Polygonatum rhizoma polysaccharide (PP) is a main ingredient of Polygonatum rhizoma , which is both food and traditional herbal medicine. In this study, we aimed to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of PP and the underlying mechanisms in db/db mice. Our finding showed that PP significantly ameliorates diabetic symptoms by reducing glucose levels in blood and urine and increasing insulin and leptin abundance in the serum. Histopathological examination revealed that PP improved the pathological state and increased hepatic glycogen storage in liver. Additionally, RT-qPCR results indicated that PP significantly down-regulated the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1. Furthermore, 16s rRNA sequencing results demonstrated that PP intervention resulted in an increase in beneficial bacteria genus and a reduction in harmful genus. Redundancy analysis revealed the correlation between intestinal flora and clinical factors. Taken together, these results suggest that PP has a significant hypoglycemic effect on type 2 diabetes (T2D) through up-regulating serum insulin and leptin, as well as hepatic glycogen storage, and down-regulating hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 expression, as well as modulating gut microbiota composition. In conclusion, this study investigated the mechanisms of PP in the treatment of diabetes in db/db mice. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore the positive and negative correlations between gut microbiota and clinical factors, such as oxidative stress injury in liver and glucose related indicators in the blood.

Recent studies have found that plant derived microRNA can cross-kingdom regulate the expression of genes in humans and other mammals, thereby resisting diseases. Can exogenous miRNAs cross the blood-prostate barrier and entry prostate then participate in prostate disease treatment? Using HiSeq sequencing and RT-qPCR technology, we detected plant miRNAs that enriched in the prostates of rats among the normal group, BPH model group and rape bee pollen group. To forecast the functions of these miRNAs, the psRobot software and TargetFinder software were used to predict their candidate target genes in rat genome. The qRT-PCR technology was used to validate the expression of candidate target genes. Plant miR5338 was enriched in the posterior lobes of prostate gland of rats fed with rape bee pollen, which was accompanied by the improvement of BPH. Among the predicted target genes of miR5338, Mfn1 was significantly lower in posterior lobes of prostates of rats in the rape bee pollen group than control groups. Further experiments suggested that Mfn1 was highly related to BPH. These results suggesting that plant-derived miR5338 may involve in treatment of rat BPH through inhibiting Mfn1 in prostate. These results will provide more evidence for plant miRNAs cross-kingdom regulation of animal gene, and will provide preliminary theoretical and experimental basis for development of rape bee pollen into innovative health care product or medicine for the treatment of BPH.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNA that, through mediating posttranscriptional gene regulation, play a critical role in nearly all biological processes. Over the last decade it has become apparent that plant miRNAs may serve as a novel functional component of food with therapeutic effects including anti-influenza and antitumor. Rapeseed bee pollen has good properties in enhancing immune function as well as preventing and treating disease. In this study, we identified the exogenous miRNAs from rapeseed bee pollen in mice blood using RNA-seq technology. We found that miR-166a was the most highly enriched exogenous plant miRNAs in the blood of mice fed with rapeseed bee pollen, followed by miR-159. Subsequently, RT-qPCR results confirmed that these two miRNAs also can be detected in rapeseed bee pollen. Our results suggested that food-derived exogenous miRNAs from rapeseed bee pollen could be absorbed in mice and the abundance of exogenous miRNAs in mouse blood is dependent on their original levels in the rapeseed bee pollen.

Background. Aplastic anaemia (AA) is a highly prevalent blood disorder in the East and Southeast Asian countries, and a proportion of the patients is poorly treated with immunosuppressive agents. This study is aimed at exploring the effects of sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC) on rats with AA and at providing the theoretical basis for the treatment of AA using traditional Chinese medicine. Methods. A rat model of AA was induced by combining 5-fluorouracil with busulfan, and different groups were treated with 25mg/kg cyclosporin A (CsA) and low-, medium-, and high-dose SCC (25-, 50-, and 100-mg/kg; L-, M-, and H-SCC, respectively). A comparative analysis of peripheral blood counts, T-cell subsets, cytokine levels, bone marrow pathology, and APO-1 expression in mesenchymal stem cells in each group was conducted. Results. SCC can increase the platelet count and haemoglobin concentration in the peripheral blood of AA rats, whereas bone marrow biopsies revealed that the number of nucleated cells and megakaryocytes of SCC-treated rats increased compared with the model group. This was particularly evident in the H-SCC group. As regards the correction of immune function, unlike CsA, which reduced the absolute CD8+ T-cell count, SCC corrected the imbalanced CD4/CD8 ratio by increasing the absolute CD4+ T-cell count, whereas SCC increased the number of regulatory T-cells and reduced the level of interferon-γ in AA rats. When comparing the expression of APO-1 in the MSCs, results of the reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis showed that SCC can increase the expression of APO-1 both at the mRNA and protein levels. Conclusion. We found that SCC can improve haematopoietic function and regress immune disorders in AA rats, which enhanced the expression of APO-1 in bone marrow MSCs. This may be one of the mechanisms of SCC in treating AA.

The efficacy of berberine in managing diabetes through modulation of gut microbiome has been established through fecal sample analyses. However, relying solely on fecal materials constrains our comprehension of berberine's effects on diverse gastrointestinal locations. This study specifically explores the ileocecal region, a segment characterized by higher microbial diversity than fecal samples. Berberine exhibits a robust hypoglycemic impact by significantly reducing glucose levels in blood and urine. Beyond glycemic control, berberine ameliorates various diabetes-related symptoms in serum, including increased insulin and leptin, but decreased NEFA and MDA. Notably, berberine demonstrates liver-protective functions by alleviating oxidative stress and enhancing hepatic glycogen abundance. These outcomes prompted a high-throughput sequencing analysis of the ileocecal microbiome, revealing an augmentation of beneficial bacterial genera (four genera in the Lachnospiraceae family, Erysipelatoclostridium, and Escherichia-Shigella), along with a reduction in harmful bacterial genera (Romboutsia). Additionally, we predicted the impact of the ileocecal microbiome on clinically relevant factors associated with diabetes. These findings elucidate the multi-pathway mechanisms of berberine in treating T2D, underscoring its potential as a natural anti-diabetic agent or functional food, particularly through the modulation of the gut microbiota.