles in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (AS). Homocysteine (Hcy) is a sulfur-containing amino acid, which is an intermediate product of methionine metabolism. Hcy can induce proliferation, migration, and phenotypic switch of VSMCs, but details of these mechanisms are still unclear. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway is involved in a host of cellular functions. In this study, we sought to determine if this multifunctional pathway played a role in Hcy-induced proliferation, migration, and phenotypic transformation of VSMCs, which has not been previously reported. miR-145 has been previously reported to suppress the effects of Hcy in VSMCs. In our study, using qRT-PCR, we found that Hcy itself reduced the expression of miR-145 in VSMCs, while overexpression of miR-145 reduced the proliferation, migration, and phenotypic transformation of VSMCs caused by Hcy. Using Western blot analysis, we found that VSMCs exposed to Hcy exhibited significant increases in the levels of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR proteins. Additionally, overexpression of miR-145 dramatically decreased PI3K, Akt, and mTOR expression. Using qRT-PCR we found that miR-145 expression increased after blocking PI3K using an inhibitor. Inhibition of the PI3K signaling pathway also prevented Hcy-induced VSMC proliferation, migration, and phenotypic switch. Taken together, our results suggest that miR-145 could inhibit VSMC proliferation, migration, and phenotype switching by preventing activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Object handover is a fundamental skill needed in many human–robot collaboration tasks ranging from industrial manipulation to daily service. It remains challenging for robots to perform a handover as flexibly and fluently as a human. This article proposes a framework based on Dynamic Movement Primitives (DMP) that enables robot to learn from human demonstrations and transfer the skill into human–robot handovers. In particular, we focus on the problem of dealing with time varying handover locations. Compared to the conventional DMP formalism, the proposed method contains the following extensions: (1) uncertainty-aware learning with Gaussian Process, (2) a weighting function to control the transition of the shape and goal attraction terms, (3) an orientation-based spatial scaling, (4) online parameter adaption with human feedback. Moreover, inspired by the principle of cooperative DMPs, we present an equivalent model to study the interactive dynamics in human–robot handovers. The proposed framework has been validated in experiments and evaluated by both subjective and objective metrics. Results show an enhancement of success rate, fluency and human comfort.

Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a phenolic compound in olive oil, exerts an anti-inflammatory effect in cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies found that autophagy was a therapeutic target of diseases. However, the effect of HT on autophagy in vascular adventitial fibroblasts (VAFs) remains unknown. Thus, in this study, we aimed to determine the effect of HT on cell autophagy and related signaling pathway and whether HT regulates the inflammatory response through autophagy in VAFs. Our results showed that HT promoted cell autophagy by increasing the conversion of LC3 and Beclin1 expression and the autophagic flux in VAFs stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). HT also upregulated the expression of the deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) protein and mRNA compared with the TNF-α group. The molecular docking studies showed the good compatibility between HT and SIRT1, indicating that HT might act through SIRT1. Further study found that HT regulated autophagy through SIRT1-mediated Akt/mTOR suppression in VAFs. In addition, HT inhibited TNF-α-induced inflammatory response in VAFs through SIRT1. Furthermore, the study showed that HT inhibited the inflammatory response of VAFs through autophagy. These findings indicate that HT regulates the autophagy of VAFs through SIRT1-mediated Akt/mTOR suppression and then inhibits the inflammatory response of VAFs.

Emerging evidence suggests that inflammation plays a pivotal role in Atherosclerosis. Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), a member of NAD+-dependent protein lysine deacylases of the sirtuin family, plays an important role in the regulation of metabolism, aging and stress resistance. However, the role of SIRT6 in vascular inflammation and its molecular mechanism is unknown. The present study showed that TNF-α significantly reduced the expression of SIRT6 protein and mRNA in a concentration- and time-dependent manner and increased the expression of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukin (IL) -6 and IL-1β in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Overexpression of SIRT6 but not its catalytically inactive mutant inhibited TNF-α-induced expression of MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β. Knockdown of SIRT6 significantly enhanced TNF-α-induced expression of MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β. Moreover, knockdown of SIRT6 reduced TNF-α-induced nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (NRF2) nucleus protein expression, whereas knockdown of NRF2 significantly enhanced TNF-α-induced expression of MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β. In addition, overexpression of SIRT6 increased NRF2 and its target genes expression, and knockdown of SIRT6 decreased NRF2 and its target genes expression. Meanwhile, knockdown of SIRT6 inhibited NRF2 nucleus protein expression. Further, knockdown of SIRT6 decreased phosphorylation of NRF2, overexpression of SIRT6 increased phosphorylation of NRF2. SIRT6 interacted with NRF2. In vivo, the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were increased in the serum of hyperlipidemia mice. Hyperlipidemia-induced production of MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β was significantly augmented in the endothelium specific SIRT6 knockout mice. In contrast, the expression of NRF2 and its target genes was reduced. Taken together, these results indicate that SIRT6 protects against vascular inflammation via its deacetylase activity and the NRF2-dependent signaling pathway.

// Xiaofeng Yang 1 , Jingyuan Wei 2 , Yanhao He 1 , Ting Jing 1 , Yanxiang Li 3 , Yunfang Xiao 1 , Bo Wang 1 , Weirong Wang 4 , Jiye Zhang 5 and Rong Lin 1 1 Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China 2 Liaoning Province Academy of Analytic Science, Shenyang 110015, Liaoning, P. R. China 3 Taizhou Polytechnic College, Taizhou 225300, Jiangsu, P. R. China 4 Laboratory Animal Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China 5 School of Pharmacology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, P. R. China Correspondence to: Rong Lin, email: linrong63@aliyun.com Keywords: atherosclerosis, SIRT1, deacetylation, autophagy, Atg5 Received: October 13, 2016 Accepted: April 24, 2017 Published: May 08, 2017 ABSTRACT SIRT1, a highly conserved NAD + -dependent protein deacetylase, plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and therapy of atherosclerosis (AS). The aim of this study is to investigate the potential effects of SIRT1 on AS in ApoE –/– mice and the underlying mechanisms of autophagy in an ox-LDL-stimulated human monocyte cell line, THP-1. In vivo , the accelerated atherosclerotic progression of mice was established by carotid collar placement; then, mice were treated for 4 weeks with a SIRT1-specific inhibitor, EX-527. The atherosclerotic lesion size of EX-527-treated mice was greatly increased compared to that of the mice in the control group. Immunostaining protocols confirmed that the inhibition of SIRT1 during plaque initiation and progression enhanced the extent of intraplaque macrophage infiltration and impaired the autophagy process. In vitro cultured THP-1 macrophages exposed to ox-LDL were utilized to study the link between the SIRT1 function, autophagy flux, pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, and foam cell formation using different methods. Our data showed that ox-LDL markedly suppressed SIRT1 protein expression and the autophagy level, while it elevated the MCP-1 production and lipid uptake. Additionally, the application of the SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527 or SIRT1 siRNA further attenuated ox-LDL-induced autophagy inhibition. In conclusion, our results show that the inhibition of SIRT1 promoted atherosclerotic plaque development in ApoE –/– mice by increasing the MCP-1 expression and macrophage accumulation. In particular, we demonstrate that blocking SIRT1 can exacerbate the acetylation of key autophagy machinery, the Atg5 protein, which further regulates the THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cell formation that is triggered by ox-LDL.

Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylase, participates in various age-related disorders, such as dyslipidemia and cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies have revealed that minute cholesterol crystals (CCs), which are generated after excess free cholesterol accumulation, form not only in mature atherosclerotic plaques but also extremely early in atherosclerosis. Since endothelial dysfunction is an early feature of atherogenesis, this study was designed to investigate the role of SIRT6 in minute CC-induced endothelial dysfunction and the related mechanism. We found that minute CCs could be endocytosed by endothelial cells (ECs), which then decreased nitric oxide (NO) levels and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity and expression, upregulated the expression of adhesion molecules and enhanced monocyte adhesion to ECs. In addition, minute CCs significantly suppressed SIRT6 expression in ECs. Moreover, the overexpression of SIRT6 could mitigate minute CC-induced endothelial dysfunction. In addition, the expression of Nuclear factor erythroid2-related factor2 (Nrf2) was suppressed after minute CC treatment, whereas SIRT6 overexpression reversed this decrease in Nrf2 expression. More importantly, Nrf2 activation also notably attenuated minute CC-induced endothelial dysfunction. In vivo experiments further indicated that endothelium-specific SIRT6 depletion impaired vascular endothelial function and suppressed Nrf2 expression in hyperlipidemic mice. Taken together, these results indicate that SIRT6 rescues minute CC-induced endothelial dysfunction partly via Nrf2 activation.

In this paper, a robust non-singular terminal sliding mode (NTSM) method is proposed for a nonlinear single-master-multiple-slave (SMMS) manipulator system, including a bilateral teleoperative subsystem and a leader-following subsystem. The developed NTSM method aims at regulating the motion tracking synchronization considering the network delays, external disturbances, velocity-varying leader, and a weakly connected topology of the leader-following subsystem. In addition, the accuracy and efficiency of the tracking synchronization are evaluated by examining the effects of the control gain selection and assigned reference trajectory, which helps the operator to configure the control system under different conditions. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the performance as well as the evaluation of the developed techniques.

In this work a shared impedance control scheme for a hybrid human-robot team is designed for transporting a rigid workpiece to a desired position. Within the scope of proposed control structure, both human and robot are regarded as mechanical impedance and their parameters are adapted continuously in real-time. Reinforcement learning is used to find an impedance parameter set for the whole team to optimize a task-orient cost function. Then the learned parameters are further adjusted by taking human’s disagreement into consideration. The proposed method is aimed to reduce human’s control effort during collaboration and be flexible to variation of the task or environment. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the performance.

Reactive multi-robot manipulation can be of great assistance in many applications. In this article a distributed cooperation strategy for object manipulation with multiple robots in un-modelled environments is proposed to tackle workpiece transportation and dynamic obstacle avoidance simultaneously. A decentralised optimisation process will run first to generate robot pose references and then a joint-level control is responsible for tracking. Since in multi-arm manipulation systems the available workspace for each robot is more restricted, necessary internal performance optimisation is also included in the planning phase. A velocity-level optimum will be solved and then transformed to a position-level control reference so that it can be combined with many compliant interactive controllers such as impedance control. Although no torque or force sensor is required and each robot only has access to local information, when avoiding obstacles the coordination strategy can generate synchronised group motion so that internal forces are avoided. Only task-space variables will be communicated, therefore it is easy to team up different types of robots, making the system more flexible. Simulation and experiments with two redundant manipulators have been done to validate the proposed design, and data show that the online computation speed is fast.

Emerging evidences indicated that NLRP3 inflammasome initiates inflammatory response involved in cardiovascular disease. Nicotinic acid (NA) has been known to possess potential anti-inflammatory property. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of NA on the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and the underlying mechanisms. It was found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) triggered the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). NA inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent caspase-1 cleavage as well as interleukin (IL)-1β secretion. Moreover, NA administration up-regulated SIRT1 expression in HUVECs stimulated with LPS plus ATP. Importantly, knockdown of SIRT1 reversed the inhibitory effect of NA on the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. Further study revealed that NA also decreased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HUVECs. In addition, NA inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation partly through suppression of ROS. Taken together, these findings indicate that NA is able to regulate the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in HUVECs, which may be partly mediated by SIRT1 and ROS.

In this work a collaborative controller for a team of mobile manipulators is designed for transporting a rigid workpiece to a desired position and orientation. Impedance control is used for the robotic arms to allow some compliance in the physical contact. The mobile platform is localised with a Bayesian filter and controlled kinematically using a velocity reference composed of two parts: a) a velocity towards the goal position and the desired formation, and b) one that keeps the robot gripper in a proper range relative to the platform. According to the accuracy information from the localisation algorithm, the control gains are changed to reduce the motion error and internal forces on the workpiece. The system is decentralised and no communication between the robots is required. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance.

Nicotinic acid (NA) has recently been shown to inhibit inflammatory response in cardiovascular disease. Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), a NAD(+)-dependent class III histone deacetylase, participates in the regulation of cellular inflammation. We hypothesized that dietary supplementation of NA could attenuate vascular inflammation via modulation of SIRT1 pathway. New Zealand White rabbits received chow or chow supplemented with 0.6% (wt/wt) NA for 2 weeks. Acute vascular inflammation was induced in the animals by placing a non-occlusive silastic collar around the left common carotid artery. At 24 h after collar implantation, the collar-induced production of C-reactive protein and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 was significantly suppressed in the NA-supplemented animals. Meanwhile, NA also decreased the expression of cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40) and CD40 ligand, but up-regulated SIRT1 expression, both in rabbits and in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated endothelial cells. Moreover, knockdown of SIRT1 reversed the inhibitory effect of NA on CD40 expression. Further study revealed that NA also decreased the expression of CD40 partly through mammalian target of rapamycin. These results indicate that NA protects against vascular inflammation via the SIRT1/CD40-dependent signaling pathway.

Imatinib (IM) represents a breakthrough in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) by inhibiting the activity of Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase. However, many patients exhibit resistance to IM in the clinic. Recent studies have indicated that sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a class III histone deacetylase (HDAC), plays an important role in leukemogenesis. In addition, some HDAC inhibitors are being tested to determine their anti-cancer activities in clinical trials. Divalproex sodium (DVPX), a first-line treatment for epilepsy, is also a HDAC inhibitor. However, it is unclear whether the anti-leukemic effects of IM in combination with DVPX on CML cells are related to SIRT1. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of IM in combination with DVPX on cell viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in CML cells and to explore the underlying mechanisms. It was found that DVPX enhanced IM-induced cell growth inhibition, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in K562-S and K562-G cells. Surprisingly, the level of p-Bcr-Abl was similar in K562-S and K562-G cells. Moreover, IM combined with DVPX had no effects on the phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl and its downstream target STAT5. Further study revealed that SIRT1 expression was higher in K562-G cells compared with K562-S cells. DVPX enhanced the inhibitory effect of IM on SIRT1 expression in K562-S and K562-G cells. Furthermore, knockdown of SIRT1 promoted apoptosis of K562-G cells treated with IM and DVPX. These results indicate that DVPX may increase the sensitivity of CML cells to IM and reverse IM resistance by regulating SIRT1 expression.

Oral candidiasis or thrush is a fungal infection due to Candida albicans, causing discomfort in areas inside mouth or tongue. The clinical application of antifungal reagent amphotericin B (AMB), which is believed to offer a better treatment for oral candidiasis, is greatly compromised by its toxicities (mainly nephrotoxicity) and poor solubility. In order to overcome these issues, we characterized AMB-loaded MPEG-PCL micelles in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the antifungal activities of AMB/MPEG-PCL micelles-loaded buccal tablet were also evaluated in vitro. We found that micelles system could significantly improve the solubility of AMB yet reduce the overall toxicity, while the buccal tablet system is capable to suppress C. albicans biofilm formation. Furthermore, the toxicity of the buccal tablet system is also reduced compared with other standard preparations. Therefore, the prepared tablet with AMB-loaded MPEG-PCL micelles as oral topical preparations has the potential to improve current treatment of superficial oral C. albicans infections.

Dihydromyricetin (DHM), a bioactive flavonoid component isolated from Ampelopsis grossedentata, is known to have anti-inflammatory effect, but the effect of DHM on acute lung injury (ALI) is largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of DHM on ALI and the underlying mechanism by bioinformatic analyses and animal experiments. We found that pretreatment with DHM ameliorated lung pathological changes and suppressed the inflammation response in lung tissues after LPS challenge. The potential targets of DHM were predicted by DDI-CPI and DRAR-CPI tools and analyzed using the STRING server to predict the functionally related signaling pathways, such as MAPK signaling. Molecular docking calculations indicated that DHM could be embedded tightly into the binding pocket of ERK, JNK, and p38. Furthermore, the activation of MAPK signaling induced by LPS was inhibited by DHM. In conclusion, these findings suggest that DHM may exert its protective effect on ALI by inhibiting MAPK signaling. The present study supports a potential clinical application for DHM in treating ALI and provides a novel design that combines in silico methods with in vivo experiments for drug research.

Sitagliptin has recently been shown to inhibit inflammatory response in cardiovascular disease. Sirtuin6 (SIRT6), a NAD+-dependent class III histone deacetylase, participates in the regulation of cellular inflammation. We hypothesized that sitagliptin could attenuate vascular inflammation via modulation of SIRT6 pathway. It was found that sitagliptin decreased the expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β, but up-regulated SIRT6 expression, both in mice and in TNF-α-stimulated endothelial cells. Moreover, knockdown of SIRT6 reversed the inhibitory effect of sitagliptin on MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β expression. Further study revealed that sitagliptin also decreased the expression of MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β partly through suppression of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In vivo, hypercholesterolemia in mice was induced by intraperitoneal administration of poloxamer 407 for 1 month. Hyperlipidemia-induced production of MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β was significantly suppressed in the sitagliptin-supplemented animals, but the effect of was abolished by SIRT6 knockout in endothelium. These results indicate that sitagliptin protects against vascular inflammation via the SIRT6/ROS-dependent signaling pathway.

SIRT6, with both deacetylase and ADP-ribosyltransferase activities, is predominantly expressed in the nucleus. It has been revealed that SIRT6 regulates various biological functions including metabolism, aging and stress resistance. This study aims to investigate the role of SIRT6 in vascular inflammation and it molecular mechanism. We found that tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) did not alter the localization of SIRT6 in vascular adventitial fibroblasts (VAFs), vascular endothelial cells (VECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The expression of SIRT1, SIRT6 was decreased in TNF-α-treated VAFs. In contrast, TNF-α significantly increased the expression of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and interleukin (IL) -6. Knockdown of SIRT1 and SIRT6 by siRNA significantly enhanced TNF-α-induced expression of MCP-1 and IL-6, respectively. Overexpression of SIRT1 and SIRT6 inhibited TNF-α-induced expression of MCP-1 and IL-6 in VAFs. Moreover, we also found SIRT1 positively regulated the expression of SIRT6 in VAFs. In addition, knockdown of SIRT1 and SIRT6 respectively augmented TNF-α-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt). ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and Akt inhibitor MK2206 reduced TNF-α-induced mRNA expression of MCP-1 and IL-6 in VAFs. In vivo studies indicated that the expression of SIRT1, SIRT6 was decreased and the expression of MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β was increased in carotid collar-induced vascular inflammation. Taken together, these findings indicate that SIRT1 and SIRT6 inhibit TNF-α-induced inflammation in VAFs by ROS and Akt pathway.

Background: Recently, the effects of hydroxytyrosol on autophagy during acute lung injury (ALI) have drawn increasing attention. Objective: We explored the underlying molecular mechanisms by which hydroxytyrosol exerts its anti-inflammatory effects in a murine model of ALI by up-regulating autophagy. Methods: Male BALB/c mice, challenged with intranasal instillations of LPS, were treated with or without hydroxytyrosol (HT, 100 mg/kg, intragastrically) 1 h prior to LPS exposure. Twenty-four hours later, lung and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples were obtained for the determination of lung wet to dry weight (W/D) ratios, protein leakage levels, and differential counts of inflammatory cells in BAL fluid. LPS-induced cytokine activity, inflammatory factor levels, sirtuin (SIRT1/3/6) expression, mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK) activation, and autophagy marker expression in ALImice were examined by western blotting and staining methods. Molecular docking between HT and SIRT and MAPK was studied with a Sybyl/Surflex module. Results: LPS-stimulated SIRT inhibition, MAPK phosphorylation, and autophagy suppression were all notably abolished by HT administration. HT treatment significantly attenuated pulmonary edema and inflammatory cell infiltration into lung tissues, accompanied by decreased lung W/D ratios, protein concentrations, and inflammatory cell levels in BAL fluid. LPS driven release of inflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and MCP-1, was strongly regulated by HT. Conclusions: The protective effect of HT on lung inflammation in ALI mice may be attributed to the promotion of autophagy, which is likely associated with the activation of the SIRT/MAPK signaling pathway. Importantly, this study provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms of HT and its therapeutic potential in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Injectable hydrogels have a variety of applications, including regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery. In this paper, we reported on a pure protein hydrogel based on tetrameric recombinant proteins for the potential drug delivery application. This protein hydrogel was formed instantly by simply mixing two recombinant proteins (ULD-TIP1 and ULD-GGGWRESAI) through the specific protein-peptide interaction. The protein hydrogel was characterized by rheology and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In vitro cytotoxicity test indicated that the developed protein hydrogel had no apparent cytotoxicity against L-929 cells and HCEC cells after 48h incubation. The formed protein hydrogels was gradually degraded after incubation in phosphate buffered solution (PBS, pH=7.4) for a period of 144h study, as indicated by in vitro degradation test. Encapsulation of model drug (sodium diclofenac; DIC) were achieved by simple mixing of drugs with hydrogelator and the entrapped drugs was almost completely released from hydrogels within 24h via a diffusion manner. As a conclusion, the simple and mild preparation procedure and good biocompatibility of protein hydrogel would render its good promising candidate for drug delivery applications.

NLRP3 inflammasome not only functions as a critical effector in innate immunity, but also triggers the production of proinflammatory cytokines involved in inflammation-associated diseases. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) plays an important role in the regulation of cellular inflammation. However, whether the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome is regulated by SIRT1 remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the regulatory effect of SIRT1 on NLRP3 inflammasome and the underlying mechanisms. We found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-induced the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Activation of SIRT1 inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent caspase-1 cleavage as well as interleukin (IL)-1β secretion, whereas SIRT1 knockdown obviously enhanced the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in HUVECs. Importantly, gene silencing of SIRT1 abrogated the inhibitory effect of SIRT1 activator on NLRP3 inflammasome formation and IL-1β production in HUVECs stimulated with LPS plus ATP. Further study indicated that cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40) may be involved in the regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome by SIRT1. In vivo studies indicated that implantation of the periarterial carotid collar increased the arterial expression levels of CD40 and CD40 Ligand (CD40L), but inhibited arterial SIRT1 expression in the rabbits. Moreover, treatment with SIRT1 activator decreased CD40 and CD40L levels in collared arteries. Meanwhile, serum IL-1β level, the marker of inflammasome activation, was also inhibited by SIRT1 activation. Taken together, these findings revealed a novel regulatory mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome by SIRT1, which may be related to suppression of CD40.

Background/Aims: Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that is essential for cellular survival, differentiation, and homeostasis. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a NAD+-dependent deacetylase, plays a pivotal role in modulation of autophagy. Recent studies found that autophagy was involved in the regulation of inflammatory response. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of SIRT1 on autophagy and inflammation, and whether autophagy can regulate the inflammatory response in vascular adventitial fibroblasts (VAFs). Methods: Cell autophagy was evaluated by fluorescence microscope and transmission electron microscopy. The expression of protein and mRNA were determined by Western blot analysis and real time-PCR. The production of cytokine was detected by ELISA. Results: TNF-α induced autophagy and increased SIRT1 expression in VAFs. SIRT1 activator resveratrol enhanced TNF-α-induced VAF autophagy. In contrast, SIRT1 knockdown attenuated VAF autophagy. Both the Akt inhibitor MK2206 and mTOR inhibitor rapamycin further increased TNF-α-induced VAF autophagy. Furthermore, SIRT1 knockdown increased Akt phosphorylation and inhibited the autophagy in VAFs. However, MK2206 attenuated the effect of SIRT1 knockdown on VAF autophagy. In addition, ingenuity pathway analysis showed that there is a relationship between cell autophagy and inflammation. We found that SIRT1 knockdown increased the expression of NLRP3 and interleukin (IL)-6 and promoted the production of IL-1β in VAFs. Further study showed that autophagy activation decreased the expression of NLRP3 and IL-6 and inhibited the production of IL-1β, whereas autophagy inhibition increased the inflammatory response of VAFs. More importantly, our study showed that autophagy was involved in the degradation of NLRP3 through the autophagy-lysosome pathway. Conclusion: SIRT1 not only regulates VAF autophagy through the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway but also suppresses the inflammatory response of VAFs through autophagy.

Cooperative robotic manipulation is a promising industrial technology that has been attracting much research attention. However most existing control methods for this goal require either online force sensing or the exact parameters of the robot, which is usually difficult and expensive. In this paper, two mobile manipulators are utilised to verify a simple cooperative manipulation control scheme. The mobile platforms track offline designed trajectories in order to maintain a formation, while the robotic arms holding a rigid object on top convey compliant behaviours so that the internal force likely to be caused by the motion error of the platforms is suppressed. The dual-arm control is in a Leader-Follower structure and the compliance feature is achieved with a classic PD controller with gravity compensation, easy to implement in industrial application. The effectiveness of the control system is exhibited in experiments.

Emerging evidence has indicated that vascular endothelial cells (ECs) not only form the barrier between blood and the vessel wall but also serve as conditional innate immune cells. Our previous study found that SIRT1, a class III histone deacetylase, inhibits the inflammatory response in ECs. Recent studies revealed that SIRT1 also participates in the modulation of immune responses. Although the NLRP3 inflammasome is known to be a crucial component of the innate immune system, there is no direct evidence demonstrating the anti-inflammatory effect of SIRT1 on ECs through the NLRP3 inflammasome. In this study, we observed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) triggered the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs). Moreover, SIRT1 expression was reduced in HUVECs stimulated with LPS and ATP. SIRT1 activator inhibited the expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and C-reactive protein (CRP), whereas SIRT1 knockdown resulted in significant increases in MCP-1 and CRP levels in HUVECs stimulated with LPS and ATP. Importantly, the lack of SIRT1 enhanced NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent caspase-1 cleavage. On the other hand, NLRP3 siRNA blocked the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in HUVECs stimulated with LPS plus ATP. Further study revealed that NLRP3 inflammasome blockade significantly reduced MCP-1 and CRP production in HUVECs. In vivo studies indicated that implantation of the periarterial carotid collar inhibited arterial SIRT1 expression in rabbits. Meanwhile, treatment with a SIRT1 activator decreased the expression levels of MCP-1 and CRP in collared arteries and the interleukin (IL)-1β level in serum. Taken together, these findings indicate that NLRP3 inflammasome activation promoted endothelial inflammation and that SIRT1 inhibits the inflammatory response partly through regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in ECs.

Cordycepin (Cor), which is a naturally occurring nucleoside derivative isolated from Cordyceps militaris, has been shown to exert excellent antiinflammatory activity in a murine model of acute lung injury. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the antiasthmatic activity of Cor (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) and to investigate the possible underlying molecular mechanisms. We found that Cor attenuated airway hyperresponsiveness, mucus hypersecretion, and ovalbumin (Ova)-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E, and alleviated lung inflammation with decreased eosinophils and macrophages in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Notably, Cor reduced the upregulation of eotaxin, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in the BAL fluid. Furthermore, Cor markedly blocked p38-MAPK and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) signalling pathway activation in the Ova-driven asthmatic mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that some of the antiasthmatic benefits of Cor attributable to diets and/or tonics may result from reductions in inflammatory processes and that these antiasthmatic properties involve the inhibition of Th2-type responses through the suppression of the p38-MAPK and NF-κB signalling pathways.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), the main active natural constituent extracted from Carthamus tinctorius L., has been widely used for the treatment of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of HSYA on alcohol-induced liver injury and the underlying mechanism. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish the liver injury model induced by alcohol. HSYA treatment ameliorated serum biochemical indicators by reducing the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hyaluronan (HA), laminin (LN), and type III precollagen (III-C) in rats. HSYA efficiently increased the activity and messenger RNA (mRNA) of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in rat liver tissue compared with those of model group, which was obviously reduced by alcohol. HSYA also apparently decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in rat liver tissue compared with those of model group, which was obviously enhanced by alcohol. Histological studies demonstrated that HSYA substantially reduced the number of macro- and micro-vesicular steatosis, suppressed hepatic fibrogenesis and shrunk ballooning degeneration areas, ameliorated the severity of liver damage induced by long-term drinking, and finally improved the liver architecture. In addition, immunohistochemistry study indicated that the activation of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) stimulated by alcohol in rat liver tissue was significantly blocked by HSYA. Collectively, these data demonstrated that HSYA can effectively protect the liver of rats from long-term alcohol injury, which relates with the enhanced antioxidant capacity of liver tissues and inhibition of TGF-β1 expression.

Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) are derived from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. Angiotensin II (Ang II) can cause endothelial dysfunction by promoting intracellular ROS generation. Safflor yellow B (SYB) effectively inhibits ROS generation by upregulating Bcl-2 expression. In this study, we examined the effects of SYB on Ang II-induced injury to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and elucidated the roles of NADPH oxidase and Bcl-2. We treated cultured HUVECs with Ang II, SYB, and Bcl-2 siRNA, and determined NADPH oxidase activity and ROS levels. Furthermore, cellular and mitochondrial physiological states were evaluated, and the expression levels of target proteins were analyzed. Ang II significantly enhanced intracellular ROS levels, caused mitochondrial membrane dysfunction, and decreased cell viability, leading to apoptosis. This was associated with increased expression of AT1R and p22(phox), increased NADPH oxidase activity, and an increased ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, leading to decreases in antioxidant enzyme activities, which were further strengthened after blocking Bcl-2. Compared to Ang II treatment alone, co-treatment with SYB significantly reversed HUVEC injury. Taken together, these results demonstrate that SYB could significantly protect endothelial cells from Ang II-induced cell damage, and that it does so by upregulating Bcl-2 expression and inhibiting ROS generation.