Berberine plays a cardioprotective role by inhibiting macrophage Wnt5a/β-catenin pathway in the myocardium of mice after myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the diseases with high fatality rate. Berberine (BBR) is a monomer compound with various biological functions. And some studies have confirmed that BBR plays an important role in alleviating cardiomyocyte injury after MI. However, the specific mechanism is unclear. In this study, we induced a model of MI by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and we surprisingly found that BBR significantly improved ventricular remodeling, with a minor inflammatory and oxidative stress injury, and stronger angiogenesis. Moreover, BBR inhibited the secretion of Wnt5a/β-catenin pathway in macrophages after MI, thus promoting the differentiation of macrophages into M2 type. In summary, BBR effectively improved cardiac function of mice after MI, and the potential protective mechanism was associated with the regulation of inflammatory responses and the inhibition of macrophage Wnt5a/β-catenin pathway in the infarcted heart tissues. Importantly, these findings supported BBR as an effective cardioprotective drug after MI.     

ASO Author Reflections: Do Shorter Tumor-to-Nipple Distances Compromise the Local Oncologic Safety of Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy?

Annals of Surgical Oncology -     

Single-cell transcriptome atlas reveals protective characteristics of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines are promising alternatives to conventional vaccines in many aspects. We previously developed a lipopolyplex (LPP)-based mRNA vaccine (SW0123) that demonstrated robust immunogenicity and strong protective capacity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in mice and rhesus macaques. However, the immune profiles and mechanisms of pulmonary protection induced by SW0123 remain unclear. Through high-resolution single-cell analysis, we found that SW0123 vaccination effectively suppressed SARS-CoV-2-induced inflammatory responses by inhibiting the recruitment of proinflammatory macrophages and increasing the frequency of polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells. In addition, the apoptotic process in both lung epithelial and endothelial cells was significantly inhibited, which was proposed to be one major mechanism contributing to vaccine-induced lung protection. Cell−cell interaction in the lung compartment was also altered by vaccination. These data collectively unravel the mechanisms by which the SW0123 protects against lung damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection.     

薏苡仁注射液对小鼠移植性S180肉瘤血管形成抑制的作用

 目的　探讨薏苡仁注射液对肿瘤血管形成抑制作用。方法　通过建立动物肿瘤模型 ,运用薏苡仁实验治疗 ,检测其抑瘤率和肿瘤内血管密度 ,以及瘤体VEGF和bFGF表达的改变。结果　薏苡仁具有明显的抑制S180肉瘤生长作用。实验组的S180瘤体内微血管密度均明显低于对照组 ;免疫组化显示薏苡仁大、中剂量组均可下调S180瘤体内VEGF、bFGF的表达。结论　薏苡仁注射液对肿瘤血管形成均有明显抑制作用 ,降低VEGF、bFGF的表达可能是其抑制肿瘤血管形成的主要机制之一。     

99mTcN(NOEt)2与99mTc-MIBI在肿瘤模型显像中的对比研究

目的　探讨99mTc 氮 二 (N 乙基 N 乙氧基二硫代氨基甲酸盐 ) [99mTcN (NOEt) 2 ]应用于肿瘤诊断的可能性并与99mTc 甲氧基异丁基异腈(99mTc MIBI)肿瘤模型显像进行比较。方法　制备99mTcN (NOEt) 2 ,用上行薄层色谱法测定放化纯。各取 4只移植性艾氏腹水癌小鼠分别尾静脉注射99mTc MIBI或99mTcN(NOEt) 2 ,30min、2h、4h后进行全身后位静态显像。利用感兴趣区技术 ,分别计算不同时相肿瘤与头部 (T/H)、胸部 (T/C)、及健侧肢体对称部位 (T/L)的放射性比值。 4h后处死99mTcN (NOEt) 2 显像组小鼠 4只 ,取血并剥离脏器组织及肿瘤组织 ,称重 ,测量放射性计数 ,计算肿瘤与各脏器放射性比值。结果　99mTcN (NOEt) 2 室温下 4h保持稳定。99mTcN (NOEt) 2 选择性地有效的聚集于肿瘤组织。除腹部外其它组织靶 /非靶比值较高 ,注射2h后T/L比值达最高 ,为 4.87。99mTcN (NOEt) 2 显像组与99mTc MIBI显像组比较T/L比值差异有显著性 (P <0 .0 1)。体外测量肿瘤与血、肌肉、肺等脏器的单位重量放射性比值较高 ,与肝、小肠等腹部脏器的单位重量放射性比值较低。结论　在移植性艾氏腹水癌小鼠模型中99mTcN (NOEt) 2 从血液中清除很快 ,肿瘤摄取率高 ,有一定的滞留量 ,靶与非靶比值高 ,图像质量明显优于99mTc MIBI肿瘤