Qihui Sun’s research while affiliated with Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and other places

Notch signaling pathway is activated abnormally in solid and hematological tumors, which perform essential functions in cell differentiation, survival, proliferation, and angiogenesis. The activation of Notch signaling and communication among Notch and other oncogenic pathways heighten malignancy aggressiveness. Thus, targeting Notch signaling offers opportunities for improved survival and reduced disease incidence. Already, most attention has been given to its role in the cancer cells. Recent research shows that natural bioactive compounds can change signaling molecules that are linked to or interact with the Notch pathways. This suggests that there may be a link between Notch activation and the growth of tumors. Here, we sum up the natural bioactive compounds that possess inhibitory effects on human cancers by impeding the Notch pathway and preventing Notch crosstalk with other oncogenic pathways, which provoke further study of these natural products to derive rational therapeutic regimens for the treatment of cancer and develop novel anticancer drugs. This review revealed Notch as a highly challenging but promising target in oncology.

The rise in viral infections has presented a multitude of public health concerns on a global scale, including the emergence of influenza and SARS-CoV-2. The emergence of drug-resistant virus strains has underscored the paramount importance of expedited research in the development of novel antiviral therapeutics. It has led to a surge in interest in the potential application of essential oils (EOs) as antiviral agents, owing to their noteworthy antiviral efficacy. A considerable number of EOs and their components have demonstrated promising antiviral activities in vitro and in vivo research. This review provided an overview of the various aspects of EOs inhibiting viruses, including plant sources, the different delivery methods, current challenges and strategies for developing drugs, and in-depth discussions on the relevant mechanisms. It concisely explores the antiviral mechanisms of EOs, ranging from molecular docking simulations to in-depth cellular, animal, and human studies. EOs demonstrate antiviral potential by inhibiting viral proteins, disrupting replication, and modulating host cellular functions, immune responses, and nervous system interactions. This review serves as a valuable resource for researchers and pharmaceutical entities, offering insights and references that advance the antiviral research and innovative drug development utilizing plant-derived essential oils. Graphical abstract

Both lung and gut belong to the common mucosal immune system (CMIS), with huge surface areas exposed to the external environment. They are the main defense organs against the invasion of pathogens and play a key role in innate and adaptive immunity. Recently, more and more evidence showed that stimulation of one organ can affect the other, as exemplified by intestinal complications during respiratory disease and vice versa, which is called lung-gut crosstalk. Intestinal microbiota plays an important role in respiratory and intestinal diseases. It is known that intestinal microbial imbalance is related to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), this imbalance could impact the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier and leads to the persistence of inflammation, however, gut microbial disturbances have also been observed in respiratory diseases such as asthma, allergy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and respiratory infection. It is not fully clarified how these disorders happened. In this review, we summarized the latest examples and possible mechanisms of lung-gut crosstalk in respiratory disease and IBD and discussed the strategy of shaping intestinal flora to treat respiratory diseases.

Neuraminidase is an important target in the treatment of the influenza A virus. Screening natural neuraminidase inhibitors from medicinal plants is crucial for drug research. This study proposed a rapid strategy for identifying neuraminidase inhibitors from different crude extracts (Polygonum cuspidatum, Cortex Fraxini, and Herba Siegesbeckiae) using ultrafiltration combined with mass spectrometry guided by molecular docking. Firstly, the main component library of the three herbs was established, followed by molecular docking between the components and neuraminidase. Only the crude extracts with numbers of potential neuraminidase inhibitors identified by molecular docking were selected for ultrafiltration. This guided approach reduced experimental blindness and improved efficiency. The results of molecular docking indicated that the compounds in Polygonum cuspidatum demonstrated good binding affinity with neuraminidase. Subsequently, ultrafiltration‐mass spectrometry was employed to screen for neuraminidase inhibitors in Polygonum cuspidatum. A total of five compounds were fished out, and they were identified as trans‐polydatin, cis‐polydatin, emodin‐1‐O‐β‐D‐glucoside, emodin‐8‐O‐β‐D‐glucoside, and emodin. The enzyme inhibitory assay showed that they all had neuraminidase inhibitory effects. In addition, the key residues of the interaction between neuraminidase and fished compounds were predicted. In all, this study could provide a strategy for the rapid screening of the potential enzyme inhibitors from medicinal herbs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Ethnopharmacological relevance Mahuang Xixin Fuzi Decoction (MXF), as a classical prescription of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used to treat the symptoms of fever, nasal congestion and headache in elderly people for almost a thousand years. Aim of the study The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects and possible mechanisms of MXF on thermal stimulation-induced mouse cardiac myocytes (MCM) cell apoptosis. Materials and methods The apoptosis of the MCM cell model was induced by a PCR-calculated temperature control system with a gradual heating pattern at 43 °C for one hour. The cytotoxic effects were determined using real-time cell analyzer (RTCA) technology. Annexin V-FITC/7-AAD staining, and JC-1 fluorescence were used to assess apoptosis. Specific substrates, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and Western blotting were used to identify proteins in the mitochondrial-mediated pathway. The identification of chemical components in the mouse heart was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Results MXF inhibited apoptosis through the mitochondrial-mediated signaling pathway, including ameliorating MMP reduction, blocking mitochondrial Cyt C release, reducing Bax levels and increasing Bcl-2 levels, suppressing caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation in cytoplasmic fractions. Moreover, the components of MXF that act on the heart are mainly ephedra alkaloids and aconitine alkaloids. Conclusions The findings demonstrated that MXF treatment markedly reduced MCM cell apoptosis induced by thermal stimulation, which may be ascribed to the mitochondrial-mediated signaling pathway.

Background: Thermal stimulation is a potent inducer of apoptosis in many cell lines. At present, water bath heating is often used to thermal stimulation-induced apoptosis, but this method has poor reproducibility and low efficiency. The aim of this study was to build a simple and reproducible apoptosis model caused by thermal stimulation. Methods and Results: The apoptosis and necrosis rate were detected under different thermal stimulation conditions by flow cytometer. We also analyzed the difference of growth curves between the thermal stimulation model group and the normal group. According to the cell growth curve, the cell re-culture time after thermal stimulation was preliminarily detected, and the reasonability of the time was verified by flow cytometer. The conditions for establishing the model are: PCR calculated temperature control system with a gradual heating pattern, 37°C, 2 min; 38°C, 2 min; 39°C, 2 min; 40°C, 2 min; 41°C, 2 min; 42°C, 2 min; 43°C, 60 min; 42°C, 2 min; 41°C, 2 min; 40°C, 2 min; 39°C, 2 min; 38°C, 2 min; 37°C, 2 min. In this way, the proportion of cell apoptosis is higher than that of cell necrosis with satisfied reproducibility. Conclusions: The present work provide a new method to induce cell apoptosis by thermal stimulation.