The therapeutic mechanism of oleanolic acid (OA) in breast cancer has been widely reported, but little has been known about the combined effects of transcriptome and gut microbiome. In this study, the phenotypic effect of oleanolic acid on mice was tested at the end of the administration cycle, and RNA sequencing on murine tumor tissue and 16S-rRNA sequencing on intestinal contents were conducted to analyze gene expression profiles and microbial diversity between the control group and OA treated group using 4T1-induced mice breast cancer model. As a result, it has been confirmed that oleanolic acid would play a significant inhibitory effect on the development of breast tumors in mice. Based on the integrative analysis of the transcriptomic and metagenomic data, it was found that the abundance of Lactobacillus in the intestinal flora of mice significantly increased in the OA group. Moreover, the up-regulation of Il10 had a significant effect on inhibiting the tumor progression, which played a role through cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway.

Purpose: Fungal keratitis (FK) is an eye disease that can lead to blindness and has a high incidence worldwide. At present, there is no effective treatment for this disease. There are innate immune response mechanisms that protect against fungal infections. One example is C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), which can identify fungal invaders and trigger signal transduction pathways and cellular responses to eliminate pathogens. However, previous studies have focused mostly on single-receptor factors, and a systematic analysis of the genetic factors underlying the pathogenesis of FK has not been conducted. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of FK in terms of genomics and to further elucidate its pathogenesis. Methods: We performed a transcriptome analysis of a mouse model of FK using RNA sequencing to obtain the relevant gene expression profiles and to identify differentially expressed genes, signaling pathways, and regulatory networks of the key genetic factors in the pathogenesis of murine FK. Results: Several genes that are significantly associated with FK and serve as markers of FK, such as the inflammatory cytokine genes IL1B, IL6, IL10, IL23, and TNF, were identified. The mRNA and protein expression patterns of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the corneas of mice with FK were validated by quantitative RT-PCR and Luminex multiplex assay technology. The Wnt, cGMP–PKG, and Hippo signaling pathways were significantly enriched during fungal infection of mouse corneas. Conclusions: Our study may help to elucidate the mechanisms of FK pathogenesis and to identify additional candidate drug targets for the treatment of FK.

This study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanism of selenium-enriched kiwifruit (Se-Kiwi) on lipid-lowering and liver protection in hyperlipidaemic mice induced by consuming a long-term high-fat diet.