Ginseng has a long history of drug application in China, which can treat various diseases and achieve significant efficacy. Ginsenosides have always been deemed important ingredients for pharmacological activities. Based on the structural characteristics of steroidal saponins, ginsenosides are mainly divided into protopanaxadiol‐type saponins (PDS, mainly including Rb1, Rb2, Rd, Rc, Rh2, CK, and PPD) and protopanaxatriol‐type saponins (PTS, mainly including Re, R1, Rg1, Rh1, Rf, and PPT). The structure differences between PDS and PTS result in the differences of pharmacological activities. This paper provides an overview of PDS and PTS, mainly focusing on their chemical profile, pharmacokinetics, hydrolytic metabolism, and pharmacological activities including antioxidant, antifatigue, antiaging, immunodulation, antitumor, cardiovascular protection, neuroprotection, and antidiabetes. It is intended to contribute to an in‐depth study of the relationship between PDS and PTS.

Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a microangiopathic complication of diabetes. Yiqi Wenyang Formula (YQWYF) has been used to treat DKD in the clinic for many years. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms of YQWYF on the gut microbiota and bile acids of DKD mice remain unclear. Purpose of the research: This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of YQWYF on DKD mice using an integrative approach of network pharmacology, fecal 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing, and untargeted metabolomics. Methods: The chemical composition of YQWYF was determined via ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Common targets were identified between YQWYF and DKD, and a potential protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using network pharmacology. DKD mice were induced with streptozotocin (STZ) for 18 weeks. Twenty-four-hour urine was collected on the 9th and 18th weeks, and serum was collected on the 18th week to detect the biochemical measurements of urine and serum. Oxidative stress biomarkers and inflammatory cytokines in the kidney were detected via ELISA kits. The microstructure of the renal tissue was assessed by hematoxylin–eosin staining, periodic-acid Schiff staining, and Masson staining. Fresh fecal sample of mice were collected on the 18th week to detect the gut metabolites and microbiota using untargeted metabolomics and 16S rRNA sequencing. We analyzed the gut microbiota-bile acid (BA) axis for mechanism exploration. Results: A total of 41 compounds were recognized in YQWYF. TNF and IL6 were the important core targets between YQWYF and DKD. The results of molecular docking revealed that astragaloside I, 16-meprednisone acetate, and astragaloside IV from YQWYF had strong affinities for TNF-α and IL-6. Animal experiments showed that YQWYF reduced glycemia and improved lipid metabolism abnormalities in DKD mice. Moreover, it had excellent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects to ameliorate renal injury in DKD mice. YQWYF improved the richness and evenness of the gut microbiota and increased bile acid levels in the feces of DKD mice. Importantly, 4 genus bacteria ( christensenellaceae_R-7_group , oscillibacter , UCG-005 , and [Eubacerium]_ xylanophilum_group ) were closely related with 3 BAs (CA, GCA and DHCA). Meanwhile, YQWYF improved the protein expression of Farnesoid X receptor (FXR), CYP7A1 and CYP8B in the liver. Conclusion: These findings reveal that YQWYF ameliorates renal injury in DKD mice by inhibiting the inflammatory, increasing the FXR signaling, and regulating the gut microbiota disorder and bile acid dysregulation. Graphical

Heat shock protein B8 (HspB8) is a chaperone protein that is highly and constitutively expressed in the brain, cardiac tissue and many other organs. Recently, it has been shown that HspB8 can enhance cardiac function and render cardioprotection. However, the potential benefits of HspB8 action on ischemic stroke and the underlying mechanism(s) are largely unknown. To investigate whether HspB8 exerts protective effects on in vitro ischemia/ reperfusion (I/R) injury, mouse neuroblastoma cells were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R). At first, we investigated and described the HspB8 expression and distribution in N2A cells exposed to OGD/R. Expressions of HspB8 were upregulated in mouse N2A cells after OGD/R, both at mRNA and protein levels. The level of HspB8 began increased after the OGD/R and peaked at 12 hour (12h) after the reperfusion, then declined at 24-hour time points, however, the level of HspB8 was still significantly increased compared to controls. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the expressed HspB8 was constitutively localized in the cytoplasm and at the periphery of the nucleus. Nuclear HspB8 levels increased after OGD/R compared with levels in the control, beginning as early as 4h reperfusion, the most conspicuous nuclear HspB8 staining was observed after 24h of reperfusion. Furthermore, overexpression of HspB8 reduced OGD/R -induced apoptosis by reducing the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that increased HspB8 expression and its nuclear shift in mouse N2A neuroblastoma cells protected against I/R injury, resulting in reduced apoptosis with the decrease of the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. Therefore, HspB8 might play a fundamental role in opposing and alleviating I/R injury in primary myocardial cells, and it may constitute a new therapeutic target for cerebral ischemic diseases.

Deer antler, as the only mammalian regenerative appendage, provides an optimal model to study regenerative medicine. Antler harvested from red deer or sika deer were mainly study objects used to disclose the mechanism underlying antler regeneration over past decades. A previous study used proteomic technology to reveal the signaling pathways of antler stem cell derived from red deer. Moreover, transcriptome of antler tip from sika deer provide us with the essential genes, which regulated antler development and regeneration. However, antler comparison between red deer and sika deer has not been well studied. In our current study, proteomics were employed to analyze the biological difference of antler regeneration between sika deer and red deer. The proteomics profile was completed by searching the UniProt database, and differentially expressed proteins were identified by bioinformatic software. Thirty-six proteins were highly expressed in red deer antler, while 144 proteins were abundant in sika deer. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that differentially expressed proteins participated in the regulation of several pathways including oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome, extracellular matrix interaction, and PI3K-Akt pathway.