Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Mulberry leaf (ML) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine used to treat hyperlipidemia in clinical settings. The aim of the present study was to identify the potential effect and possible target of ML in anti-hypercholesterolemia. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with a high-fat diet and treated with ML for 5 weeks. Blood lipid levels, total cholesterol (TC) and total bile acid (TBA) in the liver and feces were measured to assess the effects of ML on hypercholesterolemia. Harris's hematoxylin staining and oil red O staining was applied to observe the pathological change and lipid accumulation in the liver. Immunohistochemical assay was performed to observe the location of expressions of scavenger receptor class B type I and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (-R), and western blotting was applied to determine the protein expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter G5/G8 (ABCG5/8), nuclear transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα), farnesoid-X receptor (FXR) and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase 1 (CYP7A1). The results demonstrated that ML treatment reduced serum TC and LDL-cholesterol levels, and liver TC and TBA contents; increased serum HDL-C levels, and fecal TC and TBA contents; and alleviated hepatocyte lipid degeneration. In addition, ML treatment inhibited liver LDL-R, PPARα and FXR protein expression, promoted protein expression of CYP7A1, and maintained the ratio of ABCG5/ABCG8. The findings of the present study provide a positive role of ML on cholesterol clearance via promoting cholesterol and TBA execration via FXR- and CYP7A1-mediated pathways; RCT regulation may be a potential mechanism of ML on anti-hypercholesterolemia.
BackgroundThe highly heterogeneous pathogenesis of depression and limited response to current antidepressants call for more objective evidence for depression subtypes. Reactive and endogenous depression are two etiologically distinct subtypes associated with different treatment responses. This study aims to explore the potential biomarkers that differentiate reactive and endogenous depressions.MethodsThe clinical manifestations and biological indicators of 64 unmedicated mild-to-moderate depression patients (32 reactive depression patients and 32 endogenous depression patients) and 21 healthy subjects were observed. The 24-item Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAMD-24) was used to evaluate the severity of depression. Serum levels of depression-related biological indicators were measured by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsThe NLRP3 level of reactive depression was significantly lower than those of endogenous depression and healthy controls. There was a significant negative correlation between the BDNF level and the HAMD-24 total scores for patients with reactive depression.ConclusionOur findings suggested the serum NLRP3 and BDNF levels could be potential biomarkers for detecting and evaluating the severity of reactive depression.
A series
of bio-based comb-like polymers with various lengths of
alkyl chains were synthesized through combining the ring-opening copolymerization
of sustainable CO2 with bio-renewable castor oil-derived
epoxides and the S-alkylated technique of the thiol–ene click
reaction. The structure, thermal property, side-chain crystallization,
and phase transition behavior of comb-like polymers were investigated
by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic
resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and wide-angle
X-ray diffraction. The chain packing manner and phase transformation
of side-chain crystallites for the pendent side alkyl chains on the
CO2-based copolymer backbone exhibit a dependence on side-chain
length, showing an increased phase-transition temperature (T
m) and phase-change enthalpy (ΔH
m) from −15.0 to 70.3 °C and from
34.1 to 108.5 kJ/mol, respectively. Phase transition of the side-chain
crystallites, varying from a regular trans conformation to a trans
disordered conformation and then to a gauche conformation, occurs
during the phase transition process. This work provides a promising
strategy to achieve crystallized CO2-based copolymers and
affords a facile approach to develop the structuralized polymeric
materials from the molecular regulation aspect.
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