Journal: Frontiers in Nutrition

Article Title: The herbal pair of Smilax glabra Roxb. and Ficus hirta Vahl. improves exercise performance by regulating mitochondrial function via the adiponection receptors-mediated AMPK signaling pathway

doi: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1782001

Figure Lengend Snippet: RNA-Seq analysis and validation of mouse liver following FSP intervention. (A) Heatmap of hepatic gene expression profiles in vehicle group and FSP-2X group, with red and green indicating up- and down-regulated genes respectively ( n = 3); (B) Volcano plot displaying overall distribution of DEGs in FSP-treated liver tissues ( n = 3); (C) Bubble chart of KEGG pathway enrichment analysis for DEGs ( n = 3); (D) Heatmap visualization of differentially expressed genes ( n = 3); (E) mRNA expression analysis of target genes ( n = 6); (F, G) Expression levels and semi-quantitative analysis of key proteins in AdipoRs-AMPK signaling pathway ( n = 3); (H, I) Regulatory effects of FSP on proteins related to inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function and lactate metabolism ( n = 3); (J) mRNA levels of mitochondrial biogenesis genes Nrf1 (NRF1) and Tfam (TFAM) ( n = 6); (K) Mitochondrial DNA copy number in mouse liver tissues ( n = 6); (L–Q) Immunohistochemical staining and statistical analysis of PGC1α, TFAM and COXIV proteins (Scale bar: 20 μm, Total magnification: 200x, n = 5); (R) Hepatic ATP content ( n = 5); (S) ROS levels in liver tissues ( n = 4). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 compared to the vehicle group.

Article Snippet: The specific antibodies used were as follows: AdipoR1 (Abclonal, A1509), AdipoR2 (Abclonal, A12777), p-AMPK (Abclonal, AP1441), AMPK (Abclonal, A1229), p-LKB1 (Abclonal, AP0601), LKB1 (Abclonal, A22636), PGC1α (Proteintech, 66369-1-Ig), SIRT1 (Proteintech, 13161-1-AP), LDHB (Proteintech, 14824-1-AP), COXIV (Cell Signaling Technology, 3E11), TFAM (Abclonal, A3173), NRF2 (Proteintech, 16396-1-AP), HO-1 (Abclonal, A19062), TNFα (Proteintech, 80258-6-RR), COX2 (Abclonal, A3560), and β-actin (Proteintech, 20536-1-AP).

Techniques: RNA Sequencing, Biomarker Discovery, Gene Expression, Expressing, Immunohistochemical staining, Staining

Journal: Frontiers in Nutrition

Article Title: The herbal pair of Smilax glabra Roxb. and Ficus hirta Vahl. improves exercise performance by regulating mitochondrial function via the adiponection receptors-mediated AMPK signaling pathway

doi: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1782001

Figure Lengend Snippet: Effects of FSP serum treatment on gene expression in HepG2 cells. (A) Experimental design of FSP serum treatment in HepG2 cells (Created in https://BioRender.com ); (B, C) Impact of FSP serum on HepG2 cell proliferation capacity and quantitative analysis ( n = 6); (D) Transcript levels of differentially expressed genes and mitochondrial biogenesis-related genes (Nrf1/NRF1, Tfam/TFAM) in HepG2 cells ( n = 6); (E, F) Protein expression and semi-quantification of key AdipoRs-AMPK pathway components in HepG2 cells ( n = 3); (G, H) Effects of FSP serum on inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function and lactate metabolism-related proteins with semi-quantitative analysis ( n = 3); (I) Immunofluorescence co-localization of SIRT1 and PGC-1α proteins in HepG2 cells (Scale bar: 20 μm, Total magnification: 200x); (J, K) Immunofluorescence detection of mitochondrial function proteins COXIV and TFAM (Scale bar: 20 μm, Total magnification: 200x); (L, M) Mitochondrial membrane potential assay (JC-1) and analysis (Scale bar: 20 μm, Total magnification: 200x, n = 5). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 compared to the vehicle group.

Article Snippet: The specific antibodies used were as follows: AdipoR1 (Abclonal, A1509), AdipoR2 (Abclonal, A12777), p-AMPK (Abclonal, AP1441), AMPK (Abclonal, A1229), p-LKB1 (Abclonal, AP0601), LKB1 (Abclonal, A22636), PGC1α (Proteintech, 66369-1-Ig), SIRT1 (Proteintech, 13161-1-AP), LDHB (Proteintech, 14824-1-AP), COXIV (Cell Signaling Technology, 3E11), TFAM (Abclonal, A3173), NRF2 (Proteintech, 16396-1-AP), HO-1 (Abclonal, A19062), TNFα (Proteintech, 80258-6-RR), COX2 (Abclonal, A3560), and β-actin (Proteintech, 20536-1-AP).

Techniques: Gene Expression, Expressing, Immunofluorescence, Membrane

Journal: Frontiers in Nutrition

Article Title: The herbal pair of Smilax glabra Roxb. and Ficus hirta Vahl. improves exercise performance by regulating mitochondrial function via the adiponection receptors-mediated AMPK signaling pathway

doi: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1782001

Figure Lengend Snippet: AMPK inhibition reverses biological effects of FSP serum intervention. (A) AMPK inhibition experiment in HepG2 cells under FSP serum intervention (Created in https://BioRender.com ); (B) Transcript levels of AMPK downstream effectors (SIRT1, PGC-1α) and mitochondrial genes (Nrf1/NRF1, Tfam/TFAM) ( n = 6); (C, D) Protein expression and semi-quantitative analysis of AMPK pathway molecules after AMPK inhibitor intervention ( n = 3); (E, F) Mitochondrial DNA copy number analysis ( n = 4); (G) Measurement of cellular ATP content ( n = 3); (H) Detection of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels ( n = 3); (I) SIRT1 and PGC-1α immunofluorescence co-localization (Scale bar: 20 μm, Total magnification: 200x); (J, K) Mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1) staining and analysis (Scale bar: 20 μm, Total magnification: 200x, n = 5); (L–N) TEM analysis of mitochondrial ultrastructure with mitochondrial number ( n = 5) and area quantification ( n = 100) (Scale bar: 1/0.2 μm, Total magnification: 20,000/80,000x). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001compared to the vehicle gro,Q22up.

Article Snippet: The specific antibodies used were as follows: AdipoR1 (Abclonal, A1509), AdipoR2 (Abclonal, A12777), p-AMPK (Abclonal, AP1441), AMPK (Abclonal, A1229), p-LKB1 (Abclonal, AP0601), LKB1 (Abclonal, A22636), PGC1α (Proteintech, 66369-1-Ig), SIRT1 (Proteintech, 13161-1-AP), LDHB (Proteintech, 14824-1-AP), COXIV (Cell Signaling Technology, 3E11), TFAM (Abclonal, A3173), NRF2 (Proteintech, 16396-1-AP), HO-1 (Abclonal, A19062), TNFα (Proteintech, 80258-6-RR), COX2 (Abclonal, A3560), and β-actin (Proteintech, 20536-1-AP).

Techniques: Inhibition, Expressing, Immunofluorescence, Membrane, Staining

Journal: Frontiers in Nutrition

Article Title: The herbal pair of Smilax glabra Roxb. and Ficus hirta Vahl. improves exercise performance by regulating mitochondrial function via the adiponection receptors-mediated AMPK signaling pathway

doi: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1782001

Figure Lengend Snippet: Synergistic activation of the AdipoRs-AMPK pathway by taxifolin and apigenin combination (A) Schematic design of monomer compound cell experiments (Created in https://BioRender.com ); (B) mRNA expression levels of STRT1, Ppargc1a, Nrf1 (NRF1), and Tfam (TFAM) ( n = 6); (C, D) Protein expression in AdipoRs-AMPK pathway and mitochondrial function ( n = 3); (E, F) Mitochondrial DNA copy number detection ( n = 6); (G) Intracellular ATP content measurement ( n = 3); (H) Detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels ( n = 5); (I, J) Measurement of mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1) (Scale bar: 20 μm, Total magnification: 200x, n = 5); (K–M) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation of mitochondrial ultrastructure (Scale bar: 1/0.2 μm, Total magnification: 20,000/80,000x), statistical analysis of mitochondrial quantity ( n = 5) and mitochondrial area ( n = 100). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 compared to the vehicle group.

Article Snippet: The specific antibodies used were as follows: AdipoR1 (Abclonal, A1509), AdipoR2 (Abclonal, A12777), p-AMPK (Abclonal, AP1441), AMPK (Abclonal, A1229), p-LKB1 (Abclonal, AP0601), LKB1 (Abclonal, A22636), PGC1α (Proteintech, 66369-1-Ig), SIRT1 (Proteintech, 13161-1-AP), LDHB (Proteintech, 14824-1-AP), COXIV (Cell Signaling Technology, 3E11), TFAM (Abclonal, A3173), NRF2 (Proteintech, 16396-1-AP), HO-1 (Abclonal, A19062), TNFα (Proteintech, 80258-6-RR), COX2 (Abclonal, A3560), and β-actin (Proteintech, 20536-1-AP).

Techniques: Activation Assay, Expressing, Membrane, Transmission Assay, Electron Microscopy

Journal: Bioactive Materials

Article Title: A promising magnesium-related alloy with metabolic reprogramming and antitumor effects in hepatocellular and pancreatic cancer

doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.12.039

Figure Lengend Snippet: Transcriptomic Analysis Indicates Mg and Al-Mg Alter Gene Expression Patterns in Hepatocellular and Pancreatic Cancer Cells. (A) High-throughput sequencing of PANC-1, PANC-1-Mg, PANC-1-Al-Mg, Huh7, Huh7-Mg, and Huh7-Al-Mg groups; heatmap showing sample correlations. (B) Volcano plots illustrating differential gene expression in Huh7 and PANC-1 cells after Mg or Al-Mg treatment. (C) GO enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes following Mg or Al-Mg treatment. (D) KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes after Mg or Al-Mg treatment. (E) GSEA enrichment analysis of gene expression profiles post Mg or Al-Mg treatment. (F) Western blot analysis of AMPK, p-AMPK and CPT1B expression in PANC-1 cells after Mg or Al-Mg exposure with or without AMPK agonist. (G) PPI network analysis of differentially expressed genes in Mg or Al-Mg-treated cells. (H) Integrated analysis of metabolomic and transcriptomic data by MetaboAnalyst 6.0.

Article Snippet: Primary antibodies used included p-AMPK (1:100, CST, 2535), Ki-67 (1:1000, Servicebio, GB111499-50), E-cadherin (1:500, Servicebio, GB12083-100), N-cadherin (1:500, Proteintech, SA00013-4), and Vimentin (1:2000, Servicebio, GB11192-100).

Techniques: Gene Expression, Next-Generation Sequencing, Western Blot, Expressing

Journal: The Journal of Biological Chemistry

Article Title: OGG1 increases exercise endurance via elevated skeletal muscle FGF21

doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2026.111360

Figure Lengend Snippet: Alteration of muscle FGF21 and downstream signaling in Ogg1 Tg mice. A , volcano plot of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in skeletal muscle of Ogg1 Tg mice. Fgf21 is the most upregulated gene among all DEGs. B , Fgf21 gene expression was measured in major tissues of WT and Ogg1 Tg mice using quantitative PCR. Gene expressions were normalized to 18S rRNA expression. C , plasma FGF21was measured in WT and Ogg1 Tg mice using ELISA. D and E , phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC was measured in the skeletal muscle of WT and Ogg1 Tg mice using PAGE, and images were quantified using ImageJ. (n = 3–7); data are expressed as mean ± SD; ∗ p < 0.05 relative to WT. ACC, acetyl-CoA carboxylase; AMPK, AMP-activated protein; FGF21, fibroblast growth factor 21; Ogg1 Tg , OGG1-transgenic.

Article Snippet: p-AMPK (Thr-172) , 2535- Cell Signaling Technologies , 1:1000.

Techniques: Gene Expression, Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Expressing, Clinical Proteomics, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Phospho-proteomics, Transgenic Assay

Journal: Science Advances

Article Title: Constitutive AMPK activation prevents hepatocellular carcinoma development through inhibition of HNF4α activity

doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aea8017

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( A ) Western blot analysis of female mouse livers fed HFD containing doxycycline (Doxy) to express constitutive active AMPK [a1(1-312); AMPK CA ] for 7 days compared to control livers. ( B ) Immunohistochemical analysis of livers from male control and AMPK CA mice fed HFD+Doxy for 7 months. Scale bars, 100 μm. Right: Quantification of the staining intensity for P-Thr 172 AMPK and P-Ser 79 ACC staining. n = 6 to 10. ±SEM, Welch t test. ( C ) Representative whole-mount (top) and MRI (bottom) image of male control and AMPK CA livers 9 months post–DEN injection. Yellow dashed lines indicate tumors. ( D ) Quantification of the tumor number in male control and AMPK CA livers 6 and 9 months post–DEN injection based on MRI images. 6 months: N = 5 to 7; 9 months: N = 16 to 17; Fisher least significant difference (LSD) test. ( E ) Quantification of the serum AFP levels in control and AMPK CA male mice 6 and 9 months post–DEN injection. n = 9 to 15. Fisher LSD test. * P < 0.05; *** P < 0.001; **** P < 0.0001.

Article Snippet: P-AMPKalpha (Thr 172 ) (40H9) Rabbit mAb , Cell Signaling Technology , 2535.

Techniques: Western Blot, Control, Immunohistochemical staining, Staining, Injection

Journal: Science Advances

Article Title: Constitutive AMPK activation prevents hepatocellular carcinoma development through inhibition of HNF4α activity

doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aea8017

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( A ) Quantification of the tumor size from MRI imaging at 6 and 9 months. n = 10 to 448. Log normal Welch t test. ( B ) Immunohistochemical analysis of BrdU incorporation in tumor tissue from control and AMPK CA livers following a 4-hour BrdU pulse (10 mg/kg). Scale bars, 100 μm. Right: Quantification of the number of positive cells per area. n = 13 to 17. Welch t test. ( C ) Gene expression of Ampka1 normalized to Actin in nontumor and tumor tissue. n = 5 to 6. ±SEM, Fisher LSD test. ( D ) Immunohistochemical analysis of P-Ser 79 ACC in nontumor and tumor tissue from control and AMPK CA livers. Scale bars, 100 μm. ( E ) Quantification of the staining intensity of P-Ser 79 ACC. n = 5 to 14. Fisher LSD test. ( F ) Immunohistochemical analysis of P-Thr 172 AMPK in nontumor and tumor tissue from control and AMPK CA livers. Scale bars, 100 μm. ( G ) Quantification of the staining intensity. n = 6 to 11. Fisher LSD test. ( H ) Western blot analysis of nontumor (NT) and tumor (T) tissue. VINCULIN as loading control. * P < 0.05; ** P < 0.01; *** P < 0.001; **** P < 0.0001.

Article Snippet: P-AMPKalpha (Thr 172 ) (40H9) Rabbit mAb , Cell Signaling Technology , 2535.

Techniques: Imaging, Immunohistochemical staining, BrdU Incorporation Assay, Control, Gene Expression, Staining, Western Blot