1.Hypolipidemic effect and mechanism of Arisaema Cum Bile based on gut microbiota and metabolomics.
Peng ZHANG ; Fa-Zhi SU ; En-Lin ZHU ; Chen-Xi BAI ; Bao-Wu ZHANG ; Yan-Ping SUN ; Hai-Xue KUANG ; Qiu-Hong WANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(6):1544-1557
Based on the high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia rat model, this study aimed to evaluate the lipid-lowering effect of Arisaema Cum Bile and explore its mechanisms, providing experimental evidence for its clinical application. Biochemical analysis was used to detect serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), triglycerides(TG), and total cholesterol(TC) to assess the lipid-lowering activity of Arisaema Cum Bile. Additionally, 16S rDNA sequencing and metabolomics techniques were employed to jointly elucidate the lipid-lowering mechanisms of Arisaema Cum Bile. The experimental results showed that high-dose Arisaema Cum Bile(PBA-H) significantly reduced serum ALT, AST, LDL-C, TG, and TC levels(P<0.01), and significantly increased HDL-C levels(P<0.01). The effect was similar to that of fenofibrate, with no significant difference. Furthermore, Arisaema Cum Bile significantly alleviated hepatocyte ballooning and mitigated fatty degeneration in liver tissues. As indicated by 16S rDNA sequencing results, PBA-H significantly enhanced both alpha and beta diversity of the gut microbiota in the model rats, notably increasing the relative abundance of Akkermansia and Subdoligranulum species(P<0.01). Liver metabolomics analysis revealed that PBA-H primarily regulated pathways involved in arachidonic acid metabolism, vitamin B_6 metabolism, and steroid biosynthesis. In summary, Arisaema Cum Bile significantly improved abnormal blood lipid levels and liver pathology induced by a high-fat diet, regulated hepatic metabolic disorders, and improved the abundance and structural composition of gut microbiota, thereby exerting its lipid-lowering effect. The findings of this study provide experimental evidence for the clinical application of Arisaema Cum Bile and the treatment of hyperlipidemia.
Animals
;
Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects*
;
Rats
;
Male
;
Metabolomics
;
Hyperlipidemias/microbiology*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Hypolipidemic Agents/pharmacology*
;
Liver/metabolism*
;
Humans
;
Alanine Transaminase/metabolism*
;
Triglycerides/metabolism*
;
Aspartate Aminotransferases/metabolism*
2.Color-component correlation and mechanism of component transformation of processed Citri Reticulatae Semen.
Kui-Lin ZHU ; Jin-Lian ZOU ; Xu-Li DENG ; Mao-Xin DENG ; Hai-Ming WANG ; Rui YIN ; Zhang-Xian CHEN ; Yun-Tao ZHANG ; Hong-Ping HE ; Fa-Wu DONG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(9):2382-2390
High-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was used to determine the content of three major components in Citri Reticulatae Semen(CRS), including limonin, nomilin, and obacunone. The chromaticity of the CRS sample during salt processing and stir-frying was measured using a color difference meter. Next, the relationship between the color and content of the salt-processed CRS sample was investigated through correlation analysis. By integrating the oil bath technique for processing simulation with HPLC, the changes in the relative content of nomilin and its transformation products were analyzed, with its structural transformation pattern during processing identified. Additionally, RAW264.7 cells were induced with lipopolysaccharides(LPSs) to establish an inflammatory model, and the anti-inflammatory activity of nomilin and its transformation product, namely obacunone was evaluated. The results indicated that as processing progressed, E~*ab and L~* values showed a downward trend; a~* values exhibited a slow increase over a certain period, followed by no significant changes, and b~* values remained stable with no significant changes over a certain period and then started to decrease. The limonin content remained barely unchanged; the nomilin content decreased, and the obacunone increased significantly. The changing trends in content and color parameters during salt-processing and stir-frying were basically consistent. The content of nomilin and obacunone was significantly correlated with the colorimetric values(L~*, a~*, b~*, and E~*ab), while limonin content showed no significant correlation with these values. By analyzing HPLC patterns of nomylin at different heating temperatures and time, it was found that under conditions of 200-250 ℃ for heating of 5-60 min, the content of nomilin significantly decreased, while the obacunone content increased pronouncedly. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity results indicated that compared to the model group, the group with a high concentration of nomilin and the groups with varying concentrations of obacunone showed significantly reduced release of nitric oxide(NO)(P<0.01). When both were at the same concentration, obacunone showed better performance in inhibiting NO release. In this study, the obvious correlation between the color and content of major components during the processing of CRS samples was identified, and the dynamic patterns of quality change in CRS samples during processing were revealed. Additionally, the study revealed and confirmed the transformation of nomilin into obacunone during processing, with the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of obacunone significantly greater than that of nomilin. These findings provided a scientific basis for CRS processing optimization, tablet quality control, and its clinical application.
Mice
;
Animals
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
;
RAW 264.7 Cells
;
Limonins/chemistry*
;
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
;
Citrus/chemistry*
;
Color
;
Benzoxepins/chemistry*
;
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry*
3.Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma protects brain microvascular endothelial cells from ischemia and hypoxia injury by regulating PI3K/AKT/GSK3β pathway.
Li TANG ; Qiu-Yue YANG ; Hong-Fa CHENG ; Ya-Hui XIE ; Qiu-Xia ZHANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(11):3127-3136
This study elucidates the mechanism of Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma(RCRR) in protecting brain microvascular endothelial cells from oxygen-glucose deprivation(OGD) injury and reveals the modern pharmacological mechanism of RCRR's traditional use in nourishing Qi and promoting blood circulation to protect endothelial cells. The scratch assay was employed to assess the migratory capacity of endothelial cells. Immunofluorescence and Western blot techniques were employed to assess the protein expression of tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1(ZO-1), occludin, claudin-5, and proteins of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(AKT)/glycogen synthase kinase-3beta(GSK3β) pathway. The results demonstrated that 63 bioactive components and 125 potential core targets of RCRR were identified from the ETCM, TCMBank, and SwissTargetPrediction databases, as well as from the literature. A total of 1 708 brain microvascular endothelial cell-related targets were identified from the GeneCards and OMIM databases, and 52 targets were obtained by intersecting drug components with cell targets. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network analysis revealed that AKT1, epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9), estrogen receptor 1(ESR1), proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase(SRC), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPARG), GSK3β, and matrix metalloproteinase 2(MMP2) were considered hub genes. The KEGG enrichment analysis identified the PI3K/AKT pathway as the primary signaling pathway. Cell experiments demonstrated that RCRR-containing serum could enhance the migratory capacity of brain microvascular endothelial cells and the expression of tight junction proteins following OGD injury, which may be associated with the downregulation of the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β pathway. This study elucidates the pharmacological mechanism of RCRR in protecting brain microvascular endothelial cells through network pharmacology, characterized by multiple components and targets. These findings were validated through in vitro experiments and provide important ideas and references for further research into the molecular mechanisms of RCRR in protecting brain microvascular endothelial cells.
Endothelial Cells/cytology*
;
Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta/genetics*
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
;
Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics*
;
Signal Transduction/drug effects*
;
Brain/metabolism*
;
Humans
;
Animals
;
Rhizome/chemistry*
;
Microvessels/metabolism*
;
Brain Ischemia/drug therapy*
4.Biomedical Data in China: Policy, Accumulation, Platform Construction, and Applications.
Jing-Chen ZHANG ; Jing-Wen SUN ; Xiao-Meng LIU ; Jin-Yan LIU ; Wei LUO ; Sheng-Fa ZHANG ; Wei ZHOU
Chinese Medical Sciences Journal 2025;40(1):9-17
Biomedical data is surging due to technological innovations and integration of multidisciplinary data, posing challenges to data management. This article summarizes the policies, data collection efforts, platform construction, and applications of biomedical data in China, aiming to identify key issues and needs, enhance the capacity-building of platform construction, unleash the value of data, and leverage the advantages of China's vast amount of data.
China
;
Humans
;
Biomedical Research
;
Data Management
;
Data Collection
5.AI-Ready Competency Framework for Biomedical Scientific Data Literacy.
Zhe WANG ; Zhi-Gang WANG ; Wen-Ya ZHAO ; Wei ZHOU ; Sheng-Fa ZHANG ; Xiao-Lin YANG
Chinese Medical Sciences Journal 2025;40(3):203-210
With the rise of data-intensive research, data literacy has become a critical capability for improving scientific data quality and achieving artificial intelligence (AI) readiness. In the biomedical domain, data are characterized by high complexity and privacy sensitivity, calling for robust and systematic data management skills. This paper reviews current trends in scientific data governance and the evolving policy landscape, highlighting persistent challenges such as inconsistent standards, semantic misalignment, and limited awareness of compliance. These issues are largely rooted in the lack of structured training and practical support for researchers. In response, this study builds on existing data literacy frameworks and integrates the specific demands of biomedical research to propose a comprehensive, lifecycle-oriented data literacy competency model with an emphasis on ethics and regulatory awareness. Furthermore, it outlines a tiered training strategy tailored to different research stages-undergraduate, graduate, and professional, offering theoretical foundations and practical pathways for universities and research institutions to advance data literacy education.
Artificial Intelligence
;
Humans
;
Biomedical Research
6.Meta-analysis of Kirschner's needle and elastic intramedullary nail fixation for the treatment of proximal humeral fractures in children.
Tao SHI ; Zi-Hang XU ; Xin ZHANG ; Yu-Wang QIAN ; Lei ZHU ; Lai-Fa KONG
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2025;38(6):633-640
OBJECTIVE:
To systematically evaluated clinical efficacy of Kirschner's needle and elastic intramedullary nail fixation in treating proximal humeral fractures in children by Meta-analysis.
METHODS:
Literature on the treatment of proximal humeral fractures in children with Kirschler needles and elastic intramedullary nails published on Wanfang, VIP, CNKI and China biology medicine (CBM), PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched from the establishment of databases to October, 2023. Literature extraction, management and data entry were performed by Endnote X9 and Excel 2019, and Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.3 software. The operation time, hospital stay, fracture healing time, shoulder joint extension range of motion, disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand(DASH) questionnaire score, Neer score or Constant-Murley score and complications were compared between two groups.
RESULTS:
A total of 7 literatures were included, 1 was prospective study, 6 were retrospective cohort study. There were 521 children, 264 children in Kirschner wire group and 257 children in elastic intramedullary nail fixation group. The results of Meta analysis showed operation time[WMD=-12.61, 95%CI(-24.89, -0.33), P=0.04], fracture healing time[WMD=-0.26, 95%CI(-0.49, -0.02), P=0.03], total complication rate [OR=6.83, 95%CI(3.33, 14.01), P<0.001], nail tract infection rate[OR=6.77, 95%CI(1.72, 26.69), P=0.006] and displacement fracture rate[OR=3.57, 95%CI(1.35, 9.44), P=0.01] between two groups had statistically differences(P>0.05), while there were no statistically significant difference in comparison of hospital stay, shoulder joint extension range of motion, DASH, Neer score, Constant-Murley score, and incidence of skin irritation between two groups (P>0.05).
CONCLUSION
Kirschner's needle internal fixation has a short operation time and simple operation, but it has a higher incidence of complications compared with elastic nail internal fixation technique. In terms of efficacy and safety, elastic intramedullary nail fixation is one of the options for the treatment of proximal humeral fractures in children.
Humans
;
Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary/instrumentation*
;
Child
;
Shoulder Fractures/physiopathology*
;
Bone Nails
;
Bone Wires
;
Male
;
Needles
;
Female
7.Surgical approaches to varicocele: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Lin-Jie LU ; Kai XIONG ; Sheng-Lan YUAN ; Bang-Wei CHE ; Jian-Cheng ZHAI ; Chuan-Chuan WU ; Yang ZHANG ; Hong-Yan ZHANG ; Kai-Fa TANG
Asian Journal of Andrology 2025;27(6):728-737
Surgical methods for varicocele remain controversial. This study intends to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different surgical approaches for treating varicocele through a network meta-analysis (NMA). PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were thoroughly searched. In total, 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 24 cohort studies were included, covering 9 different surgical methods. Pairwise meta-analysis and NMA were performed by means of random-effects models, and interventions were ranked based on the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). According to the SUCRA, microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy (MSV; 91.6%), microsurgical retroperitoneal varicocelectomy (MRV; 78.2%), and microsurgical inguinal varicocelectomy (MIV; 76.7%) demonstrated the highest effectiveness in reducing postoperative recurrence rates. In this study, sclerotherapy embolization (SE; 87.2%), MSV (77.9%), and MIV (67.7%) showed the best results in lowering the risk of hydrocele occurrence. MIV (82.9%), MSV (75.9%), and coil embolization (CE; 58.7%) were notably effective in increasing sperm motility. Moreover, CE (76.7%), subinguinal approach varicocelectomy (SV; 69.2%), and SE (55.7%) were the most effective in increasing sperm count. SE (82.5%), transabdominal laparoscopic varicocelectomy (TLV; 76.5%), and MRV (52.7%) were superior in shortening the length of hospital stay. The incidence rates of adverse events for MRV (0), SE (3.3%), and MIV (4.1%) were notably low. Cluster analyses indicated that MSV was the most effective in the treatment of varicocele. Based on the existing evidence, MSV may represent the optimal choice for varicocele surgery. However, selecting clinical surgical strategies requires consideration of various factors, including patient needs, surgeon experience, and the learning curve.
Humans
;
Male
;
Embolization, Therapeutic/methods*
;
Microsurgery/methods*
;
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
;
Sclerotherapy/methods*
;
Treatment Outcome
;
Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male/methods*
;
Varicocele/surgery*
8.The Applications of Hematoporphyrin in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma.
Jin-Xing WANG ; Xiu-Juan HUANG ; Qian ZOU ; Peng-Wei ZHANG ; Wei ZHU ; Fa-Qing TIAN
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(5):1374-1379
OBJECTIVE:
Photodynamic therapy has become an important method in clinical tumor treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effects of hematoporphyrin on multiple myeloma (MM) and its potential applications.
METHODS:
The MM cell line RPMI 8226 was treated with hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD), and CCK-8 assay was used to determine cell viability, apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured using a detection kit combined with flow cytometry, and Western blot assay was used to detect apoptosis-related proteins and key signaling pathway protein levels.
RESULTS:
The optimal incubation time for the maximum absorption of HPD in RPMI 8226 cells was 4 hours. HPD significantly inhibited the proliferation of RPMI 8226 cells in a dose- and illumination time-dependent manner ( r =0.981; r =0.961). Additionally, HPD induced apoptosis in RPMI 8226 cells, but had no significant inhibitory effect on peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from healthy individuals. HPD combined with illumination treatment significantly increased the intracellular ROS level, upregulated the expression of apoptosis-related proteins such as cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, and down-regulated the expression of proteins that maintain cell survival, such as NF-κB and Akt.
CONCLUSION
The HPD can inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of multiple myeloma cells.
Humans
;
Multiple Myeloma/pathology*
;
Hematoporphyrins/pharmacology*
;
Apoptosis/drug effects*
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism*
;
Cell Proliferation/drug effects*
;
Photochemotherapy
;
Cell Survival/drug effects*
;
Signal Transduction
9.Tonifying kidney and activating blood therapy for the treatment of diabetic erectile dysfunction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Mao-Ke CHEN ; Ke-Cheng LI ; Jun-Long FENG ; Xiang-Fa LIN ; Wen-Xuan DONG ; Zi-Xiang GAO ; Hua-Nan ZHANG ; Hui CHEN ; Ji-Sheng WANG ; Bin WANG
National Journal of Andrology 2025;31(9):832-840
Objective: To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Tonifying kidney and activating blood therapy for the treatment of diabetic mellitus erectile dysfunction. Methods: China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), Wanfang Data, VIP, Chinese Biomedical Database(CBM), PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and Web of Science were searched from inception until October 20th of 2024,for randomized controlled trials of Tonifying kidney and activating blood therapy for the treatment of diabetic erectile dysfunction. Literature screening, quality evaluation, and data extraction were carried out in accordance with relevant standards. The software of RevMan5.4 was used for the analysis of publication bias. And meta-analysis was conducted to assess the impact of this therapy on IIEF-5, total effective rate, adverse reactions. The evidence levels according to the analysis results were evaluated. Results: Totally 19 RCTs were included, involving 1 612 patients. The result of meta-analysis indicated that Tonifying kidney and activating blood therapy had advantages on the improvement of IIEF-5 scores (MD=3.59,95%CI[2.14,5.03],P<0.01),total effective rate (OR=4.30,95%CI[3.29,5.32],P<0.000 01). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions(OR=0.98,95%CI[0.48,2.01],P=0.96) between the two groups. Conclusions: Tonifying kidney and activating blood therapy can improve the clinical efficacy and IIEF-5 score for the patients with diabetic erectile dysfunction. But considering the limited quantity of included studies, more high-quality studies still be needed to validate the therapeutic effect.
Humans
;
Male
;
Erectile Dysfunction/therapy*
;
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
;
Kidney
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
;
Diabetes Complications/therapy*
10.Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill Improves Stable Angina Patients with Phlegm-Heat and Blood-Stasis Syndrome: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Ying-Qiang ZHAO ; Yong-Fa XING ; Ke-Yong ZOU ; Wei-Dong JIANG ; Ting-Hai DU ; Bo CHEN ; Bao-Ping YANG ; Bai-Ming QU ; Li-Yue WANG ; Gui-Hong GONG ; Yan-Ling SUN ; Li-Qi WANG ; Gao-Feng ZHOU ; Yu-Gang DONG ; Min CHEN ; Xue-Juan ZHANG ; Tian-Lun YANG ; Min-Zhou ZHANG ; Ming-Jun ZHAO ; Yue DENG ; Chang-Jiang XIAO ; Lin WANG ; Bao-He WANG
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2025;31(8):685-693
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents.
METHODS:
This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs).
RESULTS:
This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed.
CONCLUSION
STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans
;
Double-Blind Method
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects*
;
Male
;
Female
;
Middle Aged
;
Angina, Stable/physiopathology*
;
Aged
;
Syndrome
;
Treatment Outcome
;
Placebos
;
Tablets

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