Background:Human skin is affected by ultraviolet rays on a daily basis,and excessive ultraviolet radiation(UVR)can lead to sunburn erythema,tanning,photoaging,and skin tumors.The combination of Astragali Radix(AR)and ...Background:Human skin is affected by ultraviolet rays on a daily basis,and excessive ultraviolet radiation(UVR)can lead to sunburn erythema,tanning,photoaging,and skin tumors.The combination of Astragali Radix(AR)and Anemarrhenae Rhizoma(AAR)is a common pairing in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).According to earlier studies,they possess properties capable of alleviating the adverse impacts of UVR on the skin.However,the specific actions and underlying mechanisms require further investigation.The study aims to analyze the efficacy of AR-AAR in preventing UVR-induced skin damage and to clarify the associated molecular mechanisms.Methods:Potential signaling pathways by which AR and AAR may protect against UVR-induced skin damage were identified with network pharmacology,molecular docking techniques and molecular dynamics(MD)simulation.Except the normal group,the back skin of SD rats was exposed to 1.1 mW/cm^(2) UVA combined with 0.1 mW/cm^(2) UVB daily,and the UVR skin damage model was established.Morphological features of skin tissues of different groups were discovered through Hematoxylin and Eosin(HE)staining,Masson staining,Weigert staining.ELISA was utilized to measure the levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS),Interleukin 6(IL-6),Interleukin 1β(IL-1β)and Tumor necrosis factos-α(TNF-α)in skin tissues.RT-PCR and Western blot were employed to quantify the mRNA and protein contents of PI3K,AKT,and MMP-9.Results:Network pharmacology analysis predicts that AR-AAR may improve skin damage induced by UVR through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.Histological staining shows that AR-AAR can significantly reduce inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis in damaged skin.Treatment with AR-AAR(2:1)significantly reduced the expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-αand ROS in UVR-damaged rat skin.After treatment with AR-AAR(2:1),not only did the relative mRNA expression levels of PI3K and AKT and the protein expression levels of PI3K,AKT,P-PI3K,and P-AKT increase,but the mRNA and protein expression levels of MMP-9 decreased.Conclusion:The study indicate that the AR-AAR combination and its active components may mitigate UVR skin damage by modulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.展开更多
Urban forests are highly multifunctional and provide numerous ecological functions.Plant functional traits individually or jointly influence the ecological multifunctionality of tree species(TS-EMF)and can also modify...Urban forests are highly multifunctional and provide numerous ecological functions.Plant functional traits individually or jointly influence the ecological multifunctionality of tree species(TS-EMF)and can also modify TSEMF in response to environmental changes.However,there has been limited exploration of multitrait combinations for predicting TS-EMF across seasons and of trait thresholds that enhance TS-EMF.Here,for 10 dominant tree species in urban forests of Northeast China,14 traits were measured and four aboveground and three belowground ecological functions assessed in three seasons.Ecological functions and TS-EMF differed significantly throughout the seasons(P<0.05).Synergistic relationships were found between carbon sequestration and oxygen release,between cooling and humidification,and between organic carbon accumulation and nutrient cycling.Notably,aboveground multifunctionality played a leading role in TS-EMF.With seasonal changes,resource allocation shifted toward traits related to resource acquisition rather than conservation to maintain TS-EMF.The combination of traits that predicted TS-EMF varied by type,accounting for up to 66.45%of the variation.TS-EMF was primarily driven by leaf structure in spring and by nutrient accumulation in autumn.Leaf carbon content(LCC)consistently served as a stabilizing factor for predicting TS-EMF across seasons.At 36.5-36.8 mg g^(-1),LCC had its optimal effect on TS-EMF.Other traits in combination that positively influence total TS-EMF include leaf nitrogen content(3.43-3.45 mg g^(-1)),leaf phosphorus content(0.80-0.83 mg g^(-1)),and leaf area(65.86-68.43 cm^(2)).Within these specified trait thresholds,Morus alba and Quercus mongolica were identified as key species.These findings suggest that the trade-off between various ecological functions can be managed by altering plant traits across seasons.This approach could provide a theoretical foundation for enhancing the TS-EMF of urban forests through trait-based management,offering practical guidance for selecting tree species.展开更多
基金supported by the Shaanxi Qinchuang Yuan“scientist+engineer”team construction(No.2023KXJ-080)Shaanxi Chiral Drug Engineering Technology Research Center(Department of Science and Technology of Shaanxi Province.No.[2011]-251).
文摘Background:Human skin is affected by ultraviolet rays on a daily basis,and excessive ultraviolet radiation(UVR)can lead to sunburn erythema,tanning,photoaging,and skin tumors.The combination of Astragali Radix(AR)and Anemarrhenae Rhizoma(AAR)is a common pairing in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).According to earlier studies,they possess properties capable of alleviating the adverse impacts of UVR on the skin.However,the specific actions and underlying mechanisms require further investigation.The study aims to analyze the efficacy of AR-AAR in preventing UVR-induced skin damage and to clarify the associated molecular mechanisms.Methods:Potential signaling pathways by which AR and AAR may protect against UVR-induced skin damage were identified with network pharmacology,molecular docking techniques and molecular dynamics(MD)simulation.Except the normal group,the back skin of SD rats was exposed to 1.1 mW/cm^(2) UVA combined with 0.1 mW/cm^(2) UVB daily,and the UVR skin damage model was established.Morphological features of skin tissues of different groups were discovered through Hematoxylin and Eosin(HE)staining,Masson staining,Weigert staining.ELISA was utilized to measure the levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS),Interleukin 6(IL-6),Interleukin 1β(IL-1β)and Tumor necrosis factos-α(TNF-α)in skin tissues.RT-PCR and Western blot were employed to quantify the mRNA and protein contents of PI3K,AKT,and MMP-9.Results:Network pharmacology analysis predicts that AR-AAR may improve skin damage induced by UVR through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.Histological staining shows that AR-AAR can significantly reduce inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis in damaged skin.Treatment with AR-AAR(2:1)significantly reduced the expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-αand ROS in UVR-damaged rat skin.After treatment with AR-AAR(2:1),not only did the relative mRNA expression levels of PI3K and AKT and the protein expression levels of PI3K,AKT,P-PI3K,and P-AKT increase,but the mRNA and protein expression levels of MMP-9 decreased.Conclusion:The study indicate that the AR-AAR combination and its active components may mitigate UVR skin damage by modulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation(32130068,32271634,and 32071597)CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture,Institute of Applied Ecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(KLFES-2025)。
文摘Urban forests are highly multifunctional and provide numerous ecological functions.Plant functional traits individually or jointly influence the ecological multifunctionality of tree species(TS-EMF)and can also modify TSEMF in response to environmental changes.However,there has been limited exploration of multitrait combinations for predicting TS-EMF across seasons and of trait thresholds that enhance TS-EMF.Here,for 10 dominant tree species in urban forests of Northeast China,14 traits were measured and four aboveground and three belowground ecological functions assessed in three seasons.Ecological functions and TS-EMF differed significantly throughout the seasons(P<0.05).Synergistic relationships were found between carbon sequestration and oxygen release,between cooling and humidification,and between organic carbon accumulation and nutrient cycling.Notably,aboveground multifunctionality played a leading role in TS-EMF.With seasonal changes,resource allocation shifted toward traits related to resource acquisition rather than conservation to maintain TS-EMF.The combination of traits that predicted TS-EMF varied by type,accounting for up to 66.45%of the variation.TS-EMF was primarily driven by leaf structure in spring and by nutrient accumulation in autumn.Leaf carbon content(LCC)consistently served as a stabilizing factor for predicting TS-EMF across seasons.At 36.5-36.8 mg g^(-1),LCC had its optimal effect on TS-EMF.Other traits in combination that positively influence total TS-EMF include leaf nitrogen content(3.43-3.45 mg g^(-1)),leaf phosphorus content(0.80-0.83 mg g^(-1)),and leaf area(65.86-68.43 cm^(2)).Within these specified trait thresholds,Morus alba and Quercus mongolica were identified as key species.These findings suggest that the trade-off between various ecological functions can be managed by altering plant traits across seasons.This approach could provide a theoretical foundation for enhancing the TS-EMF of urban forests through trait-based management,offering practical guidance for selecting tree species.
