Acupuncture is widely recognized as an effective therapy for premature ovarian failure (POF) in clinical, but information about its potential mechanisms is rarely explored. To investigate the mechanism, fifty SD female rats were randomly divided into normal group, POF group, POF+estradiol-valerate group (abbreviated as estradiol group), and POF+acupuncture group (abbreviated as acupuncture group). The estrous cycle of the rats was tracked by vaginal smears. Their ovaries morphology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The apoptotic level of granulosa cells was detected by in situ TUNEL fluorescence staining assay. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estrogen (E2) levels were measured by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay (ELISA). Protein and gene expression of PI3K, Akt, bcl-2, and bax were detected by Western blotting and qPCR. In the acupuncture and estradiol groups, compared with the POF group as controls, the apoptosis number of granulosa cells was significantly decreased (p < 0.05). FSH levels were decreased, while E2 levels were increased (p > 0.05). The gene and protein expression levels of PI3K, Akt, and bcl-2 were increased, while the expression levels of bax were decreased (p < 0.05), and the protein expression level of p-Akt increased. There was no significant difference between the acupuncture group and the estradiol group (p > 0.05). Acupuncture was able to regulate hormone levels in POF rats, up-regulate PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and reduce the apoptosis of granulosa cells. This may be one of the mechanisms of acupuncture treating premature ovarian failure.

Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP) have been validated for several biological activities, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective and modulation on gut microbiota. In this research, we aim to demonstrate the potential prebiotic effects and the therapeutic efficacies of PCP in the treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD), and confirm the beneficial effects of PCP on gut dysbiosis. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea mice models were established by treating them with broad-spectrum antibiotics in drinking water for seven days. Mice in two groups treated with probiotics and polysaccharide were given Bifico capsules (4.2 g/kg/d) and PCP (250 mg/kg/d) for seven days using intragastric gavage, respectively. To observe the regulatory effects of PCP on gut microbiota and intestinal mucosal barrier, we conducted the following experiments: intestinal flora analysis (16S rDNA sequencing), histology (H&E staining) and tight junction proteins (immunofluorescence staining). The levels of mRNA expression of receptors associated with inflammation and gut metabolism were assessed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The study revealed that PCP can comprehensively improve the clinical symptoms of AAD mice, including fecal traits, mental state, hair quality, etc., similar to the effect of probiotics. Based on histology observation, PCP significantly improved the substantial structure of the intestine of AAD mice by increasing the expression levels of colonic tight junction protein zonula-occludens 1 (ZO-1) and its mRNA. Moreover, PCP not only increased the abundance of gut microbiota, but also increased the diversity of gut microbiota in AAD mice, including alpha diversity and beta diversity. Further analysis found that PCP can modulate seven characteristic species of intestinal flora in AAD mice, including Parabacteroides_distasonis, Akkermansia_muciniphila, Clostridium_saccharolyticum, Ruminoc-occus_gnavus, Lactobacillus_salivarius, Salmonella_enterica and Mucispirillum_schaedleri. Finally, enrichment analysis predicted that PCP may affect intestinal mucosal barrier function, host immune response and metabolic function by regulating the microbiota. RT-PCR experiments showed that PCP can participate in immunomodulatory and modulation on metabolic by regulating the mRNA expression of forkhead-box protein 3 (FOXP3) and G protein-coupled receptor 41 (GPR41). These results indicated that Poria cocos polysaccharide may ameliorate antibiotic-associated diarrhea in mice by regulating the homeostasis of the gut microbiota and intestinal mucosal barrier. In addition, polysaccharide-derived changes in intestinal microbiota were involved in the immunomodulatory activities and modulation of the metabolism.

Background: Dietary intervention is the preferred approach for the prevention and clinical management of gout. Nevertheless, the existing evidence regarding the influence of specific foods on gout is insufficient. Methods: We used two-sample Mendelian randomization for genetic prediction to analyze the relationship between the intake of more than a dozen daily food items, such as pork, beef, cheese, and poultry, and dietary macronutrient intake (fat, protein, carbohydrates, and sugar) and the risk of developing gout and elevating the serum uric acid level. Inverse-variance weighted MR analyses were used as the main evaluation method, and the reliability of the results was tested by a sensitivity analysis. Results: Cheese intake was associated with lower serum uric acid levels, and tea intake (OR = 0.523, [95%CI: 0.348~0.784], p = 0.002), coffee intake (OR = 0.449, [95%CI: 0.229~0.882], p = 0.020), and dried fruit intake (OR = 0.533, [95%CI: 0.286~0.992], p = 0.047) showed a preventive effect on the risk of gouty attacks. In contrast, non-oily fish intake (β = 1.08, [95%CI: 0.24~1.92], p = 0.012) and sugar intake (β = 0.34, [95%CI: 0.03~0.64], p = 0.030) were risk factors for elevated serum uric acid levels, and alcohol intake frequency (OR = 1.422, [95%CI: 1.079~1.873], p = 0.012) was a risk factors for gout predisposition. Conclusions: These results will significantly contribute to the formulation and refinement of nutritional strategies tailored to patients afflicted with gout.

Background: Gout is a common disease with high incidence due to unhealthy diet and living habits. Simiao Powder, as a classic formula consisted of four common herbs, has been widely used in clinical practice since ancient times to prevent and treat gout. However, the pharmacological mechanism of Simiao Powder is still unclear.Methods: Based on network pharmacology, Simiao Powder active compounds were identified in TCMSP, ETCM and BATMAN database, used to establish a network of interaction between potential targets of Simiao Powder and known therapeutic targets of gout. Subsequently, the key potential targets are being used for protein–protein interaction, GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis through several authoritative open databases. Molecular docking through AutoDockTools software can verify interaction between molecules. Finally, to validate the predicted results, in vivo experiments based on hyperuricemic-gout mice model were designed and treated with Simiao powder and allopurinol. Serum levels of uric acid (UA), creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and xanthine oxidase (XOD) were determined using a customized assay kit while the expression of PPAR-γ, PTGS1, IL-6 and Bcl2 mRNA were analyzed through qRT-PCR.Results: Disease-target-compound network was visualized basing on the 20 bioactive compounds and the 19 potential targets using Cytoscape software. The results of PPI analysis, GO enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicate that the potential mechanism of Simiao Powder in treating gout may be achieved by regulating immune and inflammatory reactions, improving metabolism and endocrine. The results of molecular docking show that most of the targets and components have good binding activity. In vivo experiments revealed that Simiao powder can decreased serum UA and XOD levels in hyperuricemic-gout mice, and improved renal function. Furthermore, Simiao powder certainly regulates the expression of PPAR-γ, PTGS1, IL-6 and Bcl2 mRNA in ankle tissue in hyperuricemic-gout mice.Conclusion: Collectively, this research predicted a multiple compounds, targets, and pathways model mechanism of Simiao Powder in the prevention and treatment of gout, providing new ideas and methods for in-depth research, via vivo experiments.

This study presents the first bibliometric evaluation and systematic analysis of publications related to mucosal immunity and commensal microbiota over the last two decades and summarizes the contribution of countries, institutions, and scholars in the study of this field. A total of 1423 articles related to mucosal immunity and commensal microbiota in vivo published in 532 journals by 7774 authors from 1771 institutions in 74 countries/regions were analyzed. The interaction between commensal microbiota in vivo and mucosal immunity is essential in regulating the immune response of the body, maintaining communication between different kinds of commensal microbiota and the host, and so on. Several hot spots in this field have been found to have received extensive attention in recent years, especially the effects of metabolites of key strains on mucosal immunity, the physiopathological phenomena of commensal microbiota in various sites including the intestine, and the relationship between COVID-19, mucosal immunity and microbiota. We hope that the full picture of the last 20 years in this research area provided in this study will serve to deliver necessary cutting-edge information to relevant researchers.

The communication mechanism of the gut–lung axis has received increasing attention in recent years, particularly in acute respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza. The peripheral immune system serves as a crucial bridge between the gut and the lungs, two organs that are not in close proximity to each other. However, the specific communication mechanism involving gut microbiota, immune cells, and their anti-influenza effects in the lung remains to be further elucidated. In this study, the effects of 731 species of peripheral immune cells and 211 different gut microbiota on influenza outcomes were analyzed using a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis. After identifying specific species of gut microbiota and peripheral immune cells associated with influenza outcomes, mediation analyses were conducted to determine the mediating effects of specific immune cells in the protective or injurious effects of influenza mediated by gut microbiota. 19 species of gut microbiota and 75 types of peripheral immune cells were identified as being associated with influenza susceptibility. After rigorous screening, 12 combinations were analyzed for mediated effects. Notably, the down-regulation of CD64 on CD14- CD16- cells mediated 21.10% and 18.55% of the protective effect of Alcaligenaceae and Dorea against influenza, respectively. In conclusion, focusing on influenza, this study genetically inferred different types of gut microbiota and peripheral immune cells to determine their protective or risk factors. Furthermore, mediation analysis was used to determine the proportion of mediating effects of peripheral immune cells in gut microbiota-mediated susceptibility to influenza. This helps elucidate the gut–lung axis mechanism by which gut microbiota affects influenza susceptibility from the perspective of regulation of peripheral immune cells.