南方医科大学学报杂志最新文献

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of total flavonoids of Salvia divinorum extract against acetaminophen (APAP) -induced acute liver injury (ALI) and its molecular mechanism.

Methods: The main chemical constituents of total flavonoids of Salvia divinorum were obtained through literature search, and their pharmacological mechanisms were predicted using bioinformatics analysis. In a mouse model of APAP-induced ALI, the protective effects of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg total flavonoids of Salvia miltiorrhiza and 150 mg/kg bifidus were evaluated by observing changes in blood biochemistry and liver histopathology and detecting expressions of the key proteins in the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Results: Network pharmacology analysis suggested that the main active components in total flavonoids of Salvia divinorum for regulating APAPinduced liver injury included quercetin, lignocerol, caruric acid, and kaempferol, for which GO function enrichment analysis yielded 632 GO entries, including 472 involving biological processes, 42 involving cellular composition, and 118 involving molecular function. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the total flavonoids of Salvia divinorum regulated APAP-induced liver injury mainly through ferroptosis-related signaling pathway. In mice with APAP-induced ALI, treatment with the total flavonoids significantly lowered ALT and AST levels, improved liver histopathology and inflammatory cell infiltration, reduced iron deposition in liver tissues, improved lipid peroxidation-related indexes, promoted the expressions of Nrf2, HO-1, SLC7A11, and GPX-4 proteins, and inhibited the expression of keap1 protein.

Conclusion: The total flavonoids of Salvia divinorum alleviate APAP-induced ALI in mice possibly by suppressing hepatocyte ferroptosis via activating the Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX-4 signaling pathway.

Objective: To establish a coronavirus (CoV) infection model using human nasal mucosa organoids for testing antiviral drugs and evaluate the feasibility of using human nasal mucosa organoids with viral infection as platforms for viral research and antiviral drug development.

Methods: Human nasal mucosa organoids were tested for susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 pseudoviruses. In a P3 laboratory, nasal mucosa organoids were infected with the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and 4 variant strains, and the infection conditions were optimized. The viral loads in the culture supernatants were measured at different time points using RT-qPCR, and immunofluorescence assay was employed to localize SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein to determine the type of the infected cells. In the optimized nasal mucosa viral infection model, the antiviral effects of camostat and bergamot extract (which were known to inhibit SARS-CoV-2) were tested and the underlying molecular mechanisms were explored.

Results: In the optimized nasal mucosa organoid models infected with SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 pseudoviruses, the viral load in the culture supernatants increased significantly during the period of 2 to 24 h following the infection, which confirmed infection of the organoids by both of the pseudoviruses. The nasal mucosa organoids could be stably infected by the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and its 4 variant strains, validating successful establishment of the viral infection model, in which both camostat and bergamot extract exhibited dose-dependent antiviral effects.

Conclusions: Human nasal mucosa organoids with SARS-CoV-2 infection can serve as platforms for screening and testing antiviral drugs, particularly those intended for nasal administration.

Objective: To investigate the mechanism by which Tougu Xiaotong Capsule (TGXTC) alleviates chondrocyte degeneration in knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Methods: Thirty 2-month-old C57BL/6 mouse models of KOA established using the Hulth method were randomized into model group, TGXTC group, and diclofenac sodium group and received treatment with saline, TGXTC (368 mg/kg), and diclofenac sodium (10 mg/kg) by gavage, respectively, with another 10 untreated mice as the blank control group. All interventions were administered 6 times a week for 4 weeks. After the treatments, structural changes in the cartilage tissue were observed with morphological staining, and Nav1.7 mRNA expression and the protein expression levels of Nav1.7, MMP-3, ADAMTS-5, and COX-2 were detected using RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to detect Nav1.7 expression in the chondrocytes. In cultured KOA chondrocytes, the effect of TGXTC and lentivirus-mediated Nav1.7 knockdown on MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5, and COX-2 protein expressions were assessed with Western blotting.

Results: In KOA mice treatments with TGXTC and diclofenac sodium both significantly alleviated structural damage of the cartilage layer, reduced Nav1.7 protein and mRNA expressions and lowered the expressions of MMP-3, ADAMTS-5, and COX-2 proteins in the cartilage tissues. FISH results indicated that TGXTC treatment significantly reduced IL-1β -induced Nav1.7 expression in the chondrocytes. In Nav1.7 knockdown experiment, Nav1.7 levels were significantly lower in IL-1β+sh-Nav1.7 group than in IL-1β group, and also lower in IL-1β+TGXTC group than in IL-1β+sh-Nav1.7+TGXTC group. TGXTC treatment significantly inhibited IL-1β-induced elevation of MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5 and COX-2 protein expressions in the chondrocytes, but its effects were strongly weakened by Nav1.7 knockdown.

Conclusion: TGXTC alleviates extracellular matrix metabolic disorder in KOA chondrocytes by regulating Nav1.7, thereby mitigating chondrocyte degeneration in KOA mice.

Objective: To explore the regulatory effect of miR-204-5p on biological behaviors of bladder cancer cells and its molecular mechanism.

Methods: Survival analysis and correlation analysis were performed using TCGA database to explore the association of miR-204-5p expression with survival outcomes and clinicopathological parameters of bladder cancer patients. The expression level of miR-204-5p was detected in bladder cancer and adjacent tissues and in normal uroepithelial cells and bladder cancer cells. In cultured bladder cancer cells, the effects of miR-204-5p overexpression and knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were analyzed. Transcriptome sequencing, bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase assay were carried out to confirm targeted inhibition of RAB22A by miR-204-5p to promote malignant biological behaviors of bladder cancer cells.

Results: Patients with high miR-204-5p expressions had lowered median survival time and poor prognosis (P < 0.05). The expression of miR-204-5p was significantly up-regulated in bladder cancer tissues and cells (P < 0.05). In bladder cancer cells, miR-204-5p overexpression significantly promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion and reduced cell apoptosis. Transcriptome sequencing, bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase assay all suggested that RAB22A was a key downstream factor of miR-204-5p. Overexpression of miR-204-5p significantly inhibited RAB22A expression in bladder cancer cells, and overexpression of RAB22A partially reversed miR-204-5p overexpression-induced enhancement of bladder cancer cell proliferation.

Conclusion: High expression of miR-204-5p promotes proliferation, migration and invasion and reduces apoptosis of bladder cancer cells by negatively regulating RAB22A expression.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MA) plus metformin as the primary fertility-sparing treatment for atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) and early-stage grade 1 endometrial adenocarcinoma (G1 EAC) and the recurrence rate after treatment.

Methods: Sixty patients (aged 20-42 years) with AEH and/or grade 1 EAC limited to the endometrium were enrolled prospectively and randomized into two groups (n=30) to receive oral MA treatment at the daily dose of 160 mg (control) or MA plus oral metformin (850 mg, twice a day) for at least 6 months. The treatment could extend to 12 months until a complete response (CR) was achieved, and follow-up hysteroscopy and curettage were performed every 3 months. For all the patients who achieved CR, endometrial expressions of IGFBP-rP1, p-Akt and p-AMPK were detected immunohistochemically.

Results: A total of 58 patients completed the treatment. After 9 months of treatment, 23 (76.7%) patients in the combined treatment group and 20 (71.4%) in the control group achieved CR; two patients in the control group achieved CR after converting to the combined treatment. The recurrence rate did not differ significantly between the control group and combined treatment group (30.0% vs 22.7%, P>0.05). Ten (35.7%) patients in the control group experienced significant weight gain of 5.7±6.1 kg, while none of the patients receiving the combined treatment exhibited significant body weight changes. Compared with the control group, the patients receiving the combined treatment showed enhanced endometrial expressions of IGFBP-rP1 and p-AMPK with lowered p-Akt expression.

Conclusion: Metformin combined with MA may provide an effective option for fertility-sparing treatment of AEH and grade 1 stage IA EAC, and the clinical benefits of metformin for controlling MA-induced weight gain and promoting endometrial expressions of IGFBP-rP1 and p-AMPK while inhibiting p-Akt expression warrants further study.

Objective: To establish a recurrence risk prediction model for meningioma based on HOXA9 DNA methylation.

Methods: Meningioma-related datasets were downloaded from GEO database for screening homeobox genes (HOXs) with prognostic values using differential methylation and ROC curve analysis and Cox regression analysis. The differentially methylated CpG sites with high predictive efficacy were selected to establish the risk prediction model using Lasso-Cox regression analysis, based on which the patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups by the cutoff value. The methylation levels of CpG sites were verified at the cell and tissue levels using methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR). Clinical meningioma tissue samples were used to validate the predictive efficacy of the model.

Results: HOXA9 methylation level was significantly up-regulated in meningiomas (P< 0.001) and showed a high diagnostic efficiency (AUC=0.884) as an independent risk factor for overall survival (P< 0.01) positively correlated with the degree of malignancy and poor prognosis of meningioma (P< 0.05). Risk stratification by HOXA9 methylation was more accurate than WHO grading for predicting recurrence and patient survival time. The AUCs of the sites cg03217995 and cg21001184 were both above 0.8 for meningioma diagnosis and above 0.6 for predicting recurrence. The patients' clinical characteristics differed significantly between the high- and low-risk groups (P< 0.001), and the prediction score of the model was an independent prognostic factor for meningioma (P< 0.05). MSPCR results showed that the methylation levels of the two sites increased significantly in meningioma cells. In clinical samples, the combined model showed a high prediction efficiency (AUC=0.857), and the predicted risk of progression was highly consistent with the patients' actual condition.

Conclusion: High HOXA9 methylation level is a predictor for poor prognosis of meningiomas, and the combined prediction model based on its CpG sites provides a new approach to early screening of meningioma patients at risk of progression.

Objective: To explore the mechanism by which diazepam alleviates lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced pyroptosis and inflammation to delay the progression of pulmonary fibrosis.

Methods: MRC-5 cells challenged with LPS were treated with diazepam and transfected with a let-7a-5p mimic alone or co-transfected with pc-DNA-MYD88. The changes in cellular expressions of inflammatory factors were analyzed with ELISA, and the expressions of fibrosis- and pyroptosis-related proteins were detected using Western blotting. In the animal experiment, C57BL/6 mice were randomized for treatment with LPS, LPS+diazepam, LPS+diazepam+let-7a-5p mimic, LPS+diazepam+ST2825 (a MYD88 inhibitor), or LPS+diazepam+let-7a-5p mimic+pc-DNA-MYD88, and pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary expression of α-SMA were examined using Masson staining and immunofluorescence staining, respectively.

Results: LPS exposure of MRC-5 cells significantly downregulated let-7a-5p expression, up-regulated MYD88 expression, increased the levels of IL-4, IL-6, TGF-β and TNF- α, and enhanced the expressions of fibrosis-related proteins (Col-Ⅰ, Col-Ⅲ, and α-SMA) and pyroptosis-related proteins (NLRP3, caspase-1, ASC, and GSDMD-N). Diazepam treatment of LPS-stimulated cells effectively inhibited the expressions of inflammation-related factors and the fibrosis- and pyroptosis-related proteins. In C57BL/6 mice, diazepam treatment obviously alleviated LPS-induced pulmonary fibrosis and reduced and pulmonary expression of α -SMA, and these effects were further enhanced by treatment with let-7a-5p mimic or ST2825, but the effect of let-7a-5p mimic was significantly attenuated by MYD88 overexpression.

Conclusion: Diazepam can negatively regulate MYD88 by upregulating the expression of let-7a-5p to inhibit LPS-induced pyroptosis and inflammatory response, thereby alleviating lung fibrosis in mice.

Objective: To investigate the role of miRNAs in maternal amniotic fluid exosomes in development of isolated ventriculomegaly (VM) in fetuses.

Methods: Amniotic fluid samples were collected from 9 cases of moderate isolated VM and 8 normal control cases to extract exosomal miRNA, and miRNA sequencing technique was used to identify differentially expressed miRNAs between the two groups. Three miRNAs with significant differential expression between the two groups, whose high expression was associated with VM, were selected for verification with RT-qPCR. Dual luciferase reporter assays were used to verify the regulatory effect of miR-122-5p on its predicted target genes AKT3 and CCDC88C. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analyses were performed to explore the possible roles of the top 40 significant differential miRNAs in the pathophysiology of VM.

Results: We identified a total of 272 differentially expressed miRNAs in VM cases, including 43 up-regulated and 229 down-regulated miRNAs. The target genes of these differential miRNAs were associated with DNA and transcription factor binding, transmembrane transporter and nucleic acid binding transcription factor activity, and cell developmental process. These miRNAs were mostly enriched in the MAPK, cGMP-PKG and Wnt signaling pathways. Verification with RT-qPCR showed that miR-122-5p expression level was significantly lower in VM group than in the control group (P < 0.05), which was consistent with miRNA sequencing results; let-7b-5p expression level was significantly lower in VM group, which was contrary to miRNA sequencing result. Dual luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-122-5p was not capable of regulating AKT3 or CCDC88C expressions.

Conclusions: The highly abundant differentially expressed miRNAs in maternal amniotic fluid exosomes play important roles in the occurrence of fetal VM possibly by regulating the MAPK, PI3K-Akt, Wnt and cGMP-PKG signaling pathways.

Objective: To explore the mechanism of plumbagin for protecting against sepsis-induced myocardial injury in mice.

Methods: Network pharmacology analysis was used to obtain the key targets of plumbagin and diseases, which were subjected to GO and KEGG analysis, and the binding energy was verified using molecular docking. In a mouse model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), the protective effect of plumbagin treatment prior to CLP against sepsis-induced myocardial injury was evaluated by examination of myocardial function and pathology using echocardiography and HE staining. Serum levels of CK-MB, LDH, MDA, IL-1β and IL-18 and myocardial ROS level in the mice were detected, and Western blotting was used to determine the protein expression levels of STAT3, GSDMD, caspase-11, JAK2, P-STAT3, P-JAK2, GSDMD-N and HMGB1 in the myocardial tissues.

Results: Five core targets were screened from the 10 intersecting genes. Molecular docking showed strong binding affinity of plumbagin to STAT3, p-STAT3, and JAK2. Compared with the sham-operated mice, the mouse models of CLP-induced sepsis had significantly decreased CO, LVEF, LVFS and SV and increased serum levels of CK-MB, LDH, MDA and myocardial inflammatory factors and ROS. HE staining and Western blotting showed obvious myocardial injury in the septic mice with increased expressions of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and pyroptosis-related proteins (P < 0.05). Pretreatment with plumbagin significantly improved cardiac functions of CLP mice, lowered serum levels of CK-MB, LDH, MDA, inflammatory factors and myocardial ROS, and decreased the expression levels of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and pyroptosis-related proteins.

Conclusion: Plumbagin pretreatment alleviates myocardial injury in septic mice possibly by inhibiting the STAT3 signaling pathway to reduce cardiomyocyte pyroptosis.

Objective: To investigate the role of sphingosine kinase-1 (SPHK1) in regulating migration and invasion of gastric cancer (GC) cells.

Methods: TIMER2.0, GEPIA and HPA databases were used to investigate SPHK1 expression in GC, and its association with prognosis of the patients was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier Plotter database. In 40 clinical GC and adjacent tissue samples, SPHK1 and MKI67 expressions were detected with immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and RT-qPCR. Gene enrichment pathway analysis was conducted to explore the biological functions of SPHK1. In HGC-27 and MGC-803 cells, the effects of lentivirus-mediated SPHK1 knockdown or overexpression on cell migration and invasion and expressions of key proteins in the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling were evaluated using cell scratch test, Transwell assays and Western blotting. The changes in tumorigenic capacity of the transfected GC cells were evaluated in nude mice.

Results: SPHK1 was highly expressed in GC tissues in negative correlation with overall survival, overall survival after progression, and relapse-free survival of the patients (all P<0.001). In clinical GC samples, SPHK1 and MKI67 expressions showed a positive correlation (P= 0.00049) and were both significantly up-regulated (P<0.001). Gene enrichment pathway analysis suggested the involvement of SPHK1 in cell adhesion, migration, angiogenesis and the NF-κB pathway (P<0.05). In the cell experiment, SPHK1 knockdown significantly decreased while SPHK1 overexpression enhanced migration and invasion abilities of the GC cells. SPHK1 positively regulated the expressions of phosphorylated P65 (P-P65), VEGFA and IL-17, and blocking the NF-κB pathway by PDTC significantly lowered migration and invasion ability of the cells. In nude mice, the GC cells with SPHK1 knockdown resulted in significantly reduced tumor size and mass, while the SPHK1-overexpressing cells showed enhanced tumorigenicity.

Conclusion: SPHK1 regulates migration and invasion of GC cells via the NF-κB signaling pathway and may serve as a potential diagnostic marker for GC progression.