Anti-inflammatory  BMD, bone mineral density  BSA, bovine serum albumin  Bmp4, bone morphogenic protein 4  CRE, cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element  CREB, cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein  DEXA, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry  DMSO, Dimethyl sulfoxide  Drynaria fortunei  E2, estradiol  ER, estrogen receptor  ERE, estrogen response element  Epimedium brevicornu  Estrogenic  FBS, fetal bovine serum  Fsk, forskolin  Hprt, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase  IL-1, interleukin 1  LBD, ligand binding domain  LBM, low bone mass  M-CSF, macrophage colony-stimulating factor  MAPK, mitogen activated protein kinase  NF-κβ, nuclear factor kappa beta  OP, osteoporosis  Osteoporosis  PTH, parathyroid hormone  PTHrp, PTH related peptide  RANKL, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa beta ligand  RLU, relative luminescence unit  ROI, region of interest  Runx2, runt-related transcription factor 2  SFM, serum free media  TCM, traditional Chinese medicine  TNFα, tumor necrosis factor alpha  TRAP, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase  UAS, upstream activating sequence  cAMP, cyclic adenosine monophosphate  qPCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction  

1,25(OH)2D3  1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3  AD  Alzheimer’s disease  Aβ  amyloid-β  BBB  blood–brain barrier  bEnd.3  mouse brain microvascular endothelial cell lines  DMEM  Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium  ELISA  enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay  FBS  fetal bovine serum  HepG2  human hepatoblastoma cell lines  HRP  horseradish peroxidase  LRP1  low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1  RAGE  receptor for advanced glycation end products  RAP  receptor-associated peptide  TEER  transendothelial electrical resistance  VDR  vitamin D receptor  Alzheimer’s disease  1,25(OH)2D3  amyloid-β1–40  LRP1  RAGE  VDR  

Panacis Japonici Rhizoma  Chikusetsusaponin IVa methyl ester  Ovarian cancer  Cell cycle arrest  Apoptosis  Metastasis  Bcl-2  B-cell lymphoma 2  CC  column chromatography  CDK  cyclin-dependent kinase  DMEM  Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium  DMSO  dimethyl sulfoxide  FBS  fetal bovine serum  GAPDH  Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase  Hoechst 33342  2′-[4-ethoxyphenyl]-5-[4-methyl-1-piperazinyl]-2,5′-bi-1H-benzimidazole trihydrochloride trihydrate  JC-1  5,5′,6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethylbenzimi-dazolylcarbocyanine iodide  MMP  matrix metalloproteinase  MTT  3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide  PARP  Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase  PBS  phosphate-buffered saline  PI  ropidium iodide  PJR  Panacis Japonici Rhizoma  SD  standard deviation  

SSc  systemic sclerosis  SRC  scleroderma renal crisis  PAH  pulmonary arterial hypertension  SMR  standardized mortality ratio  DNMTs  DNA methyltransferases  SAM  S-adenosyl-methionine  5mC  5-methylcytosine  MBD  methyl-CpG-binding domain  Tet  ten–eleven translocation  HATs  histone acetyltransferases  HDACs  histone deacetylases  MiRNAs  microRNAs  MZ  monozygotic  DZ  dizygotic  MVECs  microvascular endothelial cells  FBs  fibroblasts  JAMs  junctional adhesion molecules  CTGF  connective tissue growth facto  TGF-β  transforming growth factor beta  CCN2  connective tissue growth factor  Fli1  Friend leukemia integration-1  TF  transcription factor  PECAM  platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule  PDGF  platelet derived growth factor  S1P1  sphingosin 1 phosphate  CXCL5  CXC chemokine ligand-5  BMPs  bone morphogenetic proteins  BMPRII  bone morphogenetic protein type II receptor  ET-1  endotheline-1  uPA  urokinase-type plasminogen activator  MBD  methyl-CpG-binding domain protein  ICAM  intercellular adhesion molecule  KLF5  Kruppel-like factor 5  Tregs  regulatory T cells  Runx1  Runt-related transcription factor 1  FOXP3  forkhead box protein 3 gene  ECM  extra cellular matrix  PDGF  platelet-derived growth factor  dSSc  diffuse systemic sclerosis  lSSc  limited systemic sclerosis  PCAF  protein-associated factor  Egr-1  early growth response 1  DDR2  discoidin domain receptor 2  TAB1  TGF-β activated kinase 1 binding protein 1  BAFF  B cell-activating factor  TSP-2  thrombospondin-2  MRTSS  Modified Rodnan total skin score  SDAI  Valentini scleroderma disease activity index  HC  healthy controls  SLE  systemic lupus erythematosus  SSD  scleroderma spectrum disorder  MTX  methylaminopterin  CYC  cyclophosphamide  MMF  mycophenolate mofetil  ACE  angiotensin converting enzyme  NO  nitric oxide  Systemic sclerosis  Epigenetic mechanisms  Biomarker  Therapy  

3-MA, 3-methyladenine  70kDa, polypeptide 1  ANKS6, ankyrin repeat and sterile alpha motif domain containing 6  ATG/atg, autophagy-related  Ac-TUBA, acetylated-tubulin alpha  Baf, bafilomycin A1  CF, confluence  CQ, chloroquine  DAPI, 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole  FBS, fetal bovine serum  HK2, human kidney proximal tubular cells  IFT, intraflagellar transport  KAP3, kinesin family-associated protein 3  KD, knockdown  KIF3A/3B, kinesin family member 3A/3B  KO, knockout  LTA, lotus tetragonolobus agglutinin  MAP1LC3B/LC3B, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta  MEF, mouse embryonic fibroblast  MTOR  MTOR, mechanistic target of rapamycin  OFD1, oral-ficial-digital syndrome 1  PBS, phosphate-buffered saline  PKD, polycystic kidney disease  RKRB, Krebs-Henseleit saline containing 25 mM NaHCO3  RPS6KB1, ribosomal protein S6 kinase  Rapa, rapamycin  SD, standard deviation  autophagy  cilia  polycystic kidney disease  proteasome