1.Gut Microbiota and Bile Acid Metabolism in the Pathogenesis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Journal of Sun Yat-sen University(Medical Sciences) 2025;46(5):775-783
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the most prevalent endocrine disorders among women of reproductive age, is characterized by ovulatory dysfunction, hyperandrogenemia, and polycystic ovarian morphology. As a leading cause of female infertility, PCOS affects 6%-20% of women globally. The complex and heterogeneous nature of PCOS has hindered the full elucidation of its pathogenesis. Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota dysbiosis and abnormal bile acid metabolism may contribute to the development of PCOS. Patients with PCOS exhibit reduced alpha diversity of gut microbiota, marked by decreased butyrate-producing bacteria and the proliferation of harmful genera such as Bacteroides. This shift leads to intestinal barrier dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and exacerbation of insulin resistance and hyperandrogenemia through dysregulation of short-chain fatty acid and sex hormone metabolism. Additionally, PCOS patients display distinct bile acid metabolic abnormalities, including elevated total bile acids, impaired classical synthesis pathways, activated alternative pathways, and abnormal accumulation of primary unconjugated bile acids. A bidirectional regulatory axis exists between gut microbiota and bile acids: microbiota modulate bile acid synthesis and metabolism, while bile acids shape microbial composition and abundance. Dysregulation of this gut microbiota-bile acid axis promotes the pathogenesis of PCOS. Therefore, optimizing gut microbiota composition and modulating bile acid metabolism represent novel therapeutic targets for PCOS. Further mechanistic exploration requires integrated animal models and population-based cohort studies to address individualized variability and safety concerns. This review summarizes the roles of gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism in PCOS pathogenesis, highlights their interactions, and discusses therapeutic potential, aiming to provide insights for both theoretical research and clinical management. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
2.Current status and prospect of biomarker research for schizophrenia
Mengyuan ZHU ; Qing CHEN ; Dan LI ; Mengxia WANG ; Renyu WANG ; Yuxin ZHU ; Weifeng JIN ; Shuzi CHEN ; Ping LI ; Zhenhua LI ; Peijun MA ; Shuai LIU ; Qiong GAO ; Xiaoyan LOU ; Jie XU ; Lili ZHU ; Ling ZHAO ; Kangyi LIANG ; Jinghong CHEN ; Xunjia CHENG ; Ke DONG ; Xiaokui GUO ; Qingtian LI ; Yun SHI ; Junyu SUN ; Huabin XU ; Ping LIN
Chinese Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2022;45(11):1191-1196
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Schizophrenia is a serious mental disease. The diagnosis of schizophrenia so far relies heavily on subjective evidence, including self-reported experiences by patients, manifestations described by relatives, and abnormal behaviors assessed by psychiatrists. The diagnosis, monitoring of the disease progression and therapy efficacy assessment are challenging due to the lack of established laboratory biomarkers. Based on the current literature, clinical consensus, guidelines, and expert recommendations, this review highlighted evidence-based potential laboratory biomarkers for the diagnosis of schizophrenia, including genetic biomarkers, neurotransmitters, neurodevelopmental-related proteins, and intestinal flora, and discussed the potential future directions for the application of these biomarkers in this field, aiming to provide an objective basis for the use of these biomarkers in the early and accurate diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis and rehabilitation assessment of schizophrenia.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
3.Study on the safety and pharmacological effect on improving dyspepsia of Shuangshu decoction in rats
Xinyuan CHEN ; Changzhou XIONG ; Jiongfen LI ; Kangyi YU ; Huan XU ; Yingxia WANG ; Dan LIAO ; Junyu TAO ; Ziyi YANG ; Caizhi LIN
China Pharmacy 2025;36(9):1059-1064
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			OBJECTIVE To study the safety of Shuangshu decoction in rats and its efficacy in improving functional dyspepsia (FD) in rats. METHODS In safety test, 40 rats were divided into blank control group, Shuangshu decoction low-dose, medium- dose and high-dose groups [108, 216, 324 g/(kg·d), calculated by raw medicine, the same applies below]; they were given relevant medicine intragastrically, for continuous 14 days. The mortality and toxic reactions of rats were recorded, and the organ indexes of the liver, kidney, spleen, lung and heart of rats were calculated; the pathological morphological changes in the liver, kidney, spleen, lung, heart, stomach, duodenum, and colon were observed to evaluate the acute toxicity of Shuangshu decoction. Another 40 rats were grouped and administered in the same way for 30 consecutive days. The mortality and toxic reactions of the rats were recorded, and the corresponding organ indexes were calculated. The pathological morphological changes in the corresponding organs were observed, and blood routine and serum biochemical indicators were measured, in order to assess the subacute toxicity of Shuangshu decoction. In pharmacodynamic experiments: 50 rats were divided into blank control group, model group, and Shuangshu decoction low-, medium-, and high-dose groups (9.45, 18.9, 37.8 g/kg), with 10 rats in each group. Except for blank control group, rats in all other groups were used to establish the FD rat model by subcutaneous injection of loperamide (3.5 mg/kg). Rats in each group were administered the corresponding drug solution/normal saline intragastrically, once a day, for 14 consecutive days. After the last medication, fecal moisture content, intestinal propulsion rate, gastric emptying rate and serum level of motilin were all detected, and interstitial cell of Cajal (ICC) ultrastructure of rats was observed in colon tissue. RESULTS The safety experiments showed that no death occurred in each dose group, and no significant difference was found in organ coefficient, routine blood and serum biological index, compared to blank control group (P>0.05); no abnormality was found in organ appearance and pathological sections. The results of the pharmacodynamic experiments showed that, compared with the blank control group, the fecal moisture content, gastric emptying rate, intestinal propulsion rate, and serum motilin levels in the model group were significantly decreased (P<0.05); in the colonic tissue, the mitochondria in the ICC exhibited severe swelling with the disappearance of cristae, and the endoplasmic reticulum was dilated. Compared with model group, the rats in Shuangshu decoction high-dose group showed significant increases in the above quantitative indicators (P< 0.05); additionally, there was a large number of mitochondria in the ICC of the colonic tissue, with clear cristae and regular arrangement. CONCLUSIONS Shuangshu decoction is safe and has a beneficial improving effect on FD rats; its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of gastrointestinal hormone expression to promote gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion, as well as the repair of mitochondrial structure in ICCs to restore gastrointestinal function.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
 
            
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