Excessive solar ultraviolet (SUV) radiation often causes dermatitis, photoaging, and even skin cancer. In the pathological processes of SUV-induced sunburn, JNK is activated by phosphorylation, and it in turn phosphorylates its downstream transcription factors, such as ATF2 and c-jun. The transcription factors further regulate the expression of pro-inflammatory genes, such as IL-6 and TNF-α, which ultimately leads to dermatitis. Therefore, inhibiting JNK may be a strategy to prevent dermatitis. In this study, we screened for worenine as a potential drug candidate for inhibiting sunburn. We determined that worenine inhibited the JNK-ATF2/c-jun signaling pathway and the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α in cell culture and in vivo, confirming the role of worenine in inhibiting sunburn. Furthermore, we determined that worenine bound and inhibited JNK2 activity in vitro through the MST, kinase, and in vitro kinase assays. Therefore, worenine might be a promising drug candidate for the prevention and treatment of SUV-induced sunburn.

Background. The misdiagnosis of aortic dissection (AD) can lead to a catastrophic prognosis. There is currently a lack of stable serological indicators with excellent efficacy for the differential diagnosis of AD and coronary artery disease (CAD). A recent study has shown an association between AD and iron metabolism. Thus, we investigated whether iron metabolism could discriminate AD from CAD. Methods. This retrospective and multicenter cross-sectional study investigated the efficacy of biomarkers of iron metabolism for the differential diagnosis of AD. We collected biomarkers of iron metabolism, liver function, kidney function, and other biochemistry test, and further, logistic regression analysis was applied. Results. Between Oct. 8, 2020, and Mar. 1, 2021, we recruited 521 patients diagnosed with AD, CAD, and other cardiovascular diseases (OCDs) with the main symptoms of chest and back pain and assigned them to discovery set ( n = 330 ) or validation set ( n = 191 ). We found that six serum biomarkers, including serum iron, low-density lipoprotein, uric acid, transferrin, high-density lipoprotein, and estimated glomerular filtration rate, can serve as a novel comprehensive indicator (named FLUTHE) for the differential diagnosis of AD and CAD with a sensitivity of 0.954 and specificity of 0.905 to differentially diagnose AD and CAD more than 72 h past symptom onset. Conclusion. Our findings provide insight into the role of iron metabolism in diagnosing and distinguishing AD, which might in the future be a key component in AD diagnosis. Furthermore, we establish a novel model named “FLUTHE” with higher efficiency, safety, and economy, especially for patients with chest pain for more than 72 h.

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