Impact of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 during Periodontitis and Cardiovascular Diseases

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been shown to play a key role in endothelial function and perhaps pivotal in the correlation between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD). For the study, the impact of MMP-9 of periodontitis and CVD on serum and saliva concentrations was analyzed. For the study patients with periodontitis (n = 31), CVD (n = 31), periodontitis + CVD (n = 31), and healthy patients (n = 31) were enrolled. Clinical and demographic characteristics as well as serum and salivary MMP-9 were evaluated. MMP-9 concentrations in serum and saliva were statistically elevated in patients with CVD (p < 0.01) and in patients with periodontitis plus CVD (p < 0.001) compared to patients with periodontitis and healthy subjects. Multivariate regression analysis showed that c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was the only significant predictor for MMP-9 serum (p < 0.001), whereas hs-CRP (p < 0.001) and total cholesterol (p = 0.029) were the statistically significant salivary MMP-9 predictors. This study evidenced that patients with CVD and periodontitis + CVD presented elevated MMP-9 concentrations in serum and saliva compared to patients with periodontitis and healthy subjects. Furthermore, hs-CRP was a negative predictor of serum and salivary MMP-9.     

Kaempferia parviflora Extract Alleviated Rat Arthritis,Exerted Chondroprotective Properties In Vitro,and Reduced Expression of Genes Associated with Inflammatory Arthritis

Kaempferia parviflora Wall. ex Baker (KP) has been reported to attenuate cartilage destruction in rat model of osteoarthritis. Previously, we demonstrated that KP rhizome extract and its active components effectively suppressed mechanisms associated with RA in SW982 cells. Here, we further evaluated the anti-arthritis potential of KP extract by using multi-level models, including a complete Freund’s adjuvant-induced arthritis and a cartilage explant culture model, and to investigate the effects of KP extract and its major components on related gene expressions and underlying mechanisms within cells. In arthritis rats, the KP extract reduced arthritis indexes, with no significant changes in biological parameters. In the cartilage explant model, the KP extract exerted chondroprotective potential by suppressing sulfated glycosaminoglycans release while preserving high accumulation of proteoglycans. In human chondrocyte cell line, a mixture of the major components equal to their amounts in KP extract showed strong suppression the expression of genes-associated inflammatory joint disease similar to that of the extract. Additionally, KP extract significantly suppressed NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. The suppressing expression of necroptosis genes and promoted anti-apoptosis were also found. Collectively, these results provided supportive evidence of the anti-arthritis properties of KP extract, which are associated with its three major components.     

Role of Gut Microbiota,Probiotics and Prebiotics in the Cardiovascular Diseases

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in identifying and applying new, naturally occurring molecules that promote health. Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits on the host”. Quite a few fermented products serve as the source of probiotic strains, with many factors influencing the effectiveness of probiotics, including interactions of probiotic bacteria with the host’s microbiome. Prebiotics contain no microorganisms, only substances which stimulate their growth. Prebiotics can be obtained from various sources, including breast milk, soybeans, and raw oats, however, the most popular prebiotics are the oligosaccharides contained in plants. Recent research increasingly claims that probiotics and prebiotics alleviate many disorders related to the immune system, cancer metastasis, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. However, little is known about the role of these supplements as important dietary components in preventing or treating cardiovascular disease. Still, some reports and clinical studies were conducted, offering new ways of treatment. Therefore, the aim of this review is to discuss the roles of gut microbiota, probiotics, and prebiotics interventions in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.     

Design,Synthesis, and Evaluation of Dihydropyranopyrazole Derivatives as Novel PDE2 Inhibitors for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Phosphodiesterase 2 (PDE2) has been regarded as a novel target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, we obtained (R)-LZ77 as a hit compound with moderate PDE2 inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 261.3 nM) using a high-throughput virtual screening method based on molecular dynamics. Then, we designed and synthesized 28 dihydropyranopyrazole derivatives as PDE2 inhibitors. Among them, compound (+)-11h was the most potent PDE2 inhibitor, with an IC₅₀ value of 41.5 nM. The molecular docking of PDE2-(+)-11h reveals that the 4-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl)oxyl side chain of the compound enters the H-pocket and forms strong hydrophobic interactions with L770/L809/F862, which improves inhibitory activity. The above results may provide insight for further structural optimization of highly potent PDE2 inhibitors and may lay the foundation for their use in the treatment of AD.     

miR-130a和miR-125b在川崎病外周血细胞中的表达及意义

目的 通过检测miR-130a 和miR-125b 在伴或不伴冠脉扩张（CAD）川崎病（KD）患儿与正常健康儿童外周血单核细胞（PBMC）中的表达差异,探讨两者可否作为KD 和CAD诊断及预后评估的全新血清生物标志物。方法 利用基因芯片技术筛选出KD 患儿与正常健康儿童之前具有差异表达的miRNAs,通过生物信息学分析,确定候选基因。进一步选取KD 患儿30 例（伴或不伴CAD 各15 例）、正常健康儿童15 例,采用茎环RT-PCR 的方法,验证候选基因miR-130a 和miR-125b 在PBMC 中的表达情况。结果 （1）通过基因芯片技术,分析KD 患儿与正常健康儿童PBMC 中存在明显差异表达的miRNA 共63 条,经过生物信息学分析,确定候选基因;（2）通过茎环RT-PCR 验证发现miR-130a 和miR-125b 在患儿IVIG 治疗前表达明显下调,而IVIG治疗后表达明显上调（P＜0.05）;（3）伴CAD 的KD 患儿miR-130a 及miR-125b 表达较不伴CAD 明显升高,且呈正相关性（R2 =0.734,mir-130a;R2 =0.709,miR-125b）;（4）ROC 曲线分析表明miR-130a（特异度87.5%和敏感度77.5%）和miR-125b（特异度83.3%和敏感度76.6%）对KD 及CAD 的判断有较高的特异度和敏感度。结论 PBMC 中的miR-130a 和miR-125b 参与了KD的发生与发展,可作为KD 及CAD诊断及预后评估的一项全新血清生物标志物,并为KD冠脉扩张的防治提供新的思路。     

Rational Design and Identification of a Non‐Peptidic Aggregation Inhibitor of Amyloid‐β Based on a Pharmacophore Motif Obtained from cyclo[‐Lys‐Leu‐Val‐Phe‐Phe‐]

Inhibition of pathogenic protein aggregation may be an important and straightforward therapeutic strategy for curing amyloid diseases. Small‐molecule aggregation inhibitors of Alzheimer’s amyloid‐β (Aβ) are extremely scarce, however, and are mainly restricted to dye‐ and polyphenol‐type compounds that lack drug‐likeness. Based on the structure‐activity relationship of cyclic Aβ16–20 (cyclo‐[KLVFF]), we identified unique pharmacophore motifs comprising side‐chains of Leu², Val³, Phe⁴, and Phe⁵ residues without involvement of the backbone amide bonds to inhibit Aβ aggregation. This finding allowed us to design non‐peptidic, small‐molecule aggregation inhibitors that possess potent activity. These molecules are the first successful non‐peptidic, small‐molecule aggregation inhibitors of amyloids based on rational molecular design.     

食盐与心血管结局

介绍了食盐与心血管结局关系的最新研究结果,食盐摄入量与心血管结局之间呈J形关系;低盐和高盐都增加心血管危险;不支持普遍减盐推荐。     

Detection of caffeine and its main metabolites for early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Caffeine (CA) is a common xanthine alkaloid found in tea leaves, coffee beans, and other natural plants, and is the most widely used psychotropic substance in the world. Accumulating evidence suggests that low plasma levels of CA and its metabolites may serve as reliable diagnostic markers for early Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. In this study, we demonstrated a new MEKC method for determining CA and its three main downstream metabolites, paraxanthine (PX), theobromine (TB), and theophylline (TP), in human plasma. Plasma samples were collected, and analyzed using MEKC, after SPE. The running buffer was composed of 35 mM phosphate, pH of 10.5, and 25 mM SDS. The separation voltage was 15 kV and the detection wavelength was at 210 nm. Under the optimum conditions, four distinct analytes were completely separated and detected in less than 12 min. Method limits of detection were as low as 7.5 ng/mL for CA, 5.0 ng/mL for TB, and 4.0 ng/mL for both PX and TP. The recoveries were between 88.0% and 105.9%. This method was successfully applied to 27 human plasma samples. The results indicate that the plasma concentrations of the four analytes are significantly lower in patients with early PD than in control subjects (p < 0.05). The area under curve was improved to 0.839 when CA and its three main metabolites were included, suggesting that MEKC testing of CA, TP, TB, and PX may serve as a potential method for early diagnosis of PD.     

在线固相萃取-液相色谱-串联质谱法检测蘑菇中毒患者尿液中痕量α -鹅膏毒肽

建立了在线固相萃取-液相色谱-串联质谱（online SPE-LC-MS/MS）测定蘑菇中毒患者尿液中痕量α -鹅膏毒肽的分析方法。样品经甲酸酸化的乙腈-甲醇（5：1,v/v）沉淀蛋白质,反相液液微萃取去除样品提取液中的有机溶剂,毒素经ODS微柱（5 mm×2.1 mm,5 μm）在线SPE净化,XBridge^TM BEH C₁₈ 色谱柱（150 mm×3.0 mm,2.5 μm）分离,MS/MS测定。采用基于定量环的快速阀切换技术作为在线SPE和LC-MS/MS模块的接口,使得两个分离模块互相独立,无论是流动相还是压力,都不会互相干扰,保证了系统的稳定性;在线系统的精准净化,有效消除了后续质谱检测的基质效应,确保了尿液中痕量水平α -鹅膏毒肽的定性定量检测。尿液中α -鹅膏毒肽在0.1~50 μg/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数（r ² ）为0.9983;检出限（LOD）为0.03 μg/L;α -鹅膏毒肽的加标（0.1、2.0和20 μg/L）平均回收率为84.3%~91.7%,相对标准偏差（RSD）为3.8%~7.2%。体内鹅膏毒肽代谢迅速,生物基质中痕量水平毒素的检测是其中毒实验室鉴定的主要难题,通过实际样品检测,证明该法操作简单,准确、灵敏;溶剂沉淀蛋白质和反相液液微萃取去除有机相和脂溶性基质的简单操作,可以作为水溶性毒素在线SPE-LC-MS/MS检测时快速且有效的配套前处理方法;基于在线SPE精准净化技术,可以实现尿液中α -鹅膏毒肽的高灵敏度测定（LOD为0.03 μg/L）,解决了中毒时患者体内痕量水平α -鹅膏毒肽定性确证的难题,部分患者α -鹅膏毒肽中毒实验室鉴定的时间可以扩展到90 h以上;同时,痕量水平的定量检测技术,可以为中毒后迅速代谢的α -鹅膏毒肽在体内的剂量反应关系研究提供可靠的技术支撑。