As a major disease that threatens the health of women worldwide, breast cancer (BC) lacks effective molecular markers in the clinic at the same time. We aim at finding a new biomarker of BC. In our study, through the Gene Expression Omnibus database chip, a total of 1393 pairs of microRNA-messenger RNA (miRNA-mRNA) networks and 35754 pairs of long noncoding RNA-miRNA networks were obtained.We found out that NEAT1/miR-21/RRM2 axis may play a role in BC diagnosis and prognosis. The real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test was used to analyze the mRNA level of NEAT1, miR-21, and RRM2. Western blot was used to detect the protein level of RRM2. Through the 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine assay, the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells was detected. Through wound healing and transwell assay, the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells was detected. Altogether, our data indicated that NEAT1, miR-21, and RRM2 were upregulated in several BC cell lines. Overexpressed of miR-21 in MDA-MB-231 cells promote proliferation and migration. Besides, our results demonstrated that overexpressed of miR-21 upregulated the level of RRM2. Accordingly, miR-21/ RRM2 might be a new diagnosis and treatment target of BC.

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is becoming a notable health concern globally. The combination of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SB) and Sophora japonica L. (SJ) has been demonstrated to have anti-hypertensive effects and improve kidney injury clinically. This study aimed to explore the renal protective effect of the combination of SB and SJ against CKD and clarify the potential mechanisms. Male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were used to induce hypertensive nephropathy and were treated with SB or SJ separately or in combination for 15 weeks, and an antibiotic group was used for a rescue experiment. Blood pressure, serum or urine biochemical markers, serum inflammation factors, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), indoxyl sulfate (IS), and oxidative stress indicators were assessed. Western blot analysis was performed to determine the expression of intestinal tight junction proteins, including occludin and ZO-1. The mRNA expression of the SCFAs receptors olfactory 78 (Olfr78) and G protein-coupled receptor 41 (GPR41) was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Gut microbiota profiles were established via high-throughput sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. SB and SJ significantly ameliorated the severity of renal injury induced by hypertension. The combination also decreased the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes, increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, and reduced that of Clostridiaceae. The intestinal barrier was improved, and the change in dominant bacteria reduced IS accumulation and further inhibited oxidative stress activation in kidneys. SB and SJ increased SCFAs production, inhibited inflammatory factor release, and regulated blood pressure by decreasing the expression of Olfr78 and increasing that of GPR41, then alleviated kidney damage. This research demonstrated the positive effects of SB and SJ in a rat model of hypertensive nephropathy, indicated that the treatment of SB and SJ by improving the intestinal barrier function, increasing SCFAs, reducing inflammation, decreasing IS, and inhibiting oxidative stress reactions.

No abstract

Current therapeutic approaches have a limited effect on cardiac remodeling, which is characteristic of cardiac fibrosis and myocardial hypertrophy. In this study, we examined whether Danshenol A (DA), an active ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Radix Salviae, can attenuate cardiac remodeling and clarified the underlying mechanisms. Using the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) as a cardiac remodeling model, DA ameliorated blood pressure, cardiac injury, and myocardial collagen volume and improved cardiac function. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that DA might attenuate cardiac remodeling through modulating mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species. DA repaired the structure/function of the mitochondria, alleviated oxidative stress in the myocardium, and restored apoptosis of cardiomyocytes induced by angiotensin II. Besides, DA inhibited mitochondrial redox signaling pathways in both the myocardium and cardiomyocytes. Thus, our study suggested that DA attenuates cardiac remodeling induced by hypertension through modulating mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species.