Network Pharmacology and Serum Nontargeted Metabolomics Reveal the Protective Effects of Propionate Against Liver Damage Induced by a High-Fat and AGE-Rich Diet in Diabetic Mice.

Diabetic liver injury is a leading cause of mortality in diabetes, with no specific treatment available. Sodium propionate (NaP) has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but its effectiveness in treating diabetic liver injury is still lacking research. The study employed network pharmacology to identify potential targets of NaP for Type 2 diabetes treatment, using oleic acid (OA) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) to induce diabetic liver injury in HepG2 cells .

Mogrosides Protect Against Diabetic Kidney Injury via Inhibiting Macrophage Activation in a Mouse Model.

Diabetic kidney injury is an almost unavoidable complication in diabetic patients. The activation of macrophages with high glucose in the patient's body is a key factor in triggering diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Mogrosides are commonly used sweeteners, but their effects on diabetic kidney injury are still unclear.

Spatiotemporal Adaptations-Driven Dynamic Thra Activation Simulates a Skin Wound Healing Response.

The evolutionary adaptation of skin repair drives sequential regenerative phases: epidermal proliferation rapidly restores barrier function, followed by dermal reconstruction through extracellular matrix remodeling to establish structural support, yet the molecular coordination of this spatiotemporal program remains unclear. While the endocrine system is crucial in modulating wound repair, the critical hormone receptors orchestrating tissue-layer-specific responses are unidentified. Here, bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and in vivo/in vitro analyses in mouse models of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, as well as wound and skin organoid models, are employed to identify the thyroid hormone receptor Thra as a key regulator of phase-coupled regeneration through two distinct yet coordinated mechanisms.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A alleviates oxidative stress and inflammatory damage in the livers of mice with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and modulates gut microbiota.

Introduction: Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), its primary bioactive metabolite of . (safflower), has shown therapeutic potential in various inflammatory diseases. However, its role in alleviating inflammation and oxidative stress in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear.

D-Psicose mitigates NAFLD mice induced by a high-fat diet by reducing lipid accumulation, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

D-Psicose (DPS) serves as an optimal sucrose substitute, providing only 0.3% of sucrose's energy content, while exhibiting anti-inflammatory properties and inhibiting lipid synthesis. However, its efficacy in managing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear.

Using gut microbiota and non-targeted metabolomics techniques to study the effect of xylitol on alleviating DSS-induced inflammatory bowel disease in mice.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become a global healthcare issue, with its incidence continuing to rise, but currently there is no complete cure. Xylitol is a widely used sweetener in various foods and beverages, but there is limited research on the effects of xylitol on IBD symptoms.

Aim: Study on the effect of oral xylitol in improving intestinal inflammation and damage in IBD mice, further explore the mechanism of xylitol in alleviating IBD symptoms using intestinal microbiota and non-targeted metabolomics techniques.

Hormonal interventions in skin wounds - a mini review.

The ability to heal from wounds is perhaps the most important biological function that ensures our survival and perpetuation. Cutaneous wound healing typically consists of four characteristic stages, namely hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling, which are carefully carried out by coordinated actions of various cells, cytokines, and hormones. Incoordination of these steps may impede complete and efficient reconstruction and functional recovery of wounds or even lead to worsened outcomes.

Effects of Ethanol Extract from Senna Leaf (EESL) on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Mice: A Non-targeted Metabolomic Study.

Background: Senna leaf is a commonly used medication for treating constipation, and long-term use can cause damage to the intestinal mucosa and lead to drug dependence. But the exact mechanism remains unclear.

Objective: Using non-targeted metabolomics technology to study the mechanism of senna leaf ethanol extract (EESL) inducing inflammation and oxidative stress in mice and causing side effects.

Pramel15 facilitates zygotic nuclear DNMT1 degradation and DNA demethylation.

In mammals, global passive demethylation contributes to epigenetic reprogramming during early embryonic development. At this stage, the majority of DNA-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) protein is excluded from nucleus, which is considered the primary cause. However, whether the remaining nuclear activity of DNMT1 is regulated by additional mechanisms is unclear.

Inulin Reduces Kidney Damage in Type 2 Diabetic Mice by Decreasing Inflammation and Serum Metabolomics.

This study is aimed at assessing the impact of soluble dietary fiber inulin on the treatment of diabetes-related chronic inflammation and kidney injury in mice with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The T2DM model was created by feeding the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice a high-fat diet and intraperitoneally injecting them with streptozotocin (50 mg/kg for 5 consecutive days). The thirty-six ICR mice were divided into three dietary groups: the normal control (NC) group, the T2DM (DM) group, and the DM + inulin diet (INU) group.

NKK20 Alleviates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Mice through Regulating Bile Acid Anabolism.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic disease in modern society. It is characterized by an accumulation of lipids in the liver and an excessive inflammatory response. Clinical trials have provided evidence that probiotics may prevent the onset and relapse of NAFLD.

Berberine-Based Carbon Quantum Dots Improve Intestinal Barrier Injury and Alleviate Oxidative Stress in C57BL/6 Mice with 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Intestinal Mucositis by Enhancing Gut-Derived Short-Chain Fatty Acids Contents.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of berberine-based carbon quantum dots (Ber-CDs) on improving 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced intestinal mucositis in C57BL/6 mice, and explored the mechanisms behind this effect. Thirty-two C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups: normal control (NC), 5-FU-induced intestinal mucositis model (5-FU), 5-FU + Ber-CDs intervention (Ber-CDs), and 5-FU + native berberine intervention (Con-CDs). The Ber-CDs improved body weight loss in 5-FU-induced mice with intestinal mucositis compared to the 5-FU group.

Cuprous oxide-demethyleneberberine nanospheres for single near-infrared light-triggered photoresponsive-enhanced enzymatic synergistic antibacterial therapy.

In this work, novel cuprous oxide-demethyleneberberine (CuO-DMB) nanomaterials are successfully synthesized for photoresponsive-enhanced enzymatic synergistic antibacterial therapy under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation (808 nm). CuO-DMB has a spherical morphology with a smaller nanosize and positive potential, can trap bacteria through electrostatic interactions resulting in a targeting function. CuO-DMB nanospheres show both oxidase-like and peroxidase-like activities, and serve as a self-cascade platform, which can deplete high concentrations of GSH to produce O˙ and HO, then HO is transformed into ˙OH, without introducing exogenous HO.

Sodium Butyrate Attenuates AGEs-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation by Inhibiting Autophagy and Affecting Cellular Metabolism in THP-1 Cells.

In recent years, sodium butyrate has gained increased attention for its numerous beneficial properties. However, whether sodium butyrate could alleviate inflammatory damage by macrophage activation and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study used an advanced glycosylation products- (AGEs-) induced inflammatory damage model to study whether sodium butyrate could alleviate oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction of human monocyte-macrophage originated THP-1 cells in a PI3K-dependent autophagy pathway.

Ultra-high α-linolenic acid accumulating developmental defective embryo was rescued by lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase 2.

For decades, genetic engineering approaches to produce unusual fatty acids (UFAs) in crops has reached a bottleneck, including reduced seed oil production and seed vigor. Currently, plant models in the field of research are primarily used to investigate defects in oil production and seedling development, while the role of UFAs in embryonic developmental defects remains unknown. In this study, we developed a transgenic Arabidopsis plant model, in which the embryo exhibits severely wrinkled appearance owing to α-linolenic acid (ALA) accumulation.

Isoleucine Residues Determine Chiral Discrimination of Odorant-Binding Protein.

Enzymes, receptors, and carrier proteins discriminate between enantiomers of natural and synthetic chemicals. Whereas the structural details of this phenomenon have been investigated in enzymes and receptors, much less is known for carrier proteins of hydrophobic ligands, particularly concerning the contribution of asymmetric centers in the side chains of amino acids to chirally selective binding. Working with a pig odorant-binding protein, we have found that the replacement of either one or both isoleucine residues in the binding pocket by leucines abolishes discrimination of menthol and carvone enantiomers.

Probe-dependence of competitive fluorescent ligand binding assays to odorant-binding proteins.

Ligand binding experiments between small chemicals and proteins and the evaluation of dissociation constants of their complexes in competitive binding assays often rely on displacement of reporter probes by the tested ligand. The most widely adopted protocol uses a fluorescent ligand which changes its emission spectrum when bound to a protein. A decrease of fluorescence, caused by the addition of a second ligand to the complex is generally interpreted as displacement of the fluorescent probe by the ligand, and therefore as a measure of the affinity of the ligand for the protein.

Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (nasal type) presenting as a perianal abscess: A case report.

Background: Extranodal natural killer (NK) T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL), nasal type is a rare subtype of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by vascular damage and necrosis. The lesions usually present in the nasal cavity and adjacent tissues, however, the disease originates from the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tract in 25% of cases. Since rectal involvement in ENKTL is rare, rectal symptoms in the course of ENKTL are often misdiagnosed and considered to be related to benign diseases such as rectal fistula or perianal abscess.

Stella safeguards the oocyte methylome by preventing de novo methylation mediated by DNMT1.

Postnatal growth of mammalian oocytes is accompanied by a progressive gain of DNA methylation, which is predominantly mediated by DNMT3A, a de novo DNA methyltransferase. Unlike the genome of sperm and most somatic cells, the oocyte genome is hypomethylated in transcriptionally inert regions. However, how such a unique feature of the oocyte methylome is determined and its contribution to the developmental competence of the early embryo remains largely unknown.

[A novel treatment regimen for acute liver failure based on a combination of mesenchymal stem cells transplantation and IL-lRa-loaded chitosan nanoparticles].

Objective: To evaluate whether a combination therapy using allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) chitosan nanoparticles is more robust than MSC transplantation alone for treating acute liver failure and to investigate the mechanisms of the improved therapeutic effect using a swine model system.

Methods: IL-1Ra-loaded nanoparticles were made of lactosylated chitosan-FITC using the electrostatic spray method and analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The active live targeting of these nanopaticles were investigated by fluorescence microscope and flow cytometer(FCM).

Administration of IL-1Ra chitosan nanoparticles enhances the therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in acute liver failure.

Background And Aims: To investigate the synergistic effect of IL-1Ra administration and stem cell transplantation in swine suffering from acute liver failure (ALF), to elucidate the mechanism of IL-1Ra activity and to demonstrate mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation as a potential treatment for ALF.

Methods: Thirty-five Chinese experimental mini-swine were divided into five groups randomly. Group A (n = 7) is the control group and all swine were injected with saline via portal veins.

Effect evaluation of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist nanoparticles for mesenchymal stem cell transplantation.

Aim: To study the efficacy of marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation combined with interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) for acute liver failure (ALF).

Methods: Chinese experimental miniature swine were randomly divided into four groups (n = 7), and all animals were given D-galactosamine (D-gal) to induce ALF. Group A animals were then injected with 40 mL saline via the portal vein 24 h after D-gal induction; Group B animals were injected with 2 mg/kg IL-1Ra via the ear vein 18 h, 2 d and 4 d after D-gal induction; Group C received approximately 1 × 10(8) green fluorescence protein (GFP)-labeled MSCs (GFP-MSCs) suspended in 40 mL normal saline via the portal vein 24 h after D-gal induction; Group D animals were injected with 2 mg/kg IL-1Ra via the ear vein 18 h after D-gal induction, MSCs transplantation was then carried out at 24 h after D-gal induction, and finally 2 mg/kg IL-1Ra was injected via the ear vein 1 d and 3 d after surgery as before.

Evaluation of a novel hybrid bioartificial liver based on a multi-layer flat-plate bioreactor.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a hybrid bioartificial liver (HBAL) system in the treatment of acute liver failure.

Methods: Canine models with acute liver failure were introduced with intravenous administration of D-galactosamine. The animals were divided into: the HBAL treatment group (n = 8), in which the canines received a 3-h treatment of HBAL; the bioartificial liver (BAL) treatment group (n = 8), in which the canines received a 3-h treatment of BAL; the non-bioartificial liver (NBAL) treatment group (n = 8), in which the canines received a 3-h treatment of NBAL; the control group (n = 8), in which the canines received no additional treatment.

Microbiological safety of a novel bio-artificial liver support system based on porcine hepatocytes: a experimental study.

Background: Our institute has developed a novel bio-artificial liver (BAL) support system, based on a multi-layer radial-flow bioreactor carrying porcine hepatocytes and mesenchymal stem cells. It has been shown that porcine hepatocytes are capable of carrying infectious porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) into human cells, thus the microbiological safety of any such system must be confirmed before clinical trials can be performed. In this study, we focused on assessing the status of PERV infection in beagles treated with the novel BAL.