1.Mechanism of Tibetan Medicine Sanwei Doukoutang to Improve Cognitive Dysfunction in 5×FAD Mice Based on Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Pathway
Shuran LI ; Yaxin WANG ; Jing SUN ; Lei BAO ; Zihan GENG ; Dan XIE ; Ronghua ZHAO ; Yanyan BAO ; Qiyue SUN ; Jingsheng ZHANG ; Xinwei WANG ; Xinying LI ; Xihe CUI ; Xiaowei YANG ; LIUXIAN ; Mengyao CUI ; Qingshan LIU ; Shanshan GUO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(21):54-60
ObjectiveTo explore the effects of the Tibetan medicine Sanwei Doukoutang (SWDK) on cognitive dysfunction in mice suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its related mechanism. MethodsFifty SPF 5 × FAD mice were randomly divided into model group, total ginsenoside group(0.04 g·kg-1), high-, medium-, and low-dose groups of SWDK (32.60, 16.30, 8.15 g·kg-1), with 10 mice in each group, and ten wild-type mice of the same age were used as the normal group, male and female in 1∶1. Gavage administration was performed once daily for 8 weeks. The Morris water maze test and contextual fear memory experiment were used to observe learning and memory function. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was utilized to observe the changes in the pathomorphology of brain tissue in mice. The levels of synaptophysin (SYP) and postsynaptic dense substance 95 (PSD95) in mice serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The positive expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) in the dentate gyrus (DG) region of mouse brain tissue was observed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The protein levels of BDNF, Wnt family member 3A(Wnt3a), and β-catenin were detected in the hippocampus of mice by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group of mice, the model group of mice had significantly more complex swimming routes and lower swimming speed (P<0.01), significantly lower percentage of time spent in the target quadrant (P<0.01), and a significantly lower percentage of freezing time (P<0.05). The number of neurons in the hippocampal region of mice was obviously reduced and unevenly arranged. The levels of SYP and PSD95(P<0.01) in the serum of mice were reduced, and the positive expression of BDNF in the DG region of the brain tissue of mice was reduced. The levels of hippocampal BDNF, Wnt3a, and β-catenin proteins in the hippocampus of mice were obviously reduced (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the mice in the SWDK group and the total ginsenoside group had significantly shorter swimming routes, the high- and medium- dose SWDK groups significantly higher swimming speeds (P<0.01), significantly higher percentage of time spent in the target quadrant (P<0.01), obviously higher percentage of Freezing time (P<0.05), and obviously more neurons in the hippocampal region of the mice with tighter arrangement. The mice had elevated levels of serum SYP (P<0.05, P<0.01), PSD95 (P<0.01), increased BDNF-positive cells in the DG region of brain tissue, and obviously elevated levels of BDNF, Wnt3a, and β-catenin proteins in the hippocampus of mice (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionSWDK can significantly improve the cognitive dysfunction of AD mice, and its mechanism may be related to regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which promotes BDNF expression and thereby enhances synaptic plasticity, allowing neuronal signaling to be restored.
2.Establishment and Application of Animal Models for Disease-syndrome Combination in Viral Pneumonia: A Review
Dan XIE ; Shuran LI ; Zihan GENG ; Lei BAO ; Jing SUN ; Ronghua ZHAO ; Xian LIU ; Mengyao CUI ; Xiaowei YANG ; Xiaolan CUI ; Shanshan GUO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(21):61-69
Currently, viral pneumonia (VP) presents a major challenge to global public health. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prevention and treatment of VP is guided by the core concept of strengthening vital energy and eliminating pathogenic factors rather than targeting specific pathogens, alongside a holistic approach of syndrome differentiation and treatment. By summarizing the clinical syndromes of patients, the core pathogenesis was clarified to achieve individualized therapy. Animal models for disease-syndrome combination integrate the etiology and pathogenesis of VP and simulate the individualized manifestations of patients at different disease stages, providing an experimental platform for elucidating the theoretical basis of TCM in treating VP and promoting the development of effective TCM formulations. However, there are limitations in the application and promotion of disease-syndrome combination animal models due to the lack of standardization and normalization of model construction systems, which arise from diverse species selection, compound modeling methods, and multidimensional evaluation indicators. This paper systematically reviewed the recent research on animal models for disease-syndrome combination in VP from the perspective of species selection, modeling methods, evaluation indicators, and application status. Furthermore, it summarized the advantages and limitations of existing models, identifies future directions for improvement, and proposes optimization strategies. This review provides a reference for establishing standardized and normalized animal models for disease-syndrome combinations in VP, supporting the theoretical modernization of TCM in preventing and controlling emerging respiratory infectious diseases, and contributing to the development of new TCM drugs.
3.Mechanism of Tibetan Medicine Sanwei Doukoutang to Improve Cognitive Dysfunction in 5×FAD Mice Based on Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Pathway
Shuran LI ; Yaxin WANG ; Jing SUN ; Lei BAO ; Zihan GENG ; Dan XIE ; Ronghua ZHAO ; Yanyan BAO ; Qiyue SUN ; Jingsheng ZHANG ; Xinwei WANG ; Xinying LI ; Xihe CUI ; Xiaowei YANG ; LIUXIAN ; Mengyao CUI ; Qingshan LIU ; Shanshan GUO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(21):54-60
ObjectiveTo explore the effects of the Tibetan medicine Sanwei Doukoutang (SWDK) on cognitive dysfunction in mice suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its related mechanism. MethodsFifty SPF 5 × FAD mice were randomly divided into model group, total ginsenoside group(0.04 g·kg-1), high-, medium-, and low-dose groups of SWDK (32.60, 16.30, 8.15 g·kg-1), with 10 mice in each group, and ten wild-type mice of the same age were used as the normal group, male and female in 1∶1. Gavage administration was performed once daily for 8 weeks. The Morris water maze test and contextual fear memory experiment were used to observe learning and memory function. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was utilized to observe the changes in the pathomorphology of brain tissue in mice. The levels of synaptophysin (SYP) and postsynaptic dense substance 95 (PSD95) in mice serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The positive expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) in the dentate gyrus (DG) region of mouse brain tissue was observed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The protein levels of BDNF, Wnt family member 3A(Wnt3a), and β-catenin were detected in the hippocampus of mice by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group of mice, the model group of mice had significantly more complex swimming routes and lower swimming speed (P<0.01), significantly lower percentage of time spent in the target quadrant (P<0.01), and a significantly lower percentage of freezing time (P<0.05). The number of neurons in the hippocampal region of mice was obviously reduced and unevenly arranged. The levels of SYP and PSD95(P<0.01) in the serum of mice were reduced, and the positive expression of BDNF in the DG region of the brain tissue of mice was reduced. The levels of hippocampal BDNF, Wnt3a, and β-catenin proteins in the hippocampus of mice were obviously reduced (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the mice in the SWDK group and the total ginsenoside group had significantly shorter swimming routes, the high- and medium- dose SWDK groups significantly higher swimming speeds (P<0.01), significantly higher percentage of time spent in the target quadrant (P<0.01), obviously higher percentage of Freezing time (P<0.05), and obviously more neurons in the hippocampal region of the mice with tighter arrangement. The mice had elevated levels of serum SYP (P<0.05, P<0.01), PSD95 (P<0.01), increased BDNF-positive cells in the DG region of brain tissue, and obviously elevated levels of BDNF, Wnt3a, and β-catenin proteins in the hippocampus of mice (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionSWDK can significantly improve the cognitive dysfunction of AD mice, and its mechanism may be related to regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which promotes BDNF expression and thereby enhances synaptic plasticity, allowing neuronal signaling to be restored.
4.Establishment and Application of Animal Models for Disease-syndrome Combination in Viral Pneumonia: A Review
Dan XIE ; Shuran LI ; Zihan GENG ; Lei BAO ; Jing SUN ; Ronghua ZHAO ; Xian LIU ; Mengyao CUI ; Xiaowei YANG ; Xiaolan CUI ; Shanshan GUO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(21):61-69
Currently, viral pneumonia (VP) presents a major challenge to global public health. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prevention and treatment of VP is guided by the core concept of strengthening vital energy and eliminating pathogenic factors rather than targeting specific pathogens, alongside a holistic approach of syndrome differentiation and treatment. By summarizing the clinical syndromes of patients, the core pathogenesis was clarified to achieve individualized therapy. Animal models for disease-syndrome combination integrate the etiology and pathogenesis of VP and simulate the individualized manifestations of patients at different disease stages, providing an experimental platform for elucidating the theoretical basis of TCM in treating VP and promoting the development of effective TCM formulations. However, there are limitations in the application and promotion of disease-syndrome combination animal models due to the lack of standardization and normalization of model construction systems, which arise from diverse species selection, compound modeling methods, and multidimensional evaluation indicators. This paper systematically reviewed the recent research on animal models for disease-syndrome combination in VP from the perspective of species selection, modeling methods, evaluation indicators, and application status. Furthermore, it summarized the advantages and limitations of existing models, identifies future directions for improvement, and proposes optimization strategies. This review provides a reference for establishing standardized and normalized animal models for disease-syndrome combinations in VP, supporting the theoretical modernization of TCM in preventing and controlling emerging respiratory infectious diseases, and contributing to the development of new TCM drugs.
6.High expression of DTX2 promotes proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of oxaliplatin-resistant colorectal cancer cells.
Zhennan MA ; Fuquan LIU ; Xuefeng ZHAO ; Xiaowei ZHANG
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(4):829-836
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the role of DTX2 in regulating biological behaviors of oxaliplatin-resistant colorectal cancer cells (CRC/OXA cells).
METHODS:
CCK8 assay was used to determine the inhibition rate of oxaliplatin-treated CRC cells. A CRC/OXA cell line was constructed, in which DTX2 expression level was detected. The cells were transfected with a DTX2-shRNA plasmid or co-transfected with DTX2-shRNA and pcDNA-Notch2, and the changes in cell proliferation, migration and invasion ability were evaluated using plate cloning assay, scratch assay and Transwell invasion assay. The expression levels of Notch2, NICD and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) proteins of the transfected cells were detected with Western blotting. In a nude mouse model bearing SW620/OXA cell xenografts, the effects of DTX2 knockdown and Notch2 overexpression in the implanted cells on tumor growth and protein expressions were tested.
RESULTS:
The IC50 of oxaliplatin was 6.00 μmol/L in SW620 cells and 8.00 μmol/L in LoVo cells. CRC/OXA cells showed a significantly increased expression of DTX2. DTX2 knockdown in CRC/OXA cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and these effects were reversed by co-transfection of the cells with pcDNA-Notch2. DTX2 knockdown significantly reduced the expression levels of Notch2, NICD and vimentin proteins and increased E-cadherin expression in CRC/OXA cells, and co-transfection with pcDNA-Notch2 potently attenuated the changes in these proteins. In the tumor-bearing mice, DTX2 overexpression obviously promoted the growth of SW620/OXA cell xenograft, enhanced the protein expressions of Notch2, NICD and vimentin, and lowered the expression of E-cadherin.
CONCLUSIONS
High expression of DTX2 promotes proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of CRC/OXA cells through the Notch2 signaling pathway, suggesting the potential of DTX2 as a target to improve the efficacy of oxaliplatin.
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
;
Humans
;
Cell Proliferation
;
Oxaliplatin
;
Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism*
;
Animals
;
Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
;
Receptor, Notch2/metabolism*
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Mice, Nude
;
Cell Movement
;
Organoplatinum Compounds/pharmacology*
;
Neoplasm Invasiveness
;
Mice
7.Developing a polygenic risk score for pelvic organ prolapse: a combined risk assessment approach in Chinese women.
Xi CHENG ; Lei LI ; Xijuan LIN ; Na CHEN ; Xudong LIU ; Yaqian LI ; Zhaoai LI ; Jian GONG ; Qing LIU ; Yuling WANG ; Juntao WANG ; Zhijun XIA ; Yongxian LU ; Hangmei JIN ; Xiaowei ZHANG ; Luwen WANG ; Juan CHEN ; Guorong FAN ; Shan DENG ; Sen ZHAO ; Lan ZHU
Frontiers of Medicine 2025;19(4):665-674
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP), whose etiology is influenced by genetic and clinical risk factors, considerably impacts women's quality of life. However, the genetic underpinnings in non-European populations and comprehensive risk models integrating genetic and clinical factors remain underexplored. This study constructed the first polygenic risk score (PRS) for POP in the Chinese population by utilizing 20 disease-associated variants from the largest existing genome-wide association study. We analyzed a discovery cohort of 576 cases and 623 controls and a validation cohort of 264 cases and 200 controls. Results showed that the case group exhibited a significantly higher PRS than the control group. Moreover, the odds ratio of the top 10% risk group was 2.6 times higher than that of the bottom 10%. A high PRS was significantly correlated with POP occurrence in women older than 50 years old and in those with one or no childbirths. As far as we know, the integrated prediction model, which combined PRS and clinical risk factors, demonstrated better predictive accuracy than other existing PRS models. This combined risk assessment model serves as a robust tool for POP risk prediction and stratification, thereby offering insights into individualized preventive measures and treatment strategies in future clinical practice.
Humans
;
Female
;
Pelvic Organ Prolapse/epidemiology*
;
Middle Aged
;
Risk Assessment/methods*
;
China/epidemiology*
;
Multifactorial Inheritance
;
Aged
;
Risk Factors
;
Genome-Wide Association Study
;
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
;
Case-Control Studies
;
Adult
;
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
;
Genetic Risk Score
;
East Asian People
8.Constructing A Knowledge-driven and Data-driven Hybrid Decision Model for Etiological Diagnosis of Ventricular Tachycardia
Min WANG ; Zhao HU ; Xiaowei XU ; Si ZHENG ; Jiao LI ; Yan YAO
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2024;16(2):454-461
To construct a hybrid decision-making model that integrates knowledge-driven and data-driven approaches, and to apply it to the etiological diagnosis of ventricular tachycardia (VT). Clinical practice guidelines, expert consensus documents, and medical literature in the field of arrhythmia diseases from 2018 to 2023 were retrieved as knowledge sources. Retrospective electronic medical record data of VT patients from Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, from 2013 to 2023 were collected as the dataset. A knowledge-driven model was constructed using a knowledge-rule-based approach to establish clinical pathways. A three-class machine learning model for VT etiology diagnosis was developed based on real-world data, and the best-performing model was selected as the representative of the data-driven approach. The machine learning model was embedded into the decision nodes of the clinical pathway in the form of custom operators, forming the hybrid model. The precision, recall, and F1 score of the three models were evaluated. Three clinical practice guidelines were included as knowledge sources for the knowledge-driven model. A total of 1305 patient records were collected as the dataset, and five machine learning models were constructed, with the XGBoost model performing the best. The hybrid model adopted a knowledge-driven decision-making framework, embedding the XGBoost model into the decision nodes of a two-level classification. The precision, recall, and F1 scores of the three models were as follows: the knowledge-driven model achieved 80.4%, 79.1%, and 79.7%; the data-driven model achieved 88.4%, 88.5%, and 88.4%; and the hybrid model achieved 90.4%, 90.2%, and 90.3%. The hybrid model integrating knowledge-driven and data-driven approaches demonstrated higher accuracy, and all its decision outcomes were based on evidence-based practices, aligning more closely with the actual diagnostic reasoning of clinicians. Further rigorous validation is needed to assess the feasibility of widely applying the hybrid model in the medical field.
9.Incidence and risk factors of parastomal hernia after colostomy
Minping BI ; Xiaowei YANG ; Meng LOU ; Pengyun HU ; Baobin SHI ; Yiming SHAN ; Xing RUAN ; Hongfeng ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Digestive Surgery 2024;23(9):1195-1199
Objective:To explore the incidence and risk factors of parastomal hernia after colostomy.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 145 patients undergoing colostomy in Xinxiang Central Hospital from January 2015 to January 2019 were collected. There were 86 males and 59 females, aged(59±11) years. Patients received pelvic and abdominal computed tomography once every 6 months after colostomy to detect the occurrence of parastomal hernia. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and the independent sample t test was used for comparison between groups. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were represented as absolute numbers, and chi-square test or Fisher exact probability was used for comparison between groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the cumulative annual incidence of parastomal hernia. Logarithmic rank test was used to analyze the cumulative incidence based on clinical variables. COX proportional hazard regression model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Results:(1) Incidence of parastomal hernia after colostomy. All the 145 patients were followed up for 86(range, 60?108)months after colostomy, of which 46 cases had parastomal hernia and 99 cases had no parastomal hernia. There were significant differences in gender, age, body mass index (BMI) and chronic liver disease between patients with and without parastomal hernia after colostomy ( χ2=23.28, t=13.27, χ2=6.17, 5.82, P<0.05). (2) Annual cumulative incidence of parastomal hernia after colostomy. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative incidence of parastromal hernia after colostomy was 8.5%, 26.4% and 42.7%, respectively. When the follow-up time is more than 5 years, the incidence of parastromal hernia tended to be stable. The 5-year incidence of parastomal hernia after colostomy in female patients was higher than that in male patients (70.7% vs 20.3%, χ2=12.37, P<0.05). The 5-year incidence of parastomal hernia after colostomy in patients≥60 years old was higher than that in patients under 60 years old (49.8% vs 20.0%, χ2=10.52, P<0.05). The 5-year incidence of parastomal hernia after colostomy in patients with BMI >28 kg/m 2 was higher than that in patients with BMI ≤28 kg/m 2 (55.3% vs 33.2%, χ2=11.76, P<0.05). The 5-year incidence of parastomal hernia after colostomy in patients with chronic liver disease was higher than that in patients with non-chronic liver disease (45.2% vs 32.4%, χ2=15.32, P<0.05). (3) Analysis of risk factors for parastomal hernia after colostomy. Results of multivariate analysis showed that female, age >60 years old, BMI ≥28 kg/m 2 and chronic liver disease were independent risk factors for parastomal hernia after colostomy ( hazard ratio=2.70, 2.51, 1.85, 5.88, 95% confidence intervals as 1.39?6.74, 1.01?4.59, 1.02?4.87, 1.05?8.24, P<0.05). Conclusions:The incidence of parastomal hernia after colostomy is increasing year by year, and tends to be stable after 5 years. Female, age >60 years old, BMI≥28 kg/m 2, and chronic liver disease are independent risk factors for parastomal hernia after colostomy.
10.Establishment of primary breast cancer cell line as new model for drug screening and basic research
Xian HAO ; Jianjun HUANG ; Wenxiu YANG ; Jinting LIU ; Junhong ZHANG ; Yubei LUO ; Qing LI ; Dahong WANG ; Yuwei GAO ; Fuyun TAN ; Li BO ; Yu ZHENG ; Rong WANG ; Jianglong FENG ; Jing LI ; Chunhua ZHAO ; Xiaowei DOU
China Oncology 2024;34(6):561-570
Background and purpose:In 2016 the National Cancer Institute(NCI)decided stopping to use NCI-60 cell lines for drug screening,suggesting that tumor cell lines were losing their value as a tool for drug discovery and basic research.The reason for NCI-60 cells'retirement'was that the preclinical studies based on traditional cellular and animal models did not obtain the corresponding expected efficacy in clinical trials.Since the major cancer behaviors,such as proliferation and metastasis,are fundamentally altered with long-term culture,the tumor cell lines are not representative of the characteristics of cancer in patients.Currently,scientists hope to create a new cancer model that are derived from fresh patient samples and tagged with details about their clinical past.Our purpose was to create patient-derived breast cancer primary cell lines as new cancer model for drug screening and basic research.Methods:Breast cancer tissues were collected in the Department of Breast Surgery,Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University.The collection of tumor tissue samples was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University(approval number:2022 ethics No.313),and the collection and use of tumor tissues complied with the Declaration of Helsinki.The primary breast cancer cell lines were isolated from the patient's breast cancer tissues and cultured in BCMI medium.After the cells proliferated,the media were replaced with DEME medium.Cell line STR genotyping was done to determine cell-specific genetic markers and identification.Clone formation assay and transplantation assay were done to analyze the ability of breast cancer primary cell lines to form tumors.Results:We created 6 primary breast cancer cell lines.The 6 primary breast cancer cell lines from the patients were tagged with the definitively clinicopathological features,clinical diagnosis,therapeutic regimens,clinical effectiveness and prognostic outcomes.The STR genotyping assays identified the genetic markers and determined the identities of the 6 primary breast cancer cell lines.Clone formation assays and transplantation assay showed that the proliferative capacities of the patient-derived primary breast cancer cell lines were significantly greater compared with the conventional breast cancer cell lines.Conclusion:We created a panel of 6 patient-derived primary breast cancer cell lines as new cancer model for drug screening and basic research in breast cancer.

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