Yinlai decoction alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced pneumonia by changing the immune status of juvenile rats:A study based on network pharmacology

Objective:Pediatric pneumonia is a common respiratory disease and Yinlai Decoction (YLD) is a commonly used treatment in China.We explored the anti-inflammatory mechanism of action of this traditional Chinese medicine for pneumonia.Methods:We studied,by experimentation,the mechanism of action of YLD in treating pneumonia according to network pharmacology.By comparing YLD with dexamethasone (DXMS),we investigated the efficacy of YLD in treating pneumonia induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in juvenile rats.Results:In an aqueous extract of YLD,22 chemical compounds were identified,among which 10 were related to inflammation,involving 78 target genes and 16 signaling pathways.Among them,45 core target proteins were related to biologic processes and functions,such as response to stimuli,biologic regulation,cell communication and protein binding.Animal experiments showed that YLD relieved pulmonary inflammation and demonstrated no significant damage to the liver,spleen or kidneys of rats.YLD could regulate expression of inflammatory cytokines in serum and inflammation-related proteins in lung tissues to some extent,but its effect is less significant than that of DXMS.Conclusions:YLD protected juvenile rats against LPS-induced pneumonia,and showed fewer side effects in comparison with DXMMS.YLD could be efficacious treatment for pediatric respiratory infections and even pneumonia.

Effect of Yinlai Decoction on the metabolic pathways in the lung of high-calorie diet-induced pneumonia rats

Objective:To search for specific metabolites in the lungs of pneumonia rats fed with a high-calorie diet,as well as explore the changes in the lung metabolites of young rats treated with Yinlai Decoction(YD)and its effects on inflammation-related metabolic pathways.Methods:Lipopolysaccharides(LPS)and a special high-calorie diet were used to induce Sprague Dawley(SD)rats to simulate the intestinal state of infant pneumonia.Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technology(LC-MS/MS)was used to detect metabolites in each group.Supervised orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)model values were used for the detection results to find the differential metabolites.The metabolic pathways that are involved with the differential metabolites were clarified through enrichment analysis and topological analysis.Finally,the T cell receptor signaling pathway(TCR)signal conversion was analyzed by the network pharmacology method.Results:In the high-calorie diet combined with pneumonia group(M3),a total of 55 metabolites were determined to be different from the normal group(N).A total of 36 metabolites were determined to be different from those in the lung metabolites of the YD treatment group(T1).YD had a regulatory effect on glutathione metabolism,arginine and proline metabolism,ascorbic acid and aldehyde metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism.And the small molecule metabolites could act on the FYN and lymphocytespecific protein tyrosine kinase(LCK)target proteins in the TCR signaling pathway,thereby affecting the immune function of the lungs.Conclusion:A high-calorie diet can cause abnormal sphingolipid metabolism in the lungs of young rats,thereby creating chronic lung inflammation in young rats.YD has a beneficial effect when used to treat young rats with LPS-induced pneumonia fed on high-calorie diets.Its mechanisms of action may affect the body’s immune pathways by regulating the oxidative stress pathway affected by glutathione metabolism.

Network pharmacology-based prediction and verification of the mechanism for Bushen Chengyun granule on low endometrial receptivity

Objective:Bushen Chengyun granule(BCG)is an empirical treatment for female infertility(FI)caused by low endometrial receptivity(LER)involving a poorly understood mechanism.In this study,network pharmacology was used to explore the potential therapeutic mechanism of BCG on FI caused by LER.Methods:The corresponding herb targets were obtained by conducting a search in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and PubMed-reported literature.Disease targets were obtained from the following databases:Comparative Toxicogenomics Database,Human Phenotype Ontology,and Therapeutic Target Database.Treatments for LER using BCG have used target matching(BCG e LER target).Then,the predicted targets were uploaded to the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins database for gene ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses.Furthermore,triptorelin acetate for injection t menotrophin t chorionic gonadotropin for injection were used to establish a mouse model of blastocyst implantation disorder and to evaluate the in vivo effect of BCG on blastocyst implantation.Results:Overall,156 bioactive chemical components and 1092 targets of BCG were identified.The results indicated that 482 biological processes(FDR<0.01)and 15 pathways(FDR<0.01)related to BCG participated in the complex treatment effects and were associated with the endocrine system,inflammatory responses,metabolism,apoptosis,ovulatory performance,and angiogenesis.Moreover,16 hub nodes of BCG including estrogen receptor(ESR1),estrogen receptor beta(ESR2),progesterone receptor,et al,were recognized as potential treatment targets and might help clarify the underlying therapeutic mechanisms of BCG for female infertility.BCG significantly increased the protein expressions of estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors.Conclusions:These findings reveal the potential therapeutic mechanism of BCG for female infertility involves low endometrial receptivity,which should be evaluated further.

Investigation of nanostructure of konjac-based water absorbents with atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy technology is gradually spreading to almost all aspects,including food science and technology,since it was first invented in 1986.In this study,this powerful instrument was applied to image nanostructures of three water absorbents-original konjac powder,konjac powder grafted with acrylic acid using^(60)Coγ-irradiation and regenerated grafted powder.Water absorption capacities and the rates of the three absorbents were also determined in this work.Original konjac powder could only absorb 60 times(w/w)of water,while 270 times for the grafted absorbent and 360 times for the regenerated absorbent.The initial water absorption rates in both tap and distilled water were high,but the rate decreased steeply as time elapsed.After 20 min,the absorbent was close to saturated status.These physical properties were in accordance with the nanostructures of these three water absorbents.