Digital gene expression profiling analysis of A549 cells cultured with PM10 in moxa smoke

Background:Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy to cure diseases by fumigating meridians or affected parts via burning of moxa floss.Moxa smoke(MS)is one of the key factors in moxibustion.In this study,we adopted digital gene expression profiling,a next-generation gene sequencing technology,to investigate the effect of MS,inhalable particulate matter(PM10),on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.Methods:The effects of MS PM10 on A549 cells,over different treatment durations were investigated in different groups:the 4-h group(4-h MS group and 4-h control group)and the 20-h group(20-h MS group and 20-h control group).Samples collected from the four groups were stored at
80C for subsequent digital gene expression analysis.The differentially expressed genes(DEGs),identified after PM10 treatment,were screened,and their expression patterns analyzed by cluster analysis,Gene Ontology term enrichment,and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis.Results:Compared with two control groups,1109 DEGs were identified after 4 h of MS intervention and 3565 DEGs were found after 20 h of MS intervention,respectively.Compared with that after 4-h intervention,2149 DEGs were identified after 20-h intervention.Cluster analysis demonstrated that PM10 can significantly inhibit cell cycle process with the prolongation of intervention time.Significant pathway enrichment analysis showed that MS PM10 can inhibit A549 cell cycle process at all phases.When MS PM10 exposure time prolongs,the inhibitory effect on cell cycle process becomes more obvious.Conclusion:MS PM10 has many biological activities,and may cause differential expression of genes involved in various biological processes.Nevertheless,further research on MS is warranted for better understanding of the mechanistic details.

Bioactive natural compounds against human coronaviruses: a review and perspective

Coronaviruses(CoVs),a family of enveloped positive-sense RNA viruses,are characterized by club-like spikes that project from their surface,unusually large RNA genome,and unique replication capability.Co Vs are known to cause various potentially lethal human respiratory infectious diseases,such as severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS),Middle East respiratory syndrome(MERS),and the very recent coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)outbreak.Unfortunately,neither drug nor vaccine has yet been approved to date to prevent and treat these diseases caused by CoVs.Therefore,effective prevention and treatment medications against human coronavirus are in urgent need.In the past decades,many natural compounds have been reported to possess multiple biological activities,including antiviral properties.In this article,we provided a comprehensive review on the natural compounds that interfere with the life cycles of SARS and MERS,and discussed their potential use for the treatment of COVID-19.