Unraveling the mechanism of action of Shangxia Liangji formula for treating insomnia:a metabolomics and network pharmacology approach

Background:Insomnia is a prevalent clinical condition and Shangxia Liangji formula(SXLJF)is a well-established method of treatment.Nevertheless,the specific mechanism of action of SXLJF remains unclear.Methods:The mouse model of insomnia was established by intraperitoneal injection of para-chlorophenylalanine.Forty-two mice were randomly divided into a negative control group,model group,SXLJF group(18.72 g/kg/day),and positive control group(diazepam,2 mg/kg)and treated with the corresponding drugs for 7 consecutive days.The open field test and pentobarbital-induced sleeping test were conducted.LC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics and network pharmacology were applied to explore the potential targets of SXLJF for treating insomnia.Finally,key targets were validated using RT-qPCR.Results:Behavioral tests demonstrated that SXLJF reduced the total distance,average velocity,central distance,and sleep latency,and prolonged sleep duration.Metabolomics and network pharmacology revealed potential targets,signaling pathways,metabolic pathways,and metabolites associated with the anti-insomnia effects of SXLJF.Specifically,tyrosine hydroxylase(TH)and tyrosine metabolism emerged as crucial metabolic pathways and targets,respectively.RT-qPCR results supported the role of TH in the mechanism of SXLJF in treating insomnia.Conclusion:In conclusion,TH and tyrosine metabolism may represent significant targets and pathways for SXLJF in treating insomnia.

Wear Resistance and Bond Strength of Plasma Sprayed Fe/Mo Amorphous Coatings

Fe-based and Fe/Mo composite amorphous coatings were deposited on the surface of plain carbon steel substrates by atmospheric plasma spraying （APS）. With increasing the Mo alloy content, the microstructure of the coatings revealed more dense structure. The porosities of composite coating were all less than those of Fe-based coat- ing due to Mo alloy self-bonding performance. The ML10 friction and wear tester was employed to investigate the wear behaviors of the coatings under dry sliding conditions. It was found that the mass loss of the resultant coatings decreased with increasing Mo-based powders into the feedstock. This was attributed to the reduction of the delamina- tions resulting from improved intersplat bond with Mo addition.